bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of isotope hydrograph separation to understand contributions of stormwater control measures to urban headwater streams
Authors: Jefferson Anne J. , Bell Colin D. , Clinton Sandra M. , McMillan Sara K. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractInsights into the effects of stormwater control measures (SCMs) on urban stream hydrology and in‐stream processes are required to understand their effectiveness in mitigating the environmental problems associated with urbanization. Stable water isotopes were applied to understand processes occurring within SCMs and their effects on water sourcing in urban streams. We sampled ten events from June to November 2013 at four locations along a 360‐m headwater stream reach in North Carolina and at four SCMs (two ponds, one wetland and one bioretention) that contribute to the reach. We used streamflow upstream of the SCM‐affected reach and outflow from an intensively sampled retention pond as endmembers to quantify contributions of this pond's outflow to streamflow. Synchronous sampling revealed that SCM outflows have different isotopic signatures, likely a function of evaporation and mixing within the storage volume of each SCM. The SCMs also have distinctive isotopic signatures relative to the receiving stream. The isotopic signature of discharge from the intensively sampled pond reveals varying residence times (hours to weeks) within the structure. At sampled timepoints during ten events, this pond, which drains 25% of the watershed's impervious area, contributed an average of 10% (0–21%) of the streamflow on the rising limb and 12% (0–19%) of discharge at peak flow. During recession, this pond contributed an average of 32% (11–54%) of the stream's discharge, reflecting the SCM's design goals of temporarily storing and delaying run‐off, mitigating the effects of impervious surface on peak flows. Based on this study, isotopes appear to be a robust tool for examining stormwater‐stream dynamics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Systems Engineering Perspective on eHealth Implementations’ Efficiency and Effectiveness: A Case Study involving suppliers
Authors: Fanta Getnet Bogale , Erasmus Louwrence 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe implementation of eHealth systems in South Africa did not generate the expected output. This paper investigates the impact of system engineering management (SEM) practices on the efficiency and effectiveness of eHealth system in two South African institutions in Gauteng and the Western Cape Province, respectively. The System Engineering Capability Model (SECM) is combined with the four major outcomes for eHealth systems as concepts in designing open ended questions for narrative enquiry adressing efficiency and effectiveness as part in the context of a result based development framework to collect stories from multidisciplinary teams in healthcare having varying knowledge of SEM. Three eHealth projects implemented in the two facilities show indications that the efficiency of eHealth projects is directly influenced by how well SEM is implemented. For this study, the environment capability category was the strongest contributor to efficiency for two projects and the technical capability category was the highest for the other one. Two of the eHealth projects were in the pilot phase and demonstrated low system outcome levels; however the third project in the operations phase showed a better system outcome level despite its low capability maturity level.
Can systems engineering support innovation in sustainable development?
Authors: Haskins Cecilia 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe pressures of coping with the real‐world situations of daily operations do not afford many opportunities for continuous learning or contemplation in industry. Hiring young talent from universities is intended to bring in knowledge, but these people usually lack the work experience necessary to integrate their knowledge into the realities of the new job. Hiring talented people from one's competitors presents analogous problems. One option that is not considered often enough is for industry to support grants and stipends for new research at the university level. This paper will present the connections between innovation and systems engineering and the motivations for sustainable innovation. Cases are selected for illustration. The paper draws on the wealth of innovation literature derived from INCOSE publications, and other research sources.
Using systems thinking to inform natural resource governance
Authors: Malan Suzi , Innes John L. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe examined the decision‐making processes in transboundary conservation as found in two southern African case studies, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. Using systems thinking to approach the model of transfrontier natural resource governance and management provided insights at the landscape scale, particularly regarding the absence of a physical institution that can be evaluated and consequently improved. The overall objective of the research project was to consult with all layers of decision and policy makers involved in order to: synthesize the current state of knowledge, identify the range of potential incremental effects of management responses on natural and human systems, and determine the range of values that drive decision‐making processes. The methodology involved analyses of semi‐structured interviews with community members, park officials and managers at various levels, local government officials, national policymakers and NGOs involved in the TFCAs; and scrutiny of relevant policies and treaty documents. A value system framework was developed as a result, and each dimension received an aggregated score at country level. The findings particularly in the governance and decision making sphere were analysed using Capability Maturity Model theory and the NATO Network Enabling Capability model theory. The main recommendations suggest improving involvement in decision‐making processes from the grass‐roots or community level, developing communities of practice between the different countries and core protected areas, prioritizing policy harmonization, and establishing a physical TFCA unit with dedicated staff over longer periods of time than the current brief rotational cycle.
