Identification Of Critical Points Research Articles

RISK ANALYSIS OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITALIZATION

Modern education is undergoing a time of fundamental change: it is progressing, changing and being filled with new types of educational services. All types of activities of higher education institutions can be considered through the prism of project activities, especially educational projects. Educational projects of higher education institutions face a set of different risk groups, which differ in place and time of occurrence, the degree of impact on the project, the consequences, the composition of internal and external factors. Therefore, a very important area of research in educational activities is to reveal the nature and structure of risks of educational projects, features, factors on which the successful implementation of projects in educational institutions depends. The author analyzes the key positions on this issue: systematized and singled out groups of external and internal risks of educational activities, comprehensively revealed the system of external risks and proposed possible mechanisms for responding to them, outlined the range of losses (economic, social, political and pedagogical) that are the result of risky events; systematized risk groups (external and internal) and their factors of influence that are characteristic of educational projects; assessed risks according to the probability of impact on the project, identification of critical points with a list of unacceptable risks; the matrix of probability of risks importance with the subsequent definition of the most priority risk events is constructed. For effective implementation of educational activities in the field of higher education, it is necessary for higher education institutions to identify risks beforehand, which will reduce uncertainty in the educational institutions activities, determine the direction of movement, which should focus on management, personnel, methodological, research, financial, technological and organizational resource.

Prosthetic joint infections and legal disputes: a threat to the future of prosthetic orthopedics

Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) represent one of the major problems in orthopedic prosthetic surgery. The incidence of PJIs varies according to the site of intervention, and different published case studies report occurrence at 0.5 to 3.0% in the event of first implants, with a significant greater risk in the case of prosthesis revisions. The diagnosis of prosthetic infections is seldom simple, needing a multi-specialist approach, which includes the accurate collection of patient anamnesis, its clinical evaluation, the evaluation of inflammation biomarkers, and the use of imaging techniques. It is essential to identify the bacteria responsible for the infection not only for an accurate diagnosis, but also to select the correct antibiotic treatment. Failure to identify the bacteria involved makes it impossible to establish targeted systemic antibiotic therapy. In developed countries such as Italy, the right to health is guaranteed by the Constitution, where the institutions that provide health services must be staffed by a team of medical professionals that can guarantee the safest possible health pathways. Risk management represents the set of actions aimed at improving the quality of the care provided, the adherence to guidelines and good care practices with the final objective of guaranteeing patients’ safety. All hospitals, including the ones where prosthetic orthopedic surgery is performed, must adopt clinical risk management procedures which, through prospective tools aimed at preventing errors and complications and by retrospective methods, permit the identification of critical points in the different phases of the process and propose actions for improvement. The constant increase in litigation for malpractice in Western countries, especially in Italy, calls for special attention to the problem of PJIs and the in-depth assessment of medico-legal problems, also considering the new legislative initiatives in the field of medical malpractice. Hospitals need to tackle the onset of PJIs in a transparent and linear fashion by constantly informing the patient on their progress.

Resilience Assessment and Critical Point Identification for Urban Water Supply Systems under Uncertain Scenarios

The urban water supply system environment is becoming more complicated and unpredictable than ever before in the context of global climate change and expanding urbanization. Existing studies have adopted either static or dynamic approaches to assess the resilience of water supply systems without combining the two. Previous literature mostly establishes rigid quantitative metrics for resilience assessment, often without depicting the dynamics and adaptability of system resilience. For example, these studies usually fail to provide a critical point for identifying system resilience. To accurately describe the dynamics and adaptability of water supply system resilience under uncertain scenarios, in this study, we constructed a comprehensive framework based on the qualitative assessment of the input parameters, combining static and dynamic assessment, with the latter playing a dominant role based on the system perspective of pressure–state–influence–response. Taking Qingdao as a case study, we combined this framework with the system resilience theory, and statically assessed the five types of capitals and three attributes of resilience with the capital portfolio approach (CPA). Then, we dynamically assessed the resilience of urban water supply systems and identified critical points with the dynamic socio-technical model coupled with system resilience and the fitting analysis method. The results are as follows: (1) the static assessment results demonstrate an imbalanced development in the levels of the five types of capitals (financial capital, management efficiency, infrastructure, available water resources, and adaptation) and three attributes (robustness, recoverability, and adaptability) in the water supply systems of Qingdao. (2) The dynamic assessment results show that the current resilience trajectory of the water supply systems in Qingdao is that of a city in transition. (3) The fitting analysis shows that robustness (RB) has a linear relationship with resilience, recoverability (RE) has a non-linear relationship with resilience, and the critical points are RB = 0.70 and RE = 1.20. The research findings provide a reference for studying resilience mechanisms, internal attribute relationships, and resilience enhancement measures of urban water supply systems.

