Organismes du CIB au Canada

The purposes of this study were to ascertain whether Swedish construction companies measure the impact of their quality systems (such as ISO 9000) and, if so, whether the ‘balanced scorecard’ approach is a useful technique as a measure of performance. The balanced scorecard approach requires each organization to look at itself from four different perspectives to provide a more comprehensive view of organizational performance: the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the process perspective, the innovation and learning perspective. Twelve Swedish construction sector companies (clients, architectural-engineering consultants, contractors) with well-established quality systems were studied. The results indicate two important points. First, the balanced scorecard can be successfully used to measure the performance of quality systems in the construction process. Second, the organization and learning perspective is neglected in the Swedish construction process. The use of the balanced scorecard highlighted the fact that a lack of balance often exists between the four perspectives. While it is tempting to conclude that investments in quality systems increase organizational performance, there is little (if any) evidence that this is the case. Many investments in quality systems appear to be based more on blind faith than on facts. Tools are only valuable if they improve results, there is a need for further understanding the costs and benefits of quality systems in engineering and construction organizations.

Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de vérifier comment les sociétés de construction suédoises mesurent l'impact de leurs systèmes de qualité (comme ISO 9000) et, dans ce cas, si l'utilisation de la ‘carte de pointage équilibrée’ constitue une technique utile pour mesurer ces performances. La méthode de la carte de pointage équilibrée oblige chaque société à procéder à une introspection à partir de quatre points de vue différents afin de fournir une vue globale des performances de l'organisation: perspectives financières, commerciales, au niveau des processus, et du point de vue de l'innovation et de l'apprentissage. Douze sociétés suédoises du secteur de la construction (clients, ingénieurs-conseils architectes et ingénierie, contractants) disposant de systèmes de qualité reconnus ont été examinées. Les résultats font ressortir deux points importants. En premier lieu, la carte de pointage équilibrée peut servir à mesurer les performances des systèmes de qualité dans les processus de construction. En second lieu, les paramètres ‘organisation’ et ‘apprentissage’ sont négligés dans le processus de construction suédois. L'utilisation des cartes de pointage équilibrées a mis en lumière le fait qu'il existait souvent un déséquilibre entre ces quatre points de vue. Alors que l'on serait tenté de conclure que les investissements dans des systàmes de qualité augmentent les performances de l'organisation, on dispose de peu, voire d'aucune preuve dans ce sens. De nombreux investissements dans des systèmes de qualité semblent reposer davantage sur une foi aveugle que sur des faits. Les outils n'ont de la valeur que s'ils améliorent les résultats; il faut donc mieux comprendre les coôts et les avantages des systèmes de qualité tels qu'ils existent dans l'ingénierie et la construction.     

A Note on Multiple Comparisons Using Rank Sums

In a one-way layout design, the rank-sum procedures proposed by Steel [6] and Dunn [1] for the problem of comparing all pairs of treatments are compared and found to have equivalent asymptotic properties. The asymptotic relative (Pitman) efficiency of these nonparametric procedures relative to the classical solutions is shown to be the same as the efficiency of the corresponding two-sample rank-sum tests relative to the two-sample Student's t-test.     

Process Improvement: Reengineering Spacelab Mission Requirements Flow

ABSTRACT

An example of process improvement at the Marshall Space Flight Center is presented. The objective of this activity was to increase efficiency in the Spacelab mission requirements flow, which is the process that manages change requests from mission customers. The team formed to review the existing process used a systems engineering approach and Deming's plan, do, study, act cycle. The goal of the analysis was to eliminate rework and duplication, minimize the time that change requests spend in the system, and standardize procedures. After implementing the team's recommendations, average processing time was reduced by more than 60%.     

Calendar

This paper describes a data-voice integrated network with N clusters of users, N interface message processors-concentrators, one central processor and one intermediate processor-concentrator. The network is described and a polynomial time-complexity algorithm for overall design is provided.     

Protein Binding Characteristics of 2′-Benzoyloxycinnamaldehyde

The protein binding characteristic of 2′-Benzoyloxycinnamaldehyde (BCA) was investigated, which has demonstrated a potent antitumor effect against several human solid tumor cell lines and in human tumor xenograft nude mice. Protein binding of BCA in human serum was 86 ± 0.91% and the predominant binding protein of BCA was fatty-acid-free human serum albumin (HSA) (81 ± 0.91%). The binding of BCA to HSA was outlined by one class, and Ka and n of BCA were 1.65 × 10⁵ M^{? 1} and 0.374, respectively. Displacement studies with fluorescence probes suggested that BCA mainly binds to site I on HSA, and BCA-induced enhancement in site II binding. The limited drug–drug interaction experiments suggested that BCA influences both site I and site II drug–HSA bindings via different mechanisms; a competitive displacement and a probable allosteric conformational change in HSA, respectively.     

