Search results for "Operation"

Comparing conventional and organic citrus grower efficiency in Spain

2014

This paper compares the organic and conventional citriculture systems in Spain from the perspective of their technical efficiency. The primary objective of the research is to compare the relative efficiency of these two systems in relation to a metafrontier that envelops both technologies. In addition, the article analyses how efficient each growing system is at using its own technology, that is, when farms’ efficiency is benchmarked in relation to the best practices in their group. Contrary to conventional practice, farms’ performance is analyzed in terms of specific growing tasks: soil and plant cover management, pruning, fertilization and phytosanitary treatments. The results obtained hi…

2016

Research on ego depletion aims at explaining self-control failures in daily life. Both resource models and motivational accounts have been proposed for explanation. The aim of the present research was to test the different assumptions in two dual-task experiments where we operationalized ego depletion as a performance deviation from a self-set goal. In two experiments, we found evidence for this deviation contradicting motivational accounts of ego depletion: Participants experiencing ego depletion set themselves a stricter instead of a more lenient goal than controls, in that they chose to eat less cookies or wanted to perform better. Moreover, only participants without an initial self-cont…

Autoencoders and Recurrent Neural Networks Based Algorithm for Prognosis of Bearing Life

2018

Bearings are one of the most critical components in electric motors, gearboxes and wind turbines. Therefore, bearing fault detection and prognosis of remaining useful life are important to prevent productivity losses. In this study, a novel method is proposed for prognosis of bearing life using an autoencoder and recurrent neural networks-based prediction algorithm. Promising results have been obtained from the experimental data. A monotonic upward trend of the produced health indicator is obtained for all test cases, being one of critical indicators of a proper prognosis. The remaining useful life estimation is moderately accurate under a limited data.

Remote diagnosis and control of wheelchair electrical drive systems

2005

A new Diagnostic and Protective System (DPS) suitable for wheelchair electrical drive applications has been prepared. Such a system is able to perform both monitoring and long-distance transmission of key signals that are used as pre-fault and fault indicators. The system, moreover, may detect several anomalous working conditions by means of reliable diagnosis procedures and carries out actions to protect the electrical drive and to drive the disabled people in safe conditions. In particular the design, the realization and the performance analysis of the new dedicated diagnostic system, which exploits a programmable logic controller (PLC) as DRS hardware, are described and discussed. The ef…

A Lagrangian Decomposition Approach to Solve Large Scale Multi-Sector Energy System Optimization Problems

2020

We consider the capacity and operations planning of a European energy supply system with a high share of renewable energy. Our model includes the energy sectors electricity, heat, and transportation and it considers numerous types of consumers and power generation, storage, and transformation technologies, which participate in these energy sectors. Given time series for the regional demands in each sector and the potential renewable production, the goal is to simultaneously optimize the strategic dimensioning and the hourly operation of all components in the system such that the overall costs are minimized.

ACCOUNTING AS A 21ST CENTURY BUSINESS VALUE DRIVER

2017

Companies have focused for decades on maximizing the value creation process of direct productive business activities. The information revolution has left its mark and has started an irreversible transformation of classical business processes and activities. In the new 21st century information and data driven society, commodity is value and knowledge, making Porters value chain concept an important key factor for successful and innovative businesses. Business value creation was during the industrial revolution a topic strictly liked to direct productive activities. The increased and transformed business environment required innovative and sustainable competitive advantages for business organ…

Viral marketing through e-mail: the link company-consumer

2013

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents that may determine the opening of e-mails from companies that endeavour to promote their products, and what may motivate individuals to forward such messages to others. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents exploratory research to approach the nature of the viral process and descriptive research for testing the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The opening of an e-mail is determined by the value that an individual may perceive that the message might contain. Forwarding of the message is determined by its opening, and by the individual's perception about the value of the message it may provide to others, besides the…

Social Acceptance of a Teleoperated Android: Field Study on Elderly’s Engagement with an Embodied Communication Medium in Denmark

2012

We explored the potential of teleoperated android robots, which are embodied telecommunication media with humanlike appearances, and how they affect people in the real world when they are employed to express a telepresence and a sense of 'being there'. In Denmark, our exploratory study focused on the social aspects of Telenoid, a teleoperated android, which might facilitate communication between senior citizens and Telenoid's operator. After applying it to the elderly in their homes, we found that the elderly assumed positive attitudes toward Telenoid, and their positivity and strong attachment to its huggable minimalistic human design were cross-culturally shared in Denmark and Japan. Cont…

Associations between structures, processes and outcomes in inter-municipal cooperation in out-of-hours services in Norway: A survey study

2020

Abstract Inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) has gained widespread recognition as a beneficial strategy for improving efficiency and quality in the provision of out-of-hours emergency care services (OOH services). Little attention, however, has been given to the additional costs of cooperation and the relational processes through which benefits and costs are likely to result. Based on survey data from 266 (77%) Norwegian municipalities involved in IMC in OOH services in 2015, this study aimed to investigate how the structure (governance form, complexity and stability) and quality (trust and consensus) of cooperation processes interact to influence the perceived outcomes (benefits and costs) o…

Insights from a Simulation Model of Disaster Response: Generalization and Action Points

2016

In a prior paper we presented a system dynamics model that simulates responder behavior in a Norwegian landslide. The model shows how a set of vicious feedback loops caused by following standard organizational procedures that do not fit the disaster situation initially increases errors in response. Eventually learning and sensemaking in an improvisation/experimentation process leads to new emergent dynamics whereby the loops act virtuously. In this paper we aim to generalize this initial study by explaining in more detail how the model can describe large scale disaster responses of different types and how it relates to the wider disaster response literature. We discuss what types of levers,…