A Systems Approach to Assessing Sustainability Capacity in Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Turkana County, Kenya

Refugee settlements face several challenges in transitioning from a temporary planning approach to more sustainable settlements. This is mainly due to an increase in the number of forcibly displaced people over the last few decades, and the difficulties of sustainably providing social services that meet the required standards. The development of refugee settlements assumed that forcibly displaced people would return to their places or countries of origin. Unfortunately, displacement situations are prolonged indefinitely, forcing these people to spend most of their lives in conditions that are often deplorable and substandard, and therefore unsustainable. In most cases, the establishment of refugee settlements is triggered by an emergency caused by an influx of forcibly displaced people, who need to be accommodated urgently and provided with some form of international assistance and protection. This leaves little or no time for proper planning for long-term development as required. In addition, the current approach to temporary settlement harms the environment and can strain limited resources with ad hoc development models that have exacerbated difficulties. As a result, living conditions in refugee settlements have deteriorated over the last few decades and continue to pose challenges as to how best to design, plan, and sustain settlements over time. To contribute to addressing these challenges, this study proposes a new methodology supported by Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and a Systems Modeling Language (SysML) to develop a typical sustainable human settlement system model, which has functionally and operationally executed using a Systems Engineering (SE) approach. To assess the sustainability capacity of the proposed system, this work applies a matrix of crossed impact multiplication through a case study by conducting a system capacity interdependence analysis (SCIA) using the MICMAC methodology (Cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification) to assess the interdependency that exist between the sub-systems categories to deliver services at the system level. The sustainability analysis results based on capacity variables influence and dependency models shows that development activities in the settlement are unstable and, therefore, unsustainable since there is no apparent difference between the influential and dependent data used for the assessment. These results illustrate that an integrated system could improve human settlements’ sustainability and that capacity building in service delivery is beneficial and necessary.

An Indicator System for Assessing Soil Erosion in the Loess Plateau Gully Regions:A Case Study in the Wangdonggou Watershed,China

The Wangdonggou Watershed on the Loess Plateau in China was selected as the study area to develop a model for soil erosion assessments. Using the data collected at 20 sampling sites all tentatively selected indicators were assessed against their corresponding erosion intensity through a correlation analysis. Eight highly correlated indicators were then chosen for the soil erosion assessment. In addition, threshold limits to delineate the class size for these indicators and weights to rank them were determined. Next, a grading model incorporating the selected indicators class rating and their associated weights was developed and verified by an on site evaluation of the soil erosion intensity in the study area. Results of the verification showed that the overall accuracy of the indicator system for assessing soil erosion in the Loess Plateau gully regions could reach 85%.

A Pragmatic Approach for Assessing the Economic Performance of Model Predictive Control Systems and Its Industrial Application

In this article,an approach for economic performance assessment of model predictive control(MPC) system is presented.The method builds on steady-state economic optimization techniques and uses the linear quadratic Gaussian(LQG) benchmark other than conventional minimum variance control(MVC) to estimate the potential of reduction in variance.The LQG control is a more practical performance benchmark compared to MVC for performance assessment since it considers input variance and output variance,and it thus provides a desired basis for determining the theoretical maximum economic benefit potential arising from variability reduction.Combining the LQG benchmark directly with benefit potential of MPC control system,both the economic benefit and the optimal operation condition can be obtained by solving the economic optimization problem.The proposed algorithm is illustrated by simulated example as well as application to economic performance assessment of an industrial model predictive control system.

Assessing performance of collision mitigation brake system in Chinese traffic environment

Advanced driver-assistance systems such as Honda’s collision mitigation brake system(CMBS)can help achieve traffic safety.In this paper,the naturalistic driving study and a series of simulations are combined to better evaluate the performance of the CMBS in the Chinese traffic environment.First,because safety-critical situations can be diverse especially in the Chinese environment,the Chinese traffic-accident characteristics are analyzed according to accident statistics over the past 17 years.Next,10 Chinese traffic-accident scenarios accounting for more than 80%of traffic accidents are selected.For each typical scenario,353 representative cases are collected from the traffic-management department of Beijing.These real-world accident cases are then reconstructed by the traffic-accident-reconstruction software PC-Crash on the basis of accident-scene diagrams.This study also proposes a systematic analytical process for estimating the effectiveness of the technology using the co-simulation platform of PC-Crash and rateEFFECT,in which 176 simulations are analyzed in detail to assess the accident-avoidance performance of the CMBS.The overall collision-avoidance effectiveness reaches 82.4%,showing that the proposed approach is efficient for avoiding collisions,thereby enhancing traffic safety and improving traffic management.

