bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smart and Green Mobility Management for 5G‐enabled Vehicular Networks
Authors: Aljeri Noura , Boukerche Azzedine
Published: September 2020

With the recent demand of sustainable and green smart cities, we are witnessing a growing research initiative toward the development of efficient energy‐aware 5G/Wifi‐6 wireless networks. This has led to the development of what is referred to as the Internet of Energy‐based technology to support heterogeneous and complex wireless systems such as intelligent vehicular network and smart connected cities as well as efficiently manage their available energy resources. Towards this end, the next generation of 5G/Wifi‐6 wireless network technologies shall provide a practical platform to support green Internet of vehicular networks, smart transportation systems, and smart cities. In this context, the management of vehicles' mobility and communication protocol needs to be fully investigated, adapted and reconfigured to better fit the power consumption and the energy resources' limitations of the next generation of intelligent vehicular networks. In this article, we present the latest mobility management protocols designed for 5G‐enabled vehicular networks, discuss their efficiency, their design, and their drawbacks. We point out the main characteristics, components, and limitation of mobility management protocols and wireless access. Last, but not least, we discuss several open issues, followed by future research directions toward the design and development of mobility management schemes for the next generation of green 5G and beyond enabled vehicular networks.
Intonation processing increases task‐specific fronto‐temporal connectivity in tonal language speakers
Authors: Chien Pei‐Ju , Friederici Angela D. , Hartwigsen Gesa , Sammler Daniela
Published: September 2020

Language comprehension depends on tight functional interactions between distributed brain regions. While these interactions are established for semantic and syntactic processes, the functional network of speech intonation – the linguistic variation of pitch – has been scarcely defined. Particularly little is known about intonation in tonal languages, in which pitch not only serves intonation but also expresses meaning via lexical tones. The present study used psychophysiological interaction analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to characterise the neural networks underlying intonation and tone processing in native Mandarin Chinese speakers. Participants categorised either intonation or tone of monosyllabic Mandarin words that gradually varied between statement and question and between Tone 2 and Tone 4. Intonation processing induced bilateral fronto‐temporal activity and increased functional connectivity between left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral temporal regions, likely linking auditory perception and labelling of intonation categories in a phonological network. Tone processing induced bilateral temporal activity, associated with the auditory representation of tonal (phonemic) categories. Together, the present data demonstrate the breadth of the functional intonation network in a tonal language including higher‐level phonological processes in addition to auditory representations common to both intonation and tone.
Radical external beam re‐irradiation in the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancer: Critical review
Authors: Svajdova Michaela , Dubinsky Pavol , Kazda Tomas
Published: September 2020

Management of patients with recurrent head and neck cancer remains a challenge for the surgeon as well as the treating radiation oncologist. Even in the era of modern radiotherapy, the rate of severe toxicity remains high with unsatisfactory treatment results. Intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and heavy‐ion irradiation have all emerged as highly conformal and precise techniques that offer many radiobiological advantages in various clinical situations. Although re‐irradiation is now widespread in clinical practice, little is known about the differences in treatment response and toxicity using diverse re‐irradiation techniques. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the role of radiation therapy in recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer including patient selection, therapeutic outcome, and risk using different re‐irradiation techniques. Critical review of published evidence on IMRT, SBRT, and heavy‐ion full‐dose re‐irradiation is presented including data on locoregional control, overall survival, and toxicity.
Violence in healthcare at a glance: The example of the Turkish physician
Authors: Çevik Murat , Gümüştakim Raziye Ş. , Bilgili Pınar , Ayhan Başer Duygu , Doğaner Adem , Saper Selda H. K.
Published: September 2020

Background

Violence is an important public health problem that threatens the peace of mind in health institutions as well as in many other sectors. In recent studies, it was stated that violence occurs more frequently in healthcare centers compared to other establishments. In terms of being exposed to violence, healthcare personnel is at 16 times more risk. Violence against healthcare employees has increased gradually in Turkey and the world; it's a serious occupational hazard to consider.

Aims

The aim of our study was to analyze the situation about violence against physicians, to emphasize its importance, to shed light on preventive measures and to create programs and to raise awareness of violence against physicians.

Methods

This descriptive study was conducted between October‐December 2017. A link was sent to the participants to participate voluntarily through the social media platforms mostly used by physicians and they were asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Results

83.3% of the 948 physicians that participated have experienced at least one episode of violence so far. The most common type of violence was verbal. More than half of violent events occurred in hospitals. One‐third of the physicians did nothing in the face of violence, more than half could not report this situation due to lack of time, only one‐quarter of those who sought support received it. Only 23.7% of the perpetrators were punished, while physicians saw the lack of deterrent sanctions as the main cause of violence. While 90.2% of physicians feel occupational burnout, 81.6% thought that physicians can protect themselves through effective legislation against violence in healthcare.

