Priority Coefficient Research Articles

Analysis on the application of FMEA in 'instrument and equipment surface cleaning and disinfection' in hospitals based on standardization and cleaning and disinfection information system management.

To analyze the application of 'instrument and equipment surface cleaning and disinfection' in hospitals based on standardization and the management of cleaning and disinfection information systems. Employees and all cleaning and disinfected instruments and equipment from 56 inpatient departments in our hospital were selected as the subjects of observation. The period before the intervention (January 2023) was designated as the control group, while the period after the intervention (July 2023) was designated as the study group. In the control group, the instruments and equipment under routine management were disinfected. The research team applied the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method to clean and disinfect the surfaces of instruments and equipment on the basis of standardization and cleaning and disinfection information system management. Employees' theoretical knowledge points and operational skill scores before and after the intervention were compared and evaluated. The changes in the risk priority coefficient (RPN) values of high-risk factors were analyzed. Fifty-six clinical medical staff from 56 inpatient departments in the hospital were selected to evaluate the clinical satisfaction of the cleaning and disinfection management of instruments and equipment before and after the intervention, and the clinical satisfaction of the two groups was compared. The scores of theoretical knowledge and operational skills of the staff in the research group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The passing rates of theoretical knowledge and operational skills in the control group and the research group were 44.64 and 94.64% respectively, and 55.36 and 96.43%, respectively. The qualified rate of theoretical knowledge and operational skills of staff in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The RPN scores of medical personnel, environment, system and system guarantee factors in the control group were 80, 80, 80, and 100, respectively. The RPN scores of medical personnel factors, environmental factors, system factors and system guarantee factors in the research group were 6, 24, 24, and 36, respectively. Through standardization and cleaning and disinfection information system management, the theoretical knowledge and technical operation capabilities of cleaning can be effectively improved.

Service Function Chaining to Support Ultra-Low Latency Communication in NFV

Network function virtualization (NFV) has the potential to fundamentally transform conventional network architecture through the decoupling of software from dedicated hardware. The convergence of virtualization and cloud computing technologies has revolutionized the networking landscape, offering a wide range of advantages, including improved flexibility, manageability, and scalability. The importance of network capability in enabling ultra-low latency applications has been greatly amplified in the current era due to the increased demand for emerging services such as autonomous driving, teleoperated driving, virtual reality, and remote surgery. This paper presents a novel and efficient methodology for service function chaining (SFC) in an NFV-enabled network that aims to minimize latency and optimize the utilization of physical network resources, with a specific focus on ultra-low latency applications. In our proposed methodology, we offer flow prioritization and an adjustable priority coefficient factor (µ) to reserve a portion of physical network resources exclusively for ultra-low latency applications in order to optimize the deployment paths of these applications further. We formulate the SFC deployment problem as an integer linear programming (ILP) optimization model. Furthermore, we propose a set of heuristic algorithms that yield near-optimal solutions with minimal optimality gaps and execution times, making them practical for large-scale network topologies. Performance evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methodology in enabling ultra-low latency applications in an NFV-enabled network. Compared to existing algorithms, our proposed methodology achieves notable enhancements in terms of the end-to-end delay (up to 22 percent), bandwidth utilization (up to 28 percent), and SFC acceptance rate (up to 13 percent).

Determining priorities for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction in the conditions of preparation for EU membership

The priorities for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction in preparation for its membership in the European Union are to ensure integration, efficient use of resources, socio-economic growth, and sustainable development. Finding ways to effectively develop the economic and other sectors, adapt to European norms and create a sustainable framework for integration into the European space was the purpose of this study. The methodology is based on the empirical research method. The reform priority coefficient was calculated using a formula for determining the priority areas for improving the economic, demographic, and political sectors of Ukraine. The study identified priority areas for Ukraine’s post-war development, including mechanisms such as ensuring sustainable economic growth, modernising infrastructure, developing trade relations with EU countries, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, improving the quality of education and healthcare, which can be used by scientists and the state to ensure the country’s effective development and obtaining the status of a full EU member. The importance of ensuring social protection of the population, including raising living standards and ensuring access to basic social services, was identified. The study found that effective economic diplomacy and the expansion of international relations with EU member states are crucial factors for Ukraine’s successful preparation for EU membership. The focus is on ensuring strategic orientation, efficient use of resources and achieving the country’s socio-economic development in line with European standards and values. In practice, these results can become the basis for developing strategic decisions and programmes in line with EU criteria

