Застосування бази знань при управлінні комплексом вакуум-апаратів періодичної дії

The definition of new requirements for the management of the sugar production process reveals the problems of development and implementation of innovative management systems.Solving these problems is fully possible only when using intelligent control systems. A promising direction is the development and implementation of case management systems.It was developed a fragment of knowledge base of situational management system of vacuum device, which is integrated in the technological complex of similar devices. The structure of the knowledge base is defined in the format of a frame of category D. This structure of knowledge base eliminates the indexation of the knowledge base, and quickly makes changes to the knowledge base using the scripting engine.Application of the knowledge base of frame type in case management systems (agent systems) allow more efficient, on a qualitative level, to lead the process of mass crystallization of sugar, allow building multi-level hierarchical control systems of technological systems, as well as the union of technological systems of the plant on the same network.A promising area of application of frame knowledge bases is to use in knowledge bases and decision-making systems of administrative and technical management systems.Рассмотрены и определены общие требования к сложным системам управления технологическими комплексами. Рассмотрена структура базы знаний интеллектуальной системы управления комплексом вакуум-аппаратов периодического действия. Разработан метод построения базы знаний с использованием фреймовых структур. Определена структура, организация и взаимодействие фреймовых структур в иерархической системе.Розглянуті і визначені загальні вимоги до складних систем керування технологічними комплексами. Розглянута структура бази знань інтелектуальної системи управління комплексом вакуум-апаратів періодичної дії. Розроблений метод побудови бази знань з використанням фреймових структур. Визначена структура, організація і взаємодія фреймових структур в ієрархічній системі

Results readiness in social protection and labor operations

The main focus of the social protection and labor portfolio is on strengthening client's institutional capacity in the design and implementation of programs, but projects are not well equipped to track progress in this area. Correspondingly, there is a need to strengthen approaches to measuring and monitoring a'missing middle'of service delivery, precisely those areas for which counterpart institutions are responsible during the course of a project. In particular, better measures of the primary functions of social protection and labor agencies are needed, such as identifying and enrolling beneficiaries, targeting, payment systems, fraud and error control, performance monitoring of service delivery providers, responsiveness to citizens, transparency, efficiency, management information systems and monitoring and evaluation systems. New World Bank initiatives particularly standard core indicators by sector and the introduction of results based investment lending call for substantial improvements in the use of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Impact evaluations are included in about half of projects and should continue to be used selectively and strategically, particularly when the program is innovative, replicable and/ or scalable to reach a broader set of beneficiaries, addresses a knowledge gap and is likely to have a substantial policy impact. Structuring evaluations around core themes with common outcome measures is fundamental to building a global knowledge base on development effectiveness.Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Poverty and Social Impact Analysis,E-Business,Safety Nets and Transfers,Housing&Human Habitats

Alternative management strategies to prevent and control endo-parasite diseases in sheep and goat farming systems - a review of the recent scientific knowledge

Infestation with gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) in small ruminants can cause server economic losses and endanger animal welfare. The development of organic farming systems, the increased public awareness for drug residues in agricultural products and the development of resistant strains of parasites have enforced the search for sustainable alternatives. The aim of this review is to summarise the current scientific knowledge of alternative strategies to prevent and control endo-parasitic diseases in sheep and goat farming systems. Many scientific studies and projects have shown big discrepancies between results obtained under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Often research has been carried out under clinical conditions for extended periods before being moved to on farm trials and it was observed that extensive clinical research on a topic does not necessarily result in the discovery of a practical control option. Effective pasture management on the other hand proved promising and offers solutions that can be successfully transferred to most farming situations with applied knowledge about host-parasite interactions and interrelations building the base for low pasture infection rates for grazing animals. There are also a number of possible management strategies (e.g. stocking rate reduction and regular intensive monitoring of animal condition) that can also help optimise animal health status. The area of selective breeding has also shown promise as a viable control option. The influence of nutritional status was also investigated in the context of non-chemotherapeutical options for control. It was found that optimised nutrition improves the ability of animals to cope with the adverse effects of worm infestation. Protein nutrition proved to be playing a key role as it is needed for growing processes as well as for immune responses. The investigation of alternative anthelmintic treatments like bioactive forage, phytotherapy, homeopathy and copper-oxide are not discussed in this paper

Predicing Ecological Effects of Watershed-Wide Rain Garden Implementation Using a Low-Cost Methodology

