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There is a need to reduce human–wildlife conflicts in the area around Liupanshan Nature Reserve in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. This study investigated the financial losses caused by wild boar and their causes. A questionnaire investigation (n = 135) and a field test were conducted, which included 108 sample lines and 97 infrared cameras. A principal component analysis and generalised linear model was used to analyse the importance of the effect of the factors on wild boar damage. Based on an estimate of 17,049 wild boars in the study area, we found that in the agricultural land owned by the residents, the boar density of each county and distance from the village to the nature reserve were the most significant factors that affected crop damage. Then, financial losses in spring, summer, and autumn had a moderate effect on financial loss, and the crop type had the lowest effect. We recommend reducing the wild boar population by increasing leisure hunting and the number of leopards. Additionally, a focus on farmland protection is a practical way to prevent wild boar invasions. Meanwhile, it is also necessary to conduct long-term monitoring of wild boar population status and manage the relationship between the government, research teams, and local people to more efficiently and comprehensively reduce conflicts between humans and wild boars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to estimate the total financial (direct and indirect) and avoidable losses related to lameness in Turkish dairy herds. Official and previous published data were used for determining the mean (12.9%) and target prevalence (6.6%) values. Direct financial losses due to lameness were calculated as treatment costs, involuntary culling, and milk yield losses. Indirect losses consisted of extended calving intervals and extra insemination losses. As a result, the average financial loss of lameness per case on dairy farms was $153.8 ($116.8 for mild and $264.7 for severe forms) in Türkiye. Avoidable losses ($75.1) were calculated to be equivalent to 187 liters of cow's milk with current prices for the 2023 year. The share of direct and indirect financial losses was 49.6% and 50.4%, respectively. Total annual losses related to lameness in Türkiye are calculated at $130.5 million (326 million Lt. milk eq.), although $63.7 million (159 million Lt. milk eq.) of the losses could be avoided by farmers. The milk equivalent of avoidable losses corresponds to 0.77% of Türkiye's total annual milk production. In conclusion, lameness causes significant financial losses in Turkish dairy herds. However, almost half of these losses (48.8%) may be avoidable with better management practices which help to increase the productivity and profitability of dairy farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the conditions of growing challenges in cyberspace, the information environment protection system is a preventive mechanism for protecting national interests from risks and threats. The relevance of this issue is also due to the military aggression of the Russian Federation, which also poses a threat to the information space as the basis of the country’s national security. The purpose of the present study was to express the current level of cyber protection of Ukraine and to form approaches for its improvement. The article used the group-graphic method of analysis and synthesis, comparison, generalization and abstraction. As a result, the countries were ranked by the number of cyberattacks. It was possible to identify promising directions for increasing the level of cyber security, one of which is the improvement of information protection systems in cyberspace against intrusions and unauthorized access. Thus, the article developed a technique for improving the intrusion detection process, based on a system of residual classes based on non-positional code structures. It is advisable to use the obtained results during the formation of the mechanism of optimal data reservation in the economic sphere of Ukraine using a non-positional system of calculation in residual classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine cysticercosis is regarded as a critical public health problem affecting farm animals' wealth. The current study sought to establish the prevalence of Cysticercus bovis, histopathology, and its economic effect on slaughtered cattle from Egypt's ElMenofia Province. The inspection of 4670 cattle carcasses, 2500 male and 2170 female, was done over two years, from March 2019 to February 2021, at three abattoirs (ElShohada, El-Bagour, and Menof). The findings showed that 0.69% of slaughtered cattle had C. bovis. The prevalence was highest in summer and autumn at 0.195% followed by winter at 0.17% and spring at 0.13%. Females were more susceptible than males to infection at 0.58% and 0.11%, respectively. The presence of C. bovis was associated with the age of the inspected carcass. The increased prevalence was observed in female cattle older than 5 years. The predilection sites were masseter muscle (0.23%), heart (0.44%), and entire carcass (0.04%). Heavy infection with C. bovis was observed in two cases in El-Bagour abattoir. The recovered C. bovis morphology and histopathology were documented. Grossly, C. bovis was found either an oval live fluid-filled cyst or a degenerating dead cyst with dystrophic calcification. Histopathology