Thermal simulation of an Australian university building

A key criterion for the environmental assessment of any building is its thermal performance. The simulation of an office module in a three-storey university building in South Eastern Australia is described. The module, located at the north-west corner of the top floor of the building, was chosen because it was likely to have the highest cooling load - a primary concern of energy-conscious designers of commercial buildings for most parts of the country. The simulation process identified the major influences on thermal performance against a base case. This enabled changes in materials and construction, as well as basic design concepts, to be evaluated. Features incorporated into the base case such as a metal roof and glazed walkway had an adverse influence on energy consumption, and were consequently rejected in preference for an improved design that included a hypocaust slab system on the roof of the office module. The final design was predicted to reduce the annual energy consumption for heating and cooling by 72 and 76%, respectively, which suggests the added value to the design process from advanced modelling and simulation.

La performance thermique est l'un des critères clés de l'évaluation environnementale de tout bâtiment. Cet article décrit la simulation d'un module de bureau appartenant à un immeuble de trois étages d'une université du sud-est de l'Australie. Ce module, situé à l'angle nord-ouest de l'étage supérieur du bâtiment a été choisi car c'était lui qui, vraisemblablement, avait la charge de refroidissement la plus élevée, ce qui est une préoccupation majeure des concepteurs conscients des problèmes d'énergie des bâtiments commerciaux dans la plus grande partie du pays. Le processus de simulation a fait apparaître trois influences principales sur la performance thermique par rapport à un cas de base. Cela a permis d'évaluer les modifications apportées aux matériaux et à la construction ainsi qu'aux avant-projets. Les caractéristiques intégrées dans le cas de base comme le toit métallique et la passerelle vitrée avaient une influence néfaste sur la consommation d'énergie et ont donc été rejetées au bénéfice d'un concept amélioré qui comprenait une dalle de type hypocauste sur le toit du module de bureau. Le concept final devrait réduire la consommation annuelle d'énergie pour le chauffage et le refroidissement de 72 % et 76 % respectivement, ce qui donne une idée de la valeur ajoutée au processus de production à partir de procédures avancées de modélisation et de simulation.     

A note on achieving low-level rationality from pure reactivity

The paper connects a decision-theoretic model of rationality and a generative (grammar-theoretic) model of multiagent systems called colonies. The decision-theoretic notion of the low-level rationality of agents is introduced. Then, a characterization of a subclass of low-level rational agents is given in the formal framework of colonies. In other words, it is proved that at least the low-level rationality of some agents can emerge from activities of their autonomous purely reactive and individually non-rational components.     

基于干扰信号引起数据包丢失的网络控制系统的最优预见控制

该文研究的是一类干扰信号引起的系统丢包的预见控制问题。首先把干扰信号项加入离散时间线性系统，并根据实际问题的特点重新建立模型。系统丢包信息完全包含在新的模型里，这样就彻底实现了干扰信号引起系统丢包问题的数学描述。然后对新的模型应用预见控制理论，我们将外部干扰加入到原状态变量中构造出一个扩大系统（或称增广系统），引入性能指标函数，即可获得完全的最优控制模型并实现最优预见控制。最后对一个有干扰信号的模型进行数值仿真，验证了本文理论的正确性。     

基于自抗扰控制技术的某舰船机械装置液压系统改进研究

由于某舰船筒盖液压系统存在非线性因素以及不确定的外部干扰，舰船筒盖开关盖过程的控制精度以及动作平稳性难以保证。为提高开关盖过程的控制精度以及平稳性，基于自抗扰控制方法开展了筒盖开关盖过程控制研究。仿真及试验结果表明：相比传统的 PID 控制，基于自抗扰控制方法提高了开关盖过程的轨迹跟踪精度，有效保证了开盖瞬间及到位瞬间的平稳性。     

全机结构试验起落架位移补偿加载技术研究

在全机结构试验中,通常采用起落架三点悬挂方式支持飞机,常规的支持装置为"撬杠-立柱"模式,该装置同时具备起落架垂向加载功能。在考核起落架连接区结构时,起落架在航向和侧向载荷作用下会产生一定变形,由于常规"撬杠-立柱"的撬杠支撑点固定,变形会引起垂向加载力线偏差,导致加载不准确。采用平面随动原理,将常规的撬杠固定支撑点改进为滚珠式随动平台,依靠随动平台的被动移动补偿起落架变形,减小垂向加载力线偏差。通过理论分析和试验验证,改进后的"随动撬杠-立柱"支持装置能够明显降低垂向加载误差,提高加载精度。