Practical Real-world Examples Research Articles

Theoretical Performance Evaluation of Sustainable Refrigerants in Marine Engineering Practice

Refrigeration is, and has been an essential component of marine engineering practice for the past several decades, however, with increasing worldwide awareness of the detrimental effects refrigerants can have on the environment, this “niche” area of the marine engineering profession has undergone major regulatory changes. This article lists the regulatory changes with their enforcement and phase-out date for the most commonly used marine refrigerants, proposes suitable environmentally acceptable alternatives detailing their performance evaluation, and describes the most common problems encountered during the conversion process for existing marine HVAC and provision refrigeration installations both in the off-shore sector and on ocean-going vessels based on statistical data and practical real-world examples witnessed by me in my professional practice

Review of Rain or Shine: An Introduction to Soil Physical Properties and Processes. Tyson Ochsner. Published by Oklahoma State University Libraries under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Version 6. Last updated 19 Jan. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Z4RBT

Rain or Shine is an open textbook that consists of 242 pages and 13 chapters that cover fundamental concepts in soil physics and vadose zone hydrology. The textbook is aimed at upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students at the master's level pursuing a degree in soil science, crop science, agronomy, environmental science, or hydrology. The book covers most of the soil physics topics included in the Soil Science Performance Objectives defined by the Soil Science Society of America's Council of Soil Science Examiners. Thus, this book can be helpful for students and practitioners preparing to become certified professional soil scientists. The latest version of the book is available for free through the Open Science Framework repository (https://osf.io/z4rbt/) and the author's institutional website (http://soilphysics.okstate.edu/) in the Portable Document Format (PDF, file size of 10 MB), which allows for easy electronic distribution in websites, email, and learning management systems. The book has clear prose, a logical organization of the content, and well-articulated examples that allow readers to relate soil physical properties and processes to aspects of everyday life. All formal definitions in terms of mathematical equations are presented at the algebraic level. Readers that complete this book will be equipped with the necessary foundation to take more advanced soil physics courses with a greater focus on differential equations. Each chapter clearly states the learning objectives and engages the reader through multiple media components including images, tables, videos, and hyperlinks to additional informative content. Several videos were recorded by the author himself and provide worked examples that complement the book material and provide a more immersive learning experience than traditional books. All images and tables have descriptive captions and appropriately indicate the source and corresponding license of the reference material. Most chapters also include a problem set that consists of study questions and practical problems. A problem set key is available from the author of the book upon request (and thus is not accessible by students). Chapter 1 contains the author's motivation for the book, a practical introduction to the International System of Units, and a list of additional resources to review basic concepts in physics, mathematics, and soil science. Chapter 2 covers the hierarchical spatial organization of soils from global patterns to the primary soil particles. In this chapter, the author introduces key concepts such as soil structure, aggregate stability, soil texture, and particle size distribution. This chapter also introduces the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure method, which can be easily adapted into a complementary field or laboratory exercise. Practical real-world examples are provided related to climate change, agricultural management, and pesticide transport in the soil. Chapter 3 introduces the concepts of soil water content, soil water potential, and soil water retention curves. This section has particular emphasis on mass–volume relationships like gravimetric water content, volumetric water content, and soil water storage. This chapter also includes detailed description of methods and instruments used to measure soil water content and soil water potential. Chapter 4 covers saturated and unsaturated soil water flow in soils. This chapter covers the concept of hydraulic gradient, hydraulic equilibrium, and soil hydraulic conductivity. Chapters 5–11 cover the dominant soil physical processes by following the fate of a raindrop through Earth's soil water balance. Chapter 5 starts with a description of soil water inputs like precipitation and irrigation. Special attention is given to global precipitation spatial patterns, precipitation amount, and precipitation intensity. This chapter also emphasizes canopy and litter interception, raindrop impact, and crust formation due to physical dispersion. Chapter 6 describes the infiltration process, infiltration models, and infiltration measurements in field conditions. Chapter 7 covers runoff and the stages of soil erosion by water. Chapter 8 presents the process of soil water redistribution and drainage. This chapter includes the definition of practical concepts like field capacity and an interesting discussion on the potential environmental impacts of drainage. Chapter 9 is closely related to the previous chapter and covers solute transport and groundwater pollution in agricultural soils. This chapter introduces the concepts of advection, diffusion, hydrodynamic dispersion, and sorption of solutes. The chapter also includes a comprehensive presentation of preferential flow in soils. Chapter 10 covers the evaporation process, salinization, and soil erosion by wind. This chapter represents the bridge between the soil water balance and the surface energy balance. The chapter includes excellent content on the impact of drought and poor management practices on the Dust Bowl in the U.S. Great Plains. Chapter 11 presents plant transpiration and root water uptake with emphasis on the continuous pathways along the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. The chapter describes plant transpiration responses to soil moisture conditions characterized by the energy-state of water in the soil. Chapters 12 and 13 cover the nature and fate of solar radiation received at the land surface. Chapter 12 describes in detail the modes of heat transfer in the soil, the components of the surface energy balance, and the impact of land management and soil physical properties on the phenomenon of climate change. Chapter 13 covers heat transfer, surface and subsurface soil temperature, and soil thermal properties (heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity). The book could benefit from additional chapters on gas transport, and soil mechanics and engineering properties, which are the only sections of the soil physics portion of the Soil Science Fundamentals Exam Performance Objectives not currently present in the book. Since the book is available under the Creative Commons License, anyone can contribute with additional chapters. However, the textbook is currently only available in PDF format, which limits the ability of others to edit or comment on the book. Perhaps the adoption of a different platform more amenable to collaborative writing like Wikibooks (https://en.wikibooks.org), GitBook (https://www.gitbook.com/), or the implementation of annotation tools (e.g., hypothesis: https://web.hypothes.is/) could benefit the participation of other authors. A distinct advantage of this open textbook is that the author has been consistently updating the book every year to keep information relevant and incorporating feedback from students and teachers alike. This book is insightful, easy to read, and presents a refreshing and integrated view of modern soil physics. We highly recommend this book to students, teachers, and practitioners in the fields of agronomy, soil science, environmental science, and hydrology. The authors of this review have been using the Rain or Shine textbook for the past three years as the reference textbook for a dual-level (i.e., undergraduate and graduate-level) course in Environmental Soil Physics at Kansas State University (Patrignani), Texas A&M University (Wyatt), Auburn University (Knappenberger), Humboldt State University (Marshall), and Oklahoma State University (Wyatt); it has had a great reception from students: “I really enjoy the textbook; it is very easy to understand and explains materials perfectly for someone new to soils. The videos included in the online textbook are usually very helpful on the homework. I also find that having a deeper understanding of the physical context of what the equations we learn to measure.” Spring 2020, Oklahoma State University. The development of this textbook was supported in part by the Wise Oklahoma State University Library Open Textbook Initiative. This review was supported by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (Contribution 22-217-J).

