Teesside University

About: Teesside University is a education organization based out in Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2155 authors who have published 5540 publications receiving 118373 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Teesside.

Unsupervised Representation Learning of Image-Based Plant Disease with Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks

Abstract: Rapid identification of plant disease is essential for food security. Deep learning, the latest breakthrough in computer vision, is promising for plant disease severity classification, as the method avoids the labor-intensive feature engineering and threshold-based segmentation. Using a public dataset of 54,306 images of diseased and healthy plant leaves collected under controlled conditions, a deep convolutional neural network and unsupervised methods are used to identify 14 crop species and 26 diseases. The trained model achieves an accuracy of 89.83% on a held-out test set, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach.

Evaluating the Factor Structure of the Psychological Performance Inventory

Abstract: This study assesses the construct validity of a measure of mental toughness, Loehr's Psychological Performance Inventory. Performers (N = 408, 303 men, 105 women, M age = 24.0 yr., SD = 6.7) drawn from eight sports (artistic rollerskating, basketball, canoeing, golf, rugby league, rugby union, soccer, swimming), and competing at either international, national, county and provincial, or club and regional standards. They completed the 42-item Psychological Performance Inventory during training camps. Principal components analysis provided minimal support for the factor structure. Instead, the exploratory analysis yielded a 4-factor 14-item model (PPI-A). A single factor underlying mental toughness (G(MT)) was identified with higher-order exploratory factor analysis using the Schmid-Leiman procedure. Psychometric analysis of the model, using confirmatory analysis techniques, fitted the data well. Collectively satisfying absolute and incremental fit index benchmarks, the inventory possesses satisfactory psychometric properties, with adequate reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. The results lend preliminary support to the factorial validity and reliability of the model; however, further investigation of its stability is required before recommending practitioners use changes in scores as an index for evaluating effects of training in psychological skills.

Investigating the readiness of people in manufacturing SMEs to embark on Lean Six Sigma projects: An empirical study in the German manufacturing sector

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on three fundamental human-related behaviour factors associated with Lean Six Sigma (LSS) projects in German manufacturing small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the readiness of people (managers and their staff) to commence LSS projects. These are core personal competence, strategic vision of the people and the organisational culture of the specific organisation. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a thorough review of the academic literature a set of hypotheses were constructed to examine the level of association between people’s competence, vision and culture with LSS readiness within SMEs. This was done using correlation and regression analysis. Data collection were carried out in seven different German manufacturing SMEs involved in aerospace supply and agro-food manufacturing using a survey instrument. Findings – It was found that there is a strong positive association between the core competence of people and organisational culture with readi...

'Relationships Mean Everything'; a Typology of Small-Business Relationship Strategies in a Reflexive Context

Abstract: This paper reports on empirical research that investigates the meaning of relationships to owner-managers of small firms, and how differences in meaning are implicated in the strategy of the firms. In-depth interviews with owner-managers yielded 36 usable transcripts. These were coded using a grounded theory approach and the narrative was analysed for differences in meaning. Five categories of orientation to relationships were grounded in the narratives with each firm appearing to have a dominant orientation both with customers and suppliers. A number of apparently common themes in the discourse on relationships, for example, trust, talk, expectations and service, were shown to be interpreted differently, consistent with the types of relationship strategy. We adopted the term strategy because relationships were shown to have a long-term and influential effect, mediated reflexively, on the trajectory of the business. The analysis illustrates the significance of social constructionism and reflexivity as explanatory theories, and therefore the centrality of the meaning of relationships to the strategic management of the firm. Relationships are conceptualized as the mechanism that links the firm to its environment and causal to the impact that change in the environment has on the firm.