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This paper responds to the significant challenges to Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and clarifies its practical value as a theoretical framework. Through thorough theoretical analysis, this paper examines how IWRM can be applied to distinguish water resource management (WRM) as an observable domain with an open boundary and foster sustainable ecosystem management by emphasizing the functional differentiation of WRM. Compared to the examination made solely from the WRM perspective, an IWRM perspective can better develop the structural complexity of the WRM domain and help expose misunderstandings regarding integration issues. Most importantly, IWRM is not merely an explanatory theoretical framework but also a defensive one. It can facilitate structural coupling between WRM and other domains to reduce conflicts and enable concerted action. However, this role of IWRM has been overlooked for a long time.

This article is a reflection on communities participating in Global Health projects that use Mass Drug Administration (MDA). Due to its complexity, community participation is widely recommended to adapt MDA interventions to the local contexts. However, evaluation of MDA projects focusses more on coverage and reasons for non-adherence as mentioned by project participants, than on the social dynamics that affect participation. In this article, I present part of the implementation research of two MDA projects carried out in The Gambia, emphasising how social structures, values and dynamics affected adherence. Finally, I argue that it is more relevant to couple the project with these structures and dynamics, than focusing on “fixing” adherence problems with information and health education strategies.  &nbsp, Este artículo es una reflexión sobre la participación de las comunidades en dos proyectos de Salud Global que usaron Administración Masiva de Medicamentos (AMM). Dada su complejidad, se recomienda la participación comunitaria para adaptar las intervenciones que usan AMM a las condiciones locales. Sin embargo, los estudios que evalúan estas intervenciones se centran más en los problemas de cobertura y en los obstáculos que afectan la adherencia a los fármacos mencionados por los participantes, que en las dinámicas sociales que afectan la participación. En este artículo presento parte de la investigación de dos proyectos en Gambia, con un énfasis en cómo las estructuras, valores y dinámicas sociales afectaron la adherencia. Finalmente concluyo que es más relevante acoplar el proyecto a estas estructuras y dinámicas, que enfocarse en “reparar” los problemas con información y educación para la salud.

There are several ways of defining organizational identity and identity management. This article considers a less exploited one, namely, defining identity as a set of structural couplings that the organization has, and identity management as an activity aimed at maintaining these couplings. The concept of structural coupling comes from biological cybernetics, and it means that a system during its evolution becomes entangled with few other systems. The system at hand evolves together with these systems, adapts to them and causes them to adapt to it. The concept of structural coupling is applied in a study of an institution of higher education. To identify structural couplings, the authors use a so-called Fractal Enterprise Model that presents both internal structure of an organization and its business environment. The article analyzes to which elements of the environment an institution of higher education is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The article provides examples of how well maintaining identity works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in the department. The article concludes with suggesting a generic procedure for identifying structural couplings and defining a strategy of maintaining these couplings.

The concept of structural coupling, which comes from the biological cybernetics, has been found useful for organizational decision making on the higher level, such as management of organizational identity and strategy development. However, currently, there is no systematic procedure for finding all elements (other organizations, markets, etc.) of the environment to which a given organization is structurally coupled, or will be coupled after redesign. The paper tries to fill the gap by employing enterprise modeling to identify structural couplings. More specifically, an extended Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM) is used for this end. FEM connects enterprise processes with assets that are used in and are managed by these processes. The extended FEM adds concepts to represent external elements and their connections to the enterprise. The paper drafts rules for identifying structural couplings in the model by analyzing FEMs that represent different phases of the development of a company which the author co-founded and worked for over 20 years.

The article links two seemingly different fundamental theoretical concepts of autopoiesis and homeostasis and tries to apply them to the realm of socio-technical systems with the use of the Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM). Autopoiesis is the property of a system that constantly reproduces itself. Homeostasis describes a way a complex system constantly maintains its identity while adapting to changes in its internal and external environment. To be able to use FEM for this task, the original version of FEM has been extended by adding special elements for representing the system's context – part of the environment to which the system is structurally coupled. The approach taken in this article differs from other works in the same field in having the focus on the “body” (concrete elements being reproduced) of the socio-technical system, as well as on identifying concrete processes that reproduce the system, and demonstrating concrete ways of how a specific system adapts or can adapt to the perturbations in the environment (i.e. internal and external disturbances that affect the system).

