Risk Evaluation Criteria Research Articles

Collision probability evaluation of SRM slag during orbital lifetime

At the end of combustion, a solid rocket motor (SRM) in orbit emits combustion products with relatively large particle sizes (slag). ISO 24113:2023 “Space debris mitigation requirements” defines criteria to limit debris emission 1 mm or larger in the LEO protected region. JAXA's “Space debris mitigation standard,” JMR-003E, sets out the same requirements. Hence, JAXA has begun an improvement study on SRM slag emissions as it develops the next generation of SRMs to conserve the orbital environment by significantly reducing SRM slag larger than 1 mm. However, ensuring the complete prevention of larger SRM slag emission is technically challenging. Thus, we are alternatively working to establish a risk evaluation method and criteria based on the collision probability (Pc) of SRM slag during its orbital lifetime. Based on ground firing tests, this study estimated the number and particle size of SRM slag in orbit emitted during the Epsilon and Epsilon S launch missions. The Pc per mission during the orbital lifetime was calculated and provisionally set to 10–3 for currently operational spacecraft. This paper discusses its acceptability to JAXA.

A Novel Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set-Based Risk Priority Number Method for Solving Chemical Experiment Risk Evaluation

Scientific experiments cover a wide range of fields—from basic to applied scientific research. Chemical experiments are the basis for cultivating chemical knowledge in scientific experiments and are an important way to cultivate scientific thinking and methods. However, due to the toxicity or flammability of the chemical substances in the experiments, hazardous events often lead to personal injuries and environmental damage. Exactly assessing risk factors and reducing the risk of hazards to protect the experimenters and ensure environmental safety are crucial in chemical experiments. However, while the traditional risk evaluation method cannot consider the weight of risk evaluation criteria, it also cannot effectively address problems through hierarchical analysis, as well as imprecise and ambiguous information inherent in human cognition. Therefore, this paper proposed an approach based on failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to assess the risk of chemical experiments in a fuzzy information environment. The approach combines the typical analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the risk priority number (RPN) of FMEA, and the intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) methods to evaluate risks associated with chemical experiments and consider the damage recovery in chemical experiments. This study applied the case of a university chemistry experiment, “preparation of hydrogels”, to validate the reasonableness and correctness of the proposed approach and compare its numerical verification results with those from the typical RPN, the AHP-RPN, and the AHP-fuzzy risk priority number (AHP-FRPN) methods. The finding demonstrates that the proposed method can more effectively address risk evaluation problems in chemical experiments than the other methods. This result serves as an important reference for reducing chemical experiment risk occurrences.

Modeling the dynamic safety management of buildings adjacent to karst shield construction: An improved cloud Bayesian network

Shield construction in karst tunnels inevitably causes settlement deformation and even damage to surrounding buildings. To accurately evaluate the security of neighboring buildings, a hybrid method combining an improved cloud model (CM) and a Bayesian network (BN) is proposed for dynamic security analysis and the evaluation of neighboring buildings. First, through engineering practice, simulation analysis and literature research, the safety risk factors and evaluation criteria for adjacent buildings influenced by shield construction in karst areas are determined, and a BN for safety evaluations of adjacent buildings is constructed. The improved CM is used to model the uncertainty of the risk state, realize the discretization of continuous data and obtain prior knowledge. By improving the cloud Bayesian network (CBN) to perform three kinds of comprehensive analyses, including forward prediction reasoning in advance, sensitivity analysis and reverse risk diagnosis for events, and appropriate risk management and control measures, the dynamic safety perception and control of buildings adjacent to karst shield construction is realized. The data for buildings under construction adjacent to Guiyang Rail Transit Line 3 are used to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method. The contributions of the research results are as follows: (a) The key risk factors affecting the safety of buildings adjacent to shield construction areas in karst zones are extracted, and an evaluation index system and an evaluation standard are established; (b) An improved CM is used to describe the fuzziness and uncertainty in the process of node state discretization in a risk inference network, thus improving the prediction and diagnosis performance of BN security evaluation models; (c) The improved cloud Bayesian model is applied to construct a knowledge representation-based safety model of buildings adjacent to karst shield construction areas, and accurate perception and control diagnosis results are obtained for effective safety risk prediction and control, providing a reference for other similar projects.

