Optimal fluid injection strategies for in situ mineral leaching in two-dimensions

This paper examines the ground-water flow problem associated with the injection and recovery of certain corrosive fluids into mineral bearing rock. The aim is to dissolve the minerals in situ, and then recover them in solution. In general, it is not possible to recover all the injected fluid, which is of concern economically and environmentally. However, a new strategy is proposed here, that allows all the leaching fluid to be recovered. A mathematical model of the situation is solved approximately using an asymptotic solution, and exactly using a boundary integral approach. Solutions are shown for two-dimensional flow, which is of some practical interest as it is achievable in old mine tunnels, for example.

The identification of Malaysian contractor satisfaction dimensions : a strategy for continuous improvement

The unique characteristics of the construction industry - such as the fragmentation of its processes, varied scope of works and diversity of its participants - are contributory factors to poor project performance. Several issues are unresolved due to the lack of a comprehensive technique to measure project outcomes including: inefficient decision making, insufficient communication, uncertain site conditions, a continuously changing environment, inharmonious working relationships, mismatched objectives within the project team and a blame culture. One approach to overcoming these problems appears to be to measure performance by gauging contractor satisfaction (Co-S) levels, but this has not been widely investigated as yet. Additionally, the key Co-S dimensions at the project level are still not fully identified. ----- ----- This paper concerns a study of satisfaction dimensions, primarily by a postal questionnaire survey of construction contractors registered by the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). Eight satisfaction dimensions are identified that are significantly and substantially relate to these contractors - comprising: project cost performance, schedule performance, product performance, design satisfaction, site safety, project profitability, business performance and relationships between participants. -Each of these dimensions is accorded different priority levels of satisfaction by different contractors. ----- ----- The output of this study will be useful in raising the awareness and understanding of project teams regarding contractors’ needs, mutual objectives and open communication to help to deliver a successful project.

Dimensions of coupling in middleware

It is well accepted that different types of distributed architectures require different degrees of coupling. For example, in client-server and three-tier architectures, application components are generally tightly coupled, both with one another and with the underlying middleware. Meanwhile, in off-line transaction processing, grid computing and mobile applications, the degree of coupling between application components and with the underlying middleware needs to be minimized. Terms such as ‘synchronous’, ‘asynchronous’, ‘blocking’, ‘non-blocking’, ‘directed’, and ‘non-directed’ are often used to refer to the degree of coupling required by an architecture or provided by a middleware. However, these terms are used with various connotations. Although various informal definitions have been provided, there is a lack of an overarching formal framework to unambiguously communicate architectural requirements with respect to (de-)coupling. This article addresses this gap by: (i) formally defining three dimensions of (de-)coupling; (ii) relating these dimensions to existing middleware; and (iii) proposing notational elements to represent various coupling integration patterns. This article also discusses a prototype that demonstrates the feasibility of its implementation.

Novel numerical methods for time-space fractional reaction diffusion equations in two dimensions

We consider time-space fractional reaction diffusion equations in two dimensions. This equation is obtained from the standard reaction diffusion equation by replacing the first order time derivative with the Caputo fractional derivative, and the second order space derivatives with the fractional Laplacian. Using the matrix transfer technique proposed by Ilic, Liu, Turner and Anh [Fract. Calc. Appl. Anal., 9:333--349, 2006] and the numerical solution strategy used by Yang, Turner, Liu, and Ilic [SIAM J. Scientific Computing, 33:1159--1180, 2011], the solution of the time-space fractional reaction diffusion equations in two dimensions can be written in terms of a matrix function vector product $f(A)b$ at each time step, where $A$ is an approximate matrix representation of the standard Laplacian. We use the finite volume method over unstructured triangular meshes to generate the matrix $A$, which is therefore non-symmetric. However, the standard Lanczos method for approximating $f(A)b$ requires that $A$ is symmetric. We propose a simple and novel transformation in which the standard Lanczos method is still applicable to find $f(A)b$, despite the loss of symmetry. Numerical results are presented to verify the accuracy and efficiency of our newly proposed numerical solution strategy.

Information literacy research : dimensions of the emerging collective consciousness

Information literacy researchers are beginning to develop a collective consciousness, a consciousness that represents the newly appearing territory of information literacy research. This paper analyses the information literacy research territory as it is represented by the emerging collective consciousness of information literacy researchers. Five dimensions of the collective consciousness are proposed: 1) the sectoral location of the research, 2) ways of seeing information literacy, 3) ‘what’ is being investigated; that is the research object, 4) ‘how’ the object is being investigated; that is the research approaches and paradigms, and 5) disciplinary influences. These dimensions are used to: 1) reveal the character of the information literacy research territory which is in early stages of construction; 2) show how different kinds of research approaches can shed different kinds of light on the object of research; and 3) demonstrate how the five dimensions work together in the development of new studies.

Perceptions of data quality dimensions and data roles

Several authors stress the importance of data’s crucial foundation for operational, tactical and strategic decisions (e.g., Redman 1998, Tee et al. 2007). Data provides the basis for decision making as data collection and processing is typically associated with reducing uncertainty in order to make more effective decisions (Daft and Lengel 1986). While the first series of investments of Information Systems/Information Technology (IS/IT) into organizations improved data collection, restricted computational capacity and limited processing power created challenges (Simon 1960). Fifty years on, capacity and processing problems are increasingly less relevant; in fact, the opposite exists. Determining data relevance and usefulness is complicated by increased data capture and storage capacity, as well as continual improvements in information processing capability. As the IT landscape changes, businesses are inundated with ever-increasing volumes of data from both internal and external sources available on both an ad-hoc and real-time basis. More data, however, does not necessarily translate into more effective and efficient organizations, nor does it increase the likelihood of better or timelier decisions. This raises questions about what data managers require to assist their decision making processes.

