Evaluation of scheduling strategies for a dynamic job shop in a tool-shared,flexible manufacturing environment

A two-phase approach is used to examine the impact of job scheduling rules and tool selection policies for a dynamic job shop system in a tool-shared, flexible manufacturing environment. The first phase develops a generalized simulation model and analyses 'simple' job scheduling rules and tool selection policies under various operating scenarios. The results from this investigation are then used to develop and analyse various bi-criteria rules in the second phase of this study. The results show that the scheduling rules have the most significant impact on system performance, particularly at high shop load levels. Tool selection policies affect some of the performance measures, most notably, proportion of tardy jobs, to a lesser degree. Higher machine utilizations can be obtained at higher tool duplication levels but at the expense of increased tooling costs and lower tool utilization. The results also show that using different processing time distributions may have a significant impact on shop performance.     

Developing an undue influence screening tool for Adult Protective Services

The study purpose was to develop and pilot an undue influence screening tool for California’s Adult Protective Services (APS) personnel based on the definition of undue influence enacted into California law January 1, 2014. Methods included four focus groups with APS providers (n = 33), piloting the preliminary tool by APS personnel (n = 15), and interviews with four elder abuse experts and two APS administrators. Social service literature—including existing undue influence models—was reviewed, as were existing screening and assessment tools. Using the information from these various sources, the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST) was developed. It can be applied to APS cases and potentially adapted for use by other professionals and for use in other states. Implementation of the tool into APS practice, policy, procedures, and training of personnel will depend on the initiative of APS management. Future work will need to address the reliability and validity of CUIST.     

自由的追索及其逃遁——弗洛姆“逃避自由”思想解析

自由是现代启蒙精神的核心,但随着现代化的进程的推进却衍生了人追求自由,反而陷入逃避自由的悖论之中。中国社会也在实现现代化的路径中,人们在追求物质自由的时候,更需要对心灵自由给予关怀和引领。弗洛姆提出的完整人格、爱与创造性劳动是实现人的积极自由的良方,对于今天的中国社会具有一定警示和借鉴意义。     

Shop floor control system for tool rooms

A shop floor control system (SFCS), which is the most important component of any production control system, ff has a direct e ect on the productivity of a tool room. The SFCS presented in this paper aims at streamlining various tool room activities, such as process planning, operations scheduling, loading, progress monitoring, and performance monitoring. The system discussed in this paper is characterized by simplicity and is user friendly. Basic information, consisting of three types of information (order details, process details, and part details), is input through interactive dialogue sessions. On-line updating of the process information is carried out, again through interactive dialogue sessions. The basic input to the system along with the on-line updating enables a number of useful and important reports and documents to be generated ff by the system for e ective control of the shop floor. The reports generated include operations scheduling, process sheet, part list, ffi job card, load pending report, e ciency report, etc. This SFCS is developed for a medium sized tool room in an automotive company and its successful implemention reduced paperwork and improved resource management and has resulted in productivity. It can be said that this system offers a first venture into computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) for a tool room.     

Integrated enterprise modelling: A method for the management of change

'The capability to adjust to new conditions quickly has developed into a decisive competitive advantage. You cannot waste any time if you want to be successful.' (Emeritus Professor Dr h. c. mult. Changing conditions in the market place issue new challenges to small- and medium-sized enterprises. Organization and qualification of employees have to be adjusted to the modified situation. If the only steady factor is change, the management of change is going to be the outstanding role of the leader. The successful structuring of change processes requires powerful methods and tools: to make business processes transparent and lean; to find a common 'corporate language' based upon customers benefits and shareholders value; Dr-Ing. G. Spur) to bring together process know-how in a central information base. This contribution summarizes the experiences from several projects. We will show how the synchronization of necessary reengineering measures makes corporate knowledge active, e.g. to improve the shareholders value, reduce investment costs, and shorten the duration of projects. As successful examples two medium-sized companies are described.     

Polynomial Factorization for Servers with Semi-Markovian Workload: Performance and Numerical Aspects of a Verified Solution Technique

Abstract

We investigate polynomial factorization as a classical analysis method for servers with semi-Markov arrival and service processes. The modeling approach is directly applicable to queueing systems and servers in production lines and telecommunication networks, where the flexibility in adaptation to autocorrelated processes is essential.

Although the method offers a compact form of the solution with favourable computation time complexity enabling to consider large state spaces and system equations of high degree, numerical stability is not guaranteed for this approach. Therefore we apply interval arithmetic in order to get verified results for the workload distributions, or otherwise to indicate that the precision of the computation has to be improved. The paper gives an overview of numerical and performance aspects of factorization in comparison to alternative methods.     

使用Word 2000绘图工具绘制力学课程课件的插图

文章介绍了Word 2000绘图工具的使用方法,结合绘制力学课程课件的插图,总结了力学课程插 图的种种绘制方法和经验,对绘制课程插图的初学者有一定的指导意义,对经常使用Word 2000且有一定 经验者也具有参考价值。     

Preparation for Contact: An Aid to Effective Social Work Intervention

This article proposes that a pre‐contact phase of work which helps prepare the worker/social work student for face‐to‐face intervention is a prerequisite for effective practice. It builds on the original work by Douglas and McColgan in which preparation for contact was placed in the context of the Diploma in Social Work Competence requirements. In this revised article links are made to the new degree in social work while retaining the framework which provides for examination of essential knowledge, skills and values which underpin effective preparation for a social work encounter. The article discusses the Preparation for Contact exercise and explores its value as a learning tool for social work students, its usefulness as an assessment tool for university tutors and agency practice teachers in relation to testing the student's ‘readiness’ for contact and its place in providing practice learning evidence in relation to requirements of the degree in social work.     

Psychometric analysis of the UK Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards work-related stress Indicator Tool

Abstract

Numerous tools have been developed that attempt to measure work-related stress and working conditions, but few practical instruments in the literature have been found to have a reliable psychometric factor structure. In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards (MS) Indicator Tool is increasingly used by organizations to monitor working conditions that can lead to stress. In Health and Safety Executive (2004), a factor analysis was conducted demonstrating the reliability of the scales. However, the authors acknowledged that direct reassessment of the same factor structure was impossible as the questionnaire was split into two separate modules for data collection. Furthermore, the tool is designed to enable comparisons between as well as within organizations to take place, yet reliability has only previously been tested at the individual level. The current study is the first to examine the factor structure of the HSE MS Indicator Tool using organizational-level data. Data collected from 39 UK organizations (N=26,382) was used to perform a first-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on the original 35-item seven-factor measurement scale. The results showed an acceptable fit to the data for the instrument. A second-order CFA was also performed to test if the Indicator Tool contains a higher order uni-dimensional measure of work-related stress. These findings also revealed an acceptable fit to the data, suggesting that it may be possible to derive a single measure of work-related stress. Normative data comprising tables of percentiles from the organizational data are provided to enable employers to compare their organizational averages against national benchmarks.     

网络英文旅游介绍功能之态度评价

作为一种独特的语篇,网络英文旅游介绍有着其特有的功能特征,即信息功能、说服功能和吸引功能。文章以网络随机选择的30篇中外英文旅游介绍为语料,使用实证法,从态度系统的角度研究网络英文旅游介绍的功能的实现。研究数据表明：评价系统的子系统之一鉴赏资源所占比例超过了情感和判断,尤其是鉴赏中的评估和正面的态度资源都占绝对的优势,这有助于实现旅游介绍的三大独特功能。