Estimation of the Axial and Lateral Capacity of Driven Piles from the Results of Cone Penetration Test and Finite Element Analysis

Piles play an important role in transportation and bridges. They are used to resist axial and lateral loads transferred to them from structures, earth pressures, incline loads, vehicles, etc. In this study, the capacity of piles for axial and lateral loads is investigated. The ultimate axial capacity of piles can be estimated using different approaches including static pile load tests, dynamic load tests, statnamic load tests, and static analysis based on laboratory tests (effective and total stress approaches) or in-situ tests (SPT, CPT, etc.). For each approach, different researchers have proposed different solutions for different soils and different piles. Mostly, engineers use their engineering judgement based on the available information to estimate the pile’s length and diameter (or width). In this study, different pile-CPT methods were evaluated to estimate the accuracy and precision of them for estimating the axial capacity of the piles. Based on the obtained results, the log-normal distribution of the estimated to measured pile capacity for top-ranked pile-CPT methods was adopted to develop combined pile-CPT methods that optimize the estimation accuracy of axial pile capacity in different soil categories. Also, a model for estimating axial pile capacity was developed based on the results of 10 instrumented piles and 80 piles driven in Louisiana. For analyzing the lateral capacity of the piles, finite element method was used to obtain p-y curves. p-y curves is a simple and accurate approach that considers a nonlinear function for soil reaction with pile displacement. Different parameters for sands and clays were studied to find the effects of each parameter on the p-y curve characteristics. Models were developed for clays and sands that consider these parameters. Using the results from the parametric study, numerical models for the ultimate resistance, initial slope, and characteristic shape function are verified and compared to the existing models

Leadership succession, organizational climate, trust and individual performance in Nigerian commercial banks

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between leadership succession, organizational climate and individual performance in the Nigerian commercial banks. Primarily, this study explored the moderating effect of trust on the relationship between leadership succession, dimensions of organizational climate (i.e. quality, integration, and well-being) and individual performance that comprises of adaptive, task, and contextual performance. Stratified random sampling was used in which samples were drawn from six geographical zones of Nigeria (i.e. Lagos, Delta, Abia, Abuja, Kano, and Bauchi). Data was collected through the self-administrated method by sending questionnaires to 600 commercial bank branch managers within the six geographical zones selected. A total of 84 items were used in the questionnaire to examine all the variables illustrated in the theoretical framework. All the instruments were adapted from past literature. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20.0 was used to test the hypotheses. The results provided support for some of the hypothesized relationships for the study. Specifically, leadership succession was positively related to adaptive performance but negatively related to task performance. Additionally, integration was also positively related to both task and contextual performance, while well-being was positively related to only task performance. Furthermore, the results of the moderating effect of trust indicated that four out of the twelve hypotheses were moderated. Therefore, the significant positive influence of leadership succession, quality, integration and well-being suggest that the variables are important in motivating individual performance. As such, employees should be encouraged to exhibit these behaviours to enhance the performance of the organization. Finally, the contribution, limitations, and implications of the study are discussed

Boundary determination of mineral regions in hyperspectral drill core imager data

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 2017This work is about segmentation of hyperspectral images in order to identify the different regions within the image and determine their best boundaries. A new method based on the Fitzhugh-Nagumo model is introduced to do this by extracting additional useful information from the image data. It is inspired by the work done in [1] titled “A novel approach to text binarization via a diffusion-based model”, which was applied on 2-dimensional images in grayscale. The results from the proposed method is then assessed and compared to other existing methods on a scene of Cuprite, Nevada, as well as drill core imager data. The datasets chosen for this research are the artificial and real AVIRIS Cuprite of Nevada and as well as real drill core imager data. Cuprite, Nevada was chosen because it is well studied and other methods have been applied to it. The core imager data is studied due to its importance of delineating minerals regions and the likelihood of getting purer pixels given the high spatial resolution of the data.XL201

A theoretical model of professional/staff development from a liberation perspective