Conclusion

The Law on Violence in Health should be enacted and put into practice as soon as possible.
Numerical method for interfacial heat transfer in an oil‐water displacement flow
Authors: Han Panpan , Chen Ke , You Yunxiang , Zhang Jingjing
Published: September 2020

A numerical study of interfacial heat transfer is performed in an oil‐water displacement flow. The process of oil‐water displacement is one of the key technologies for the underwater tank in offshore oil exploitation. There is a need to investigate the interfacial heat transfer between oil and water as the wax precipitation and solidification of high pour point crude oil at low temperature will particularly affect the flow of oil. Before the numerical simulation is performed, it is necessary to find out the optimal numerical method. For the volume of fluid method, the property parameters in the temperature equation are mixture ones weighted by each fluid. When the unsteady term, convective term, and diffusion term are considered, there are three property parameters that are the coefficient of each term. For each coefficient, whether an algebraic scheme or a harmonic scheme could be used. When the three coefficients are considered together, there would be eight combinations of weighting form. A numerical method is developed by exploring an optimal combination of the weighting form. The results are demonstrated with an analytical solution. It is found that the combination of three harmonic schemes will significantly improve the error. The maximum and total error from this combination are reduced by 62% and 79% compared to the second‐best one and by 86% and 93% compared to the worst one. Meanwhile, the clock time only increases by 1.6% and 0.4%. The combinations of three harmonic schemes will result in the largest order of accuracy which is as large as 1.60. The harmonic scheme should be used for the property parameter of all the three terms in the vertical oil‐water flow.
Methylation markers FAM19A4 and miR124‐2 as triage strategy for primary human papillomavirus screen positive women: A large European multicenter study
Authors: Bonde Jesper , Floore Arno , Ejegod Ditte , Vink Frederique J. , Hesselink Albertus , van de Ven Peter M. , Valenčak Anja Oštrbenk , Pedersen Helle , Doorn Saskia , Quint Wim G. , Petry Karl Ulrich , Poljak Mario , Stanczuk Grazyna , Cuschieri Kate , de Sanjosé Silvia , Bleeker Maaike , Berkhof Johannes , Meijer Chris J. L. M. , Heideman Daniëlle A. M.
Published: September 2020

In human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical cancer screening, cytology is used as triage to counter the low specificity of HPV testing. VALID‐SCREEN is a EU‐multicenter, retrospective study conducted to evaluate the clinical performance of the FAM19A4/miR124‐2 methylation‐based molecular triage test as a substitute or addition to cytology as reflex testing of HPV screen positive women. FAM19A4/miR124‐2 methylation test (QIAsure Methylation Test) was evaluated in 2384 HPV‐positive cervical screening samples, from women 29‐76 years of age, derived from four EU countries. Specimens were collected in ThinPrep or SurePath media, HPV‐status, concurrent cytology, and histology diagnosis were provided by the parent institutes. The control population consisted of women with no evidence of disease within 2 years of follow‐up. A total of 899 histologies were retrieved; 527 showed no disease, 124 CIN2 (5.2%), 228 CIN3 (9.6%) and 20 cervical cancers (0.8%); 19 of 20 screen‐detected cervical cancers were found methylation‐positive (sensitivity 95%). Overall specificity of FAM19A4/miR124‐2 methylation test was 78.3% (n = 2013; 95%CI: 76‐80). The negative predictive value of hrHPV positive, methylation‐negative outcomes were 99.9% for cervical cancer (N = 1694; 95%CI: 99.6‐99.99), 96.9% for ≥CIN3 (95%CI: 96‐98), and 93.0% for ≥CIN2 (95%CI: 92‐94). Overall sensitivity for CIN3 using FAM19A4/miR124‐2 methylation test was 77% (n = 228; 95%CI: 71‐82). CIN3 sensitivity was uniform between centers independent of sample collection medias, DNA extraction methods and HPV screening tests. Being objectively reported compared to the subjectivity of cytology, equally performing across settings and screening methods, the FAM19A4/miR124‐2 methylation constitute an alternative/supplement to cytology as triage method to be investigated in real‐life pilot implementation.
(MBSE)2: Using MBSE to Architect and Implement the MBSE System
Authors: Noguchi Ryan A. , Martin James N. , Wheaton Marilee J.
Published: September 2020

Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is being applied in a new way at the enterprise level for the benefit of all its major programs and business units. For an enterprise to successfully implement MBSE, it must integrate models, datasets, tools, and infrastructure with appropriate processes, methods, and standards into a comprehensive, integrated MBSE “System”. This paper describes an approach being put to practice, which leverages MBSE principles and methods to architect this MBSE System, focusing on the descriptive models that serve as the foundation for MBSE. The approach is named (MBSE)2 since it uses MBSE to architect and implement the MBSE System. This (MBSE)2 approach is illustrated with example models of the MBSE System, showing how these models are used to inform the architecting process, monitor agile implementation of models, and facilitate model‐based execution of SE reviews and audits.

