BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had an ongoing impact on the public’s mental health that requires long-term attention.Exploring the relationship between mental health indicators would aid in iden...BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had an ongoing impact on the public’s mental health that requires long-term attention.Exploring the relationship between mental health indicators would aid in identifying solutions to improve public mental health.AIM To investigate the prevalence of anxiety,depression,and insomnia and explore the relationship among neuroticism,cognitive failures,and mental health.METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2023 using an online platform to recruit adult participants.The neuroticism,subjective cognitive function,and mental health of the participants were assessed using the neuroticism subscale of the Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory Brief Version,cognitive failures questionnaire,generalized anxiety disorder-7,patient health questionnaire-9,and insomnia severity index.Pearson's correlation analysis,independent samples t-tests,one-way analysis of variance,and structural equation model were used to examine the relationship between mental health indicators.RESULTS A total of 1011 valid questionnaires were collected,of which 343 were completed by male(33.93%)respondents and 668 were completed by female(66.07%)respondents.The rates of anxiety,depression,and insomnia were 41.3%,44.6%,and 36.3%,respectively,most cases of which were mild.Among the mental health indicators,there were significant differences by age and between those with siblings and those who were only children.Neuroticism and cognitive failures were significantly positively correlated with mental health indicators.Further moderated mediation analysis showed that cognitive failures mediated the relationship between insomnia and anxiety and between insomnia and depression,with neuroticism moderating the first half of this pathway and the effect being greater in the low-neuroticism group.CONCLUSION Cognitive failures and neuroticism play important roles in mental health.Therefore,enhancing subjective cognitive function and regulating emotional stability may contribute to the improvement of mental health.展开更多
The insertion and extraction of lithium ions in active materials lead to significant volumetric deformation,resulting in stresses that drive the mechanical degradation of these materials.This accumulation of mechanica...The insertion and extraction of lithium ions in active materials lead to significant volumetric deformation,resulting in stresses that drive the mechanical degradation of these materials.This accumulation of mechanical degradation ultimately leads to mechanical failure in lithium-ion batteries(LIB).This paper summarizes the experimental characterization techniques used to observe the mechanical degradation of lithium battery cells,electrodes,and particles across macro,micro,and nano scales.Additionally,the mechanical failure model for LIB that spans from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale has been outlined.Finally,we analyze the current challenges and opportunities,including the standardization of battery measurements,the quantification of mechanical failures,and the correlation between mechanical failures and electrochemical performance.展开更多
This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit...This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit reports,the study applies the Fraud Triangle framework,focusing on how weak integrity,objectivity,and professional competence have undermined public trust in the auditing profession.Using a qualitative descriptive method and the Fraud Triangle framework,which includes pressure,opportunity,and rationalization,the study analyzes cases from Indonesia(SNP Finance,Jiwasraya),China(Evergrande),and Germany(Wirecard).The analysis reveals that many audit failures observed in this study appear to stem more from ethical challenges than from technical incapability,driven by client pressure,weak internal controls,and compromised auditor independence.These cases demonstrate a recurring global pattern in which auditors neglect their responsibility to act in the public interest.展开更多
This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit...This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit reports,the study applies the Fraud Triangle framework,focusing on how weak integrity,objectivity,and professional competence have undermined public trust in the auditing profession.Using a qualitative descriptive method and the Fraud Triangle framework,which includes pressure,opportunity,and rationalization,the study analyzes cases from Indonesia(SNP Finance,Jiwasraya),China(Evergrande),and Germany(Wirecard).The analysis reveals that many audit failures observed in this study appear to stem more from ethical challenges than from technical incapability,driven by client pressure,weak internal controls,and compromised auditor independence.These cases demonstrate a recurring global pattern in which auditors neglect their responsibility to act in the public interest.展开更多
Double-integrator multi-agent systems(MASs)might not achieve dynamical consensus,even if only partial agents suffer from self-sensing function failures(SSFFs).SSFFs might be asynchronous in real engineering applicatio...Double-integrator multi-agent systems(MASs)might not achieve dynamical consensus,even if only partial agents suffer from self-sensing function failures(SSFFs).SSFFs might be asynchronous in real engineering application.The existing fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol suitable for synchronous SSFFs cannot be directly used to tackle fault-tolerant dynamical consensus of double-integrator MASs with partial agents subject to asynchronous SSFFs.Motivated by these facts,this paper explores a new fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol suitable for asynchronous SSFFs.First,multi-hop communication together with the idea of treating asynchronous SSFFs as multiple piecewise synchronous SSFFs is used for recovering the connectivity of network topology among all normal agents.Second,a fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol is designed for double-integrator MASs by utilizing the history information of an agent subject to SSFF for computing its own state information at the instants when its minimum-hop normal neighbor set changes.Then,it is theoretically proved that if the strategy of network topology connectivity recovery and the fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol with proper time-varying gains are used simultaneously,double-integrator MASs with all normal agents and all agents subject to SSFFs can reach dynamical consensus.Finally,comparison numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.展开更多