of C. bovis in cow muscle showed its sucker, central spiral convoluted canal, and oval-shaped basophilic calcareous bodies. The parasite was surrounded by the host inflammatory cells. C. bovis was found live, dead, or calcified and ranged from 5-8mm in diameter, with local or heavy infestation. Cysticercosis caused significant economic losses, with an estimated total annual loss of 57970 Egyptian Pounds from the condemnation of organs in this study's inspected carcasses and a total of 1935150 EP from the total condemnation in the three abattoirs included in this study, including ours. This low prevalence of infection suggests using a good drainage system to protect cattle intermediate hosts of T. saginata to prevent human infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed at performing correlation analyses to gain a more detailed systems understanding of the temporal trends in financial losses from fires (disaster impacts) and the fire brigade call-outs (disaster response) in South Africa from the 2004 to 2017 period. The analysis is performed using data on the fire disaster impacts at the national level and the local level (Makana Local Municipality). The data on disaster impacts was extracted from databases and reports published by the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa and Statistics South Africa. The total number of fire brigade call-outs/fires for the entire territory of South Africa ranged from 26574 in 2010 to 49567 in 2017. There was a direct correlation between the total number of fires and the losses from fires in residential settings in South Africa with time for the studied period. The losses from fire disasters in residential settings accounted for between 21.84 % and 74.06 % of all financial losses in South Africa between 2004 and 2017. On the other hand, call-outs to fire brigades with a residential cause or related to rubbish/bush/grass accounted for an average of 81.7 ± 2.7 % between 2004 and 2007, while it reached 88.5 ± 4.9 % in Makana Local Municipality. This indicates that fires in residential settings or related to rubbish or plant-based fuel account for a significant majority of the time fire brigades spent fighting fires in South Africa between 2004 and 2017. Fuel and waste management, and increasing fire human resilience at the household level, will play a significant role in the fire disaster risk management in South Africa. Vegetation cover and management will play a key role in the fire DRM in South Africa and local municipalities such as Makana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐phase unbalanced conditions in distribution networks are conventionally caused by load imbalance, asymmetrical fault conditions of transformers and impedances of three phases. The uneven integration of single‐phase distributed generation (DG) worsens the imbalance situation. These unbalanced conditions result in financial losses, inefficient utilisation of assets and security risks to the network infrastructure. In this study, a phase‐changing soft open point (PC‐SOP) is proposed as a new way of connecting soft open points (SOPs) to balance the power flows among three phases by controlling active power and reactive power. Then an operational strategy based on PC‐SOPs is presented for three‐phase four‐wire unbalanced systems. By optimising the regulation of SOPs, optimal energy storage systems dispatch and DG curtailment, the proposed strategy can reduce power losses and three‐phase imbalance. Second‐order cone programming (SOCP) relaxation is utilised to convert the original non‐convex and non‐linear model into an SOCP model which can be solved efficiently by commercial solvers. Case studies are conducted on a modified IEEE 34‐node three‐phase four‐wire system and the IEEE 123‐node test feeder to verify the effectiveness, efficiency and scalability of the proposed PC‐SOP concept and its operational strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Budget constraints may cause delays in the development of transmission expansion projects. These delays increase the probability of congestion in power systems. The congestions preclude a non‐discriminatory access of Generation Companies (GenCos) to transmission network, thus leading to financial losses to certain GenCos. On the other hand, a higher degree of risk is involved in transmission investment, and a long time period is required to return the capital cost. It would, therefore, be effective to offer structures to promote merchant investments in order to lighten the financial burden on the transmission service provider to avoid lengthy delays. This paper proposes a structure to involve the GenCos in merchant transmission investment. The rationale for engaging in such projects is that, as well as the profit from the merchant investment, the GenCos could make further profit from energy production by gaining improved access to load areas. The merchant investment cost of the transmission project is returned through long‐term firm contracts together with revenues from financial transmission right. The most profitable plan of the GenCo is identified by conducting a cost‐benefit analysis among expansion plans specified by the transmission system operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate and quantify the different factors affecting the costs of mastitis in cattle, to quantify the annual and monthly financial losses attributed to mastitis, and to estimate