Effects of diagram format and user numeracy on understanding cash flow data

An issue of longstanding concern in accounting information systems is the effective presentation and communication of financial data to users with little accounting background. Cash flow statements in particular have been singled out as difficult to interpret. To increase user understanding of cash flow data, this study explores the potential merits of diagram formats, as well as possible effects of the user’s numeracy skills. The study covers an experiment (N = 100) in which users were queried on their understanding of the cash flows of a real-world company, and in which type of format was either a cash flow statement or a cash flow diagram. Understanding was measured by three different concepts: interpretation accuracy, company diagnosis, and clarity of presentation. The study confirms that, on those measures, diagrams do not necessarily outperform cash flow statements, and that format familiarity (irrespective of the type of format) is a key driver in understanding cash flows. In addition, the study finds that numeric preference, but not numeric ability, helps in understanding cash flow data. The study discusses the sobering implications for designers of accounting information systems

Portinari: A Data Exploration Tool to Personalize Cervical Cancer Screening

Socio-technical systems play an important role in public health screening programs to prevent cancer. Cervical cancer incidence has significantly decreased in countries that developed systems for organized screening engaging medical practitioners, laboratories and patients. The system automatically identifies individuals at risk of developing the disease and invites them for a screening exam or a follow-up exam conducted by medical professionals. A triage algorithm in the system aims to reduce unnecessary screening exams for individuals at low-risk while detecting and treating individuals at high-risk. Despite the general success of screening, the triage algorithm is a one-size-fits all approach that is not personalized to a patient. This can easily be observed in historical data from screening exams. Often patients rely on personal factors to determine that they are either at high risk or not at risk at all and take action at their own discretion. Can exploring patient trajectories help hypothesize personal factors leading to their decisions? We present Portinari, a data exploration tool to query and visualize future trajectories of patients who have undergone a specific sequence of screening exams. The web-based tool contains (a) a visual query interface (b) a backend graph database of events in patients' lives (c) trajectory visualization using sankey diagrams. We use Portinari to explore diverse trajectories of patients following the Norwegian triage algorithm. The trajectories demonstrated variable degrees of adherence to the triage algorithm and allowed epidemiologists to hypothesize about the possible causes.Comment: Conference paper published at ICSE 2017 Buenos Aires, at the Software Engineering in Society Track. 10 pages, 5 figure

Vibration-based methods for structural and machinery fault diagnosis based on nonlinear dynamics tools

This study explains and demonstrates the utilisation of different nonlinear-dynamics-based procedures for the purposes of structural health monitoring as well as for monitoring of robot joints

Ambient vibration re-testing and operational modal analysis of the Humber Bridge

An ambient vibration survey of the Humber Bridge was carried out in July 2008 by a combined team from the UK, Portugal and Hong Kong. The exercise had several purposes that included the evaluation of the current technology for instrumentation and system identification and the generation of an experimental dataset of modal properties to be used for validation and updating of finite element models for scenario simulation and structural health monitoring. The exercise was conducted as part of a project aimed at developing online diagnosis capabilities for three landmark European suspension bridges. Ten stand-alone tri-axial acceleration recorders were deployed at locations along all three spans and in all four pylons during five days of consecutive one-hour recordings. Time series segments from the recorders were merged, and several operational modal analysis techniques were used to analyse these data and assemble modal models representing the global behaviour of the bridge in all three dimensions for all components of the structure. The paper describes the equipment and procedures used for the exercise, compares the operational modal analysis (OMA) technology used for system identification and presents modal parameters for key vibration modes of the complete structure. The results obtained using three techniques, natural excitation technique/eigensystem realisation algorithm, stochastic subspace identification and poly-Least Squares Frequency Domain method, are compared among themselves and with those obtained from a 1985 test of the bridge, showing few significant modal parameter changes over 23 years in cases where direct comparison is possible. The measurement system and the much more sophisticated OMA technology used in the present test show clear advantages necessary due to the compressed timescales compared to the earlier exercise. Even so, the parameter estimates exhibit significant variability between different methods and variations of the same method, while also varying in time and having inherent variability. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Advanced Techniques for Assets Maintenance Management

16th IFAC Symposium on Information Control Problems in Manufacturing INCOM 2018 Bergamo, Italy, 11–13 June 2018. Edited by Marco Macchi, László Monostori, Roberto PintoThe aim of this paper is to remark the importance of new and advanced techniques supporting decision making in different business processes for maintenance and assets management, as well as the basic need of adopting a certain management framework with a clear processes map and the corresponding IT supporting systems. Framework processes and systems will be the key fundamental enablers for success and for continuous improvement. The suggested framework will help to define and improve business policies and work procedures for the assets operation and maintenance along their life cycle. The following sections present some achievements on this focus, proposing finally possible future lines for a research agenda within this field of assets management

Simulation of Electric Vehicles Combining Structural and Functional Approaches

In this paper the construction of a model that represents the behavior of an Electric Vehicle is described. Both the mechanical and the electric traction systems are represented using Multi-Bond Graph structural approach suited to model large scale physical systems. Then the model of the controllers, represented with a functional approach, is included giving rise to an integrated model which exploits the advantages of both approaches. Simulation and experimental results are aimed to illustrate the electromechanical interaction and to validate the proposal.Fil: Silva, Luis Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Electronica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Magallán, Guillermo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Electronica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: de la Barrera, Pablo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Electronica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: de Angelo, Cristian Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Electronica Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Electronica Aplicada; Argentin