A possibilistic uncertainty model in classical reliability theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Cooman, G.; Capelle, B.

1994-01-01

The authors argue that a possibilistic uncertainty model can be used to represent linguistic uncertainty about the states of a system and of its components. Furthermore, the basic properties of the application of this model to classical reliability theory are studied. The notion of the possibilistic reliability of a system or a component is defined. Based on the concept of a binary structure function, the important notion of a possibilistic function is introduced. It allows to calculate the possibilistic reliability of a system in terms of the possibilistic reliabilities of its components

18 CFR 39.4 - Funding of the Electric Reliability Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTRIC RELIABILITY ORGANIZATION; AND PROCEDURES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT, APPROVAL, AND ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTRIC RELIABILITY STANDARDS § 39.4 Funding of the Electric Reliability Organization. (a) Any... Reliability Organization. 39.4 Section 39.4 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY...

Telecommunications system reliability engineering theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Ayers, Mark L

2012-01-01

"Increasing system complexity require new, more sophisticated tools for system modeling and metric calculation. Bringing the field up to date, this book provides telecommunications engineers with practical tools for analyzing, calculating, and reporting availability, reliability, and maintainability metrics. It gives the background in system reliability theory and covers in-depth applications in fiber optic networks, microwave networks, satellite networks, power systems, and facilities management. Computer programming tools for simulating the approaches presented, using the Matlab software suite, are also provided"

The Stability and Reliability of a Modified Work Components Study Questionnaire in the Educational Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Miskel, Cecil; Heller, Leonard E.

The investigation attempted to establish the factorial validity and reliability of an industrial selection device based on Herzberg's theory of work motivation related to the school organization. The questionnaire was reworded to reflect an educational work situation; and a random sample of 197 students, 118 administrators, and 432 teachers was…

Maintenance overtime policies in reliability theory models with random working cycles

CERN Document Server

Nakagawa, Toshio

2015-01-01

This book introduces a new concept of replacement in maintenance and reliability theory. Replacement overtime, where replacement occurs at the first completion of a working cycle over a planned time, is a new research topic in maintenance theory and also serves to provide a fresh optimization technique in reliability engineering. In comparing replacement overtime with standard and random replacement techniques theoretically and numerically, 'Maintenance Overtime Policies in Reliability Theory' highlights the key benefits to be gained by adopting this new approach and shows how they can be applied to inspection policies, parallel systems and cumulative damage models. Utilizing the latest research in replacement overtime by internationally recognized experts, readers are introduced to new topics and methods, and learn how to practically apply this knowledge to actual reliability models. This book will serve as an essential guide to a new subject of study for graduate students and researchers and also provides a...

On Industrial Application of Structural Reliability Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft-Christensen, Palle

For the last two decades we have seen an increasing interest in applying structural reliability theory to many different industries. However, the number of real applications is much smaller than what one would expect. At the beginning most applications were in the design/analyses area especially...

Reliability and optimization of structural systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thoft-Christensen, P.

1987-01-01

The proceedings contain 28 papers presented at the 1st working conference. The working conference was organized by the IFIP Working Group 7.5. The proceedings also include 4 papers which were submitted, but for various reasons not presented at the working conference. The working conference was attended by 50 participants from 18 countries. The conference was the first scientific meeting of the new IFIP Working Group 7.5 on 'Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems'. The purpose of the Working Group 7.5 is to promote modern structural system optimization and reliability theory, to advance international cooperation in the field of structural system optimization and reliability theory, to stimulate research, development and application of structural system optimization and reliability theory, to further the dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural system optimization and reliability theory, and to encourage education in structural system optimization and reliability theory. (orig./HP)

Conformal prediction for reliable machine learning theory, adaptations and applications

CERN Document Server

Balasubramanian, Vineeth; Vovk, Vladimir

2014-01-01

The conformal predictions framework is a recent development in machine learning that can associate a reliable measure of confidence with a prediction in any real-world pattern recognition application, including risk-sensitive applications such as medical diagnosis, face recognition, and financial risk prediction. Conformal Predictions for Reliable Machine Learning: Theory, Adaptations and Applications captures the basic theory of the framework, demonstrates how to apply it to real-world problems, and presents several adaptations, including active learning, change detection, and anomaly detecti

Research of radioecological processes by methods of the theory of reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutlakhmedov, Yu.A.; Salivon, A.G.; Pchelovskaya, S.A.; Rodina, V.V.; Bevza, A.G.; Matveeva, I.V.

2012-01-01

Theory and the models of radiocapacity ecosystems using the theory and models of reliability have allowed adequately to describe the laws of migration and radionuclides distribution for different types ecosystems of reservoirs and land. The theory and the models of radiocapacity allow strictly to define critical elements of ecosystem where it is necessary to expect temporary or final depoting of radionuclides.The approach on the basis of application biogenic tracers allows within the framework of the theory both models of radiocapacity and reliability simultaneously to estimate the processes of radionuclides migration, to define the dozes of loading on biota ecosystems, and to establish fundamental parameters of radionuclides redistribution speeds and others pollutants in different types of ecosystems.

Self-Organized Complexity and Coherent Infomax from the Viewpoint of Jaynes’s Probability Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William A. Phillips

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses concepts of self-organized complexity and the theory of Coherent Infomax in the light of Jaynes’s probability theory. Coherent Infomax, shows, in principle, how adaptively self-organized complexity can be preserved and improved by using probabilistic inference that is context-sensitive. It argues that neural systems do this by combining local reliability with flexible, holistic, context-sensitivity. Jaynes argued that the logic of probabilistic inference shows it to be based upon Bayesian and Maximum Entropy methods or special cases of them. He presented his probability theory as the logic of science; here it is considered as the logic of life. It is concluded that the theory of Coherent Infomax specifies a general objective for probabilistic inference, and that contextual interactions in neural systems perform functions required of the scientist within Jaynes’s theory.

Large Sample Confidence Intervals for Item Response Theory Reliability Coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, Björn; Xin, Tao

2018-01-01

In applications of item response theory (IRT), an estimate of the reliability of the ability estimates or sum scores is often reported. However, analytical expressions for the standard errors of the estimators of the reliability coefficients are not available in the literature and therefore the variability associated with the estimated reliability…

Suppression of panel flutter of near-space aircraft based on non-probabilistic reliability theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye-Wei Zhang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The vibration active control of the composite panels with the uncertain parameters in the hypersonic flow is studied using the non-probabilistic reliability theory. Using the piezoelectric patches as active control actuators, dynamic equations of panel are established by finite element method and Hamilton’s principle. And the control model of panel with uncertain parameters is obtained. According to the non-probabilistic reliability index, and besides being based on H∞ robust control theory and non-probabilistic reliability theory, the non-probabilistic reliability performance function is given. Moreover, the relationships between the robust controller and H∞ performance index and reliability are established. Numerical results show that the control method under the influence of reliability, H∞ performance index, and approaching velocity is effective to the vibration suppression of panel in the whole interval of uncertain parameters.

Mechanical system reliability analysis using a combination of graph theory and Boolean function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, J.

2001-01-01

A new method based on graph theory and Boolean function for assessing reliability of mechanical systems is proposed. The procedure for this approach consists of two parts. By using the graph theory, the formula for the reliability of a mechanical system that considers the interrelations of subsystems or components is generated. Use of the Boolean function to examine the failure interactions of two particular elements of the system, followed with demonstrations of how to incorporate such failure dependencies into the analysis of larger systems, a constructive algorithm for quantifying the genuine interconnections between the subsystems or components is provided. The combination of graph theory and Boolean function provides an effective way to evaluate the reliability of a large, complex mechanical system. A numerical example demonstrates that this method an effective approaches in system reliability analysis

The Oxford handbook of organization theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tsoukas, Haridimos; Knudsen, Christian Sebell

This text provides a forum for scholars in organization theory to engage in meta-theoretical reflection on the historical development, present state, and future prospects of organization theory as a scientific discipline. The central question explored is the epistemological status of organization...

Seeking high reliability in primary care: Leadership, tools, and organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Robert R

2015-01-01

Leaders in health care increasingly recognize that improving health care quality and safety requires developing an organizational culture that fosters high reliability and continuous process improvement. For various reasons, a reliability-seeking culture is lacking in most health care settings. Developing a reliability-seeking culture requires leaders' sustained commitment to reliability principles using key mechanisms to embed those principles widely in the organization. The aim of this study was to examine how key mechanisms used by a primary care practice (PCP) might foster a reliability-seeking, system-oriented organizational culture. A case study approach was used to investigate the PCP's reliability culture. The study examined four cultural artifacts used to embed reliability-seeking principles across the organization: leadership statements, decision support tools, and two organizational processes. To decipher their effects on reliability, the study relied on observations of work patterns and the tools' use, interactions during morning huddles and process improvement meetings, interviews with clinical and office staff, and a "collective mindfulness" questionnaire. The five reliability principles framed the data analysis. Leadership statements articulated principles that oriented the PCP toward a reliability-seeking culture of care. Reliability principles became embedded in the everyday discourse and actions through the use of "problem knowledge coupler" decision support tools and daily "huddles." Practitioners and staff were encouraged to report unexpected events or close calls that arose and which often initiated a formal "process change" used to adjust routines and prevent adverse events from recurring. Activities that foster reliable patient care became part of the taken-for-granted routine at the PCP. The analysis illustrates the role leadership, tools, and organizational processes play in developing and embedding a reliable-seeking culture across an

Putting "Organizations" into an Organization Theory Course: A Hybrid CAO Model for Teaching Organization Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Hannah, David R.; Venkatachary, Ranga

2010-01-01

In this article, the authors present a retrospective analysis of an instructor's multiyear redesign of a course on organization theory into what is called a hybrid Classroom-as-Organization model. It is suggested that this new course design served to apprentice students to function in quasi-real organizational structures. The authors further argue…

Theories are knowledge organizing systems (KOS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjørland, Birger

2015-01-01

The notion “theory” is a neglected concept in the field of information science and knowledge organization (KO) as well as generally in philosophy and in many other fields, although there are exceptions from this general neglect (e.g., the so-called “theory theory” in cognitive psychology......-laden. The concept of knowledge organization system (KOS) is briefly introduced and discussed. A theory is a fundamental form of KOS and theories are the point of departure of any KOS. It is generally understood in KO that concepts are the units of KOS, but the theory-dependence of concepts brings theories...

Are We Hoping For A Bounce A Study On Resilience And Human Relations In A High Reliability Organization

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

negatively impact the organization’s resilience when faced with workplace stressors (Gittell, 2008, p. 26). Consequently, this reduces an organization’s...2014). Organizational resilience and the challenge for human resource management: Conceptualizations and frameworks for theory and practice. Paper...A BOUNCE? A STUDY ON RESILIENCE AND HUMAN RELATIONS IN A HIGH RELIABILITY ORGANIZATION by Robert D. Johns March 2016 Thesis Advisor

Reliability of structures by using probability and fatigue theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ouk Sub; Kim, Dong Hyeok; Park, Yeon Chang

2008-01-01

Methodologies to calculate failure probability and to estimate the reliability of fatigue loaded structures are developed. The applicability of the methodologies is evaluated with the help of the fatigue crack growth models suggested by Paris and Walker. The probability theories such as the FORM (first order reliability method), the SORM (second order reliability method) and the MCS (Monte Carlo simulation) are utilized. It is found that the failure probability decreases with the increase of the design fatigue life and the applied minimum stress, the decrease of the initial edge crack size, the applied maximum stress and the slope of Paris equation. Furthermore, according to the sensitivity analysis of random variables, the slope of Pairs equation affects the failure probability dominantly among other random variables in the Paris and the Walker models

The concept of equilibrium in organization theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazendam, H.W.M.

1998-01-01

Many organization theories consist of an interpretation frame and an idea about the ideal equilibrium state. This article explains how the equilibrium concept is used in four organization theories: the theories of Fayol, Mintzberg, Morgan, and Volberda. Equilibrium can be defined as balance, fit or

The concept of equilibrium in organization theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazendam, Henk W.M.

1997-01-01

Many organization theories consist of an interpretation frame and an idea about the ideal equilibrium state. This article explains how the equilibrium concept is used in four organization theories: the theories of Fayol, Mintzberg, Morgan, and Volberda. Equilibrium can be defined as balance, fit or

Relativistic fluid theories - Self organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahajan, S.M.; Hazeltine, R.D.; Yoshida, Z.

2003-01-01

Developments in two distinct but related subjects are reviewed: 1) Formulation and investigation of closed fluid theories which transcend the limitations of standard magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), in particular, theories which are valid in the long mean free path limit and in which pressure anisotropy, heat flow, and arbitrarily strong sheared flows are treated consistently, and 2) Exploitation of the two-fluid theories to derive new plasma configurations in which the flow-field is a co-determinant of the overall dynamics; some of these states belong to the category of self-organized relaxed states. Physical processes which may provide a route to self-organization and complexity are also explored. (author)

76 FR 16263 - Revision to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-23

...; Order No. 743-A] Revision to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System AGENCY... certain provisions of the Final Rule. Order No. 743 directed the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to revise the definition of the term ``bulk electric system'' through the ERO's Reliability Standards...

75 FR 72909 - Revision to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-26

... Bulk-Power System. See Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability Organization; and... Bulk-Power System in North America because it protects the reliability of the bulk electric system and... Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System; Final Rule #0;#0;Federal Register...

Structural reliability analysis under evidence theory using the active learning kriging model

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xufeng; Liu, Yongshou; Ma, Panke

2017-11-01

Structural reliability analysis under evidence theory is investigated. It is rigorously proved that a surrogate model providing only correct sign prediction of the performance function can meet the accuracy requirement of evidence-theory-based reliability analysis. Accordingly, a method based on the active learning kriging model which only correctly predicts the sign of the performance function is proposed. Interval Monte Carlo simulation and a modified optimization method based on Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions are introduced to make the method more efficient in estimating the bounds of failure probability based on the kriging model. Four examples are investigated to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.

75 FR 80391 - Electric Reliability Organization Interpretations of Interconnection Reliability Operations and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-22

... transmission (G&T) cooperative or similar organization to accept compliance responsibility on behalf of its... be found on the Commission's Web site; see, e.g., the ``Quick Reference Guide for Paper Submissions... Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,204, order on reh'g, Order No. 672...

Theory and state-of-the-art technology of software reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzudo, Tomoaki; Watanabe, Norio

1999-11-01

Since FY 1997 , the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has been conducting a project , Study on Reliability of Digital I and C Systems. As part of the project , the methodologies and tools to improve software reliability were reviewed in order to examine the theory and the state-of-the-art technology in this field. It is surmised, as results from the review, that computerized software design and implementation tool (CASE tool), algebraic analysis to ensure the consistency between software requirement framework and its detailed design specification, and efficient test method using the internal information of the software (white-box test) at the validation phase just before the completion of the development will play a key role to enhance software reliability in the future. (author)

Concept theory and semiotics in knowledge organization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friedman, Alon; Thellefsen, Martin

2011-01-01

Purpose - The paper explores the basics of semiotic analysis and concept theory that represents two dominant approaches to knowledge representation, and explores how these approaches are fruitful for knowledge organization. Design/methodology/approach - In particular the semiotic theory formulated....../value - This paper is the first paper that combines theories of knowledge representation, semiotic and concept theory, within the context of knowledge organization....... by the American philosopher C.S. Peirce and the concept theory formulated by Ingetraut Dahlberg is investigated. The objective of this paper is to compare the differences and similarities between these two theories of knowledge representation. Findings - The semiotic model is a general and unrestricted model...

Frontiers of reliability

CERN Document Server

Basu, Asit P; Basu, Sujit K

1998-01-01

This volume presents recent results in reliability theory by leading experts in the world. It will prove valuable for researchers, and users of reliability theory. It consists of refereed invited papers on a broad spectrum of topics in reliability. The subjects covered include Bayesian reliability, Bayesian reliability modeling, confounding in a series system, DF tests, Edgeworth approximation to reliability, estimation under random censoring, fault tree reduction for reliability, inference about changes in hazard rates, information theory and reliability, mixture experiment, mixture of Weibul

THEORY OF CONCEPTUAL APPARATUS MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE BASIS OF REGISTRATION AND ANALYTICAL COMPLEX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kobiljon Barview

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the theory of management accounting unit of the agricultural organizations on the basis of accounting and analytical complex. With the development of modern economic relations of agricultural activity as a traditional sector of the economy, it is exposed to an active state regulation, which is manifested in a particular system of information and analytical support for accounting and control of enterprises in this industry. Agricultural organizations in the conditions of market economy is largely dependent on reliable information and analytical data.

Leadership in organizations with high security and reliability requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, F.

2013-01-01

Developing leadership skills in organizations is the key to ensure the sustainability of excellent results in industries with high requirements safety and reliability. In order to have a model of leadership development specific to this type of organizations, Tecnatom in 2011, we initiated a project internal, to find and adapt a competency model to these requirements.

Using Generalizability Theory to Assess the Score Reliability of Communication Skills of Dentistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Uzun, N. Bilge; Aktas, Mehtap; Asiret, Semih; Yormaz, Seha

2018-01-01

The goal of this study is to determine the reliability of the performance points of dentistry students regarding communication skills and to examine the scoring reliability by generalizability theory in balanced random and fixed facet (mixed design) data, considering also the interactions of student, rater and duty. The study group of the research…

18 CFR 39.10 - Changes to an Electric Reliability Organization Rule or Regional Entity Rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... RULES CONCERNING CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTRIC RELIABILITY ORGANIZATION; AND PROCEDURES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT, APPROVAL, AND ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTRIC RELIABILITY STANDARDS § 39.10 Changes to an Electric... Reliability Organization Rule or Regional Entity Rule. 39.10 Section 39.10 Conservation of Power and Water...

Markets and organizations: individualism and economic theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, M.

2010-01-01

Economic theory depicts markets and organizations as opposite allocation mechanisms. Market allocation is based on mobility and organization on instruction. The paper argues that markets and organizations are complements in economies that grow through innovation. Diversity of organizations lies at

Modeling Sensor Reliability in Fault Diagnosis Based on Evidence Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaijuan Yuan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sensor data fusion plays an important role in fault diagnosis. Dempster–Shafer (D-R evidence theory is widely used in fault diagnosis, since it is efficient to combine evidence from different sensors. However, under the situation where the evidence highly conflicts, it may obtain a counterintuitive result. To address the issue, a new method is proposed in this paper. Not only the statistic sensor reliability, but also the dynamic sensor reliability are taken into consideration. The evidence distance function and the belief entropy are combined to obtain the dynamic reliability of each sensor report. A weighted averaging method is adopted to modify the conflict evidence by assigning different weights to evidence according to sensor reliability. The proposed method has better performance in conflict management and fault diagnosis due to the fact that the information volume of each sensor report is taken into consideration. An application in fault diagnosis based on sensor fusion is illustrated to show the efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of fault diagnosis from 81.19% to 89.48% compared to the existing methods.

Organic unity theory: an integrative mind-body theory for psychiatry.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, A

1997-12-01

The potential of psychiatry as an integrative science has been impeded by an internal schism that derives from the duality of mental and physical. Organic unity theory is proposed as a conceptual framework that brings together the terms of the mind-body duality in one coherent perspective. Organic unity theory is braided of three strands: identity, which describes the relationship between mentally described events and corresponding physically described events; continuity, which describes the linguistic-conceptual system that contains both mental and physical terms; and dialectic, which describes the relationship between the empirical way of knowing that is associated with the physical domain of the linguistic-conceptual system and the hermeneutic way of knowing that is associated with the mental domain. Each strand represents an integrative formulation that resolves an aspect of mental-physical dualism into an underlying unity. After the theory is presented, its implications for psychiatry are briefly considered.

Educational Management Organizations as High Reliability Organizations: A Study of Victory's Philadelphia High School Reform Work

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, David E.

2013-01-01

This executive position paper proposes recommendations for designing reform models between public and private sectors dedicated to improving school reform work in low performing urban high schools. It reviews scholarly research about for-profit educational management organizations, high reliability organizations, American high school reform, and…

Measuring reliability under epistemic uncertainty: Review on non-probabilistic reliability metrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kang Rui

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a systematic review of non-probabilistic reliability metrics is conducted to assist the selection of appropriate reliability metrics to model the influence of epistemic uncertainty. Five frequently used non-probabilistic reliability metrics are critically reviewed, i.e., evidence-theory-based reliability metrics, interval-analysis-based reliability metrics, fuzzy-interval-analysis-based reliability metrics, possibility-theory-based reliability metrics (posbist reliability and uncertainty-theory-based reliability metrics (belief reliability. It is pointed out that a qualified reliability metric that is able to consider the effect of epistemic uncertainty needs to (1 compensate the conservatism in the estimations of the component-level reliability metrics caused by epistemic uncertainty, and (2 satisfy the duality axiom, otherwise it might lead to paradoxical and confusing results in engineering applications. The five commonly used non-probabilistic reliability metrics are compared in terms of these two properties, and the comparison can serve as a basis for the selection of the appropriate reliability metrics.

Henry's Constants of Persistent Organic Pollutants by a Group-Contribution Method Based on Scaled-Particle Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Razdan, Neil K; Koshy, David M; Prausnitz, John M

2017-11-07

A group-contribution method based on scaled-particle theory was developed to predict Henry's constants for six families of persistent organic pollutants: polychlorinated benzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated naphthalenes, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The group-contribution model uses limited experimental data to obtain group-interaction parameters for an easy-to-use method to predict Henry's constants for systems where reliable experimental data are scarce. By using group-interaction parameters obtained from data reduction, scaled-particle theory gives the partial molar Gibbs energy of dissolution, Δg̅ 2 , allowing calculation of Henry's constant, H 2 , for more than 700 organic pollutants. The average deviation between predicted values of log H 2 and experiment is 4%. Application of an approximate van't Hoff equation gives the temperature dependence of Henry's constants for polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalenes, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the environmentally relevant range 0-40 °C.

Basic research on human reliability in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Li; Deng Zhiliang

1996-10-01

Human reliability in nuclear power plants is one of key factors in nuclear safety and economic operation. According to cognitive science, behaviour theory and ergonomic and on the bases of human cognitive behaviour characteristics, performance shaping factors, human error mechanisms and organization management, the project systematically studied the human reliability in nuclear power plant systems, established the basic theory and methods for analyzing human factor accidents and suggested feasible approaches and countermeasures for precaution against human factor accidents and improving human reliability. The achievement has been applied in operation departments, management departments and scientific research institutions of nuclear power, and has produced guiding significance and practical value to design, operation and management in nuclear power plants. (11 refs.)

78 FR 29209 - Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System and Rules of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-17

... Commission 18 CFR Part 40 Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System... local distribution'' as set forth in the Federal Power Act (FPA). \\1\\ Revisions to Electric Reliability... Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System, Order No. 743, 133 FERC ] 61,150, at P 16 (2010...

Handbook of Game Theory and Industrial Organization, Volume I: Theory. An Introduction

OpenAIRE

Corchon, Luis; Marini, Marco A.

2017-01-01

We introduce here the first volume of Handbook of Game Theory and Industrial Organization: Theory, by L. C. Corchón and M. A. Marini (eds.), Edward Elgar, Cheltenam, UK and Northampton, MA, by describing its main aim and its basic structure.

Generalizability Theory Reliability of Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement in Universal Screening

Science.gov (United States)

Keller-Margulis, Milena A.; Mercer, Sterett H.; Thomas, Erin L.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of written expression curriculum-based measurement (WE-CBM) in the context of universal screening from a generalizability theory framework. Students in second through fifth grade (n = 145) participated in the study. The sample included 54% female students, 49% White students, 23% African…

Influencing organizations to promote health: applying stakeholder theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Gerjo; Gurabardhi, Zamira; Gottlieb, Nell H; Zijlstra, Fred R H

2015-04-01

Stakeholder theory may help health promoters to make changes at the organizational and policy level to promote health. A stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that can influence an organization. The organization that is the focus for influence attempts is called the focal organization. The more salient a stakeholder is and the more central in the network, the stronger the influence. As stakeholders, health promoters may use communicative, compromise, deinstitutionalization, or coercive methods through an ally or a coalition. A hypothetical case study, involving adolescent use of harmful legal products, illustrates the process of applying stakeholder theory to strategic decision making. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Learning Organizations in High Reliability Industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwalbe, D.; Wächter, C.

2016-01-01

Full text: Humans make mistakes. Sometimes we learn from them. In a high reliability organization we have to learn before an error leads to an incident (or even accident). Therefore the “human factor” is most important as most of the time the human is the last line of defense. The “human factor” is more than communication or leadership skills. At the end, it is the personal attitude. This attitude has to be safety minded. And this attitude has to be self-reflected continuously. Moreover, feedback from others is urgently needed to improve one’s personal skills daily and learn from our own experience as well as from others. (author

Relevance of control theory to design and maintenance problems in time-variant reliability: The case of stochastic viability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rougé, Charles; Mathias, Jean-Denis; Deffuant, Guillaume

2014-01-01

The goal of this paper is twofold: (1) to show that time-variant reliability and a branch of control theory called stochastic viability address similar problems with different points of view, and (2) to demonstrate the relevance of concepts and methods from stochastic viability in reliability problems. On the one hand, reliability aims at evaluating the probability of failure of a system subjected to uncertainty and stochasticity. On the other hand, viability aims at maintaining a controlled dynamical system within a survival set. When the dynamical system is stochastic, this work shows that a viability problem belongs to a specific class of design and maintenance problems in time-variant reliability. Dynamic programming, which is used for solving Markovian stochastic viability problems, then yields the set of design states for which there exists a maintenance strategy which guarantees reliability with a confidence level β for a given period of time T. Besides, it leads to a straightforward computation of the date of the first outcrossing, informing on when the system is most likely to fail. We illustrate this approach with a simple example of population dynamics, including a case where load increases with time. - Highlights: • Time-variant reliability tools cannot devise complex maintenance strategies. • Stochastic viability is a control theory that computes a probability of failure. • Some design and maintenance problems are stochastic viability problems. • Used in viability, dynamic programming can find reliable maintenance actions. • Confronting reliability and control theories such as viability is promising

Decision theory, the context for risk and reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, S.

1985-01-01

According to this model of the decision process then, the optimum decision is that option having the largest expected utility. This is the fundamental model of a decision situation. It is necessary to remark that in order for the model to represent a real-life decision situation, it must include all the options present in that situation, including, for example, the option of not deciding--which is itself a decision, although usually not the optimum one. Similarly, it should include the option of delaying the decision while the authors gather further information. Both of these options have probabilities, outcomes, impacts, and utilities like any option and should be included explicitly in the decision diagram. The reason for doing a quantitative risk or reliability analysis is always that, somewhere underlying there is a decision to be made. The decision analysis therefore always forms the context for the risk or reliability analysis, and this context shapes the form and language of that analysis. Therefore, they give in this section a brief review of the well-known decision theory diagram

reliability reliability

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

Corresponding author, Tel: +234-703. RELIABILITY .... V , , given by the code of practice. However, checks must .... an optimization procedure over the failure domain F corresponding .... of Concrete Members based on Utility Theory,. Technical ...

Reliability engineering theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Birolini, Alessandro

2010-01-01

Presenting a solid overview of reliability engineering, this volume enables readers to build and evaluate the reliability of various components, equipment and systems. Current applications are presented, and the text itself is based on the author's 30 years of experience in the field.

Assessing Academic Advising Outcomes Using Social Cognitive Theory: A Validity and Reliability Study

Science.gov (United States)

Erlich, Richard J.; Russ-Eft, Darlene F.

2012-01-01

The validity and reliability of three instruments, the "Counselor Rubric for Gauging Student Understanding of Academic Planning," micro-analytic questions, and the "Student Survey for Understanding Academic Planning," all based on social cognitive theory, were tested as means to assess self-efficacy and self-regulated learning in college academic…

Application of SAW method for multiple-criteria comparative analysis of the reliability of heat supply organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Akhmetova, I. G.; Chichirova, N. D.

2016-12-01

Heat supply is the most energy-consuming sector of the economy. Approximately 30% of all used primary fuel-and-energy resources is spent on municipal heat-supply needs. One of the key indicators of activity of heat-supply organizations is the reliability of an energy facility. The reliability index of a heat supply organization is of interest to potential investors for assessing risks when investing in projects. The reliability indices established by the federal legislation are actually reduced to a single numerical factor, which depends on the number of heat-supply outages in connection with disturbances in operation of heat networks and the volume of their resource recovery in the calculation year. This factor is rather subjective and may change in a wide range during several years. A technique is proposed for evaluating the reliability of heat-supply organizations with the use of the simple additive weighting (SAW) method. The technique for integrated-index determination satisfies the following conditions: the reliability level of the evaluated heat-supply system is represented maximum fully and objectively; the information used for the reliability-index evaluation is easily available (is located on the Internet in accordance with demands of data-disclosure standards). For reliability estimation of heat-supply organizations, the following indicators were selected: the wear of equipment of thermal energy sources, the wear of heat networks, the number of outages of supply of thermal energy (heat carrier due to technological disturbances on heat networks per 1 km of heat networks), the number of outages of supply of thermal energy (heat carrier due to technologic disturbances on thermal energy sources per 1 Gcal/h of installed power), the share of expenditures in the cost of thermal energy aimed at recovery of the resource (renewal of fixed assets), coefficient of renewal of fixed assets, and a coefficient of fixed asset retirement. A versatile program is developed

Using G-Theory to Enhance Evidence of Reliability and Validity for Common Uses of the Paulhus Deception Scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Vispoel, Walter P; Morris, Carrie A; Kilinc, Murat

2018-01-01

We applied a new approach to Generalizability theory (G-theory) involving parallel splits and repeated measures to evaluate common uses of the Paulhus Deception Scales based on polytomous and four types of dichotomous scoring. G-theory indices of reliability and validity accounting for specific-factor, transient, and random-response measurement error supported use of polytomous over dichotomous scores as contamination checks; as control, explanatory, and outcome variables; as aspects of construct validation; and as indexes of environmental effects on socially desirable responding. Polytomous scoring also provided results for flagging faking as dependable as those when using dichotomous scoring methods. These findings argue strongly against the nearly exclusive use of dichotomous scoring for the Paulhus Deception Scales in practice and underscore the value of G-theory in demonstrating this. We provide guidelines for applying our G-theory techniques to other objectively scored clinical assessments, for using G-theory to estimate how changes to a measure might improve reliability, and for obtaining software to conduct G-theory analyses free of charge.

Reliability measures in item response theory: manifest versus latent correlation functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Milanzi, Elasma; Molenberghs, Geert; Alonso, Ariel; Verbeke, Geert; De Boeck, Paul

2015-02-01

For item response theory (IRT) models, which belong to the class of generalized linear or non-linear mixed models, reliability at the scale of observed scores (i.e., manifest correlation) is more difficult to calculate than latent correlation based reliability, but usually of greater scientific interest. This is not least because it cannot be calculated explicitly when the logit link is used in conjunction with normal random effects. As such, approximations such as Fisher's information coefficient, Cronbach's α, or the latent correlation are calculated, allegedly because it is easy to do so. Cronbach's α has well-known and serious drawbacks, Fisher's information is not meaningful under certain circumstances, and there is an important but often overlooked difference between latent and manifest correlations. Here, manifest correlation refers to correlation between observed scores, while latent correlation refers to correlation between scores at the latent (e.g., logit or probit) scale. Thus, using one in place of the other can lead to erroneous conclusions. Taylor series based reliability measures, which are based on manifest correlation functions, are derived and a careful comparison of reliability measures based on latent correlations, Fisher's information, and exact reliability is carried out. The latent correlations are virtually always considerably higher than their manifest counterparts, Fisher's information measure shows no coherent behaviour (it is even negative in some cases), while the newly introduced Taylor series based approximations reflect the exact reliability very closely. Comparisons among the various types of correlations, for various IRT models, are made using algebraic expressions, Monte Carlo simulations, and data analysis. Given the light computational burden and the performance of Taylor series based reliability measures, their use is recommended. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Influencing Organizations to Promote Health: Applying Stakeholder Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Gerjo; Gurabardhi, Zamira; Gottlieb, Nell H.; Zijlstra, Fred R. H.

2015-01-01

Stakeholder theory may help health promoters to make changes at the organizational and policy level to promote health. A stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that can influence an organization. The organization that is the focus for influence attempts is called the focal organization. The more salient a stakeholder is and the more…

Management systems for high reliability organizations. Integration and effectiveness; Managementsysteme fuer Hochzuverlaessigkeitsorganisationen. Integration und Wirksamkeit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayer, Michael

2015-03-09

The scope of the thesis is the development of a method for improvement of efficient integrated management systems for high reliability organizations (HRO). A comprehensive analysis of severe accident prevention is performed. Severe accident management, mitigation measures and business continuity management are not included. High reliability organizations are complex and potentially dynamic organization forms that can be inherently dangerous like nuclear power plants, offshore platforms, chemical facilities, large ships or large aircrafts. A recursive generic management system model (RGM) was development based on the following factors: systemic and cybernetic Asepcts; integration of different management fields, high decision quality, integration of efficient methods of safety and risk analysis, integration of human reliability aspects, effectiveness evaluation and improvement.

An analysis of the concept of equilibrium in organization theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazendam, H.W.M.; Simons, John L.

1998-01-01

This article analyzes how the equilibrium concept is used in four organization theories: the theories of Fayol, Mintzberg, Morgan, and Volberda. Equilibrium can be defined as balance, fit or requisite variety. Equilibrium is related to observables dependent on the definition of organization as work

Measuring theory of mind across middle childhood: Reliability and validity of the Silent Films and Strange Stories tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Devine, Rory T; Hughes, Claire

2016-09-01

Recent years have seen a growth of research on the development of children's ability to reason about others' mental states (or "theory of mind") beyond the narrow confines of the preschool period. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a task battery composed of items from Happé's Strange Stories task and Devine and Hughes' Silent Film task. A sample of 460 ethnically and socially diverse children (211 boys) between 7 and 13years of age completed the task battery at two time points separated by 1month. The Strange Stories and Silent Film tasks were strongly correlated even when verbal ability and narrative comprehension were taken into account, and all items loaded onto a single theory-of-mind latent factor. The theory-of-mind latent factor provided reliable estimates of performance across a wide range of theory-of-mind ability and showed no evidence of differential item functioning across gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The theory-of-mind latent factor also exhibited strong 1-month test-retest reliability, and this stability did not vary as a function of child characteristics. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the Strange Stories and Silent Film task battery as a measure of individual differences in theory of mind suitable for use across middle childhood. We consider the methodological and conceptual implications of these findings for research on theory of mind beyond the preschool years. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An examination of reliability critical items in liquid metal reactors: An analysis by the Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphrys, B.L.; Haire, M.J.; Koger, K.H.; Manneschmidt, J.F.; Setoguchi, K.; Nakai, R.; Okubo, Y.

1987-01-01

The Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) is the largest repository of liquid metal reactor (LMR) component reliability data in the world. It is jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) of Japan. The CREDO data base contains information on a population of more than 21,000 components and approximately 1300 event records. A conservative estimation is that the total component operating hours is approaching 3.5 billion hours. Because data gathering for CREDO concentrates on event (failure) information, the work reported here focuses on the reliability information contained in CREDO and the development of reliability critical items lists. That is, components are ranked in prioritized lists from worst to best performers from a reliability standpoint. For the data contained in the CREDO data base, FFTF and JOYO show reliability growth; EBR-II reveals a slight unreliability growth for those components tracked by CREDO. However, tabulations of events which cause reactor shutdowns decrease with time at each site

The "New Institutionalism" in Organization Theory: Bringing Society and Culture Back in

Science.gov (United States)

Senge, Konstanze

2013-01-01

This investigation will discuss the emergence of an economistical perspective among the dominant approaches of organization theory in the United States since the inception of "organization studies" as an academic discipline. It maintains that Contingency theory, Resource Dependency theory, Population Ecology theory, and Transaction Cost theory…

Theory of photoelectron spectroscopy for organic molecules and their crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujikawa, Takashi; Niki, Kaori; Sakuma, Hiroto

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Some specific features in photoemission theory from organic solids are reviewed. • Extrinsic and intrinsic effects are discussed. • Photoemission from extended levels is compared with that from core levels. • First principle many-body theories are discussed on the basis of nonequilibrium Green's functions. - Abstract: In this short review we discuss recent progress in photoemission theory for organic molecules and their crystals. We discuss some important features in Keldysh Green's function theory for the photoemission. We briefly discuss many-body aspects in photoemission from core and extended levels. In particular phonon effects are investigated in more detail since organic solids are typically soft where electron–phonon interaction is important. Debye–Waller factor suppresses the interference effects of photoelectron waves which makes ARPES analyses useless, particularly in high energy region.

ERP Reliability Analysis (ERA) Toolbox: An open-source toolbox for analyzing the reliability of event-related brain potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Clayson, Peter E; Miller, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Generalizability theory (G theory) provides a flexible, multifaceted approach to estimating score reliability. G theory's approach to estimating score reliability has important advantages over classical test theory that are relevant for research using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). For example, G theory does not require parallel forms (i.e., equal means, variances, and covariances), can handle unbalanced designs, and provides a single reliability estimate for designs with multiple sources of error. This monograph provides a detailed description of the conceptual framework of G theory using examples relevant to ERP researchers, presents the algorithms needed to estimate ERP score reliability, and provides a detailed walkthrough of newly-developed software, the ERP Reliability Analysis (ERA) Toolbox, that calculates score reliability using G theory. The ERA Toolbox is open-source, Matlab software that uses G theory to estimate the contribution of the number of trials retained for averaging, group, and/or event types on ERP score reliability. The toolbox facilitates the rigorous evaluation of psychometric properties of ERP scores recommended elsewhere in this special issue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theory of photoelectron spectroscopy for organic molecules and their crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujikawa, Takashi, E-mail: tfujikawa@faculty.chiba-u.jp; Niki, Kaori; Sakuma, Hiroto

2015-10-01

Highlights: • Some specific features in photoemission theory from organic solids are reviewed. • Extrinsic and intrinsic effects are discussed. • Photoemission from extended levels is compared with that from core levels. • First principle many-body theories are discussed on the basis of nonequilibrium Green's functions. - Abstract: In this short review we discuss recent progress in photoemission theory for organic molecules and their crystals. We discuss some important features in Keldysh Green's function theory for the photoemission. We briefly discuss many-body aspects in photoemission from core and extended levels. In particular phonon effects are investigated in more detail since organic solids are typically soft where electron–phonon interaction is important. Debye–Waller factor suppresses the interference effects of photoelectron waves which makes ARPES analyses useless, particularly in high energy region.

Design theory methods and organization for innovation

CERN Document Server

Le Masson, Pascal; Hatchuel, Armand

2017-01-01

This textbook presents the core of recent advances in design theory and its implications for design methods and design organization. Providing a unified perspective on different design methods and approaches, from the most classic (systematic design) to the most advanced (C-K theory), it offers a unique and integrated presentation of traditional and contemporary theories in the field. Examining the principles of each theory, this guide utilizes numerous real life industrial applications, with clear links to engineering design, industrial design, management, economics, psychology and creativity. Containing a section of exams with detailed answers, it is useful for courses in design theory, engineering design and advanced innovation management. "Students and professors, practitioners and researchers in diverse disciplines, interested in design, will find in this book a rich and vital source for studying fundamental design methods and tools as well as the most advanced design theories that work in practice". Pro...

Adjoint sensitivity analysis of dynamic reliability models based on Markov chains - I: Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cacuci, D. G.; Cacuci, D. G.; Ionescu-Bujor, M.