The Culture–Strategy–Execution Trio: A How-To Guide

Engages in introducing an integrated framework on the “how-to” part of effective strategic management, focusing on the key aspects of successful strategic implementation. Highlighting culture as an important element of strategic thinking, the author emphasizes the key to global business success lies in three interconnected aspects: better understanding and adapting to the local culture; a focused strategy; and persistency in implementation. The article argues that companies must deeply understand and nurture not only their own internal corporate culture, but also the various cultural contexts in which they operate. The article examines the meaning and importance of culture at multiple levels, starting from the perspective of individual leaders and moving all the way through national cultures. Through practical real-world examples, the article also discusses how companies can build and implement an internal culture and cultural outlook that will lead to sustained strength and success.

Book Review: Compassion and education: Cultivating compassionate children, schools and communities

In his book Compassion and education, Andrew Peterson explores the concept of ‘compassion’ in three main areas: (i) compassion as a virtue, (ii) compassion in relation to self and others, and (iii) compassion in relation to teaching and education. Peterson states that his ‘focus in this present book lies in particular on the cultivation of compassion within the education of young children in schools’ (p. 10). His work therefore contributes to the discussion of character education within the field of philosophy of education and makes an interesting read for educational philosophers as well as practising teachers alike. To explore compassion as a virtue and linking it to teaching practice, Peterson uses a combination of traditional analytical philosophy as well as down-to-earth practical real-world examples in his line of argument, which makes this well-written book meaningful for educators across the board.

