scholarly journals Study on the Adaptation with Learning About the Environment: The Case of Post-Acquisition Integration

Author(s):  
Jing Su ◽  
Mohsen Jafari Songhori ◽  
Takao Terano ◽  
◽  

Organizations can be considered as complex systems that can adapt to their changing environment. In this work, we study a complex system adapting to an unfamiliar environment with learning; this is grounded in the context of the post-acquisition integration of the companies. More specifically, we conceptualize post-acquisition integration from the perspective of behavioral theory as a reason for the environmental changes to the firms (agents). We studied the adaptation of these complex systems and we propose a coupled learning method over the NK landscape. The simulation results show that the initial perceptions of the agents regarding the new task environment can be quite influential to the performance of the entire system during the adaptation process. Correct initial perceptions can help the system to quickly achieve high performance, whereas incorrect initial perceptions may prevent the system from reaching high performance. Lack of initial perceptions could lead to a slow yet robust adaptation process with a moderate level of performance. Moreover, certain other factors, such as the sensitivity to the feedback from the environment, the incentive of the system for exploration, and the learning frequency, may have different impact on the adaptation and performance of the system.

Author(s):  
Zahra Bouramdane ◽  
Abdellah Bah ◽  
Mohammed Alaoui ◽  
Nadia Martaj

Although thermoacoustic devices comprise simple components, the design of these machines is very challenging. In order to predict the behavior and optimize the performance of a thermoacoustic refrigerator driven by a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine, considering the changes in geometrical parameters, two analogies have been presented in this paper. The first analogy is based on CFD analysis where a 2D model is implemented to investigate the influence of stack parameters on the refrigerator performance, to analyze the time variation of the temperature gradient across the stack, and to examine the refrigerator performance in terms of refrigeration temperature. The second analogy is based on the use of an optimization algorithm based on the simplified linear thermoacoustic theory applied for designing thermoacoustic refrigerators with different stack parameters and operating conditions. Simulation results show that the engine produced a high-powered acoustic wave with a pressure amplitude of 23[Formula: see text]kPa and a frequency of 584[Formula: see text]Hz and this wave applies a temperature difference across the refrigeration stack with a cooling temperature of 292.8[Formula: see text]K when the stacks are positioned next to the pressure antinode. The results from the algorithm give the ability to design any thermoacoustic refrigerator with high performance by picking the appropriate parameters.


2011 ◽  
Vol 672 ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
José M. Torralba ◽  
Raquel De Oro ◽  
Mónica Campos

Since low alloyed sintered steels were introduced in the market of the structural parts, we have followed the evolution of a material with poor mechanical properties and any uniformity (in the sense of reproducibility) to materials that today are produced with high reliability and performance. The working efficiency could be equivalent in many cases with the best wrought steel, and maintaining a good margin in terms of cost and competitively. In this paper a complete review of the topic is accomplished, from the early times when the first parts were made by plain iron or iron-carbon, going through the different alloying systems: Fe-Cu, Fe-P, Fe-Cu-Ni-Mo, and more recently Fe-Cr-Mo and Fe-Mn. The development in processing routes has been considered too. The main milestones in the field of new alloying systems have been: 1) the introduction of Cu in 60-70’s, 2) the new complex systems with Cu-Ni-Mo in the 80’s and 3) the introduction of alloying elements with high oxygen affinity (in the late 90’s). Regarding the milestones in processing could be considered: 1) the development of new mixing procedures, 2) the warm compaction and high velocity compaction, 3) the improvements in sintering control and high temperature sintering. Several decades of research and innovation, acting on the processing system (mixing, pressing, sintering, post-sintering operations,…) and on the alloying system (from the earliest times with plain iron to complex systems used today), has allowed us to have a highly competitive materials, in terms of performance, and processes in terms of cost. The future is still open to new developments.


Author(s):  
D. E. Newbury ◽  
R. D. Leapman

Trace constituents, which can be very loosely defined as those present at concentration levels below 1 percent, often exert influence on structure, properties, and performance far greater than what might be estimated from their proportion alone. Defining the role of trace constituents in the microstructure, or indeed even determining their location, makes great demands on the available array of microanalytical tools. These demands become increasingly more challenging as the dimensions of the volume element to be probed become smaller. For example, a cubic volume element of silicon with an edge dimension of 1 micrometer contains approximately 5×1010 atoms. High performance secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) can be used to measure trace constituents to levels of hundreds of parts per billion from such a volume element (e. g., detection of at least 100 atoms to give 10% reproducibility with an overall detection efficiency of 1%, considering ionization, transmission, and counting).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Siddique ◽  
Shandana Shoaib ◽  
Zahoor Jan

A key aspect of work processes in service sector firms is the interconnection between tasks and performance. Relational coordination can play an important role in addressing the issues of coordinating organizational activities due to high level of interdependence complexity in service sector firms. Research has primarily supported the aspect that well devised high performance work systems (HPWS) can intensify organizational performance. There is a growing debate, however, with regard to understanding the “mechanism” linking HPWS and performance outcomes. Using relational coordination theory, this study examines a model that examine the effects of subsets of HPWS, such as motivation, skills and opportunity enhancing HR practices on relational coordination among employees working in reciprocal interdependent job settings. Data were gathered from multiple sources including managers and employees at individual, functional and unit levels to know their understanding in relation to HPWS and relational coordination (RC) in 218 bank branches in Pakistan. Data analysis via structural equation modelling, results suggest that HPWS predicted RC among officers at the unit level. The findings of the study have contributions to both, theory and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 155892501989525
Author(s):  
Yu Yang ◽  
Yanyan Jia

