AssessITS: Integrating Procedural Guidelines and Practical Evaluation Metrics for Organizational IT and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment

In today’s digitally driven landscape, robust Information Technology (IT) risk assessment practices are essential for safeguarding systems, digital communication, and data. This paper introduces “AssessITS,” an actionable method designed to provide organizations with comprehensive guidelines for conducting IT and cybersecurity risk assessments. Drawing extensively from NIST 800-30 Rev 1, COBIT 5, and ISO 31000, “AssessITS” bridges the gap between high-level theoretical standards and practical implementation challenges. The paper outlines a step-by-step methodology that organizations can simply adopt to systematically identify, analyze, and mitigate IT risks. By simplifying complex principles into actionable procedures, this framework equips practitioners with the tools needed to perform risk assessments independently, without too much reliance on external vendors. The guidelines are developed to be straightforward, integrating practical evaluation metrics that allow for the precise quantification of asset values, threat levels, vulnerabilities, and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This approach ensures that the risk assessment process is not only comprehensive but also accessible, enabling decision-makers to implement effective risk mitigation strategies customized to their unique operational contexts. “AssessITS” aims to enable organizations to enhance their IT security strength through practical, actionable guidance based on internationally recognized standards.

Establishment and evaluation of a risk prediction model for gestational diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)is a condition characterized by high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.The prevalence of GDM is on the rise globally,and this trend is particularly evident in China,which has emerged as a significant issue impacting the well-being of expectant mothers and their fetuses.Identifying and addressing GDM in a timely manner is crucial for maintaining the health of both expectant mothers and their developing fetuses.Therefore,this study aims to establish a risk prediction model for GDM and explore the effects of serum ferritin,blood glucose,and body mass index(BMI)on the occurrence of GDM.AIM To develop a risk prediction model to analyze factors leading to GDM,and evaluate its efficiency for early prevention.METHODS The clinical data of 406 pregnant women who underwent routine prenatal examination in Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from April 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.According to whether GDM occurred,they were divided into two groups to analyze the related factors affecting GDM.Then,according to the weight of the relevant risk factors,the training set and the verification set were divided at a ratio of 7:3.Subsequently,a risk prediction model was established using logistic regression and random forest models,and the model was evaluated and verified.RESULTS Pre-pregnancy BMI,previous history of GDM or macrosomia,hypertension,hemoglobin(Hb)level,triglyceride level,family history of diabetes,serum ferritin,and fasting blood glucose levels during early pregnancy were determined.These factors were found to have a significant impact on the development of GDM(P<0.05).According to the nomogram model’s prediction of GDM in pregnancy,the area under the curve(AUC)was determined to be 0.883[95%confidence interval(CI):0.846-0.921],and the sensitivity and specificity were 74.1%and 87.6%,respectively.The top five variables in the random forest model for predicting the occurrence of GDM were serum ferritin,fasting blood glucose in early pregnancy,pre-pregnancy BMI,Hb level and triglyceride level.The random forest model achieved an AUC of 0.950(95%CI:0.927-0.973),the sensitivity was 84.8%,and the specificity was 91.4%.The Delong test showed that the AUC value of the random forest model was higher than that of the decision tree model(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The random forest model is superior to the nomogram model in predicting the risk of GDM.This method is helpful for early diagnosis and appropriate intervention of GDM.

Distribution,risk evaluation,and source analysis of the heavy metals in the sediment deposition of the lower Shichuanhe River,Shaanxi,China

In this study, 30 sediment samples were collected from the lower reaches of the Shichuanhe River in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, to test the distribution of heavy metal elements in this area and for an analysis of the pollution levels of this area, hope to provide guidance on agricultural production activities in this region. The results show that the heavy metal elements in this area are mainly concentrated at the Qinghe River and Shichuanhe River confluences. Furthermore, the element contents are higher than that of the background levels of the continental crust(UCC) and close to the background levels of the soil from Shaanxi Province;the two most enriched elements are Cd and As, with contents of 0.79 and 22.7 mg·kg-1, respectively, and their contents are 3.8 and 1.72 times higher than that of the background values. Herein, the heavy metal pollution assessment methods applied indicated that Cd and As are the two most abundant pollutant elements in the area’s soils. As has a peak geo-accumulation index value of 3, and the pollution level is high, while Cd exhibits high potential ecological risks due to its high toxicity(potential risk index of 143) and an active fraction of more than 64%.In addition, a principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis study showed that there are two sources of the heavy metals in this area. The Zn, As, Ni, Cu, Pb,and Cr are mainly from natural sources, and the Cd likely comes from a discharge of untreated agricultural wastewater in the region. The Cd which poses a high potential risk and mainly results from human activities, needs to be further monitored.