production losses using average linear scores found on The Dairy Herd Improvement Association somatic cell count (SCC) sheets and bulk tank SCC per lactation number. Materials and Methods: All data (bovine mastitis-associated costs and expenditures in Egyptian dairy herds) were analyzed using SPSS/PCT, 2001. A partial budget technique using spreadsheet software and the general linear model procedure was used to analyze the productive and financial measures. Results: Mastitis was present in 57.1% of cows (240/420), while clinical mastitis (CM) was present in 19% of them (80/420). The geometric mean of SCC/ml in bulk tank milk samples of 150 cattle dairy farms was 556.3×103. The annual subclinical mastitis (SCM)-related economic loss was 21,933,258.6 LE, and the two most important cost components were the subsequent decrease in milk production and quality premium losses (93% and 7% of SCM costs, respectively). The quality premium loss was 1,369,602.1 LE. On the other hand, the annual economic loss due to decreased milk production as a result of SCM was 20,563,656.5 LE. The total cost of 80 CM cases, including the failure and preventive costs, was 1,196,871.4 LE, including 1,169,150.4 LE failure costs (106,336.0 LE in direct costs and 1,062,814.4 LE in indirect costs) and 27,721.0 LE preventive costs. The average cost per CM case was 28,760.9 LE, including veterinary time and consultation fees of 250.0 LE (1%), labor 562.5 LE (2%), premature culling 736,000.0 LE (77%), decreased milk production 4085.18 LE (13.7%), discarded milk 185.3 LE (1%), and drugs and treatments 328.9 LE (1%). The total costs of CM (expenditures) extra control and preventive measures, including the diagnosis of CM for 80 cows annually in 20 Egyptian dairy farms were 27,721.0 LE, representing 346.5 LE or 1% of the total cost of CM cases. The cost of monitoring and diagnostic measures was 8635.2 LE, representing 107.9 LE or 1% of the total cost of a case of CM. Conclusion: The method used for cost estimation, in this study, is highly adaptable to individual cattle farms and had a major role in assessing specific control and management measures. The concepts described in this paper help to improve our understanding of the full economic impact of clinical and subclinical mastitis in cattle in Egypt. Assessing the economic losses from mastitis to determine the economic costs and losses occurring in Egyptian dairy farms is critical for encouraging farmers to acknowledge the scale of the problem and implement effective management practices aimed at improving mastitis control and reducing the associated costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study investigated the causes of beef carcass and organ condemnations and the associated financial losses at a high throughput abattoir in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, from 2009 to 2013. Post-mortem meat inspection records from September 2009 to July 2013 that were kept at the abattoir were analyzed. Of the 26,957 cattle slaughtered during the study period, 59 whole carcasses, 13,884 livers, 13,161 lungs, 406 hearts, 33 kidneys, 265 pluck, 563 spleens, 163 heads, 160 tongues and 79 intestines were condemned. Whole carcasses were condemned mainly due to generalized Cysticercus bovis cysts (40.7%) and cachexia (39%). Among the organs, livers (51.5%) and lungs (48.8%) had the highest levels of condemnation. Liver flukes and hydatid cysts were responsible for most of the liver condemnations (65% and 17.1%, respectively), while hydatid cysts (63.4%) and abscesses (15.4%) were responsible for most of the lung condemnations. Fecal contamination (68.7%) and pericarditis (19.7%) were identified as the major cause of heart condemnations. Fecal contamination (43.6%, 32.5%), abscesses (41.7%, 45%) and C. bovis cysts (14.7%, 15%) were responsible for head and tongue condemnations, respectively. About 7.5% of the tongues were also condemned for floor contamination. Abscesses (49.4%), C. tenuicollis cysts (34.2%), nodular worm (13.9%) and floor contamination (2.5%) were responsible for condemnations of intestines. Fecal contamination (98.4%), floor contamination (0.9%) and splenitis (0.7%) were responsible for condemnations of spleens. Nephritis was the only recorded reason for the condemnation of kidneys. Total monetary losses due to carcass and organ condemnations over the study period were estimated at US$143,711.08. Although there was a 0.2% proportional condemnation of whole carcasses, these were responsible for 17.5% of the revenue losses (US$25,149.44). About 65.0% and 30.5% of the rest of the revenue losses were due to liver and lung condemnations, respectively. The rest of the causes were collectively responsible for only 3.71% of the overall revenue losses. Zoonotic parasites, C. bovis, fasciolosis and hydatid cysts were identified as the major causes of carcass and organ condemnations constituting a major public health concern. Considering the size of the local economy, the revenue losses due to carcass and organ condemnations were quite high. This necessitates education of the stakeholders and the general public on the health and economic implications conveyed by this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry routinely collects samples to assist with decision making, whether for exploration, resource estimation, grade control, or plant design and balances. Poorly designed sampling protocols can result in elevated project risk by