COVID-19 pandemic restrictions limited all social activities to curtail the spread of the virus.The foremost and most prime sector among those affected were schools,colleges,and universities.The education system of en...COVID-19 pandemic restrictions limited all social activities to curtail the spread of the virus.The foremost and most prime sector among those affected were schools,colleges,and universities.The education system of entire nations had shifted to online education during this time.Many shortcomings of Learning Management Systems(LMSs)were detected to support education in an online mode that spawned the research in Artificial Intelligence(AI)based tools that are being developed by the research community to improve the effectiveness of LMSs.This paper presents a detailed survey of the different enhancements to LMSs,which are led by key advances in the area of AI to enhance the real-time and non-real-time user experience.The AI-based enhancements proposed to the LMSs start from the Application layer and Presentation layer in the form of flipped classroom models for the efficient learning environment and appropriately designed UI/UX for efficient utilization of LMS utilities and resources,including AI-based chatbots.Session layer enhancements are also required,such as AI-based online proctoring and user authentication using Biometrics.These extend to the Transport layer to support real-time and rate adaptive encrypted video transmission for user security/privacy and satisfactory working of AI-algorithms.It also needs the support of the Networking layer for IP-based geolocation features,the Virtual Private Network(VPN)feature,and the support of Software-Defined Networks(SDN)for optimum Quality of Service(QoS).Finally,in addition to these,non-real-time user experience is enhanced by other AI-based enhancements such as Plagiarism detection algorithms and Data Analytics.展开更多
Zambia like any other country in most African regions is still grappling with the dynamics of harnessing technology for the betterment of Higher Education. The onset of the Covid 19 pandemic brought a test for the pre...Zambia like any other country in most African regions is still grappling with the dynamics of harnessing technology for the betterment of Higher Education. The onset of the Covid 19 pandemic brought a test for the preparedness of the Zambian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in harnessing technology for pedagogical activities. As countries worldwide switched to electronic learning during the pandemic, the same could not be said for Zambian HEIs. Zambian HEIs struggled to conduct pedagogical activities on learning management platforms. This study investigated the factors affecting the implementation and assessment of learning Management systems in Zambia’s HEIs. With its focus on assessing: 1) system features, 2) compliance with regulatory standards, 3) quality of service and 4) technology acceptance as the four key assessment areas of an LMS, this article proposed a model for assessing learning management systems in Zambian HEIs. To test the proposed model, a software tool was also developed.展开更多
In the Engine CAD application system engineering database management system (ECAD-EDBMS) is the kernel. ECAD-EDBMS can manage and process the multimedia such as graphics, data, text, sound, image and video. It provide...In the Engine CAD application system engineering database management system (ECAD-EDBMS) is the kernel. ECAD-EDBMS can manage and process the multimedia such as graphics, data, text, sound, image and video. It provides the integrated environment and more functions for many subsystems of ECAD and engine designers. So it improves the design efficiency.展开更多
Sodium hypochlorite and ozone are the principal active substances and usually employed in ballast water management systems. In the present study, the authors focus on the effect of these active substances to the maaix...Sodium hypochlorite and ozone are the principal active substances and usually employed in ballast water management systems. In the present study, the authors focus on the effect of these active substances to the maaix polymer of coating. In order to obtain such information, the authors investigated the penetration of active substances to the polymer from cross section of specimens introduced by SAICAS (surface and interracial cutting analysis system), followed by FT-IR-ATR (Fourier transform infrared and attenuated total reflectance) spectroscopy analysis from Z direction of cross section. The corrosion test of coating panels by these active substances (control as artificial seawater) has been conducted for 120 days. The results show that the depth profile of each active substance is around few dozens of micrometers from coating surface. The criteria of corrosion test cannot be determined by these results due to lacking in actual corrosion data immersed for 15 years under active substances. However, the authors evaluated the effect on ballast tank coating systems by active substances using analytical methods of SAICAS and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy.展开更多
This paper presents a description and analysis of the most important models to predict each of the Road User Costs components (Vehicle Operating Costs, Accident Costs and Value of Time) and proposes a model for esti...This paper presents a description and analysis of the most important models to predict each of the Road User Costs components (Vehicle Operating Costs, Accident Costs and Value of Time) and proposes a model for estimating RUC components suitable for the Portuguese road network. These results are part of a research which aimed to obtain a Road User Cost Model to be used as a tool in road management systems. This model is different from other models by the fact that it includes a simple formulation that allows calibration and calculation of cost parameters, for any year, in a simple and fast way, providing trustworthy results. The required data is already available in Portuguese institutions, allowing periodic revision of cost parameters to insure accuracy.展开更多
