Managing the five tensions of IT-enabled decision support in turbulent and high-velocity environments

This chapter examines issues concerned with supporting managers and organizations with information and communication technologies as they decide and act in turbulent and high-velocity environments. In particular, the chapter identifies five key tensions in this context: (1) the tension between the need for quick decisions and the need for analytical decision processes; (2) the tension involving managerial need for action and the need for the safest execution of decisions that may be bold and risky; (3) the tension around empowering middle managers and management teams at various organizational levels in the midst of powerful and impatient top executives; (4) the tension between programmed, quick-action learning loops and the increased requirement for emergence and improvisation; and (5) the tension between expending effort to eliminate the digital divide with other organizations versus finding expedient ways to communicate through heterogeneous digital infrastructures. Each of the tensions, and how it can be managed, is illustrated through a case example. The chapter ends by suggesting that the management of these critical tensions needs to be fused into the day-to-day fabric of management practices for decision support processes. This article is part of the “Handbook on Decision Support Systems” edited by Frada Burstein and Clyde W. Holsapple (2008) Springer.     

Qualification test procedure for solar absorber surface durability

A general test procedure for the qualification of solar absorber surface durability has been developed based on the results of a comprehensive case study performed within the framework of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Task X. It was assumed, in the development of the qualification procedure, that the intended use of the absorber surface to be qualified, was in single-glazed flat plate solar collectors for domestic hot water production. The absorber surface should be considered qualified if it met the requirement of a design service life of 25 years with maximum loss in the optical performance of the absorber surface corresponding to a 5% relative reduction in the performance of a solar domestic hot water system. The testing procedure, consisting of three kinds of constant load-accelerated life-time tests, was limited to simulation of the following three kinds of absorber surface degradation processes: (a) high-temperature degradation, e.g. oxidation, (b) degradation by the action of moisture or condensed water on the absorber surface, e.g. hydration or hydrolysis, and (c) degradation caused by high humidity air containing a small concentration of sulphur dioxide as an airborne pollutant, e.g. atmospheric corrosion. To quantify expected environmental stress on the absorber surface related to the environmental factors of interest, microclimate data, representing typical service conditions for absorbers in single-glazed flat plate collectors for domestic hot water production were used.     

Study of antennas in reverberation chamber using method of moments with cavity Green's function calculated by Ewald summation

A numerical model of wires in rectangular metal cavities is introduced for computing antennas in a simplified theoretical reverberation chamber. The code is based on the method of moments, and it uses the Ewald summation for efficient calculation of the cavity Green's function. The Q-value of the chamber is accounted for in the model by a homogeneous material filling the chamber. The S-parameters of two dipoles placed in many random positions in the cavity are computed and averaged to provide the average transfer function of the chamber. This represents mode stirring by moving the antennas, referred to as position stirring. The computed results are compared with theoretical statistical values as well as experimental results. The discrepancies are discussed.     

Round robin on accelerated life testing of solar absorber surface durability

As degradation by ageing of solar absorber surfaces was identified to be an important quality factor, the Working Group MSTC (‘Materials in Solar Thermal Collectors') of the IEA-SHCP (International Energy Agency-Solar Heating and Cooling Programme) worked out a general test procedure for accelerated lifetime testing (ALT) of these materials, based on methods established by the former Task X of the IEA SHCP. The qualification test procedure was adopted by ISO and is presently dealt within ISO/TC 180 ‘Solar Energy'. The standard proposal in detail describes a procedure how to test the long-term stability of an absorber surface for the use in flat plate collectors for domestic hot water systems. The collectors service lifetime is assumed to be 25 years, at least. Degradation caused by thermal loads, high humidity and condensation and sulphur dioxide are regarded. In order to examine the feasibility and reproducibility of the test method the Working Group MSTC initiated a round robin test in accelerated life testing of solar absorber surfaces. The test was performed according to the ISO standard proposal dated January 1997. In total, five different industrially manufactured absorber coatings were available to the three participating laboratories. Tests concerning the thermal stability as well as the resistance to high humidity and condensation were performed by all three laboratories. The test for determining absorber surface corrosion resistance to air of high humidity containing sulphur dioxide was carried out by one lab only. The outcome of the round robin test shows very good agreement of the results of the different coatings tested for all of the laboratories. The feasibility and reproducibility of the method was fully confirmed.     

