Analysis of Critical Factors in Manufacturing by Adopting a Cloud Computing Service

The advantages of a cloud computing service are cost advantages,availability,scalability,flexibility,reduced time to market,and dynamic access to computing resources.Enterprises can improve the successful adoption rate of cloud computing services if they understand the critical factors.Tofind critical factors,this studyfirst reviewed the literature and established a three-layer hierarch-ical factor table for adopting a cloud computing service based on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework.Then,a hybrid method that combines two multi-criteria decision-making tools—called the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process method and the concept of VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje acceptable advantage—was used to objectively identify critical factors for the adop-tion of a cloud computing service,replacing the subjective decision of the authors.The results of this study determinedfive critical factors,namely data access secur-ity,information transmission security,senior management support,fallback cloud management,and employee acceptance.Finally,the paper presents thefindings and implications of the study.

A New Approach to the Ordered Classification of Critical Factors in the Degradation Processes of River Basins

The aim of this paper is to present through information collected via qualitative analysis in order to provide an alternative perspective to classify critical factors and their correlations in the processes of degradation of river basins in countries in development in an ordered way.This study was started with a bibliographical review for gathering relevant information about the main factors,which was submitted to specialists and related professionals via survey developed in a format of answers on Likert scale,with the analyses of data from the respondents as well as their contribution within sample assembly exploratory factorial analysis and the charge factor item from the questionnaire with usage of polychoric correlation matrix with which it is proposed to establish the ordering of the factors relevance as well as their correlations through parametric statistical analysis with the usage of a generalized model of partial credit which belongs to the family of the models for polyatomic gradual answers to the item response theory(IRT)and the applying of cluster analysis(ICLUST)with the usage of both alpha and omega coefficient for the estimation of the variables group,with the R tool.As a result,the present study aims to establish a comprehension of the main factors for the ordering of the actions and attention of public and private sectors towards the preservation of urban river basins.

An Evaluation of the Critical Success Factors in Sustainable Food Supply Chains in Developing Countries

Food is one of the biggest industries in developed and underdeveloped countries. Supply chain sustainability is essential in established and emerging economies because of the rising acceptance of cost-based outsourcing and the growing technological, social, and environmental concerns. The food business faces serious sustainability and growth challenges in developing countries. A comprehensive analysis of the critical success factors (CSFs) influencing the performance outcome and the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) process. A theoretical framework is established to explain how they are used to examine the organizational aspect of the food supply chain life cycle analysis. This study examined the CSFs and revealed the relationships between them using a methodology that included a review of literature, interpretative structural modeling (ISM), and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied in classification (MICMAC) tool analysis of soil liquefaction factors. The findings of this research demonstrate that the quality and safety of food are important factors and have a direct effect on other factors. To make sustainable food supply chain management more adequate, legislators, managers, and experts need to pay attention to this factor. In this work. It also shows that companies aiming to create a sustainable business model must make sustainability a fundamental tenet of their organization. Practitioners and managers may devise effective long-term plans for establishing a sustainable food supply chain utilizing the recommended methodology.

Use of wild trout for PBDE assessment in freshwater environments: Review and summary of critical factors

Certain wild animals represent sentinels to address issues related to environmental pollution,since they can provide integrative data on both pollutant exposure and biological effects.Despite their technological benefits,PBDEs are considered a threat to environmental health due to their persistence,toxicity,and capacity to be accumulated.These pollutants have been found geographically widespread in fish,particularly in predator species such as trout.The aim of this work is to critically review the applicability and usefulness of wild trout for assessing PBDEs in freshwater environments.Reviewed reports include data from highly industrialized areas as well as areas from remote regions with relatively low human activity,including European and North American great lakes and freshwater environments in Europe,Greenland,subarctic areas and Patagonia,respectively.A summary of relevant factors were grouped into organism-specific factors(food habits,age,size,lipid content,sex and reproduction,tissue type,mechanism of contaminant uptake and metabolism),and PBDE levels in the surrounding environment(sediment).Five wild trout species[rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss),brown trout(Salmo trutta),lake trout(Salvelinus namaycush),arctic char(Salvelinus alpinus),and brook trout(Salvelinus fontinalis)],collected worldwide within the 1994 to present time frame,were considered.Multivariate techniques(principal component analysis-PCA)and mapping approach,showed clear differences in geographic distribution patterns of PBDE levels in trout depending on the region studied:wild trout from European and North American great lakes have the highest PBDE loads.This pattern could be due to high industrial activity at these locations.A correlational approach used to explore intraspecific relationships between PBDE levels and morphometry,showed positive relationships only for brown trout.Further,brown trout showed the highest trout-to-sediment ratios,which is suggestive of a relatively greater capacity of this species to accumulate PBDEs in relation to sediment levels.Overall,results suggest that adult wild trout could be useful as a PBDE bioindicator.

