Reliability Aspects Research Articles

Probabilistic modeling of hardware and software interactions for system reliability assessment

An important aspect of complex hardware-software systems reliability is the interaction between hardware and software. Most of the existing work has assumed either independence between hardware (HW) and software (SW) or a fixed proportion of hardware reported failures to represent HW/SW interactions. These assumptions do not necessarily reflect reality. In this paper, probabilistic HW/SW interactions, in conjunction with hardware and software reliability, are considered to model and assessment overall hardware-software systems reliability. However, incorporating uncertainty demands the use of stochastic programming to estimate the parameters of the hardware reliability model. To capture the HW/SW interactions, a Markov Stochastic process model with uncertainty in transition rates is proposed and solved using Monte Carlo sampling. By combining hardware, software, and probabilistic HW/SW interactions, the overall system reliability can be predicted not only as a point estimator but as quantiles or confidence intervals. The proposed methodology was demonstrated with data from a real computer system provided by Los Alamos National Laboratory. Reliability predictions for a 1,095-day horizon were carried out with an R script in approximately 1.5 s running on a laptop, which demonstrates the feasibility and convenience of the approach. In the four cases analyzed, the 97.5% lower bound of system reliability estimation was above the reliability calculated assuming independent hardware and software reliability.

Z-relation-based multistage decision making

Multistage decision problems have attracted interest in various fields. Starting from the pioneering work of Bellman and Zadeh, a large class of comprehensive studies for fuzzy, stochastic and other settings were proposed. The main issue missed in the existing works is partial reliability of information. Indeed, partial reliability of information about states and actions is important for multistage decisions. Particularly, information about future state of a system resulting from current strategies is partially reliable due to uncertainty. To account for partial reliability aspect, Zadeh introduced the concept of a Z-number. In this paper, we use this concept to consider multistage decision making under partially reliable information. States, strategies, and goals are described by using Z-numbers. State transition matrix that describes evolution of a system in time is formed by using Z-number-based relations. This description leads to a problem of dynamic programming in Z-environment. We use Z-numbers to account for the fact that information related to state transitions is partially reliable – we are partially sure in a result of each transition. The reason behind partial reliability is complexity and uncertainty of real-world problems. A typical example and an application study are used to illustrate the approach.

Weighted thyroid-stimulating hormone disturbance in prognosis of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

To weight the prognostic value of thyroid hormones in catastrophic acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). A retrospective cohort (n=635) and two prospective cohorts (n=353, and 198) were enrolled in this study. The performance of a novel developed prognostic score was assessed from aspects of reliability, discrimination, and clinical net benefit. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was identified to have the most potential as a prognostic predictor for hepatitis B virus-related ACLF among thyroid hormones. The novel score (modified chronic liver failure-organ failure score [mCLIF-OFs]) was developed with weighted TSH and other scored organs in the CLIF-OFs using the retrospective cohort (n=635). The predicted risk and observed probabilities of death were comparable across the deciles of mCLIF-OFs (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 =4.28, p=0.83; Brier scaled=11.9). The C-index of mCLIF-OFs (0.885 [0.883-0.887]) for 30-day mortality was significantly higher than that of the CLIF-OFs, chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment score (CLIF-SOFAs), CLIF-C ACLFs, Model of End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), and Child-Pugh (all p<0.001). The absolute improvements of prediction error rates of the mCLIF-OFs compared to the above five scores were from 19.0% to 61.1%. After the analysis of probability density function, the mCLIF-OFs showed the least overlapping coefficients (27.9%) among the above prognostic scores. Additionally, the mCLIF-OFs showed greater net benefit than the above five prognostic scores over a wide range of risk threshold of death. Similar results were validated in two prospective ACLF cohorts with HBV and non-HBV etiologies. Weighted TSH portended the outcome of ACLF patients, which could be treated as a "damaged organ" of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. The novel mCLIF-OFs is a reliable prognostic score with better discrimination power and clinical net benefit than CLIF-OFs, CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C ACLFs, MELD, and Child-Pugh.