This study addresses current status of ESSQ management and integration in steel production organisation. The idea is to benchmark maturity levels with the leading Finnish international companies. The examination has b...This study addresses current status of ESSQ management and integration in steel production organisation. The idea is to benchmark maturity levels with the leading Finnish international companies. The examination has been done in compliance with applied maturity model developed by the target corporation. When examining the benchmarked companies through the ESSQ framework, we found that a similar framework cannot be found in any other company as such; instead, operations are distributed under different organisations. Although many sources criticise system-based development, the results of this study indicate that it is nevertheless an efficient way to develop operations.展开更多
The paper discusses the barriers of integration of management systems (IMS). A model based on process is explored, It is indicated that integrating management systems should not ignore the characteristics of the man...The paper discusses the barriers of integration of management systems (IMS). A model based on process is explored, It is indicated that integrating management systems should not ignore the characteristics of the management systems, especially scope issues. IMS needs to take into the continuous improvement.展开更多
In the context of a proliferation of DatabaseManagement Systems(DBMSs),we have envisioned and produced an OWL 2 ontology able to provide a high-level machine-processable description of the DBMSs domain.This conceptual...In the context of a proliferation of DatabaseManagement Systems(DBMSs),we have envisioned and produced an OWL 2 ontology able to provide a high-level machine-processable description of the DBMSs domain.This conceptualization aims to facilitate a proper execution of various software engineering processes and database-focused administration tasks.Also,it can be used to improve the decision-making process for determining/selecting the appropriate DBMS,subject to specific requirements.The proposed model describes the most important features and aspects regarding the DBMS domain,including the support for various paradigms(relational,graph-based,key-value,tree-like,etc.),query languages,platforms(servers),plus running environments(desktop,Web,cloud),specific contexts—i.e.,focusing on optimizing queries,redundancy,security,performance,schema vs.schema-less approaches,programming languages/paradigms,and others.The process of populating the ontology with significant individuals(actual DBMSs)benefits from the existing knowledge exposed by free and open machine-processable knowledge bases,by using structured data fromWikipedia and related sources.The pragmatic use of our ontology is demonstrated by two educational software solutions based on current practices in Web application development,proving support for learning and experimenting key features of the actual semantic Web technologies and tools.This approach is also an example of using multiple knowledge from database systems,semanticWeb technologies,and software engineering areas.展开更多
Automated performance tuning of data management systems offer various benefits such as improved performance, declined administration costs, and reduced workloads to database administrators (DBAs). Currently, DBAs tune...Automated performance tuning of data management systems offer various benefits such as improved performance, declined administration costs, and reduced workloads to database administrators (DBAs). Currently, DBAs tune the performance of database systems with a little help from the database servers. In this paper, we propose a new technique for automated performance tuning of data management systems. Firstly, we show how to use the periods of low workload time for performance improvements in the periods of high workload time. We demonstrate that extensions of a database system with materialised views and indices when a workload is low may contribute to better performance for a successive period of high workload. The paper proposes several online algorithms for continuous processing of estimated database workloads and for the discovery of the best plan for materialised view and index database extensions and of elimination of the extensions that are no longer needed. We present the results of experiments that show how the proposed automated performance tuning technique improves the overall performance of a data management system. 展开更多
The modern history of management systems is almost the same as the history ofmodem management science. Implicit management systems have been in existence for many 100s ofyears. ISO has paid attention to the issue of t...The modern history of management systems is almost the same as the history ofmodem management science. Implicit management systems have been in existence for many 100s ofyears. ISO has paid attention to the issue of the integrated management systems since the ISO 9000family standards for quality management systems (QMS) and ISO 14000 series standards for environmentmanagement system (EMS) were published. ISO/TAG (Technical Advisory Group) 12 was formed by theISO/TM (Technical Management Board) in early 1997 with the mandate to achieve greater compatibilitybetween the relevant ISO/TC 176 and ISO/TC 207 standards in the field of management systems,auditing, terms and definitions. The report was submitted to TMB by TAG 12 in 1999.展开更多