Summary

For an enterprise to successfully implement MBSE, it must integrate models, datasets, tools, and infrastructure with appropriate processes, methods, and standards into a comprehensive, integrated MBSE System. This paper describes an approach that uses system architecting and MBSE principles and methods to architect this MBSE System, focusing on the descriptive models that serve as the foundation for MBSE. The approach has been named (MBSE)2 since it uses MBSE to architect and implement the MBSE System. This (MBSE)2 approach was illustrated with example models of the MBSE System, showing how system modeling tools can be used to analyze the MBSE System models to inform the architecting process, monitor the agile implementation of models, and facilitate the evolved execution of SE reviews and audits.
Establishing a Reference Model for Requirements Elicitation Behavior
Authors: Scribante Naudé , Pretorius Leon
Published: September 2020

Eliciting the correct requirements for a given product, project or service is crucial for the success of the endeavour. The requirements engineering process in general and the requirements elicitation process is fraught with pitfalls. This paper proposes a mechanism that can be used to model the requirements elicitation behaviour. The results of the modelling process can then provide reference modes against which to compare the actual requirements elicitation process. The result of this comparison can enable the requirements engineer to observe elicitation challenges earlier in the requirements engineering process.
Hatley‐Pirbhai Control Flow Diagram with SysML for Early Validation
Authors: Arifin Habibi Husain , Dong Yu , Ong Ho Kit Robert , Gu Yaoying , Chimplee Nasis , Daphne Wu
Published: September 2020

Although CFD/DFD is one of the most used diagrams in the Hatley‐Pirbhai (H/P) modeling method, H/P does not offer the semantics to support the execution capability of behavioral modeling. In the cyber‐physical systems that operate in an open environment, an executable model is necessary to perform simulation for early phase validation. This study proposes a method for providing the execution capability by improving H/P using SysML with the MBSE Object‐Oriented context. SysML is supported by the fUML execution engine that has been standardized by the Object Management Group (OMG). With this standardized platform, the simulation results are more precise, consistent, and less ambiguous, which are necessary to perform better validation. The results showed that SysML diagrams maintained model readability and could easily implement the H/P method compared to the H/P diagrams. With the SysML model simulation, systems engineers could perform a functional analysis on the feature control logic in the early stages of the system development.
Putting the “Systemic” (back) into the “Engineering of Systems”
Authors: Bhalla Jawahar
Published: September 2020

The motivation for this paper is to rejuvenate and elevate Systems Engineering from a systematic process to a methodology for systemically engineering systems. It is broadly structured into four parts. The first introduces three key systemic concepts ‐ Systems Thinking. Modelling and Simulation ‐ as foundational pillars of Systems Engineering. The second describes a model of how we as humans perceive and create our reality, defining two orthogonal and complementary concepts ‐ Efficiency and Effectives. The third describes a “typical” Systems Engineering life‐cycle as a systematic process as a contextual reference frame for the subsequent, and central, fourth part of this paper. The fourth part then integrates the systemic concepts described in the first part, interweaving this into the two‐dimensional framework of efficiency and effectives described in the second part, back into the Systems Engineering life‐cycle outlined in the third part, highlighting the systemic aspects of the process and the central role of systems engineers in the creation of critical capability. This is followed by a conclusion and recommendations for future consideration.
Modernization Challenges of Command and Control Systems
Authors: DURMUS Suna , UZUMCU Serdar , MERT Abdullah Aykut , OZTURK Ali
Published: September 2020

Today's missions are more complex and more dynamic, requiring significantly increased capabilities and efforts. Governments aim to modernize command and control systems to address these operational needs. Also, maintaining of these huge systems are challenging, obsolescence problem makes modernization inevitable. On the other hand, managing legacy systems and their upgrades are difficult. This paper investigates the difficulties of the legacy system modernization on command and control domain. We performed Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to extract system modernization challenges from the literature.
Integrating Process Standards for System Safety Analysis to Enhance Efficiency in Initial Airworthiness Certification of Military Aircraft: A Systems Engineering Perspective
Authors: Guldal Morten Reinfjord , Andersson Jonas
Published: September 2020

When designing an aircraft, a System Safety Analysis (SSA) is an important part of the systems engineering activities related to initial airworthiness certification. For military aircraft, this requires not only a process to determine whether the system is safe enough, but also to identify an acceptable balance between safety, cost and military capability. In this paper, standards for performing the SSA, mainly for civilian aircraft, have been analyzed for their relevance to certifying military aircraft. Also, the systems engineering standard ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015 have been analyzed for its applicability to integrate SSA with other activities in a military aircraft project. The purpose of the presented work is to analyze how these processes relate and how they can be integrated to create an effective and efficient process for developing and certifying aircraft in accordance with the EMAR 21 requirements for military design organizations.
Implementing a Model‐Based, Digital Engineering Enterprise for a Defense Systems Integrator – an Ongoing Journey
Authors: Wang Gan
Published: September 2020

