The author describes the techniques and designs employed to provide a practical solution to the corrosion problems of a blast furnace water‐cooling system based on a soft‐water…
Abstract
The author describes the techniques and designs employed to provide a practical solution to the corrosion problems of a blast furnace water‐cooling system based on a soft‐water supply. He discusses, among other things, the water‐cooling system, the external pipework and the stave coolers.
IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR Sir Vivian Fuchs returned to his old school to open the new science building which has since attracted attention because of the new design features…
Tony Ryan, Gayatri Nambiar‐Greenwood, Carol Haigh and Catherine Mills
The search for alternatives to inpatient mental health care in the UK and further afield has been going on over the last few decades of the previous century. Amongst the range of…
Abstract
Purpose
The search for alternatives to inpatient mental health care in the UK and further afield has been going on over the last few decades of the previous century. Amongst the range of alternatives that have been developed are community‐based mental health crisis houses that seek to work with people, who may otherwise have been admitted to hospital. Amethyst House is a four‐bed mental health crisis house based in inner city Liverpool and works solely with the local Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHTT) to work with people who require support that could not be delivered at home. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of one element of a service evaluation: the effectiveness of the service in relation to the mental health needs of people admitted.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes the service model, which integrates the crisis house and the CRHTT, with the latter acting as gatekeepers to the service.
Findings
Findings showed improvements in mental health symptomatology and disabilities associated with the crisis between admission and discharge from the service.
Originality/value
The paper describes the profile of the people who used the service over a six‐month period in 2009, their care pathways through the service and their clinical outcomes between admission and discharge.
Details
Keywords
D. Thailly, R. Romary, D. Roger and J‐F. Brudny
Non‐intrusive magnetic measurements in AC machines are possible with small flat coils stuck on the external surface of the housing of a running motor. The aim of the paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Non‐intrusive magnetic measurements in AC machines are possible with small flat coils stuck on the external surface of the housing of a running motor. The aim of the paper consists in determining transmission coefficients able to give a direct relationship between the weak external flux density and the airgap one.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental approach shows that the decoupling principle can be applied. Transmission coefficients are determined separately for the stator yoke, the motor housing and the external air.
Findings
For low frequencies and a housing made of steel, eddy current can be neglected. The transmission coefficient depends strongly of the mode (number of poles) of the rotating field. Conversely, for higher harmonic ranks, the additional attenuation caused by eddy currents in the housing does not practically depend on the mode but is strongly dependant on the frequency.
Research limitations/implications
The transmission coefficients are determined considering a 2D electromagnetic model and several simplifying hypothesis. Experiments prove the validity of the proposed approach up to 550 Hz.
Practical implications
Up to now, many fault detection systems are based on the presence of additional harmonics in the external magnetic field spectrum. With the knowledge of simple transmission coefficients, an analysis of the variation of the magnitude of critical spectrum lines is now possible for a more precise fault detection in AC machines.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, the only alternative way for the interpretation of external field measurements consist in using a numerical method with a full model of the machine which takes a lot of computation time. The proposed transmission coefficients provide a faster method valid for most of the interesting spectrum lines.
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The commitment to statistical process control programmes is becoming commonplace in US industry. However, some companies are experiencing failure of these programmes, particularly…
Abstract
The commitment to statistical process control programmes is becoming commonplace in US industry. However, some companies are experiencing failure of these programmes, particularly in multi‐strata (population) production processes. Even if such a process is in a state of statistical control, there is a high likelihood that one or more strata could drift away from the target owing to an assignable cause. The success of a QC programme depends on the ability of a quality control practitioner to detect this shift with a greater statistical power (sensitivity) and take corrective actions. Addresses the problem faced by the multi‐strata production process of a local manufacturing company in detecting a single stratum shift from the target with a high level of sensitivity. Proposes the selection of an appropriate sampling method (stratified or random) to have a strong bearing on the relative sensitivity of detecting the above shift in a single stratum. Develops power curves for the above mentioned process under stratified and random sampling scenarios, when a shift occurs in a single stratum. Examines the relationship of sample size to the threshold level of the stratum shift and the preferred sampling method.
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SOME valuable investigations have been carried out in Sweden in connection with testing the utility of lubricating greases at low temperatures. This work has been carried out by…
Abstract
SOME valuable investigations have been carried out in Sweden in connection with testing the utility of lubricating greases at low temperatures. This work has been carried out by Driftingeniör L. Raoul Niklasson, and the apparatus employed was constructed in collaboration with J. Bergstedt at SKF's Central Laboratory, Gothenburg. Final results were obtained at the Central Laboratory of the Royal Swedish Airforce, Malmslätt.
