Efficient Assessment Method Research Articles

ASSESSMENT OF CLUSTER TEXTILE ENTREPRENEURSHIP EFFICIENCY

Introduction. In modern world not only the certain producer, but also the country in general has to be competitive. Strengthening of competition on the global market causes the necessity in creation of new forms of business which provide survival and prosperity of national producers and the state in general. Rather effective solution of a problem of ensuring competitiveness on the national and global markets is the concept of national economy clustering. Creation of a territorial cluster does not guarantee its high efficiency at all. While implementing each of the cluster project developers face with an issue of efficiency assessment of its functioning.Hypothesis. The research of cluster entrepreneurship effectiveness helps to identify the most influential factors of its realization, directions of cluster initiatives contribution through the changes of the development vector.The aim of the research is to develop methodical justification of efficiency assessment of certain industry sector cluster functioning.Methodology of the research is based on the Michael Porter`s concept of territorial clusters development.Results: The features of cluster development in different regions of Ukraine have been analyzed. The approaches of efficiency assessment of economic clusters activity existing in scientific literature have been studied. The method of efficiency assessment of entrepreneurial activity of textile industry clusters taking into account sectoral features of business has been offered.Conclusions: The necessity of taking into account the industrial sectors of clusters helps to identify priority directions of clustering in many regions of Ukraine, the biggest potential of clustering and inter-industrial cooperative links. Using the results of the research in Ukrainian practice will contribute to the improvement of territorial policy in the sphere of cluster entrepreneurial development of economy. It will give an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of national economy on the global market.

The Efficiency of a Supplementary Old-Age Pension System – the Case of Polish Voluntary Pension Funds

Abstract The aim of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary pension savings plans in Poland, based on the principles of operation and rates of return of voluntary pension funds (pol. Dobrowolne Fundusze Emerytalne, DFE). The selection of those funds from a whole range of solutions available in the 3rd pension pillar is due to the fact that only this type of voluntary pension saving plan provides complete and transparent information about the actual investment policy, the composition of pension investment portfolios, and the achieved rates of return. In order to evaluate the investment policies and the effectiveness of DFEs, the following research methods were used: a literature analysis, an analysis of financial data, and basic methods of investment efficiency assessment. The results of the evaluation lead to the conclusion that despite their adoption of similar investment strategies, the DFEs have achieved very different values of effectiveness. In the years 2013-2018, selected funds achieved higher than average rates of return, while others achieved returns that were no better than the interest rates of standard bank deposits.

No-Reference Quality Assessment for Screen Content Images Based on Hybrid Region Features Fusion

Research on screen content images (SCIs) attracts more attention as they are highly applied to image- and video-centric applications on mobile and other devices. It is important to develop an efficient image-quality assessment (IQA) method for SCIs because IQA can guide and optimize various image-processing methods for SCIs and improve user experience. In this paper, we propose a no-reference objective assessment model for SCIs including SCIs segmentation and the analysis of local and global perceptual feature representations. Since the human visual system is highly sensitive to sharp edges that are commonly encountered in SCIs, we utilize the variance of local standard deviation, which is a noise robust index to distinguish the sharp edge patches (SEPes) and non-SEPes of SCIs. For SEPes, we perform two kinds of feature extractions. First, the entropy and contrast features are extracted with a gray-level co-occurrence matrix, which are highly perceptive of microstructural change. Second, the local phase coherence is utilized to capture the loss in sharpness. Then, average pooling is adopted to fuse features obtained from all of the SEPes to represent the local features. We further combine local features with global features that are derived using the BRISQUE method as the hybrid region (HR)-based features. Finally, a regression module is learned using support vector regression to train the mapping function that maps HR-based features to subjective quality scores. Experimental results on the screen image-quality assessment database show that the proposed method can achieve better performance in visual-quality prediction for SCIs than the performance achieved by state-of-the-art methods.