Use of scoring systems for assessing and reporting the outcome results from shoulder surgery and arthroplasty

To investigate shoulder scoring systems used in Europe and North America and how outcomes might be classified after shoulder joint replacement. All research papers published in four major journals in 2012 and 2013 were reviewed for the shoulder scoring systems used in their published papers. A method of identifying how outcomes after shoulder arthroplasty might be used to categorize patients into fair, good, very good and excellent outcomes was explored using the outcome evaluations from patients treated in our own unit. A total of 174 research articles that were published in the four journals used some form of shoulder scoring system. The outcome from shoulder arthroplasty in our unit has been evaluated using the constant score(CS) and the oxford shoulder score and these scores have been used to evaluate individual patient outcomes. CSs of < 30 = unsatisfactory; 30-39 = fair; 40-59 = good; 60-69 = very good; and 70 and over = excellent. The most popular shoulder scoring systems in North America were Simple Shoulder Test and American shoulder and elbow surgeons standard shoulder assessment form score and in Europe CS, Oxford Shoulder Score and DASH score.

Modeling and Assessing a New Warship Maintenance System

The authors developed a prototype of a warship maintenance system. The process started by defining the maintenance requirements of warship equipment. Next, a planning scheme was development for a maintenance network. An optimization target for the plan and indexes for assessment were established. Based on the above work, a simulation model was proposed with two layers: a base and a workshop. Dispatching rules were then formulated for the simulation. Experimental results proved the validity of the model and the dispatching algorithm. It was found that the model can solve the capacity evaluation problem for maintenance systems and provides a scientific basis for decision-maker to make decisions regarding equipment maintenance.

A new tool for monitoring brain function: eye tracking goes beyond assessing attention to measuring central nervous system physiology

Concussion and other forms of brain injury are not always detectable with conventional means such as radiographic imaging.The lack of accurate diagnostics,biomarkers,and outcome measures has a devastating impact.Individual patients may suffer in obscurity,self-medicate into an addictive spiral,have impaired professional activity,and develop failed interpersonal relationships.

Assessing Mismatches Between Ecosystem Structure and Function in Jiaozhou Bay by Coordination Degree Algorithm

A healthy ecosystem depends on the coordination of ecosystem structure and function.The coordination among ecosystem components,however,is seldom taken into account in current ecosystem health assessments(EHA).Neglect of such coordination may lead to large degrees of uncertainty in EHA and fail to support ecosystem management.We propose an approach to quantify the level of dynamic mismatching between ecosystem structure and function and the impact on ecosystem health by incorporating the ecosystem coordination index into EHA.The coordination degree is calculated using variation coefficient of six proxies for ecosystem structure and functions.The ecosystem at Jiaozhou Bay,as a microcosm of China's coast,has been documented to fluctuate from healthy to unhealthy status over the past three decades.The results indicate that there is a 3%-17% lower health level than that calculated by common methods used in the literature,indicating that the health of Jiaozhou Bay has become worse than expected.Habitat change contributes 20%-52% to ecosystem mismatches and is the most uncoordinated factor.Mismatch-related declines account for approximately one-fourth of the total ecological declines.Restoration scenarios that aim to resolve ecosystem mismatches could increase efficiency by about 50% compared to restoration scenarios that do not consider mismatches.This study investigates ecological declines in a coastal bay due to 30 years of rapid economic development.In doing so,this study provides novel insights and enhances our understanding of the reasons for failure in ecological restoration.

The Application of Synthetic Fuzzy Assessing Method in Measurement and Control System of Plating Solution Evaporator

The synthetic fuzzy assessing method is usually applied to sensory evaluation. The method has simple and reliable virtue, and it is consistent with objective evaluation results. Using this method, system status of plating solution evaporator is evaluated, and the result is applied to compensate a fuzzy controller. Experimental results have shown the correctness and the validity of the proposed approach.

