Application Of System Dynamics Research Articles

How Does a Decision-Making Tool Enhance Spent Mushroom Substrate Valorization into Polysaccharides?

In mushroom farming, one kilogram harvested results in about five kilograms of spent mushroom substrate (SMS), posing an environmental management challenge. As an in-tune work with the concepts of circular economy, cleaner production, and waste minimization, this study has developed a mathematical model than analyzes the valorization potential of SMS through polysaccharide production. The in-depth mathematical model is based on a system dynamics approach, which explains the interactive interplay amongst the production process, related costs, energy consumption, and caused emissions. The model has been developed in a generic way. Meaning that it can be re-adjusted flexibly for a different cleaner production process. A user-friendly interface has been developed. Users can easily maneuver around the variables within the model that offers instantaneous insight into the environmental and economic impacts of SMS valorization. This interface was later integrated into an educational context to serve as an interactive decision-making tool for cleaner production modelling. The main purpose of the developed tool was to favor understanding of causalities between production chains, energy consumption, labor, emissions, and expenses. This tool has been tested on master’s degree students in a cleaner production course. Survey results show that 82% of students report the need to incorporate similar decision-making tools in their learning curriculum. In sum, the application of system dynamics to the valorization of SMS does not only present an attractive solution for this environmental problem but also shows great potential in setting educational backgrounds for an interactive and close-to-life learning process. It is recommended to develop more interactive tools available for students.

System dynamics applied in enterprise engineering – a systematic literature review

Purpose This study aims to investigate the combined use of System Dynamics (SD) applications in Enterprise Engineering (EE) research and practice. SD application in EE is becoming widely accepted as a tool to support decision-making processes and for capturing relationships within enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) is conducted using a standard SLR method to provide a comprehensive review of existing literature. The search was conducted on ten platforms identifying 30 publications which were analysed through the use and development of a codebook. Findings The SLR showed that 90% of the result set consisted of peer-reviewed academic conferences and journal papers. The SLR identified a highly dispersed author set of 83 authors. Amongst these authors, Vinay Kulkarni was an active author who has co-authored up to four publications in this research area. The analysis further revealed that the combined use of SD applications and EE is an emerging research area that still needs to develop in maturity. While all phases of EE have received attention, the current research work is more focused on the design phase. The important gap between model development and implementation is identified. Originality/value The study elucidates the existing status of interdisciplinary research combining techniques from the SD and EE disciplines, suggesting future research topics that combine the strengths of these existing disciplines.

A mechanism for upgrading the global value chain of China's wood industries based on sustainable green growth

With climate change and increasingly fierce international trade competition, upgrading the global value chains (GVCs) under the sustainable development mode is becoming a key transformation for China's wood industry. This study applies system dynamics theory to build a model of upgrading and evolution of the GVC of the wood industry based on sustainable green growth and uses Vensim PLE software for system simulation. The results demonstrate that (1) under the framework of sustainable green growth, the optimization of industry structure and security of resource supply play an important role in promoting the position of the GVC. (2) improving technological innovation capacity, plantation forest stock, carbon emission reduction intensity, and wage growth is essential to upgrade the wood industry's position in the GVC. (3) different policy implementations have different impacts on the coupled and coordinated development of the system, and implementing innovation-driven policies is the optimal realization path to promote the synergistic upgrading of the GVC. The findings enrich the holistic and systematic study of the evolution of GVC upgrading in traditional manufacturing industries and provide a fresh perspective for assisting the wood industry in realizing GVC upgrading under a sustainable green growth model.

Stability Analysis of EPC Consortium Cooperation Based on Evolutionary Game

Consortium contracting is a contracting model that China encourages and advocates. Due to the interest drive, members within the consortium are very prone to negative cooperation and midway withdrawal, which hinders the healthy development of the consortium. Therefore, this paper constructs a game model of EPC consortium cooperation evolution, analyzes the influence of different reward and punishment mechanisms on the cooperation of consortium members, and applies system dynamics to simulation. The results show that under the static reward and punishment and dynamic reward mechanism, the consortium cooperation is not stable; while under the dynamic punishment mechanism and the dynamic reward and punishment mechanism in which the maximum punishment is greater than the maximum reward, the evolution of consortium cooperation is gradually stable and the behavioral strategies are gradually unified. It also puts forward suggestions for measures conducive to stabilizing cooperation, which provide certain reference value for the internal management of consortium members' cooperation.

