Analysis of pressure distortion testing

The development of a distortion methodology, method D, was documented, and its application to steady state and unsteady data was demonstrated. Three methodologies based upon DIDENT, a NASA-LeRC distortion methodology based upon the parallel compressor model, were investigated by applying them to a set of steady state data. The best formulation was then applied to an independent data set. The good correlation achieved with this data set showed that method E, one of the above methodologies, is a viable concept. Unsteady data were analyzed by using the method E methodology. This analysis pointed out that the method E sensitivities are functions of pressure defect level as well as corrected speed and pattern

Developing Competent Managers: The Shadow of Hungarian History

Hungary is deemed to be one of the economies that has successfully undergone the changes needed to enter the European Union. Despite this, it has been pointed out that Hungarian managers are still lacking in education and training, that there is a lack of innovation, and that there is still a certain resistance to change manifest in the continuance of the ‘black market’ economy. However, it is optimistically expected that the influx of Western managerial practices will soon put this to rights (Agenda 2000). In this paper, we question these assumptions. Firstly, we argue that change is a more complex sociological and historical phenomenon than most organisational writers would have us believe. To illustrate this point, we draw on the work of the social historian Elias, who shows us that macro-societal developments and changes at the micro-level are interrelated. Following Elias, we then examine the nature of change at an institutional level in Hungary, set against the wider historical background that has shaped these changes. Then, drawing on literature and social research into values, we examine the nature of the Hungarian character, showing its development alongside and in tandem with the historical and institutional changes. What we find does not reflect the upbeat representation of the current Hungarian situation. Rather, using the language of Jung, we show that the particular historical changes that have taken place seem to have taken place at two levels, leading to a ‘split’ in Hungarian institutions (of which we consider the economy an example) and which is equally reflected by an ‘alienation’ in the Hungarian character. We question the notion that the practices recently being imported from the West will provide the solutions that the Hungarian economy is looking for. Indeed, there is a possibility that the wholesale importation of such practices may add to the ‘alienated’ nature of Hungarian organisations, and increase the split between the rulers and the ruled, whether we conceive of this at an institutional level, or at the level of the individual psyche. We suggest that, without understanding these deeper issues, the simple importation of Western ideas is unlikely to address the need to implement lasting changes in organisations and to develop competent and creative managers

The Transformation of Educational Processes in Hungary: Fragmentation or Integration

The Hungarian education system is experiencing a period of major change. The number of students studying at universities and colleges has doubled in the past ten years; last year 96 universities and colleges were amalgamated into 23; and there is also an influx of foreign students into the technical and medical universities. Economically and socially, it is considered that Hungary has successfully completed changes that will take her into the European Union. Many of the educational changes have been driven by the forces of having to change to a market economy. Are the changes likely to enhance the learning experience for Hungarian individuals? By ‘learning’ we understand a fundamental change of view that is likely to impact on an individual’s thinking and behaviour. Firstly, drawing on an earlier theoretical framework that argues for an in-depth historical understanding of culture and change, we analyse the evolution of education in the Hungarian system over the past century. Drawing on a series of interviews with those involved with the changes, particularly at the Budapest Business School, and through a combination of narrative methods and analyses of changes in curricula, we will track the initial responses to these changes and the problems experienced by those responsible for implementing the change. The methodology employed is that of action research. Action research changes focus as it develops, and does not aim to be an accurate picture of a single situation at one point in time. The method has been chosen since it fits in with our views of the world and change, and also to address some of the important methodological problems of carrying out research in the transitional economies ( Michailova and Liuthto, 2000). It draws on our personal interpretations and values and aims at objectivity not through being impersonal or replicable, but through a critical analysis of what is being assumed. The presentation of results will take the form of a reflexive account of our involvement and perceptions of the change process, and will therefore reflect a deepening connection between ourselves as we cross our own personal and cultural barriers. Our chosen method also reflects an understanding that research as it has been traditionally carried out in the West is hierarchical: in this form researchers have power to determine the project and what meanings shall be attached to the lives and words of others, creating a separate culture for researchers: a culture of detachment and power. We want to move away from this, and using action research to expand the meanings so that in our work we can have a ’dialogue’ about the change process which promotes an integration of ideas and meanings between the West and the emerging economies

