Appropriate Level Of Complexity Research Articles

Clusters of Pregnant Women with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Due to COVID-19: An Unsupervised Learning Approach.

COVID-19 has been widely explored in relation to its symptoms, outcomes, and risk profiles for the severe form of the disease. Our aim was to identify clusters of pregnant and postpartum women with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to COVID-19 by analyzing data available in the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System of Brazil (SIVEP-Gripe) between March 2020 and August 2021. The study’s population comprised 16,409 women aged between 10 and 49 years old. Multiple correspondence analyses were performed to summarize information from 28 variables related to symptoms, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics into a set of continuous principal components (PCs). The population was segmented into three clusters based on an agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis applied to the first 10 PCs. Cluster 1 had a higher frequency of younger women without comorbidities and with flu-like symptoms; cluster 2 was represented by women who reported mainly ageusia and anosmia; cluster 3 grouped older women with the highest frequencies of comorbidities and poor outcomes. The defined clusters revealed different levels of disease severity, which can contribute to the initial risk assessment of the patient, assisting the referral of these women to health services with an appropriate level of complexity.

An interactive smartphone application for trainees in Radiation Oncology: "The Rad Onc Handbook"

1The app is well structured and easy to use. 2The app content is relevant to radiation oncology. 3The audio lessons enhanced my learning. 4The quizzes and cases enhanced my learning. 5My overall knowledge in radiation oncology has increased. 6I would recommend this application to a colleague. 25 participants completed the survey on the advanced learning module. 70% of all survey participants ""agree"" or ""strongly agree"" to the five statements listed below: 1The module was well structured. 2The module is relevant to radiation oncology. 3The module was an appropriate level of complexity. 4My overall knowledge about breast cancers has increased. 5I would recommend this module to a colleague. Overall, the application and advanced learning modules were well received and the trainees express a desire for other advanced learning modules in the free text responses. This free smartphone application provides an easily accessible resource for self-directed learning in radiation oncology. Initial feedback was very favourable and recommended use of this innovative learning resource among a wider group of trainees. In response to trainee feedback, future work will focus on the development of additional modules, incorporating interactive virtual patient cases, in other tumour sites. As web-based learning continues to become increasingly popular, this application can be a useful educational resource for medical trainees." Background Radiation oncology (RO) textbooks and primary references are often complex, technically advanced, and inaccessible to medical trainees. To address this, we designed a free, interactive smartphone application, to introduce trainees to the basics of RO. Methods We created and implemented an Apple iOS smartphone application with RO content, targeted for medical trainees. The beta version is free for download via the TestFlight application (https://testflight.apple.com/join/4A6qXjq2). The application incorporates both introductory topics relevant to radiation oncology and advanced, site-specific modules, that focus on the different tumour sites and their management. Content includes written text, audio lectures, interactive quizzes, and clinical cases. Two questionnaires were implemented to elicit feedback; one for application design and the other a knowledge-quiz for an advanced learning module on breast cancers. Both contain quantitative 5-point Likert-scale questions and one qualitative freeform text question seeking suggestions for improvement. Results There have been over 70 unique downloads of the application. 40 participants completed the survey on application design. Over 80% have selected ""agree"" or ""strongly agree"" to the six statements listed below: Radiation oncology (RO) textbooks and primary references are often complex, technically advanced, and inaccessible to medical trainees. To address this, we designed a free, interactive smartphone application, to introduce trainees to the basics of RO. We created and implemented an Apple iOS smartphone application with RO content, targeted for medical trainees. The beta version is free for download via the TestFlight application (https://testflight.apple.com/join/4A6qXjq2). The application incorporates both introductory topics relevant to radiation oncology and advanced, site-specific modules, that focus on the different tumour sites and their management. Content includes written text, audio lectures, interactive quizzes, and clinical cases. Two questionnaires were implemented to elicit feedback; one for application design and the other a knowledge-quiz for an advanced learning module on breast cancers. Both contain quantitative 5-point Likert-scale questions and one qualitative freeform text question seeking suggestions for improvement. There have been over 70 unique downloads of the application. 40 participants completed the survey on application design. Over 80% have selected ""agree"" or ""strongly agree"" to the six statements listed below:

Transparent decision support for mechanical ventilation using visualization of clinical preferences