A Bayesian analysis of an agricultural field trial with three spatial dimensions

Modern technology now has the ability to generate large datasets over space and time. Such data typically exhibit high autocorrelations over all dimensions. The field trial data motivating the methods of this paper were collected to examine the behaviour of traditional cropping and to determine a cropping system which could maximise water use for grain production while minimising leakage below the crop root zone. They consist of moisture measurements made at 15 depths across 3 rows and 18 columns, in the lattice framework of an agricultural field. Bayesian conditional autoregressive (CAR) models are used to account for local site correlations. Conditional autoregressive models have not been widely used in analyses of agricultural data. This paper serves to illustrate the usefulness of these models in this field, along with the ease of implementation in WinBUGS, a freely available software package. The innovation is the fitting of separate conditional autoregressive models for each depth layer, the ‘layered CAR model’, while simultaneously estimating depth profile functions for each site treatment. Modelling interest also lay in how best to model the treatment effect depth profiles, and in the choice of neighbourhood structure for the spatial autocorrelation model. The favoured model fitted the treatment effects as splines over depth, and treated depth, the basis for the regression model, as measured with error, while fitting CAR neighbourhood models by depth layer. It is hierarchical, with separate onditional autoregressive spatial variance components at each depth, and the fixed terms which involve an errors-in-measurement model treat depth errors as interval-censored measurement error. The Bayesian framework permits transparent specification and easy comparison of the various complex models compared.

The two dimensions of virtual and collocated project teams or what project team members WANT and GET : an empirical study

The current paper compares and investigates the discrepancies in motivational drives of project team members with respect to their project environment in collocated and distributed (virtual) project teams. The set of factors, which in this context are called ‘Sense of Ownership’, is used as a scale to measure these discrepancies using one tailed t tests. These factors are abstracted from theories of motivation, team performance, and team effectiveness and are related to ‘Nature of Work’, ‘Rewards’, and ‘Communication’. It has been observed that ‘virtual ness’ does not seem to impact the motivational drives of the project team members or the way the project environments provide or support those motivational drives in collocated and distributed projects. At a more specific level in terms of the motivational drives of the project team (‘WANT’) and the ability of the project environment to provide or support those factors (‘GET’), in collocated project teams, significant discrepancies were observed with respect to financial and non financial rewards, learning opportunities, nature of work and project specific communication, while in distributed teams, significant discrepancies with respect to project centric communication, followed by financial rewards and nature of work. Further, distributed project environments seem to better support the team member motivation than collocated project environments. The study concludes that both the collocated and distributed project environments may not be adequately supporting the motivational drives of its project team members, which may be frustrating to them. However, members working in virtual team environments may be less frustrated than their collocated counterparts as virtual project environments are better aligned with the motivational drives of their team members vis-à-vis the collocated project environments.

The two dimensions of virtual and collocated project teams or what project team members WANT and GET : empirical evidence

The current paper compares and investigates the discrepancies in motivational drives of project team members with respect to their project environment in collocated and distributed (virtual) project teams. The set of factors, which in this context are called ‘Sense of Ownership’, is used as a scale to measure these discrepancies using one tailed t tests. These factors are abstracted from theories of motivation, team performance, and team effectiveness and are related to ‘Nature of Work’, ‘Rewards’, and ‘Communication’. It has been observed that ‘virtualness’ does not seem to impact the motivational drives of the project team members or the way the project environments provide or support those motivational drives in collocated and distributed projects. At a more specific level in terms of the motivational drives of the project team (‘WANT’) and the ability of the project environment to provide or support those factors (‘GET’), in collocated project teams, significant discrepancies were observed with respect to financial and non financial rewards, learning opportunities, nature of work and project specific communication, while in distributed teams, significant discrepancies with respect to project centric communication, followed by financial rewards and nature of work. Further, distributed project environments seem to better support the team member motivation than collocated project environments. The study concludes that both the collocated and distributed project environments may not be adequately supporting the motivational drives of its project team members, which may be frustrating to them. However, members working in virtual team environments may be less frustrated than their collocated counterparts as virtual project environments are better aligned with the motivational drives of their team members vis-à-vis the collocated project environments.

Dimensions of neuroticism : relationships with gender and personality traits

Reports results of 2 studies into sex-related neuroticism. Measures included sex-free and sex-related neuroticism scales (L. Francis, see record 1994-00056-001), the Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Lie scales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory. In Study 1 with 69 male and 75 female undergraduates, no support for the validity of sex-free and sex-related measures of neuroticism was found. Although scores on both neuroticism measures were significantly related to depression scores, sex-free neuroticism was also associated with extraversion, psychoticism, and social desirability but only among males. Women tended to have significantly higher neuroticism scores than did men. In Study 2 involving 56 male and 129 female undergraduates, no significant differences in total scale scores were observed between the sexes when a natural language measure of neuroticism was used.