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As new information technology (NIT) has become a critical instrument for an organization to gain its competitive edge, the issue of how best to exploit and adopt NIT is now a pressing challenge for organizations and researchers alike. Based on upper echelon theory and individual differences literatures, this research paper endeavors to address the issue concerning the knowledge gap present in previous literature: the correlation between a top manager¡¦s personal traits and his NIT championing behavior. To bridge this gap, this paper attempts to explore to what extent a top manager¡¦s personality, ability, and belief characteristics can affect NIT championing behavior. We venture to propose in this paper a comprehensive model in which top managers¡¦ individual characteristics are integrated to facilitate the analysis of NIT adoption in organization. To test research model, Partial Least Squares (PLS) is used to verify the feasibility of the model proposed. Survey results from 130 top managers in Taiwan strongly support our proposition that a top manager¡¦s personality, ability, and belief have significant influence on NIT championing behavior. At the conclusion section of this paper academic and practical implication is discussed.

This study presents a conceptual design process for one-way reinforced concrete slabs cast over Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) Stay-in-Place (SiP) formwork elements, aiming at the minimization of the composite slab cost satisfying Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and Serviceability Limit State (SLS) design criteria. The thin-walled TRC element is considered to participate in the structural behaviour of the composite slab. This distinct function of the TRC element (as formwork and as a part of a composite element) distinguishes the design procedure into two States: a Temporary and a Permanent one. Design parameters such as the type of the textile reinforcement (material), the geometry of the TRC cross-section, the flexural strength of the fine-grained concrete in the TRC element and the compressive strength of the cast in-situ concrete are considered as the main optimization variables.

Dieser Beitrag gibt, basierend auf einem BMBF-Verbundvorhaben, Einblicke in die umfassende Bewertung von OPTextilien. Ziel des Vorhabens ist es, Entscheidern in Krankenhäusern Anregungen und Know-how für ihren Berufsalltag und Produzenten von OP-Textilien Impulse für die Gestaltung ihrer Produkte zu geben. Es werden die hygienischen Anforderungen zur Vermeidung nosokomialer Infektionen, die die Schutzwirkung der Textilien garantierenden textiltechnologischen Voraussetzungen sowie die zur Erfüllung der Wirtschaftlichkeit und Umweltfreundlichkeit notwendigen Anforderungen an OP-Textilien dargestellt. Der Beitrag verdeutlicht, dass die Beachtung all dieser Kriterien und deren Zusammenführung für eine bewusste Entscheidung zum Einsatz von OP-Textilien notwendig ist. / This article describes a holistic assessment approach for operating room (OR) textiles, based on a joint research project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research. The objective of the project is to ease decision processes for decision makers in hospitals and OR textile manufacturers. The hygienic demands for protection against nosocominal infections, the technological requirements to guarantee textiles their protective properties, as well as the bases for an economically and environmentally optimum decision, are discussed. To permit a holistic procurement decision regarding OR textiles, it is necessary to consider all these criteria and their integration, as proposed in this article.

Support systems including base and subgrade layers play a pivotal role in manifesting and maintaining acceptable behavior and performance of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP). In Texas, especially, use of non-erodible stabilized base layers have been recommended to prevent failures of the CRCP related with pumping and erosion of the support materials. The non-erodible base materials, however, have given high initial construction cost of the rigid pavements. For this reason, it has been desired to decrease the construction cost with acceptable long-term performance of the pavement system. The primary objective of this study is to determine acceptable combination of support properties and concrete slab thickness satisfying not only adequate structural ability but also construction expense. For this purpose, field support conditions were investigated using Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP), and static plate load test in phase one. Previously developed support analysis models for rigid pavement design were examined using finite element analysis method, which model could more accurately express field support behavior. Also, effects of each support properties including base thickness, elastic modulus of base material, and subgrade k-value were mechanistically identified on composite k-value, and a method selecting optimum combinations of the support properties completing desired composite k-value was developed in phase two. Also, CRCP behavior were examined under not only diverse structural and material conditions of the support system but also the CRCP slab thickness and transverse crack spacing due to temperature and vehicle wheel loading conditions in phase three. In phase four, maximum critical stress induced in the CRCP slab was evaluated under various combinations of support conditions and slab thickness. Effects of the support properties and the slab thickness on the critical stress in the CRCP slab were mechanistically identified, and the factor with the greatest effect was verified. Moreover, regression equations were developed to estimate the maximum critical stresses for various support properties and the CRCP slab thickness under temperature and wheel loadings. In phase five, a guideline determining optimum combination of support properties and slab thickness were proposed as aspect of initial construction cost of the CRCP. / text