Analysis on Critical Success Factors for Agile Manufacturing Evaluation in Original Equipment Manufacturing Industry-An AHP Approach

Manufacturing industries are facing challenges in the implementation of agile manufacturing in their products and processes. Agility is widely accepted as a new competitive concept in the manufacturing sector in fulfilling varying customer demand. Thus, evaluation of agile manufacturing in industries has become a necessity. The success of an organisation depends on its ability to manage finding the critical success factors and give them special and continued attention in order to bring about high performance. This paper proposes a set of critical success factors （CSFs） for evaluating agile manufacturing considered appropriate for the manufacturing sector. The analytical hierarchy process （AHP） method is applied for prioritizing the success factors, by summarizing the opinions of experts. It is believed that the proposed CSFs enable and assist manufacturing industries to achieve a higher performance in agile manufacturing so as to increase competitiveness.

An information-based rough set approach to critical engineering factor identification

In order to analyze the main critical engineering factors, an information-based rough set approach that considers conditional information entropy as a measurement of information has been developed. An algorithm for continuous attribute discretization based on conditional information entropy and an algorithm for rule extraction considering the supports of rules are proposed. The initial decision system is established by collecting enough monitoring data. Then, the continuous attributes are discretized, and the condition attributes are reduced. Finally, the rules that indicate the action law of the main factors are extracted and the results are explained. By applying this approach to a crack in an arch gravity dam, it can be concluded that the water level and the temperature are the main factors affecting the crack opening, and there is a negative correlation between the crack opening and the temperature. This conclusion corresponds with the observation that cracks in most concrete dams are influenced mainly by water level and temperature, and the influence of temperature is more evident.

Collaborative Supply Chain Management: A Critical Redesigning Factor

In improving the competitiveness of business organi sa tion in the 21st century, minimising cost and increasing productivity are no lon ger factors that could promise the success. The changes in customer trends whic h focusing more on product or service customising, high quality and short delive ry times are additional crucial factors that organisation should be aware of. T hese factors have direct relations on how the management could utilise the capab ility of its supply chain management (SCM). The importance of SCM in organisati on specifically to manufacturer is to play a vital role in managing the flow of material and information along the chain from suppliers to customers. In a trad itional way, SCM is mainly manage by the production department in organisation b ut with the advancement in information technology, resulted the changes in worki ng environment. One of the ways that could be implemented in decision making p rocess in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the decision is t hrough collaborative environment. Due to this situation, there is a need to rede sign the existing SCM in order to optimise its capability and functionality in t he way to ensure the organisation competitiveness is sustainable. A minor or ma jor alignment to SCM business processes should be done in order to streamline th e flow of information, which could also affect the flow of materials. Factors s uch as SCM operational, structural and even its managerial are among the issues that are critical in redesigning its business process. Each of these factors has its own attributes such as lead-times, complexity, frequency and organisationa l setting that could lead in improving organisational competitiveness. In additi on, by identifying these factors, it would help the management to plan and desig n the collaborative SCM that would effectively correspond to the changes in busi ness and customer trends. The intention of the paper is to promote a list of fa ctors and attributes, which are critical in redesigning an existing SCM in order to shift its environment to become collaborative SCM. By utilising these facto rs and attributes, a model for redesigning SCM into collaborative environment is currently developed by the author and will be used in the next stage of his res earch.

