ITC/USA 2011 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Seventh Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2011 / Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada / At ITC 2009, we described the real-world complications of fielding an airborne Synthetic beamforming Telemetry System, which simultaneously supports 20 individual beams (10 at each of 2 polarizations). We described how our layered Open-Source software approach helped us to modify the system rapidly after delivery without disrupting mission operations. Since then, we have further extended the software toolset that we developed to dissect the System behavior via post-mission replay and analysis, and to compare high-resolution in-flight measurements with our detailed physics simulations. This analysis has shown that the most significant factor affecting operational performance of the System was variation in the relative phase of the elements from day to day. These variations were traced to a variety of hardware issues, none of which could be resolved without major cost and effort. As an alternative approach, we developed a dynamic auto-tuning capability that optimizes the phase calibration of the System using each actual signal source as it is being tracked. This results in improved signal-to-noise performance while reducing the need for dedicated in-air calibration flights that we had previously created. We believe that the flexibility of digital beamforming, allied with a modular and easily-extensible software architecture, have again proven capable of quickly and cheaply mitigating real-world operational issues, without (so far) requiring any hardware modification of the delivered System.

Mergers are the combining of two or more firms to create synergies. These synergies may come from various sources such as operational synergies come from economies of scale or financial synergies come from increased value of securities of the firm. There are vast amount of studies analysing operational synergies of mergers. This study analyses the financial ones. This way the dynamics of purely financial synergies can be revealed. Purely financial synergies can be transformed into financial instruments such as securitization. While analysing financial synergies the puzzle of distribution of financial synergies between claimholders is investigated. Previous literature on mergers showed that bondholders may gain more than existing shareholders of the merging firms. This may become rather controversial. A merger may be synergistic but it does not necessarily mean that shareholders' wealth will increase. Managers and/or shareholders are the parties making the merger decision. If managers are acting to the best interest of shareholders then they would try to increase shareholders' wealth. To solve this problem first the dynamics of mergers were analysed and then new strategies developed and demonstrated to transfer the financial synergies to the shareholders.

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風險管理為辨識、衡量、監控、及控制風險的過程，本研究除了對於這四項作業風險管理的核心內容予以逐項探討外，另分析近年來國內外作業風險個案發生的原因，介紹巴塞爾銀行監理委員會與先進國家的作業風險監理指南，及作業風險管理實務調查報告並進行分析。 作業風險的特徵為分布範圍很廣、類型多樣化、難以預測、且可能造成銀行重大損失。國內外曾發生的作業風險個案顯示，作業風險的重要性不亞於市場及信用風險，銀行應積極強化作業風險管理，透過落實公司治理與內部控制的執行，將有助於降低作業風險，建立作業風險損失資料庫將是量化作業風險所不可或缺的。國際的作業風險管理趨勢顯示，雖然目前各國對於作業風險的管理已有進展，但仍不及其他領域的風險管理成熟。銀行應建立作業風險管理架構，成立專責部門負責作業風險管理，量化作業風險為目前國外大型銀行的趨勢，惟尚未出現一些標準的模型；結合使用質化與量化風險評估工具可達較佳的管理效果，高階管理人員積極參與及支持作業風險管理活動，經由調整銀行風險文化及創造適當的誘因以執行風險控制策略，則為有效管理作業風險的關鍵。 在作業風險的管理策略方面，對於無法控制或部分可控的風險，實務上可採行保險、委外、透過資本市場等方式來移轉風險，或是以緊急應變及持續營運計畫來降低作業風險所帶來的衝擊。先進國家的監理機關及銀行，無論在作業風險管理上的經驗、方法、及技術，均明顯較我國進步。由於各國的經濟金融情況不同，不同銀行間也有明顯的差異，在參考先進國家的做法時，監理機關及銀行仍應根據我國的實際情況加以調整，重點在於銀行應在成本—效益的考量下，視金融機構的營運規模、業務性質、及風險概況發展適合本身的作業風險管理制度。 / Risk management is a process of indentify, assess, monitor and control/mitigate of risks. The study discuss these four core elements in operational risk management. Analysing the reason of operational risk management failure by introducing the loss events in which domestic and overseas financial institutions. Besides, in order to assist financial institutions in understanding the international trends in reinforcing operational risk management. The study introduce the papers of survey of industry practice in the management operational risk and the supervision guideline for operational risk management in the USA, the UK, Japan, and Hong Kong. Operational risks is everywhere in the business environment. As such, they will vary significantly from organization to organization. The most important types of operational risk involve breakdowns in internal controls and corporate governance. The loss event database is the most helpful tool. In general, qualitative assessment is simpler but no use for capital allocation. The best results have been obtained in applying both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Operational risk management must have the support and involvement of senior managers. They can send the message that operational risks are important, that they deserve attention, and management will allocate resources accordingly. In addition, a separate head office operational risk function has emerged, responsible for developing the operational risk management framework, consolidating information, consulting with the business units, and monitoring the enterprise-wide effectiveness of operational risk management. The risk management strategies execute to uncontrollable or part of controllable risks, except use risk capital to retain some amount of risk, some way for transferring risk involve hedging, insurance, outsouring, use financial derivatives to offset losses. Contingency planning aims to prevent a business disaster from occurring when a very rare event strikes the institution. It should be noted that risk profiles vary among financial institutions, indicating that the most effective method of risk management also may differ among institutions. Financial institution should endeavor to develop operational risk management system after considering its cost-benefit according to their own scale, nature, and risk profile.