Evaluation of supply chain default risk based on fuzzy influence diagram

After introducing the supply chain default risk and its causes,based on the literature review of the evaluation methods of supply chain risks,a new evaluation method called the fuzzy influence diagram which combines fuzzy sets with influence diagram theory and considers the interaction among risk factors is proposed.Furthermore,an evaluation model of the supply chain default risk is established based on the research of default risk evaluation and the fuzzy influence diagram.First,the model takes the loss of risk as a valuable node,risk factors as random nodes,drawing a risk analysis influence diagram.Then,three kinds of fuzzy sets are defined,including state fuzzy sets,probabilistic fuzzy sets and a relation fuzzy matrix.Finally,by using the fuzzy algorithm to evaluate nodes,the probability of risk occurrence and the degrees of risk loss are obtained.On the basis of the model,an instance application is used to prove its utility and effectiveness.

Risk Evaluation of Monochamus alternatus Hope in Jiangxi Province

[Objective]The study aimed to further strengthen the integrated management of Monochamus alternatus Hope and effectively control its spread and injury in pine forests in Jiangxi Province.[Method] By using the pest risk analysis method,the qualitative and quantitative analysis on risk of M.alternatus in Jiangxi Province was carried out.[Result] The qualitative and quantitative analysis result showed that its risk value R was 1.89,thus confirming that M.alternatus was close to high dangerous forest pest in Jiangxi Province.[Conclusion] The study provided the reference for making the policy decision for control of M.alternatus.

Technology Research on Lightning Strike Risk Evaluation of a Cable Car

According to structure function and lightning damage of a cable car, a feasible method of lightning strike risk evaluation for a cable car was put forward based on the evaluation model and evaluation method in the standard IEC62305-2. According to the difference between common buildings and cable cars, problems of height non-uniformity of equivalent section caused by inclination of the cable car and diversity of lightning activity regularity caused by the large area were resolved, and expected annual average frequency of lightning strike was calculated using three dimensional graphic approach and regional lightning characteristic analysis. Based on different types of damage process and loss consequences, according to interception effect against lightning invasion of the lightning protection measures and the method of probability selection proposed in the standard, the probability of casu- alty caused by direct lightning strike in a cable car and a waiting area as well as probabilities of casualty caused by failure of electronic information systems were cal- culated.

Risk evaluation of rock burst through theory of static and dynamic stresses superposition

Rock burst is one of the most catastrophic dynamic hazards in coal mining. A static and dynamic stresses superposition-based(SDSS-based) risk evaluation method of rock burst was proposed to pre-evaluate rock burst risk. Theoretical basis of this method is the stress criterion incurring rock burst and rock burst risk is evaluated according to the closeness degree of the total stress(due to the superposition of static stress in the coal and dynamic stress induced by tremors) with the critical stress. In addition, risk evaluation criterion of rock burst was established by defining the "Satisfaction Degree" of static stress. Furthermore,the method was used to pre-evaluate rock burst risk degree and prejudge endangered area of an insular longwall face in Nanshan Coal Mine in China. Results show that rock burst risk is moderate at advance extent of 97 m, strong at advance extent of 97-131 m,and extremely strong(i.e. inevitable to occur) when advance extent exceeds 131 m(mining is prohibited in this case). The section of two gateways whose floor abuts 15-3 coal seam is a susceptible area prone to rock burst. Evaluation results were further compared with rock bursts and tremors detected by microseismic monitoring. Comparison results indicate that evaluation results are consistent with microseismic monitoring, which proves the method's feasibility.