This investigation described the: (a) personal qualities, (b) teaching realities, and (c) perceptions of teacher education of distinctive physical education teachers. A distinctive teacher was defined as one who stands out from the majority of colleagues with respect to: (a) sincere interest and enthusiasm in teaching, (b) genuine concern for pupils, and (c) self-study and continued striving to improve as a teacher. Subjects studied were six selected teachers of required physical education in public junior high and middle schools in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts. Subjects were in at least their fifth year of teaching. Teacher educators, who participated in a workshop to formulate and clarify indicators of teacher distinctiveness, identified the subjects. A pilot study was conducted to improve the research procedures

Organisatsiooniline kontroll ülikoolide juhtimises: mitmeparadigmaline lähenemine Tartu Ülikooli näitel

Tuginedes erinevate teadusfilosoofiliste paradigmade (modernistlik, sümbolistlik ja postmodernistlik) sünteesile on doktoritöö eesmärgiks välja töötada teoreetiline raamistik organisatsioonilise kontrolli mõistmiseks Tartu Ülikooli näitel. Antud eesmärgist kantuna, esimene ehk teoreetiline peatükk hõlmab organisatsioonilise kontrolli alaste käsitluste teadusfilosoofilist korrastamist paradigmade lõikes. Viimast silmas pidades tekib teoreetilises osas kontrollialase kirjanduse süstematiseerimine, mis annab lugejale ülevaatliku pildi sellest, kuidas vastavalt omaksvõetud teadusparadigmale on teadlased seni kontrolli olemust ja toimimist mõistnud. Teine ehk empiiriline peatükk rakendab kolme paradigmat Tartu Ülikooli juhtimisreformi uurimisel ning kolmas peatükk, sünteesides nii teoreetilist kui empiirilist peatükki kujundab metatasandil teoreetilise raamistiku organisatsioonilise kontrolli paremaks mõistmiseks. Doktoritöö tulemusena ilmnes, kuidas organisatsioonilise kontrolli loomus sõltub suuresti tekkinud dominantsetest diskursustest ülikoolis. Doktoritööst selgus, kuidas sisuliselt juhtimisreformi raames tekkinud diskursused keskendusid olemasolevate tähenduste hoidmisele (nt identiteediküsimused), samas põrkuvad otsese vajadusega harjunud tähendusi muuta (nt harjutamine valdkonnapõhise identiteedi vormis mõtlemisega). Kokkuvõttes tõi doktoritöö välja, kuidas olulised muutused ülikoolis ei ole mitte pelgalt komplekssed, vaid tulenevalt ülikoolide traditsioonilisest töökorraldusest sageli ka poliitilistel võimumängudel baseeruvad. Kuna suuremastaabilisi muudatusi juhitakse tsentraalselt tippjuhtkonna poolt, siis võib muudatuste taga peituv argumentatsioon tavatöötajast kaugele jääda. Seetõttu, kuigi muudatuste mõju on hilisemalt kõigile tuntav, ent vähese dialoogi tekkimise tõttu loob see viljaka pinnase ebakindlust ja ärevust sütitavate ning organisatsioonilist kontrolli haarata püüdvate dominantsete diskursuste tekkeks.The aim of the thesis is to offer a framework of organisational control that bases itself on the synthesis of multiple paradigms (modernism, symbolism and postmodernism) on the example of University of Tartu. That said, chapter one will tackle with complex nature of organisational control by mapping the fragmentation of existing control studies, then bringing out the essence of control via multiple paradigms in theory. Second chapter bases itself on multiparadigm research, which applies multiple paradigms witnessed in literature to study organisational control in university management. Finally, metaparadigm theory building chapter can be regarded as a conclusion and discussion that summarises both theoretical and empirical study in order to provide novel theoretical insights at the metalevel. Dissertation led to show how organisational control manifests in finding a strategic fit between sensegiving and sensemaking, a process, which is facilitated and negotiated by a paradox of sensekeeping and sensebreaking. By coupling sensekeeping with sensebreaking results in a paradox or a contradictory state of affairs where at one side there might be a need for a change, possibly with great reasons, yet from another side, these reasons or explanations are not strong enough to undermine the need to keep existing arrangements as they are. According to empirical phases of the thesis, strategic change processes tend to be not only highly complex and politically laden (since they have a great effect of large parts of the organisation), but due to the fact that as a rule they are driven by upper level managers, the communication over the argumentation for and about the essence of the change may stand too far from the organisational members (interpretive realities). Thus, as fundamental change in organisation has wide effects to many, yet the change process is usually managed by few there are lot of hidden possibilities of resistance and dominating discourses to emerge as an attempt to seek organisational control over the perceived uncertainties