If any individual is determined by its affects as they are catalyzed in the technicities it unfolds, then one can no longer speak of posthumanism or transhumanism but of transaffectivity. Among genetic, epigenetic, and epiphylogenetic elements, there unfolds a play of intensive material informational exchange that determines both the structural and operational affects of any entity. Hence, evolution returns to its original Latin meaning, namely from the term evolutio: to unfold. Contrary to the logic of the survival of the fittest, unfolding does not dictate in advance which forms come forth, but instead, it determines which of them are not viable. In other words, it is the condition that brings forward a new world, one that is viable through the very differentials that determine the condition, and not the other way around. In this paper I will examine how structurally coupled individuals unfold an intensive continuum where there is no natural selection prescribing any outcome, but a continuous natural drift. The affective potentials that produce and are produced in the technicities of the drifted unfolding do not need to be the best, but simply good enough. Put succinctly, evolution, or more precisely, individuation, is satisficing rather than optimizing. Love—human, machinic, everything in between—and not Darwinian struggle or opposition is what determines evolution: not an affective diminution but instead an affirmative, transaffective amplification, where any individual structurally coupled with another brings forth a world through an aberrant nuptial, not because it must but, Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Theory & Territories

Ein signifikanter Anstieg postfaktischer Kommunikation innerhalb der Politik nimmt seit einer Weile die Aufmerksamkeit wissenschaftlicher Beobachtung für sich in Anspruch. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht dieses Phänomen aus systemtheoretischer Perspektive vor dem Hintergrund der Prinzipien der operativen Geschlossenheit und strukturellen Kopplung Sozialer Systeme. In der Praxis sind politische Entscheidungen ständig an Wahrheiten des wissenschaftlichen Systems orientiert. Allerdings zeigt sich, dass es aus der funktional-strukturellen Perspektive der Systemtheorie nach Niklas Luhmann keinen ersichtlichen Grund dafür gibt, warum dies zwangsläufig so sein müsste. Vielmehr sind politische Entscheidungen meist deswegen an die Wahrheit gekoppelt, da sich dies als in hohem Maße funktional erweist. Die schlechtere Nutzbarkeit wissenschaftlicher Wahrheit für die Politik erklärt sich durch einen allgemeinen Anstieg der Komplexität des Wissenschaftssystems. Dies führt zu einer Einschränkung der Funktionalität der Wahrheit im politischen System im Hinblick auf die Legitimation kollektiv bindender Entscheidungen. Da dieses funktionelle Vakuum auf andere Weise geschlossen werden muss, eröffnete sich die Möglichkeit der Entstehung einer einflussreichen postfaktischen Politik.

If any individual is determined by its affects as they are catalyzed in the technicities it unfolds, then one can no longer speak of posthumanism or transhumanism but of transaffectivity. Among genetic, epigenetic, and epiphylogenetic elements, there unfolds a play of intensive material informational exchange that determines both the structural and operational affects of any entity. Hence, evolution returns to its original Latin meaning, namely from the term evolutio: to unfold. Contrary to the logic of the survival of the fittest, unfolding does not dictate in advance which forms come forth, but instead, it determines which of them are not viable. In other words, it is the condition that brings forward a new world, one that is viable through the very differentials that determine the condition, and not the other way around. In this paper I will examine how structurally coupled individuals unfold an intensive continuum where there is no natural selection prescribing any outcome, but a continuous natural drift. The affective potentials that produce and are produced in the technicities of the drifted unfolding do not need to be the best, but simply good enough. Put succinctly, evolution, or more precisely, individuation, is satisficing rather than optimizing. Love—human, machinic, everything in between—and not Darwinian struggle or opposition is what determines evolution: not an affective diminution but instead an affirmative, transaffective amplification, where any individual structurally coupled with another brings forth a world through an aberrant nuptial, not because it must but simply because it can., Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Theory, Territories & Transitions

