A New Life Theory for Rolling Bearings—By Linkage between Rolling Contact Fatigue and Structural Fatigue

Based on a linkage between rolling contact fatigue and structural fatigue, a new life theory for rolling bearings has been proposed using the three-parameter Weibull distribution function. A minimum life is introduced as the third parameter, which may be considered independent from the statistical strength of material. The following are the new findings: (1) Reliability functions and life equations were introduced for the rolling bearing races and the life test specimens made of the same material (JIS SUJ2/AISI 52100), and the linkage between them has successfully been established by using linkage factors. (2) The 90% load rating and rating life formulas for the races as well as for the whole bearing were developed. (3) Newly introduced 100% load rating and rating life formulas were postulated by introducing the minimum lives for the life tests and theoretical research. (4) For the ratios of each load rating between the test results on the grease-lubricated deep-groove ball bearings and the new life theory, the linkage factors were determined as β = 2.4 and β′ = 2.16 for 90 and 100% load ratings, respectively. (5) A reduction factor λ for 100% load rating was determined as λ = β′/β = 0.9.     

Interaction rules and strategies in psychotherapy.

To examine the presence of interaction rules and strategies used in therapy, the verbal responses of therapists and clients in 26 actual psychotherapy cases were coded using the Interpersonal Communication Rating Scale (ICRS; S. R. Strong, H. Hills, C. Kilmartin, et al., 1988). The conditional response probabilities of these MRS codes were examined from a rules and strategies perspective according to procedures suggested by S. Duncan (1983). The results supported the presence for rules for both the client and the therapist, and these rules were found to involve complementary interactions. No support was found for the presence of strategies in the interactive behavior of either participant. Finally, there was no relation between the presence of rules and session evaluation. The results are discussed with respect to the definition of rules in counseling and the concept of complementarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Friction and Wear of Metals and Binary Alloys in Contact with an Abrasive Grit of Single-Crystal Silicon Carbide

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with various metals and iron-base binary alloys (alloying elements Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Rh, and W) in contact with single-crystal silicon carbide riders. Results indicate that the coefficient of friction and groove height (corresponding to the wear volume) decrease linearly as the shear strength of the bulk metal increases. The coefficient of friction and groove height generally decrease with an increase in solute content of binary alloys. A separate correlation exists between the solute to iron atomic radius ratio and the decreasing rates of change of coefficient of friction and groove height with increasing solute content. These rates of change ate minimum at a solute to iron radius ratio of unity. They increase as the atomic radius ratio increases or decreases linearly from unity. The correlations indicate that atomic size is an important parameter in controlling friction and wear of alloys.     

江西省水利工程额定管理的思考和探索

就我省水利工程定额管理和造价管理存在的问题及今后的发展进行了说明和探索．     

A guided data projection technique for classification of sovereign ratings: The case of European Union 27

Sovereign rating has had an increasing importance since the beginning of the financial crisis. However, credit rating agencies opacity has been criticised by several authors highlighting the suitability of designing more objective alternative methods. This paper tackles the sovereign credit rating classification problem within an ordinal classification perspective by employing a pairwise class distances projection to build a classification model based on standard regression techniques. In this work the ϵ-SVR is selected as the regressor tool. The quality of the projection is validated through the classification results obtained for four performance metrics when applied to Standard & Poors, Moody's and Fitch sovereign rating data of U27 countries during the period 2007–2010. This validated projection is later used for ranking visualization which might be suitable to build a decision support system.     