User voice and complaints as drivers of innovation in public services

ABSTRACTUser voice and complaints can serve as important inputs to innovation in public services. User knowledge can be harnessed to provide insights and ideas that prompt more effective service responses and add value to service delivery. However, the mechanisms for harnessing user voice and complaints are often not fully understood, and their potential is often underdeveloped. This paper elaborates a conceptual framework which maps the processes by which user voice and complaints might prompt effective public service innovation. Six practical real-world examples are then presented and analysed to illuminate discussion of some critical success factors for consumer-knowledge-enabled innovation.

Enhancing the learning experience in intermediate accounting

This paper provides an example of how an accounting educator can build upon an intermediate accounting assignment of using practical real-world examples of earnings management by introducing to students the academic research that explains earnings management behavior. Students improve their critical thinking skills because of the connection to the real-world example. Accounting educators can provide this opportunity to students at a minimal cost of resources and time. In addition, a seed is planted for the development of the next generation of accounting academics because of this exposure to research at the undergraduate level.

Merging Accounting Theory with Reality: A Practical Example of Earnings Management

This study provides an example of linking empirical-archival accounting research with a practical real-world example of earnings management. By linking accounting theory with practical real-world examples, students enhance their critical thinking skills. Enhancing critical thinking skills supports the deep approach to learning. In addition, accounting instructors that merge accounting theory with real-world examples in the classroom are planting a seed for the next generation of accounting academics.

Internal resource waste and centralization degree in two-stage systems: An efficiency analysis

Internal resource waste refers to the waste in the intermediate resources between the upstream stage and downstream stage in a production or service system. This study examines a system with a two-stage structure, in which the outputs from the first stage are taken as the inputs for the second stage. Two-stage systems can exist in centralized, decentralized, or mixed organizational modes. In this paper, we propose two-stage DEA models considering a degree of centralization that makes it possible to measure internal resource waste in different system modes. Some managerial insights are tested and verified from the perspective of efficiency analysis. We find that: 1) when there is only one intermediate measure in a centralized two-stage system, internal resource waste can be eliminated completely, and 2) a higher degree of centralization in a two-stage system can lead to less internal resource waste and more expected outputs. Finally, we present a numerical example and two practical real-world examples that illustrate our approach and findings.

A practical model for economic evaluation of tissue-engineered therapies.

Tissue-engineered therapies are being developed across virtually all fields of medicine. Some of these therapies are already in clinical use, while others are still in clinical trials or the experimental phase. Most initial studies in the evaluation of new therapies focus on demonstration of clinical efficacy. However, cost considerations or economic viability are just as important. Many tissue-engineered therapies have failed to be impactful because of shortcomings in economic competitiveness, rather than clinical efficacy. Furthermore, such economic viability studies should be performed early in the process of development, before significant investment has been made. Cost-minimization analysis combined with sensitivity analysis is a useful model for the economic evaluation of new tissue-engineered therapies. The analysis can be performed early in the development process, and can provide valuable information to guide further investment and research. The utility of the model is illustrated with the practical real-world example of tissue-engineered constructs for corneal endothelial transplantation. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Systems Thinking in Design: Service Design and self-Services

The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it seeks to use a practical real-world example to demonstrate the power of a systems thinking perspective in design, and more specifically in the design of services. It makes use of the paradigm of e-accessibility, in the application domain of publicly available self-services. Secondly, the benefits of this perspective will be discussed, through some theoretical tenets of systems thinking, such as the use of emerging properties, the law of requisite variety and notions of second order cybernetics, in terms of the richness that they offer to the conceptualisation and praxis of design in general, and service design in particular. Finally, we speculate on the implications of systems thinking to question the nature of the interdisciplinarity and even transdisciplinarity of design.

