Search

Summary: In order to reduce the implantation volume and improve the transmission efficiency of the magnetically coupled resonant wireless power transfer system for cardiac pacemakers, a dual‐coupled wireless power transfer system for cardiac pacemakers that integrates a compensation coil into the main coil was designed. First, the mutual inductance equivalent model of the dual‐coupled wireless power transfer system was established and the impedance matching parameters were solved. The double‐sided inductor–capacitor–inductor (DS‐LCL) circuit simulation model considering the equivalent series resistance was established with MATLAB. The influence of different inductance ratios on the output power and transfer efficiency of the system was analyzed in the range of 200–300 kHz, and the system parameters for optimal transfer efficiency were determined. Second, the compensation coil on the same side was naturally decoupled by changing the aspect ratio of the compensation coil. The magnetic field distribution between the internally integrated dual‐coupled structure proposed in this paper and the conventional integrated structure was compared using COMSOL, and the safety assessment of the system was conducted, considering parameters such as temperature rise and specific absorption rate. Finally, an experimental platform was established to verify the system's output performance and safety. The results showed that compared with conventional integrated structures, the proposed integrated structure increased the output power by 0.229 W and transmission efficiency by 10.08% at a transmission distance of 8 mm. The maximum temperature rise is 1.9°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an empirical and conceptual account on seeing machine learning models as part of a sociotechnical system to identify relevant vulnerabilities emerging in the context of use. As ML is increasingly adopted in socially sensitive and safety-critical domains, many ML applications end up not delivering on their promises, and contributing to new forms of algorithmic harm. There is still a lack of empirical insights as well as conceptual tools and frameworks to properly understand and design for the impact of ML models in their sociotechnical context. In this paper, we follow a design science research approach to work towards such insights and tools. We center our study in the financial industry, where we first empirically map recently emerging MLOps practices to govern ML applications, and corroborate our insights with recent literature. We then perform an integrative literature research to identify a long list of vulnerabilities that emerge in the sociotechnical context of ML applications, and we theorize these along eight dimensions. We then perform semi-structured interviews in two real-world use cases and across a broad set of relevant actors and organizations, to validate the conceptual dimensions and identify challenges to address sociotechnical vulnerabilities in the design and governance of ML-based systems. The paper proposes a set of guidelines to proactively and integrally address both the dimensions of sociotechnical vulnerability, as well as the challenges identified in the empirical use case research, in the organization of MLOps practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the need for a space security situation assessment during orbit, the multi-satellite space environmental risk prediction and early warning system is based on the detection results of the space weather payload of the Fengyun 4A and 4B satellites, as well as the prediction results of the National Space Weather Center, for the first time. By comprehensively utilizing some open-source data, it is the first time that we have achieved a 24 h advanced prediction of the space environment high-energy proton, low-energy particle, and high-energy electron risks for the safety of the Fengyun-series high-orbit satellites, and a real-time warning of satellite single-event upset, surface charging, and deep charging risks. The automation system has preliminarily achieved an intelligent space risk assessment for the safety of multiple stationary meteorological satellites, effectively improving the application efficiency of the space environmental data and the products of Fengyun-series satellites. The business status is stable in operation, and the resulting error between the predicted results of various risk indices and the measured data was less than one level. The warning accuracy was better than 90%. This article uses the system for the first time, to use Fengyun satellite data to, accurately and in a timely manner, predict and warn us about the low-energy particles and surface charging high-risk levels of the Fengyun 4A and 4B satellites during the typical space weather event on 21 April 2023, in response to the impact of complex spatial environmental factors on the safety of Fengyun-series high-orbit satellites. The construction and operation of a multi-satellite space environmental risk prediction and early warning system can provide a reference for the safety work of subsequent satellite ground system operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy stands at the forefront of low carbon energy development owing to its environmentally friendly attributes. The storage and transportation of hydrogen have emerged as pivotal components in constructing the hydrogen value chain. Although liquid hydrogen represents a primary method for storing and transporting hydrogen across remote areas, the liquefaction process entails significant energy conversion and harsh operating conditions. In addition, hydrogen is characterized by its wide flammability limit, low minimum ignition energy, and susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement with metals, leading to high leakage probabilities. These factors raise safety concerns for hydrogen liquefaction. However, the system safety of the hydrogen liquefaction system remains a notable gap in hydrogen safety research. In this study, we apply system-theoretic process analysis (STPA) to identify system hazards and improve the STPA by integrating a best-worst method (BWM) to quantify the risk of hazards in the hydrogen liquefaction system. The STPA-BWM method effectively ranks identified hazards, showing that hydrogen leakage due to equipment damage is the most severe hazard in the hydrogen liquefaction system. This is followed by system pressures above normal due to leaks and rupture of equipment and pipelines. As a result, 14 control actions (CAs) and 24 unsafe control actions (UCAs) are identified. Possible causal factors for UCAs are analyzed, and corresponding low-level safety constraints are proposed. The qualitative and quantitative hazard assessment of hydrogen liquefaction systems can provide a basis for enhancing the safety and reliability of such systems. • Proposing an integrated STPA-BWM for risk analysis. • Assessing risks in hydrogen liquefaction system using the proposed methodology. • Developing a risk control strategy for hydrogen liquefaction system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power outages can cause harm to