Systems management strategies for increasing alfalfa use in warm-humid regions

Alfalfa use(Medicago sativa L.;“lucerne”)in warm,humid regions of the world represents a potential area of expansion for the alfalfa industry.The objective of this review paper is to demonstrate how alfalfa forage breeding and systems research efforts have identified opportunities for increasing alfalfa contributions in these regions,along with potential pathways for seed industry and farming operations to increase adoption.Our review draws primarily on reports from the Southeast United States and Argentina.Significant technological advancements in plant screening and selection have identified alfalfa plant populations that are more adapted to the growing conditions experienced in these regions,which are often characterized by mild temperature,long growing seasons,and multiple other abiotic and biotic stressors.Management systems research conducted in the United States and Argentina has demonstrated the use of alfalfa for conserved forage,grazing,or dual-purpose use in monoculture or mixtures with warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass(Cynodon spp.).These trials report increased forage production,nutritive value,and ecosystem services of alfalfa–grass mixtures when compared with traditionally N-fertilized warmseason grass-based systems.Grazing-based alfalfa systems in Argentina have demonstrated methods for utilizing alfalfa as part of beef,dairy,and finishing systems.Some approaches for expanding alfalfa production in the region include targeted marketing efforts for adapted varieties and demonstrating alfalfa applications within existing farming frameworks.This includes educational programming efforts and on-farm demonstrations to promote alfalfa use as a component of the livestock diets,integration into grass-based systems,crop rotations,and wildlife use.Continued emphasis on a systems approach to alfalfa inclusion represents an opportunity for improved forage and livestock production in warm,humid regions of the world.

AI-Driven Learning Management Systems:Modern Developments, Challenges and Future Trends during theAge of ChatGPT

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions limited all social activities to curtail the spread of the virus.The foremost and most prime sector among those affected were schools,colleges,and universities.The education system of entire nations had shifted to online education during this time.Many shortcomings of Learning Management Systems(LMSs)were detected to support education in an online mode that spawned the research in Artificial Intelligence(AI)based tools that are being developed by the research community to improve the effectiveness of LMSs.This paper presents a detailed survey of the different enhancements to LMSs,which are led by key advances in the area of AI to enhance the real-time and non-real-time user experience.The AI-based enhancements proposed to the LMSs start from the Application layer and Presentation layer in the form of flipped classroom models for the efficient learning environment and appropriately designed UI/UX for efficient utilization of LMS utilities and resources,including AI-based chatbots.Session layer enhancements are also required,such as AI-based online proctoring and user authentication using Biometrics.These extend to the Transport layer to support real-time and rate adaptive encrypted video transmission for user security/privacy and satisfactory working of AI-algorithms.It also needs the support of the Networking layer for IP-based geolocation features,the Virtual Private Network(VPN)feature,and the support of Software-Defined Networks(SDN)for optimum Quality of Service(QoS).Finally,in addition to these,non-real-time user experience is enhanced by other AI-based enhancements such as Plagiarism detection algorithms and Data Analytics.

Towards Automated Assessment of Learning Management Systems in Higher Education Institutions in Zambia

Zambia like any other country in most African regions is still grappling with the dynamics of harnessing technology for the betterment of Higher Education. The onset of the Covid 19 pandemic brought a test for the preparedness of the Zambian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in harnessing technology for pedagogical activities. As countries worldwide switched to electronic learning during the pandemic, the same could not be said for Zambian HEIs. Zambian HEIs struggled to conduct pedagogical activities on learning management platforms. This study investigated the factors affecting the implementation and assessment of learning Management systems in Zambia’s HEIs. With its focus on assessing: 1) system features, 2) compliance with regulatory standards, 3) quality of service and 4) technology acceptance as the four key assessment areas of an LMS, this article proposed a model for assessing learning management systems in Zambian HEIs. To test the proposed model, a software tool was also developed.