Perception on landslide risk in Malaysia: A comparison between communities and experts' surveys

Surveys and interviews were conducted in the present study among the public and landslide experts from various sectors in Malaysia to study their perception towards landslide risk in the country. Utilizing a questionnaire survey and interviews can prove valuable in determining acceptable risk criteria for landslides by collecting opinions from both the communities and experts. The demographic factors that govern frequency of acceptability, insurance premium purchase etc. were determined through the independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Brown–Forsythe test. Most non-experts expressed the lowest acceptance in landslide risk for all scenarios (from low to high risk), whereas the experts were willing to accept a higher landslide risk as they understand that an ideal low landslide risk environment is not feasible at the current Malaysian scenario. Gender, occupation, and level of education were the significant demographic factors influencing the landslide risk acceptability in Malaysia. Key factors to consider when developing risk evaluation criteria and shortcomings of the previous proposed risk criterion for Malaysia were discussed. Modifications were proposed to the existing landslide risk criterion with a lower acceptance towards death upon taking into consideration findings from the present study. While the new landslide risk criteria were specifically formulated for the socio-economic-political environment of Malaysia, the same approach can be customized for different societies and types of hazards. The authors also believed that this endeavour would result in more logical and uniform decision-making processes, ultimately leading to the preservation of lives and resources in regions prone to landslides worldwide.

Driver-Specific Risk Recognition in Interactive Driving Scenarios Using Graph Representation

This paper presents a driver-specific risk recognition framework for autonomous vehicles that can extract inter-vehicle interactions. This extraction is carried out for urban driving scenarios in a driver-cognitive manner to improve the recognition accuracy of risky scenes. First, clustering analysis is applied to the operation data of drivers for learning the subjective assessment of risky scenes of different drivers and generating the corresponding risk label for each scene. Second, the graph representation model (GRM) is adopted to unify and construct the features of dynamic vehicles, inter-vehicle interactions, and static traffic markings in real driving scenes into graphs. The driver-specific risk label provides ground truth to capture the risk evaluation criteria of different drivers. In addition, the graph model represents multiple features of the driving scenes. Therefore, the proposed framework can learn the risk-evaluating pattern of driving scenes of different drivers and establish driver-specific risk identifiers. Last, the performance of the proposed framework is evaluated via experiments conducted using real-world urban driving datasets collected by multiple drivers. The results show that the risks and their levels in real driving environments can be accurately recognized by the proposed framework.

Socio-economic and management risk evaluation criteria used in the design of construction facilities in the Arctic

The article addresses the evaluation of criteria and the choice of technologies, materials, structures, machinery, and products needed to arrange the construction of infrastructure facilities in the Arctic region. The main task, tackled by the researchers, is the study of a strategy for the minimization of investment risks, that may arise in the course of the implementation of projects in the harsh weather conditions of the Far North. The authors consider ten principles of the management system, including efficiency, environmental friendliness, energy efficiency, logistics and others. The authors focus on the need to minimize the risks, that may accompany the choice of technologies, materials, structures, machinery and products in the course of construction in the Arctic area. It is feasible if certain evaluation criteria are applied to ensure the long-term operation of facilities and infrastructure throughout their life cycle.