Theory and practice for assessing structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains

Purpose–The safety and reliability of high-speed trains rely on the structural integrity of their components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.This paper aims to define and substantiate the assessment of the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains in both theory and practice.The key principles and approacheswill be proposed,and their applications to high-speed trains in Chinawill be presented.Design/methodology/approach–First,the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains are defined,and their relationship is introduced.Then,the principles for assessing the structural integrity of structural and dynamical components are presented and practical examples of gearboxes and dampers are provided.Finally,the principles and approaches for assessing the dynamical integrity of highspeed trains are presented and a novel operational assessment method is further presented.Findings–Vehicle system dynamics is the core of the proposed framework that provides the loads and vibrations on train components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.For assessing the structural integrity of structural components,an open-loop analysis considering both normal and abnormal vehicle conditions is needed.For assessing the structural integrity of dynamical components,a closed-loop analysis involving the influence of wear and degradation on vehicle system dynamics is needed.The analysis of vehicle system dynamics should follow the principles of complete objects,conditions and indices.Numerical,experimental and operational approaches should be combined to achieve effective assessments.Originality/value–The practical applications demonstrate that assessing the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains can support better control of critical defects,better lifespan management of train components and better maintenance decision-making for high-speed trains.

Chinese expert consensus on quantitatively monitoring and assessing immune cell function status and its clinical application(2024 edition)

Introduction The immune system is the cornerstone of human health,with most diseases and health conditions closely related to immune status.Therefore,immune status management is a core health issue.In recent years,significant research breakthroughs in immunosuppressants,immune cell therapy,and immune checkpoint inhibitors have enabled clinical experts and researchers to effectively modulate immune status and regulate immunity more efficient.Key questions in the field of immunology include:How can immune function be visually assessed?What constitutes normal immune cell function status?How can immune cell function status be quantitatively evaluated?How can a standardized system for assessing immune cell function status be established?Currently,there is no consensus on these issues worldwide.On August 28,2023,the National Natural Science Foundation of China announced the National Major Research Plan:Immune Power Digital Decoding Research.Traditional research models have failed to systematically reveal the generation and evolution of immune power.

Clinical validation of the early embryo viability assessment system: Analysis for the blastocyst morphology and pregnancy outcomes

Objective:To determine the relationship between the early embryo viability assessment(EEVA)and blastocyst morphological parameters and pregnancy outcomes.Methods:This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 291 intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles including 2522 embryos with indications of prolonging embryo culture to the blastocyst stage in the Genea embryo review incubator,and 511 single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles from January 2020 to June 2023.The EEVA system produced an EEVA score from E1(best)to E5(worse)for the potential of blastocyst formation.Blastocyst morphology was evaluated.The association between the EEVA score and each type of blastocyst morphology,implantation rate,clinical pregnancy,and ongoing pregnancy were assessed using generalized estimating equations.Results:The inner cell mass A(ICM A),trophectoderm A(TE A),blastocoele expansion degree of 3,4,5,6,7 rates were higher with lower the EEVA score.The adjusted odd ratio(aOR)(E5 vs E1)was 0.3 for ICM A,0.174 for TE A and 0.210 for BL3,4,5,6,7(all P<0.001),suggesting a significant association between lower EEVA scores and improved embryo quality.The implantation,clinical pregnancy,and ongoing pregnancy rate were also higher with lower the EEVA score.The aOR of E5 vs E1 was 0.245 for implantation,0.185 for clinical pregnancy and 0.200 for ongoing pregnancy rate(P<0.001).Conclusions:There were associations between blastocyst morphology,pregnancy outcome and EEVA scores.The good blastocyst morphology and pregnancy outcomes are higher with lower the EEVA score.

Research on the Reform of the Process-Tracking Ideological and Political Assessment System in Applied Universities:Taking the Personal Finance Course as an Example

Using the Xi’an Mingde Institute of Technology students as the teaching object and the Personal Finance course as an example,we explore the reform of the ideological and political assessment system of process-tracking courses in applied universities.The article analyzes the feasibility of applying the curriculum ideological and political assessment system in college courses and compares the traditional assessment system.It also proposes that applying curriculum ideological and political assessment to the college curriculum assessment system will help improve students’understanding of the“value guidance”in curriculum ideological and political education and enhance the teaching effect.

Classification of Cybersecurity Threats, Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures in Database Systems