both society and individual health. Among the crucial elements of power systems, power transformers play a vital role, and their failures can lead to incidents and disruptions. According to statistics, almost 50% of the explosions and fires in the power transformer are caused by oil‐impregnated paper (OIP) bushing failures. Moreover, moisture is a crucial factor that affects the health of OIP bushings, and assessing the moisture level in OIP bushings is vital to guarantee the safety of power systems. While the frequency‐domain dielectric spectroscopy (FDS) method has been widely used to assess the moisture content of OIP bushings on‐site, it has the disadvantage of requiring a long measurement time. Therefore, a novel technique was proposed in this study that involves measuring the OIP bushing dissipation factor (tanδ) at 1 Hz to estimate the moisture content in a significantly shorter time. Five samples of OIP with various moisture levels have been selected, and an equation based on the OIPs' value of tanδ at 1 Hz was proposed to assess the moisture level of OIP bushings. Furthermore, the validity of the proposed method was successfully verified, proving its precision and time efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are key components for the implementation of autonomy in systems that operate in highly complex and unpredictable environments (self-driving cars, smart traffic systems, smart manufacturing, etc.). It is well known that DNNs are vulnerable to adversarial examples, i.e. minimal and usually imperceptible perturbations, applied to their inputs, leading to false predictions. This threat poses critical challenges, especially when DNNs are deployed in safety or security-critical systems, and renders as urgent the need for defences that can improve the trustworthiness of DNN functions. Adversarial training has proven effective in improving the robustness of DNNs against a wide range of adversarial perturbations. However, a general framework for adversarial defences is needed that will extend beyond a single-dimensional assessment of robustness improvement; it is essential to consider simultaneously several distance metrics and adversarial attack strategies. Using such an approach we report the results from extensive experimentation on adversarial defence methods that could improve DNNs resilience to adversarial threats. We wrap up by introducing a general adversarial training methodology, which, according to our experimental results, opens prospects for an holistic defence against a range of diverse types of adversarial perturbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothesis testing is a valuable method used to investigate ideas and test predictions arising from theories based on available data. In the context of critical system architecture, there is a need to effectively utilize hypothesis testing to identify faulty paths and improve system safety. This research aims to propose guidelines and best practices for presenting hypothesis testing in critical system architecture. The problem addressed in this study is the underutilization of hypothesis testing in life-critical system methods, resulting in a lack of identification of faulty paths. To address this challenge, we propose an enhanced pathway analysis technique that integrates error-derived information from a system's architectural description, thereby augmenting traditional hypothesis testing methods. By investigating various paths, we aim to identify false positive and false negative errors in life-critical system architecture. Furthermore, the proposed method is validated based on specific validation criteria for each step such as system boundary, assumption, content/architecture, and traceability validations. Also, the method is evaluated based on our claims. The results of our research highlight the significance of tracing errors in early system knowledge. By leveraging the augmented hypothesis testing method, we are able to identify hazards, safety constraints, and specific causes of unsafe actions more effectively. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating early design knowledge into hypothesis testing for enhanced hazard identification and improved system safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the accident risk in road construction and maintenance, this paper proposes a novel solution for road-worker safety based on an untethered real-time locating system (RTLS). This system tracks the location of workers in real time using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology and indicates if they are in a predefined danger zone or not, where the predefined safe zone is delimited by safety cones. Unlike previous works that focus on road-worker safety by detecting vehicles that enter into the working zone, our proposal solves the problem of distracted workers leaving the safe zone. This paper presents a simple-to-deploy safety system. Our UWB anchors do not need any cables for powering, synchronisation, or data transfer. The anchors are placed inside safety cones, which are already available in construction sites. Finally, there is no need to manually measure the positions of anchors and introduce them to the system thanks to a novel self-positioning approach. Our proposal, apart from automatically estimating the anchors' positions, also defines the limits of safe and danger zones. These features notably reduce the deployment time of the proposed safety system. Moreover, measurements show that all the proposed simplifications are obtained with an accuracy of 97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted nail penetration tests on 20 Ah prismatic LiFePO4 batteries and simulated the slow release of Joule heat and side reaction heat by combining a new thermal model with a parameter optimization method. The results indicate that the 50% and 80% SOC LiFePO4 batteries only release Joule heat under penetration, while the side reaction heat is acquired under 100% SOC besides Joule heat. Moreover, approximately 56.4% of the stored electrical energy is converted into Joule heat, which accounts for the majority of the total heat production of 100% SOC LiFePO4 battery under penetration, while side reaction heat accounts for only 6.4%. Furthermore, the exothermic side reactions of 100% SOC LiFePO4 battery under penetration can be effectively suppressed when the electrical energy release ratio is less than 0.52, or the convection coefficient between the battery and its surroundings exceeds 12 W/m2K. This numerical study expands the analysis of the heat generation characteristics of LiFePO4 batteries during penetration and provides practical guidance for system safety design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) continues to promulgate Safety Management Systems (SMS) across aviation organizations when it recently issued SMS requirements for EASA certificated Part 145 maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations and Part 21 Design & Manufacturing (D&M) organizations. Currently, the FAA has no such rule in place for these U.S. based organizations, which may challenge those doing business in countries where