The Impact of Technological Innovation on Cloud Computing as an Emerging Phenomenon within the South African Healthcare Environment
Authors: Mgozi Thembayena , Weeks Richards 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for health (eHealth) has become more pervasive than ever, globally. In South Africa, the eHealth initiatives may be hampered by persistent reliance on traditional, disparate and unreliable ICT platforms. This includes the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) initiative to provide universal healthcare supported by eHealth. This research study was undertaken to leverage eHealth and propose a conceptual cloud computing model to form the basis of improving healthcare service delivery. The aim of this research study was to describe the challenges and solutions associated with enabling cloud computing ecosystems within the South African healthcare environment. The findings attest that the Health Information System (HIS) is not meeting the requirements to strengthen healthcare system effectiveness. A key concern is a lack of well‐coordinated regulatory frameworks for proper governance of eHealth standards implementation.
Application of Systems Engineering: An Acquisition Agent Perspective
Authors: Niken Adrian , Erasmus Louwrence 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis article covers a descriptive case study on the application of systems engineering and systems engineering management at Armscor. The report also covers the investigation into development methods used and the how the requirements changes are managed during the concept phase.The systems engineering process model used by Armscor is compared with best practice. The Systems Engineering Management Base Theory (SEMBASE) model is used to compare the Armscor systems engineering management practice with.The study encompassed development methods, requirements management change, design for changeability and use of tools.Research questions are addressed by narrative analysis. Data is collected from multiple sources: interviews, archival records documentation and observations of enterprise governance documentation.The data produced during the inquiry revealed that a correlation exists between systems engineering best practices, international standards, the systems engineering process and systems engineering management process followed by Armscor. Requirements changes are managed during the concept Phase and different developmental models are used to execute projects.
Healthcare Service Delivery Efficiency: Performance of Gauteng Hospitals
Authors: Ibewuike Nwauka Oliver , Weeks Richard 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThere is a general perception that public healthcare service delivery is deteriorating severely, despite government commitments to change this. This dysfunction stems from the cumulative impact of burden of diseases, economic pressures, population surge, and policy and strategy incoherence. The core objective of this qualitative research is to gain insight into the cause‐effects of this sub‐minimal performance, patients’ dissatisfaction and the waste of resources in Gauteng's public healthcare sectors.This research used Performance Assessment Tools for quality improvement in Hospitals (PATH) framework and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate the satisfaction levels, performance and technical efficiencies of public hospitals, which were compared to the private sector.The findings agree that patients’ satisfaction is poor, performance technically inefficient and health outcomes unsatisfactory relative to private hospitals. Patients’ dissatisfaction level was 76%. Health outcomes such as patients re‐admission within a 28‐day period recorded 20%, 21%, <5% for the district, regional and private hospitals respectively, and PHC health outcome (25%). This performance slack resulted partly from overall poor decision‐making abilities on the use and allocation of resources and the lack of integrated information systems.
SE Journeyman Years – Learning Project Success by Doing
Authors: Pandikow Asmus 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLarge‐scale projects require from engineers more than just being experts in their respective technical discipline. Engineers, and especially Systems Engineers, are required to have an understanding of the disciplines related to theirs and also to possess many personal attributes and skills that enable effective and efficient communication among the project members. However, most education programs for engineers and system engineers still focus mainly on the technical competence. The acquisition of the other required skills is not part of the structured education and therefore difficult to evaluate whether and to which extent an engineer has developed these. This paper discussed an approach to structure the practicing of engineers to become experienced Systems Engineers, and well suited for the needs of large‐scale projects and based on the principles of the craftsmen tradition of “Journeyman Years”.
Engineering Design of an Environmental Management System: A Transdisciplinary Response to the Rhino Poaching Problem
Authors: Roodt Henk , Koen Hildegarde 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe big issues we face today, that require properly engineered solutions, contain society, nature and man‐made components. It is difficult to consider these systems within the traditional systems contexts, where we can set well‐defined boundaries during the design (analytical decomposition) process. Still, the analysis/synthesis process must be thorough enough to ensure that the functional, physical and allocated architectures that are discovered and defined during the analytical phase, can deliver a reasonable, traceable outcome on synthesis of the solution.The authors firstly accept that the feedback loop and recursive causal nature inherent to eco‐socio‐technical systems cast them in the domain of wicked problems. Systems engineering relies heavily on being able to understand the questions and the needs of stakeholders to be addressed through the accurate conceptualising of a problem and associated solution space. Thus, in this paper we turn to the concept of complexity for guiding principles to address the wicked problems through appropriate research (analytical) methods that transcends disciplinary focussed solution finding. To highlight the proposed approach the development of an environmental management system as a response to the rhino‐poaching problem is briefly discussed. The approach, when refined, should be able to address other resource management efforts.
