Supply Management System Research Articles

Supply Water Quality Assessment in the Sirajganj Municipality, Sirajganj, Bangladesh

In many developing countries, such as Bangladesh, water quality and the risk of water-related diseases are serious public health concerns. The present study's goal was to ascertain the water supply quality and to characterize and analyze its suitability for drinking purposes in the municipal area of Sirajganj Town, Bangladesh. Fifteen water samples were randomly collected from different municipal wards and analyzed for various physicochemical properties, including hydrogen ion concentration (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), acidity, total alkalinity (TA), total hardness (TH), arsenic (As), and iron (Fe) concentrations. The results were compared with the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) and World Health Organization (WHO) recommended standards. All the physicochemical parameters were found to be within the prescribed permissible limits. The pH values, which ranged from 6.61 to 7.73, were neutral to slightly alkaline. The TH value varied from 204 to 284 mg/L, indicating that the supply water type was hard. Hence, it was suggested that the local water treatment plant should soften the water supply before consumption. In the case of DO and Fe, the DO values varied from 2.0 to 3.9 mg/L, which were far below the levels prescribed by the ECR recommended standards. Fe concentration in some areas exceeded the WHO recommended standards, probably due to the corrosion of old metal pipelines and improper treatment of groundwater before distribution in the supply network. The existing water supply in Sirajganj Municipality was at a satisfactory level, but weaknesses in the current water supply management system were identified, and there was a continuous lack of service provisions. Suggested measures include consistently monitoring water distribution networks, promptly repairing and maintaining overhead and service tanks, establishing database management systems, regulating private investment, adopting advanced technology, ensuring provisions for staff training, and implementing a rights-based approach in water supply production.

Water infrastructure resilience and water supply and sanitation development challenges in developing countries

Abstract Water supply and sanitation development in developing countries, specifically in Ethiopia, appear to be making substantial progress. Governments, international organizations, and other organizations are contributing to the development of water supply and sanitation systems. Water supply and sanitation challenges are linked to climate change effects and the quest for climate-resilient development. This paper evaluates the current challenges in water supply and sanitation development in developing countries and infrastructure resilience. The research is based on the data collected throughout the practical development task. Some of the findings were the climate change effect and temporary adaptation mechanisms, such as intermittent supply causing further pressure variation and water loss in the system. Resilient water supply and sanitation development require an integrated approach based on practical experiences, the latest technological development in water supply and sanitation system operation and management tools, and climate change adaptation. A seamless understanding of engineering, management, and technology is required for the development and management of water supply and sanitation systems. Dispersed skills may be available that were not effective at this time, which calls for a different approach to training provision and skill development as a package on design, management, and recent technological support.

Design Features of the Screw Unit for Processing Bulk Substances

This article is devoted to the description of the multifunctional energy converter (MFEC) design of the screw type. MFEC is an induction motor with an external hollow solid rotor. On the surface of the rotor, which is a steel pipe, the turns of the screw conveyer are welded. When supplying power to the stator winding (which visually resembles the wound rotor of an induction motor), the magnetic field not only causes the rotor to rotate, but also, due to the formation of eddy currents, heats the latter. Thus, the idea of combining several functional components is realized in one device: mixing, heating and transportation along the turns of the screw of bulk material. The specified operations are implemented without the use of an external electric drive, heaters, but only due to the principle of operation of the MFEC. Previously, the two-module design of the MFEC was investigated, but experimental studies indicated certain shortcomings of the chosen approach. In this work, an attempt is made to show an alternative configuration of the MFEC, based on the execution of independent single modules that can be combined into a continuous screw thanks to transitional fasteners. In addition, the approach to the power supply and module management system has been revised. This article is one of a series of works devoted to a detailed description of the design of the MFEC.

Assessment of ERA5-Land Data in Medium-Term Drinking Water Demand Modelling with Deep Learning

Drinking water demand modelling and forecasting is a crucial task for sustainable management and planning of water supply systems. Despite many short-term investigations, the medium-term problem needs better exploration, particularly the analysis and assessment of meteorological data for forecasting drinking water demand. This work proposes to analyse the suitability of ERA5-Land reanalysis data as weather input in water demand modelling. A multivariate deep learning model based on the long short-term memory architecture is used in this study over a prediction horizon ranging from seven days to two months. The performance of the model, fed by ground station data and ERA5-Land data, is compared and analysed. Close-to-operative forecasting is then presented using observed data for training and ERA5-Land dataset for testing. The results highlight the reliability of the proposed architecture fed by ERA5-Land data for different time horizons. In particular, the ERA5-Land shows promising performance as input of the multivariate machine learning forecasting model, although some meteorological biases are present, which can be improved, especially in close-to-operative application with bias correction techniques. The proposed study leads to practical implications in the use of regional climate model outputs to support drinking water forecasting for sustainable and efficient management of water distribution systems.