Risk analysis of extended reach wells in the Liuhua Oilfield,South China Sea,based on comprehensive fuzzy evaluation method

Drilling engineering has great uncertainty and it always involves huge investment and high risk. Risk analysis of extended reach drilling （ERD） is very important to prevent complex failures and to improve drilling efficiency. Nowadays there are few reports on how to analyze quantitatively the drilling risk for extended reach wells （ERWs）. Based on the fuzzy set theory, a comprehensive fuzzy evaluation model for analyzing risks of ERD is proposed in this paper. Well B6ERW07 is a planned 8,000-meter ERW with a high ratio of horizontal displacement （HD） to vertical depth （VD） in the Liuhua Oilfield, the South China Sea, China. On the basis of the evaluation model developed in this study, the risk for drilling Well B6ERW07 was evaluated before drilling. The evaluation result shows that the success rate of drilling this well is predicted to be 51.9%, providing important rational and scientific information for the decisionmakers.

Risk-based evaluation on geological environment carrying capacity of mountain city - A case study in Suide County, Shaanxi Province, China

With the rapid development and expansion of the cities in China, the carrying capacity of resource and environment has become a huge concern for local governments. From the perspective of geological environment, geological disasters are the main restraining factor of the development in mountain cities. This study was conducted in Suide County of Shaanxi Province with a risk-based approach as followed: a hazard analysis on geological disasters based on a slope geological survey at a scale of 1:10,000; a consequence analysis based on unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) aerial survey data; integrating the results of hazard analysis and consequence analysis, a risk zonation and analysis of geological disasters in urban areas were completed considering urban planning, land use planning and the safety of infrastructure and major engineering. Subsequently, taking the acceptable levels of human life and property risks incurred by landslides as the criteria of the evaluation of geological environment carrying capacity, a comprehensive assessment of current and future urban carrying capacity was conducted based on the results of the risk analyses. Accordingly, the prior development zone, the restricted development zone and the prohibited zone were delineated, with corresponding suggestions for future urban development. The technological and methodological system used in the study can be applied to geological environment carrying capacity evaluation of other important mountain cities, which can provide scientific basis for the optimization of land and space.

Catastrophe theory-based risk evaluation model for water and mud inrush and its application in karst tunnels

This paper presents a risk evaluation model of water and mud inrush for tunnel excavation in karst areas.The factors affecting the probabilities of water and mud inrush in karst tunnels are investigated to define the dangerousness of this geological disaster.The losses that are caused by water and mud inrush are taken into consideration to account for its harmfulness.Then a risk evaluation model based on the dangerousness-harmfulness evaluation indicator system is constructed,which is more convincing in comparison with the traditional methods.The catastrophe theory is used to evaluate the risk level of water and mud inrush and it has great advantage in handling problems involving discontinuous catastrophe processes.To validate the proposed approach,the Qiyueshan tunnel of Yichang-Wanzhou Railway is taken as an example in which four target segments are evaluated using the risk evaluation model.Finally,the evaluation results are compared with the excavation data,which shows that the risk levels predicted by the proposed approach are in good agreements with that observed in engineering.In conclusion,the catastrophe theory-based risk evaluation model is an efficient and effective approach for water and mud inrush in karst tunnels.

Improved AHP–TOPSIS model for the comprehensive risk evaluation of oil and gas pipelines

A comprehensive and objective risk evaluation model of oil and gas pipelines based on an improved analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution(TOPSIS)is established to identify potential hazards in time.First,a barrier model and fault tree analysis are used to establish an index system for oil and gas pipeline risk evaluation on the basis of five important factors:corrosion,external interference,material/construction,natural disasters,and function and operation.Next,the index weight for oil and gas pipeline risk evaluation is computed by applying the improved AHP based on the five-scale method.Then,the TOPSIS of a multi-attribute decision-making theory is studied.The method for determining positive/negative ideal solutions and the normalized equation for benefit/cost indexes is improved to render TOPSIS applicable for the comprehensive risk evaluation of pipelines.The closeness coefficient of oil and gas pipelines is calculated by applying the improved TOPSIS.Finally,the weight and the closeness coefficient are combined to determine the risk level of pipelines.Empirical research using a long-distance pipeline as an example is conducted,and adjustment factors are used to verify the model.Results show that the risk evaluation model of oil and gas pipelines based on the improved AHP–TOPSIS is valuable and feasible.The model comprehensively considers the risk factors of oil and gas pipelines and provides comprehensive,rational,and scientific evaluation results.It represents a new decision-making method for systems engineering in pipeline enterprises and provides a comprehensive understanding of the safety status of oil and gas pipelines.The new system engineering decision-making method is important for preventing oil and gas pipeline accidents.