increasing variability. Critically, such variability produces both financial and intangible losses. Sample collection, preparation and assay or test work protocols that are optimised to suit the ore type, together with QAQC systems will reduce variability. Many gold deposits display a high natural variability, where thein situvariability can be enhanced by poor sampling practice to yield a high-nugget effect. In this case, specialised protocols are often required. Reporting codes require the Competent Person to consider the quality and implication of sampling programmes. Despite its importance, sampling often does not receive the attention it deserves. In this paper, the importance of good sampling practice is exemplified through a series of case studies, which show the many sampling issues that frequently go unrecognised or unaddressed, resulting in poor decisions and financial loss. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bovine cysticercosis is considered to be a dangerous problem for both public health and the livestock economy. The present study aimed to determine the cysticercus bovis prevalence and their economic losses in slaughtered cattle in Menofia governorate. Visual meat inspection of 2640 cattle carcasses at different abattoirs of Menofia governorate was carried out all over one year extended from January 2015 to December 2015. The results revealed that, the prevalence of cysticercus bovis in slaughtered cattle was 6.09% and the affected organs were head (masseter and tongue), heart and whole carcass with an infection rate of 3.63%, 2.42% and 0.04% respectively. Moreover, the morphological description and measurements of recovered cysticercus bovis were recorded. It was observed that, the cysticercosis causes sever economic losses, as the estimated annual financial losses of cysticercosis in slaughtered cattle were 87032 Egyptian Pound (EGP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Disease outbreaks increase the cost of animal production; reduce milk and beef yield, cattle sales, farmers' incomes, and enterprise profitability. The study assessed the economic effects of foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks along the cattle marketing chain in selected study districts in Uganda. Materials and Methods: The study combined qualitative and quantitative study designs. Respondents were selected proportionally using simple random sampling from the sampling frame comprising of 224, 173, 291, and 185 farmers for Nakasongola, Nakaseke, Isingiro, and Rakai, respectively. Key informants were selected purposively. Data analysis combined descriptive, modeling, and regression analysis. Data on the socio-economic characteristics and how they influenced FMD outbreaks, cattle markets revenue losses, and the economic cost of the outbreaks were analyzed using descriptive measures including percentages, means, and frequencies. Results: Farmers with small and medium herds incurred higher control costs, whereas large herds experienced the highest milk losses. Total income earned by the actors per month at the processing level reduced by 23%. In Isingiro, bulls and cows were salvage sold at 83% and 88% less market value, i.e., a loss of $196.1 and $1,552.9 in small and medium herds, respectively. Conclusion: All actors along the cattle marketing chain incur losses during FMD outbreaks, but smallholder farmers are most affected. Control and prevention of FMD should remain the responsibility of the government if Uganda is to achieve a disease-free status that is a prerequisite for free movement and operation of cattle markets throughout the year which will boost cattle marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was first detected in Switzerland in July 2012 and many Swiss dairy farmers reported acute clinical signs in dairy cattle during the spread of the virus until December 2012. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of an acute infection with SBV on milk yield, fertility and veterinary costs in dairy farms with clinical signs of SBV infection (case farms), and to compare those farms to a matched control group of dairy farms in which cattle did not show clinical signs of SBV infection. Herd size was significantly ( p < 0.001) larger in case farms (33 cows, n = 77) than in control farms (25 cows, n = 84). Within case herds, 14.8% (median) of the cows showed acute clinical signs. Managers from case farms indicated to have observed a higher abortion rate during the year with SBV (6.5%) than in the previous year (3.7%). Analysis of fertility parameters based on veterinary bills and data from the breeding associations showed no significant differences between case and control farms. The general veterinary costs per cow from July to December 2012 were significantly higher ( p = 0.02) in case (CHF 19.80; EUR 16.50) than in control farms (CHF 15.90; EUR 13.25). No differences in milk yield were found between groups, but there was a significant decrease in milk production in case farms in the second half year in 2012 compared to the same period in 2011 ( p < 0.001) and 2013 ( p = 0.009). The average daily milk yield per cow (both groups together) was +0.73 kg higher ( p = 0.03) in the second half year 2011 and +0.52 kg ( p = 0.12) in the second half year 2013 compared to the same half year 2012. Fifty-seven percent of the cows with acute clinical signs ( n = 461) were treated by a veterinarian. The average calculated loss after SBV infection for a standardized farm was CHF 1606 (EUR 1338), which can be considered as low at the national level, but the losses were subject to great fluctuations between farms, so that individual farms could have very high losses (>CHF 10,000, EUR 8333). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a stochastic methodology to assess annual performance of distribution network and individual customers with respect to voltage sags, long duration interruptions, equipment trips, and process trips. These values are then used to evaluate financial losses in the entire distribution network. For each of the large number of simulated faults throughout the network, a probability of sag and long duration interruption occurrences is evaluated at each network bus. The methodology then includes for the first time the concept of process immunity time in order to assess as accurately as possible the resulting financial loss due to process interruption. To increase the accuracy of the assessment of financial loss, the methodology also considers the possibility of equipment and process restart, reliability, and type of fault. The methodology is illustrated on a real distribution network and it shows that inclusion of PIT in financial loss assessment results in a reduction of about 25% in estimated financial loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chicken diseases significantly contribute to the financial losses of small-scale chicken keepers in Tanzania through mortality and control management. However, little is known about the relationship between chicken mortality and disease, sex, and control measures. In addition, the financial losses for farmers in Dodoma resulted from mortality due to diseases and poor productivity due to improper management. A cross-sectional, longitudinal questionnaire survey with multistage sampling was conducted in the Kongwa district and Dodoma municipality to gather data from 400 randomly selected households (200 from each district). Semistructured questionnaires were used for data collection over four quarters of the year. Low morbidity and high mortality due to diseases were observed in first and second quarters (Q1 and Q2), whereas high morbidity and low mortality were observed in third and fourth quarters (Q3 and Q4). The Kongwa district experienced significantly higher mortality than the Dodoma Municipal district (P < 0.001). Disease mortality was negatively affected by cocks, hens and chicks (P < 0.001). Control interventions such as treatment, prophylaxis use lowered the effect of chicken mortality due to diseases and pronounced effects when at least 2 approaches were applied by the farmers (P < 0.005). The total financial loss incurred by the 400 interviewees is approximately Tsh. 119.9 million (52,146.96 USD). This study outlines the financial losses associated with mortality, poor productivity, poor performance, and increased costs of disease management and control in chicken-keeper households in the Dodoma region. To avoid these losses, farmers and other stakeholders should design proper control strategies while considering the season of the year and disease categories affecting chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed via a survey conducted of a total of 112 cattle operations in Kars and the vicinity and included a total of 2317 head, of which 280 were determined to have foot problems. The financial loss incurred per operation was calculated in accordance with the data obtained. As a result, the prevalence of foot disease encountered in cattle in the region in 2010 was determined to be 12.08%, and although it varied depending on the severity of the foot diseases, the animals were healed in an average of 46.5 days. Live weights declined by an average of 14.9% due to pain and lower feed consumption during the course of the disease and the rate of reoccurrence of the foot disease averaged 37.4%. Furthermore, it was determined that total loss per operation from foot diseases in this study was €357.85 and that operations spent an average of €76.36 per year on foot disease in the form of treatment and veterinarian expenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed obtaining the data via Delphi Expert Opinion Surveys (DEOS) and Targeted Group Surveys (TGS) required for calculation of financial losses caused by Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis in infected animals and humans and also required for performing cost-benefit analysis for different brucellosis control strategies in Turkey. DEOS performed in two rounds with 58 specialist veterinarians and medical doctors. TGS performed in one round with 18 livestock enterprises and 25 patients that has officially approved infection diagnosis. As a result of this study, it was determined that DEOS and TGS are extremely beneficial to obtain required data for financial and economical analysis of brucellosis that are not exist in literature and reports of authorized organizations or there are suspects on their credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the factors that influence the outcome of financial-loss analysis in voltage sag studies. Focusing on industrial processes, this paper considers the effects of voltage sag profile estimation, plant-load profile modelling, and process cycle modelling on the financial risk associated with process failure. Based on voltage sag monitoring records, sag profile is probabilistically modeled for the