Theory & Territories

El presente trabajo tiene por propósito entender cómo se produce el acoplamiento del Derecho y la Política por medio de las Constituciones, teniendo como marco la teoría de los sistemas sociales autopoiéticos aplicada al Derecho (TSAD). Partiendo de una observación sociológica, se constata que la validación del Derecho opera dentro de sí, permitiendo un reconocimiento de lo jurídico por medio de la lógica constitucional/inconstitucional. En tal sentido, las Constituciones producen ese filtro, es decir, que las Constituciones ?se constituyen? en acoplamientos estructurales del Derecho y la Política, por medio de los procesos comunicativos que tienen lugar entre sistemas funcionalmente diferenciados. Representan, para el mundo jurídico, la traducción de las comunicaciones existentes en el sistema social, y para el sistema político, una orientación y una demarcación de su poder y de su legitimidad. La investigación, apoyada principalmente en la obra de Niklas Luhmann, está dividida entre tres partes. En un primer momento se presenta el marco teórico escogido y el punto de observación de los fenómenos. En un segundo momento, se explica la idea de acoplamiento estructural a partir de la teoría de sistemas. Finalmente, se aborda la relación entre el sistema de la Política y el Derecho por medio de las cartas constitucionales., This paper aims to understand how the coupling between Law and Politics occurs through constitutions, using as a framework the theory of autopoietic social systems applied to the law. From a sociological point of view, it is found the legal system is self-validated, since it allows an acknowledgement of the law through constitutional / unconstitutional logic. Constitutions produce this filter, that is, they constitute structural links between law and politics, through the communicative processes that take place between functionally different systems. For the legal world, they represent the translation of existing communications to the social system, and for the political system, an orientation and a demarcation of its power and legitimacy. The research, mainly based on the work of Niklas Luhmann, is divided into three parts. First, the theoretical framework and the observation point of the phenomena are presented. Second, the idea of structural coupling is explained based on the theory of social systems. Finally, the relationship between the political and legal systems is addressed through constitutions.

El presente trabajo tiene por propósito entender cómo se produce el acoplamiento del Derecho y la Política por medio de las Constituciones, teniendo como marco la teoría de los sistemas sociales autopoiéticos aplicada al Derecho (TSAD). Partiendo de una observación sociológica, se constata que la validación del Derecho opera dentro de sí, permitiendo un reconocimiento de lo jurídico por medio de la lógica constitucional/inconstitucional. En tal sentido, las Constituciones producen ese filtro, es decir, que las Constituciones ?se constituyen? en acoplamientos estructurales del Derecho y la Política, por medio de los procesos comunicativos que tienen lugar entre sistemas funcionalmente diferenciados. Representan, para el mundo jurídico, la traducción de las comunicaciones existentes en el sistema social, y para el sistema político, una orientación y una demarcación de su poder y de su legitimidad. La investigación, apoyada principalmente en la obra de Niklas Luhmann, está dividida entre tres partes. En un primer momento se presenta el marco teórico escogido y el punto de observación de los fenómenos. En un segundo momento, se explica la idea de acoplamiento estructural a partir de la teoría de sistemas. Finalmente, se aborda la relación entre el sistema de la Política y el Derecho por medio de las cartas constitucionales., This paper aims to understand how the coupling between Law and Politics occurs through constitutions, using as a framework the theory of autopoietic social systems applied to the law. From a sociological point of view, it is found the legal system is self-validated, since it allows an acknowledgement of the law through constitutional / unconstitutional logic. Constitutions produce this filter, that is, they constitute structural links between law and politics, through the communicative processes that take place between functionally different systems. For the legal world, they represent the translation of existing communications to the social system, and for the political system, an orientation and a demarcation of its power and legitimacy. The research, mainly based on the work of Niklas Luhmann, is divided into three parts. First, the theoretical framework and the observation point of the phenomena are presented. Second, the idea of structural coupling is explained based on the theory of social systems. Finally, the relationship between the political and legal systems is addressed through constitutions.

Theory, Territories & Transitions

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

This paper presents an ongoing study on defining and maintaining organizational identity of an institution of higher education, such as a department or school. The theoretical background used in the study is the concept of structural coupling that comes from biological cybernetics. The study concerns the authors own department. The paper presents proposals of to which elements of the environment such an institution is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The paper provides examples of how maintaining identity works or not works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in their own department. It also shows that maintaining identity may requires changes in different components of the socio-technical system, e.g. methods, people, technology.

