The motivation for this thesis work is the need for improving reliability of equipment and quality of service to railway passengers as well as a requirement for cost-effective and efficient condition maintenance management for rail transportation. This thesis work develops a fusion of various machine vision analysis methods to achieve high performance in automation of wooden rail track inspection.The condition monitoring in rail transport is done manually by a human operator where people rely on inference systems and assumptions to develop conclusions. The use of conditional monitoring allows maintenance to be scheduled, or other actions to be taken to avoid the consequences of failure, before the failure occurs. Manual or automated condition monitoring of materials in fields of public transportation like railway, aerial navigation, traffic safety, etc, where safety is of prior importance needs non-destructive testing (NDT).In general, wooden railway sleeper inspection is done manually by a human operator, by moving along the rail sleeper and gathering information by visual and sound analysis for examining the presence of cracks. Human inspectors working on lines visually inspect wooden rails to judge the quality of rail sleeper. In this project work the machine vision system is developed based on the manual visual analysis system, which uses digital cameras and image processing software to perform similar manual inspections. As the manual inspection requires much effort and is expected to be error prone sometimes and also appears difficult to discriminate even for a human operator by the frequent changes in inspected material. The machine vision system developed classifies the condition of material by examining individual pixels of images, processing them and attempting to develop conclusions with the assistance of knowledge bases and features.A pattern recognition approach is developed based on the methodological knowledge from manual procedure. The pattern recognition approach for this thesis work was developed and achieved by a non destructive testing method to identify the flaws in manually done condition monitoring of sleepers.In this method, a test vehicle is designed to capture sleeper images similar to visual inspection by human operator and the raw data for pattern recognition approach is provided from the captured images of the wooden sleepers. The data from the NDT method were further processed and appropriate features were extracted.The collection of data by the NDT method is to achieve high accuracy in reliable classification results. A key idea is to use the non supervised classifier based on the features extracted from the method to discriminate the condition of wooden sleepers in to either good or bad. Self organising map is used as classifier for the wooden sleeper classification.In order to achieve greater integration, the data collected by the machine vision system was made to interface with one another by a strategy called fusion. Data fusion was looked in at two different levels namely sensor-level fusion, feature- level fusion. As the goal was to reduce the accuracy of the human error on the rail sleeper classification as good or bad the results obtained by the feature-level fusion compared to that of the results of actual classification were satisfactory.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meats have garnered considerable attention in Canada over the past decade as a result of foodborne outbreaks and product recalls that continue to transpire. A number of factors suggest that ready-to-eat meats and Listeria monocytogenes are a wicked problem. They include (among others) the number of stakeholders involved in the processing, distribution and inspection of ready-to-eat meats in Ontario, the ubiquitous and hardy nature of the organism and the challenges associated with eliminating it from ready-to-eat meat products and processing environments. Since Ontario public health units play an integral part in the inspection of ready-to-eat meats in the province, it is important to determine their current role in the wicked problem in order to identify possible solutions for change. Purpose: The purposes of the study were: (1) to determine how Ontario public health units address the wicked problem of Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meats in their food safety inspection programs using the provincial regulatory framework in addition to the use of research, knowledge translation and innovation; and (2) to develop a theory that identifies gaps (if any) in public health unit inspection practices, provincial legislation or food safety research that serves to generate recommendations to reduce incidence of listeriosis resulting from consumption of RTE meat products. Methodology: The research design used the principles of grounded theory to lead the interview and survey methodology and subsequent data analyses. The study was completed in three phases. Interviews were conducted in the first 2 phases of the study while a survey was conducted in the last phase. Interviews were conducted with public health unit ‘food safety leads’ that met pre-determined eligibility criteria. Following methods used in previous studies,interview data were analyzed in 4 stages of theory development using a grounded theory approach. Through substantive coding and constant comparative methods, core categories were identified in each of the study phases. As a result, theoretical saturation was reached leading to the process of theoretical coding and the emergence of the study theory. Results: In total, 27 public health units of 36 participated in the study. Eleven public health units participated in the first 2 phases of the interviews while 25 public health units (for a total of 45 participants) participated in the survey. The study core category, 'reactive and regulatory practice' evolved from the results of the interviews and survey. As a result, it was determined that: (1) the Ontario provincial regulatory framework including the Food Premises Regulation is almost exclusively responsible for directing food safety inspection practices in food premises; (2) food safety inspection and investigation activities associated with listeriosis outbreaks are the focus of Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meat research; and (3) innovation and knowledge translation are not currently influenced by inspection practice as a result of the food safety framework which does not require or encourage it. Using the processes of theoretical integration and theoretical coding, the following theory emerged from the data analyses; Ontario public health units manage ready-to-eat meats and Listeria monocytogenes through general population and reactive regulatory processes that focus on local-level, end-product, hazard reduction strategies for established risks in inspected food premises. Strengths and Limitations: The study had several strengths including being the first of its kind to associate ready-to-eat meats and Listeria monocytogenes as a part of a wicked problem. It was also the first study to use grounded theory to illuminate the function and role of Ontario public health units in managing Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meats. There are a number of limitations to the study including the study sample size, participant inclusion process through provincial public health unit senior management, the generalizability of study results, and method of interviews conducted with participants. Implications: The results of the study have implications for public health researchers and policy/regulatory makers in the province of Ontario. It stresses improved management of Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meats in food premises using a proactive approach. Conclusions: Using a grounded theory approach, this study demonstrated that Ontario public health units manage ready-to-eat meats and Listeria monocytogenes through reactive and regulatory food safety inspection practices. Survey and interview results indicate that study participants aspire for evidence-based regulatory and program amendments that will allow for proactive and targeted microbial risk-reduction activities at the local level that focus on vulnerable populations. The study substantiates that amendments to the Ontario Food Safety program and in particular, the Food Premises Regulation are necessary.