Perspectives of Indonesian Caregivers and Health Practitioners on Community-Based Mental Health Services

The establishment of integrated mental health services (IMHS) can downgrade a substantial gap in mental health psychotherapy. Although the hurdles of IMHS implementation are well-known, barely any research has been conducted on the viewpoint of satisfaction and expectations of caregivers for people with mental diseases (CPWMDs) towards IMHS. Identifying and analyzing the perspective of CPWMD as an IMHS service user is crucial for closing the gap and achieving community mental health optimization. Purpose. This study intends to investigate the perspective of Indonesian caregivers and health practitioners on community-based mental health services. Method. The study was conducted in four IMHS with twenty-three CPWMD, and families who have a relative with a mental disorder assisted them in using IMHS. Through in-depth interviews with caregivers, this study collected qualitative data. Triangulation of sources and techniques is to ensure reliability by undertaking focus group discussions (FGDs) with eight health workers and eight health cadres. The results of data collection were transcribed and then analyzed thematically. During the analysis procedure, repeating the data recording process aims to obtain complete information. Results. The CPWMDs were satisfied since their assistance supported them in overcoming mental health issues in the family. Even though pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy are available at no cost, they consider that psychological procedures are necessary but receive less attention. Significant challenges that impede access to IMHS include the restricted availability of health workers for patient follow-up, the frequent depletion of medication supplies, the absence of a private space for consultations, and stigma. Conclusion. The IMHS are accessible to the community and positively affects the patient’s mental health. A psychotherapy supply management system, a confidential consultation space, and an online self-help group be developed. Additional training among health workers and health cadres in psychoeducation is significantly critical to diminish the stigma.

Guidelines for Renewal and Securitization of a Critical Infrastructure Based on IoT Networks

Global warming has increased uncertainty regarding managing traditional water supply systems. Unfortunately, there is a need for the smart management of water supply systems. This work aims to design a solution for renewing and securing critical infrastructure that supplies water and provides water purification inside the range of applications of Industry 4.0 for Smart Cities. Therefore, we analyze the renewal requirements and the applicable use cases and propose a solution based on IoT networks for critical infrastructure in the urban environment. We describe the architecture of the IoT network and the specific hardware for securing a water supply and wastewater treatment chain. In addition, the water level control process for the supply chain and the system that ensures the optimal level of chemicals for wastewater treatment are detailed. Finally, we present the guidelines for infrastructure operators to carry out this operation within Industry 4.0, constituting a development framework for future research on the design of Smart Cities.

A Digital Product Passport for Critical Raw Materials Reuse and Recycling

The reuse and recycling of critical raw materials is limited, as waste electrical and electronic recycling focuses on base and precious metals, and device component reuse is in its infancy. To help to address this issue this paper provides the conceptual design of a Digital Product Passport based circular supply management system. To enable the recovery of critical raw materials at component and material levels for reuse and recycling. The works include an assessment of existing critical raw materials information management and an information needs identification survey, with 10 manufacturers, producer responsibility organisations, collectors and recyclers. The needs were used to generate 14 key product information management processes and exchanges that when implemented form a Digital Product Passport based circular supply management system. Information managed via a physical-digital linkage through individual product tags includes product registrations, materials declarations, life cycle status updates, the sorting of products at collection points based on critical raw material contents, and flagging of products for critical raw materials component extraction. A dataspace-based IT systems architecture is proposed for the implementation of the supply management system taking into account global and European information standards. Finally, key challenges to implement such an IT architecture are discussed.

Decision Support System for the Integrated Management of Multiple Supply Systems in the Brazilian Semiarid Region

To alleviate the impacts of water shortages and ensure the effective allocation of water resources, the integration of multiple sources has been a viable but challenging alternative for water resource managers. A robust decision support system (DSS) reduces the complexity of decision making and allows the user to define operational strategies that reduce costs and address system limitations. Through the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) collective intelligence algorithm and the operational zoning of reservoirs, it was possible to identify the monthly flow allocation for the Agreste of Pernambuco in Brazil. The analysis of unit costs allowed us to conclude that high local energy tariffs guide the DSS in the exploration of water-transfer works between basins, such as the Agreste pipeline, which had full use of approximately 2 m3/s in the analyzed scenarios. The study also sought to investigate the influence of rainy and dry periods, with the higher flows into local reservoirs in rainy periods leading the system to operate at a cost 2.6% higher compared to the dry period. The use of DSS was able to provide support and parameters that facilitate decision making, ensuring that the system operates efficiently and sustainably.