FMECA of CNC machine tool design stage based on CBWM and DEA

AbstractIn view of the problems that FMECA in the design stage of CNC machine tools does not take into account the complexity of the designed functional structure, does not compare the weight of risk factors, and is not easy to distinguish the harm degree of failure mode, CBWM, and DEA are applied to the study of FMECA in the design stage of CNC machine tools. Based on the complexity of functional structure in machine tool design, score the factors of each potential failure mode, form a decision unit, re‐formulate the scoring table, and subdivide the severity into machine tool hazard (M), personal hazard (P), environmental hazard (E), and buyer satisfaction (B). The factors influencing risk factors were defined as the probability of failure mode (O), machine tool hazard (M), personal hazard (P), environmental hazard (E), and buyer satisfaction (B). On the basis of the scoring of each factor, the functional structure complexity (C) is taken as the input index, and the risk factor is taken as the output index. The CBWM method is applied to determine the weight of each risk factor, and DEA method is used to calculate the efficiency of each decision making unit. Finally, a new method for calculating risk priority number RPN is proposed by integrating the score value of factors, weight value of factors, and efficiency value of fault mode, and the hazard degree of fault mode is ranked according to the risk priority coefficient. Taking a machining center spindle system as an example, the proposed method is applied to analyze the fault mode and its influence, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified.

A Batch Pixel-Based Algorithm to Composite Landsat Time Series Images

Compositing is a fundamental pre-processing for remote sensing images. Landsat series optical satellite images are influenced by cloud coverage, acquisition time, sensor types, and seasons, which make it difficult to obtain continuous cloud-free observations. It limits the potential use and analysis of time series images. Therefore, global change researchers urgently need to ‘composite’ multi-sensor and multi-temporal images. Many previous studies have used isolated pixel-based algorithms to composite Landsat images; however, this study is different and develops a batch pixel-based algorithm for composing continuous cloud-free Landsat images. The algorithm chooses the best scene as the reference image using the user-specified image ID or related parameters. Further, it accepts all valid pixels in the reference image as the main part of the result and develops a priority coefficient model. Development of this model is based on the criteria of five factors including cloud coverage, acquisition time, acquisition year, observation seasons, and sensor types to select substitutions for the missing pixels in batches and to merge them into the final composition. This proposed batch pixel-based algorithm may provide reasonable compositing results on the basis of the experimental test results of all Landsat 8 images in 2019 and the visualization results of 12 locations in 2020. In comparison with the isolated pixel-based algorithms, our algorithm eliminates band dispersion, requires fewer images, and enhances the composition’s pixel concentration considerably. The algorithm provides a complete and practical framework for time series image processing for Landsat series satellites, and has the potential to be applied to other optical satellite images as well.

Use of the failure mode and effect analysis tool in the clinical medication process in an intensive care unit

Objective: To describe failure modes and establish contingency measures related to the clinical medication process using medical prescriptions of patients admitted to an Intensive Respiratory Therapy Unit (UTIR), using the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool. Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out in an Intensive Care Unit of a public hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil, from November/2015 to March/2016. Study population included adults aging ≥ 18 years in intensive care at the UTIR. The study included the medical prescriptions released on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The study was divided in five phases: situational diagnosis, formation of a multiprofessional team, assessment of failure modes (FM), monitoring of FM and calculation of the priority coefficient (PC). In the FM assessment, scoring of the three indicators of the FMEA was used within a range of 1-10, whereas a score of 10 characterized the most concerning situation. Therefore, the indicators gravity (G), prevalence (P) and detection (D) were analyzed. The study was carried out with an active interaction between the subjects of the group and several in-person and virtual sessions were performed. Drugs used in the study were categorized for therapeutic class, according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Office Excel® 2013 software. Results: 301 prescriptions were analyzed, with the identification of 452 FMs, which related mostly to systemic antibacterials (21.6%, n = 8), psycholeptics (13.5%, n = 5) and antithrombotic agents (10.8%, n = 4). FMs were divided in eleven categories, from which “drug interaction” (36.8%; n = 14), “dose adjustment” (21.1%, n = 8) and “food-drug interaction” (7.9%, n = 3) were the most frequent. The PC of the detected FMs varied between 28 and 294, and 42.1% (n = 16) of them presented PC above 100. Median of the indicators G (6 – min: 3; max: 9), D (7 – min: 3; max 7) and priority coefficient (72 – min: 28; max: 294) indicate that FM had generally moderate gravity, low prevalence and low detection. For the majority of FMs (72.7%, n = 28), the chosen conduct was ‘not to accept’ and the established contingency measure included a sentinel event notification. Conclusion: The use of FMEA enabled the identification, classification, and prioritization of risks of the clinical medication process in the UTIR. This study indicates the need to implement measures that increase safety in the clinical practice of the study Intensive Care Unit.

