This book is devoted to the probabilistic description of the behavior of a network in the process of random removal of its components (links, nodes) appearing as a result of technical failures, natural disasters or intentional attacks. It is focused on a practical approach to network reliability and resilience evaluation, based on applications of Monte Carlo methodology to numerical approximation of network combinatorial invariants, including so-called multidimensional destruction spectra. This allows to develop a probabilistic follow-up analysis of the network in the process of its gradual destruction, to identify most important network components and to develop efficient heuristic algorithms for network optimal design. Our methodology works with satisfactory accuracy and efficiency for most applications of reliability theory to real -life problems in networks.

Tbis book is basicaUy concemed with approaches for improving safety in man-made systems. We caU these approaches, coUectively, fault monitoring, since they are concemed primarily with detecting faults occurring in the components of such systems, being sensors, actuators, controUed plants or entire strucutures. The common feature of these approaches is the intention to detect an abrupt change in some characteristic property of the considered object, by monitoring the behavior of the system. This change may be a slow-evolving effect or a complete breakdoWD. In tbis sense, fault monitoring touches upon, and occasionaUy overIaps with, other areas of control engineering such as adaptive control, robust controller design, reIiabiIity and safety engineering, ergonomics and man-macbine interfacing, etc. In fact, a system safety problem, could be attacked from any of the above angles of view. In tbis book, we don't touch upon these areas, unless there is a strong relationship between the fauIt monitoring approaches discussed and the aforementioned fields. When we set out to write tbis book, our aim was to incIude as much material as possible in a most rigorous, unified and concise format. Tbis would incIude state-of-the-art method as weil as more cIassical techniques, stilI in use today. AB we proceeded in gathering material, however, it soon became apparent that these were contradicting design criteria and a trade-off had to be made. We believe that the completeness vs.

The aim of this book is to bridge the gap between standard textbook models and a range of models where the dynamic structure of the data manifests itself fully. The common denominator of such models is stochastic processes. The authors show how counting processes, martingales, and stochastic integrals fit very nicely with censored data. Beginning with standard analyses such as Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regression, the presentation progresses to the additive hazard model and recurrent event data. Stochastic processes are also used as natural models for individual frailty; they allow sensible interpretations of a number of surprising artifacts seen in population data.

The stochastic process framework is naturally connected to causality. The authors show how dynamic path analyses can incorporate many modern causality ideas in a framework that takes the time aspect seriously.

To make the material accessible to the reader, a large number of practical examples, mainly from medicine, are developed in detail. Stochastic processes are introduced in an intuitive and non-technical manner. The book is aimed at investigators who use event history methods and want a better understanding of the statistical concepts. It is suitable as a textbook for graduate courses in statistics and biostatistics.

This book presents a risk management framework designed to achieve better decisions and more desirable outcomes. It presents an in-depth discussion of some fundamental principles of risk management related to the use of expected values, uncertainty handling, and risk acceptance criteria. Several examples from the offshore petroleum industry are included to illustrate the use of the framework, but it can also be applied in other areas.

This volumeaddressestheissueofuncertaintyincivilengineeringfromdesign toconstruction. Failures do occur in practice. Attributing them to a residual risk or a faulty execution of the projectdoesnotproperlycover the range of causes. A closer scrutiny of the design, the engineering model, the data, the soil-structure-interactionand the model assumptions is required. Usually, the uncertaintiesininitialandboundaryconditionsaswellasmaterialparameters are abundant. Current engineering practice often leaves these issues aside, despite the factthatnewscienti?c tools have been developed in the past decades that allow a rational description of uncertainties of all kinds, from model uncertainty to data uncertainty. It is the aim of this volume to have a critical look atcurrent engineering riskconcepts in order to raise awareness of uncertainty in numericalcom- tations, shortcomings of a strictly probabilistic safety concept, geotechnical models of failure mechanisms and their implications forconstruction mana- ment, execution, and the juristic questionas to who has to takeresponsibility. In addition, a number ofthe new procedures for modelling uncertaintyare- plained. Our central claim is that doubts and uncertainties must be openly - dressed in the design process. This contrasts certain tendencies in the en- neering community that, though incorporating uncertainties by one or the other way in the modelling process, claim to being able tocontrol the

A world that is changing faster and faster forces companies to a continuous performance monitoring. Indicators give the impression to be the real engine of organizations or even the economy at large. But performance indicators are not simple observation tools. They can have a deep normative effect, which can modify organizational behaviour and influence key decisions. Companies are what they measure The selection of good performance indicators is not an easy process. This monograph focuses on the designing of a Performance Measurement System (PMS), knowing that magic rules to identify them do not exist. Some indicators seem right and easy to measure, but have subtle, counter-productive consequences. Other indicators are more difficult to measure, but focus the enterprise on those decisions and actions that are critical to success. This book suggests how to identify indicators that achieve a balance in these effects and enhance long-term profitability."