Returnable packaging systems and store operations: Processes, costs, and benefits

AbstractReturnable packaging systems (RPS) related to consumer products help to reduce problematic plastic and glass waste in supply chains. The purpose of this paper is to investigate distribution and return processes and the related cost drivers and benefits of returnable packaging with a deposit refund system in retail stores. Through the lens of the actor–network theory and based on 30 interviews with store managers, including on‐site observations, we develop a research model that structures key processes of RPS and their input and output factors. By subsequently applying system dynamics modeling, we find that: (1) customers’ process satisfaction, (2) price elasticity of demand, and (3) time between repeat purchases are key variables that impact RPS’ attractiveness and performance. This research contributes to an in‐depth understanding of processes within RPS as well as interdependencies between cost drivers and benefits for retailers. From a managerial perspective, these insights can enable retailers to take action based on the influencing factors for efficient operations related to RPS. Finally, this research has policy implications as it provides argumentation for the commercial benefits of RPS for retailers aside from the overemphasized cost perspectives.

Assessment of system sustainability: a critical review of the combined application of system dynamics and life cycle assessment

Assessment of system sustainability: a critical review of the combined application of system dynamics and life cycle assessment

Research On the Potential Application of System Dynamics in The Concept of Value Based Management and its Practical Implementation

From a general perspective of purpose and motivation, the research is focused on examining the validity of shifting the management paradigm in terms of applying the value based management concept and aligning the principles of value based management with a systemic approach to the enterprise.

Simulation Study on Rain-Flood Regulation in Urban “Gray-Green-Blue” Spaces Based on System Dynamics: A Case Study of the Guitang River Basin in Changsha

Urban rainstorms and flood disasters are the most common and severe environmental problems worldwide. Many factors influence rain-flood control simulation, forming a complex network system of interconnected and mutually constraining elements. In terms of spatial scale selection, existing research on rain-flood disaster risk largely relies on a single-scale infrastructure index system and has not yet focused on urban “gray-green-blue” spatial scale simulations for rain-flood storage. Regarding research methodology, applying system dynamics methods to the simulation of rain-flood storage and disaster prevention planning in watershed cities is still in its initial stages. System dynamics models can simulate the feedback interactions among various sub-elements in the coupled mega-system, fully addressing complex issues within the system structure that involve multiple variables, non-linear relationships, and numerous feedback loops, thereby compensating for the inadequacies of traditional linear models in the collaborative management of rain-flood risks. Taking the Changsha Guitang River Basin as an example, this paper constructs a system dynamics model covering four dimensions: natural environment, socio-economics, internal structure, and policy development. It aims to derive the optimal planning scheme for gray-green-blue spatial coordination in rain-flood storage by weighing four different development scenarios. The simulation results show: (1) Simply changing the surface substrates without considering rainwater discharge and the plan that emphasizes the construction of municipal drainage facilities will see the capacity gap for rain-flood storage-space construction continue to widen by 2035. This indicates that the plans mentioned above will struggle to bear the socio-economic losses cities face during rain-flood disasters. (2) The plan of combining gray and green infrastructures sees the rain-flood storage construction capacity turn from negative to positive from 2024, rising to 52.259 billion yuan by 2035. This reflects that the plan can significantly reduce the rainwater volume in the later stages of low-impact development infrastructure construction, mitigate rain-flood disaster risks, and reduce government investment in rain-flood disaster risk management, making it a relatively excellent long-term rain-flood storage space planning option. (3) The rain-flood regulation space planning scheme, under the combined effect of the urban “gray-green-blue” network system, sees the capacity for rain-flood storage construction turn positive a year earlier than the previous plan, reaching 54.232 billion yuan by 2035. This indicates that the scheme can not only effectively respond to extreme flood and rainstorm disasters but also maintain ecological environment benefits and mitigate the socio-economic losses caused by disasters, making it the optimal choice for future government disaster management planning. The research results provide a theoretical framework and practical insights for territorial spatial planning, rain-flood control management, and resilient city construction in watershed areas.