The Validity of Question Items on The Material of Animal and Plant Reproduction in 9th Grade Secondary School

In making questions, teachers are required to first carry out testing before using them. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the validity of 9th grade question items on animal and plant breeding material based on the validity of the question items. The research conducted used quantitative descriptive research and documentation. The subjects of this study were 9th grade. The documentation used includes a document grid of animal and plant breeding material and student answer documents. The analysis used was analyzing the results of student answers using the TAP 14.7.4 application program. The results obtained from this study are based on the results of trials on the aspects of difficulty level, differentiating aspect, exemption, reliability and validity of questions on animal and plant breeding material at 9th grade SMP Muhammadiyah 5 Tulangan showing that the items used are invalid. It is known that the question of animal and plant breeding material 9th grade at SMP Muhammadiyah 5 Tulangan Sidoarjo in the 2021/2022 school year is a question that is not of good quality. In the development of further research, it is hoped that it will be further refined and can be carried out in a wider number with a larger population in order to get better data results.

Analisis Dampak Kualitas Layanan Pada Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas di Provinsi Jawa Timur, Jawa Barat dan Jawa Tengah

This study analyzes the impact of service quality at the Faculty of Economics of several universities in the provinces of East Java, West Java, and Central Java. This study aims to evaluate the correspondence between expectations and reality of 100 students from different Economics Faculties in 3 research provinces using the Convenience Sampling method. Research results show that there is a significant difference between expectations and reality in terms of reliability, showing that service quality at economics faculties in three provinces has still not met students' expectations. A similar phenomenon occurs in relation to the responsiveness factor, highlighting the need to increase the level of service responsiveness. The analysis also highlighted the need to improve trust and empathy elements in services, with significant discrepancies between expectations and reality. T-test results confirm that service quality, especially in the aspects of reliability, responsiveness, trustworthiness, empathy, and tangibility, still does not fully meet students' expectations. Faculty of Economics of three provinces. Therefore, relevant universities should increase efforts to improve the aspects of reliability, responsiveness, trustworthiness, empathy, and tangibility so that students can have more confidence in the services are provided. It is hoped that this step will have a positive impact in enhancing student satisfaction and their academic success.

Felsbauplanung im geotechnischen Werkzeugkasten von morgen: Eurocode 7 – Geotechnische Bauwerke: Anker, Felsnägel, Bodennägel und Grundwasserkontrolle (EN 1997‐3:2024)

AbstractIn 2025 the new generation of the Eurocode 7 will be introduced and set a framework for geotechnical design for the next 20 years. As Eurocode 7 is an essential design code, the changes will affect numerous practising geotechnical Engineers. The paper provides an overview of significant changes in rock engineering design introduced in the new EN 1997 part 3, considering limit state design, durability, reliability, testing and other crucial design aspects. It focuses on the anchor clause revision and first introduced design rules for rock bolts and soil‐nailed structures. The improvements described include distinguishing between different tension supporting elements that have often been confused. Furthermore, the provisions for groundwater control measures influencing the working condition and limit states for all other geotechnical systems that have not yet been comprehensively addressed in the current Eurocode 7 are also clarified. Finally, the design of the described geotechnical structure will also be strongly affected by changes in the overall philosophy of the Eurocodes, which is also explained.

Using Wi-Fi Connection Data to Analyze Performance of the Subway System in Toronto, Canada

Typical performance measurements of public transit operations make use of vehicle-based data such as automated vehicle location data or passenger-based data at specific fare collection points. Ideally, the performance of a transit system from a reliability perspective and according to passenger experience should be measured through individual passenger journeys. The growing prevalence of smartphones provides one potential source for this analysis, because passive data collection methods such as obtaining Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth connection data allow us to observe devices as they move throughout the system. In this study we present a collection of methods and performance measures for using Wi-Fi connection data to measure various aspects of customer experience and reliability, including methods for detecting train arrivals at platforms, estimating wait times, measuring origin–destination travel time variation, and developing profiles of various journey types for comparison. In contrast with many other advances toward passenger-based measures, these methods do not require the combination of diverse data sets to generate useful results. These methods are applied to data from the Wi-Fi service in the subway system in Toronto, Canada.