This book presents models and statistical methods for the analysis of recurrent event data. The authors provide broad, detailed coverage of the major approaches to analysis, while emphasizing the modeling assumptions that they are based on. More general intensity-based models are also considered, as well as simpler models that focus on rate or mean functions. Parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric methodologies are all covered, with procedures for estimation, testing and model checking.

This book gathers papers presented at the International Conference "Vision Zero for Sustainable Road Safety in Baltic Sea Region", held on December 2018 at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Taking as a starting point the multi-national road traffic safety program Vision Zero, originated in Sweden in 1995, the book aims at showing the current situation in different countries, in terms of achieved results and new challenges in both policy implementation and available technologies. A special emphasis is given to themes such as safety of smart vehicles, human factors, public education, and urban planning. The book offers an extensive source of information and ideas concerning innovative transportation technologies and infrastructure. It addresses both researchers and decision-makers in this field.

Providing the population of the Earth with safe drinking water is one of the biggest challenges of modern society. In recognition of this problem the United Nations Organization and UNESCO declared 2003 to be the International Year of Freshwater. On November 19-22, 2003, the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards" took place in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Thirty-one participants from 15 countries including Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, UK, Ukraine, USA, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. They discussed the scientific concepts and practical means for the solution of the complex social, economic and ecological problems associated with water purification, consumption, conservation, and protection. They also established a network of scientists and specialists to foster further collaboration and the exchange of ideas. The location of the ARW was chosen quite deliberately. The city of Dnepropetrovsk is located on the banks of the Dnieper River and it has a population of about 1. 3 million people. As it is one of the largest industrial centers, it shares all the environmental problems, which are found in the modern Ukraine. In 2001, one in seven of the water samples taken from Ukrainian industrial and drinking water supply systems did not meet sanitary-hygienic standards, and one in twelve did not meet microbiological standards.

This is the first textbook to address quantified risk assessment (QRA) as specifically applied to offshore installations and operations. As the second part of the two-volume updated and expanded fourth edition, it adds a new focus on the recent development of Normally Unattended Installations (NUIs), which are essentially autonomous installations that combine digitalization, big data, drones and machine learning, and can be supported by W2W (walk-to-work) vessels. These minimalistic installations with no helideck and very limited safety systems will require a new approach to risk assessment and emergency planning, especially during manned periods involving W2W vessels. Separate chapters analyse the main hazards for offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects, as well as structural and marine hazards. The book explores possible simplifications of risk assessment for traditional manned installations. Risk mitigation and control are also discussed, as well as how the results of quantitative risk assessment studies should be presented. In closing, the book provides an updated approach to environmental risk assessment. The book offers a comprehensive reference guide for academics and students of marine/offshore risk assessment and management. It will also be of interest to professionals in the industry, as well as contractors, suppliers, consultants and regulatory authorities.

In ordinary life "reliability" is an ephemeral but desirable property of a machine or service that is generally judged in a very subjective manner. But for an engineer, reliability has large financial implications in terms of maintenance policies, running costs, and spares stockholding. In safety critical situations (transport or military equipment), the implications are wider; therefore, it is very important to be able to quantify reliability. This book is an introduction to reliability analysis. Since it is aimed at engineers, it begins by assuming no prior statistical knowledge. It teaches by example taken from engineering problems. Exercises are built around real machines and events, and the solutions given illuminate the subject. It is the first book of its kind aimed at those for whom reliability analysis has far-reaching consequences.

This book presents the fundamentals of optimum experimental design theory. Each chapter is a self-contained topic, illustrated with examples drawn from science and engineering. Little previous statistical knowledge is assumed, and the derivation of mathematical results has been avoided. This book should be of interest to everyone concerned with designing efficient experiments in the laboratory or in industry that avoid random error.

Die Produktentwicklung ist der dynamischste und am schwersten zu beherrschende Prozess in Industrieunternehmen. Prozessreifegradmodelle wie CMMI erfordern dazu quantitative Methoden als Werkzeug des Entwicklungsmanagements. Mit der modellgetriebenen Entwicklung steht eine Datenbasis fur eine durchgehende quantitative Analyse zur Verfugung. Modellanalysen erlauben eine prozessbegleitende Qualitatsmessung und die Bestimmung der Produktkomplexitat und des Entwicklungsfortschritts. Das Buch stellt bestehende Methoden des quantitativen Entwicklungsmanagements zur Entscheidungsunterstutzung auf operativer und strategischer Ebene vor. Die Autoren zeigen, wie die modellgetriebene Entwicklung zur Analyse der erreichten Ergebnisse genutzt werden kann, etwa zur Bewertung von Methoden, Werkzeugen sowie zur Prozess- oder Projektanpassung.

