Hasil untuk "Management information systems"

Changhoon Lee, Sujung Park, Daeung Yoon et al.

IntroductionAccurate classification of seabed sediments is essential for marine spatial planning, resource management, and scientific research. While direct sampling yields precise sediment information, it is costly and spatially limited. Multibeam echo-sounding systems (MBES) offer broad coverage but lack detailed sediment characterization, creating a need for an integrated, data-driven approach.MethodsWe developed a machine-learning framework that fuses MBES backscatter data with limited seabed samples. Missing MBES values were first interpolated using a U-Net model to create a complete raster dataset. Advanced texture and spectral descriptors—Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix, Law’s texture filters, and discrete wavelet transforms—were extracted from the backscatter imagery. Five classifiers (Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Deep Neural Network, Extreme Gradient Boosting, Light Gradient-Boosting Machine) were trained to predict four sediment classes (gravel, sand, clay, silt). To mitigate sample scarcity and class imbalance, a semi-supervised self-training loop iteratively added high-confidence pseudo-labels to the training set.ResultsField validation in the East Sea (Republic of Korea) showed that the Extreme Gradient Boosting model achieved the highest accuracy. Overall prediction accuracy increased from 60.81 % with the baseline workflow to 72.73 % after applying data interpolation, enhanced feature extraction, and self-training.DiscussionThe proposed combination of U-Net interpolation, multi-scale texture features, and semi-supervised learning significantly improves sediment classification where MBES data are incomplete and sediment samples are sparse. This integrated workflow demonstrates the potential of machine-learning techniques to advance seabed mapping and support informed marine resource management.