EASA policies apply. Given that most of the United States' D&M and MRO population is made up of smaller organizations, it is likely a U.S. SMS regulation will require justification of the associated costs and benefits. This study explored the potential benefits SMS may provide these organizations by exploring the overall scope and nature of safety controls implemented through Airworthiness Directives (AD), which may help safety practitioners better understand how SMS in D&M organizations may reduce the number of AD related corrective actions. Researchers analyzed a sample of 189 ADs issued over a ten-year period and found that approximately 55% of the sampled ADs were the result of a new risk control, and approximately 45% were the result of a revised risk control. In these cases, the risk controls were not sufficient, and the AD action was necessary to ensure an acceptable level of safety. More effective risk controls have the potential to significantly reduce the number of ADs the industry must address. Every AD involves unplanned costs, often at multiple levels, and other variables that must be managed and implemented as part of the aircraft maintenance and manufacturing process. SMS may further improve the industry's safety performance by reducing the number of corrective actions and their associated costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable and fast identification of high‐voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line faults is important to the safety of power system. In traditional DC transmission line protection, differential protection is invulnerable to high fault resistance, but it needs long time delay for the influence of distributed capacitance current. In order to solve this problem, a novel pilot protection is proposed. The characteristics of the voltage and current processed by low‐pass filter under different fault conditions are analysed, and based on it the protection criteria is proposed. When external fault occurs, it reflects the line capacitance where the first forward fault traveling wave passes, which is increasing until equal to the whole line capacitance, then remains constant. However, when internal fault occurs, its value is negative in the initial stage, and after that its value is very different from the whole line capacitance. The analysis proves that this pilot protection method has fast operation speed, and can be applied for a relatively long period of time. What is more, the applicable time of superposition principle is considered in the analysis, which is not considered in many literatures. An UHVDC system is modelled for simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC, and the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road maintenance operators often work in dangerous environments and are in need of a support system to enhance their safety and efficiency. Augmented reality (AR) has proven to be useful in providing support to operators in various industrial sectors. However, the vast majority of the existing applications focus mainly on static, controlled environments, such as industrial shopfloors, although the dynamic flow of information that AR can provide could be very valuable to unstructured, dynamic environments. This paper presents a novel AR—based methodology for human–robot collaboration, real‐time instructions, and support for road maintenance operations, aiming to enhance operator safety and efficiency. A robot operating system‐based architecture is exploited for the communication of the modules. The methodology is tested in a laboratory environment, and the results validate the hypothesized enhancement of road operators. In the future, the application will be validated on real interventions in highways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm for robotic motion control, that is, a constrained Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) deviation learning strategy to assist biped robots in walking safely and accurately. The previous research on this topic highlighted the limitations in the controller's ability to accurately track foot placement on discrete terrains and the lack of consideration for safety concerns. In this study, we address these challenges by focusing on ensuring the overall system's safety. To begin with, we tackle the inverse kinematics problem by introducing constraints to the damping least squares method. This enhancement not only addresses singularity issues but also guarantees safe ranges for joint angles, thus ensuring the stability and reliability of the system. Based on this, we propose the adoption of the constrained DDPG method to correct controller deviations. In constrained DDPG, we incorporate a constraint layer into the Actor network, incorporating joint deviations as state inputs. By conducting offline training within the range of safe angles, it serves as a deviation corrector. Lastly, we validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach by conducting dynamic simulations using the CRANE biped robot. Through comprehensive assessments, including singularity analysis, constraint effectiveness evaluation, and walking experiments on discrete terrains, we demonstrate the superiority and practicality of our approach in enhancing walking performance while ensuring safety. Overall, our research contributes to the advancement of biped robot locomotion by addressing gait optimisation from multiple perspectives, including singularity handling, safety constraints, and deviation learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-related accidents are a significant problem worldwide and they do indeed lead to a substantial economic loss for society. It is well known that, as with all other impact types (except the low speed crash), the crash of a rapidly moving vehicle on a straight road occurs in a short period of time. It is desired that the damage on the vehicle will be at a minimum level during this time. One of the most important parts in the design of vehicle structures is energy absorbing profiles. In the design and testing of energy absorbing profiles, it is required to provide the highest level of protection during an accident. Various types of energy absorbers have been investigated in recent years to reduce the damage caused by accidents in vehicles. Another important trend in the automotive industry in this area is the use of different structures, such as bioinspired geometric cross section, as energy absorbers in automobiles. In this study, three different bioinspired structures were designed (1M, 2M and 3M) inspired by the structure of the dandelion to improve the energy absorption ability of hybrid tubes. All models were deformed under the same conditions. In the comparison between hybrid tubes and conventional hollow circular tubes (0M), it was determined that the crushing force efficiency of the 3M model increased by 8.63% and the energy absorption capacity increased by 22.64%. It can be seen that the conventional hollow circular tubes (13.28 kj/kg) have the highest energy absorption capacity in all hybrid these tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automation technology has experienced explosive growth in recent decades. However, the construction industry, let alone the field of construction safety, is still among the least digitized globally. Although many types of automation have proven effective in enhancing productivity and accuracy, adoption and acceptance by construction professionals are still limited. Human factors are essential for the success of automation. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different levels of system automation and transparency, and their interactions, on human states (trust, mental workload, situational awareness) and perceived performance (explainability, satisfaction, usability). An experiment was conducted using a tool to assess scaffolding design safety with varying automation and transparency levels. A between-group design was adopted in which participants were assigned to four groups (a 2×2 matrix of automation and transparency). In a multi-methods approach, human states were measured through questionnaires and electroencephalography, and system performance was measured through a questionnaire. The results indicated that (1) automation level does not have significant impact on human states or perceived system performance, (2) a highly transparent automation system is associated with significantly higher trust and better perceived system performance, and (3) the positive impacts of transparency tend to be more obvious in low-automation systems. Due to perceived complexity, one might think that transparency would be emphasized more in highly automated systems. However, the results of this study shed light on the importance of providing a highly transparent interface for explaining system logic in all automated systems for design safety assessment in construction, particularly those with low automation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liver and kidney are the major detoxifying organs in the human body and play an important role in pharmacokinetics. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity can cause irreversible damage to the liver and kidney and are a major cause of drug failure in later stages. Both animal models and conventional cell culture have a number of limitations, such as animal ethics and gene mismatching and there is an urgent need to develop a new drug toxicity evaluation approach. In this paper, a 3D liver–kidney on a chip with a biomimicking circulating system (LKOCBCS) was constructed to obtain kidney and liver models in vitro for drug safety evaluation. LKOCBCS, which has a parallel circulating system mimicking biological circulation, consists of 3D biomimetic tissue of liver lobules similar to that of the human liver constructed by 3D bioprinting and renal proximal tubule barriers fabricated by ultrafast laser assisted etching. The proposed LKOCBCS facilitates the communication between the liver and the kidney, including the exchange of nutrients, compounds, and metabolites. The results revealed that the glucose concentration and cell metabolism stabilized after 7 days. A dynamically repeated low-dose administration of cyclosporine A (CsA) was fed to the system, and hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were observed on day 3 according to the changes in toxicity markers. The high levels of drug induced biomarkers expressed in LKOCBCS indicate that this system is more sensitive than the monoculture liver chip and it is highly potential in replacing animal models for effective drug toxicity screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The track structure has an effect on the dynamic characteristics of the bridge structure, which makes the seismic response of the bridge structure complicated. In this paper, an assessment method is proposed to evaluate the seismic risk of bridge structure, including over-limit risk and over-limit scale. Based on a newly proposed simplified model with high accuracy and high computational efficiency, a total of 3000 calculation conditions are analyzed and the sample stability of response is validated to ensure the reliability of the seismic risk analysis. The seismic risks in the longitudinal direction of the track-bridge model are compared with that of the trackless model, and the influence of the constraint effect of China Railway Track System II ballastless track structure on the seismic risk of the structure is obtained. The influence of the number of spans and PGA on track constraints is also revealed. The analysis results, based on a large number of samples, show that although track constraints can reduce the seismic risk of some phenomenon, such as girders' collision, the expected enhancement of longitudinal seismic safety of the system cannot be guaranteed in general, especially when the number of spans is large. However, it is noted that the track constraint can effectively control the over-limit scale of the system, which can reduce the expected repair cost after an earthquake. Therefore, it can be considered that the positive effect of the track constraints is more significant in economy than in structural safety when the bridge is subjected to a longitudinal earthquake excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a method for guaranteeing the safety of a system with both parametric and nonparametric uncertainties, while at the same time decreasing the conservatism compared to existing approaches. This is obtained by combining robust adaptive control barrier functions (RaCBF) and Gaussian process control barrier functions (GPCBF). We provide a condition under which the considered system is safe with a given probability, and show that the proposed method is less conservative than GPCBF. We evaluate the method through a simulation study, where we consider a force controlled robot manipulator in contact with a partially unknown environment. The results show that our proposed GPRaCBF can guarantee bounds on the contact forces despite parametric and nonparametric uncertainties in the contact dynamics and outperforms GPCBF in terms of the conservatism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of intelligent vehicle technology, the probability of road traffic accidents occurring has been effectively reduced to a certain extent. However, there is still insufficient research on head injuries in human vehicle collisions, making it impossible to effectively predict pedestrian head injuries in accidents. To study the efficacy of a combined active and passive safety system on pedestrian head protection through the combined effect of the exterior airbag and the braking control systems of an intelligent vehicle, a "vehicle–pedestrian" interaction system is constructed in this study and is verified by real collision cases. On this basis, a combined active and passive system database is developed to analyze the cross-influence of the engine hood airbag and the vehicle braking curve parameters on pedestrian HIC (head injury criterion). Meanwhile, a hierarchy design strategy for a combined active and passive system is proposed, and a rapid prediction of HIC is achieved via the establishment of a fitting equation for each grading. The results show that the exterior airbag can