Water intake efficiency analysis in risk management of water supply systems - a case study of Głubczyce Collective Water Supply System, Poland

Water intake efficiency analysis in risk management of water supply systems - a case study of Głubczyce Collective Water Supply System, Poland

Design and Exploration of Real Time Monitoring System for Power Grid Operation Safety Based on YOLO Object Detection Algorithm

As a fundamental industry of the national economy, the development level of the power industry directly affects the national economic construction and people's lives. With the continuous acceleration of modernization, higher requirements have been put forward for the safe operation of the PG. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve the integration of remote real-time monitoring, management, and maintenance under the current situation, and combine modern information technology methods for research and analysis. To meet the system requirements and ensure the quality of power supply, a suitable and efficient job safety management system platform is designed for the practical situation of power grid (PG) operation safety, and is based on the YOLO (You Only Look Once) algorithm operating environment. This platform can be effectively applied in daily electricity management work to improve the production efficiency and economic benefits of PG enterprises. Afterwards, this article also conducted functional testing on the security real-time monitoring system, and the test results showed that the accuracy of the system reached over 80%; the recall rate was over 85%; the average accuracy was between 0.4 and 0.7; the system stability was between 90% and 97%; the scalability of the system was over 93%.

A Traceable Vaccine Supply Management System.

Everyone should be vaccinated, but the eligibility and safety of the vaccine are always overlooked by most people. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led many countries to intensify the development and production of the COVID-19 vaccine. and some countries have even required universal vaccination against this epidemic. However, such popularization of vaccination has also exposed various flaws in vaccine management that existed in the past, and vaccinators have become more concerned about the effectiveness of their vaccinations. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based traceable vaccine management system. First, the system uses smart contracts to store the records generated during the whole process, from vaccine production to vaccination. Second, the proposed scheme uses the Edwards-curve digital signature algorithm (EdDSA) to guarantee the security and integrity of these data. Third, the system participants can access the corresponding data according to their authority to ensure the transparency of the whole system operation process. Finally, this paper will also conduct a security analysis of the whole system to ensure that the system can resist potential attacks by criminals.

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Electricity Generation from Municipal Solid Waste in Nigeria: A Prospective Study

Globally, rising population and rapid urbanisation have resulted in the dual issues of increased electricity demand and waste generation. These exacerbate diverse global problems, ranging from irregular electricity supply and inadequate waste management systems to water/air/soil pollution, climate change, etc. Waste-to-Energy (WtE) approaches have been proposed and developed to address simultaneously these two issues through energy recovery from waste. However, the variety of available waste materials and different WtE technologies make the choice of an appropriate technology challenging for decision-makers. The evaluation of the different WtE technologies in terms of their sustainability could provide a solid comparative base for strategic decision making in the power and waste management domains. This paper presents research conducted using a multidimensional Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach to estimate and compare the environmental, economic, and social impacts associated with the generation of electricity from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in two major cities, Lagos and Abuja, in Nigeria. These cities provide case studies in a developing world context to explore how their similarities and differences may influence the LCSA impacts for four WtE systems (Anaerobic Digestion, Incineration, Gasification, and Landfill Gas to Energy), and this is the first research of its kind. An LCSA ranking and scoring system and a muti-attribute value theory (MAVT) multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) were employed to evaluate the overall sustainability of the prospective use of WtE over a 20-year timeframe. The results from both approaches indicated that the adoption of WtE offered sustainability benefits for both cities, marginally more so for Lagos than Abuja. It was concluded that, for optimal benefits to be achieved, it is vital for decision-makers to think about the various trade-offs revealed by this type of analysis and the varying priorities of relevant stakeholders.