2008-01-01

The development of the adjoint sensitivity analysis procedure (ASAP) for generic dynamic reliability models based on Markov chains is presented, together with applications of this procedure to the analysis of several systems of increasing complexity. The general theory is presented in Part I of this work and is accompanied by a paradigm application to the dynamic reliability analysis of a simple binary component, namely a pump functioning on an 'up/down' cycle until it fails irreparably. This paradigm example admits a closed form analytical solution, which permits a clear illustration of the main characteristics of the ASAP for Markov chains. In particular, it is shown that the ASAP for Markov chains presents outstanding computational advantages over other procedures currently in use for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the dynamic reliability of large-scale systems. This conclusion is further underscored by the large-scale applications presented in Part II. (authors)

Adjoint sensitivity analysis of dynamic reliability models based on Markov chains - I: Theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cacuci, D. G. [Commiss Energy Atom, Direct Energy Nucl, Saclay, (France); Cacuci, D. G. [Univ Karlsruhe, Inst Nucl Technol and Reactor Safety, D-76021 Karlsruhe, (Germany); Ionescu-Bujor, M. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Fus Program, D-76021 Karlsruhe, (Germany)

2008-07-01

The development of the adjoint sensitivity analysis procedure (ASAP) for generic dynamic reliability models based on Markov chains is presented, together with applications of this procedure to the analysis of several systems of increasing complexity. The general theory is presented in Part I of this work and is accompanied by a paradigm application to the dynamic reliability analysis of a simple binary component, namely a pump functioning on an 'up/down' cycle until it fails irreparably. This paradigm example admits a closed form analytical solution, which permits a clear illustration of the main characteristics of the ASAP for Markov chains. In particular, it is shown that the ASAP for Markov chains presents outstanding computational advantages over other procedures currently in use for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the dynamic reliability of large-scale systems. This conclusion is further underscored by the large-scale applications presented in Part II. (authors)

Reliability and validity of advanced theory-of-mind measures in middle childhood and adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward, Elizabeth O; Homer, Bruce D

2017-09-01

Although theory-of-mind (ToM) development is well documented for early childhood, there is increasing research investigating changes in ToM reasoning in middle childhood and adolescence. However, the psychometric properties of most advanced ToM measures for use with older children and adolescents have not been firmly established. We report on the reliability and validity of widely used, conventional measures of advanced ToM with this age group. Notable issues with both reliability and validity of several of the measures were evident in the findings. With regard to construct validity, results do not reveal a clear empirical commonality between tasks, and, after accounting for comprehension, developmental trends were evident in only one of the tasks investigated. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Second-order false belief tasks have acceptable internal consistency. The Eyes Test has poor internal consistency. Validity of advanced theory-of-mind tasks is often based on the ability to distinguish clinical from typical groups. What does this study add? This study examines internal consistency across six widely used advanced theory-of-mind tasks. It investigates validity of tasks based on comprehension of items by typically developing individuals. It further assesses construct validity, or commonality between tasks. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

[Reliability theory based on quality risk network analysis for Chinese medicine injection].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zheng; Kang, Li-Yuan; Fan, Xiao-Hui

2014-08-01

A new risk analysis method based upon reliability theory was introduced in this paper for the quality risk management of Chinese medicine injection manufacturing plants. The risk events including both cause and effect ones were derived in the framework as nodes with a Bayesian network analysis approach. It thus transforms the risk analysis results from failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) into a Bayesian network platform. With its structure and parameters determined, the network can be used to evaluate the system reliability quantitatively with probabilistic analytical appraoches. Using network analysis tools such as GeNie and AgenaRisk, we are able to find the nodes that are most critical to influence the system reliability. The importance of each node to the system can be quantitatively evaluated by calculating the effect of the node on the overall risk, and minimization plan can be determined accordingly to reduce their influences and improve the system reliability. Using the Shengmai injection manufacturing plant of SZYY Ltd as a user case, we analyzed the quality risk with both static FMEA analysis and dynamic Bayesian Network analysis. The potential risk factors for the quality of Shengmai injection manufacturing were identified with the network analysis platform. Quality assurance actions were further defined to reduce the risk and improve the product quality.

77 FR 39858 - Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System and Rules of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-05

... bulk electric system reliability through steady state power flow, and contain a transient stability... Commission 18 CFR Part 40 Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System... definition of ``bulk electric system'' developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC...

Thought analysis on self-organization theories of MHD plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondoh, Yoshiomi; Sato, Tetsuya.

1992-08-01

A thought analysis on the self-organization theories of dissipative MHD plasma is presented to lead to three groups of theories that lead to the same relaxed state of ∇ x B = λB, in order to find an essential physical picture embedded in the self-organization phenomena due to nonlinear and dissipative processes. The self-organized relaxed state due to the dissipation by the Ohm loss is shown to be formulated generally as the state such that yields the minimum dissipation rate of global auto-and/or cross-correlations between two quantities in j, B, and A for their own instantaneous values of the global correlations. (author)

76 FR 23171 - Electric Reliability Organization Interpretations of Interconnection Reliability Operations and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-26

... Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, Order No. 693, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,242, order on reh'g...-Power System reliability may request an interpretation of a Reliability Standard.\\7\\ The ERO's standards... information in its reliability assessments. The Reliability Coordinator must monitor Bulk Electric System...

Cross Cultural Perspectives of the Learning Organization: Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the DLOQ in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ji Hoon; Kim, Jin Yong; Chermack, Thomas J.; Yang; Baiyin

2008-01-01

The primary purpose of this research was to adapt the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) from Watkins and Marsick (1993, 1996) and examine its validity and reliability in a Korean context. Results indicate that the DLOQ produces valid and reliable scores of learning organization characteristics in a Korean cultural context.…

Exploitation examination of reliability of coal dust systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dojchinovski, Ilija; Trajkovski, Kole

1997-01-01

Designers and operators wish is, long, failure free operation at designed parameters of every system. Always we know the system start up time, but we don't know how long this system will operate successfully. Because of that in this article is given a method how, step by step, to determine the reliability of the system. Reliability parameters are obtained from experimental and operational data. When reliability parameters are determined then it is very easy to compare reliability of similar systems, for example excavators, or different systems, such as truck and rubber band transport system. Practical use of the theory of reliability is by purchasing of the systems when manufacturers have to have and present reliability parameters and on this way we can decide which system satisfies our needs regarding the quality-price-reliability. Reliability can be practically used in system operation where: 1) system reliability is maintained with proper start, use and shutdown of the system; 2) a system reliability is maintained with good maintenance organization; 3) a system reliability is maintained with innovations and improvements with final purpose removing of the imperfections experienced through the operation. Reliability is very important parameter in power generation plants. (Author)

General fluid theories, variational principles and self-organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahajan, S.M.

2002-01-01

This paper reports two distinct but related advances: (1) The development and application of fluid theories that transcend conventional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), in particular, theories that are valid in the long-mean-free-path limit and in which pressure anisotropy, heat flow, and arbitrarily strong sheared flows are treated consistently. (2) The discovery of new pressure-confining plasma configurations that are self-organized relaxed states. (author)

Organization Theory: Bright Prospects for a Permanently Failing Field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.P.M.A.R. Heugens (Pursey)

2008-01-01

textabstractOrganization theory is a paradoxical field of scientific inquiry. It has struggled for more than fifty years to develop a unified theory of organizational effectiveness under girded by a coherent set of assumptions, and it has thus far failed to produce one. Yet, by other standards it is

An application of possibilistic reliability theory to a subsystem of a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capelle, B.; Kerre, E.

1994-01-01

Since the late seventies, multi-state structure functions have been introduced to overcome the shortcomings of the classical and binary approach of the structural aspects of systems and their components. The uncertainty about the state of a system and its components classically is described by probability theory and possibility theory. The spread and success of these models, however, highly depends upon the development of computer tools that allow the reliability engineer to apply these new methods rather easily. In this paper, the CARA tool, which is able to represent and study the multi-state aspects of systems and their components when only incomplete information is available, is presented

Validity and Reliability of Published Comprehensive Theory of Mind Tests for Normal Preschool Children: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyyede Zohreh Ziatabar Ahmadi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: Theory of mind (ToM or mindreading is an aspect of social cognition that evaluates mental states and beliefs of oneself and others. Validity and reliability are very important criteria when evaluating standard tests; and without them, these tests are not usable. The aim of this study was to systematically review the validity and reliability of published English comprehensive ToM tests developed for normal preschool children.Method: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed interface, Web of Science, Science direct, PsycINFO, and also evidence base Medicine (The Cochrane Library databases from 1990 to June 2015. Search strategy was Latin transcription of ‘Theory of Mind’ AND test AND children. Also, we manually studied the reference lists of all final searched articles and carried out a search of their references. Inclusion criteria were as follows: Valid and reliable diagnostic ToM tests published from 1990 to June 2015 for normal preschool children; and exclusion criteria were as follows: the studies that only used ToM tests and single tasks (false belief tasks for ToM assessment and/or had no description about structure, validity or reliability of their tests. Methodological quality of the selected articles was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP.Result: In primary searching, we found 1237 articles in total databases. After removing duplicates and applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected 11 tests for this systematic review. Conclusion: There were a few valid, reliable and comprehensive ToM tests for normal preschool children. However, we had limitations concerning the included articles. The defined ToM tests were different in populations, tasks, mode of presentations, scoring, mode of responses, times and other variables. Also, they had various validities and reliabilities. Therefore, it is recommended that the researchers and clinicians select the ToM tests according to their psychometric

Reliability Correction for Functional Connectivity: Theory and Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Sophia; Wang, Danhong; Fox, Michael D.; Pan, Ruiqi; Lu, Jie; Li, Kuncheng; Sun, Wei; Buckner, Randy L.; Liu, Hesheng

2016-01-01

Network properties can be estimated using functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI). However, regional variation of the fMRI signal causes systematic biases in network estimates including correlation attenuation in regions of low measurement reliability. Here we computed the spatial distribution of fcMRI reliability using longitudinal fcMRI datasets and demonstrated how pre-estimated reliability maps can correct for correlation attenuation. As a test case of reliability-based attenuation correction we estimated properties of the default network, where reliability was significantly lower than average in the medial temporal lobe and higher in the posterior medial cortex, heterogeneity that impacts estimation of the network. Accounting for this bias using attenuation correction revealed that the medial temporal lobe’s contribution to the default network is typically underestimated. To render this approach useful to a greater number of datasets, we demonstrate that test-retest reliability maps derived from repeated runs within a single scanning session can be used as a surrogate for multi-session reliability mapping. Using data segments with different scan lengths between 1 and 30 min, we found that test-retest reliability of connectivity estimates increases with scan length while the spatial distribution of reliability is relatively stable even at short scan lengths. Finally, analyses of tertiary data revealed that reliability distribution is influenced by age, neuropsychiatric status and scanner type, suggesting that reliability correction may be especially important when studying between-group differences. Collectively, these results illustrate that reliability-based attenuation correction is an easily implemented strategy that mitigates certain features of fMRI signal nonuniformity. PMID:26493163

77 FR 59745 - Delegation of Authority Regarding Electric Reliability Organization's Budget, Delegation...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-01

...; Order No. 766] Delegation of Authority Regarding Electric Reliability Organization's Budget, Delegation... rule. SUMMARY: The Commission is issuing this Final Rule to revise its delegations of authority to... delegation agreements, and ERO policies and procedures. DATES: This rule is effective October 1, 2012. FOR...

Validity and reliability analysis of the planned behavior theory scale related to the testicular self-examination in a Turkish context.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyigun, Emine; Tastan, Sevinc; Ayhan, Hatice; Kose, Gulsah; Acikel, Cengizhan

2016-06-01

This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability levels of the Planned Behavior Theory Scale as related to a testicular self-examination. The study was carried out in a health-profession higher-education school in Ankara, Turkey, from April to June 2012. The study participants comprised 215 male students. Study data were collected by using a questionnaire, a planned behavior theory scale related to testicular self-examination, and Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS). The sub-dimensions of the planned behavior theory scale, namely those of intention, attitude, subjective norms and self-efficacy, were found to have Cronbach's alpha values of between 0.81 and 0.89. Exploratory factor analysis showed that items of the scale had five factors that accounted for 75% of the variance. Of these, the sub-dimension of intention was found to have the highest level of contribution. A significant correlation was found between the sub-dimensions of the testicular self-examination planned behavior theory scale and those of CHBMS (p Planned Behavior Theory Scale is a valid and reliable measurement for Turkish society.

Molecular Electron Density Theory: A Modern View of Reactivity in Organic Chemistry

OpenAIRE

Luis R. Domingo

2016-01-01

A new theory for the study of the reactivity in Organic Chemistry, named Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT), is proposed herein. MEDT is based on the idea that while the electron density distribution at the ground state is responsible for physical and chemical molecular properties, as proposed by the Density Functional Theory (DFT), the capability for changes in electron density is responsible for molecular reactivity. Within MEDT, the reactivity in Organic Chemistry is studied through ...

Teaching organization theory for healthcare management: three applied learning methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Olden, Peter C

2006-01-01

Organization theory (OT) provides a way of seeing, describing, analyzing, understanding, and improving organizations based on patterns of organizational design and behavior (Daft 2004). It gives managers models, principles, and methods with which to diagnose and fix organization structure, design, and process problems. Health care organizations (HCOs) face serious problems such as fatal medical errors, harmful treatment delays, misuse of scarce nurses, costly inefficiency, and service failures. Some of health care managers' most critical work involves designing and structuring their organizations so their missions, visions, and goals can be achieved-and in some cases so their organizations can survive. Thus, it is imperative that graduate healthcare management programs develop effective approaches for teaching OT to students who will manage HCOs. Guided by principles of education, three applied teaching/learning activities/assignments were created to teach OT in a graduate healthcare management program. These educationalmethods develop students' competency with OT applied to HCOs. The teaching techniques in this article may be useful to faculty teaching graduate courses in organization theory and related subjects such as leadership, quality, and operation management.

Compliance and High Reliability in a Complex Healthcare Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Maxine dellaBadia

2018-01-01

When considering the impact of regulation on healthcare, visualize a spider's web. The spider weaves sections together to create the whole, with each fiber adding to the structure to support its success or lead to its failure. Each section is dependent on the others, and all must be aligned to maintain the structure. Outside forces can cause a shift in the web's fragile equilibrium.The interdependence of the sections of the spider's web is similar to the way hospital departments and services work together. An organization's structure must be shaped to support its mission and vision. At the same time, the business of healthcare requires the development and achievement of operational objectives and financial performance goals. Establishing a culture that is flexible enough to permit creativity, provide resiliency, and manage complexity as the organization grows is fundamental to success. An organization must address each of these factors while maintaining stability, carrying out its mission, and fostering improvement.Nature's order maintains the spider's web. Likewise, regulation can strengthen healthcare organizations by initiating disruptive changes that can support efforts to achieve and sustain high reliability in the delivery of care. To that end, leadership must be willing to provide the necessary vision and resources.

How Settings Change People: Applying Behavior Setting Theory to Consumer-Run Organizations

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Louis D.; Shepherd, Matthew D.; Wituk, Scott A.; Meissen, Greg

2007-01-01

Self-help initiatives stand as a classic context for organizational studies in community psychology. Behavior setting theory stands as a classic conception of organizations and the environment. This study explores both, applying behavior setting theory to consumer-run organizations (CROs). Analysis of multiple data sets from all CROs in Kansas…

Elements of automata theory and the theory of Markov chains. [Self-organizing control systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lind, M

1975-03-01

Selected topics from automata theory and the theory of Markov chains are treated. In particular, finite-memory automata are discussed in detail, and the results are used to formulate an automation model of a class of continuous systems. Stochastic automata are introduced as a natural generalization of the deterministic automaton. Markov chains are shown to be closely related to stochastic automata. Results from Markov chain theory are thereby directly applicable to analysis of stochastic automata. This report provides the theoretical foundation for the investigation in Riso Report No. 315 of a class of self-organizing control systems. (25 figures) (auth)

Changing Assumptions and Progressive Change in Theories of Strategic Organization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foss, Nicolai J.; Hallberg, Niklas L.

2017-01-01

are often decoupled from the results of empirical testing, changes in assumptions seem closely intertwined with theoretical progress. Using the case of the resource-based view, we suggest that progressive change in theories of strategic organization may come about as a result of scholarly debate and dispute......A commonly held view is that strategic organization theories progress as a result of a Popperian process of bold conjectures and systematic refutations. However, our field also witnesses vibrant debates or disputes about the specific assumptions that our theories rely on, and although these debates...... over what constitutes proper assumptions—even in the absence of corroborating or falsifying empirical evidence. We also discuss how changing assumptions may drive future progress in the resource-based view....

Content-oriented Approach to Organization of Theories and Its Utilization

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Yusuke; Bourdeau, Jacqueline; Mizoguch, Riichiro

In spite of the fact that the relation between theory and practice is a foundation of scientific and technological development, the trend of increasing the gap between theory and practice accelerates in these years. The gap embraces a risk of distrust of science and technology. Ontological engineering as the content-oriented research is expected to contribute to the resolution of the gap. This paper presents the feasibility of organization of theoretical knowledge on ontological engineering and new-generation intelligent systems based on it through an application of ontological engineering in the area of learning/instruction support. This area also has the problem of the gap between theory and practice, and its resolution is strongly required. So far we proposed OMNIBUS ontology, which is a comprehensive ontology that covers different learning/instructional theories and paradigms, and SMARTIES, which is a theory-aware and standard-compliant authoring system for making learning/instructional scenarios based on OMNIBUS ontology. We believe the theory-awareness and standard-compliance bridge the gap between theory and practice because it links theories to practical use of standard technologies and enables practitioners to easily enjoy theoretical support while using standard technologies in practice. The following goals are set in order to achieve it; computers (1) understand a variety of learning/instructional theories based on the organization of them, (2) utilize the understanding for helping authors' learning/instructional scenario making and (3) make such theoretically sound scenarios interoperable within the framework of standard technologies. This paper suggests an ontological engineering solution to the achievement of these three goals. Although the evaluation is far from complete in terms of practical use, we believe that the results of this study address high-level technical challenges from the viewpoint of the current state of the art in the research area

General Systems Theory Approaches to Organizations: Some Problems in Application

Science.gov (United States)

Peery, Newman S., Jr.

1975-01-01

Considers the limitations of General Systems Theory (GST) as a major paradigm within administrative theory and concludes that most systems formulations overemphasize growth and show little appreciation for intraorganizational conflict, diversity of values, and political action within organizations. Suggests that these limitations are mainly due to…

Patient safety in anesthesia: learning from the culture of high-reliability organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Suzanne M

2015-03-01

There has been an increased awareness of and interest in patient safety and improved outcomes, as well as a growing body of evidence substantiating medical error as a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. According to The Joint Commission, US hospitals demonstrate improvements in health care quality and patient safety. Although this progress is encouraging, much room for improvement remains. High-reliability organizations, industries that deliver reliable performances in the face of complex working environments, can serve as models of safety for our health care system until plausible explanations for patient harm are better understood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Advance Organizers Facilitate Learning? A Review of Subsumption Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

McEneany, John E.

1990-01-01

A review of four studies conducted by Ausubel raises serious doubts about the efficacy of advance organizers under a variety of circumstances. In addition, this review questions the adequacy of definitions for two central notions of subsumption theory (discriminability and advance organizer). (IAH)

Advances in ranking and selection, multiple comparisons, and reliability methodology and applications

CERN Document Server

Balakrishnan, N; Nagaraja, HN

2007-01-01

S. Panchapakesan has made significant contributions to ranking and selection and has published in many other areas of statistics, including order statistics, reliability theory, stochastic inequalities, and inference. Written in his honor, the twenty invited articles in this volume reflect recent advances in these areas and form a tribute to Panchapakesan's influence and impact on these areas. Thematically organized, the chapters cover a broad range of topics from: Inference; Ranking and Selection; Multiple Comparisons and Tests; Agreement Assessment; Reliability; and Biostatistics. Featuring

Derivations and comparisons of three groups of self-organization theories for magnetohydrodynamic plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondoh, Yoshiomi; Sato, Tetsuya.

1994-01-01

A theoretical investigation on self-organization theories of dissipative MHD plasmas is presented to derive three groups of theories that lead to the same relaxed state of ∇xB=λB, in order to find more essential physical picture embedded in self-organization phenomena due to nonlinear and dissipative processes. Comparisons among all of the theories treated and derived here suggest that a theory standing upon spectrum spreadings and selective dissipations of eigenmodes for the dissipative operator-∇xηj and leading to self-organized relaxed states of ∇xηj=αB/2 with the minimum dissipation rate is the most agreeable to various results obtained by experiments and by 3-D MHD simulations reported so far. (author)

Distribution system reliability evaluation using credibility theory | Xu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, a hybrid algorithm based on fuzzy simulation and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is applied to determine fuzzy reliability indices of distribution system. This approach can obtain fuzzy expected values and their variances of reliability indices, and the credibilities of reliability indices meeting specified ...

Introduction to theory of control in organizations

CERN Document Server

Burkov, Vladimir N; Korgin, Nikolay

2015-01-01

IntroductionControl and Mechanisms in OrganizationsControl Problems in Organizational SystemsModels of Decision MakingBasics of Game TheoryClassification of Control Problems in Organizational SystemsExamples of Control MechanismsPlanning MechanismsTaxation and Pricing MechanismsMultichannel MechanismsIncentive Mechanisms for Cost ReductionIncentive MechanismsIncentive ProblemBasic Incentive MechanismsIncentive Mechanisms in Multi-Agent Systems

Molecular Electron Density Theory: A Modern View of Reactivity in Organic Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingo, Luis R

2016-09-30

A new theory for the study of the reactivity in Organic Chemistry, named Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT), is proposed herein. MEDT is based on the idea that while the electron density distribution at the ground state is responsible for physical and chemical molecular properties, as proposed by the Density Functional Theory (DFT), the capability for changes in electron density is responsible for molecular reactivity. Within MEDT, the reactivity in Organic Chemistry is studied through a rigorous quantum chemical analysis of the changes of the electron density as well as the energies associated with these changes along the reaction path in order to understand experimental outcomes. Studies performed using MEDT allow establishing a modern rationalisation and to gain insight into molecular mechanisms and reactivity in Organic Chemistry.

Applying strategic management theories in public sector organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper Rosenberg; Ewan, Ferlie

2016-01-01

This article discusses the utility of two different strategic management theories in different types of public organizations including contemporary New Public Management-based public organizations, namely Porter's strategic positioning model and the resource-based view of strategy. We argue...... conditions: the degree of administrative autonomy, performance-based budgeting and market-like competition. We give empirical examples drawn from public servives in the UK and Denmark. We call for more exploration of these (and other) strategic management approaches within contemporary public services...

78 FR 38851 - Electric Reliability Organization Proposal To Retire Requirements in Reliability Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-28

... either: Provide little protection for Bulk-Power System reliability or are redundant with other aspects... for retirement either: (1) Provide little protection for Bulk-Power System reliability or (2) are... to assure reliability of the Bulk-Power System and should be withdrawn. We have identified 41...

Molecular Electron Density Theory: A Modern View of Reactivity in Organic Chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis R. Domingo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A new theory for the study of the reactivity in Organic Chemistry, named Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT, is proposed herein. MEDT is based on the idea that while the electron density distribution at the ground state is responsible for physical and chemical molecular properties, as proposed by the Density Functional Theory (DFT, the capability for changes in electron density is responsible for molecular reactivity. Within MEDT, the reactivity in Organic Chemistry is studied through a rigorous quantum chemical analysis of the changes of the electron density as well as the energies associated with these changes along the reaction path in order to understand experimental outcomes. Studies performed using MEDT allow establishing a modern rationalisation and to gain insight into molecular mechanisms and reactivity in Organic Chemistry.

Reliability-Based Optimization in Structural Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enevoldsen, I.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

1994-01-01

In this paper reliability-based optimization problems in structural engineering are formulated on the basis of the classical decision theory. Several formulations are presented: Reliability-based optimal design of structural systems with component or systems reliability constraints, reliability...

Human reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dougherty, E.M.; Fragola, J.R.

1988-01-01

The authors present a treatment of human reliability analysis incorporating an introduction to probabilistic risk assessment for nuclear power generating stations. They treat the subject according to the framework established for general systems theory. Draws upon reliability analysis, psychology, human factors engineering, and statistics, integrating elements of these fields within a systems framework. Provides a history of human reliability analysis, and includes examples of the application of the systems approach

18 CFR 39.3 - Electric Reliability Organization certification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... operators of the Bulk-Power System, and other interested parties for improvement of the Electric Reliability... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Electric Reliability..., Reliability Standards that provide for an adequate level of reliability of the Bulk-Power System, and (2) Has...

Reliability training

Science.gov (United States)

Lalli, Vincent R. (Editor); Malec, Henry A. (Editor); Dillard, Richard B.; Wong, Kam L.; Barber, Frank J.; Barina, Frank J.

1992-01-01

Discussed here is failure physics, the study of how products, hardware, software, and systems fail and what can be done about it. The intent is to impart useful information, to extend the limits of production capability, and to assist in achieving low cost reliable products. A review of reliability for the years 1940 to 2000 is given. Next, a review of mathematics is given as well as a description of what elements contribute to product failures. Basic reliability theory and the disciplines that allow us to control and eliminate failures are elucidated.

The Development of the Functional Literacy Experience Scale Based upon Ecological Theory (FLESBUET) and Validity-Reliability Study

Science.gov (United States)

Özenç, Emine Gül; Dogan, M. Cihangir

2014-01-01

This study aims to perform a validity-reliability test by developing the Functional Literacy Experience Scale based upon Ecological Theory (FLESBUET) for primary education students. The study group includes 209 fifth grade students at Sabri Taskin Primary School in the Kartal District of Istanbul, Turkey during the 2010-2011 academic year.…

Robust Reliability or reliable robustness? - Integrated consideration of robustness and reliability aspects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kemmler, S.; Eifler, Tobias; Bertsche, B.

2015-01-01

products are and vice versa. For a comprehensive understanding and to use existing synergies between both domains, this paper discusses the basic principles of Reliability- and Robust Design theory. The development of a comprehensive model will enable an integrated consideration of both domains...

Reliability analysis in intelligent machines

Science.gov (United States)

Mcinroy, John E.; Saridis, George N.

1990-01-01

Given an explicit task to be executed, an intelligent machine must be able to find the probability of success, or reliability, of alternative control and sensing strategies. By using concepts for information theory and reliability theory, new techniques for finding the reliability corresponding to alternative subsets of control and sensing strategies are proposed such that a desired set of specifications can be satisfied. The analysis is straightforward, provided that a set of Gaussian random state variables is available. An example problem illustrates the technique, and general reliability results are presented for visual servoing with a computed torque-control algorithm. Moreover, the example illustrates the principle of increasing precision with decreasing intelligence at the execution level of an intelligent machine.

[Employees in high-reliability organizations: systematic selection of personnel as a final criterion].

Science.gov (United States)

Oubaid, V; Anheuser, P

2014-05-01

Employees represent an important safety factor in high-reliability organizations. The combination of clear organizational structures, a nonpunitive safety culture, and psychological personnel selection guarantee a high level of safety. The cockpit personnel selection process of a major German airline is presented in order to demonstrate a possible transferability into medicine and urology.

Self-organization theories and environmental management: The case of South Moresby, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Grzybowski, Alex G. S.; Slocombe, D. Scott

1988-07-01

This article presents a new approach to the analysis and management of large-scale societal problems with complex ecological, economic, and social dimensions. The approach is based on the theory of self-organizing systems—complex, open, far-from-equilibrium systems with nonlinear dynamics. A brief overview and comparison of different self-organization theories (synergetics, self-organization theory, hypercycles, and autopoiesis) is presented in order to isolate the key characteristics of such systems. The approach is used to develop an analysis of the landuse controversy in the South Moresby area of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada. Critical variables are identified for each subsystem and classified by spatial and temporal scale, and discussed in terms of information content and internal/external origin. Eradication of sea otters, introduction of black-tailed deer, impacts of large-scale clearcut logging, sustainability of the coastal forest industry, and changing relations between native peoples and governments are discussed in detail to illustrate the system dynamics of the South Moresby “sociobiophysical” system. Finally, implications of the self-organizing sociobiophysical system view for regional analysis and management are identified.

Keeping patients safe in healthcare organizations: a structuration theory of safety culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, Patricia S; Meisenbach, Rebecca J; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill

2011-08-01

This paper presents a discussion of the use of structuration theory to facilitate understanding and improvement of safety culture in healthcare organizations. Patient safety in healthcare organizations is an important problem worldwide. Safety culture has been proposed as a means to keep patients safe. However, lack of appropriate theory limits understanding and improvement of safety culture. The proposed structuration theory of safety culture was based on a critique of available English-language literature, resulting in literature published from 1983 to mid-2009. CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ABI/Inform and Google Scholar databases were searched using the following terms: nursing, safety, organizational culture and safety culture. When viewed through the lens of structuration theory, safety culture is a system involving both individual actions and organizational structures. Healthcare organization members, particularly nurses, share these values through communication and enact them in practice, (re)producing an organizational safety culture system that reciprocally constrains and enables the actions of the members in terms of patient safety. This structurational viewpoint illuminates multiple opportunities for safety culture improvement. Nurse leaders should be cognizant of competing value-based culture systems in the organization and attend to nursing agency and all forms of communication when attempting to create or strengthen a safety culture. Applying structuration theory to the concept of safety culture reveals a dynamic system of individual action and organizational structure constraining and enabling safety practice. Nurses are central to the (re)production of this safety culture system. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Principles of Bridge Reliability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft-Christensen, Palle; Nowak, Andrzej S.

The paper gives a brief introduction to the basic principles of structural reliability theory and its application to bridge engineering. Fundamental concepts like failure probability and reliability index are introduced. Ultimate as well as serviceability limit states for bridges are formulated......, and as an example the reliability profile and a sensitivity analyses for a corroded reinforced concrete bridge is shown....

Why is organization theory so ignorant: The neglect of total institutions?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Clegg, S.R.

2006-01-01

Organization theory has, on the whole, failed to adequately address the role that organizations have played in some of the crimes of humanity. The tools to do so have long been available to the discipline, in work by scholars such as Goffman on total institutions, Foucault on disciplinary

International organizations as corporate actors: Agency and emergence in theories of international relations

OpenAIRE

Maier-Rigaud, Remi

2008-01-01

In this paper, the implicit and explicit conceptualizations of international organizations found in the three major theories of international relations are outlined and compared. It turns out that in a neorealist framework, international organizations can be explained; however, they exhibit no autonomy and cannot therefore be conceptualized as a corporate actor. Principally, the same applies to rational choice institutionalism, although limited autonomy is conceivable. Both theories are reduc...

Reliability and safety analyses under fuzziness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onisawa, T.; Kacprzyk, J.

1995-01-01

Fuzzy theory, for example possibility theory, is compatible with probability theory. What is shown so far is that probability theory needs not be replaced by fuzzy theory, but rather that the former works much better in applications if it is combined with the latter. In fact, it is said that there are two essential uncertainties in the field of reliability and safety analyses: One is a probabilistic uncertainty which is more relevant for mechanical systems and the natural environment, and the other is fuzziness (imprecision) caused by the existence of human beings in systems. The classical probability theory alone is therefore not sufficient to deal with uncertainties in humanistic system. In such a context this collection of works will put a milestone in the arguments of probability theory and fuzzy theory. This volume covers fault analysis, life time analysis, reliability, quality control, safety analysis and risk analysis. (orig./DG). 106 figs

Influence of ITO patterning on reliability of organic light emitting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhaokui; Naka, Shigeki; Okada, Hiroyuki

2009-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films are widely used for a transparent electrode of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) because of its excellent conductivity and transparency. Two types of ITO substrates with different surface roughness were selected to use as anode of OLEDs. In addition, two types of etching process of ITO substrate, particularly the etching time, were also carried out. It was found that the surface roughness and/or the etching process of ITO substrate strongly influenced on an edge of ITO surface, further affected the operating characteristics and reliability of devices.

Analysis of mass incident diffusion in Weibo based on self-organization theory

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jun; Shen, Huizhang

2018-02-01

This study introduces some theories and methods of self-organization system to the research of the diffusion mechanism of mass incidents in Weibo (Chinese Twitter). Based on the analysis on massive Weibo data from Songjiang battery factory incident happened in 2013 and Jiiangsu Qidong OJI PAPER incident happened in 2012, we find out that diffusion system of mass incident in Weibo satisfies Power Law, Zipf's Law, 1/f noise and Self-similarity. It means this system is the self-organization criticality system and dissemination bursts can be understood as one kind of Self-organization behavior. As the consequence, self-organized criticality (SOC) theory can be used to explain the evolution of mass incident diffusion and people may come up with the right strategy to control such kind of diffusion if they can handle the key ingredients of Self-organization well. Such a study is of practical importance which can offer opportunities for policy makers to have good management on these events.

Understanding organic photovoltaic cells: Electrode, nanostructure, reliability, and performance

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Myung-Su

My Ph.D. research has focused on alternative renewable energy using organic semiconductors. During my study, first, I have established reliable characterization methods of organic photovoltaic devices. More specifically, less than 5% variation of power conversion efficiency of fabricated organic blend photovoltaic cells (OBPC) was achieved after optimization. The reproducibility of organic photovoltaic cell performance is one of the essential issues that must be clarified before beginning serious investigations of the application of creative and challenging ideas. Second, the relationships between fill factor (FF) and process variables have been demonstrated with series and shunt resistance, and this provided a chance to understand the electrical device behavior. In the blend layer, series resistance (Rs) and shunt resistance (Rsh) were varied by controlling the morphology of the blend layer, the regioregularity of the conjugated polymer, and the thickness of the blend layer. At the interface between the cathode including PEDOT:PSS and the blend layer, cathode conductivity was controlled by varying the structure of the cathode or adding an additive. Third, we thoroughly examined possible characterization mistakes in OPVC. One significant characterization mistake is observed when the crossbar electrode geometry of OPVC using PEDOT:PSS was fabricated and characterized with illumination which is larger than the actual device area. The hypothesis to explain this overestimation was excess photo-current generated from the cell region outside the overlapped electrode area, where PEDOT:PSS plays as anode and this was clearly supported with investigations. Finally, I incorporated a creative idea, which enhances the exciton dissociation efficiency by increasing the interface area between donor and acceptor to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells. To achieve this, nanoimprint lithography was applied for interface area increase. To clarify the

Using the Reliability Theory for Assessing the Decision Confidence Probability for Comparative Life Cycle Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Larrey-Lassalle, Pyrène; Faure, Thierry; Dumoulin, Nicolas; Roux, Philippe; Mathias, Jean-Denis

2016-03-01

Comparative decision making process is widely used to identify which option (system, product, service, etc.) has smaller environmental footprints and for providing recommendations that help stakeholders take future decisions. However, the uncertainty problem complicates the comparison and the decision making. Probability-based decision support in LCA is a way to help stakeholders in their decision-making process. It calculates the decision confidence probability which expresses the probability of a option to have a smaller environmental impact than the one of another option. Here we apply the reliability theory to approximate the decision confidence probability. We compare the traditional Monte Carlo method with a reliability method called FORM method. The Monte Carlo method needs high computational time to calculate the decision confidence probability. The FORM method enables us to approximate the decision confidence probability with fewer simulations than the Monte Carlo method by approximating the response surface. Moreover, the FORM method calculates the associated importance factors that correspond to a sensitivity analysis in relation to the probability. The importance factors allow stakeholders to determine which factors influence their decision. Our results clearly show that the reliability method provides additional useful information to stakeholders as well as it reduces the computational time.

Creating High Reliability Teams in Healthcare through In situ Simulation Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristi Miller RN

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The importance of teamwork on patient safety in healthcare has been well established. However, the theory and research of healthcare teams are seriously lacking in clinical application. While conventional team theory assumes that teams are stable and leadership is constant, a growing body of evidence indicates that most healthcare teams are unstable and lack constant leadership. For healthcare organizations to reduce error and ensure patient safety, the true nature of healthcare teams must be better understood. This study presents a taxonomy of healthcare teams and the determinants of high reliability in healthcare teams based on a series of studies undertaken over a five-year period (2005–2010.

Percolative Theory of Organic Magnetoresistance and Fringe-Field Magnetoresistance

Science.gov (United States)

Flatté, Michael E.

2013-03-01

A recently-introduced percolation theory for spin transport and magnetoresistance in organic semiconductors describes the effects of spin dynamics on hopping transport by considering changes in the effective density of hopping sites, a key quantity determining the properties of percolative transport. Increases in the spin-flip rate open up ``spin-blocked'' pathways to become viable conduction channels and hence, as the spin-flip rate changes with magnetic field, produce magnetoresistance. Features of this percolative magnetoresistance can be found analytically in several regimes, and agree with measurements of the shape and saturation of measured magnetoresistance curves. We find that the threshold hopping distance is analogous to the branching parameter of a phenomenological two-site model, and that the distinction between slow and fast hopping is contingent on the threshold hopping distance. Regimes of slow and fast hopping magnetoresistance are uniquely characterized by their line shapes. Studies of magnetoresistance in known systems with controllable positional disorder would provide an additional stringent test of this theory. Extensions to this theory also describe fringe-field magnetoresistance, which is the influence of fringe magnetic fields from a nearby unsaturated magnetic electrode on the conductance of an organic film. This theory agrees with several key features of the experimental fringe-field magnetoresistance, including the applied fields where the magnetoresistance reaches extrema, the applied field range of large magnetoresistance effects from the fringe fields, and the sign of the effect. All work done in collaboration with N. J. Harmon, and fringe-field magnetoresistance work in collaboration also with F. Macià, F. Wang, M. Wohlgenannt and A. D. Kent. This work was supported by an ARO MURI.

Revisit to the helicity and the generalized self-organization theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondoh, Y.; Takahashi, T.; Momota, H.

2000-09-01

It is clarified that the so-caned 'helicity conservation law' is never the conservation equation of the helicity K itself', but is merely 'the time change rate equation of K', which is passively and resultantly determined by the mutually independent volume and surface integral terms. It is shown that since the total helicity K can never be conserved in the real experimental systems, the conjecture of the total helicity invariance is not physically available to real magnetized plasmas in an exact sense. The well-known relaxation theory by Dr. J. B. Taylor is clarified to be neither the variational principle nor the energy principle, but be merely a mathematical calculation, using the variational calculus in order to find the minimum magnetic energy solution from the set of solutions having the same value of K. With the use of auto-correlations for physical quantities, it is presented that a novel basic formulation of an extended generalized self-organization theory, which is not based on neither the variational principle nor the energy principle. It is clarified that conservation equations concerning with all physical quantities for the dynamic system of interest are naturally embedded in the formulation of the generalized self-organization theory. The self-organized states of every physical quantities of interest may be realized during their own phases and the dynamical system may evolve repeatedly those out of phase organizations, depending on boundary conditions and input powers. It is shown that the conservation laws can be used to extend conventional methods of plasma current drives by energy injections with use of various types of energies, such as magnetic energies, electromagnetic wave energies, internal energies of plasmoids by plasma guns, which induce the thermal plasma flow velocity, various particle beam energies, and so on. (author)

Revisit to the helicity and the generalized self-organization theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondoh, Y.; Takahashi, T. [Dept. of Electronic Engineering, Gunma Univ., Kiryu, Gunma (Japan); Momota, H. [Illinois Univ., Illinois (United States)

2000-09-01

It is clarified that the so-caned 'helicity conservation law' is never the conservation equation of the helicity K itself', but is merely 'the time change rate equation of K', which is passively and resultantly determined by the mutually independent volume and surface integral terms. It is shown that since the total helicity K can never be conserved in the real experimental systems, the conjecture of the total helicity invariance is not physically available to real magnetized plasmas in an exact sense. The well-known relaxation theory by Dr. J. B. Taylor is clarified to be neither the variational principle nor the energy principle, but be merely a mathematical calculation, using the variational calculus in order to find the minimum magnetic energy solution from the set of solutions having the same value of K. With the use of auto-correlations for physical quantities, it is presented that a novel basic formulation of an extended generalized self-organization theory, which is not based on neither the variational principle nor the energy principle. It is clarified that conservation equations concerning with all physical quantities for the dynamic system of interest are naturally embedded in the formulation of the generalized self-organization theory. The self-organized states of every physical quantities of interest may be realized during their own phases and the dynamical system may evolve repeatedly those out of phase organizations, depending on boundary conditions and input powers. It is shown that the conservation laws can be used to extend conventional methods of plasma current drives by energy injections with use of various types of energies, such as magnetic energies, electromagnetic wave energies, internal energies of plasmoids by plasma guns, which induce the thermal plasma flow velocity, various particle beam energies, and so on. (author)

Using Rasch Analysis to Evaluate the Reliability and Validity of the Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire: An Item Response Theory Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordier, Reinie; Speyer, Renée; Schindler, Antonio; Michou, Emilia; Heijnen, Bas Joris; Baijens, Laura; Karaduman, Ayşe; Swan, Katina; Clavé, Pere; Joosten, Annette Veronica

2018-02-01

The Swallowing Quality of Life questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) is widely used clinically and in research to evaluate quality of life related to swallowing difficulties. It has been described as a valid and reliable tool, but was developed and tested using classic test theory. This study describes the reliability and validity of the SWAL-QOL using item response theory (IRT; Rasch analysis). SWAL-QOL data were gathered from 507 participants at risk of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) across four European countries. OD was confirmed in 75.7% of participants via videofluoroscopy and/or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation, or a clinical diagnosis based on meeting selected criteria. Patients with esophageal dysphagia were excluded. Data were analysed using Rasch analysis. Item and person reliability was good for all the items combined. However, person reliability was poor for 8 subscales and item reliability was poor for one subscale. Eight subscales exhibited poor person separation and two exhibited poor item separation. Overall item and person fit statistics were acceptable. However, at an individual item fit level results indicated unpredictable item responses for 28 items, and item redundancy for 10 items. The item-person dimensionality map confirmed these findings. Results from the overall Rasch model fit and Principal Component Analysis were suggestive of a second dimension. For all the items combined, none of the item categories were 'category', 'threshold' or 'step' disordered; however, all subscales demonstrated category disordered functioning. Findings suggest an urgent need to further investigate the underlying structure of the SWAL-QOL and its psychometric characteristics using IRT.

