Incorporating ergonomic risks into assembly line balancing

In manufacturing, control of ergonomic risks at manual workplaces is a necessity commanded by legislation, care for health of workers and economic considerations. Methods for estimating ergonomic risks of workplaces are integrated into production routines at most firms that use the assembly-type of production. Assembly line re-balancing, i.e., re-assignment of tasks to workers, is an effective and, in case that no additional workstations are required, inexpensive method to reduce ergonomic risks. In our article, we show that even though most ergonomic risk estimation methods involve nonlinear functions, they can be integrated into assembly line balancing techniques at low additional computational cost. Our computational experiments indicate that re-balancing often leads to a substantial mitigation of ergonomic risks.     

台风灾害快速评估信息系统设计与开发

以台风综合强度指数和台风风场模型的理论为基础,采用C#＋ArcEngine技术进行二次开发,设计并开发了一套以台风综合强度和影响范围评估为主要功能的台风灾害快速评估系统.提出了一种更全面的台风致灾因子危险性评估方法,以期为台风灾害风险评估提供基础.     

Gumbel分布的简单贝叶斯估计

在实际应用中,两参数Gumbel分布的贝叶斯估计往往需要预先知道Gumbel参数的二维联合先验分布。由于获取先验分布的主观性和统计推断的复杂性,目前有关Gumbel分布贝叶斯估计理论及其性质的讨论还比较少,更不要说获得较为简单的Gumbel分布的贝叶斯估计。本文基于Kaminskiy和Vasiliy提出的简单贝叶斯估计过程,利用可靠度函数估计的区间形式表示先验信息,从而得到两个参数Gumbel分布的简单贝叶斯估计。基于此先验信息,该估计过程构造了Gumbel参数的连续联合先验分布,给出了在给定任意时点的可靠度(或累积密度)及其标准差的后验估计,为可靠性与风险评估中简单快速的使用贝叶斯估计刻画极端事件提供了可能.     

企业协同知识创新的风险识别与评价

协同知识创新是企业降低创新成本,提高创新能力的重要手段.由于企业知识创新具有高度的不确定性和不可预测性,因此,有效地利用企业协同优势,有针对性地降低协同知识创新的风险,是协同知识创新活动得以顺利开展的重要条件.影响协同知识创新的内外因素有很多,利用粗糙集理论对这些因素进行简约,消除冗余因素,得到在协同知识创新中的核心因素;确定约简集因素权重,判断协同知识创新的风险程度,为协同知识创新的决策提供依据.     

An algebraic translation task solved by grade 7–9 students

In this study, the author examined student attempts to translate a verbal problem into an algebraic statement relating two variables, after they had solved an arithmetic question from the same problem. A total of 645 students from New England (U.S.A.) answered the problem on a mathematics assessment administered at the beginning of the school year. Among students who could solve the arithmetic part of the problem, the use of variables in the correct conventional notation appeared from grade 7 and continuously increased through grade 9. These results suggest that there is a relationship between students’ arithmetic understanding and translating verbal problems into algebraic statements relating two variables.     

高速列车轴承可靠性评估关键力学参量研究进展

轴承是高速列车牵引传动和轮轴系统的关键零部件. 受列车运行过程中电机转矩、齿轮啮合以及轮轨随机激励的影响,轴承可能发生疲劳破坏, 严重影响高速列车的行车安全.我国特有的复杂运用条件对轴承部件的疲劳性能提出了更高的要求,而轴承疲劳可靠性的基础理论和关键技术是我国轴承正向设计研发中的薄弱环节.可靠性评估方面的相关研究在解决轴承可靠性研究的瓶颈问题中起到了承上启下的关键作用.高速列车轴承可靠性评估手段与技术旨在获得使用环境中轴承可靠性评估的关键力学参量,并以此推动复杂激励下轴承疲劳可靠性理论研究. 因此,需要哪些关键力学参量并且在复杂的实际使用环境下如何去获取这些力学参量是进行高速列车轴承可靠性评估的关键所在.本文首先概述了高速列车轴承所处的复杂使用环境及运用中的主要失效模式,并据此分析了高速列车轴承可靠性评估所需的关键力学参量,强调了轴承内部滚滑行为和载荷分布在可靠性评估和轴承状态监测中的重要作用,之后从计算模型和测试技术等方面系统阐述了针对这两个关键力学参量的研究进展.最后提出了在高速列车轴承可靠性评估关键力学参量特征及测试技术研究中值得关注的若干问题.      

A cycle for validating a learning progression illustrated with an example from the concept of function

A learning progression, or learning trajectory, describes the evolution of student thinking from early conceptions to the target understanding within a particular domain. As a complex theory of development, it requires conceptual and empirical support. In earlier work, we proposed a cycle for the validation of a learning progression with four steps: 1) Theory Development, 2) Examination of Empirical Recovery, 3) Comparison to Competing Models, and 4) Evaluation of Instructional Efficacy. A group of experts met to discuss the application of learning sciences to the design, use, and validation of classroom assessment. Learning progressions, learning trajectories, and how they can support classroom assessment were the main focuses. Revisions to the cycle were suggested. We describe the adapted cycle and illustrate how the first third of it has been applied towards the validation of a learning progression for the concept of function.     

Advances in microbiology EQA

External quality assessment for microbiology laboratories has seen many changes over the past ten years. EQA is much less focused on the pure analytic process of identifying single organisms submitted in an artificial medium. Samples are more realistic, and can be used to address clinical relevancy. Samples can be supplemented with a variety of non-traditional challenges to extend testing to include a wider range of the pre- and post-analytic aspects of the laboratory cycle. A look to the future sees a broad range of newer targets, with increasing interest in virology and point-of-care testing. Received: 13 April 2002 Accepted: 24 June 2002     

Large scale preparation and characterization of mucopolysaccharase contamination free heparinase

By a combination of hydroxylapatite chromatography and negative adsorption on QAE-Sephadex at pH 8.3, heparinase (E.C.4.2.2.7) can be successfully isolated from all the other mucopolysaccharase contaminants present inFlavobacterium heparinum. Hydroxylapatite isolates heparinase primarily from chondroitinases, hyaluronidase, and most glycuronidases. QAE-Sephadex chromatography at pH 8.3 further separates heparinase from heparitinases, sulfatases, and the remaining glycuronidases. The heparinase preparation thus obtained contains no statistically significant levels of other contaminating mucopolysaccharases except for heparitinases that are present at an apparent maximum level of 3.4%. Owing to the presence of a crossreaction of heparinase on heparitin sulfate at conditions employed for the assay of heparitinase, the heparitinase level of 3.4% could be misleading because of the action of heparinase on heparitin sulfate. Characterization of this heparinase preparation shows that the enzyme has an optimum salt concentration of 0.08M NaCl, an optimum pH of 6.5, an activation energy of 5 kcal/mol, and a K_m of 7.95 x 10^-6 M. These parameters are almost identical to those displayed by a homogeneous heparinase preparation. The method described here is suitable for scale-up purposes using batch Chromatographic procedures.     

乌鲁木齐市安宁渠区蔬菜中重金属的分布特征研究

对乌鲁木齐市郊安宁渠区在土壤调查的基础上，又进行了蔬菜中的重金属调查．并对蔬菜进行了污染评价．结果标明：土壤的环境元素组合与蔬菜的不同．土壤和蔬菜的重金属聚类分析结果也不同．按食品卫生标准进行评价，蔬菜中Cd、Pb的超标率最高，大白菜的超标率比四季豆和长豇豆更高．长豇豆对重金属的富集系数相对较小．