Database systems have consistently been prime targets for cyber-attacks and threats due to the critical nature of the data they store.Despite the increasing reliance on database management systems,this field continues to face numerous cyber-attacks.Database management systems serve as the foundation of any information system or application.Any cyber-attack can result in significant damage to the database system and loss of sensitive data.Consequently,cyber risk classifications and assessments play a crucial role in risk management and establish an essential framework for identifying and responding to cyber threats.Risk assessment aids in understanding the impact of cyber threats and developing appropriate security controls to mitigate risks.The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of cyber risks in database management systems,including classifying threats,vulnerabilities,impacts,and countermeasures.This classification helps to identify suitable security controls to mitigate cyber risks for each type of threat.Additionally,this research aims to explore technical countermeasures to protect database systems from cyber threats.This study employs the content analysis method to collect,analyze,and classify data in terms of types of threats,vulnerabilities,and countermeasures.The results indicate that SQL injection attacks and Denial of Service(DoS)attacks were the most prevalent technical threats in database systems,each accounting for 9%of incidents.Vulnerable audit trails,intrusion attempts,and ransomware attacks were classified as the second level of technical threats in database systems,comprising 7%and 5%of incidents,respectively.Furthermore,the findings reveal that insider threats were the most common non-technical threats in database systems,accounting for 5%of incidents.Moreover,the results indicate that weak authentication,unpatched databases,weak audit trails,and multiple usage of an account were the most common technical vulnerabilities in database systems,each accounting for 9%of vulnerabilities.Additionally,software bugs,insecure coding practices,weak security controls,insecure networks,password misuse,weak encryption practices,and weak data masking were classified as the second level of security vulnerabilities in database systems,each accounting for 4%of vulnerabilities.The findings from this work can assist organizations in understanding the types of cyber threats and developing robust strategies against cyber-attacks.

A novel refined dynamic model of high-speed maglev train-bridge coupled system for random vibration and running safety assessment

Running safety assessment and tracking irregularity parametric sensitivity analysis of high-speed maglev train-bridge system are of great concern,especially need perfect refinement models in which all properties can be well characterized based on various stochastic excitations.A three-dimensional refined spatial random vibration analysis model of high-speed maglev train-bridge coupled system is established in this paper,in which multi-source uncertainty excitation can be considered simultaneously,and the probability density evolution method(PDEM)is adopted to reveal the system-specific uncertainty dynamic characteristic.The motion equation of the maglev vehicle model is composed of multi-rigid bodies with a total 210-degrees of freedom for each vehicle,and a refined electromagnetic force-air gap model is used to account for the interaction and coupling effect between the moving train and track beam bridges,which are directly established by using finite element method.The model is proven to be applicable by comparing with Monte Carlo simulation.By applying the proposed stochastic framework to the high maglev line,the random dynamic responses of maglev vehicles running on the bridges are studied for running safety and stability assessment.Moreover,the effects of track irregularity wavelength range under different amplitude and running speeds on the coupled system are investigated.The results show that the augmentation of train speed will move backward the sensitive wavelength interval,and track irregularity amplitude influences the response remarkably in the sensitive interval.

Validation of adherence prediction system for lifestyle interventions in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

This editorial delves into the research article by Zeng et al published in the latest issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology.The manuscript contributes significantly to addressing the global health issue of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by introducing and validating the Exercise and Diet Adherence Scale(EDAS).The article effectively conveys the importance of the study,highlighting the prevalence of NAFLD,the lack of approved drugs for its treatment,and the crucial role of lifestyle correction.The use of the Delphi method for scale development and the subsequent evaluation of its reliability add scientific rigor to the methodology.The results demonstrate that the scale is correlated with key lifestyle indicators,which makes it a promising tool for assessing patient adherence to interventions.The identification of specific score thresholds for predicting adherence to daily calorie intake and exercise adds practical value to the scale.The differentiation among scores indicative of good,average,and poor adherence enhances its clinical applicability.In conclusion,the manuscript introduces EDAS,a valuable instrument that can contribute substantially to the field of NAFLD research and clinical practice.

Assessing environmental impact:Micro-energy network optimization in a Chinese industrial park

Micro-energy systems contribute significantly to environmental improvement by reducing dependence on power grids through the utilization of multiple renewable energy sources.This study quantified the environmental impact of a micro-energy network system in an industrial park through a life cycle assessment using the operation of the micro-energy network over a year as the functional unit and“cradle-to-gate”as the system boundary.Based on the baseline scenario,a natural gas generator set was added to replace central heating,and the light pipes were expanded to constitute the optimized scenario.The results showed that the key impact categories for both scenarios were global warming,fine particulate matter formation,human carcinogenic toxicity,and human non-carcinogenic toxicity.The overall environmental impact of the optimized scenario was reduced by 68%compared to the baseline scenario.A sensitivity analysis of the key factors showed that electricity from the power grid was the key impact factor in both scenarios,followed by central heating and natural gas.Therefore,to reduce the environmental impact of network systems,it is necessary to further optimize the grid power structure.The research approach can be used to optimize micro-energy networks and evaluate the environmental impact of different energy systems.

