Considerations for Information Systems “Backsourcing”: A Framework for Knowledge Re-integration

Backsourcing is motivated by opportunities arising from changes in the business situation, redefinition of the character of outsourced service declining in quality or due to the discovery of flaws in the contract. The situation of backsourcing clearly has major implications for an organization in terms of monetary investments, IS infrastructure and changes in employee requirements during and after the process. The paper considers a detailed analysis of two case studies of backsourcing reported from JP Morgan Chase (USA) and Sainsbury (UK). A major contribution of the paper is to identify important strategies to be followed in backsourcing projects to ensure efficient knowledge re-integration.     

A Transformation-free HOC Scheme for Incompressible Viscous Flow Past a Rotating and Translating Circular Cylinder

In the present work, a numerical study is made using a recently developed Higher Order Compact (HOC) finite difference scheme to test its capacity in capturing the very complex flow phenomenon of unsteady flow past a rotating and translating circular cylinder. The streamfunction-vorticity formulation of the Navier-stokes equations in cylindrical polar coordinate are considered as the governing equations. In the present investigation, flow is computed for a fixed Reynolds number (Re) 200 and rotational parameter values 0.5, 1.0, 2.07 and 3.25 are considered. Firstly, the flow patterns for different α values and for long time range are computed and qualitative comparisons are made with existing experimental and numerical results. Then, as a further check on the consistency of the experimental and present numerical results, quantitative comparisons are made for the velocity profiles at several locations. All these qualitative and quantitative comparisons show excellent agreements with existing experimental and numerical results.     

Categorizing facial expressions: a comparison of computational models

Recognizing expressions is a key part of human social interaction, and processing of facial expression information is largely automatic for humans, but it is a non-trivial task for a computational system. The purpose of this work is to develop computational models capable of differentiating between a range of human facial expressions. Raw face images are examples of high-dimensional data, so here we use two dimensionality reduction techniques: principal component analysis and curvilinear component analysis. We also preprocess the images with a bank of Gabor filters, so that important features in the face images may be identified. Subsequently, the faces are classified using a support vector machine. We show that it is possible to differentiate faces with a prototypical expression from the neutral expression. Moreover, we can achieve this with data that has been massively reduced in size: in the best case the original images are reduced to just 5 components. We also investigate the effect size on face images, a concept which has not been reported previously on faces. This enables us to identify those areas of the face that are involved in the production of a facial expression.     

Real-time adaptation of decision thresholds in sensor networks for detection of moving targets

This paper addresses real-time decision-making associated with acoustic measurements for online surveillance of undersea targets moving over a deployed sensor network. The underlying algorithm is built upon the principles of symbolic dynamic filtering for feature extraction and formal language theory for decision-making, where the decision threshold for target detection is estimated based on time series data collected from an ensemble of passive sonar sensors that cover the anticipated tracks of moving targets. Adaptation of the decision thresholds to the real-time sensor data is optimal in the sense of weighted linear least squares. The algorithm has been validated on a simulated sensor-network test-bed with time series data from an ensemble of target tracks.     

无线技术的角色转变

数年之前,在工业无线技术问世的初期,制造商们通常可以归类为以下三大阵营:立即投身于新型网络中的先行者;保持观望、等待技术成型的用户;以及根本无意于此项进步的其他人。时至今日,无论是无线技术在工厂内部所扮演的角色,还是这几个阵营的定位都发生了巨大的转变。     

Experimental study and finite element analysis of simple X- and T-branch tube hydroforming processes

The tube hydroforming process is a relatively complex manufacturing process; the performance of this process depends on various factors and requires proper combination of part design, material selection and boundary conditions. Due to the complex nature of the process, the best method to study the behaviour of the process is by using numerical techniques and advanced explicit finite element (FE) codes. In this work, X- and T-branch components were formed using a tube hydroforming machine and experimental load paths (forming pressure and axial feed) were obtained for the processes via a data acquisition system integrated with the machine. Subsequently, the processes were simulated using LS-DYNA3D explicit FE code using the same experimental boundary, loading conditions and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results. It was found that the developed branch height and the wall thickness distribution along different planes were in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Mental well-being and quality-of-life benefits of inclusion in nature for adults with disabilities and their caregivers

Abstract

The benefits of green space and nature experiences are increasingly being recognised and translated into public health policy and practice. Alongside this trend, inclusion of all people into parks and nature has been an important area of parks and recreation practice. Nature inclusion for those with disabilities, youth, seniors and immigrants has become a focus of Alberta in Western Canada. This study was designed to examine the influence of two such government supported nature interventions, including day trips and a more extensive weekend or week-long nature experience, on mental well-being outcomes. It is a mixed methods pilot study (N = 37) with baseline and post-intervention measures of quality of life using the standard Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) alongside other qualitative accounts. Quantitative findings, while not statistically significant, show a positive trend towards improved depression markers, greater health satisfaction, improved social relationships (in particular, love and friendship), as well as satisfaction with a sense of community and experiences of helping. In addition to comments within the QOLI, qualitative data were elicited through reflective writing during the nature interventions. Three dominant qualitative themes of inclusive nature experiences were found: ‘Sensory Activation’, ‘Reimagined Social Relations’ and ‘Reinvented Self’.     

Sustainable smart city development framework for developing countries

ABSTRACT

Basic requirements of sustainable smart cities in a developing country are the entitlement of facilities. Here, an index named Smart Sustainable City Development Index (SSCDI) has been developed for three Indian Smart Cities. A hierarchical method has been used to construct the index with multiple layers of indicators capturing characteristics of the dimensions such as social, economic, environment, culture and lifestyle. This index is used to assess performances of the three case study cities based on the scores in various indicators. This SSCDI framework provides a conceptual landscape for developing countries for planning their sustainable urban development and evaluation of performances.     

Mechanical characterization of microwave sintered zinc oxide

The mechanical characterization of microwave sintered zinc oxide disks is reported. The microwave sintering was done with a specially designed applicator placed in a domestic microwave oven operating at a frequency of 2.45 GHz to a maximum power output of 800 Watt. These samples with a wide variation of density and hence, of open pore volume percentage, were characterized in terms of its elastic modulus determination by ultrasonic time of flight measurement using a 15 MHz transducer. In addition, the load dependence of the microhardness was examined for the range of loads 0.1–20 N. Finally, the fracture toughness data (K _IC) was obtained using the indentation technique.