Optimal control of hyperthermia thermal damage based on tumor configuration

Improvement and optimization of hyperthermia as one of the most effective and conventional cancer treatments have been tackled by many researchers in recent years. The main benchmark for hyperthermia treatment is to elevate the cancerous tissue temperature to a specified level to initiate damage or ablation and simultaneously to prevent any irreversible thermal damage to the surrounding healthy cells. Therefore, the heat source pattern for hyperthermia treatment should be adjusted according to the distribution of cancerous cells. To do this, in the present study the fractional bioheat equation with unknown heat source term is implemented. Two different hyperthermia scenarios with single and dual tumors are considered and the appropriate damage level at both healthy and cancerous tissues is planned according to the Arrhenius model. Moreover, the optimal control criterion is set to simultaneously produce the goal temperature level and minimize the thermal power consumption. The mentioned task is accomplished by the definition of a priority coefficient as a weight function which determines whether the establishment of desired thermal field or the reduction of applied thermal power is more important. Based on the results, the optimal control approach can precisely determine the heat source distribution for single and dual tumor cases (with 1.03 and 0.13% deviation error, respectively). Whereas, by shifting the priority to the minimization of applied energy, up to 23.1 and 38.7% deviation is observed in formation of the desired temperature field (while the overall cost function is minimized). In order to investigate the numerical results, a computational method based on the Legendre cardinal functions is proposed. The main advantage of the proposed method is that it transforms solving such fractional models into solving systems of algebraic equations which greatly simplify the problem.

Linking and Optimization of Construction Works

Due to the complexity of the organization and management of construction of complexes of buildings and structures, it is necessary to come up with the simplest method for assessing the duration and volume of material and technical resources. This article developed a method for calculating the minimum duration in the Python 2.7 programming language. Standard methods of calculation use a priority coefficient, that is, the order of constructional production lines is built to minimize construction time for all the processes. The priority coefficient gives a duration close to the minimum, but does not reach it. Using the example of a small object with four constructional production lines and four processes, the difference between the previous method and the program is shown. The program was verified on a small dimension of a non-rhythmic in-line matrix with a heterogeneous rhythm. For a matrix with the number of rows more than 3, enumerating all sorts of variants is considered impractical. In the future, it is planned to use a matrix for one object to build a network model (graph) in which the basic input data will be described, objects and processes will be coordinated. This task significantly reduces the workload for calculating the duration, gives a reliable result for the preliminary calculation of the duration.

Risk Assessment of a Cryogenic Globe Valve by Using Combined Group Decision and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

When using the risk priority number method to perform a criticality analysis of the failure modes of mechanical products, different subjective factors exist on the part of experts regarding the severity level (S), occurrence probability level (O), and failure modes. The estimation of the detection difficulty level (D) is different, which causes the problem of inaccurate evaluation of the criticality of failure modes. This study proposes a harm analysis method that combines group decision-making and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. The similarity and difference between an individual expert and the group are used in group decision-making to assign the weight of the expert, thus reducing the influence of subjective factors on the evaluation results. On the basis of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the weight of three risk elements (S, O, and D) is determined, and a hazard ranking of the interval obtained by group decision-making is performed. The CA (criticality analysis) improvement method is used to analyze the hazard posed by low-temperature shut-off valves. Results indicate that this method can effectively assess the weak links of the low-temperature shut-off valves and improve the accuracy of the hazard evaluation in comparison with the risk priority coefficient method.