BackgroundSystems aiding in selecting the correct settings for mechanical ventilation should visualize patient information at an appropriate level of complexity, so as to reduce information overload and to make reasoning behind advice transparent. Metaphor graphics have been applied to this effect, but these have largely been used to display diagnostic and physiologic information, rather than the clinical decision at hand. This paper describes how the conflicting goals of mechanical ventilation can be visualized and applied in making decisions. Data from previous studies are analyzed to assess whether visual patterns exist which may be of use to the clinical decision maker.Materials and methodsThe structure and screen visualizations of a commercial clinical decision support system (CDSS) are described, including the visualization of the conflicting goals of mechanical ventilation represented as a hexagon. Retrospective analysis is performed on 95 patients from 2 previous clinical studies applying the CDSS, to identify repeated patterns of hexagon symbols.ResultsVisual patterns were identified describing optimal ventilation, over and under ventilation and pressure support, and over oxygenation, with these patterns identified for both control and support modes of mechanical ventilation. Numerous clinical examples are presented for these patterns illustrating their potential interpretation at the bedside.ConclusionsVisual patterns can be identified which describe the trade-offs required in mechanical ventilation. These may have potential to reduce information overload and help in simple and rapid identification of sub-optimal settings.

THE IMPACT OF THE NEW GLOBAL REALITY ON THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESS: THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The acquisition of full membership for the Republic of Serbia in the European Union depends on a large number of factors. The combined and synergistic effect of these factors has made the process of Serbia's accession to the European Union extremely uncertain in terms of date and final outcome. The new reality, including the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. isolationist policies during President Trump's tenure, the strengthening of China and Russia, and Britain's exit from the EU, has made this process even more uncertain. In this context, it is crucial to identify and prioritize key factors that affect or could affect the process of Serbia's accession to the European Union, in order to evaluate the possible outcomes of this process. To solve problems of this level of complexity and uncertainty, it is necessary to apply an interdisciplinary approach of the appropriate level of complexity. Therefore, this paper is an extension of previous research (Krstic et al, 2018; Mimovic et al, 2019) based on the defined research goal, but incorporates a complex, network model called theAnalytical Network Process, which included new circumstances that determine what is colloquially called the new reality. All calculations in the paper were performed using the software package SuperDecisions as computer support for the Analytical Network Process.

System Performance Analysis for Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer Actuator Focusing on Nonlinear Effects: Based on Incremental Modelling and Parameter Identification Methodology.

With the development of more/all electric aircraft, replacement of the traditional hydraulic servo actuator (HSA) with an electromechanical actuator (EMA) is becoming increasingly attractive in the aerospace field. This paper takes an EMA for a trimmable horizontal stabilizer as an example and focuses on how to establish a system model with an appropriate level of complexity to support the model-based system engineering (MBSE) approach. To distinguish the nonlinear effects that dominate the required system performance, an incremental approach is proposed to progressively introduce individual nonlinear effects into models with different complexity levels. Considering the special design and working principle of the mechanical power transmission function for this actuator, the nonlinear dynamics, including friction and backlash from the no-back mechanism, and the nonlinear compliance effect from the mechanical load path are mainly taken into consideration. The modelling principles for each effect are addressed in detail and the parameter identification method is utilized to model these nonlinear effects realistically. Finally, the responses from each model and experimental results are compared to analyze and verify how each individual nonlinearity affects the system’s performance.

A comparison of different models of passive seat suspensions

Long duration exposure to vehicle induced vibration causes various ailments to humans. Amongst the various components of the human-vehicle system, the seat suspension plays a major role in determining the level of vibration transferred to humans. However, optimising the suspension for maximising human comfort leads to poor vehicle handling characteristics. Thus, predicting human comfort through various seat suspension models is a widely researched topic. However, the appropriate seat suspension model to be used has not been identified so far. Neither has any prior work reported integrating models of all the components necessary for this analysis, namely human body, cushion, seat suspension and vehicle chassis, each with the appropriate level of complexity. This work uses a two-dimensional 12 DoF seated human body model with inclined backrest support, a nonlinear cushion model, a seat suspension model and a full vehicle model. Two kinds of road profiles – one with random roughness and one with a bump – have been used. It then compares the performance of five different seat suspension models based on a number of human comfort related parameters (seat to head transmissibility, suspension travel, seat acceleration, cushion contact force and head acceleration in both vertical and fore-aft directions) and vehicle handling parameters (vertical, rolling and pitching acceleration of chassis). The results clearly show the superiority of the configuration which involves a spring parallel to an inclined multi-stage damper. A separate analysis was also done to judge whether the integration of the vehicle model (with its associated complication) was necessary for this analysis. A comparison of the human body’s internal forces, moments, acceleration, and absorbed power with and without the vehicle model clearly indicates the need of using the former.