Demonstrating the learning health system through practical use cases.

* Abbreviations: LHS — : learning health system QI — : quality improvement The study by Forrest et al1 on the evaluation of the effectiveness of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α for Crohn disease has as its subtitle “Research in a Pediatric Learning Health System.” A quick review of the article and its abstract suggests that this is an exploration of anti-TNF-α; in reality, it is an exploration of the practical applicability of a learning health system (LHS) model to meaningfully generate generalizable knowledge. In techno-speak we would call this article a “use case,” a term derived from software and systems engineering; this is an attempt to develop, demonstrate, and refine the methods and application of LHS principles, data, and analytic techniques within the context of a practical real-world example. First, what is an LHS? According to the Institute of Medicine, an LHS is an organization in which “science, informatics, incentives, and culture are aligned for continuous improvement and innovation—with best practices seamlessly embedded in the delivery process and new knowledge captured as an integral by-product of the delivery experience.”2 Practically, the LHS is an environment in which the results and outcomes of clinical decisions and care for patients informs best practices and new research directions simultaneously. In an LHS, the care of an individual patient is informed by the care of similar patients before her or him, and her or his care is reinvested into … Address correspondence to Amy P. Abernethy, MD PhD, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3436, Durham, NC 27710. E-mail: amy.abernethy{at}duke.edu

Mechanical Disassembly of End-of-Life Products

With growing interest in the recovery of materials and subassemblies from consumer products at the end of their useful life, there is a need to develop decision-making methodologies that determine how to maximize the environmental benefits of end-of-life processing while minimizing recovery costs. Disassembling products is the most common mechanical procedure of current end-of-life treatment methods. Consequently, quantitative design evaluation from the disassembly perspective has received special attention in the research literature. Unfortunately the design of disassembly lines cannot be achieved by simply reversing the order of the mechanical assembly of the products involved. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the similarities and differences of the assembly and disassembly processes through a practical real-world example.

Analysing redundancy in a line scale comparison using Monte Carlo methods

Supplement 1 to the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) outlines the application of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation to uncertainty propagation through the mathematical model of the measurement. The MC approach uses the information contained in the probability density functions associated with each of the influence parameters of the measurement to determine the probability density function of the output quantity. This paper discusses an approach to uncertainty evaluation for calibration of line scales amenable for application of MC methods. The model for the measurement uncertainty in line scale calibration is interpreted from the perspective of the line-scale user, namely a distance measurement between any two intervals of the line scale. For this purpose, the introduction of a consensus invariant assigned in an alternative interpretation of the data can also expedite international comparison analysis. The proposed method is illustrated using a practical real-world example from an international comparison of calibration of line scales.

Applying genetic algorithms to zone design

Genetic algorithms (GA) have been found to provide global near optimal solutions in a wide range of complex problems. In this paper genetic algorithms have been used to deal with the complex problem of zone design. The zone design problem comprises a large number of geographical tasks, from which electoral districting is probably the most well known. The electoral districting problem is described and formalized mathematically. Different problem encodings, suited to GA optimization, are presented, together with different objective functions. A practical real world example is given and tests performed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the GA approach.

The Oberon system: user guide and programmer's manual

This is the complete guide and reference to 'The Oberon System' designed by Wirth and Gutknecht at ETH, Zurich. Featuring a user guide, a description of the module library and a programming guide, this book also contains a wealth of practical real-world examples and illustrations.

Marketing strategy: a customer-driven approach

Marketing Strategy has become a classic centrist marketing text. Now, Steven Schnaars has updated and revised this clearly written, classroom-tested, and essential text to accommodate rapid changes in the business world. Combining his centrist approach to basic theory with practical real-world examples, this updated edition includes new and expanded chapters on price as a competitive weapon (with a discussion on everyday low pricing versus hi-low promotional pricing), speed as a strategy (including the strategic uses of computers), globalization (including the customization-standardization debate), and customer satisfaction. Throughout, Schnaars focuses on the three Cs: customers, competition, and changing market trends.