Selection of optimal fluid for refrigeration cycles

Refrigeration and air-conditioning play an important role in our life and industrial applications. They have great impact on our life. They have also contributed to the world’s major environmental issues like ozone layer depletion and global warming. Common refrigerants such as CFCs and HCFCs which are working as fluid in refrigeration cycles have unfavorable environmental impacts and this has brought about concerns and regulations prohibiting their production and use as refrigerants by the year 2030. The development of different refrigerants over time took place based on safety and environmental impact issues. This paper, presents the selection of optimal working fluids for Vapor-Compression Refrigeration Cycle (VCRs) based on computer aided molecular design (CAMD) and process optimization techniques. The resulting methodology utilizes from CAMD for the generation of optimum working fluid candidates. Candidates were evaluated as alternative refrigerants for the R134a refrigerating system through simulation using Aspen Hysys V8.0, with restricted by priority coefficient of performance COP, environmental and safety criteria. Ethyl trifluoromethyl ether 1,1,1-TrifluoroButane (new refrigerant) shows a good environmental and toxicity data also have high COP, 4.5, 2.7 respectively and were favored amongst the studied refrigerants as the choice alternative refrigerants to replace R134a. The methodology systematically identified conventional molecular structures that enable optimum VCRs process performance.

Algorithm for the development project’s technology portfolio formation

The article presents the results of a study on the portfolio of technologies formation upon implementation commercial real estate projects. The aim of the study was to investigate the strategies and optimization of forming technology portfolio at the pre-investment stage. The relevance of the article the problems that arise in the interaction of the project organization and the developer. The article proposes a methodology for portfolio formation based on the use of multifactorial space. As a key indicator of decision-making, a priority coefficient has been developed. An algorithm for the formation of a technology portfolio during the implementation of a project at a conceptual stage has been developed; testing was carried out on the example of facade system solutions. The proposed algorithm can complement the existing quality control systems for the stages of design, construction and operation of an investment construction project.

An Optimized User Prioritized Service Provisioning in LTE Network

An exponential increase in the number of multimedia users over LTE network necessitates user prioritization and differentiated services support. LTE standard has defined Quality of Service (QoS) class-based user priority rather than priority among users within a QoS class. However, when the cell load exceeds the system capacity, Quality of Experience (QoE) of all the users may deteriorate due to lack of radio resources allocated to them. Under these circumstances, some users of interest may be prioritized over other users in the cell during resource allocation to enhance their QoE. In this paper, Proportional Fair (PF) scheduling algorithm Based User Priority (PFBUP) mechanism is proposed to prioritize organizational users over other users. Performance evaluation of the proposed mechanism is carried out using QualNet 7.1 network simulator by varying priority coefficient for the organizational users.

Application of the Gravitational Search Algorithm for Constructing Fuzzy Classifiers of Imbalanced Data

The presence of imbalance in data significantly complicates the classification task, including fuzzy systems. Due to a large number of instances of bigger classes, instances of smaller classes are not recognized correctly. Therefore, additional tools for improving the quality of classification are required. The most common methods for handling imbalanced data have several disadvantages. For example, methods for generating additional instances of minority classes can worsen classification if there is a strong overlap of instances from different classes. Methods that directly modify the fuzzy classification algorithm lead to a decline in the interpretability of the model. In this paper, we study the efficiency of the gravitational search algorithm in the tasks of selecting the features and tuning the term parameters for fuzzy classifiers of imbalanced data. We consider only data with two classes and apply the algorithm based on extreme values of classes to construct models with a minimum number of rules. In addition, we propose a new quality metric based on the sum of the overall accuracy and the geometric mean with the presence of a priority coefficient between them.

Эффективность краудинвестиций на финансовом рынке России: проблемы и перспективы

The relevance of the research in the article is related to the fact that in the current conditions of the development of the Russian economy characterized by limited financial resources, a decrease in the investment activity of organizations, a high probability of crises, the search for alternative sources of financing for start-up projects (small businesses) is particularly acute. As a solution to the proposed problem, the use of crowdinvestments is suggested. Based on the SWOT analysis, the weak and strong sides of the process, its capabilities and threats are highlighted. A technique for calculating the efficiency of regional investment is proposed, based on the determination of the weighted average priority coefficient of investment projects. The results of the calculation can be used to form a portfolio of investment projects.