A new cost-performance grid to compare different flood modelling approaches

ABSTRACT The wise selection of modeling approaches with an appropriate level of complexity for the study objectives is critical for robust inference. In this paper, the structure of a cost–performance grid designed for flood modeling is presented. The grid is developed to compare different flood modeling approaches of variable complexity and to provide guidance on the proper selection of the data-model couple. The methodology involves defining metrics to quantify the three variables: data costs, model costs, and performance. Preliminarily, 18 flood modeling applications in the literature were arbitrarily selected and analyzed to guide the implementation of the grid. The cost–performance diagram allows us to trace a cost–performance curve and group applications in four zones corresponding to four modeling approaches (empirical and geomorphic, hydrological, hydraulic, and coupling). The grid is a tool to support the comparison, classification, and future selection of cost-effective modeling approaches. It is flexible and can be extrapolated to other modeling objectives.

Multibody modelling of the human body for vibration induced direct and cross-axis seat to head transmissibility

During vertical or fore-and-aft vibrations of a seated human body, the motion of the head is influenced by backrest forces transmitted to the lumbar region of the spine. Thus, it is essential to consider backrest support while developing a human body model to capture direct and cross-axis seat to head transmissibility. For this purpose, twelve degrees of freedom seated human body model of the appropriate level of complexity with inclined backrest support has been developed in this work. The interconnection of masses is modelled using rotational and translational springs-dampers and the contact with an inclined backrest gives a better simulation of forces transmitted to the lower torso in the x-z direction. The model parameters were identified and optimized using a multi-objective genetic algorithm by minimizing the least square difference between experimental head motion and analytical results. Subsequently, a sensitivity study was carried out to find the effect of model parameters on the peak transmissibility modulus and resonant frequency. This will help in refining the design of the seat and backrest for improving comfort. Modal analysis was carried out for an improved understanding of the relative motion of different sections. Power absorbed at different locations of the human body was studied to identify regions susceptible to long term damage. Internal forces in the neck region were also determined and these can be used to characterize the neck pain due to prolonged exposure to such vibrations. The research work reported in this work offers an in-depth understanding of biodynamic responses of backrest supported human body subjected to vertical/horizontal vibrations. We expect it to offer vehicle designers some insights to control human body parameters (acceleration/forces /moments/power absorbed/modal displacements/lower back pain) and design appropriate restraints-supports for improved comfort.

An Advanced Boot Camp for Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellows.

Managing pediatric crises necessitates the acquisition of unique skills and confidence in its execution. Our aim was to develop and assess a curriculum based on the constructivist learning environment to enhance learning, orientation, and preparation of graduating pediatric anesthesiology fellows. Fifty pediatric anesthesiology fellows from 9 academic institutions in the United States were recruited for an advanced boot camp over a 2-year period. Training stations were developed using high-fidelity simulation, standardized patients, self-reflection modules, and facilitated discussions. The curriculum was evaluated using an anonymous survey that assessed knowledge, self-confidence, appropriateness of case-scenario complexity, and usefulness for transitioning into an independent practitioner on a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Data points were expressed as the median and interquartile range (IQR). Ninety-eight percent of the fellows completed a survey. Fellow perceptions of the advanced boot camp was positive. The median scores (IQR) for knowledge, self-confidence, appropriateness of case complexity, and usefulness for transition in 2017 were 5 (3,5), 4.5 (3,5), 5 (3,5), and 5 (3,5), respectively, and 5 (3,5), 4.5 (3,5), 5 (4,5), and 5 (3,5), respectively, in 2018. The IQR in the assessment for an appropriate level of complexity for their level of training, narrowed in 2018 (4,5), when compared with 2017 (3,5). Fellow responses support the idea that the advanced boot camp provided tools and strategies for their transition. A narrowed IQR regarding the appropriate level of complexity of scenarios in 2018, when compared with 2017, might suggest an improvement in the curriculum.

