Effectiveness Of Countermeasures Research Articles

Prediction and mitigation of train-induced vibrations of over-track buildings on a metro depot: Field measurement and numerical simulation

To predict the vibration transmission of over-track buildings and investigate the effectiveness of countermeasures, a fully coupled three-dimensional vibration prediction model for over-track buildings with consideration of the pile–soil interaction (PSI) was proposed. The accuracy of this prediction model was validated with field data from in-situ vibration monitoring in a metro depot. The consideration of PSI improved prediction accuracy about the vibration of over-track buildings. Then the effectiveness of different mitigation measures (rail damper and ballast mat) was investigated by this prediction model. It was found that the vibration of over-track buildings was dominated by vertical vibration components. Rail dampers significantly reduced the vibration in the high-frequency range above 80 Hz, while the vibration in the low-frequency range below 10 Hz was amplificated. The insertion loss of ballast mats reached 10 dB in the frequency range above 40 Hz except at the resonance frequency of the track, and mitigation effectiveness gradually decreased with increasing story height. This proposed method can predict the vibration level within over-track buildings and is an effective tool to guide the vibration mitigation design of over-track buildings.

An integrated simulation framework for the prevention and mitigation of pandemics caused by airborne pathogens.

In this work, we developed an integrated simulation framework for pandemic prevention and mitigation of pandemics caused by airborne pathogens, incorporating three sub-models, namely the spatial model, the mobility model, and the propagation model, to create a realistic simulation environment for the evaluation of the effectiveness of different countermeasures on the epidemic dynamics. The spatial model converts images of real cities obtained from Google Maps into undirected weighted graphs that capture the spatial arrangement of the streets utilized next for the mobility of individuals. The mobility model implements a stochastic agent-based approach, developed to assign specific routes to individuals moving in the city, through the use of stochastic processes, utilizing the weights of the underlying graph to deploy shortest path algorithms. The propagation model implements both the epidemiological model and the physical substance of the transmission of an airborne pathogen (in our approach, we investigate the transmission parameters of SARS-CoV-2). The deployment of a set of countermeasures was investigated in reducing the spread of the pathogen, where, through a series of repetitive simulation experiments, we evaluated the effectiveness of each countermeasure in pandemic prevention.

Zero-Mode Inrush Current Characteristics and Zero-Sequence Protection Countermeasure Under Sympathetic Interaction

When the transformer is energized, the three-phase inrush current with the zero-mode component named zero-mode inrush current (ZMIC) will be generated due to the inconsistent saturation of the three-phase iron core. From the on-site waveform record, the ZMIC attenuates very slowly and leads to the zero-sequence zone Ⅲ backup protection malfunction of the upstream transmission line of the transformer. The malfunction expands outages and has an adverse effect on the equipment safety and system stability. To solve this problem, an ZMIC analytical model under the sympathetic interaction considering residual flux, closing angles, transformer types, and other factors is constructed to analyze the characteristics of the ZMIC. Subsequently, a protection countermeasure based on the third harmonic component of the ZMIC to prevent the zero-sequence protection malfunction under the sympathetic interaction is proposed. The countermeasure is simple in principle and only uses the information of its own substation. However, it can deal with various energization and complex failure situations even the situation that the transformer is energized to the minor internal fault effectively. Besides, it is less affected by transition resistance and CT saturation. The effectiveness of countermeasure has been verified by the digital simulations, dynamic physical simulation tests and field wave recording tests.

Plane-Wave Coupling Analysis of a Distribution Line With a Multipoint Grounded Shield Wire and Surge Arresters Using the Three-Dimensional FDTD Method

A high-frequency electromagnetic plane wave arises owing to a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP), which may cause overvoltages in distribution lines and insulation failure. To protect distribution lines from such overvoltages properly, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures. Nowadays, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, which is one of the full-wave numerical approaches, has become a powerful tool for analyzing electromagnetic transient phenomena. In this article, first, we propose a simplified approach to modeling an impinging plane wave by taking into account homogeneous soil parameters in the three-dimensional FDTD method on the basis of a total field/scattered field technique for the analysis of HEMP-based plane-wave coupling. Second, using the proposed technique, we carry out the statistical analysis of overvoltages in a three-phase distribution line and evaluate the effectiveness of a multipoint grounded overhead shield wire and surge arresters, which are commonly used as lightning protection measures, while modeling the reinforcing bars of concrete utility poles, earth electrodes, and vertical grounding wires to simulate a realistic condition.