estimation of future sag characteristic. Variations in financial risk due to varying process activities in different stages of a process (process cycle) and load profile are also investigated. The effects of the individual factors are analyzed through Monte Carlo simulation. The stochastic net present value method is introduced as a financial analysis tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wildfires over the central Indian Himalayan region have attracted the significant attention of environmental scientists. Despite their major and disastrous effects on the environment and air quality, studies on the forest fires' impacts from a renewable energy point of view are lacking for this region. Therefore, for the first time, we examine the impact of massive forest fires on the reduction in solar energy production over the Indian subcontinent via remote sensing techniques. For this purpose, we used data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIPSO), the Satellite Application Facility on support to Nowcasting/Very Short-Range Forecasting Meteosat Second Generation (SAFNWC/MSG) in conjunction with radiative transfer model (RTM) simulation, in addition to 1-day aerosol forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The energy production during the first quarter of 2021 was found to reach 650 kWh/m2 and the revenue generated was about INR (Indian rupee) 79.5 million. During the study period, the total attenuation due to aerosols and clouds was estimated to be 116 and 63 kWh/m2 for global and beam horizontal irradiance (GHI and BHI), respectively. The financial loss due to the presence of aerosols was found to be INR 8 million, with the corresponding loss due to clouds reaching INR 14 million for the total Indian solar plant's capacity potential (40 GW). This analysis of daily energy and financial losses can help the grid operators in planning and scheduling power generation and supply during the period of fires. The findings of the present study will drastically increase the awareness among the decision makers in India about the indirect effects of forest fires on renewable energy production, and help promote the reduction in carbon emissions and greenhouse gases in the air, along with the increase in mitigation processes and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is aimed at estimating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-induced production losses in individual dairy and fattening cattle in Turkey. The data used were obtained from a Delphi Expert Opinion Survey. The weighted average FMD-induced financial losses for all breeds were estimated to be $294/head for a milking cow, $152/head for a dairy heifer and $197/head for beef cattle. However, the amount of financial loss varied across different breeds, ages, and sexes. The study findings suggest that culling Holstein breed cows, beef cattle, and Holstein and cross breed female calves, as soon as they have an FMD infection, would be economically viable for Turkish cattle producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is becoming clear that the underground hacking industry as a whole (not just individual hackers) is continually gaining ground despite the best efforts of the information security industry. It seems the latter should have an overwhelming advantage, as a multibillion dollar industry staffed with hundreds of thousands of security professionals. However, the efforts of the information security industry are almost always reactive, and in most cases amount to losing ground on the defensive. The unfortunate and seldom acknowledged truth is that the underground hacking industry is always one step ahead. Why are we so slow to respond when all evidence indicates that such delays lead to enormous business losses? Is it possible that the fundamental way our information system security is organized has some inherited deficiencies which are prohibiting us from successfully mounting an effective defense? Today's losses are becoming too great to say that we are just in need of some evolutionary improvements. Instead, we need to reevaluate the way we go about security business as a whole. In this article, we consider various processes common to both information systems and information system security based on both well-known cases and personal experience. This is our initial attempt to analyze how information system security is organized and to suggest some core changes to its processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second part of this paper presents a practical implementation and application of the methodology for the stochastic assessment of the annual financial losses due to interruptions and voltage sags discussed in the first part of this paper. The costs of interruptions and voltage sags are determined separately and then combined in order to estimate the total financial losses in the network. The methodology is illustrated on a generic realistic distribution network with all relevant network components modeled appropriately. Finally, different network topologies are compared taking into account total financial losses in the network. It is shown that the inclusion of the financial losses due to voltage sags that may account for up to about 20% of the interruption costs may alter the network topology ranking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a generalized methodology for stochastic/probabilistic assessment of the annual financial