A web-based tool to design and analyze single- and double-stage acceptance sampling plans

Acceptance sampling plans are used to determine whether production lots can be accepted or rejected. Existing tools only provide a limited functionality for the two-point design and the risk analysis of such plans. In this article, a web-based tool is presented to study single- and double-stage sampling plans. In contrast to existing solutions, the tool is an interactive applet that is freely available. Analytic properties are derived to support the development of search strategies for the design of double-stage sampling plans that are more efficient and accurate in comparison with existing routines. Several case studies are presented

On dynamic computational subgrid modeling

In this paper we study a subgrid model based on extrapolation of a corrective force, in the case of a linear convection-diffusion problem $Lu=f$ in one dimension. The running average $u^{h}$ of the exact solution $u$ on the finest computational scale $h$ satisfies an equation $L_{h}u^{h}=[f]^{h}+F_{h}$, where $L_{h}$ is the operator used in the computation on the scale $h$, $[f]^{h}$ is the approximation of $f$ on the scale $h$, and $F_{h}$ acts as a corrective force, which needs to be modeled. The subgrid modeling problem is to compute approximations of $F_{h}$ without using finer scales than $h$. In this study we model $F_{h}$ by extrapolation from coarser scales than $h$ where the corrective force is directly computed with the finest scale $h$ as reference. We show in experiments that a corrected solution with subgrid model on scale $h$ corresponds to a non-corrected solution on less than $h/4$

The defined animal

No abstract availabl

Which policy instrument do citizens and civil servants prefer? A choice experiment on Swedish marine policy.

In the choice between alternative environmental policy instruments, economists tend to favor policies capable of attaining cost-efficiency, but other considerations may be more important to stakeholders. We perform a choice experiment modeled on Swedish water and marine policy to estimate preferences for different policy instruments among citizens and municipal civil servants. Both the modal citizen and the modal civil servant prefer direct regulation and subsidies to nutrient trading. Moreover, nutrient trading is unlikely to deliver sufficiently large cost savings for civil servants to prefer it to other instruments. These results are consistent with the apparent reluctance to adopt water quality trading in Europe

The Role of IGF-1 for Fracture Risk in Men

Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are essential for the achievement of normal longitudinal bone growth and bone mass. Preclinical studies using various knockout models have shown that both endocrine (mostly liver-derived) IGF-1 and bone-derived IGF-1 contribute to normal longitudinal skeletal growth and cortical bone size. Since bone size is an important determinant of bone strength, and hence fracture risk, we evaluated the predictive role of serum IGF-1 for fracture risk. The population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sweden cohort recently showed for the first time that older men with low serum IGF-1 levels have an increased fracture risk, especially for the two most important fracture types, hip and vertebral fractures. This association between serum IGF-1 and incident fracture risk is partly mediated via bone mineral density. Future studies are required to identify the mechanisms by which endocrine and local IGF-1 regulate skeletal growth and bone size. In addition, possible mediators affecting the impact of IGF-1 on fractures in men remain to be elucidated

Autostad Nice kiest resoluut voor de tram: hoe de tramrenaissance in Frankrijk Vlaanderen kan inspireren, 3

Nice kent een hoge bevolkingsdichtheid en dito autobezit. De keuze voor de tram werd eerst fel bekritiseerd, nu kan de tram de vervoersvraag amper nog aan. In twee gevoelige sites staan batterijen in voor de tractie. Na uitgebreide inspraakrondes werd zopas beslist dat de tweede tramlijn de binnenstad deels ondergronds zal ontsluiten en met de tweede drukste Franse luchthaven zal verbinden, in het raam van een gelaagd trein-tram-busnetwerk

Regelmaat tram en bus belangrijker dan snelheid

Voor tram- en busreizigers zijn regelmaat en betrouwbaarheid doorslaggevender dan een hogere voertuigsnelheid. Doorstroming van de voertuigen mag geen doel op zich worden. Het afschaffen van haltes in stedelijk gebied creëert grotere onderlinge halte-afstanden, een maatregel die de automobilist niet zal verleiden om over te stappen naar het openbaar vervoer. De OV-bedrijven kunnen de vertragingen die ze zelf veroorzaken (te beperkte toegangsdeuren, halte-inrichting, podesten, informatie naar de reizigers, …) ook zelf wegnemen. De winst die deze maatregelen opleveren, kan de kwaliteit van de dienstuitvoering gevoelig verbeteren