Anna Szychta

Dear Authors and Readers,The closing issue of “Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowości” (ZTR, “The Theoretical Journal of Accounting”) for 2025, vol. 49, number 4, once again provides an engaging and multidimensional review of contemporary research trends in accounting. This Special Issue, titled Contemporary challenges, conditions and directions of development of accounting, gathers 13 studies that explore the ongoing transformation of the accounting discipline driven by technological advancements, sustainability demands, and evolving expectations from professionals and educators. The featured articles reflect a diverse range of approaches, from theoretical modelling and comparative analysis to bibliometric synthesis and empirical evaluation, offering a comprehensive perspective on the accounting field as it advances into a new digital and regulatory era.At the intersection of behavioural finance and accounting communication, Adeel Ali Qureshi and Mateusz Lemańczyk present a comprehensive literature review in their paper Attention metrics and stock market reactions to accounting events: A literature review. By combining bibliometric analysis with the TCCM frame- work, they investigate how investor attention, measured by media coverage, online search activity, and textual complexity, influences market reactions to accounting disclosures. Their findings highlight the increasing significance of behavioural insights and data analytics in understanding how financial information is perceived, processed, and priced.The paper by Mateja Brozović, Sanja Sever Mališ, and Dominik Piršić, titled Financial accounting analysis of leverage and profitability: Evidence from Croatian SMEs, expands the discussion to corporate financial performance. Using key financial ratios from small and medium-sized enterprises in Croatia, the authors analyse the relationship between leverage and profitability, providing empirical evidence that enhances understanding of the financial resilience and risk structures of SMEs, a vital yet often overlooked segment of the European economy.Renáta Hornická and Renáta Pakšiová examine the development of non-financial disclosure in their paper Scope of sustainability reporting in the largest companies in Slovakia in 2017 and 2022. By analysing textual data from the annual and sustainability reports of major Slovak firms, they document a noticeable growth in the scope and depth of ESG reporting following the introduction of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive. Their findings offer timely insight into how regulatory pressure drives increased corporate accountability and the institutionalisation of sustainability reporting in Central and Eastern Europe.A broader institutional and regulatory perspective on sustainability assurance is examined by Tanja Laković, Daniel Zdolšek, and Milica Vukčević in their paper Development of the regulatory framework for sustainability assurance: A comparative analysis of the transition from NFRD to CSRD in Slovenia and Montenegro. This comparative study highlights the challenges and opportunities of implementing the new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in Montenegro, a non-EU member state. It highlights differences in readiness and institutional adaptation between EU member and candidate countries.From a theoretical perspective, Serhii Lehenchuk and Viktoriia Makarovych offer an innovative conceptual discussion in Theoretical foundations of accounting for intellectual investment property: Towards standard setting. Their paper develops a framework for recognising and measuring intellectual investment property, bridging gaps between traditional accounting and emerging forms of intangible capital. By proposing theoretical principles for potential standardisation, the study adds a significant perspective to debates on accounting for knowledge-based assets in the digital economy.The linguistic and communicative aspects of accountability are examined in Raili Lilo, Elina Paemurru, and Ülle Pärl’s paper, Accountability through linguistic features: A holistic theoretical framework for sustainability reports. Through a meta- -analysis of previous empirical studies, the authors incorporate insights from legitimacy, stakeholder, signalling, and institutional theories to illustrate how language can both promote and conceal accountability in sustainability reporting. Their comprehensive framework offers a valuable basis for analysing how textual choices such as tone, clarity, and structure can influence stakeholders’ perceptions of corporate responsibility and transparency.The public sector perspective is presented by Diana Papradanova and Ventsislav Vechev in their paper An evaluation of the accounting model for reporting public sector entities’ revenues in Bulgaria in the context of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards. The authors carry out a detailed comparative analysis of Bulgarian regulations and IPSAS provisions, highlighting conceptual differences and gaps that impede transparency and comparability. Their findings offer practical recommendations for aligning public-sector accounting practices with international standards and fiscal accountability principles.The human factor and digital transformation in accounting are central themes in Katarzyna Prędkiewicz and Krzysztof Biegun’s article, Factors that influence accountants’ acceptance of Artificial Intelligence: An extended Technology Acceptance Model, which incorporates technology anxiety and experience. The authors empirically expand the Technology Acceptance Model by including variables related to technological anxiety and professional experience, offering fresh insights into how accountants view, accept, and adopt AI tools in their work. Their findings emphasise both the opportunities and psychological barriers in the move towards automation and intelligent systems in accounting practice.The contribution by Ana Rep Romić, Marzena Remlein, and Sanja Sever Mališ, titled Information technology in accounting education: A bibliometric-systematic literature review (2006–2025), focuses on the intersection of pedagogy and digitalisation. Drawing on a bibliometric and systematic literature review spanning two decades of research, the authors map global trends in the integration of IT into accounting education. Their study identifies emerging competencies, evolving educational technologies, and the changing role of educators in developing digitally literate accounting professionals capable of responding to sustainability and AI-driven challenges.Kristina Rudžionienė, Aušrinė Tamulevičiūtė, and Aurelija Kustienė’s study, The relationship between CSR and earnings management in Lithuanian listed companies, explores how sustainability efforts relate to financial behaviour in a small, transitional economy. Contrary to prior expectations, their results indicate a positive link between corporate social responsibility and both accrual- and real-activity earnings management. This surprising outcome suggests that, in some cases, CSR initiatives might be strategically used to hide opportunistic actions. The study offers new empirical insights into ethical authenticity and transparency in financial reporting across Central and Eastern Europe.The intersection of family business and accounting research is explored in Amin Soheili’s paper Family business and accounting research: A structured literature review. Through a systematic review of seventy peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 and 2024, the author maps the theoretical and methodological development of accounting research within family business contexts. Using a SWOT framework, the study highlights the underrepresentation of socioemotional and qualitative dimensions. The review advocates a broader investigation into private and emerging-market family firms, emphasising the need for interdisciplinary approaches that account for the behavioural and relational dynamics of family-owned enterprises.Gintarė Špogienė, Daiva Tamulevičienė, and Kristina Rudžionienė analyse five leading Lithuanian retail chains in their paper Integrating corporate social responsibility into internal decision-making in leading retail chains in Lithuania: A responsibility accounting perspectiveThey highlight a gap between publicly disclosed CSR and the information that genuinely influences managerial decisions. To reduce “informational noise” and enhance accountability, they suggest adapting responsibility accounting and reporting (RAR) to incorporate stakeholder-impact assessment and to categorise decisions as financial, philanthropic, or socially responsible, aligning internal controls with public CSR commitments and fostering more transparent, ethics-based governance.Finally, considering preparedness for the EU’s sustainability regime, Aleksandra Sulik-Górecka, Marzena Strojek-Filus, and Daniel Iskra, in their article Assessment of Polish companies’ preparedness for ESG reporting in the context of its determinants as evaluated by report preparers, explore Polish companies’ readiness through a nationwide survey and non-parametric inference. Most respondents rated themselves as only moderately prepared, with preparedness significantly linked to firm size (but not industry), about 70% viewing ESG reporting as complex, and they highlight a need for investment in personnel and reporting technologies. The study places these findings in the context of the roll-out of CSRD/ESRS and presents them as a baseline for more in-depth quality analysis.Taken together, the articles in this Special Issue reflect the complexity of modern accounting as a discipline that is simultaneously technological, behavioural, regulatory, and ethical. The contributions show how accounting continues to broaden beyond its traditional financial scope, including data analytics, artificial intelligence, linguistic transparency, and sustainability assurance. Each paper not only advances academic discussion but also provides valuable insights for practitioners, educators, and policymakers, enhancing the quality, relevance, and integrity of accounting information.The Editorial Team extends its gratitude to all authors and reviewers for their valuable contributions and diligent work in preparing this issue. We also thank our readers for their continued interest and engagement with the journal. We hope that the studies presented here will inspire further discussion, research, and innovation in the ever-evolving field of accounting.Marzena Remlein* Ana Rep Romić**The Editorial Team of ZTR is pleased to announce that in ZTR’s 49th year of publication, its four quarterly issues contained 39 articles: 25 in English and 14 in Polish. Their authors come from eleven countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine). We thank all the authors for their cooperation with the Editorial Team and the reviewers of their articles. The manuscripts submitted to ZTR were reviewed in 2025 by 73 reviewers, including 52 from Poland and 21 from abroad. The Editorial Team would like to thank all specialists who provided anonymous reviews and insightful feedback. The list of Polish and foreign reviewers is included in this issue of ZTR and on our journal’s website at https://ztr.skwp.pl/ cms/reviewers. We encourage authors and readers to visit ZTR’s website at https://ztr.skwp.pl/, which contains extensive information about ZTR, including its presence in databases (including Scopus, Web of Science, BazEkon, EBSCO Business Source Ulti-mate, Erich Plus, CEEOL, Cejsh, CROSSREF, DOAJ, and ICI Journals Master List), as well as an invitation to a thematic issue of ZTR in 2026 titled Accounting’s Expanded Horizon: Redefining Internal Practices for Organizational Flourishing (for more, see Call for papers published in ZTR, Vol. 49, No. 2 and at https://ztr.skwp.pl/cms/CMS:647). On behalf of the entire ZTR Editorial Team, I wish all authors, reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, and readers of ZTR a lot of health, happi-ness, and peace, as well as numerous professional successes in 2026. Yours sincerely,Anna Szychta