Because of the needs for producing highly reliable products and reducing product development time, Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) has been widely used in new product development as an alternative to traditional testing methods. The basic idea of ALT is to expose a limited number of test units of a product to harsher-than-normal operating conditions to expedite failures. Based on the failure time data collected in a short time period, an ALT model incorporating the underlying failure time distribution and life-stress relationship can be developed to predict the product reliability under the normal operating condition. However, ALT experiments often consume significant amount of energy due to the harsher-than-normal operating conditions created and controlled by the test equipment used in the experiments. This challenge may obstruct successful implementations of ALT in practice. In this dissertation, a new ALT design methodology is developed to improve the reliability estimation precision and the efficiency of energy utilization in ALT. This methodology involves two types of ALT design procedures - the sequential optimization approach and the simultaneous optimization alternative with a fully integrated double-loop design architecture. Using the sequential optimum ALT design procedure, the statistical estimation precision of the ALT experiment will be improved first followed by energy minimization through the optimum design of controller for the test equipment. On the other hand, we can optimize the statistical estimation precision and energy consumption of an ALT plan simultaneously by solving a multi-objective optimization problem using a controlled elitist genetic algorithm. When implementing either of the methods, the resulting statistically and energy efficient ALT plan depends not only on the reliability of the product to be evaluated but also on the physical characteristics of the test equipment and its controller. Particularly, the statistical efficiency of each candidate ALT plan needs to be evaluated and the corresponding controller capable of providing the required stress loadings must be designed and simulated in order to evaluate the total energy consumption of the ALT plan. Moreover, the realistic physical constraints and tracking performance of the test equipment are also addressed in the proposed methods for improving the accuracy of test environment. In this dissertation, mathematical formulations, computational algorithms and simulation tools are provided to handle such complex experimental design problems. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first methodological investigation on experimental design of statistically precise and energy efficient ALT. The new experimental design methodology is different from most of the previous work on planning ALT in that (1) the energy consumption of an ALT experiment, depending on both the designed stress loadings and controllers, cannot be expressed as a simple function of the related decision variables; (2) the associated optimum experimental design procedure involves tuning the parameters of the controller and evaluating the objective function via computer experiment (simulation). Our numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in improving the reliability estimation precision while minimizing the total energy consumption in ALT. The robustness of the sequential optimization method is also verified through sensitivity analysis.

Ropes course programs provide numerous benefits but what makes programs effective has been unclear. The purpose of the study was to: 1) determine if there was a measurable difference in meaningful involvement between the Challenge by Choice (CbC) and Inviting Optimum Participation (IOP) approaches to ropes course program design and delivery, and 2) identify and compare the linkages among program attributes, outcomes, and values with each approach. The study involved 360 young adolescents (ages 10 -15) who took part in full-day ropes course programs provided by one of four organizations in Ontario, Canada. Participants included 172 boys and 188 girls. The average age was 12.7 years and 47% had previous ropes course program experience. Participants completed either: 1) an experience sampling survey related to meaningful involvement or 2) a means-end laddering survey related to program attributes, outcomes, and values. The experience sampling data were subjected to multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The dependent variables were meaningful involvement during high (belayed) activities and low (non-belayed) activities. The independent variables were program type, sex, and ropes course experience. Program type had a significant effect (8(3,158) = 0.937, p< 0.05) for meaningful involvement experienced during high activities. Meaningful involvement consists of the areas engagement, choice, and view of self. Follow-up ANOVAs indicated that choice (F(1, 160) = 6.127, p< 0.05) was significantly higher in IOP programs. Differences between the programs in engagement and view of self were not significant. There was no significant effect for low activities. Means-end analysis was used to identify linkages among program attributes, outcomes, and values. Responses were organized into 11 Hierarchical Value Maps. Participants in IOP programs identified different linkages than participants in CbC programs. IOP program participants were more likely to mention the attribute low activities and the outcome group efficacy as significant and less likely to mention the outcome anxiety. CbC participants were less likely to mention low activities and group efficacy and more likely to mention anxiety and the value excitement. These findings indicate that ropes course program design and delivery can be manipulated to provide specific benefits and facilitate participant experiences of meaningful involvement.

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This thesis explores next generation passive and semi-active tuned mass damper (PTMD and SATMD) building systems for reducing the seismic response of tall structures and mitigating damage. The proposed structural configuration separates the upper storey(s) of a structure to act as the 'tuned' mass, either passively or semi-actively. In the view point of traditional TMD system theory, this alternative approach avoids adding excessive redundant mass that is rarely used. In particular, it is proposed to replace the passive spring damper system with a semi-active resetable device based system (SATMD). This semi-active approach uses feedback control to alter or manipulate the reaction forces, effectively re-tuning the system depending on the structural response. In this trade-off parametric study, the efficacy of spreading stiffness between resetable devices and rubber bearings is illustrated. Spectral analysis of simplified 2-DOF model explores the efficacy of these modified structural control systems and the general validity of the optimal derived parameters is demonstrated. The end result of the spectral analysis is an optimally-based initial design approach that fits into accepted design methods. Realistic suites of earthquake ground motion records, representing seismic excitations of specific return period probability, are utilised, with lognormal statistical analysis used to represent the response distribution. This probabilistic approach avoids bias toward any particular type of ground motion or frequency content. Statistical analysis of the performance over these suites thus better indicates the true overall efficacy of the PTMD and SATMD building systems considered. Several cases of the segregated multi-storey TMD building structures utilising passive devices (PTMD) and semi-active resetable devices (SATMD) are described and analysed. The SATMD building systems show significant promise for applications of structural control, particularly for cases where extra storeys might be added during retrofit, redevelopment or upgrade. The SATMD approach offers advantages over PTMD building systems in the consistent response reductions seen over a broad range of structural natural frequencies. Using an array of performance metrics the overall structural performance is examined without the typically narrow focus found in other studies. Performance comparisons are based on statistically calculated storey/structural hysteretic energy and storey/structural damage demands, as well as conventional structural response performance indices. Overall, this research presents a methodology for designing SATMD building systems, highlighting the adaptable structural configuration and the performance obtained. Thus, there is good potential for SATMD building systems, especially in retrofit where lack of space constrains some future urban development to expand upward. Finally, the approach presented offers an insight into how rethinking typical solutions with new technology can offer dramatic improvements that might not otherwise be expected or obtainable.