Re-examining the causal structure of information technology impact research

About 20 years ago, Markus and Robey noted that most research on IT impacts had been guided by deterministic perspectives and had neglected to use an emergent perspective, which could account for contradictory findings. They further observed that most research in this area had been carried out using variance theories at the expense of process theories. Finally, they suggested that more emphasis on multilevel theory building would likely improve empirical reliability. In this paper, we reiterate the observations and suggestions made by Markus and Robey on the causal structure of IT impact theories and carry out an analysis of empirical research published in four major IS journals, Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ), Information Systems Research (ISR), the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS), and Information and Organization (I&O), to assess compliance with those recommendations. Our final sample consisted of 161 theory-driven articles, accounting for approximately 21% of all the empirical articles published in these journals. Our results first reveal that 91% of the studies in MISQ, ISR, and EJIS focused on deterministic theories, while 63% of those in I&O adopted an emergent perspective. Furthermore, 91% of the articles in MISQ, ISR, and EJIS adopted a variance model; this compares with 71% from I&O that applied a process model. Lastly, mixed levels of analysis were found in 14% of all the surveyed articles. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.     

Stability and control of nonlinear systems described by retarded functional equations: a review of recent results

This paper reports on recent results in a series of the work of the authors on the stability and nonlinear control for general dynamical systems described by retarded functional differential and difference equations. Both internal and external stability properties are studied. The corresponding Lyapunov and Razuminkhin characterizations for input-to-state and input-to-output stabilities are proposed. Necessary and sufficient Lyapunov-like conditions are derived for robust nonlinear stabilization. In particular, an explicit controller design procedure is developed for a new class of nonlinear time-delay systems. Lastly, sufficient assumptions, including a small-gain condition, are presented for guaranteeing the input-to-output stability of coupled systems comprised of retarded functional differential and difference equations.     

Polarization discrimination between repeater false-target and radar target

High fidelity repeater false-target badly affects a radar system’s detecting, tracking, and data processing. It is an available approach of confronting false-target for radar that discriminates firstly and then eliminates. Whereas for the technique progress about the repeater false-target jam, it is more and more difficult to discriminate this jam in the time-domain, frequency-domain, or space-domain. The technique using polarization information to discriminate the target and false-target is discussed in th...     

Optimal hole shape for minimum stress concentration using parameterized geometry models

The goal of this work is to obtain optimal hole shape for minimum stress concentration in two-dimensional finite plates using parameterized geometry models. The boundary shape for a hole is described by two families of smooth curves: one is a “generalized circular” function with powers as two parameters; the other one is a “generalized elliptic” function a and b are ellipse axes) with powers as two parameters and one of the ellipse axes as the third parameter. Special attention is devoted to the practicability of parameterized equations and the corresponding optimal results under the condition with and without the curvature radius constraint. A number of cases were examined to test the effectiveness of the parameterized equations. The numerical examples show that extremely good results can be obtained under the conditions with and without curvature radius constraint, as compared to the known solutions in the literature. The geometries of the optimized holes are presented in a form of compact parametric functions, which are suitable for use and test by designers. It is anticipated that the implementation of the suggested parameterized equations would lead to considerable improvements in optimizing hole shape with high quality.     

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Magnetic and Electrical Properties of GdBaCo<Subscript>2</Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis><Subscript>5 + <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis></Subscript>

In this study, we report the results of an investigation into the sintering temperature dependence of magnetic and transport properties for GdBaCo₂ O _{5 + δ} synthesized through a sol-gel method. The lowering of sintering temperature leads to the increase of oxygen content and the reduction of grain size. The increase of oxygen content results in the enhancement of magnetic interactions and the weakening of Coulomb repulsion effect, while the reduction of grain size improves the magnetoresistance effect. Metal-insulator transition accompanied with spin-state transition is observed in all samples.     

The impact of industrial agglomeration on industrial pollutant emission: evidence from China under New Normal

The purpose of this study is to analyze the environmental pollution effects elicited by industrial agglomeration and to devise necessary changes before and after China going into the New Normal, a contemporary phase of less rapid but more sustainable economic development. An empirical model is constructed based on the Copeland–Taylor model, and empirical research is conducted using statistical panel data derived from 285 Chinese cities between 2003 and 2014. To study the relationship between industrial agglomeration and industrial pollutant emission both before and after the ‘New Normal,’ the sample data are divided into two time periods: 2003–2008 and 2009–2014. Estimated results are as follows. First, industrial agglomeration exacerbates industrial pollution levels overall although the negative environmental effect of industrial agglomeration is weakened following China’s entry into the New Normal phase of economy. Second, both the interaction term of industrial agglomeration and foreign direct investment (FDI) and the interaction term of industrial agglomeration and environmental regulation are negatively related to industrial agglomeration. These findings indicate that FDI and environmental regulation can indirectly reduce industrial pollutant emissions by way of industrial agglomeration.     