Families, life events and family service delivery

Life events or transitions are understood to be circumstances that have an unsettling element for individuals (and from a systemic perspective, for family members also). Life events or transitions, even when pursued and ultimately beneficial, usually require adjustment on one or more fronts and relinquishment of at least some areas of familiarity. Examples of life events include: births, establishing a new relationship, moving house, entering the education system, starting a new job, experiencing a physical or mental illness, deaths, and so on. The Australian Institute of Family Studies (the Institute; AIFS) has completed this literature review on life events at the request of the Portfolio Department of Human Services (the Department; DHS)

Investigating the antecedents and outcomes of approach- avoidance crafting: The role of paternalistic leadership and work identity

Job crafting plays a critical role in enhancing employee well-being and performance. Designing smart jobs that facilitate employees learning and development is an important but challenging task for organizations. This thesis attempts to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of job crafting in the forms of approach-avoidance crafting (Study 1, 2 and 3) and task-, relational-, cognitive crafting (Study 2). Study 1 (N=318) investigates the antecedents (benevolence and authoritarianism as two dimensions of paternalistic leadership) and outcomes (burnout, work engagement, OCB) of approach- avoidance crafting. Results shown benevolence was positively related to approach crafting and performance goal orientation moderates this relationship. Authoritarianism was found positively related to avoidance crafting. Approach and avoidance crafting were found related to employee outcomes. This study contributes to the research on the antecedents and outcomes of approach-avoidance crafting and provides insights into the proactive work design. Study 2 (N=104) broadens the scope of Study 1 to include individual work identity as a mediator between approach-avoidance crafting and employee proactive service performance. It also extends the job crafting theory by testing the antecedents and outcomes of task-, relational-, cognitive crafting. Results shown consistent findings with Study 1 and supported part of hypotheses of Study 2. This study is the first to directly test the relevance between job crafting and work identity. Study 3 (N=365, 82 teams) used a multilevel data to develop a comprehensive theoretical model. Results shown individual perceptions of benevolence was positively related to approach crafting, and individual perceptions of authoritarianism was positively related to avoidance crafting. Approach and avoidance crafting were both positively related to work identity. Work identity was positively related to work engagement. At team-level, team level benevolence was positively related to team approach crafting and team proactive service performance. Overall, this thesis enriches the understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of job crafting. It indicates important directions for future research and outlines practical recommendations on nurturing employee job crafting, together with promoting employee well-being, citizenship behavior and proactive performance

Understanding consumer behaviour in the less developed countries : an empirical investigation of brand loyalty in Zambia

The objectives of this study are to contribute to the understanding of consumer behaviour, and to investigate the existence of brand loyalty in the less developed countries. The study attempts to fill the gap in literature on consumer behaviour and consumer characteristics in the less developed countries. The significance of the study is that while the existing studies focus on Latin American markets, it investigates consumer behaviour in Africa: Zambia. A further contribution lies in its attempts to understand consumer behaviour in markets where there is a common notion that marketing is not important because the existence of shortages creates demand. This study regards such attitudes as myopic because marketing should be understood as more than a demand creating tool. It should be viewed as a discpline that can enable a manager to match organizational capabilities and resources to the needs of a society. Moreover, at the micro level, companies are in competition for the occupation of the largest segment in the consumers mind. The need for marketing during shortages is in conformity with Kotlers argument that: "Marketing is as critical a strategic concept and an operating philosophy during shortages as it is during surpluses. The seller (Marketer] who abandons the marketing mode of thinking during shortages is playing Russian roulette with his market franchise. He is risking long-term marriage to a set of customers for the temporary charms of a seductress." (Quoted in Nekvasil, 1975, p.57].Hence, studying brand loyalty and the factors related to it has particular relevance in the less developed countries. The results of a consumer survey conducted among 1289 respondents in Zambia reveals that women, who were mostly involved in the purchase of the products, were very aware of brands on the market, used informal (personal sources] of information, identified brands by name and as expected, the frequency of purchases were low and quantities bought quite large, reflecting the product shortage situation. The cross-tabulations and log-linear analysis further indicated that brand loyal consumers tended to be mostly men, educated, from middle and high income classes, store loyal, heavy users, not price sensitive, influenced by family and friends, who lived in urban areas where distribution is extensive and many brands available. However, some interbrand differences were evident. These results suggest a profile of brand loyal consumers, and this can be used to segment the market for frequently purchased products. More significantly, the possibility of market segmentation would indicate appropriate marketing and advertising strategies for companies selling these products in the less developed countries

