Enhancing the customer relationship management in public libraries: findings from three developing countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibilities of implementing the customer relationship management (CRM) concept and smart technologies in public libraries in developing countries. The goal was to explore the level of librarians’ awareness about CRM concept and their willingness to accept the CRM concept in libraries. Also, patrons’ satisfaction with the quality of services and relationships in public libraries is explored. Design/methodology/approach – The authors obtained data for this research through two online surveys. The first survey measures librarians’ level of awareness about CRM concept and their perception about CRM and smart technologies concept in public libraries in three developing countries: Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second survey measures patrons’ satisfaction with services and relationship in public libraries in these three countries. Findings – The research results revealed that most surveyed librarians are familiar with the CRM concept. However, libraries in these three developing countries barely use CRM or smart technologies to improve the relationship with stakeholders. Also, most patrons are satisfied with relationships and services. The analysis of data indicates no significant difference in the satisfaction level among patrons between these three developing countries. Research limitations/implications – Not all libraries participated in this research. Therefore, the sample is not distributed evenly across different types of libraries or user groups. Future research should include different types of libraries. Practical implications – The results can be used by public libraries in developing countries to improve the relationship with stakeholders harnessing CRM concept and smart technologies. Social implications – The use of CRM in combination with the smart technologies can help leverage the quality of the relationship between public libraries and stakeholders which in turn would secure their support and loyalty in the future. Originality/value – The integration of CRM concept as a component of library business automation process is an idea that has not been discussed widely in the library community and could initiate a positive trend in public libraries in developing countrie

Global minimum time for the brachistohronic motion of a particle in an arbitrary field of potential forces

The problem of the brachistochronic motion of a particle in space is considered. Particle М moves in the field of known potential forces. The brachistochrone problem is formulated as an optimal control task, where the particle velocity projections are taken as control variables. The problem considered is reduced to solving the corresponding two-point boundary–value problem (TPBVP).The appropriate numerical procedure to apply in determining the solutions to the TPBVP is based on the shooting method. The paper presents the procedure for estimating the interval of initial values of the conjugate vector coordinates. Based on given estimation, it may be claimed that all solutions to the corresponding TPBVP are certainly located within given intervals, and thereby the global minimum time too for the brachistochronic motion of a particle. In the case of multiple solutions of the principle of maximum, the global minimum is the solution corresponding to the minimum time

Free vibration of structures composed of rigid bodies and elastic beam segments

Free vibration of structures composed of rigid bodies and elastic beam segments is considered, assuming that the mass centers of rigid bodies are not located on the neutral axes of undeformed elastic beam segments. It is assumed that the rigid bodies of the system perform planar motion in the same plane and that their mass centers are located in that plane. The elastic beam segments are treated as the Euler-Bernoulli beams. In order to determine natural frequencies of the system, modification of the conventional continuous-mass transfer matrix method has been clone. The order of the overall transfer matrix has been reduced by this modification. Theoretical considerations are accompanied by two numerical examples.This is the peer reviewed version of the article: Obradović, A.; Šalinić, S.; Trifković, D.; Zorić, N.; Stokić, Z. Free Vibration of Structures Composed of Rigid Bodies and Elastic Beam Segments. Journal of Sound and Vibration 2015, 347, 126–138. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsv.2015.03.001

Global minimum time for the brachistohronic motion of a particle in an arbitrary field of potential forces

The problem of the brachistochronic motion of a particle in space is considered. Particle М moves in the field of known potential forces. The brachistochrone problem is formulated as an optimal control task, where the particle velocity projections are taken as control variables. The problem considered is reduced to solving the corresponding two-point boundary–value problem (TPBVP).The appropriate numerical procedure to apply in determining the solutions to the TPBVP is based on the shooting method. The paper presents the procedure for estimating the interval of initial values of the conjugate vector coordinates. Based on given estimation, it may be claimed that all solutions to the corresponding TPBVP are certainly located within given intervals, and thereby the global minimum time too for the brachistochronic motion of a particle. In the case of multiple solutions of the principle of maximum, the global minimum is the solution corresponding to the minimum time

Effect of piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) actuator orientation on controllability of antisymmetric composite plates for active vibration control

Piezoelectric materials have a wide range of application on the active vibration control of flexible structures as actuators and sensors due to its inverse and direct piezoelectric effect. In order to increase performance of active vibration control, piezoelectric fibers are stacked into single layer composite, making piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) actuator and sensor. These actuators and sensors are used for active vibration control of a thin-walled structures, placing them at the surface of the structure. Since that, control performances depend on sizes, positions and orientations of PFRC actuators and sensors. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of PFRC actuator orientation and position (top or bottom) on controllability of cross-ply and angle-ply antisymmetric composite plates for active vibration control. Depending on layers' orientation, composite laminates possess coupling behavior (bending-stretching, bending-shear coupling). Since antisymmetric laminates possess bending-stretching coupling behavior, the effect of this behavior on controllability will be also discussed