Risk uncertainty analysis in shield tunnel projects

Subway shield tunnels usually pass through the complex geological environment of a city. There are many uncertain factors in shield tunnel construction risk, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty of construction safety control. Risk evaluation prior to project construction is necessary for the implementation of tunnel projects and reduces risk levels during construction. However, tunnel risks are uncertain and are characterized by random and fuzzy uncertainty. To account for these two uncertainties in the quantitative transformation of risk qualitative concepts and to improve the evaluation accuracy, in this study a new risk evaluation method based on a two-dimensional cloud model (TDCM) is proposed for shield tunnel projects. First, the risk evaluation criteria are quantified with the harmfulness and the probability of risk as the evaluation dimensions of the two-dimensional cloud, and the conversion relationship between the risk level and the quantitative domain is improved. A risk evaluation index system based on construction accidents and risk types for shield tunnel projects is established. Then, the Delphi method is used to evaluate the probability and harmfulness of the risk, the index weight and numerical characteristics of the two-dimensional cloud model are determined, and a shaped two-dimensional comprehensive cloud of thousands of cloud droplets is generated by a positive cloud generator. Finally, the domain is defined as the overlap between the comprehensive evaluation cloud and the standard cloud at different risk levels, and the contribution of comprehensive evaluation cloud drops to the comprehensive evaluation cloud in each domain is analysed. The risk level of the project is predicted based on the principle of maximum membership degree. The risk evaluation method proposed in this study is applied to two subway shield sections, and the risk level of these projects is accurately predicted. The TDCM evaluation method is compared with the one-dimensional cloud model (ODCM) evaluation method and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM), and the advantages and applicability of the TDCM evaluation method are discussed.

The Efficacy and Safety of Diyushengbai Tablet on Preventing and Treating Leukopenia Caused by Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Against Tumor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Leukopenia is one of the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Diyushengbai tablet (DYT) is used to prevent and treat leukopenia caused by various reasons. A meta-analysis was performed to systematically analyze the therapeutic effects of DYT on preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Objectives: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of DYT in preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search of electronic databases such as PubMed, The Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Network (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and VIP, through November of 2021. The scanning reports deadline is until November 2021. The bias risk evaluation criteria developed by the Cochrane collaborative organization were used to evaluate the literature quality of the included studies. The RevMan5.4 software was used to analyze the data, and the Stata16.0 was used to perform the Egger test. Results: After selecting all the databases, a total of 41 reports which involved 3,793 cases were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed that DYT could significantly reduce the white blood cell (WBC) suppression caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy and improve the patients’ WBC counts and neutrophils, compared with the efficacy of other oral WBC-elevating drugs such as Leucogen tablets and Batilol tablets and additional utilization of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The results of meta-analysis showed that for preventive medication purpose, the overall incidence of leukocyte suppression was [RR = 0.74, 95%CI (0.59, 0.92), p = 0.006], and the white blood cell count was [MD = 1.12, 95%CI (0.95, 1.29), p < 0.00001]; while for therapeutic purpose, the incidence of overall leukocyte suppression was [RR = 0.61, 95%CI (0.38, 0.95), p = 0.03], and the white blood cell count was [MD = 1.20, 95%CI (0.77, 1.62), p < 0.00001]. More importantly, the additional use of DYT can reduce the application amount of G-CSF. The results showed that the application of G-CSF can be reduced by an average of 1.57 from the beginning of treatment to return normal white blood cells around 2.23 in two cycles of chemotherapy. Conclusion: DYT is more effective in preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy than other oral WBC-elevating drugs, which have a high clinical value.

Exploring the impact of mifepristone's risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) on the integration of medication abortion into US family medicine primary care clinics✰,✰✰

ObjectivesIn 2000, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone for medication abortion. In this article, we explore how the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) criteria for mifepristone specifically impede family physicians’ ability to provide medication abortion in primary care settings. Study designWe conducted 56 qualitative interviews with a national sample of family physicians across the US who were not opposed to abortion. We examined how the REMS criteria for mifepristone impact family physicians’ ability to provide medication abortion. ResultsOf the 56 interviews conducted, 23 participants (41%) raised the REMS criteria as a barrier to providing medication abortion in primary care. These participants reported the REMS added a layer of bureaucratic complexity that made it difficult for family physicians to navigate, even when trained, to provide abortion care. These family physicians described 2 predominant ways the REMS impede their ability to provide medication abortion: (1) The REMS require substantial involvement of clinic administration, who can be unsupportive; (2) The complexity of navigating the REMS results in physicians and clinic administration in primary care viewing medication abortion as not worth the effort, since it is only a small component of services offered in primary care. ConclusionRemoving the REMS could simplify integration of medication abortion into primary care, which could meet patient preferences, improve access, and reduce abortion stigma. The FDA's revised REMS criteria may ease administrative burden but will likely maintain key barriers to integrating medication abortion into family physicians’ practice. ImplicationsOur study highlights that the REMS criteria are barriers to family physicians’ ability to integrate medication abortion into their primary care practices. The FDA's removal of in person dispensing criteria may provide some impetus for trained family physicians to integrate medication abortion into their scope of practice but the revised REMS criteria maintain key barriers to broader adoption.

