bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improvement of fatigue limit by shot peening for high‐tensile strength steel containing a crack in the stress concentration zone
Authors: Houjou Keiji , Takahashi Koji , Ando Kotoji 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of shot peening (SP) on the fatigue limit of high‐tensile‐strength steel containing a crack in the stress concentration zone.Design/methodology/approachAn artificial semi‐circular slit was introduced into the bottom of notch, and SP was performed. Bending fatigue tests were then carried out.FindingsFirst, the fatigue limits of specimens containing a slit of 0.2 or 0.3 mm in depth were improved up to approximately twice their original values. Second, in the case of shot‐peened specimens with a crack of 0.2 mm in depth, the fractures occurred from outside the slit. Moreover, the specimens recovered to fatigue limits up to those of non‐slit specimens. Finally, the effect of stress concentration (Kt=1.9) on the slit size could be rendered harmless by SP was not found in the fatigue test.Originality/valueThere are very few examples of evaluations of the fatigue limit of materials containing crack‐like surface defects after SP has been performed in the stress concentration zone. The study elucidated the effect of SP on the fatigue limit in such materials, compared with that of a smooth zone.
Comparison between positive and negative bias stress on N‐channel VDMOSFET transistors
Authors: Abboud N. , Habch R. , Cuminal Y. , Foucaran A. , Salame C. 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply a negative gate bias stress in order to study instabilities of threshold voltage in N‐channel power vertical double‐diffused metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field effect transistor (VDMOSFET). Variations in gate oxide trapped charge and interface trap densities are also calculated.Design/methodology/approachA threshold voltage shift is detected; the oxide and interface trap densities were evaluated based on a direct measurement of the gate to source capacitance and conductance.FindingsResults presented show that the threshold voltage is decreasing with stress time, the capacitance and conductance curves are altered by applied stress, also the oxide traps and the interface traps densities are increasing with stress time.Originality/valueThe positive bias stress seems to be more destructive in the case of the studied devices.
Shared service centres and the role of the finance function
Authors: Seal Will , Herbert Ian 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is: to explore the concept of finance shared service centres (SSCs) through an interpretive case study based on a structuration in organizational fields framework; to explore the implications for the finance function, in terms of how finance both drives change within the multi‐divisional organisation and also is affected by change; and to interpret the SSC phenomenon in the light of the Iron Cage analogy.Design/methodology/approachA structuration in organization fields approach is used to interpret influences and actions in a longitudinal case study of a finance SSC.FindingsThe SSC can be seen as an emergent strategic project. The paper argues that the new organisational form of the SSC, together with the finance function's reflexive and recursive position of driving change are influenced by changes in the economic and institutional influences in the organisational field but in a manner that is both evolutionary and nuanced. A further observation is that management accounting systems are both changed and made stable by the SSC.Research limitations/implicationsThe field work consists of a single case study so as to give a sufficiently deep understanding of how external and internal discourse has influenced the development of a SSC over time.Originality/valueThe paper argues that the unbundling and reconfiguration of support services represents more than simply a rational response to cost reduction and efficiency savings. Indeed, the more fundamental nature of change in the finance function stemming from new structures and processes of the SSC can be understood better once the SSC model has been conceptualised in the context of overall interactions within the multi‐divisional corporation and with its organisational.
Subjectivities and micro‐processes of change in accounting practices: a case study
Authors: Ancelin‐Bourguignon Annick , Saulpic Olivier , Zarlowski Philippe 
Published: May 2013

PurposeWhile new institutionalism‐inspired accounting literature has opened up new perspectives for the study of micro‐processes of change in accounting practices, little is still known about how individuals subjectively experience these processes. In this paper, the authors propose to study the role of subjectivities in the institutionalization of new accounting practices.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extension of Hasselbladh and Kallinikos' framework, the authors analyze the implementation of a new performance management and measurement system in the division of a large French public sector firm. The authors' research is based on the company's internal archives, samples of the new performance scorecard, interviews and non‐participant observation.FindingsThe system as a technique of control and related discourses and ideals formed a coherent “rationalized package” which actors had actually internalized. Still, they collectively used the new system in a very ceremonial mode and the authors' analysis identified discrepancies between actors' explicit understanding and practical experience of the system.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors' research suggests that studies of accounting change should further explore the complex and sometimes paradoxical nature of subjectivities at work in the adoption of new systems. Studies should combine the analysis of actors' behaviours and representations and their development over time, even though the latter longitudinal perspective is missing in the present research.Practical implicationsExperience encompasses more than understanding and cognitive agreement. Deliberate acceptance of systems may co‐exist with non‐deliberate reluctant behaviour.Social implicationsAccounting transformation projects should reckon the role that actors' subjectivities can play in the institutionalization of new systems and practices.Originality/valueThe authors' research illustrates how subjectivity influences micro‐processes of accounting change. It highlights its experiential and non‐deliberate dimensions, thus complementing existing institutional research that has hitherto emphasized actors' deliberate actions and representations.