As the aerospace and defense industry strives to embrace digital engineering transformation, organizations quickly realize that this transformation is much more than just tools or infrastructure. It requires comprehensive change that involves people, process, and technology, and that calls for organizational strategy and stakeholder commitment. This paper provides an overview of an on‐going corporate initiative to develop an enterprise‐wide, model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) and model‐based engineering (MBE) capabilities and to instantiate a transformation of legacy workforce and culture. Our vision is to apply digital engineering (DE) as an enabler to transform legacy, document‐based development stovepipes into a product‐centric, integrated, digital engineering enterprise. At the implementation level, however, it involves a multipronged investment strategy in technology, infrastructure, process, and people, as well as an incremental process of learning and experiments. This paper lays out the architectural vision, implementation approach, and the business rationales. It also attempts to reflect on the journey to date, discussing some of the early successes, hurdles and challenges in implementing the digital engineering initiative for a diverse defense services business.
A Capability Engineering Lifecycle Framework Based on Insights from Australian Defence
Authors: Cook Stephen C , Unewisse Mark H
Published: September 2020

The Australian Department of Defence is actively pursuing initiatives to improve the integration and interoperability of the defence force and this paper reports on research findings produced in support of this effort. The paper opens with a description of the Australian Defence capability development context together with recent initiatives to provide greater military capability for the available budget. Within this context, the problem the researchers set out to address is how best to co‐ordinate the ongoing force Integration and Interoperability (I2) activities that evolve and deliver defence capabilities so that these capabilities can be integrated together at short notice and deployed. System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) approaches have been found to be effective for this class of problem and the paper provides a short review of the most promising candidates. The methodology needs analysis that follows concludes that a range of different SoS approaches will be needed to cover the different stages of the capability lifecycle and the paper then proceeds to describe an initial framework that provides a new way of looking at the defence Integrated Capability Realisation (ICR) SoSE challenge across two dimensions. The first dimension is the time horizon of the planned capability increment: from the present to around four years; four to eight years; eight to twelve years; and longer than twelve years. The second dimension covers the types of activities that are traditionally performed to evolve defence forces such as future force planning, program co‐ordination and planning, project capability definition, acquisition, and force generation. The paper describes how this framework provides a simple method to identify which SoSE approaches are the most applicable to given ICR subtasks and also proposes an overall approach to self‐organise overall Defence ICR efforts
Analysing the South African Junior Primary Education System with Agent‐based Simulation Modelling
Authors: Perrie Cailin , Searle Christa
Published: September 2020

The state and quality of the South African education system is an increasing concern. Even more than two decades after the Apartheid era, the consequence of the segregation and discrimination is evident in the country's education system. In order to address this matter, an agent‐based simulation model with the ability to model the academic progression of grade one to four learners from various socio‐economic backgrounds, based on existing data, is proposed. The model aims to effectively simulate the academic progression of learners over a four‐year period, as well as assisting intervention planning in identifying the effect that certain social or socio‐economic intervention strategies may have on the academic progression of learners in the South African education system. The agent‐based model allows for a graphical output visualizing the academic progression of agents and the effects that the activation of certain intervention strategies have on this progression.
Understanding Evolutionary Societal Decision‐making for Sustainable Social Systems Engineering Purposes
Authors: Polojärvi Dana , Gambardella Pascal , Hayward John
Published: September 2020

To engineer sustainable social systems for Earth's future, we need to understand how they change over time based on human decision‐making. The problem of the rise and fall (or overshoot and collapse) of cultures has been studied in the social sciences for centuries, so it is a useful pattern for this purpose. To understand this behavior pattern from an operational, social systems engineering perspective, this paper reviews two of the main simulation modeling approaches to this problem and finds them to be limited (from an operational perspective) by a basis in non‐human population dynamics that leads to a problematic dependence on initial conditions. We build upon this previous work, adapting it to include decision‐making and show how these decision‐making processes change the behavior over time. To demonstrate our process, we start with a recent model of Easter Island's collapse and add operational structures that allow human decision‐making to enter the modeling structure. We show how the addition of operational decision‐making structures provides a better fit to the anthropological data and how these structures were used to generate policy on the island of Tikopia. Finally, we argue that these decision‐making structures are, themselves, engineered objects that can be improved through better understanding of their evolutionary nature.
Using System Dynamics to Determine the Impact of Electric Vehicles on Employment in the Component Manufacture Industry
Authors: Pillay Nalini Sooknanan , Chapman Darryl , van Geems Francois , Nassiep Sumaya
Published: September 2020