Rational allocation of the resource designated for comprehensive safety assurance at an enterprise: the problem statement

Introduction. Corporate resources translate into a strong in-house capacity that ensures sustainable production processes. We present a novel integrated area of activity, whose purpose is to solve problems by identifying the factors of influence, coming from employees of versatile departments (structural units) and focused on industryspecific (sectoral) functions that are part of the comprehensive safety system of an enterprise.Methods of research. The author employed the established methods of comprehensive safety assurance to analyze a number of approaches. He also explored the features of their application. The author also substantiated the choice of the Lagrange multiplier method, used to formulate the problem of rational allocation of the resource designated for the sustainable performance of functions that assure the comprehensive safety of an enterprise.Problem statement. The author addresses the problem of rational allocation of the resource (the labor potential), considered as a factor of influence produced on the sustainable performance of industry-specific (sectoral) functions that comprise the system of comprehensive safety of an enterprise. An exemplary solution. The author offers an example that represents a description of the process of consecutive identification of critical points that are relevant to the impact (a coefficient) produced by the personnel on the sustainable performance of industry-specific (sectoral) functions that contribute to the comprehensive safety of an enterprise.Conclusions. Solutions for specific tasks, forming part of a methodologically described problem, will make it possible to develop a methodology for the synthesis of the comprehensive safety which is adaptable to different conditions of operation of an enterprise (day-to-day operations, as well as threats and emergencies of natural and man-induced origin), and each is of great economic importance for Russia.

METHOD OF OBTAINING BIOACTIVATED SUPPLEMENTS FOR FOOD ON THE BASIS OF SEEDS SEAFLOWS

An original method of treating sea buckthorn seeds has been proposed, which allows to increase the biological value of the feedstock. The analysis of the bioactivation of sea buckthorn seeds in vitro allowed us to identify common methodological approaches in the registration of the initial stages. As a criterion for the effectiveness of swelling and tempering parameters, the bioactivation ability was analyzed. The process of bioactivation of sea buckthorn seeds was investigated by the dynamics of changes in the geometric parameters of seeds, using the automated Zerno program and determining the microstructure. The study of the microstructure of seeds is of great importance to identify the relationship between the structure and their biological value. Identification of critical points makes it possible to integrate the process, and taking into account the morphological features, microstructure and chemical composition of seeds – the content of protein, fat, vitamins allows you to navigate the dynamics of the bioactivation process. A method for producing bioactivated sea buckthorn seeds involves soaking the seeds, sonication, aging for 24 hours, drying and grinding. Under the influence of its own enzymes, the morphology and microstructure of the anatomical parts of the seeds undergoes irreversible changes. The bioactivation method improves the quality of sea buckthorn seeds by increasing their biological value.
 The modernization of the technological process for the treatment of sea buckthorn seeds, which allows to obtain an innovative product while maintaining functional properties.
 The technical result of bioactivation of sea buckthorn seeds is to improve the quality of the finished product, reducing the duration of the process, increasing the biological value of seeds, expanding the range of food additives of plant origin.

