USE OF A PREDICTIVE MODEL IN EVALUATING WATER CONSUMPTION CONSERVATION1

ABSTRACT: The effectiveness of water conservation policies on reduction of water consumption was evaluated by use of a multiple regression predictive model. Data were obtained from eight Iowa communities, with regard to water consumption and water conservation policies adopted during the drought of 1977. The proposed model, which takes precipitation, temperature, month effects, and uniqueness of communities into account, is considered superior to the use of simple percent changes in evaluating the significance of reduction in water consumption due to conservation efforts. Among the variety of policies reviewed, mandatory policies with per capita restrictions were found to be most effective. However, voluntary conservation policies also resulted in significant reduction in some communities located in close proximity to other communities with severer water shortages. High credibility of local governments as to water shortage information was singled out as the most important factor in successful conservation by water resource policymakers of these communities. Use of the proposed predictive model for water consumption was demonstrated. Recommendations regarding future water conservation were made.     

基于贝叶斯网络的航空维修人因可靠性分析

根据维修人为因素分析和分类扩展系统的框架选取影响因素,在航空维修领域应用贝叶斯网络进行人因可靠性分析,建立飞机维修效能模型,直观地表示影响因素与维修效能之间的关系。同时以目视检测为例,结合专家意见确定随机影响因素,通过专家访谈、事故报告、调查问卷、操作记录等渠道获取数据,得出条件概率表,进而建立目视检测表现模型,展示贝叶斯网络的建模流程。案例研究结果表明,组织文化、视觉信息、设备、疲劳、检测距离等因素对目视检测表现的影响非常显著,欲改善目视检测表现,必须对多影响因素进行综合管理。     

Loss prevention in turnaround maintenance projects by selecting contractors based on safety criteria using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

Turnaround maintenance (TAM) is a usual plant shutdown that is done by process industries to perform asset inspections, repairs, and overhauls. TAM engineering projects are needed on a periodic basis to optimize a plant's performance. Process industrial plants usually don't have enough in-house manpower to carry out needed TAM jobs; it is not uncommon for a process industrial plant to outsource its TAM manpower supply to external contractors. This will create a peculiar management challenge regarding how to assure orientation of safety practices for the newly hired labor. Although accidents during process plant shutdowns may have severe consequences, the safety management systems in place for many companies only cover normal operations and few explicitly address TAM projects. Usually, contractors are evaluated from a safety perspective after handling the project by monitoring safety indicators such as number of injuries, incidents, etc. This paper emphasizes safety attributes to be included in selecting contractors at the bidding stage to assure loss prevention and better safety orientation during TAM implementation. The paper starts with reviewing TAM literature and defining main needed safety attributes to prequalify contractors. It develops an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model that is applied to rank TAM contractors' selection. A case study is presented for a petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia to demonstrate the AHP model.     

Cybersecurity and dynamic operation in practice: Equipment impacts and safety guarantees

Though dynamic operation of chemical processes has been extensively explored theoretically in contexts such as economic model predictive control or even considering the potential for cyberattacks on control systems creating non-standard operating policies, important practical questions remain regarding dynamic operation. In this work, we look at two of these with particular relevance to process safety: (1) evaluating dynamic operating policies with respect to process equipment fidelity and (2) evaluating procedures for determining the parameters of an advanced control law that can promote both dynamic operation as well as safety if appropriately designed. Regarding the first topic, we utilize computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis simulations to analyze how cyberattacks on control systems could impact a metric for stress in equipment (maximum Von Mises stress) over time. Subsequently, we develop reduced-order models showing how both a process variable and maximum Von Mises stress vary over time in response to temperature variations at the boundary of the equipment, to use in evaluating how advanced control frameworks might impact and consider the stress. We close by investigating options for obtaining parameters of an economic model predictive control design that would need to meet a variety of theoretical requirements for safety guarantees to hold. This provides insights on practical safety aspects of control theory, and also indicates relationships between control and design from a safety perspective that highlight further relationships between design and control under dynamic operation to deepen perspectives from the computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis discussions.     

农村生活污水处理设施优先控制区域识别与监管策略

选取嘉兴市秀洲区和海宁市为研究对象,以乡镇区划为研究单元,采用综合源强估算法和GIS软件,对处理设施的氨氮（NH₃-N）、总磷（TP）、化学需氧量（COD）排放强度进行定量估算和空间分析.结果表明,秀洲区处理设施的NH₃-N和COD排放强度高于海宁市,而TP排放强度与海宁市差不多.秀洲区内,洪合镇各污染物的排放强度均最高;海宁市内,盐官镇NH₃-N排放强度最高,许村镇TP和COD排放强度最高.采用因子分析法和加权指数法计算排污权重,再结合生态敏感性评价和环境功能区划,筛选出运维和监管优先控制区.秀洲区内,洪合镇、王江泾镇、油车港镇被划分为优先控制区,该优先控制区内处理设施数量占比27.87%,排污权重占比72.42%,通过重点监管17.66%的设施,可监管秀洲区59.98%的污染物排放.海宁市内,长安镇、许村镇、海洲街道、盐官镇、袁花镇被划分为优先控制区,该优先控制区内设施数量占比69.10%,排污权重占比71.23%,通过重点监管16.85%的设施,可监管海宁市43.54%的污染物排放.研究结果可为提高设施的运维监管效率提供技术支撑.     