Effect of piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) actuator orientation on controllability of antisymmetric composite plates for active vibration control

Piezoelectric materials have a wide range of application on the active vibration control of flexible structures as actuators and sensors due to its inverse and direct piezoelectric effect. In order to increase performance of active vibration control, piezoelectric fibers are stacked into single layer composite, making piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) actuator and sensor. These actuators and sensors are used for active vibration control of a thin-walled structures, placing them at the surface of the structure. Since that, control performances depend on sizes, positions and orientations of PFRC actuators and sensors. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of PFRC actuator orientation and position (top or bottom) on controllability of cross-ply and angle-ply antisymmetric composite plates for active vibration control. Depending on layers' orientation, composite laminates possess coupling behavior (bending-stretching, bending-shear coupling). Since antisymmetric laminates possess bending-stretching coupling behavior, the effect of this behavior on controllability will be also discussed

Iterative methods for eigensesnitivity analysis-a review

The dynamic behavior of a structural system is characterized by its eigendata. The partial derivatives of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of mechanical system with respect to the design parameters have attracted extensive attention for the last four decades because of their various applications, such as optimal dynamic design, machinery failure diagnostic, parameter identification, model modification and automative control. A more general problem of structural dynamic analysis has three important aspects. Firstly, the observed physical structure is represented by initial finite element model. Modeling is based on numerous idealizing approximations within an exaggerated elaboration of details, which in essence does not significantly improve the accuracy of output data, especially having available powerful computers and appropriate software packages. Optimal alternative is to have the possibility of verifying outputted data that were measured on a prototype or real structure. Secondly, the dynamic characteristics of construction under reanalysis are analyzed. What is basically observed are eigenvalues and main forms of oscillations as characteristic variables that can invoke inadequate actual dynamic behavior. Thirdly, on the basis of the analysis of actual dynamic behavior, modification steps are proposed after which a modified model is obtained. Having in mind that mechanical structures are most often very complex, the most convenient modification steps are not easily obtained. The most straightforward approach for calculating the derivatives is the finite difference method. There mainly exist three categories in the literature: the modal method, the direct method and the iterative method. Several methods for the computation of eigenvector derivatives is analyzed with emphasis on the iterative methods

Influence of Vitamin D Deficiency on Cardiometabolic Risk in Obesity

Vitamin D deficiency and dysfunctional adipose tissue are involved in the development of cardiometabolic disturbances (eg, hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and dyslipidemia). We studied 50 obese (body mass index [BMI]: 43.5 ± 9.2 kg/m2 ) and 36 normal weight participants (BMI: 22.6 ± 1.9 kg/m2 ). Obese individuals were classified into different subgroups according to medians of observed anthropometric parameters (BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and trunk fat mass). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25 (OH)D < 50 nmol/L) was 88% among obese patients and 31% among nonobese individuals; 25(OH)D were lower in the obese group (27.3 ± 13.7 vs 64.6 ± 21.3 nmol/L, p < .001). There was a negative correlation between vitamin D and anthropometric indicators of obesity: BMI: (r = - 0.64, p < .001), waist circumference (r = -0.59; p < .001), and body fat percentage (r = -0.64; p < .001) as well with fasting plasma insulin (r = -0.35; p < .001) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (r = - 0.35; p < .001). There was a negative correlation between vitamin D level and leptin and resistin (r = -.61; p < .01), while a positive association with adiponectin concentrations were found (r = .7; p < .001). Trend estimation showed that increase in vitamin D level is accompanied by intensive increase in adiponectin concentrations (growth coefficient: 12.13). In conclusion, we observed a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among obese participants and this was associated with a proatherogenic cardiometabolic risk profile. In contrast, a positive trend was established between vitamin D and the protective adipocytokine adiponectin. The clinical relevance of this relationship needs to be investigated in larger studies

Free vibration of structures composed of rigid bodies and elastic beam segments

Free vibration of structures composed of rigid bodies and elastic beam segments is considered, assuming that the mass centers of rigid bodies are not located on the neutral axes of undeformed elastic beam segments. It is assumed that the rigid bodies of the system perform planar motion in the same plane and that their mass centers are located in that plane. The elastic beam segments are treated as the Euler-Bernoulli beams. In order to determine natural frequencies of the system, modification of the conventional continuous-mass transfer matrix method has been clone. The order of the overall transfer matrix has been reduced by this modification. Theoretical considerations are accompanied by two numerical examples.Peer reviewed version of the article: [https://machinery.mas.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4330