Design Management Research Articles

Discerning interrelationships among management accounting systems, organizational variables, and managerial performance

In today’s global market, information plays a determinant role in the competitiveness of business organizations. Information systems have become essential resources in daily management, strategy development, and implementation. In this context, management accounting systems (MAS) have undergone substantial changes to adapt to new technological and environmental realities and have become an increasingly valuable instrument to support managers’ decision-making processes. Nevertheless, managers may not effectively leverage the information provided by MAS to enhance the quality of their decisions and, consequently, their overall performance. Discrepancies in research outcomes suggest a potential oversight in analyzing other organizational variables through which MAS might impact managerial performance. Based on an extensive literature review, we identified a scarcity of recent research focusing on three variables that could potentially mediate the relationship between MAS and managerial performance. These variables are intricately linked to people-oriented aspects and include the accountants’ involvement in strategy formulation, implementation, and monitoring, user satisfaction with the information supplied by MAS, and the decentralization of decision-making processes. To address this gap, we used the finite mixture - partial least squares (FIMIX-PLS) to discern the interrelationships among the variables in the research model. The results highlight how the interaction between firm characteristics can enhance the use of MAS in managers’ decision support and consequently improve their performance. This research provides relevant theoretical contributions to the debate about different organizational environments and their influence on MAS effectiveness. It also offers managerial implications for business organizations that need to design, implement, and use management accounting systems.

Optimization Design and Energy Efficiency Management of Robot Power Systems

Optimization Design and Energy Efficiency Management of Robot Power Systems

Leveraging Hyperforce for Scalable and Secure Multi-Cloud Solutions: An Architectural and Implementation Guide

Purpose: In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are turning to multi-cloud strategies to boost their performance, flexibility, and resilience. This paper aims to provide a straightforward guide on leveraging Salesforce’s Hyperforce in a multi-cloud environment. Hyperforce is designed to work with major public cloud providers, offering unmatched scalability, data residency compliance, and efficiency. The primary objective is to help IT professionals and decision-makers fully leverage Hyperforce in a multi-cloud strategy to drive digital transformation and maintain competitiveness. Methodology: This paper explores the key aspects necessary for a successful Hyperforce and multi-cloud setup, including architectural design, implementation steps, data management, security, performance optimization, and cost management. Through a combination of clear technical insights and real-world examples, the paper illustrates the challenges and best practices associated with implementing Hyperforce in a multi-cloud environment. Findings: By spreading workloads across different cloud platforms, companies can enhance redundancy, avoid vendor lock-in, and optimize resource utilization. The paper identifies critical areas such as architectural design, security, and cost management that are essential for successful multi-cloud adoption using Hyperforce. Additionally, the paper delves into emerging trends and future innovations in the multi-cloud space, providing insights into the evolving landscape and what lies ahead for Hyperforce. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The paper recommends that IT professionals and decision-makers focus on fully understanding and utilizing Hyperforce’s capabilities within a multi-cloud strategy. This involves following best practices in architectural design, implementation, data management, and security to maximize the benefits of Hyperforce. The insights and tools provided in this paper are intended to equip organizations with the knowledge necessary to effectively implement Hyperforce and drive their digital transformation efforts forward.

Clock mesh synthesis through dynamic programming with physical parameters consideration

In response to the evolving technological landscape, the traditional clock network architecture faces challenges in meeting the complexities of modern System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. While the clock mesh topology offers resilience against On-Chip Variation (OCV) fluctuations, its manual implementation leaves room for advancements in methodology and swift analytical techniques. This paper introduces an innovative clock mesh synthesis approach, leveraging dynamic programming algorithms and emphasizing compliance with critical physical implementation parameters. Our experimental results demonstrate a significant 26.6% reduction in power consumption compared to baseline methodologies. Moreover, it achieves an impressive average runtime reduction of 78.0% when contrasted with traditional simulation methods. These findings underscore the potential of our methodology to enhance the efficiency and power management of clock mesh designs.