This book introduces the concept of integrated planning for maintenance and production taken into account quality and safety for high global socio-economic impact. It provides insight into the planning process at a global level starting from the business level and ending with the operational level where the plan is implemented and controlled.

Many serious accidents have happened in the world where systems have been large-scale and complex, and have caused heavy damage and a social sense of instability. Furthermore, advanced nations have almost ?nished public inf- structureandrushedintoamaintenanceperiod.Maintenancewillbemore- portant than production, manufacture, and construction, that is, more ma- tenance for environmental considerations and for the protection of natural resources. From now on, the importance of maintenance will increase more and more. In the past four decades, valuable contributions to maintenance policies in reliability theory have been made. This book is intended to s- marize the research results studied mainly by the author in the past three decades. The book deals primarily with standard to advanced problems of main- nance policies for system reliability models. System reliability can be mainly improved by repair and preventive maintenance, and replacement, and rel- bility properties can be investigated by using stochastic process techniques. The optimum maintenance policies for systems that minimize or maximize appropriate objective functions under suitable conditions are discussed both analytically and practically. The book is composed of nine chapters. Chapter 1 is devoted to an int- duction to reliability theory, and brie?y reviews stochastic processes needed for reliability and maintenance theory. Chapter 2 summarizes the results of repair maintenance, which is the most basic maintenance in reliability. The repair maintenance of systems such as the one-unit system and multiple-unit redundant systems is treated. Chapters 3 through 5 summarize the results of three typical maintenance policies of age, periodic, and block replacements.

Today there is a high demand for high-precision products. The manufacturing processes are now highly sophisticated and derive from a specialized genre called precision engineering. Precision Manufacturing provides an introduction to precision engineering and manufacturing with an emphasis on the design and performance of precision machines and machine tools, metrology, tooling elements, machine structures, sources of error, precision machining processes and precision process planning. As well as discussing the critical role precision machine design for manufacturing has had in technological developments over the last few hundred years. In addition, the influence of sustainable manufacturing requirements in precision processes is introduced.

Drawing upon years of practical experience and using numerous examples and illustrative applications, David Dornfeld Dae-Eun Lee cover precision manufacturing as it applies to:

The importance of measurement and metrology in the context of Precision manufacturing.

The role of sensors in precision manufacturing and how they can reduce uncertainty in systems introduced by interfaces between machine elements, process elements and materials, etc.

New and emerging fields of micromachining and nano manufacturing and their importance and impact on precision manufacturing.

Adherence to precision manufacturing techniques during the production process prevents waste, increases interchangeability among similar parts, lowers the manufacturing cost and increases quality.

Precision Manufacturing will be of interest to design engineers, quality engineers and manufacturing engineers, academics and those who may or may not have previous experience with precision manufacturing, but want to learn more.

Structural Reliability Analysis and Prediction, Third Edition is a textbook which addresses the important issue of predicting the safety of structures at the design stage and also the safety of existing, perhaps deteriorating structures. Attention is focused on the development and definition of limit states such as serviceability and ultimate strength, the definition of failure and the various models which might be used to describe strength and loading. This book emphasises concepts and applications, built up from basic principles and avoids undue mathematical rigour. It presents an accessible and unified account of the theory and techniques for the analysis of the reliability of engineering structures using probability theory. This new edition has been updated to cover new developments and applications and a new chapter is included which covers structural optimization in the context of reliability analysis. New examples and end of chapter problems are also now included.

This practically-focused textbook provides a concise and accessible introduction to the field of software testing, explaining the fundamental principles and offering guidance on applying the theory in an industrial environment. Topics and features: presents a brief history of software quality and its influential pioneers, as well as a discussion of the various software lifecycles used in software development; describes the fundamentals of testing in traditional software engineering, and the role that static testing plays in building quality into a product; explains the process of software test planning, test analysis and design, and test management; discusses test outsourcing, and test metrics and problem solving; reviews the tools available to support software testing activities, and the benefits of a software process improvement initiative; examines testing in the Agile world, and the verification of safety critical systems; considers the legal and ethical aspects of software testing, and the importance of software configuration management; provides key learning topics and review questions in every chapter, and supplies a helpful glossary at the end of the book. This easy-to-follow guide is an essential resource for undergraduate students of computer science seeking to learn about software testing, and how to build high quality and reliable software on time and on budget. The work will also be of interest to industrialists including software engineers, software testers, quality professionals and software managers, as well as the motivated general reader.

