Implementing Information Systems: Some Practical Advice and a Richer Model

Recent research suggests that implementing information systems presents considerable difficulties and that many implementations are total or partial failures. This paper argues that what both practitioners and students require are richer and more acceptable models of information systems implementation. Accordingly, case study data concerning the introduction of manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) are used to illustrate five patterns of behaviour (rites) which capture important social actions; and four components of changing psychological orientation. It is argued that appreciation of the rites and psychological developments identified here will support effective change programmes. Guidelines based on our model are provided for practitioners.     

有关H－Ⅱ运载火箭的动力学课题研究

重点介绍有关Ｈ—Ⅱ运载火箭（以下简称Ｈ—Ⅱ）的一些动力学课题的研究状况。其中，重要的动力学课题有全箭振动、ＰＯＧＯ、防液体晃动、分离动力学试验、动力学环境试验等。针对这些动力学课题，日本有关部门已研究多年，既作了充分的地面试验，又进行了有效的工程应用研究，最终保证了Ｈ—Ⅱ的首次飞行成功。     

加强数学教材建设,提高大学生的创造能力

对如何提高学生创造能力的必要性,怎样加强数学教材建设进行了探讨。在高等数学教材建设中融入数学建模和发散思维思想对全面提高学生创造能力的重要意义。     

Limit load and shakedown analysis of plastic structures under stochastic uncertainty

Problems from plastic analysis are based on the convex, linear or linearised yield/strength condition and the linear equilibrium equation for the stress (state) vector. In practice one has to take into account stochastic variations of several model parameters. Hence, in order to get robust maximum load factors, the structural analysis problem with random parameters must be replaced by an appropriate deterministic substitute problem. A direct approach is proposed based on the primary costs for missing carrying capacity and the recourse costs (e.g. costs for repair, compensation for weakness within the structure, damage, failure, etc.). Based on the mechanical survival conditions of plasticity theory, a quadratic error/loss criterion is developed. The minimum recourse costs can be determined then by solving an optimisation problem having a quadratic objective function and linear constraints. For each vector a(·) of model parameters and each design vector x, one obtains then an explicit representation of the “best” internal load distribution F^∗. Moreover, also the expected recourse costs can be determined explicitly. Consequently, an explicit stochastic nonlinear program results for finding a robust maximal load factor μ^∗. The analytical properties and possible solution procedures are discussed.     

Two legs, thing using and talking: The origins of the creative engineering mind

Instead of seeing technology as outside ourselves, it is argued that it is an innate human function and the main driving force in human evolution. Opportunistic thing using, long before stone tools appeared, was the likeliest cause of bipedalism. It also forced brain development and the emergence of creativity. The neural basis for this creative technical activity later provided the brain functions on which language could develop. This simple unifying hypothesis has interesting implications for the way that we see technology in history, and for determinist theories of the future. It also bears on the way engineers are trained, and more important, the human faculties which need to be fostered in children.     

Bialgebras for structural operational semantics: An introduction

Bialgebras and distributive laws are an abstract, categorical framework to study various flavors of structural operational semantics. This paper aims to introduce the reader to the basics of bialgebras for operational semantics, and to sketch the state of the art in this research area.     

Form finding of shells by structural optimization

Shell structures are known to be extremely parameter sensitive; even small changes of the initial design, e.g., to the shape of the shell, may drastically change the internal stress state. The ideal case for concrete shells is a pure membrane stress state in compression for all loading conditions. Since in many realistic situations the solution for an optimal shape is not obvious, the need for form finding methods is evident. This paper presents computational methods of structural optimization as a general tool for the form finding of shells. The procedure as a synthesis of design modelling, structural analysis and mathematical optimization is discussed with special emphasis on the modelling stage. Several examples show the power of the approach and the similarities to experimental solutions.     

Performance of Alcohol and Safer Sex Change Rulers Compared With Readiness to Change Questionnaires.

As part of a larger intervention study, the authors hypothesized that change rulers created for alcohol and safer sex would be equivalent to longer questionnaires. Ninety-six male college students completed rulers and questionnaires for assessing behavior change readiness. Participants' scores on the rulers significantly correlated with their scores on the questionnaires (r = .77 for alcohol; r = .77 for safer sex). In both domains, the rulers outperformed the questionnaires in predicting behavioral intentions, suggesting that the rulers had at least comparable concurrent criterion validity. This finding is the first of its kind in the safe sex literature and suggests that quick assessments of readiness to change are possible. Because the rulers are a continuous measure, the results are consistent with the idea that the change process is continuous rather than a series of discrete stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phase I IASC-ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Benchmark Problem Using Simulated Data

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a promising field with widespread application in civil engineering. Structural health monitoring has the potential to make structures safer by observing both long-term structural changes and immediate postdisaster damage. However, the many SHM studies in the literature apply different monitoring methods to different structures, making side-by-side comparison of the methods difficult. This paper details the first phase in a benchmark SHM problem organized under the auspices of the IASC–ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Task Group. The scale-model structure adopted for use in this benchmark problem is described. Then, two analytical models based on the structure—one a 12 degree of freedom (DOF) shear-building model, the other a 120-DOF model, both finite element based—are given. The damage patterns to be identified are listed as well as the types and number of sensors, magnitude of sensor noise, and so forth. MATLAB computer codes to generate the response data for the various cases are explained. The codes, as well as details of the ongoing Task Group activities, are available on the Task Group web site at 〈http://wusceel.cive.wustl.edu/asce.shm/〉.     

加劲压力钢管结构优化设计

提出了改进加劲压力钢管设计的新思想,建立了加劲压力钢管结构优化设计的数学模型,介绍了约束非线性混合离散变量最优化方法的基本原理及其工程应用,研制了加劲压力钢管结构优化设计通用程序（ＯＳＤＰＲ）。结合工程实例,对加劲压力钢管进行优化设计,经济效益显著。