Performance-Based (PBE) and Consequence-Based (CBE) are new approaches to seismic design, evaluation and risk assessment, in which design criteria are devised to achieve stated performance objectives, and regional losses to civil infrastructure are mitigated through selective interventions for critical components of a civil infrastructure. These new approaches give engineers more flexibility in achieving performance goals but require substantial additional computational resources to fully achieve performance goals. As a step toward making such approaches feasible, this dissertation develops a number of computationally efficient methods for performing finite element-based structural system dynamic response analysis and reliability assessment. The Enhanced Uncoupled Modal Response History Analysis (EUMRHA) procedure developed herein is an efficient response analysis procedure to make the analysis of dynamic structural response to earthquakes in the nonlinear range less time-consuming. This technique is used to investigate the potential for aftershocks to cause additional damage to steel moment frame buildings, utilizing a technique designed to enhance the efficiency of Monte Carlo simulation in estimating low-probability events. Relatively simple probabilistic tools are proposed for purposes of rapid structural evaluation and condition assessment of damaged buildings. Finally, an analysis-based inspection scheme based on an associated probability model of connection damage is proposed for assessing the safety condition of existing buildings, and a procedure to assess the likely performance of an un-repaired building during a future earthquake is developed.

ABSTRACT Redirecting the inspection plan to place emphasis on high risk equipment items is not the only objective when implementing Risk Base Inspection (RBI). Rather it would be much more fruitful if company staff were educated to be equipped with the capability of identifying potential risks and were willing to actually put into real practice in eliminating all these potential threats to an enterprise. Since its release, the API-580 technology has seen growing acceptance and becomes a popular methodology in maintaining the mechanical integrity of pressure equipment and piping. In addition to U.S.A, many other country including European nations and Japan have also assimilated the same risk concepts into regulations that require plant operators to aim for practical performance of equipment management, not at the extent of obligations required by the government. Such a risk-based concept is not just incorporated in regulations, when utilized in close conjunction with plant maintenance and inspection, becomes a powerful tool in helping determine optimal inspection intervals of pressure equipment. In order for the equipment management system to perform effectively, fundamental tasks such as failure mechanisms identification and effectiveness of inspection methods are keys to a successful RBI program. Some might question Risk Base Inspection (RBI) to be a conservative, less aggressive approach that rather than opting for more aggressive managerial methods, it recommends to focus on the whole life cycle of plant equipment. Keywords: API-581¡BRBI¡Bbusiness risk¡Bbusiness administration¡Bquantitative analysis¡Bconsequence analysis¡Brisk base inspection

Today&rsquo / s competitive environments and heightened expectation of customers make it necessary to improve quality of products and processes continuously. Therefore, quality improvement is a major concern for companies. Determining improvement priorities for not only long but also short term bottom line results is a key problem in quality improvement management. In this thesis a practical decision matrix based method is developed for selecting quality improvement projects by considering throughput and quality loss in manufacturing environments with inspection error and rework. Performance of the proposed method under different experimental conditions is analyzed and results are discussed.

Aligning and fixing the fiber and laser device is an important work in butterfly laser module packaging. Assembling these two component by laser welding is to achieve reliable and stable weld joint. However, during the welding process, rapid solidification of the welded region and the associated material shrinkage causes the fiber position moved. The relative movement between fiber and laser is called post-weld-shift(PWS). A few micrometers PWS makes coupled power lost. Therefore, minimizing the PWS between fiber and laser is a key research topic in butterfly laser module packaging. We can correct the PWS minimal by fiber shift inspect. But it has a difficult of space limit in butterfly laser module packaging. In this study, a video camera with image acquisition system was used to measure the PWS. We also used a mirror image to solve the problem of space limited. The PWS inspection result has matched our simulation. This method can successfully inspect the PWS in butterfly laser module.