The dramatic improvement of information and communication technology (ICT) has made an evolution in learning management systems (LMS). The rapid growth in LMSs has caused users to demand more advanced, automated, and ...The dramatic improvement of information and communication technology (ICT) has made an evolution in learning management systems (LMS). The rapid growth in LMSs has caused users to demand more advanced, automated, and intelligent services. This paper discusses how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques are adopted to fulfill users’ needs in a social learning management system named “CourseNetworking”. The paper explains how machine learning contributed to developing an intelligent agent called “Rumi” as a personal assistant in CourseNetworking platform to add personalization, gamification, and more dynamics to the system. This paper aims to introduce machine learning to traditional learning platforms and guide the developers working in LMS field to benefit from advanced technologies in learning platforms by offering customized services.展开更多
Load forecasting can enhance the reliability and efficiency of operations in a home energy management system(HEMS).The rise of big data with machine learning in recent years makes it a potential solution.This paper pr...Load forecasting can enhance the reliability and efficiency of operations in a home energy management system(HEMS).The rise of big data with machine learning in recent years makes it a potential solution.This paper proposes two new energy load forecasting methods,enhancing the traditional sequence to sequence long short-term memory(S2S-LSTM)model.Method 1 integrates S2S-LSTM with human behavior patterns recognition,implemented and compared by 3 types of algorithms:density based spatial clustering of applications with noise(DBSCAN),K-means and Pearson correlation coefficient(PCC).Among them,PCC is proven to be better than the others and suitable for a large number of residential customers.Method 2 further improves Method 1’s performance with a modified multi-layer Neural Network architecture,which is constituted by fully-connected,dropout and stable improved softmax layers.It optimizes the process of supervised learning in LSTM and improves the stability and accuracy of the prediction model.The performances of both proposed methods are evaluated on a dataset of 8-week electricity consumptions from 2337 residential customers.展开更多
There seems to be a paucity in extant literature that assesses the relationship between Safety Management Systems (SMS) and High Reliability Theory (HRT) behavior process of mindful organizing (MO) among aerospaceorga...There seems to be a paucity in extant literature that assesses the relationship between Safety Management Systems (SMS) and High Reliability Theory (HRT) behavior process of mindful organizing (MO) among aerospaceorganizations. There could be benefits for organizational safety by exploring this relationship in high-reliabilityorganizations (HROs) like the aerospace industry. Using a modified Safety Organizing Scale (SOS) by Vogus andSutcliffe (2007) and a validated SMS scale, the relationship between SMS and MO was measured. The perceptionsof a cross-section of respondents from commercial airlines with SMS and commercial space licensees without SMSin the United States (U.S.) was assessed. A four-factor model of MO had acceptable fit. A model showing the relationship between SMS and MO had good fit and showed a high significant strength of relationship (r = 0.82,p = 0.000) with a big effect size. There were also significant differences in mean responses among managementpersonnel and non-management personnel on the MO factor “sensitivity to operations” and the result suggestsmanagers were better at identifying personnel with skills and knowledge to ensure safer task accomplishmentthan non-management personnel. The study results suggest that the SMS requirements for commercial airlines inthe U.S. can enrich the identification and understanding of MO factors and it may be beneficial for the commercial space industry to formally adopt SMS. Future research studies may include direct comparisons in multipleaerospace organizations using a larger sample size to determine the overall understanding of MO factors and howit affects SMS.展开更多
Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus ...Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus on one of the key data security services,that is,access control,by highlighting the differences with traditional data management systems and describing a set of requirements that any access control solution for Big Data platforms may fulfill.We then describe the state of the art and discuss open research issues.展开更多
The common mystique is that ISO 9000 quality management systems are only applicable to large companies, and such systems are too expensive for smaller companies. This paper clarifies this misconception. It shows th...The common mystique is that ISO 9000 quality management systems are only applicable to large companies, and such systems are too expensive for smaller companies. This paper clarifies this misconception. It shows that the inherent ISO 9000 systems are in fact flexible that permit their application to small companies, regardless of the type of trade disciplines. In addition, it shows some of the pitfalls that certification assessors and quality management consultants should watch out for.展开更多
Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus ...Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus on one of the key data security services,that is,access control,by highlighting the differences with traditional data management systems and describing a set of requirements that any access control solution for Big Data platforms may fulfill.We then describe the state of the art and discuss open research issues.展开更多
The Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) is a 34 kW low enriched uranium (LEU) Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), tank-in-pool type and cooled by natural circulation under atmospheric pressure operating conditions...The Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) is a 34 kW low enriched uranium (LEU) Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), tank-in-pool type and cooled by natural circulation under atmospheric pressure operating conditions. GHARR-1 is owned by Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and operated by National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI), one of the institutes of GAEC. GHARR-1 is housed by Nuclear Reactors Research Centre (NRRC), one of the Centres of NNRI. Management/Administration, Radiation protection, Reactor operation and maintenance, Reactor utilization and Physical protection are the various systems/units that integrate to manage the activities of operation and utilization of GHARR-1 in addition to the quality assurance and quality control management system of the research reactor facility. The GHARR-1 which is currently in operation follows a robust maintenance culture adopted by the management system and this has made it possible to keep the reactor in operation with minimal interruption. The management system activities adopted at the Centre to ensure safety of the workers, public and the research reactor facility include authorization of the operation of the reactor for any experiments/modifications;providing material and financial resources for maintaining the research reactor facility;following standard procedures while carrying out Neutron Activation Analysis;participation in IAEA proficiency test;irradiation sites/positions characterization;following standard procedures while carrying out reactor operation and maintenance including reactor and pool water purification and other related activities;monitoring radiation levels in the controlled, supervised and uncontrolled areas of the research reactor facility as well as during reactor operation and maintenance;controlling the physical entry of the workers and public into the research reactor facility;and ensuring that the security structures provided to protect the reactor facility are functioning properly. The thorough knowledge on the functions of the various components that make up the electrical/electronic and control systems of the reactor has been observed to be important for continuous successful maintenance of the research reactor to keep the reactor in operation. This work provides some management system activities adopted to monitor the activities of the research reactor operation and utilization to guarantee safety of workers, public and the environment as well as to safeguard a continuous operation of the research reactor. These management system activities adopted among others, are in the form of Monitoring Forms provided for monitoring the activities of the research reactor operation and utilization in order to ensure standard procedures and specifications are followed and quality services are rendered to the public.展开更多
Escalation of commitment has been linked to losses in information systems (IS) projects. Understanding the nature and the rationality of escalation allows the firm to promote optimal project management practices. Th...Escalation of commitment has been linked to losses in information systems (IS) projects. Understanding the nature and the rationality of escalation allows the firm to promote optimal project management practices. This study takes an inter-disciplinary approach and draws on research from economics and management to create a model of irrational escalation and a model of rational escalation. The forces that contribute to irrational escalation include the responsibility of the same manager for both the project selection and project continuation decisions that create proneness to self-justification, the potential for negative framing of decision options due to large sunk costs, the proximity of project completion and the presence of organizational inertia. Identifying these irrational escalation factors helps design appropriate de-escalation techniques. The rational escalation model draws on the real option theory and the bandit process theory to identify conditions when project continuation is justified by the value of information and the value of flexibility that the firm receives from continuing the project.展开更多
文摘COVID-19 pandemic restrictions limited all social activities to curtail the spread of the virus.The foremost and most prime sector among those affected were schools,colleges,and universities.The education system of entire nations had shifted to online education during this time.Many shortcomings of Learning Management Systems(LMSs)were detected to support education in an online mode that spawned the research in Artificial Intelligence(AI)based tools that are being developed by the research community to improve the effectiveness of LMSs.This paper presents a detailed survey of the different enhancements to LMSs,which are led by key advances in the area of AI to enhance the real-time and non-real-time user experience.The AI-based enhancements proposed to the LMSs start from the Application layer and Presentation layer in the form of flipped classroom models for the efficient learning environment and appropriately designed UI/UX for efficient utilization of LMS utilities and resources,including AI-based chatbots.Session layer enhancements are also required,such as AI-based online proctoring and user authentication using Biometrics.These extend to the Transport layer to support real-time and rate adaptive encrypted video transmission for user security/privacy and satisfactory working of AI-algorithms.It also needs the support of the Networking layer for IP-based geolocation features,the Virtual Private Network(VPN)feature,and the support of Software-Defined Networks(SDN)for optimum Quality of Service(QoS).Finally,in addition to these,non-real-time user experience is enhanced by other AI-based enhancements such as Plagiarism detection algorithms and Data Analytics.
