On how access to an insurance market affects investments in safety measures, based on the expected utility theory

This paper focuses on how access to an insurance market should influence investments in safety measures in accordance with the ruling paradigm for decision-making under uncertainty—the expected utility theory. We show that access to an insurance market in most situations will influence investments in safety measures. For an expected utility maximizer, an overinvestment in safety measures is likely if access to an insurance market is ignored, while an underinvestment in safety measures is likely if insurance is purchased without paying attention to the possibility for reducing the probability and/or consequences of an accidental event by safety measures.     

The combined weight function method application for a hole emanated crack

An approximate weight function construction for a hole emanated crack as a sum of an asymptotic term and a correction one is considered. Based on the known approximate fundamental solution for a half-plane with an edge crack the new weight function asymptotic term which satisfies both known solutions for an edge crack in a half-plane and for an inner crack in an infinite plane is proposed. The practical usefulness of the method is demonstrated for a hole emanated crack in an infinite plate and for a thick cylinder with an edge crack at the inner surface.     

Adopting an Open Innovation Program with Supply Chain Management in China: A Case Study

This study examines how an open innovation program can be implemented in practice by a foreign company operating in China with due consideration of traditional supply chain management practices. A case study of an open innovation initiative in a renowned global electrical appliance company in China is explored. The study has found that supply chain managers can play an important role in innovation sourcing, provided an open innovation perspective is adopted. In addition, an open innovation framework complemented by an open innovation funnel is presented. The framework provides new practical insights for engineering managers seeking to implement open innovation programs. The study bridges the gap between academic studies and industrial practice regarding the roles of different functional units in an environment of open innovation.     

Fresnel diffraction at an opaque strip expressed by means of asymptotic representations of Fresnel integrals

The paper presents an asymptotic expression of relative intensity distribution in a Fresnel diffraction pattern at an opaque straight strip illuminated with a spherical wave. The asymptotic expression is used in an analysis showing an area of validity where the asymptotic expression reduces to an asymptotic expression of relative intensity distribution in a Fresnel diffraction at a half plane. The area of validity is defined through width of the geometrical shadow in a Fresnel diffraction pattern at an opaque straight strip and distance of a point under study to the center of the Fresnel diffraction pattern. Within this area, relative intensity in the Fresnel diffraction pattern at an opaque straight strip shows sinusoidal behavior, which can be used in easy location of maxima or minima of the relative intensity. The result of the analysis is supported by experiments realized in the area of validity and outside it.     

A theoretical resistance-curve based on nonproportional plastic strain

Using an exact solution for an elliptical hole in a perfectly plastic material, an expression is derived for the resistance of a ductile material undergoing subcritical crack propagation in the plane. This resistance curve is based on an analogy to the J-integral where an energy dissipation rate is determined rather than an energy release rate. The Tresca yield condition under plane stress loading conditions is employed in this derivation as well as finite deformation theory. This resistance curve is applicable to the initial stage of subcritical crack growth for a ductile material subject to crack tip blunting.     

A track chamber using liquid TMS

A new type of track chamber is presented which uses the room temperature liquid tetramethylsilane (TMS) in an ionization chamber. Performance of the chamber and test results in an electron beam are described. The results demonstrate that this type of chamber is an interesting tracking device particular in an environment of high background radiation.     

Choosing the Optimum Lot Size for a Reordering Policy with Instantaneous Emergency Deliveries

A reordering policy, to maintain the level of stock in an inventory, is given which allows for two types of orders: regular orders which are filled in strict rotation with the time to fill an order exponentially distributed, or an emergency order which, it is supposed, is filled instantaneously (or effectively so). The optimum lot size of an order is that which minimizes the average operating cost per unit time over an infinite time span. The solution is given for the case in which the items in storage are subject to Poisson demand and the costs of maintaining the stock level are linear functions of the lot size of an order.     