Cemented and mechanically clamped types of end fittings(fitting-C and fitting-M)are commonly used in transformer bushings.During the Luding Ms 6.8 earthquake that occurred in China on September 5,2022,all transformer ...Cemented and mechanically clamped types of end fittings(fitting-C and fitting-M)are commonly used in transformer bushings.During the Luding Ms 6.8 earthquake that occurred in China on September 5,2022,all transformer bushings with the two types of end fittings in a 500 kV substation were damaged.Post-earthquake field investigations were conducted,and the failures of the two types of bushings were compared.Two elementary simulation models of the transformer-bushing systems were developed to simulate the engineering failures,and further compute their seismic responses for comparison.The results indicate that the hitch lugs of the connection flange are structurally harmful to seismic resistance.Fitting-M can decrease the bending stiffness of the bushing due to the flexible sealing rubber gasket.Since it provides a more flexible connection that dissipates energy,the peak accelerations and relative displacements at the top of the bushing are significantly lower than those of the bushing with fitting-C.Compared with fitting-C,fitting-M transfers the high-stress areas from the connection flange to the root of the porcelain,so the latter becomes the most vulnerable component.Fitting-M increases the failure risk of the low-strength porcelain,indicating the unsuitability of applying it in high-intensity fortification regions.展开更多
Reinforced concrete(RC)slabs are the primary load-carrying member of underwater facilities.They can suffer severe local failures such as cratering,spalling,or breaching as a result of underwater close-in(UWCI)explosio...Reinforced concrete(RC)slabs are the primary load-carrying member of underwater facilities.They can suffer severe local failures such as cratering,spalling,or breaching as a result of underwater close-in(UWCI)explosions.In this study,we established a fully validated high-fidelity finite element analysis approach to precisely reproduce the local failures of RC slabs after a UWCI explosion.A recently proposed dynamic constitutive model is used to describe wet concrete.The effects of free water content on the material properties,including the tensile/compressive strength,elastic modulus,strain rate effect,failure strength surface,and equation of state,are comprehensively calibrated based on existing test data.The calibrated material parameters are then verified by a single-element test.A high-fidelity finite element analysis(FEA)approach of an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion is established using an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian(ALE)algorithm.Simulating previous UWCI explosion tests on RC orifice targets and underwater contact explosion tests on saturated concrete slabs showed that the established FEA approach could accurately reproduce the pressure-time history in water and damage patterns,including the cracking,cratering,and spalling,of the RC orifice target and saturated concrete slab.Furthermore,parametric studies conducted by simulating an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion showed that:(i)the local failure of an RC slab enlarges with increased charge weight,reduced standoff distance,and reduced structural thickness;(ii)compared to a water-backed RC slab,an air-backed RC slab exhibits much more obvious local and structural failure.Lastly,to aid the anti-explosion design of relevant underwater facilities,based on over 90 simulation cases empirical formulae are summarized to predict local failure modes,i.e.,no spall,spall,and breach,of water-and air-backed RC slabs subjected to a UWCI explosion.展开更多
Objective To identify measles vaccine failures in Tianjin, China using a measles virus Ig G avidity assay.Methods The China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention(CISDCP) was used to collect information...Objective To identify measles vaccine failures in Tianjin, China using a measles virus Ig G avidity assay.Methods The China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention(CISDCP) was used to collect information about measles cases and blood specimens in Tianjin from 2013 to 2015. Measlesspecific Ig M and Ig G antibodies were detected using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA).Avidity testing for measles Ig G was performed using a commercial enzyme immunoassay(EIA).Results A total of 284 confirmed measles cases were identified. Of this total, 262(92.25%) were in patients aged ≥ 20 years. High avidity was exhibited in 172(60.56%) cases, while 80(28.17%) cases demonstrated low avidity. High avidity was detected in only 21.43% of cases in patients aged < 1 year.The proportion of high avidity increased with age, and was significantly higher in patients aged 30–39 years at 70.07%(χ~2 = 17.27, P = 0.002). Of the 52 measles cases in patients with a history of vaccinations,41(78.85%) cases showed high avidity, indicating secondary vaccine failures(SVF). In these vaccinations,there was no significant difference(P > 0.05) in clinical severity between high avidity and low avidity cases. However, regardless of vaccination status, clinical severity was significantly lower in high avidity cases(P < 0.001) than in low avidity cases. The percentages of positive measles Ig M results in high avidity and low avidity cases were 66.28% and 91.25%, respectively. Geometric Mean Concentration(GMC) was significantly lower in high avidity cases at 33.73 U/m L, compared to 166.07 U/m L in low avidity cases.Conclusions Low clinical severity and inconclusive Ig M antibody results are more likely in high avidity measles cases. Measles cases were more common in adults. Therefore, a further dose of vaccines should be recommended for 30–39 years in Tianjin.展开更多
According to some observed dama ge phenomena in the smart structure systems, the issues related to the damage and failures of smart structures are addressed in this paper. A few possible damage patterns and the def...According to some observed dama ge phenomena in the smart structure systems, the issues related to the damage and failures of smart structures are addressed in this paper. A few possible damage patterns and the definition of the failure of the smart structures are given. It is pointed out that more attentions should be paid to the functional failures o f smart structures. The effects on the control the static deformation due to par tial debonding of PZT actuators are analyzed by the finite element method. Preli minary numerical results show that partial debonding of PZT actuators may have a p preciate reduction on their actuating ability thus reducing the control ability and accuracy of the smart structures.展开更多
This paper presents a comparative visualization strategy of slope failure susceptibility maps for analyzing different types of simultaneous occurrences of slope failures. Through the SEM (structural equation modeling...This paper presents a comparative visualization strategy of slope failure susceptibility maps for analyzing different types of simultaneous occurrences of slope failures. Through the SEM (structural equation modeling), slope failure susceptibility maps are produced by using causal factors (i.e., geographical information, satellite remotely sensed data). As for a conventional pair-wise comparative procedure, the differences between susceptibility maps are delineated on difference maps, that can be, however, applied for evaluating differences only between pairs of susceptibility maps. One of the strong requirements from specialists working on slope stability evaluation is a comparative and visualization strategy of susceptibility maps with respect to "different types of simultaneous slope failures", for which the discussion is insufficient in the previous research activities for constructing the quantitative models for slope failure hazard mapping. As a measure, a color composite map based on susceptibility maps has been produced. The combination of assigning susceptibility maps to RGB-color planes is determined based on an index of "NCCT (normalized correlated color temperature)" which represents the relationship between chromaticity and human visual perception. Through the cases examined, the result indicates that the proposed color composite map, as a heuristic visualization strategy, is useful for simultaneously evaluating the hazardous areas affected by "different types of slope failures".展开更多
The local-world (LW) evolving network model shows a transition for the degree distribution between the exponential and power-law distributions, depending on the LW size. Cascading failures under intentional attacks in...The local-world (LW) evolving network model shows a transition for the degree distribution between the exponential and power-law distributions, depending on the LW size. Cascading failures under intentional attacks in LW network models with different LW sizes were investigated using the cascading failures load model. We found that the LW size has a significant impact on the network's robustness against deliberate attacks. It is much easier to trigger cascading failures in LW evolving networks with a larger LW size. Therefore, to avoid cascading failures in real networks with local preferential attachment such as the Internet, the World Trade Web and the multi-agent system, the LW size should be as small as possible.展开更多
The paper attempts to represent a case of repeated failures on a high cut slope due to multi-excavation. The characteristics of each failure induced by excavation are analyzed through geological investigation, and the...The paper attempts to represent a case of repeated failures on a high cut slope due to multi-excavation. The characteristics of each failure induced by excavation are analyzed through geological investigation, and then a geological model at different failure stages is proposed. The geological analysis shows that the excavation-induced repeated failures are related to the exposure of the weak bedding plane and the toe unloading of the cut slope, Numerical modeling is conducted based on a sequential method, taking into account the main failure stages of cut slope. The simulation results fairly coincide with the practical phenomena observed in field. It is shown that the decrease in normal stress of displaced mass on cut slope will induce the increase in shear stress in bedding planes and that at the toe of the cut slope. The released stress leads to repeated gravitational instabilities of cut slope due to the decrease in normal stress and the increase in shear stress along the bedding planes of mudstone.展开更多
In this paper,indirect adaptive state feedback control schemes are developed to solve the robust fault-tolerant control (FTC) design problem of actuator fault and perturbation compensations for linear time-invariant...In this paper,indirect adaptive state feedback control schemes are developed to solve the robust fault-tolerant control (FTC) design problem of actuator fault and perturbation compensations for linear time-invariant systems.A more general and practical model of actuator faults is presented.While both eventual faults on actuators and perturbations are unknown,the adaptive schemes are addressed to estimate the lower and upper bounds of actuator-stuck faults and perturbations online,as well as to estimate control effectiveness on actuators.Thus,on the basis of the information from adaptive schemes,an adaptive robust state feed-back controller is designed to compensate the effects of faults and perturbations automatically.According to Lyapunov stability theory,it is shown that the robust adaptive closed-loop systems can be ensured to be asymptotically stable under the influence of actuator faults and bounded perturbations.An example is provided to further illustrate the fault compensation effectiveness.展开更多
Evaluation of blocky or layered rock slopes against toppling failures has remained of great concern for engineers in various rock mechanics projects.Several step-by-step analytical solutions have been developed for an...Evaluation of blocky or layered rock slopes against toppling failures has remained of great concern for engineers in various rock mechanics projects.Several step-by-step analytical solutions have been developed for analyzing these types of slope failures.However,manual application of these analytical solutions for real case studies can be time-consuming,complicated,and in certain cases even impossible.This study will first examine existing methods for toppling failure analyses that are reviewed,modified and generalized to consider the effects of a wide range of external and dead loads on slope stability.Next,based on the generalized presented formulae,a Windows form computer code is programmed using Visual C#for analysis of common types of toppling failures.Input parameters,including slope geometry,joint sets parameters,rock and soil properties,ground water level,dynamic loads,support anchor loads as well as magnitudes and forms of external forces,are first loaded into the code.The input data are then saved and used to graphically draw the slope model.This is followed by automatic identification of the toppling failure mode and a deterministic analysis of the slope stability against this failure mode.The results are presented using a graphical approach.The developed code allows probabilistic introduction of the input parameters via probability distribution functions(PDFs)and thus a probabilistic analysis of the toppling failure modes using Monte-Carlo simulation technique.This allows calculation of the probability of slope failure.Finally,several published case studies and typical examples are analyzed with the developed code.The outcomes are compared with those of the main references to assess the performance and robustness of the developed computer code.The comparisons demonstrate good agreement between the results.展开更多
Cascading failures are common phenomena in many of real-world networks,such as power grids,Internet,transportation networks and social networks.It's worth noting that once one or a few users on a social network ar...Cascading failures are common phenomena in many of real-world networks,such as power grids,Internet,transportation networks and social networks.It's worth noting that once one or a few users on a social network are unavailable for some reasons,they are more likely to influence a large portion of social network.Therefore,an effective mitigation strategy is very critical for avoiding or reducing the impact of cascading failures.In this paper,we firstly quantify the user loads and construct the processes of cascading dynamics,then elaborate the more reasonable mechanism of sharing the extra user loads with considering the features of social networks,and further propose a novel mitigation strategy on social networks against cascading failures.Based on the realworld social network datasets,we evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the novel mitigation strategy.The experimental results show that this mitigation strategy can reduce the impact of cascading failures effectively and maintain the network connectivity better with lower cost.These findings are very useful for rationally advertising and may be helpful for avoiding various disasters of cascading failures on many real-world networks.展开更多
In this paper,the leader-follower consensus problem for a multiple flexible manipulator network with actuator failures,parameter uncertainties,and unknown time-varying boundary disturbances is addressed.The purpose of...In this paper,the leader-follower consensus problem for a multiple flexible manipulator network with actuator failures,parameter uncertainties,and unknown time-varying boundary disturbances is addressed.The purpose of this study is to develop distributed controllers utilizing local interactive protocols that not only suppress the vibration of each flexible manipulator but also achieve consensus on joint angle position between actual followers and the virtual leader.Following the accomplishment of the reconstruction of the fault terms and parameter uncertainties,the adaptive neural network method and parameter estimation technique are employed to compensate for unknown items and bounded disturbances.Furthermore,the Lyapunov stability theory is used to demonstrate that followers’angle consensus errors and vibration deflections in closed-loop systems are uniformly ultimately bounded.Finally,the numerical simulation results confirm the efficacy of the proposed controllers.展开更多
Aviation products would go through a multi-phase improvement in reliability performance during the research and development process.In the literature,most of the existing reliability growth models assume a constant fa...Aviation products would go through a multi-phase improvement in reliability performance during the research and development process.In the literature,most of the existing reliability growth models assume a constant failure intensity in each test phase,which inevitably limits the scope of the application.To address this problem,we propose two new models considering timevarying failure intensity in each stage.The proposed models borrow the idea from the accelerated failure-time models.It is assumed that time between failures follow the log-location-scale distribution and the scale parameters in each phase do not change,which forms the basis for integrating the data from all test stages.For the test-find-test scenario,an improvement factor is introduced to construct the relationship between two successive location parameters.Whereas for the test-fix-test scenario,the instantaneous cumulative time between failures is assumed to be consistent with Duane model and derive the formulation of location parameter.Likelihood ratio test is further utilized to test whether the assumption of constant failure intensity in each phase is suitable.Several applications with real reliability growth data show that the assumptions are reasonable and the proposed models outperform the existing models.展开更多
Cascading failures often occur in congested networks such as the Internet. A cascading failure can be described as a three-phase process: generation, diffusion, and dissipation of the congestion. In this account, we ...Cascading failures often occur in congested networks such as the Internet. A cascading failure can be described as a three-phase process: generation, diffusion, and dissipation of the congestion. In this account, we present a function that represents the extent of congestion on a given node. This approach is different from existing fimctions based on betweenness centrality. By introducing the concept of 'delay time', we designate an intergradation between permanent removal and nonremoval. We also construct an evaluation fimction of network efficiency, based on congestion, which measures the damage caused by cascading failures. Finally, we investigate the effects of network structure and size, delay time, processing ability and packet generation speed on congestion propagation. Also, we uncover the relationship between the cascade dynamics and some properties of the network such as structure and size.展开更多
Established system equivalences for transition systems, such as trace equivalence and failures equivalence, require the ob- servations to be exactly identical. However, an accurate measure- ment is impossible when int...Established system equivalences for transition systems, such as trace equivalence and failures equivalence, require the ob- servations to be exactly identical. However, an accurate measure- ment is impossible when interacting with the physical world, hence exact equivalence is restrictive and not robust. Using Baire met- ric, a generalized framework of transition system approximation is proposed by developing the notions of approximate language equivalence and approximate singleton failures (SF) equivalence. The framework takes the traditional exact equivalence as a special case. The approximate language equivalence is coarser than the approximate Slc equivalence, just like the hierarchy of the exact ones. The main conclusion is that the two approximate equiva- lences satisfy the transitive property, consequently, they can be successively used in transition system approximation.展开更多
In this article, we investigate cascading failures in complex networks by introducing a feedback. To characterize the effect of the feedback, we define a procedure that involves a self-organization of trip distributio...In this article, we investigate cascading failures in complex networks by introducing a feedback. To characterize the effect of the feedback, we define a procedure that involves a self-organization of trip distribution during the process of cascading failures. For this purpose, user equilibrium with variable demand is used as an alternative way to determine the traffic flow pattern throughout the network. Under the attack, cost function dynamics are introduced to discuss edge overload in complex networks, where each edge is assigned a finite capacity (controlled by parameter α). We find that scale-free networks without considering the effect of the feedback are expected to be very sensitive to α as compared with random networks, while this situation is largely improved after introducing the feedback.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82271546 and No.82301744The Shanxi Province Science and Technology Innovation Think Tank Construction Research Project,No.KXKT202317+1 种基金Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province,No.202303021222346 and No.202103021223224The Research Foundation of The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University,No.YQ2208.
文摘BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had an ongoing impact on the public’s mental health that requires long-term attention.Exploring the relationship between mental health indicators would aid in identifying solutions to improve public mental health.AIM To investigate the prevalence of anxiety,depression,and insomnia and explore the relationship among neuroticism,cognitive failures,and mental health.METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2023 using an online platform to recruit adult participants.The neuroticism,subjective cognitive function,and mental health of the participants were assessed using the neuroticism subscale of the Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory Brief Version,cognitive failures questionnaire,generalized anxiety disorder-7,patient health questionnaire-9,and insomnia severity index.Pearson's correlation analysis,independent samples t-tests,one-way analysis of variance,and structural equation model were used to examine the relationship between mental health indicators.RESULTS A total of 1011 valid questionnaires were collected,of which 343 were completed by male(33.93%)respondents and 668 were completed by female(66.07%)respondents.The rates of anxiety,depression,and insomnia were 41.3%,44.6%,and 36.3%,respectively,most cases of which were mild.Among the mental health indicators,there were significant differences by age and between those with siblings and those who were only children.Neuroticism and cognitive failures were significantly positively correlated with mental health indicators.Further moderated mediation analysis showed that cognitive failures mediated the relationship between insomnia and anxiety and between insomnia and depression,with neuroticism moderating the first half of this pathway and the effect being greater in the low-neuroticism group.CONCLUSION Cognitive failures and neuroticism play important roles in mental health.Therefore,enhancing subjective cognitive function and regulating emotional stability may contribute to the improvement of mental health.
基金funded by the Key Research and Development Project of Guangdong Province(No.2023B0909050004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12402214).
文摘The insertion and extraction of lithium ions in active materials lead to significant volumetric deformation,resulting in stresses that drive the mechanical degradation of these materials.This accumulation of mechanical degradation ultimately leads to mechanical failure in lithium-ion batteries(LIB).This paper summarizes the experimental characterization techniques used to observe the mechanical degradation of lithium battery cells,electrodes,and particles across macro,micro,and nano scales.Additionally,the mechanical failure model for LIB that spans from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale has been outlined.Finally,we analyze the current challenges and opportunities,including the standardization of battery measurements,the quantification of mechanical failures,and the correlation between mechanical failures and electrochemical performance.
文摘This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit reports,the study applies the Fraud Triangle framework,focusing on how weak integrity,objectivity,and professional competence have undermined public trust in the auditing profession.Using a qualitative descriptive method and the Fraud Triangle framework,which includes pressure,opportunity,and rationalization,the study analyzes cases from Indonesia(SNP Finance,Jiwasraya),China(Evergrande),and Germany(Wirecard).The analysis reveals that many audit failures observed in this study appear to stem more from ethical challenges than from technical incapability,driven by client pressure,weak internal controls,and compromised auditor independence.These cases demonstrate a recurring global pattern in which auditors neglect their responsibility to act in the public interest.
文摘This study explores ethical violations and audit failures in various large-scale corporate fraud cases.Using a qualitative descriptive method and based on secondary data from documented fraud cases and published audit reports,the study applies the Fraud Triangle framework,focusing on how weak integrity,objectivity,and professional competence have undermined public trust in the auditing profession.Using a qualitative descriptive method and the Fraud Triangle framework,which includes pressure,opportunity,and rationalization,the study analyzes cases from Indonesia(SNP Finance,Jiwasraya),China(Evergrande),and Germany(Wirecard).The analysis reveals that many audit failures observed in this study appear to stem more from ethical challenges than from technical incapability,driven by client pressure,weak internal controls,and compromised auditor independence.These cases demonstrate a recurring global pattern in which auditors neglect their responsibility to act in the public interest.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61876073)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(No.JUSRP21920)。
文摘Double-integrator multi-agent systems(MASs)might not achieve dynamical consensus,even if only partial agents suffer from self-sensing function failures(SSFFs).SSFFs might be asynchronous in real engineering application.The existing fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol suitable for synchronous SSFFs cannot be directly used to tackle fault-tolerant dynamical consensus of double-integrator MASs with partial agents subject to asynchronous SSFFs.Motivated by these facts,this paper explores a new fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol suitable for asynchronous SSFFs.First,multi-hop communication together with the idea of treating asynchronous SSFFs as multiple piecewise synchronous SSFFs is used for recovering the connectivity of network topology among all normal agents.Second,a fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol is designed for double-integrator MASs by utilizing the history information of an agent subject to SSFF for computing its own state information at the instants when its minimum-hop normal neighbor set changes.Then,it is theoretically proved that if the strategy of network topology connectivity recovery and the fault-tolerant dynamical consensus protocol with proper time-varying gains are used simultaneously,double-integrator MASs with all normal agents and all agents subject to SSFFs can reach dynamical consensus.Finally,comparison numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.51878508。
文摘Cemented and mechanically clamped types of end fittings(fitting-C and fitting-M)are commonly used in transformer bushings.During the Luding Ms 6.8 earthquake that occurred in China on September 5,2022,all transformer bushings with the two types of end fittings in a 500 kV substation were damaged.Post-earthquake field investigations were conducted,and the failures of the two types of bushings were compared.Two elementary simulation models of the transformer-bushing systems were developed to simulate the engineering failures,and further compute their seismic responses for comparison.The results indicate that the hitch lugs of the connection flange are structurally harmful to seismic resistance.Fitting-M can decrease the bending stiffness of the bushing due to the flexible sealing rubber gasket.Since it provides a more flexible connection that dissipates energy,the peak accelerations and relative displacements at the top of the bushing are significantly lower than those of the bushing with fitting-C.Compared with fitting-C,fitting-M transfers the high-stress areas from the connection flange to the root of the porcelain,so the latter becomes the most vulnerable component.Fitting-M increases the failure risk of the low-strength porcelain,indicating the unsuitability of applying it in high-intensity fortification regions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52208500).
文摘Reinforced concrete(RC)slabs are the primary load-carrying member of underwater facilities.They can suffer severe local failures such as cratering,spalling,or breaching as a result of underwater close-in(UWCI)explosions.In this study,we established a fully validated high-fidelity finite element analysis approach to precisely reproduce the local failures of RC slabs after a UWCI explosion.A recently proposed dynamic constitutive model is used to describe wet concrete.The effects of free water content on the material properties,including the tensile/compressive strength,elastic modulus,strain rate effect,failure strength surface,and equation of state,are comprehensively calibrated based on existing test data.The calibrated material parameters are then verified by a single-element test.A high-fidelity finite element analysis(FEA)approach of an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion is established using an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian(ALE)algorithm.Simulating previous UWCI explosion tests on RC orifice targets and underwater contact explosion tests on saturated concrete slabs showed that the established FEA approach could accurately reproduce the pressure-time history in water and damage patterns,including the cracking,cratering,and spalling,of the RC orifice target and saturated concrete slab.Furthermore,parametric studies conducted by simulating an RC slab subjected to a UWCI explosion showed that:(i)the local failure of an RC slab enlarges with increased charge weight,reduced standoff distance,and reduced structural thickness;(ii)compared to a water-backed RC slab,an air-backed RC slab exhibits much more obvious local and structural failure.Lastly,to aid the anti-explosion design of relevant underwater facilities,based on over 90 simulation cases empirical formulae are summarized to predict local failure modes,i.e.,no spall,spall,and breach,of water-and air-backed RC slabs subjected to a UWCI explosion.
文摘Objective To identify measles vaccine failures in Tianjin, China using a measles virus Ig G avidity assay.Methods The China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention(CISDCP) was used to collect information about measles cases and blood specimens in Tianjin from 2013 to 2015. Measlesspecific Ig M and Ig G antibodies were detected using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA).Avidity testing for measles Ig G was performed using a commercial enzyme immunoassay(EIA).Results A total of 284 confirmed measles cases were identified. Of this total, 262(92.25%) were in patients aged ≥ 20 years. High avidity was exhibited in 172(60.56%) cases, while 80(28.17%) cases demonstrated low avidity. High avidity was detected in only 21.43% of cases in patients aged < 1 year.The proportion of high avidity increased with age, and was significantly higher in patients aged 30–39 years at 70.07%(χ~2 = 17.27, P = 0.002). Of the 52 measles cases in patients with a history of vaccinations,41(78.85%) cases showed high avidity, indicating secondary vaccine failures(SVF). In these vaccinations,there was no significant difference(P > 0.05) in clinical severity between high avidity and low avidity cases. However, regardless of vaccination status, clinical severity was significantly lower in high avidity cases(P < 0.001) than in low avidity cases. The percentages of positive measles Ig M results in high avidity and low avidity cases were 66.28% and 91.25%, respectively. Geometric Mean Concentration(GMC) was significantly lower in high avidity cases at 33.73 U/m L, compared to 166.07 U/m L in low avidity cases.Conclusions Low clinical severity and inconclusive Ig M antibody results are more likely in high avidity measles cases. Measles cases were more common in adults. Therefore, a further dose of vaccines should be recommended for 30–39 years in Tianjin.
文摘According to some observed dama ge phenomena in the smart structure systems, the issues related to the damage and failures of smart structures are addressed in this paper. A few possible damage patterns and the definition of the failure of the smart structures are given. It is pointed out that more attentions should be paid to the functional failures o f smart structures. The effects on the control the static deformation due to par tial debonding of PZT actuators are analyzed by the finite element method. Preli minary numerical results show that partial debonding of PZT actuators may have a p preciate reduction on their actuating ability thus reducing the control ability and accuracy of the smart structures.
文摘This paper presents a comparative visualization strategy of slope failure susceptibility maps for analyzing different types of simultaneous occurrences of slope failures. Through the SEM (structural equation modeling), slope failure susceptibility maps are produced by using causal factors (i.e., geographical information, satellite remotely sensed data). As for a conventional pair-wise comparative procedure, the differences between susceptibility maps are delineated on difference maps, that can be, however, applied for evaluating differences only between pairs of susceptibility maps. One of the strong requirements from specialists working on slope stability evaluation is a comparative and visualization strategy of susceptibility maps with respect to "different types of simultaneous slope failures", for which the discussion is insufficient in the previous research activities for constructing the quantitative models for slope failure hazard mapping. As a measure, a color composite map based on susceptibility maps has been produced. The combination of assigning susceptibility maps to RGB-color planes is determined based on an index of "NCCT (normalized correlated color temperature)" which represents the relationship between chromaticity and human visual perception. Through the cases examined, the result indicates that the proposed color composite map, as a heuristic visualization strategy, is useful for simultaneously evaluating the hazardous areas affected by "different types of slope failures".
基金the National Basic Research Program (973) of China (No. 2004CB217902)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 60421002 and 60804045)the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (No. 20070421163)
文摘The local-world (LW) evolving network model shows a transition for the degree distribution between the exponential and power-law distributions, depending on the LW size. Cascading failures under intentional attacks in LW network models with different LW sizes were investigated using the cascading failures load model. We found that the LW size has a significant impact on the network's robustness against deliberate attacks. It is much easier to trigger cascading failures in LW evolving networks with a larger LW size. Therefore, to avoid cascading failures in real networks with local preferential attachment such as the Internet, the World Trade Web and the multi-agent system, the LW size should be as small as possible.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41072213 and 40801212)the Opening Fund of Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China, Lanzhou University(201207)
文摘The paper attempts to represent a case of repeated failures on a high cut slope due to multi-excavation. The characteristics of each failure induced by excavation are analyzed through geological investigation, and then a geological model at different failure stages is proposed. The geological analysis shows that the excavation-induced repeated failures are related to the exposure of the weak bedding plane and the toe unloading of the cut slope, Numerical modeling is conducted based on a sequential method, taking into account the main failure stages of cut slope. The simulation results fairly coincide with the practical phenomena observed in field. It is shown that the decrease in normal stress of displaced mass on cut slope will induce the increase in shear stress in bedding planes and that at the toe of the cut slope. The released stress leads to repeated gravitational instabilities of cut slope due to the decrease in normal stress and the increase in shear stress along the bedding planes of mudstone.
基金supported by the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China(No.60821063)National 973 Program of China(No.2009CB320604)+2 种基金the Funds of National Science of China(No.60974043)the 111 Project(No.B08015)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.N090604001,N090604002)
文摘In this paper,indirect adaptive state feedback control schemes are developed to solve the robust fault-tolerant control (FTC) design problem of actuator fault and perturbation compensations for linear time-invariant systems.A more general and practical model of actuator faults is presented.While both eventual faults on actuators and perturbations are unknown,the adaptive schemes are addressed to estimate the lower and upper bounds of actuator-stuck faults and perturbations online,as well as to estimate control effectiveness on actuators.Thus,on the basis of the information from adaptive schemes,an adaptive robust state feed-back controller is designed to compensate the effects of faults and perturbations automatically.According to Lyapunov stability theory,it is shown that the robust adaptive closed-loop systems can be ensured to be asymptotically stable under the influence of actuator faults and bounded perturbations.An example is provided to further illustrate the fault compensation effectiveness.
文摘Evaluation of blocky or layered rock slopes against toppling failures has remained of great concern for engineers in various rock mechanics projects.Several step-by-step analytical solutions have been developed for analyzing these types of slope failures.However,manual application of these analytical solutions for real case studies can be time-consuming,complicated,and in certain cases even impossible.This study will first examine existing methods for toppling failure analyses that are reviewed,modified and generalized to consider the effects of a wide range of external and dead loads on slope stability.Next,based on the generalized presented formulae,a Windows form computer code is programmed using Visual C#for analysis of common types of toppling failures.Input parameters,including slope geometry,joint sets parameters,rock and soil properties,ground water level,dynamic loads,support anchor loads as well as magnitudes and forms of external forces,are first loaded into the code.The input data are then saved and used to graphically draw the slope model.This is followed by automatic identification of the toppling failure mode and a deterministic analysis of the slope stability against this failure mode.The results are presented using a graphical approach.The developed code allows probabilistic introduction of the input parameters via probability distribution functions(PDFs)and thus a probabilistic analysis of the toppling failure modes using Monte-Carlo simulation technique.This allows calculation of the probability of slope failure.Finally,several published case studies and typical examples are analyzed with the developed code.The outcomes are compared with those of the main references to assess the performance and robustness of the developed computer code.The comparisons demonstrate good agreement between the results.
