Mathematical Proceedings of The Cambridge Philosophical Society, 1985
Gleason's theorem characterizes the totally additive measures on the closed sub-spac... more Gleason's theorem characterizes the totally additive measures on the closed sub-spaces of a separable real or complex Hilbert space of dimension greater than two. This paper presents an elementary proof of Gleason's theorem which is accessible to undergraduates having ...
Setting action levels or limits for health protection is complicated by uncertainty in the dose-r... more Setting action levels or limits for health protection is complicated by uncertainty in the dose-response relation across a range of hazards and exposures. To address this issue, we consider the classic newsboy problem. The principles used to manage uncertainty for that case are applied to two stylized exposure examples, one for high dose and high dose rate radiation and the other for ammonia. Both incorporate expert judgment on uncertainty quantification in the dose-response relationship. The mathematical technique of probabilistic inversion also plays a key role. We propose a coupled approach, whereby scientists quantify the dose-response uncertainty using techniques such as structured expert judgment with performance weights and probabilistic inversion, and stakeholders quantify associated loss rates.
A common problem in ethics is that people often desire an end but fail to take the means necessar... more A common problem in ethics is that people often desire an end but fail to take the means necessary to achieve it. Employers and employees may desire the safety end mandated by performance standards for pollution control, but they may fail to employ the means, specification standards, necessary to achieve this end. This article argues that current (de jure) performance standards, for lowering employee exposures to ionizing radiation, fail to promote de facto worker welfare, in part because employers and employees do not follow the necessary means (practices known as specification standards) to achieve the end (performance standards) of workplace safety. To support this conclusion, the article argues that (1) safety requires attention to specification, as well as performance, standards; (2) coal-mine specification standards may fail to promote performance standards; (3) nuclear workplace standards may do the same; (4) choosing appropriate means to the end of safety requires attention to the ways uncertainties and variations in exposure may mask violations of standards; and (5) correcting regulatory inattention to differences between de jure and de facto is necessary for achievement of ethical goals for safety.
... About the author Bilal M. Ayyub is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the ... more ... About the author Bilal M. Ayyub is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland (College Park) and ... He chaired the ASCE Committee on the Reliability of Offshore Structures, and currently chairs the SNAME panel on design philosophy and the ...
Mathematical Proceedings of The Cambridge Philosophical Society, 1985
Gleason's theorem characterizes the totally additive measures on the closed sub-spac... more Gleason's theorem characterizes the totally additive measures on the closed sub-spaces of a separable real or complex Hilbert space of dimension greater than two. This paper presents an elementary proof of Gleason's theorem which is accessible to undergraduates having ...
Setting action levels or limits for health protection is complicated by uncertainty in the dose-r... more Setting action levels or limits for health protection is complicated by uncertainty in the dose-response relation across a range of hazards and exposures. To address this issue, we consider the classic newsboy problem. The principles used to manage uncertainty for that case are applied to two stylized exposure examples, one for high dose and high dose rate radiation and the other for ammonia. Both incorporate expert judgment on uncertainty quantification in the dose-response relationship. The mathematical technique of probabilistic inversion also plays a key role. We propose a coupled approach, whereby scientists quantify the dose-response uncertainty using techniques such as structured expert judgment with performance weights and probabilistic inversion, and stakeholders quantify associated loss rates.
A common problem in ethics is that people often desire an end but fail to take the means necessar... more A common problem in ethics is that people often desire an end but fail to take the means necessary to achieve it. Employers and employees may desire the safety end mandated by performance standards for pollution control, but they may fail to employ the means, specification standards, necessary to achieve this end. This article argues that current (de jure) performance standards, for lowering employee exposures to ionizing radiation, fail to promote de facto worker welfare, in part because employers and employees do not follow the necessary means (practices known as specification standards) to achieve the end (performance standards) of workplace safety. To support this conclusion, the article argues that (1) safety requires attention to specification, as well as performance, standards; (2) coal-mine specification standards may fail to promote performance standards; (3) nuclear workplace standards may do the same; (4) choosing appropriate means to the end of safety requires attention to the ways uncertainties and variations in exposure may mask violations of standards; and (5) correcting regulatory inattention to differences between de jure and de facto is necessary for achievement of ethical goals for safety.
... About the author Bilal M. Ayyub is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the ... more ... About the author Bilal M. Ayyub is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland (College Park) and ... He chaired the ASCE Committee on the Reliability of Offshore Structures, and currently chairs the SNAME panel on design philosophy and the ...
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