Indoor space thermal cycle design and animation 3D modeling based on digital light processing technology

With the continuous development of architectural design concepts, the thermal cycle optimization of interior space has become an important topic to improve energy efficiency and comfort. The introduction of digital light processing (DLP) technology provides new possibilities for 3D modeling and thermal cycle analysis. This study uses digital light processing technology to design and optimize the thermal cycle of indoor space, and explores its application in real-time animation 3D modeling to provide a more intuitive visual display. DLP technology is used to build a three-dimensional model of interior space, and heat flow analysis software is combined to simulate the thermal cycle of different design schemes. The dynamic simulation method was used to analyze the change of heat circulation in the exhibition room and its influence on the indoor environment. The results show that the indoor thermal cycle optimized by DLP technology can effectively improve the heat distribution uniformity and energy efficiency utilization, and the simulation results show that the improved scheme has significant advantages in thermal comfort. This study proves the feasibility and effectiveness of digital light processing technology in indoor space thermal cycle design, and provides a new idea for future architectural design and thermal cycle management.

Preface: 3rd International Conference on Art Design, E-Education and Innovation Management (ADEIM 2024)

Preface: 3rd International Conference on Art Design, E-Education and Innovation Management (ADEIM 2024)

Long-Term Survival and Regeneration Following Transplantation of 3D-Printed Biodegradable PCL Tracheal Grafts in Large-Scale Porcine Models.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) implants in large animals show great promise for tracheal transplantation. However, the longest survival time achieved to date is only about three weeks. To meet clinical application standards, it is essential to extend the survival time and ensure the complete integration and functionality of the implant. Our study investigates the use of three-dimensional (3D)-printed, biodegradable, PCL-based tracheal grafts for large-scale porcine tracheal transplantation, assessing the feasibility and early structural integrity crucial for long-term survival experiments. A biodegradable PCL tracheal graft was fabricated using a BIOX bioprinter and transplanted into large-scale porcine models. The grafts, measuring 20 × 20 × 1.5 mm, were implanted following a 2 cm circumferential resection of the porcine trachea. The experiment design was traditionally implanted in eight porcines to replace four-ring tracheal segments, only two of which survived more than three months. Data were collected on the graft construction and clinical outcomes. The 3D-printed biosynthetic grafts replicated the native organ with high fidelity. The implantations were successful, without immediate complications. At two weeks, bronchoscopy revealed significant granulation tissue around the anastomosis, which was managed with laser ablation. The presence of neocartilage, neoglands, and partial epithelialization near the anastomosis was verified in the final pathology findings. Our study demonstrates in situ regenerative tissue growth with intact cartilage following transplantation, marked by neotissue formation on the graft's exterior. The 90-day survival milestone was achieved due to innovative surgical strategies, reinforced with strap muscle attached to the distal trachea. Further improvements in graft design and granulation tissue management are essential to optimize outcomes.

Digital technology adoption, workforce agility and digital technology outcomes in the context of the banking industry of India

Purpose The rapid adoption of digital technology forced the leaders to explore and examine the drivers and facilitators capable of enhancing the bank's performance. This paper empirically aims to examine the role of technology acceptance and workforce agility in digital technology adoption in the banking industry. Furthermore, this research examines the mediating role of workforce agility between digital technology acceptance and digital technology outcome. Design/methodology/approach Influenced by the Attitude–Behavior–Outcome framework, this survey research has been designed to collect data from both high-level executives and low-level executives working in the banking sector undertakings of India. The research adopted a two-step procedure for testing theoretical models using SPSS-AMOS, Version 27. Hayes PROCESS macro (Version 4.3.1; 2023) technique was executed to test the mediation. Findings The result proved that the banker's acceptance of digital technology positively impacted banks' performance. Furthermore, this study proved that workforce agility has a favorable, significant mediating influence between digital technology acceptance and digital technology outcome suggesting banks design and implement suitable management policies and practices to enhance the technology acceptance mindset of the bankers and promote workforce agility for higher customer relationships and performance. Originality/value Being the first-ever research to examine the role of workforce agility, this study proved its mediating effect on effective digital transformation.

