Information Flow to Front-line Employees

This research is a case study within a large bureaucracy; the physical plant operations of a Tier-one university in the United States. The organization of study received low scores for internal communication in their all-employee surveys in 2012 and 2014 and was cited for “lack of information flow to front-line employees” in a peer audit conducted in 2011. Root causes for these deficiencies are investigated through (1) Activity Theory analysis, (2) Leader-Member Exchange Theory and (3) linear regression analysis of all-employee survey data. No formal initiatives addressing internal communications had been initiated when this study was launched so the research was used to identify areas for improvement within the organization.Human Dimensions of Organization

Intelligent Circuits and Systems

ICICS-2020 is the third conference initiated by the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Lovely Professional University that explored recent innovations of researchers working for the development of smart and green technologies in the fields of Energy, Electronics, Communications, Computers, and Control. ICICS provides innovators to identify new opportunities for the social and economic benefits of society.　 This conference bridges the gap between academics and R&D institutions, social visionaries, and experts from all strata of society to present their ongoing research activities and foster research relations between them. It provides opportunities for the exchange of new ideas, applications, and experiences in the field of smart technologies and finding global partners for future collaboration. The ICICS-2020 was conducted in two broad categories, Intelligent Circuits & Intelligent Systems and Emerging Technologies in Electrical Engineering

Investing in Mobility: Freight Transport in the Hudson Region

Proposes a framework for assessing alternative investments in freight rail, highway, and transit capacity that would increase the ability to improve mobility and air quality in the New York metropolitan area

Advanced control of grid-connected multilevel power electronic rectifiers

Multilevel power electronic converters have been gaining attention due to their ability to supply high amounts of power and to handle high voltage levels. In this dissertation, grid connected AC-DC rectifier application is investigated with different topologies and control scheme. At first, neutral point clamped (NPC) rectifier is employed to transfer power from the grid to the load. The NPC rectifier has two capacitors in order to build multilevel output voltage. However, it causes voltage unbalancing problem. Therefore, the new method has been proposed to regulate each capacitor voltage at the same voltage level. Experimental results show that it is effective to balance capacitor voltages of the NPC and it can improve total harmonic distortion (THD) of the grid current as a result. Furthermore, 7 voltage levels can be achieved by using hybrid multilevel rectifier which consists of an NPC and cascaded H-bridges (CHB). Because the hybrid multilevel rectifier has total 8 capacitors which are completely discharged at first, large inrush currents from the grid might cause hazards. Therefore, the paper develops a pre-charge routine for building it up to steady state operation in which unity power factor control (PFC) and load voltage control are achieved. Finally, multiple reference frame theory (MRF) is used to improve THD of the grid currents when the hybrid multilevel rectifier is connected with distorted grid voltage source. After calculating 5th harmonic of the grid current in real time, the voltage reference for the hybrid multilevel rectifier will be compensated in a feedback loop. Experimental results show validity in improving THD of the grid currents. --Abstract, page iv

Viability of Numerical Full-Wave Techniques in Telecommunication Channel Modelling

In telecommunication channel modelling the wavelength is small compared to the physical features of interest, therefore deterministic ray tracing techniques provide solutions that are more efficient, faster and still within time constraints than current numerical full-wave techniques. Solving fundamental Maxwell's equations is at the core of computational electrodynamics and best suited for modelling electrical field interactions with physical objects where characteristic dimensions of a computing domain is on the order of a few wavelengths in size. However, extreme communication speeds, wireless access points closer to the user and smaller pico and femto cells will require increased accuracy in predicting and planning wireless signals, testing the accuracy limits of the ray tracing methods. The increased computing capabilities and the demand for better characterization of communication channels that span smaller geographical areas make numerical full-wave techniques attractive alternative even for larger problems. The paper surveys ways of overcoming excessive time requirements of numerical full-wave techniques while providing acceptable channel modelling accuracy for the smallest radio cells and possibly wider. We identify several research paths that could lead to improved channel modelling, including numerical algorithm adaptations for large-scale problems, alternative finite-difference approaches, such as meshless methods, and dedicated parallel hardware, possibly as a realization of a dataflow machine

Effects of circular measures on scarce metals in complex products – Case studies of electrical and electronic equipment

Circular measures such as long-life designs, reuse, repair and recycling have been suggested for prolonging scarce metal life cycles and reducing the dependence on primary resources. This paper explores to what extent circular measures could mitigate metals scarcity when adopted to complex products. Based on three real cases, the effect of extending the use of laptops, smartphones and LED systems before recycling are assessed for between 7 and 15 scarce metals using material flow analysis. As expected, benefits can be gained from such extensions, but, importantly, differ substantially between metals since they occur in various components with various service lifetimes and functional recycling rates vary. Notably, risks of flipping the ranking in favor of short use before recycling are identified: if service lifetimes are short, designs are metal-intensive or if metal contents differ between products. Furthermore, regardless of measure, sizable and varying losses of each metal from functional use occur since all products are not collected for recycling and all metals are not functionally recycled. Thus, neither use extension measures nor recycling can alone nor in combination radically mitigate metals scarcity and criticality currently. Overall, it is a challenge to target the multitude of scarce and critical metals applied in complex products through circular measures. Careful analysis beyond simplified guidelines such as \uf6R frameworks” are recommended. As the importance of scarce metals availability and the attention to the circular economy are expected to continue, these insights may be used for avoiding efforts with unclear or minor benefits or even drawbacks

Development, verification, and maintenance of computational software in geodynamics

Research on dynamical processes within the Earth and planets increasingly relies upon sophisticated, large-scale computational models. Improved understanding of fundamental physical processes such as mantle convection and the geodynamo, magma dynamics, crustal and lithospheric deformation, earthquake nucleation, and seismic wave propagation, are heavily dependent upon better numerical modeling. Surprisingly, the rate-limiting factor for progress in these areas is not just computing hardware, as was once the case. Rather, advances in software are not keeping pace with the recent improvements in hardware. Modeling tools in geophysics are usually developed and maintained by individual scientists, or by small groups. But it is difficult for any individual, or even a small group, to keep up with sweeping advances in computing hardware, parallel processing software, and numerical modeling methodology