Development of a building performance rating and labelling system in Canada

The recent GBC '98 conference presented the results of a two-year process of developing and testing a new approach to the performance assessment of buildings. The international process is continuing, but in many jurisdictions, including Canada, there is a desire to test the implementation of a system, one that includes ratings and labelling as well as performance assessments. This paper attempts to outline some of the factors that are seen by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as relevant to the need, market potential and barriers to such a system. The roles of various actors are considered including industry and government organizations, investors, utilities, building information centres, standards organizations, performance assessors, building owners and operators, tenants. La conference GBC 98 a recemment presente les resultats d'un exercice qui s'est deroule sur deux ans et qui etait consacre a l'elaboration et au test d'une nouvelle methode d'evaluation des performances des batiments. Ce projet se poursuit a l'echelon international mais de nombreux etats, notamment le Canada, souhaitent faire l'essai d'un systeme qui integrerait des notations et des classements ainsi que des evaluations de performances. Cet article tente de mettre en lumiere quelques-uns des facteurs que le ministere canadien des ressources naturelles (NRCan) a juges pertinents par rapport aux besoins, au marche potentiel et aux obstacles qui se dresseraient devant un tel systeme. L'article examine le role des divers acteurs, y compris l'industrie et les organisations officielles, les investisseurs, les services publics, les centres d'information sur le batiment, les organisations de normalisation, les evaluateurs de performances, les proprietaires et les exploitants de batiments, les locataires.     

基于MAS的信用评估系统建模研究

加强信用风险防范是当前企业关注的一个主要问题。信用评估涉及到财务、金融、管理、预测等定性、定量因素 ,由众多来自不同领域的专家协同工作。针对于此 ,构建了CSCW环境下多Agent的系统结构模型 ,由CSCW提供一个虚拟的协同工作空间 ,在协同机制作用下由模型库、知识库、决策Agent、系统集成Agent,以及特殊的Agent(评估专家 )组成的多Agent系统 ,实现人的“智慧”和机器的“智能”有机结合 ,保证了信用评估系统运行的高效性 (效率、效果 )。     

Sensitivity to change of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Extended (BPRS-E): An item and subscale analysis.

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) is the most commonly used outcome measure for the severely and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) population, possessing good interrater reliability, concurrent validity, and a strong factor structure. However, psychometric study of the extended version of the BPRS (the BPRS-E) is limited when compared with earlier versions (BPRS and BPRS-A). This study examined the item, factor, and diagnosis-specific sensitivity to change of the BPRS-E, the most recent version of this popular scale. Assessments were conducted at 90-day intervals with 201 adult psychiatric inpatients at the Utah State Hospital, yielding 786 symptom ratings. Of note was that ratings were conducted by independent assessors who were unaware of patients' treatment status. All but 2 of the 24 BPRS-E items, all 4 factors, and the total score were found to be sensitive to change when comparing patients' admission and discharge scores. Patient diagnosis was not associated with item, factor, or total score sensitivity to change. These findings extend the psychometric support for the BPRS-E and have implications for assessing outcome with the SPMI population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of observers' experience and training on reliability of observations for a manual handling task

Observation reliability (agreement percentage and kappa coefficients) for six experienced ergonomists and six untrained participants was computed. Participants were first tested after a training session and 1 week later after an additional practice session. Two formats were used: free practice and directed exercise. Reliability was tested for 17 variables and 20 sequences using photographic and video supports. The participants were asked to indicate whether they were confident about their answer, to rate this confidence on a scale of 1 to 10, and when the confidence rating was below 8, to provide a reason for this. Experience and additional practices had no clear impact on reliability, which was excellent overall. The main reason given was that the event to be observed took place at the borderline between two classes. The observers' rating on the scale appeared to be tied to the subsequent reliability computed. The use of a confidence scale appeared to be a useful tool for forecasting observation problems.     

Rating of acceptable loads in manual sorting of postal parcels

The psychophysical test, the rating of acceptable load (RAL) were used to assess acceptable weights for dynamic lifting in postal workers engaged in sorting parcels. The standard test (RAL_St) and a work-simulating test (RAL_W) were administered to 103 volunteers: all experienced male sorters. In the RAL_St, subjects selected the weight which would be acceptable for lifting in a box with handles from table to floor and back to the table once every 5 min for the working day. For the RAL_w, the box was without handles and the weight was chosen to be acceptable for transfer 4-6 times/min from a table to the parcel container and back to the table. Both tests were made during normal working hours at postal sorting centres. The overall means for RAL_St and RAL_w were 16·4 kg and 9·4 kg respectively (p < 0·001): both being substantially higher than the average parcel weight of 4 kg. The RAL_St and RAL_w tests proved to be repetitive and sensitive for differentiating the effects of load and task variables in actual manual materials handling. Thus they appear to be applicable to the evaluation of manual materials handling problems.