The automotive industry is thought to have direct and indirect impacts on national job creation for both the formal and informal sectors. There have been debates around employment impacts and socio‐economics in South Africa with the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs), however, a definite consensus of whether the impact is positive or negative has not been established. Unless all the driving factors affecting automotive employment have been modelled, no resolution can be reached through the various engagements. This study used a system dynamics modelling approach to determine the employment impact of substituting the internal combustion vehicles (ICVs) with hybrids and pure electric cars, specifically in the component manufacture segment of the automotive value chain. Scenarios were also run to determine the impact of localized electric battery manufacture on employment. Results indicate that a 22% substitution of ICVs with electric cars results in a 2.65% decrease in employment, while a 34% increase in hybrids in the electric car mix results in an increase of 1.73% of employment in the component manufacture segment. The simulator also shows that from 2020 until 2027, employment due to localized manufacture of electric car batteries, increases, however, there is a steady decrease from 2028 to 2050, likely due to the reduction in demand for electric batteries because of technology improvements in first life applications, resulting in better durability and shelf life.
Answering the Call for Technical Leaders: A Challenge for Systems Engineers
Authors: Pennotti Michael
Published: September 2020

Systems engineers are called to lead! Addressing today's increasingly complex challenges demands the skills we systems engineers have demonstrated in the past and of which we are most proud. Our experience has taught us the importance of understanding: not only a problem, but also its context; not only the individual elements of a system, but also the relationships between those elements; not only immediate outcomes, but also long term impacts. But what we already know will not be enough. We must also develop new skills and be willing to set aside some of the approaches and much of the language that have served us well in addressing the complicated problems of the past. We need to continue to learn and grow if we are to provide the leadership a complex world so desperately needs from us. This paper is a challenge from one systems engineer to all systems engineers to elevate our game in order to play a leadership role in taking on the complex challenges of the twenty‐first century.
Analyzing the effects of connecting Norway's remote communities to large cities using the Systems Thinking approach
Authors: Witte Caroline Saatvedt , Mansouri Mo
Published: September 2020

This paper explores how the Systems Thinking philosophy can be applied to determine the feasibility of significant infrastructure projects. Much too often, decisions are made without a thorough understanding of all the factors involved and their interrelations, as has been the case for many governmentally funded construction projects in Norway. The paper investigates the repercussions of connecting remote island villages to larger cities, by examining the short‐ and long‐term effects for two real‐life case studies And⊘rja and Lines⊘ya in Norway. The analysis is supported by a number of systems thinking tools, including a context diagram, stakeholder analysis, Systemigram to map user needs, and finally, leverage points to improve the decision‐making process are presented.
Framework for Deploying IDS Predictive Models
Authors: Araiza Michael L.
Published: September 2020

The focus of this paper is the specification of a particular nascent framework for deploying a system of nonparametric, feed‐forward polynomial neural network (PNN) models that can be used to address intrusion detection system (IDS) deficiencies. The framework is characterized by the formal specification in Z notation of black box operations upon which to base the implementation of an event‐driven Intrusion Detection Support Software System. The deployment of PNN models to realize the operations within IDS3 shows complementary potential with other techniques in improving the ability and cost‐effectiveness of an IDS. The key Intrusion Detection Support Software System operations were derived from a system‐level diagnostic concept called abductive diagnostics that is applicable to IDSs (as well as equipment and medical diagnostics). Several experiments were conducted, which are not detailed in this paper, to train and evaluate PNNs using a commercial machine learning algorithm.
Design Thinking and Systems Engineering to Map Human Needs and Improve Digitization at an Emergency Health Care – a Case Study
Authors: Sch⊘nning Jurate , Falk Kristin
Published: September 2020

This study from out‐of‐hours emergency primary health care investigates methods to improve the digital solutions to become both effective and empathetic. A relatively small inter‐municipal emergency care in Norway struggles with high costs and low efficiency. Employees spend a lot of time performing various manual work that is of little benefit to patients. We used the steps from Design Thinking and tools from Systems Engineering to come up with an improved solution. Furthermore, we tested this solution on staff at the emergency room.

The study shows that the current computer tools clearly lack functionality when it comes to meeting the needs of employees such as efficient operation and facilitation for good patient flow. Employees felt that complicated digital tasks steal time that could be better spent on health care. Furthermore, the employees lack a comprehensive overview of systems functionality.

