Advanced Materials Research Vol. 837

Abstract: This research paper aims to propose and empirically test a theoretical model, positing relationships among entrepreneur, technology and resources. The applied methodology was completing a questionnaire survey by a random sample of undergraduate management and engineering students across five Romanian faculties. The results were based on structural equation modeling analysis. Results provide strong support for the proposition that the success of a good business idea strongly depends on some factors, including the capabilities of an entrepreneur, on the technology used to implement the idea and on the necessary resources. The paper demonstrates that the success of an idea in technological entrepreneurship, based on the potential young entrepreneurs point of view is influenced by the characteristics of the young entrepreneur, by his capabilities and his knowledge. The success is also influenced in some proportions by the innovation of technology, its development and globalization. The third category of the success factors is resources, which includes temporal resources, material resources, financial resources and informational resources. The conclusion of this research is that the most important factor for a successful business idea is the entrepreneur.

Abstract: Abstract. Hydrocyclones are increasingly used in the food industry for various separation and purification. In this paper, an optimization was made to design a hydrocyclone model using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). CFD simulation is performed with FLUENT software by coupling the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) for must of grapes flow with Discrete Phase Model (DPM) for solid particles trajectory. Coupling of discrete phase (particles) and continuous phase (must of grapes) in the mathematical model is set so that the continuous phase to influence discrete phase. Tracking particles traiectory in this hydrocyclone allows advanced degree is separation so obtained to the maximum particle size approaching the size of a yeast cell 10 μm, without separating them. Hydrocyclone dimensional designed simulation was performed and analyzed on an experimental pilot plant for three different must flow rates supply. Introduced particle flow rates simulation and experiment does not exceed 10% of the must flow rates. The degree of separation obtained is in agreement with experimental data.

Abstract: The authors present the development of a scientific cloud computing environment (SCCE) for engineering and business simulations that offers high performance computation capability. The software platform consists of a scalable pool of virtual machines running a UNIX-like (Linux) or UNIX-derivative (FreeBSD) operating systems using specialised software based on modelling engineering processes and focused on business training and predictive analytics using simulations. The use of advanced engineering simulation technology allows engineers to understand and predict the future performance of complex structures and systems designs which can be optimized to reduce risk, improve performance or enhance survivability. A key component of cloud computing in Universities as well as in other research centers: they can share computing resources beyond their technical capabilities. With cloud computing, this allows them all to have access to large scales processing power based on KVM (Kernel based Virtual Machine). Our solution provides a more productive approach: a full scale virtualised computer with scalable storage space and instantly upgradable processing capability. It has more flexibility than other network computing systems and saves precious research time and money. Unlike the existing systems, the scientific community can receive support from a large number of specialists who may contribute by in a collaborative way.

Abstract: Achieving high performances in organizations requires motivated employees who engage in training activities, acquiring knowledge, new abilities and skills, which they intend to share and communicate in order to improve the performance of their work activities and thus to contribute to the overall organizational performance. Therefore, by establishing the most important motivational factors for key employees there can be identified various aspects which determine employees to use, communicate and share the knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired during training activities. This research aims at bringing into light some analyses related to employees motivation for attending training programs and knowledge communication during and mostly after training programs and the influence on the improvement of work activities and the obtained job performance. There will be also identified the intrinsic and extrinsic incentives which stimulate the employees to obtain new knowledge and skills and to communicate them, explaining as well the influence on the organizational outcomes. Therefore, by analyzing the prevalent motivational factors which determine managers and employees to engage themselves in training activities, we could establish also the degree of employees motivation to attend training programs, to communicate knowledge and improve work activities and organizational outcomes. In this view the investigation carried out by the authors was based on quantitative research techniques, by means of a questionnaire based survey using a non-probabilistic sampling method due to the initial stage of this research and its current limitations. The sample will be based on industrial firms from the North-East Region of Romania. There will be analyzed the relationships between employees motivation for knowledge communication, fostered by the training programs attended, and the performance improvement of their activities, attempting to demonstrate the influence of employees motivation to communicate the acquired knowledge during training programs on improving activities and the performance level at the workplace. It is noteworthy that this research study provides an integrated framework illustrating the main findings regarding the factors which motivate employees working in industrial companies to participate in training activities and to communicate the knowledge acquired during training programs, highlighting as well the influence of these issues on improving their work activities and the overall company performance. This framework could be further used by managers and academia as well, as a vehicle for improving organizational performance.

Abstract: The background of the paper is the observation of the market tendency and producer constraints which lead to lean production/manufacturing and management. Presented approaches and solutions are the result of the author and her team and integrates three different original systems such as PROEDIMIS, SWZ and KbRS. A number of analytical and simulation models dealing with the problem of system performance prediction and verification, fail when addressing the issue of performance evaluation of a whole system where performance depends on the synchronization of their interactions. From the control perspective it is more appropriate to define a specification for some new desired behavior, and determine whether the specification can be met through a set of controllable events [1,. A problem of multiassortment and multi-version production planning and control is presented and the method and support systems are described in the paper.