From individual choice to social good
Authors: Wright Hazel R. 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how individual choice, and the facilitation of individual choices, can be of benefit to society. To do this it selects evidence from a much broader research project that set out to study the student experience of a group of 33 women training to work in childcare (selected from a cohort of 150).Design/methodology/approachThe project employed an emergent methodology, as the researcher sought to draw out the student voice. Psychosocial interviews created detailed narratives that were analysed individually, thematically and holistically to support original theorization that was later linked to Sen's Capability Approach.FindingsIn terms of this paper, the significant finding was that the pursuit of individual goals can create public good. Individual actions can lead to unplanned social payback.Social implicationsIn revealing some of the mechanisms that promote social cohesion and social capital development the research supports people‐centred policy‐making. By adopting the capability approach as a policy framework and granting people the freedom to choose, governments can create social good by enabling rather than determining individual choice.Originality/valueIn evidencing the way that individual choice can promote social good, the research findings create confidence that society can evolve positively without an overarching masterplan. The research is linked to contemporary problems within society and suggests that, sometimes, indirect approaches offer solutions.
Sharing the emerging educational market in China
Authors: Chan Sheng‐Ju , Chang Fang‐Min 
Published: May 2013

PurposeDuring the past two decades, China has been rapidly rising in nearly every aspect. With the growing prominence of economic prosperity in China, numerous multinational corporations and companies across the globe have entered this vast market in order to benefit from this enlarging economy. This development also creates an emerging market in China to educate senior managers of these transnational firms in the form of cross‐border partnerships among regional universities. The EMBA programme, a more internationally oriented educational product, is thriving in the Greater China Area. This study aims to examine how universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are partnering with other institutions in order to deliver collaborative EMBA programmes for this educational market.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses case study as research approach by selecting ten famous cross‐border EMBA programs from elite universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for analysis.FindingsThe result shows that distinctive patterns of organisational behaviour are present in terms of how selective universities in Greater China organise their cross‐border EMBA programmes. By combining abundant academic resources with their partners, Chinese institutions aim to enhance their programme reputation and mainly serve the territorial needs of executive managers within China. Hong Kong, serving a bridging role, is inclined to cooperate with leading universities in Western countries and attract all kinds of students across the globe, including Chinese ones. Alternatively, Taiwanese universities cooperate with major universities or institutions in China in order to serve the needs of Taiwanese businessmen in China instead of Chinese nationals or foreign students. These different approaches indicate a labour division among universities in these three societies, with China targeting primarily the domestic market, Hong Kong aiming at the global market, and Taiwan seeking to serve its country's population.Originality/valueThe different approaches employed by universities reveal how neighbouring societies react to the rise of China respectively. The uneven division of universities among these three societies might to some extent reflect the concepts of “centre” and “periphery” developed by Philip G. Altbach.
Vietnamese international student mobility: past and current trends
Authors: Hong Nguyen Chi 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an overall picture of Vietnamese international student mobility which remains silent in Vietnamese international education and migration research.Design/methodology/approachThis paper traces the evolvement of Vietnamese student outflows in a historical approach by analyzing official documents published by governmental agencies, public media and international education and migration literatures.FindingsWhile the early Vietnamese student movements from the early 20th century to the 1986 Open Door period were mostly shaped by political purposes, the current trend is influenced by social and political transformations in Vietnam and host countries and by changes in the practices of higher education internationalization policies in host countries. It also argues that the present movement of Vietnamese students, which is seen as the government's strategic approach to improve the quality of the existing workforce for their industrialization process by 2020, becomes politicized as human capital is recognized as the focal force for the country's development and global integration.Originality/valueBy analyzing the factors behind Vietnamese international student mobility, the paper hopes to contribute an understanding of the international student movements and professional migration in Vietnam which are still under‐researched.