Employee Motivation Theories and their Applications in Modern Organizations

OpenAIRE

Drogomyretska Mariana

2013-01-01

The essay is dedicated to the determination of the essence of employee motivation in today’s business environment. The main need-based and process-based theories of motivation and the possibility of their application in modern organizations are considered. The existence of the relationship between employee motivation and organizational effectiveness is proved by author.

Distribution system reliability evaluation using credibility theory

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Xufeng Xu, Joydeep Mitra

have found that credibility theory, which broadens the scope of fuzzy set theory, is an effective tool for representing fuzzy events, and have developed a theoretical .... Based on the status of switches, the distribution system can be divided into multiple SPSS, which are connected with tie switches. For example, SPSS.

Reliability and validity of the German version of the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The assessment of personality organization and its observable behavioral manifestations, i.e. personality functioning, has a long tradition in psychodynamic psychiatry. Recently, the DSM-5 Levels of Personality Functioning Scale has moved it into the focus of psychiatric diagnostics. Based on Kernberg’s concept of personality organization the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO) was developed for diagnosing personality functioning. The STIPO covers seven dimensions: (1) identity, (2) object relations, (3) primitive defenses, (4) coping/rigidity, (5) aggression, (6) moral values, and (7) reality testing and perceptual distortions. The English version of the STIPO has previously revealed satisfying psychometric properties. Methods Validity and reliability of the German version of the 100-item instrument have been evaluated in 122 psychiatric patients. All patients were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and were assessed by means of the STIPO. Moreover, all patients completed eight questionnaires that served as criteria for external validity of the STIPO. Results Interrater reliability varied between intraclass correlations of .89 and 1.0, Crohnbach’s α for the seven dimensions was .69 to .93. All a priori selected questionnaire scales correlated significantly with the corresponding STIPO dimensions. Patients with personality disorder (PD) revealed significantly higher STIPO scores (i.e. worse personality functioning) than patients without PD; patients cluster B PD showed significantly higher STIPO scores than patients with cluster C PD. Conclusions Interrater reliability, Crohnbach’s α, concurrent validity, and differential validity of the STIPO are satisfying. The STIPO represents an appropriate instrument for the assessment of personality functioning in clinical and research settings. PMID:23941404

RATING CREATION FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON THE ITEM RESPONSE THEORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. E. Erganova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the investigation is to theoretically justify and describe approval of the measurement of the level of provision of educational services, education qualities and rating of vocational educational organizations.Methods. The fundamentals of methodology of the research conducted by authors are made by provisions of system approach; research on a schematization and modeling of pedagogical objects; the provision of the theory of measurement of latent variables. As the main methods of research the analysis, synthesis, the comparative analysis, statistical methods of processing of results of research are applied.Results. The paper gives a short comparative analysis of potentials of qualitative approach and strong points of the theory of latent variables in evaluating the quality of education and ratings of the investigated object. The technique of measurement of level of rendering educational services at creation of a rating of the professional educational organizations is stated.Scientific novelty. Pedagogical opportunities of the theory of measurement of latent variables are investigated; the principles of creation of ratings of the professional educational organizations are designated.Practical significance. The operational construct of the latent variable «quality of education» for the secondary professional education (SPE approved in the Perm Territory which can form base of formation of similar constructs for creation of a rating of the professional educational organizations in other regions is developed.

Systemic analysis - diagnosis of organizations under the focus of the theory of human organization: a model for change.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edson Fernandes Fernandes

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study addresses the organizations understood as inseparable and integrated systems in the administrative process overcomes the fragmented and unilateral vision of companies. The Theory of Human Organization (T.O.H. is a tool to identify, analyze, diagnose and establish plans and strategies for problem solving, understanding of the company in its entirety and organizational growth for any type of industry in which it operates; or any category of organization she belongs. The theory works 14 with subsystems that have specific functions and performances of the scene divided into 14 realities systemic integrated into a single assembly, whose relationship and interaction of the subsystems with each other and interdependent on the total system of the company. The tool T.O.H. provides a 360 degree view to understanding the broad operation of the company, leaving no gaps. This study presents an analysis of the case of a company chairs furniture industry, where research resulted in understanding and diagnosis of the relationship between employees and the organization, and proposals for strategic plans for solving problems and needed change from the company.

Reliability-Based Code Calibration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faber, M.H.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2003-01-01

The present paper addresses fundamental concepts of reliability based code calibration. First basic principles of structural reliability theory are introduced and it is shown how the results of FORM based reliability analysis may be related to partial safety factors and characteristic values....... Thereafter the code calibration problem is presented in its principal decision theoretical form and it is discussed how acceptable levels of failure probability (or target reliabilities) may be established. Furthermore suggested values for acceptable annual failure probabilities are given for ultimate...... and serviceability limit states. Finally the paper describes the Joint Committee on Structural Safety (JCSS) recommended procedure - CodeCal - for the practical implementation of reliability based code calibration of LRFD based design codes....

A novel evaluation method for building construction project based on integrated information entropy with reliability theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Xiao-ping; Zhang, Xi-wei

2013-01-01

Selecting construction schemes of the building engineering project is a complex multiobjective optimization decision process, in which many indexes need to be selected to find the optimum scheme. Aiming at this problem, this paper selects cost, progress, quality, and safety as the four first-order evaluation indexes, uses the quantitative method for the cost index, uses integrated qualitative and quantitative methodologies for progress, quality, and safety indexes, and integrates engineering economics, reliability theories, and information entropy theory to present a new evaluation method for building construction project. Combined with a practical case, this paper also presents detailed computing processes and steps, including selecting all order indexes, establishing the index matrix, computing score values of all order indexes, computing the synthesis score, sorting all selected schemes, and making analysis and decision. Presented method can offer valuable references for risk computing of building construction projects.

Reliability and safety engineering

CERN Document Server

Verma, Ajit Kumar; Karanki, Durga Rao

2016-01-01

Reliability and safety are core issues that must be addressed throughout the life cycle of engineering systems. Reliability and Safety Engineering presents an overview of the basic concepts, together with simple and practical illustrations. The authors present reliability terminology in various engineering fields, viz.,electronics engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering and power systems engineering. The book describes the latest applications in the area of probabilistic safety assessment, such as technical specification optimization, risk monitoring and risk informed in-service inspection. Reliability and safety studies must, inevitably, deal with uncertainty, so the book includes uncertainty propagation methods: Monte Carlo simulation, fuzzy arithmetic, Dempster-Shafer theory and probability bounds. Reliability and Safety Engineering also highlights advances in system reliability and safety assessment including dynamic system modeling and uncertainty management. Cas...

Influences on and Limitations of Classical Test Theory Reliability Estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Margery E.

It is incorrect to say "the test is reliable" because reliability is a function not only of the test itself, but of many factors. The present paper explains how different factors affect classical reliability estimates such as test-retest, interrater, internal consistency, and equivalent forms coefficients. Furthermore, the limits of classical test…

Changing Race Relations in Organizations: A Comparison of Theories.

Science.gov (United States)

1985-03-01

Desegregated Classroom: The Effects of Cooperation on Prosocial Behavior and Academic Performance. Working Paper, Department of Psychology. Santa Cruz, CA... Behavior Changing Race Relations in Organizations: A Comparison of Theories Clayton P. .Alderfer Working Paper #66 DTIC ~ELECTE0 B DITRUTION STATEMENTA...unfavorable stereotypes of blacks, they have less reason to change. White stereotypes have long served as rationalizations for white dominance. In

Gift Exchange Theory: a critique in relation to organ transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sque, M; Payne, S A

1994-01-01

Organ transplantation is becoming more important as a viable method of treatment for certain severe medical conditions. It is a complex and demanding process for all involved. Nursing as a developing science must respond to cultural and economic changes. Therefore, a need exists to develop a body of empirically based knowledge to understand and support the process of organ transplantation. This paper will argue that as trading in organs is unacceptable to the moral standards of western society and outlawed in many countries, an alternative framework must be considered for understanding the mechanisms through which organs are donated and utilized. The donating and receiving of organs may be equated with gift-giving, as there is no barter of commodities involved. Therefore, a useful framework to explore this phenomenon will be one that underpins the process of giving and receiving of gifts. Gift Exchange Theory will be evaluated and critically examined in relation to organ transplantation and the role of nurses in this process.

18 CFR 39.5 - Reliability Standards.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Reliability Standards... RELIABILITY STANDARDS § 39.5 Reliability Standards. (a) The Electric Reliability Organization shall file each Reliability Standard or modification to a Reliability Standard that it proposes to be made effective under...

The Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO); an advanced nuclear reactor reliability, availability, and maintainability data bank and data analysis center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knee, H.E.

1991-01-01

The Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) is a data bank and data analysis center, which since 1985 has been jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy's (US DOE's) Office of Technology Support Programs and Japan's Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). It focuses on reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) data for components (e.g. valves, pumps, etc.) operating in advanced nuclear reactor facilities. As originally intended, the purpose of the CREDO system was to provide a centralized source of accurate, up-to-date data and information for use in RAM analyses necessary for meeting DOE's data needs in the areas of advanced reactor safety assessments, design and licensing. In particular, creation of the CREDO system was considered an essential element needed to fulfill the DOE Breeder Reactor Safety Program's commitment of 'identifying and exploiting areas in which probabilistic methods can be developed and used in making reactor safety Research and Development choices and optimizing designs of safety systems'. CREDO and its operation are explained. (author)

Study on evaluation of construction reliability for engineering project based on fuzzy language operator

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yu-Fang; Ma, Yi-Yi; Song, Ping-Ping

2018-03-01

System Reliability Theory is a research hotspot of management science and system engineering in recent years, and construction reliability is useful for quantitative evaluation of project management level. According to reliability theory and target system of engineering project management, the defination of construction reliability appears. Based on fuzzy mathematics theory and language operator, value space of construction reliability is divided into seven fuzzy subsets and correspondingly, seven membership function and fuzzy evaluation intervals are got with the operation of language operator, which provides the basis of corresponding method and parameter for the evaluation of construction reliability. This method is proved to be scientific and reasonable for construction condition and an useful attempt for theory and method research of engineering project system reliability.

Predicting behavioural responses to novel organisms: state-dependent detection theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Trimmer, Pete C; Ehlman, Sean M; Sih, Andrew

2017-01-25

Human activity alters natural habitats for many species. Understanding variation in animals' behavioural responses to these changing environments is critical. We show how signal detection theory can be used within a wider framework of state-dependent modelling to predict behavioural responses to a major environmental change: novel, exotic species. We allow thresholds for action to be a function of reserves, and demonstrate how optimal thresholds can be calculated. We term this framework 'state-dependent detection theory' (SDDT). We focus on behavioural and fitness outcomes when animals continue to use formerly adaptive thresholds following environmental change. In a simple example, we show that exposure to novel animals which appear dangerous-but are actually safe-(e.g. ecotourists) can have catastrophic consequences for 'prey' (organisms that respond as if the new organisms are predators), significantly increasing mortality even when the novel species is not predatory. SDDT also reveals that the effect on reproduction can be greater than the effect on lifespan. We investigate factors that influence the effect of novel organisms, and address the potential for behavioural adjustments (via evolution or learning) to recover otherwise reduced fitness. Although effects of environmental change are often difficult to predict, we suggest that SDDT provides a useful route ahead. © 2017 The Author(s).

Reliability analysis in interdependent smart grid systems

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Hao; Kan, Zhe; Zhao, Dandan; Han, Jianmin; Lu, Jianfeng; Hu, Zhaolong

2018-06-01

Complex network theory is a useful way to study many real complex systems. In this paper, a reliability analysis model based on complex network theory is introduced in interdependent smart grid systems. In this paper, we focus on understanding the structure of smart grid systems and studying the underlying network model, their interactions, and relationships and how cascading failures occur in the interdependent smart grid systems. We propose a practical model for interdependent smart grid systems using complex theory. Besides, based on percolation theory, we also study the effect of cascading failures effect and reveal detailed mathematical analysis of failure propagation in such systems. We analyze the reliability of our proposed model caused by random attacks or failures by calculating the size of giant functioning components in interdependent smart grid systems. Our simulation results also show that there exists a threshold for the proportion of faulty nodes, beyond which the smart grid systems collapse. Also we determine the critical values for different system parameters. In this way, the reliability analysis model based on complex network theory can be effectively utilized for anti-attack and protection purposes in interdependent smart grid systems.

A Novel Evaluation Method for Building Construction Project Based on Integrated Information Entropy with Reliability Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-ping Bai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Selecting construction schemes of the building engineering project is a complex multiobjective optimization decision process, in which many indexes need to be selected to find the optimum scheme. Aiming at this problem, this paper selects cost, progress, quality, and safety as the four first-order evaluation indexes, uses the quantitative method for the cost index, uses integrated qualitative and quantitative methodologies for progress, quality, and safety indexes, and integrates engineering economics, reliability theories, and information entropy theory to present a new evaluation method for building construction project. Combined with a practical case, this paper also presents detailed computing processes and steps, including selecting all order indexes, establishing the index matrix, computing score values of all order indexes, computing the synthesis score, sorting all selected schemes, and making analysis and decision. Presented method can offer valuable references for risk computing of building construction projects.

Interactive Reliability-Based Optimization of Structural Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Claus

In order to introduce the basic concepts within the field of reliability-based structural optimization problems, this chapter is devoted to a brief outline of the basic theories. Therefore, this chapter is of a more formal nature and used as a basis for the remaining parts of the thesis. In section...... 2.2 a general non-linear optimization problem and corresponding terminology are presented whereupon optimality conditions and the standard form of an iterative optimization algorithm are outlined. Subsequently, the special properties and characteristics concerning structural optimization problems...... are treated in section 2.3. With respect to the reliability evalutation, the basic theory behind a reliability analysis and estimation of probability of failure by the First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) and the iterative Rackwitz-Fiessler (RF) algorithm are considered in section 2.5 in which...

The Microfoundations Movement in Strategy and Organization Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Felin, Teppo; Foss, Nicolai Juul; Ployhart, Robert E.

2015-01-01

Microfoundations have received increased attention in strategy and organization theory over the past decade. In this paper, we take stock of the microfoundations movement, its origins and history, and disparate forms. We briefly touch on similar micro movements in disciplines such as economics...... programs for microfoundational research. The overall purpose of this manuscript is to clearly delineate the promise and uniqueness of microfoundations research in macro management, to discuss how the movement originated and where it is going, and to offer rich opportunities for future work....

Disjoint sum forms in reliability theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Anrig

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The structure function f of a binary monotone system is assumed to be known and given in a disjunctive normal form, i.e. as the logical union of products of the indicator variables of the states of its subsystems. Based on this representation of f, an improved Abraham algorithm is proposed for generating the disjoint sum form of f. This form is the base for subsequent numerical reliability calculations. The approach is generalized to multivalued systems. Examples are discussed.

Reliability data banks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannon, A.G.; Bendell, A.

1991-01-01

Following an introductory chapter on Reliability, what is it, why it is needed, how it is achieved and measured, the principles of reliability data bases and analysis methodologies are the subject of the next two chapters. Achievements due to the development of data banks are mentioned for different industries in the next chapter, FACTS, a comprehensive information system for industrial safety and reliability data collection in process plants are covered next. CREDO, the Central Reliability Data Organization is described in the next chapter and is indexed separately, as is the chapter on DANTE, the fabrication reliability Data analysis system. Reliability data banks at Electricite de France and IAEA's experience in compiling a generic component reliability data base are also separately indexed. The European reliability data system, ERDS, and the development of a large data bank come next. The last three chapters look at 'Reliability data banks, - friend foe or a waste of time'? and future developments. (UK)

Generalizability Theory and Classical Test Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan, Robert L.

2011-01-01

Broadly conceived, reliability involves quantifying the consistencies and inconsistencies in observed scores. Generalizability theory, or G theory, is particularly well suited to addressing such matters in that it enables an investigator to quantify and distinguish the sources of inconsistencies in observed scores that arise, or could arise, over…

Australian perioperative nurses' experiences of assisting in multi-organ procurement surgery: a grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Zaneta; Leslie, Gavin; Wynaden, Dianne

2015-03-01

Multi-organ procurement surgical procedures through the generosity of deceased organ donors, have made an enormous impact on extending the lives of recipients. There is a dearth of in-depth knowledge relating to the experiences of perioperative nurses working closely with organ donors undergoing multi-organ procurement surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to address this gap by describing the perioperative nurses experiences of participating in multi-organ procurement surgical procedures and interpreting these findings as a substantive theory. This qualitative study used grounded theory methodology to generate a substantive theory of the experiences of perioperative nurses participating in multi-organ procurement surgery. Recruitment of participants took place after the study was advertised via a professional newsletter and journal. The study was conducted with participants from metropolitan, rural and regional areas of two Australian states; New South Wales and Western Australia. Thirty five perioperative nurse participants with three to 39 years of professional nursing experience informed the study. Semi structured in-depth interviews were undertaken from July 2009 to April 2010 with a mean interview time of 60 min. Interview data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using the constant comparative method. The study results draw attention to the complexities that exist for perioperative nurses when participating in multi-organ procurement surgical procedures reporting a basic social psychological problem articulated as hiding behind a mask and how they resolved this problem by the basic social psychological process of finding meaning. This study provides a greater understanding of how these surgical procedures impact on perioperative nurses by providing a substantive theory of this experience. The findings have the potential to guide further research into this challenging area of nursing practice with implications for clinical initiatives, management

Extented second moment algebra as an efficient tool in structural reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ditlevsen, O.

1982-01-01

During the seventies, second moment structural reliability analysis was extensively discussed with respect to philosophy and method. One recent clarification into a consistent formalism is represented by the extended second moment reliability theory with the generalized reliability index as its measure of safety. Its methods of formal failure probability calculations are useful independent of the opinion that one may adopt about the philosophy of the second moment reliability formalism. After an introduction of the historical development of the philosphy the paper gives a short introductory review of the extended second moment structural reliability theory. (orig.)

Dialectical Inquiry as an Instructional Heuristic in Organization Theory and Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehler, Gordon E.; Welsh, M. Ann

1993-01-01

A strategy for teaching undergraduate organization theory and design uses dialectical inquiry (thesis-antithesis-synthesis) and involves students actively in classroom learning. Concepts are introduced through dichotomies as typically introduced in texts; discussion elaborates grey areas. Case analysis by this method conveys the often ambiguous…

Leadership in organizations with high security and reliability requirements; Liderazgo en organizaciones con altos requisitos de seguridad y fiabilidad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez, F.

2013-07-01

Developing leadership skills in organizations is the key to ensure the sustain ability of excellent results in industries with high requirements safety and reliability. In order to have a model of leadership development specific to this type of organizations, Tecnatom in 2011, we initiated a project internal, to find and adapt a competency model to these requirements.

Existentialism and organization behaviour : How existentialism can have a contribution to complexity theory and sense-making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blomme, R.J.; Bornebroek te Lintelo, K.

2012-01-01

This article aims to develop a conception consisting of insights from complexity theory and additional notions from Weick’s sense-making theory and existentialism for examining organization behaviour.

Reliable predictions of waste performance in a geologic repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.; Chambre, P.L.

1985-08-01

Establishing reliable estimates of long-term performance of a waste repository requires emphasis upon valid theories to predict performance. Predicting rates that radionuclides are released from waste packages cannot rest upon empirical extrapolations of laboratory leach data. Reliable predictions can be based on simple bounding theoretical models, such as solubility-limited bulk-flow, if the assumed parameters are reliably known or defensibly conservative. Wherever possible, performance analysis should proceed beyond simple bounding calculations to obtain more realistic - and usually more favorable - estimates of expected performance. Desire for greater realism must be balanced against increasing uncertainties in prediction and loss of reliability. Theoretical predictions of release rate based on mass-transfer analysis are bounding and the theory can be verified. Postulated repository analogues to simulate laboratory leach experiments introduce arbitrary and fictitious repository parameters and are shown not to agree with well-established theory. 34 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Game theoretic analysis of congestion, safety and security traffic and transportation theory

CERN Document Server

Zhuang, Jun

2015-01-01

Maximizing reader insights into the interactions between game theory, excessive crowding and safety and security elements in traffic and transportation theory, this book establishes a new research angle by illustrating linkages between different research approaches and through laying the foundations for subsequent analysis. Congestion (excessive crowding) is defined in this work as all kinds of flows; e.g., road/sea/air traffic, people, data, information, water, electricity, and organisms. Analyzing systems where congestion occurs – which may be in parallel, series, interlinked, or interdependent, with flows one way or both ways – this book puts forward new congestion models, breaking new ground by introducing game theory and safety/security. Addressing the multiple actors who may hold different concerns regarding system reliability; e.g. one or several terrorists, a government, various local or regional government agencies, or others with stakes for or against system reliability, this book describes how ...

First evidence on the validity and reliability of the Safety Organizing Scale-Nursing Home version (SOS-NH).

Science.gov (United States)

Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Anderson, Ruth A; Colón-Emeric, Cathleen; Schwendimann, René

2013-08-01

The Safety Organizing Scale is a valid and reliable measure on safety behaviors and practices in hospitals. This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Safety Organizing Scale-Nursing Home version (SOS-NH). In a cross-sectional analysis of staff survey data, we examined validity and reliability of the 9-item Safety SOS-NH using American Educational Research Association guidelines. This substudy of a larger trial used baseline survey data collected from staff members (n = 627) in a variety of work roles in 13 nursing homes (NHs) in North Carolina and Virginia. Psychometric evaluation of the SOS-NH revealed good response patterns with low average of missing values across all items (3.05%). Analyses of the SOS-NH's internal structure (eg, comparative fit indices = 0.929, standardized root mean square error of approximation = 0.045) and consistency (composite reliability = 0.94) suggested its 1-dimensionality. Significant between-facility variability, intraclass correlations, within-group agreement, and design effect confirmed appropriateness of the SOS-NH for measurement at the NH level, justifying data aggregation. The SOS-NH showed discriminate validity from one related concept: communication openness. Initial evidence regarding validity and reliability of the SOS-NH supports its utility in measuring safety behaviors and practices among a wide range of NH staff members, including those with low literacy. Further psychometric evaluation should focus on testing concurrent and criterion validity, using resident outcome measures (eg, patient fall rates). Copyright © 2013 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reliability-based optimization of engineering structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2008-01-01

The theoretical basis for reliability-based structural optimization within the framework of Bayesian statistical decision theory is briefly described. Reliability-based cost benefit problems are formulated and exemplitied with structural optimization. The basic reliability-based optimization...... problems are generalized to the following extensions: interactive optimization, inspection and repair costs, systematic reconstruction, re-assessment of existing structures. Illustrative examples are presented including a simple introductory example, a decision problem related to bridge re...

Some remarks on software reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez Hernando, J.; Sanchez Izquierdo, J.

1978-01-01

Trend in modern NPPCI is toward a broad use of programmable elements. Some aspects concerning present status of programmable digital systems reliability are reported. Basic differences between software and hardware concept require a specific approach in all the reliability topics concerning software systems. The software reliability theory was initialy developed upon hardware models analogies. At present this approach is changing and specific models are being developed. The growing use of programmable systems necessitates emphasizing the importance of more adequate regulatory requirements to include this technology in NPPCI. (author)

Reliability Evaluation and Improvement Approach of Chemical Production Man - Machine - Environment System

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Yongchun; Kang, Rongxue; Chen, Xuefeng

2017-12-01

In recent years, with the gradual extension of reliability research, the study of production system reliability has become the hot topic in various industries. Man-machine-environment system is a complex system composed of human factors, machinery equipment and environment. The reliability of individual factor must be analyzed in order to gradually transit to the research of three-factor reliability. Meanwhile, the dynamic relationship among man-machine-environment should be considered to establish an effective blurry evaluation mechanism to truly and effectively analyze the reliability of such systems. In this paper, based on the system engineering, fuzzy theory, reliability theory, human error, environmental impact and machinery equipment failure theory, the reliabilities of human factor, machinery equipment and environment of some chemical production system were studied by the method of fuzzy evaluation. At last, the reliability of man-machine-environment system was calculated to obtain the weighted result, which indicated that the reliability value of this chemical production system was 86.29. Through the given evaluation domain it can be seen that the reliability of man-machine-environment integrated system is in a good status, and the effective measures for further improvement were proposed according to the fuzzy calculation results.

AECL's reliability and maintainability program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, W.A.; Nieuwhof, G.W.E.

1976-05-01

AECL's reliability and maintainability program for nuclear generating stations is described. How the various resources of the company are organized to design and construct stations that operate reliably and safely is shown. Reliability and maintainability includes not only special mathematically oriented techniques, but also the technical skills and organizational abilities of the company. (author)

The Application of Open Systems Theory and Organization Development to Higher Education: A Position.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessel, Vicki; Mink, Oscar G.

This monograph sets forth a portion of the research and theory base underlying the organization development program, 1 of the 3 major components of the National Laboratory for Higher Education''s Administrative and Organizational Systems program. It depicts some of the linkages among organization development, institutional research, information…

Highly Reliable Organizations in the Onshore Natural Gas Sector: An Assessment of Current Practices, Regulatory Frameworks, and Select Case Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logan, Jeffrey S. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Paranhos, Elizabeth [Energy Innovation Partners, Seattle, WA (United States); Kozak, Tracy G. [Energy Innovation Partners, Seattle, WA (United States); Boyd, William [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-07-31

This study focuses on onshore natural gas operations and examines the extent to which oil and gas firms have embraced certain organizational characteristics that lead to 'high reliability' - understood here as strong safety and reliability records over extended periods of operation. The key questions that motivated this study include whether onshore oil and gas firms engaged in exploration and production (E&P) and midstream (i.e., natural gas transmission and storage) are implementing practices characteristic of high reliability organizations (HROs) and the extent to which any such practices are being driven by industry innovations and standards and/or regulatory requirements.

Applications of generalizability theory and their relations to classical test theory and structural equation modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Vispoel, Walter P; Morris, Carrie A; Kilinc, Murat

2018-03-01

Although widely recognized as a comprehensive framework for representing score reliability, generalizability theory (G-theory), despite its potential benefits, has been used sparingly in reporting of results for measures of individual differences. In this article, we highlight many valuable ways that G-theory can be used to quantify, evaluate, and improve psychometric properties of scores. Our illustrations encompass assessment of overall reliability, percentages of score variation accounted for by individual sources of measurement error, dependability of cut-scores for decision making, estimation of reliability and dependability for changes made to measurement procedures, disattenuation of validity coefficients for measurement error, and linkages of G-theory with classical test theory and structural equation modeling. We also identify computer packages for performing G-theory analyses, most of which can be obtained free of charge, and describe how they compare with regard to data input requirements, ease of use, complexity of designs supported, and output produced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Handbook of Game Theory and Industrial Organization, Volume II: Applications. An Introduction

OpenAIRE

Corchon, Luis; Marini, Marco A.

2017-01-01

We introduce here the second volume of the Handbook of Game Theory and Industrial Organization, by L. C. Corchón and M. A. Marini (ed.), Edward Elgar, Cheltenam, UK and Northampton, MA, describing its main aim and its basic structure.

Service quality and maturity of health care organizations through the lens of Complexity Leadership Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Horvat, Ana; Filipovic, Jovan

2018-02-01

This research focuses on Complexity Leadership Theory and the relationship between leadership-examined through the lens of Complexity Leadership Theory-and organizational maturity as an indicator of the performance of health organizations. The research adopts a perspective that conceptualizes organizations as complex adaptive systems and draws upon a survey of opinion of 189 managers working in Serbian health organizations. As the results indicate a dependency between functions of leadership and levels of the maturity of health organizations, we propose a model that connects the two. The study broadens our understanding of the implications of complexity thinking and its reflection on leadership functions and overall organizational performance. The correlations between leadership functions and maturity could have practical applications in policy processing, thus improving the quality of outcomes and the overall level of service quality. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reliability of fossil-fuel and nuclear power installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

The conference heard a total of 37 papers of which 24 were inputted in INIS. The subject area was mainly the use of reliability information systems and the production of data banks for these systems, the application of the reliability theory and the reliability analysis of equipment and systems of nuclear power plants. (J.P.)

Research on Corporate Social Responsibility of Supply Chain System Based on the Self-organization Theory

OpenAIRE

Baoying Wang

2013-01-01

In this study, the characteristics of supply chain system are analyzed based on the Self-organization theory from the angle of view of supply chain system. The mathematical models when the system fulfilling social responsibility including self-organization evolution model and self-organization function model are developed to discuss the formation and function of self-organization in supply chain system and coordination. Some basic conditions and tactics about self-organization establishment a...

Stringy and Membranic Theory of Swimming of Micro-organisms

OpenAIRE

Kawamura, Masako; Nojiri, Shin'ichi; Sugamoto, Akio

1996-01-01

When the swimming of micro-organisms is viewed from the string and membrane theories coupled to the velocity field of the fluid, a number of interesting results are derived; 1) importance of the area (or volume) preserving algebra, 2) usefulness of the $N$-point Reggeon (membranic) amplitudes, and of the gas to liquid transition in case of the red tide issues, 3) close relation between the red tide issue and the generation of Einstein gravity, and 4) possible understanding of the three differ...

Reliability is a new science Gnedenko was right

CERN Document Server

Rocchi, Paolo

2017-01-01

This work illustrates research conducted over a ten-year timespan and addresses a fundamental issue in reliability theory. This still appears to be an empirically disorganized field and the book suggests employing a deductive base in order to evolve reliability as a science. The study is in line with the fundamental work by Gnedenko. Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko (1912 – 1995) was a Soviet mathematician who made significant contributions in various scientific areas. His name is especially associated with studies of dependability, for which he is often recognized as the 'father' of reliability theory. In the last few decades, this area has expanded in new directions such as safety, security, risk analysis and other fields, yet the book ‘Mathematical Methods in Reliability Theory’ written by Gnedenko with Alexander Soloviev and Yuri Bélyaev still towers as a pillar of the reliability sector’s configuration and identity. The present book proceeds in the direction opened by the cultural project of the Rus...

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior in the Purchase of Organic Food

OpenAIRE

Linda Martić Kuran; Mihić Mirela

2014-01-01

The main objective of the study was to define factors which influence the purchase intention involving organic food among Croatian consumers. In order to create a theoretical base, this research adopted the theory of planned behavior. The model examines the impact of several independent variables on the intention to purchase organic foods. The study was conducted on a sample of 331 respondents in the territory of Republic of Croatia. Research results indicate that consumer attitudes towards o...

Theory and practice of quality and reliability engineering in Asia industry

CERN Document Server

Goh, Thong

2017-01-01

This book discusses the application of quality and reliability engineering in Asian industries, and offers information for multinational companies (MNC) looking to transfer some of their operation and manufacturing capabilities to Asia and at the same time maintain high levels of reliability and quality. It is also provides small and medium enterprises (SME) in Asia with insights into producing high-quality and reliable products. It mainly comprises peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the Asian Network for Quality (ANQ) Congress 2014 held in Singapore (August, 2014), which provides a platform for companies, especially those within Asia where rapid changes and growth in manufacturing are taking place, to present their quality and reliability practices. The book presents practical demonstrations of how quality and reliability methodologies can be modified for the unique Asian market, and as such is a valuable resource for students, academics, professionals and practitioners in the field of quality and r...

Analysis of information security reliability: A tutorial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondakci, Suleyman

2015-01-01

This article presents a concise reliability analysis of network security abstracted from stochastic modeling, reliability, and queuing theories. Network security analysis is composed of threats, their impacts, and recovery of the failed systems. A unique framework with a collection of the key reliability models is presented here to guide the determination of the system reliability based on the strength of malicious acts and performance of the recovery processes. A unique model, called Attack-obstacle model, is also proposed here for analyzing systems with immunity growth features. Most computer science curricula do not contain courses in reliability modeling applicable to different areas of computer engineering. Hence, the topic of reliability analysis is often too diffuse to most computer engineers and researchers dealing with network security. This work is thus aimed at shedding some light on this issue, which can be useful in identifying models, their assumptions and practical parameters for estimating the reliability of threatened systems and for assessing the performance of recovery facilities. It can also be useful for the classification of processes and states regarding the reliability of information systems. Systems with stochastic behaviors undergoing queue operations and random state transitions can also benefit from the approaches presented here. - Highlights: • A concise survey and tutorial in model-based reliability analysis applicable to information security. • A framework of key modeling approaches for assessing reliability of networked systems. • The framework facilitates quantitative risk assessment tasks guided by stochastic modeling and queuing theory. • Evaluation of approaches and models for modeling threats, failures, impacts, and recovery analysis of information systems

Giddens à la carte? Appraising empirical applications of structuration theory in management and organization studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

den Hond, F.; Boersma, F.K.; Heres, L.; Kroes, E.H.J.; van Oirschot, E.

2012-01-01

There is an increasing interest in the application of Structuration Theory in the fields of management and organization studies. Based upon a thorough literature review, we have come up with a data-set to assess how Structuration Theory has been used in empirical research. We use three key concepts

Conceptualizing Essay Tests' Reliability and Validity: From Research to Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Badjadi, Nour El Imane

2013-01-01

The current paper on writing assessment surveys the literature on the reliability and validity of essay tests. The paper aims to examine the two concepts in relationship with essay testing as well as to provide a snapshot of the current understandings of the reliability and validity of essay tests as drawn in recent research studies. Bearing in…

Accuracy of a Classical Test Theory-Based Procedure for Estimating the Reliability of a Multistage Test. Research Report. ETS RR-17-02

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sooyeon; Livingston, Samuel A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this simulation study was to assess the accuracy of a classical test theory (CTT)-based procedure for estimating the alternate-forms reliability of scores on a multistage test (MST) having 3 stages. We generated item difficulty and discrimination parameters for 10 parallel, nonoverlapping forms of the complete 3-stage test and…

Theory-inspired development of organic electro-optic materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalton, Larry R., E-mail: dalton@chem.washington.ed [Department of Chemistry, Bagley Hall 202D, Box 351700, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, Bagley Hall 202D, Box 351700, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700 (United States)

2009-11-30

Real-time, time-dependent density functional theory (RTTDDFT) and pseudo-atomistic Monte Carlo-molecular dynamics (PAMCMD) calculations have been used in a correlated manner to achieve quantitative definition of structure/function relationships necessary for the optimization of electro-optic activity in organic materials. Utilizing theoretical guidance, electro-optic coefficients (at telecommunication wavelengths) have been increased to 500 pm/V while keeping optical loss to less than 2 dB/cm. RTTDDFT affords the advantage of permitting explicit treatment of time-dependent electric fields, both applied fields and internal fields. This modification has permitted the quantitative simulation of the variation of linear and nonlinear optical properties of chromophores and the electro-optic activity of materials with optical frequency and dielectric permittivity. PAMCMD statistical mechanical calculations have proven an effective means of treating the full range of spatially-anisotropic intermolecular electrostatic interactions that play critical roles in defining the degree of noncentrosymmetric order that is achieved by electric field poling of organic electro-optic materials near their glass transition temperatures. New techniques have been developed for the experimental characterization of poling-induced acentric order including a modification of variable angle polarization absorption spectroscopy (VAPAS) permitting a meaningful correlation of theoretical and experimental data related to poling-induced order for a variety of complex organic electro-optic materials.

Theory-inspired development of organic electro-optic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, Larry R.

2009-01-01

Real-time, time-dependent density functional theory (RTTDDFT) and pseudo-atomistic Monte Carlo-molecular dynamics (PAMCMD) calculations have been used in a correlated manner to achieve quantitative definition of structure/function relationships necessary for the optimization of electro-optic activity in organic materials. Utilizing theoretical guidance, electro-optic coefficients (at telecommunication wavelengths) have been increased to 500 pm/V while keeping optical loss to less than 2 dB/cm. RTTDDFT affords the advantage of permitting explicit treatment of time-dependent electric fields, both applied fields and internal fields. This modification has permitted the quantitative simulation of the variation of linear and nonlinear optical properties of chromophores and the electro-optic activity of materials with optical frequency and dielectric permittivity. PAMCMD statistical mechanical calculations have proven an effective means of treating the full range of spatially-anisotropic intermolecular electrostatic interactions that play critical roles in defining the degree of noncentrosymmetric order that is achieved by electric field poling of organic electro-optic materials near their glass transition temperatures. New techniques have been developed for the experimental characterization of poling-induced acentric order including a modification of variable angle polarization absorption spectroscopy (VAPAS) permitting a meaningful correlation of theoretical and experimental data related to poling-induced order for a variety of complex organic electro-optic materials.

Modern electronic structure theory and applications in organic chemistry

CERN Document Server

Davidson, ER

1997-01-01

This volume focuses on the use of quantum theory to understand and explain experiments in organic chemistry. High level ab initio calculations, when properly performed, are useful in making quantitative distinctions between various possible interpretations of structures, reactions and spectra. Chemical reasoning based on simpler quantum models is, however, essential to enumerating the likely possibilities. The simpler models also often suggest the type of wave function likely to be involved in ground and excited states at various points along reaction paths. This preliminary understanding is n

Hot Spot Temperature and Grey Target Theory-Based Dynamic Modelling for Reliability Assessment of Transformer Oil-Paper Insulation Systems: A Practical Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lefeng Cheng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a novel dynamic correction method for the reliability assessment of large oil-immersed power transformers. First, with the transformer oil-paper insulation system (TOPIS as the target of evaluation and the winding hot spot temperature (HST as the core point, an HST-based static ageing failure model is built according to the Weibull distribution and Arrhenius reaction law, in order to describe the transformer ageing process and calculate the winding HST for obtaining the failure rate and life expectancy of TOPIS. A grey target theory based dynamic correction model is then developed, combined with the data of Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA in power transformer oil, in order to dynamically modify the life expectancy calculated by the built static model, such that the corresponding relationship between the state grade and life expectancy correction coefficient of TOPIS can be built. Furthermore, the life expectancy loss recovery factor is introduced to correct the life expectancy of TOPIS again. Lastly, a practical case study of an operating transformer has been undertaken, in which the failure rate curve after introducing dynamic corrections can be obtained for the reliability assessment of this transformer. The curve shows a better ability of tracking the actual reliability level of transformer, thus verifying the validity of the proposed method and providing a new way for transformer reliability assessment. This contribution presents a novel model for the reliability assessment of TOPIS, in which the DGA data, as a source of information for the dynamic correction, is processed based on the grey target theory, thus the internal faults of power transformer can be diagnosed accurately as well as its life expectancy updated in time, ensuring that the dynamic assessment values can commendably track and reflect the actual operation state of the power transformers.

Probability theory

CERN Document Server

Dorogovtsev, A Ya; Skorokhod, A V; Silvestrov, D S; Skorokhod, A V

1997-01-01

This book of problems is intended for students in pure and applied mathematics. There are problems in traditional areas of probability theory and problems in the theory of stochastic processes, which has wide applications in the theory of automatic control, queuing and reliability theories, and in many other modern science and engineering fields. Answers to most of the problems are given, and the book provides hints and solutions for more complicated problems.

Applications of the Conceptual Density Functional Theory Indices to Organic Chemistry Reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingo, Luis R; Ríos-Gutiérrez, Mar; Pérez, Patricia

2016-06-09

Theoretical reactivity indices based on the conceptual Density Functional Theory (DFT) have become a powerful tool for the semiquantitative study of organic reactivity. A large number of reactivity indices have been proposed in the literature. Herein, global quantities like the electronic chemical potential μ, the electrophilicity ω and the nucleophilicity N indices, and local condensed indices like the electrophilic P k + and nucleophilic P k - Parr functions, as the most relevant indices for the study of organic reactivity, are discussed.