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China under Grant No.2012BAH46B04
文摘Cascading failures are common phenomena in many of real-world networks,such as power grids,Internet,transportation networks and social networks.It's worth noting that once one or a few users on a social network are unavailable for some reasons,they are more likely to influence a large portion of social network.Therefore,an effective mitigation strategy is very critical for avoiding or reducing the impact of cascading failures.In this paper,we firstly quantify the user loads and construct the processes of cascading dynamics,then elaborate the more reasonable mechanism of sharing the extra user loads with considering the features of social networks,and further propose a novel mitigation strategy on social networks against cascading failures.Based on the realworld social network datasets,we evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the novel mitigation strategy.The experimental results show that this mitigation strategy can reduce the impact of cascading failures effectively and maintain the network connectivity better with lower cost.These findings are very useful for rationally advertising and may be helpful for avoiding various disasters of cascading failures on many real-world networks.
基金This work was supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFB3202200)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2020B1515120071,2021B1515120017).
文摘In this paper,the leader-follower consensus problem for a multiple flexible manipulator network with actuator failures,parameter uncertainties,and unknown time-varying boundary disturbances is addressed.The purpose of this study is to develop distributed controllers utilizing local interactive protocols that not only suppress the vibration of each flexible manipulator but also achieve consensus on joint angle position between actual followers and the virtual leader.Following the accomplishment of the reconstruction of the fault terms and parameter uncertainties,the adaptive neural network method and parameter estimation technique are employed to compensate for unknown items and bounded disturbances.Furthermore,the Lyapunov stability theory is used to demonstrate that followers’angle consensus errors and vibration deflections in closed-loop systems are uniformly ultimately bounded.Finally,the numerical simulation results confirm the efficacy of the proposed controllers.
基金co-supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52075019)the Academic Excellence Foundation of BUAA for PhD Students,China。
文摘Aviation products would go through a multi-phase improvement in reliability performance during the research and development process.In the literature,most of the existing reliability growth models assume a constant failure intensity in each test phase,which inevitably limits the scope of the application.To address this problem,we propose two new models considering timevarying failure intensity in each stage.The proposed models borrow the idea from the accelerated failure-time models.It is assumed that time between failures follow the log-location-scale distribution and the scale parameters in each phase do not change,which forms the basis for integrating the data from all test stages.For the test-find-test scenario,an improvement factor is introduced to construct the relationship between two successive location parameters.Whereas for the test-fix-test scenario,the instantaneous cumulative time between failures is assumed to be consistent with Duane model and derive the formulation of location parameter.Likelihood ratio test is further utilized to test whether the assumption of constant failure intensity in each phase is suitable.Several applications with real reliability growth data show that the assumptions are reasonable and the proposed models outperform the existing models.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60573128)the Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20060183043)+1 种基金the China–British Columbia Innovation and Commercialization Strategic Develop-ment Grant (No. 2008DFA12140)the Jilin University 985 Graduate Student Innovation Foundation (No. 20080235)
文摘Cascading failures often occur in congested networks such as the Internet. A cascading failure can be described as a three-phase process: generation, diffusion, and dissipation of the congestion. In this account, we present a function that represents the extent of congestion on a given node. This approach is different from existing fimctions based on betweenness centrality. By introducing the concept of 'delay time', we designate an intergradation between permanent removal and nonremoval. We also construct an evaluation fimction of network efficiency, based on congestion, which measures the damage caused by cascading failures. Finally, we investigate the effects of network structure and size, delay time, processing ability and packet generation speed on congestion propagation. Also, we uncover the relationship between the cascade dynamics and some properties of the network such as structure and size.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(1137100311461006)+4 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi(2011GXNSFA0181542012GXNSFGA060003)the Science and Technology Foundation of Guangxi(10169-1)the Scientific Research Project from Guangxi Education Department(201012MS274)Open Research Fund Program of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Hybrid Computation and IC Design Analysis(HCIC201301)
文摘Established system equivalences for transition systems, such as trace equivalence and failures equivalence, require the ob- servations to be exactly identical. However, an accurate measure- ment is impossible when interacting with the physical world, hence exact equivalence is restrictive and not robust. Using Baire met- ric, a generalized framework of transition system approximation is proposed by developing the notions of approximate language equivalence and approximate singleton failures (SF) equivalence. The framework takes the traditional exact equivalence as a special case. The approximate language equivalence is coarser than the approximate Slc equivalence, just like the hierarchy of the exact ones. The main conclusion is that the two approximate equiva- lences satisfy the transitive property, consequently, they can be successively used in transition system approximation.
基金Project partly supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No 2006CB705500)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 70631001, 70671008 and 70801005)the Innovation Foundation of Science and Technology for Excellent Doctorial Candidate of Beijing Jiaotong University (Grant No 48033)
文摘In this article, we investigate cascading failures in complex networks by introducing a feedback. To characterize the effect of the feedback, we define a procedure that involves a self-organization of trip distribution during the process of cascading failures. For this purpose, user equilibrium with variable demand is used as an alternative way to determine the traffic flow pattern throughout the network. Under the attack, cost function dynamics are introduced to discuss edge overload in complex networks, where each edge is assigned a finite capacity (controlled by parameter α). We find that scale-free networks without considering the effect of the feedback are expected to be very sensitive to α as compared with random networks, while this situation is largely improved after introducing the feedback.