Numerical Investigation of Flow Distribution in PEMFC and Pemwe Stacks Considering Two-Phase Flow in the Stack Headers

PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) and PEM water electrolyzer (PEMWE) stacks are assembled by connecting a series of unit cells. The stack headers are conduits formed by the ports of these unit cells; see Fig. 1(a). The flow field in the headers affects the flow uniformity of the stack, which significantly impacts the stack’s performance and lifespan. This study aims to investigate the fluid flows in the stack headers of PEMFC and PEMWE. A specific objective of this study is to understand how two-phase flow (liquid water and gases) in the headers would impact the flow distribution inside the stacks.The present study investigates the flow inside a stack by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) models, as shown in Figure 1(b) and (c) respectively. The 3D model was constructed with an inlet header and an outlet header with flow resistors in between to represent the unit cells.1,2 CFD simulations using ANSYS Fluent were performed over a 100-cell PEMFC stack based on the k-ε RNG turbulence model. The two-dimensional 100-cell PEMFC stack model was built with COMSOL Multiphysics and considers the diffusion and transport, proton and electron conduction, electrochemical reactions on the catalytic layer, and heat transfer in the unit cells. The flow distribution obtained from the 3D model was used as the boundary conditions for the 2D model to calculate the effects of flow distribution on the overall performance of the stack. It should be pointed out that in the 3D models of PEMFC and PEMWE headers, simulations using the volume of fluid (VOF) model to track the liquid water droplets in a PEMFC and bubbles in a PEMWE were carried out to gain insights into the impact of two-phase flow on stack header flow sharing.The simulation results show the existence of unstable and highly transient turbulence within the PEMFC outlet header, as seen in Figs. 1(d) and 1(e). Jet flows from individual cells cause vortices inside the header, reducing the effective flow area. Liquid water accumulates on the inner wall of the header and is swept out by the cross-flow. In the dead-end region, liquid water undergoes helical motion under the influence of vortices, resulting in a longer residence time in the header and making it less prone to be expelled. This study parametrically investigated the effects of header size and air stoichiometry. As the cross-sectional area of the inlet header decreases from A=1,225 mm2 to A=857.5 mm2, the coefficient of mass flow variation within the stack increases, indicating a decrease in the uniformity of flow distribution inside the stack, as shown in Fig. 1(f). The air stoichiometry also affects the flow distribution inside the stack; as the air stoichiometry λ decreases from 2.2 to 1.4, the uniformity of gas distribution in the stack deteriorates significantly.The methodology used in the present study provides a reference for the parameter design and operating conditions of PEMFC and PEMWE stacks. It helps to gain insights into the optimization of stack header design and energy management.

Analysis of shear fracture characteristics and energy evolution of salt rock under real-time coupled thermo-mechanical conditions