High-Reliability Health Care: Getting There from Here

Science.gov (United States)

Chassin, Mark R; Loeb, Jerod M

2013-01-01

Context Despite serious and widespread efforts to improve the quality of health care, many patients still suffer preventable harm every day. Hospitals find improvement difficult to sustain, and they suffer “project fatigue” because so many problems need attention. No hospitals or health systems have achieved consistent excellence throughout their institutions. High-reliability science is the study of organizations in industries like commercial aviation and nuclear power that operate under hazardous conditions while maintaining safety levels that are far better than those of health care. Adapting and applying the lessons of this science to health care offer the promise of enabling hospitals to reach levels of quality and safety that are comparable to those of the best high-reliability organizations. Methods We combined the Joint Commission's knowledge of health care organizations with knowledge from the published literature and from experts in high-reliability industries and leading safety scholars outside health care. We developed a conceptual and practical framework for assessing hospitals’ readiness for and progress toward high reliability. By iterative testing with hospital leaders, we refined the framework and, for each of its fourteen components, defined stages of maturity through which we believe hospitals must pass to reach high reliability. Findings We discovered that the ways that high-reliability organizations generate and maintain high levels of safety cannot be directly applied to today's hospitals. We defined a series of incremental changes that hospitals should undertake to progress toward high reliability. These changes involve the leadership's commitment to achieving zero patient harm, a fully functional culture of safety throughout the organization, and the widespread deployment of highly effective process improvement tools. Conclusions Hospitals can make substantial progress toward high reliability by undertaking several specific

Highly Conductive and Reliable Copper-Filled Isotropically Conductive Adhesives Using Organic Acids for Oxidation Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wenjun; Deng, Dunying; Cheng, Yuanrong; Xiao, Fei

2015-07-01

The easy oxidation of copper is one critical obstacle to high-performance copper-filled isotropically conductive adhesives (ICAs). In this paper, a facile method to prepare highly reliable, highly conductive, and low-cost ICAs is reported. The copper fillers were treated by organic acids for oxidation prevention. Compared with ICA filled with untreated copper flakes, the ICA filled with copper flakes treated by different organic acids exhibited much lower bulk resistivity. The lowest bulk resistivity achieved was 4.5 × 10-5 Ω cm, which is comparable to that of commercially available Ag-filled ICA. After 500 h of 85°C/85% relative humidity (RH) aging, the treated ICAs showed quite stable bulk resistivity and relatively stable contact resistance. Through analyzing the results of x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, we found that, with the assistance of organic acids, the treated copper flakes exhibited resistance to oxidation, thus guaranteeing good performance.

18 CFR 39.11 - Reliability reports.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Electric Reliability Organization shall conduct assessments of the adequacy of the Bulk-Power System in... assessments as determined by the Commission of the reliability of the Bulk-Power System in North America and... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Reliability reports. 39...

Power Industry Reliability Coordination in Asia in a Market Environment

OpenAIRE

Hammons, Thomas J.; Voropai, Nikolai I.

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the problems of power supply reliability in a market environment. The specific features of economic interrelations between the power supply organization and consumers in terms of reliability assurance are examined and the principles of providing power supply reliability are formulated. The economic mechanisms of coordinating the interests of power supply organization and consumers to provide power supply reliability are discussed. Reliability of restructuring China's powe...

Evaluating deceased organ donation: a programme theory approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzano, Ana; Pawson, Ray

2014-01-01

Organ donation and transplantation services represent a microcosm of modern healthcare organisations. They are complex adaptive systems. They face perpetual problems of matching supply and demand. They operate under fierce time and resource constraints. And yet they have received relatively little attention from a systems perspective. The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the fundamental issues in evaluating, improving and policy reform in such complex systems. The paper advocates an approach based on programme theory evaluation. The paper explains how the death to donation to transplantation process depends on the accumulation of series of embedded, institutional sub-processes. Evaluators need to be concerned with this whole system rather than with its discrete parts or sectors. Policy makers may expect disappointment if they seek to improve donation rates by applying nudges or administrative reforms at a single point in the implementation chain. These services represent concentrated, perfect storms of complexity and the paper offers guidance to practitioners with bio-medical backgrounds on how such services might be evaluated and improved. For the methodological audience the paper caters for the burgeoning interest in programme theory evaluation while illustrating the design phase of this research strategy.

Cost analysis of reliability investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, F.

1981-01-01

Taking Epsteins testing theory as a basis, premisses are formulated for the selection of cost-optimized reliability inspection plans. Using an example, the expected testing costs and inspection time periods of various inspection plan types, standardized on the basis of the exponential distribution, are compared. It can be shown that sequential reliability tests usually involve lower costs than failure or time-fixed tests. The most 'costly' test is to be expected with the inspection plan type NOt. (orig.) [de

Influences on the Test-Retest Reliability of Functional Connectivity MRI and its Relationship with Behavioral Utility.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Stephanie; Spann, Marisa N; Tokoglu, Fuyuze; Shen, Xilin; Constable, R Todd; Scheinost, Dustin

2017-11-01

Best practices are currently being developed for the acquisition and processing of resting-state magnetic resonance imaging data used to estimate brain functional organization-or "functional connectivity." Standards have been proposed based on test-retest reliability, but open questions remain. These include how amount of data per subject influences whole-brain reliability, the influence of increasing runs versus sessions, the spatial distribution of reliability, the reliability of multivariate methods, and, crucially, how reliability maps onto prediction of behavior. We collected a dataset of 12 extensively sampled individuals (144 min data each across 2 identically configured scanners) to assess test-retest reliability of whole-brain connectivity within the generalizability theory framework. We used Human Connectome Project data to replicate these analyses and relate reliability to behavioral prediction. Overall, the historical 5-min scan produced poor reliability averaged across connections. Increasing the number of sessions was more beneficial than increasing runs. Reliability was lowest for subcortical connections and highest for within-network cortical connections. Multivariate reliability was greater than univariate. Finally, reliability could not be used to improve prediction; these findings are among the first to underscore this distinction for functional connectivity. A comprehensive understanding of test-retest reliability, including its limitations, supports the development of best practices in the field. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Safety and reliability in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colombo, A.G.

1985-01-01

This volume contains the papers presented at the ESRA Pre-Launching Meeting. The meeting was attended by about eighty European reliability and safety experts from industry, research organizations and universities. This meeting was dealing with the following subjects: the historical perspective of safety and reliability in Europe and to the aims of ESRA. Status and Trends in Research and Development; Codes, Standards and Regulations; Academic and Technical Training. National and international Organizations. Twenty six papers have been analyzed and abstracted for inclusion in the data base

Reliability Study of Energy Harvesting from Sea Waves by Piezoelectric Patches Consideraing Random JONSWAP Wave Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Ettefagh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available One of the new methods for powering low-power electronic devices employed in the sea, is using of mechanical energies of sea waves. In this method, piezoelectric material is employed to convert the mechanical energy of sea waves into electrical energy. The advantage of this method is based on not implementing the battery charging system. Although, many studies have been done about energy harvesting from sea waves, energy harvesting with considering random JONWSAP wave theory is not fully studied up to now. The random JONSWAP wave model is a more realistic approximation of sea waves in comparison of Airy wave model. Therefore, in this paper a vertical beam with the piezoelectric patches, which is fixed to the seabed, is considered as energy harvester system. The energy harvesting system is simulated by MATLAB software, and then the vibration response of the beam and consequently the generated power is obtained considering the JONWSAP wave theory. In addition, the reliability of the system and the effect of piezoelectric patches uncertainties on the generated power are studied by statistical method. Furthermore, the failure possibility of harvester based on violation criteria is investigated.  

Reliability technology and nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrick, B.J.; Kaplan, S.

1976-01-01

This paper reviews some of the history and status of nuclear reliability and the evolution of this subject from art towards science. It shows that that probability theory is the appropriate and essential mathematical language of this subject. The authors emphasize that it is more useful to view probability not as a $prime$frequency$prime$, i.e., not as the result of a statistical experiment, but rather as a measure of state of confidence or a state of knowledge. They also show that the probabilistic, quantitative approach has a considerable history of application in the electric power industry in the area of power system planning. Finally, the authors show that the decision theory notion of utility provides a point of view from which risks, benefits, safety, and reliability can be viewed in a unified way thus facilitating understanding, comparison, and communication. 29 refs

Verification, validation, and reliability of predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.; Chambre, P.L.

1987-04-01

The objective of predicting long-term performance should be to make reliable determinations of whether the prediction falls within the criteria for acceptable performance. Establishing reliable predictions of long-term performance of a waste repository requires emphasis on valid theories to predict performance. The validation process must establish the validity of the theory, the parameters used in applying the theory, the arithmetic of calculations, and the interpretation of results; but validation of such performance predictions is not possible unless there are clear criteria for acceptable performance. Validation programs should emphasize identification of the substantive issues of prediction that need to be resolved. Examples relevant to waste package performance are predicting the life of waste containers and the time distribution of container failures, establishing the criteria for defining container failure, validating theories for time-dependent waste dissolution that depend on details of the repository environment, and determining the extent of congruent dissolution of radionuclides in the UO 2 matrix of spent fuel. Prediction and validation should go hand in hand and should be done and reviewed frequently, as essential tools for the programs to design and develop repositories. 29 refs

Recent Advances in System Reliability Signatures, Multi-state Systems and Statistical Inference

CERN Document Server

Frenkel, Ilia

2012-01-01

Recent Advances in System Reliability discusses developments in modern reliability theory such as signatures, multi-state systems and statistical inference. It describes the latest achievements in these fields, and covers the application of these achievements to reliability engineering practice. The chapters cover a wide range of new theoretical subjects and have been written by leading experts in reliability theory and its applications.  The topics include: concepts and different definitions of signatures (D-spectra),  their  properties and applications  to  reliability of coherent systems and network-type structures; Lz-transform of Markov stochastic process and its application to multi-state system reliability analysis; methods for cost-reliability and cost-availability analysis of multi-state systems; optimal replacement and protection strategy; and statistical inference. Recent Advances in System Reliability presents many examples to illustrate the theoretical results. Real world multi-state systems...

Density functional theory of nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terasaki, Jun

2008-01-01

The density functional theory of nuclei has come to draw attention of scientists in the field of nuclear structure because the theory is expected to provide reliable numerical data in wide range on the nuclear chart. This article is organized to present an overview of the theory to the people engaged in the theory of other fields as well as those people in the nuclear physics experiments. At first, the outline of the density functional theory widely used in the electronic systems (condensed matter, atoms, and molecules) was described starting from the Kohn-Sham equation derived on the variational principle. Then the theory used in the field of nuclear physics was presented. Hartree-Fock and Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov approximation by using Skyrme interaction was explained. Comparison of the results of calculations and experiments of binding energies and ground state mean square charge radii of some magic number nuclei were shown. The similarity and dissimilarity between the two streams were summarized. Finally the activities of the international project of Universal Nuclear Energy Density Functional (UNEDF) which was started recently lead by US scientist was reported. This project is programmed for five years. One of the applications of the project is the calculation of the neutron capture cross section of nuclei on the r-process, which is absolutely necessary for the nucleosynthesis research. (S. Funahashi)

Transport and magnetism in the organic conductors in relation to one dimension localization theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuppiroli, L.

1985-09-01

On the one side all states are exponentially localized in one dimension, on the other side most of the transport properties of quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors are Drude-like. This apparent contradiction is solved by revisiting the main experimental results concerning disordered organic conductors and by comparing them to the most relevant theories, especially those which take into account electron-phonon an electron-electron interactions [fr

Semiclassical theory of magnetoresistance in positionally disordered organic semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Harmon, N. J.; Flatté, M. E.

2012-02-01

A recently introduced percolative theory of unipolar organic magnetoresistance is generalized by treating the hyperfine interaction semiclassically for an arbitrary hopping rate. Compact analytic results for the magnetoresistance are achievable when carrier hopping occurs much more frequently than the hyperfine field precession period. In other regimes the magnetoresistance can be straightforwardly evaluated numerically. Slow and fast hopping magnetoresistance are found to be uniquely characterized by their line shapes. We find that the threshold hopping distance is analogous a phenomenological two-site model's branching parameter, and that the distinction between slow and fast hopping is contingent on the threshold hopping distance.

A CO-EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE THEORY OF ORGANIZATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavia Luciane Scherer

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This article pointed out the reasons and possibilities of co-evolutionary studies, requirements and problems to develop such studies, as well as discuss some of the central theoretical frameworks to the theory of organizations, from the perspective of coevolution (lewin and volberda , 1999. From this, we identify the possible links that can be established between different lenses of study, when integrated into a co-evolutionary study. Such links are drawn by taking the analysis of institutional theory (dimaggio and powell, 1991; meyer and rowan, 1991; scott, 1995, the transaction costs theory (williamson, 1981 and the theory of social relations in economic action (granovetter, 1992. Thus, it is expected to contribute to the discussion about the possibilities for greater integration in organizational studies, when calling attention to the importance of moving toward a more inclusive, taking into account the macro economic and social dynamics and their impact on the level the firm (in terms of effect size, identity, culture and learning processes and its inverse relationships - from the firm to the macro environment.

Desining an Expert System for Analyzing the Energy Consumption Behavior of Employees in Organizations Using Rough Set Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tooraj Karimi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Understanding and changing the energy consumption behavior requires extensive knowledge about the motives of behavior. In this research, Rough Set Theory is used to investigate the energy consumption behavior of employees in organizations. So, thirteen condition attributes and a decision attribute are selected and the decision system is created. Condition attributes include demographic, values, attitudes and organizational characteristics of employees and decision attribute relates to energy consumption behavior. 482 employees are selected randomly from 37 office buildings of ministry of Petroleum and rough modeling are performed for them. By combining different methods of discretizing, reduction algorithms and rule generating, nine models are made using ROSETTA software. The results show that four of the 13 condition attributes, involving “organizational citizenship”, “satisfaction”, “attitude toward behavior” and “lighting control” are selected as the main features of the system. After cross validation of the various models, the model of manually discretizing using genetic algorithms and ORR approach to extract reducts has the most accuracy and selected as the most reliable model.

High-reliability health care: getting there from here.

Science.gov (United States)

Chassin, Mark R; Loeb, Jerod M

2013-09-01

Despite serious and widespread efforts to improve the quality of health care, many patients still suffer preventable harm every day. Hospitals find improvement difficult to sustain, and they suffer "project fatigue" because so many problems need attention. No hospitals or health systems have achieved consistent excellence throughout their institutions. High-reliability science is the study of organizations in industries like commercial aviation and nuclear power that operate under hazardous conditions while maintaining safety levels that are far better than those of health care. Adapting and applying the lessons of this science to health care offer the promise of enabling hospitals to reach levels of quality and safety that are comparable to those of the best high-reliability organizations. We combined the Joint Commission's knowledge of health care organizations with knowledge from the published literature and from experts in high-reliability industries and leading safety scholars outside health care. We developed a conceptual and practical framework for assessing hospitals' readiness for and progress toward high reliability. By iterative testing with hospital leaders, we refined the framework and, for each of its fourteen components, defined stages of maturity through which we believe hospitals must pass to reach high reliability. We discovered that the ways that high-reliability organizations generate and maintain high levels of safety cannot be directly applied to today's hospitals. We defined a series of incremental changes that hospitals should undertake to progress toward high reliability. These changes involve the leadership's commitment to achieving zero patient harm, a fully functional culture of safety throughout the organization, and the widespread deployment of highly effective process improvement tools. Hospitals can make substantial progress toward high reliability by undertaking several specific organizational change initiatives. Further research

Charge transport in organic transistors accounting for a wide distribution of carrier energies, Part I : Theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Torricelli, F.

2012-01-01

An extended theory of carrier hopping transport in organic transistors is proposed. According to many experimental studies, the density of localized states in organic thin-film transistors can be described by a double-exponential function. In this work, using a percolation model of hopping, the

Safeprops: A Software for Fast and Reliable Estimation of Safety and Environmental Properties for Organic Compounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jones, Mark Nicholas; Frutiger, Jerome; Abildskov, Jens

We present a new software tool called SAFEPROPS which is able to estimate major safety-related and environmental properties for organic compounds. SAFEPROPS provides accurate, reliable and fast predictions using the Marrero-Gani group contribution (MG-GC) method. It is implemented using Python...... as the main programming language, while the necessary parameters together with their correlation matrix are obtained from a SQLite database which has been populated using off-line parameter and error estimation routines (Eq. 3-8)....

Reliable Prediction with Tuned Range-Separated Functionals of the Singlet-Triplet Gap in Organic Emitters for Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF)

KAUST Repository

Sun, Haitao

2015-07-09

The thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) mechanism has recently attracted much interest in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). TADF relies on the presence of a very small energy gap between the lowest singlet and triplet excited states. Here, we demonstrate that time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) in the Tamm-Dancoff Approximation can be very successful in the calculations of the lowest singlet and triplet excitation energies and the corresponding singlet-triplet gap when using nonempirically tuned range-separated functionals. Such functionals provide very good estimates in a series of 17 molecules used in TADF-based OLED devices, with mean absolute deviations of 0.15 eV for the vertical singlet excitation energies and 0.09 eV [0.07 eV] for the adiabatic [vertical] singlet-triplet energy gaps as well as low relative errors and high correlation coefficients compared to the corresponding experimental values. They significantly outperform conventional functionals, a feature which is rationalized on the basis of the amount of exact-exchange included and the delocalization error. The present work provides a reliable theoretical tool for the prediction and development of novel TADF-based materials with low singlet-triplet energetic splittings.

An Examination of Test-Retest, Alternate Form Reliability, and Generalizability Theory Study of the easyCBM Reading Assessments: Grade 5. Technical Report #1220

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

This technical report is one in a series of five describing the reliability (test/retest and alternate form) and G-Theory/D-Study research on the easyCBM reading measures, grades 1-5. Data were gathered in the spring of 2011 from a convenience sample of students nested within classrooms at a medium-sized school district in the Pacific Northwest.…

An Examination of Test-Retest, Alternate Form Reliability, and Generalizability Theory Study of the easyCBM Reading Assessments: Grade 2. Technical Report #1217

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Daniel; Lai, Cheg-Fei; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

This technical report is one in a series of five describing the reliability (test/retest an alternate form) and G-Theory/D-Study on the easyCBM reading measures, grades 1-5. Data were gathered in the spring of 2011 from the convenience sample of students nested within classrooms at a medium-sized school district in the Pacific Northwest. Due to…

An Examination of Test-Retest, Alternate Form Reliability, and Generalizability Theory Study of the easyCBM Reading Assessments: Grade 1. Technical Report #1216

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Daniel; Park, Jasmine, Bitnara; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

This technical report is one in a series of five describing the reliability (test/retest/and alternate form) and G-Theory/D-Study research on the easy CBM reading measures, grades 1-5. Data were gathered in the spring 2011 from a convenience sample of students nested within classrooms at a medium-sized school district in the Pacific Northwest. Due…

Reliability issues : a Canadian perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konow, H.

2004-01-01

A Canadian perspective of power reliability issues was presented. Reliability depends on adequacy of supply and a framework for standards. The challenges facing the electric power industry include new demand, plant replacement and exports. It is expected that demand will by 670 TWh by 2020, with 205 TWh coming from new plants. Canada will require an investment of $150 billion to meet this demand and the need is comparable in the United States. As trade grows, the challenge becomes a continental issue and investment in the bi-national transmission grid will be essential. The 5 point plan of the Canadian Electricity Association is to: (1) establish an investment climate to ensure future electricity supply, (2) move government and industry towards smart and effective regulation, (3) work to ensure a sustainable future for the next generation, (4) foster innovation and accelerate skills development, and (5) build on the strengths of an integrated North American system to maximize opportunity for Canadians. The CEA's 7 measures that enhance North American reliability were listed with emphasis on its support for a self-governing international organization for developing and enforcing mandatory reliability standards. CEA also supports the creation of a binational Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to identify and solve reliability issues in the context of a bi-national grid. tabs., figs

Environmental education curriculum evaluation questionnaire: A reliability and validity study

Science.gov (United States)

Minner, Daphne Diane

The intention of this research project was to bridge the gap between social science research and application to the environmental domain through the development of a theoretically derived instrument designed to give educators a template by which to evaluate environmental education curricula. The theoretical base for instrument development was provided by several developmental theories such as Piaget's theory of cognitive development, Developmental Systems Theory, Life-span Perspective, as well as curriculum research within the area of environmental education. This theoretical base fueled the generation of a list of components which were then translated into a questionnaire with specific questions relevant to the environmental education domain. The specific research question for this project is: Can a valid assessment instrument based largely on human development and education theory be developed that reliably discriminates high, moderate, and low quality in environmental education curricula? The types of analyses conducted to answer this question were interrater reliability (percent agreement, Cohen's Kappa coefficient, Pearson's Product-Moment correlation coefficient), test-retest reliability (percent agreement, correlation), and criterion-related validity (correlation). Face validity and content validity were also assessed through thorough reviews. Overall results indicate that 29% of the questions on the questionnaire demonstrated a high level of interrater reliability and 43% of the questions demonstrated a moderate level of interrater reliability. Seventy-one percent of the questions demonstrated a high test-retest reliability and 5% a moderate level. Fifty-five percent of the questions on the questionnaire were reliable (high or moderate) both across time and raters. Only eight questions (8%) did not show either interrater or test-retest reliability. The global overall rating of high, medium, or low quality was reliable across both coders and time, indicating

The Use of Questionnaires in Safety Culture Studies in High Reliability Organizations. Literature Review and an Application in the Spanish Nuclear Sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

German, S.; Navajas, J.; Silla, I.

2014-01-01

This report examines two aspects related to the use of questionnaires in safety culture research conducted in high reliability organizations. First, a literature review of recent studies that address safety culture through questionnaires is presented. Literature review showed that most studies used only questionnaires as a research technique, were cross-sectional, applied paper-based questionnaires, and were conducted in one type of high reliability organization. Second, a research project on safety culture that used electronic surveys in a sample of experts on safety culture is discussed. This project, developed by CISOT-CIEMAT research institute, was carry out in the Spanish nuclear sector and illustrates relevant aspects of the methodological design and administration processes that must be considered to encourage participation in the study.. (Author)

The reliability of financial information of charitable organizations: an exploratory study based on the Benford’s Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antonio Figueiredo Milani Filho

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Benford's Law (BL is a logarithmic distribution which is useful to detect abnormal patterns of digits in number sets. It is often used as a primary data auditing method for detecting traces of errors, illegal practices or undesired occurrences, such as fraud and earning management. In this descriptive study, I analyzed the financial information (revenue and expenditure of the registered charitable hospitals located in Ontario and Quebec, which have the majority (71.4% of these organizations within Canada. The aim of this study was to verify the reliability of the financial data of the respective hospitals, using the probability distribution predicted by Benford’s Law as a proxy of reliability. The sample was composed by 1,334 observations related to 339 entities operating in the tax year 2009 and 328 entities in 2010, gathered from the Canada Revenue Agency’s database. To analyze the discrepancies between the actual and expected frequencies of the significant-digit, two statistics were calculated: Z-test and Pearson’s chi-square test. The results show that, with a confidence level of 95%, the data set of the organizations located in Ontario and Quebec have similar distribution to the BL, suggesting that, in a preliminary analysis, their financial data are free from bias.

Reliability and Maintainability (RAM) Training

Science.gov (United States)

Lalli, Vincent R. (Editor); Malec, Henry A. (Editor); Packard, Michael H. (Editor)

2000-01-01

The theme of this manual is failure physics-the study of how products, hardware, software, and systems fail and what can be done about it. The intent is to impart useful information, to extend the limits of production capability, and to assist in achieving low-cost reliable products. In a broader sense the manual should do more. It should underscore the urgent need CI for mature attitudes toward reliability. Five of the chapters were originally presented as a classroom course to over 1000 Martin Marietta engineers and technicians. Another four chapters and three appendixes have been added, We begin with a view of reliability from the years 1940 to 2000. Chapter 2 starts the training material with a review of mathematics and a description of what elements contribute to product failures. The remaining chapters elucidate basic reliability theory and the disciplines that allow us to control and eliminate failures.

Concept theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjørland, Birger

2009-01-01

  Concept theory is an extremely broad, interdisciplinary and complex field of research related to many deep fields with very long historical traditions without much consensus. However, information science and knowledge organization cannot avoid relating to theories of concepts. Knowledge...... organizing systems (e.g. classification systems, thesauri and ontologies) should be understood as systems basically organizing concepts and their semantic relations. The same is the case with information retrieval systems. Different theories of concepts have different implications for how to construe......, evaluate and use such systems. Based on "a post-Kuhnian view" of paradigms this paper put forward arguments that the best understanding and classification of theories of concepts is to view and classify them in accordance with epistemological theories (empiricism, rationalism, historicism and pragmatism...

Hierarchical organization versus self-organization

OpenAIRE

Busseniers, Evo

2014-01-01

In this paper we try to define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization. Organization is defined as a structure with a function. So we can define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization both on the structure as on the function. In the next two chapters these two definitions are given. For the structure we will use some existing definitions in graph theory, for the function we will use existing theory on (self-)organization. In the t...

Reliability and Availability of Cloud Computing

CERN Document Server

Bauer, Eric

2012-01-01

A holistic approach to service reliability and availability of cloud computing Reliability and Availability of Cloud Computing provides IS/IT system and solution architects, developers, and engineers with the knowledge needed to assess the impact of virtualization and cloud computing on service reliability and availability. It reveals how to select the most appropriate design for reliability diligence to assure that user expectations are met. Organized in three parts (basics, risk analysis, and recommendations), this resource is accessible to readers of diverse backgrounds and experience le

Assessment of Student Performance in a PSI College Physics Course Using Ausubel's Learning Theory as a Theoretical Framework for Content Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriera, M. A.

1979-01-01

David Ausubel's learning theory was used as a framework for the content organization of an experimental Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) course in physics. Evaluation suggests that the combination of PSI as a method of instruction and Ausubel's theory for organization might result in better learning outcomes. (Author/JMD)

Consumer Behaviour Towards Organic Food in Porto Alegre: an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

OpenAIRE

Hoppe, Alexia; Vieira, Luciana Marques; Barcellos, Marcia Dutra de

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate consumers' decision-making process, attitudes and values towards organic food throughout the employment of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, adapting the methodology from a European project. 450 consumers were interviewed at supermarkets and farmers' markets in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Results indicate a high penetration level and very positive attitude towards organic products. Organics are believed to be healthier, tastier, more natural and environmental...

Decision-making regarding organ donation in Korean adults: A grounded-theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeun, Eun Ja; Kwon, Young Mi; Kim, Jung A

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to identify the hidden patterns of behavior leading toward the decision to donate organs. Thirteen registrants at the Association for Organ Sharing in Korea were recruited. Data were collected using in-depth interview and the interview transcripts were analyzed using Glaserian grounded-theory methodology. The main problem of participants was "body attachment" and the core category (management process) was determined to be "pursuing life." The theme consisted of four phases, which were: "hesitating," "investigating," "releasing," and "re-discovering. " Therefore, to increase organ donations, it is important to find a strategy that will create positive attitudes about organ donation through education and public relations. These results explain and provide a deeper understanding of the main problem that Korean people have about organ donation and their management of decision-making processes. These findings can help care providers to facilitate the decision-making process and respond to public needs while taking into account the sociocultural context within which decisions are made. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Examining Agency Theory in Training & Development: Understanding Self-Interest Behaviors in the Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Azevedo, Ross E.; Akdere, Mesut

2011-01-01

Agency theory has been discussed widely in the business and management literature. However, to date there has been no investigation about its utility and implications for problems in training & development. Whereas organizations are still struggling to develop and implement effective training programs, there is little emphasis on the self-interest…

Introduction to quality and reliability engineering

CERN Document Server

Jiang, Renyan

2015-01-01

This book presents the state-of-the-art in quality and reliability engineering from a product life cycle standpoint. Topics in reliability include reliability models, life data analysis and modeling, design for reliability and accelerated life testing, while topics in quality include design for quality, acceptance sampling and supplier selection, statistical process control, production tests such as screening and burn-in, warranty and maintenance. The book provides comprehensive insights into two closely related subjects, and includes a wealth of examples and problems to enhance reader comprehension and link theory and practice. All numerical examples can be easily solved using Microsoft Excel. The book is intended for senior undergraduate and post-graduate students in related engineering and management programs such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering and engineering management programs, as well as for researchers and engineers in the quality and reliability fields. D...

Contribution of chemical radiation research to the general theory of oxidation of organic substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ladygin, B.Ya.; Saraev, V.V.; Revin, A.A.; Zimina, G.M.

1996-01-01

Paper studies mechanisms and main elementary stages of liquid-phase oxidation of organic compounds at thermal and radiation initiation of this reaction. The results of investigations into radiation and chemical conversion of organic compounds at presence of oxygen and without it are discussed on the ground of data obtained by means of pulse radiolysis and EPR-spectroscopy. The bach-Engler theory of slow oxidation of organic compounds with participation of peroxides used as intermediate compounds is shown to be proved essentially and to enjoy further development due to the conducted radiation and chemical investigations. 68 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

Injection of holes at indium tin oxide/dendrimer interface: An explanation with new theory of thermionic emission at metal/organic interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Yingquan; Lu Feiping

2006-01-01

The traditional theory of thermionic emission at metal/inorganic crystalline semiconductor interfaces is no longer applicable for the interface between a metal and an organic semiconductor. Under the assumption of thermalization of hot carriers in the organic semiconductor near the interface, a theory for thermionic emission of charge carriers at metal/organic semiconductor interfaces is developed. This theory is used to explain the experimental result from Samuel group [J.P.J. Markham, D.W. Samuel, S.-C. Lo, P.L. Burn, M. Weiter, H. Baessler, J. Appl. Phys. 95 (2004) 438] for the injection of holes from indium tin oxide into the dendrimer based on fac-tris(2-phenylpyridyl) iridium(III)

IRT-Estimated Reliability for Tests Containing Mixed Item Formats

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Lianghua; Schwarz, Richard D.

2014-01-01

As a global measure of precision, item response theory (IRT) estimated reliability is derived for four coefficients (Cronbach's a, Feldt-Raju, stratified a, and marginal reliability). Models with different underlying assumptions concerning test-part similarity are discussed. A detailed computational example is presented for the targeted…

Improved Reliability of Small Molecule Organic Solar Cells by Double Anode Buffer Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pao-Hsun Huang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An optimized hybrid planar heterojunction (PHJ of small molecule organic solar cells (SM-OSCs based on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc as donor and fullerene (C60 as acceptor was fabricated, which obviously enhanced the performance of device by sequentially using both MoO3 and pentacene as double anode buffer layers (ABL, also known as hole extraction layer (HEL. A series of the vacuum-deposited ABL, acting as an electron and exciton blocking layer, were examined for their characteristics in SM-OSCs. The performance and reliability were compared between conventional ITO/ABL/CuPc/C60/BCP/Ag cells and the new ITO/double ABL/CuPc/C60/BCP/Ag cells. The effect on the electrical properties of these materials was also investigated to obtain the optimal thickness of ABL. The comparison shows that the modified cell has an enhanced reliability compared to traditional cells. The improvement of lifetime was attributed to the idea of double layers to prevent humidity and oxygen from diffusing into the active layer. We demonstrated that the interfacial extraction layers are necessary to avoid degradation of device. That is to say, in normal temperature and pressure, a new avenue for the device within double buffer layers has exhibited the highest values of open circuit voltage (Voc, fill factor (FF, and lifetime in this work compared to monolayer of ABL.

Quality and reliability management and its applications

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

Integrating development processes, policies, and reliability predictions from the beginning of the product development lifecycle to ensure high levels of product performance and safety, this book helps companies overcome the challenges posed by increasingly complex systems in today’s competitive marketplace.   Examining both research on and practical aspects of product quality and reliability management with an emphasis on applications, the book features contributions written by active researchers and/or experienced practitioners in the field, so as to effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice and address new research challenges in reliability and quality management in practice.    Postgraduates, researchers and practitioners in the areas of reliability engineering and management, amongst others, will find the book to offer a state-of-the-art survey of quality and reliability management and practices.

On Bayesian System Reliability Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen Ringi, M

1995-05-01

The view taken in this thesis is that reliability, the probability that a system will perform a required function for a stated period of time, depends on a person`s state of knowledge. Reliability changes as this state of knowledge changes, i.e. when new relevant information becomes available. Most existing models for system reliability prediction are developed in a classical framework of probability theory and they overlook some information that is always present. Probability is just an analytical tool to handle uncertainty, based on judgement and subjective opinions. It is argued that the Bayesian approach gives a much more comprehensive understanding of the foundations of probability than the so called frequentistic school. A new model for system reliability prediction is given in two papers. The model encloses the fact that component failures are dependent because of a shared operational environment. The suggested model also naturally permits learning from failure data of similar components in non identical environments. 85 refs.

On Bayesian System Reliability Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soerensen Ringi, M.

1995-01-01

The view taken in this thesis is that reliability, the probability that a system will perform a required function for a stated period of time, depends on a person's state of knowledge. Reliability changes as this state of knowledge changes, i.e. when new relevant information becomes available. Most existing models for system reliability prediction are developed in a classical framework of probability theory and they overlook some information that is always present. Probability is just an analytical tool to handle uncertainty, based on judgement and subjective opinions. It is argued that the Bayesian approach gives a much more comprehensive understanding of the foundations of probability than the so called frequentistic school. A new model for system reliability prediction is given in two papers. The model encloses the fact that component failures are dependent because of a shared operational environment. The suggested model also naturally permits learning from failure data of similar components in non identical environments. 85 refs

Fundamentals of reliability engineering applications in multistage interconnection networks

CERN Document Server

Gunawan, Indra

2014-01-01

This book presents fundamentals of reliability engineering with its applications in evaluating reliability of multistage interconnection networks. In the first part of the book, it introduces the concept of reliability engineering, elements of probability theory, probability distributions, availability and data analysis.  The second part of the book provides an overview of parallel/distributed computing, network design considerations, and more.  The book covers a comprehensive reliability engineering methods and its practical aspects in the interconnection network systems. Students, engineers, researchers, managers will find this book as a valuable reference source.

Exploring the reliability and validity of the social-moral awareness test.

Science.gov (United States)

Livesey, Alexandra; Dodd, Karen; Pote, Helen; Marlow, Elizabeth

2012-11-01

The aim of the study was to explore the validity of the social-moral awareness test (SMAT) a measure designed for assessing socio-moral rule knowledge and reasoning in people with learning disabilities. Comparisons between Theory of Mind and socio-moral reasoning allowed the exploration of construct validity of the tool. Factor structure, reliability and discriminant validity were also assessed. Seventy-one participants with mild-moderate learning disabilities completed the two scales of the SMAT and two False Belief Tasks for Theory of Mind. Reliability of the SMAT was very good, and the scales were shown to be uni-dimensional in factor structure. There was a significant positive relationship between Theory of Mind and both SMAT scales. There is early evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the SMAT. Further assessment of the validity of the SMAT will be required. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Reliability and continuous regeneration model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Pavlisková

2006-06-01

Full Text Available The failure-free function of an object is very important for the service. This leads to the interest in the determination of the object reliability and failure intensity. The reliability of an element is defined by the theory of probability.The element durability T is a continuous random variate with the probability density f. The failure intensity (tλ is a very important reliability characteristics of the element. Often it is an increasing function, which corresponds to the element ageing. We disposed of the data about a belt conveyor failures recorded during the period of 90 months. The given ses behaves according to the normal distribution. By using a mathematical analysis and matematical statistics, we found the failure intensity function (tλ. The function (tλ increases almost linearly.

Structural Optimization with Reliability Constraints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Thoft-Christensen, Palle

1986-01-01

During the last 25 years considerable progress has been made in the fields of structural optimization and structural reliability theory. In classical deterministic structural optimization all variables are assumed to be deterministic. Due to the unpredictability of loads and strengths of actual......]. In this paper we consider only structures which can be modelled as systems of elasto-plastic elements, e.g. frame and truss structures. In section 2 a method to evaluate the reliability of such structural systems is presented. Based on a probabilistic point of view a modern structural optimization problem...... is formulated in section 3. The formulation is a natural extension of the commonly used formulations in determinstic structural optimization. The mathematical form of the optimization problem is briefly discussed. In section 4 two new optimization procedures especially designed for the reliability...

Reliable measurement of the Seebeck coefficient of organic and inorganic materials between 260 K and 460 K

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beretta, D.; Lanzani, G. [Center for Nano Science and Technology @PoliMi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Pascoli 70/3, 20133 Milano (MI) (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano (MI) (Italy); Bruno, P.; Caironi, M., E-mail: mario.caironi@iit.it [Center for Nano Science and Technology @PoliMi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Pascoli 70/3, 20133 Milano (MI) (Italy)

2015-07-15

A new experimental setup for reliable measurement of the in-plane Seebeck coefficient of organic and inorganic thin films and bulk materials is reported. The system is based on the “Quasi-Static” approach and can measure the thermopower in the range of temperature between 260 K and 460 K. The system has been tested on a pure nickel bulk sample and on a thin film of commercially available PEDOT:PSS deposited by spin coating on glass. Repeatability within 1.5% for the nickel sample is demonstrated, while accuracy in the measurement of both organic and inorganic samples is guaranteed by time interpolation of data and by operating with a temperature difference over the sample of less than 1 K.

System reliability developments in structural engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moses, F.

1982-01-01

Two major limitations occur in present structural design code developments utilizing reliability theory. The notional system reliabilities may differ significantly from calibrated component reliabilities. Secondly, actual failures are often due to gross errors not reflected in most present code formats. A review is presented of system reliability methods and further new concepts are developed. The incremental load approach for identifying and expressing collapse modes is expanded by employing a strategy to identify and enumerate the significant structural collapse modes. It further isolates the importance of critical components in the system performance. Ductile and brittle component behavior and strength correlation is reflected in the system model and illustrated in several examples. Modal combinations for the system reliability are also reviewed. From these developments a system factor can be addended to component safety checking equations. Values may be derived from system behavior by substituting in a damage model which accounts for the response range from component failure to collapse. Other strategies are discussed which emphasize quality assurance during design and in-service inspection for components whose behavior is critical to the system reliability. (Auth.)

Strategic Management: The theory and practice of strategy in (business) organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jofre, Sergio

This work is the result of an ongoing study on the patterns and trends on both the theory and practice in the field of strategic management carried out at the Section of Innovation Systems and Foresight. The report focuses on different issues regarding the broad topic of strategy in organizations......, but special attention is given to three relevant issues regarding the current diversification and fragmentation in the field of strategic management: • The lack of a universally accepted definition of what strategy is, • The multi-disciplinary nature of the field, and • The development and evolution of our...... knowledge on human cognition and organizations’ behaviour. These issues are addressed from the perspective of influential scholars and practitioners of different disciplines, yet they are discussed from the angle of business organizations....

Substance Use Stigma: Reliability and validity of a theory-based scale for substance-using populations*

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Laramie R.; Earnshaw, Valerie A.; Copenhaver, Michael M.; Cunningham, Chinazo O.

2016-01-01

Background Substance use disorders consistently rank among the most stigmatized conditions worldwide. Thus, substance use stigma fosters health inequities among persons with substance use disorders and remains a key barrier to successful screening and treatment efforts. Current efforts to measure substance use stigma are limited. This study aims to advance measurement efforts by drawing on stigma theory to develop and evaluate the Substance Use Stigma Mechanisms Scale (SU-SMS). The SU-SMS was designed to capture enacted, anticipated, and internalized substance use stigma mechanisms among persons with current and past substance use disorders, and distinguish between key stigma sources most likely to impact this target population. Methods This study was a cross-sectional evaluation of the validity, reliability, and generalizability of the SU-SMS across two independent samples with diverse substance use and treatment histories. Results Findings support the structural and construct validity of the SU-SMS, suggesting the scale was able to capture enacted, anticipated, and internalized stigma as distinct stigma experiences. It also further differentiated between two distinct stigma sources (family and healthcare providers). Analysis of these mechanisms and psychosocial metrics suggests that the scale is also associated with other health-related outcomes. Furthermore, the SU-SMS demonstrated high levels of internal reliability and generalizability across two independent samples of persons with diverse substance use disorders and treatment histories. Conclusion The SU-SMS may serve as a valuable tool for better understanding the processes through which substance use stigma serves to undermine key health behaviors and outcomes among persons with substance use disorders. PMID:26972790

Theory Meets Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlamovitz, Jesper

2015-01-01

Process thinking and process-based theory are receiving increased attention in the field of organization studies and organization theory development (Tsoukas & Chia, 2002; Langley & Tsoukas, 2010; Hernes, 2014). The aim has been to study processes rather than structures, in organizations. This has...... recently inspired research on the organizing of projects and the development of a (new) theory of temporary organizations (Bakker, 2010; Blomquist et al. 2010; Söderlund, 2013). These theories are still under development and need empirical studies that can show their relevance for practice. This paper...... will give an overview of this theoretical development and discuss the consequences for the practice of project management. The paper finds that the focus on processes such as time and temporality, meaning structures, and articulation are covered in project management research, but sparsely documented...