Molecular structure retrieval directly from laboratory-frame photoelectron spectra in laser-induced electron diffraction

Ubiquitous to most molecular scattering methods is the challenge to retrieve bond distance and angle from the scattering signals since this requires convergence of pattern matching algorithms or fitting methods. This problem is typically exacerbated when imaging larger molecules or for dynamic systems with little a priori knowledge. Here, we employ laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) which is a powerful means to determine the precise atomic configuration of an isolated gas-phase molecule with picometre spatial and attosecond temporal precision. We introduce a simple molecular retrieval method, which is based only on the identification of critical points in the oscillating molecular interference scattering signal that is extracted directly from the laboratory-frame photoelectron spectrum. The method is compared with a Fourier-based retrieval method, and we show that both methods correctly retrieve the asymmetrically stretched and bent field-dressed configuration of the asymmetric top molecule carbonyl sulfide (OCS), which is confirmed by our quantum-classical calculations.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dermatologic practice: an Italian survey.

BackgroundSince December 2019, the global population has been experiencing an unprecedented challenge due to Corona virus disease (COVID-19). A pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization on March 11th 2020, with an escalation of new cases worldwide. Dermatology units experienced a reorganization of regular activity, also providing clinical diagnosis and medical assistance to COVID-19-positive patients who developed cutaneous manifestations.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian dermatologic clinical practice.Materials & MethodsThis was a prospective online survey, consisting of a questionnaire with 35 multiple-choice questions uploaded on the website of the Italian Society of Dermatology and Venereology — SIDeMaST.ResultsA total of 136 dermatologists, 78 women (57%) and 58 men (43%), participated in the survey. The mean age was 58 ± 14 years. In total, 60% of participants reported an impact of the pandemic on their practice, in most cases consisting of a remarkable reduction in routine clinical activity (58%). Concern regarding possible infection was evaluated with a score ranging from 0 (no concern) to 5 (extremely concerned): the fear of becoming infected was high (≥3 in 40%), as was the fear of infecting families, colleagues or patients (≥3 points in 45%).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic is having a strong impact on dermatology practice in Italy. The identification of critical points may help scientific societies to improve the clinical scenario and create specific strategies to overcome the emergency.

Review on hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) in the dairy product: Cheese

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a control system in the effort to prevent problems that are based on the identification of critical points in the handling and production stages. HACCP is a form of risk management that was created to guarantee food safety with a preventive methodology which is considered to provide guarantees in producing food that is safe for consumers. The purpose of this study was to determine the application and effectiveness of HACCP from fresh milk and its derivative products in the form of cheese at PT. G, so that a system that is truly capable of guaranteeing the product is produced. In the milk production process there are many aspects that need to be considered, starting from the initial stage of quality control of raw materials to the final product of the production process which is then stored in a warehouse. The method used is the elaboration of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in the European Committee for Standardization 2004 Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. Based on the analysis of the flow diagram shows that there are critical control points both for microbiological, chemical and physical quality in the process of receiving raw materials (fresh milk) and at the production of critical points.

Efficient Critical Point Detection for Curvilinear Structures Using a Ring-Like Ray-Shooting Model

The correct location and identification of critical points, including terminations, three-branch points, and four-branch points, for curvilinear structures in images is a crucial task in many curvilinear structure reconstruction processes. Few methods have been proposed to detect all three types of critical points simultaneously. In this article, we upgraded the existing ray-shooting model to a multifunctional ring-like ray-shooting model that can efficiently detect all types of critical points for curvilinear structures at the same time. First, we measured the minimum and maximum radii of the region of interest based on a sphere-growing method and the modified ray-burst model, respectively. Second, the estimated minimum and maximum radii are used to determine the inner and outer radii of the ring-like ray-shooting model, allowing the proposed model to adaptively extract the pixel intensity distribution feature along the potential branches. Finally, the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm is used to detect critical points of curvilinear structures by analyzing the number of clusters of pixel intensity distribution extracted from the ring-like ray-shooting model. The experimental results on multiple data sets confirmed that the proposed method can achieve very accurate detection results efficiently and provide the reconstruction of curvilinear structures with beneficial information.