Frame work for the Development of Occupational Safety and Health Assessment Model for Libyan Iron and Steel Industry

The aim of this study is to find an efficient method for assessment of occupational health and safety management (OHSM) practices which focused on the complexity of the iron and steel industry. Indeed, there are several method used in process management assessment but unfortunately, it does not hold the interaction that can exist between the health and safety risks management process and the complexity of iron and steel industry. To remedy this disadvantage, this study proposed reducing the number of indicators down to several or major KPIs. In order to achieve the selection of small set of KPIs from the larger set of PPIs, a SMART criteria and AHP in the domain of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) analysis is proposed to be employed for developing a model for the assessment of OHSM practices in Libya iron and steel industry. The enterprises’ safety performance index would benefit from the new assessment model.

Improvement of Spatial Modeling of Cr, Pb, Cd, As and Ni in Soil Based on Portable X-ray Fluorescence (PXRF) and Geostatistics: A Case Study in East China.

To verify the feasibility of portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) for rapidly analyzing, assessing and improving soil heavy metals mapping, 351 samples were collected from Fuyang District, Hangzhou City, in eastern China. Ordinary kriging (OK) and co-ordinary kriging (COK) combined with PXRF measurements were used to explore spatial patterns of heavy metals content in the soil. The Getis-Ord index was calculated to discern hot spots of heavy metals. Finally, multi-variable indicator kriging was conducted to obtain a map of multi-heavy metals pollution. The results indicated Cd is the primary pollution element in Fuyang, followed by As and Pb. Application of PXRF measurements as covariates in COK improved model accuracy, especially for Pb and Cd. Heavy metals pollution hot spots were mainly detected in northern Fuyang and plains along the Fuchun River in southern Fuyang because of mining, industrial and traffic activities, and irrigation with polluted water. Area with high risk of multi-heavy metals pollution mainly distributed in plain along the Fuchun River and the eastern Fuyang. These findings certified the feasibility of using PXRF as an efficient and reliable method for soil heavy metals pollution assessment and mapping, which could contribute to reduce the cost of surveys and pollution remediation.

Assessment of efficiency of electric drive of stop valves

The operation features of the stop valve electric drive are analyzed. It is found that the drive of stop valves, implemented on the basis of induction motors, is characterized by low energy efficiency. For the purposeful improvement of the energy efficiency of the electric drive, a method is developed for estimating the energy efficiency of the valve module. The need to develop the method is due to the fact that energy efficiency estimates based on international standards are valid for steady-state operating conditions, provided that the time of transient processes is neglected. Unlike traditional types of actuators, the stop valve actuator is characterized by low speeds. The use of mechanical gearboxes does not significantly reduce the drive speed, so you have to carry out pulse control of the engine or switch to a gearless drive. The efficiency of alternative engine types is estimated using the proposed method, which is based on valve positioning modeling. The trajectory of movement is formed in accordance with the control pulses applied to the windings of the motor, which is part of the mechatronic module. Testing of the method is carried out on the basis of the passport data of the 120 W AIR56A4 induction motor, which is part of a serial single-turn mechatronic module. For comparison of energy indicators, a 3-phase synchronous rolling rotor motor was chosen, whose parameters of the stator winding are similar to those of the AIR56A4 motor winding. Comparison of energy efficiency estimates showed the advantage and prospects of using gearless synchronous motors in the valve drive. The developed models allow to investigate and optimize the characteristics of the electric drive based on the tested engines, as well as to formulate the requirements for the engine design and technological parameters based on the obtained energy efficiency estimates. The proposed method of energy efficiency assessment is the basis for the implementation of a set of technical tools to assess the drive energy efficiency in real industrial conditions when performing a specific technological task.