Multimedia Engineering Database Management Systems

In the Engine CAD application system engineering database management system (ECAD-EDBMS) is the kernel. ECAD-EDBMS can manage and process the multimedia such as graphics, data, text, sound, image and video. It provides the integrated environment and more functions for many subsystems of ECAD and engine designers. So it improves the design efficiency.

Deterioration of Water Ballast Tank Coating Systems by Active Substances in Ballast Water Management Systems

Sodium hypochlorite and ozone are the principal active substances and usually employed in ballast water management systems. In the present study, the authors focus on the effect of these active substances to the maaix polymer of coating. In order to obtain such information, the authors investigated the penetration of active substances to the polymer from cross section of specimens introduced by SAICAS （surface and interracial cutting analysis system）, followed by FT-IR-ATR （Fourier transform infrared and attenuated total reflectance） spectroscopy analysis from Z direction of cross section. The corrosion test of coating panels by these active substances （control as artificial seawater） has been conducted for 120 days. The results show that the depth profile of each active substance is around few dozens of micrometers from coating surface. The criteria of corrosion test cannot be determined by these results due to lacking in actual corrosion data immersed for 15 years under active substances. However, the authors evaluated the effect on ballast tank coating systems by active substances using analytical methods of SAICAS and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy.

Vehicle Operating, Accident and User Time Costs in Pavement Management Systems： Approach for Portuguese Conditions

This paper presents a description and analysis of the most important models to predict each of the Road User Costs components （Vehicle Operating Costs, Accident Costs and Value of Time） and proposes a model for estimating RUC components suitable for the Portuguese road network. These results are part of a research which aimed to obtain a Road User Cost Model to be used as a tool in road management systems. This model is different from other models by the fact that it includes a simple formulation that allows calibration and calculation of cost parameters, for any year, in a simple and fast way, providing trustworthy results. The required data is already available in Portuguese institutions, allowing periodic revision of cost parameters to insure accuracy.

Benchmarking ESSQ Management Systems

This study addresses current status of ESSQ management and integration in steel production organisation. The idea is to benchmark maturity levels with the leading Finnish international companies. The examination has been done in compliance with applied maturity model developed by the target corporation. When examining the benchmarked companies through the ESSQ framework, we found that a similar framework cannot be found in any other company as such; instead, operations are distributed under different organisations. Although many sources criticise system-based development, the results of this study indicate that it is nevertheless an efficient way to develop operations.

Integration of Management Systems: A Process Based Model

The paper discusses the barriers of integration of management systems （IMS）. A model based on process is explored, It is indicated that integrating management systems should not ignore the characteristics of the management systems, especially scope issues. IMS needs to take into the continuous improvement.

APPLICATION OF ISO 9000 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR SMALL SIZED COMPANIES

The common mystique is that ISO 9000 quality management systems are only applicable to large companies, and such systems are too expensive for smaller companies. This paper clarifies this misconception. It shows that the inherent ISO 9000 systems are in fact flexible that permit their application to small companies, regardless of the type of trade disciplines. In addition, it shows some of the pitfalls that certification assessors and quality management consultants should watch out for.

An OWL-Based Specification of Database Management Systems

In the context of a proliferation of DatabaseManagement Systems(DBMSs),we have envisioned and produced an OWL 2 ontology able to provide a high-level machine-processable description of the DBMSs domain.This conceptualization aims to facilitate a proper execution of various software engineering processes and database-focused administration tasks.Also,it can be used to improve the decision-making process for determining/selecting the appropriate DBMS,subject to specific requirements.The proposed model describes the most important features and aspects regarding the DBMS domain,including the support for various paradigms(relational,graph-based,key-value,tree-like,etc.),query languages,platforms(servers),plus running environments(desktop,Web,cloud),specific contexts—i.e.,focusing on optimizing queries,redundancy,security,performance,schema vs.schema-less approaches,programming languages/paradigms,and others.The process of populating the ontology with significant individuals(actual DBMSs)benefits from the existing knowledge exposed by free and open machine-processable knowledge bases,by using structured data fromWikipedia and related sources.The pragmatic use of our ontology is demonstrated by two educational software solutions based on current practices in Web application development,proving support for learning and experimenting key features of the actual semantic Web technologies and tools.This approach is also an example of using multiple knowledge from database systems,semanticWeb technologies,and software engineering areas.