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) have been employed to mitigate peak flows and pollutants ssociated with watershed urbanization. Downstream ecological effects caused by the implementation of SCMs are largely unknown, especially at the watershed scale. Knowledge of these effects could help with setting goals for and targeting locations of local restoration efforts. Unfortunately, studies such as these typically require a high level of time and effort for the investigating party, of which resources are often limited. This study proposes a low-cost investigation method for the prediction of ecological effects on the watershed scale with the implementation of rain garden systems by using publicly available data and software. For demonstration purposes, a typical urban watershed was modeled using Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) 5.0. Forty-five models were developed in which the percent impervious area was varied 3 to 80%, and the fraction of rain gardens implemented with respect to the number of structures was varied from to 100%. The river chub fish (Nocomis micropogon) and its congeners (Nocomis spp.) were chosen as ecological indicators, as they are considered to be keystone species through interspecific nesting association. Depth and velocity criteria for successful nest building locations of the river chub were determined; these criteria can then be applied to many other watersheds. In this study, both base flow conditions and a typical summer storm event (1.3 cm, 6 h duration) were evaluated. During the simulated storm, nest-building locations were not affected in the 3 and 5% impervious cover models. Nest destruction was found to occur in approximately 54% of the original nest building sites for the 9% and 10% impervious areas. Nearly all of the nest-building locations were uninhabitable for impervious areas 20% and greater. Rain garden implementation significantly improved river chub habitat in the simulation, with greatest marginal benefit at lower levels of implementation

Strengthening Integrated Primary Health Care in Sofala, Mozambique

Background: Large increases in health sector investment and policies favoring upgrading and expanding the public sector health network have prioritized maternal and child health in Mozambique and, over the past decade, Mozambique has achieved substantial improvements in maternal and child health indicators. Over this same period, the government of Mozambique has continued to decentralize the management of public sector resources to the district level, including in the health sector, with the aim of bringing decision-making and resources closer to service beneficiaries. Weak district level management capacity has hindered the decentralization process, and building this capacity is an important link to ensure that resources translate to improved service delivery and further improvements in population health. A consortium of the Ministry of Health, Health Alliance International, Eduardo Mondlane University, and the University of Washington are implementing a health systems strengthening model in Sofala Province, central Mozambique.Description of implementation: The Mozambique Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) Partnership focuses on improving the quality of routine data and its use through appropriate tools to facilitate decision making by health system managers; strengthening management and planning capacity and funding district health plans; and building capacity for operations research to guide system-strengthening efforts. This seven-year effort covers all 13 districts and 146 health facilities in Sofala Province.Evaluation design: A quasi-experimental controlled time-series design will be used to assess the overall impact of the partnership strategy on under-5 mortality by examining changes in mortality pre- and post-implementation in Sofala Province compared with neighboring Manica Province. The evaluation will compare a broad range of input, process, output, and outcome variables to strengthen the plausibility that the partnership strategy led to healthsystem improvements and subsequent population health impact.Discussion: The Mozambique PHIT Partnership expects to provide evidence on the effect of efforts to improvedata quality coupled with the introduction of tools, training, and supervision to improve evidence-based decision making. This contribution to the knowledge base on what works to enhance health systems is highly replicable for rapid scale-up to other provinces in Mozambique, as well as other sub-Saharan African countries with limitedresources and a commitment to comprehensive primary health care

An intelligent system for vulnerability and remediation assessment of flooded residential buildings

Floods are natural phenomena which are a threat to human settlements. Flooding can result in costly repairs to buildings, loss of business and, in some cases, loss of life. The forecasts for climate change show a further increased risk of flooding in future years. Accordingly, the flooding of residential property has been observed as on the rise in the UK. It is difficult to prevent floods from occurring, but the effects of flooding can be managed in an attempt to reduce risks and costs of repair. This can be achieved through ensuring a good understanding of the problem, and thereby establishing good management systems which are capable of dealing with all aspects of the flood. The use of an intelligent system for assessment and remediation of buildings subjected to flooding damage can facilitate the management of this problem. Such a system can provide guidance for the assessment of vulnerability and the repair of flood damaged residential buildings; this could save time and money through the use of the advantages and benefits offered by knowledge base systems. A prototype knowledge base system has been developed in this research. The system comprises three subsystems: degree of vulnerability assessment subsystem; remediation options subsystem; and foundation damage assessment subsystem. The vulnerability assessment subsystem is used to calculate the degree of vulnerability, which will then be used by the remediation options subsystem to select remediation options strategy. The vulnerability assessment subsystem can subsequently be used to calculate the degree to which the building is vulnerable to damage by flooding even if it is not flooded. Remediation options subsystem recommended two strategy options: either ordinary remediation options in the case of vulnerability being low or, alternatively, resilience remediation options in the case of vulnerability being high. The foundation damage assessment subsystem is working alone and is used to assess the damage caused by flooding to the building s foundation, and to thereby recommend a repair option based on the damage caused and foundation type. The system has been developed based on the knowledge acquired from different sources and methods, including survey questionnaires, documents, interviews, and workshops. The system is then evaluated by experts and professionals in the industry. The developed system makes a contribution in the management and standardisation of residential building flooded damage and repair