Analisis Kualitas Pelayanan Publik Pada Layanan Penyelesaian Perselisihan Hubungan Industrial di Dinas Tenaga Kerja Kota Bengkulu

ABSTRACT:This study aims to determine the quality of public services in the Industrial Relations Dispute Settlement service at the Bengkulu City Manpower Office. This research is a descriptive study using a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques were carried out by observation, interviews, and documentation techniques. The research informants in this study were 4 employees of the Industrial Relations Dispute Settlement Section, 2 people from the community who provided services at the Bengkulu City Manpower Office. The data analysis technique used is an interactive model. Checking the validity of the data is done by triangulation of sources and methods.The results of the study show that the implementation of public service quality in Industrial Relations Dispute Settlement services at the Bengkulu City Manpower Office is seen from the aspects of Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, Tangibles. (1) The community is satisfied with the services provided at the Industrial Relations Dispute Settlement Service Section at the Bengkulu City Manpower Office in terms of reliability, reliability in the accuracy of the service process (2) employees who are ready to help people who need special services, people who minimal information, with officers who convey information by communicating well with the community. (3) Security at the Bengkulu City Manpower Service Office has provided good service quality, by providing a sense of security to people who perform public services, and ensuring secure data storage. (4) The Bengkulu City Manpower Office provides an aspect of empathy with a pleasant impression, this can be seen from the attitude of explaining as clearly as possible regarding service procedures and applicable SOPs. (5) The tangibles aspect of the service room and waiting room is sufficient, with waiting chairs and tables, but the mediation room which is not spacious plus there is a table inside sometimes makes the room cramped when there are many people in it.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Quality, Public Service, Department of Manpower

Analisis Kepuasan Pasien BPJS Kelas III Terhadap Pelayanan Rawat Inap Di RSU Haji Medan

RSU Haji Medan is one of the hospitals in North Sumatra Province that is still experiencing problems with service quality. Health services for patients at RSU Haji Medan are still facing problems with limited consultation time with doctors, unsatisfactory drug services, inappropriate doctor visit schedules, uncomfortable wards, and nurses who are not friendly to patients. This research is a survey with a quantitative descriptive approach that aims to explain the effect of service quality on inpatient satisfaction at RSU Haji Medan. The population in this study were JKN inpatients at RSU Haji Medan, with a sample size of 50 people. Data were obtained through interviews using a questionnaire and analyzed using univariate and bivariate analysis. The results showed that the quality of service as measured through the aspects of physical evidence, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy affects the satisfaction of inpatients at RSU Haji Medan. It is suggested to RSU Haji Medan to improve the quality of service to patients by paying attention to the dimensions of service quality so as to increase patient satisfaction, The reliability dimension needs special attention because it is the most dominant aspect that influences patient satisfaction.

Thermal Properties Investigation of FeCr Alloy Using Lammps Simulation: A Preliminary Study

At present, nuclear reactor technology that is widely used because of its proven reliability is the gen-III + nuclear reactor. Even if it is seen from the aspect of safety and reliability of this generation reactor, it has been proven, but because nuclear energy plays a vital role to meet the growing world energy needs, it is necessary to have a type of nuclear reactor that is tailored to those needs.The next generation of nuclear reactors must meet the requirements of fulfilling safety requirements, be flexible, a longer operating life (more than 60 years), more economical. In order for a reactor to produce higher power, a longer operating life and more economical, reactor structure materials which are capable of being operated at high temperatures are needed. The types of materials that are expected to meet these requirements include various types of ferritic / martensite steel, austenite, alloy steel containing nickel, and metal glass materials and ceramic materials. FeCr metal alloys are alloys that form the metals mentioned above, so it is important to conduct research both in simulation and experiment. Molecular Dynamics simulation of FeCr alloys using Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) has been done to explore their thermodynamic characteristics such as heat treatment, solubility of Cr, atomic radial distribution function (RDF). The results of the simulation are illustrated using Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) code.&#x0D; Â

Community Satisfaction with the SEPEKAN System at Bappeda Service Quality Gresik Regency