Diese Forschungsarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Operationalisierung der Systemtheorie Niklas Luhmanns in Bezug auf Stagnationen in Familienunternehmen unter dem Aspekt von Sinngrenze und Identität. Dabei werden Familienunternehmen als drei strukturell gekoppelte und interpentrierende soziale Systeme verstanden, die sich nicht überschneiden, jedoch in starkem Bezug zueinanderstehen. Anhand von drei untersuchten Familienunternehmen in einem Beobachtungszeitraum von 6 Jahren wurden neue Erkenntnisse auf theoretischer und empirischer Ebene erarbeitet., This research deals with the operationalization of Niklas Luhmanns systems theory in relation to stagnation in family businesses, with particular focus on sense boundaries and identity. Family businesses can be understood as three structurally coupled and interpenetrating social systems, with no intersections but a high reference to each other. For this research, three family businesses were analysed over a period of 6 years, leading to new theoretical and empirical findings., eingereicht von Mag. Christian Dahl, Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des Verfassers, Universität Innsbruck, Dissertation, 2017, OeBB, (VLID)2098837

This study investigates the performance of wind-excited linked building systems (LBSs) considering the structural coupling caused by horizontal links that connect two adjacent buildings. An analytical evaluation model of the LBS and wind force data acquired from wind tunnel tests were used to calculate the wind-induced response, to assess the performance. After determining the critical wind directions, the effects of link properties (e.g., mass, stiffness, and location) on the acceleration response of LBSs were comprehensively examined for these wind directions. Results show that the extra link mass tends to decrease the acceleration response, although it usually increases the displacement response. The translational acceleration responses of the LBS decrease with increasing link stiffness and location, whereas the torsional acceleration response of the LBS is usually larger than that in the associated unlinked case. As a result, in some cases the resultant acceleration of the LBS exceeds that of the associated unlinked case, although in many other cases the resultant acceleration is decreased in LBSs. Therefore, researchers and practicing engineers should exercise caution when designing LBSs to avoid unfavorable acceleration responses. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Die Möglichkeiten, der akademischen Lehre einen höheren Stellenwert einzuräumen, werden gegenwärtig viel diskutiert und bilden den Anlass zahlreicher Initiativen und Programme. Zumeist geraten hier die Lehrenden, ihre Motivlagen, Anreizstrukturen und Präferenzen in den Blick. Demgegenüber möchten wir in diesem Beitrag den Blick dezidiert auf die Organisation "Universität" richten. Unsere These ist, dass aus der Organisationsperspektive Fragen der Lehre im Rahmen von Zielkonflikten wahrgenommen und bewältigt werden. Zugleich unterliegen die Möglichkeiten der Steuerung der Lehre -und damit der Lehrenden- in Universitäten auf Freiwilligkeit setzende Formen der Steuerung präferiert werden., Die Hochschulleitungen übernehmen gegenwärtig verstärkt eine Verantwortung als handelnde und steuernde Akteure für die Gesamtorganisation und somit auch für die zentrale Lösung von Zielkonflikten. Es wird erwartet, dass sich dieses Spannungsverhältnis in den Einschätzungen der befragten Leitungsakteure ausdrückt: Sie übernehmen die Zuschreibung als handelnde und steuernde Akteure für die Gesamtorganisation, sehen aber aufgrund der weiterhin bestehenden losen Kopplung nur begrenzte direkte Einflussmöglichkeiten von der Ebene der Gesamtorganisation auf die einzelnen Teilsysteme der Organisation, insbesondere Fakultäten, sowie auf die dort tätigen Individuen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden zentrale Ergebnisse des organisationssoziologischen Teils eines interdisziplinären Forschungsprojektes vorgestellt. Im ersten Schritt werden die von den Hochschulleitungen wahrgenommenen Zielkonflikte dargestellt und es wird analysiert, welche Rolle die Lehre im Zielspektrum der Hochschulen einnimmt. Darauf aufbauend werden die wahrgenommenen Steuerungsmöglichkeiten benannt, da diese den Umgang mit Zielkonflikten in Universitätsorganisationen prägen. Schließlich werden vier organisationale Support-Einrichtungen im Bereich der Lehre behandelt (Hochschuldidaktik, Nachwuchsförderung), die neben den zuvor dargestellten Einrichtungen des Qualitätsmanagements ebenfalls eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Für die Analyse dieser Fragen wurden Fallstudien an neun ausgewählten Universitäten in Deutschland durchgeführt. (ICI2)

This study investigates the performance of wind-excited linked building systems (LBSs) considering the structural coupling caused by horizontal links that connect two adjacent buildings. An analytical evaluation model of the LBS and wind force data acquired from wind tunnel tests were used to calculate the wind-induced response, to assess the performance. After determining the critical wind directions, the effects of link properties (e.g., mass, stiffness, and location) on the acceleration response of LBSs were comprehensively examined for these wind directions. Results show that the extra link mass tends to decrease the acceleration response, although it usually increases the displacement response. The translational acceleration responses of the LBS decrease with increasing link stiffness and location, whereas the torsional acceleration response of the LBS is usually larger than that in the associated unlinked case. As a result, in some cases the resultant acceleration of the LBS exceeds that of the associated unlinked case, although in many other cases the resultant acceleration is decreased in LBSs. Therefore, researchers and practicing engineers should exercise caution when designing LBSs to avoid unfavorable acceleration responses. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