Seismic risk evaluation for a planning mountain tunnel using improved analytical hierarchy process based on extension theory

Seismic risk evaluation(SRE) in early stages(e.g., project planning and preliminary design)for a mountain tunnel located in seismic areas has the same importance as that in final stages(e.g.,performance-based design, structural analysis, and optimization). SRE for planning mountain tunnels bridges the gap between the planning on the macro level and the design/analysis on the micro level regarding the risk management of infrastructural systems. A transition from subjective or qualitative description to objective or quantitative quantification of seismic risk is aimed to improve the seismic behavior of the mountain tunnel and thus reduce the associated seismic risk. A new method of systematic SRE for the planning mountain tunnel was presented herein. The method employs extension theory(ET)and an ET-based improved analytical hierarchy process. Additionally, a new risk-classification criterion is proposed to classify and quantify the seismic risk for a planning mountain tunnel. This SRE method is applied to a mountain tunnel in southwest China, using the extension model based on matter element theory and dependent function operation.The reasonability and flexibility of the SRE method for application to the mountain tunnel are illustrated.According to different seismic risk levels and classification criteria, methods and measures for improving the seismic design are proposed, which can reduce the seismic risk and provide a frame of reference for elaborate seismic design.

Evaluation on the Risks of Agricultural Industrial Chain Based on FAHP——A Case of Regions Inhabited by Ethnic Groups in Wuling Mountain

Through recognizing the risking factors of industrial chain and selecting appropriate evaluation method, the index system on evaluating risking factors including market risk, natural risk, contact risk and efficiency risk in industrial chain is constructed,26 weighting indicators under the four layers are set up. Taking regions inhabited by ethnic groups in Wuling Mountain as an example, the risking factors of agricultural industrial chain in the area are analyzed by adopting the FAHP. The influencing degree of each risking factor on credit risks is analyzed. The results assume that with the market risk, contract risk, natural risk and efficiency risk. The natural risks become the principal risks of agricultural industrial chain and it should be paid much attention to. The low credit risk is a major factor that causes the contract between enterprise and rural households. The flood, pests, diseases and disasters also should be paid high attention to that is regarded as risking factors. The risking factors that come from the efficiency risk layer, for example, the unequal profit distribution among enterprises has little effect on enterprises in industrial chain. The research results provide evidence for stipulating risk prevention measures.

Risk Assessment of Deep-Water Horizontal X-Tree Installation

Due to the high potential risk and many influencing factors of subsea horizontal X-tree installation,to guarantee the successful completion of sea trials of domestic subsea horizontal X-trees,this paper established a modular risk evaluation model based on a fuzzy fault tree.First,through the analysis of the main process oftree down and combining the Offshore&Onshore Reliability Data(OREDA)failure statistics and the operation procedure and the data provided by the job,the fault tree model of risk analysis of the tree down installation was established.Then,by introducing the natural language of expert comprehensive evaluation and combining fuzzy principles,quantitative analysis was carried out,and the fuzzy number was used to calculate the failure probability of a basic event and the occurrence probability of a top event.Finally,through a sensitivity analysis of basic events,the basic events of top events significantly affected were determined,and risk control and prevention measures for the corresponding high-risk factors were proposed for subsea horizontal X-tree down installation.

Reliability Risk Evaluation Method for Complex Mechanical System Based on Optimal Bayesian Network

In order to reduce the calculation of the failure probability in the complex mechanical system reliability risk evaluation,and to implement importance analysis of system components effectively,the system fault tree was converted into five different Bayesian network models. The Bayesian network with the minimum conditional probability table specification and the highest computation efficiency was selected as the optimal network. The two heuristics were used to optimize the Bayesian network. The fault diagnosis and causal reasoning of the system were implemented by using the selected Bayesian network. The calculation methods of Fussel-Vesely( FV),risk reduction worth( RRW),Birnbaum measure( BM) and risk achievement worth( RAW) importances were presented. A certain engine was taken as an application example to illustrate the proposed method. The results show that not only the correlation of the relevant variables in the system can be accurately expressed and the calculation complexity can be reduced,but also the relatively weak link in the system can be located accurately.