What do we know about no‐show behavior? A systematic, interdisciplinary literature review

AbstractNo‐show behavior, a distinct form of absenteeism, is often problematic, particularly in the service industry. Given the growing relevance of the phenomenon in the industry, an increasing number of researchers from such different disciplines as educational economics, healthcare management research, and sports economics have begun examining both the potential antecedents and measures to counteract no‐show behavior, recently. Although the continuously growing body of literature on no‐show behavior has been reviewed before, most such previous attempts were neither interdisciplinary nor systematic, sometimes lacking both completeness and thoroughness. In this article, we address this gap in the still‐emerging literature by providing a systematic, interdisciplinary review of the literature. We observe that, although the potential antecedents are manifold and not always neatly comparable across the different industries, there still exist commonalities, most of which are related to product characteristics and the opportunity costs arising from physical attendance. In contrast, although we document a promising effect of exploiting reminders in reducing no‐show behavior, our understanding of the effectiveness of potential countermeasures is less pronounced.

Failure analysis and countermeasures of highway tunnel crossing fault fracture zone in coal-bearing strata: A case study

Collapse occurs frequently during the construction of highway tunnel crossing fault fracture zone in coal-bearing strata. This paper presents a case study on the failure mechanism and treatment measures of the collapse of a tunnel. In-situ investigation indicates that the continuous looseness of surrounding rock caused by the crushing of coal seam is the main cause of collapse. The uniaxial compressive strengths of coal and rock was subsequently determined based on point load test. The in-situ stress measurement results show that the tunnel is in the extremely high stress zone. In addition, the collapse mechanisms were analyzed in aspects of in-situ stress, groundwater, surrounding rock mechanical properties and geology. The countermeasures of grouting and support strengthening were taken to improve the stability of surrounding rock. The effects of countermeasures were discussed by analyzing monitoring data. The lesson learned from the collapse case study can provide a reference for similar tunnels.

Length of Stay and Costs with Autologous Skin Cell Suspension Versus Split-Thickness Skin Grafts: Burn Care Data from US Centers.

IntroductionAutologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) significantly reduces donor skin requirements versus conventional split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) for thermal burn treatment. In analyses using the Burn-medical counter measure Effectiveness Assessment Cost Outcomes Nexus (BEACON) model, ASCS was associated with shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) and cost savings versus STSG. This study hypothesized that daily practice data from the USA would support these findings.MethodsElectronic medical record data from 500 healthcare facilities (January 2019–August 2020) were used to match adult patients who received inpatient burn treatment with ASCS (± STSG) to patients treated with STSG alone on the basis of sex, age, percent total body surface area (TBSA), and comorbidities. Based on BEACON analyses, LOS was assumed to represent 70% of total costs and used as a proxy to assess the data. Mean LOS, costs, and the incremental revenue associated with inpatient capacity changes were calculated.ResultsA total of 151 ASCS and 2443 STSG patients were identified: 63.0% were male and average age was 44.5 years. Eight-one matches were made between cohorts. LOS was 21.7 days with ASCS and 25.0 days with STSG alone (difference 3.3 days [13.2%]). LOS was lower with ASCS than STSG in four of five TBSA intervals. The LOS difference led to hospital bed cost savings of $25,864 per ASCS patient; overall cost savings were $36,949 per patient. Similar cost savings were observed in TBSA groupings < 20% and ≥ 20%. The reduced LOS with ASCS translated into an increased capacity of 2.2 inpatients/bed annually, which increased hospital revenue by $92,283/burn unit bed annually.ConclusionsReal-world data show that ASCS (± STSG) is associated with reduced LOS and cost savings versus STSG alone across all burn sizes, supporting the validity of the BEACON analyses. ASCS use may also increase patient capacity and throughput, leading to increased hospital revenue.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-022-02306-y.

