Worcester Polytechnic Institute

About: Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a education organization based out in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Data envelopment analysis. The organization has 6270 authors who have published 12704 publications receiving 332081 citations. The organization is also known as: WPI.

Online Viewing and Aesthetic Preferences of Generation Y and the Baby Boom Generation: Testing User Web Site Experience Through Eye Tracking

Abstract: The baby boom generation, born from 1946 to 1964, and Generation Y, born from 1977 to 1990, form two important groups of online users in terms of numbers and economic impact. Understanding their Web preferences is of great importance to companies, particularly because the literature suggests that these generations may differ in how they view Web pages and in what they find visually pleasing. To this end, a laboratory experiment examined users' reactions to a set of home pages. Users' reactions were captured using self-report measures and eye tracking, which recorded fixations. Overall, both generations reported similar aesthetic preferences, and both generations preferred pages that had images and little text. However, the two generations also displayed different online viewing behavior and preferences. For instance, eye-tracking data revealed that baby boomers had significantly more fixations and that their fixations covered more of the pages (e.g., headers, main body, sidebars) than those of Generation Yers. In addition, baby boomers reported a significantly higher tolerance for having more Web components on a page. These results suggest that Generation Yers will be more likely than baby boomers to miss key information if a Web page fails to present that information using a limited number of clear focal points that are located above the fold of the page. The relationship observed between viewing behavior and visual appeal supports the importance of aesthetics in usability research. Moreover, this research suggests that companies targeting either generation could benefit from being mindful of the visual appeal of their Web site.

Existence of solutions to a regularized model of dynamic fracture

Abstract: Existence and convergence results are proved for a regularized model of dynamic brittle fracture based on the Ambrosio–Tortorelli approximation We show that the sequence of solutions to the time-discrete elastodynamics, proposed by Bourdin, Larsen & Richardson as a semidiscrete numerical model for dynamic fracture, converges, as the time-step approaches zero, to a solution of the natural time-continuous elastodynamics model, and that this solution satisfies an energy balance We emphasize that these models do not specify crack paths a priori, but predict them, including such complicated behavior as kinking, crack branching, and so forth, in any spatial dimension

Evaluation of Rejuvenator's Effectiveness with Conventional Mix Testing for 100% Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Mixtures

Abstract: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2370, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2013, pp. 17–25. DOI: 10.3141/2370-03 M. Zaumanis and R. B. Mallick, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609. R. Frank, RAP Technologies, LLC, 217 Belhaven Avenue, Linwood, NJ 08221. Corresponding author: M. Zaumanis, jeckabs@gmail.com. thermal cracking failures than mixes with virgin binders. To restore the necessary properties of the aged asphalt, rejuvenating additives can be used. However, to successfully soften the oxidized binder and reach uniform dispersion within the asphalt to ensure required performance properties and longevity of the mixture, an appropriate dosage of a compatible rejuvenator has to be introduced. The application has to be carefully studied to improve the cracking performance without increasing the susceptibility to rutting and ensuring structural stability.

Benchmarking with quality-adjusted DEA (Q-DEA) to seek lower-cost high-quality service: Evidence from a U.S.bank application

Abstract: Benchmarking is a widely cited method to identify and adopt best-practices as a means to improve performance. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been demonstrated to be a powerful benchmarking methodology for situations where multiple inputs and outputs need to be assessed to identify best-practices and improve productivity in organizations. Most DEA benchmarking studies have excluded quality, even in service-sector applications such as health care where quality is a key element of performance. This limits the practical value of DEA in organizations where maintaining and improving service quality is critical to achieving performance objectives. In this paper, alternative methods incorporating quality in DEA benchmarking are demonstrated and evaluated. It is shown that simply treating the quality measures as DEA outputs does not help in discriminating the performance. Thus, the current study presents a new, more sensitive, quality-adjusted DEA (Q-DEA), which effectively deals with quality measures in benchmarking. We report the results of applying Q-DEA to a U.S. bank's 200-branch network that required a method for benchmarking to help manage operating costs and service quality. Q-DEA findings helped the bank achieve cost savings and improved operations while preserving service quality, a dimension critical to its mission. New insights about ways to improve branch operations based on the best-practice (high-quality low-cost) benchmarks identified with Q-DEA are also described in the paper. This demonstrates the practical need and potential benefits of Q-DEA and its efficacy in one application, and also suggests the need for further research on measuring and incorporating quality into DEA benchmarking.