What European Incubators Can Learn From Their American Counterparts： An Analysis of the Critical Success Factors for a Startup Incubator

This study suggests a theoretical component to the thus far proposed explanations of what makes a startup incubator successful in enabling entrepreneurial activity. Departing from a traditional focus on industry- and nation-wide resources, we develop a framework of the critical success factors for a startup incubator and a scoring mechanism to evaluate the success of existing startup incubators using these factors. We score a selection of American and European incubators using the developed scoring mechanism and comparatively benchmark the European incubators against the American ones to identify areas for improvement. Our findings suggest that European incubators, while relatively strong overall, can look to and learn from their American counterparts in certain areas. Importantly, these improvement areas are not specific to characteristics of any individual European incubator, but to European incubators overall. Finally, we aim to expand this study to other entrepreneurship hubs worldwide and we outline a plan of action to enable this expansion.

Effect of CRM＇s Critical Success Factors on Company Performance

In the last years, most of the leader companies have advantages of their CRM （customer relationship management） systems in order to improve their market share. These companies implement CRM systems to get loyal customer portfolio and maintain the sustainability of it. While they are building CRM strategies, they try to catch business excellence results like valuable marketing opportunities, improve customer value and customer satisfaction. CRM gained prominence as a marketing sub-discipline in the 1990s, fueled by publications like The One to One Future and The Loyalty Effect. Some studies were especially powerful in highlighting the gap between the cost of acquiring customers and retaining them. The quest for competitive advantage and profitability triggered a rush to implement CRM programs in enterprises both large and small in all comers of the globe. Different kinds of studies show that there are some key components which play a critical role in gaining success for companies which use CRM applications. At this situation, these key components are named as critical success factors. Purpose of this study is to find out that how these critical success factors affect results which show company performance. On this direction, critical success factors are defined as independent variable and company performance is defined as dependent variable. A supportive model is suggested. In order to verify proposed model, hypotheses are developed and a survey is applied in automotive sales agents in Turkey. The study is completed with survey results.

Logistic Regression Analysis and Nursing Interventions for High-risk Factors for Pressure Sores in Patients in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Objective： To investigate the risk factors related to the development of pressure sores in critically ill surgical patients and to establish a basis for the formulation of effective precautions. Methods： A questionnaire regarding the factors for pressure sores in critically ill surgical patients was created using a case control study with reference to the pertinent literature. After being exam- ined and validated by experts, the questionnaire was used to collect data about critically ill surgical patients in a grade A tertiary hospital. Among the 47 patients enrolled into the study, the 14 who developed nosocomial pressure sores were allocated to the pressure sore group, and the remaining 33 patients who met the inclusion criteria and did not exhibit pressure sores were allocated to the control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the differences in 22 indicators between the two groups in an attempt to identify the risk factors for pressure sores. Results： According to the univariate analyses, the maximum value of lactic acid in the arterial blood, the number of days of norepinephrine use, the number of days of mechanical ventilation, the number of days of blood purification, and the number of days of bowel incontinence were statistically greater in the pressure sore group than in the control group （P〈0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the number of days of norepinephrine use and the level of lactic acid in the arterial blood were high risk-factors for pressure sores （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： The best method for preventing and control pressure sores in surgical critically ill patients is to strongly emphasize the duration of the critical status and to give special attention to patients in a continuous state of shock. The adoption of measures specific to high-risk patient groups and risk factors, including the active control of primary diseases and the application of decompression measures during the treatment of the patients, are helpful for improving the quality of care in the prevention and control of pressure sores in critically ill patients.

Determination of Critical Parameters of Carbon Dioxide+Butyraldehyde System with Different Compositions

Supercritical carbon dioxide（SC-CO2 ） is considered in green chemistry as a substitute for conventional solvents in chemical reactions due to its environmentally benign character. Recently we have reported the homogeneous hydroformylation of propylene in supercritical carbon dioxide（ SC-CO2 ） , which is an example of this kind of application of carbon dioxide. The determination for the critical parameters of carbon dioxide ＋ butyraldehyde mixtures is necessary for this reaction design which is the focus of the present paper. The critical parameters of the binary systems were determined via the static visual method at a constant volume with the molar fraction of butyraldehyde ranging from 1.0% to 2. 2% and the pressure ranging from 5 to 10 MPa. The experimental results show that the critical pressure and temperature increased with increasing the molar fraction of butyraldehyde. The bubble（dew） temperatures and the bubble （dew） pressures for the binary systems were also determined experimentally. The p-T Figures at different compositions of the binary systems were described. In addition, the critical compressibility factors Zc of the binary systems at different concentrations of n-butyraldehyde were calculated. It was found that the critical compressibility factor values of the binary systems decreased with increasing the molar fraction of n-butyraldehyde in the experimental range.