During the lifetime of object-Oriented (OO) software systems, new classes are added to increase functionality, also increasing the inter-dependencies between classes. Logical coupling depicts the change dependencies between classes, while structural coupling measures source code dependencies induced via the system architecture. The relationship or dependency between logical and structural coupling have been debated in the past, but no large study has confirmed yet their interplay. In this study, we have analysed 79 open-source software projects of different sizes to investigate the interplay between the two types of coupling. First, we quantified the overlapping or intersection of structural and logical class dependencies. Second, we statistically computed the correlation between the strengths of logical and structural dependencies. Third, we propose a simple technique to determine the stability of OO software systems, by clustering the pairs of classes as “stable” or “unstable”, based on their co-change pattern. The results from our statistical analysis show that although there is no strong evidence of a linear correlation between the strengths of the coupling types, there is substantial evidence to conclude that structurally coupled class pairs usually include logical dependencies. However, not all co-changed class pairs are also linked by structural dependencies. Finally, we identified that only a low proportion of structural coupling shows excessive instability in the studied OSS projects.

During the lifetime of object-Oriented (OO) software systems, new classes are added to increase functionality, also increasing the inter-dependencies between classes. Logical coupling depicts the change dependencies between classes, while structural coupling measures source code dependencies induced via the system architecture. The relationship or dependency between logical and structural coupling have been debated in the past, but no large study has confirmed yet their interplay. In this study, we have analysed 79 open-source software projects of different sizes to investigate the interplay between the two types of coupling. First, we quantified the overlapping or intersection of structural and logical class dependencies. Second, we statistically computed the correlation between the strengths of logical and structural dependencies. Third, we propose a simple technique to determine the stability of OO software systems, by clustering the pairs of classes as “stable” or “unstable”, based on their co-change pattern. The results from our statistical analysis show that although there is no strong evidence of a linear correlation between the strengths of the coupling types, there is substantial evidence to conclude that structurally coupled class pairs usually include logical dependencies. However, not all co-changed class pairs are also linked by structural dependencies. Finally, we identified that only a low proportion of structural coupling shows excessive instability in the studied OSS projects.

This study investigates the performance of wind-excited linked building systems (LBSs) considering the structural coupling caused by horizontal links that connect two adjacent buildings. An analytical evaluation model of the LBS and wind force data acquired from wind tunnel tests were used to calculate the wind-induced response, to assess the performance. After determining the critical wind directions, the effects of link properties (e.g., mass, stiffness, and location) on the acceleration response of LBSs were comprehensively examined for these wind directions. Results show that the extra link mass tends to decrease the acceleration response, although it usually increases the displacement response. The translational acceleration responses of the LBS decrease with increasing link stiffness and location, whereas the torsional acceleration response of the LBS is usually larger than that in the associated unlinked case. As a result, in some cases the resultant acceleration of the LBS exceeds that of the associated unlinked case, although in many other cases the resultant acceleration is decreased in LBSs. Therefore, researchers and practicing engineers should exercise caution when designing LBSs to avoid unfavorable acceleration responses. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

This study proposes a modal analysis for a simplified model of a linked building system, i.e., a system consisting of two adjacent tall buildings connected through links such as skybridges or skygardens. The simplified model was developed by modeling each building as a cantilever beam and allowing for the effects of varying link mass, axial stiffness, bending stiffness, and link location. The analytical solutions for the modal properties of the simplified model were then derived by solving the characteristic equations in the related boundary value problem. After validating the accuracy of the analytical solution by comparing it with the associated finite-element model (FEM), the effects of the link parameters on the modal properties, and the wind-induced responses of the system were examined by using these analytical solutions. Meaningful results were obtained and discussed. The analytical solution and results can be used for rapidly evaluating the modal properties of the linked building systems and for optimally designing the link during the preliminary design stage. © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.