Enhanced hydrologic simulation may not improve downscaled soil moisture patterns without improved soil characterization

AbstractFine‐resolution soil moisture maps (10–30 m grid cells) are useful for many applications, including agricultural production and off‐road vehicle mobility. Fine‐resolution maps of soil moisture can be produced by downscaling coarse‐resolution soil moisture data from remote sensing. Soil moisture downscaling has been conducted by modeling key hydrologic processes in the soil, but current downscaling methods neglect two key aspects of soil hydrology: surface runoff and residual water content. The objective of this study is to understand how these hydrologic considerations affect spatial patterns of soil moisture and whether their inclusion improves downscaling performance. The Equilibrium Moisture from Topography, Vegetation, and Soil (EMT+VS) downscaling model is used to address these questions. Surface runoff is introduced to the model by implementing an infiltration capacity based on the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Residual water content is included by assuming that all hydrologic processes cease when soil moisture is at or below the residual water content. The pre‐existing EMT+VS model is compared with the new models using data from northeastern Colorado. The results show that both model additions introduce more complex dependence on the spatial variability of soil texture, which is difficult to estimate accurately. Including surface runoff provides only a small improvement in model performance, and residual water content shows almost no effect on the performance in this case. Thus, the simplifying assumptions of the pre‐existing model provide an appropriate level of complexity, given the uncertainties of the spatial input data.

Принципы обеспечения эффективной и безопасной работы ГТС гидромелиоративного комплекса

The issues arising during the operation of the GTS of the hydromelioration complex are considered. The level of reliability and degree of safety of the CTA are assessed by comparing the actual indicators of the state of the CTA (monitoring results) with the safety criteria. The comparison of the main parameters of the GTS with the safety criteria is made during the declaration. The interval between the drafting of the Safety Declaration for Hydraulic Structures is five years. Such an interval is a periodic certification rather than monitoring. Exists of the tеhere is a need to create an automated system for monitoring the GTS. Such a system should be multi-level, with role-based access, and be a decision support system. Development of the system is possible using modern web technologies. At each step of the hierarchy, it is possible to solve problems of the appropriate level of complexity. The web system consists of a web interface that provides the ability to store and process the necessary information. The web-based system allows remote users to connect via the Internet. The system is based on the freely available software MySQL 5.5. In the database, the tables type used is InnoDB. The database is based on intelligence on hydraulic structures, similar to the information provided by the owner when they are certified. When monitoring the GTS, the complexes of instrumentation installed on the constructions are used. Information gathering can be done both manually and automated, through measuringdevices. The complex of technical means should use modern unified means of mass production with a service life of at least 10 years. Sensors certified in Russia should be used. Information obtained as a result of the functioning of an automated system for monitoring the GTS can be used to solve a wide range of production tasks.

Актуальные аспекты планирования и разработки учебных программ

The key aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the quality of education are identified, formulated in the framework of the UN Conference «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development», which are the basis for ensuring an effective process of planning and development of educational programs; The importance of the design and development of curriculum oriented to students based on a problem-oriented approach is substantiated; The key advantages of the modular step-by-step structure of the curriculum are revealed, which allow you to select the appropriate level of complexity of tasks and not overload the classes.

Modern approaches to educating the creative personality of the new generation of specialists

The article is devoted to the problem of formation of creative abilities and cognitive interests of students. The main directions of development of the creative person according to the social needs of the present are considered. It is noted that creative activity becomes a form of knowledge of the material-objective world; identifies personality possibilities, new ways of one’s personal development. Therefore, the problem of developing the creative abilities of students in the course of educational and cognitive activity is of an exceptional relevance. The author believes that influencing the organization of creative activity is possible only under certain conditions, in particular: to conduct classes in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and co-creation, perceiving each student as a person; to give preference to the dialogical form of conducting classes, when students have an opportunity: to think independently, to make suggestions, to defend their own point of view, presenting their own arguments; it is advisable to create situations of choice at classes and to enable students to carry it out. The author notes that the observance of certain organizational and methodological conditions can significantly contribute to the development of creative potential of students, namely: the creative vision of the world through the systematic organization of work with students; development of creative values through the proper level of teacher's teaching skills; deepening the perception of the world picture through the integration of various types of students’ creativity, works of art and their figurative reproduction in their own creative activity; individual peculiarities of perception and emotional attitude through the use of the educational potential of the family, organization of creative activity. When performing creative tasks the individual characteristics of students to select the material of the appropriate level of complexity must be taken into account. The article examines the examples of students' creativity during the European Cultures Festival, debates and clubs on the basis of the Kryvyi Rih National University.