Research on Safety Assessment Method and System of a Heightened Concrete Face Rockfill Dam in Zhejiang Province

In view of many special analysis and long working period of the dam safety appraisal of water conservancy system, taking a heightened concrete face rockfill dam in Zhejiang Province as an example, starting from the analysis of the main impervious structure system affecting engineering safety, comprehensively using safety monitoring, inspection and detection methods, a relatively convenient and efficient dam safety assessment method and system has been established. The evaluation results show that the concrete face rockfill dam can play functional benefits according to design requirements, and the safety condition is good. The evaluation conclusion is of great significance for the reservoir operation management unit to quickly grasp the dam safety traits. The evaluation method and system have reference significance for the continuous development of the dam safety appraisal work in new era.

Authentication of meat species and net muscle proteins: updating of an old concept

The aim of the study was to develop an efficient method for assessment of meat origin and determination of net muscle protein (NMP; based on amino acids and β-alanylhistidine dipeptides) in meat products using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. As an important result, a database of ratios of particular amino acids to 3-metylhistidine, applicable for muscle protein origin confirmation, was established. Based on the specific ratios of 1-methylhisitidine/3-methylhistidine, revealing of undeclared addition of 2% of chicken meat to the pork was enabled. Similar outcome was achieved by considering the ratios of β-alanylhistidine dipeptides. In the case of chicken-pork and pork-beef admixtures, as low additions as 0.5 and 2% of chicken or pork adulterant could be recognized. The ratio of 4-hydroxyproline/3-methylhisitidine was shown to be diagnostic for detection undeclared addition of 0.5 and 1.5% of connective tissues into the pork and chicken meat, respectively. On the basis of 3-methylhisitidine concentration, the conversion factor F = 292 ± 4 was calculated for quantification of NMP (%) content.

Electrical conductivity in rural domestic sewage: An indication for comprehensive concentrations of influent pollutants and the effectiveness of treatment facilities

In this study, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the influents and effluents of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities from eight counties in Jiaxing City were investigated through correlation with pollutants, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), total phosphorus (TP) and suspended solids (SS). EC exhibited good correlations with the concentrations of TN (R2 = 0.7068, p < 0.01), NH4+-N (R2 = 0.6718, p < 0.01) and TP (R2 = 0.5944, p < 0.01), suggesting that EC could be used to indicate TN, NH4+-N and TP concentrations in rural domestic sewage, and thus, dynamically adjust the treatment load of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities. A higher level of pollutants in rural domestic sewage resulted in higher correlations between TN/NH4+-N/TP and EC. Furthermore, a novel evaluation methodology for rural domestic sewage facilities in Jiaxing was established. This method could indicate the effectiveness of facilities when the ratio of effluent EC to influent EC was below 0.8 or beyond 1.0. In particular, this method identified the ineffective facilities, with a recognition rate of 70% and an accuracy rate of 84%. This study not only provides an efficient, fast and low-cost effectiveness assessment method for rural domestic sewage treatment facilities, but also increases the possibility of remotely controlled evaluation based on online conductivity.

Structural damage assessment with incomplete and noisy modal data using model reduction technique and LAPO algorithm

The present article proposes an efficient method for damage assessment of structures with incomplete and noisy modal data using model reduction method and Lightning Attachment Procedure Optimisation (LAPO) algorithm. The damage identification problem is formulated as an optimisation problem, in which the extent of damaged elements and a combination of both natural frequencies and modal flexibility changes are considered as the continuous design variables and a hybrid objective function, respectively. The LAPO algorithm, a recently developed algorithm, is for the first time extended to solve the formulated optimisation problem. In addition, due to incomplete modal data, an iterated improved reduction system (IIRS) technique is adopted to condense structural physical properties. The efficiency and robustness of the proposed method are investigated using three types of structures and the results are compared with those obtained by other well-known optimisation algorithms. It is shown that regardless of the effect of incomplete and noisy modal data, the proposed method not only successfully determines the location and extent of single and multiple damage cases in the structures, but also has lower computational cost than the other optimisers.