Masayuki Tanabe, Atsumi Miyake

Cyberattacks targeting the process industry have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. The ISA TR84.00.09 standard and the CCPS guidelines propose methodologies for conducting process risk assessments against cyberattacks on process facilities, such as attacks on the Basic Process Control System (BPCS) and the Safety Instrumented System (SIS), to ensure robust functional requirement management throughout the plant lifecycle. However, hazard identification and risk assessment techniques addressing process incidents triggered by cyberattacks remain largely unstandardized. Contemporary cybersecurity (CS) risk assessments predominantly focus on general Information Technology (IT) risks within business contexts. A notable contributing factor is the persistent misalignment between IT and Operational Technology (OT), including Process Safety (PS). OT professionals often regard CS as the responsibility of IT personnel, while IT teams typically lack familiarity with OT systems. Consequently, integrated IT-OT risk assessments are not widely implemented. This study explores an effective framework and methodology for conducting CS risk assessments specific to process incidents. The research utilizes a typical LNG plant model as the basis for a detailed CS risk assessment. The findings reveal several potential pathways for cyberattacks that could lead to major process incidents, underscoring the criticality of inherent safety measures and effective coordination between CS and PS disciplines. The CS risk assessment framework and procedural guidance detailed in this study are anticipated to significantly enhance the effectiveness of CS risk evaluations and the precise definition of functional requirements to mitigate cybersecurity risks.

Giuseppe Piras, Francesco Muzi, Claudia Zylka

The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a growing reality in the building production sector. Through this integration, it is possible to improve the efficiency of management, maintenance, use and planning of conservation operations, providing an integrated and dynamic vision of the built environment. Simultaneous exchange of BIM-GIS elements in a shared environment facilitates information access and optimizes processes like requalification, activity planning, safety and sustainable urban design. Two alternative strategies are proposed for the multidisciplinary approach, using advanced technologies to acquire, process and manage detailed and georeferenced data. The first one is an open-source environment to guarantee flexibility, customization and accessibility. The second option, in a closed-source environment, provides advanced functionalities and dedicated support. Both require careful planning, detailed analysis and collaboration between the disciplines of architecture, engineering and geoinformatics. The study transcends theoretical analysis by exploring practical implications for real-world systems integration, examining their advantages, limitations and potential synergies in terms of flexibility, security and sustainability. This will enable a more efficient and comprehensive management of the architectural heritage and the built environment, contributing to its preservation and enhancement in the context of the digital transition in a future perspective of smart cities.

Yang Li

This chapter addresses the increasing vulnerability of coastal regions to typhoons and the consequent power outages, emphasizing the critical role of power transmission systems in disaster resilience. It introduces a framework for assessing and enhancing the resilience of these systems against typhoon impacts. The approach integrates a hybrid-driven model for system failure analysis and resilience assessment, employing both data-driven and model-driven techniques. It includes a unique method to identify system vulnerabilities and optimal strategies for resilience enhancement, considering cost-effectiveness. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated through simulations on the IEEE RTS-79 system under realistic typhoon scenarios, showcasing its potential to guide planners in making informed decisions for disaster resilience.

