Minimisation of Non-periodic Preventive Maintenance Cost in Series-Parallel Systems

A new method to optimise the non-periodic preventive maintenance model of a series-parallel system is proposed. A two-stage algorithm that incorporates the failure limit policy to determine maintenance components, maintenance times, and total maintenance cost is suggested. When the reliability of the system  reaches a threshold value, preventive maintenance is performed. The first stage identifies the parallel subsystem required to be maintained, while the second stage determines the component required to be maintained in the parallel sub-system. A unit-cost life index (UCL) has been developed to evaluate the extent to which maintaining a component extends the life of a system for the parallel subsystem. Three simulated cases demonstrate the effectiveness and the practicality of the proposed method in optimising the non-periodic preventive maintenance model of a series-parallel system.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(1), pp.44-50, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.6

Robust variance-constrained H∞ control for stochastic systems with multiplicative noises

This is the post print version of the article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright 2007 Elsevier Ltd.In this paper, the robust variance-constrained H∞ control problem is considered for uncertain stochastic systems with multiplicative noises. The norm-bounded parametric uncertainties enter into both the system and output matrices. The purpose of the problem is to design a state feedback controller such that, for all admissible parameter uncertainties, (1) the closed-loop system is exponentially mean-square quadratically stable; (2) the individual steady-state variance satisfies given upper bound constraints; and (3) the prescribed noise attenuation level is guaranteed in an H∞ sense with respect to the additive noise disturbances. A general framework is established to solve the addressed multiobjective problem by using a linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach, where the required stability, the H∞ characterization and variance constraints are all easily enforced. Within such a framework, two additional optimization problems are formulated: one is to optimize the H∞ performance, and the other is to minimize the weighted sum of the system state variances. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design algorithm.This work was supported in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the UK under Grant GR/S27658/01, the Nuffield Foundation of the UK under Grant NAL/00630/G, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany

Near Surface CO2 Triple Oxygen Isotope Composition

The isotopic composition of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a powerful tool for constraining its sources and sinks. In particular, the 17O oxygen anomaly [Δ17O = 1000 × ln(1 + δ17O/1000) - 0.516 × 1000 × ln(1 + δ18O/1000)], with a value > 0.5‰ produced in the middle atmosphere, provides an ideal tool for probing the exchange of carbon dioxide between the biosphere/hydrosphere and atmosphere. The biosphere/hydrosphere and anthropogenic emissions give values ≤ 0.3‰. Therefore, any anomaly in near surface CO2 would reflect the balance between stratospheric input and exchange with the aforementioned surface sources. We have analyzed Δ17O values of CO2 separated from air samples collected in Taipei, Taiwan, located in the western Pacific region. The obtained mean anomaly is 0.42 ± 0.14‰ (1-σ standard deviation), in good agreement with model prediction and a published decadal record. Apart from typically used δ13C and δ18O values, the Δ17O value could provide an additional tracer for constraining the carbon cycle

Development and Validation of an Attitudinal-Profiling Tool for Patients With Asthma

This study was supported and funded by Mundipharma Pte Ltd. Online survey and statistical analysis were performed by Pei-Li Teh, Rachel Howard, Tsin-Li Chua and Jie Sun of Research Partnership Pte Ltd. Medical writing support was provided by Sen-Kwan Tay of Research2Trials Clinical Solutions Pte Ltd. The authors received honoraria from Mundipharma for their participation in the REALISE Asia Working Group meetings and discussions. Prof Price has Board membership with Mundipharma; and had received consultancy and speaker fees, grants and unrestricted funding support from Mundipharma; and payment for manuscript preparation and travel/accommodations/meeting expenses from Mundipharma. Profs Liam and David-Wang are members of the Asia-Pacific Advisory Board of Mundipharma. Profs Cho and David-Wang had received speaker fees from Mundipharma in the past. Dr Neira was an employee of Mundipharma Pte Ltd, Singapore. Ms Teh is an employee of Research Partnership Pte Ltd which conducted the REALISE Asia survey for Mundipharma. Prof Cho is a member of the Editorial Board of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Trends and characteristics of pethidine use in Taiwan: a six-year-long survey

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the trends and characteristics of pethidine prescriptions and users in Taiwan from 2002 to 2007. METHOD: All pethidine users (n = 3,301,136) in Taiwan from 2002 to 2007 were linked to National Health Insurance claims to identify pethidine prescriptions. We examined the trends in pethidine user prevalence and the proportion of pethidine prescriptions according to health care characteristics. A logistic regression model was used to compare patient demographics and health care characteristics associated with pethidine prescriptions between 2002 and 2007. RESULTS: Despite the decline in the number of pethidine users and prescriptions over the six-year period, more than half a million people were prescribed pethidine annually. In fact, an increasing proportion of pethidine prescriptions were observed in clinics, outpatient settings, and patients who had both operations and cancer diagnoses. Pethidine prescriptions were mostly associated with a non-operation status without a cancer diagnosis (>;60%). However, approximately 10% of the total pethidine prescriptions were found in patients with a cancer diagnosis but no operation. Compared to those in 2002, pethidine prescriptions in 2007 were more likely to be found in people 80 years or older, rural residents, patients from clinics, outpatient settings and operation patients with cancer diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: A population-based survey in Taiwan demonstrated decreasing consumption of pethidine from 2002 to 2007; however, an increased proportion of prescriptions in certain health care settings was observed. In addition, 10% of the pethidine prescriptions were for cancer patients without operations. These cases need further evaluation for the determination of appropriate pethidine use

Variations in triple isotope composition of dissolved oxygen and primary production in a subtropical reservoir

The work was supported in part by MOST grants 101-2628-M-001-001-MY4 and 105-2111-M-001-006-MY3 to Academia Sinica.Lakes and reservoirs play an important role in the carbon cycle, and therefore monitoring their metabolic rates is essential. The triple oxygen-isotope anomaly of dissolved O2 [17Δ =  ln(1+δ17O) − 0.518  ×  ln(1 + δ18O)] offers a new, in situ, perspective on primary production, yet little is known about 17Δ from freshwater systems. We investigated the 17Δ together with the oxygen : argon ratio [Δ(O2 ∕ Ar)] in the subtropical Feitsui Reservoir in Taiwan from June 2014 to July 2015. Here, we present the seasonal variations in 17Δ, GP (gross production), NP (net production) and the NP ∕ GP (net to gross ratio) in association with environmental parameters. The 17Δ varied with depth and season, with values ranging between 26 and 205 per meg. The GP rates were observed to be higher (702 ± 107 mg C m−2 d−1) in winter than those (303 ± 66 mg C m−2 d−1) recorded during the summer. The overall averaged GP was 220 g C m−2 yr−1 and NP was −3 g C m−2 yr−1, implying the reservoir was net heterotrophic on an annual basis. This is due to negative NP rates from October to February (−198 ± 78 mg C m−2 d−1). Comparisons between GP rates obtained from the isotope mass balance approach and 14C bottle incubation method (14C–GP) showed consistent values on the same order of magnitude with a GP ∕ 14C–GP ratio of 1.2 ± 1.1. Finally we noted that, although typhoon occurrences were scarce, higher than average 17Δ values and GP rates were recorded after typhoon events.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe