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Amperometric gas sensors are commonly used in air quality monitoring in long-term measurements. Baseline shift of sensor responses and power failure may occur over time, which is an obstacle for reliable operation of the entire system. The purpose of this study is to check the possibility of using PCA method to detect defected samples, identify faulty sensor and correct the responses of the sensor identified as faulty.

In this work, the authors present the results obtained with six amperometric sensors. An array of sensors was exposed to sulfur dioxide at the following concentrations: 0 ppm (synthetic air), 50 ppb, 100 ppb, 250 ppb, 500 ppb and 1000 ppb. The damage simulation consisted in adding to the sensor response a value of 0.05 and 0.1 µA and replacing the responses of one of sensors with a constant value of 0 and 0.15 µA. Sensor validity index was used to identify a damaged sensor in the matrix, and its responses were corrected via iteration method.

The results show that the methods used in this work can be potentially applied to detect faulty sensor responses. In the case of simulation of damage by baseline shift, it was possible to achieve 100% accuracy in damage detection and identification of the damaged sensor. The method was not very successful in simulating faults by replacing the sensor response with a value of 0 µA, due to the fact that the sensors mostly gave responses close to 0 µA, as long as they did not detect SO₂ concentrations below 250 ppb and the failure was treated as a correct response.

This work was inspired by methods of simulating the most common failures that occurs in amperometric gas sensors. For this purpose, simulations of the baseline shift and faults related to a power failure or a decrease in sensitivity were performed.

The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology and approach adapted to conduct a wind tunnel experiment on the inverted joined-wing airplane flying model together with the results obtained.

General assumptions underlying the dual-use model design are presented in this paper. The model was supposed to be used for both wind tunnel tests and flight tests that significantly drive its size and internal structure. Wind tunnel tests results compared with the outcome of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were used to assess airplane flying qualities before the maiden flight was performed.

Extensive data about the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane were collected. Clean configurations in symmetric and asymmetric cases and also configurations with various control surface deflections were tested.

The data obtained experimentally made it possible to predict the performance and stability properties of the unconventional airplane and to draw conclusions on improvements in further designs of this configuration.

The airplane described in this paper differs from frequently analyzed joined-wing configurations, as it boasts a front lifting surface attached at the top of the fuselage, whereas the aft one is attached at the bottom. The testing technique involving the application of a dual-use model is also innovative.

The drive to optimise operations and align them with customer needs is encouraging decision-makers to adopt process approaches. Simultaneously, organisations that improve their processes are beginning to recognize the importance of business process maturity in improving performance. Meanwhile, the dynamics of environmental change provide an incentive to use agility as a mechanism for organisational adaptation. It can be seen that there is a potential conflict between agility and process maturity, as while maturity requires stability, ensuring agility emphasizes variability. Based on studies that combine the concepts of process management and the business performance concept, this paper aims to examine the impact of business process agility on business performance and to assess the impact of business process maturity on this relationship.

Using structural equation modelling and cluster analysis, we analysed data collected from a survey of 300 respondents to understand the relationship between business process agility, process maturity and business performance.

Our study brings to light the role of business process agility in mediating the impact of process maturity on business performance. The results suggest that although process maturity, as a mediating variable between business process agility and business performance, has a noticeable impact on business performance, the strength of this impact is limited. Conversely, the high intrinsic similarity of business process agility and business performance observed in the cluster analysis related to process maturity levels suggests that the component constructs are strongly related.

The research procedure contains several limitations. The first is the use of a single respondent approach, which can make it difficult to assess an entire organisation in terms of complex issues such as process agility and business performance. The second comes from the nature of quantitative research and the tool used, which is a survey questionnaire. The limitation in this area is the static approach to the relationship between variables, which allows for one iteration of research. Meanwhile, explaining the results requires another study to be conducted, for example, using the case study method, which can lead to a satisfactory saturation of information on a given topic. Another important limitation is the reduction of a broad-scale describing process maturity to the form of a managerial diagnosis, where respondents themselves assess the level of maturity based on the indicated characteristics.

Our findings allow us to draw several conclusions regarding process management. Firstly, our observation that BPA is key to improving PMA indicates that managers aiming to achieve an appropriate level of process maturity should focus on assessing and developing the right capabilities to adapt quickly and effectively to the market environment. This action should be reinforced not only through employee training but also by matching appropriate cultural patterns and employee incentive systems. Secondly, the identified relationship indicating a significant impact of BPA on BP with the mediating role of PMA implies the necessity to orchestrate BPA and PMA in order to achieve BP. This suggests that the level of BPA should be aligned with the PMA at which the organisation is currently operating or aspires to achieve. Too low or too high a level of BPA intensity may be insufficient or unproductive from a process maturity perspective. Therefore, it is recommended that managers identify the PMA level and subsequently develop the capacity to adapt to change and control uncertainty within BPA. Thirdly, the patterns of similarity of the positions identified for BPA and BP in relation to PMA (see Table 7) can provide managers with an indication of which BPA capabilities at particular levels of PMA need to be strengthened and developed in order to achieve specific results in the area of BP.

The research contributes to the development of process management theory by clarifying the role of process maturity as a mediating variable in the relationship between business process agility and business performance. The study confirms that business process agility plays a key role in shaping business performance and that the impact of business process agility on business performance is reinforced by process maturity. This reflects the dynamism and unpredictability of the environment, which translates into the need for companies to evolve towards greater business process agility so as to ensure an appropriate level of business performance.