A Multi-Objective Fuzzy Optimization Model for Electricity Generation and Consumption Management in a Micro Smart Grid

This manuscript proposes an intelligent supply and demand management system in a complete network of electricity production and consumption. A micro smart grid (MSG), which includes a solar cell, a wind turbine, a diesel generator, and battery storage system capable of trading energy with the smart gride (SG), connected to smart buildings with different types of loads is modelled. Different types of intelligent fuzzy controllers for distributed management were proposed and optimized via the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGAII), which is a multi-objective optimization method. Maximum user comfort, the amount of renewable energy employment, minimum total power consumption cost, total energy consumption at peak time, and MSG loss of power supply probability are the five objective functions of the optimization process. Various uncertainties of the real world have also been considered. The most crucial distinguishing feature of this proposed method is the design of controllers to manage the demand and supply of electricity without the need for daily optimization. Comparison experiments with other methods presented in the field of electricity supply and demand management are conducted to show the superiority of this method in terms of optimality of the results, low processing volume required to implement real controllers, and its resilience to changing conditions.

Resilient supply management systems in times of crisis

PurposeThis study investigated how organizations can maintain their supply chain (SC) resilience in situations where high-impact shocks cannot be absorbed and what capabilities are needed. The article is an empirical exploration of a socio-ecological view of resilience in the SC context.Design/methodology/approachThe case under study in this article is that of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and MSF's reconfiguration of its supply management processes in response to the supply shocks during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In total, 503 internal documents and ERP extractions from six databases from late 2019 to September 2020, 43 semi-structured interviews and a 3-round policy Delphi process were used to investigate this phenomenon.FindingsThe authors' results show that throughout the pandemic, MSF adapted its procurement and supply processes to cope with supply shortages at both the international and local levels of the SC. This was possible due to the organization's capacity to use its exploitation and exploration capabilities of the organization at the same time.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on the single in-depth case study of a medical aid organization. Further research should investigate this phenomenon in commercial companies with similar or different organizational structures.Originality/valueThis study constitutes a first attempt to empirically demonstrate that the four phases of the adaptive cycle put forth in the panarchy theory constitute a suitable representation of the reconfigurations that SCs follow in response to a high-impact shock. The study also adds to the growing body of knowledge on resilience by including ambidexterity as a mechanism to achieve resilience.

Research on improving dynamic response ability of 30kW real fuel cell system based on operating parameter optimization

The dynamic response performance of fuel cell has a great significance on the output power and reliability of the system, which works mainly under load change conditions. This paper is aimed at the dynamic response of 30 kW fuel cell system. Combined with the mechanism analysis method and empirical method, a fuel cell system model including stack, air supply system, hydrogen supply system and thermal management system is established. The reliability of the model is verified from three aspects: polarization curve, load change condition and road spectrum. The method of improving the dynamic response capability of the system is qualitatively studied through simulation. The results show that the best dynamic performance and output performance can be obtained by increasing the inlet pressure to 2.5 bar, relative humidity to 80% and the stoichiometric ratio to 3, while the effect of the temperature is not significant. The coupling relationship between gas pressure and temperature, humidity and stoichiometric ratio is preliminarily studied, and the influence law is explained combined with the mechanism. It is found that increasing the stoichiometric ratio is conducive to increasing the oxygen pressure, while humidity and temperature have the opposite effect. This model can be further used to explore the coupling relationship of internal parameters of PEMFC under load change condition.

Functionality of Rural Community Water Supply Systems and Collective Action: a Case of Guras Rural Municipality, Karnali Province

Ensuring the long-term functionality of community-managed rural water supply systems has been a persistent development challenge. It is well established that the technicalities of keeping the systems going are impacted by complex political, social, financial, and institutional challenges. While the shift to federal, three-tiered governance allocates concurrent responsibility for drinking water management to the local government with federal and provincial governments, water and sanitation user groups continue to shoulder the management of local supply systems voluntarily. All three levels have jurisdiction over water-related services resulting in confusion of roles. This study focuses on the local level, where community management of water and sanitation decentralisation is the key approach in this complex tangle of diverse institutions with different actors managing and governing water. User Groups and their Committees in the Guras Rural Municipality of Dailekh district, Karnali province, in West Nepal, provided the case study, which was analysed using Ostrom's well-recognised Eight Principles for Sustainable Governance of Common-Pool Resources. The community-based model, established formally through the Water Resource Act 1992 (2049 BS), is critically analysed in light of the changing socio- economic context through the intervening years. The results highlight the need for stronger collaboration between the rural municipality and users to achieve good water supplies and the risks of losing access and voice in water management for women and marginalised people when inactive user groups are replaced by private or group interests taking control of the water access.