Wastewater-based epidemiology in hazard forecasting and early-warning systems for global health risks

With the advent of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) has been applied to track community infection in cities worldwide and has proven succesful as an early warning system for identification of hotspots and changingprevalence of infections (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) at a city or sub-city level. Wastewater is only one of environmental compartments that requires consideration. In this manuscript, we have critically evaluated the knowledge-base and preparedness for building early warning systems in a rapidly urbanising world, with particular attention to Africa, which experiences rapid population growth and urbanisation. We have proposed a Digital Urban Environment Fingerprinting Platform (DUEF) – a new approach in hazard forecasting and early-warning systems for global health risks and an extension to the existing concept of smart cities. The urban environment (especially wastewater) contains a complex mixture of substances including toxic chemicals, infectious biological agents and human excretion products. DUEF assumes that these specific endo- and exogenous residues, anonymously pooled by communities’ wastewater, are indicative of community-wide exposure and the resulting effects. DUEF postulates that the measurement of the substances continuously and anonymously pooled by the receiving environment (sewage, surface water, soils and air), can provide near real-time dynamic information about the quantity and type of physical, biological or chemical stressors to which the surveyed systems are exposed, and can create a risk profile on the potential effects of these exposures. Successful development and utilisation of a DUEF globally requires a tiered approach including: Stage I: network building, capacity building, stakeholder engagement as well as a conceptual model, followed by Stage II: DUEF development, Stage III: implementation, and Stage IV: management and utilization. We have identified four key pillars required for the establishment of a DUEF framework: (1) Environmental fingerprints, (2) Socioeconomic fingerprints, (3) Statistics and modelling and (4) Information systems. This manuscript critically evaluates the current knowledge base within each pillar and provides recommendations for further developments with an aim of laying grounds for successful development of global DUEF platforms

Simplexity: A Hybrid Framework for Managing System Complexity

Knowledge management, management of mission critical systems, and complexity management rely on a triangular support connection. Knowledge management provides ways of creating, corroborating, collecting, combining, storing, transferring, and sharing the know-why and know-how for reactively and proactively handling the challenges of mission critical systems. Complexity management, operating on “complexity” as an umbrella term for size, mass, diversity, ambiguity, fuzziness, randomness, risk, change, chaos, instability, and disruption, delivers support to both knowledge and systems management: on the one hand, support for dealing with the complexity of managing knowledge, i.e., furnishing criteria for a common and operationalized terminology, for dealing with mediating and moderating concepts, paradoxes, and controversial validity, and, on the other hand, support for systems managers coping with risks, lack of transparence, ambiguity, fuzziness, pooled and reciprocal interdependencies (e.g., for attaining interoperability), instability (e.g., downtime, oscillations, disruption), and even disasters and catastrophes. This support results from the evident intersection of complexity management and systems management, e.g., in the shape of complex adaptive systems, deploying slack, establishing security standards, and utilizing hybrid concepts (e.g., hybrid clouds, hybrid procedures for project management). The complexity-focused manager of mission critical systems should deploy an ambidextrous strategy of both reducing complexity, e.g., in terms of avoiding risks, and of establishing a potential to handle complexity, i.e., investing in high availability, business continuity, slack, optimal coupling, characteristics of high reliability organizations, and agile systems. This complexity-focused hybrid approach is labeled “simplexity.” It constitutes a blend of complexity reduction and complexity augmentation, relying on the generic logic of hybrids: the strengths of complexity reduction are capable of compensating the weaknesses of complexity augmentation and vice versa. The deficiencies of prevalent simplexity models signal that this blended approach requires a sophisticated architecture. In order to provide a sound base for coping with the meta-complexity of both complexity and its management, this architecture comprises interconnected components, domains, and dimensions as building blocks of simplexity as well as paradigms, patterns, and parameters for managing simplexity. The need for a balanced paradigm for complexity management, capable of overcoming not only the prevalent bias of complexity reduction but also weaknesses of prevalent concepts of simplexity, serves as the starting point of the argumentation in this chapter. To provide a practical guideline to meet this demand, an innovative model of simplexity is conceived. This model creates awareness for differentiating components, dimensions, and domains of complexity management as well as for various species of interconnectedness, such as the aligned upsizing and downsizing of capacities, the relevance of diversity management (e.g., in terms of deviations and errors), and the scope of risk management instruments. Strategies (e.g., heuristics, step-by-step procedures) and tools for managing simplexity-guided projects are outlined