Logistics Factors Affecting Cross-border Ecommerce Implementation

The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured literature review of cross-border e-logistics research,uncover existing gaps and opportunities,try to find practical strategies to balance logistics costs and service levels,and improve logistics efficiency and customer satisfaction for future cross-border e-logistics research.Meanwhile this paper also uses the real data to test the tradeoff between transportation and warehousing cost.In addition,regression empirical analysis is used to make up for the lack of empirical drawbacks of many articles in the field and the result can be instructive and referential for cross-border e-commerce enterprises to make decisions on weighing logistics cost and service level to improve logistics efficiency.

Review of constraints and critical success factors of developing urban underground space

The development of urban underground space(UUS)is of great significance for sustainable urban development because it has potential to solve many urban problems.However,the development of UUS is limited because there are still a lot of constraints and challenges.To better understand the constraining factors of developing UUS and improve the development and utilization of UUS,this study conducts a comprehensive survey of existing literature retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database.Five main constraining factors,including the limited geological conditions,high cost,lack of natural light and ventilation,high incidence,and difficulty in collecting data and information on UUS,have been discussed to better understand how they affect the development of UUS.Based on the survey,the critical success factors of developing UUS,such as the effective governance structure,planning system for integrating UUS into urban development,coordination of the design of ground and underground,delineation of land property rights of UUS,and application of information techniques in the use of UUS,have been identified and discussed.In addition,knowledge gaps in the studies on development of UUS have been identified.Finally,the research trends and future directions have been proposed for better understanding and practice of UUS development.

Effect of Inclined Tension Crack on Rock Slope Stability by SSR Technique

The tension cracks and joints in rock or soil slopes affect their failure stability.Prediction of rock or soil slope failure is one of the most challenging tasks in the earth sciences.The actual slopes consist of inhomogeneous materials,complex morphology,and erratic joints.Most studies concerning the failure of rock slopes primarily focused on determining Factor of Safety(FoS)and Critical Slip Surface(CSS).In this article,the effect of inclined tension crack on a rock slope failure is studied numerically with Shear Strength Reduction Factor(SRF)method.An inclined Tension Crack(TC)influences the magnitude and location of the rock slope’s Critical Shear Strength Reduction Factor(CSRF).Certainly,inclined cracks are more prone to cause the failure of the slope than the vertical TC.Yet,all tension cracks do not lead to failure of the slope mass.The effect of the crest distance of the tension crack is also investigated.The numerical results do not show any significant change in the magnitude of CSRF unless the tip of the TC is very near to the crest of the slope.ATC is also replaced with a joint,and the results differ from the corresponding TC.These results are discussed regarding shear stress and Critical Slip Surface(CSS).

Implementing a model for identifying organizational complications for the purpose of increasing productivity in hydropower plant

The present economical conditions on today＇s world require specific point of view and policy making in business agencies. In this competitive world to achieve competence, competitive advantages in order to better governance, organizations have to increase their competitive powers through promotion and productivity. One of the fundamental approaches to elevate the productivity level is finding the complications and obstacles, and arise planning to remove them. In order to understand organizational complication, we have tried to take critical factors of success and continue improvement into consideration to demonstrate a model to find the main and radical problems and complications and recognize the recoverable areas in the business agencies. In order to verify and validate the performed research, he planned model has been accomplished in the Hydropower Plant Department, positive and acceptable results were obtained and organizations total factor productivity improvement was achieved which was appreciated by the organization.

Intelligent Integrated Model for Improving Performance in Power Plants

Industry 4.0 is expected to play a crucial role in improving energy management and personnel performance in power plants.Poor performance problem in maintaining power plants is the result of both human errors,human factors and the poor implementation of automation in energy management.This problem can potentially be solved using artificial intelligence(AI)and an integrated management system(IMS).This article investigates the current challenges to improving personnel and energy management performance in power plants,identifies the critical success factors(CSFs)for an integrated intelligent framework,and develops an intelligent framework that enables power plants to improve performance.The theoretical basis is founded on a systematic literature review to locate 110 out of 3108 papers studied carefully to examine the performance architecture that best enables effective maintenance.The findings from this literature review are combined with expert judgment and the big data advantages of AI applications to develop an intelligent model.Data are collected from a power plant in Iraq.To ensure the reliability of the proposed model,various hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling.The results confirm that the measurement model is acceptable,and that the hypotheses are supported and significant.A case study demonstrates the strong relationship and significance between big data of performance and the CSFs.It is hoped that this model will be adopted to enable performance improvement in power plants.