Intelligent Logistics System Design and Supply Chain Management under Edge Computing and Internet of Things

In order to carry out practical innovation of the intelligent logistics system and promote the practicality of the intelligent logistics system and supply chain management process, this study aims to optimize the design of the intelligent logistics system and supply chain management under edge computing (EC) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The flower pollination algorithm performs the positioning function in the intelligent logistics system and supply chain management. Based on the research on the design of the intelligent logistics system and supply chain management under the EC and IoT, this thesis analyzes the positioning of intelligent logistics systems and supply chain management through the flower pollination algorithm. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model is used to predict user information in the system of supply chain management information. Finally, the operation of intelligent logistics and supply chain management systems, the prediction model of supply chain management under XGBoost, and the change of supply chain management and material flow are analyzed. The results show that with the increase in the number of iterations, the optimized algorithm improves the comparison distance error by 53.57%, which has high accuracy and can meet the requirements of positioning and tracking of the intelligent logistics system and logistics status query in supply chain management. The waiting time of the intelligent logistics system is shorter than that of the supply chain management system, and the average waiting time of the system increases by 121.252 ms. The XGBoost model can well predict user information under supply chain management. After discussing the changes of the intelligent logistics system from 2018 to 2020, it is found that the operation efficiency of the supply management system is higher with the increase of the system operation days. The intelligent logistics system has a significant impact on the development of the logistics industry. This research gives a reference for establishing the intelligent logistics system and supply chain management system.

Water demand in watershed forecasting using a hybrid model based on autoregressive moving average and deep neural networks.

Increasing water demand is exacerbating water shortages in water-scarce regions (such as India, China, and Iran). Effective water demand forecasting is essential for the sustainable management of water supply systems in watersheds. To alleviate the contradiction between water supply and demand in the basin, with water demand for economic growth as the main target, a hybrid moving autoregressive and deep neural network model (ARMA-DNN) was developed in this study, and four commonly used statistical indicators (MAE, RMSE, MSE, and R2) were selected to evaluate the performance of the model. Finally, the validity and practicality of the model were verified by taking the Minjiang River basin in China as an example. The results show that (a) the model can predict future water demand more accurately under the conditions of actual water consumption changes, (b) the ideal agricultural production in the Minjiang River Basin is predicted to be reached 2.26 × 109t in 2021, and (c) the highest industrial economic efficiency in Chengdu is 1.51 × 109yuan, while water satisfaction reaches 102%. This means that effective water demand forecasting can alleviate water demand conflicts under climate change conditions to a certain extent. At the same time, watershed managers can develop different water allocation schemes based on the prediction results of the hybrid ARMA-DNN model.

The First Challenge to Canada’s Supply Management System under CUSMA: Tweaking the Supply Management System One Dispute at a Time

AbstractIn 2021, the United States challenged Canadian dairy import tariff rate quotas (TRQs) before the first state-to-state arbitration panel under Chapter 31 of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). The panel held that the method of allocation of TRQs limited the US dairy industry’s access to the Canadian market and therefore violated CUSMA provisions. However, the panel also acknowledged that the Canadian supply management system for dairy products is a unique regulatory framework for production control, pricing mechanisms, and import control. This article explores the case as a test of the functioning of the improved CUSMA dispute settlement process and of Canada’s ability to protect its supply management system for dairy products from renewed pressure coming from its most important trade partner.

Penerapan E-Billing System Untuk Meningkatkan Layanan Air Minum di Desa Cumedak Kecamatan Sumberjambe, Jember

The partner of this community development program is the Tirta Melati Water Supply and Sanitation System Management Group (KPSPAMS) in Cumedak Village, Sumberjambe District, Jember. The problems faced by partners are: the organization of the customer database has not been carried out in an orderly and systematic manner, didn’t yet have a computer application for financial administration, and payment of drinking water account bills was still carried out conventionally, customers came to the office or the management came to the customers to collect the bills. The program's objective is to improve rural water supply services through orderly administration and an e-billing system, with the output that partners are able to create customer databases and financial reports using computer applications so that they can improve their performance in terms of providing decent and safe drinking water services for the community. The target is that partners become more credible and can compete with similar businesses (e.g. PDAM), and are able to increase the speed and ease of the process of paying customer water bills. The methods used are socialization on institutional strengthening, management and administration, training on computer applications for customer administration and e-billing systems in the process of paying customer water bills, and direct assistance to partners in using computer applications for customer administration and financial reports until they can do it independently. This program results in (1) Partners are able to organize customer databases using computer applications, (2). Partners are able to make financial reports using computer applications, and (3). Partners are starting to implement an e-billing system as a method of paying bills for drinking water accounts that is easy, fast and transparent.