Assessment of dead-end ultrafiltration for the detection and quantification of microbial indicators and pathogens in the drinking water treatment processes.

A safe water supply requires distinct treatments and monitoring to guarantee the absence of pathogens and substances potentially hazardous for human health. In this study we assessed the efficiency of the dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) method to concentrate faecal indicator organisms (FIO) and pathogens in water samples with different physicochemical characteristics. Water samples were collected at the treatment stages of two drinking water treatment plants to analyse the concentration of a variety of 7 FIO and 4 reference microbes which have some species that are pathogenic to humans: Campylobacter spp., enteroviruses, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. The samples were analysed before and after concentration by DEUF, detecting FIO concentrations about 1 log10 higher in non-concentrated samples from both catchments. Percent recoveries were highly variable with a mean of 43.8±17.5%, depending on the FIO and inherent sample characteristics. However, DEUF enabled FIO concentration in high volumes of water (100-500l), allowing a reduction in the detection limit compared to the non-concentrated samples due to the high volume processing capabilities of the method. As a consequence, the detection of FIO removal from water in the drinking water treatment process was 1.0-1.5 logarithms greater in DEUF-treated water compared to unfiltered samples. The DEUF method improved the detection of target indicators and allowed for the detection of pathogens in low concentrations in water after the treatment stages, confirming the suitability of DEUF to concentrate high volumes of different types of water. This method could be useful for microbial analysis in water treatment monitoring and risk assessment, allowing the identification of critical points during the water treatment process and potential hazards in water destined for several uses.

Key Points of the Management System for the Safety of Passengers Travelling with Low-Pressure Trains

Abstract Due to the innovation of transport means based on hyperloop technology, the correctness of its functioning should be investigated in relation to many technical, economic and operational factors. This paper presents an analysis of the hyperloop technology from the point of view of ensuring safety of passengers while travelling in a low-pressure rail tunnel. The main subject of research was the design of hyperloop station infrastructure and the safety management system that will ensure the safety of passengers at the station in the sphere of atmospheric pressure, despite the station’s interaction with low-pressure tubes during entry and exit of the capsules. The safety management system also includes evacuation of passengers from low-pressure tubes in an emergency situation. The paper reviews the key issues of passenger safety in the hyperloop transport system, which are the source of justified and unfounded people’ fear of using this transport means despite its obvious advantages. The authors’ original achievement is the identification of critical points of passenger safety during their stay in the station area and during their journey through a low-pressure tunnel, as well as the design of a double airlock that can be used in the hyperloop tunnel at repeatable intervals with the aim of evacuating passengers to the atmospheric pressure zone. The designed solution allows to eliminate one of the significant weaknesses of the transport system using low-pressure rail.

An experimental analysis of the driver’s attention during train driving

Abstract The article deals with the experimental monitoring of the driver’s attention during train operation. SMI eye-tracking technology and eye-tracking glasses we used to measure the train driver’s attention. This unique experiment we performed on the Slovak railway (ŽSR) line no. 120 Bratislava - Žilina, in the section Žilina - Púchov. The measurement took place in the spring of 2017, and the passenger train was operated by the ZSSK electric unit series 671. The article analyses in detail the monitoring of the driver’s attention during train operation. We analysed two typical processes during train driver work: driving at the section (without stopping) and driving through the train station (with stopping). Realised analysis can lead to the identification of critical points on the line, to a better understanding of the driver’s way of work and to contribute to increasing railway safety. The unique measurement procedure and the used technology did not affect the safety of the train operation.

Implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Nutrition Service at Toto Kabila Regional Public Hospital, Bone Bolango

Hospitalized patients are very susceptible to various food-borne diseases. Food management in the hospital needs more careful attention. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a preventive control system based on identification of critical points in the management and production of food as a way to ensure food safety. The objective of this study is to identify the implementation of HACCP principles in nutritional and dietetic service of RSUD Toto Kabila, Bone Bolango. This qualitative study employed descriptive survey method with HACCP as the study focus. The informants consist of eight people; three people as key informants and five people as triangulation informants obtained by purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman method, in which the collected data was written as matrix and then as checklist. The result revealed that nutrition and dietetics of RSUD Toto Kabila Bone Bolango was yet to implement HACCP according to the national standard (without documentation). This issue attributed lack of facilities and human resources at the department. It is suggested that the hospital implements HACCP according to the Indonesian National Standard as well as provides supporting facilities.

Suggerimento di modifica ed integrazione dell’accordo stato regioni del 21/12/2011 n°221 sulla formazione, attraverso l’individuazione di punti critici e segnalazione di nuove opportunità

The Italian legislation concerning professional training and information for workers, arising from the State Regions agreement n.221 fo 12/21/, does not seem totally suitable to verify how many and which skills the workers have actuallyacquired. Our work aims to draw attention to the opportunity to review and reform the training paths, through the identification of critical points, such as deficiencies and redundancies, and reports of new opportunities, in the proactive direction of a new methodology for designing courses in professional training, aimed at raising its efficiency and effectiveness,resulting from the improvement of knowledge and practical skills acquired by learners. A potential critical factor, capableof degrading the primary function of a professional training course, seems to be correlated to the excessive number of frontal training hours, dictated by the ATECO membership code, since they often end up teaching theoretical contents, oftennot related to the sector they belong to, without assessing the “know-how” of workers, but only “knowing”. The adoptionof teaching methods that actively involve workers, through group work techniques, in situ simulations, practical exercisesof machines and work equipment, could lead to overcoming passive participation, raising learning skills. The proposal ofcourses with theoretical and practical verification by institutional bodies and the drafting of a “skills book”, which certifieswhat the workers have learned in the courses, making it easily demonstrable in case of an inspection, could facilitate thefunction of the Supervisory Authorities, favouring a control oriented on the content rather than formal aspects

Suggerimento di modifica ed integrazione dell’accordo stato regioni del 21/12/2011 n°221 sulla formazione, attraverso l’individuazione di punti critici e segnalazione di nuove opportunità

The Italian legislation concerning professional training and information for workers, arising from the State Regions agreement n.221 fo 12/21/, does not seem totally suitable to verify how many and which skills the workers have actually acquired. Our work aims to draw attention to the opportunity to review and reform the training paths, through the identification of critical points, such as deficiencies and redundancies, and reports of new opportunities, in the proactive direction of a new methodology for designing courses in professional training, aimed at raising its efficiency and effectiveness, resulting from the improvement of knowledge and practical skills acquired by learners. A potential critical factor, capable of degrading the primary function of a professional training course, seems to be correlated to the excessive number of frontal training hours, dictated by the ATECO membership code, since they often end up teaching theoretical contents, often not related to the sector they belong to, without assessing the “know-how” of workers, but only “knowing”. The adoption of teaching methods that actively involve workers, through group work techniques, in situ simulations, practical exercises of machines and work equipment, could lead to overcoming passive participation, raising learning skills. The proposal of courses with theoretical and practical verification by institutional bodies and the drafting of a “skills book”, which certifies what the workers have learned in the courses, making it easily demonstrable in case of an inspection, could facilitate the function of the Supervisory Authorities, favouring a control oriented on the content rather than formal aspects

Hierarchical Division Method of Road Network for Critical Points Identification

In order to increase the rationality and efficiency of critical points identification of road network, and improve safety monitoring level of the road network, the hierarchy division method of the road network was studied. Based on the analysis of influence factors of road hierarchical level, this paper presented four evaluation indexes: road safety, functional, traffic flow characteristics and road infrastructure features. Roads were evaluated and sorted using the utility function. The paper achieved a hierarchical division of road network using the sample clustering analysis method, showed the basic process of the hierarchical division method through an example, and provided the basis for the identification of the critical points of the road network in future.