Activity maintenance of the excised branches and a case study of NO2 exchange between the atmosphere and P. nigra branches

The efficient maintenance of the activity of excised branches is the powerful guarantee to accurately determine gas exchange flux between the detached branches of tall trees and the atmosphere. In this study, the net photosynthetic rate(NPR) of the excised branches and branches in situ were measured simultaneously by using two photosynthetic instruments to characterize the activity of the excised branches of Phyllostachys nigra. The ratio of normalized NPR of excised branches to NPR in situ was used to assess the photosynthetic activity of detached branches. Based on photosynthetic activity, an optimal hydroponics protocol for maintaining activity of excised P. nigra branches was presented:1/8 times the concentration of Gamborg B5 vitamin mixture with p H = 6. Under the best cultivation protocol, photosynthetic activity of excised P. nigra branches could be maintained more than 90% within 6 hr in the light intensity range of 200–2000 μmol/(m2·sec) and temperature range of 13.4–28.7°C. The nitrogen dioxide(NO2) flux differences between in situ and in vitro branches and the atmosphere were compared using double dynamic chambers.Based on the maintenance method of excised branches, the NO2 exchange flux between the excised P. nigra branches and the atmosphere(from-1.01 to-2.72 nmol/(m2·sec) was basically consistent with between the branches in situ and the atmosphere(from-1.12 to-3.16 nmol/(m2 sec)) within 6 hr. Therefore, this study provided a feasible protocol for in vitro measurement of gas exchange between tall trees and the atmosphere for a period of time.     

航空装备腐蚀维护维修新材料研究进展

针对海洋环境下服役航空装备极易发生腐蚀的问题,介绍了清洗剂、去腐蚀产物膏、缓蚀剂等腐蚀维护维修新材料的研究进展,包括功能、分类、技术指标等。清洗剂用于航空装备的日常清洗、维护以及维修,去除油污等污染物,防止腐蚀;去腐蚀产物膏用于外场航空装备腐蚀产物的原位去除;缓蚀剂用于在不能对现役航空装备的防护体系进行大幅改动的情况下,针对海洋环境下航空装备的防腐蚀需求,对航空装备进行附加防护或临时防护。综合运用腐蚀维护维修新材料进行航空装备的腐蚀防护,可以预防和减少腐蚀的发生,及时对腐蚀部位进行修复,保障航空装备的使用性能和战斗力。     

基于熵权-HDT的航空器维修人误概率确定

人误是造成民用航空维修差错的主要因素。为确定不同情境下人误发生概率,结合某维修基地具体情况,采用熵权法确定主要的影响因子,并基于全决策树法分析主要影响因子对航空器维修人误概率的影响程度。计算结果显示,该维修基地人因可靠性的主要影响因子包括航空器维修人员的安全态度、技能、沟通、工作环境、压力以及工段长领导能力。根据各主要影响因子的不同品质描述等级组合,确定该情境下航空器维修人员的人误概率。鉴于该维修基地人因可靠性影响最明显的因子是"沟通",提出信息及时交流、明确沟通重要性等解决措施。     

灰色综合评价法在电梯维保质量评价中的应用

电梯维护保养质量评价是一项评价指标多,指标间关系复杂,评判结论模糊的工作。应用灰色综合评价法对解决以上工作中的难点有很好的效果。本文介绍了灰色综合评价法的基本思想和原理,给出了灰色评价法指标体系的构造方法、计算过程以及关联系数计算公式的分辨系数选取原则。通过实例分析,得出电梯维护保养质量评价中应用灰色综合评价法的特点和要注意的事项。     

Driver’s mental workload prediction model based on physiological indices

Developing an early warning model to predict the driver’s mental workload (MWL) is critical and helpful, especially for new or less experienced drivers. The present study aims to investigate the correlation between new drivers’ MWL and their work performance, regarding the number of errors. Additionally, the group method of data handling is used to establish the driver’s MWL predictive model based on subjective rating (NASA task load index [NASA-TLX]) and six physiological indices. The results indicate that the NASA-TLX and the number of errors are positively correlated, and the predictive model shows the validity of the proposed model with an R² value of 0.745. The proposed model is expected to provide a reference value for the new drivers of their MWL by providing the physiological indices, and the driving lesson plans can be proposed to sustain an appropriate MWL as well as improve the driver’s work performance.