An Application of System Dynamics to Characterize Crop Production for Autonomous Indoor Farming Platforms (AIFP)

Smart farming using technology-monitored controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has recently evolved to optimize crop growth while minimizing land use and environmental impacts, especially for climate-threatened regions. This study focuses on characterizing crop production using system dynamics (SD) modeling, which is a relatively new approach in CEA settings. Using tomatoes in a hydroponic growing system, we explore an alternative food resource potentially accessible to underserved areas in rural and/or urban settings under abrupt climate variability. The designed autonomous indoor farming platforms (AIFP) are equipped with the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor the physiological parameters, including electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and water temperature (WT) associated with plant growth. Two varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants were used in this study with two different nutrient inputs (N-P-K ratios of 2-1-6 and 5-5-5) to assess the nutrient application impact on yield, especially focusing on the early stages of tomato to conceptualize and parametrize SD modes. Repeated measure analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of the environmental factors (EC, pH, and WT) in response to changing plant nutrients. The results show that different nutrient compositions (N-P-K ratios) have a noticeable effect on both pH and WT (p < 0.001) as opposed to EC. The study indicates that the proposed AIFP would be a promising solution to produce other crops for indoor farming in a changing climate. We anticipate that the proposed AIFP along with SD tools will be widely adopted to promote indoor farming in changing climates, ultimately contributing to community resilience against food insecurity in disadvantaged areas for years to come.

Identification of a One Health Intervention for Brucellosis in Jordan Using System Dynamics Modelling

Brucellosis occurs because of a complex multisector system involving the interplay between animal production and human behavior. A better understanding of transmission dynamics helps pinpoint the most effective interventions to reduce human and animal cases. Modeling methodologies have not been applied extensively to brucellosis. This study applies system dynamics modeling to identify the interplay between the different sectors that drive disease transmission and identify One Health interventions to control brucellosis. The study applies a quantitative system dynamics modeling methodology based on a qualitative in-depth analysis of the Brucella transmission system in Jordan. The data are analyzed manually to establish causal pathways to develop a stock and flow (SF) model. The structure is examined and reviewed by key informants. Several intervention scenarios to control Brucella transmission is assessed. Brucella transmission among sheep and between farms and markets are the main drivers of human incidence. Farmers’ visits to veterinary clinics are a critical intervention point for control associated with access to vaccination. The vaccination of sheep and health education activities alone might not be an effective strategy. Testing and culling sheep is the most efficient individual control strategy for animal incidence and a combination of public and animal health strategies (One Health) is the most effective strategy to reduce human incidence. The synthesis of current knowledge through the system dynamics model enables better understanding, visualization, and interpretation of the sectors involved in Brucella transmission. There is a strong synergy between sectors; therefore, greater control might be provided by utilizing multi-sectoral relationships embedded in the system.

Insights into Circular Economy Potential of Lithium by System Dynamic Modelling of Material Streams

AbstractLithium is a key raw material for producing lithium‐ion batteries. This study applies system dynamics modelling to demonstrate the (1) global lithium demand in specific lithium applications from 2005 to 2050, (2) the adequacy of lithium reserves for future lithium demand, (3) lithium content of waste streams throughout lithium value chain and (4) potential of various circular strategies for answering to the rising lithium demand. According to the modelling results, the main lithium application is battery electric vehicle batteries (almost 60 % in 2023 to 80–90 % by 2050) with current battery chemistries. Without circular strategies, 75–85 % of lithium is wasted throughout the value chain. Circular strategies may reduce the waste considerably (7–47 %), but to maintain sustainable supply of lithium a stacking of multiple complementary circular strategies over the lithium value chain is required.

Applications of Participatory System Dynamics Methods to Public Health: A Systematic Review.

System dynamics, and specifically qualitative participatory applications of system dynamics, have potential to benefit public health research, scholarship, and practice. A systematic review was conducted to examine the existing applications of participatory system dynamics (PSD) to public health research. Three databases were searched using unique search terms related to PSD and methodological applications in public health research. A total of 57 unique articles met inclusion criteria and were included for review. The studies included for review were conducted globally and represent a wide breadth of public health issues. The review identified several advantages to adopting PSD methods in public health scholarship and practice. The PSD methods provide innovative frameworks for conceptualizing complex and nuanced public health problems. The participatory nature of PSD allows for increased community engagement and empowerment to address public health problems, as well as to mitigate existing power dynamics between research institutions and marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by social and health inequities. Finally, causal loop diagrams developed using PSD methods have unique potential to convey complex concepts to policy makers and interventionists. This systematic review reports evidence for PSD's potential to advance equity in public health research and practice.