The thesis covers studies conducted during 1976-79 under a Science Research Council contract to examine the uses of reliability information in decision-making in maintenance in the process industries. After a discussion of the ideal data system, four practical studies of process plants are described involving both Pareto and distribution analysis. In two of these studies the maintenance policy was changed and the effect on failure modes and frequency observed. Hyper-exponentially distributed failure intervals were found to be common and were explained after observation of maintenance work practices and development of theory as being due to poor workmanship and parts. The fallacy that constant failure rate necessarily implies the optimality of maintenance only at failure is discussed. Two models for the optimisation of inspection intervals are developed; both assume items give detectable warning of impending failure. The first is based upon constant risk of failure between successive inspections 'and Weibull base failure distribution~ Results show that an inspection/on-condition maintenance regime can be cost effective even when the failure rate is falling and may be better than periodiC renewals for an increasing failure situation. The second model is first-order Markov. Transition rate matrices are developed and solved to compare continuous monitoring with inspections/on-condition maintenance an a cost basis. The models incorporate planning delay in starting maintenance after impending failure is detected. The relationships between plant output and maintenance policy as affected by the presence of redundancy and/or storage between stages are examined, mainly through the literature but with some original theoretical proposals. It is concluded that reliability techniques have many applications in the improvement of plant maintenance policy. Techniques abound, but few firms are willing to take the step of faith to set up, even temporarily, the data-collection facilities required to apply them. There are over 350 references, many of which are reviewed in the text, divided into chapter-related sectionso Appendices include a review of Reliability Engineering Theory, based on the author's draft for BS 5760(2) a discussion of the 'bath-tub curves' applicability to maintained systems and the theory connecting hyper-exponentially distributed failures with poor maintenance practices.

Investors, stock exchanges and financial regulatory institutions can be used as strong levers for making firms accountable for achieving sustainable operational performance and not just maximizing profits. The objective of this research study is to enhance the quantitative tools available to stakeholders for evaluating relative operational performance of firms, thereby encouraging the financial investors to base their portfolio investment decisions on the basis of sustainable operational performance of firms. The study reviews the existing literature on evaluating relative operational performance of firms on sustainability metrics and proposes multi-level multi criteria decision making (MCDM) quantitative methods for measuring the same. The research work demonstrates the research framework proposed in the study by evaluating the 2014 Sustainable Operational Performance of firms in the oil & gas sector. The reason for choosing the oil & gas sector for this case study is in view of the relative large ecological and social impact which this industry has on different stakeholders. Due to the same reasons, the oil & gas sector is a bit more advanced in terms of its sustainability performance reporting standards. The review of past literature and the sustainability reports of firms for the year 2014 is initially used to develop the construct for measuring the firm operational performance on three pillars of TBL i.e. for the ecological, social and economic dimensions. / February 2017