effectively protect the pedestrian's head, prevent the collision between the pedestrian's head and the vehicle front structure, and reduce the HIC. The braking parameter H2 is significantly correlated with head injury, and when H2 is less than 1.8, the HIC value is less than 1000 in nearly 90% of cases. The hierarchy design strategy and HIC prediction method of the combined active and passive system proposed in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for rapid selection and parameter design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Original soil-relic environment was broken after the archaeological excavation. • Detachment of moisture is a major factor in deterioration of earthen sites. • Maintaining moisture of earthen sites can inhibit dry cracking and salt damage. • Maintaining moisture of earthen sites is a preventive preservation method. Dry cracking and salt enrichment are common deterioration of earthen sites being exposed to soil‒air coupled environments. The deterioration of earthen sites cannot be completely prevented by simply maintaining a high relative humidity (RH) of air environment, especially in the absence of supplemental liquid water, because of one-way migration of moisture from earthen sites to air environment. In the current work, a protection strategy of constructing a mist atmosphere over the surface of earthen sites, of which near-saturated air with micron-sized moisture droplets by an ultrasonic water atomization, was proposed to enhance the back diffusion of liquid moisture into earthen sites, and thereby inhibit the deterioration of earthen sites. The experimental moisturizing system with an ultrasonic atomization unit was built in an analogous earthen site exhibition hall in the field of Han Yangling Museum of Xi'an City, China. A series of tests were conducted to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the moisturizing system for earthen sites. The results showed that the moisture content of earthen site topsoil after moisturizing can be recovered to a level close to that prior to excavation of earthen sites, and the fractures once occurring on the surface of earthen site was effectively inhibited; The soluble salt content of earthen site topsoil was significantly reduced, and no salt damage occurred. It is anticipated that this study has a great potential for application to resist the one-way migration of moisture from earthen sites to air environment, and the salt damage and fracture of earthen sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanoluminescence (ML) materials are widely used in information storage, stress sensing, and structural health monitoring due to their simplicity, nondestructiveness, and real‐time sensing characteristics. However, the currently reported ML films suffer from high‐temperature decomposition, opacity, and unstable ML properties, which seriously limits their applications. Herein, a transparent TbBO3 glass‐ceramic (GCs) with significant ML performance is explored. A large number of Si‐O and B‐O tetrahedra in the glass matrix greatly improves the structural stability. Meanwhile, the disordered atomic arrangement reduces the obstacles in the light propagation process, making it highly transparent. Furthermore, femtosecond laser irradiation produces an ultra‐deep trap of 517 K, which makes its ML performance highly stable. Based on this material, an aircraft stress safety monitoring system that can accurately pinpoint where the aircraft window is hit is designed. Therefore, this work provides a new strategy for the design of highly stable and transparent ML materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, IEC 61511 was used to evaluate the hazards and risks associated with the continuous operation of the hydrolysis reactor system in the copper-chlorine thermochemical hydrogen production cycle, with a specific focus on the application of automated active safety systems and safety integrated systems. The analysis presented herein was performed using a speculative but representative hydrolysis piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) for the hydrolysis reaction, which was based on currently published systems as well as experience with experimental hydrolysis reactors. This analysis was then used to inform the design of a set of automated safety systems that provide the redundant operation of critical devices and can bring the hydrolysis to a safe shutdown state if needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture and human factors in aviation environment are not new concepts. They have been primary components of the aviation safety system and have become fundamental to the operations of air carriers. Their significance in ensuring safe aviation practices is widely recognised and accepted today. These concepts have been seamlessly integrated into the organisational DNA of aviation safety, shaping core principles and practices. In contrast, aviation security has historically lagged behind, often seen merely as a component of the broader safety framework. Over the years, safety and security have evolved separately, reflecting their distinct natures. While aviation safety has reached a high level of maturity, aviation security is now in a position where it must catch up. Current aviation security staff recruitment and retention challenges need to be addressed by creating better strategy for future recruitment, professionalisation of security workforce and improved airport environment. Embedding strong and effective security culture, consideration of human factors and their impact on staff performance and development of mission valence can positively affect airport working environment, leading to better staff retention and positive perception of aviation security roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surging global demand for renewable energy has fueled the expansion of offshore wind energy, leveraging superior wind profiles and technological advancements in offshore wind turbine technology. Despite this growth, the operational experience of floating offshore wind turbines still needs to be improved as an emerging technology. Addressing this knowledge gap, our study compiles a comprehensive database of failure events associated with these turbines. Employing a rigorous analytical approach through the Fuzzy Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) methodology, we conduct an in‐depth failure analysis of floating offshore wind turbines. This investigation allows us to identify the most critical failure modes and pinpoint components vulnerable to failures. The paper delves into the root causes of these significant failure modes, proposing preventive and corrective measures based on our findings. Our recommendations serve as a strategic guide for stakeholders, offering insights to enhance offshore wind turbines’ design, operation, and maintenance practices and the broader wind farm infrastructure. Despite this, further clarification on the application and highlights of the fuzzy FMEA model is warranted in the abstract, a point we address in the revised conclusion to enhance our study's overall clarity and completeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MiniMed™ 780G system (780G) received Conformité Européenne mark in June 2020 and was, recently, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (April 2023). Clinical trials and real-world analyses have demonstrated MiniMed™ 780G system safety and effectiveness and that glycemic outcomes (i.e., time in range) improve with recommended settings use. In this publication, we will explain the iterative development of the 780G algorithm and how this technology has simplified diabetes management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prior research has examined the influence of site supervision on construction safety, a comprehensive systems-level perspective incorporating interdependent relationships among key variables has yet to be fully investigated. In particular, the intervariable mechanisms by which owners impact contractor safety behaviors require further elucidation through a system dynamics (SD) approach. A primary objective of this study is to identify the feedback mechanisms that affect the safety performance of a project as a result of the site supervision systems using SD. The identification of relevant safety variables and the creation of a conceptual causal loop diagram incorporating key variables facilitate the development of corrective actions. After creating a qualitative SD model based on the identified safety variables, the Delphi technique is employed for validation. Lastly, a portion of the validated conceptual model is selected for quantitative analysis. The simulation model is validated through behavior reproduction and sensitivity analysis tests. The results indicate the accurate performance of the quantitative model in capturing the system's behavior. For instance, it suggests that the owner's safety role is a root cause of accidents in construction projects, and owners can influence the safety performance of projects through contractors. The findings revealed an insignificant relationship between changes in the number of accidents and the frequency of owner's representative site visits. Moreover, the quantitative SD model shows that schedule delays should be considered in planning for safety performance improvement in addition to effective safety actions. Practitioners may use the SD model in three ways: detecting the safety outcome during the project, assessing impacts of various model variables on safety outcome, and creating new policies or corrective actions in response to project changes. This paper contributes to the understanding of how site supervision systems impact safety performance in construction projects, providing practitioners with a valuable tool to enhance safety outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prior research has examined the influence of site supervision on construction safety, a comprehensive systems-level perspective incorporating interdependent relationships among key variables has yet to be fully investigated. In particular, the intervariable mechanisms by which owners impact contractor safety behaviors require further elucidation through a system dynamics (SD) approach. A primary objective of this study is to identify the feedback mechanisms that affect the safety performance of a project as a result of the site supervision systems using SD. The identification of relevant safety variables and the creation of a conceptual causal loop diagram incorporating key variables facilitate the development of corrective actions. After creating a qualitative SD model based on the identified safety variables, the Delphi technique is employed for validation. Lastly, a portion of the validated conceptual model is selected for quantitative analysis. The simulation model is validated through behavior reproduction and sensitivity analysis tests. The results indicate the accurate performance of the quantitative model in capturing the system's behavior. For instance, it suggests that the owner's safety role is a root cause of accidents in construction projects, and owners can influence the safety performance of projects through contractors. The findings revealed an insignificant relationship between changes in the number of accidents and the frequency of owner's representative site visits. Moreover, the quantitative SD model shows that schedule delays should be considered in planning for safety performance improvement in addition to effective safety actions. Practitioners may use the SD model in three ways: detecting the safety outcome during the project, assessing impacts of various model variables on safety outcome, and creating new policies or corrective actions in response to project changes. This paper contributes to the understanding of how site supervision systems impact safety performance in construction projects, providing practitioners with a valuable tool to enhance safety outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rescues from building collapse accidents present a significant challenge for China's emergency rescue system. However, there are also many risk factors in a training scenario, which have been summarized in this study. A hierarchical indicator system for personnel safety was established, including 12 first-level indicators and 23s-level indicators. Then, an improved Grey-DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC evaluation model was constructed to evaluate the level of risk. Influencing factor scores were determined according to the responses from the questionnaire survey. The influencing degree, influenced degree, centrality, and causality were identified, and the importance, relevance, and clustering of the various factors were obtained after making quantitative calculations. The results showed that the order of priority for solving the essential issues was safety education (A2), operating standards and proficiency (A10), equipment inspection (A4), equipment warehousing maintenance and records (A21). The solving of safety education was identified to be the most essential priority. The priority control order of direct causes was Scientific design and construction (A5), Potential fixed hazards in the facility (A12), Physical fitness of personnel (A1), Weather influences (A18), and Initiation efficiency of emergency plans (A20), and direct control measures for these five factors could achieve a relatively significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inability of power transformers to resist a short-circuit (SC) fault significantly impacts the safety of power systems. During SC faults, the leakage field undergoes significant distortion, resulting in large SC electromagnetic forces (EFs), which results in critical mechanical stresses. The finite element method (FEM) might be one of the best non-destructive numerical methods that enable designers to assess the transformer SC performance. Using the FEM, most SC performance analysis studies assume either the three-phase (LLL) or the single-phase-to-ground (LG) SC fault. Moreover, the existing studies use an excitation method that provides a high error rate due to the sensitivity of transient solvers. Furthermore, no considerable attention has been