Systems Engineering Value Stream Modelling
Authors: Scheithauer Dieter 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe V‐Model denotes the overall systems engineering value stream. The value stream consists of configuration baselines referencing the information handed over across the system architecture for top‐down design and bottom‐up integration. In addition, system integration preparation is depicted by direct flows from the left leg to the right leg of the V for each system. In order to exploit the full power of value stream thinking, the value streams for the generation of each particular configuration baseline have to be considered. This paper justifies the precedence of the value steam approach compared to document centred and process oriented approaches applied to particular documents. Configuration management in systems engineering is adjusted with respect to the value stream based approach. The process definition model for defining the value streams for generating individual configuration baselines is fully described. The paper concludes with considerations how to establish these work product generation sequences in practice.
Engineering Education – A Systems Dynamics View
Authors: Smit Alwyn , Brent Alan C , Musango Josephine K 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe paper demonstrates the principles of systems dynamics modelling with the use of a relatively simple model. The model was developed during a course on Systems Dynamics Modelling offered by the School of Public Leadership of Stellenbosch University in 2012. It was intended as an exercise in the application of the modelling techniques and is by no means complete. The model however depicts a good example to illustrate the use of systems dynamics in modelling the complexities of the engineering education dilemma facing South Africa.
The case for nuclear electricity in South Africa – A political alignment framework
Authors: Stoker PW , Fick JIJ , Stwayi M , Gumede J 
Published: August 2015

AbstractEnergy is essential for economic development of South Africa. All areas for development and economic growth i.e. reducing poverty and improving quality of life require affordable access to reliable energy services. When the challenges of energy provision to the population of a state remain unresolved, the resulting misery often leads to conflicts and violence, which in turn affect development efforts and impact on regional and global stability.The Integrated Resource Plan 2010 (DoE 2010) allocates 9.6 GW electrical generation capacity to nuclear technology. At the date of writing this paper –almost 5 years later‐ this allocation has not yet been committed to a build program. This situation is perhaps not surprising, since the National Development Plan, generally viewed as a vision and master plan for South Africa's economic development, is not supportive of the nuclear option (NPC 2011). The plan calls for further investigation into the need for nuclear electricity, citing gas and shale gas as possible alternatives for base load power generation.Against this background, the paper presents a framework for moving towards political consensus on the generation of electricity using nuclear technology. The framework builds on the notion that a “political system” can be characterized as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS). It defines political consensus by applying seven criteria which should be met for successful consensus building. These criteria, originally developed by Innes, (Innes and Booher 2009) have been thoroughly tested, and are increasingly used as a strategy to achieve consensus amongst stakeholders on complex and controversial planning and policy tasks. (Innes and Booher 2009).This paper presents a set of principles on which a political alignment framework should be founded, for example: that South Africa's economic development vision and long term economic development plan should be elevated above party political considerations; that people power is the lifeblood of a democratic society. Give the people the power of knowledge, and allow them to make their own informed decisions ‐ in this case regarding nuclear.A description is presented as to how the criteria for consensus building could be met in the South African political system. This description is informed by the development of nuclear lectricity in other political systems in both the eastern and western worlds. It further draws on the views of key political parties in respect of nuclear electricity, and proposes that political parties should implement within their own ranks, their own consensus building initiatives in respect of these national priorities.The paper concludes that if the consensus seeking framework is executed in an honest and transparent way, it could lead to consensus in respect of nuclear electricity, not only on a political but also at a national level.
Support for Sustainable Development Projects based on Real Options
Authors: Targiel Krzysztof S. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractProject management is the most effective way of development. This applies especially to sustainable development. The complexity of modern projects makes the proper management of them crucial. The volatile environment of the twenty‐first century means that it is important to choose the right moment to start a project. In a situation where the decision to start is irreversible, we are dealing with a real option. The paper presents a method for choosing the right moment to start a project on the basis of multi‐state real options. The TOPSIS method was used to choose the efficient decision.