We have proposed several innovative functional improvements, including interaction technology in the form of a wall‐mounted work board, which according to the employees will enable streamlining of tasks at the emergency room. These solutions have emerged by using a step by step, iterative and structured system technique inspired by Design Thinking. Extensive interaction with the systems users throughout the project phase has enabled us to clearly understand the challenges of the emergency room and associated solutions. We believe that empathy with the users is essential in innovative digital solution.
Contextually Aware Agile Security in the Future of Systems Engineering
Authors: Dove Rick , Willett Keith D.
Published: September 2020

A recurring principle in consideration of the future of systems engineering is continual dynamic adaptation. Context drives change whether it be from potential loss (threats, vulnerabilities) or from potential gain (opportunity‐driven). Contextual‐awareness has great influence over the future of systems engineering and of systems security. Those contextual environments contain fitness functions that will naturally select compatible approaches and filter out the incompatible, with prejudice. This paper provides archetypes that 1) characterize general systems engineering for products, processes, and operations; 2) characterize the integration of security with systems engineering; and, 3) characterize contextually aware agile security. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual understanding of the problem space and derive general security strategies necessary to deal with that problem space, with the intent to provide an initial foundation for subsequent tactical implementations of agile security approaches.
Finance function as a business system
Authors: Pretorius Paul
Published: September 2020

This paper introduces systems engineering approach to enhance the business design in addressing the complexities encountered in the design of a business function. Systems engineering has matured in analysis and working with complexities; in allowing inputs from disciplines such as framework design to influence the proposed architecture; and in defining the role of modelling tools to assist in understanding the challenges, verification of operability and simulation towards an improved design.

The finance function was selected as a “system of interest” (SOI) within the context of a larger business or enterprise as a “system of systems” (SOS). The generic business design of a finance function was delivered as a system of interdependent processes whilst introducing some of the tools and techniques of the “model‐based systems engineering” approach to ensure completeness of functionality, accountability of role players and visibility to stakeholders.
Knowledge Reuse in a Small Company in the Water Treatment Industry: A Case Study
Authors: Lillemoen Jon Inge , Falk Kristin
Published: September 2020

This paper presents a case study that explores how a small company in the water treatment industry can facilitate knowledge reuse. Small companies often find themselves focusing resources on operational activities and fire‐fighting, preventing them from properly utilizing previously acquired knowledge in new similar projects.

We conducted in‐depth interviews with company employees to establish a set of requirements for the new knowledge system. We then gathered theory through a literature review and developed the system iteratively with frequent feedback from employees at the company. The paper includes a case study on an ongoing wastewater treatment plant project in the company.

The new knowledge management system is built up of interconnected A3s that provide the user with both a system overview and detailed information. We validated the results through a survey. The survey displayed that employees were positive towards implementing and using the new knowledge management system. We observed that employees were curious during the development process and willingly contributed when required. This paper also presents different barriers and benefits related to knowledge management initiatives in a small company.
Digital Engineering Strategy to Enable Enterprise Systems Engineering
Authors: Noguchi Ryan A. , Wheaton Marilee J. , Martin James N.
Published: September 2020

As defined in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Digital Engineering (DE) Strategy, DE is “an integrated digital approach that uses authoritative sources of system data and models as a continuum across disciplines to support lifecycle activities from concept through disposal.” This DoD DE Strategy establishes a set of goals and objectives for DE within the DoD. This paper provides an elaboration of that strategy for organizations who seek to apply DE not only for the improvement of program and project outcomes, but to achieve a more efficient and effective implementation of enterprise systems engineering (ESE) to improve enterprise outcomes. The paper then describes the roles and responsibilities needed for the effective and efficient implementation of DE principles and concepts in support of the systems engineering activities across the enterprise to facilitate the disciplined exercise of ESE at every organizational level.
Early Detection of Flaws in System Architecture Model by means of Model Simulation
Authors: Duhil Christophe , Voirin Jean‐Luc , Lépicier Eric , Babau Jean‐Philippe
Published: September 2020

Architecture definition models in system engineering usually include different views and sets of concepts, more or less correlated to each other, such as activities or functions, time‐ordered sequences, state machines. Ensuring these descriptions are coherent is in no means trivial, usually requiring either formal checking or behavioral simulation, at the expense of extra modeling work. This paper addresses coherence verification at a first level, needing little effort, to detect flaws in in the model as early as possible, before entering more in depth and more costly simulation or formal proofing. To make this verification possible, we define a model execution semantic based on a mix of model exploration and dynamic execution techniques.
The Wisest System Engineering Mentor and Mentee of the Year Award
Authors: Sparrius Ad
Published: September 2020

In 2016 the Wisest System Engineering Mentor and Mentee of the Year Award was launched as part of the INCOSE SA annual conference. This annual award has now occurred three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, with a total of nineteen mentor‐mentee teams of which three teams received the award. This paper summarizes the process, results and explains the lessons learnt.
Population Pharmacokinetics and Dosing Optimization of Amoxicillin in Chinese Infants
Authors: Wu Yue‐E , Wang Ya‐Kun , Tang Bo‐Hao , Dong Lei , Li Xue , Zhang Wei , Li Di‐Fei , Tian Li‐Yuan , van den Anker John , You Dian‐Ping , Zhao Wei
Published: September 2020