SYNFI: Pre-Silicon Fault Analysis of an Open-Source Secure Element

Fault attacks are active, physical attacks that an adversary can leverage to alter the control-flow of embedded devices to gain access to sensitive information or bypass protection mechanisms. Due to the severity of these attacks, manufacturers deploy hardware-based fault defenses into security-critical systems, such as secure elements. The development of these countermeasures is a challenging task due to the complex interplay of circuit components and because contemporary design automation tools tend to optimize inserted structures away, thereby defeating their purpose. Hence, it is critical that such countermeasures are rigorously verified post-synthesis. Since classical functional verification techniques fall short of assessing the effectiveness of countermeasures (due to the circuit being analyzed when no faults are present), developers have to resort to methods capable of injecting faults in a simulation testbench or into a physical chip sample. However, developing test sequences to inject faults in simulation is an error-prone task and performing fault attacks on a chip requires specialized equipment and is incredibly time-consuming. Moreover, identifying the fault-vulnerable circuit is hard in both approaches, and fixing potential design flaws post-silicon is usually infeasible since that would require another tape-out. To that end, this paper introduces SYNFI, a formal pre-silicon fault verification framework that operates on synthesized netlists. SYNFI can be used to analyze the general effect of faults on the input-output relationship in a circuit and its fault countermeasures, and thus enables hardware designers to assess and verify the effectiveness of embedded countermeasures in a systematic and semi-automatic way. The framework automatically extracts sensitive parts of the circuit, induces faults into the extracted subcircuit, and analyzes the faults’ effects using formal methods. To demonstrate that SYNFI is capable of handling unmodified, industry-grade netlists synthesized with commercial and open tools, we analyze OpenTitan, the first opensource secure element. In our analysis, we identified critical security weaknesses in the unprotected AES block, developed targeted countermeasures, reassessed their security, and contributed these countermeasures back to the OpenTitan project. For other fault-hardened IP, such as the life cycle controller, we used SYNFI to confirm that existing countermeasures provide adequate protection.

The Effect of COVID-19 Countermeasures on Korean Air Passenger Confidence

The COVID-19 pandemic has sharply reduced air travel demand since early 2020. This paper aims to identify factors influencing Korean passengers’ air travel confidence after COVID-19 based on three countermeasure classifications: social distancing, health, and vaccination. Data were collected online from 307 Korean air passengers from December 2021 to January 2022. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine countermeasure influence on air passenger confidence. Health measures (face mask, temperature screening, and hand sanitizing) scored the highest on importance and air travel safety sensitivity. Social distancing measures (physical distancing, contactless boarding process, and sneeze guards) scored the lowest but were still perceived to be important. Only vaccine measures (vaccine pass check-in, vaccination rates, and personal vaccination status) were identified as having a significantly positive influence on Korean air travel confidence. The study’s results do not support past studies showing social distancing and health measures partially or fully influencing air travel confidence. This finding has significant implications for understanding how Korean passengers’ perceptions and perceived sense of safety are different or have changed two years into the crisis, as well as for achieving sustainability of the aviation and travel industries after COVID-19.

Experimental and numerical studies on the two “lock-in” regions characteristic of vertical vortex-induced vibration of Π-shaped composite bridge deck

The Π-shaped bridge deck may easily occur vertical vortex-induced vibration, due to the bluff body aerodynamic configuration, which may cause the uncomforting of vehicles and pedestrians on the bridges. The present study mainly focused on the two “lock-in” regions characteristics of vertical vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of Π-shaped bridge deck, which can reveal the aerodynamic mechanism of vibration mitigation countermeasures. The vertical VIV response of original Π-shaped deck and those with different countermeasures are experimentally investigated detailly. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is employed to numerically simulate the surrounding flow field of original girder section and those with different aerodynamic countermeasures. The numerical method is firstly verified through the comparison with the results of corresponding experimental results obtained in wind tunnel test. Afterwards, the flow pattern and vortex structure around the girder section simulated by CFD are utilized to interpret the effects of the mitigation countermeasures. The numerical results show that: (a)The vibration mitigation effect in the first vortex “lock-in” region is not sensitive to the position of the aerodynamic countermeasures, while the vibration mitigation effect in the second “lock-in” region is more sensitive to the position of the aerodynamic countermeasures; (b) The phase of aerodynamic lift and displacement response is close to synchronization in the ascending section of the VIV amplitude, greater than 90° in the descending section, and close to 180° outside the vortex-induced resonance range. The first vertical VIV region is related to the “Karman vortex street” at the trailing edge of the section, while the second vertical VIV region is related to the vortex shedding at the lower edge of the front end of the section and the secondary vortices on the upper surface.

