title: Reliability-based design optimisation of structural systems using high-order analytical moments

authors: Rajan, Arvind

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Reliability-based design optimisation paradigm has become increasingly popular to achieve economical yet safer structural designs. However, within the iterative optimisation procedure, it is a challenging problem to simultaneously satisfy both, accuracy and computational efficiency of reliability analysis, particularly for nonlinear or large design problems. Addressing the shortcomings of the mainstream reliability estimation methods, this paper presents a new reliability-based design optimisation method that combines an analytical high-order moment-based uncertainty evaluation with an efficient response surface modelling. The proposed framework allows for the precise calculation of reliability through accurate high-order moments. The fast and accurate reliability estimation in combination with efficient sampling, in turn, reduces the total number of finite element analysis in achieving the final design. The proposed moment-based design optimisation methodology was tested on problems ranging from the design of a simple cantilever to a three-dimensional multistorey steel structure. It outperforms the mainstream methods with higher accuracy and lower computational burden especially when applied to a highly nonlinear numerical problem.

text: Reliability-based design optimisation of structural systems using high-order analytical moments Reliability-based design optimisation paradigm has become increasingly popular to achieve economical yet safer structural designs. However, within the iterative optimisation procedure, it is a challenging problem to simultaneously satisfy both, accuracy and computational efficiency of reliability analysis, particularly for nonlinear or large design problems. Addressing the shortcomings of the mainstream reliability estimation methods, this paper presents a new reliability-based design optimisation method that combines an analytical high-order moment-based uncertainty evaluation with an efficient response surface modelling. The proposed framework allows for the precise calculation of reliability through accurate high-order moments. The fast and accurate reliability estimation in combination with efficient sampling, in turn, reduces the total number of finite element analysis in achieving the final design. The proposed moment-based design optimisation methodology was tested on problems ranging from the design of a simple cantilever to a three-dimensional multistorey steel structure. It outperforms the mainstream methods with higher accuracy and lower computational burden especially when applied to a highly nonlinear numerical problem.

year: 2020

title: William Godwin’s religious sense

authors: Weston, Rowland

subjects: Godwin

abstract: The anarchist philosopher, novelist and historian William Godwin (1756-1836) began life in a devout Dissenting or nonconformist family. As a young man he trained for the ministry, before losing his faith and turning atheist in 1792. Over the subsequent years of his long life Godwin continued to ponder the moral value of religious belief in general and of Christianity in particular. In his later religious writings Godwin insists that myth, superstition and religious belief are not intrinsically defective but are problematic only to the extent to which they undermine personal integrity and social solidarity.

text: William Godwin’s religious sense The anarchist philosopher, novelist and historian William Godwin (1756-1836) began life in a devout Dissenting or nonconformist family. As a young man he trained for the ministry, before losing his faith and turning atheist in 1792. Over the subsequent years of his long life Godwin continued to ponder the moral value of religious belief in general and of Christianity in particular. In his later religious writings Godwin insists that myth, superstition and religious belief are not intrinsically defective but are problematic only to the extent to which they undermine personal integrity and social solidarity.

year: 2009

title: Evaluation of treatment responsivity in a psychopathic prison treatment sample

authors: Champion, Michelle Elizabeth

subjects: psychopathy

abstract: Although punishment still dominates the criminal justice system, the progression of research on offending and imprisonment has led to a general consensus that rehabilitation programmes are the appropriate method to effectively reduce both recidivism and prison populations. Hence, many effective offender treatment programmes have been developed. This thesis evaluated phase one of a 10 month pilot treatment programme which used the theories and principles of effective programming to develop an effective programme for male high risk violent offenders assessed with elevated psychopathic personality (High Risk Personality Programme; HRPP), a population of offenders that is often regarded as treatment resistant. Specifically, phase one of the HRPP was designed to address the participants’ responsivity barriers (namely, antisocial interpersonal style) in order to increase self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance, treatability, and readiness, and to reduce perceived coercion in order to aid engagement and success in treatment. A sample of 11 male HRPP inmates had data collected before and after their 17-week first phase of the 10 month three-phase programme. Treatment contact comprised four sessions per week, including three group sessions of 2.5 hours, and 1 individual session of one hour, as well as a two-hour group cultural session that focused on Maori cultural identity (10 of the 11 men were Maori). The battery of tests employed included the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; the responsivity and readiness scales of the Treatment Readiness Responsivity and Gain Scale; the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, the Paulhus Deception Scale, and the therapist and client versions of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Form, the Perceived Coercion Scale, and an evaluation questionnaire. Demographic data was also collected. The results indicated that the majority of the participants came to the intervention ready or motivated to change. Perceived coercion remained low throughout the programme, representing the participant’s voluntary status. On average participants’ levels of self-efficacy and treatability (except callousness) improved significantly over the course of the treatment. Differing levels of improvement were found for the client and therapist perspective of the therapeutic alliance, indicating they interpreted the alliance differently. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores showed a decrease in coercion, compared to an increase by their counterparts with low PCL-R factor one scores. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores also had higher overall scores on the CVTRQ readiness measure, and the participant’s perspective of the therapeutic alliance. Individually, six of the treatment participants made significant improvements on at least five of the seven responsivity measures. These findings and their implications for treatment of psychopathic offenders are discussed, along with the relevance of the study’s responsivity measures, the strengths and limitations of the research project, and future research in this area.

text: Evaluation of treatment responsivity in a psychopathic prison treatment sample Although punishment still dominates the criminal justice system, the progression of research on offending and imprisonment has led to a general consensus that rehabilitation programmes are the appropriate method to effectively reduce both recidivism and prison populations. Hence, many effective offender treatment programmes have been developed. This thesis evaluated phase one of a 10 month pilot treatment programme which used the theories and principles of effective programming to develop an effective programme for male high risk violent offenders assessed with elevated psychopathic personality (High Risk Personality Programme; HRPP), a population of offenders that is often regarded as treatment resistant. Specifically, phase one of the HRPP was designed to address the participants’ responsivity barriers (namely, antisocial interpersonal style) in order to increase self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance, treatability, and readiness, and to reduce perceived coercion in order to aid engagement and success in treatment. A sample of 11 male HRPP inmates had data collected before and after their 17-week first phase of the 10 month three-phase programme. Treatment contact comprised four sessions per week, including three group sessions of 2.5 hours, and 1 individual session of one hour, as well as a two-hour group cultural session that focused on Maori cultural identity (10 of the 11 men were Maori). The battery of tests employed included the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; the responsivity and readiness scales of the Treatment Readiness Responsivity and Gain Scale; the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, the Paulhus Deception Scale, and the therapist and client versions of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Form, the Perceived Coercion Scale, and an evaluation questionnaire. Demographic data was also collected. The results indicated that the majority of the participants came to the intervention ready or motivated to change. Perceived coercion remained low throughout the programme, representing the participant’s voluntary status. On average participants’ levels of self-efficacy and treatability (except callousness) improved significantly over the course of the treatment. Differing levels of improvement were found for the client and therapist perspective of the therapeutic alliance, indicating they interpreted the alliance differently. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores showed a decrease in coercion, compared to an increase by their counterparts with low PCL-R factor one scores. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores also had higher overall scores on the CVTRQ readiness measure, and the participant’s perspective of the therapeutic alliance. Individually, six of the treatment participants made significant improvements on at least five of the seven responsivity measures. These findings and their implications for treatment of psychopathic offenders are discussed, along with the relevance of the study’s responsivity measures, the strengths and limitations of the research project, and future research in this area.

year: 2010