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior in the Purchase of Organic Food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linda Martić Kuran

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of the study was to define factors which influence the purchase intention involving organic food among Croatian consumers. In order to create a theoretical base, this research adopted the theory of planned behavior. The model examines the impact of several independent variables on the intention to purchase organic foods. The study was conducted on a sample of 331 respondents in the territory of Republic of Croatia. Research results indicate that consumer attitudes towards organic food, subjective norms, perceived financial situation, health awareness and knowledge about organic food have a significant impact on the intention involving the purchase of organic food, with subjective norms, attitudes and health awareness being the best predictors of the purchase intention. On the other hand, the relationship between the perceived availability of organic food and the intention to buy organic food was statistically significant. Considering the demographic characteristics of respondents and their correlation with the purchase intention, marital status, age and household income were found to significantly affect the intention to buy organic food, while other demographic variables had no significant impact on the purchase intention. Therefore, the respondents who are married, between 46 and 55 years old and with household incomes of more than 16,000 kuna show a greater intention to buy organic food in comparison with other respondents. The research results have important implications for marketing practice, primarily for advertising.

Basic Concepts in Classical Test Theory: Tests Aren't Reliable, the Nature of Alpha, and Reliability Generalization as a Meta-analytic Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Helms, LuAnn Sherbeck

This paper discusses the fact that reliability is about scores and not tests and how reliability limits effect sizes. The paper also explores the classical reliability coefficients of stability, equivalence, and internal consistency. Stability is concerned with how stable test scores will be over time, while equivalence addresses the relationship…

Towards a spatial theory of organizations : Creating new organizational forms to improve business performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tissen, R.J.; Lekanne Deprez, F.R.E.

2008-01-01

Research in the field of management and organizational theory generally indicates the absense of space in organizations. Space has largely been a neglected phenomenon, left implicite to practice as something ‘limiting’ without actually ‘existing’. The aim of this research paper is to explore and

Investigating Postgraduate College Admission Interviews: Generalizability Theory Reliability and Incremental Predictive Validity

Science.gov (United States)

Arce-Ferrer, Alvaro J.; Castillo, Irene Borges

2007-01-01

The use of face-to-face interviews is controversial for college admissions decisions in light of the lack of availability of validity and reliability evidence for most college admission processes. This study investigated reliability and incremental predictive validity of a face-to-face postgraduate college admission interview with a sample of…

Methodology of comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and reliability of production lines of preparation of sea water for the cultivation of aquatic organisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. D. Ugryumova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The factors affecting the efficiency and reliability of technical systems. Set stages of development and modernization of production lines that correspond to specific stages of evaluating the effectiveness and reliability. Considered several methods of definition of indicators of indicators of efficiency and reliability of the equipment in technological lines of fisheries sector: forecasting methods, structural methods, physical methods, logical-probability method (method by I.A. Ryabinin and topological method. Advantages and disadvantages, allowing you to work out the most suitable method, process lines preparation of sea water for the cultivation of aquatic organisms, connected in series. Modernized technological line of preparation of sea water for the cultivation of aquatic organisms differing from the typical line of seawater in hatcheries (Far East, as the presence of a large number of instrumentation: sensors, salinity and temperature; motomeru that continuously monitor turbidity in the range of 50÷100 EMF (30÷60 mg/1 by kaolin; signaling the flow sensors volume level of the filtrate and the backfill layer; analyzers of chemical composition of sea water; analyzers of suspended mechanical impurities; signaling sensors of acidity and oxygen content and replacement filters coarse, fine cleaning and auxiliary equipment. A program of comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and reliability of production lines, revealed that conducted the modernization of production line preparation of sea water for the cultivation of aquatic organisms has improved its efficiency by an average of 1.71% to reduce the amount of manual labor by 15.1%; control the process; provide the most rapid, efficient purification of sea water; reduce the cost of replacement filter media.

Theories of risk and safety: what is their relevance to nursing?

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Hannah

2009-03-01

The aim of this paper is to review key theories of risk and safety and their implications for nursing. The concept of of patient safety has only recently risen to prominence as an organising principle in healthcare. The paper considers the wider social context in which contemporary concepts of risk and safety have developed. In particular it looks at sociological debates about the rise of risk culture and the risk society and their influence on the patient safety movement. The paper discusses three bodies of theory which have attempted to explain the management of risk and safety in organisations: normal accident theory, high reliability theory, and grid-group cultural theory. It examine debates between these theories and their implications for healthcare. It discusses reasons for the dominance of high reliability theory in healthcare and its strengths and limitations. The paper suggest that high reliability theory has particular difficulties in explaining some aspects of organisational culture. It also suggest that the implementation of high reliability theory in healthcare has involved over reliance on numerical indicators. It suggests that patient safety could be improved by openness to a wider range of theoretical perspectives.

Solid State Lighting Reliability Components to Systems

CERN Document Server

Fan, XJ

2013-01-01

Solid State Lighting Reliability: Components to Systems begins with an explanation of the major benefits of solid state lighting (SSL) when compared to conventional lighting systems including but not limited to long useful lifetimes of 50,000 (or more) hours and high efficacy. When designing effective devices that take advantage of SSL capabilities the reliability of internal components (optics, drive electronics, controls, thermal design) take on critical importance. As such a detailed discussion of reliability from performance at the device level to sub components is included as well as the integrated systems of SSL modules, lamps and luminaires including various failure modes, reliability testing and reliability performance. This book also: Covers the essential reliability theories and practices for current and future development of Solid State Lighting components and systems Provides a systematic overview for not only the state-of-the-art, but also future roadmap and perspectives of Solid State Lighting r...

Performance reliability prediction for thermal aging based on kalman filtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren Shuhong; Wen Zhenhua; Xue Fei; Zhao Wensheng

2015-01-01

The performance reliability of the nuclear power plant main pipeline that failed due to thermal aging was studied by the performance degradation theory. Firstly, through the data obtained from the accelerated thermal aging experiments, the degradation process of the impact strength and fracture toughness of austenitic stainless steel material of the main pipeline was analyzed. The time-varying performance degradation model based on the state space method was built, and the performance trends were predicted by using Kalman filtering. Then, the multi-parameter and real-time performance reliability prediction model for the main pipeline thermal aging was developed by considering the correlation between the impact properties and fracture toughness, and by using the stochastic process theory. Thus, the thermal aging performance reliability and reliability life of the main pipeline with multi-parameter were obtained, which provides the scientific basis for the optimization management of the aging maintenance decision making for nuclear power plant main pipelines. (authors)

The design organization test: further demonstration of reliability and validity as a brief measure of visuospatial ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Killgore, William D S; Gogel, Hannah

2014-01-01

Neuropsychological assessments are frequently time-consuming and fatiguing for patients. Brief screening evaluations may reduce test duration and allow more efficient use of time by permitting greater attention toward neuropsychological domains showing probable deficits. The Design Organization Test (DOT) was initially developed as a 2-min paper-and-pencil alternative for the Block Design (BD) subtest of the Wechsler scales. Although initially validated for clinical neurologic patients, we sought to further establish the reliability and validity of this test in a healthy, more diverse population. Two alternate versions of the DOT and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) were administered to 61 healthy adult participants. The DOT showed high alternate forms reliability (r = .90-.92), and the two versions yielded equivalent levels of performance. The DOT was highly correlated with BD (r = .76-.79) and was significantly correlated with all subscales of the WASI. The DOT proved useful when used in lieu of BD in the calculation of WASI IQ scores. Findings support the reliability and validity of the DOT as a measure of visuospatial ability and suggest its potential worth as an efficient estimate of intellectual functioning in situations where lengthier tests may be inappropriate or unfeasible.

Graph theory

CERN Document Server

Diestel, Reinhard

2017-01-01

This standard textbook of modern graph theory, now in its fifth edition, combines the authority of a classic with the engaging freshness of style that is the hallmark of active mathematics. It covers the core material of the subject with concise yet reliably complete proofs, while offering glimpses of more advanced methods in each field by one or two deeper results, again with proofs given in full detail. The book can be used as a reliable text for an introductory course, as a graduate text, and for self-study. From the reviews: “This outstanding book cannot be substituted with any other book on the present textbook market. It has every chance of becoming the standard textbook for graph theory.”Acta Scientiarum Mathematiciarum “Deep, clear, wonderful. This is a serious book about the heart of graph theory. It has depth and integrity. ”Persi Diaconis & Ron Graham, SIAM Review “The book has received a very enthusiastic reception, which it amply deserves. A masterly elucidation of modern graph theo...

Computer scientist looks at reliability computations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenthal, A.

1975-01-01

Results from the theory of computational complexity are applied to reliability computations on fault trees and networks. A well known class of problems which almost certainly have no fast solution algorithms is presented. It is shown that even approximately computing the reliability of many systems is difficult enough to be in this class. In the face of this result, which indicates that for general systems the computation time will be exponential in the size of the system, decomposition techniques which can greatly reduce the effective size of a wide variety of realistic systems are explored

The chronic toxicity of molybdate to marine organisms. I. Generating reliable effects data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heijerick, D.G.; Regoli, L.; Stubblefield, W.

2012-01-01

A scientific research program was initiated by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) which addressed identified gaps in the environmental toxicity data for the molybdate ion (MoO 4 2− ). These gaps were previously identified during the preparation of EU-REACH-dossiers for different molybdenum compounds (European Union regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances; EC, 2006). Evaluation of the open literature identified few reliable marine ecotoxicological data that could be used for deriving a Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) for the marine environment. Rather than calculating a PNEC marine using the assessment factor methodology on a combined freshwater/marine dataset, IMOA decided to generate sufficient reliable marine chronic data to permit derivation of a PNEC by means of the more scientifically robust species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach (also called the statistical extrapolation approach). Nine test species were chronically exposed to molybdate (added as sodium molybdate dihydrate, Na 2 MoO 4 ·2H 2 O) according to published standard testing guidelines that are acceptable for a broad range of regulatory purposes. The selected test organisms were representative for typical marine trophic levels: micro-algae/diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Dunaliella tertiolecta), macro-alga (Ceramium tenuicorne), mysids (Americamysis bahia), copepod (Acartia tonsa), fish (Cyprinodon variegatus), echinoderms (Dendraster exentricus, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and molluscs (Mytilus edulis, Crassostrea gigas). Available NOEC/EC 10 levels ranged between 4.4 mg Mo/L (blue mussel M. edulis) and 1174 mg Mo/L (oyster C. gigas). Using all available reliable marine chronic effects data that are currently available, a HC 5,50% (median hazardous concentration affecting 5% of the species) of 5.74 (mg Mo)/L was derived with the statistical extrapolation approach, a value that can be used for national and

Assessing governance theory and practice in health-care organizations: a survey of UK hospices.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Naomi; Benson, Lawrence; Boyd, Alan; Girling, Jeff

2012-05-01

This paper sets out a theoretical framework for analyzing board governance, and describes an empirical study of corporate governance practices in a subset of non-profit organizations (hospices in the UK). It examines how practices in hospice governance compare with what is known about effective board working. We found that key strengths of hospice boards included a strong focus on the mission and the finances of the organizations, and common weaknesses included a lack of involvement in strategic matters and a lack of confidence, and some nervousness about challenging the organization on the quality of clinical care. Finally, the paper offers suggestions for theoretical development particularly in relation to board governance in non-profit organizations. It develops an engagement theory for boards which comprises a triadic proposition of high challenge, high support and strong grip.

Predicting behavioural responses to novel organisms: state-dependent detection theory

Science.gov (United States)

Sih, Andrew

2017-01-01

Human activity alters natural habitats for many species. Understanding variation in animals' behavioural responses to these changing environments is critical. We show how signal detection theory can be used within a wider framework of state-dependent modelling to predict behavioural responses to a major environmental change: novel, exotic species. We allow thresholds for action to be a function of reserves, and demonstrate how optimal thresholds can be calculated. We term this framework ‘state-dependent detection theory’ (SDDT). We focus on behavioural and fitness outcomes when animals continue to use formerly adaptive thresholds following environmental change. In a simple example, we show that exposure to novel animals which appear dangerous—but are actually safe—(e.g. ecotourists) can have catastrophic consequences for ‘prey’ (organisms that respond as if the new organisms are predators), significantly increasing mortality even when the novel species is not predatory. SDDT also reveals that the effect on reproduction can be greater than the effect on lifespan. We investigate factors that influence the effect of novel organisms, and address the potential for behavioural adjustments (via evolution or learning) to recover otherwise reduced fitness. Although effects of environmental change are often difficult to predict, we suggest that SDDT provides a useful route ahead. PMID:28100814

The European reliability data system. An organized information exchange on the operation of European nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mancini, G.; Amesz, J.; Bastianini, P.; Capobianchi, S.

1983-01-01

The paper revises the aims and objectives of the European Reliability Data System (ERDS), a centralized system collecting and organizing, at European level, information related to the operation of LWRs. The ERDS project was started in 1977 and after a preliminary feasibility study that ended in 1979 is now proceeding towards the final design and implementation stages. ERDS exploits information collected in national data systems and information deriving from single reactor sources. The paper describes first the development of the four data banks constituting the system: Component Event Data Bank, CEDB; Abnormal Occurrences Reporting System, AORS; Operating Unit Status Report, OUSR; and Generic Reliability Parameter Data Bank, GRPDB. Several typical aspects concerning the project are then outlined from the need of homogeneization of data and therefore the need for setting up reference classifications, to the problem of data transcoding and input into the system. Furthermore, the need is stressed of involving much more deeply nuclear power plant operators into the process of data acquisition by providing them with a useful feedback from the data analysis. (author)

Assessing reliability in energy supply systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, Ryan W.; Ogden, Joan M.; Sperling, Daniel

2007-01-01

Reliability has always been a concern in the energy sector, but concerns are escalating as energy demand increases and the political stability of many energy supply regions becomes more questionable. But how does one define and measure reliability? We introduce a method to assess reliability in energy supply systems in terms of adequacy and security. It derives from reliability assessment frameworks developed for the electricity sector, which are extended to include qualitative considerations and to be applicable to new energy systems by incorporating decision-making processes based on expert opinion and multi-attribute utility theory. The method presented here is flexible and can be applied to any energy system. To illustrate its use, we apply the method to two hydrogen pathways: (1) centralized steam reforming of imported liquefied natural gas with pipeline distribution of hydrogen, and (2) on-site electrolysis of water using renewable electricity produced independently from the electricity grid

77 FR 7526 - Interpretation of Protection System Reliability Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-13

... Federal Power Act (FPA) requires a Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop.... Cir. 2009). \\8\\ Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, Order No. 693, FERC Stats... a person that is ``directly and materially affected'' by Bulk-Power System reliability may request...

An Examination of Test-Retest, Alternate Form Reliability, and Generalizability Theory Study of the easyCBM Passage Reading Fluency Assessments: Grade 4. Technical Report #1219

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

This technical report is one in a series of five describing the reliability (test/retest and alternate form) and G-Theory/D-Study research on the easyCBM reading measures, grades 1-5. Data were gathered in the spring of 2011 from a convenience sample of students nested within classrooms at a medium-sized school district in the Pacific Northwest.…

Consumers' attitude and intention towards organic food purchase: An extension of theory of planned behavior in gender perspective

OpenAIRE

Irianto, Heru

2015-01-01

The objective of this research was to study the variables affecting the consumer attitude to buy organic food that in turn affects the purchasing intention. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to explain this. The study variables include health consciousness, environmental consciousness, organic food price, attitude, subjective norm, intentions to purchase organic food and gender. Survey method was used, with the sample containing 200 respondents intending to purchase organic food in Su...

Demonstration for novel self-organization theory by three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondoh, Yoshiomi; Hosaka, Yasuo; Liang, Jia-Ling.

1993-03-01

It is demonstrated by three-dimensional simulations for resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasmas with both 'spatially nonuniform resistivity η' and 'uniformη' that the attractor of the dissipative structure in the resistive MHD plasmas is given by ∇ x (ηj) = (α/2)B which is derived from a novel self-organization theory based on the minimum dissipation rate profile. It is shown by the simulations that the attractor is reduced to ∇ x B = λB in the special case with the 'uniformη' and no pressure gradient. (author)

Communication as a predictor of willingness to donate one's organs: an addition to the Theory of Reasoned Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffres, Leo W; Carroll, Jeanine A; Rubenking, Bridget E; Amschlinger, Joe

2008-12-01

Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action has been used by many researchers, particularly in regard to health communication, to predict behavioral intentions and behavior. According to that theory, one's intention is the best predictor that one will engage in a behavior, and attitudes and social norms predict behavioral intentions. Other researchers have added different variables to the postulates of attitudes and social norms that Fishbein and Ajzen maintain are the best predictors of behavioral intention. Here we draw on data from a 2006 telephone survey (N = 420) gauging the awareness of an organ donation campaign in Northeast Ohio to examine the impact of communication on people's intentions. The current study supports the hypothesis that those who communicate with others are more likely to express a greater willingness to become an organ donor, but it expands the range of communication contexts. With demographics and attitudes toward organ donation controlled for, this study shows that communication with others about organ donation increases the willingness of individuals to have favorable attitudes about being an organ donor.

On the NPP structural reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klemin, A.I.; Polyakov, E.F.

1980-01-01

Reviewed are the main statements peculiarities and possibilities of the first branch guiding technical material (GTM) ''The methods of calculation of structural reliability of NPP and its systems at the stage of projecting''. It is stated, that in GTM presented are recomendations on the calculation of reliability of such specific systems, as the system of the reactor control and protection the system of measuring instruments and automatics and safe systems. GTM are based on analytical methods of modern theory of realibility with the Use of metodology of minimal cross sections of complex systems. It is stressed, that the calculations on the proposed methods permit to calculate a wide complex of reliability parameters, reflecting separately or together prorerties of NPP dependability and maintainability. For NPP, operating by a variable schedule of leading, aditionally considered are parameters, characterizing reliability with account of the proposed regime of power change, i.e. taking into account failures, caused by decrease of the obtained power lower, than the reguired or increase of the required power higher, than the obtained

Theory model and experiment research about the cognition reliability of nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Xiang; Zhao Bingquan

2000-01-01

In order to improve the reliability of NPP operation, the simulation research on the reliability of nuclear power plant operators is needed. Making use of simulator of nuclear power plant as research platform, and taking the present international reliability research model-human cognition reliability for reference, the part of the model is modified according to the actual status of Chinese nuclear power plant operators and the research model of Chinese nuclear power plant operators obtained based on two-parameter Weibull distribution. Experiments about the reliability of nuclear power plant operators are carried out using the two-parameter Weibull distribution research model. Compared with those in the world, the same results are achieved. The research would be beneficial to the operation safety of nuclear power plant

Organizing design work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scheuer, John Damm

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the kind of understanding of organizing that is implied by design theories for project managers' understanding and organizing of design work. Five theories and their organizing consequences for project managers organizing of design work...... are analyzed. The paper contributes to design research and organization studies by putting the organizing of design projects on the research agenda. It also contributes by demonstrating the importance of being aware of the ontological and epistemological assumptions and organizing consequences of different...... design theories. The selected theories of design thus represent different views on what design is, address different design areas and are based on different ontological and epistemological assumptions that influence their views on how design processes should be organized....

Reliability Standards of Complex Engineering Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Galperin, E. M.; Zayko, V. A.; Gorshkalev, P. A.

2017-11-01

Production and manufacture play an important role in today’s modern society. Industrial production is nowadays characterized by increased and complex communications between its parts. The problem of preventing accidents in a large industrial enterprise becomes especially relevant. In these circumstances, the reliability of enterprise functioning is of particular importance. Potential damage caused by an accident at such enterprise may lead to substantial material losses and, in some cases, can even cause a loss of human lives. That is why industrial enterprise functioning reliability is immensely important. In terms of their reliability, industrial facilities (objects) are divided into simple and complex. Simple objects are characterized by only two conditions: operable and non-operable. A complex object exists in more than two conditions. The main characteristic here is the stability of its operation. This paper develops the reliability indicator combining the set theory methodology and a state space method. Both are widely used to analyze dynamically developing probability processes. The research also introduces a set of reliability indicators for complex technical systems.

Benchmarking DFT and semi-empirical methods for a reliable and cost-efficient computational screening of benzofulvene derivatives as donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Tortorella, Sara; Talamo, Maurizio Mastropasqua; Cardone, Antonio; Pastore, Mariachiara; De Angelis, Filippo

2016-02-24

A systematic computational investigation on the optical properties of a group of novel benzofulvene derivatives (Martinelli 2014 Org. Lett. 16 3424-7), proposed as possible donor materials in small molecule organic photovoltaic (smOPV) devices, is presented. A benchmark evaluation against experimental results on the accuracy of different exchange and correlation functionals and semi-empirical methods in predicting both reliable ground state equilibrium geometries and electronic absorption spectra is carried out. The benchmark of the geometry optimization level indicated that the best agreement with x-ray data is achieved by using the B3LYP functional. Concerning the optical gap prediction, we found that, among the employed functionals, MPW1K provides the most accurate excitation energies over the entire set of benzofulvenes. Similarly reliable results were also obtained for range-separated hybrid functionals (CAM-B3LYP and wB97XD) and for global hybrid methods incorporating a large amount of non-local exchange (M06-2X and M06-HF). Density functional theory (DFT) hybrids with a moderate (about 20-30%) extent of Hartree-Fock exchange (HFexc) (PBE0, B3LYP and M06) were also found to deliver HOMO-LUMO energy gaps which compare well with the experimental absorption maxima, thus representing a valuable alternative for a prompt and predictive estimation of the optical gap. The possibility of using completely semi-empirical approaches (AM1/ZINDO) is also discussed.

Benchmarking DFT and semi-empirical methods for a reliable and cost-efficient computational screening of benzofulvene derivatives as donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tortorella, Sara; Talamo, Maurizio Mastropasqua; Cardone, Antonio; Pastore, Mariachiara; De Angelis, Filippo

2016-01-01

A systematic computational investigation on the optical properties of a group of novel benzofulvene derivatives (Martinelli 2014 Org. Lett. 16 3424–7), proposed as possible donor materials in small molecule organic photovoltaic (smOPV) devices, is presented. A benchmark evaluation against experimental results on the accuracy of different exchange and correlation functionals and semi-empirical methods in predicting both reliable ground state equilibrium geometries and electronic absorption spectra is carried out. The benchmark of the geometry optimization level indicated that the best agreement with x-ray data is achieved by using the B3LYP functional. Concerning the optical gap prediction, we found that, among the employed functionals, MPW1K provides the most accurate excitation energies over the entire set of benzofulvenes. Similarly reliable results were also obtained for range-separated hybrid functionals (CAM-B3LYP and wB97XD) and for global hybrid methods incorporating a large amount of non-local exchange (M06-2X and M06-HF). Density functional theory (DFT) hybrids with a moderate (about 20–30%) extent of Hartree–Fock exchange (HFexc) (PBE0, B3LYP and M06) were also found to deliver HOMO–LUMO energy gaps which compare well with the experimental absorption maxima, thus representing a valuable alternative for a prompt and predictive estimation of the optical gap. The possibility of using completely semi-empirical approaches (AM1/ZINDO) is also discussed. (paper)

Power theories for multi-choice organizations and political rules: Rank-order equivalence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland Pongou

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Voting power theories measure the ability of voters to influence the outcome of an election under a given voting rule. In general, each theory gives a different evaluation of power, raising the question of their appropriateness, and calling for the need to identify classes of rules for which different theories agree. We study the ordinal equivalence of the generalizations of the classical power concepts–the influence relation, the Banzhaf power index, and the Shapley–Shubik power index–to multi-choice organizations and political rules. Under such rules, each voter chooses a level of support for a social goal from a finite list of options, and these individual choices are aggregated to determine the collective level of support for this goal. We show that the power theories analyzed do not always yield the same power relationships among voters. Thanks to necessary and/or sufficient conditions, we identify a large class of rules for which ordinal equivalence obtains. Furthermore, we prove that ordinal equivalence obtains for all linear rules allowing a fixed number of individual approval levels if and only if that number does not exceed three. Our findings generalize all the previous results on the ordinal equivalence of the classical power theories, and show that the condition of linearity found to be necessary and sufficient for ordinal equivalence to obtain when voters have at most three options to choose from is no longer sufficient when they can choose from a list of four or more options.

Reliability-based sensitivity of mechanical components with arbitrary distribution parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yi Min; Yang, Zhou; Wen, Bang Chun; He, Xiang Dong; Liu, Qiaoling

2010-01-01

This paper presents a reliability-based sensitivity method for mechanical components with arbitrary distribution parameters. Techniques from the perturbation method, the Edgeworth series, the reliability-based design theory, and the sensitivity analysis approach were employed directly to calculate the reliability-based sensitivity of mechanical components on the condition that the first four moments of the original random variables are known. The reliability-based sensitivity information of the mechanical components can be accurately and quickly obtained using a practical computer program. The effects of the design parameters on the reliability of mechanical components were studied. The method presented in this paper provides the theoretic basis for the reliability-based design of mechanical components

Safety and reliability analysis based on nonprobabilistic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozin, I.O.; Petersen, K.E.

1996-01-01

Imprecise probabilities, being developed during the last two decades, offer a considerably more general theory having many advantages which make it very promising for reliability and safety analysis. The objective of the paper is to argue that imprecise probabilities are more appropriate tool for reliability and safety analysis, that they allow to model the behavior of nuclear industry objects more comprehensively and give a possibility to solve some problems unsolved in the framework of conventional approach. Furthermore, some specific examples are given from which we can see the usefulness of the tool for solving some reliability tasks

Automation of reliability evaluation procedures through CARE - The computer-aided reliability estimation program.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathur, F. P.

1972-01-01

Description of an on-line interactive computer program called CARE (Computer-Aided Reliability Estimation) which can model self-repair and fault-tolerant organizations and perform certain other functions. Essentially CARE consists of a repository of mathematical equations defining the various basic redundancy schemes. These equations, under program control, are then interrelated to generate the desired mathematical model to fit the architecture of the system under evaluation. The mathematical model is then supplied with ground instances of its variables and is then evaluated to generate values for the reliability-theoretic functions applied to the model.

On New Cautious Structural Reliability Models in the Framework of imprecise Probabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Utkin, Lev V.; Kozine, Igor

2010-01-01

models and gen-eralizing conventional ones to imprecise probabili-ties. The theoretical setup employed for this purpose is imprecise statistical reasoning (Walley 1991), whose general framework is provided by upper and lower previsions (expectations). The appeal of this theory is its ability to capture......Uncertainty of parameters in engineering design has been modeled in different frameworks such as inter-val analysis, fuzzy set and possibility theories, ran-dom set theory and imprecise probability theory. The authors of this paper for many years have been de-veloping new imprecise reliability...... both aleatory (stochas-tic) and epistemic uncertainty and the flexibility with which information can be represented. The previous research of the authors related to generalizing structural reliability models to impre-cise statistical measures is summarized in Utkin & Kozine (2002) and Utkin (2004...

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of Brandes, Dharwadkar, and Dean’s (1999) Organizational Cynicism Scale: The Case of Organized Industrial Zone, Kayseri

OpenAIRE

Karacaoglu, Korhan; Ince, Fatma

2012-01-01

The aim of this research is to investigate the validity and reliability of Turkish version of Organizational Cynicism Scale developed by Brandes et al. (1999). The research was conducted on 300 workers employed in the manufacturing entreprises of Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone. The psychometric properties of the scale were examined by cronbach alpha and item-total corelations for the reliability, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses for the validity. As a result of the factor a...

Mathematical Methods in Survival Analysis, Reliability and Quality of Life

CERN Document Server

Huber, Catherine; Mesbah, Mounir

2008-01-01

Reliability and survival analysis are important applications of stochastic mathematics (probability, statistics and stochastic processes) that are usually covered separately in spite of the similarity of the involved mathematical theory. This title aims to redress this situation: it includes 21 chapters divided into four parts: Survival analysis, Reliability, Quality of life, and Related topics. Many of these chapters were presented at the European Seminar on Mathematical Methods for Survival Analysis, Reliability and Quality of Life in 2006.

Review of Reliability-Based Design Optimization Approach and Its Integration with Bayesian Method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiangnan

2018-03-01

A lot of uncertain factors lie in practical engineering, such as external load environment, material property, geometrical shape, initial condition, boundary condition, etc. Reliability method measures the structural safety condition and determine the optimal design parameter combination based on the probabilistic theory. Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is the most commonly used approach to minimize the structural cost or other performance under uncertainty variables which combines the reliability theory and optimization. However, it cannot handle the various incomplete information. The Bayesian approach is utilized to incorporate this kind of incomplete information in its uncertainty quantification. In this paper, the RBDO approach and its integration with Bayesian method are introduced.

Uncertainty in reliability estimation : when do we know everything we know?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houben, M.J.H.A.; Sonnemans, P.J.M.; Newby, M.J.; Bris, R.; Guedes Soares, C.; Martorell, S.

2009-01-01

In this paperwe demonstrate the use of an adapted GroundedTheory approach through interviews and their analysis to determine explicit uncertainty (known unknowns) for reliability estimation in the early phases of product development.We have applied the adapted Grounded Theory approach in a case

Parametric and semiparametric models with applications to reliability, survival analysis, and quality of life

CERN Document Server

Nikulin, M; Mesbah, M; Limnios, N

2004-01-01

Parametric and semiparametric models are tools with a wide range of applications to reliability, survival analysis, and quality of life. This self-contained volume examines these tools in survey articles written by experts currently working on the development and evaluation of models and methods. While a number of chapters deal with general theory, several explore more specific connections and recent results in "real-world" reliability theory, survival analysis, and related fields.

A discussion of system reliability and the relative importance of pumps and valves to overall system availability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poole, A.B. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1996-12-01

An analysis was undertaken to establish preliminary trends for how component aging can effect failure rates for swing check valves, centrifugal pumps and motor operated valves. These failure rate trends were evaluated over time and linear aging rate models established. The failure rate models were then used with classic reliability theories to estimate reliability as a function of operating time. Reliability theory was also used to establish a simple system reliability model. Using the system model, the relative importance of pumps and valves to the overall system reliability were studied. Conclusions were established relative to overall system availability over time and the relative unavailabilities of the various components studied.

A discussion of system reliability and the relative importance of pumps and valves to overall system availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poole, A.B.

1996-01-01

An analysis was undertaken to establish preliminary trends for how component aging can effect failure rates for swing check valves, centrifugal pumps and motor operated valves. These failure rate trends were evaluated over time and linear aging rate models established. The failure rate models were then used with classic reliability theories to estimate reliability as a function of operating time. Reliability theory was also used to establish a simple system reliability model. Using the system model, the relative importance of pumps and valves to the overall system reliability were studied. Conclusions were established relative to overall system availability over time and the relative unavailabilities of the various components studied

Uncertainty theory

CERN Document Server

Liu, Baoding

2015-01-01

When no samples are available to estimate a probability distribution, we have to invite some domain experts to evaluate the belief degree that each event will happen. Perhaps some people think that the belief degree should be modeled by subjective probability or fuzzy set theory. However, it is usually inappropriate because both of them may lead to counterintuitive results in this case. In order to rationally deal with belief degrees, uncertainty theory was founded in 2007 and subsequently studied by many researchers. Nowadays, uncertainty theory has become a branch of axiomatic mathematics for modeling belief degrees. This is an introductory textbook on uncertainty theory, uncertain programming, uncertain statistics, uncertain risk analysis, uncertain reliability analysis, uncertain set, uncertain logic, uncertain inference, uncertain process, uncertain calculus, and uncertain differential equation. This textbook also shows applications of uncertainty theory to scheduling, logistics, networks, data mining, c...

Analysis of time-dependent reliability of degenerated reinforced concrete structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Hongping

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Durability deterioration of structure is a highly random process. The maintenance of degenerated structure involves the calculation of the reliability of time-dependent structure. This study introduced reinforced concrete structure resistance decrease model and related statistical parameters of uncertainty, analyzed resistance decrease rules of corroded bending element of reinforced concrete structure, and finally calculated timedependent reliability of the corroded bending element of reinforced concrete structure, aiming to provide a specific theoretical basis for the application of time-dependent reliability theory.

The chronic toxicity of molybdate to marine organisms. I. Generating reliable effects data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heijerick, D.G., E-mail: Dagobert.heijerick@arche-consulting.be [ARCHE - Assessing Risks of Chemicals, Stapelplein 70 Bus 104, Gent (Belgium); Regoli, L. [International Molybdenum Association, 4 Heathfield Terrace, London, W4 4JE (United Kingdom); Stubblefield, W. [Oregon State University, Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, 421 Weniger Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331 (United States)

2012-07-15

A scientific research program was initiated by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) which addressed identified gaps in the environmental toxicity data for the molybdate ion (MoO{sub 4}{sup 2-}). These gaps were previously identified during the preparation of EU-REACH-dossiers for different molybdenum compounds (European Union regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances; EC, 2006). Evaluation of the open literature identified few reliable marine ecotoxicological data that could be used for deriving a Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) for the marine environment. Rather than calculating a PNEC{sub marine} using the assessment factor methodology on a combined freshwater/marine dataset, IMOA decided to generate sufficient reliable marine chronic data to permit derivation of a PNEC by means of the more scientifically robust species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach (also called the statistical extrapolation approach). Nine test species were chronically exposed to molybdate (added as sodium molybdate dihydrate, Na{sub 2}MoO{sub 4}{center_dot}2H{sub 2}O) according to published standard testing guidelines that are acceptable for a broad range of regulatory purposes. The selected test organisms were representative for typical marine trophic levels: micro-algae/diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Dunaliella tertiolecta), macro-alga (Ceramium tenuicorne), mysids (Americamysis bahia), copepod (Acartia tonsa), fish (Cyprinodon variegatus), echinoderms (Dendraster exentricus, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and molluscs (Mytilus edulis, Crassostrea gigas). Available NOEC/EC{sub 10} levels ranged between 4.4 mg Mo/L (blue mussel M. edulis) and 1174 mg Mo/L (oyster C. gigas). Using all available reliable marine chronic effects data that are currently available, a HC{sub 5,50%} (median hazardous concentration affecting 5% of the species) of 5.74 (mg Mo)/L was derived with the statistical extrapolation approach, a

The 'revealed preferences' theory: Assumptions and conjectures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, C.H.

1983-01-01

Being kind of intuitive psychology the 'Revealed-Preferences'- theory based approaches towards determining the acceptable risks are a useful method for the generation of hypotheses. In view of the fact that reliability engineering develops faster than methods for the determination of reliability aims the Revealed-Preferences approach is a necessary preliminary help. Some of the assumptions on which the 'Revealed-Preferences' theory is based will be identified and analysed and afterwards compared with experimentally obtained results. (orig./DG) [de

Computer-aided reliability and risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leicht, R.; Wingender, H.J.

1989-01-01

Activities in the fields of reliability and risk analyses have led to the development of particular software tools which now are combined in the PC-based integrated CARARA system. The options available in this system cover a wide range of reliability-oriented tasks, like organizing raw failure data in the component/event data bank FDB, performing statistical analysis of those data with the program FDA, managing the resulting parameters in the reliability data bank RDB, and performing fault tree analysis with the fault tree code FTL or evaluating the risk of toxic or radioactive material release with the STAR code. (orig.)

Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) assessment of critical component unavailability in liquid metal reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koger, K.H.; Haire, M.J.; Humphrys, B.L.; Manneschmidt, J.F.; Setoguchi, K.; Nakai, R.

1988-01-01

The Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) is the largest repository of liquid metal reactor (LMR) component reliability data in the world. It is jointly sponsored by the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) of Japan. The CREDO data base contains information on a population of more than 20,000 components and approximately 1500 event records. A conservative estimation is that the total component operating hours is approaching 2.2 billion hours. The work reported here focuses on the availability information contained in CREDO and the development of availability critical items lists. That is, individual components are ranked in prioritized lists from worst to best performers from an availability standpoint. Availability as used here is an inherent characteristics of the component and is not necessarily related to plant operability. A major observation is that a few components have a much higher unavailability factor than the average. The top fifteen components contribute 93%, 77%, and 87% of the total system unavailability for EBR-II, FFTF, and JOYO respectively. Critical components common to all three sites are mechanical pumps and electromagnetic pumps. Application of resources to these components with the highest unavailability will have the greatest effect on overall availability. All three sites demonstrate that low maintainability (i.e., long repair times), rather than unreliability (i.e., high failure rates), are the main contributors, by about a two-to-one margin, to liquid metal system unavailability

The reliability of nuclear power plant safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susnik, J.

1978-01-01

A criterion was established concerning the protection that nuclear power plant (NPP) safety systems should afford. An estimate of the necessary or adequate reliability of the total complex of safety systems was derived. The acceptable unreliability of auxiliary safety systems is given, provided the reliability built into the specific NPP safety systems (ECCS, Containment) is to be fully utilized. A criterion for the acceptable unreliability of safety (sub)systems which occur in minimum cut sets having three or more components of the analysed fault tree was proposed. A set of input MTBF or MTTF values which fulfil all the set criteria and attain the appropriate overall reliability was derived. The sensitivity of results to input reliability data values was estimated. Numerical reliability evaluations were evaluated by the programs POTI, KOMBI and particularly URSULA, the last being based on Vesely's kinetic fault tree theory. (author)

Quality and reliability of technical systems. 2. rev. and enlarged ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birolini, A.

1988-01-01

The work comprises, besides the definition of fundamentals, mathematical methods and tables, a detailed compilation of theory, practice and management in the field of quality assurance and reliability. Complete chapters are dedicated in particular to the reliability analyses, selection and qualification of electronic components, maintenance analyses in the development phase, quality assurance of the software, reliability and availability of repairable visual display units, statistical quality control as well as the improvement of the quality and reliability in the production phase of electronic components. (DG) With 152 figs., 58 tabs., 92 examples [de

Measuring and controlling method for organic impurities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, Motohiro; Igarashi, Hiroo

1995-01-01

The present invention concerns measurement and control for organic impurities contained in ultrapurified water for use in a nuclear power plant. A specimen containing organic impurities leached out of anionic exchange resins and cationic exchange resins is introduced to an organic material decomposing section to decompose organic impurities into organic carbon and other decomposed products. Sulfate ions, nitrate ions, nitrite ions and carbon dioxide are produced by the decomposition of the organic impurities. As a next step, carbon dioxide in the decomposed products is separated by deaerating with a nitrogen gas or an argon gas and then a TOC concentration is measured by a non-dispersion-type infrared spectrometer. Further, a specimen from which carbon dioxide was separated is introduced to a column filled with ion exchange resins and, after concentrating inorganic ion impurities, the inorganic ion impurities are identified by using a measuring theory of an ion chromatographic method of eluting and separating inorganic ion impurities and detecting them based on the change of electroconductivity depending on the kinds of the inorganic ion impurities. Organic impurities can be measured and controlled, to improve the reliability of water quality control. (N.H.)

Curbing domestic violence: Instantiating C-K theory with formal concept analysis and emergent self-organizing maps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poelmans, J.; Elzinga, P.; Viaene, S.; Dedene, G.

2010-01-01

We propose a human-centred process for knowledge discovery from unstructured text that makes use of formal concept analysis and emergent self-organizing maps. The knowledge discovery process is conceptualized and interpreted as successive iterations through the concept-knowledge (C-K) theory design

A cognitive organization theory (COT) of organizational change : Measuring organizational texture, audience appeal, and leadership engagement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Oord, Ad; Elliott, Karen; Witteloostuijn, Arjen van; Barlage, Melody; Polos, Laszlo; Rogiest, Sofie

2017-01-01

Purpose: In this paper, the authors develop a cognitive organization theory (COT) of organizational change. COT was developed in the 2000s, by taking insights from cognitive psychology and anthropology to rebuild the foundation of organizational ecology (OE), grounding macro processes of

Developing Reliable Life Support for Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Harry W.

2017-01-01

A human mission to Mars will require highly reliable life support systems. Mars life support systems may recycle water and oxygen using systems similar to those on the International Space Station (ISS). However, achieving sufficient reliability is less difficult for ISS than it will be for Mars. If an ISS system has a serious failure, it is possible to provide spare parts, or directly supply water or oxygen, or if necessary bring the crew back to Earth. Life support for Mars must be designed, tested, and improved as needed to achieve high demonstrated reliability. A quantitative reliability goal should be established and used to guide development t. The designers should select reliable components and minimize interface and integration problems. In theory a system can achieve the component-limited reliability, but testing often reveal unexpected failures due to design mistakes or flawed components. Testing should extend long enough to detect any unexpected failure modes and to verify the expected reliability. Iterated redesign and retest may be required to achieve the reliability goal. If the reliability is less than required, it may be improved by providing spare components or redundant systems. The number of spares required to achieve a given reliability goal depends on the component failure rate. If the failure rate is under estimated, the number of spares will be insufficient and the system may fail. If the design is likely to have undiscovered design or component problems, it is advisable to use dissimilar redundancy, even though this multiplies the design and development cost. In the ideal case, a human tended closed system operational test should be conducted to gain confidence in operations, maintenance, and repair. The difficulty in achieving high reliability in unproven complex systems may require the use of simpler, more mature, intrinsically higher reliability systems. The limitations of budget, schedule, and technology may suggest accepting lower and

Achieving High Reliability with People, Processes, and Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, Candice L; Brennan, John A

2017-01-01

High reliability as a corporate value in healthcare can be achieved by meeting the "Quadruple Aim" of improving population health, reducing per capita costs, enhancing the patient experience, and improving provider wellness. This drive starts with the board of trustees, CEO, and other senior leaders who ingrain high reliability throughout the organization. At WellStar Health System, the board developed an ambitious goal to become a top-decile health system in safety and quality metrics. To achieve this goal, WellStar has embarked on a journey toward high reliability and has committed to Lean management practices consistent with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's definition of a high-reliability organization (HRO): one that is committed to the prevention of failure, early identification and mitigation of failure, and redesign of processes based on identifiable failures. In the end, a successful HRO can provide safe, effective, patient- and family-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care through a convergence of people, processes, and technology.