This study proposes a modal analysis for a simplified model of a linked building system, i.e., a system consisting of two adjacent tall buildings connected through links such as skybridges or skygardens. The simplified model was developed by modeling each building as a cantilever beam and allowing for the effects of varying link mass, axial stiffness, bending stiffness, and link location. The analytical solutions for the modal properties of the simplified model were then derived by solving the characteristic equations in the related boundary value problem. After validating the accuracy of the analytical solution by comparing it with the associated finite-element model (FEM), the effects of the link parameters on the modal properties, and the wind-induced responses of the system were examined by using these analytical solutions. Meaningful results were obtained and discussed. The analytical solution and results can be used for rapidly evaluating the modal properties of the linked building systems and for optimally designing the link during the preliminary design stage. © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.

This study proposes a modal analysis for a simplified model of a linked building system, i.e., a system consisting of two adjacent tall buildings connected through links such as skybridges or skygardens. The simplified model was developed by modeling each building as a cantilever beam and allowing for the effects of varying link mass, axial stiffness, bending stiffness, and link location. The analytical solutions for the modal properties of the simplified model were then derived by solving the characteristic equations in the related boundary value problem. After validating the accuracy of the analytical solution by comparing it with the associated finite-element model (FEM), the effects of the link parameters on the modal properties, and the wind-induced responses of the system were examined by using these analytical solutions. Meaningful results were obtained and discussed. The analytical solution and results can be used for rapidly evaluating the modal properties of the linked building systems and for optimally designing the link during the preliminary design stage. © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.

A framework for understanding and interpreting IT usefulness and fitness attributes is presented. This framework is grounded on a relationship that exists between organisms and their landscape. The concept draws on the notion that sustainable relationship between two systems (such as IT and end-users) can be achieved through structural coupling results from mutual perpetuations. In this setting, while contextual usefulness is established in the end-users' environment, IT designers perpetuate fitness into the conceptual environment. Their relationship suggests that usefulness feeds essential input that enables to create a sustainable fitness attribute. Based on the empirical evidence, the paper demonstrates that end-users are better equipped with defining contextual usefulness of IT systems while IT designers' role to create fitness attribute enables a long-term use of IT artifacts., Also known as: Intel Ireland Research Conference

A framework for understanding and interpreting IT usefulness and fitness attributes is presented. This framework is grounded on a relationship that exists between organisms and their landscape. The concept draws on the notion that sustainable relationship between two systems (such as IT and end-users) can be achieved through structural coupling results from mutual perpetuations. In this setting, while contextual usefulness is established in the end-users' environment, IT designers perpetuate fitness into the conceptual environment. Their relationship suggests that usefulness feeds essential input that enables to create a sustainable fitness attribute. Based on the empirical evidence, the paper demonstrates that end-users are better equipped with defining contextual usefulness of IT systems while IT designers' role to create fitness attribute enables a long-term use of IT artifacts., Also known as: Intel Ireland Research Conference

A framework for understanding and interpreting IT usefulness and fitness attributes is presented. This framework is grounded on a relationship that exists between organisms and their landscape. The concept draws on the notion that sustainable relationship between two systems (such as IT and end-users) can be achieved through structural coupling results from mutual perpetuations. In this setting, while contextual usefulness is established in the end-users' environment, IT designers perpetuate fitness into the conceptual environment. Their relationship suggests that usefulness feeds essential input that enables to create a sustainable fitness attribute. Based on the empirical evidence, the paper demonstrates that end-users are better equipped with defining contextual usefulness of IT systems while IT designers' role to create fitness attribute enables a long-term use of IT artifacts., Also known as: Intel Ireland Research Conference

A framework for understanding and interpreting IT usefulness and fitness attributes is presented. This framework is grounded on a relationship that exists between organisms and their landscape. The concept draws on the notion that sustainable relationship between two systems (such as IT and end-users) can be achieved through structural coupling results from mutual perpetuations. In this setting, while contextual usefulness is established in the end-users' environment, IT designers perpetuate fitness into the conceptual environment. Their relationship suggests that usefulness feeds essential input that enables to create a sustainable fitness attribute. Based on the empirical evidence, the paper demonstrates that end-users are better equipped with defining contextual usefulness of IT systems while IT designers' role to create fitness attribute enables a long-term use of IT artifacts., Also known as: Intel Ireland Research Conference

A framework for understanding and interpreting IT usefulness and fitness attributes is presented. This framework is grounded on a relationship that exists between organisms and their landscape. The concept draws on the notion that sustainable relationship between two systems (such as IT and end-users) can be achieved through structural coupling results from mutual perpetuations. In this setting, while contextual usefulness is established in the end-users' environment, IT designers perpetuate fitness into the conceptual environment. Their relationship suggests that usefulness feeds essential input that enables to create a sustainable fitness attribute. Based on the empirical evidence, the paper demonstrates that end-users are better equipped with defining contextual usefulness of IT systems while IT designers' role to create fitness attribute enables a long-term use of IT artifacts., Also known as: Intel Ireland Research Conference