Take- up of HR Practices in Hungary: Illusion and Disillusion

Hungary will be one of the first of the transition economies to join the EU. Researchers claim that, whilst there are still changes to make, the transition has been made from a planned economy to that of a market economy. ( Agenda 2000, 1998). However, there is claimed to be a lack of enterprising managers as Hungary struggles to come to terms with its new identity, leading to a focus on the way in which organisations manage people. It is not surprising, that Human Resource Management ( HRM), with its focus on management development, is seen as the new magic which can create these managers. In this paper, we seek to challenge the view that what Hungary needs in transition is the wholesale adoption of HR practices. Rather, we would argue that what is required is a deeper understanding of both what we understand by HR practices, and of the cultural context in which such practices are being implemented. We would question the rather simplistic assumption that HR practices will be necessarily helpful on two grounds. Firstly, we examine the notion of HR itself, and suggest that its conceptualisation is complex and problematic. We would argue that ‘managing people’ is a process that emerges from specific historical and cultural contexts, and therefore needs to be examined in this light before prescribing ‘best practice’ models. Further, we suggest that recent work in the UK and elsewhere on discipline in management practices may suggest that we need to be cautious in advocating or adopting such practices without sufficient reflection on the way in which such practices are adopted or implemented. To illustrate this thesis, we first examine our current understandings of HR management, tracing its evolution from the formal management models of the USA into the UK, basing our discussion on Lawrence’s analysis ( 1993). We then chart the discussions and debate around the take-up of HR in the UK, noting that our conceptualisations and paradigms can be confused and contradictory. We argue, however, with Lawrence ( 1993) that the reasons that the HR rhetoric ( if not the practices) has been welcomed in the UK is due to a series of historical events which have created a particular set of conditions where the need for clear communication and motivation created through management development is seen to be particularly important. Here the promises of HR practices are particularly appealing ( see for example, Zimmerman, 1993). We then show the evolution of ‘people management’ in the Hungarian context, tracing its emergence from planned to market economy. Drawing on history and past and contemporary literature, we trace the ways in which organisations have developed in the Hungarian context. We then suggest that, whilst there is a radically different history and set of attitudes to work in Hungary and the UK, there are some similarities in terms of the need for communication and motivation of the workforce which may lead to the take-up of HR rhetoric, if not practices. These conditions are such where management control is of the utmost importance, thus the disciplinary potential of such practices may well be actualised. Before such practices are implemented wholesale, we would argue, there needs to be more critical reflection on the nature of HR and the context in which it is implemented if Hungarian organisations are to evolve creatively from its dramatic process of change

An organization overview of pedagogical practice in work-integrated education

Tertiary curriculum design has increasingly emphasized work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities. This qualitative study provides an overview of a variety of WIL activities at Massey University, New Zealand. Descriptive comments, provided through interviews with fifteen academic supervisors from disciplines ranging from the applied sciences through social sciences to business, education and creative arts, highlight the following six factors to be considered in the resourcing of WIL programs. Themes related to set-up include placement requirements, support, selection, location, and risk management issues. Student preparation involves pre-requisite theoretical knowledge, general career preparation (CV & interview skills) and readiness for practice. With respect to supervision, an on-campus academic mentor and a work-place supervisor are both important to the student. Competencies linked to team work and professional standards include self-confidence, communication and people skills. The teaching pedagogies used include lectures and labs, oral presentations, scenario-based-learning and project work. Assessment involved a learning contract, reflective journal, oral presentation, and final report

On the Weakening of Chromospheric Magnetic Field in Active Regions

Simultaneous measurement of line-of-sight (LOS) magnetic and velocity fields at the photosphere and chromosphere are presented. Fe I line at $\lambda6569$ and $H_{\alpha}$ at $\lambda6563$ are used respectively for deriving the physical parameters at photospheric and chromospheric heights. The LOS magnetic field obtained through the center-of-gravity method show a linear relation between photospheric and chromospheric field for field strengths less than 700 G. But in strong field regions, the LOS magnetic field values derived from $H_{\alpha}$ are much weaker than what one gets from the linear relationship and also from those expected from the extrapolation of the photospheric magnetic field. We discuss in detail the properties of magnetic field observed in $H_{\alpha}$ from the point of view of observed velocity gradients. The bisector analysis of $H_{\alpha}$ Stokes $I$ profiles show larger velocity gradients in those places where strong photospheric magnetic fields are observed. These observations may support the view that the stronger fields diverge faster with height compared to weaker fields.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap

Junkland

Winner of the 2017 Barry Hannah Prize for Fictio

The importance of incorporating technological advancements into the artificial eye process: a perspective commentary

Application of technology into healthcare has typically been targeted to high demand illnesses and treatments. However, with an increasing need to meet patient’s expectations combined with increased accessibility and reduced costs, smaller healthcare fields are starting to investigate its function and usability. Services have historically been led by skills and expertise, and recent developments are being seen by ocularists in the field of prosthetic eyes who acknowledge the potential benefit from technological advancement. Utilising the technologies recently investigated in maxillofacial prosthesis can start the evolutionary process where products are continually re-designed and re-developed to achieve excellent patient outcome and satisfaction levels