Using High Performance Computing for Liquefaction Hazard Assessment with Statistical Soil Models

Conventional methods for liquefaction assessment using engineering indices such as Factor of safety against Liquefaction (FL) tend to overestimate liquefaction hazards. The soil dynamics analysis-based assessment with automatic modeling is more rational and robust. Soil properties are known for large uncertainties. Rather than deterministic soil models, statistical models for soil parameters should be considered. With automatic modeling, a large number of statistic models can be generated without difficulty. The problem becomes how to assess liquefaction hazard with statistic models in an efficient way. Using high performance computing, we develop an efficient liquefaction assessment method for statistical modeling of soils. A high parallel efficiency can be achieved and a large number of statical models of the order of 104 can be simulated within a reasonable time span. The method developed in this paper can be used as an efficient tool for unravelling critical parameters of soil liquefaction.

APRT-FMEA buffer sizing method in scheduling of a wind farm construction project

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an efficient model for project buffer sizing by taking failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) into account to reach a more realistic schedule. Design/methodology/approach In the first phase of the project, several turbines were installed according to the primary schedule with an average duration of 142 days. Then, some of critical chain project management algorithms were separately applied in the implementation and installation of the other wind turbines. The adaptive procedure with resource tightness (APRT) method turned out to be the best method in terms of obtaining a more realistic schedule in this case study. Finally, FMEA was simultaneously applied with APRT. Findings Applying the hybrid method to the scheduling of the wind turbines, yielded the more realistic schedule than traditional. Research limitations/implications The proposed hybrid APRT-FMEA algorithm was implemented on a real wind farm construction project which was completed with 37 percent shorter duration than the initial estimation; in spite of the initial estimation of 142 days, the project completed in 103 days. Practical implications Introducing and implementing a new algorithm which is a combination of buffer sizing algorithms and one of the well-known and mostly used risk assessment methods in order to provide the more realistic project schedule in the construction of wind turbines. Originality/value Introducing and implementing a novel algorithm which is a combination of conventional buffer sizing method and one of the efficient risk assessment methods in order to make the schedule more realistic.

Methods of economic efficiency assessment of the operation stage of the aviation engines life cycle

The relevance of the evaluation of the technical and economic efficiency of aircraft engines and one of its main indicators – direct operating costs has been noted in the article. Their place in ensuring the competitiveness of aircraft in the relevant sectors of the market has been established. One of the main indicators of the efficiency of aviation equipment is its technical and economic evaluation. Tough competition, existing, at present between foreign players in the aircraft industry and difficulties of maintaining their positions to Russian aircraft manufacturers have been designated. The features of existing foreign and domestic methods and approaches to the economic evaluation of aircraft engines have been noted, and their comparative analysis has been carried out. Problematic issues when considering the efficiency of the aircraft as a whole and the difficulties of technical and economic assessment of the aircraft engine as a subsystem of the aircraft have been revealed. The need has been indicated to take into account the condition under which, if we consider the aircraft as a whole, the efficiency of its operation is mainly determined by the perfection of the engines of the power plant. It has been noticed, that the engine can act on the market as an independent product, having a market price. But, at the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the aircraft engine is a subsystem of the aircraft, therefore, it follows to carry out its technical and economic assessment, taking into account, if possible, the characteristics of the aircraft and the characteristics of its operation, which is a difficult task and this is a necessary procedure in case of economic evaluation. The need for careful selection of performance indicators, contributing to a reliable assessment of the competitiveness of the proposed product has been designated. At the same time, it is necessary to adhere to a certain framework, namely when comparing competing engines, the technical and economic evaluation of aircraft engines should be carried out under the same conditions regarding the operation and maintenance of the aircraft as a whole. Moreover, engines should have similar indicators: dimensionality, installation on a plane of the same class, etc.

