Prevention Of Losses Research Articles

Making regulation fit by taking irrationality into account: the case of the whistleblower

Prospect theory describes people as bounded rational decision maker. What sparked widespread discussion after its initial introduction in 1979 is today criticized for lack of applicability. I use the debate about whistleblowing laws to show that prospect theory may be applied prescriptively in economics as a tool to design effective legislation. Whistleblowing is often seen as an important way to uncover fraud, which causes billions of USD in damages annually. I first examine the fragmented legal landscape across Europe, showing that it can be framed as one favoring rewards or the prevention of losses. I conduct an experiment with 39 university students, wherein legislative incentives are evaluated under a prospect theoretical frame in a setting of ambiguity and high stakes. Results suggest that people exhibit the typical s-shaped value function and loss aversion in line with prospect theory. In addition, their intention to whistleblow is more heavily reduced by losses than increased by gains. The study adds to the scarce literature of prospect theory on decisions in ambiguous contexts—as well as to the applicability of the theory as a prescriptive instrument in designing institutional frames. For whistleblowing in particular, a protection-based approach seems most promising.

Cost–benefit analysis approach for the management of industrial safety in chemical and petrochemical industry

The high complexity of chemical and petrochemical installations determines a complex safety management of these establishments, therefore, there is a need to find innovative solutions to guarantee the prevention of failures and losses of containment from process equipment. In this frame, the use of the API Risk Based Inspection (RBI) assessment approach permits a significant reduction of maintenance costs and, simultaneously, the increase of plant's reliability and availability. To increase the level of industrial safety, a proper selection of measures is also needed, even if the adoption of such measures poses costs. Given that resources for the companies are usually limited, a comparison amongst various solutions has to be done with the aim to find the best one, based on a comparison of costs and benefit. To this scope, recently a software, named Inspection Manager, has been developed by ANTEA and implemented thanks to a cooperation with the University of Padova (Italy). The Inspection Manager provides support in the application of the RBI approach by means of the use of plant-specific data, which are stored in its database; its further implementation, presented in this paper, has made it able to support also cost-benefit analysis and, thus, the selection of measures to be adopted to prevent accidental events causing the release of hazardous materials. A case-study is presented to test the new functionality of the tool; after the identification of the most effective measures, a careful cost-benefit assessment has been executed as a basis for decision-making.

A methodological approach for the on-site quantification of food losses in primary production: Austrian and German case studies using the example of potato harvest

In the last decade, in many European Countries more and more measures have been initiated aiming at the prevention of food losses and wastes along the entire value chain. In order to evaluate or monitor such important measures it is crucial to obtain quantitative information on generated food waste amounts, subsequently enabling the quantitative evaluation of the measure’s outcomes and efficiency. Currently there is a paucity of quantitative information, particularly on food losses that are directly generated during harvesting processes. Up to date, no method is available or standardised aiming at the in-situ or on-site quantification of food losses during harvest. Using the example of the potato harvest, this study presents a practical approach for determining potato losses. To test the applicability of the developed method, on-site measurements were conducted directly on the field at five different locations in Austria and Germany. Our method enables the quantification of food losses based on defined areas along the harvested potato rows, where the analyser manually collects potatoes during their harvest. Hereby, two types of potato losses needs to be considered: non-harvested, under-sized potatoes that remain under the earth and the harvested ones, which are rejected on-site because of quality requirements regarding their size, shape, and state of health. Our study shows that between 1 and 9% of field losses (based on yield potential) can be generated during the potato harvest. In future, this method may be the basis for standardised protocols in order to be able to derive cultivar-specific benchmarks and, consequently, to develop measures for preventing food losses. In general, more case studies and evidence-based ground-up measurements on other cultivars and for other regions are needed focusing on the on-site quantification of post-harvest losses.

Prevention of Economic Losses with the help of the System of Control of Saving and Storing Bulk Cargoes in the Process of Train Movement

In order to ensure the demand of the market for competitive rail transport services, the structure of automatic safety control for bulk cargo is proposed on the basis of the radar sensor and Wi-Fi technology, which allows to avoid the false alert signal caused by changes in the level of liquid due to various deviations of the railway track from the horizontal plane and to fix leakage of the liquid from damaged tank. The issues of increasing the reliability of the proposed control system are considered.