Health evaluation method for degrading systems subject to dependent competing risks

This paper proposes a health evaluation method for degrading systems subject to competing risks of dependent soft and hard failures. To characterize the time-varying degradation rate, the degradation process is determined by a non-stationary Gamma process and the soft failure is encountered when it exceeds a predefined critical level. For the hard failure, a Cox’s proportional hazard model is applied to describe the hazard rate of the time to system failure. The dependent relationship is modeled by incorporating the degradation process as a time-varying covariate into the Cox’s proportional hazard model. To facilitate the health characteristics evaluation, a discretization technique is applied both to the degradation process and the monitoring time.All health characteristics can be obtained in the explicit form using the transition probability matrix, which is computationally attractive for practical applications. Finally, a numerical analysis is carried out to show the effectiveness and the performance of the proposed health evaluation method.

Antithrombotic treatment tailoring and risk score evaluation in elderly patients diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome

Age is an important prognostic factor in the outcome of acute coronary syndromes （ACS）. A substantial percentage of patients who ex- perience ACS is more than 75 years old, and they represent the fastest-growing segment of the population treated in this setting. These pa- tients present different patterns of responses to pharmacotherapy, namely, a higher ischemic and bleeding risk than do patients under 75 years of age. Our aim was to identify whether the currently available ACS ischemic and bleeding risk scores, which has been validated for the general population, may also apply to the elderly population. The second aim was to determine whether the elderly benefit more from a spe- cific pharmacological regimen, keeping in mind the numerous molecules of antiplatelet and antithrombotic drugs, all validated in the general population. We concluded that the GRACE （Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events） risk score has been extensively validated in the elderly. However, the CRUSADE （Can Rapid risk stratification of Unstable angina patients Suppress ADverse outcomes with Early imple- mentation of the ACC/AHA Guidelines） bleeding score has a moderate correlation with outcomes in the elderly. Until now, there have not been head-to-head scores that quantify the ischemic versus hemorrhagic risk or scores that use the same end point and timeline （e.g., ischemic death rate versus bleeding death rate at one month）. We also recommend that the frailty score be considered or integrated into the current existing scores to better quantify the overall patient risk. With regard to medical treatment, based on the subgroup analysis, we identified the drugs that have the least adverse effects in the elderly while maintaining optimal efficacy.

AHP-FCE Based Physical Exercise Risk Evaluation Model

Exercise is a highly proven and beneficial health promotion modality, But it is very difficult to determine whether the person during exercise is safe. A unique and comprehensive approach is proposed to perform physical exercise risk evaluation （PERE）, in which personalized factors are deterrrdned basing on grey correlation analysis, analytic hierarchy process （AHP） method is used to structure the large numbers of risk factors, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation （FCE） is applied to fuzzify the factors and compute the exercise risk level. Finally, an actual calculation example is used to verify the feasibility of the method.

Drought risk assessment in China:Evaluation framework and influencing factors

Global warming and rapid economic development have led to increased levels of disaster risk in China.Previous attempts at assessing drought risk were highly subjective in terms of assessment methods and selection of the assessment indicators and which resulted in appreciable uncertainty in the results of these risk assessments.Based on the assumption that areas with historically high drought losses are more likely to suffer future high drought losses,we develop a new drought risk assessment model that includes historical drought loss data.With this model,we map the regional differentiation of Chinese drought risk.Regions with high(extreme high)drought risk account for 4.3%of China’s area.Five significant high-risk areas have been identified:Northeast China,North China,the east part of Northwest China,the east part of Southwest China and a small part in the west of Northwest China.Areas with high and extreme high drought risk are dominant in the Heilongjiang Province,accounting for 32%of the total area,followed by the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,with 26%of total area.The contribution of each influencing factor has been quantified,which indicates that high-exposure and high-vulnerability account for the high-risk of drought.We recommend that measures like strengthening the protection of cultivated land and reducing dependence on the primary industry should be taken to mitigate to drought-induced losses.

Risk Evaluation on Logistics Finance of Agricultural Products Based on Fuzzy-AHP Model

The development of logistics finance business for agricultural products is the best way to realize the common interests of logistics enterprises,small and medium-sized agricultural product enterprises and financial institutions,which will contribute to the development of China's new socialist rural economy and the construction of " two-oriented society". As the agricultural products have some special attributes,it's easy to create the risk in carrying out the logistics finance business. The paper constructs a risk evaluation indicator system for logistics finance of agricultural product,and uses the Fuzzy-AHP model to evaluate. The results show that the comprehensive risk level is normal risk,which shows that third-party logistics enterprises can carry out the logistics financial business of agricultural products,but the risks from logistics enterprises and agricultural collateral need to be prevented.