Dynamic analysis of friction stir welding joints in dissimilar material plate structure

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a welding process that widely used as a solid state joining process for producing welded structure of similar and dissimilar materials such as aluminum alloy, magnesium etc. FSW process has expanded rapidly in industries including aerospace, automotive and maritime due to several advantages compared to other fusion welding. In this paper, experimental modal analysis (EMA) and normal mode finite element analysis (FEA) of the FSW welded joint structure of materials AA6061 and AA7075 will be carried out to identify dynamic properties. Rigid Body Element (RBE2) in MSC NASTRAN/PATRAN is used to model the welds and their compatibility for representing FSW welded structure also being identified. Model updating is performed to minimize the discrepancy between EMA and FEA. Model updating will be acted as an optimization method and is being presented using the structural optimization capability. Finite model updating could be done in individual components and welded structure. RBE2 connecting element can be used to represent friction stir welding with good accuracy

A review on missing tags detection approaches in RFID system

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system can provides automatic detection on very large number of tagged objects within short time. With this advantage, it is been using in many areas especially in the supply chain management, manufacturing and many others. It has the ability to track individual object all away from the manufacturing factory until it reach the retailer store. However, due to its nature that depends on radio signal to do the detection, reading on tagged objects can be missing due to the signal lost. The signal lost can be caused by weak signal, interference and unknown source. Missing tag detection in RFID system is truly significant problem, because it makes system reporting becoming useless, due to the misleading information generated from the inaccurate readings. The missing detection also can invoke fake alarm on theft, or object left undetected and unattended for some period. This paper provides review regarding this issue and compares some of the proposed approaches including Window Sub-range Transition Detection (WSTD), Efficient Missing-Tag Detection Protocol (EMD) and Multi-hashing based Missing Tag Identification (MMTI) protocol. Based on the reviews it will give insight on the current challenges and open up for a new solution in solving the problem of missing tag detection

Impact of knowledge management processes on organisational performance: A preliminary study

Copyright @ 2013 EMCIS.Despite the increasing number of studies relating to Knowledge Management (KM) in developed countries, few studies have explored this issue within the context of developing countries. Moreover, some industries have been affected more acutely than others in the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate KM processes and to investigate the impact on organisational performance (OP).The authors propose a conceptual model through an in-depth investigation of the previous and current studies in the area of KM and OP. It is envisaged that this model can play a role in guiding the process of KM implementation in order to maximise the beneficial effects of KM processes on OP. An inductive qualitative approach was used based on a preliminary study. A pilot study was conducted; the study involved the use of interview as a primary data collection technique. Content analysis approach was used to identify ideas relevant to the main themes. The study showed that knowledge usage is the most influential aspect of KM that impacts OP. Moreover, the study revealed that knowledge transfer is a common KM process employed by organisations. Accordingly, it was ranked as the second most influential factor of KM with respect to OP

Innovative public governance through cloud computing: Information privacy, business models and performance measurement challenges

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze challenges and to discuss proposed solutions for innovative public governance through cloud computing. Innovative technologies, such as federation of services and cloud computing, can greatly contribute to the provision of e-government services, through scaleable and flexible systems. Furthermore, they can facilitate in reducing costs and overcoming public information segmentation. Nonetheless, when public agencies use these technologies, they encounter several associated organizational and technical changes, as well as significant challenges. Design/methodology/approach: We followed a multidisciplinary perspective (social, behavioral, business and technical) and conducted a conceptual analysis for analyzing the associated challenges. We conducted focus group interviews in two countries for evaluating the performance models that resulted from the conceptual analysis. Findings: This study identifies and analyzes several challenges that may emerge while adopting innovative technologies for public governance and e-government services. Furthermore, it presents suggested solutions deriving from the experience of designing a related platform for public governance, including issues of privacy requirements, proposed business models and key performance indicators for public services on cloud computing. Research limitations/implications: The challenges and solutions discussed are based on the experience gained by designing one platform. However, we rely on issues and challenges collected from four countries. Practical implications: The identification of challenges for innovative design of e-government services through a central portal in Europe and using service federation is expected to inform practitioners in different roles about significant changes across multiple levels that are implied and may accelerate the challenges' resolution. Originality/value: This is the first study that discusses from multiple perspectives and through empirical investigation the challenges to realize public governance through innovative technologies. The results emerge from an actual portal that will function at a European level. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Global Innovation Policy Index

Ranks fifty-five nations' strategies to boost innovation capacity: policies on trade, scientific research, information and communications technologies, tax, intellectual property, domestic competition, government procurement, and high-skill immigration

The Knowledge-based Economy: Trends and Implications for Pakistan

Economic history has witnessed transformation from Agriculture based to Manufacturing based economies over the time. This transformation had its effects on social structure of the communities, as new types of jobs were created in the manufacturing industries, and new life styles of metropolitan culture evolved. A similar transformation is now taking place as; business has grown global over the last years, making the present business atmosphere further competitive, fast and fluid. Technological and political events taking place across the world affect us as strongly as something happening in our neighbourhood. The two most recent and prominent developments of present times that have changed our economic activities are: (1) Globalisation; (2) Increase in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Globalisation is most obvious, as the volume of global trade and products has expanded manyfold. The world economies are opening up to new world horizons. Developments in Information Technology has increased the pace of the events, bringing new products to markets from all over the world, increasing the global watch and reach of the organisations. As a result of this, the companies are forced to reduce the costs and product development time of their products. Second prominent development taking place during this time is the increase in ICT. These ICTs (particularly Intranets/Internet) have provided new channels and means of acquiring knowledge and opened new doors of promising opportunities like e-business. Sharp decrease in cost of computer hardware and software, plus improvement in software development has been responsible for increasing number of firms using computers in their business processes. Computer has proved itself to be a revolutionary tool for management, its data and information processing capabilities has improved management in all domains.

Do Information and Communication Technologies Empower Female Workers? Firm-Level Evidence from Viet Nam

This paper studies the effects of firms’ investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) on their demand for female and skilled workers. Using the gradual liberalization of the broadband Internet sector across provinces from 2006 to 2009 as a source of exogenous variation to identify the causal impacts of ICT, we find evidence from the country’s comprehensive enterprise survey data that firms’ adoption of broadband Internet and other related ICT increased their relative demand for female and college-educated workers. The effect of ICT on firms’ female employment is particularly strong among the college-educated workers, and is stronger in industries that are more dependent on highly manual and physical tasks. These results suggest that ICT can lower gender inequality in the labor market by shifting the labor demand from highly manual, routine tasks in which men have a comparative advantage toward more nonroutine, interactive tasks in which women hold a comparative advantage. However, the effect of ICT is weaker in industries relying more on complex and interactive tasks, suggesting that gender differences in education may have limited female labor supply for the most innovative industries that require highly technical skills to complement ICT