Hypertension as a prognostic factor in the prediction of mortality in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) brought the majority of the world into a halt when it started to spread outside the virus epicenter in Wuhan, China. With the alarming increase in the number of cases and deaths worldwide, the possible risk factors should be determined in order to have a general idea on those who are more susceptible to have this disease. Hypertension, being one of the world's leading causes of noncommunicable diseases, was identified by the CDC to be one of underlying medical conditions that might pose an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of hypertension as a comorbidity in COVID-19 mortality.Materials and methodsParticipants included all patients clinically diagnosed with COVID-19, and have hypertension as their pre-existing medical condition. Studies were selected based on study design, participants, exposure, outcome, timing, setting and language. The following databases were searched from June to August 2020 for case control and cohort studies on MEDLINE and CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Clinical Key, OVID database, Wiley Online library, and UpToDate. The criteria for evaluation of risk of bias were based on the selection bias, comparability bias and outcome bias. All information gathered were collated and evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and CEBM.ResultsIndividual studies all showed a significant relationship between hypertension and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Odds ratio ranging from 1.75 to 28.88, and hazard ratio ranging from 1.49 to 3.32 are present in the studies. For the data analysis, Mantel Haenszel method and random effects model was used for case control studies with odds ratio as effect measure; while Inverse variance method and fixed model was used for cohort studies with hazard ratio as effect measure. Both groups showed significant positive association between mortality and hypertension as a prognostic factor. Overall odds ratio is 5.25 (2.42–11.40) with a p value of <0.ehab724.23931, and the pooled hazard ratio is 2.21 (1.75–2.80) with a p value of <0.ehab724.23931. This shows that there is an increased risk of mortality among COVID-19 patients with hypertension as a comorbid condition.ConclusionsHypertension as a comorbid condition is a prognostic factor in the prediction of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The ten included studies showed that there is a significant positive association suggesting an increased risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients with hypertension.Funding AcknowledgementType of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine Forest Plot HR Hypertension COVID

Managing minority opinions in risk evaluation by a delegation mechanism-based large-scale group decision-making with overlapping communities

Energy performance contracting (EPC) mechanism is a good choice for conducting energy-saving renovation projects of public buildings. Furthermore, risk analysis is critical to smoothly implement these EPC projects. Therefore, this paper intends to set up a large-scale group decision-making (LGDM) framework based on delegation mechanism to rank risk factors of EPC projects. Firstly, some risk factors and evaluation criteria are identified. Meanwhile, the assessment is expressed as picture fuzzy numbers (PFNs) to handle conflicting opinions and refusals. Then, a novel bidirectional projection measure that considers both distance and included angle is defined, which can better describe the difference between two PFNs. Next, this paper uses a suitable algorithm to cluster experts and presents a delegation mechanism to allocate trust weights of external experts to internal experts. Then, a new method to protect minority opinions is presented. In addition, we use preference risk coefficient to integrate the uncertainty of decision information in consensus-reaching process (CRP), which reduces the risk of LGDM. We come up with an extended MULTIMOORA method to make full use of three parts of MULTIMOORA method. Moreover, the proposed framework is successfully implemented in a case study and some risk mitigation measures and management implications are presented.

Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment of Cruise Ship Construction Based on Improved Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS Decision Model

The logistics of cruise ship construction are complex, with an extended period, many participants, and a stringent node control. The resulting occupational health and safety risks have more risks and uncertainties. If it is not identified and controlled, it will lead to low efficiency of logistics management in the construction stage, leading to chain breaking and going out of control. In response to this situation, this article proposes an improved intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS decision model to evaluate occupational health and safety risks in cruise ship construction. First, based on field research and interviews, risk sources and risk evaluation criteria are determined, and experts are given different weights based on the relative importance of decision-making experts. Then, to reduce the ambiguity and uncertainty of the risk source information, the intuitionistic fuzzy weighted arithmetic average operator is used to aggregate the judicial opinions of experts to obtain the intuitionistic fuzzy aggregate decision risk matrix. To improve the accuracy of risk assessment results, subjective weight and objective weight are comprehensively considered. The stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method is used to determine the subjective weight of the evaluation criteria, and the normal distribution method is used to determine the objective weight of the evaluation criteria. According to the relative closeness coefficient of each risk source to the positive-ideal solution, the ranking of the risk sources is obtained. Finally, taking a cruise ship construction as an example, the risk sources of occupational health and safety are sorted, sensitivity analysis is carried out and compared with other methods, and the targeted risk control measures are put forward, which verifies the effectiveness and correctness of the improved intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS decision model.

Risk assessment of electricity transmission and distribution tariff regulation for power grid enterprises based on best-worst method and cloud model

The electricity transmission and distribution tariff policy of the second supervision cycle in China has formulated a much better electricity transmission and distribution tariff supervision system. In this context, the research on the risk related to electricity transmission and distribution tariff regulation faced by power grid enterprises is helpful for power regulatory agencies and business operators to identify and avoid risks in time and promote the sustainable development of electric power industry. Firstly, the risk evaluation criteria system is established. Secondly, a risk evaluation model based on the best and worst method (BWM) and cloud model for electricity transmission and distribution tariff regulation is proposed. Finally, the risk level of power transmission and distribution tariff regulation faced by four provincial power grid enterprises is evaluated. The validity and practicability of the proposed model in this paper are proved by the empirical analysis.

Risk Assessment of Construction Project in India

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the risk assessment of construction project commenced by Government, Private and Non-Governmental organization. The risk evaluation criteria are listed by taking into consideration the Delivery System, identifying process in project life cycle,planning process, analysis process, Classification process, Monitoring process, controlling process and Communication process of a construction project. Consequently the questionnaire was prepared and distributed to the related construction professionals. Subsequently the collected data was analyzed through statistical tool. The affecting factors were measured and ranked for various construction professionals[2]. The top major ways for avoiding the risk must be on consideration. The background and presented criteria of construction project risk assessment are provided and key findings from the analysis are presented here.

Risk assessment of agricultural supermarket supply chain in big data environment

With the application of big data in all walks of life, big data thinking is effectively improving the circulation efficiency of agricultural products supply chain by driving management changes in business decision-making and "farmer-supermarket docking" as an innovative mode of agricultural products circulation. Based on the current situation of China's agricultural supermarket supply chain development, this paper makes an in-depth study on the supply chain risk of agricultural products of large retail enterprises under the mode of "agricultural supermarket docking", and then introduces the agricultural supermarket docking supply chain under the big data environment. This paper uses big data to analyze the risks that may arise in the supply chain of "agricultural supermarket docking" in large retail enterprises. This paper from the aspects of production, processing, distribution, retail and consumption, introduces the new risks of agricultural supermarket supply chain after introducing big data. Secondly, Qualitative analysis and quantitative calculation are combined to conduct risk assessment. Through empirical analysis, the ranking of all risk factors is obtained, and the relevant fuzzy evaluation grade and risk evaluation criteria are given. Through expert evaluation, a new risk ranking is also obtained, which is not much different from the results of empirical analysis, and the empirical results are also verified. Therefore, develop this study is helpful to prevent the risk of agricultural supermarket supply chain connection. At the same time, the information integration, sharing and feedback of the big database provide a new idea for the optimization of the supply chain connecting agricultural production.it also has reference significance for other supply chain risk management.