LI Ning(李宁), BAI Li(白莉)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is involved in veterinary medicine, food, environment, medicine, and other fields. It endangers food safety, international trade, economic development, and life health. It has become a major public health problem facing the world. China was the world's largest producer and consumer of antimicrobials, about 60% of which were used in breeding industry. Due to its wide spread use and abuse in the breeding industry, many antimicrobial resistant bacteria appeared and spreaded rapidly. Following the “One Health” strategy, the United Nations encouraged countries to establish cross-sectoral AMR coordination mechanisms. This research compared the development, framework, and some monitoring results of foodborne bacterial antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems in China, the United States, and Europe. National surveillance systems basically covered population and food animal and food-related foodborne bacterial antimicrobial resistance, while also monitoring the use of antimicrobials in human medicine and food animals. American and European countries and regions started earlier and had relatively perfect systems. Through the development of nearly 30 years, they have mastered the baseline level of drug resistance and drug use of foodborne bacteria. Furthermore, scientific evaluation of surveillance data can play a risk management role, like optimizing surveillance programs (such as increasing surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in pets and environmental monitoring) and proposing interventions to limit the spread of resistant bacteria. The surveillance system of foodborne bacterial antimicrobial resistance started late in China. The surveillance of foodborne bacterial antimicrobial resistance in humans, food animals and related foods developed rapidly for 20 years, while the monitoring of antibiotic drug use in food animals began in 2018, and further improvement was needed for all aspects. At the same time, the EU monitoring system implemented the mechanism of breaking down departments to achieve data sharing. At present, different departments responsible for foodborne bacteria antimicrobial resistance monitoring systems have been established in our country. However, the data sharing mechanism has not been realized, and data “chimney” and information isolated island existed, which made it impossible to maximize the utility of existing data resources. By discussing the experiences of the United States and Europe, this research has the following inspirations for the antimicrobial resistance surveillance system in China. It is necessary to gradually improve the antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, establish a multi-sectoral collaborative governance mechanism, and accelerate the application of new technologies in data mining, to comprehensively improve the ability to curb bacterial resistance and protect people's health.(抗微生物药物耐药性(antimicrobial resistance,AMR)涉及兽医、食品、环境、医学等多个领域,危及食品安全、国际贸易、经济发展和生命健康,已成为全球面临的重大公共卫生问题。我国是全球最大的抗微生物药物生产和消费国,其中约60%的抗微生物药物被用于养殖业。由于抗微生物药物在养殖业的广泛使用甚至滥用,导致大量耐药细菌的出现和迅速传播。遵循“One Health”策略,联合国鼓励各国建立跨部门间的AMR协调机制。研究比较了中美欧食源性细菌耐药性监测系统的发展、框架及部分监测结果,发现各国监测体系基本涵盖人群、食品动物和相关食品食源性细菌耐药性,同时也监测人医和食品动物抗微生物药物使用量。欧美国家和地区起步较早,通过近30多年的发展,基本掌握了食源性细菌耐药性的基线水平及药物使用水平。我国食源性细菌耐药性监测体系起步较晚,人群、食品动物和相关食品食源性细菌耐药性监测发展近20年,而食品动物抗生素药物使用量监测于2018年开始启动,各方面都需要进一步完善。欧盟监测体系实施跨部门协作机制,数据共享共用；目前,虽然我国已经建立了不同部门负责的食源性细菌耐药性监测体系,但尚未建立数据共享机制,存在数据“烟囱”和信息孤岛,无法最大化发挥现有数据资源的效用。欧美经验对我国食源性细菌耐药性监测系统有一定启发:我国应逐步完善耐药监测系统、建立多部门协同共治机制及加快新技术在数据挖掘中的运用,从而综合提升遏制细菌耐药性的能力,保障人民健康。)

Ruiqi Liu, Meng Hua, Ke Guan et al.

With the emergence of communication services with stringent requirements such as autonomous driving or on-flight Internet, the sixth-generation (6G) wireless network is envisaged to become an enabling technology for future transportation systems. In this paper, two ways of interactions between 6G networks and transportation are extensively investigated. On one hand, the new usage scenarios and capabilities of 6G over existing cellular networks are firstly highlighted. Then, its potential in seamless and ubiquitous connectivity across the heterogeneous space-air-ground transportation systems is demonstrated, where railways, airplanes, high-altitude platforms and satellites are investigated. On the other hand, we reveal that the introduction of 6G guarantees a more intelligent, efficient and secure transportation system. Specifically, technical analysis on how 6G can empower future transportation is provided, based on the latest research and standardization progresses in localization, integrated sensing and communications, and security. The technical challenges and insights for a road ahead are also summarized for possible inspirations on 6G enabled advanced transportation.

Ioan Doroftei, Mircea Nitulescu, Doina Pisla et al.

The Joint International Conference of the 13th IFToMM International Symposium on Science of Mechanisms and Machines (SYROM 2022) and the XXV International Conference on Robotics (ROBOTICS 2022), https://syrom-robot.upt.ro, was organized by the Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Department at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, with the support of the: Romanian Association for the Science of Mechanisms and Machines (ARoTMM), Robotics Society of Romania (SRR), and Technical Sciences Academy of Romania (ASTR).