An Information Systems Project Management Course Using a Service-Learning Model

This paper describes the implementation of an Information Systems （IS） capstone project management course that is a requirement for graduating seniors in an undergraduate Computer Information Systems （CIS） program at a regional university. The description provides a model which includes the culmination of students＇ academic training in an IS curriculum which is part of a Bachelor of Business Administration （BBA） program in an accredited college of business. The course requires an application of technical and business skills, as well as systems development and project management skills--while students are working on an actual IS project for an external sponsoring organization. Rationale for implementing this type of course includes the benefits it provides to the students, the project sponsors, and the IS department providing the course. Feedback from the course is used as integral part of the C1S curriculum assessment process used for accreditation purposes.

Rationality of escalating commitment in information systems project management： An inter-disciplinary perspective

Escalation of commitment has been linked to losses in information systems （IS） projects. Understanding the nature and the rationality of escalation allows the firm to promote optimal project management practices. This study takes an inter-disciplinary approach and draws on research from economics and management to create a model of irrational escalation and a model of rational escalation. The forces that contribute to irrational escalation include the responsibility of the same manager for both the project selection and project continuation decisions that create proneness to self-justification, the potential for negative framing of decision options due to large sunk costs, the proximity of project completion and the presence of organizational inertia. Identifying these irrational escalation factors helps design appropriate de-escalation techniques. The rational escalation model draws on the real option theory and the bandit process theory to identify conditions when project continuation is justified by the value of information and the value of flexibility that the firm receives from continuing the project.

Automated Performance Tuning of Data Management Systems with Materializations and Indices

Automated performance tuning of data management systems offer various benefits such as improved performance, declined administration costs, and reduced workloads to database administrators (DBAs). Currently, DBAs tune the performance of database systems with a little help from the database servers. In this paper, we propose a new technique for automated performance tuning of data management systems. Firstly, we show how to use the periods of low workload time for performance improvements in the periods of high workload time. We demonstrate that extensions of a database system with materialised views and indices when a workload is low may contribute to better performance for a successive period of high workload. The paper proposes several online algorithms for continuous processing of estimated database workloads and for the discovery of the best plan for materialised view and index database extensions and of elimination of the extensions that are no longer needed. We present the results of experiments that show how the proposed automated performance tuning technique improves the overall performance of a data management system.

The Preliminary Research on Integrated Management Systems Standards in China

The modern history of management systems is almost the same as the history ofmodem management science. Implicit management systems have been in existence for many 100s ofyears. ISO has paid attention to the issue of the integrated management systems since the ISO 9000family standards for quality management systems (QMS) and ISO 14000 series standards for environmentmanagement system (EMS) were published. ISO/TAG (Technical Advisory Group) 12 was formed by theISO/TM (Technical Management Board) in early 1997 with the mandate to achieve greater compatibilitybetween the relevant ISO/TC 176 and ISO/TC 207 standards in the field of management systems,auditing, terms and definitions. The report was submitted to TMB by TAG 12 in 1999.

IT Asset Management of Industrial Automation Systems

1. Introduction The installation and administration of large heterogeneous IT infrastructures, for enterprises as well industrial automation systems, are becoming more and more complex and time consuming. The growing number of interconnections between networks, the development of new intelligent IT devices, and increasingly sophisticated computer hard-

Rumi: An Intelligent Agent Enhancing Learning Management Systems Using Machine Learning Techniques

The dramatic improvement of information and communication technology (ICT) has made an evolution in learning management systems (LMS). The rapid growth in LMSs has caused users to demand more advanced, automated, and intelligent services. This paper discusses how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques are adopted to fulfill users’ needs in a social learning management system named “CourseNetworking”. The paper explains how machine learning contributed to developing an intelligent agent called “Rumi” as a personal assistant in CourseNetworking platform to add personalization, gamification, and more dynamics to the system. This paper aims to introduce machine learning to traditional learning platforms and guide the developers working in LMS field to benefit from advanced technologies in learning platforms by offering customized services.