文摘Zambia like any other country in most African regions is still grappling with the dynamics of harnessing technology for the betterment of Higher Education. The onset of the Covid 19 pandemic brought a test for the preparedness of the Zambian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in harnessing technology for pedagogical activities. As countries worldwide switched to electronic learning during the pandemic, the same could not be said for Zambian HEIs. Zambian HEIs struggled to conduct pedagogical activities on learning management platforms. This study investigated the factors affecting the implementation and assessment of learning Management systems in Zambia’s HEIs. With its focus on assessing: 1) system features, 2) compliance with regulatory standards, 3) quality of service and 4) technology acceptance as the four key assessment areas of an LMS, this article proposed a model for assessing learning management systems in Zambian HEIs. To test the proposed model, a software tool was also developed.
文摘In the Engine CAD application system engineering database management system (ECAD-EDBMS) is the kernel. ECAD-EDBMS can manage and process the multimedia such as graphics, data, text, sound, image and video. It provides the integrated environment and more functions for many subsystems of ECAD and engine designers. So it improves the design efficiency.
文摘Sodium hypochlorite and ozone are the principal active substances and usually employed in ballast water management systems. In the present study, the authors focus on the effect of these active substances to the maaix polymer of coating. In order to obtain such information, the authors investigated the penetration of active substances to the polymer from cross section of specimens introduced by SAICAS (surface and interracial cutting analysis system), followed by FT-IR-ATR (Fourier transform infrared and attenuated total reflectance) spectroscopy analysis from Z direction of cross section. The corrosion test of coating panels by these active substances (control as artificial seawater) has been conducted for 120 days. The results show that the depth profile of each active substance is around few dozens of micrometers from coating surface. The criteria of corrosion test cannot be determined by these results due to lacking in actual corrosion data immersed for 15 years under active substances. However, the authors evaluated the effect on ballast tank coating systems by active substances using analytical methods of SAICAS and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy.
文摘This paper presents a description and analysis of the most important models to predict each of the Road User Costs components (Vehicle Operating Costs, Accident Costs and Value of Time) and proposes a model for estimating RUC components suitable for the Portuguese road network. These results are part of a research which aimed to obtain a Road User Cost Model to be used as a tool in road management systems. This model is different from other models by the fact that it includes a simple formulation that allows calibration and calculation of cost parameters, for any year, in a simple and fast way, providing trustworthy results. The required data is already available in Portuguese institutions, allowing periodic revision of cost parameters to insure accuracy.
文摘This study addresses current status of ESSQ management and integration in steel production organisation. The idea is to benchmark maturity levels with the leading Finnish international companies. The examination has been done in compliance with applied maturity model developed by the target corporation. When examining the benchmarked companies through the ESSQ framework, we found that a similar framework cannot be found in any other company as such; instead, operations are distributed under different organisations. Although many sources criticise system-based development, the results of this study indicate that it is nevertheless an efficient way to develop operations.
文摘The paper discusses the barriers of integration of management systems (IMS). A model based on process is explored, It is indicated that integrating management systems should not ignore the characteristics of the management systems, especially scope issues. IMS needs to take into the continuous improvement.
文摘In the context of a proliferation of DatabaseManagement Systems(DBMSs),we have envisioned and produced an OWL 2 ontology able to provide a high-level machine-processable description of the DBMSs domain.This conceptualization aims to facilitate a proper execution of various software engineering processes and database-focused administration tasks.Also,it can be used to improve the decision-making process for determining/selecting the appropriate DBMS,subject to specific requirements.The proposed model describes the most important features and aspects regarding the DBMS domain,including the support for various paradigms(relational,graph-based,key-value,tree-like,etc.),query languages,platforms(servers),plus running environments(desktop,Web,cloud),specific contexts—i.e.,focusing on optimizing queries,redundancy,security,performance,schema vs.schema-less approaches,programming languages/paradigms,and others.The process of populating the ontology with significant individuals(actual DBMSs)benefits from the existing knowledge exposed by free and open machine-processable knowledge bases,by using structured data fromWikipedia and related sources.The pragmatic use of our ontology is demonstrated by two educational software solutions based on current practices in Web application development,proving support for learning and experimenting key features of the actual semantic Web technologies and tools.This approach is also an example of using multiple knowledge from database systems,semanticWeb technologies,and software engineering areas.