Lorina Buhr, Pauline Lucie Martiana Kaufmann, Katharina Jörß

BackgroundIn recent years, the use of digital mobile measurement devices (DMMDs) for self-documentation in cardiovascular care in Western industrialized health care systems has increased. For patients with chronic heart failure (cHF), digital self-documentation plays an increasingly important role in self-management. Data from DMMDs can also be integrated into telemonitoring programs or data-intensive medical research to collect and evaluate patient-reported outcome measures through data sharing. However, the implementation of data-intensive devices and data sharing poses several challenges for doctors and patients as well as for the ethical governance of data-driven medical research. ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the potential and challenges of digital device data in cardiology research from patients’ perspectives. Leading research questions of the study concerned the attitudes of patients with cHF toward health-related data collected in the use of digital devices for self-documentation as well as sharing these data and consenting to data sharing for research purposes. MethodsA cross-sectional survey of patients of a research in cardiology was conducted at a German university medical center (N=159) in 2020 (March to July). Eligible participants were German-speaking adult patients with cHF at that center. A pen-and-pencil questionnaire was sent by mail. ResultsMost participants (77/105, 73.3%) approved digital documentation, as they expected the device data to help them observe their body and its functions more objectively. Digital device data were believed to provide cognitive support, both for patients’ self-assessment and doctors’ evaluation of their patients’ current health condition. Interestingly, positive attitudes toward DMMD data providing cognitive support were, in particular, voiced by older patients aged >65 years. However, approximately half of the participants (56/105, 53.3%) also reported difficulty in dealing with self-documented data that lay outside the optimal medical target range. Furthermore, our findings revealed preferences for the self-management of DMMD data disclosed for data-intensive medical research among German patients with cHF, which are best implemented with a dynamic consent model. ConclusionsOur findings provide potentially valuable insights for introducing DMMD in cardiovascular research in the German context. They have several practical implications, such as a high divergence in attitudes among patients with cHF toward different data-receiving organizations as well as a large variance in preferences for the modes of receiving information included in the consenting procedure for data sharing for research. We suggest addressing patients’ multiple views on consenting and data sharing in institutional normative governance frameworks for data-intensive medical research.

Abishek Thangamuthu, Gunjan Kumar, Suresh Bishnoi et al.

Recently, graph neural networks have been gaining a lot of attention to simulate dynamical systems due to their inductive nature leading to zero-shot generalizability. Similarly, physics-informed inductive biases in deep-learning frameworks have been shown to give superior performance in learning the dynamics of physical systems. There is a growing volume of literature that attempts to combine these two approaches. Here, we evaluate the performance of thirteen different graph neural networks, namely, Hamiltonian and Lagrangian graph neural networks, graph neural ODE, and their variants with explicit constraints and different architectures. We briefly explain the theoretical formulation highlighting the similarities and differences in the inductive biases and graph architecture of these systems. We evaluate these models on spring, pendulum, gravitational, and 3D deformable solid systems to compare the performance in terms of rollout error, conserved quantities such as energy and momentum, and generalizability to unseen system sizes. Our study demonstrates that GNNs with additional inductive biases, such as explicit constraints and decoupling of kinetic and potential energies, exhibit significantly enhanced performance. Further, all the physics-informed GNNs exhibit zero-shot generalizability to system sizes an order of magnitude larger than the training system, thus providing a promising route to simulate large-scale realistic systems.

João Varajão

Javed Aslam, Aqeela Saleem, Nokhaiz Tariq Khan et al.

Planning to adopt the Blockchain is very active in many industries, especially in supply chains. Researchers believe that the Radio-frequency identification (RFIDs), yesterday’s Blockchain, is now obsolete. The strongest reason that the Blockchain is the tool of this era is its unique features; real-time information sharing, cyber-security, transparency, reliability, traceability, and visibility, all of which boost the supply-chain performance. Despite the extensive literature on Blockchain, in recent years, no clear framework has defined whether a supply chain should implement Blockchain or not. This study attempts to fill this gap by proposing a framework for complex supply chain networks. In doing so, first, we identified the supply-chain practices of the oil industry in Pakistan, then we empirically analyzed the impact of these practices on operational performance. The results show that the supply chain management (SCM) practices positively impact operational performance. On the other hand, with the help of literature, we identified different Blockchain features and their influence on different supply chain practices. This study guides managers and decision-makers to evaluate their current supply-chain practices and understand the relationship between supply-chain practices and Blockchain features, and how different Blockchain features can help improving supply-chain practices and ultimately improving operational performance.

Michael D. Ekstrand, Anubrata Das, Robin Burke et al.