PM10 and ozone are the dominant air pollutants in the Urban Kaohsiung. Ozone is a secondary pollutant generated in the troposphere from the precursors nitrogen dioxide and non-methane hydrocarbons. The trends of ozone concentrations first statistically are summarized utilizing the monitoring data during the period 1998¡Ð2007. All data are collected from four fixed-site air quality monitoring stations in Kaohsiung City. The results show that ozone concentration in Kaohsiung has one perennial peak concentration, occurring in October and March. The highest values occur in October and the secondary high value in March. The lowest values occur in the summer. The monitor data possess timeliness of data and the non-linear dynamic tendency. Artificial Neural Network ¡]ANN¡^, a system recognition, self-study function and ability of the solution to non-linearity dynamic system problem, was used as a tool to analyze these monitor data. This work utilizing neural networks develops a model to predict the trend of ozone situations in the Urban Kaohsiung. The network was trained using meteorological factor and air quality data when the ozone concentrations are the highest. The optimum set value of five parameters including date partition, hidden layer neurons, training function, leraning rate , and momentum coefficient were obtained based on trial and error methods. The simulated results of ozone concentration have a correlation coefficient within the range 0.865¡Ð0.899 and IOA within the range 0.927¡Ð0.934. The trend results of ozone concentration reflect strong relationships in all stations. The results of this study indicate that the artificial neural network (ANN) is a promising method for air pollution modeling.

Despite an extensive system of Port state controls (PSC) on ships, inspection loopholes in European control functions have been reported. Furthermore, risk factors associated with fatigue, stress and a poorly developed safety culture on board ships have been identified in earlier research. These combined risk factors may pose a serious threat to maritime safety. With this as a point of departure, this thesis aims to investigate the perceived work situation for Swedish inspectors from an inspector’s point of view concerning professional challenges, status and identity for inspectors and the perceived quality of Paris MoU inspection system and the Swedish inspection organization. In this study, the activities of Swedish PSC inspectors are viewed as a profession and the inspectors are viewed as bureaucrats. One of the principals for bureaucracy is that its servants should exercise their authority according to the common good, be autonomous, rational, reliable and responsible. The results indicate that organizational and management reforms have put the PSC bureaucrat under pressure to become more market oriented. Due to the responsibilities inherent in the profession of inspector within the complex structure of shipping, these organizational and management reforms conflict with the PSC inspector’s autonomy and professional role. Inspectors perceive that their expertise and integrity are vital for the success of their work. They also consider the high degree of control that the Swedish inspection organization exercises on the inspectors’ work as limiting to their autonomy and ability to make professional decisions. Some level of control may fulfil a need of support from the Swedish inspection organization, but too much control hampers the professional self-sufficiency and freedom of action. The inspectors in this study reveal considerable ambivalence towards the quality and complexity of ship safety inspections carried out in Sweden and within the Paris MoU system. / <p>The research has been funded by, the Swedish Mercantile Marine Foundation.</p>

Thesis (DTech. degree in Environmental Health)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2011. / The South African game farming industry has become a world leader in the utilization of game, including the meat of game animals. The fast growth in the game meat industry is fuelled by health conscious consumers for meat with a low fat content. Although research on the production potential of African ungulates has been done, little has been done on the factors in the supply chain that affect the provision of safe game meat to the consumer. A literature review of the study field was completed to obtain an understanding of the value chain. In order to obtain information regarding the status of existing policies, strategies and practices that may impact on game meat safety, questionnaires were distributed to game farmers, hunters, butcheries, provincial offices of Veterinary Public Health (VPH) and Environmental Health (EH) as well as municipalities. Interviews were also conducted with those members of national departments who are responsible for policy making. The results represent the first systematic analysis of the current status of the South African legal framework and its application in relation to game meat safety as well as the practices by stakeholders that impact on the provision of safe game meat to the consumer. The results provide information on the current status of game meat control in South Africa, a description of the game meat supply chain and essential food safety management points in the supply chain; game farmer, hunter and butchery practices; and the knowledge of stakeholders in the game meat industry. 220 The main conclusions drawn from the study were as follows: (1) that the game meat industry is growing in South Africa; (2) that game meat reaches the consumers through a complex supply chain with various stakeholders; (3) that gaps exist in the supply chain that may impact negatively on the supply of safe game meat to the consumer. These gaps apply in particular on the farm, during hunting and control after the farm gate; (4) that there is an inconsistent application of policies and regulations by controlling authorities that leads to fragmentation in the control of game meat safety; and (5) that there is a certain degree of unfamiliarity on the part of stakeholders with regard to the game meat supply chain. A theoretical model was suggested that can be used in the development of strategies and policies that will help to alleviate the identified concerns and problems that may impact negatively on the provision of safe game meat to the consumer.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management