Teacher and health worker absence in Indonesia
Authors: Pratikno Ramadhan Adityo 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the determinant factors of teachers’ and health workers’ absenteeism in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on desk study where the research explores the existing literatures about health and education sectors in Indonesia and explores the existing data about health and education sectors in Indonesia. The research is also based on the author's experiences as an employee of central government.FindingsThe author identifies six determinant factors of teachers’ and health workers’ absenteeism. These include the following: inadequate infrastructures (road and bridge); bad working conditions; absence of sanction; bribery; side jobs; and low salaries (only for health workers).Research limitations/implicationsSince Indonesia is a big country, this research could only identify six determinants; there might be other determinants, which are not identified. Further research in absenteeism should take the decentralization system in Indonesia into account. The decentralization system must have a big impact on absenteeism, whether it is to reduce or to increase the practices of absenteeism.Originality/valueThe bribery has an important role in that it makes people lazy to work and makes them perform absenteeism.
Use of LCA to evaluate solutions for water and waste infrastructure in the early planning phase of carbon‐neutral urban settlements
Authors: Slagstad Helene , Brattebø Helge 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe paper aims to discuss how life cycle assessment can be used in the early stage planning phase of new settlements.Design/methodology/approachBy applying the life cycle methodology on the waste, water and wastewater system of a new carbon‐neutral settlement under planning in Norway, the authors discuss the pros and cons with applying this methodology in an early planning phase.FindingsThe LCA methodology enabled the authors to compare suggestions from interdisciplinary planning teams, relate them to the existing systems in Trondheim and provide quantitative results back to the decision‐makers, in this case the municipality. The environmental benefits of implementing alternative solutions in the waste, water and wastewater systems were found to be small.Research limitations/implicationsData availability and uncertainty can be limitations in the early planning phase.Practical implicationsBy applying this methodology, the life cycle environmental impact of different solutions can be assessed at an early planning stage.Originality/valueEven if life cycle assessment has been used for years in the research community, there is too little experience with applying the methodology in the early planning phase of new projects. This paper discuss how life cycle assessment can be used to compare suggestions from interdisciplinary planning teams, relate them to existing systems and provide quantitative results back to the decision‐makers.
Factors influencing sustainability outcomes of housing in subtropical Australia
Authors: Miller Wendy , Buys Laurie 
Published: May 2013

PurposeThe challenges of providing housing that sustains its inhabitants socially, economically and environmentally, and is inherently sustainable for the planet as a whole, requires a holistic systems approach that considers the product, the supply chain and the market, as well as the interdependencies within and between each of these process points. The purpose of the research is to identify factors that impact the sustainability performance outcomes of residential dwellings and the diffusion of sustainable housing into the mainstream housing market.Design/methodology/approachThis research represents a snapshot in time: a recording of the experiences of seven Australian families who are “early adopters” of leading edge sustainable homes within a specific sustainable urban development in subtropical Queensland. The research adopts a qualitative approach to compare the goals and expectations of these families with the actual sustainability aspects incorporated into their homes and lifestyles.FindingsThe results show that the “product” – a sustainable house – is difficult to define; that sustainability outcomes were strongly influenced by individual concerns and the contextual urban environment; and that economic comparisons with “standard” housing are challenging.Research limitations/implicationsThis qualitative study is based on seven families (13 individuals) in an Ecovillage in southeast Queensland. Although the findings make a significant contribution to knowledge, they may not be generalisable to the wider population.Originality/valueThe experiences of these early adopter families suggest that the housing market and regulators play critical roles, through actions and language, in limiting or enhancing the diffusion of sustainable housing into the market.
Continuity and Change in Public Policy: Redistribution, Exclusion and State Rescaling in Turkey
Authors: Bayirbağ Mustafa Kemal 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThis article discusses potential reasons for the continuities in the broader policy agendas of capitalist states, despite radical shifts in economic policies, by employing the state‐rescaling framework. Its main thrust is that, even though centrally designed policy programs mainly aim to give direction to the dynamics of the market economy, the institutional (re)structuring needed to operationalize such policy measures has been shaped around a politics of redistribution, a product both of the exclusionary results of past policies and the negative results of the newly introduced policy programs. This dialectical tension turns state rescaling into a political exercise in solving, and reproducing, ‘systemic crises’. The article examines the history of state rescaling in Turkey to develop these arguments.