Recommendation, information retrieval, and other information access systems pose unique challenges for investigating and applying the fairness and non-discrimination concepts that have been developed for studying other machine learning systems. While fair information access shares many commonalities with fair classification, the multistakeholder nature of information access applications, the rank-based problem setting, the centrality of personalization in many cases, and the role of user response complicate the problem of identifying precisely what types and operationalizations of fairness may be relevant, let alone measuring or promoting them. In this monograph, we present a taxonomy of the various dimensions of fair information access and survey the literature to date on this new and rapidly-growing topic. We preface this with brief introductions to information access and algorithmic fairness, to facilitate use of this work by scholars with experience in one (or neither) of these fields who wish to learn about their intersection. We conclude with several open problems in fair information access, along with some suggestions for how to approach research in this space.

William Jones, Jesse David Dinneen, Robert Capra et al.

Personal Information Management (PIM) refers to the practice and the study of the activities a person performs in order to acquire or create, store, organize, maintain, retrieve, use, and distribute information in each of its many forms (paper and digital, in e-mails, files, Web pages, text messages, tweets, posts, etc.) as needed to meet life's many goals (everyday and long-term, work-related and not) and to fulfill life's many roles and responsibilities (as parent, spouse, friend, employee, member of community, etc.). PIM activities are an effort to establish, use, and maintain a mapping between information and need. Activities of finding (and re-finding) move from a current need toward information while activities of keeping move from encountered information toward anticipated need. Meta-level activities such as maintaining, organizing, and managing the flow of information focus on the mapping itself. Tools and techniques of PIM can promote information integration with benefits for each kind of PIM activity and across the life cycle of personal information. Understanding how best to accomplish this integration without inadvertently creating problems along the way is a key challenge of PIM.

Timothy J. Rogers, Tobias Friis

Identification of nonlinear dynamic systems remains a significant challenge across engineering. This work suggests an approach based on Bayesian filtering to extract and identify the contribution of an unknown nonlinear term in the system which can be seen as an alternative viewpoint on restoring force surface type approaches. To achieve this identification, the contribution which is the nonlinear restoring force is modelled, initially, as a Gaussian process in time. That Gaussian process is converted into a state-space model and combined with the linear dynamic component of the system. Then, by inference of the filtering and smoothing distributions, the internal states of the system and the nonlinear restoring force can be extracted. In possession of these states a nonlinear model can be constructed. The approach is demonstrated to be effective in both a simulated case study and on an experimental benchmark dataset.

Harsh Rajvanshi, Praveen K. Bharti, Sekh Nisar et al.

Abstract Background In the past decade substantial reduction in malaria morbidity and mortality has been observed through well-implemented case management and vector control strategies. India has also achieved a significant reduction in malaria burden in 2018 and has committed to eliminate malaria by 2030. The Mandla Malaria Elimination Demonstration Project (MEDP) was started in 2017 in 1233 villages of District Mandla to demonstrate malaria elimination in a tribal district with hard-to-reach areas was possible using active and passive surveillance, case management, vector control, and targeted information, education and communication campaigns. An operational plan was developed to strengthen the existing surveillance and malaria elimination systems, through fortnightly active case detection to ensure that all cases including those that are introduced into the communities are rapidly identified and treated promptly. The plan also focused on the reduction of human-mosquito contact through the use of Long-Lasting Insecticial Nets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spray (IRS). The operational plan was modified in view of the present COVID-19 pandemic by creating systems of assistance for the local administration for COVID-related work while ensuring the operational integrity of malaria elimination efforts. Results The use of MEDP study design and operational plan, with its built-in management control systems, has yielded significant (91%) reduction of indigenous cases of malaria during the period from June 2017 to May 2020. The malaria positivity rate was 0.33% in 2017–18, 0.13% in 2018–19, and 0.06% in 2019–20. Mass screening revealed 0.18% malaria positivity in September–October 2018, followed by 0.06% in June 2019, and 0.03% in December 2019, and these were mostly asymptomatic cases in the community. The project has been able to sustain the gains of the past three years during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion This paper provides the study design and the operational plan for malaria elimination in a high-burden district of Central India, which presented difficulties of hard to reach areas, forest malaria, and complex epidemiology of urban and rural malaria. The lessons learned could be used for malaria elimination efforts in rest of the country and other parts of South Asia with comparable demography and epidemiology.

