Search results for "RELIABILITY"
showing 10 items of 1563 documents
Language-Integrated Privacy-Aware Distributed Queries
2019
Distributed query processing is an effective means for processing large amounts of data. To abstract from the technicalities of distributed systems, algorithms for operator placement automatically distribute sequential data queries over the available processing units. However, current algorithms for operator placement focus on performance and ignore privacy concerns that arise when handling sensitive data. We present a new methodology for privacy-aware operator placement that both prevents leakage of sensitive information and improves performance. Crucially, our approach is based on an information-flow type system for data queries to reason about the sensitivity of query subcomputations. Ou…
The Valencia Eustress-Distress Appraisal Scale (VEDAS): Validation of the Italian Version
2018
© 2018 by the authors. The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Valencia Eustress-Distress Appraisal Scale (VEDAS). Two hundred and thirty-two Italian workers were involved in the study. Dimensionality, reliability, and concurrent validity were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-dimensional structure. In addition, the Italian version of the scale showed good internal consistency and validity. The results indicate that the Italian version of the VEDAS is a valid instrument for measuring eustress and distress appraisal in the Italian context. ispartof: SUSTAINABILITY vol:10 issue:11 status: published
White Noise Speech Illusions: A Trait-Dependent Risk Marker for Psychotic Disorder?
2019
Supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program under grant agreement No. HEALTH-F2-2009-241909 (Project EU-GEI)
The Safety Culture Enactment Questionnaire (SCEQ): Theoretical model and empirical validation
2015
This paper presents the Safety Culture Enactment Questionnaire (SCEQ), designed to assess the degree to which safety is an enacted value in the day-to-day running of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The SCEQ is based on a theoretical safety culture model that is manifested in three fundamental components of the functioning and operation of any organization: strategic decisions, human resources practices, and daily activities and behaviors. The extent to which the importance of safety is enacted in each of these three components provides information about the pervasiveness of the safety culture in the NPP. To validate the SCEQ and the model on which it is based, two separate studies were carried…
Design of a safety training package for migrant workers in the construction industry
2021
Abstract The construction sector is known as a high-risk sector with many safety challenges. It is also characterised by a large number of migrant workers and these workers report higher accident rates than native workers. This paper presents the design of the CSTP (Construction Safety Training Programme). The CSTP is a theory-based training program aimed at improving safety behaviours in construction sites acknowledging the particular challenges migrant workers face. Based on second and third generational models of training, we developed a training program that addresses the challenges faced by migrant workers in the construction industry, namely language and cultural barriers, times press…
Human Reliability Analysis to support operational planning of an experimental facility
2015
This paper reports the results obtained by using different techniques of Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) to identify potential operator errors at the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) facility, a second generation Isotope Separation On Line (ISOL) plant for advanced nuclear physic applications. The paper presents scoping-level HRA applications, with the main goal to evaluate the applicability of HRA techniques for the specific domain. In particular, two aspects challenge a standard HRA. First, the facility is under construction so that a number of aspects related to its operation (e.g. procedures and operator interfaces) are still under definition. Second, the context of operat…
Ex vivo measurement reliability using two different cbct scanners for orthodontic purposes
2012
Background There are many cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners available on the market: detector technology, algorithm precision, and scanner settings influence image quality. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of linear measurements made on images of the same sample obtained using two different CBCT scanners. Methods Twenty-eight linear measurements between orthodontic anatomical landmarks that were marked with gutta-percha points on a fresh sacrificed lamb head were taken three times. The head was scanned with two CBCT scanners using different scanning parameters. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images were reconstructed and the same measurem…
A computer controlled patterning system for scanning probe microscopes
1999
Abstract A pattern generator system for lithography based on scanning force microscopes has been developed. Patterns to be miniaturized onto a chip can be scanned or drawn by any common graphical program. The pattern file is used to control a voltage simultaneously with the microscope probe scanning the surface of the substrate. The voltage can be used in numerous different ways to manipulate the substrate, depending on the lithographic method preferred. We have demonstrated the system by adding this voltage to the z -piezo voltage of the scanner, in order to make the probe plow the pattern into a film spinned on the sample. To maintain linearity in zooming in and rotating the scanning dire…
On the Use of Prognostics and Health Management to Jointly Schedule Production and Maintenance on a Single Multi-purpose Machine
2020
This paper address the problem of using prognostic information in the decision-making process of a single multi-purpose machine. The prognostics and health management method is compared to condition-based maintenance combined with a genetic algorithm to determine the joint schedule of maintenance and production. The paper presents a methodology to select the adequate strategy while considering several factors that influence the functioning of the machine. The results show that operational and conditions variability influence the choice of the suitable methods. In the presented case, we show configurations where prognostic information is useless or useful.
Reconfiguration: a key to handle exceptions and performance deteriorations in manufacturing operations
2005
During a manufacturing operation, exceptions may occur dynamically and unpredictably. Their occurrence may lead to the degradation of system performance or, in the worst case scenario may interrupt the production process by causing errors in the schedule plan. This paper classifies three families of exceptions: (1) out-of-order events such as machine breakdowns, (2) operational out-of-ordinary events such as rush orders and (3) deteriorations of manufacturing resource performance such as reductions of machines' utilization. In all cases, in order to maintain an adequate level of system performance, it is necessary to detect exceptions, to diagnose them quickly and to recover them by taking …