Amoxicillin is used to treat various bacterial infections (eg, pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis) in infants. Despite its frequent use, there is a lack of population pharmacokinetic studies in infants, resulting in a substantial variability in dosing regimens used in clinical practice. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the population pharmacokinetics of intravenous amoxicillin in infants and suggest an optimal dosage regimen. Blood samples were collected for the determination of amoxicillin concentrations using an opportunistic sampling strategy. The amoxicillin plasma concentrations were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using NONMEM. A total of 62 pharmacokinetic samples from 47 infants (age range, 0.09 to 2.0 years) were available for analysis. A 2‐compartment model with first‐order elimination was most suitable to describe the population pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin, and covariate analysis showed that only current body weight was a significant covariate. Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated that the currently used dosage regimen (25 mg/kg twice daily) resulted in only 22.4% of infants reaching their pharmacodynamic target, using a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) break point of 2 mg/L, whereas a dosage regimen (60 mg/kg thrice daily), as supported by the British National Formulary for Children, resulted in 80.9% of infants achieving their pharmacodynamic target. It is recommended to change antibiotics for infections caused by Escherichia coli (MIC = 8.0 mg/L) because only 27.9% of infants reached target using 60 mg/kg thrice daily.
Synthesis, antimicrobial, and mitotic toxicity evaluation of new 6‐substituted 2‐(benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2‐c]quinazolin‐5(6H)‐yl)acetic acids
Authors: Kravtsov Dmytro V. , Voskoboinik Oleksii Yu. , Kovalenko Serhii I.
Published: September 2020

A series of novel 6‐substituted 2‐(benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2‐c]quinazolin‐5(6H)‐yl)acetic acids were synthesized and characterized by 1H, 13C, 19F NMR, 1H‐1H‐COSY, 1H‐13C‐HSQC, NOESY, LC‐MS, IR, and elemental analysis. The mitotic toxicity of the synthesized compounds was determined according to the Allium test procedure. The 2‐(6‐(pentafluorophenyl)benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2‐c]quinazolin‐5(6H)‐yl)acetic acid inhibited mitotic spindle formation, which resulted in significant cytotoxic effect for meristematic cells of Allium cepa l. roots. In a preliminary antimicrobial evaluation, only Streptococcus pyogenes and Candida albicans were slightly susceptible to some of the synthesized compounds.
Liver and/or kidney transplantation in amino and organic acid‐related inborn errors of metabolism: An overview on European data
Authors: Molema Femke , Martinelli Diego , Hörster Friederike , Kölker Stefan , Tangeraas Trine , de Koning Barbara , Dionisi‐Vici Carlo , Williams Monique ,   additional individual contributors of MetabERN
Published: September 2020

Background

This study provides a general overview on liver and/or kidney transplantation in patients with an amino and organic acid‐related disorder (AOA) with the aim to investigate patient characteristics and global outcome in Europe. This study was an initiative of the E‐IMD and the AOA subnetwork of MetabERN.

Methods

A questionnaire was sent to all clinically active European Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM) members. The questionnaire focused on transplanted individuals with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), propionic acidemia (PA), maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), and urea‐cycle disorders (UCDs).

Results

We identified 280 transplanted AOA patients (liver transplantation in 20 MMA, 37 PA, 47 MSUD, and 111 UCD patients, kidney or combined liver and kidney transplantation in 57 MMA patients and undefined transplantation type in 8 MMA patients), followed by 51 metabolic centers. At a median follow‐up of 3.5 years, posttransplant survival ranged between 78% and 100%, being the lowest in PA patients. Overall, the risk of mortality was highest within 14 days posttransplantation. Neurological complications were mainly reported in Mut0 type MMA (n = 8). Nonneurological complications occurred in MMA (n = 28), PA (n = 7), and UCD (n = 14) patients, while it was virtually absent in MSUD patients. Only 116/280 patients were psychologically tested. In all, except MSUD patients, the intelligence quotient (IQ) remained unchanged in the majority (76/94, 81%). Forty‐one percentage (9/22) of MSUD patient showed improved IQ.

Conclusion

The survival in AOA individuals receiving liver and/or kidney transplantation seems satisfactory. Evidence‐based guidelines, systematic data collection, and improved cooperation between transplantation centers and European Reference Networks are indispensable to improve patient care and outcomes.
Patient perceptions and preferences about prostate fiducial markers and ultrasound motion monitoring procedures in radiation therapy treatment
Authors: Brown Amy , Pain Tilley , Preston Robyn
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Patient experiences and preferences of image‐guidance procedures in prostate cancer radiotherapy are largely unknown. This study explored experiences and preferences of patients undergoing both fiducial marker (FM) insertion and Clarity ultrasound (US) procedures.

Methods

A sequential explanatory mixed method approach was used. A questionnaire (n = 40) ranked experiences from 0 to 10 (worst) in the domains of invasiveness; pain; physical discomfort; and psychological discomfort. Responses were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Semi‐structured interviews (n = 22) obtained further insights into their perspectives and preferences and were thematically analysed.