"Dieser Aufsatz stellt die Frage, wie eine durch Niklas Luhmanns Systemtheorie inspirierte Organisationsforschung epistemologisch und methodologisch gestaltet werden kann. Besprochen werden methodologisch zentrale Aspekte wie die strukturelle und semantische Analyse, die Beobachtung von Kontingenzen, die Erklärung von 'Trivialitäten', die funktionale Methode und die Erforschung von Koppelungsmechanismen. Aufbauend auf einigen schon verfügbaren Studien zeigen wir, dass die Systemtheorie ein sehr wirkungsvoller Rahmen für die Untersuchung moderner Organisationen ist, da sie eine ungewöhnliche Beobachtungsperspektive ermöglicht, die erlaubt, das infrage zu stellen, was häufig als nicht erklärungsbedürftig angesehen wird. Schließlich versuchen die Autoren zu zeigen, wie das Management von der systemtheoretischen Forschung von Organisationen profitieren kann." (Autorenreferat), "This paper focuses on how organizational research inspired by Niklas Luhmann's systems theory can be epistemologically framed and methodologically designed. Central methodological pillars such as structural and semantic analyses, observing contingencies, explaining trivialities, functional analysis and exploring coupling mechanisms are discussed. Drawing from several empirical studies, the authors demonstrate that systems theory is a highly efficacious framework for the study of modern organizations, as it permits an uncommon observational perspective that is able to question what is often taken for granted. Finally, they highlight how management can profit from systems theoretical research on organizations." (author's abstract)

In this paper a new anisotropic beam finite element for composite wind turbine blades is developed and implemented into the aeroelastic nonlinear multibody code, HAWC2, intended to be used to investigate if use of anisotropic material layups in wind turbine blades can be tailored for improved performance such as reduction of loads and/or increased power capture. The element stiffness and mass matrices are first derived based on pre-calculated anisotropic beam properties, and the beam element is subsequently put into a floating frame of reference to enable full rigid body displacement and rotation of the beam. This derivation provides the mass and stiffness properties and the fictitious forces needed for implementation into HAWC2. The implementation is subsequently validated by running three validation cases which all show good agreement with results obtained by other authors. Further, a parametric study is conducted in order to investigate if the given anisotropic effect of the composite blade, bend-twist coupling effect, is able to be examined by the developed beam element in a multibody system or not. Two different coupled examples of bend-twist coupling for the blade of a 5 MW fictitious wind turbine are considered. The two cases differ in the amount of bend-twist coupling introduced into the blade so that they produce 0.3 and 1 twist at the blade tip (toward feather), respectively, for a 1mflapwise tip deflection toward the tower. It is examined if the current structural model is able to capture the anisotropic effects in a multibody system. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dieser Aufsatz stellt die Frage, wie eine durch Niklas LUHMANNs Systemtheorie inspirierte Organisationsforschung epistemologisch und methodologisch gestaltet werden kann. Besprochen werden methodologisch zentrale Aspekte wie die strukturelle und semantische Analyse, die Beobachtung von Kontingenzen, die Erklärung von "Trivialitäten", die funktionale Methode und die Erforschung von Koppelungsmechanismen. Aufbauend auf einigen schon verfügbaren Studien zeigen wir, dass die Systemtheorie ein sehr wirkungsvoller Rahmen für die Untersuchung moderner Organisationen ist, da sie eine ungewöhnliche Beobachtungsperspektive ermöglicht, die erlaubt, das infrage zu stellen, was häufig als nicht erklärungsbedürftig angesehen wird. Schliesslich versuchen wir zu zeigen, wie das Management von der systemtheoretischen Forschung von Organisationen profitieren kann., This paper focuses on how organizational research inspired by Niklas LUHMANN's systems theory can be epistemologically framed and methodologically designed. Central methodological pillars such as structural and semantic analyses, observing contingencies, explaining trivialities, functional analysis and exploring coupling mechanisms are discussed. Drawing from several empirical studies, we demonstrate that systems theory is a highly efficacious framework for the study of modern organizations, as it permits an uncommon observational perspective that is able to question what is often taken for granted. Finally, we highlight how management can profit from systems theoretical research on organizations., Este trabajo se centra en cómo la investigación organizacional inspirada en la teoría de sistemas de Niklas LUHMANN puede enmarcarse epistemológicamente y diseñarse metodológicamente. Se discuten los principales pilares metodológicos, tales como: los análisis estructurales y semánticos, la observación de las contingencias, la explicación de trivialidades, el análisis funcional y el estudio de los mecanismos de acoplamiento. A partir de varios estudios empíricos, demostramos que la teoría de sistemas es un marco muy eficaz para el estudio de las organizaciones modernas, ya que permite una perspectiva de observación poco común que es capaz de cuestionar lo que se suele dar por sentado. Por último, destacamos cómo la gestión puede obtener beneficios de la investigación teórica de sistemas en las organizaciones.