文摘Automated performance tuning of data management systems offer various benefits such as improved performance, declined administration costs, and reduced workloads to database administrators (DBAs). Currently, DBAs tune the performance of database systems with a little help from the database servers. In this paper, we propose a new technique for automated performance tuning of data management systems. Firstly, we show how to use the periods of low workload time for performance improvements in the periods of high workload time. We demonstrate that extensions of a database system with materialised views and indices when a workload is low may contribute to better performance for a successive period of high workload. The paper proposes several online algorithms for continuous processing of estimated database workloads and for the discovery of the best plan for materialised view and index database extensions and of elimination of the extensions that are no longer needed. We present the results of experiments that show how the proposed automated performance tuning technique improves the overall performance of a data management system.
文摘The modern history of management systems is almost the same as the history ofmodem management science. Implicit management systems have been in existence for many 100s ofyears. ISO has paid attention to the issue of the integrated management systems since the ISO 9000family standards for quality management systems (QMS) and ISO 14000 series standards for environmentmanagement system (EMS) were published. ISO/TAG (Technical Advisory Group) 12 was formed by theISO/TM (Technical Management Board) in early 1997 with the mandate to achieve greater compatibilitybetween the relevant ISO/TC 176 and ISO/TC 207 standards in the field of management systems,auditing, terms and definitions. The report was submitted to TMB by TAG 12 in 1999.
文摘The dramatic improvement of information and communication technology (ICT) has made an evolution in learning management systems (LMS). The rapid growth in LMSs has caused users to demand more advanced, automated, and intelligent services. This paper discusses how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques are adopted to fulfill users’ needs in a social learning management system named “CourseNetworking”. The paper explains how machine learning contributed to developing an intelligent agent called “Rumi” as a personal assistant in CourseNetworking platform to add personalization, gamification, and more dynamics to the system. This paper aims to introduce machine learning to traditional learning platforms and guide the developers working in LMS field to benefit from advanced technologies in learning platforms by offering customized services.
基金This work was supported in part by EPSRC Grant EP/N032888/1 and EP/L017725/1.
文摘Load forecasting can enhance the reliability and efficiency of operations in a home energy management system(HEMS).The rise of big data with machine learning in recent years makes it a potential solution.This paper proposes two new energy load forecasting methods,enhancing the traditional sequence to sequence long short-term memory(S2S-LSTM)model.Method 1 integrates S2S-LSTM with human behavior patterns recognition,implemented and compared by 3 types of algorithms:density based spatial clustering of applications with noise(DBSCAN),K-means and Pearson correlation coefficient(PCC).Among them,PCC is proven to be better than the others and suitable for a large number of residential customers.Method 2 further improves Method 1’s performance with a modified multi-layer Neural Network architecture,which is constituted by fully-connected,dropout and stable improved softmax layers.It optimizes the process of supervised learning in LSTM and improves the stability and accuracy of the prediction model.The performances of both proposed methods are evaluated on a dataset of 8-week electricity consumptions from 2337 residential customers.
文摘There seems to be a paucity in extant literature that assesses the relationship between Safety Management Systems (SMS) and High Reliability Theory (HRT) behavior process of mindful organizing (MO) among aerospaceorganizations. There could be benefits for organizational safety by exploring this relationship in high-reliabilityorganizations (HROs) like the aerospace industry. Using a modified Safety Organizing Scale (SOS) by Vogus andSutcliffe (2007) and a validated SMS scale, the relationship between SMS and MO was measured. The perceptionsof a cross-section of respondents from commercial airlines with SMS and commercial space licensees without SMSin the United States (U.S.) was assessed. A four-factor model of MO had acceptable fit. A model showing the relationship between SMS and MO had good fit and showed a high significant strength of relationship (r = 0.82,p = 0.000) with a big effect size. There were also significant differences in mean responses among managementpersonnel and non-management personnel on the MO factor “sensitivity to operations” and the result suggestsmanagers were better at identifying personnel with skills and knowledge to ensure safer task accomplishmentthan non-management personnel. The study results suggest that the SMS requirements for commercial airlines inthe U.S. can enrich the identification and understanding of MO factors and it may be beneficial for the commercial space industry to formally adopt SMS. Future research studies may include direct comparisons in multipleaerospace organizations using a larger sample size to determine the overall understanding of MO factors and howit affects SMS.