Service Quality which is provided by the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of Gresik Regency. Service quality is considered a crucial element in carrying out public service functions. This research focuses on analyzing Aspects of quality of service such as reliability, responsiveness, security, empathy, and physical aspects. The research method used is a case study approach with a qualitative approach. Data was obtained through direct observation and interviews with staff and consumers on the SEPEKAN System service at Bappeda and related parties. The data is carefully analyzed to identify the extent of the current quality of service. The results of the study illustrate the general picture of the quality of services provided by Bappeda Gresik Regency including the highest level of importance, namely the X8 attribute regarding the fairness of costs/tariffs in services with a value of 3,708. The dimension of service quality that most affects community satisfaction in the SEPEKAN Bappeda System of Gresik Regency is the dimension of Responsiveness with a gap level of 0.169, which is an attribute of the speed of time in providing services. These findings have important implications for relevant parties in identifying areas of improvement and developing policies to improve the quality of public services in the future. It is hoped that this research can make a positive contribution to efforts to improve better public services in the regions.

Reliability testing of the Persian low-vision quality-of-life questionnaire based on Rasch analysis

Objective: Low-vision quality-of-life (LVQOL) questionnaire was recently translated to Persian. Its model fit and construct validity were assessed by exploratory and confirmatory analysis for adults with visual impairment, before. In this study, we aimed to test the reliability of the Persian LVQOL questionnaire based on Rasch analysis. Methods: Overall, 100 low-vision patients and 100 demographic statue-matched control subjects were participated for evaluating reliability aspects. All the participants were asked to complete the Persian LVQOL questionnaire. The low-vision group was asked to fill out the LVQOL 3 months after rehabilitation to determine how rehabilitation changed the quality of life. Rasch analyses of the survey items were conducted using WINSTEPS. Results: All items fitted the Rasch model. Point-measure correlations values varied from .13 to .70, providing a preliminary indication of adequate construct validity. All factor loadings found more than .4. infit values for all other participants were in the acceptable range. All items obtained infit and outfit MSQ values of &lt; 2.0. Patients’ abilities relative to the item difficulty were analyzed. Item difficulty was estimated and item characteristic curves were included. Sufficient unidimensionality, hierarchical order, and equal interval scaring were obtained. Conclusion: The Persian LVQOL questionnaire was reliable enough and it will be valuable in both clinical practice and research.

Applying Rasch analysis in refinement and validation of interpersonal skills measure for gifted children.

Interpersonal characteristics of gifted adolescents is important because of the potential influence on individuals' psychological health and future professional success. Understanding the interpersonal characteristics requires valid and reliable measures. This study attempted to explicitly describe the application of Rasch analysis in the validation and development process of an existing measure of interpersonal skills among gifted adolescent in Ohio. We extensively evaluated the psychometric properties of the 40-item scale measuring the interpersonal competence of adolescents among the gifted population in Ohio (N = 127) using Rasch analysis. Multiple aspects of reliability and validity were tested including dimensionality, rating scale functioning, and fit statistics. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was confirmed with an adequate fit to the Rasch model. However, the scale demonstrates relatively poor performance in terms of unidimensionality with our sample. Also, the rating scale categories were confusing given that our sample could not effectively distinguish some adjacent categories. Corresponding refinements have been made and the revised scale formed a meaningful linear progression with improved performance on unidimensionality, rating scale functioning, and fit statistics. The study provided evidence that the construct of interpersonal skills is measurable. Based upon the original Interpersonal Competence Questionnaires consists of 40 items, the author extracted and piloted a refined measure consisting of 31 items that performed a meaningful, theoretically consistent linear progression measure that could be used to measure the level of interpersonal skills of gifted children.