Conference Report: Models of Perpetration and Transgression: Borderline Cases in Violence and Trauma Research

In very different ways the Stanford Prison experiment, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, and the intensified media coverage of the prevalence of sexual assault reveal that perpetrators are neither the ‘other’ of a society often perceived to be non-violent, nor are they to be found only at its margins. How can we develop a transgressive concept of perpetration that does not essentialize, stigmatize, or symbolically dehumanize perpetrator figures, but instead allows for perspectives that reflect the appropriate level of complexity? What is needed is a notion that describes perpetration in terms of implicatedness in violence , e.g. as something that can grow out of a victim’s position, or as a capability to carry out violence that can in certain situations develop in “perfectly normal people” . These questions were at the focus of the multidisciplinary conference “Models of Perpetration and Transgression. Borderline Cases in Violence and Trauma Research” (“Tatermodelle und Transgression. Grenzfalle in Gewalt- und Traumaforschung”), organized by Julia B. Kohne and Jan Mollenhauer, held on 19th January 2018 in the Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum at Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. Talks were given by a wide range of international researchers, each of whom drew on their expertise to call into question crucial elements of how we understand perpetration and perpetratorship. These talks generated a discussion that encompassed the notion of perpetration in its broadest sense, starting with the psychology of victimhood and perpetratorship at the individual level, expanding to media representations that contribute to public discourse on perpetrators, both in terms of smaller-scale acts of violence, e.g. murders, and mass-scale perpetration of political violence, the effects of this discourse, (cultural) historical genealogies and contexts, as well as the traumatic consequences of perpetratorship. The following reflections upon the discussion should serve to inform current research on perpetration in the context of political violence by providing some helpful guidelines for approaching present challenges in this area.

Drivers of dissolved organic carbon export in a subarctic catchment: Importance of microbial decomposition, sorption-desorption, peatland and lateral flow

Tundra soils account for 50% of global stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC), and it is expected that the amplified climate warming in high latitude could cause loss of this SOC through decomposition. Decomposed SOC could become hydrologically accessible, which increase downstream dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export and subsequent carbon release to the atmosphere, constituting a positive feedback to climate warming. However, DOC export is often neglected in ecosystem models. In this paper, we incorporate processes related to DOC production, mineralization, diffusion, sorption-desorption, and leaching into a customized arctic version of the dynamic ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS in order to mechanistically model catchment DOC export, and to link this flux to other ecosystem processes. The extended LPJ-GUESS is compared to observed DOC export at Stordalen catchment in northern Sweden. Vegetation communities include flood-tolerant graminoids (Eriophorum) and Sphagnum moss, birch forest and dwarf shrub communities. The processes, sorption-desorption and microbial decomposition (DOC production and mineralization) are found to contribute most to the variance in DOC export based on a detailed variance-based Sobol sensitivity analysis (SA) at grid cell-level. Catchment-level SA shows that the highest mean DOC exports come from the Eriophorum peatland (fen). A comparison with observations shows that the model captures the seasonality of DOC fluxes. Two catchment simulations, one without water lateral routing and one without peatland processes, were compared with the catchment simulations with all processes. The comparison showed that the current implementation of catchment lateral flow and peatland processes in LPJ-GUESS are essential to capture catchment-level DOC dynamics and indicate the model is at an appropriate level of complexity to represent the main mechanism of DOC dynamics in soils. The extended model provides a new tool to investigate potential interactions among climate change, vegetation dynamics, soil hydrology and DOC dynamics at both stand-alone to catchment scales.

Models for managing wildlife disease.

Modelling wildlife disease poses some unique challenges. Wildlife disease systems are data poor in comparison with human or livestock disease systems, and the impact of disease on population size is often the key question of interest. This review concentrates specifically on the application of dynamic models to evaluate and guide management strategies. Models have proved useful particularly in two areas. They have been widely used to evaluate vaccination strategies, both for protecting endangered species and for preventing spillover from wildlife to humans or livestock. They have also been extensively used to evaluate culling strategies, again both for diseases in species of conservation interest and to prevent spillover. In addition, models are important to evaluate the potential of parasites and pathogens as biological control agents. The review concludes by identifying some key research gaps, which are further development of models of macroparasites, deciding on appropriate levels of complexity, modelling genetic management and connecting models to data.