Inferences about Variance Components and Reliability-Generalizability Coefficients in the Absence of Random Sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Michael

2002-01-01

Reviews the criticisms of sampling assumptions in generalizability theory (and in reliability theory) and examines the feasibility of using representative sampling, stratification, homogeneity assumptions, and replications to address these criticisms. Suggests some general outlines for the conduct of generalizability theory studies. (SLD)

Correcting Fallacies in Validity, Reliability, and Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Sijtsma, Klaas

2009-01-01

This article reviews three topics from test theory that continue to raise discussion and controversy and capture test theorists' and constructors' interest. The first topic concerns the discussion of the methodology of investigating and establishing construct validity; the second topic concerns reliability and its misuse, alternative definitions…

An Examination of Test-Retest, Alternate Form Reliability, and Generalizability Theory Study of the easyCBM Word and Passage Reading Fluency Assessments: Grade 3. Technical Report #1218

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

This technical report is one in a series of five describing the reliability (test/retest and alternate form) and G-Theory/D-Study research on the easyCBM reading measures, grades 1-5. Data were gathered in the spring of 2011 from a convenience sample of students nested within classrooms at a medium-sized school district in the Pacific Northwest.…

Reliability of structures of industrial installations. Theory and applications of probabilistic mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procaccia, H.; Morilhat, P.; Carle, R.; Menjon, G.

1996-01-01

The management of the service life of mechanical materials implies an evaluation of their risk of failure during their use. To evaluate this risk the following methods are used: the classical frequency statistics applied to experience feedback data concerning failures noticed during operation of active parts (pumps, valves, exchangers, circuit breakers etc..); the Bayesian approach in the case of scarce statistical data and when experts are needed to compensate the lack of information; the structures reliability approach when no data are available and when a theoretical model of degradation must be used, in particular for passive structures (pressure vessels, pipes, tanks, etc..). The aim of this book is to describe the principles and applications of this third approach to industrial installations. Chapter 1 recalls the historical aspects of the probabilistic approach to the reliability of structures and the existing codes. Chapter 2 presents the level 1 deterministic method applied so far for the conceiving of passive structures. The Cornell reliability index, already used in civil engineering codes, is defined in chapter 3. The Hasofer and Lind reliability index, a generalization of the Cornell index, is defined in chapter 4. Chapter 5 concerns the application of probabilistic approaches to optimization studies with the introduction of the economical variables linked to the risk and the possible actions to limit this risk (in-service inspection, maintenance, repairing etc..). Chapters 6 and 7 describe the Monte Carlo simulation and approximation methods for failure probabilistic calculations, and recall the fracture mechanics basis and the models of load and degradation of industrial installations. Some applications are given in chapter 9 with the cases of the safety margins quantization of a fissured pipe and the optimizing of the in-service inspection policy of a steam generator. Chapter 10 raises the problem of the coupling between mechanical and reliability

Organizations, individualism and economic theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, M.

2012-01-01

Most economic theory is based on the assumption that economies grow in a linear fashion. Recessions, depressions and (financial) crises are explained by policy mistakes. However, economic development has historically been uneven, and this state of affairs continues today. This book argues that

Reliability-Based Design and Planning of Inspection and Monitoring of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marquez-Dominguez, Sergio

Maintaining and developing a sustainable wind industry is the main motivation of this PhD thesis entitled “Reliability-based design and planning of inspection and monitoring of offshore wind turbines”. In this thesis, statistical methods and probability theory are important mathematical tools used...... and offshore wind turbine foundations with the aim of improving the design, decreasing structural costs and increasing benefits. Recently, wind energy technology has started to adopt risk and reliability based inspection planning (RBI) as a methodology based on Bayesian decision theories together...

Construct Definition Methodology and Generalizability Theory Applied to Career Education Measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenner, A. Jackson; Rohlf, Richard J.

The merits of generalizability theory in the formulation of construct definitions and in the determination of reliability estimates are discussed. The broadened conceptualization of reliability brought about by Cronbach's generalizability theory is reviewed. Career Maturity Inventory data from a sample of 60 ninth grade students is used to…

The fair value of operational reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patino-Echeverri, Dalia; Morel, Benoit

2005-01-01

Information about the uncertainties that surround the operation of the power system can be used to enlighten the debate of how much reliability should be pursued and how resources should be allocated to pursue it. In this paper we present a method to determine the value of having flexible generators to react to load fluctuations. This value can be seen as the value of hedging against the uncertainty on the load due to the volatility of the demand and the possibility of congestion. Because having this flexibility can be related to a financial option, we will use an extension of options theory and in particular the risk-neutral valuation method, to find a risk neutral quantification of its value. We illustrate our point valuing the flexibility that leads to ''operational reliability'' in the PJM market. Our formula for that value is what we call ''the fair value'' of operational reliability. (Author)

Self-organized computation with unreliable, memristive nanodevices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snider, G S

2007-01-01

Nanodevices have terrible properties for building Boolean logic systems: high defect rates, high variability, high death rates, drift, and (for the most part) only two terminals. Economical assembly requires that they be dynamical. We argue that strategies aimed at mitigating these limitations, such as defect avoidance/reconfiguration, or applying coding theory to circuit design, present severe scalability and reliability challenges. We instead propose to mitigate device shortcomings and exploit their dynamical character by building self-organizing, self-healing networks that implement massively parallel computations. The key idea is to exploit memristive nanodevice behavior to cheaply implement adaptive, recurrent networks, useful for complex pattern recognition problems. Pulse-based communication allows the designer to make trade-offs between power consumption and processing speed. Self-organization sidesteps the scalability issues of characterization, compilation and configuration. Network dynamics supplies a graceful response to device death. We present simulation results of such a network-a self-organized spatial filter array-that demonstrate its performance as a function of defects and device variation

Firm Size, a Self-Organized Critical Phenomenon: Evidence from the Dynamical Systems Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Akhilesh

This research draws upon a recent innovation in the dynamical systems literature called the theory of self -organized criticality (SOC) (Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld 1988) to develop a computational model of a firm's size by relating its internal and the external sub-systems. As a holistic paradigm, the theory of SOC implies that a firm as a composite system of many degrees of freedom naturally evolves to a critical state in which a minor event starts a chain reaction that can affect either a part or the system as a whole. Thus, the global features of a firm cannot be understood by analyzing its individual parts separately. The causal framework builds upon a constant capital resource to support a volume of production at the existing level of efficiency. The critical size is defined as the production level at which the average product of a firm's factors of production attains its maximum value. The non -linearity is inferred by a change in the nature of relations at the border of criticality, between size and the two performance variables, viz., the operating efficiency and the financial efficiency. The effect of breaching the critical size is examined on the stock price reactions. Consistent with the theory of SOC, it is hypothesized that the temporal response of a firm breaching the level of critical size should behave as a flicker noise (1/f) process. The flicker noise is characterized by correlations extended over a wide range of time scales, indicating some sort of cooperative effect among a firm's degrees of freedom. It is further hypothesized that a firm's size evolves to a spatial structure with scale-invariant, self-similar (fractal) properties. The system is said to be self-organized inasmuch as it naturally evolves to the state of criticality without any detailed specifications of the initial conditions. In this respect, the critical state is an attractor of the firm's dynamics. Another set of hypotheses examines the relations between the size and the

Human factors reliability Benchmark exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poucet, A.

1989-06-01

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has organized a Human Factors Reliability Benchmark Exercise (HF-RBE) with the aim of assessing the state of the art in human reliability modelling and assessment. Fifteen teams from eleven countries, representing industry, utilities, licensing organisations and research institutes, participated in the HF-RBE. The HF-RBE was organized around two study cases: (1) analysis of routine functional Test and Maintenance (T and M) procedures: with the aim of assessing the probability of test induced failures, the probability of failures to remain unrevealed and the potential to initiate transients because of errors performed in the test; (2) analysis of human actions during an operational transient: with the aim of assessing the probability that the operators will correctly diagnose the malfunctions and take proper corrective action. This report contains the final summary reports produced by the participants in the exercise

78 FR 45447 - Revisions to Modeling, Data, and Analysis Reliability Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-29

...; Order No. 782] Revisions to Modeling, Data, and Analysis Reliability Standard AGENCY: Federal Energy... Analysis (MOD) Reliability Standard MOD- 028-2, submitted to the Commission for approval by the North... Organization. The Commission finds that the proposed Reliability Standard represents an improvement over the...

PREP KITT, System Reliability by Fault Tree Analysis. PREP, Min Path Set and Min Cut Set for Fault Tree Analysis, Monte-Carlo Method. KITT, Component and System Reliability Information from Kinetic Fault Tree Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesely, W.E.; Narum, R.E.

1997-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: The PREP/KITT computer program package obtains system reliability information from a system fault tree. The PREP program finds the minimal cut sets and/or the minimal path sets of the system fault tree. (A minimal cut set is a smallest set of components such that if all the components are simultaneously failed the system is failed. A minimal path set is a smallest set of components such that if all of the components are simultaneously functioning the system is functioning.) The KITT programs determine reliability information for the components of each minimal cut or path set, for each minimal cut or path set, and for the system. Exact, time-dependent reliability information is determined for each component and for each minimal cut set or path set. For the system, reliability results are obtained by upper bound approximations or by a bracketing procedure in which various upper and lower bounds may be obtained as close to one another as desired. The KITT programs can handle independent components which are non-repairable or which have a constant repair time. Any assortment of non-repairable components and components having constant repair times can be considered. Any inhibit conditions having constant probabilities of occurrence can be handled. The failure intensity of each component is assumed to be constant with respect to time. The KITT2 program can also handle components which during different time intervals, called phases, may have different reliability properties. 2 - Method of solution: The PREP program obtains minimal cut sets by either direct deterministic testing or by an efficient Monte Carlo algorithm. The minimal path sets are obtained using the Monte Carlo algorithm. The reliability information is obtained by the KITT programs from numerical solution of the simple integral balance equations of kinetic tree theory. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The PREP program will obtain the minimal cut and

A Unifying Theory of Biological Function.

Science.gov (United States)

van Hateren, J H

2017-01-01

A new theory that naturalizes biological function is explained and compared with earlier etiological and causal role theories. Etiological (or selected effects) theories explain functions from how they are caused over their evolutionary history. Causal role theories analyze how functional mechanisms serve the current capacities of their containing system. The new proposal unifies the key notions of both kinds of theories, but goes beyond them by explaining how functions in an organism can exist as factors with autonomous causal efficacy. The goal-directedness and normativity of functions exist in this strict sense as well. The theory depends on an internal physiological or neural process that mimics an organism's fitness, and modulates the organism's variability accordingly. The structure of the internal process can be subdivided into subprocesses that monitor specific functions in an organism. The theory matches well with each intuition on a previously published list of intuited ideas about biological functions, including intuitions that have posed difficulties for other theories.

Reliability-Based Design of Coastal Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burcharth, H. F.

1997-01-01

The objective of this paper is to introduce the application of reliability theory for conceptual design and evaluation of coastal structures. It is without the scope to discuss the validity and quality of the various design formulae available for coastal structures. The contents of the paper is a....... Proceedings Conference of Port and Coastal Engineering in developing countries. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1995....

Dynamic reliability of digital-based transmitters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brissaud, Florent, E-mail: florent.brissaud.2007@utt.f [Institut National de l' Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte (France) and Universite de Technologie de Troyes - UTT, Institut Charles Delaunay - ICD and UMR CNRS 6279 STMR, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Smidts, Carol [Ohio State University (OSU), Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Scott Laboratory, 201 W 19th Ave, Columbus OH 43210 (United States); Barros, Anne; Berenguer, Christophe [Universite de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), Institut Charles Delaunay (ICD) and UMR CNRS 6279 STMR, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)

2011-07-15

Dynamic reliability explicitly handles the interactions between the stochastic behaviour of system components and the deterministic behaviour of process variables. While dynamic reliability provides a more efficient and realistic way to perform probabilistic risk assessment than 'static' approaches, its industrial level applications are still limited. Factors contributing to this situation are the inherent complexity of the theory and the lack of a generic platform. More recently the increased use of digital-based systems has also introduced additional modelling challenges related to specific interactions between system components. Typical examples are the 'intelligent transmitters' which are able to exchange information, and to perform internal data processing and advanced functionalities. To make a contribution to solving these challenges, the mathematical framework of dynamic reliability is extended to handle the data and information which are processed and exchanged between systems components. Stochastic deviations that may affect system properties are also introduced to enhance the modelling of failures. A formalized Petri net approach is then presented to perform the corresponding reliability analyses using numerical methods. Following this formalism, a versatile model for the dynamic reliability modelling of digital-based transmitters is proposed. Finally the framework's flexibility and effectiveness is demonstrated on a substantial case study involving a simplified model of a nuclear fast reactor.

The self-perceived survival ability and reproductive fitness (SPFit) theory of substance use disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Newlin, David B

2002-04-01

A new theory of substance use disorders is proposed-the SPFit theory-that is based on evolutionary biology and adaptive systems. Self-perceived survival ability and reproductive fitness (SPFit) is proposed as a human psychobiological construct that prioritizes and organizes (i.e. motivates) behavior, but is highly vulnerable to temporary, artificial activation by drugs of abuse. Autoshaping/sign-tracking/feature positive phenomena are proposed to underlie the development of craving and expectations about drugs as the individual learns that abused drugs will easily and reliably inflate SPFit. The cortico-mesolimbic dopamine system and its modulating interconnections are viewed as the biological substrate of SPFit; it is proposed to be a survival and reproductive motivation system rather than a reward center or reward pathway. Finally, the concept of modularity of mind is applied to the SPFit construct. Although considerable empirical data are consistent with the theory, new research is needed to test specific hypotheses derived from SPFit theory.

Reliability modelling of repairable systems using Petri nets and fuzzy Lambda-Tau methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knezevic, J.; Odoom, E.R.

2001-01-01

A methodology is developed which uses Petri nets instead of the fault tree methodology and solves for reliability indices utilising fuzzy Lambda-Tau method. Fuzzy set theory is used for representing the failure rate and repair time instead of the classical (crisp) set theory because fuzzy numbers allow expert opinions, linguistic variables, operating conditions, uncertainty and imprecision in reliability information to be incorporated into the system model. Petri nets are used because unlike the fault tree methodology, the use of Petri nets allows efficient simultaneous generation of minimal cut and path sets

Developing An Extended Theory Of Planned Behavior Model To Investigate Consumers Consumption Behavior Toward Organic Food A Case Study In Thailand

OpenAIRE

Kamonthip Maichum; Surakiat Parichatnon; Ke-Chung Peng

2017-01-01

Organic foods are gaining popularity around the world and consumers of organic foods are on the rise. However information on the consumer behavior towards purchasing organic foods in developing countries such as Thailand is lacking. In this study we develop an extended theory of planned behavior TPB research model that incorporates organic knowledge to investigate consumers consumption intention and behavior towards organic food. We derived and examined the model through structural equation m...

Using generalizability theory to develop clinical assessment protocols.

Science.gov (United States)

Preuss, Richard A

2013-04-01

Clinical assessment protocols must produce data that are reliable, with a clinically attainable minimal detectable change (MDC). In a reliability study, generalizability theory has 2 advantages over classical test theory. These advantages provide information that allows assessment protocols to be adjusted to match individual patient profiles. First, generalizability theory allows the user to simultaneously consider multiple sources of measurement error variance (facets). Second, it allows the user to generalize the findings of the main study across the different study facets and to recalculate the reliability and MDC based on different combinations of facet conditions. In doing so, clinical assessment protocols can be chosen based on minimizing the number of measures that must be taken to achieve a realistic MDC, using repeated measures to minimize the MDC, or simply based on the combination that best allows the clinician to monitor an individual patient's progress over a specified period of time.

Analysis of fatigue reliability for high temperature and high pressure multi-stage decompression control valve

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Long; Xu, Juanjuan; Zhang, Lifang; Xu, Xiaogang

2018-03-01

Based on stress-strength interference theory to establish the reliability mathematical model for high temperature and high pressure multi-stage decompression control valve (HMDCV), and introduced to the temperature correction coefficient for revising material fatigue limit at high temperature. Reliability of key dangerous components and fatigue sensitivity curve of each component are calculated and analyzed by the means, which are analyzed the fatigue life of control valve and combined with reliability theory of control valve model. The impact proportion of each component on the control valve system fatigue failure was obtained. The results is shown that temperature correction factor makes the theoretical calculations of reliability more accurate, prediction life expectancy of main pressure parts accords with the technical requirements, and valve body and the sleeve have obvious influence on control system reliability, the stress concentration in key part of control valve can be reduced in the design process by improving structure.

Application of modern reliability database techniques to military system data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunea, Cornel; Mazzuchi, Thomas A.; Sarkani, Shahram; Chang, H.-C.

2008-01-01

This paper focuses on analysis techniques of modern reliability databases, with an application to military system data. The analysis of military system data base consists of the following steps: clean the data and perform operation on it in order to obtain good estimators; present simple plots of data; analyze the data with statistical and probabilistic methods. Each step is dealt with separately and the main results are presented. Competing risks theory is advocated as the mathematical support for the analysis. The general framework of competing risks theory is presented together with simple independent and dependent competing risks models available in literature. These models are used to identify the reliability and maintenance indicators required by the operating personnel. Model selection is based on graphical interpretation of plotted data

A Comparison of the Approaches of Generalizability Theory and Item Response Theory in Estimating the Reliability of Test Scores for Testlet-Composed Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Guemin; Park, In-Yong

2012-01-01

Previous assessments of the reliability of test scores for testlet-composed tests have indicated that item-based estimation methods overestimate reliability. This study was designed to address issues related to the extent to which item-based estimation methods overestimate the reliability of test scores composed of testlets and to compare several…

A pilot study to validate measures of the theory of reasoned action for organ donation behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Shui Hung; Chow, Amy Yin Man

2018-04-01

The present study aimed at taking the first attempt in validating the measures generated based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA). A total of 211 university students participated in the study, 95 were included in the exploratory factor analysis and 116 were included in the confirmatory factor analysis. The TRA measurements were established with adequate psychometric properties, internal consistency, and construct validity. Findings also suggested that attitude toward organ donation has both a cognitive and affective nature, while the subjective norm of the family seems to be important to students' views on organ donation.

The fair value of operational reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patino-Echeverri, Dalia; Morel, Benoit

2005-12-15

Information about the uncertainties that surround the operation of the power system can be used to enlighten the debate of how much reliability should be pursued and how resources should be allocated to pursue it. In this paper we present a method to determine the value of having flexible generators to react to load fluctuations. This value can be seen as the value of hedging against the uncertainty on the load due to the volatility of the demand and the possibility of congestion. Because having this flexibility can be related to a financial option, we will use an extension of options theory and in particular the risk-neutral valuation method, to find a risk neutral quantification of its value. We illustrate our point valuing the flexibility that leads to ''operational reliability'' in the PJM market. Our formula for that value is what we call ''the fair value'' of operational reliability. (Author)

Waste package reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, C.; Sastre, C.

1983-01-01

Proof of future performance of a complex system such as a high-level nuclear waste package over a period of hundreds to thousands of years cannot be had in the ordinary sense of the word. The general method of probabilistic reliability analysis could provide an acceptable framework to identify, organize, and convey the information necessary to satisfy the criterion of reasonable assurance of waste package performance according to the regulatory requirements set forth in 10 CFR 60. General principles which may be used to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative reliability of a waste package design are indicated and illustrated with a sample calculation of a repository concept in basalt. 8 references, 1 table

Comparing two reliability upper bounds for multistate systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Fan C.

2005-01-01

The path-cut reliability bound due to Esary and Proschan [J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 65 (1970) 329] and the minimax reliability bound due to Barlow and Proschan [Statistical Theory of Reliability and Life Testing: Probability Models, 1981] for binary systems have been generalized to multistate systems by Block and Savits [J. Appl. Probab. 19 (1982) 391]. Some comparison results concerning the two multistate lower bounds for various types of multistate systems are given by Meng [Probab. Eng. Inform. Sci. 16 (2002) 485]. In this note we compare the two multistate upper bounds and present results which generalize some previous ones obtained by Maymin [J. Stat. Plan. Inference 16 (1987) 337] for binary systems. Examples are given to illustrate our results

Risk and reliability analysis theory and applications : in honor of Prof. Armen Der Kiureghian

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book presents a unique collection of contributions from some of the foremost scholars in the field of risk and reliability analysis. Combining the most advanced analysis techniques with practical applications, it is one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date books available on risk-based engineering. All the fundamental concepts needed to conduct risk and reliability assessments are covered in detail, providing readers with a sound understanding of the field and making the book a powerful tool for students and researchers alike. This book was prepared in honor of Professor Armen Der Kiureghian, one of the fathers of modern risk and reliability analysis.

Development of the Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haas, P.M.; Bott, T.F.; Knee, H.E.; Manning, J.J.; Hudson, S.D.; Greene, N.M.; Woodside, M.A.

1979-01-01

CREDO has been established to meet the needs of the US Breeder Reactor Program and the advanced reactor community for a centralized source of accurate reliability/maintainability data and data-related services. The center provides for a comprehensive program of collection, evaluation, and dissemination of data and for necessary user services. A steering committee of nationally recognized experts has been formed to guide CREDO development and operation. Historic data have been collected, analyzed, and published. Routine, continuous data collection and processing has been initiated at US sites. Interfaces with existing data bases have been established. Special user services are under development

Reliability measures in managing GI bleeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonnenberg, Amnon

2012-06-01

Multiple procedures and devices are used in a complex interplay to diagnose and treat GI bleeding. To model how a large variety of diagnostic and therapeutic components interact in the successful management of GI bleeding. The analysis uses the concept of reliability block diagrams from probability theory to model management outcome. Separate components of the management process are arranged in a serial or parallel fashion. If the outcome depends on the function of each component individually, such components are modeled to be arranged in series. If components complement each other and can mutually compensate for each of their failures, such components are arranged in a parallel fashion. General endoscopy practice. Patients with GI bleeding of unknown etiology. All available endoscopic and radiographic means to diagnose and treat GI bleeding. Process reliability in achieving hemostasis. Serial arrangements tend to reduce process reliability, whereas parallel arrangements increase it. Whenever possible, serial components should be bridged and complemented by additional alternative (parallel) routes of operation. Parallel components with low individual reliability can still contribute to overall process reliability as long as they function independently of other pre-existing alternatives. Probability of success associated with individual components is partly unknown. Modeling management of GI bleeding by a reliability block diagram provides a useful tool in assessing the impact of individual endoscopic techniques and administrative structures on the overall outcome. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

'Broken hospital windows': debating the theory of spreading disorder and its application to healthcare organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Churruca, Kate; Ellis, Louise A; Braithwaite, Jeffrey

2018-03-22

Research in criminology and social-psychology supports the idea that visible signs of disorder, both physical and social, may perpetuate further disorder, leading to neighborhood incivilities, petty violations, and potentially criminal behavior. This theory of 'broken windows' has now also been applied to more enclosed environments, such as organizations. This paper debates whether the premise of broken windows theory, and the concept of 'disorder', might also have utility in the context of health services. There is already a body of work on system migration, which suggests a role for violations and workarounds in normalizing unwarranted deviations from safe practices in healthcare organizations. Studies of visible disorder may be needed in healthcare, where the risks of norm violations and disorderly environments, and potential for harm to patients, are considerable. Everyday adjustments and flexibility is mostly beneficial, but in this paper, we ask: how might deviations from the norm escalate from necessary workarounds to risky violations in care settings? Does physical or social disorder in healthcare contexts perpetuate further disorder, leading to downstream effects, including increased risk of harm to patients? We advance a model of broken windows in healthcare, and a proposal to study this phenomenon.

A new efficient algorithm for computing the imprecise reliability of monotone systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utkin, Lev V.

2004-01-01

Reliability analysis of complex systems by partial information about reliability of components and by different conditions of independence of components may be carried out by means of the imprecise probability theory which provides a unified framework (natural extension, lower and upper previsions) for computing the system reliability. However, the application of imprecise probabilities to reliability analysis meets with a complexity of optimization problems which have to be solved for obtaining the system reliability measures. Therefore, an efficient simplified algorithm to solve and decompose the optimization problems is proposed in the paper. This algorithm allows us to practically implement reliability analysis of monotone systems under partial and heterogeneous information about reliability of components and under conditions of the component independence or the lack of information about independence. A numerical example illustrates the algorithm

Reliability and fault tolerance in the European ADS project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biarrotte, Jean-Luc

2013-01-01

After an introduction to the theory of reliability, this paper focuses on a description of the linear proton accelerator proposed for the European ADS demonstration project. Design issues are discussed and examples of cases of fault tolerance are given. (author)

18 CFR 39.6 - Conflict of a Reliability Standard with a Commission Order.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Reliability Standard with a Commission Order. 39.6 Section 39.6 Conservation of Power and Water Resources..., APPROVAL, AND ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTRIC RELIABILITY STANDARDS § 39.6 Conflict of a Reliability Standard with... Transmission Organization determines that a Reliability Standard may conflict with a function, rule, order...

Reliability analysis of operator's monitoring behavior in digital main control room of nuclear power plants and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Li; Hu Hong; Li Pengcheng; Jiang Jianjun; Yi Cannan; Chen Qingqing

2015-01-01

In order to build a quantitative model to analyze operators' monitoring behavior reliability of digital main control room of nuclear power plants, based on the analysis of the design characteristics of digital main control room of a nuclear power plant and operator's monitoring behavior, and combining with operators' monitoring behavior process, monitoring behavior reliability was divided into three parts including information transfer reliability among screens, inside-screen information sampling reliability and information detection reliability. Quantitative calculation model of information transfer reliability among screens was established based on Senders's monitoring theory; the inside screen information sampling reliability model was established based on the allocation theory of attention resources; and considering the performance shaping factor causality, a fuzzy Bayesian method was presented to quantify information detection reliability and an example of application was given. The results show that the established model of monitoring behavior reliability gives an objective description for monitoring process, which can quantify the monitoring reliability and overcome the shortcomings of traditional methods. Therefore, it provides theoretical support for operator's monitoring behavior reliability analysis in digital main control room of nuclear power plants and improves the precision of human reliability analysis. (authors)

Sample Size for Estimation of G and Phi Coefficients in Generalizability Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Atilgan, Hakan

2013-01-01

Problem Statement: Reliability, which refers to the degree to which measurement results are free from measurement errors, as well as its estimation, is an important issue in psychometrics. Several methods for estimating reliability have been suggested by various theories in the field of psychometrics. One of these theories is the generalizability…

Centralized Bayesian reliability modelling with sensor networks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dedecius, Kamil; Sečkárová, Vladimíra

2013-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 5 (2013), s. 471-482 ISSN 1387-3954 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 7D12004 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) SVV-265315 Keywords : Bayesian modelling * Sensor network * Reliability Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information Impact factor: 0.984, year: 2013 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2013/AS/dedecius-0392551.pdf

Stochastic modeling for reliability shocks, burn-in and heterogeneous populations

CERN Document Server

Finkelstein, Maxim

2013-01-01

Focusing on shocks modeling, burn-in and heterogeneous populations, Stochastic Modeling for Reliability naturally combines these three topics in the unified stochastic framework and presents numerous practical examples that illustrate recent theoretical findings of the authors.  The populations of manufactured items in industry are usually heterogeneous. However, the conventional reliability analysis is performed under the implicit assumption of homogeneity, which can result in distortion of the corresponding reliability indices and various misconceptions. Stochastic Modeling for Reliability fills this gap and presents the basics and further developments of reliability theory for heterogeneous populations. Specifically, the authors consider burn-in as a method of elimination of ‘weak’ items from heterogeneous populations. The real life objects are operating in a changing environment. One of the ways to model an impact of this environment is via the external shocks occurring in accordance with some stocha...

Research on Connection and Function Reliability of the Oil＆Gas Pipeline System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Bo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Pipeline transportation is the optimal way for energy delivery in terms of safety, efficiency and environmental protection. Because of the complexity of pipeline external system including geological hazards, social and cultural influence, it is a great challenge to operate the pipeline safely and reliable. Therefore, the pipeline reliability becomes an important issue. Based on the classical reliability theory, the analysis of pipeline system is carried out, then the reliability model of the pipeline system is built, and the calculation is addressed thereafter. Further the connection and function reliability model is applied to a practical active pipeline system, with the use of the proposed methodology of the pipeline system; the connection reliability and function reliability are obtained. This paper firstly presented to considerate the connection and function reliability separately and obtain significant contribution to establish the mathematical reliability model of pipeline system, hence provide fundamental groundwork for the pipeline reliability research in the future.

Problems in diagnosing and forecasting power equipment reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popkov, V I; Demirchyan, K S

1979-11-01

This general survey deals with approaches to the resolution of such problems as the gathering, analysis and systematization of data on component defects in power equipment and setting up feedback with the manufacturing plants and planning organizations to improve equipment reliability. Such efforts on the part of designers, manufacturers and operating and repair organizations in analyzing faults in 300 MW turbogenerators during 1974-1977 reduced the specific fault rate by 20 to 25% and the downtime per failure by 35 to 40%. Since power equipment should operate for several hundreds of thousands of hours (20 to 30 years) and the majority of power components have guaranteed service lives of no more than 10/sup 5/ hours, an extremely difficult problem is the determination of the reliability of equipment past the 10/sup 5/ point. The present trend in the USSR Unified Power System towards increasing the number of shutdowns and startups, which in the case of turbogenerators of up 1200 MW power can reach 7500 to 10,000 cycles is noted. Other areas briefly treated are: MHD generator reliability and economy; nuclear power plant reliability and safety; the reliability of high-power high-voltage thyristor converters; the difficulties involved in scale modeling of power system reliability and the high cost of the requisite full-scale studies; the poor understanding of long term corrosion and erosion processes. The review concludes with arguments in favor of greater computerization of all aspects of power system management.

Recent Advances in Optimal Design of Structures from a Reliability Point of View

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft-Christensen, Palle; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

1987-01-01

-Christensen and Baker[4] and Madsen et al.[5]. Next a heuristic method, the so-called ß-unzipping method[6] is mentioned. This method can be used to estimate the reliability of a structural system if some modelling assumptions are fulfilled. In the third section some elements of structural optimisation theory...... section. First, a short review of the reliability theory for structural elements (e.g., beams and tubular joints) based on the so-called ß-index philosophy (Cornell[1], Ditlevsen[2], and Hasofer and Lind[3]) is given. Detailed descriptions are given in textbooks such as those by Thoft...

Near-misses are an opportunity to improve patient safety: adapting strategies of high reliability organizations to healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Spall, Harriette; Kassam, Alisha; Tollefson, Travis T

2015-08-01

Near-miss investigations in high reliability organizations (HROs) aim to mitigate risk and improve system safety. Healthcare settings have a higher rate of near-misses and subsequent adverse events than most high-risk industries, but near-misses are not systematically reported or analyzed. In this review, we will describe the strategies for near-miss analysis that have facilitated a culture of safety and continuous quality improvement in HROs. Near-miss analysis is routine and systematic in HROs such as aviation. Strategies implemented in aviation include the Commercial Aviation Safety Team, which undertakes systematic analyses of near-misses, so that findings can be incorporated into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Other strategies resulting from incident analyses include Crew Resource Management (CRM) for enhanced communication, situational awareness training, adoption of checklists during operations, and built-in redundancy within systems. Health care organizations should consider near-misses as opportunities for quality improvement. The systematic reporting and analysis of near-misses, commonplace in HROs, can be adapted to health care settings to prevent adverse events and improve clinical outcomes.

Assessment of physical server reliability in multi cloud computing system

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyani, B. J. D.; Rao, Kolasani Ramchand H.

2018-04-01

Business organizations nowadays functioning with more than one cloud provider. By spreading cloud deployment across multiple service providers, it creates space for competitive prices that minimize the burden on enterprises spending budget. To assess the software reliability of multi cloud application layered software reliability assessment paradigm is considered with three levels of abstractions application layer, virtualization layer, and server layer. The reliability of each layer is assessed separately and is combined to get the reliability of multi-cloud computing application. In this paper, we focused on how to assess the reliability of server layer with required algorithms and explore the steps in the assessment of server reliability.

Organized Communities and Potable Water Public Utilities in Colombia: Advocacy for the Third Economic Option Based on the Common-pool Resources Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jhonny Moncada Mesa

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Based on the theory and institutional principles proposed by Elinor Ostrom, this paper explores whether Colombian organized communities are able to provide potable water public utility in a sustainable manner and manage it as a common-pool resource (CPR. For this purpose, a set of Colombian community aqueducts is selected and compared against the eight principles proposed by this theory. The results have shown that, in general it complies with institutional principles but it also highlights difficulties, particularly in regards to the "minimal recognition of organization rights" principle.

Theory of Reasoned Action and the role of external factors in organic food purchase

OpenAIRE

Myresten, Emma; Setterhall, Mikaela

2015-01-01

This study examines a current phenomenon and behavioural shift amongst consumers’, namely the accelerating growth of organic food sales in Sweden. By combining the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), with the logic of value co-creation, an appropriate research tool has been developed stemmed from two related sub-studies. Based on TRA’s argument that additional factors, referred to as external, only can influence behavioural intention indirectly, combined with the proposed impact of value co-crea...

Statistical models and methods for reliability and survival analysis

CERN Document Server

Couallier, Vincent; Huber-Carol, Catherine; Mesbah, Mounir; Huber -Carol, Catherine; Limnios, Nikolaos; Gerville-Reache, Leo

2013-01-01

Statistical Models and Methods for Reliability and Survival Analysis brings together contributions by specialists in statistical theory as they discuss their applications providing up-to-date developments in methods used in survival analysis, statistical goodness of fit, stochastic processes for system reliability, amongst others. Many of these are related to the work of Professor M. Nikulin in statistics over the past 30 years. The authors gather together various contributions with a broad array of techniques and results, divided into three parts - Statistical Models and Methods, Statistical

Scaled CMOS Technology Reliability Users Guide

Science.gov (United States)

White, Mark

2010-01-01

The desire to assess the reliability of emerging scaled microelectronics technologies through faster reliability trials and more accurate acceleration models is the precursor for further research and experimentation in this relevant field. The effect of semiconductor scaling on microelectronics product reliability is an important aspect to the high reliability application user. From the perspective of a customer or user, who in many cases must deal with very limited, if any, manufacturer's reliability data to assess the product for a highly-reliable application, product-level testing is critical in the characterization and reliability assessment of advanced nanometer semiconductor scaling effects on microelectronics reliability. A methodology on how to accomplish this and techniques for deriving the expected product-level reliability on commercial memory products are provided.Competing mechanism theory and the multiple failure mechanism model are applied to the experimental results of scaled SDRAM products. Accelerated stress testing at multiple conditions is applied at the product level of several scaled memory products to assess the performance degradation and product reliability. Acceleration models are derived for each case. For several scaled SDRAM products, retention time degradation is studied and two distinct soft error populations are observed with each technology generation: early breakdown, characterized by randomly distributed weak bits with Weibull slope (beta)=1, and a main population breakdown with an increasing failure rate. Retention time soft error rates are calculated and a multiple failure mechanism acceleration model with parameters is derived for each technology. Defect densities are calculated and reflect a decreasing trend in the percentage of random defective bits for each successive product generation. A normalized soft error failure rate of the memory data retention time in FIT/Gb and FIT/cm2 for several scaled SDRAM generations is

Estimating Between-Person and Within-Person Subscore Reliability with Profile Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulut, Okan; Davison, Mark L; Rodriguez, Michael C

2017-01-01

Subscores are of increasing interest in educational and psychological testing due to their diagnostic function for evaluating examinees' strengths and weaknesses within particular domains of knowledge. Previous studies about the utility of subscores have mostly focused on the overall reliability of individual subscores and ignored the fact that subscores should be distinct and have added value over the total score. This study introduces a profile reliability approach that partitions the overall subscore reliability into within-person and between-person subscore reliability. The estimation of between-person reliability and within-person reliability coefficients is demonstrated using subscores from number-correct scoring, unidimensional and multidimensional item response theory scoring, and augmented scoring approaches via a simulation study and a real data study. The effects of various testing conditions, such as subtest length, correlations among subscores, and the number of subtests, are examined. Results indicate that there is a substantial trade-off between within-person and between-person reliability of subscores. Profile reliability coefficients can be useful in determining the extent to which subscores provide distinct and reliable information under various testing conditions.

Predicting risk and human reliability: a new approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R.; Ha, T.-S.

2009-01-01

Learning from experience describes human reliability and skill acquisition, and the resulting theory has been validated by comparison against millions of outcome data from multiple industries and technologies worldwide. The resulting predictions were used to benchmark the classic first generation human reliability methods adopted in probabilistic risk assessments. The learning rate, probabilities and response times are also consistent with the existing psychological models for human learning and error correction. The new approach also implies a finite lower bound probability that is not predicted by empirical statistical distributions that ignore the known and fundamental learning effects. (author)

Reliably Modeling the Mechanical Stability of Rigid and Flexible Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogge, Sven M J; Waroquier, Michel; Van Speybroeck, Veronique

2018-01-16

Over the past two decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have matured from interesting academic peculiarities toward a continuously expanding class of hybrid, nanoporous materials tuned for targeted technological applications such as gas storage and heterogeneous catalysis. These oft-times crystalline materials, composed of inorganic moieties interconnected by organic ligands, can be endowed with desired structural and chemical features by judiciously functionalizing or substituting these building blocks. As a result of this reticular synthesis, MOF research is situated at the intriguing intersection between chemistry and physics, and the building block approach could pave the way toward the construction of an almost infinite number of possible crystalline structures, provided that they exhibit stability under the desired operational conditions. However, this enormous potential is largely untapped to date, as MOFs have not yet found a major breakthrough in technological applications. One of the remaining challenges for this scale-up is the densification of MOF powders, which is generally achieved by subjecting the material to a pressurization step. However, application of an external pressure may substantially alter the chemical and physical properties of the material. A reliable theoretical guidance that can presynthetically identify the most stable materials could help overcome this technological challenge. In this Account, we describe the recent research the progress on computational characterization of the mechanical stability of MOFs. So far, three complementary approaches have been proposed, focusing on different aspects of mechanical stability: (i) the Born stability criteria, (ii) the anisotropy in mechanical moduli such as the Young and shear moduli, and (iii) the pressure-versus-volume equations of state. As these three methods are grounded in distinct computational approaches, it is expected that their accuracy and efficiency will vary. To date

Identity theory and personality theory: mutual relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Stryker, Sheldon

2007-12-01

Some personality psychologists have found a structural symbolic interactionist frame and identity theory relevant to their work. This frame and theory, developed in sociology, are first reviewed. Emphasized in the review are a multiple identity conception of self, identities as internalized expectations derived from roles embedded in organized networks of social interaction, and a view of social structures as facilitators in bringing people into networks or constraints in keeping them out, subsequently, attention turns to a discussion of the mutual relevance of structural symbolic interactionism/identity theory and personality theory, looking to extensions of the current literature on these topics.

Density Functional Theory Simulations of Semiconductors for Photovoltaic Applications: Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskites and III/V Heterostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacky Even

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Potentialities of density functional theory (DFT based methodologies are explored for photovoltaic materials through the modeling of the structural and optoelectronic properties of semiconductor hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites and GaAs/GaP heterostructures. They show how the properties of these bulk materials, as well as atomistic relaxations, interfaces, and electronic band-lineups in small heterostructures, can be thoroughly investigated. Some limitations of available standard DFT codes are discussed. Recent improvements able to treat many-body effects or based on density-functional perturbation theory are also reviewed in the context of issues relevant to photovoltaic technologies.

Reliability model for common mode failures in redundant safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, K.N.

1974-12-01

A method is presented for computing the reliability of redundant safety systems, considering both independent and common mode type failures. The model developed for the computation is a simple extension of classical reliability theory. The feasibility of the method is demonstrated with the use of an example. The probability of failure of a typical diesel-generator emergency power system is computed based on data obtained from U. S. diesel-generator operating experience. The results are compared with reliability predictions based on the assumption that all failures are independent. The comparison shows a significant increase in the probability of redundant system failure, when common failure modes are considered. (U.S.)