Extended DEA model under type-2 fuzzy environment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to combine the uncertain methods of type-2 fuzzy sets and data envelopment analysis (DEA) evaluation model together. A new type-2 fuzzy DEA efficiency assessment method is established. Then the proposed procedure is applied to the poverty alleviation problem. Design/methodology/approach The research method is the DEA model, which is an effective method for efficiency assessment of social–economic systems. Considering the existence of the same efficiency values that cannot be ranked in the proposed DEA model, the balance index is introduced to solve the ranking problem of decision-making units effectively. Findings The results show that the proposed method can not only measure the efficiency of the existence of uncertain information but also deal with the ranking of multiple efficient decision-making units. Originality/value This paper selects type-2 fuzzy DEA model to express a lot of uncertain information in efficiency evaluation problems. We use the parameter decomposition method of type-2 fuzzy programming or the type-2 expectation values indirectly. The balance index is proposed to further distinguish the multiple effective decision-making units. Furthermore, this paper selects rural poverty alleviation in Hainan Province as a case study to verify the feasibility of the method. The relative efficiency values in different years are calculated and analyzed.

Frailty and preoperative risk assessment before radical cystectomy.

The current review covers recent research examining the utility of preoperative frailty assessments to predict worse postoperative outcomes after radical cystectomy. It also discusses how to implement frailty assessments into routine clinical practice. Frailty is associated with worse postoperative outcomes after radical cystectomy, including increased complications and nonhome discharge. Although the majority of these studies have been retrospective using a frailty index, prospective studies using a preoperative frailty assessment have also shown frailty to be associated with worse outcomes. Preoperative frailty assessments based on patients' physiologic fitness, such as the Fried Frailty Criteria or psoas muscle volume, have been the best predictors of worse outcomes on prospective cohorts. However, no study to date has directly compared a prospective frailty assessment and frailty index to determine the most effective tool for routine clinical care. National guidelines are lacking on how to assess frailty preoperatively before radical cystectomy. Frailty has been consistently shown to correlate with worse postoperative outcomes after radical cystectomy. Although the most effective and efficient method for preoperative assessment has yet to be determined, assessments based on physiologic fitness are likely to be most useful. Improved guidelines will likely increase implementation of frailty assessments into routine management.

Evaluation of public effectiveness of the strategy for development of speed urban transport

Abstract. Assessment of public efficiency of rapid urban transport development strategy is the final stage in the formation of a strategy for the development of rapid transport.&#x0D; The rapid urban transport development strategy is distinguished by the following main characteristics:&#x0D; &#x0D; significant initial investment, which in some cases is considered as an objective obstacle to adoption and implementation of the strategy;&#x0D; long timeframes for implementation of the strategy;&#x0D; timing of the achievement of the goals;&#x0D; use of financial resources.&#x0D; &#x0D; These characteristics enhance the current cost of the project. The process of measuring the results a new transport project implementation is complicated, because a significant part of the results is of external character and is not subject to cost measuring.&#x0D; The peculiarities listed above prove the relevance of determination of public efficiency rapid urban transport development strategy. Considering the specifics of the object of the research, the comparison of costs and results of innovative transport product implementation should be carried out within assessment of its public efficiency.&#x0D; The aim of this work is to develop a system of indicators for assessment of public efficiency of rapid urban transport development strategy; study of existing public efficiency assessment methods, search for their advantages and disadvantages, and research into maglev technology advantages.&#x0D; The system of indicators proposed to assess public efficiency of rapid urban transport development strategy, considers all advantages of maglev technology and prioritises it in selecting rapid urban transport.

An Efficient Entropy-Based Method for Reliability Assessment by Combining Kriging Meta-Models

Meta-models or surrogate models are convenient tools for reliability assessment of problems with time-consuming numerical models. Recently, an adaptive method called AK-MCS has been widely used for reliability analysis by combining Mont-Carlo simulation method and Kriging surrogate model. The AK-MCS method usually uses constant regression as a Kriging trend. However, other regression trends may have better performance for some problems. So, a method is proposed by combining multiple Kriging meta-models with various trends. The proposed method is based on the maximum entropy of predictions to select training samples. Using multiple Kriging models can reduce the sensitivity to the regression trend. So, the propped method can have better performance for different problems. The proposed method is applied to some examples to show its efficiency.