Prediction of Press-Fit Quality via Data Mining Techniques and Artificial Intelligence

Determining the press-fit quality of pieces in advance is of the utmost importance because it enables the reduction of the time that is invested in the process and the prevention of material losses. High predictive accuracy is essential in a classification model; however, several studies have shown that the class category of a new instance may be insufficient information for decision making. To provide additional information to the user, this study presents a novel system that is based on a hybrid model, which, in addition, to using a classifier, extracts a set of class association rules that enable the determination of which patterns influence the new instance to belong to a class category. To select the classifier, the accuracy, recall and F-measure metrics were utilized. The rules were obtained with the Apriori algorithm to show that this knowledge is automatically represented in an ontological scheme with the objective of applying the Pellet reasoner.

Flood Management in Pakistan’s Ecology

Flood management and control are essential to reduce economic and human life losses and to maintain the ecological condition. The intensity of occurrence of flood disasters constitutes a persistent and serious problem all round the world. Floods are growing in intensity and frequency year by year, producing adverse effects on the socioeconomic conditions of the country in question. This is particularly true for Pakistan since its birth. Serious scarcity of water in one season and disastrous floods in the other is a common observation. Vast rural and urban areas have to undergo a great disaster year by year. It seems that while some areas become less productive due to the deficiency of water. In the absence of any control measures a large amount of water is uselessly drained out in the sea. During the years when the river does not flow above the “fair irrigation level” for a sufficient time, canals are cut off from their water supply sooner and the entire irrigation system suffers. The arena of problems like correct assessment, proper storage, reliable control and judicious distribution of existing water masses among the provinces of Pakistan can be properly handled only by proper scientific research. For the prevention of major property damages and great agricultural losses, a detailed river flow study based on long-term predictions is very essential. For the study of uncertainty involved in real-time estimation and forecasting for the Pakistan’s rivers this paper stressing on the role of local climatological parameters on the IRS flow as these parameter influence the river flow extreme events (floods) and their management and control. For this purpose this paper giving a plan to design an early warning system and flood management and control plan.

Prevention of pregnancy loss in women with circulation of non-conventional antiphospholipid autoantibodies

Hypothesis/aims of study. Patients with a history of pregnancy complications that meet the clinical criteria of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), with circulation of autoantibodies not related to the laboratory criteria for APS, present difficulties in choosing a method for preventing recurrent complications. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of autoantibodies in women with severe obstetric complications and habitual miscarriage and to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy used in APS for the prevention of recurrent reproductive losses in women with non-criteria autoantibodies.
 Study design, materials and methods. 358 women with a history of APS clinical criteria or two pregnancy losses up to 10 weeks were examined. Anti-beta2-glycoprotein I and anti-cardiolipin (IgG/IgM) antibodies, as well as non-conventional autoantibodies for phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidyl acid, annexin V, and prothrombin were determined in serum, with lupus anticoagulant test performed. In 39 women with clinical criteria for APS and circulating anti-annexin V or prothrombin antibodies during pregnancy, enoxaparin sodium was used (in 100% of the cases) in combination with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) at a dose of 50-100 mg per day (in 69.2% of the cases).
 Results. The frequency of all types of autoantibodies was 38.8%. Non-conventional antibodies were detected in 17.6% of the cases (isolated circulation in 11.5% of the cases); with anti-annexin V antibodies (73.0%) prevailed among them. In 39 patients with non-criteria antibodies, after the use of a prophylactic dose of enoxaparin sodium and ASA, live births were the outcome of pregnancy in 84.6% of the cases.
 Conclusion. Testing for non-conventional autoantibodies may be appropriate in patients with only APS clinical criteria. Standard treatment of APS prescribed for this group of patients led to a significant increase in the frequency of live births. Further large studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of medical prophylaxis of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with non-criteria obstetric ABS.

Sodium for the Prevention of Grass Tetany and Fetal Losses Associated with Nitrate Toxicosis in Herbivores

Sodium for the Prevention of Grass Tetany and Fetal Losses Associated with Nitrate Toxicosis in Herbivores

Risk evaluation and prevention in hydropower plant operations: A model based on Pythagorean fuzzy AHP

Hydropower generation facilities are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world. One of the main reasons for this situation is that the resource reserves such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, which are called conventional energy sources, decrease day by day and their prices rise. So the efficient operation of hydroelectric power plants has become very important. When these plants are operated, it is possible to cause many hazards, including injury, illness, death, damage to the environment, property and equipment. In this study, it is aimed to perform risk assessment for hydroelectric power plants using Pythagorean fuzzy Analytical hierarchy process (PFAHP) method. The team of experts has identified twenty hazards and their results that could occur in the operation of the hydroelectric power plant. The weights of the hazards were determined by using linguistic expressions. Preventive measures have been taken for the three most important hazards. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the safety of hydropower plants and the prevention of financial losses.

