Flexible multibody approach in forward dynamic simulation of locomotive strains in human skeleton with flexible lower body bones

A method for bone strain estimation is examined in this article. The flexibility of a single bone in an otherwise rigid human skeleton model has been studied previously by various authors. However, in the previous studies, the effect of the flexibility of multiple bones on the musculoskeletal model behavior was ignored. This study describes a simulation method that can be used to estimate the bone strains at both tibias and femurs of a 65-year old Caucasian male subject. The verification of the method is performed by the comparison of the results with other studies available in literature. The results of the study show good correlation with the results of previous empirical studies. A damping effect of the flexible bones on the model is also studied in this paper.

The potential adoption of IFRS for U.S. Issuers: a textual analysis of responses to the proposal

This paper uses textual analysis to analyse the comments received by the U.S. SEC on the proposal to allow U.S. listed companies to prepare financial statements following International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The paper contributes to the understanding of the overall desirability of international accounting convergence as well as the politics involved in attempting to reach consensus on such decisions. Most respondents supported the proposal. Respondents outlined the advantages of adopting IFRS as enhanced comparability, simplification, cost savings, extensive information sets, its capacity to improve the standard setting process, and its potential to serve U.S. interests. On the other hand, a minority of respondents were not supportive of the proposal. There was criticism of the lack of independence, enforcement mechanisms and resource availability of the IASB; the deleterious effect on U.S. interests; the questionable quality of the IFRS; and the perceived myths of convergence. Following the review of such comments, the paper outlines the implications of such a potential adoption of IFRS in U.S. to the Asian region as the pressure to extend IFRS to non-listed companies mounts. The paper also argues that Asian countries need to lobby for higher representation on the IASB and consider local customs, law and context while adopting IFRS, as such factors have been stressed upon by U.S. respondents to the SEC’s proposal.

The effect of software engineers' personality traits on team climate and performance: a systematic literature review

Context Over the past 50 years numerous studies have investigated the possible effect that software engineers' personalities may have upon their individual tasks and teamwork. These have led to an improved understanding of that relationship; however, the analysis of personality traits and their impact on the software development process is still an area under investigation and debate. Further, other than personality traits, "team climate" is also another factor that has also been investigated given its relationship with software teams' performance. Objective The aim of this paper is to investigate how software professionals' personality is associated with team climate and team performance. Method In this paper we detail a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of the effect of software engineers' personality traits and team climate on software team performance. Results Our main findings include 35 primary studies that have addressed the relationship between personality and team performance without considering team climate. The findings showed that team climate comprises a wide range of factors that fall within the fields of management and behavioral sciences. Most of the studies used undergraduate students as subjects and as surrogates of software professionals. Conclusions The findings from this SLR would be beneficial for understanding the personality assessment of software development team members by revealing the traits of personality taxonomy, along with the measurement of the software development team working environment. These measurements would be useful in examining the success and failure possibilities of software projects in development processes. General terms Human factors, performance.

Coupling of U-Tube and shear layer oscillations in an interconnected flow compartment

Results of experiments conducted in a 2m high flume at large Reynolds numbers are reported in this paper. The flume was partitioned into two compartments. Flow entered the bottom of the upstream test compartment as a wall jet, at jet Reynolds number ranging from 11,000 to 170,000. Periodic oscillations of the free surface in the two compartments resembling the oscillatory flow in a liquid-filled U-tube, and large coherent structures formed above the potential core of the wall jet were observed. Coupling of the U-tube oscillations and vortex shedding is attributed to fluid-dynamic and fluid-resonant feedback processes. For test compartment length, Lc=0.8m , fluid-resonant feedback was found to be dominant, and the shear layer was observed to oscillate at the natural frequency of the two-compartment, U-tube system. The observed U-tube oscillations are initiated by the oscillations of the shear layer at a frequency equal to the subharmonic component for the U-tube. The flow oscillations were generally weaker for Lc=1.2 and 2.0m with oscillation frequencies governed by fluid-dynamic feedback, verified from a comparison with the results from a previously reported study.

Height and construction costs of residential high-rise buildings in Shanghai

A widely recognized theme of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square meter increases as building height rises. However, over a number of years, research conducted regarding the height and cost issue has established a classic relationship between the two factors which can be represented by a U-shaped curve. This paper describes the study of the height-cost relationship of high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai in terms of the total construction cost and elemental costs while considering the context and commonality of buildings. This research was developed as an extension of the previous work, which examined data for buildings in Hong Kong. Initial findings indicate that the curves illustrating the relationships between height and cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The dissimilarities indicate that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgment of height that affects cost in different locations. In terms of elemental costs, the findings suggest that there are differences in the way these costs react to changes in the building height.

Kinematics analysis of 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulators with offset U-Joints : a case study

This paper analyses the kinematics of a special 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulator with offset RR-joint configuration. Kinematics equations are derived and numerical methodologies to solve the inverse and forward kinematics are presented. The inverse and forward kinematics of such robots compared with those of 6-UCU parallel robots are more complicated due to the existence of offsets between joints of RR-pairs. The characteristics of RR-pairs used in this manipulator are investigated and kinematics constraints of these offset U-joints are mathematically explained in order to find the best initial guesses for the numerical solution. Both inverse and forward kinematics of the case study 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulator are modelled and computational analyses are performed to numerically verify accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methodologies.

Kinematics analysis of 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulators with offset u-joints : a case study

This paper analyses the kinematics of a special 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulator with offset RR-joint configuration. Kinematics equations are derived and numerical methodologies to solve the inverse and forward kinematics are presented. The inverse and forward kinematics of such robots compared with those of 6-UCU parallel robots are more complicated due to the existence of offsets between joints of RR-pairs. The characteristics of RR-pairs used in this manipulator are investigated and kinematics constraints of these offset U-joints are mathematically explained in order to find the best initial guesses for the numerical solution. Both inverse and forward kinematics of the case study 6-DOF parallel micro-manipulator are modelled and computational analyses are performed to numerically verify accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methodologies.