Measuring Social Value of Information Technology: Application of Topic Modelling and System Dynamics

Measuring Social Value of Information Technology: Application of Topic Modelling and System Dynamics

Multi-scenario prediction and path optimization of industrial carbon unlocking in China

China's industry is facing a carbon lock-in (CLI) dilemma. Based on the complexity and dynamics of CLI, exploring diversified unlocking paths is an important way to achieve emission reduction goals. This paper innovatively applies system dynamics (SD) to the study of CLI prediction and unlocking path, and systematically constructs an industrial CLI SD model, trying to break the positive feedback mechanism of CLI through multiple causality and feedback chains. This paper simulates and predicts the changing trend of the CLI level of China's industry and 8 major subsectors from 2020 to 2050. At the same time, the random forest algorithm is used to select the regulatory variables of policy analysis. Compared with the previous research methods, the accuracy and objectivity of the selection of regulatory variables are improved, so as to test the effectiveness of the unlocking path under each scenario. The results show that (1) the whole industry faces a serious CLI problem and is still in a deep lock-in state. From the perspective of subsectors, the light, electromechanical, and textile industries have achieved unlocking; the oil and extractive industries are in a moderately lock-in state; the chemical, steel, and power industries are in a deep lock-in state; and the CLI situation is serious. (2) The results of the random forest algorithm show that R&D investment, the proportion of fixed asset investments in the energy industry, car sales, energy structure, and carbon emission industry structure are the most significant factors affecting CLI in each subsystem. (3) Compared with the existing economic development model, the technological, institutional, social, and comprehensive unlocking scenarios can all enable industry to achieve carbon peak and carbon unlocking in advance. However, the effect of each scenario is as follows: comprehensive unlocking scenario > technological unlocking scenario > institutional unlocking scenario > social unlocking scenario. (4) The unlocking times of the oil, chemical, steel, and power industries are relatively late in each scenario. To realize carbon unlocking in industry, these four areas should be focused on in the future. This study helps policymakers formulate reasonable policies to accelerate industrial carbon unlocking and promote the implementation of the “dual carbon” strategy.

System Dynamics and Sustainable Solution: The Case in a Large-Scale Pallet Manufacturing Company

The proposal in the present research study is the result of a more than two-year process developed in a pallet manufacturing company for anchor enterprises in Southern Sonora, Mexico dedicated to beer production and export to the United States of America. Considering the high pallet demand for this supplier, a strategic plan was created in 2021, establishing an important project for developing technological solutions to improve decision making supported by graphical user interface and focused on sustainability. This study shows the application of system dynamics in all the wood and pallet manufacturing processes with a strategic sourcing supply chain. The method used for its development had the following stages: (1) developing the mapping process; (2) creating the causal loop diagram; (3) developing a flow and stock model with the representing mathematical equations; (4) simulating and validating current scenarios; (5) evaluating normal, optimistic, and pessimistic scenarios with multicriteria decision making using Technique to Order Preferences by Similarity and the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Faire Un Choix Adéquat (FUCA); (6) building the graphical interface. The most relevant results for the company were having quantitative information regarding the pallet demand required by the main client for wood availability, which was the main restriction in the supply chain. The solution was based on four validation tests that allowed decision makers to support the production proposals considering the assistance of the dynamic models. The main conclusion demonstrated that using well-defined operation rules and policies—considering the installed capacity and pallet demand through the model solution—allows anticipating decisions on pallet quantity and reducing the risk of out-of-time deliveries.