given to analyzing the influence of grounding the wye-connected windings on the SC performance. In this work, a non-linear-transient field-circuit coupled 3-D finite element model is created to analyze the SC performance of a delta-wye connected distribution transformer under various SC fault conditions. Results show that grounding the secondary windings significantly impacts the performance when a LG fault is applied. Except for the LG fault with wye configuration of the secondary windings, the windings SC current and EFs decay/rise over time with an exponential trend till reaching steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the speed-tracking control of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) systems, fast dynamic response and high reference speed require a large transient current to provide sufficient electromagnetic torque. However, the excessive transient current may damage the drive circuit and threaten the system safety. Besides, it is also important to pay attention to the influence of multiple disturbances including system parameter uncertainties and unknown load torque variation. To solve these problems, we propose a nonlinear speed-tracking control approach for uncertain PMSM systems. More specifically, based on the cascade control structure and by introducing auxiliary smooth function, we first develop a nonlinear current-constrained controller (CCC) to guarantee the speed tracking, disturbance rejection, and overcurrent protection simultaneously. In order to improve the robustness of the desired performances, we further implement extended state observer (ESO) techniques to propose an ESO-based CCC (ESO-CCC). Finally, comparative experiments are implemented in a 5.5 kW PMSM platform to verify the performance of the proposed two controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Safety Management System is vital for accident reduction. • Safety Management System research is broad, multidimensional and impactful. Introduction : Occupational health and safety (OHS) has become an integral part of human society, particularly considering the growing rates of injuries and deaths worldwide. Hence, numerous employers, governments, and stakeholders worldwide have established critical OHS measures to safeguard human health and occupational safety. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify and highlight risks and hazards, as well as to detect, monitor, minimize, and prevent workplace injuries and deaths. Method: This study presents the publication trends, research landscape, and scientific developments related to safety management systems (SMS) based on published documents from the Elsevier Scopus database. Published documents on SMS and indexed in Scopus are identified, screened, and analyzed to examine the publication trends, research developments, and scientific landscape. For this purpose, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), bibliometric analysis (B.A.), and systematic literature review (SLR) procedures are used. The results reveal that 799 related documents were published between 2001 and 2021. Results: The most productive stakeholders, that is, top researchers, affiliations, and countries, include Liesbeth Jacxsens, Universiteit Gent (Belgium), and the United States. This study shows that the availability of research grants, incentives, or awards is critical to the productivity of top researchers, institutions, and nations actively researching SMS topics. The bibliometric analysis reveals that the topic is characterized by high productivity, co-authorships, keyword occurrence, and citations. Conclusion : The analysis shows that SMS research is a broad, multidimensional, and impactful area that has become essential for identifying, reducing, monitoring, and eliminating risks in many industries. It is concluded that the topic of the SMS remains relevant because of its impact on human health, occupational safety, and environmental well-being. Practical Applications: This study provides in-depth insight into expanding the scope of SMS research. Moreover, research and policymakers can facilitate decision-making and collaboration based on this study's outtakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Safety is a competency, rooted in interactions and embedded in everyday practices. • Standardized and non-contextualized OHS-management tend to lead to unsafe practices. • Developing a safety culture at work requires a responsive leadership style. Introduction: Organizations place strong emphasis on the standardized occupational health and safety procedures to reduce work-related illnesses and workplace accidents. However, standardized procedures are not always followed up in daily work practices. Organizations must cope with the differences between standardized procedures and local adaptation by employees. Methods: This ethnographic field study at an industrial workplace in the Netherlands provides insights into employees' everyday work practices, how these work practices are shaped, and how they relate to local occupational health and safety procedures. Acknowledging safety as a competency embedded in work practices, as introduced by Gherardi and Nicolini (2002), offers a theoretical point of view for looking beyond the dichotomy of standardization and local adaptations. Results: The results show that a standardized and noncontextualized occupational health and safety management system that focuses on accident-free days and compliance actually leads to ignorance of practical and tacit competences of workers and no learning and improvement of safety procedures can take place. However, our findings also illustrate how employees in their informal everyday work practices reduce the risks produced by the safety system itself. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicate that social interactions among employees, leaders, and management within the organization play an important role in workplace safety. The analysis highlights the value of vulnerability and trust in relationships at work to be able to learn and develop safety procedures that align with local demands. Practical applications: This study emphasizes the need for participatory approaches in creating safer and healthier workplaces. The cocreation of occupational health and safety (OHS) rules and procedures, however, can only function if they are combined with a responsive leadership style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As self-driving cars become a reality, concerns about the safety guarantee of autonomous driving also increase. We propose an autonomous driving system that enhances its vision capacity by leveraging edge infrastructure. This proposed system involves autonomous vehicles participating in V2I broadcasting of the edge infrastructure, which supplies object perception information. The vehicles then form policies from this acquired information. These policies, defined within a set of constraints, enhance safety by impacting the trajectory of the autonomous vehicle. We implemented this system in both real-world and simulated environments. An aggressive scenario at an unsignalized intersection was