Conditioners of the infectious diseases dynamics

The natural history of diseases is a concept in epidemiology that describes at the individual level the interaction of an individual with a disease stimulus, its clinical horizons, and transmission routes, which enable the identification of critical points for the prevention and control of infectious diseases. However, although this concept implies a dynamic process of exposure, contraction of disease, and cure or death, it does not provide an understanding of the dynamics of transmission of infectious agents at the population level in different scenarios, where anthropological, biological, clinical and social factors can act as conditioners for infectious diseases, that can manifest and transform in a variety of ways in different human populations. In this context, the objective of this work was to review the literature according to the Cooper (1988) methodology, to generate perspectives on the dynamics of infectious diseases, their conditioners and their interrelationship. It is demonstrated that environmental changes, pathogens evolution and host co-evolution, as well as behavioral and social set, influence significantly the epidemic events, and mathematical modeling represents an important tool to analyze this influence.

Stent-Save a Life! Argentina Initiative

Introduction: The Stent-Save a Life! (SSL) initiative is a European program that seeks to improve the access of patients withST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) to reperfusion therapies based on clinical guideline recommendations,thus reducing morbidity and mortality.Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the results of the first three years of the SSL Argentina initiativeMethods: Initially, a mapping was carried out to analyze the local situation and then the Door-to- Balloon Program (DBP) wasdeveloped as a continuous improvement process for centers with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) capability.Results: From March 2016 to March 2018, 3,041 patients with STEMI were treated in 38 centers participating in this program.In 20% of cases (n=610) patients had their first medical contact with the emergency medical services. After excluding 184 patients(6%) without coronary lesions, reperfusion therapy was performed in 93% of cases, mainly by pPCI (95%). Total ischemictime was 117 minutes, with differences according to the time of first medical contact. Overall in-hospital mortality was 7%.Conclusions: The lack of a “reperfusion culture” was the common barrier of public and private centers that motivated thedevelopment of the DBP. The identification of critical points that prevent treatment on time, together with enhancement ofin-hospital organization, represent the first step to improve the care of these patients. The integrated work of all the involvedparties is necessary to develop care networks adapted to the local reality of each center and region.

An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Model for Predicting Water Absorption of Nanoclay-Epoxy Composites

Glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GFRE) composite materials are prone to suffer from water absorption due to their heterogeneous structure. The main process governing water absorption is diffusion of water molecules through the epoxy matrix. However, hydrolytic degradation may also take place during components service life specially due high temperatures. In order to mitigate the effects of the water diffusive processes in the deterioration of in-service behavior of epoxy matrix composites, the use of chemically modified nanoclays as an additive has been proposed and studied in previous works [1]. In this work, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed for better understanding and predicting the influence of modified and unmodified bentonite addition on the water absorption behavior of epoxy-anhydride systems. An excellent correlation between model and experimental data was found. The ANN model allowed the identification of critical points like the precise temperature at which a particular system’s water uptake goes beyond a predefined threshold, or which system will resist an immersion longer than a particular time.

Support for incident management in optical networks through critical points identification

In incident management for optical networks, when a fault or event occurs, a network element will often send a notification, in the form of an “alarm”, to operators and managers. Alarms contain valuable information to support the fault management process at the operating level, because it is a persistent indication of a fault. Alarms usually clear only with the triggering of the solution for its cause. To mitigate business risks related to faults in optical networks, service managers need to estimate the impact of a network fault in relation to business needs. In optical networks, identifying redundancy points of high-impact on the network is still a challenge for managers. They often rely on their own experience to prioritize points that possibly need to have redundancy in those networks. This work presents a simulation model capable of locating suitable points for the application of asset redundancy to reduce optical network disruptions, based on business risk. The model is implemented in a software tool and then used in a case study of two reference networks, whose elements may fail according to a realistic failure scenario. Results of the study allow face validity with preliminary evidence that the model is useful to support incident management in optical networks.