Augmenting a Factorial Experiment When One Factor Is an Uncontrollable Random Variable: A Case Study

Process engineers at an automobile assembly plant wanted to develop a model for on-line process control in an assembly line. During an experiment to estimate the model, an uncontrollable variable was discovered to have a significant effect, but its values in the experiment were not representative of values in actual production. Through this case study, we present design criteria and assess sampling strategies for augmenting a factorial experiment to incorporate an additional factor that was found to be an uncontrollable independent normally distributed random variable. Our results demonstrate the potential improvement in on-line process control when experiments are augmented using these design criteria.     

Template synthesis of arrays of nano fuel cells

A method for the construction of an array of fuel cells wherein each cell is 200 nm in diameter is presented. Electrodeposition of Pt-Cu nanowires inside the cylindrical pores of an Anodisc filter membrane and the subsequent dealloying of the Cu by soaking the filter in fuming nitric acid for several hours are used to construct an array of porous platinum electrodes. About 10(9) electrically isolated cylindrical porous electrodes, each 200 nm in diameter, are formed in this manner. Utilizing two arrays of porous electrodes with a polymer electrolyte membrane or an electrolyte support matrix sandwiched between, an array of nano fuel cells is produced. This method of producing an array of coplanar fuel cells allows for the series connection of fuel cells outside the array and eliminates the need for fuel and air manifolds, greatly reducing the overall system complexity. Initial prototypes utilizing an aqueous solution of NaBH(4) as a fuel have produced power densities of ca. 1 mW/cm(2) based on an estimate of the area of the current collectors in contact with the nano-fuel-cell array and have demonstrated the ability to wire bundles of fuel cells either in parallel or in series.     

基于过程仿真的企业模型层次分析法

把层次分析方法引入到企业模型的分析评价中，结合过程仿真技术，提出了基于过程仿真的企业模型层次分析法。介绍了面向对象的过程仿真机制，并详细地描述了经过一定扩展后的层次分析法。阐述了基于过程仿真的企业模型层次分析法在实际企业中的应用。     

Cross-talk analysis in a telecentric adaptive free-space optical relay based on a spatial light modulator

We present an analysis of the performance limit of an adaptive multichannel free-space optical interconnect based on a spatial light modulator (SLM). The SLM function is to provide an active alignment of the signal beam in the detector plane. A thorough cross-talk analysis based on the diffractive properties of an ideal SLM in an isoplanatic optical system is shown. We analyze the performance in terms of the bit-error rate (BER) due to cross talk between different channels in the optical interconnect for different alignment states and for different phase-modulation schemes.     

Team performance modeling for HRA in dynamic situations

This paper proposes a team behavior network model that can simulate and analyze response of an operator team to an incident in a dynamic and context-sensitive situation. The model is composed of four sub-models, which describe the context of team performance. They are task model, event model, team model and human–machine interface model. Each operator demonstrates aspects of his/her specific cognitive behavior and interacts with other operators and the environment in order to deal with an incident. Individual human factors, which determine the basis of communication and interaction between individuals, and cognitive process of an operator, such as information acquisition, state-recognition, decision-making and action execution during development of an event scenario are modeled. A case of feed and bleed operation in pressurized water reactor under an emergency situation was studied and the result was compared with an experiment to check the validity of the proposed model.     

Exact and approximate analytic solutions of the nonlinear convective fin problem with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity

This article shows that the well-known nonlinear boundary value problem of the differential equation for temperature distribution of convective straight fins with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity is exactly solvable in an implicit form. Furthermore, an exact solution in an explicit form is derived. Also, an accurate analytic solution (series solution) is obtained by a new variation of the Adomian decomposition method.     

Electric field induced enhancement in the interfacial charge transfer kinetics of a solid polymer electrolyte

A novel electrostatic method for preparing modified solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) is reported. Application of an electric field on an evaporating mixture of KYNAR, ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC) and LiPF₆ dissolved in tetra hydro furan (THF) resulted in a solid polymer electrolyte whose charge transfer resistance was at least an order of magnitude lower than that formed without the application of an electric field. We believe that the observed enhancement is probably due to an electric field induced orientation of dipoles in the polymer chain.     