Does the motivational orientation matter? A regulatory focus perspective on work-life enrichment and work-life conflict.

The aim of this article was to examine the role of employees’ motivational orientation for work-life enrichment (WLE) and conflict (WLC). On the basis of the Work-Home-Resources Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory we conducted 2 cross-sectional studies (n1 = 202, n2 = 199). We hypothesized that a promotion orientation (toward personal growth and success) indirectly goes along with higher levels of WLE through work-related stress. We assumed that a prevention orientation (toward the prevention of losses and failure) is indirectly associated with higher levels of WLC through work-related stress. Simple mediation analyses partly supported our hypotheses. Higher levels of promotion focus went along with higher levels of WLE. Higher levels of prevention focus were associated with higher levels of WLC. Although we found an indirect effect of regulatory focus on WLE and WLC through emotional stress, we did not find one for cognitive stress. This project contributes to a deeper understanding of what fosters WLE and WLC and adds a new motivational perspective for work-life research. Our results can also be taken into account in practice for the development of organizational work-life policies or interventions.

Chilling tolerance of Micro-Tom fruit involves changes in the primary metabolite levels and in the stress response

Prevention of post-harvest fruit losses is important to increase food availability. In the case of tomato, postharvest storage at low temperature and the subsequent handling and distribution of fruit is limited by chilling injury, a physiological disorder that causes failure to normally ripen and increased decay disease. Micro-Tom fruit, a dwarf tomato variety, is relatively tolerant to cold storage (4 °C for 4 weeks). To understand the tolerance mechanism of Micro-Tom fruit at the molecular level, its transcriptome and metabolome were evaluated before, after chilling storage, and shortly after transferring the fruit to ambient temperature to focus on the critical early events accounting chilling tolerance. Changes in gene expression and metabolic profiles indicate metabolic adaptation (fermentation, amino acid mobilization and photosynthesis recovery after cold storage) and induction of defense mechanisms (biotic and abiotic stress, and redox metabolism) that can be related with Micro-Tom tolerance to postharvest chilling injury. The current research extends the understanding of the mechanisms involved in chilling tolerance and provides tools for developing new technologies and varieties.

The patient with metabolic alkalosis

ABSTRACTMetabolic alkalosis defined by the increase of both plasma HCO3- level (>26 mmol/L) and blood arterial pH (>7.43) is quite frequent and usually accompanied by hypokalemia. Its pathogenesis requires both the generation of alkalosis and its maintenance. Generation may be due to excessive hydrogen ion loss by the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. vomiting) or by the kidney (e.g. use of loop diuretics) or may be due to exogenous base gain. Maintenance reflects the inability of the kidney to excrete the excess of bicarbonate because of hypovolemia, chloride depletion, hypokalemia, hyperaldosteronism, renal failure or a combination of these factors. The evaluation of volemic status and measurement of urinary Cl- and plasma levels of renin and aldosterone are crucial to identify the cause(s) of metabolic alkalosis. The cornerstone of treatment is the correction of existing depletions and the prevention of further losses. In vomiting-induced chloride depletion alkalosis, infusion of potassium chloride restores the excretion of bicarbonate by the kidney.

Ignition Temperature of Coal. 5. Practical Applications

If the ignition temperature tig of the unoxidized coal determined in accordance with Ukrainian State Standard DSTU 7611:2014 is used to check the rank assignment of coal concentrates supplied to the coke plant, inconsistency of the actual and declared ranks of the coal may be identified in timely fashion, the properties of the coal may be preliminarily studied, and the results may be used in adopting measures to maintain the specified rank composition and properties of the coal batch and also to stabilize the quality of the blast-furnace coke produced. Using the ignition temperature to monitor the rank composition and quality of the coal concentrates supplied to the plant offers economic benefits, by the prevention of losses due to changes in coking-batch quality, which affect the yield and quality of the coke produced.