Prediction of mode I fracture toughness of rock using linear multiple regression and gene expression programming

Prediction of mode I fracture toughness(KIC) of rock is of significant importance in rock engineering analyses. In this study, linear multiple regression(LMR) and gene expression programming(GEP)methods were used to provide a reliable relationship to determine mode I fracture toughness of rock. The presented model was developed based on 60 datasets taken from the previous literature. To predict fracture parameters, three mechanical parameters of rock mass including uniaxial compressive strength(UCS), Brazilian tensile strength(BTS), and elastic modulus(E) have been selected as the input parameters. A cluster of data was collected and divided into two random groups of training and testing datasets.Then, different statistical linear and artificial intelligence based nonlinear analyses were conducted on the training data to provide a reliable prediction model of KIC. These two predictive methods were then evaluated based on the testing data. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed models for predicting the mode I fracture toughness of rock, various statistical indices including coefficient of determination(R2),root mean square error(RMSE), and mean absolute error(MAE) were utilized herein. In the case of testing datasets, the values of R2, RMSE, and MAE for the GEP model were 0.87, 0.188, and 0.156,respectively, while they were 0.74, 0.473, and 0.223, respectively, for the LMR model. The results indicated that the selected GEP model delivered superior performance with a higher R2value and lower errors.

Conceptual framework for knowledge-based learning environments

The traditional concept of ”one-size-fits-all” educational and training programmes is no more fully adequate to meet the increasing demand worldwide. E-learning, as an alternative approach to traditional face-to-face education, is creating immense challenges for educational institutions to develop new approaches for the production and delivery of cost effective and efficient e-contents. Although, there have been many developments in web-based programmes, they have not fully attained their potential due to a variety of factors. These include: 1) lack of exchangeability between learning materials, 2) delivery mechanisms incompatible with the pedagogical design, 3) low student interaction and insensitive learning processes, 4) absence of intelligent online programme advice and guidance, 5) inflexibility in meeting diverse needs, and 6) institutionally centred ineffective implementation strategies. This paper addresses the critical elements for successful delivery of e-learning environments and then focuses on proposing a framework for the development of an integrated knowledge-based learning environment which has the potential to producer cost effective and personalised training programmes.

H_2S Stress Corrosion Tests of Welded Joint for X65 Pipeline Steel and Finite Element Numerical Analysis of Crack Tip

The microstructure of welded joint is surveyed and the mechanical properties of X65 pipeline steel are studied in this paper, which provides experimental basis of performance effect on stress corrosion. H 2S stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tests on the steel are carried out in the environment based on NACE TM- 01-77 solution. The threshold stress intensity factor and crack propagation velocity for base metal and HAZ are obtained. The susceptibility of welded joint for X65 pipeline steel to H 2S stress corrosion cracking is investigated. The programming package ANSYS of finite element model (FEM) is used to perform the three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analysis of WOL specimens. Stress field and concentration of hydrogen distribution property of the crack tip are obtained.

Study on H_2S stress corrosion test of welded joint for X65 pipeline steel and numerical analysis

The susceptibility of welded joint for the X65 pipeline steel to H_2S stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is investigated. SCC tests on the steel are carried out in the environment based on NACE TM-01-77 solution with saturated gaseous H_2S. The threshold stress intensity factor and crack propagation velocity are calculated according to wedge-opening loading (WOL) specimens. The three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analysis of WOL specimens is performed by using the FEM programming package ANSYS. Stress field and concentration of hydrogen distribution property ahead of the crack tip are obtained. This paper surveyed the microstructure of welded joint and studied on the mechanical properties of X65 pipeline steel. It provides experimental basis for studying stress corrosion. The results of numerical analysis are consistent with conclusions of stress corrosion test.