Abstract: A great pressure has arisen lately in the business world by movements like occupy Wall Street, or more concerning economic crises started in 2008. Due to this pressure, companies have to be more careful and act more responsibly. In the recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been seen like a panacea of all stakeholders problems, more and more reports of CSR being published on companies website. However, it has been proven that just to claim actions of social responsibility, does not mean those companies are truly responsible. As expected, this behavior is penalized by a part of stakeholders. In this context, for each firm is important to know which are the most representative stakeholders, and how a certain situation could affect this scale. For explaining this fact, this paper analyzes the case of Brent Spar, pointing how an industrial giant like Shell, using a wrong CSR policy, could lose both money and image capital. In order to do that, in the first part is discussed the CSR from the perspective of stakeholder theory. Although it is present since 1950s in the United States of America and evolved all over the world like an all known concept, CSR does not have yet an universally accepted definition. Therefore, in this article was stated a definition for CSR from the stakeholder theory approach, in order to understand the Brent Spar actions and implications. In the second part of the paper are analyzed the steps taken by both sides, on one hand by Shell and on the other, by some of the stakeholders. The actions have been explained from the CSR paradigm perspective. Finally, it is proved why Brent Spar is a case of CSR failed, and how, by neglecting of some stakeholders categories, a company could pay important costs. Moreover, the paper demonstrates that the image of one company, from a specific area, could affect the all industry field. Therefore, a proper identification of key stakeholders, a good communication with those and flexibility in decision, could be the success factors for companies, and may lead to successful CSR. Correct CSR actions become an imperative in nowadays industrial scenario, being viewed as a change imposed by globalization and by the transnational nature of CSR.

Abstract: The main purpose of this project was to study and improve the tribological characteristics of hip and knee prostheses in order to use them for a longer period of time. We conducted a thorough investigation of components of hip and knee prostheses. We started with the study of hip prostheses obtained after revision surgery. In this paper we present some experimental results about the scratch resistance of Ti6Al4V alloy and Co-Cr alloy femoral heads coated by physical vapor deposition (PVD) with TiN and Co-Cr-Mo, respectively. Visual analysis and optical microscopy analysis of prosthetic components revealed numerous multi-directional scratches, deeper or less deep, frosted the surface in the geometric place of action of the resultant force application point, microcorossion and peeling of the coating on the prosthetic femoral heads made of CoCr coated with CoCrMo by PVD method. Scratches, corrosion, peeling and bio-tribo-corrosion of titanium nitride (TiN) coating from the Ti6Al4V femoral heads surface were also observed. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), topographic characterization at nanometric scale of these surfaces was realized. Surface topography parameters such as minimum and maximum height, average roughness, and surface asymmetry were derived. It resulted that under the deposition there is a more veiled area. Roughness was used as an indicator of damage to the femoral head to obtain information on the variation in height from one point to another. AFM analysis revealed a dramatic increase in average roughness (R_a) of femoral heads compared to the maximum value of 0.05 μm provided under ISO 7206-2. From all these studies it was noted the need for a resistant prostheses, with anticorrosive composition and high mechanical properties. Among the numerous methods to reduce wear we realized thin films (biocompatible nanomaterials) deposition of TiN on 316L SS steel substrates by pulsed laser deposition method (PLD), to improve overall performance and, in particular, mechanical prosthesis of hip prostheses structures. The results obtained leads to the conclusion that PLD technique is a good method to make amorphous and crystalline films, dense and porous by controlling the laser system conditions. All parameters can be controlled and varied to identify the optimum structures and to obtain thin layers.

Abstract: ESD garments on the market dont solve all the problems raised by accidental electrostatic discharges. To obtain an ESD garment with superior qualities, the present paper proposes the development of a bilayer structure using the integral knitting technique. The outer layer, which comes in contact with the working environment, is mainly dissipative (DL), which ensures the protection against short circuit and limitation of electrostatic energy transfer into the working environment, while the inner layer, which comes in contact with the human operator, is mainly conductive (CL), providing the controlled drainage of accumulated electrostatic charge.

Abstract: ESD garments are used to protect sensitive devices from electrostatic discharges that can occur from the normal clothing of the human operators. Over the years, researchers implemented different structures of fabrics that can be used in ESD garments and studied their ESD properties using different methods. The current paper presents the possibility to use the information obtained from dielectric spectroscopy in order to evaluate the fabrics electrostatic charge decay time and investigates the presence of a correlation between the losses factor tan (δ) and the electrostatic charge decay time.

Abstract: Nanotechnology can be a powerful weapon in creating competitive advantages in the energy market, through the use of the photovoltaic nanopanels, which may reduce production costs and simultaneously permit to achieve the socio-environmental requirements. Moreover, today the adoption of nanotechnology in energy production can make this kind of energy very interesting along the years. Nanotechnology may, in fact, be responsible for unimaginable gains, both economically and for preserving the planet. The use of nanotechnology in the industry production processes is evidenced in this article. The example of the electric energy produced by photovoltaic panels is the vehicle to do so. The competitive advantage associated to the use of nanotechnology to solar energy production for companies in this market segment is highlighted. Finally, in addition to the already existent nanopanels, another opportunity to revolutionize the market, already in sight, is presented: the Nanogenerators that can convert the mechanical energy of body motion in electricity.