Studying the shear fracture behavior of salt rock is of great importance for the identification of precursor information for geological disasters such as underground salt cavern caprock slippage, fault instability displacement, and zonal destruction of the surrounding rock. Despite its undeniable importance, research on the shear fracture characteristics of salt rock under real-time high-temperature and high-pressure triaxial conditions remains scarce. To address this research gap, this study employed a self-developed rock real-time high-temperature and high-pressure multi-field coupled triaxial universal testing machine to perform triaxial shear fracture tests on salt rock punch through shear (PTS) specimens across a wide range of confining pressures (0 to 25 MPa) and real-time temperatures (20 °C to 600 °C). Additionally, the internal pore fracture structures of the salt rock after different coupled thermo-mechanical (TM) treatments were examined using micro-computed tomography (MCT) and metallographic microscopy. The results reveal the complexity of fracture behavior in salt rock. At normal temperature and pressure, salt rock specimens primarily fractured into short rods and hollow cylindrical forms, with wing cracks appearing on the surfaces of the cylinders. Under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, the salt rock exhibited more intense shear slippage phenomena, although the specimens did not undergo complete fracturing. Notably, the internal pore fractures in the salt rock under real-time coupled high-temperature and high-pressure displayed a competitive interaction between self-healing and thermal damage, leading to a significant nonlinear increase in mode II fracture toughness with temperature. Through the analysis of energy absorption and dissipation, this study further elucidates the shear fracture mechanism of salt rock under coupled TM conditions. Overall, the findings of this paper not only deepen our understanding of the mechanical behavior of salt rock under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions but also provide crucial theoretical support for the design and risk management of underground salt cavern projects.

The Role of Quality Assurance in Clinical Trials: Safeguarding Data Integrity and Compliance.

Clinical trials, which investigate the effects of drugs in humans, aim to determine safety and efficacy while identifying adverse reactions. Data consistency and subject safety are crucial factors that determine the quality of clinical trials, necessitating overall quality management. There is a growing emphasis on implementing quality systems during the planning stages of clinical trials. Regulatory frameworks have evolved to ensure patient protection and data reliability, underscoring the need for systematic quality management in health research. A clinical trial quality management plan (CTQMP) is essential to describe the tools and methods used to ensure study quality. Globalization has led to an increase in conducting clinical trials in developing nations, presenting challenges due to procedural and ethical disparities. To manage these complexities, outsourcing trial management has become common. Adherence to good clinical practice (GCP) principles, as defined by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), is critical for safeguarding participant rights and ensuring credible data. Quality by design (QbD) and quality risk management are now central to clinical trial management, as advocated by the FDA. Technological advancements and robust protocols further enhance trial processes. Effective QA activities, including monitoring and data management, are vital for maintaining compliance, participant safety, and data integrity, highlighting the indispensable role of QA in clinical trial success.

Sustainable Thermal Comfort by Age Group in Shopping Malls: Multi-Year Winter Surveys in a Severely Cold Region

The current Chinese standard utilizes a single thermal comfort index guide to regulate indoor parameters for public buildings. However, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) settings often do not align with the occupant’s needs. To address this, a 2-year winter field survey was conducted in four large-scale shopping malls across severely cold regions of China, considering the complex age structure of mall visitors. Physical environmental parameters were measured, and a subjective questionnaire yielded 1464 valid responses. Neutral temperatures for different age groups were 17.4 °C for children (0–12 years of age), 19.3 °C for early youth (13–24), 20.0 °C for mature youth (25–44), and 23.3 °C for middle-aged adults (45–59). The limit of the 80% acceptable temperature range for the children and early youth was lower than the current Chinese GB 50736 standard, suggesting that HVAC temperatures for the corresponding shopping malls can be appropriately reduced for the target consumer groups. Significant differences occurred between customers’ demand for thermal environments in shopping malls and various standards. These findings provide valuable insights into energy-efficient architectural design and operational management of shopping malls in the Shenyang area, promoting the sustainable development of human thermal comfort environments.

Agile project management in smart grid design: Comparative insights from Africa and the United States

Agile project management in smart grid design: Comparative insights from Africa and the United States

A novel ‘3D + digital twin + 3D’ upscaling strategy for predicting the detailed multi-physics distributions in a commercial-size proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

