Passenger ride comfort technology for transport aircraft situations

A brief overview is given of NASA research in ride comfort and of the resultant technology. Three useful relations derived from the technology are presented together with five applications of these relations to illustrate their effectiveness in addressing various ride comfort situations of passenger transports

Passenger ride comfort technology for transport aircraft situations

Research in ride comfort and of the resultant technology is overviewed. Several useful relations derived from the technology are: input environments to the vehicle; aircraft operations; and aircraft configurations. Input environments which influence the ride motion environment consist of naturally occuring phenomena such as gusts or turbulence and man generated phenomena such as trailing vortex wakes or runway roughness. Aircraft operations influence ride environments in the form of motions caused by maneuvers, of pressure changes caused by rapid descents, or of too high temperature. Aircraft configurations influence the ride environment by size and shape of external surfaces which generate aerodynamic perturbing forces; by onboard equipment, such as power plant noise and vibrations; and by passive equipment which directly interfaces the passengers such as marginal size seats with limited elbowroom and legroom

Derivation of immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) values

Since the establishment of the original Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) values in 1974, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has continued to review available scientific data to improve the methodology used to derive acute exposure guidelines, in addition to the chemical-specific IDLH values. The primary objective of this Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) is to present a methodology, based on the modern principles of risk assessment and toxicology, for the derivation of IDLH values, which characterize the health risks of occupational exposures to high concentrations of airborne contaminants. The methodology for deriving IDLH values presented in the CIB incorporates the approach established by the National Advisory Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for Hazardous Substances-consisting of members from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, other federal and state government agencies, the chemical industry, academia, labor, and other organizations from the private sector\u2014during the derivation of community-based acute exposure limits. The inclusion of the AEGL methodology has helped ensure that the IDLH values derived with use of the guidance provided in this document are based on validated scientific rationale.The intent of this document is not only to update the IDLH methodology used by NIOSH to develop IDLH values based on contemporary risk assessment practices, but also to increase the transparency behind their derivation. The increased transparency will provide occupational health professionals, risk managers, and emergency response personnel additional information that can be applied to improve characterization of the hazards of high concentrations of airborne contaminants. This will also facilitate a more informed decision-making process for the selection of respirators and establishment of risk management plans for non-routine work practices and emergency preparedness plans capable of better protecting workers.The primary objectives of this Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) are: 1. To provide a brief history of the development of IDLH values, 2. To update the scientific bases and risk assessment methodology used to derive IDLH values from quality toxicity and human health effects data, 3. To provide transparency behind the rationale and derivation process for IDLH values, and 4. To demonstrate how scientifically credible IDLH values can be derived from available data resources.This document was developed by the Education and Information Division (Paul Schulte, Ph.D., Director). G. Scott Dotson, Ph.D., was the project officer and lead NIOSH author for this CIB, assisted in great part by Richard Niemeier, Ph.D. The basis for this document was a report contracted by NIOSH and prepared by Andrew Maier, Ph.D., Ann Parker, and Lynne Haber, Ph.D. (Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment [TERA]).NIOSHtic-2 No 20043292CurrentPrevention and ControlOccupational HealthNIOSH8/24/2015NIOS

Path dependence or convergence? The evolution of corporate ownership around the world

We offer a theory that sheds light on the current debate over whether the form of corporate ownership converges to the Berle-Means image. Our analytical results are threefold. First, legal rules and firm-specific protective arrangements are complementary. Secondly, corporate ownership patterns can be convergent or path dependent depending on the relative importance of these protective arrangements. We predict, for example, diffuse stock ownership in countries that impose legal limits on blockholders’ power to expropriate minority investor rights. Thirdly, we find that convergence toward diffuse share ownership is a movement towards the social optimum. Our empirical results suggest a case for the co-existence of path dependence and functional convergence (convergence to the diffuse form of share ownership through cross-listings on U.S. stock exchanges that impose more stringent disclosure and listing requirements). These results have implications for the design of executive compensation, the case for institutional investor activism and the proposal to increase shareholder power

The New Capital Adequacy Framework: Institutional Constraints and Incentive Structures

This paper considers the implementation challenges facing the Basel Committee's new proposals on bank capital standards. When compared with the existing Capital Accord, the proposals represent a shift across two intersecting dimensions-regulatory versus economic capital, and rules-based versus process-oriented regulation. On minimum capital standards, the case for using external ratings may be stronger than has been recognized, given the divergences in the purpose and design of internal ratings. On supervisory review, ensuring comparability among supervisors and building supervisory capacity will present serious challenges. On enhancing market discipline, incentives for markets to exercise discipline will be required.

Strategic I/O Psychology and the Role of Utility Analysis Models

In the 1990’s, the significance of human capital in organizations has been increasing,and measurement issues in human resource management have achieved significant prominence. Yet, I/O psychology research on utility analysis and measurement has actually declined. In this chapter we propose a decision-based framework to review developments in utility analysis research since 1991, and show that through lens of this framework there are many fertile avenues for research. We then show that both I/O psychology and strategic HRM research and practice can be enhanced by greater collaboration and integration, particularly regarding the link between human capital and organizational success. We present an integrative framework as the basis for that integration, and illustrate its implications for future research

Long-Term Preservation of Digital Records, Part I: A Theoretical Basis

The Information Revolution is making preservation of digital records an urgent issue. Archivists have grappled with the question of how to achieve this for about 15 years. We focus on limitations to preservation, identifying precisely what can be preserved and what cannot. Our answer comes from the philosophical theory of knowledge, especially its discussion about the limits of what can be communicated. Philosophers have taught that answers to critical questions have been obscured by "failure to understand the logic of our language". We can clarify difficulties by paying extremely close attention to the meaning of words such as 'knowledge', 'information', 'the original', and 'dynamic'. What is valuable in transmitted and stored messages, and what should be preserved, is an abstraction, the pattern inherent in each transmitted and stored digital record. This answer has, in fact, been lurking just below the surface of archival literature. To make progress, archivists must collaborate with software engineers. Understanding perspectives across disciplinary boundaries will be needed.