ALTERNATE APPROACH FOR LIMITING CHLORIDES IN CONCRETE MIX

Chloride is considered as an important parameter in concrete as it accelerates corrosion of reinforcement, which is one of the main causes of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures. Different Codes describe different limits for either one or more constituents of concrete. The Indian Standard 269 – 2013 “Ordinary Portland cement, 33 grade – fifth revision” prescribes a limit of total chloride content in cement used in prestressed concrete structures and long span reinforced concrete structures, while Indian Standard 456- 2000 ”Code of practice for plain &amp; reinforced concrete – fourth revision” imposes a limit of total amount of chloride (as Cl) in the concrete at the time of placing, without any mention about the methodology of determining the total amount of chloride (acid soluble or water soluble). Further, Italian standard prescribes limit for aggregates. American Concrete Institute (ACI) publication has given a new direction to the study of chloride induced corrosion by taking limit of water soluble chloride in concrete mix as the criteria for evaluation of risk of corrosion. This novel &amp; improved approach which avoids confusion in interpreting specifications and results, was applied to some concrete ingredients samples received from a Nuclear Power Project of coastal region of India. The alternate approach suggested in this Paper does away with te laborious process of casting cubes and and waiting for twenty eight days before test could be carried out. Where different quarries of coarse and fine aggregates have been identified, the alternate approach can at the initial stage itself rule out of the possibility of casting cubes of different grades of concrete mixes, resulting in time saving and economy.

Familiarity in the Context of Risk Assessment of Transgenic Crops: Focus on Some Countries in the Americas.

Problem formulation is the formal opening stage of a risk assessment that determines its purpose and scope and hence guides the gathering of information data. The concepts of familiarity and history of safe use are an integral part of problem formulation. These concepts do not replace the case-by-case approach and are not taken as safety standards but are valuable components of the process that shape the generation of plausible, testable risk hypotheses. The International Life Sciences Institutes in Brazil and Argentina have facilitated numerous discussions on the scientific principles for risk assessment of transgenic crops in the Latin American region in the past 5–6 years. The session held at ISBR 15th elaborated on the familiarity concept and derived tools and their role in the evolution of risk evaluation criteria. Examples of how different countries in the Americas interpret and apply these conceptual tools show that familiarity is a valuable concept, although terms are very often confused and vaguely defined. Formalizing these terms with clear definitions and scope of application in guidelines and regulatory documents would reduce ambiguity, enhance predictability, and add transparency to the evaluation processes.

Does traumatic dental injury impact oral health-related to quality of life of children and adolescents? Systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association of traumatic dental injury (TDI) on oral health-related to quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents. A focused structured question using Population (P), Exposition (E), Comparisons (C), Outcomes (O) (PECO) was designed: "Does traumatic dental injury impact OHRQoL of children and adolescents?" A broad search according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was conducted. Evaluation criteria of methodological quality and risk of bias control were applied to selected articles. A fixed-effect model was used for the meta-analysis, and the quality of the evidence was performed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Nineteen studies were qualified with moderate to high quality, and 11 studies were considered for meta-analysis. Negative impact on OHRQoL was detected for children in the symptoms domain (P=.005; IC; -0.07 [-0.12, -0.02]) with moderate certainty of evidence quality level (GRADE). For adolescents, the total scale and all domain presented statistical significance (P<.05) with moderate certainty of evidence in the areas of functional limitation and social well-being (GRADE). Based on articles with moderate to high quality, the impact of TDI on OHRQoL in children under age 10 was only significant in the symptom domain using Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). The impact of TDI on OHRQoL in early adolescents aged 11 to 14 was significant in every assessed domain using Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14). However, future studies should be done improving the available certainty of evidence considered moderate. (CRD42016035686).