Satyam Gangwar, Vikram Bali, Ajay Kumar

The objective of this work is to present a comprehensive exploration of deep learning based wind forecasting model. The forecasting of speed of wind is called as the wind speed forecasting/prediction. It is basically done to achieve the better sustainability for power generation and production. The availability of wind energy in ample amount makes it quitecomfortable to be utilized for various functionalities. In this research work the main aim is to forecast speed using LSTM including certain parameters and then comparative analysis is done using SVM. Both are machine learning approaches but have different functionalities in comparison to each other. This comparison is done to obtain the better technique which can be further applied on larger datasets to design a better, accurate, efficient forecasting model for speed of wind. The survey and implementation of both the techniques gave a clear idea about the utilisation of long short term memory for the better and enhanced wind speed forecasting. The forecasting is based on various atmospheric variables, and the data set istaken from the kaggle datsets which have numerous attributes but we have considered few of them only for the prediction purpose.

Janne Dugstad, Tom Eide, Etty R. Nilsen et al.

Abstract Background Implementation of digital monitoring technology systems is considered beneficial for increasing the safety and quality of care for residents in nursing homes and simultaneously improving care providers’ workflow. Co-creation is a suitable approach for developing and implementing digital technologies and transforming the service accordingly. This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers for implementation of digital monitoring technology in residential care for persons with dementia and wandering behaviour, and explore co-creation as an implementation strategy and practice. Methods In this longitudinal case study, we observed and elicited the experiences of care providers and healthcare managers in eight nursing homes, in addition to those of the information technology (IT) support services and technology vendors, during a four-year implementation process. We were guided by theories on innovation, implementation and learning, as well as co-creation and design. The data were analysed deductively using a determinants of innovation framework, followed by an inductive content analysis of interview and observation data. Results The implementation represented radical innovation and required far more resources than the incremental changes anticipated by the participants. Five categories of facilitators and barriers were identified, including several subcategories for each category: 1) Pre-implementation preparations; 2) Implementation strategy; 3) Technology stability and usability; 4) Building competence and organisational learning; and 5) Service transformation and quality management. The combination of IT infrastructure instability and the reluctance of the IT support service to contribute in co-creating value with the healthcare services was the most persistent barrier. Overall, the co-creation methodology was the most prominent facilitator, resulting in a safer night monitoring service. Conclusion Successful implementation of novel digital monitoring technologies in the care service is a complex and time-consuming process and even more so when the technology allows care providers to radically transform clinical practices at the point of care, which offers new affordances in the co-creation of value with their residents. From a long-term perspective, the digital transformation of municipal healthcare services requires more advanced IT competence to be integrated directly into the management and provision of healthcare and value co-creation with service users and their relatives.

Stefan Gruner

Holger Kinkelin, Valentin Hauner, Heiko Niedermayer et al.

Numerous IoT applications, like building automation or process control of industrial sites, exist today. These applications inherently have a strong connection to the physical world. Hence, IT security threats cannot only cause problems like data leaks but also safety issues which might harm people. Attacks on IT systems are not only performed by outside attackers but also insiders like administrators. For this reason, we present ongoing work on a configuration management system (CMS) that provides control over administrators, restrains their rights, and enforces separation of concerns. We reach this goal by conducting a configuration management process that requires multi-party authorization for critical configurations to achieve Byzantine fault tolerance against attacks and faults by administrators. Only after a configuration has been authorized by multiple experts, it is applied to the targeted devices. For the whole configuration management process, our CMS guarantees accountability and traceability. Lastly, our system is tamper-resistant as we leverage Hyperledger Fabric, which provides a distributed execution environment for our CMS and a blockchain-based distributed ledger that we use to store the configurations. A beneficial side effect of this approach is that our CMS is also suitable to manage configurations for infrastructure shared across different organizations that do not need to trust each other.