This article offers a perspective on the evolution of strategic planning and strategic planning's implementation, particularly within the context of family business. This paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
This article offers a perspective on the evolution of strategic planning and strategic planning's implementation, particularly within the context of family business. This paper is structured into three sections: Introduction, literature review (LR), conclusion and practical and theoretical implications. The LR critically examines traditional planning tools and highlights the need for adopting new digital concepts to enhance effectiveness and resource management in family business.
Design/methodology/approach
The author employed a LR to synthesize all the information and to identify the authors/articles related to the object of study.
Findings
The use of technology to overcome strategic planning pitfalls and leverage emerging technologies while making data-driven decisions is a key factor for family businesses to stay ahead of the curve and achieve sustainable growth.
Originality/value
This study explores the historical development of strategic planning tools and discusses the transformative impact of technology on the traditional landscape, with a specific focus on strategic planning's reflection in family businesses.
Details
Keywords
Anastasia Miller, Lynn Unruh, Xinliang Liu, Tracy Wharton and Ning Zhang
Personnel who work in emergency medical services (EMS) face work environments which are high stress. These can lead to burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and a reduction…
Abstract
Purpose
Personnel who work in emergency medical services (EMS) face work environments which are high stress. These can lead to burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and a reduction of compassion satisfaction (CS). However, very little is known about what individual and work factors influence these negative coping mechanisms in EMS personnel. It is also unknown how perceived organizational and coworker support, debriefing methods, or individual characteristics are associated with the aforementioned coping mechanisms in EMS personnel. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional administration of surveys to Florida EMS personnel was done. A total of 351 individuals who regularly performed EMS tasks completed the survey. Three regression analyses were carried out, utilizing the three ProQOL 5 subscales as the dependent variables. The Perceived Coworker Support survey, Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, the Brief Resilience Survey and questions regarding debriefing practices were included.
Findings
Both organizational support and psychological resilience were found to be related to higher CS as well as lower burnout and STS. Coworker support was associated with higher CS. Informal debriefing was associated with higher CS and lower burnout. Several individual factors were also statistically significant, specifically education with CS, being a volunteer and race with burnout, and working part time or volunteering with STS.
Research limitations/implications
There are limitations due to the nature of cross-sectional survey design and due to the sample size. The varying circumstances which EMS personnel work also hinders generalizability.
Originality/value
This study displays statistical relationships between factors which EMS agencies could use to increase employee job satisfaction and potentially reduce turnover.
Details
Keywords
John Larsen and Christopher Griffiths
– To evaluate the impact of crisis house admission in terms of mental health recovery and achievement of personal goals for people using the service.
Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the impact of crisis house admission in terms of mental health recovery and achievement of personal goals for people using the service.
Design/methodology/approach
Mental Health Recovery Star (Recovery Star) and Personal Goal Scoring data were collected at entry and exit points in routine practice as part of a bespoke support planning process from 722 adults using one of three Rethink Mental Illness Crisis Houses. The adults had mental illness diagnoses including depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, and anxiety disorder.
Findings
There were significant increases in all ten Recovery Star domains, for example: managing mental health (up 2.11 points (1-10 scale)), identity and self-esteem (up 1.56 points), trust and hope (up 1.48 points), and self-care (up 1.35 points). The analysis of Personal Goal Scoring data (scored on 1-10 scale) showed significant increases on how close people were to achieving their goals. For all goals listed there was an average increase of 2.5 point from 3 to 5.5, showing that people made progress during their stay in the service.
Practical implications
Services provided by the third sector may offer an important contribution to support people's recovery and prevent admission to psychiatric hospital.
Originality/value
The findings of the evaluation study support a growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of services offering alternatives to admission, and they highlight the value of using recovery-oriented support planning and outcome capture tools in routine practice.
Details
Keywords
S. Serap Kurbanoglu, Buket Akkoyunlu and Aysun Umay
The main aim of this paper is to describe the development of a scale designed to measure self‐efficacy for information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this paper is to describe the development of a scale designed to measure self‐efficacy for information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Cronbach's alpha, item analysis and item discrimination indices, principal component analysis, varimax rotation, and discriminant validity were used to measure reliability and validity of the scale. A 28‐item refined version of the scale was found highly reliable and of reasonable length.
Findings
Further refinement based on principal component analysis indicated three major components, which allow approaching information literacy skills regarding to their complexity levels.
Originality/value
The information literacy self‐efficacy scale is recommended to identify individuals with low self‐efficacy beliefs, which may be a significantly limiting factor for them to explore their information literacy skills.