Fall Risk Assessment (FRA) of Korean community-dwelling elderly

이 연구에서는 요인분석을 통해 타당성이 입증된 낙상위험평가 설문항목의 진단 정도와 평가기준을 검토하여 지역 재가 노인의 낙상고위험군을 진단하고 개인별 낙상리스크 프로파일을 제안하는데 목적이 있다. 연구대상자는 S시, U시, B시, Y시 거주 우리나라 지역 재가 노인 439명을 대상으로 하였다(평균연령 75.0±5.7세). FRA의 낙상위험진단정도와 평가기준을 검토하기 위해 ROC분석을 실시하였다. 분석결과 FRA의 하위요인인 ‘낙상잠재성’, ‘질병과 신체증상’, ‘환경’ 및 ‘신체기능’의 4가지 하위 요인은 지역재가노인 의 낙상 위험을 효율적으로 진단할 수 있는 것으로 나타났으며, 민감도와 특이도 결과를 바탕으로 요인별 평가기준을 제시하였다. 또한 낙상하위요인별 패턴을 분석한 결과 낙상 고위험군의 경우 두 가지 요인 이상에 문제를 가지고 있는 노인이 전체의 80%를 차지하는 것으로 나타났다. 이상으로, FRA의 4가지 하위 요인은 낙상위험정도를 효율적으로 진단할 수 있으며, 평가기준을 바탕으로 개인별 낙상위험프로파일을 제시할 수 있어 우리나라 지역 재가 노인의 낙상예방프로그램 구축을 위한 기초자료로 활용할 수 있을 것이다.This study reviewed the diagnosis accuracy and evaluation criteria of the fall risk assessment questionnaire that proved validity through factor analysis in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to diagnose high-risk groups and propose personal fall risk profiles for the Korean community-dwelling elderly. The participants of this study were 439 elderly people living in S, U, B, and Y cities Korea (mean age 75.0 ± 5.7 years). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to review the accuracy of the fall risk assessment and evaluation criteria of the FRA. The results showed that the four sub-factors of the FRA: ‘Potential for fall’, ‘Disease and physical symptoms’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Physical function’, can effectively diagnose the fall risk of the community-dwelling elderly. The evaluation criteria was presented based on the sensitivity and specificity results. In addition, as a result of analyzing the patterns by the sub factors of the fall risk, the high-risk group accounted for 80% of the elderly who had problems with two or more factors. Therefore, the four sub-factors of FRA can effectively diagnose the fall risk level, and could be present individual fall risk profiles based on the evaluation criteria.

Fuzzy based risk assessment of abattoir operations and treatment facilities: A case study of Onitsha North/South Lga of Anambra State of Nigeria

Increasing risk exposures emanating from slaughterhouses in developing countries calls for urgent attention, Risk Assessment (RA) was applied to five abattoirs using fuzzy logic system in Anambra State of Nigeria. Previous research works on abattoir operations asserted their risk assessment on subjective basis and descriptive statistics. The fuzzy based RA was therefore adopted because of its adeptness to incorporate operational, facility and locational risks. The risk evaluation criteria was developed by contributions from environmental experts in ministries, literatures and prepared by the authors. The evaluation criteria includes environmental risk with four sub-sections, personnel risk with two sub-sections and social risk with four sub-sections making it a total of 10 risks. Fuzzy Logic Toolbox in MATLAB software was used in the fuzzification and defuzzification process to obtain a 10 scale overall risk level ranging from 1 signifying ‘No Risk’ to 10 indicating “Very Strong/High risk”. The result of the study shows that the overall risk values of the abattoirs are 7.48, 5.05, 7.12, 6.83 and 7.48 for Ugwunabamkpa, Main Market, Marine, Ochanja and Bridge Head Abattoirs respectively. The overall fuzzy-based RA for the study location ranged from moderate to severe risk and is therefore proposed as appropriate tool for abattoir RA based on experts’ opinion and literatures from this study. It is therefore recommended that suitable equipment; personnel periodical training; improved meat plant sanitation; building adequate structures and good methods of abattoir effluent treatment with emphasis on biogas digestion should be employed as well as a thorough abattoir location analysis for risk reduction in the abattoirs.