Quality of Population Administration Services at the Office of the Population and Civil Registry Service in Jayapura City

This study aims to determine the quality of population administration services at the Jayapura City Population and Civil Registry Service. The method used is a type of qualitative research. Data obtained from observations, interviews, documentation, and literature studies. Data analysis was carried out in the stages of presenting data, data reduction and drawing conclusions. The results of this study indicate that the quality of population administration services can be assessed from five dimensions, namely: Tangible aspect, service support facilities are adequate and satisfy the community. Aspects of Reliability, the service has been carried out properly. This is marked by the fast time for processing/making service products according to the time in the SOP, and there are no fees charged by the public or free of charge. In the responsiveness aspect, employees serve the community well by responding to questions asked by the community and providing direction and serving in a friendly and courteous manner. Assurance aspect, the Jayapura City Population and Civil Registry Service has provided guarantees for ease of service and security guarantees for people who apply for services. In the aspect of empathy, the Jayapura City Population and Civil Registry Office has provided good and satisfying service. This is achieved because the serving staff have a friendly attitude in dealing with requests, criticisms, and suggestions given by the public. As a recommendation, the Jayapura City Population and Civil Registry Service should add service support facilities or service infrastructure facilities such as the provision of generator engines to anticipate when there is a blackout. Meanwhile, to overcome the problem of frequent offline network interruptions, it is best to try by sending a letter to the head office. Promoting the official web page of the Jayapura City Population and Civil Registry Service to the public, for example by conducting socialization of web services to each district and village/urban village

Evaluating evidence for the reliability and validity of lexical diversity indices in L2 oral task responses

AbstractAlthough lexical diversity is often used as a measure of productive proficiency (e.g., as an aspect of lexical complexity) in SLA studies involving oral tasks, relatively little research has been conducted to support the reliability and/or validity of these indices in spoken contexts. Furthermore, SLA researchers commonly use indices of lexical diversity such as Root TTR (Guiraud’s index) and D (vocd-D and HD-D) that have been preliminarily shown to lack reliability in spoken L2 contexts and/or have been consistently shown to lack reliability in written L2 contexts. In this study, we empirically evaluate lexical diversity indices with respect to two aspects of reliability (text-length independence and across-task stability) and one aspect of validity (relationship with proficiency scores). The results indicated that neither Root TTR nor D is reliable across different text lengths. However, support for the reliability and validity of optimized versions of MATTR and MTLD was found.

Cycle-level traffic conflict prediction at signalized intersections with LiDAR data and Bayesian deep learning

Real-time safety prediction models are vital in proactive road safety management strategies. This study develops models to predict traffic conflicts at signalized intersections at the signal cycle level, using advanced Bayesian deep learning techniques and efficient LiDAR points. The modeling framework contains three phases, which are data preprocessing, base deep learning model development, and Bayesian deep learning model development. The core of the framework is the long short-term memory (LSTM) employed to predict the conflict frequency of a cycle by using traffic features of the previous five cycles (e.g., dynamic traffic parameters, traffic conflict frequency). Four Bayesian deep learning models were developed, including Bayesian-Standard LSTM, Bayesian-Hybrid-LSTM, Bayesian-Stacked-LSTM Encoder-Decoder, and Bayesian-Multi-head Stacked-LSTM Encoder-Decoder. The developed models were applied to traffic conflicts extracted from LiDAR points that were collected from a signalized intersection in Harbin, China with a total duration of seven days. Traffic conflicts, measured by the modified time-to-collision conflict indicator, were identified using the peak over threshold approach. The models were thoroughly evaluated from the aspects of reliability, transferability, sensitivity, and robustness. The results show that the developed four models can predict traffic conflict frequency per cycle per lane simultaneously with its uncertainty. Moreover, the two Bayesian encoder-decoder models perform better than Bayesian-Standard LSTM and Bayesian-Hybrid-LSTM in the four tests. Bayesian-Multi-head Stacked-LSTM Encoder-Decoder is suggested as the optimal model for its high reliability under uncertainty, good transferability in three scenarios, low sensitivity to different parameters, and sound robustness against small noise. The proposed framework could benefit studies on the state-of-the-art data-driven approach for real-time safety prediction.

Advancing the weight-of-evidence approach to enable chemical environmental risk assessment for decision making and achieving protection goals.