Factors influencing Diffusion of Health Technology
Authors: van der Watt AJ , Pretorius MW , Pretorius L 
Published: August 2015

AbstractHealth Technology is at the core of delivering quality healthcare service in many environments. To this end, the adoption of innovation plays an important role in ensuring the most current solutions are consistently applied in diagnosis and treatment. This paper reviews some of the emerging factors that influence the diffusion of health technology. The aim is to identify the new factors, which can be used to extend previous research in the field of modelling diffusion of innovation quantitatively through the application of System Dynamic analysis. A further dimension of the study is to see how a resource constrained environment would impact on diffusion of innovation. The paper concludes with listing a number of these factors and how they can be incorporated into future research.
Executable System of Systems Architecture Using OPM in Conjunction with Colored Petri Net: A Module for Flexible Intelligent and Learning Architectures for System of Systems
Authors: Wang Renzhong , Agarwal Siddhartha , Dagli Cihan H. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe ability to coordinate intricate operations in both intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as search and rescue (SAR) operations is a complex issue. Such operations can be described as a System of Systems (SoS). Both object process methodology (OPM) and colored petri nets (CPN) can be used to create executable architecture models for an SoS. The modeling approach proposed in this study can capture the interactions that occur between either collaborating systems or components. It can also be used to analyze the behavioral aspects of an SoS. OPM models are easy to understand, giving stakeholders the ability to envision architecture's quality and scale. In contrast, the simulation capabilities of CPN can be used for accurate performance assessment. The proposed modelling approach facilitates decision making by providing a better estimation and confidence of the SoS's performance. The proposed system development framework and its enabling technology is domain neutral. This model can be applied to a broad range of SoS at various levels of abstractions. A case study for an ISR system is presented as an example.
Case description and initial analysis of Systems Engineering principles application to the design of integrated solutions for megacities ‐ Urban intervention in São Paulo: Tietê Arc
Authors: Zink Carlos H. L. , Marques Eduardo W. V. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to describe the use of objects and methods of systems engineering at the stage of exploratory research as an articulator of proposals for improving urban life quality in São Paulo, Brazil.It exposes the case of application of the method for understanding the problem and generating preliminary concepts for urban intervention programs considering: regional economy, housing, mobility and accessibility, and environment.The first results are presented and some good practices are identified. It is proposed that Systems Engineering application to megacities problems can foster innovation and collaborative process. It is suggested that SE is an important tool to support the proposition of integrated solutions for global challenges we face in the twenty‐first century.A large spectrum of potential applications in which the diversity of actors and interfaces require structured and rigorous approaches is identified.
Facial reanimation using hypoglossal‐facial neurorrhaphy with end‐to‐side coaptation between the jump interpositional nerve graft and hypoglossal nerve: Outcome and duration of preoperative paralysis
Authors: Okochi Masayuki , Ueda Kazuki , Okochi Hiromi , Asai Emiko , Sakaba Takao , Kajikawa Akiyoshi 
Published: August 2015

BackgroundIn this report, we described the use of hypoglossal‐facial neurorrhaphy with end‐to‐side coaptation between the jump interpositional nerve graft and the hypoglossal nerve for facial reanimation and analyzed the relationship between the outcome of surgery and duration of preoperative paralysis.MethodsWe performed hypoglossal‐facial neurorrhaphy with the jump interpositional nerve graft on nine men and 10 women with unilateral complete facial paralysis. The patients, with a mean age of 39.7 ± 18.1 years (range, 8–65 years) at the time of surgery, experienced preoperative paralysis ranging from 1 to 150 months (mean, 16.9 ± 34.9 months). The movement of the corners of the mouth was evaluated 12 months after surgery using a unique method based on the House–Brackmann grading scale.ResultsThe mean follow‐up was 5.6 ± 1.6 years (range, 3–9 years). The movement of the corners of mouth was classified as excellent in two cases, good in seven cases, fair in two cases, and poor in eight cases. Nine of the 11 cases with preoperative paralysis of 6 months or less had excellent or good results, whereas none of the eight cases with preoperative paralysis of 7 months or longer yielded excellent or good results, showing a significant difference (P = 0.01).ConclusionsTo achieve successful reanimation of the corners of the mouth, hypoglossal‐facial neurorrhaphy with end‐to‐side coaptation between the jump interpositional nerve graft and the hypoglossal nerve should be performed within 6 months after the onset of facial nerve paralysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 36:460–466, 2016.