Sequence Analysis and Related Approaches

This open access book provides innovative methods and original applications of sequence analysis (SA) and related methods for analysing longitudinal data describing life trajectories such as professional careers, family paths, the succession of health statuses, or the time use. The applications as well as the methodological contributions proposed in this book pay special attention to the combined use of SA and other methods for longitudinal data such as event history analysis, Markov modelling, and sequence network. The methodological contributions in this book include among others original propositions for measuring the precarity of work trajectories, Markov-based methods for clustering sequences, fuzzy and monothetic clustering of sequences, network-based SA, joint use of SA and hidden Markov models, and of SA and survival models. The applications cover the comparison of gendered occupational trajectories in Germany, the study of the changes in women market participation in Denmark, the study of typical day of dual-earner couples in Italy, of mobility patterns in Togo, of internet addiction in Switzerland, and of the quality of employment career after a first unemployment spell. As such this book provides a wealth of information for social scientists interested in quantitative life course analysis, and all those working in sociology, demography, economics, health, psychology, social policy, and statistics. ; Provides new perspectives and methods for sequence analysis Focusses on the link between sequence analysis and other methods for longitudinal data, especially event history analysis and Markov models Stresses the complementarity of sequence analysis and other models for longitudinal data Applications of sequence analysis in a whole range of different domain

Consumer adoption of new technologies : the role of perceived risk

Driven by perceived Internet technology advantage and significant market potential, this study focuses on the impacts of Perceived Risk and Trust Belief on Behavioural Intention to use hotel e-booking services in Saudi Arabia. The study employs the UTAUT2 (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology ІІ). The objective is to establish and assess a new model that can be used to determine the various elements, which impact usage behaviour among customers of hotel e-booking services. This study places special emphasis on the unique role of trust belief, and the perception of risk.The data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 465 respondents. Partial Least Squares-Structured Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed in analysing the data. Our study adds to the current literature by proposing new variables linking ‘Perceived Risk’ and ‘Trust Belief’ to the UTAUT2. Furthermore, this study provides a response to appeals for further examination and use of aspects, which enlarge the tools, and usage of UTAUT2. The research model represents a pioneering study integrating perceived risk from consumer adoption of new technology literature, employing the UTAUT2 model to assist in initiating the integration of multi-disciplinary research in electronic marketing. In this research, Trust Belief (TR) was hypothesized, for first time, as a mediator that mediates the influence of Perceived Risk (PR) toward Behavioural Intention (BI). It was found that trust belief completely mediates the negative relationship between perceived risk and behavioural intention.Within the context of electronic booking in the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia, this research provides the first attempt in which the UTAUT2 model is employed to identify the various factors that impact a consumer’s choice to embrace and utilise hotel e-booking services. All constructs within the UTAUT2 model exhibited a significant and sufficient extent of discriminant and convergent validity and reliability, except for the construct of facilitating conditions. The results provide backing for utilising the UTAUT2 model for predicting consumers’ intention to adopt and utilise e-booking hotel services within the context of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study offers valuable contributions to the existing body of literature, by investigating the validity and reliability of the UTAUT model, originally developed for the Western world, to clarify parallel behaviours in a non-Western context