Ultrafine crystallization of industrial pure titanium allowed for higher tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability and is therefore widely used in medical instrumentation, aerospace, and passenger vehicle manufacturing. However, the ultrafine crystallizing batch preparation of tubular industrial pure titanium is limited by the development of the spinning process and has remained at the theoretical research stage. In this article, the tubular TA2 industrial pure titanium was taken as the research object, and the ultrafine crystal forming process based on “5-pass strong spin-heat treatment-3 pass-spreading-heat treatment” was proposed. Based on the spinning process test, the ultimate thinning rate of the method is explored and the evolution of the surface microstructure was analyzed by metallographic microscope. The research suggests that the multi-pass, medium–small, and thinning amount of spinning causes the grain structure to be elongated in the axial and tangential directions, and then refined, and the axial fiber uniformity is improved. The research results have certain scientific significance for reducing the consumption of high-performance metals improving material utilization and performance, which also promote the development of ultrafine-grain metals’ preparation technology.


Author(s):  
Mark O Sullivan ◽  
Carl T Woods ◽  
James Vaughan ◽  
Keith Davids

As it is appreciated that learning is a non-linear process – implying that coaching methodologies in sport should be accommodative – it is reasonable to suggest that player development pathways should also account for this non-linearity. A constraints-led approach (CLA), predicated on the theory of ecological dynamics, has been suggested as a viable framework for capturing the non-linearity of learning, development and performance in sport. The CLA articulates how skills emerge through the interaction of different constraints (task-environment-performer). However, despite its well-established theoretical roots, there are challenges to implementing it in practice. Accordingly, to help practitioners navigate such challenges, this paper proposes a user-friendly framework that demonstrates the benefits of a CLA. Specifically, to conceptualize the non-linear and individualized nature of learning, and how it can inform player development, we apply Adolph’s notion of learning IN development to explain the fundamental ideas of a CLA. We then exemplify a learning IN development framework, based on a CLA, brought to life in a high-level youth football organization. We contend that this framework can provide a novel approach for presenting the key ideas of a CLA and its powerful pedagogic concepts to practitioners at all levels, informing coach education programs, player development frameworks and learning environment designs in sport.


Author(s):  
Kersten Schuster ◽  
Philip Trettner ◽  
Leif Kobbelt

We present a numerical optimization method to find highly efficient (sparse) approximations for convolutional image filters. Using a modified parallel tempering approach, we solve a constrained optimization that maximizes approximation quality while strictly staying within a user-prescribed performance budget. The results are multi-pass filters where each pass computes a weighted sum of bilinearly interpolated sparse image samples, exploiting hardware acceleration on the GPU. We systematically decompose the target filter into a series of sparse convolutions, trying to find good trade-offs between approximation quality and performance. Since our sparse filters are linear and translation-invariant, they do not exhibit the aliasing and temporal coherence issues that often appear in filters working on image pyramids. We show several applications, ranging from simple Gaussian or box blurs to the emulation of sophisticated Bokeh effects with user-provided masks. Our filters achieve high performance as well as high quality, often providing significant speed-up at acceptable quality even for separable filters. The optimized filters can be baked into shaders and used as a drop-in replacement for filtering tasks in image processing or rendering pipelines.


Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 1587
Author(s):  
Duo Sheng ◽  
Hsueh-Ru Lin ◽  
Li Tai

High performance and complex system-on-chip (SoC) design require a throughput and stable timing monitor to reduce the impacts of uncertain timing and implement the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) scheme for overall power reduction. This paper presents a multi-stage timing monitor, combining three timing-monitoring stages to achieve a high timing-monitoring resolution and a wide timing-monitoring range simultaneously. Additionally, because the proposed timing monitor has high immunity to the process–voltage–temperature (PVT) variation, it provides a more stable time-monitoring results. The time-monitoring resolution and range of the proposed timing monitor are 47 ps and 2.2 µs, respectively, and the maximum measurement error is 0.06%. Therefore, the proposed multi-stage timing monitor provides not only the timing information of the specified signals to maintain the functionality and performance of the SoC, but also makes the operation of the DVFS scheme more efficient and accurate in SoC design.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-62
Author(s):  
Santiago Iglesias-Baniela ◽  
Juan Vinagre-Ríos ◽  
José M. Pérez-Canosa

It is a well-known fact that the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster caused the escort towing of laden tankers in many coastal areas of the world to become compulsory. In order to implement a new type of escort towing, specially designed to be employed in very adverse weather conditions, considerable changes in the hull form of escort tugs had to be made to improve their stability and performance. Since traditional winch and ropes technologies were only effective in calm waters, tugs had to be fitted with new devices. These improvements allowed the remodeled tugs to counterbalance the strong forces generated by the maneuvers in open waters. The aim of this paper is to perform a comprehensive literature review of the new high-performance automatic dynamic winches. Furthermore, a thorough analysis of the best available technologies regarding towline, essential to properly exploit the new winches, will be carried out. Through this review, the way in which the escort towing industry has faced this technological challenge is shown.


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