75 FR 14097 - Revision to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of Bulk Electric System

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-24

... electrical failure of a 138 kV motor operated switch on a 138 kV-13 kV transformer located in the ReliabilityFirst region resulted in the tripping of two transformers, one due to the electrical failure and the... Commission 18 CFR Part 40 [Docket No. RM09-18-000; 130 FERC ] 61,204] Revision to Electric Reliability...

The Basic Social Process in the Culture of the Self-Sufficient Organization. An Application of Grounded Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia CHIRICĂ

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The hereby research encompasses the results of an analysis conducted based on the grounded theory methodology over the qualitative data that were gathered through a national project regarding the organizational development of the mental health institutions. After the finalization of the project, the interest for the grounded theory methodology and the reconsideration of the organizational development notion and of the role of the consultant in this process have all lead to a re-analysis of the qualitative data procured in one of the hospitals included in the project. Our approach resulted in an explanatory model of how the organization works and the factors that can affect various changes during its development. This explanatory model holds at its center a basic psychological and social process that represents the perception of the organizational system as closed on certain coordinates, although structurally open. This very perception and the behavior of maintaining the system within closed coordinates allow only for a dual functioning and so the natural result is the emergence of a self-sufficient culture. The central feature of this particular culture is the replacement of the formal organization and its goal of caring for the mentally challenged with an organization reduced to its sole goal of survival.

Reliability of equipments and theory of frequency statistics and Bayesian decision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procaccia, H.; Clarotti, C.A.

1992-01-01

The rapid development of Bayesian techniques use in the domain of industrial risk is a recent phenomenon linked to the development of powerful computers. These techniques involve a reasoning well adapted to experimental logics, based on the dynamical knowledge enrichment with experience data. In the framework of reliability studies and statistical decision making, these methods differ slightly from the methods commonly used to evaluate the reliability of systems and from classical theoretical frequency statistics. This particular approach is described in this book and illustrated with many examples of application (power plants, pressure vessels, industrial installations etc..). These examples generally concern the risk management in the cases where the application of rules and the respect of norms become insufficient. It is now well known that the risk cannot be reduced to zero and that its evaluation must be performed using statistics, taking into account the possible accident processes and also the investments necessary to avoid them (service life, failure, maintenance costs and availability of materials). The result is the optimizing of a decision process about rare or uncertain events. (J.S.)

Sexual selection and hermaphroditic organisms: Testing theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janet L. LEONARD

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Sexual selection is widespread if not ubiquitous in hermaphroditic organisms. Although many phenomena that have been described as sexual selection in gonochores, (e.g. harem polygamy, multiple mating, elaborate courtship, even secondary sexual characters can be found in some hermaphrodites, what is more interesting is the ways in which sexual selection in hermaphrodites may differ from dioecious taxa. In hermaphrodites, an individual’s mating success includes its success from both sexual roles. Secondly, in many simultaneously hermaphroditic taxa there is strong evidence of sexual selection and yet the ope­rational sex ratio is 1:1, by definition. Many simultaneous hermaphrodites have elaborate courtship and genital anatomy, suggesting sexual selection plays an important role in reproductive success. Sperm competition and cryptic female choice mean that the number of mates acquired is not necessarily a predictor of reproductive success. Even in simultaneous hermaphrodites with reciprocal mating, variance in reproductive success through the male role and through the female role may differ in a population. Moreover hermaphrodites may choose to emphasize one sexual role over the other. Data suggest that the preferred role varies in hermaphrodites, which creates an opportunity to test fundamental predictions and assumptions of sexual selection theory. Hermaphrodites may vary their emphasis on one sexual role over the other either developmentally or behaviorally in response to environmental or social parameters. How they use this capability in acquiring more or higher quality mates still requires study [Current Zoology 59 (4: 579–588, 2013].

Density functional theory for adsorption of gas mixtures in metal-organic frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yu; Liu, Honglai; Hu, Ying; Jiang, Jianwen

2010-03-04

In this work, a recently developed density functional theory in three-dimensional space was extended to the adsorption of gas mixtures. Weighted density approximations to the excess free energy with different weighting functions were adopted for both repulsive and attractive contributions. An equation of state for hard-sphere mixtures and a modified Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation for Lennard-Jones mixtures were used to estimate the excess free energy of a uniform fluid. The theory was applied to the adsorption of CO(2)/CH(4) and CO(2)/N(2) mixtures in two metal-organic frameworks: ZIF-8 and Zn(2)(BDC)(2)(ted). To validate the theoretical predictions, grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations were also conducted. The predicted adsorption and selectivity from DFT were found to agree well with the simulation results. CO(2) has stronger adsorption than CH(4) and N(2), particularly in Zn(2)(BDC)(2)(ted). The selectivity of CO(2) over CH(4) or N(2) increases with increasing pressure as attributed to the cooperative interactions of adsorbed CO(2) molecules. The composition of the gas mixture exhibits a significant effect on adsorption but not on selectivity.

Challenges for dynamic energy budget theory. Comment on ;Physics of metabolic organization; by Marko Jusup et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Nisbet, Roger M.

2017-03-01

Jusup et al. [1] provide a comprehensive review of Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory - a theory of metabolic organization that has its roots in a model by S.A.L.M Kooijman [2] and has evolved over three decades into a remarkable general theory whose use appears to be growing exponentially. The definitive text on DEB theory [3] is a challenging (though exceptionally rewarding) read, and previous reviews (e.g. [4,5]) have provided focused summaries of some of its main themes, targeted at specific groups of readers. The strong case for a further review is well captured in the abstract: ;Hitherto, the foundations were more accessible to physicists or mathematicians, and the applications to biologists, causing a dichotomy in what always should have been a single body of work.; In response to this need, Jusup et al. provide a review that combines a lucid, rigorous exposition of the core components of DEB theory with a diverse collection of DEB applications. They also highlight some recent advances, notably the rapidly growing on-line database of DEB model parameters (451 species on 15 August 2016 according to [1], now, just a few months later, over 500 species).

CRUISERS ON THE DANUBE – THE IMPACT OF LMX THEORY ON JOB SATISFACTION AND EMPLOYEES' COMMITMENT TO ORGANIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irma Erdeji

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the early 21st century, tourist cruises along the Danube River (Corridor 7 experience significant expansion. The main task of cruise companies is the satisfaction of guests, which primarily depends on employee satisfaction affected by numerous organizational factors, including the relationship between the employee and the manager as one of the most important. The aim is to examine how the exchange between leaders and followers affects job satisfaction and employee commitment to the organization, is there a connection between these variables and whether there are differences in the perception by managers and crew members. The study included 41 managers and 25 crew members of the river cruisers. Statistical techniques used in the paper are the descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and MANOVA. The results have shown a positive correlation between the LMX theory (the leader–member exchange theory, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. Also, the results of the research have shown that there is no statistically significant difference between the perception of LMX exchange in the aspects of leaders and associates, but there is a difference in the perception of job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.

How does organic matter occurrence set limit onto the use of Ce anomaly as a reliable proxy of redox conditions in shallow groundwaters?

Science.gov (United States)

Dia, A.; Gruau, G.; Davranche, M.; Vidy, A.; Henin, O.; Petitjean, P.; Le Coz-Bouhnik, M.

2003-04-01

This study is dedicated to the effects of organic matter on the hydrochemistry of Rare Earth Elements (REE) and the ability of using the Ce anomaly as a reliable proxy of redox conditions in surface waters when organic matter occurs. The data include a : i) two-year survey of SREE and Ce anomalies in organic-rich waters recovered from a catchment located in Brittany (western Europe) and (ii) experimental incubation of organic soils from this catchment set under controlled conditions, as well as, (iii) a REE speciation calculation in both the natural organic-rich waters from the wetlands and the experimental solutions. Field and experimental data appear to be extremely coherent, displaying good correlation between the SREE, the Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) contents and the redox state. The field data show a strong increase of the SREE and DOC concentrations in soil waters when the environment becomes more reducing. The onset of DOC and SREE contents is seen to be in phase with the increase of dissolved Fe and Mn. The role of Fe-, Mn-oxyhydroxides is confirmed by the experimental data as the maximum of DOC and SREE content is reached when Fe2+ reaches a maximum in the soil solution, suggesting that reductive dissolution of Fe, Mn-oxyhydroxides happens. Despite the strong redox changes and the known redox sensitive behaviour of Ce as compared to other REE, none Ce anomaly variation is observed during either, the experimental procedure, or the field survey through time. Speciation calculations were performed showing that in both such pH range and moderately oxidizing waters in DOC-rich waters, REE should have an organic speciation. Such an organic speciation prevents the formation of Ce(IV) and therefore the development of any Ce anomaly. However, since the studied waters are highly oxidizing (high nitrate contents), the nitrates impose the redox formation of Ce(IV) and a Ce anomaly should appear. Therefore, Ce(IV) is not formed in these waters either because (i) the

An integrated optimization for organic Rankine cycle based on entransy theory and thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tailu; Fu, Wencheng; Zhu, Jialing

2014-01-01

The organic Rankine cycle has been one of the essential heat-work conversion technologies nowadays. Lots of effectual optimization methods are focused on the promotion of the system efficiency, which are mainly relied on engineering experience and numerical simulations rather than theoretical analysis. A theoretical integrated optimization method was established based on the entransy theory and thermodynamics, with the ratio of the net power output to the ratio of the total thermal conductance to the thermal conductance in the condenser as the objective function. The system parameters besides the optimal pinch point temperature difference were obtained. The results show that the mass flow rate of the working fluid is inversely proportional to the evaporating temperature. An optimal evaporating temperature maximizes the net power output, and the maximal net power output corresponds to the maximal entransy loss and the change points of the heat source outlet temperature and the change rates for the entropy generation and the entransy dissipation. Moreover, the net power output and the total thermal conductance are inversely proportional to the pinch point temperature difference, contradicting with each other. Under the specified condition, the optimal operating parameters are ascertained, with the optimal pinch point temperature difference of 5 K. - Highlights: • We establish an integrated optimization model for organic Rankine cycle. • The model combines the entransy theory with thermodynamics. • The maximal net power output corresponds to the maximal entransy loss. • The pinch point temperature difference is optimized to be 5 K

Equipment Reliability Program in NPP Krsko

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skaler, F.; Djetelic, N.

2006-01-01

Operation that is safe, reliable, effective and acceptable to public is the common message in a mission statement of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). To fulfill these goals, nuclear industry, among other areas, has to focus on: 1 Human Performance (HU) and 2 Equipment Reliability (EQ). The performance objective of HU is as follows: The behaviors of all personnel result in safe and reliable station operation. While unwanted human behaviors in operations mostly result directly in the event, the behavior flaws either in the area of maintenance or engineering usually cause decreased equipment reliability. Unsatisfied Human performance leads even the best designed power plants into significant operating events, which can be found as well-known examples in nuclear industry. Equipment reliability is today recognized as the key to success. While the human performance at most NPPs has been improving since the start of WANO / INPO / IAEA evaluations, the open energy market has forced the nuclear plants to reduce production costs and operate more reliably and effectively. The balance between these two (opposite) goals has made equipment reliability even more important for safe, reliable and efficient production. Insisting on on-line operation by ignoring some principles of safety could nowadays in a well-developed safety culture and human performance environment exceed the cost of electricity losses. In last decade the leading USA nuclear companies put a lot of effort to improve equipment reliability primarily based on INPO Equipment Reliability Program AP-913 at their NPP stations. The Equipment Reliability Program is the key program not only for safe and reliable operation, but also for the Life Cycle Management and Aging Management on the way to the nuclear power plant life extension. The purpose of Equipment Reliability process is to identify, organize, integrate and coordinate equipment reliability activities (preventive and predictive maintenance, maintenance

Relative Reliability and the Recognisable Firm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huikku, Jari; Mouritsen, Jan; Silvola, Hanna

2017-01-01

This paper complements financial accounting research by a qualitative study of financial accounting practices. Its object is goodwill impairment tests (IAS 36) under the influence of International Financial Reporting Standards, which it uses to illustrate how financial accounting is produced....... The aim is to investigate how accounting standards are translated into accounting practices, and to investigate how this is reliable. Drawing on actor network theory, the paper proposes calculative practices to be a networked and distributed affair. The study has two main contributions. Firstly, it shows...... that in the case of goodwill impairment tests, financial accounting is a process of finding, qualifying, stabilizing and calculating traces that often have to be found beyond the company infrastructure of sheets of accounts and the financial ledger. Secondly, it shows that these traces increase reliability when...

Overlapping reliable control for a cable-stayed bridge benchmark

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bakule, Lubomír; Paulet-Crainiceanu, F.; Rodellar, J.; Rossell, J. M.

2005-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 4 (2005), s. 663-669 ISSN 1063-6536 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA2075304 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : decentralized control * reliable control * overlapping Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory Impact factor: 1.027, year: 2005

Reliability Evaluation for Clustered WSNs under Malware Propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Shigen; Huang, Longjun; Liu, Jianhua; Champion, Adam C.; Yu, Shui; Cao, Qiying

2016-01-01

We consider a clustered wireless sensor network (WSN) under epidemic-malware propagation conditions and solve the problem of how to evaluate its reliability so as to ensure efficient, continuous, and dependable transmission of sensed data from sensor nodes to the sink. Facing the contradiction between malware intention and continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) randomness, we introduce a strategic game that can predict malware infection in order to model a successful infection as a CTMC state transition. Next, we devise a novel measure to compute the Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) of a sensor node, which represents the reliability of a sensor node continuously performing tasks such as sensing, transmitting, and fusing data. Since clustered WSNs can be regarded as parallel-serial-parallel systems, the reliability of a clustered WSN can be evaluated via classical reliability theory. Numerical results show the influence of parameters such as the true positive rate and the false positive rate on a sensor node’s MTTF. Furthermore, we validate the method of reliability evaluation for a clustered WSN according to the number of sensor nodes in a cluster, the number of clusters in a route, and the number of routes in the WSN. PMID:27294934

Reliability Evaluation for Clustered WSNs under Malware Propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Shigen; Huang, Longjun; Liu, Jianhua; Champion, Adam C; Yu, Shui; Cao, Qiying

2016-06-10

We consider a clustered wireless sensor network (WSN) under epidemic-malware propagation conditions and solve the problem of how to evaluate its reliability so as to ensure efficient, continuous, and dependable transmission of sensed data from sensor nodes to the sink. Facing the contradiction between malware intention and continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) randomness, we introduce a strategic game that can predict malware infection in order to model a successful infection as a CTMC state transition. Next, we devise a novel measure to compute the Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) of a sensor node, which represents the reliability of a sensor node continuously performing tasks such as sensing, transmitting, and fusing data. Since clustered WSNs can be regarded as parallel-serial-parallel systems, the reliability of a clustered WSN can be evaluated via classical reliability theory. Numerical results show the influence of parameters such as the true positive rate and the false positive rate on a sensor node's MTTF. Furthermore, we validate the method of reliability evaluation for a clustered WSN according to the number of sensor nodes in a cluster, the number of clusters in a route, and the number of routes in the WSN.

An Exploratory Study on University Students' Perceptions of Posthumous Organ Donation Base on the Theory of Reasoned Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Shui Hung; Chow, Amy Yin Man

2017-08-01

In view of the general support for organ donation but low registration rate in Hong Kong, the present research attempted to understand the attitude-behavior inconsistency by identifying the underlying beliefs for organ donation through employing the theory of reasoned action. A qualitative approach using semi-structured focus groups was adopted and 19 students from three universities in Hong Kong participated; 10 constructs were identified: attitude, subjective norm, helping, continuation, contribution, body intact, distrust to the medical system, indifference to organ donation, negative affect, and family burden. Findings suggested that their attitudes toward organ donation were of both the cognitive and affective nature; subjective norm of family, friends, and people they respect were identified as influential to students' views on organ donation. The study provided insight in promoting organ donation, that the cognitive concerns about keeping the body intact, and the negative affects introduced should also be addressed.

Reliability analysis of Markov history-dependent repairable systems with neglected failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Shijia; Zeng, Zhiguo; Cui, Lirong; Kang, Rui

2017-01-01

Markov history-dependent repairable systems refer to the Markov repairable systems in which some states are changeable and dependent on recent evolutional history of the system. In practice, many Markov history-dependent repairable systems are subjected to neglected failures, i.e., some failures do not affect system performances if they can be repaired promptly. In this paper, we develop a model based on the theory of aggregated stochastic processes to describe the history-dependent behavior and the effect of neglected failures on the Markov history-dependent repairable systems. Based on the developed model, instantaneous and steady-state availabilities are derived to characterize the reliability of the system. Four reliability-related time distributions, i.e., distribution for the k th working period, distribution for the k th failure period, distribution for the real working time in an effective working period, distribution for the neglected failure time in an effective working period, are also derived to provide a more comprehensive description of the system's reliability. Thanks to the power of the theory of aggregated stochastic processes, closed-form expressions are obtained for all the reliability indexes and time distributions. Finally, the developed indexes and analysis methods are demonstrated by a numerical example. - Highlights: • Markovian history-dependent repairable systems with neglected failures is modeled. • Aggregated stochastic processes are used to derive reliability indexes and time distributions. • Closed-form expressions are derived for the considered indexes and distributions.

Two theories/a sharper lens: the staff nurse voice in the workplace.

Science.gov (United States)

DeMarco, Rosanna

2002-06-01

This paper (1) introduces the two theoretical frameworks, Silencing the Self and the Framework of Systemic Organization (2) describes the design and findings briefly of a study exploring spillover in nurses utilizing the frameworks, and (3) discusses the process and value of theory triangulation when conducting research in the context of complex nursing systems phenomena where gender, professional work, and gender identity merge. A research study was designed to analyse the actual workplace behaviours of nurses in the context of their lives at work and outside work. An exploration of theoretical frameworks that could direct the measurement of the phenomena in question led to the use of two frameworks, the Framework of Systemic Organization (Friedemann 1995) and the Silencing the Self Theory (Jack 1991), and the creation of a valid and reliable summative rating instrument (the Staff Nurse Workplace Behaviours Scale, SNWBS). A descriptive correlational design was used to measure behaviours between work and home. There were statistically significant relationships found between workplace behaviours, family behaviours, and silencing behaviours as measured by the two separate scales measuring framework concepts. Although both theories had different origins and philosophical tenets, the findings of a research study created an opportunity to integrate the concepts of each and unexpectedly increase and broaden the understanding of spillover for women who are often nurses.

Reliability analysis of the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Leukemia (FACT-Leu) scale based on multivariate generalizability theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Qiong; Yang, Zheng; Wu, Yang; Xiao, Yuanyuan; Gu, Xuezhong; Zhang, Meixia; Wan, Chonghua; Li, Xiaosong

2017-05-04

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukemia (FACT-Leu) scale, a leukemia-specific instrument for determining the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with leukemia, had been developed and validated, but there have been no reports on the development of a simplified Chinese version of this scale. This is a new exploration to analyze the reliability of the HRQOL measurement using multivariate generalizability theory (MGT). This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the FACT-Leu scale and evaluate its reliability using MGT to provide evidence to support the revision and improvement of this scale. The Chinese version of the FACT-Leu scale was developed by four steps: forward translation, backward translation, cultural adaptation and pilot-testing. The HRQOL was measured for eligible inpatients with leukemia using this scale to provide data. A single-facet multivariate Generalizability Study (G-study) design was demonstrated to estimate the variance-covariance components and then several Decision Studies (D-studies) with varying numbers of items were analyzed to obtain reliability coefficients and to understand how much the measurement reliability could be vary as the number of items in MGT changes. One-hundred and one eligible inpatients diagnosed with leukemia were recruited and completed the HRQOL measurement at the time of admission to the hospital. In the G-study, the variation component of the patient-item interaction was largest while the variation component of the item was the smallest for the four of five domains, except for the leukemia-specific (LEUS) domain. In the D-study, at the level of domain, the generalizability coefficients (G) and the indexes of dependability (Ф) for four of the five domains were approximately equal to or greater than 0.80 except for the Emotional Well-being (EWB) domain (>0.70 but number of items were obtained: one is a 37-item version while the other is a 45-item version. The Chinese version of the FACT

Reliability-based design code calibration for concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, B.K.; Cho, H.N.; Chang, S.P.

1991-01-01

In this study, a load combination criteria for design and a probability-based reliability analysis were proposed on the basis of a FEM-based random vibration analysis. The limit state model defined for the study is a serviceability limit state of the crack failure that causes the emission of radioactive materials, and the results are compared with the case of strength limit state. More accurate reliability analyses under various dynamic loads such as earthquake loads were made possible by incorporating the FEM and random vibration theory, which is different from the conventional reliability analysis method. The uncertainties in loads and resistance available in Korea and the references were adapted to the situation of Korea, and especially in case of earthquake, the design earthquake was assessed based on the available data for the probabilistic description of earthquake ground acceleration in the Korea peninsula. The SAP V-2 is used for a three-dimensional finite element analysis of concrete containment structure, and the reliability analysis is carried out by modifying HRAS reliability analysis program for this study. (orig./GL)

[Mathematical apparatus of the circuit theory in modeling of heat transfer upon extreme heating of an organism].

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

The mathematical model of heat transfer in whole-body hyperthermia, developed earlier by the author, has been refined using the mathematical apparatus of the circuit theory. The model can be used to calculate the temperature of each organ, which can increase the efficacy and safety of the immersion-convection technique of whole-body hyperthermia.

Complexity Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, William H K.

2016-01-01

A complex system consists of many interacting parts, generates new collective behavior through self organization, and adaptively evolves through time. Many theories have been developed to study complex systems, including chaos, fractals, cellular automata, self organization, stochastic processes, turbulence, and genetic algorithms.

Conceptual Models and Theory-Embedded Principles on Effective Schooling.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheerens, Jaap

1997-01-01

Reviews models and theories on effective schooling. Discusses four rationality-based organization theories and a fifth perspective, chaos theory, as applied to organizational functioning. Discusses theory-embedded principles flowing from these theories: proactive structuring, fit, market mechanisms, cybernetics, and self-organization. The…

Reliability Electrical Power System of Hospital as Cold Standby System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grabski Franciszek

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The probabilistic model of a hospital electrical power system consisting of mains, an emergency power system and the automatic transfer switch with the generator starter are discussed in this paper. The reliability model is semi-Markov process describing two different units renewable cold standby system and switch. The embedded Semi-Markov processes concept is applied for description of the system evolution. Time to failure of the system is represented by a random variable denoting the first passage time of the process from the given state to the subset of states. The appropriate theorems of the Semi-Markov processes theory allow us to evaluate the reliability function and some reliability characteristics.

Developing a system engineering program to improve performance and reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keuter, D.

1985-01-01

After several maintenance, operational, and equipment problems last year, Trojan set out on a mission to improve plant performance and reliability by strengthening its on-site engineering organization. This paper presents Trojan's plans in developing an on-site system engineering organization

Reliability engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chi Woo; Kim, Sun Jin; Lee, Seung Woo; Jeong, Sang Yeong

1993-08-01

This book start what is reliability? such as origin of reliability problems, definition of reliability and reliability and use of reliability. It also deals with probability and calculation of reliability, reliability function and failure rate, probability distribution of reliability, assumption of MTBF, process of probability distribution, down time, maintainability and availability, break down maintenance and preventive maintenance design of reliability, design of reliability for prediction and statistics, reliability test, reliability data and design and management of reliability.

Actuality of the Einstein theory of gravitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanenko, D.D.

1982-01-01

Problems of actuality of the Einstein theory of gravitation are lightened. The great Einstein theory of gravitation is shown to remain a reliable base of understanding of modern physical world pattern and its inevitable further inexhaustible precising. The main GRT difficulties are enumirated: determination of reference systems, presence of singularities in the theory, absence of consistent determination of the gravity energy, impossibility of accounting the relations between atomic, gravitational and cosmological characteristics. The attention is paid to gauge, twistor problems and to unified interaction theory. The great contribution of the soviet science in the theory of gravitation is stressed

Reshaping the Science of Reliability with the Entropy Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Rocchi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper revolves around two argument points. As first, we have observed a certain parallel between the reliability of systems and the progressive disorder of thermodynamical systems; and we import the notion of reversibility/irreversibility into the reliability domain. As second, we note that the reliability theory is a very active area of research which although has not yet become a mature discipline. This is due to the majority of researchers who adopt the inductive logic instead of the deductive logic typical of mature scientific sectors. The deductive approach was inaugurated by Gnedenko in the reliability domain. We mean to continue Gnedenko’s work and we use the Boltzmann-like entropy to pursue this objective. This paper condenses the papers published in the past decade which illustrate the calculus of the Boltzmann-like entropy. It is demonstrated how the every result complies with the deductive logic and are consistent with Gnedenko’s achievements.

Reliability risks during the transition to competitive electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, J.P.

2005-01-01

The Electricity Consumers Resource Council (ELCON) is a U.S. association representing industrial consumers of electricity, and is a long-standing advocate of competition in the electric power industry. However, because a reliable grid is necessary to support competitive wholesale markets, ELCON believes that the transmission system is an essential facility that must remain regulated. The initiatives discussed in this white paper represent significant steps that the National Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and the industry have taken to improve reliability in a competitive and restructured electric industry. Strategic manoeuvres of incumbent utilities to maintain market share were evaluated, as well as discrimination against potential competitors. It was suggested that, occasionally, indecisive federal policies have been taken advantage of by utilities. The unintended consequences of state restructuring policies that allow utilities to over-earn their revenue requirements were reviewed. NERC reliability standards will remain unenforceable until a new Electricity Reliability Organization has been certified. Flawed market designs and inadequate market power mitigation, as well as the financial distress of merchant generators, pose considerable risks. It was suggested that these risks could trigger transmission loading relief incidents, local outages or widespread outages. In the absence of mandatory reliability standards with penalties, and complementary market rules for mitigating generation and transmission market power, economic incentives will encourage other forms of opportunistic behavior that may be the root cause of other outages. Public concern regarding these risks to grid reliability may result in lost public support for competitive electricity markets. Proposed solutions include the certification of a new Electric Reliability Organization to establish and enforce mandatory reliability standards, and granting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

A Review of Transformational Leadership Theory in Organizations%组织情景中变革型领导理论述评

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

杨俊辉

2013-01-01

Theory of transformational leadership came into being in the 1 980s.By providing an explanation for the excep-tional influence some leaders have on followers in organizations,the theories make an important contribution to our under-standing of leadership processes.However,the theory has some weaknesses that reduce its capacity to explain effective leadership.This article reviews the theory of transformational leadership that came into being in organizations,and points out some lacks of the theory and directions for future research.%变革型领导理论产生于二十世纪八十年代，它通过对在组织情景中一些领导者对追随者特别影响的解释，对理解领导过程作出了重要贡献。然而，变革型领导理论也存在一些不足，影响它对有效领导的解释能力。对变革型领导理论进行回顾，并指出其不足之处和未来研究方向。

Autotrophs' challenge to Dynamic Energy Budget theory: Comment on ;Physics of metabolic organization; by Marko Jusup et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Geček, Sunčana

2017-03-01

Jusup and colleagues in the recent review on physics of metabolic organization [1] discuss in detail motivational considerations and common assumptions of Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, supply readers with a practical guide to DEB-based modeling, demonstrate the construction and dynamics of the standard DEB model, and illustrate several applications. The authors make a step forward from the existing literature by seamlessly bridging over the dichotomy between (i) thermodynamic foundations of the theory (which are often more accessible and understandable to physicists and mathematicians), and (ii) the resulting bioenergetic models (mostly used by biologists in real-world applications).

Prediction of Physicochemical Properties of Organic Molecules Using Semi-Empirical Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chan Kyung; Kim, Chang Kon; Kim, Miri; Lee, Hai Whang; Cho, Soo Gyeong

2013-01-01

Prediction of physicochemical properties of organic molecules is an important process in chemistry and chemical engineering. The MSEP approach developed in our lab calculates the molecular surface electrostatic potential (ESP) on van der Waals (vdW) surfaces of molecules. This approach includes geometry optimization and frequency calculation using hybrid density functional theory, B3LYP, at the 6-31G(d) basis set to find minima on the potential energy surface, and is known to give satisfactory QSPR results for various properties of organic molecules. However, this MSEP method is not applicable to screen large database because geometry optimization and frequency calculation require considerable computing time. To develop a fast but yet reliable approach, we have re-examined our previous work on organic molecules using two semi-empirical methods, AM1 and PM3. This new approach can be an efficient protocol in designing new molecules with improved properties

Organizational theory for dissemination and implementation research.

Science.gov (United States)

Birken, Sarah A; Bunger, Alicia C; Powell, Byron J; Turner, Kea; Clary, Alecia S; Klaman, Stacey L; Yu, Yan; Whitaker, Daniel J; Self, Shannon R; Rostad, Whitney L; Chatham, Jenelle R Shanley; Kirk, M Alexis; Shea, Christopher M; Haines, Emily; Weiner, Bryan J

2017-05-12

Even under optimal internal organizational conditions, implementation can be undermined by changes in organizations' external environments, such as fluctuations in funding, adjustments in contracting practices, new technology, new legislation, changes in clinical practice guidelines and recommendations, or other environmental shifts. Internal organizational conditions are increasingly reflected in implementation frameworks, but nuanced explanations of how organizations' external environments influence implementation success are lacking in implementation research. Organizational theories offer implementation researchers a host of existing, highly relevant, and heretofore largely untapped explanations of the complex interaction between organizations and their environment. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of organizational theories for implementation research. We applied four well-known organizational theories (institutional theory, transaction cost economics, contingency theories, and resource dependency theory) to published descriptions of efforts to implement SafeCare, an evidence-based practice for preventing child abuse and neglect. Transaction cost economics theory explained how frequent, uncertain processes for contracting for SafeCare may have generated inefficiencies and thus compromised implementation among private child welfare organizations. Institutional theory explained how child welfare systems may have been motivated to implement SafeCare because doing so aligned with expectations of key stakeholders within child welfare systems' professional communities. Contingency theories explained how efforts such as interagency collaborative teams promoted SafeCare implementation by facilitating adaptation to child welfare agencies' internal and external contexts. Resource dependency theory (RDT) explained how interagency relationships, supported by contracts, memoranda of understanding, and negotiations, facilitated SafeCare implementation by balancing

Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

1975-04-01

Leadership and Turnover Among Managers ," Organization Behavior and Human Performance, 10(1973), pp. 184-200; R. J. House, "A Path-Goal Theory of...of Leadership ." 6R. J. House and G. Dessler, "Path-Goal Theory of Leadership " R. M. Stqg- dill. Managers , Employees, Organization (Ohio State...of Control." 23 R. J. House, "Notes on the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership " (University of Toronto, Faculty of Management Studies, May 1974). 24 R

The Impact of the Reliability of Teleinformation Systems on the Quality of Transmitted Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stawowy Marek

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The work describes the impact the reliability of the information quality IQ for information and communication systems. One of the components of IQ is the reliability properties such as relativity, accuracy, timeliness, completeness, consistency, adequacy, accessibility, credibility, congruence. Each of these components of IQ is independent and to properly estimate the value of IQ, use one of the methods of modeling uncertainty. In this article, we used a hybrid method that has been developed jointly by one of the authors. This method is based on the mathematical theory of evidence know as Dempstera-Shafera (DS theory and serial links of dependent hybrid named IQ (hyb.

Reliability assessment using the concept of possibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ping, R.; Zhao, G.

1994-01-01

The role of the possibility theory in the quantitative approach to the reliability of large scale systems, in particular man-machine systems, is discussed. According to the original idea due to professor L.A. Zadeh, an error rate may be associated with a possibility distribution and a probability distribution. They describe the potentiallity and the actuality for error. This is especially important for the analysis of big accidents

Reliability analysis of reactor protection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alsan, S.

1976-07-01

A theoretical mathematical study of reliability is presented and the concepts subsequently defined applied to the study of nuclear reactor safety systems. The theory is applied to investigations of the operational reliability of the Siloe reactor from the point of view of rod drop. A statistical study conducted between 1964 and 1971 demonstrated that most rod drop incidents arose from circumstances associated with experimental equipment (new set-ups). The reliability of the most suitable safety system for some recently developed experimental equipment is discussed. Calculations indicate that if all experimental equipment were equipped with these new systems, only 1.75 rod drop accidents would be expected to occur per year on average. It is suggested that all experimental equipment should be equipped with these new safety systems and tested every 21 days. The reliability of the new safety system currently being studied for the Siloe reactor was also investigated. The following results were obtained: definite failures must be detected immediately as a result of the disturbances produced; the repair time must not exceed a few hours; the equipment must be tested every week. Under such conditions, the rate of accidental rod drops is about 0.013 on average per year. The level of nondefinite failures is less than 10 -6 per hour and the level of nonprotection 1 hour per year. (author)

Humic First Theory: A New Theory on the Origin of Life

Science.gov (United States)

Daei, Mohammad Ali; Daei, Manijeh; Daei, Bijan

2017-04-01

In 1953, Miller & Urey through a brilliant experiment demonstrated that the building blocks of life could evolve in primitive earth conditions [1]. During the recent years scientists revealed that organic matters are not very rare compounds in comets, asteroids, and meteorites which have bombarded the ancient earth repeatedly [2]. So simple organic molecules on early earth could be quite enough to start chemical evolution and steadily, proceeded to the very simple form of life. Many theories have tried to explain how life emerged from non life, but failed, largely due to the lack of a distinct methodology. There is a huge gap between the simple building blocks, like amino acid, sugar, and lipid molecules, to a living cell with a very sophisticated structure and organization. It is unacceptable to fill this great distance, only by accidental reactions in a passive media (primitive soap) even, over a very long time. Obviously, manufacturing of a primitive cell required a natural factory with rather firm and resistant basement, plenty of organic and inorganic raw materials and qualified production line, plus some sources of energy. There were plenty of solar energy and water in the early Earth, but what about the other factors? Availability of essential minerals was not guaranteed at all, in primitive earth which covered with bare, dead rocks. While we are not able today, to multiply any microorganisms in ideal conditions of modern laboratory in the absence of only one of essential nutrients or elements, how can we expect primitive cells appear on early earth conditions without the support of soluble minerals and organic matters? Ideal production line must be active and protective, have catalyzing ability, could provide numerous opportunities for interaction between basic bio molecules (mainly RNA and proteins) and above all, have capability to react with different sources of energy. There are strong evidences that show only some form of stable, rich and active

Designing Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Book Description The design of organizations has been an ongoing concern of management theory and practice over the past several decades. Over this time, there has been little change in the fundamental theory, principles and concepts of Organization Design (OD). Recently organizational life has...... changed dramatically with the advent of: new communication systems, adaptive mechanisms, information technology, knowledge management systems, innovation processes and more. This book systemically examines these developments and their impact on OD with contributions from leading scholars in the area...... is a benchmark publication in the field of organization design. By focusing on recent developments in organization design, this book will help to create more thoughtful research and stronger empirical analyses in this important area of management and organization....

An empirical investigation on how social responsibility changes between public and private organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Rashidpour

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Organization theory often focuses on stakeholders’ interests as well as the organization's social responsibility and while the focus is normally more on private organizations, but these issues must be considered in public organizations as well. People expect the public organizations to think and to act more generally. The purpose of this study is to compare the tendencies of private and public organizations in the field of social responsibility. This is an applied research and is a descriptive-survey study in terms of research method. The statistical population of this study covers all 670 managers of private and public organizations of city of Tehran, Iran. Using Morgan table and by conducing stratified sampling, a sample size of 140 was selected. Data gathering tool was a questionnaire consisted of 18 items. To confirm the questionnaire validity, we obtained the experts’ opinions on acceptable face validity and content validity. To evaluate the questionnaire reliability, the Cronbach's alpha was used (alpha coefficient = .88. Research hypotheses were tested using independent t-test and all of them were confirmed.

The obscure factor analysis on the vibration reliability of the internals of nuclear power plant reactor and anti-vibration measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Geyan; Zhu Qirong

1998-11-01

It is pointed out that the main reason making nuclear power plants reactors leak is the vibration of internals of reactors. The factors which lead the vibration all have randomness and obscureness. The obscure reliability theory is introduced to the vibration system of internals of nuclear power reactor. Based on a quantity of designing and moving data, the obscure factors effecting the vibration reliability of the internals of nuclear power plant reactor are analyzed and the anti-vibration reliability criteria and the evaluating model are given. And the anti-vibration reliability measures are advanced from different quarters of the machine design and building, the thermohydraulics design, the control of reactivity, etc.. They may benefit the theory and practice for building and perfecting the vibration obscure reliability model of the reactor internals

An Enhanced Backbone-Assisted Reliable Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amna Ali

2010-03-01

Full Text Available An extremely reliable source to sink communication is required for most of the contemporary WSN applications especially pertaining to military, healthcare and disaster-recovery. However, due to their intrinsic energy, bandwidth and computational constraints, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs encounter several challenges in reliable source to sink communication. In this paper, we present a novel reliable topology that uses reliable hotlines between sensor gateways to boost the reliability of end-to-end transmissions. This reliable and efficient routing alternative reduces the number of average hops from source to the sink. We prove, with the help of analytical evaluation, that communication using hotlines is considerably more reliable than traditional WSN routing. We use reliability theory to analyze the cost and benefit of adding gateway nodes to a backbone-assisted WSN. However, in hotline assisted routing some scenarios where source and the sink are just a couple of hops away might bring more latency, therefore, we present a Signature Based Routing (SBR scheme. SBR enables the gateways to make intelligent routing decisions, based upon the derived signature, hence providing lesser end-to-end delay between source to the sink communication. Finally, we evaluate our proposed hotline based topology with the help of a simulation tool and show that the proposed topology provides manifold increase in end-to-end reliability.

Analysis of sodium valve reliability data at CREDO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bott, T.F.; Haas, P.M.

1979-01-01

The Centralized Reliability Data Organization (CREDO) has been established at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by the Department of Energy to provide a centralized source of data for reliability/maintainabilty analysis of advanced reactor systems. The current schedule calls for develoment of the data system at a moderate pace, with the first major distribution of data in late FY-1980. Continuous long-term collection of engineering, operating, and event data has been initiated at EBR-II and FFTF

Nuclear structure theory

CERN Document Server

Irvine, J M

1972-01-01

Nuclear Structure Theory provides a guide to nuclear structure theory. The book is comprised of 23 chapters that are organized into four parts; each part covers an aspect of nuclear structure theory. In the first part, the text discusses the experimentally observed phenomena, which nuclear structure theories need to look into and detail the information that supports those theories. The second part of the book deals with the phenomenological nucleon-nucleon potentials derived from phase shift analysis of nucleon-nucleon scattering. Part III talks about the phenomenological parameters used to de

Ethics in organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buch, Anders

2016-01-01

recognized that organizational theory also presumes and express ethical and normative perspectives on organizations. This is also the case in the new branch of organizational theory that has been developed with an inspiration from theories of practice (e.g. Schatzki 2005, 2006; Nicolini 2013; Gherardi 2015......). Although practice theoretical approaches have made an effort to critically reflect on the ontological and epistemological assumptions of organizational theory the literature only contains very few attempts to understand the role played by normativity and ethics in organizations (Erden et al. 2014......). In this paper I will attempt to discuss how the practice theoretical approach to organizational theory can become more explicit about the role of normativity and ethics in order to better understand organizational practices. I will do this by discussing two prominent early practice theoretical theories...