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Extensive Beef Production in Grazing Lands of Argentina

Because of environmental constraints,beef cattle was for more than a century the only viable farming option in the extensive semiarid and subhumid lands of Argentina and the main source of nutrients for humans as well.However,a growing concern and criticism have risen today about its possible negative impact on the climate and the environment.These worries tend to affect current public opinions,national policies,and international trade.Based on 40 beef cattle farms scattered across different semiarid and subhumid regions of Argentina,here we evaluated the impact of extensive cattle production on carbon,water,and nutrient pollution.Life-Cycle Assessment(LCA)and Land-Based Assessment(LBA)were the two approaches we used here to compare the environmental impact of beef production.While the environmental footprint(EF)resulting from LCA expresses the impact per unit of food,the environmental balance(EB),derived from LBA,aims at quantifying the impact per unit of land.As such,the EB considers both negative and positive impacts on the farm as an integrated system.Following standardized procedures,we evaluated EF and EB up to the farm gate,leaving aside delocalized post-farm impacts such as those of processing,packaging,and transportation that occur beyond the farm gate.In agreement with previous evidence,our results show that the EF tends to decrease as per-head production increases.Correlation coefficients and statistical significance were the following for carbon(R=−0.574;p<0.01),water(R=−0.561;p<0.01),and N(R=−0.704;p<0.01)and Phosphorus(P)pollution(R=−0.802;p<0.01)footprints.On the contrary,the EB seems to be highly sensitive,and as per-hectare beef production increases.Correlations were the following for carbon emissions(CE:R=0.955;p<0.01),water consumption(WC:R=0.822;p<0.01),nitrogen excretion(NE:R=0.948;p<0.01)and phosphorus excretion(PE:R=0.945;p<0.01).What our results suggest is that the notion of EF is useful to evaluate the environmental impact in intensive beef production systems,and the EB is suitable to assess the impact of the extensive ones.In practice,both approaches provide different perspectives on the environmental-impact problem and they should be complementary used.We concluded that the methodological rigidity of EF does not allow proper discrimination among farms in the extensive systems.On the contrary,the EB approach tended to be highly sensitive to detecting differences between individual farms and farmers,thus allowing the identification of successful options for extensive beef production in terms of public image,policy-making,and commercial opportunities.

Migratable Power System Transient Stability AssessmentMethod Based on Improved XGBoost

The data-driven transient stability assessment(TSA)of power systems can predict online real-time prediction by learning the temporal features before and after faults.However,the accuracy of the assessment is limited by the quality of the data and has weak transferability.Based on this,this paper proposes a method for TSA of power systems based on an improved extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)model.Firstly,the gradient detection method is employed to remove noise interference while maintaining the original time series trend.On this basis,a focal loss function is introduced to guide the training of theXGBoostmodel,enhancing the deep exploration of minority class samples to improve the accuracy of the model evaluation.Furthermore,to improve the generalization ability of the evaluation model,a transfer learning method based on model parameters and sample augmentation is proposed.The simulation analysis on the IEEE 39-bus system demonstrates that the proposed method,compared to the traditional machine learning-based transient stability assessment approach,achieves an average improvement of 2.16%in evaluation accuracy.Specifically,under scenarios involving changes in topology structure and operating conditions,the accuracy is enhanced by 3.65%and 3.11%,respectively.Moreover,the model updating efficiency is enhanced by 14–15 times,indicating the model’s transferable and adaptive capabilities across multiple scenarios.

Seismic safety assessment with non-Gaussian random processes for train-bridge coupled systems

Extensive high-speed railway(HSR)network resembled the intricate vascular system of the human body,crisscrossing mainlands.Seismic events,known for their unpredictability,pose a significant threat to both trains and bridges,given the HSR’s extended operational duration.Therefore,ensuring the running safety of train-bridge coupled(TBC)system,primarily composed of simply supported beam bridges,is paramount.Traditional methods like the Monte Carlo method fall short in analyzing this intricate system efficiently.Instead,efficient algorithm like the new point estimate method combined with moment expansion approximation(NPEM-MEA)is applied to study random responses of numerical simulation TBC systems.Validation of the NPEM-MEA’s feasibility is conducted using the Monte Carlo method.Comparative analysis confirms the accuracy and efficiency of the method,with a recommended truncation order of four to six for the NPEM-MEA.Additionally,the influences of seismic magnitude and epicentral distance are discussed based on the random dynamic responses in the TBC system.This methodology not only facilitates seismic safety assessments for TBC systems but also contributes to standard-setting for these systems under earthquake conditions.