losses due to interruptions and voltage sags. The costs of interruptions and voltage sags are treated separately and then combined in order to estimate the total financial losses in the network per annum. The methodology proposed is applicable to both assessment of individual customer losses and assessment of total network losses. It takes into account in a probabilistic manner all the uncertainties associated with the voltage sag calculation, sensitivity of customers' equipment to voltage sags, the interconnection of the equipment within an industrial process, and customer types and the location of the process in the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the impact of atmospheric aerosols and clouds on the surface solar radiation and solar energy at Nainital, a high-altitude remote location in the central Gangetic Himalayan region (CGHR). For this purpose, we exploited the synergy of remote-sensed data in terms of ground-based AERONET Sun Photometer and satellite observations from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), with radiative transfer model (RTM) simulations and 1 day forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). Clouds and aerosols are one of the most common sources of solar irradiance attenuation and hence causing performance issues in the photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) plant installations. The outputs of RTM results presented with high accuracy under clear, cloudy sky and dust conditions for global horizontal (GHI) and beam horizontal irradiance (BHI). On an annual basis the total aerosol attenuation was found to be up to 105 kWh m−2 for the GHI and 266 kWh m−2 for BHI, respectively, while the cloud effect is much stronger with an attenuation of 245 and 271 kWh m−2 on GHI and BHI. The results of this study will support the Indian solar energy producers and electricity handling entities in order to quantify the energy and financial losses due to cloud and aerosol presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to measure the impact of productivity and the consequent economic losses related to lung lesions caused by M. hyopneumoniae. Five-hundred 75 days-old pigs were selected and weighed at the beginning and at the end of the finishing phase to assess the average daily gain (ADG). These animals were evaluated at the slaughter, and samples were collected for laboratory analysis to confirm the presence of M. hyopneumoniae DNA. The lungs of each pig were examined and classified into groups based on the extension of macroscopic lung lesions. Four-hundred eighty-six lungs were examined and 68.5% (n = 333) had macroscopic lung lesions. All pigs with lesions were positive for M. hyopneumoniae in qPCR. Linear mixed regression models (proc Glimmix) were performed on SAS to estimate the effect of macroscopic lung lesion scores on the ADG of finishing pigs. All pairwise comparisons among lesion score groups were performed using p < 0.05. For each increase of one percent in the lesion area, there was a decrease of 1.8 g in the daily weight gain. All the groups had a numerically lower ADG when compared to Group 1 (no lesions). The economic analysis was performed by simulation on Excel to estimate and compare the financial performance of the different lung lesion score groups. The negative correlation found between the group with no lung lesions and the group with more than 15.1% of lesions, showed a statistical difference in ADG, which could mean an opportunity to gain up to $ 6.55 per pig at slaughter. The presence of lesions causes the animals to decrease their productive potential, causing financial loss and generating impacts on the production system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the photovoltaic (PV) energy production from the rooftop solar plant of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) and the impact of clouds and aerosols on the PV energy production based on earth observation (EO)-related techniques and solar resource modeling. The post-processed satellite remote sensing observations from the INSAT-3D have been used in combination with Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) 1-day forecasts to perform the Indian Solar Irradiance Operational System (INSIOS) simulations. NITK experiences cloudy conditions for a major part of the year that attenuates the solar irradiance available for PV energy production and the aerosols cause performance issues in the PV installations and maintenance. The proposed methodology employs cloud optical thickness (COT) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) to perform the INSIOS simulations and quantify the impact of clouds and aerosols on solar energy potential, quarter-hourly monitoring, forecasting energy production and financial analysis. The irradiance forecast accuracy was evaluated for 15 min, monthly, and seasonal time horizons, and the correlation was found to be 0.82 with most of the percentage difference within 25% for clear-sky conditions. For cloudy conditions, 27% of cases were found to be within ±50% difference of the percentage difference between the INSIOS and silicon irradiance sensor (SIS) irradiance and it was 60% for clear-sky conditions. The proposed methodology is operationally ready and is able to support the rooftop PV energy production management by providing solar irradiance simulations and realistic energy production estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]