The Learning Organization and Some Other Modern Theories of Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugarman, Barry

2003-01-01

In the first part, Dr Sugarman reviewed several recent theories of management and their relevance to NPP management. These theories encompass basic aspects like bureaucracy, un-bureaucracy, quality and excellence, re-engineering, knowledge management, emotional intelligence and learning organisation. Dr Sugarman discussed evolution from the Old Paradigm (Bureaucracy) to the New One (Learning Organization), defining the main aspects of both models, that can be summarises primarily in regards to strategy and structure. In terms of strategy, the new paradigm moves away from being largely inflexible to a much more dynamic environment whereby innovation is encouraged as opposed to performing in the prescribed manner whether suitable or not. The structural changes in the new model are also evident. There has been a marked move away from a hierarchical 'top down' approach to a much flatter structure that encourages less empire building and more openness between teams of various. This ensures a much greater understanding by the whole organisation of what is happening. Dr Sugarman centred his talk on the new model and how this has affected the development of the current situation. The Learning Organisation, according to the definition of Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline (1990), is an organisation where people continually expand their capacity to create results they truly desire, and where the people are continually learning how to learn together. The movements behind increasing quality introduced a new model into industry based on Production, where workers became responsible for quality assurance instead of quality controls being reviewed by inspectors. All the employees share responsibility for learning how to improve continuously. That means, complete involvement of all staff. Following on from this, the Quality Revolution made appearance and was driven by extra attention to the customer. Out-sourcing became common and the 'Internal customer' became more common. All

Reliability Evaluation for Clustered WSNs under Malware Propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigen Shen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available We consider a clustered wireless sensor network (WSN under epidemic-malware propagation conditions and solve the problem of how to evaluate its reliability so as to ensure efficient, continuous, and dependable transmission of sensed data from sensor nodes to the sink. Facing the contradiction between malware intention and continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC randomness, we introduce a strategic game that can predict malware infection in order to model a successful infection as a CTMC state transition. Next, we devise a novel measure to compute the Mean Time to Failure (MTTF of a sensor node, which represents the reliability of a sensor node continuously performing tasks such as sensing, transmitting, and fusing data. Since clustered WSNs can be regarded as parallel-serial-parallel systems, the reliability of a clustered WSN can be evaluated via classical reliability theory. Numerical results show the influence of parameters such as the true positive rate and the false positive rate on a sensor node’s MTTF. Furthermore, we validate the method of reliability evaluation for a clustered WSN according to the number of sensor nodes in a cluster, the number of clusters in a route, and the number of routes in the WSN.

Rara and grammatical theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rijkhoff, Jan

2010-01-01

This paper argues that grammatical theorizing and linguistic typologizing must go hand in hand and that rare typological features play a central role in the interaction of typology and theory. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses a sampling method that (compared to other samplin...... Functional (Discourse) Grammar and sections 4 and 5 are concerned with the crucial role of rara both in theory driven data collection and in data driven theory building.......This paper argues that grammatical theorizing and linguistic typologizing must go hand in hand and that rare typological features play a central role in the interaction of typology and theory. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses a sampling method that (compared to other sampling...

Consumer behaviour towards organic food in porto alegre: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexia Hoppe

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate consumers' decision-making process, attitudes and values towards organic food throughout the employment of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, adapting the methodology from a European project. 450 consumers were interviewed at supermarkets and farmers' markets in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Results indicate a high penetration level and very positive attitude towards organic products. Organics are believed to be healthier, tastier, more natural and environmental friendly, although being less attractive and more expensive than conventional food. Respondents from the farmers' market represent a specific segment whose values are more oriented toward society. The findings showed an alignment between positive attitude and consumption behaviour among the surveyed consumers. The study finally contributes to the stakeholders in general, since the knowledge of the attributes more valued by consumers can help retailers to play the role of coordinators of this supply chain, stimulating producers to adhere to organic certification, helping them to upgrade their production practices and improve their income. Consumers are also benefiting from this offer in the market.

Stochastic Finite Element Analysis of Non-Linear Structures Modelled by Plasticity Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frier, Christian; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2003-01-01

A Finite Element Reliability Method (FERM) is introduced to perform reliability analyses on two-dimensional structures in plane stress, modeled by non-linear plasticity theory. FERM is a coupling between the First Order Reliability Method (FORM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM). FERM can be us...

Beam structures classical and advanced theories

CERN Document Server

Carrera, Erasmo; Petrolo, Marco

2011-01-01

Beam theories are exploited worldwide to analyze civil, mechanical, automotive, and aerospace structures. Many beam approaches have been proposed during the last centuries by eminent scientists such as Euler, Bernoulli, Navier, Timoshenko, Vlasov, etc.  Most of these models are problem dependent: they provide reliable results for a given problem, for instance a given section and cannot be applied to a different one. Beam Structures: Classical and Advanced Theories proposes a new original unified approach to beam theory that includes practically all classical and advanced models for be

The reliability of randomly selected final year pharmacy students in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Employing ANOVA, factorial experimental analysis, and the theory of error, reliability studies were conducted on the assessment of the drug product chloroquine phosphate tablets. The G–Study employed equal numbers of the factors for uniform control, and involved three analysts (randomly selected final year Pharmacy ...

Theory of Work Adjustment Personality Constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Loralie

1993-01-01

To measure Theory of Work Adjustment personality and adjustment style dimensions, content-based scales were analyzed for homogeneity and successively reanalyzed for reliability improvement. Three sound scales were developed: inflexibility, activeness, and reactiveness. (SK)

Reliability Estimation for Digital Instrument/Control System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Yaguang; Sydnor, Russell [U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (United States)

2011-08-15

Digital instrumentation and controls (DI and C) systems are widely adopted in various industries because of their flexibility and ability to implement various functions that can be used to automatically monitor, analyze, and control complicated systems. It is anticipated that the DI and C will replace the traditional analog instrumentation and controls (AI and C) systems in all future nuclear reactor designs. There is an increasing interest for reliability and risk analyses for safety critical DI and C systems in regulatory organizations, such as The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Developing reliability models and reliability estimation methods for digital reactor control and protection systems will involve every part of the DI and C system, such as sensors, signal conditioning and processing components, transmission lines and digital communication systems, D/A and A/D converters, computer system, signal processing software, control and protection software, power supply system, and actuators. Some of these components are hardware, such as sensors and actuators, their failure mechanisms are well understood, and the traditional reliability model and estimation methods can be directly applied. But many of these components are firmware which has software embedded in the hardware, and software needs special consideration because its failure mechanism is unique, and the reliability estimation method for a software system will be different from the ones used for hardware systems. In this paper, we will propose a reliability estimation method for the entire DI and C system reliability using a recently developed software reliability estimation method and a traditional hardware reliability estimation method.

Reliability Estimation for Digital Instrument/Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yaguang; Sydnor, Russell

2011-01-01

Digital instrumentation and controls (DI and C) systems are widely adopted in various industries because of their flexibility and ability to implement various functions that can be used to automatically monitor, analyze, and control complicated systems. It is anticipated that the DI and C will replace the traditional analog instrumentation and controls (AI and C) systems in all future nuclear reactor designs. There is an increasing interest for reliability and risk analyses for safety critical DI and C systems in regulatory organizations, such as The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Developing reliability models and reliability estimation methods for digital reactor control and protection systems will involve every part of the DI and C system, such as sensors, signal conditioning and processing components, transmission lines and digital communication systems, D/A and A/D converters, computer system, signal processing software, control and protection software, power supply system, and actuators. Some of these components are hardware, such as sensors and actuators, their failure mechanisms are well understood, and the traditional reliability model and estimation methods can be directly applied. But many of these components are firmware which has software embedded in the hardware, and software needs special consideration because its failure mechanism is unique, and the reliability estimation method for a software system will be different from the ones used for hardware systems. In this paper, we will propose a reliability estimation method for the entire DI and C system reliability using a recently developed software reliability estimation method and a traditional hardware reliability estimation method

Modified personal interviews: resurrecting reliable personal interviews for admissions?

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Mark D; Kulasegaram, Kulamakan Mahan; Woods, Nicole N; Fechtig, Lindsey; Anderson, Geoff

2012-10-01

Traditional admissions personal interviews provide flexible faculty-student interactions but are plagued by low inter-interview reliability. Axelson and Kreiter (2009) retrospectively showed that multiple independent sampling (MIS) may improve reliability of personal interviews; thus, the authors incorporated MIS into the admissions process for medical students applying to the University of Toronto's Leadership Education and Development Program (LEAD). They examined the reliability and resource demands of this modified personal interview (MPI) format. In 2010-2011, LEAD candidates submitted written applications, which were used to screen for participation in the MPI process. Selected candidates completed four brief (10-12 minutes) independent MPIs each with a different interviewer. The authors blueprinted MPI questions to (i.e., aligned them with) leadership attributes, and interviewers assessed candidates' eligibility on a five-point Likert-type scale. The authors analyzed inter-interview reliability using the generalizability theory. Sixteen candidates submitted applications; 10 proceeded to the MPI stage. Reliability of the written application components was 0.75. The MPI process had overall inter-interview reliability of 0.79. Correlation between the written application and MPI scores was 0.49. A decision study showed acceptable reliability of 0.74 with only three MPIs scored using one global rating. Furthermore, a traditional admissions interview format would take 66% more time than the MPI format. The MPI format, used during the LEAD admissions process, achieved high reliability with minimal faculty resources. The MPI format's reliability and effective resource use were possible through MIS and employment of expert interviewers. MPIs may be useful for other admissions tasks.

18 CFR 375.303 - Delegations to the Director of the Office of Electric Reliability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Director of the Office of Electric Reliability. 375.303 Section 375.303 Conservation of Power and Water... Delegations § 375.303 Delegations to the Director of the Office of Electric Reliability. The Commission... Electric Reliability Organization or Regional Entity rules or procedures; (ii) Reject an application...

Did Geomagnetic Activity Challenge Electric Power Reliability During Solar Cycle 23? Evidence from the PJM Regional Transmission Organization in North America

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, Kevin F.; Cyr, Chris St

2012-01-01

During solar cycle 22, a very intense geomagnetic storm on 13 March 1989 contributed to the collapse of the Hydro-Quebec power system in Canada. This event clearly demonstrated that geomagnetic storms have the potential to lead to blackouts. This paper addresses whether geomagnetic activity challenged power system reliability during solar cycle 23. Operations by PJM Interconnection, LLC (hereafter PJM), a regional transmission organization in North America, are examined over the period 1 April 2002 through 30 April 2004. During this time PJM coordinated the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia in the United States. We examine the relationship between a proxy of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) and a metric of challenged reliability. In this study, GICs are proxied using magnetometer data from a geomagnetic observatory located just outside the PJM control area. The metric of challenged reliability is the incidence of out-of-economic-merit order dispatching due to adverse reactive power conditions. The statistical methods employed make it possible to disentangle the effects of GICs on power system operations from purely terrestrial factors. The results of the analysis indicate that geomagnetic activity can significantly increase the likelihood that the system operator will dispatch generating units based on system stability considerations rather than economic merit.

Motivation in later life: theory and assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallerand, R J; O'Connor, B P; Hamel, M

1995-01-01

A framework that has been found useful in research on young adults, Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory [1, 2], is suggested as a promising direction for research on motivation in later life. The theory proposes the existence of four types of motivation (intrinsic, self-determined extrinsic, nonself-determined extrinsic, and amotivation) which are assumed to have varying consequences for adaptation and well-being. A previously published French measure of motivational styles which is known to be reliable and valid was translated into English and was tested on seventy-seven nursing home residents (aged 60 to 98 years). It was found that the four motivational styles can be reliably measured; that the intercorrelations between the motivational styles are consistent with theoretical predictions; and that the four types of motivation are related to other important aspects of the lives of elderly people in a theoretically meaningful manner. Suggestions are made for further research using self-determination theory and the present scales.

Radioprotection of the environment: on the context of biodiversity and evolutionary theory. A reference organism has no genetic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cedervall, Bjoern

2008-01-01

The recent efforts to define a basis for radioprotection of the environment include some concepts and ideas related to various endpoints which need a clarification. This paper focuses on the biodiversity concept and the context of individuals of a species as well as that of the species as a gene pool. A major problem with the ambition to radioprotect biodiversity is the concept 'reference organism' which has no genetic properties and therefore is in contradiction with a real biological species. Biodiversity and the species (gene pool) concept are, just as any other areas of biology, integral parts of evolutionary theory. With the reference organism as a basis no meaningful reasoning can take place which relates data on radioactivity levels or mutations to potential effects on populations or biodiversity. It is therefore suggested that the national and international bodies involved in radioprotection of the environment take advantage of evolutionary theory as a reference frame. (author)

Organizing safety: conditions for successful information assurance programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Collmann, Jeff; Coleman, Johnathan; Sostrom, Kristen; Wright, Willie

2004-01-01

Organizations must continuously seek safety. When considering computerized health information systems, "safety" includes protecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information assets such as patient information, key components of the technical information system, and critical personnel. "High Reliability Theory" (HRT) argues that organizations with strong leadership support, continuous training, redundant safety mechanisms, and "cultures of high reliability" can deploy and safely manage complex, risky technologies such as nuclear weapons systems or computerized health information systems. In preparation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), the Offices of the Surgeons General of the United States Army, Navy and Air Force, and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command sponsored organizational, doctrinal, and technical projects that individually and collectively promote conditions for a "culture of information assurance." These efforts include sponsoring the "P3 Working Group" (P3WG), an interdisciplinary, tri-service taskforce that reviewed all relevant Department of Defense (DoD), Miliary Health System (MHS), Army, Navy and Air Force policies for compliance with the HIPAA medical privacy and data security regulations; supporting development, training, and deployment of OCTAVE(sm), a self-directed information security risk assessment process; and sponsoring development of the Risk Information Management Resource (RIMR), a Web-enabled enterprise portal about health information assurance.

Reliability assessment of nuclear structural systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, M.; Hwang, H.

1983-01-01

Reliability assessment of nuclear structural systems has been receiving more emphasis over the last few years. This paper deals with the recent progress made by the Structural Analysis Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), in the development of a probability-based reliability analysis methodology for safety evaluation of reactor containments and other seismic category I structures. An important feature of this methodology is the incorporation of finite element analysis and random vibration theory. By utilizing this method, it is possible to evaluate the safety of nuclear structures under various static and dynamic loads in terms of limit state probability. Progress in other related areas, such as the establishment of probabilistic characteristics for various loads and structural resistance, are also described. Results of an application of the methodology to a realistic reinforced concrete containment subjected to dead and live loads, accidental internal pressures and earthquake ground accelerations are presented

Reliability Evaluation of Machine Center Components Based on Cascading Failure Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying-Zhi; Liu, Jin-Tong; Shen, Gui-Xiang; Long, Zhe; Sun, Shu-Guang

2017-07-01

In order to rectify the problems that the component reliability model exhibits deviation, and the evaluation result is low due to the overlook of failure propagation in traditional reliability evaluation of machine center components, a new reliability evaluation method based on cascading failure analysis and the failure influenced degree assessment is proposed. A direct graph model of cascading failure among components is established according to cascading failure mechanism analysis and graph theory. The failure influenced degrees of the system components are assessed by the adjacency matrix and its transposition, combined with the Pagerank algorithm. Based on the comprehensive failure probability function and total probability formula, the inherent failure probability function is determined to realize the reliability evaluation of the system components. Finally, the method is applied to a machine center, it shows the following: 1) The reliability evaluation values of the proposed method are at least 2.5% higher than those of the traditional method; 2) The difference between the comprehensive and inherent reliability of the system component presents a positive correlation with the failure influenced degree of the system component, which provides a theoretical basis for reliability allocation of machine center system.

Systems reliability/structural reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, A.E.

1980-01-01

The question of reliability technology using quantified techniques is considered for systems and structures. Systems reliability analysis has progressed to a viable and proven methodology whereas this has yet to be fully achieved for large scale structures. Structural loading variants over the half-time of the plant are considered to be more difficult to analyse than for systems, even though a relatively crude model may be a necessary starting point. Various reliability characteristics and environmental conditions are considered which enter this problem. The rare event situation is briefly mentioned together with aspects of proof testing and normal and upset loading conditions. (orig.)

Reliability analysis and assessment of structural systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, J.T.P.; Anderson, C.A.

1977-01-01

The study of structural reliability deals with the probability of having satisfactory performance of the structure under consideration within any specific time period. To pursue this study, it is necessary to apply available knowledge and methodology in structural analysis (including dynamics) and design, behavior of materials and structures, experimental mechanics, and the theory of probability and statistics. In addition, various severe loading phenomena such as strong motion earthquakes and wind storms are important considerations. For three decades now, much work has been done on reliability analysis of structures, and during this past decade, certain so-called 'Level I' reliability-based design codes have been proposed and are in various stages of implementation. These contributions will be critically reviewed and summarized in this paper. Because of the undesirable consequences resulting from the failure of nuclear structures, it is important and desirable to consider the structural reliability in the analysis and design of these structures. Moreover, after these nuclear structures are constructed, it is desirable for engineers to be able to assess the structural reliability periodically as well as immediately following the occurrence of severe loading conditions such as a strong-motion earthquake. During this past decade, increasing use has been made of techniques of system identification in structural engineering. On the basis of non-destructive test results, various methods have been developed to obtain an adequate mathematical model (such as the equations of motion with more realistic parameters) to represent the structural system

PAL driven organizational learning theory and practices a light on learning journey of organizations

CERN Document Server

Chuah, Kong

2015-01-01

Presenting an innovative concept and approach for organization management, this book serves to document an organization’s journey towards the ultimate goal of learning organization. This book also shares the experience on how a OL framework built on established learning theories, could be used effectively, overcoming many of the barriers in a real industrial setting. Utilizing a ready-to-use tool called Project Action Learning (PAL) to analyze real life case studies, the authors introduce a framework that allows teams of people to work and learn over the course of business projects. Equal emphasis is placed on the achievement of pre-set project outcomes and the learning objectives of the participants. In addition, a long term organizational learning strategy is put forward and the necessary supporting infrastructure, in the form of four ‘PAL Pillars’, is described. The concepts and development of the PAL driven Organizational Learning model are inspired by, and grounded in, Western and Eastern business ...

Reliability Engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Yong

1992-07-01

This book is about reliability engineering, which describes definition and importance of reliability, development of reliability engineering, failure rate and failure probability density function about types of it, CFR and index distribution, IFR and normal distribution and Weibull distribution, maintainability and movability, reliability test and reliability assumption in index distribution type, normal distribution type and Weibull distribution type, reliability sampling test, reliability of system, design of reliability and functionality failure analysis by FTA.

Business of reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Pierre

1999-12-01

The presentation is organized around three themes: (1) The decrease of reception equipment costs allows non-Remote Sensing organization to access a technology until recently reserved to scientific elite. What this means is the rise of 'operational' executive agencies considering space-based technology and operations as a viable input to their daily tasks. This is possible thanks to totally dedicated ground receiving entities focusing on one application for themselves, rather than serving a vast community of users. (2) The multiplication of earth observation platforms will form the base for reliable technical and financial solutions. One obstacle to the growth of the earth observation industry is the variety of policies (commercial versus non-commercial) ruling the distribution of the data and value-added products. In particular, the high volume of data sales required for the return on investment does conflict with traditional low-volume data use for most applications. Constant access to data sources supposes monitoring needs as well as technical proficiency. (3) Large volume use of data coupled with low- cost equipment costs is only possible when the technology has proven reliable, in terms of application results, financial risks and data supply. Each of these factors is reviewed. The expectation is that international cooperation between agencies and private ventures will pave the way for future business models. As an illustration, the presentation proposes to use some recent non-traditional monitoring applications, that may lead to significant use of earth observation data, value added products and services: flood monitoring, ship detection, marine oil pollution deterrent systems and rice acreage monitoring.

Research on reliability measures of the main transformer and GIS equipment manufacturing process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Honglong

2014-01-01

Based on the accidents of the main transformer GIS equipment and the accidents of the high voltage switch equipment, combined with the main transformer switch equipment maintenance experience and electrical theory, the reliability measures of the main transformer GIS equipment during manufacturing stage are studied and improved. Six successful reliability measures are identified: 1) design properly and check the ability of transformer for anti short circuit; 2) choose mature and reliable main transformer HV bushing; 3) choose GIS switch operation mechanism of high quality and reliability; 4) ensure that the insulation margin through tests piece by piece on withstand voltage and partial discharge of the GIS equipment insulation; 5) take test measures such as GIS conductor, shell polishing witness process and full form lightning impulse, to find out and eliminate the defects of abnormal electric field distribution; 6) Anti VFTO design for the main transformer connected with GIS with the voltage of 500 kV should be considered, and its anti VFTO ability to meet the safe operation under VFTO requirements should be checked. This paper proposed 2 new measures: 1) the main transformer insulation material quality standard is determined not only by its high dielectric strength, but more importantly by the homogeneous dielectric electric strength. Insulating Materials with a high and also uniform dielectric strength should be chosen. 2) During the silver-coating stage of the GIS equipment conductor, QC group activities should be organized to ensure that the plating layer quality, and the current lap surface DC resistance measurements should be supervised and witnessed to ensure the quality of the conductor contact surface. These measures are verified in Fuqing project of GIS main transformer equipment manufacturing process, and their effectiveness is proven. (author)

Final report : testing and evaluation for solar hot water reliability.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caudell, Thomas P. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); He, Hongbo (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Menicucci, David F. (Building Specialists, Inc., Albuquerque, NM); Mammoli, Andrea A. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Burch, Jay (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden CO)

2011-07-01

Solar hot water (SHW) systems are being installed by the thousands. Tax credits and utility rebate programs are spurring this burgeoning market. However, the reliability of these systems is virtually unknown. Recent work by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has shown that few data exist to quantify the mean time to failure of these systems. However, there is keen interest in developing new techniques to measure SHW reliability, particularly among utilities that use ratepayer money to pay the rebates. This document reports on an effort to develop and test new, simplified techniques to directly measure the state of health of fielded SHW systems. One approach was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and is based on the idea that the performance of the solar storage tank can reliably indicate the operational status of the SHW systems. Another approach, developed by the University of New Mexico (UNM), uses adaptive resonance theory, a type of neural network, to detect and predict failures. This method uses the same sensors that are normally used to control the SHW system. The NREL method uses two additional temperature sensors on the solar tank. The theories, development, application, and testing of both methods are described in the report. Testing was performed on the SHW Reliability Testbed at UNM, a highly instrumented SHW system developed jointly by SNL and UNM. The two methods were tested against a number of simulated failures. The results show that both methods show promise for inclusion in conventional SHW controllers, giving them advanced capability in detecting and predicting component failures.

Unsolved problems in number theory

CERN Document Server

Guy, Richard K

1994-01-01

Unsolved Problems in Number Theory contains discussions of hundreds of open questions, organized into 185 different topics. They represent numerous aspects of number theory and are organized into six categories: prime numbers, divisibility, additive number theory, Diophantine equations, sequences of integers, and miscellaneous. To prevent repetition of earlier efforts or duplication of previously known results, an extensive and up-to-date collection of references follows each problem. In the second edition, not only extensive new material has been added, but corrections and additions have been included throughout the book.

Organizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Callison, Daniel

2000-01-01

Focuses on "organizers," tools or techniques that provide identification and classification along with possible relationships or connections among ideas, concepts, and issues. Discusses David Ausubel's research and ideas concerning advance organizers; the implications of Ausubel's theory to curriculum and teaching; "webbing," a…

RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF ENTROPY METHOD FOR SYSTEM CONSISTED OF IDENTICAL EXPONENTIAL UNITS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Sun Youchao; Shi Jun

2004-01-01

The reliability assessment of unit-system near two levels is the most important content in the reliability multi-level synthesis of complex systems. Introducing the information theory into system reliability assessment, using the addible characteristic of information quantity and the principle of equivalence of information quantity, an entropy method of data information conversion is presented for the system consisted of identical exponential units. The basic conversion formulae of entropy method of unit test data are derived based on the principle of information quantity equivalence. The general models of entropy method synthesis assessment for system reliability approximate lower limits are established according to the fundamental principle of the unit reliability assessment. The applications of the entropy method are discussed by way of practical examples. Compared with the traditional methods, the entropy method is found to be valid and practicable and the assessment results are very satisfactory.

An Investment Level Decision Method to Secure Long-term Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Bamba, Satoshi; Yabe, Kuniaki; Seki, Tomomichi; Shibaya, Tetsuji

The slowdown in power demand increase and facility replacement causes the aging and lower reliability in power facility. And the aging is followed by the rapid increase of repair and replacement when many facilities reach their lifetime in future. This paper describes a method to estimate the repair and replacement costs in future by applying the life-cycle cost model and renewal theory to the historical data. This paper also describes a method to decide the optimum investment plan, which replaces facilities in the order of cost-effectiveness by setting replacement priority formula, and the minimum investment level to keep the reliability. Estimation examples applied to substation facilities show that the reasonable and leveled future cash-out can keep the reliability by lowering the percentage of replacements caused by fatal failures.

Reliability

OpenAIRE

Condon, David; Revelle, William

2017-01-01

Separating the signal in a test from the irrelevant noise is a challenge for all measurement. Low test reliability limits test validity, attenuates important relationships, and can lead to regression artifacts. Multiple approaches to the assessment and improvement of reliability are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of several different approaches to reliability are considered. Practical advice on how to assess reliability using open source software is provided.

Quantitative metal magnetic memory reliability modeling for welded joints

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Haiyan; Dang, Yongbin; Wang, Ben; Leng, Jiancheng

2016-03-01

Metal magnetic memory(MMM) testing has been widely used to detect welded joints. However, load levels, environmental magnetic field, and measurement noises make the MMM data dispersive and bring difficulty to quantitative evaluation. In order to promote the development of quantitative MMM reliability assessment, a new MMM model is presented for welded joints. Steel Q235 welded specimens are tested along the longitudinal and horizontal lines by TSC-2M-8 instrument in the tensile fatigue experiments. The X-ray testing is carried out synchronously to verify the MMM results. It is found that MMM testing can detect the hidden crack earlier than X-ray testing. Moreover, the MMM gradient vector sum K vs is sensitive to the damage degree, especially at early and hidden damage stages. Considering the dispersion of MMM data, the K vs statistical law is investigated, which shows that K vs obeys Gaussian distribution. So K vs is the suitable MMM parameter to establish reliability model of welded joints. At last, the original quantitative MMM reliability model is first presented based on the improved stress strength interference theory. It is shown that the reliability degree R gradually decreases with the decreasing of the residual life ratio T, and the maximal error between prediction reliability degree R 1 and verification reliability degree R 2 is 9.15%. This presented method provides a novel tool of reliability testing and evaluating in practical engineering for welded joints.

Advancing methods for reliably assessing motivational interviewing fidelity using the motivational interviewing skills code.

Science.gov (United States)

Lord, Sarah Peregrine; Can, Doğan; Yi, Michael; Marin, Rebeca; Dunn, Christopher W; Imel, Zac E; Georgiou, Panayiotis; Narayanan, Shrikanth; Steyvers, Mark; Atkins, David C

2015-02-01

The current paper presents novel methods for collecting MISC data and accurately assessing reliability of behavior codes at the level of the utterance. The MISC 2.1 was used to rate MI interviews from five randomized trials targeting alcohol and drug use. Sessions were coded at the utterance-level. Utterance-based coding reliability was estimated using three methods and compared to traditional reliability estimates of session tallies. Session-level reliability was generally higher compared to reliability using utterance-based codes, suggesting that typical methods for MISC reliability may be biased. These novel methods in MI fidelity data collection and reliability assessment provided rich data for therapist feedback and further analyses. Beyond implications for fidelity coding, utterance-level coding schemes may elucidate important elements in the counselor-client interaction that could inform theories of change and the practice of MI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nursing Services Delivery Theory: an open system approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Raquel M; O'Brien-Pallas, Linda L

2010-12-01

This paper is a discussion of the derivation of the Nursing Services Delivery Theory from the application of open system theory to large-scale organizations. The underlying mechanisms by which staffing indicators influence outcomes remain under-theorized and unmeasured, resulting in a 'black box' that masks the nature and organization of nursing work. Theory linking nursing work, staffing, work environments, and outcomes in different settings is urgently needed to inform management decisions about the allocation of nurse staffing resources in organizations. A search of CINAHL and Business Source Premier for the years 1980-2008 was conducted using the following terms: theory, models, organization, organizational structure, management, administration, nursing units, and nursing. Seminal works were included. The healthcare organization is conceptualized as an open system characterized by energy transformation, a dynamic steady state, negative entropy, event cycles, negative feedback, differentiation, integration and coordination, and equifinality. The Nursing Services Delivery Theory proposes that input, throughput, and output factors interact dynamically to influence the global work demands placed on nursing work groups at the point of care in production subsystems. THE Nursing Services Delivery Theory can be applied to varied settings, cultures, and countries and supports the study of multi-level phenomena and cross-level effects. The Nursing Services Delivery Theory gives a relational structure for reconciling disparate streams of research related to nursing work, staffing, and work environments. The theory can guide future research and the management of nursing services in large-scale healthcare organizations. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Constructing a Grounded Theory of E-Learning Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Díaz, Laura; Yuste-Tosina, Rocío

2015-01-01

This study traces the development of a grounded theory of assessment in e-learning environments, a field in need of research to establish the parameters of an assessment that is both reliable and worthy of higher learning accreditation. Using grounded theory as a research method, we studied an e-assessment model that does not require physical…

Competing risk models in reliability systems, a Weibull distribution model with Bayesian analysis approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskandar, Ismed; Gondokaryono, Yudi Satria

2016-01-01

In reliability theory, the most important problem is to determine the reliability of a complex system from the reliability of its components. The weakness of most reliability theories is that the systems are described and explained as simply functioning or failed. In many real situations, the failures may be from many causes depending upon the age and the environment of the system and its components. Another problem in reliability theory is one of estimating the parameters of the assumed failure models. The estimation may be based on data collected over censored or uncensored life tests. In many reliability problems, the failure data are simply quantitatively inadequate, especially in engineering design and maintenance system. The Bayesian analyses are more beneficial than the classical one in such cases. The Bayesian estimation analyses allow us to combine past knowledge or experience in the form of an apriori distribution with life test data to make inferences of the parameter of interest. In this paper, we have investigated the application of the Bayesian estimation analyses to competing risk systems. The cases are limited to the models with independent causes of failure by using the Weibull distribution as our model. A simulation is conducted for this distribution with the objectives of verifying the models and the estimators and investigating the performance of the estimators for varying sample size. The simulation data are analyzed by using Bayesian and the maximum likelihood analyses. The simulation results show that the change of the true of parameter relatively to another will change the value of standard deviation in an opposite direction. For a perfect information on the prior distribution, the estimation methods of the Bayesian analyses are better than those of the maximum likelihood. The sensitivity analyses show some amount of sensitivity over the shifts of the prior locations. They also show the robustness of the Bayesian analysis within the range

The role of subjective norms in theory of planned behavior in the context of organic food consumption

OpenAIRE

Al-Swidi, Abdullah; Huque, Sheikh Mohammed Rafiul; Hafeez, Muhammad Haroon; Shariff, Mohd Noor Mohd

2014-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the applicability of theory of planned behavior (TPB) with special emphasis on measuring the direct and moderating effect of subjective norms on attitude, perceived behavioral control and buying intention in context of buying organic food. Structured questionnaires were randomly distributed among academic staffs and students of two universities in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed model fit....

A new theory for X-ray diffraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fewster, Paul F

2014-05-01

This article proposes a new theory of X-ray scattering that has particular relevance to powder diffraction. The underlying concept of this theory is that the scattering from a crystal or crystallite is distributed throughout space: this leads to the effect that enhanced scatter can be observed at the `Bragg position' even if the `Bragg condition' is not satisfied. The scatter from a single crystal or crystallite, in any fixed orientation, has the fascinating property of contributing simultaneously to many `Bragg positions'. It also explains why diffraction peaks are obtained from samples with very few crystallites, which cannot be explained with the conventional theory. The intensity ratios for an Si powder sample are predicted with greater accuracy and the temperature factors are more realistic. Another consequence is that this new theory predicts a reliability in the intensity measurements which agrees much more closely with experimental observations compared to conventional theory that is based on `Bragg-type' scatter. The role of dynamical effects (extinction etc.) is discussed and how they are suppressed with diffuse scattering. An alternative explanation for the Lorentz factor is presented that is more general and based on the capture volume in diffraction space. This theory, when applied to the scattering from powders, will evaluate the full scattering profile, including peak widths and the `background'. The theory should provide an increased understanding of the reliability of powder diffraction measurements, and may also have wider implications for the analysis of powder diffraction data, by increasing the accuracy of intensities predicted from structural models.

Developing An Extended Theory Of Planned Behavior Model To Investigate Consumers Consumption Behavior Toward Organic Food A Case Study In Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamonthip Maichum

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Organic foods are gaining popularity around the world and consumers of organic foods are on the rise. However information on the consumer behavior towards purchasing organic foods in developing countries such as Thailand is lacking. In this study we develop an extended theory of planned behavior TPB research model that incorporates organic knowledge to investigate consumers consumption intention and behavior towards organic food. We derived and examined the model through structural equation modeling SEM on a sample of 412 respondents in Thailand representing 82.40 of the samples that were investigated. Our findings indicated that consumer attitude and perceived behavioral control significantly predicts consumption intention whereas subjective norm does not. Hence consumption intention has a positive influence on organic food consumption behavior. Furthermore our results suggest that TPB model mediates the relationship between organic knowledge and consumption behavior.

Describing the Climate of Student Organizations: The Student Organization Environment Scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Winston, Roger B., Jr.; Bledsoe, Tyrone; Goldstein, Adam R.; Wisbey, Martha E.; Street, James L.; Brown, Steven R.; Goyen, Kenneth D.; Rounds, Linda E.

1997-01-01

Using M. R. Weisbord's model of organizational diagnosis, researchers developed the Student Organization Environment Scales to measure students' perceptions of the psychosocial environment or climate of college student organizations. Development of the instrument is described and estimates of its reliability and validity are reported. Describes…

A Bayesian approach to estimating variance components within a multivariate generalizability theory framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhehan; Skorupski, William

2017-12-12

In many behavioral research areas, multivariate generalizability theory (mG theory) has been typically used to investigate the reliability of certain multidimensional assessments. However, traditional mG-theory estimation-namely, using frequentist approaches-has limits, leading researchers to fail to take full advantage of the information that mG theory can offer regarding the reliability of measurements. Alternatively, Bayesian methods provide more information than frequentist approaches can offer. This article presents instructional guidelines on how to implement mG-theory analyses in a Bayesian framework; in particular, BUGS code is presented to fit commonly seen designs from mG theory, including single-facet designs, two-facet crossed designs, and two-facet nested designs. In addition to concrete examples that are closely related to the selected designs and the corresponding BUGS code, a simulated dataset is provided to demonstrate the utility and advantages of the Bayesian approach. This article is intended to serve as a tutorial reference for applied researchers and methodologists conducting mG-theory studies.

Collection-limited theory interprets the extraordinary response of single semiconductor organic solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Biswajit; Baradwaj, Aditya G.; Khan, Mohammad Ryyan; Boudouris, Bryan W.; Alam, Muhammad Ashraful

2015-01-01

The bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) architecture has dominated the literature due to its ability to be implemented in devices with relatively high efficiency values. However, a simpler device architecture based on a single organic semiconductor (SS-OPV) offers several advantages: it obviates the need to control the highly system-dependent nanoscale BHJ morphology, and therefore, would allow the use of broader range of organic semiconductors. Unfortunately, the photocurrent in standard SS-OPV devices is typically very low, which generally is attributed to inefficient charge separation of the photogenerated excitons. Here we show that the short-circuit current density from SS-OPV devices can be enhanced significantly (∼100-fold) through the use of inverted device configurations, relative to a standard OPV device architecture. This result suggests that charge generation may not be the performance bottleneck in OPV device operation. Instead, poor charge collection, caused by defect-induced electric field screening, is most likely the primary performance bottleneck in regular-geometry SS-OPV cells. We justify this hypothesis by: (i) detailed numerical simulations, (ii) electrical characterization experiments of functional SS-OPV devices using multiple polymers as active layer materials, and (iii) impedance spectroscopy measurements. Furthermore, we show that the collection-limited photocurrent theory consistently interprets typical characteristics of regular SS-OPV devices. These insights should encourage the design and OPV implementation of high-purity, high-mobility polymers, and other soft materials that have shown promise in organic field-effect transistor applications, but have not performed well in BHJ OPV devices, wherein they adopt less-than-ideal nanostructures when blended with electron-accepting materials. PMID:26290582

Lead free solder mechanics and reliability

CERN Document Server

Pang, John Hock Lye

2012-01-01

Lead-free solders are used extensively as interconnection materials in electronic assemblies and play a critical role in the global semiconductor packaging and electronics manufacturing industry. Electronic products such as smart phones, notebooks and high performance computers rely on lead-free solder joints to connect IC chip components to printed circuit boards. Lead Free Solder: Mechanics and Reliability provides in-depth design knowledge on lead-free solder elastic-plastic-creep and strain-rate dependent deformation behavior and its application in failure assessment of solder joint reliability. It includes coverage of advanced mechanics of materials theory and experiments, mechanical properties of solder and solder joint specimens, constitutive models for solder deformation behavior; numerical modeling and simulation of solder joint failure subject to thermal cycling, mechanical bending fatigue, vibration fatigue and board-level drop impact tests. This book also: Discusses the mechanical prope...

Improving patient safety: patient-focused, high-reliability team training.

Science.gov (United States)

McKeon, Leslie M; Cunningham, Patricia D; Oswaks, Jill S Detty

2009-01-01

Healthcare systems are recognizing "human factor" flaws that result in adverse outcomes. Nurses work around system failures, although increasing healthcare complexity makes this harder to do without risk of error. Aviation and military organizations achieve ultrasafe outcomes through high-reliability practice. We describe how reliability principles were used to teach nurses to improve patient safety at the front line of care. Outcomes include safety-oriented, teamwork communication competency; reflections on safety culture and clinical leadership are discussed.

Use of models microeconômicos forecast for the effects of agency on theory of organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarciso Gouveia da Silva

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The classic model of Agency theory says that modern companies once possessing property distributed in shares, face as their main problem a conflict between managers (agents and shareholders (principals. The major concern is that the agents’ decisions don’t end up maximizing the value of the principals’ shares. Despite this problem being applicable mainly to American and English organizations due to the predominance of a major shareholder model that holds the control of the company and appoints their administrators, every country is susceptible to this problem. Faced with such a situation, we can then use the tools of microeconomics in order to predict the behaviors of both parts towards decision-making inherent to the organization and help the shareholders in the relations with agents to maximize value.

Individual and Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Felin, Teppo; Foss, Nicolai Juul

2006-01-01

Making links between micro and macro levels has been problematic in the social sciences, and the literature in strategic management and organization theory is no exception The purpose of this chapter is to raise theoretical issues in developing micro-foundations for strategic management and organ......Making links between micro and macro levels has been problematic in the social sciences, and the literature in strategic management and organization theory is no exception The purpose of this chapter is to raise theoretical issues in developing micro-foundations for strategic management...

Construction of a memory battery for computerized administration, using item response theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Aristides I; Almeida, Leandro S; Prieto, Gerardo

2012-10-01

In accordance with Item Response Theory, a computer memory battery with six tests was constructed for use in the Portuguese adult population. A factor analysis was conducted to assess the internal structure of the tests (N = 547 undergraduate students). According to the literature, several confirmatory factor models were evaluated. Results showed better fit of a model with two independent latent variables corresponding to verbal and non-verbal factors, reproducing the initial battery organization. Internal consistency reliability for the six tests were alpha = .72 to .89. IRT analyses (Rasch and partial credit models) yielded good Infit and Outfit measures and high precision for parameter estimation. The potential utility of these memory tasks for psychological research and practice willbe discussed.

Reliability of System Identification Techniques to Assess Standing Balance in Healthy Elderly.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jantsje H Pasma

Full Text Available System identification techniques have the potential to assess the contribution of the underlying systems involved in standing balance by applying well-known disturbances. We investigated the reliability of standing balance parameters obtained with multivariate closed loop system identification techniques.In twelve healthy elderly balance tests were performed twice a day during three days. Body sway was measured during two minutes of standing with eyes closed and the Balance test Room (BalRoom was used to apply four disturbances simultaneously: two sensory disturbances, to the proprioceptive and the visual system, and two mechanical disturbances applied at the leg and trunk segment. Using system identification techniques, sensitivity functions of the sensory disturbances and the neuromuscular controller were estimated. Based on the generalizability theory (G theory, systematic errors and sources of variability were assessed using linear mixed models and reliability was assessed by computing indexes of dependability (ID, standard error of measurement (SEM and minimal detectable change (MDC.A systematic error was found between the first and second trial in the sensitivity functions. No systematic error was found in the neuromuscular controller and body sway. The reliability of 15 of 25 parameters and body sway were moderate to excellent when the results of two trials on three days were averaged. To reach an excellent reliability on one day in 7 out of 25 parameters, it was predicted that at least seven trials must be averaged.This study shows that system identification techniques are a promising method to assess the underlying systems involved in standing balance in elderly. However, most of the parameters do not appear to be reliable unless a large number of trials are collected across multiple days. To reach an excellent reliability in one third of the parameters, a training session for participants is needed and at least seven trials of two

Overview of Management Theory

Science.gov (United States)

1991-02-01

theory orients command leadership for the enormous task of managing organizations in our environment fraught with volatility, uncertainty...performance and organizational ethics. A THEORY OF MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND BASIC MANAGEMENT BEHAVIORAL Definitions FUNCTIONS ASPECTS History Planning Leadership ...the best way to manage in their theory of managerial leadership . To them, the 9,9 position on their model, "is acknowledged by managers as the

Nursing Services Delivery Theory: an open system approach