A Guide to Management Systems

This book introduces the con-cepts of management systems.Itcontains six parts,comprising:fun-damental knowledge,quality man-agement systems。

Information Management in Disaster and Humanitarian Response: A Case in United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

To guarantee a unified response to disasters, humanitarian organizations work together via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Although the OCHA has made great strides to improve its information management and increase the availability of accurate, real-time data for disaster and humanitarian response teams, significant gaps persist. There are inefficiencies in the emergency management of data at every stage of its lifecycle: collection, processing, analysis, distribution, storage, and retrieval. Disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management are the two main tenets of the United Nations’ worldwide plan for disaster management. Information systems are crucial because of the crucial roles they play in capturing, processing, and transmitting data. The management of information is seldom discussed in published works. The goal of this study is to employ qualitative research methods to provide insight by facilitating an expanded comprehension of relevant contexts, phenomena, and individual experiences. Humanitarian workers and OCHA staffers will take part in the research. The study subjects will be chosen using a random selection procedure. Online surveys with both closed- and open-ended questions will be used to compile the data. UN OCHA offers a structure for the handling of information via which all humanitarian actors may contribute to the overall response. This research will enable the UN Office for OCHA better gather, process, analyze, disseminate, store, and retrieve data in the event of a catastrophe or humanitarian crisis.

Optimal Constrained Self-learning Battery Sequential Management in Microgrid Via Adaptive Dynamic Programming

This paper concerns a novel optimal self-learning battery sequential control scheme for smart home energy systems. The main idea is to use the adaptive dynamic programming U+0028 ADP U+0029 technique to obtain the optimal battery sequential control iteratively. First, the battery energy management system model is established, where the power efficiency of the battery is considered. Next, considering the power constraints of the battery, a new non-quadratic form performance index function is established, which guarantees that the value of the iterative control law cannot exceed the maximum charging/discharging power of the battery to extend the service life of the battery. Then, the convergence properties of the iterative ADP algorithm are analyzed, which guarantees that the iterative value function and the iterative control law both reach the optimums. Finally, simulation and comparison results are given to illustrate the performance of the presented method. © 2017 Chinese Association of Automation.

A review of ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests

A protective forest,including shelterbelt,windbreak,and shelter forest as its synonyms,is characterized by the protective functions of various forest types distributed or planted on ecologically fragile areas or nearby the objects that need to be protected using the ecological effects of forests.Ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests is one of the disciplinary orientations in forest ecology and management.Most protective forest studies are dependent on forestry eco-engineering,such as the Great Plains Shelterbelt Project in the United States,the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature in the Soviet Union,and the Three-North Afforestation Program in China.The development of sustainable management of protective forests has been given increasing attention by governments,scientists,and media due to their impacts on environment conservation and global change.We introduce forestry ecoengineering and provide a review of their main ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests.Ecological mechanisms for management systems currently applied are emphasized,i.e.,the theory of protection maturity and phase-directional management;the relationship between structure and protective functions and structural optimization measures;and,the decline mechanism and ecological restoration strategies.In addition,several unresolved problems in management practices of protective forests are discussed as well as the prospects for ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests in the future,which include:(1)theories and technologies for management practices of protective forests at the landscape or regional scale;(2)the decline mechanisms and corresponding ecological restoration approaches across multiple scales;and,(3)the comprehensive assessment of forestry eco-engineering at large-scales based on ecosystem principles.