Inverse analysis procedure to determine flow stress and friction data for finite element modeling of machining

This paper describes an inverse procedure to determine the constitutive constants and the friction conditions in the machining processes using Finite Elements (FE) simulations. In general, the FE modeling of machining processes is an effective tool to analyze the materials machinability under different cutting conditions. However, the use of reliable rheological and friction models represents the basis of a correct numerical investigation. The presented inverse procedure was based on the numerical results obtained using a commercial FE code and was developed considering a specific optimization problem, in which the objective functions that have to be minimized is the experimental/numerical error. This problem was performed by a routine developed in a commercial optimization software. In order to verify the goodness and the robustness of the methodology, it was applied on a Super Duplex Stainless Steel (SDSS) and on an Austenitic Stainless Steel (AUSS) orthogonal machining processes. This work, then, was focused on the identification of the Johnson-Cook (JC) coefficients (A,B,C, n and m) and on the calibration of a Coulomb friction model, in the specific cases of the SAF2507 SDSS and of an AISI 316 Based AUSS Alloy (AISI 316 ASBA). The identification phases were performed considering forces and temperatures experimental data, collected in two specific experimental tasks in which different orthogonal cutting tests were carried out under different cutting parameters conditions.     

A series of nanoparticles with phase-separated structures by 1,1-diphenylethene controlled one-step soap-free emulsion copolymerization and their application in drug release

A facile one-step approach to synthesize various phase-separated porous, raspberry-like, flower-like, core–shell and anomalous nanoparticles and nanocapsules via 1,1-diphenylethene (DPE) controlled soap-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene (S) with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), or acrylic acid (AA) is reported. By regulating the mass ratio of S/GMA, transparent polymer solution, porous and anomalous P(S-GMA) particles could be produced. The P(S-GMA) particles turn from flower-like to raspberry-like and then to anomalous structures with smooth surface as the increase of divinylbenzene (DVB) crosslinker. Transparent polymer solution, nanocapsules and core–shell P(S-AA) particles could be obtained by altering the mole ratio of S/AA; anomalous and raspberry-like P(S-AA) particles are produced by adding DVB. The unpolymerized S resulted from the low monomer conversion in the presence of DPE aggregates to form nano-sized droplets, and migrates towards the external surfaces of the GMA-enriched P(S-GMA) particles and the internal bulk of the AA-enriched P(S-AA) particles. The nano-sized droplets function as in situ porogen, porous P(S-GMA) particles and P(S-AA) nanocapsules are produced when the porogen is removed. This novel, facile, one-step method with excellent controllability and reproducibility will inspire new strategies for creating hierarchical phase-separated polymeric particles with various structures by simply altering the species and ratio of comonomers. The drug loading and release experiments on the porous particles and nanocapsules demonstrate that the release of doxorubicin hydrochloride is very slow in weakly basic environment and quick in weakly acidic environment, which enables the porous particles and nanocapsules with promising potential in drug delivery applications.

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Wissen auf losen Blättern im Kontext starrer Theorien

At the end of the nineteenth century, after twelve years of intensive research, the ophthalmologist Theodor Leber (1840–1917) established the chemotaxis of leukocytes as part of inflammation research. Although at the time his theory was smoothly enlisted into immunological research, up until now his name has been connected to chemotaxis only in the English-language literature. Leber was able to use his experimental system to develop a theory of the chemical attraction of the leukocytes during inflammation processes by the beginning of the 1880s, but his unconventional methodology—introducing chemically neutral contaminants in order to trigger inflammation in the eyes of rabbits—contradicted the basic bacteriological Denkstil (style of thought) of inflammation research at the time. Leber held fast to his research practice, which consisted of closely interlocking experimental and theoretical work. Only when an opening appeared in the bacteriological Denkstil was Leber able to transform his experimental observations, written on loose sheets of paper, into convincing evidence for his theory of inflammation. This micro-historical reconstruction of Leber’s experimental and written work, based on his original lab protocols, opens up the research practice of a scientist who was not recognized by the established microbiological inflammation research of the time. Moreover, persistent factors in the generation of knowledge are revealed by connecting this micro-historical reconstruction with a macro-history analysis. Indeed Leber developed his specific paper technology in order to mobilise and stabilise the scientific findings gained through experiment because of the persistence of the bacteriological Denkstil.