1,242 research outputs found
Investigating reengineering teams in the context of business process change
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 27/06/2000.This research is concerned with investigating reengineering teams in the context of business process change, or more widely known, business process reengineering (BPR). Business Process Change, on the one hand, is still considered as being an approach that is required in recent times. Reengineering teams (teams that are involved with the planning, analysis and design of the approach) on the other hand, have been viewed to be essential for the development and implementation of BPR. Bearing these points in mind, it was discovered that although the reengineering teams area warrants attention, there has been little attention paid to it.
In the reengineering area, specifically, this research aims to address two main issues: first, the role of reengineering teams in business process change and second, the human and organisational aspects that surround the teams. For this, the research applied several steps and they are described in the following paragraphs.
To discover the role of the reengineering teams in the context of business process change, it was initially assumed that the foundations of the BPR lie in organisational change. Using this assumption, it became simpler and clearer to determine the exact role of teams. With regards to the human and organisational aspects, a strategy unique to the topic was adopted. At the outset, some human and organisational aspects that are more commonly found in the organisational behaviour and psychology areas were revealed and research with regards to these particular aspects was described.
Whilst that was the theoretical side of the research, the research then had to determine whether the deductions formed from the theoretical side were evident in practice. For the empirical results, the research used a combination of approaches in order to obtain the desired results. A qualitative approach that has its foundations in Interpretivism was the methodology used in the research. The ontology assumed then that subjective meanings could be assumed to reconstruct reality. Evidence from practice was obtained using initially, two pilot studies. Further, a multiple case study strategy and the research techniques of mainly, interviews and referring to archival documents were utilised.
Once the data was analysed, a theory that could be used for future research in the reengineering teams area was developed. This was arrived at using a combination of certain grounded theory techniques, particularly, the forming of categories and coding. The findings suggested that reengineering teams are imperative for BPR and that some of the selected human and organisational aspects are evident in the newly formed theory
Preliminary Assessment of Hydrogen Peroxide Gel as an Oxidizer in a Catalyst Ignited Hybrid Thruster
No full textIn regard to propulsion system applications, the stability of liquid propellants in long-term storage is of increasing importance, and this had led to a greater interest in gelation technology. As part of a preliminary test to determine the feasibility of using a gel propellant in a rocket with a catalyst bed, a hybrid rocket with a catalyst reactor using a gel propellant as an oxidizer was tested for the first time in this study. Experiments were conducted with two different oxidizers: one with liquid phase hydrogen peroxide and the other with gel phase hydrogen peroxide, as well as high-density polyethylene as fuel for a 250N class hybrid thruster performance test. The thruster was designed with the catalyst ignition system, and a catalyst was manufactured to be inserted into the catalyst reactor to facilitate oxidizer decomposition. While the test result with neat hydrogen peroxide indicated sufficient decomposition efficiency using a manganese dioxide/alumina catalyst and successful autoignition of the fuel via the decomposed product, gel hydrogen peroxide exhibited insufficient decomposition and there were difficulties in operating the thruster as a part of the catalyst was covered in the gelling agent. This preliminary study identifies the potential challenges of using a gel phase oxidizer in a catalyst ignited hybrid thruster and discusses the technical issues that should be addressed in regard to a gel propellant hybrid thruster design with a catalyst reactor.Space Systems Egineerin
Invigorating self-regulated learning strategies of mathematics among higher education students
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Affective Modelling of Users in HCI Using EEG
No full textAbstractEmotions have potential to play a role in HCI which is primarily dominated by cognitive measures. Human physiological communication channels are dominated by emotions. Emotion affects several human activities like communication, learning, decision making, cognition, perception etc. Further, as emotions are difficult to interpret and hard to measure, technologists and designers have been struggling to incorporate them in design and technology. On the other hand, advancement of technology has both necessitated and enabled us to understand emotions and put them to use in contexts like human computer interaction. This study reports an attempt to model emotions by means of electroencephalography (EEG). Video stimuli of four representative basic emotions based on Navarasa theory of Ancient Indian treatise called Natya Shastra were shown to participants and EEG data was collected. Power spectrum analysis of EEG signals associated with emotions was done. Further, the EEG analysis findings were compared with the subject's self-reports about their emotional states during the experiment. EEG results have shown significantly consistent frequency patterns across the brain lobes for a given emotion. This study suggests that human emotions can be modeled for use in HCI either as an affect assessment tool or for affect based intelligent interactions
Measurement of Cognitive Load in HCI Systems Using EEG Power Spectrum: An Experimental Study
No full textAbstractUbiquitous computing involving complex interactive systems are leading to increase in cognitive load in day to day activities. Apart from causing stress and mental exhaustion, increase in cognitive load is likely to cause expensive human errors in case of critical tasks. Though subjective measures of cognitive load are in use in HCI, there is a need to explore non-invasive and non-intrusive physiological measures of cognitive load. This paper discusses the theory of cognitive load, identifies EEG frequency bands likely to capture the cognitive load, discusses brain locations related to the cognitive load based on literature, proposes a methodology to measure cognitive load using EEG power spectrum and verifies the framework by an experimental study
Manufacturing & characterization of regenerated cellulose/curcumin based sustainable composites fibers spun from environmentally benign solvents
No full textWe report a novel manufacturing method for bio renewable regenerated cellulose fibres modified with curcumin, a molecule is known for its medicinal properties. Ionic liquid namely 1-Ethyl 3-Methyl Imidazolium diethyl phosphate (emim DEP) was found to be capable of dissolving cellulose as well as curcumin. Regenerated cellulose/curcumin composites fibres with curcumin concentration ranging from 1 to 10 wt% were manufactured using dry jet wet fibres spinning process using three different winding speeds. All the cellulose and curcumin composite fibres showed distinct yellow colour imparted by curcumin. The resultant fibres were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and X-Ray diffraction studies. Scanning electron microscopy of cellulose/curcumin fibres cross-section did not show curcumin aggregates in cellulose fibres indicating uniform dispersion of curcumin in, cellulose matrix. The cellulose chain alignment in cellulose/curcumin composite fibres resulted in tensile strength ranging from 223 to 336 MPa and Young's modulus ranging from 13 to 14.9 GPa. The mechanical properties of cellulose/curcumin composite fibres thus obtained are better than some of the commercially available regenerated cellulose viscose fibres. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis of cellulose/curcumin composite fibres showed good alignment of cellulose chains along the fibre axis. Thus, our findings are a major step in manufacturing strong cellulose fibres with a pharmacologically potent drug curcumin which in future could be used for medicinal, cosmetic and food packaging applications
Study of electron beam on electron cyclotron waves with AC field in the magnetosphere of Uranus
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