Purification, characterization and in vivo biocontrol efficiency of killer toxins from Debaryomyces hansenii strains

Nowadays, the biological control of various yeast and mold pathogens that cause diseases in humans, animals, and plants is an increasing of interest. The discovery of novel agents allows prevention of infectious diseases and post-harvest losses reported every year. In the study, we aimed to investigate the production, purification, and characterization as well as in vivo biocontrol efficiency of killer toxins produced by Debaryomyces hansenii strains TEM8 and TEM17. The molecular mass of the killer toxins was 31.5 kDa and they showed high stability at pHs between 2.5 and 5.5 and up to 37 °C. Their internal amino acid sequences matched the DEHA2G18766g (CAG90862.1) from D. hansenii CBS767, which is similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae YGR282C BGL2 endo-beta-1,3-glucanase. The yeasts and their purified killer toxins significantly inhibited the growth of plant pathogenic fungi Alternaria brassicicola, Alternaria citri, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer in fruits. The findings of this paper have recommended these yeast strains and their toxins as effective biocontrol agents against fungi that cause post-harvest diseases.

FEATURES OF LABOUR AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD IN WOMEN WITH ADENOMYOSIS

Objective: the aim of the study was to investigate features of the course of labor and postpartum period in women with adenomyosis, to improve existing and develop new methods of treatment and prevention of obstetric complications and reproductive losses in pregnant women with adenomyosis.Patients and methods: 90 pregnant women in 30-31 weeks of gestation were divided into groups: 30 healthy women (control group), a comparison group of 30 pregnant women with adenomyosis receiving traditional progesterone therapy and the main group of 30 women with adenomatosis, who received advanced prgesterne therapy, diet therapy, psychological support, sedative naturopathic therapy; the state of the blood coagulation system was studied; vaginal biota examination and treatment were performed. The data of laboratory parameters, questionnaires, ultrasound diagnostics were analyzed.Results: on the background of the proposed treatment, the study revealed a significant reduction in the occurrence of IUGR, placental dysfunction, polyhydramnion, prenatal infections, premature rupture of amniotic membranes, preterm labor and hemodynamic disorders in the main group compared to the comparison group. The index of stress resistance has increased, cortisol levels decreased. Significantly fewer injuries of soft tissues occurred in labour. Violation of the fetus condition in labour was noticed much less frequently. The level of hypogalactia in the main group comparing the comparison group is lower.Conclusions: the results of the conducted studies indicate the negative impact of adenomyosis on the state of reproductive health of women. The proposed algorithm of diagnostic, treating and preventive measures can reduce the frequency of various obstetric complications in the second half of pregnancy in women with adenomyosis and can be widely implemented.

Особливості ендокринологічного статусу та фетоплацентарного комплексу у вагітних з аденоміозом

The objective: to study the features of the endocrinological status and the fetoplacental complex in pregnant women with adenomyosis, the course of pregnancy and childbirth in these women, to develop new, systematize and improve the existing methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of complications and reproductive losses. Materials and methods. We examined 90 pregnant women who were divided into groups: 30 healthy women – control group, a comparison group of 30 women with adenomyosis receiving classic progesterone therapy and the main group of 30 women with adenomatosis who received advanced preserving, metabolic therapy and diet therapy. The condition of the feto-placental complex, the frequency of IUGR, hemodynamic disturbances on the part of the fetus, and the level of estriol, progesterone, cortisol, chronic gonadotropin (CGL), placental lactogen were evaluated. Results. The main complication in pregnant women with adenomyosis was placental dysfunction (the comparison group was 60.0% and the main group was 33.3%), whose structure was performed by compensated (58.2%) and subcompensated forms (35.8%). The frequency of preterm labor threat was 20.0% in comparison group and 13.3% in main one, while in the control group – 1 case, which is 3.3%. Frequency of SCR was in the comparison group – 20.0% and in the main – 3.3%. Low levels of estriol, progesterone, HHG, placental lactogen, increased cortisol levels in comparison and main groups were determined, and after treatment the indicators of the main group significantly improved. Conclusions. With timely correction of violations, prevention of fetoplacental insufficiency and complex treatment with the use of advanced classical progesterone therapy in combination with metabolic and diet therapy we can significantly reduce the frequency of various complications in pregnant women with adenomyosis. Key words: adenomyosis, pregnancy, non-pregnancy, diet therapy, metabolic therapy, preservation therapy, preventive care.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT OF MAJOR DIET TYPES