The Weight of Evidence (WoE) approach conflates the aspects of quality, reliability, relevance, and consistence of data and information to systematically strengthen the body of evidence and enables credible communication and decision making on chemical risk assessment. Between 2015 and 2019, SETAC held multiple Workshops in all the Geographical Units with scientists and managers from academia, government, and business sectors on chemical risk assessment approach. This article summarizes the learning that informs the needs concerning application of WoE, especially in the context of developing countries, to support use of existing data and test strategies for assessing chemical toxicity, exposure, and risk, and highlight the critical process for risk assessor to convey and discuss information sufficiency and uncertainty mitigation strategy with risk managers. This article complements the four IEAM series papers that provide a critical review of existing frameworks for chemical risk screening and management, and applications of WoE approach for assessing exposure in aquatic environment, prediction of fish toxicity and bioaccumulation (Moore et al., 2023, Miglino and Holmes, 2023, Belanger et al., 2023, and Arnot et al., 2023). Collectively, the article and papers exemplify the use of WoE approaches to evaluate chemicals that are data rich and/or data poor for decision making, integrating the WoE concepts and approaches into practical considerations and guidance, and helping to scale the value of WoE in supporting sound chemical risk assessment and science-based policy implementation.

Validation of the work-ability support scale in individuals seeking to return to work after severe acquired brain injury

Purpose To assess the reliability and validity of the work-ability support scale (WSS) in a severe traumatic/acquired brain injury (TBI/ABI) population seeking to return to work (RTW). Materials and methods One hundred forty-four clients were enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation (VR) intervention trial through the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program in New South Wales, Australia. Each client’s primary brain injury clinician and VR provider completed the WSS pre- and post-intervention. Validating measures assessing dysexecutive behavior, disability, participation, and work instability were completed. Several aspects of reliability and validity were evaluated. Results Internal consistency was excellent for Part A (Cronbach’s αs > 0.9) but unacceptably low to questionable for Part B (αs < 0.6). Inter-rater reliability between clinicians and VR providers was generally fair to moderate for Part A (κw < 0.6) and worse for Part B (κw < 0.5), with both slightly improving at post-intervention. Strong support was found for predictive and convergent validity, but not divergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a poor fit for Part A, whereas most Part B fit indices met criteria. Conclusions The WSS can play a useful role in assessing return to work (RTW) potential, planning and evaluation after severe TBI/ABI. Training could improve consistency of administration among staff working across health and VR service sectors.

Aspects of Quality and Reliability of Ebola Virus Disease Information on Facebook

Social media has been heavily relied upon to disseminate information about the Ebola virus disease (EVD) since its outbreak in West Africa during 2014–2015. This study was conducted to determine the types of content and the reliability and quality of information about EVD on Facebook during the period. Adopting a content analysis research design, the study used Google’s Keyword Planner and impressionistic information from experts engaged in discussion on the subject matter on Facebook. The keywords were entered into Facebook’s advanced search tool to retrieve 217 Facebook groups created in English between July 2014 and December 2014. Experts rated 72.7% of the EVD information on social media as not medically reliable while 66.7% of the Facebook groups’ information on EVD was considered irrelevant. There is a need to regulate health information sharing on social media; mass social media education is required to discipline creators of posts and users who share posts and to regulate what they do on social media.

Reliability Analysis of Safety-Critical Systems using Optimized Petri Nets

Unified modeling language (UML) has emerged as a powerful tool for designing and modeling safety-critical systems. However, UML is not useful in illustrating the dynamic behavior of a critical system. UML does not consider the important critical aspects of the reliability of a safety-critical system, such as non-liveliness, deadlock, stability, and throughput. Therefore, we propose a framework based on UML and Petri Net (PN). In this framework, UML is used to capture all the safety-critical system requirements, whereas PN is used to deliver an in-depth analysis of the reliability aspects of a safety-critical system. Since the PN model suffers from the state space explosion problem, the converted PN may have a large number of redundant states, resulting in a high amount of time required for reliability analysis. Therefore, six reduction algorithms have been derived in this framework to overcome this limitation. The proposed framework is validated with 32 safety-critical system instances of the Nuclear Power Plant on the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System.