A study on the dynamic structural coupling behaviours of a laminated composite beam with an embedded piezo-ceramic (PZT) layer is presented in this paper. The composite structure under investigation is a three-layer laminate with anti-symmetric configuration, which leads to an extension-twisting structural coupling. Due to this coupling effect, when an electric filed is applied to the PZT layer, the actuated in-plane deformation can result in torsional motion. During the course of this study, both experimental investigation and computational modeling were performed. The longitudinal and out-of-plane displacements of the laminate were measured by three optical sensors. An interesting phase shift among the applied voltage, the in-plane deformation, and the twisting angle was observed at the resonant frequency of the first torsional mode. Such behaviour was also confirmed by computational modeling. Further investigations by harmonic analysis were performed as well in the present study. The results from computational analysis revealed more features of structural dynamics of the concerned anti-symmetric laminate.

A study on the dynamic structural coupling behaviours of a laminated composite beam with an embedded piezo-ceramic (PZT) layer is presented in this paper. The composite structure under investigation is a three-layer laminate with anti-symmetric configuration, which leads to an extension-twisting structural coupling. Due to this coupling effect, when an electric filed is applied to the PZT layer, the actuated in-plane deformation can result in torsional motion. During the course of this study, both experimental investigation and computational modeling were performed. The longitudinal and out-of-plane displacements of the laminate were measured by three optical sensors. An interesting phase shift among the applied voltage, the in-plane deformation, and the twisting angle was observed at the resonant frequency of the first torsional mode. Such behaviour was also confirmed by computational modeling. Further investigations by harmonic analysis were performed as well in the present study. The results from computational analysis revealed more features of structural dynamics of the concerned anti-symmetric laminate.

A study on the dynamic structural coupling behaviours of a laminated composite beam with an embedded piezo-ceramic (PZT) layer is presented in this paper. The composite structure under investigation is a three-layer laminate with anti-symmetric configuration, which leads to an extension-twisting structural coupling. Due to this coupling effect, when an electric filed is applied to the PZT layer, the actuated in-plane deformation can result in torsional motion. During the course of this study, both experimental investigation and computational modeling were performed. The longitudinal and out-of-plane displacements of the laminate were measured by three optical sensors. An interesting phase shift among the applied voltage, the in-plane deformation, and the twisting angle was observed at the resonant frequency of the first torsional mode. Such behaviour was also confirmed by computational modeling. Further investigations by harmonic analysis were performed as well in the present study. The results from computational analysis revealed more features of structural dynamics of the concerned anti-symmetric laminate.

In die studie word die ontwikkelingspad van 'n Newtoniaanse benadering na 'n ekosistemiese benadering in die denke van die navorser en lewering van pleegsorgdienste deur die maatskaplike werker/navorser, beskryf. In die beskrywing is gefokus op drie beginsels elk van die Newtoniaanse - en die ekosistemiese benaderings. Die gekose beginsels is met 'n gevallestudie geillustreer. Aan die ha d van die beginsels van die ekosistemiese benadering word 'n konsepsuele raamwerk gebied waardeur die outonomie van mense en sisteme in stand gehou en gebruik kan word. Volgens tweede orde kubernetika, is die studie die konstruksie van die navorser. Pleegsorg is 'n komplekse alternatiewe versorgingsposisie vir 'n kind en die lewering van begeleidingsdienste stel besondere eise aan die professionele persone betrokke. Hierdie studie suggereer dat pleegsorgdienste wat aan die hand van die ekosistemiese benadering gelewer word, 'n konstruksie van gedeelde verantwoordelikheid tussen al die betrokke partye voorstel.