With the rapid development of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) commercialization, a comprehensive knowledge of multi-physics fields in large-scale PEMFC stacks has become ever more critical. Although conventional three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models have achieved great success, the application in the commercial-size stack-scale simulation remains inapplicable due to enormous computational resource requirements. Herein, based on the latest 3D CFD model, multi-physics digital twin (DT) technology and 3D stack flow distribution prediction model, a novel multi-scale upscaling prediction model is proposed. The voltage, water and thermal management characteristics of a 164-cell PEMFC stack with an active electrode area of 292.5 cm2 are studied and analyzed in details. For the analysis of commercial-size PEMFC stacks, the most comprehensive multi-physics fields are covered in this paper to date. And the results suggest that by introducing the DT technology, the time requirement of the multi-physics field prediction for unit scale prediction can be reduced by hundreds of thousands of times with a maximum global relative deviation of 1% under 10 groups of random test conditions, giving a solution from the cell scale to stack scale performance prediction, design, heat and thermal management in the PEMFC research and application.

Analysis of Design Management Course in College Design Major Teaching

Analysis of Design Management Course in College Design Major Teaching

Coordinated optimization of configuration and operation of a photovoltaic integrated building cooling system with electricity and ice storages under source-load uncertainties

Solar photovoltaic integration into buildings provides an effective and attractive method to decrease fossil energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gases emission. This study proposes a flexible photovoltaic integrated building cooling system with electricity and ice storages to address the challenges posed by the instability of solar energy and the integration and coordination of multiple components. Uncertainties in solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and cooling load are characterized using a scenario analysis method that combines Latin Hypercube Sampling and the K-Means++ algorithm. Then, aiming to achieve the minimal total cost, including investment, operational, and CO2 emission costs, a two-layer stochastic optimization model is developed to simultaneously determine the optimal capacities and operational strategies for each device. Genetic algorithm and mixed integer linear programming are, respectively, used to solve the two-layer optimization problem. The comparisons between optimum schemes with and without CO2 emission cost demonstrates that when the base chiller’s capacities are 1179 kW and 1081 kW in cases 1 and 2 respectively, it can independently meet 72.37 % and 61.27 % of the cooling load demand throughout the cooling season. In addition, the optimal capacity of photovoltaics, considering CO2 emission, increases by 109.7 %, and its penetration rate reaches 18.3 %, which is 9.7 % higher than the optimal scheme not considering CO2 emission. However, the annualized investment cost increases by 52.3 %. The developed methods provide effective tools for the system design and operation management of solar energy integrated building cooling system.

Flood Potential Portal: A web tool for understanding flood variability and predicting peak discharges

AbstractThe Flood Potential Portal (https://floodpotential.erams.com/) has been developed for the contiguous United States, as a practitioner‐focused tool that uses observational data (streamgages) to enhance understanding of how floods vary in space and time, and assist users in making more informed peak discharge predictions for infrastructure design and floodplain management. This capability is presented through several modules. The Mapping module provides tools to explore variability using multiple indices, and provides detailed information, figures, and algorithms describing and comparing flooding characteristics. The Cross‐Section Analysis module allows users to cut regional‐scale sections to interpret the role of topography in driving flood variability. The Watershed Analysis module provides multiple methods for quantifying expected peak discharge magnitudes and flood frequency relationships at user‐selected locations, including the integration of observed trends in flood magnitudes due to climate change and other sources of nonstationarity into decision making. The Streamgage Analysis module performs streamgage flood‐frequency analyses. These modules are based in part on the flood potential method, through the use of 207 zones of similar flood response defined using more than 8200 streamgages with watershed areas <10,000 km2. Regression models that define each zone had high explained variance (average R2 = 0.93). An example is provided to illustrate use of the Flood Potential Portal for the design of a hypothetical bridge replacement.

