Cranfield University

About: Cranfield University is a education organization based out in Cranfield, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Supply chain. The organization has 10025 authors who have published 21130 publications receiving 678277 citations.

Review article: A review of soft computing applications in supply chain management

Abstract: It is broadly recognised by global companies that supply chain management is one of the major core competencies for an organisation to compete in the marketplace. Organisational strategies are mainly concentrated on improvement of customer service levels as well as reduction of operational costs in order to maintain profit margins. Therefore supply chain performance has attracted researchers' attention. A variety of soft computing techniques including fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms have been employed to improve effectiveness and efficiency in various aspects of supply chain management. Meanwhile, an increasing number of papers have been published to address related issues. The aim of this paper is to summarise the findings by a systematic review of existing research papers concerning the application of soft computing techniques to supply chain management. Some areas in supply chain management that have rarely been exposed in existing papers, such as customer relationship management and reverse logistics, are therefore suggested for future research.

Delineation of Soil Management Zones for Variable-Rate Fertilization: A Review

Abstract: Different methods of management zone (MZ) delineation have been established over the past 2 decades based on approaches, which have been largely constrained by the available data collection methods that are often time consuming and expensive. This situation is being changed by recent advances in sensor technology, making a huge amount of data available. Advances in computing power make it possible to analyze and utilize this large amount of data. These current advances in technology are gradually turning MZ maps into commercially viable agricultural products for large-scale adoption. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical overview of MZ delineation approaches for precision agriculture applications, and to compare and contrast traditional with advanced sensing technologies for delineating MZs. This review illustrates how recent development in sensing technologies, geostatistical analysis, data fusion, and interpolation techniques have improved precision and reliability of MZ delineation, making it a viable strategy in commercial agriculture. Studies from the last decade showed that when MZ delineation techniques are used for variable-rate nutrient application, farm efficiency increased when this is compared to traditional uniform-rate application methods. This improved farm production efficiency is accompanied by a reduction in environmental impacts. Implementation of MZ therefore often provides financial and environmental benefits, and we can foresee an increase in the diffusion and application of precision agriculture techniques in the near future.

Cure modeling and monitoring of epoxy/amine resin systems. I. Cure kinetics modeling

Abstract: The cure kinetics of four epoxy/amine systems including commercial RTM6 and F934 resins have been investigated under both isothermal and dynamic curing conditions. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was the thermoanalytical technique used to determine the cure kinetics of these resin systems. The complexity of the cure reactions, illustrated by the results, was attributed to the variety of chemical reactions between the epoxy and the amine groups. Various cure kinetics models were implemented in order to achieve an accurate description and simulation of the cure profiles obtained from the DSC measurements in the chemically controlled region. These varied from simple nth order kinetic models to complicated combinations of nth order and autocatalytic kinetic schemes. The mathematical techniques used to evaluate the parameters of the kinetic models varied from simple linear regression to non-linear regression and peak analysis. The resulting fits were in a good agreement with the experimental results for all the resin systems and for all the experimental conditions used. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1419–1431, 2000

An analysis of the use and success of online recruitment methods in the UK

Abstract: The use of online recruitment methods is now widespread among UK organisations, but has not dominated the recruitment market in the way that was predicted by the popular media. This may be because organisations experience mixed success in using online methods of recruitment. This article reports on the use of a large-scale, longitudinal survey of recruitment activity to investigate the usage and perceived success of both corporate and commercial web sites by employers. In addition, 20 interviews with users and providers of online recruitment were conducted in order to provide a deeper exploration of the factors that may affect the success of these methods. The results provide valuable insights into the use and success of online recruitment in the UK and have strong implications for practitioners.

Advanced Power-Source Integration in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Multicriteria Optimization Approach

Abstract: System integration and power-flow control of on-board power sources are critical to the performance and cost competitiveness of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The existing methods mostly focus on fuel minimization in hybrid powertrains, while disregarding many other concerns. This article presents an innovative multicriteria optimization approach and showcases its validity and usefulness in a case study of a fuel-cell hybrid bus. Three key technical contributions are made. First, a convex multicriteria optimization framework is devised for quickly and efficiently evaluating the optimal tradeoffs between the fuel-cell durability and hydrogen economy in the bus, as well as the corresponding fuel-cell dimension. Second, the impact of driving pattern on both the optimal fuel-cell size and Pareto optimality is investigated by considering discrepant driving schedules. Finally, a preliminary but useful economic assessment in both current and future scenarios is performed to explore the most cost-effective tradeoff.