The Epistemology of Alvin Plantinga

In this article we intend to present Alvin Plantinga’s epistemology by showing the way in which its central concepts: the Reidian foundationalism, the partial critique of evidentialism, warrant, proper function, reliability and externalism - are logically interrelated. A section of this article is reserved to the critiques of his account of warrant brought by Peter Klein and Richard Feldman and to the way in which Plantinga answered them, by developing the concepts of cognitive maxi- and mini-environment. In the end we will see the way in which Plantinga’s epistemology relates to both modernism and postmodernism

Decision making study: methods and applications of evidential reasoning and judgment analysis

Decision making study has been the multi-disciplinary research involving operations researchers, management scientists, statisticians, mathematical psychologists and economists as well as others. This study aims to investigate the theory and methodology of decision making research and apply them to different contexts in real cases. The study has reviewed the literature of Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Evidential Reasoning (ER) approach, Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) movement, Social Judgment Theory (SJT), and Adaptive Toolbox (AT) program. On the basis of these literatures, two methods, Evidence-based Trade-Off (EBTO) and Judgment Analysis with Heuristic Modelling (JA-HM), have been proposed and developed to accomplish decision making problems under different conditions. In the EBTO method, we propose a novel framework to aid people s decision making under uncertainty and imprecise goal. Under the framework, the imprecise goal is objectively modelled through an analytical structure, and is independent of the task requirement; the task requirement is specified by the trade-off strategy among criteria of the analytical structure through an importance weighting process, and is subject to the requirement change of a particular decision making task; the evidence available, that could contribute to the evaluation of general performance of the decision alternatives, are formulated with belief structures which are capable of capturing various format of uncertainties that arise from the absence of data, incomplete information and subjective judgments. The EBTO method was further applied in a case study of Soldier system decision making. The application has demonstrated that EBTO, as a tool, is able to provide a holistic analysis regarding the requirements of Soldier missions, the physical conditions of Soldiers, and the capability of their equipment and weapon systems, which is critical in domain. By drawing the cross-disciplinary literature from NDM and AT, the JA-HM extended the traditional Judgment Analysis (JA) method, through a number of novel methodological procedures, to account for the unique features of decision making tasks under extreme time pressure and dynamic shifting situations. These novel methodological procedures include, the notion of decision point to deconstruct the dynamic shifting situations in a way that decision problem could be identified and formulated; the classification of routine and non-routine problems, and associated data alignment process to enable meaningful decision data analysis across different decision makers (DMs); the notion of composite cue to account for the DMs iterative process of information perception and comprehension in dynamic task environment; the application of computational models of heuristics to account for the time constraints and process dynamics of DMs decision making process; and the application of cross-validation process to enable the methodological principle of competitive testing of decision models. The JA-HM was further applied in a case study of fire emergency decision making. The application has been the first behavioural test of the validity of the computational models of heuristics, in predicting the DMs decision making during fire emergency response. It has also been the first behavioural test of the validity of the non-compensatory heuristics in predicting the DMs decisions on ranking task. The findings identified extend the literature of AT and NDM, and have implications for the fire emergency decision making

Measurement of pavement permanent deformation based on 1 mm 3D pavement surface model

Measurement of pavement permanent deformation is critical to highway agencies for both pavement design and rehabilitation. Since the AASHO Road Test in the late 1950s and early 1960s, field rut condition is monitored by agencies on a regular basis. Over the decades, rut depth has been the solely dominating pavement permanent deformation indicator extensively used, though it faces many criticisms for being incomplete to characterize rut. The premature data collection technology, lack of uniform practice standard, and unrealistic expectations have hindered the improvement of rut measurement.Recently, two AASHTO draft standard documents PP70-10 and PP69-10 are published specifying data requirements and procedures for deriving new technical parameters, respectively. It is envisioned that the mature application of the 1 mm 3D pavement surface data collected by PaveVision3D Ultra system in companion with the new standards poses a significant opportunity to change the landscape of current rut measurement practice.This research described in the thesis accomplishes the following tasks to provide substantial insights into the new rut measurement requirements. First, thirteen technical parameters covering multiple aspects of pavement ruts are derived based on PP69-10. The rut depth measures documented in PP69-10 are verified with ground truth values. Second, a thorough study of these rut attributes is conducted with 8,960 transverse profiles collected from National Highway Systems (NHS) in Arkansas. The interrelationships among different technical parameters are explored, and inferences regarding pavement performance are developed. Third, a comprehensive hierarchical system is constructed for overall permanent deformation evaluation. The standardized index provided by the proposed system can help highway agencies manage pavement performance in a more comprehensive and reasonable manner. Fourth, the impact of vehicle wandering on the accuracy of rut measurements is assessed. A methodology is developed and verified to reduce the adverse effect of unknown lane locations.Overall, this thesis demonstrates findings of a timely study in rut measurement and characterization based on the latest standard protocols and data collection technology. The research provides insights and useful supplements to both practitioners and researchers in the transition to apply the most advanced 1 mm 3D laser imaging technology to comprehensive pavement survey