An integrated framework for waterfront development to recognize nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas: evaluating the condition of two projects in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Nature-based solutions (NBS) often suggest improving the degraded urban environment through the implementation of projects for revitalizing water bodies and adjacent areas. Among various concepts of developing waterfront urban spaces, ‘water sensitive urban design (WSUD)’ asks for integrated design and management of urban water resources and water cycle, following a holistic approach. This research proposes a framework that assimilates the components of WSUD with the concept of ‘integrated urban water management (IUWM)’ that mainly focuses on governance, management, and stakeholders' engagement. This integrated approach emphasizes the need for developing a holistic framework for the management of planning and design of waterfront development projects. The framework includes detailed criteria for water sensitive approach and acts as a holistic checklist for evaluating or designing waterfront development projects. Such comprehensive guidelines that includes planning, governance, and design challenges are rare in the current body of literature. To test the framework, the research conducts a comparative study among two waterfront projects in Bangladesh and through a scored evaluation based on the proposed framework, reveals the lack of water sensitive planning, design and management processes of the projects, which has narrowed down the scope and the opportunities of practicing NBS through reviving lost urban waterbodies.

Comparison of treatment trains for indirect potable reuse and use of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to evaluate reliability of pathogen removal: Zoo Miami case study

Wastewater and reclaimed water contain various microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa that can cause waterborne diseases in humans and animals. Zoos and animal conservation parks utilize reclaimed water for various purposes which may contain pathogens harmful to human and animal health. The goal of this study was to assess the treatment performance of two treatment trains for indirect potable reuse (IPR) and perform quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to evaluate the reliability of pathogen removal at a proposed advanced water treatment facility at the Zoo Miami. A review of advanced treatment and disinfection technologies relevant for reclaimed water production and pathogen removal was conducted as a part of this study. DPRisk was used to perform QMRA for four reference pathogens selected as model organisms for two IPR treatment trains (TT1 and TT2). Public health risk estimates for pathogens including Adenovirus, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and enteric viruses indicated that the risk of infection was below the EPA's target daily threshold of 2.7 × 10−7 and annual risk threshold of 10−4 without failure analysis. With failure analysis, both treatment trains met the daily risk goals for each of the reference pathogens approximately 99 % of the time. Adenovirus demonstrated the highest probability of infection with a mean annual risk of infection for TT1 of 6.65 × 10−9 in the absence of failures but reached a maximum of 7.34 × 10−2 with failure analysis. TT2 resulted in higher risk estimates compared to TT1 with a mean annual risk of infection of 2.10 × 10−8 without failure and a maximum of 8.37 × 10−2 with failure analysis. The results of the failure analysis demonstrate the benefit of treatment redundancy in potable reuse system design and highlight the importance of online process monitoring to rapidly identify off-spec or treatment failure events to protect public health. With this information, stakeholders can better understand treatment requirements and microbiological risks to inform potable reuse planning, design, and risk management.

Behavioral Conflicts in Urban Greenway Recreation: A Case Study of the “Three Rivers and One Mountain” Greenway in Xi’an, China

The current greenway systems in China are relatively homogenous, whereas recreational groups and their needs are highly diverse. This discrepancy has resulted in increasingly severe behavioral conflicts during greenway recreation. However, scholarly research on behavioral conflicts in greenway recreational activities is lacking. Recreationists’ perceptions of conflict negatively impact their evaluation of the recreational experience, thereby limiting the ecological and recreational benefits of greenways. Therefore, it is crucial to categorize these conflicts, understand their formation mechanisms, and identify influencing factors, so as to put forward targeted management strategies for greenway construction. This study selected urban segments of greenways along the Wei and Feng rivers in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. Field observation, semi-structured interviews, and NVivo 12 three-level coding were used to investigate and analyze the main types of behavioral conflicts perceived by various recreational groups on urban greenways and the factors influencing these perceptions. The results indicate that the primary types of behavioral conflicts are danger perception, space occupancy, environmental damage, and noise disturbance. Younger groups, highly educated individuals, local residents, and those with exercise as their primary recreational purpose are more likely to perceive conflicts. In addition, recreationists also focus on the completeness of greenway infrastructure, the richness of green landscapes, and the adequacy of behavior management. These findings can help greenway managers and planners understand the perception of recreational conflicts, enabling the formulation of targeted design strategies and management measures to mitigate these conflicts in urban greenway recreation.