Formononetin ameliorates simulated microgravity-induced bone loss by suppressing bone turnover in rats

Rapid bone loss exposed to spaceflight is one of the highest risk factors for astronauts which can increase the occurrence of fracture risk and lead to serious health problems, but the therapeutic effects of the current countermeasures still have certain limitations and deficiencies. This study aims to find novel potential drugs for the prevention of the bone loss caused by microgravity. Therefore, the systems pharmacology was utilized to discover the active natural compound formononetin in Radix Astragali as the potential drug for the prevention of bone loss. Further, we investigated the therapeutic effects of formononetin in the prevention of bone loss induced by microgravity. Here, the hind limb unloading (HLU) rats’ model was established to simulate the weightlessness, and the HLU rats were treated with formononetin (30 mg· kg−1·day−1) for 4 weeks. The results showed that formononetin treatment clearly ameliorated the microstructure of the trabecular bone, accelerated bone mineral apposition rate and increased bone mineral density, additionally improving biomechanical properties of the bone. Furthermore, the results of the bone turnover biomarkers in serum indicated that formononetin administration effectively decreased the levels of both the bone formation biomarkers and bone resorption biomarkers. In addition, we observed the levels of bone remodeling cytokines including IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-4, IL-10 and TNF-α were partially recovered by formononetin administration. All of the above indicated that formononetin administration could prevent bone loss induced by HLU treatment due to its ability to inhibit bone turnover and regulate bone remodeling cytokines. These results may contribute to elucidate the novel effects of formononetin against bone loss and further illustrate its potential application value as a leading compound in drug development.

A method for assessing the COVID-19 infection risk of riding public transit

During the pandemic, to prevent the spread of the virus, countries all adopted various safety measures, including masking, social distancing, and vaccination. However, there is a lack of methods that can quantitively evaluate the effectiveness of these countermeasures. This research first develops a model to quantitively evaluate the infection risk of riding public transit. By utilizing the developed model, the effectiveness of different countermeasures could be evaluated and compared. For demonstration purposes, the developed model is applied to a particular bus route in the City of Houston, Texas. The modeling results show that masking, social distancing, and vaccination can all reduce the infection risk for passengers. And among all these countermeasures, face masking is the most effective one. In addition, model results approve that the COVID-19 infection risk is highly related to the exposure time and the risk can be controlled by reducing the exposure time. Thus, a new strategy named the “split route strategy” is proposed and compared with the “capacity reduction strategy” using the model developed. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to assess the feasibility of the proposed “split route strategy”. Furthermore, two interviews were conducted with practitioners at Houston Metro. Both interviewees believe that face masking could significantly prevent the spread of the virus, which validated the model results.

Exploring the impacts of heat release of vehicles on urban heat mitigation in Sendai, Japan using WRF model integrated with urban LCZ

Studies have been conducted globally on urban heat countermeasures utilizing Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical modeling system. Yet, the effects of vehicle heat (VH) on near-surface air temperature in Japanese cities were not clarified. In this study, the WRF Building Effect Parameterization and Building Energy Model (BEP-BEM) coupled with local climate zones (LCZs) was adopted for simulating the influences of VH on the urban climate over Sendai, Japan. To do so, we proposed a novel method to estimate the hourly VH for LCZs via open-source data. Integrating VH and specific urban canopy parameters (UCPs) into BEP-BEM, the climate model was established and then validated with the observed data. Based on that, effects of various urban heat countermeasures were analyzed at a high spatial resolution. It was found that eliminating the vehicle heat contributes up to 0.12°C to urban heat mitigation, as the most effective countermeasures for the compact areas of city center. This study provided a feasible and reliable workflow to quantitatively evaluate urban heat mitigation strategies at high spatial resolution, specifically for reducing VH in Japanese cities, that can support related urban planners and decision makers for implementing targeted urban heat mitigation strategies.