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis establishes an analytical framework for identifying and discussing strategic factors considered important when implementing NCW as a new warfighting concept for the information age. Although the findings have a broad application, focus has been on a Norwegian NCW implementation. A key question is if the emerging NCW concept is a feasible defense alternative for smaller nations. Central to the study are factors found in the strategic environment, such as Norway's strategic freedom of maneuver, affiliation with NATO, the impact of national interests, economic and technological assumptions, and the cultural premises that underlie the power of information. The changing features in the nature of conflict and in future potential opponents will also influence NCW mission challenges, opportunities and constraints. A particularly important mission challenge is the neglected military view of low-intensity conflicts as "worthy" military missions as well as the sociological impact on networked actors and opponents, as conditioned by new trends in the information age. A key finding is that NCW, which also takes into consideration the impact of other strategic factors discussed in this thesis, has the potential to rise to the many challenges and achieve many of the objectives currently "floating" in existing military transformation strategies. / Commander, Royal Norwegian Navy

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / The purpose of this thesis is to explore the effect of increased operational tempo on the retention behavior of Navy Hospital Corpsmen in pay grades E1-E6. Two data files were obtained from the Defense Manpower Data Center, one for first term personnel on active duty on September 1, 1998 who were eligible to reenlist/separate prior to September 11, 2001 and another for those on active duty on September 11, 2001 who were eligible to reenlist/separate prior to March 2004. The two groups differed significantly in demographics and military background characteristics. A logistic regression model incorporating individual and organizational factors affecting retention was estimated for each group. Model results indicate that personnel who have been deployed regardless of whether they were assigned to sea or shore type duty and regardless of the frequency of deployments are more likely to remain on active duty than those assigned to shore type duty and who have not deployed. Additionally, willingness to serve appears to intensify during periods of conflict. Women were significantly more likely to reenlist than men in 2001; this was not the case in 1998. The effects of occupational specialty also differed between the two periods. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

La mer est un moyen important de transport et du commerce international surtout le transport des produits pétroliers.Mais le transport maritime surtout le transport des hydrocarbures ne peut pas se concevoir sans l'intervention de risques de pollution pétrolière.Certaines zones comme la mer méditerranée sont exposées au trafic maritime très dense qui menace leurs écosystèmes. La mer méditerranée est une route importante pour le transport maritime et elle est un espace de transite.Mais le trafic maritime est une des principales causes de pollutions pétrolières de la mer méditerranée.Cette pollution des navires pourra être de deux types. Il pourra s'agir d'une pollution accidentelle ou d'une pollution opérationnelle.Heureusement la communauté internationale a adopté des règles juridiques pour la répression et la prévention contre la pollution pétrolière provenant des navires. Du fait de sa spécificité, la Méditerranée bénéficiera d'une règlementation particulière.Mais malheureusement il existe actuellement une hétérogénéité entre les pays Méditerranéens dans la mise en œuvre des normes internationales et régionales pertinentes. Cette hétérogénéité est attribuée à deux raisons :- Le régime international et régional contient des lacunes juridiques qui réduisent de son efficacité ;- La géopolitique de la mer méditerranée qui se traduit par l'inégalité économique et technologique entre les pays du Nord riches et les pays du Sud pauvres. / The sea is an important means of international trade and transportation especially the transportation of petroleum products.in fact, the maritime transport of hydrocarbons may in many cases lead to the risk of oil pollution.Some areas like the Mediterranean Sea are exposed to traffic that threatens their very dense ecosystems. The Mediterranean is an important route for shipping and it is a place of transit.But shipping is a major cause of oil pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. This pollution may be of two types. It may be a incident pollution or operational pollution.Fortunately, the international community adopted legal rules for preventing oil pollution from ships. Because of its specificity, the Mediterranean will enjoy a special regulation.But unfortunately there is a current heterogeneity among Mediterranean countries concerning the implementation of relevant international and regional standards. This heterogeneity is attributed to two main reasons:First, the plan may contain regional and international legal shortcomings that reduce its effectiveness.Second, the Geopolitics of the Mediterranean Sea that lead to technological and economic inequality between the rich northern countries and poor southern countries.