Issues of the Human Reliability Analysis in the Context of Probabilistic Safety Studies

This article addresses methodological issues of the human reliability analysis (HRA) in the context of probabilistic safety studies. Several conventional HRA techniques, more often used for the evaluation of the human error probabilities (HEPs), have been classified. A taxonomy of human actions, failure events, and related factors is outlined in order to distinguish action phases, human behavior types and incorrect outputs (errors of omission or commission), error types (slips, lapses, and mistakes), and performance-shaping factors (PSFs) influencing the human performance. A tree is proposed to facilitate the selection of a specific method for the evaluation of human reliability with regard to attributes of the situation analyzed. A software system based on the expert system technology to facilitate and document PSA and HRA is outlined. At the end of the article some research challenges in the domain are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Shift Work Schedules and Spillover in a Sample of Nurses

The aim of the present study was to estimate spillover effects between the work and the family sphere in a sample of nurses (N = 2058). Hierarchical regression analyses investigated whether shift work schedules were associated with negative or positive spillover, both from family to work and vice versa, controlling for demographic factors, job demands and decision latitude. With daytime work as a reference group, all types of shift work (day and evening shift, night shift only and rotating 3 shift) were associated with higher negative work-to-family spillover. Night work was associated with significantly less negative family-to-work spillover. None of the different shift work schedules were related to any type of positive spillover. The results indicate that working outside of daytime hours is less compatible with workers’ family lives, compared to working ordinary day shifts. On the other hand, working night shifts only was associated with reduced negative family-to-work spillover.     

Scapegoating in the Wild: A Burkean Analysis of Two Outdoor Adventures Gone Wrong

Aron Ralston and Christopher McCandless, two outdoor adventurers, have captured the hearts of many American environmentalists. Each has attained the status of cultural icons and inspired books and films to recount their tales. While entertainment media have romanticized both individuals, news media are not as easy on one—McCandless is vilified while Ralston is valorized. When reporting these stories, news media outlets attempted to retell each story in a way that conforms to the dominant American ideology of wilderness, where “progress” is marked by control over nature—control that both Ralston and McCandless clearly unsettled. In addition, both committed many of the same errors in being underprepared. Despite these similarities, why are they each presented so differently in the news media? This paper offers a rhetorical analysis of newspaper articles on each story, where the phenomenon of scapegoating alienates McCandless, and the phenomenon of mortification purifies Ralston, restabilizing this American environmental ideology in both stories. In conclusion, I argue that the essential difference between these two stories is that they present two opposing ideals of a human–nature relationship, with Ralston's ideology including a space for technology and industrial knowledge, and thus construed as more appropriate than McCandless' ideology.     

Achieving sustainability in manufacturing via organisational and operational learning

The contribution contained in this paper focuses on providing a possible framework or approach in respect of how manufacturing companies can economically introduce environmentally friendly practices to their production operations, whilst at the same time encouraging organisational and operational learning with the aim of eventual evolution of the firm into an eco-efficient concern. A key premise associated with the approach advocated is economical organisational and operational learning over time, thus providing a sequential movement of the company through various stages of cultural change and technological capability to eventually achieve eco-efficiency in its production activities. At each stage in the process, it is suggested that a balance must be maintained between on the one hand, a reduction in operational economics consistent with on the other hand, an improvement in the environmental sustainability of company activities. To that end, some previously suggested monitoring metrics are examined in the text for their efficacy and economic rapport via hypothetical examples of how they might be applied in practice to monitor movement towards industrial–environmental sustainability.     

长江下游地区过去300年的气候变化

采用重建的合肥年冬季温度序列和降水序列分析了长江下游地区过去300年的气候变化。在温度序列中，18世纪的大部分，19世纪中期和20世纪的温度较为温暖，最暖的十年出现于1990s，而最冷的年代为1870s，该温度序列与邻近其它地区重建的温度序列具有很好的一致性。降水序列显示年至多年尺度的气候波动，湿期发生于1730s-1760s，1844-1854年，1866-1910年，而干期出现于1806-1825年，1855-1867年，以及20世纪的大部分。温度和降水间的关系表明，在年至十年尺度上，该地区气候变化主要以暖干或冷湿为主。     

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of cloacal exstrophy associated with myelocystocele complex by the ‘elephant trunk–like’ image and review of the literature

A case of cloacal exstrophy (CE) was detected by ultrasound as early as 22 weeks of gestation in association with myelocystocele complex, an unusual form of occult spinal dysraphism often associated with such a disease. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was made through the detection of a wavy cord-like segment of soft tissue protruding from the anterior abdominal wall, just below the umbilical cord insertion, strongly resembling the trunk of an elephant. Our article enforces the suggestion that the ultrasound elephant trunk–like image should be added to the existing major criteria for making prenatal diagnosis of CE. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘Late’ chorionic villus sampling: Cytogenetic aspects

Cytogenetic data about 145 chorionic villus samples obtained between the 13th and 35th week of gestation are reported. ‘Late’ chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was used to resolve different situations: failed amniotic fluid cell cultures (5 cases); confirmation of an abnormal karyo-type, previously diagnosed as mosaic (14 cases); and ultrasound fetal malformation (23 cases). Most of the samples (103 cases) were analysed for the classical indications and in these cases, the principal aim was to obtain a rapid fetal karyotype. Excluding the cases used to check fetal karyotype, a chromosomal aberration was found in 11 out of 131 biopsies. In four cases of the group in which the fetal karyotype was checked (14 cases), the pathology observed at the first diagnosis was confirmed, while in the remaining ten cases the anomaly was not observed.     

Revealing the economic channels of natural impacts: an extended input–output subsystems application to GHG gases and water use

While a small set of economic activities generates most of the direct environmental burdens, the complexity of connections within an economic system requires consideration of the effects caused by the interdependences between its different agents. To date, however, the input–output (I–O) subsystems literature has been limited to uncovering the intersectoral linkages of direct and indirect environmental impacts within an economy and the connections between sectors and private consumption have thus not attracted much attention. This paper proposes an I–O subsystems model that endogenously incorporates not only production sectors but also household consumption to capture the entire channel of environmental impacts. The empirical application focuses on carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq.) emissions and water use associated with production sectors and households defined in the I–O table for a Spanish region, Extremadura. The results highlight the key role of the effects induced by private consumption on the environmental burdens of services.