Practical Approaches to Assessment of Harmonics Along Radial Distribution Feeders

A high level of delivered power quality is becoming one of the key performance indicators for both contemporary and future power networks. The increased proliferation of converter connected generation and load in power networks will lead to increased levels of harmonics in distribution networks. A general knowledge of the distribution network performance in terms of harmonics is essential for distribution network operators for both operating and planning networks while considering power quality performance. The main limitation is the reduced monitoring infrastructure compared to transmission networks. This paper presents an efficient method for assessment of harmonic levels along medium voltage radial distribution feeders based on a single measurement at a substation. The methodology is illustrated in a case study involving a real life medium voltage 35 bus radial distribution feeder.

AK‐DA: An efficient method for the fatigue assessment of wind turbine structures

AbstractLifetime damage estimation is a complex and demanding task that needs to be performed during the design of offshore wind turbine structures. A general damage analysis framework is proposed by the certification bodies. Therein the total lifetime of the structure is considered as a series of elementary situations combining structural and environmental states. For a given structural state, the loading environment is described using statistical parameters such as the wind mean speed at hub height or the peak spectral period of the sea. An estimation of the structural response is to be computed for each of the environmental combinations of parameters, therefore leading to tens of thousands simulations. The cost of a single simulation makes this process often unfeasible for engineers who are usually forced to reduce the number of simulations considering industrial feedback with risks of potential lack of representativity of results. This paper aims at presenting a novel method for the reduction of the simulation costs relative to the long‐term damage estimation (relative to a design load case) and based on the so‐called adaptive Kriging approach. From on a reduced set of observations (multiphysics simulator runs), a Kriging metamodel is here used to approximate the damage model response for all the nonsimulated sets of environmental parameters. The latter are subsequently used to assess the long‐term damage as presented in the standards. The statistical measure of the metamodel error of prediction is used into an iterative structure in order to progressively enrich the design of experiments with informative sets of environmental parameters. This allows us minimizing the global uncertainty of the approximation. The proposed algorithm, hereafter called the AK‐DA for “Adaptive Kriging Damage Assessment,” is illustrated with two industrial cases of fatigue analyses for the NREL 5MW reference monopile structure and its direct application

Impact of frost injury incidence at nodes of Pinot Noir on fruitfulness and growth‐stage lag

Background and Aims: Spring frosts can injure primary buds and young shoots and stimulate secondary shoot production in Vitis spp. The aim of this study was to develop methods to quantify yield and phenology effects of frost injury during budburst. Methods and Results: Eight hundred and sixty-nine nodes from 92 half-vines of Pinot Noir in eight blocks from four Tasmanian vineyards were sampled; 15-92% of shoots per half-vine were injured after a sub-zero air temperature ≥ -4.5 ° C. Severity of frost injury was spatially variable among vines both with and without frost protection. Generalised linear mixed models revealed that node injury was associated with a mean 27-fold increase in the odds of > 1 shoot per node. Mean December scores for modified Eichorn-Lorenz growth stage were 18.9 and 17.2 for nodes with one shoot and > 1 shoot, respectively. The probability of healthy and injured nodes producing fruit was 0.81 and 0.69, respectively. In a season with poor fruitset, the estimated difference in yield per linear m of row between 0 and 100% incidence of injured nodes was 0.2 kg. Conclusion: Assessment of the incidence of frost injury and fruit mass per node was sufficient to estimate the impact of injury on yield at the vine and block-level. Significance of the Study: Future studies are expected to benefit from application of these efficient sampling, assessment and statistical methods to determine the site-specific impact of early spring frost injury on fruitfulness and growth-stage lag.