Humans are the element of the natural food networks; however, their position is quite specific due to consumption of bigger volumes of natural resources than it is necessary for their survival. It is also true in case of food consumption: wrong diet, globalization and fashion trends make people eat more food that is not local. The aim of the survey is to assess the ecological footprint of major diet types and current situation with food consumption and its environmental value in Ukraine. The analysis of statistical data shows that a citizen of a developed country requires an ecological area of about 6.1 gha with 30–40 % intended for food, while the world average amount is 2.7 gha. But different types of diet produce different ecological footprint and different impacts on the environment. The environmental impacts of meat production are the most intensive and include generation of waste, water consumption, habitats destruction, greenhouse gases emissions and soil pollution. On the other hand, vegetarian diet is not enough to make the food system sustainable without improvement of agricultural practices, renewable energy introduction and implementation of principles of sustainability into all spheres of life. Ukrainians have moderate financial and physical access to food according to the world statistics. Being forced to spend 50–55 % of monthly budget on food, they consume too much fat and sugar, and too little fruit, vegetables, dairy and fish. Big volumes of food bought and eaten, especially meat, are considered to be the reflection of prosperity. In order to analyze the current situation with nutrition patterns, the survey is conducted among the students. The results show that food is bought in supermarkets without consideration of its ecological status and almost half of students adhere to meat based diet. Most respondents are not willing to change their diet types. Thus, we may assume that in the future the pressure on the environment from food production and consumption will grow in Ukraine. Therefore, now it is necessary to work on prevention of food losses, and educating people how they can reduce their food footprint by minor behavioral changes.

Вітамінно-мінеральні комплекси у профілактиці репродуктивних втрат та ускладнень вагітності

Вітамінно-мінеральні комплекси у профілактиці репродуктивних втрат та ускладнень вагітності

The Organization of Specialized Medical Care Support to Victims of Road Traffic Accidents Using the Informational System for Issuing Passports of Traumatological Centers of The Moscow Oblast

Within the framework of the Moscow Oblast Integrated Medical Informational Analytical System an informational system of issuing passports of traumatological centers was developed. This system permits to implement statistical and economic analysis with the purpose of applying financial modeling of functioning of traumatological centers for the benefit of supporting high quality treatment, prevention of economic losses and decreasing of lethality after road accidents in medical organizations.

전기통신금융사기의 방지를 위한 법정책적 고찰

Telecommunications-based financial fraud has caused tremendous damage to the financial life of Korea since the early 2000s. The initial method of crime of telecommunications-based financial fraud criminals was voice Phishing, but later developed into Pharming, Memory Hacking and Smishing. Recently, it has become difficult to commit such crimes because of the government’s and financial institutions’ efforts to promote crime prevention. Scammers have developed their own techniques and used Qshing and the Obscene Video Chat Phishing, in which the criminal seduces others to find their flaws and exploit them to steal money.BR According to the National Police Agency statistics, a total of 6,227 telecommunication-based financial fraud (Phishing, Pharming, Smishing, Memory Hacking, and Obscene Video Chat Phishing) incidents occurred solely in the year of 2016, and the total amount of financial damage was more than 27.4 billion won. However, considering the cases of undeclared crimes, such as incidents or financial damage that are not reported in the statistics of the National Police Agency, it is estimated that the extent of damage will be much greater than stated by the police statistics. BR The Financial Services Commission, the National Police Agency, and the Financial Company have continually worked to minimize these damages. The government and the National Assembly have adopted 「Digital Signature Act」, 「Electronic Financial Transaction Act」, 「Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc」, 「Personal Information Protection Act」, and 「Special Act on the Prevention of Losses Caused by Telecommunications-Based Financial Fraud and Refund for Loss」. They have tried to prevent telecommunications-based financial fraud by utilizing these legal safeguards. The police have operated 112 centers to try to help victims of voice phishing. Financial institutions and companies have strengthened the security regarding the issuance and reissuance of public key certificates. They used a system that delayed ATM withdrawals for a certain amount of time. They also tried to prevent the occurrence of borrowed or stolen accounts that are being exploited as a major means of committing telecommunications-based financial fraud.BR Despite these efforts, telecommunications-based financial fraud has not been blocked, and the damage still remains. Therefore, fundamental examination and revision of the countermeasures against telecommunications-based financial fraud is necessary.BR The IP address tampering through borrowed or stolen accounts or VPNs should be continuously regulated to prevent telecommunications-based financial frauds. The laws related to telecommunication-based financial fraud should be revised to establish systematic regulatory bases. In addition, it is necessary to create a system that can detect the occurrence of such crime in advance. And it is necessary to create a unified organization responsible for telecommunication-based financial fraud that can effectively carry out such fraud prevention tasks. As a legal device to aid the victims in the aftermath, it is also necessary to create funds for the victim`s relief and to activate insurance systems.BR These policies are not perfect countermeasures against telecommunications-based financial fraud. This is because, based on how the methods of telecommunications-based financial fraud has evolved over the past decade, no one can predict how such methods will evolve and how the degree of damage will change.