On the isovectors of a class of nonlinear diffusion equations

A class of nonlinear diffusion equations is expressed in terms of an ideal of exterior differential forms. The components of the associated isovector field are constructed by using its transport property under Lie's derivative. The solution of the corresponding orbital equations generate an invariant group of transformations which reduce the nonlinear diffusion equation to an ordinary differential equation. For the problem of heat propagation, in an initially cool infinite media, due to a plane source, an exact solution is derived.     

Numerical Simulation of Gasdynamic Flows Formed by an Electric Arc in an External Transverse Magnetic Field

The results of numerical investigations of an electric arc in an external transverse magnetic field are given. The effect of external controlled discharge parameters and of the magnetic field of the electrodes on the characteristics of a flow of arc-discharge plasma is treated. Some singularities of the flow formed by an electric arc in an external transverse magnetic field are revealed.     

Experimental investigations of a closed-loop oscillating heat pipe

Results are given of experimental investigations of an oscillating heat pipe (OHP) made in the form of a closed-loop coil of a copper capillary tube with an inside diameter of 2 mm, 4.5 m long, and filled with water in an amount of 50% of internal volume. The starting characteristics of OHP are studied in the range of heat loads from 30 to 100 W under conditions of cooling by way of natural and forced air convection. The pattern of temperature pulsations in the zones of heating, heat transport, and cooling is investigated. It is found that temperature pulsations exhibit a chaotic pattern. In cooling of an OHP by way of natural convection, the increase in heat load is accompanied by an increase in the maximal temperature of the heating zone with a simultaneous decrease in the nonuniformity of the temperature field. When an OHP is cooled by way of forced convection, a decrease in the maximal temperature of the heating zone is observed; however, this is accompanied by an increase in the amplitude of temperature pulsations and in the nonuniformity of the temperature field.     

Automated optimization of an aspheric light-emitting diode lens for uniform illumination

In this paper, an automated optimization method in the sequential mode of ZEMAX is proposed in the design of an aspheric lens with uniform illuminance for an LED source. A feedback modification is introduced in the design for the LED extended source. The user-defined merit function is written out by using ZEMAX programming language macros language and, as an example, optimum parameters of an aspheric lens are obtained via running an optimization. The optical simulation results show that the illumination efficiency and uniformity can reach 83% and 90%, respectively, on a target surface of 40 mm diameter and at 60 mm away for a 1×1 mm LED source.     

On the aerodynamic forces acting on an airfoil section with a penetrable region

Strict formulas for calculating the aerodynamic forces acting on a section of an airfoil with a penetrable region, through which a part of an external flow of an ideal incompressible fluid is sucked in, and on an airfoil section, from which a jet stream is blown out, in the case where these sections are in a steady-state flow without separation have been derived. Formulas for calculating the power expended for the realization of suction of a part of an external flow through an airfoil section and simultaneous blow-out of a jet stream from it are proposed. __________ Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 126–130, March–April, 2006.     

Seismic fragility analysis of electric substation equipment and structures

This paper presents a seismic fragility analysis of equipment and structures in an electric substation in the eastern United States, using Substation 21 in Memphis as an example. The fragility data of substation equipment and structures can be generated using actual earthquake damage data, experimental data, or analytical approaches. Seismic damage to electric facilities in the eastern United States is rare and information on dynamic testing of electric equipment similar to those installed in the substation is not available; thus, an analytical approach is used to perform the fragility analysis in this study. The fragility analysis results can reveal the expected performance of equipment and structures in the substation in the event of an earthquake. The fragility analysis results also provide the necessary data for the seismic performance evaluation of an entire electric substation and for a system reliability analysis of an electric system.