FACTORS INFLUENCING PROJECT TEAM EFFECTIVENESS AS PERCEIVED BY PROJECT MANAGERS IN MALAYSIA – A PILOT STUDY

As more project teams are formed to help Malaysian organizations in achieving their objectives that individual efforts cannot achieve, there is a compelling reason to understand the critical factors that can influence project team effectiveness, because the effectiveness outcome can yield benefits to organizations. This study developed a research model underpinned on Cohen & Bailey’s (1997) Team Effectiveness Framework to empirically analyze some critical factors that influence project team effectiveness. Results show that project manager’s leadership roles are not directly influencing project team effectiveness, but they are directly influencing both team building & participation, and team shared mental models in which these two factors are directly and positively influencing project team effectivenessProject Team Effectiveness, Leadership Roles, Team Building & Participation, Team Shared Mental Models, Project Manager

Adaptive stochastic radio access selection scheme for cellular-WLAN heterogeneous communication systems

This study proposes a novel adaptive stochastic radio access selection scheme for mobile users in heterogeneous cellular-wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. In this scheme, a mobile user located in dual coverage area randomly selects WLAN with probability of ω when there is a need for downloading a chunk of data. The value of ω is optimised according to the status of both networks in terms of network load and signal quality of both cellular and WLAN networks. An analytical model based on continuous time Markov chain is proposed to optimise the value of ω and compute the performance of proposed scheme in terms of energy efficiency, throughput, and call blocking probability. Both analytical and simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme compared with the mainstream network selection schemes: namely, WLAN-first and load balancing

Pair Density Wave in the Pseudogap State of High Temperature Superconductors

Recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments of Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ have shown evidence of real-space organization of electronic states at low energies in the pseudogap state. We argue based on symmetry considerations as well as model calculations that the experimentally observed modulations are due to a density wave of d-wave Cooper-pairs without global phase coherence. We show that STM measurements can distinguish a pair-density-wave from more typical electronic modulations such as those due to charge density wave ordering or scattering from an onsite periodic potential.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Final version. PRL 93, 187002 (2004

Optimization of Window Positions for Wind-Driven Natural Ventilation Performance

This paper optimizes opening positions on building facades to maximize the natural ventilation’s potential for ventilation and cooling purposes. The paper demonstrates how to apply computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results to architectural design processes, and how the CFD-driven decisions impact ventilation and cooling: (1) background: A CFD helps predict the natural ventilation’s potential, the integration of CFD results into design decision-making has not been actively practiced; (2) methods: Pressure data on building facades were obtained from CFD simulations and mapped into the 3D modeling environment, which were then used to identify optimal positions of two openings of a zone. The effect of the selected opening positions was validated with building energy simulations; (3) results: The cross-comparison study of different window positions based on different geographical locations quantified the impact on natural ventilation effectiveness; and (4) conclusions: The optimized window positions were shown to be effective, and some optimal solutions contradicted the typical cross-ventilation strategy

(Acetato-κO)(2-bromo-6-{[3-(dimethyl­aza­nium­yl)propyl­imino-κN]meth­yl}phenolato-κO)(thio­cyanato-κN)zinc

In the title compound, [Zn(CH3COO)(NCS)(C12H17BrN2O)], the ZnII atom is four-coordinated in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry, binding to a phenolate O and an imine N atom of the Schiff base ligand, the O atom of an acetate ligand and one thio­cyanate N atom. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers

Real Time Velocity Measurement with All-fiber Self-mixing Speckle System

AbstractA novel method for real time velocity measurement is proposed. All-fiber laser measurement system is built by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The measuring principle is based on laser self-mixing speckle, modulations of laser output caused by the optical feedback from an outer moving object. The generation of speckle signal is theoretically analyzed and experimentally obtained. A Labview programme is developed for waveform acquisition, noise reduction and numeric calculation. The signal processing shows a linear relationship between the energy density of speckle signal and the velocity of the moving object. In the experiments of real time velocity measurement by a rotating aluminum plate, we obtained measurement error less than 4.1% in the range of velocity from 234 to 508 mm/s. The study indicates that the all-fiber self-mixing speckle system can be applied in remote velocity sensing and measurement

Overlimiting Current and Shock Electrodialysis in Porous Media

Most electrochemical processes, such as electrodialysis, are limited by diffusion, but in porous media, surface conduction and electro-osmotic flow also contribute to ionic fluxes. In this paper, we report experimental evidence for surface-driven over-limiting current (faster than diffusion) and deionization shocks (propagating salt removal) in a porous medium. The apparatus consists of a silica glass frit (1 mm thick with 500 nm mean pore size) in an aqueous electrolyte (CuSO$_4$ or AgNO$_3$) passing ionic current from a reservoir to a cation-selective membrane (Nafion). The current-voltage relation of the whole system is consistent with a proposed theory based on the electro-osmotic flow mechanism over a broad range of reservoir salt concentrations (0.1 mM - 1.0 M), after accounting for (Cu) electrode polarization and pH-regulated silica charge. Above the limiting current, deionized water ($\approx 10 \mu$ $M$) can be continuously extracted from the frit, which implies the existence of a stable shock propagating against the flow, bordering a depleted region that extends more than 0.5mm across the outlet. The results suggest the feasibility of "shock electrodialysis" as a new approach to water desalination and other electrochemical separations.Comment: 39 pages, 9 fig