Results

Perceptions of invasiveness varied with 46% reporting FMs more invasive than US and 49% the same for the two procedures. The mean score for FM was 3.6 and 2.1 for US. Mean scores for pain, physical and psychological discomfort were higher for FMs with 3.3, 3.2 and 2.9, respectively, and 1.1, 1.2 and 1.7 respectively for US, only pain achieved significance (P < 0.05). Three themes emerged from the interviews: Expectations versus Experience; Preferences linked to Priorities; and Motivations. Eleven patients (50%) preferred US; however, 10 (45%) could not illicit a preference.

Conclusion

Participants found both of the FM and US image‐guidance procedures tolerable and acceptable. Men’s preference was elusive, suggesting a more rigorous preference methodology is required to understand preferences in this population.
Characterizing spatiotemporal rainfall changes in 1960–2019 for continental Australia
Authors: Liu De Li , Teng Jin , Ji Fei , Anwar Muhuddin R. , Feng Puyu , Wang Bin , Li Linchao , Waters Cathy
Published: September 2020

Understanding changes in rainfall at a continental scale can inform adaptation and resilience in all sectors that are sensitive to rainfall. This study examined spatiotemporal changes in annual and seasonal rainfall, extreme and non‐extreme rainfall, and their probability and intensity over the period from 1960 to 2019 across Australia for six rainfall zones (RZs) using high‐quality daily rainfall from 7,593 climate stations. The results revealed statistically significant changes in long‐term rainfall, with an increasing trend in Northern and Central Australia, and a decreasing trend across Southern Australia where the main agricultural areas are located. The cross‐wavelet power spectrum analysis denoted strong coherent resonance cycles in spring–summer or autumn–winter seasons with varying phase differences across six RZs. More specifically, summer rainfall occurred more regularly in the summer‐dominant and arid RZs, whereas winter rainfall became more unreliable in the winter‐ and winter‐dominant RZs. The changes in regional rainfall were characterized by changes in probability and/or intensity of extreme and non‐extreme rainfall revealed through the Spearman Rank correlation. The upward trend in summer‐dominant and arid RZs appears to be a result of increased extreme rainfall intensity and probability, and non‐extreme rainfall probability, especially in summer. The decreased rainfall in the rest of the RZs can be attributed to decreased extreme rainfall probability and non‐extreme rainfall intensity. These results can help decision makers in the agricultural and water resources management sectors identify risks and opportunities, and to devise strategic plans to mitigate droughts through land use planning and construction of infrastructure.
The treatment response of barrier membrane with amoxicillin‐loaded nanofibers in experimental periodontitis
Authors: Ho Ming‐Hua , Claudia Jeannete Cindy , Tai Wei‐Chiu , Huang Kuan‐Yu , Lai Chern‐Hsiung , Chang Ching‐He , Chang Ying‐Chieh , Wu Yu‐Chang , Kuo Mark Yen‐Ping , Chang Po‐Chun
Published: September 2020

Background

Infection control is a major determinant of guided tissue regeneration (GTR). This study aims to develop an antibiotic‐loaded membrane to assist periodontal repair.

Methods

Poly(D,L‐lactic acid) (PDLLA) nanofibers encapsulating amoxicillin (PDLLA‐AMX) were fabricated using the electrospinning technique, and their structures, drug encapsulation efficiency, and release characteristics were assessed. The viability and behaviors of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells on nanofibers, and antibacterial capabilities of nanofibers were evaluated in vitro. Early therapeutic efficiency of the antibiotic‐loaded membranes was investigated in rats with ligature‐induced experimental periodontitis, and the outcomes were evaluated by gene expression, microcomputed tomography imaging, and histology within 7 days of membrane placement.

Results

AMX was successfully encapsulated in the PDLLA nanofibers and released in a sustained manner. After initial attachment was achieved, cells stretched out along with the directions of nanofibers. The viability and expression of migration‐associated gene of PDL cells were significantly improved, and the growth of Streptococcus sanguinis and Porphyromonas gingivalis was significantly reduced in the PDLLA‐AMX group compared with the controls. On PDLLA‐AMX‐treated sites, wound dehiscence and sulcular inflammation were reduced. Collagen fiber matrix deposition was accelerated with upregulated type I collagen and interleukin‐1β, and downregulated matrix metalloproteinase‐8, whereas periodontal bone level and the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and core‐binding factor subunit alpha‐1 were equivalent to conventional membrane treatment.

Conclusions

PDLLA‐AMX nanofibers inhibited bacterial growth and promoted the viability and mobility of PDL cells after initial cell attachment. Membranes with PDLLA‐AMX nanofibers reduced inflammation and accelerated periodontal repair at an early stage, providing good prospects for the further development of GTR membranes.