A Novel Application of Infrared Imaging for the Diagnosis of Death by Fire
Authors: Yamauchi Shinobu , Hitosugi Masahito , Kimura Hajime , Tokudome Shogo 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThis paper demonstrates a novel and simple technique for the diagnosis of death by fire using a digital infrared (IR) camera system. At autopsy, the inhalation of soot by a fire victim is a definite indicator proving a vital reaction during the fire. However, there can be difficulties in confirming the presence of soot because of the relative lack of soot or the similarity in color between soot and surrounding tissues. To evaluate the effectiveness ofIRimaging at autopsy, we acquired internal images of the respiratory and gastrointestinal system by both an ordinary color andIRcameras. Using our method, the inhaled soot is visible as black particles or deposits, while the blood is transparent and the surrounding tissue is whitened. This technique enables the detection of normally undiscriminating soot in an ordinary color image. This is the first report suggesting the usefulness of IR imaging in forensic autopsy for the diagnosis of death by fire.
Anthropological Measurement of the Juvenile Clavicle Using Multi‐Detector Computed Tomography—Affirming Reliability
Authors: Brough Alison L. , Bennett Jonathan , Morgan Bruno , Black Sue , Rutty Guy N. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractCurrently, there is no standardized protocol for multi‐detector computed tomography (MDCT) measurement of juvenile remains. Using 33 juvenile clavicles, this paper investigates a protocol to allowMDCTmeasurements, comparable or supplemental with traditional osteometric measurements, to be acquired for application to previously published algorithms. The results illustrate that there is no significant difference betweenMDCTmeasurements and those taken by direct osteometric methods. By presenting such a protocol, this paper takes the first steps toward validation of the process of conversion from measurement of dry juvenile bone toMDCTcompatibility and allows the forensic world to take a step forward in standardizing the wayMDCTis used for forensic practice. This paper assesses the limitations and potential applications of this virtual approach and offers some suggestions for where further work might progress the conversion of these new approaches into legally admissible anthropological techniques of age estimation.
Objective Color Classification of Ecstasy Tablets by Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Edelman Gerda , Lopatka Martin , Aalders Maurice 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThe general procedure followed in the examination of ecstasy tablets for profiling purposes includes a color description, which depends highly on the observers' perception. This study aims to provide objective quantitative color information using visible hyperspectral imaging. Both self‐manufactured and illicit tablets, created with different amounts of known colorants were analyzed. We derived reflectance spectra from hyperspectral images of these tablets, and successfully determined the most likely colorant used in the production of all self‐manufactured tablets and four of five illicit tablets studied. Upon classification, the concentration of the colorant was estimated using a photon propagation model and a single reference measurement of a tablet of known concentration. The estimated concentrations showed a high correlation with the actual values (R2 = 0.9374). The achieved color information, combined with other physical and chemical characteristics, can provide a powerful tool for the comparison of tablet seizures, which may reveal their origin.
Simultaneous Analysis of Micro‐RNA and DNA for Determining the Body Fluid Origin of DNA Profiles,
Authors: van der Meer Donny , Uchimoto Mari L. , Williams Graham 
Published: May 2013

AbstractMicro‐RNAs (miRNAs) can be specifically expressed in forensically relevant body fluids such as blood or saliva. The aim of the study was to develop a simultaneous extraction and analysis protocol that allows for the acquisition of a DNA profile and the identity of the body fluid using a single process. DNA and micro‐RNA were extracted from blood and saliva before undergoing a cDNA synthesis step by using stem‐loop reverse transcription PCR. The resulting extracts containing DNA and cDNA synthesized from body fluid–specific miRNA markers then underwent standard STR analysis using a modified ABI AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™ kit. In all samples, a full DNA profile was obtained along with additional peaks corresponding to the miRNA marker targeted. In all cases, blood samples profiled exhibited a peak indicating the presence of the blood‐specific miRNA marker and the saliva sample profiled exhibited a peak indicating the presence of the saliva‐specific miRNA marker.