Decay of end effects in graphite/epoxy bolted joints

Almost all analyses of large structures neglect local effects due to the application of loads and due to the transfer of loads between structural elements. In recent years, however, the use in aircraft structures of highly anisotropic materials, such as graphite/epoxy, has motivated more detailed studies of the applicability of Saint-Venant's principle.

In this paper in graphite/epoxy is analysed using the finite element method (FEM). The influence of anisotropy and transition from a thicker to a thinner laminate cross-section (ply-drop) is investigated. The characteristic decay length which is large for highly anisotropic materials is lessened by a change in thickness.     

Die Erzeugung mitteldichter Faserplatten-MDF

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Angular and torsional forces via quantum mechanics

First the applications of angular and oscillatory radial forces that are derived quantum mechanically for metals are reviewed, emphasizing the “Μ₄” methods of generating angular forces. The dominant conclusion from several applications that are discussed is that bcc transition metals will often sacrifice bond-length constraints in order to obtain an energetically favorable angular environment. Then the derivation of angular and torsional forces for polymers such as proteins, in which chemical bonds remain fairly intact, are discussed. The derivation of the Μ₄ methodology is briefly reviewed, and it is shown that the earlier Μ₄ analysis of the angular forces can be understood in terms of overlap repulsion between bond orbitals. This overlap repulsion is used to develop simplified forms for angular interactions in well-bonded systems. These angular interactions are consistent with the structures of P and S. A result of this analysis is that some of the “improper” torsion terms that are typically used in polymer simulations may be unnecessary. It is then shown that torsional forces in polymers can be understood by a second-order perturbation analysis, in which one takes into account the interaction between hybridized bond orbitals on one atom with hybridized antibond orbitals on other atoms. The resulting torsional forces are consistent with the structures of elemental S and the ethane molecule.     

Experimental investigation of an industrial scale black liquor gasifier. 1. The effect of reactor operation parameters on product gas composition

A novel technology to mitigate the climate changes and improve energy security is Pressurized Entrained flow High Temperature Black Liquor Gasification (PEHT-BLG) in combination with an efficient fuel synthesis using the resulting syngas. In order to optimise the technology for use in a pulp and paper mill based biorefinery, it is of great importance to understand how the operational parameters of the gasifier affect the product gas composition. The present paper is based on experiments where gas samples were withdrawn from the hot part of a 3 MW entrained flow pressurized black liquor gasifier of semi industrial scale using a high temperature gas sampling system. Specifically, the influence of process conditions on product gas composition (CO₂, CO, H₂, CH₄, H₂S, and COS) were examined by systematically varying the operational parameters: system pressure, oxygen to black liquor equivalence ratio, black liquor flow rate to pressure ratio and black liquor pre-heat temperature. Due to the harsh environment inside the gasification reactor, gas sampling is a challenging task. However, for the purpose of the current study, a specially designed high temperature gas sampling system was successfully developed and used. The results, obtained from two separate experimental campaigns, show that all of the investigated operational parameters have a significant influence on the product gas composition and present valuable information about to the process characteristics.     

Systematic synthesis of functional unsymmetric FeZn model complexes for plant purple acid phosphatases

The heterodinuclear complexes [FeZn(L)(CH₃CO₂)₂]⁺ (L = ICIMP or IPCPMP) are structural models for the dinuclear active sites of plant purple acid phosphatases. They can be systematically synthesized from mononuclear iron complexes and enhance the rate of transesterification of 2-hydroxypropyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate, an assay for the catalytic hydrolysis performed by purple acid phosphatases.     

Characterisation of submicron particles produced during oxygen blown entrained flow gasification of biomass

In this paper submicron particles sampled after the quench during 200 kW, 2 bar(a) pressurised, oxygen blown gasification of three biomass fuels, pure stem wood of pine and spruce, bark from spruce and a bark mixture, have been characterised with respect to particle size distribution with a low pressure cascade impactor. The particles were also characterised for morphology and elemental composition by a combination of scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy/selected area electron diffraction pattern (HRTEM/EDS/SAED) techniques. The resulting particle concentration in the syngas after the quench varied between 46 and 289 mg/Nm³ consisting of both carbon and easily volatile ash forming element significantly depending on the fuel ash content. Several different types of particles could be identified from classic soot particles to pure metallic zinc particles depending on the individual particle relation of carbon and ash forming elements. The results also indicate that ash forming elements and especially zinc interacts in the soot formation process creating a particle with shape and microstructure significantly different from a classical soot particle.