also performed to evaluate the safety of the proposed system. The results showed that the edge infrastructure improved the safety speed by an average of 17% and averted collisions with objects moving at speeds lower than 25 kph. Therefore, our strategy for enhancing safety by expanding the field of view for self-driving vehicles is successful. The proposed system is expected to be highly utilized as it has an adaptable structure that can be easily expanded from existing autonomous driving systems and can consider various types of traffic participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, extensive vehicle testing is applied to assure the robustness and safety of automotive systems. This approach is highly challenged by increasing system complexity. Formal verification lends a powerful framework for model-based safety assurance, but due to the mixed discrete–continuous behavior of automotive systems, traditional tools for discrete program verification are helpful but not sufficient. In academia, during the last two decades new approaches arose for the formal verification of such mixed discrete-continuous systems. However, the industry is not fully aware of this development, the tools are seldom tried and their applicability is not well examined. In a Ford–RWTH research alliance project, we aimed at evaluating the potential of knowledge and technology transfer in this area. This paper has two main objectives. Firstly, we want to report on the state-of-the-art in the above-mentioned academic development in a generally understandable form, targeted to interested potential users. Secondly, we want to share our observations after testing different available tools for their applicability and usability in the automotive sector and as a conclusion devise some recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing use of automated decision-making (ADM) systems in the public sector and the need to control these has raised many legal questions in academic research and in policymaking. One of the timely means of legal control is accountability, which traditionally includes the ability to impose sanctions on the violator as one dimension. Even though many risks regarding the use of ADM have been noted and there is a common will to promote the safety of these systems, the relevance of the safety research has been discussed little in this context. In this article, I evaluate regulating accountability over the use of ADM in the public sector in relation to the findings of safety research. I conducted the study by focusing on ongoing regulatory projects regarding ADM, the Finnish ADM legislation draft and the EU proposal for the AI Act. The critical question raised in the article is what the role of sanctions is. I ask if official accountability could mean more of an opportunity to learn from mistakes, share knowledge and compensate for harm instead of control via sanctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior work on extended restrictive housing (ERH) has focused primarily on incarcerated persons rather than on potential impacts of this housing on personnel. Drawing on scholarship on the get-tough era, prison personnel, and ERH, we seek to shed light on contemporary correctional management practices and how doing so can illuminate the broad-ranging impacts of the get-tough era. We hypothesize that operational and organizational stressors differ for ERH personnel and may contribute to greater stress and adversely affect their mental and physical health. After presenting analyses from a mixed-methods study of Florida prisons, we discuss implications of the results for research and policy. We conclude that the get-tough era has led to harms, such as negative effects for personnel, that extend beyond those who are punished to those who play a role in systems of punishment and that have implications for understanding and addressing prison system safety and order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas processing industry is associated with high risks which have the potential to cause catastrophic accidents. Safety Instrumented Systems (SISs) are considered the most effective safety barriers in this sector aiming to prevent undesired events and mitigate their consequences. However, several factors can affect their performance including maintenance strategy in place. In this paper, a Stochastic Petri Net (SPN) model is proposed for evaluating maintenance strategies related to SIS. The model is applied to analyze the performance of an Emergency Shutdown System (ESD) in a Flared Gases Recovery Unit located at south Algerian field. Furthermore, the paper investigates the financial impact of proof tests, including direct costs (such as manpower, equipment, and transportation) and indirect costs (such as production losses and gas flaring tax). These costs can be effectively managed and reduced by optimizing proof test intervals and scheduling tests during planned plant shutdowns. The results demonstrate that the proposed Stochastic Petri Net (SPN) model successfully analyzes the impact of imperfect full and partial proof tests on PFD average values of Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs). In addition, it has been shown through reliability analysis that the proposed model is able to minimize spare parts expenses leading to significant cost savings while maintaining the required safety integrity levels (SILs), about 60% benefit achieved within two years compared to the actual procurement process over same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a comprehensive description of the safety system of a real installation that comprises PV panels, lithium-ion batteries, an electrolyzer, H 2 storage, a fuel cell, and a barium chloride/ammonia thermochemical prototype for heat recovery and cooling production. Such a system allows for the increase of the overall efficiency of the H 2 chain by exploiting the waste heat and transforming it into a cooling effect, particularly useful in tropical regions like French Polynesia. The study provides a great deal of detail regarding practical aspects of the system implementation and a consistent reference to the relevant standards and regulations applicable to the subject matter. More specifically, the study covers the ATEX classification of the site, the safety features of each component, the electrical power distribution, the main safety instrumented system, fire safety and the force ventilation system. The study also includes safety assessment and a section on lessons learned that could serve as guidance for future installations. In addition, an extensive amount of technical data is readily available to the reader in repository (P&ID, electrical diagrams, etc.). • Comprehensive description of the safety system of a real installation. • Great deal of detail regarding practical aspects of the system implementation. • Consistent referencing to the relevant standards applicable to the subject matter. • Layout of lessons learned and guidance for future installations. • Extensive technical data available in repository (P&ID, electrical diagrams, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]