文摘Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus on one of the key data security services,that is,access control,by highlighting the differences with traditional data management systems and describing a set of requirements that any access control solution for Big Data platforms may fulfill.We then describe the state of the art and discuss open research issues.
文摘The common mystique is that ISO 9000 quality management systems are only applicable to large companies, and such systems are too expensive for smaller companies. This paper clarifies this misconception. It shows that the inherent ISO 9000 systems are in fact flexible that permit their application to small companies, regardless of the type of trade disciplines. In addition, it shows some of the pitfalls that certification assessors and quality management consultants should watch out for.
文摘Data security and privacy issues are magnified by the volume,the variety,and the velocity of Big Data and by the lack,up to now,of a reference data model and related data manipulation languages.In this paper,we focus on one of the key data security services,that is,access control,by highlighting the differences with traditional data management systems and describing a set of requirements that any access control solution for Big Data platforms may fulfill.We then describe the state of the art and discuss open research issues.
文摘The Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) is a 34 kW low enriched uranium (LEU) Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), tank-in-pool type and cooled by natural circulation under atmospheric pressure operating conditions. GHARR-1 is owned by Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and operated by National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI), one of the institutes of GAEC. GHARR-1 is housed by Nuclear Reactors Research Centre (NRRC), one of the Centres of NNRI. Management/Administration, Radiation protection, Reactor operation and maintenance, Reactor utilization and Physical protection are the various systems/units that integrate to manage the activities of operation and utilization of GHARR-1 in addition to the quality assurance and quality control management system of the research reactor facility. The GHARR-1 which is currently in operation follows a robust maintenance culture adopted by the management system and this has made it possible to keep the reactor in operation with minimal interruption. The management system activities adopted at the Centre to ensure safety of the workers, public and the research reactor facility include authorization of the operation of the reactor for any experiments/modifications;providing material and financial resources for maintaining the research reactor facility;following standard procedures while carrying out Neutron Activation Analysis;participation in IAEA proficiency test;irradiation sites/positions characterization;following standard procedures while carrying out reactor operation and maintenance including reactor and pool water purification and other related activities;monitoring radiation levels in the controlled, supervised and uncontrolled areas of the research reactor facility as well as during reactor operation and maintenance;controlling the physical entry of the workers and public into the research reactor facility;and ensuring that the security structures provided to protect the reactor facility are functioning properly. The thorough knowledge on the functions of the various components that make up the electrical/electronic and control systems of the reactor has been observed to be important for continuous successful maintenance of the research reactor to keep the reactor in operation. This work provides some management system activities adopted to monitor the activities of the research reactor operation and utilization to guarantee safety of workers, public and the environment as well as to safeguard a continuous operation of the research reactor. These management system activities adopted among others, are in the form of Monitoring Forms provided for monitoring the activities of the research reactor operation and utilization in order to ensure standard procedures and specifications are followed and quality services are rendered to the public.
文摘Escalation of commitment has been linked to losses in information systems (IS) projects. Understanding the nature and the rationality of escalation allows the firm to promote optimal project management practices. This study takes an inter-disciplinary approach and draws on research from economics and management to create a model of irrational escalation and a model of rational escalation. The forces that contribute to irrational escalation include the responsibility of the same manager for both the project selection and project continuation decisions that create proneness to self-justification, the potential for negative framing of decision options due to large sunk costs, the proximity of project completion and the presence of organizational inertia. Identifying these irrational escalation factors helps design appropriate de-escalation techniques. The rational escalation model draws on the real option theory and the bandit process theory to identify conditions when project continuation is justified by the value of information and the value of flexibility that the firm receives from continuing the project.