The dark side of business model innovation: An empirical investigation into the evolvement of customer resistance and the effectiveness of potential countermeasures

AbstractIn the past decade, a core assumption of research on business model innovation (BMI) has been its beneficial character. However, studies have shown that potentially disrupting BMI is not immune to failure. Still, studies that investigate the causes of BMI failures are lacking. This article shifts the focus to the dark side of BMI by using a demand‐side approach, which cross‐fertilizes on the new product development (NPD) research stream of passive innovation resistance. We argue that BMI, like any other type of innovation, imposes change on the customer, which endangers the status quo. As a result, passive innovation resistance evolves, potentially disrupting continuous adoption. Thus, the main goal of the current study is to investigate whether and how BMI evokes negative effects of passive innovation resistance on customers' adoption behavior (Study 1) and to determine which marketing instruments can be used as countermeasures (Study 2). Our findings confirm that passive innovation resistance is a strong inhibitor of continuous BMI adoption. However, the detrimental effects of passive innovation resistance on continuous BMI adoption can be attenuated by employing benefit comparisons or testimonials in business model (BM) announcements. From a theoretical perspective, this study enhances the current knowledge on how stable customer predispositions affect the adoption process of BMI. By so doing, our study confirms the applicability of passive innovation resistance beyond the NPD domain but also sheds light on differences in the cause‐effect mechanism between BMI and product innovation contexts. From a managerial perspective, this study equips managers with effective countermeasures to passive innovation resistance that should reduce the probability of BMI failure.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of countermeasures for improving the safety of dilemma zones: A driving simulator study

The main objective of this driving simulator study is to analyze the behavior of the driver at the start of the yellow signal of a signalized rural intersection and identify the most effective countermeasures for tackling the dilemma zone, namely an area on the intersection approach where vehicles at the start of the yellow phase can neither safely stop before the stop line nor cross the intersection. The following countermeasures were tested in the study on a sample of 48 drivers: green signal countdown timers, GSCT (C1); a new pattern of vertical and horizontal warning signs (C2); and an advanced on-board driver assistance system based on augmented reality (AR) and connected vehicle technologies (C3). These countermeasures were tested and compared to a baseline condition (B) where no countermeasures were applied. Based on the results of this study, the C2 and C3 countermeasures have proven to be valid tools for reducing driver indecision when approaching signalized intersections at the start of the yellow signal. In fact, using C2 and C3, the length of the dilemma zone was equal to 30 m and 36 m, respectively, with a reduction of about 50%, as compared to the baseline condition (B). Moreover, a reduced number of false behaviors was recorded, as well as a greater consistency in driver decision-making behaviors. Conversely, the C1 countermeasure did not lead to a significant improvement in the dilemma zone: an unnecessary increase in early stop rates was recorded, resulting in reduced intersection efficiency and operations.

Predicting the infection probability distribution of airborne and droplet transmissions

Herein, a method is proposed to predict the infection probability distribution rather than the room-averaged value. The infection probability is predicted by considering both airborne and droplet transmissions based on CO2 concentration and the position of the occupants in a room. The proposed method was used in an actual office setting, and the results confirmed that it could provide a quantitative prediction of the infection probability by integrating the ventilation efficiency and the distance between occupants (i.e. social distancing). We verified the ability of the method to analyse the relative effectiveness of countermeasures for airborne and droplet transmissions. The proposed strategies can be implemented by a facility manager and can enable facility users to check the infection probability distribution in real-time to select a seat with the minimum risk of infection.

Effects of Security Knowledge, Self-Control, and Countermeasures on Cybersecurity Behaviors

ABSTRACT Organizations whose employees participate in risky cybersecurity behaviors (RCySecB) could suffer disastrous consequences either directly or indirectly from actions linked to such behaviors. This study used conceptualizations facilitated by Attribution Theory to examine the effects of dispositional factors (self-control and knowledge of IS security threats/risks and their potential consequences) and situational factors (security, education, training, and awareness (SETA) programs and computer monitoring) in reducing employee participation in RCySecB. Data was collected from a survey of working professionals in India, and relevant hypotheses were formulated. The PLS technique was used for data analysis. This study investigated the direct effects of the factors on the dependent construct and analyzed the interacting effects of the constructs as well. The results indicate that all factors reduce employee participation in RCySecB. However, the joint effects of the situational factor elements and the dispositional factor of personal knowledge security threats/risks and their potential consequences were insignificant in the model.

SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 variant is neutralized by vaccine booster-elicited serum but evades most convalescent serum and therapeutic antibodies.

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) along with its high number of mutations in the spike gene has raised alarms about the effectiveness of current medical countermeasures. To address this concern, we measured neutralization of the Omicron BA.1 variant pseudovirus by post-vaccination serum samples after two and three immunizations with the Pfizer/BioNTech162b2 SARS-CoV-2 mRNA (Pfizer/BNT162b2) vaccine, convalescent serum samples from unvaccinated individuals infected by different variants, and clinical-stage therapeutic antibodies. We found that titers against the Omicron variant were low or undetectable after two immunizations and in many convalescent serum samples, regardless of the infecting variant. A booster vaccination increased titers more than 30-fold against Omicron to values comparable to those seen against the D614G variant after two immunizations. Neither age nor sex were associated with differences in post-vaccination antibody responses. We also evaluated eighteen clinical-stage therapeutic antibody products and an antibody mimetic protein product obtained directly from the manufacturers. Five monoclonal antibodies, the antibody mimetic protein, three antibody cocktails, and two polyclonal antibody preparations retained measurable neutralization activity against Omicron with a varying degree of potency. Of these, only three retained potencies comparable to the D614G variant. Two therapeutic antibody cocktails in the tested panel that are authorized for emergency use in the United States did not neutralize Omicron. These findings underscore the potential benefit of mRNA vaccine boosters for protection against Omicron and the need for rapid development of antibody therapeutics that maintain potency against emerging variants.

Comparative Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of the Seismic Performance of Water Networks during the Maule 2010, Christchurch 2010–2011, and Tohoku 2011 Earthquakes

Recovery of damaged water supply systems after severe earthquakes is one of the priorities to return to normal conditions. Water supply systems are intrinsically interdependent with other important lifelines such as transportation, energy, health care, and industrial sectors. These interdependencies need to be better understood by means of empirical data and analytical models. This paper is primarily of archival nature and describes empirical impact data of large earthquakes in Chile (Maule 2010), New Zealand (Christchurch 2010–2011), and Japan (Tohoku 2011) on their respective drinking water systems, and summarizes damage observations, emergency actions, and restoration processes within a resilience framework focused on metrics of robustness and rapidity. The archival nature of this article is justified by the paramount importance of systematic data collection to improve network resilience for future analytical models that aim to predict the response and recovery of water networks. Moreover, based on the collected data, the effectiveness of response actions and implemented countermeasures are evaluated relative to the observed earthquake performance of the system components. Important observations are derived to understand the main factors causing water supply system outages, the effectiveness of strategies used, and their capacity to restore the service.

Effects of freshwater acidification and countermeasures

Nowadays, pollution has become a serious problem with the development of industry and the exploitation of the earth’s resources. Acid rain and lake acidification caused by pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide has caused serious effects in many places. Nowadays people do not know the ecological influence of acidification, how to detect it and how it recovers. This paper examines the effects of acid rain on fish, plants and microorganisms in freshwater lakes, as well as how to detect acid rain and how to manage and recover from it. The results are not always clear, but there is a lot of evidence that acidification is changing lakes in many aspects, whether living or non-living things, small or widespread factors, acidified freshwater is no longer what it used to be. By examining those problems, people can protect the environment more effectively. Reducing the occurrence of acid rain and the damage it causes in the future. The significance of this paper is analyzing the ecological influence of acid rain, studying and discussing the negative impact on species, and giving some solutions for people, governments and companies for acidification. Furthermore, lake water self-cleaning is also considered in the solution as well. Acid rain causes acidification of the soil, which has a negative impact on agriculture. And it also damages the breeding environment of animals, reducing their reproductive success. For example, fish, microorganisms, and plants can be negatively affected by acidification of the lake water, even leading to extinction.