Considering microbial and aggregate heterogeneity in biofilm reactor models: how far do we need to go?

A model describing a given system should be as simple as possible - but not simpler. The appropriate level of complexity depends both on the type of system and on the intended use of the model. This paper addresses the critical question of which purposes justify increased complexity of biofilm (reactor) models. Additional model features compared to conventional models considered are: (1) the inclusion of microbial diversity, distinguishing between different species performing the same function; and (2) the distinction between flocs and granules in putatively granular sludge reactors. With a multispecies model considering interspecies diversity, it was demonstrated that a given macroscopic reactor performance does not necessarily reflect steady state conditions on the microscale. In a second case study, it was shown that the addition of a small level of flocs can have a significant impact on macroscale process performance and on microbial population and activity distributions in granular sludge reactors. It was concluded that increased complexity in biofilm models, concerning microbial diversity or mesoscale aggregate architecture, is likely more useful when the focus is on understanding fundamental microscale outputs, but under specific conditions, these additional model features can be critically informative for bulk reactor behavior prediction and general understanding.

An iterative global pressure solution for the semi-analytical simulation of geological carbon sequestration

Successful large-scale implementation of geological CO2 sequestration (GCS) will require the preliminary assessment of multiple potential injection sites. Risk assessment and optimization tools used in this effort typically require large numbers of simulations. This makes it important to choose the appropriate level of complexity when selecting the type of simulation model. A promising multi-phase semi-analytical method proposed by Nordbotten et al. (Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 743–749 2009) to estimate key system attributes (i.e., pressure distribution, CO2 plume extent, and fluid migration) has been found to reduce computational run times by three orders of magnitude when compared to other standard numerical techniques. The premise of the work presented herein is that the existing semi-analytical leakage algorithm proposed by Nordbotten et al. (Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 743–749 2009) may be further improved in computational efficiency by applying a fixed-point-type iterative global pressure solution to eliminate the need to solve large sets of linear equations at each time step. Results show that significant gains in computational efficiency are obtained with this new methodology. In addition, this modification provides the same enhancement to similar semi-analytical algorithms that simulate single-phase injection into multi-layer domains.

Quantitative economic impact assessment of invasive plant pests: What does it require and when is it worth the effort?

According to the International Plant Protection Convention and the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, any measure against the introduction and spread of new pests must be justified by a science-based pest risk analysis. Economic impact assessments are usually carried out using a qualitative approach, based on classifying the size of impact into five categories, from “minimal” to “massive”. Whilst the qualitative approach may be adequate in many instances, it lacks transparency and demonstrable objectivity. A quantitative approach for economic impact assessment may improve transparency and strengthen the justification for measures, if taken, but requires additional work, and it requires specific data and models. This paper, first, compares the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Second, it clarifies the data and models needed to conduct a quantitative economic impact assessment to support a decision on the pest quarantine status or justify management measures. Third, it identifies the criteria for choosing the appropriate level of complexity, regarding the resolution, economic technique and time frame of the quantitative approach. The greater transparency and objectivity of the quantitative vis-a-vis qualitative economic impact assessment may enhance plant health policy and decision making at national and international regulatory bodies. However, uncertainties that are inherent to this approach may weaken this position. Hence, PRAs require a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches for assessing impacts and the exact balance of the two has to be case-specific.

Innovation Strategy Complexity and Scope in Automotive Component Manufacturing in Developing Economies

:Associations between complexity of innovation strategy and scope of innovation were investigated in automotive component manufacturing in the developing economy contexts of South Africa and India. Understanding how strategy complexity relates to scope of innovation enables engineering managers to select the appropriate level of complexity for their firms' market access strategy. An empirical study was conducted in South Africa and in the Pune region of India. The India data yielded several significant associations between strategy complexity and scope of innovation, but the South African data yielded none. It indicates that engineering managers should consider more complex market access strategies if an increased degree of novelty or increased diversity of innovation is required; however, a simpler strategy should be considered in developing country automotive component manufacturing with a foreign vehicle manufacturer's subsidiary as the customer.