Low‐complexity user pairing and power allocation algorithm for 5G cellular network non‐orthogonal multiple access

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a candidate technology for the 5th generation cellular networks to reduce the big gap between network capacity and fast growing traffic. It applies superposition coding in transmitters and successive interference cancellation at the receivers to cancel intra-cell interference. The same frequency resource can be allocated simultaneously to multiple intra-cell users, holding large potentials on improving network performance. A major technical challenge of NOMA is on user pairing and power allocation (UPPA). Most of existing UPPA algorithms are based on exhaustive search with extensive computation. A new algorithm, which has the lowest computation complexity achievable for NOMA UPPA is proposed. The main idea is to pair the first users having the highest proportional fairness priority coefficient with potential second users having the highest channel conditions. A fixed power allocation strategy is adopted. The proposed algorithm is significantly faster than existing algorithms without sacrificing NOMA throughput gain.

Enhancement of Genetic Image Watermarking Robust Against Cropping Attack

The enhancement of image watermarking algorithm robust against particular attack by using genetic algorithm is presented here. There is a trade-off between imperceptibility and robustness in image watermarking. To preserve both of these characteristics in digital image watermarking in a logical value, the genetic algorithm is used. Some factors were introduced for providing robustness of image watermarking against cropping attack such as the Centre of Interest Proximity Factor (CIPF), the Complexity Factor (CF) and the Priority Coefficient (PC).

Methods of optimal planning of using earth remote sensing space modules in the survey mode

The paper is devoted to the optimization of using Earth remote sensing space modules of an orbital system in the survey overview mode for vast areas. It is suggested that the controlled area should be described by a set of non-overlapping Dirichlet domains spherical polygons with equal circumradii. Each center of a Dirichlet domain (nodal point) is described at any point of time by the priority coefficient which depends on the importance of the area and the length of the time interval after the previous observation of the given point by one of the orbital system satellites. The target function in the optimization task of using Earth remote sensing space modules is the accumulative value of importance coefficients of the node points included in the plan of space modules application. An algorithm for solving the defined problem of combinatorial optimization is proposed taking into account the restrictions on power consumption and volumes of accumulated target information transferred to consumers.

Expected Queue Delay of Resource Allocation Scheme Based on Traffic Prediction in Satellite Systems

The future satellite communication systems should be able to accommodate the integrated services with a variety of applications and fulfil the quality of service requirements. Regarding to the delay requirements for different types of traffic, a novel resource allocation scheme is proposed. It is seen that the resource is allocated to each satellite terminal based on the traffic prediction. The assigned capacities are partitioned with priority coefficient according to the maximum tolerance delay of different traffic. The algorithm’s performance is validated in simulation with different types of traffic. The proposed scheme is further compared with the existing ones, such as first-come first-serve, non-pre-emptive priority and pre-emptive resume priority. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that new algorithm can efficiently improve the delay performance of multi-application and is easy to be implemented in satellite communication system.

On the selection of flatness measurement points in coordinate measuring machine inspection

Inspection of form tolerances using the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) presents two distinct problems: data collection and data fitting. The former problem deals with the selection of the sample size and the sample point location while the latter involves the determination of the tolerance zone enveloping these points. Four types of strategies and five different sample sizes were studied in this work to address the former problem. The accuracy of flatness measurement was investigated using realtime experiments with respect to the above two factors and their respective levels. In addition, the length of the probe path was studied with respect to the two factors using a simulation study. A priority coefficient was developed to combine the influence of accuracy and path while selecting sampling strategies and sample size. Preliminary observations made suggest that any one sampling method may not be the best solution in all cases, while considering the accuracy of flatness and the shortest CMM probe path.

Improvement of a practical method for priority selection and risk assessment among existing chemicals

In a previous paper ( A. Sampaolo and R. Binetti (1986). Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 6, 129–154) an original pragmatic approach for priority setting and risk assessment among existing chemicals was presented. The experience subsequently acquired in the use of the method suggested some improvements, relevant for an easier application. The priority coefficient R has been redefined so that now it can range between zero (all data available) and 1 (no data available). In order to make the final figures more comparable with each other, the indexes are now expressed as percentage with reference to the maximum score obtainable if all parameters of the equation used had reached the maximum score. New general priority index and general risk index formulas, both for personal direct and environmental exposure, are also defined. Another modification concerns the application of the method to specific aspects, such as irreversible effects, immediate and delayed toxic effects, and so on. The method has then been validated on 80 known substances obtaining the respective ranking according to the specific kind of risk.