Dynamic evolutionary game and simulation with embedded pricing model for channel selection in shipping supply chain

In the context of the “Internet +” era, the shipping industry, which is struggling to survive due to economic weakness and excess capacity, is also actively seeking transformation to enhance core competitiveness of enterprises. This paper embeds the evolutionary game theory in the pricing model to explore the dynamic interaction mechanism between shipping companies and freight forwarders in channel selection. The conditions for shipping companies to choose different channel strategies in the long-term dynamic evolution process are derived. Then, we apply system dynamics to simulate the evolution model, and analyzes the influence of factors such as channel preference, operating cost and perceived loss on the dynamic evolution process. It is concluded that shipping companies and forwarders have different channel choices at different development stages, and when shipping companies choose to invade online platform, forwarders are motivated to choose online channel to obtain lower freight rates. When the channel preference of forwarders is moderate, the two channels coexist; when the channel preference of forwarders is high, the final stabilization strategy evolves to only the online channel. Furthermore, the channel preference of shippers has a greater impact on the evolutionary mechanism than that of forwarders.

Developing a model for managing sustainable regional forest biomass resources: System dynamics-based optimization

In Japan, the number of plantation forests that must be harvested is increasing. Therefore, it is desirable to establish an operational system with a high efficiency. When using efficient forestry machinery, it is necessary to secure a sufficient amount of operation commensurate with the cost of machines, while simultaneously considering the feasibility of the labor force. However, no previous research has presented a quantitative forestry operation management method from the viewpoint of optimizing the amount of operation on a regional forestry scale. First, a basic model that mathematically quantifies the amount of operation and changes in forest biomass by applying system dynamics (SD) was developed, and a regional forestry scenario with the labor force as a constraint was optimized. As a result of the optimization, it is suggested that the scenario will be sustainable if regional forests are managed in an area of approximately 800 ha for 10 workers. The amount of operation in the scenario was generally feasible with a limited labor force during the simulation period and was also validated against reported domestic forestry data. We conclude that the SD model can contribute to the development of a regional forest management plan tailored to local conditions. In addition, it will greatly contribute to the assessment of carbon reduction in the national forestry sector through sustainable management of local forest biomass resources.

Implementing a stakeholder-driven community diffusion-informed intervention to create healthier, more equitable systems: a community case study in Greenville County, South Carolina.

This case study describes the application of a theory-informed, stakeholder-driven intervention with a group of 19 multi-sector stakeholders from an existing coalition to promote whole-of-community change that supports childhood obesity prevention. The intervention applied community-based system dynamics to design and implement activities that promoted insights into the systems driving childhood obesity prevalence and helped participants prioritize actions to influence those systems. This led to three new priority areas for the coalition: addressing food insecurity; building power among historically marginalized voices within the community; and supporting advocacy efforts to promote community-wide change beyond the coalition's previous focus on organizational-level policy, systems and environment change. The intervention spurred the application of community-based system dynamics to other health issues and in partner organizations, which demonstrates paradigm shifts about how to address complex public health issues in the community.

Research progress in multi-body system dynamics modeling in stomatology

The stomatognathic system is an organic combination of bone, dentition, joints, masticatory muscles and innervation nerves. It is an organ system for the human body to perform mastication, speech, swallowing and other important functions. Due to the complex anatomical structure of stomatognathic system and ethical limitations, it is difficult to directly measure the movement and force by using the biomechanical experimental methods. Multi-body system dynamics is an important tool to study the kinetics and force of a multi-body system, which consists of several objects with relative motion. We can use the method of multi-body system dynamics simulation in engineering to study the movement, soft tissue deformation and force transfer of this complex stomatognathic system. This paper briefly introduces the history and application methods of multi-body system dynamics and the commonly used modeling methods. The application and research progress of multi-body system dynamics modeling methods in the field of stomatology was emphatically summarized, development prospects of current research and difficulties were put forward.

Research on Modeling and Simulation of We-media Brand Equity Growth

With the development of Internet technology, behind the rapid prosperity of We-media is a large number of We-media flash in the pan. How to create brand assets to provide competitive advantages for the sustainable development of We-media has become an urgent problem for profitable We-media. This paper analyzes the growth mechanism of we-media brand equity from the perspective of user's mind, applies system dynamics method to carry out modeling and simulation analysis, and explores the general law of we-media brand equity growth. This paper finds that the external environment and similar We-media have no obvious impact on the growth of We-media brand equity, but brand communication will have a direct positive impact. The research results of this paper can provide ideological inspiration for the brand equity construction of We-media.