The basic logic is very simple. Countries around the globe have a need for more electrical generating capacity because of increases in population and increases in energy use per capita. The needs are constrained by the requirement that the ba- load energy source be economical, secure, and not emit climate-changing gases. Nuclear power fits this description. Therefore, many countries that have not had a nuclear power program (or only had a small program) see a need to develop one in the future. However, the development of a national nuclear energy program is not so simple. The purpose of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Nuclear Power and Energy Security was to contribute to our understanding of how these programs might evolve. The workshop took place 26-29 May 2009 in Yerevan, Armenia. Approximately 50 participants discussed the infrastructure that is needed and some of the reactor options that might be considered. The papers in this book helped define the discussion that took place. The infrastructure that is needed includes a legal framework, a functioning regulator, a plan for waste disposal, a plan for emergency response, etc. These needs were explained and just as importantly, it was explained what international, bilateral, and regional cooperation is available. Although there were many co- tries represented, the Armenian experience was of particular interest because of where the meeting was located. The papers on reactor options covered both innovative and evolutionary designs.

Bisher haben sich produzierende Unternehmen auf Entwicklung, Produktion und Vertrieb von Sachprodukten konzentriert, inzwischen fragen Kunden jedoch zunehmend komplette Probleml sungen nach. Unternehmen stehen vor der Herausforderung, den Wandel zum Full-Service Provider zu vollziehen. In dem Band wird ein Managementsystem zur Unterst tzung von Planung, Entwicklung, Konfiguration und Realisierung von Produkt-Service Systemen (PSS) im erweiterten Wertsch pfungsnetzwerk vorgestellt und Methoden zur Organisation sowie zum Kompetenzerwerb aufgezeigt.

Resilience engineering has since 2004 attracted widespread interest from industry as well as academia. Practitioners from various fields, such as aviation and air traffic management, patient safety, off-shore exploration and production, have quickly realised the potential of resilience engineering and have became early adopters. The continued development of resilience engineering has focused on four abilities that are essential for resilience. These are the ability a) to respond to what happens, b) to monitor critical developments, c) to anticipate future threats and opportunities, and d) to learn from past experience - successes as well as failures. Working with the four abilities provides a structured way of analysing problems and issues, as well as of proposing practical solutions (concepts, tools, and methods). This book is divided into four main sections which describe issues relating to each of the four abilities. The chapters in each section emphasise practical ways of engineering resilience and feature case studies and real applications. The text is written to be easily accessible for readers who are more interested in solutions than in research, but will also be of interest to the latter group.

This book explores how human factors and ergonomic principles are currently transforming healthcare. It reports on the design of systems and devices to improve the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of patient care, and discusses findings on improving organizational outcomes in the healthcare setting, as well as approaches to analyzing and modeling those work aspects that are unique to healthcare. Based on papers presented at the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare and Medical Devices, held on July 24-28, 2019, in Washington, DC, USA, the book highlights the physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of human factors and ergonomic applications, and shares various perspectives, including those of clinicians, patients, health organizations, and insurance providers. Given its scope, the book offers a timely reference guide for researchers involved in the design of medical systems, and healthcare professionals managing healthcare settings, as well as healthcare counselors and international health organizations.

This book covers a wide range of management issues, concerning planning, control and continuous improvement. It especially focuses on the management of the enterprise and production processes in the era of globalization, discussing the process of transferring production to developing countries, covering issues in technological culture, and reporting on quality control issues and on problems related to continuous process improvement. Modern strategies such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing are also discussed. Another topic concerns the management of the education sphere, and how to develop the latter to prepare employees to the changes brought by the technical development. Based on papers presented at the 6th International Scientific-Technical Conference MANUFACTURING 2019, held in Poznan, Poland on May 19-22, 2019, this book bridges issues in quality engineering with concepts of ergonomics and sociology, thus offering a timely, practice-oriented guide to both the engineers and managers of the future.

The objective of this book is to help at-risk organizations to decipher the "safety cloud", and to position themselves in terms of operational decisions and improvement strategies in safety, considering the path already travelled, their context, objectives and constraints. What link can be established between safety culture and safety models in order to increase safety within companies carrying out dangerous activities? First, while the term "safety culture" is widely shared among the academic and industrial world, it leads to various interpretations and therefore different positioning when it comes to assess, improve or change it. Many safety theories, concepts, and models coexist today, being more or less appealing and/or directly useful to the industry. How, and based on which criteria, to choose from the available options? These are some of the questions addressed in this book, which benefits from the expertise of its worldwide famous authors in several industrial sectors.

This open access work presents selected results from the European research and innovation project IMPROVE which yielded novel data-based solutions to enhance machine reliability and efficiency in the fields of simulation and optimization, condition monitoring, alarm management, and quality prediction.