scholarly journals Scheduling Problems with Learning and Ageing Effects: A Survey

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Janiak ◽  
Tomasz Krysiak ◽  
Radosław Trela
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Ageing Effects ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Continue Research ◽  
Short Horizon ◽  
Horizon Planning

In recent years, many papers concerning scheduling problems with simultaneous learning and ageing effects were published. In this paper, the state of the art of research concerning these problems is presented. In order to facilitate understanding this subject, the scheduling problems where these effects occur separately, are firstly explained. Then, the papers devoted to scheduling problems combining the effects of learning and ageing are discussed. Particular attention was paid on practical applications of the considered scheduling problems. After thorough analysis it turned out that both scheduling problems with learning effect, and with ageing effect, as well as, in particular, the problems with models merging learning and ageing effects do not have any reasonable real-life applications. This is because the learning and ageing effects are in general long time horizon phenomena observed in repetitive systems and scheduling theory concerns either with repetitive short-horizon planning problems or single long-horizon projects. Therefore, there is no sense to continue research considering these scheduling problems from practical (computer engineering, automatic control, technical and economical) point of view, unless such reasonable real-life example appears.

scholarly journals The use of short-acting bronchodilators in patients with chronic bronchoobstructive pathology at the present stage

2021 ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
K. A. Zykov ◽  
V. V. Vikentyev ◽  
I. V. Goloborodova ◽  
I. I. Kopchenov ◽  
O. V. Bondarec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Drug Regimen ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Short Acting ◽  
Beta Agonists ◽  
Metered Dose ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Long Acting

Inhaled short-acting bronchodilators (beta-agonists and M-anticholinergics) have been used for a long time in patients with bronchoobstructive diseases, the main representatives of which are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma (BA). Given the fact that most patients with COPD and BA are treated with long-acting bronchodilators, the question arises about the place of short-acting drugs in modern treatment algorithms for bronchoobstructive pathology. The data on how many patients take short-acting beta-agonists and M- anticholinergics in real-life clinical practice, and how appropriate it is to use these drugs on top of prolonged drugs are provided. The Russian part of the international POPE-study analyzed the characteristics of outpatients with COPD. It was found that the vast majority of patients have short-acting bronchodilators as part of their therapy, and more than 50% of patients receive a combination of SABA and SAAC, and in most cases this is represented by a combination of fenoterol + ipratropium. Taking into account that the majority of patients with COPD and asthma receive prolonged bronchodilators, important from a practical point of view is the question of the effectiveness of short-acting drugs on the background of prolonged ones. The article discusses these aspects of therapy and provides evidence that the use of SABA and SAAC provides an opportunity to achieve additional bronchodilatation when used against the background of prolonged bronchodilators. Thus, symptomatic use of SABA and SAAC on demand in bronchoobstructive pathology have sufficient justification even in the presence of a combination of prolonged bronchodilators in patient therapy. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the increased probability of side effects with such drug regimen. The article also discusses the issues of different types of inhalation devices for short-acting bronchodilators (nebulizers and metered-dose aerosol inhalers), provides data on their comparative effectiveness and safety. 

An Introduction to the Crystallogenesis of Biological Macromolecules

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Giegé ◽  
A. Ducruix
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Space Groups ◽  
Non Linear Optics ◽  
Unit Cells ◽  
Long Time

The word ‘crystal’ is derived from the Greek root ‘krustallos’ meaning ‘clear ice’. Like ice, crystals are chemically well defined, and many among of them are of transparent and glittering appearance, like quartz, which was for a long time the archetype. Often they are beautiful geometrical solids with regular faces and sharp edges, which probably explains why crystallinity, even in the figurative meaning, is taken as a symbol of perfection and purity. From the physical point of view, crystals are regular three-dimensional arrays of atoms, ions, molecules, or molecular assemblies. Ideal crystals can be imagined as infinite and perfect arrays in which the building blocks (the asymmetric units) are arranged according to well-defined symmetries (forming the 230 space groups) into unit cells that are repeated in the three-dimensions by translations. Experimental crystals, however, have finite dimensions. An implicit consequence is that a macroscopic fragment from a crystal is still a crystal, because the orderly arrangement of molecules within such a fragment still extends at long distances. The practical consequence is that crystal fragments can be used as seeds (Chapter 7). In laboratory-grown crystals the periodicity is never perfect, due to different kinds of local disorders or long-range imperfections like dislocations. Also, these crystals are often of polycrystalline nature. The external forms of crystals are always manifestations of their internal structures and symmetries, even if in some cases these symmetries may be hidden at the macroscopic level, due to differential growth kinetics of the crystal faces. Periodicity in crystal architecture is also reflected in their macroscopic physical properties. The most straightforward example is given by the ability of crystals to diffract X-rays, neutrons, or electrons, the phenomenon underlying structural chemistry and biology (for introductory texts see refs 1 and 2), and the major aim of this book is to present the methods employed to produce three-dimensional crystals of biological macromolecules, but also two-dimensional crystals (Chapter 12), needed for diffraction studies. Other properties of invaluable practical applications should not be overlooked either, as is the case of optical and electronic properties which are at the basis of non-linear optics and modern electronics (for an introduction to physical properties of molecular crystals see ref. 3).

Adjustable wetting of Liquid Flame Spray (LFS) TiO2-nanoparticle coated board: Batch-type versus roll-to-roll stimulation methods

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Tuominen ◽  
Hannu Teisala ◽  
Janne Haapanen ◽  
Mikko Aromaa ◽  
Jyrki M. Mäkelä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Argon Plasma ◽  
Ultra Violet ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Flame Spray ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Batch Type ◽  
Roll To Roll ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Liquid Flame Spray

Abstract Superhydrophobic nanoparticle coating was created on the surface of board using liquid flame spray (LFS). The LFS coating was carried out continuously in ambient conditions without any additional hydrophobization steps. The contact angle of water (CAW) of ZrO2, Al2O3 and TiO2 coating was adjusted reversibly from >150° down to ~10−20° using different stimulation methods. From industrial point of view, the controlled surface wetting has been in focus for a long time because it defines the liquid-solid contact area, and furthermore can enhance the mechanical and chemical bonding on the interface between the liquid and the solid. The used stimulation methods included batch-type methods: artificial daylight illumination and heat treatment and roll-to-roll methods: corona, argon plasma, IR (infra red)- and UV (ultra violet)-treatments. On the contrary to batch-type methods, the adjustment and switching of wetting was done only in seconds or fraction of seconds using roll-to-roll stimulation methods. This is significant in the converting processes of board since they are usually continuous, high volume operations. In addition, the creation of microfluidic patterns on the surface of TiO2 coated board using simple photomasking and surface stimulation was demonstrated. This provides new advantages and possibilities, especially in the field of intelligent printing. Limited durability and poor repellency against low surface tension liquids are presently the main limitations of LFS coatings.

Bleak Weather for Sun-Shine AG: A Case Study of Impairment of Assets

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Detzen ◽  
Tobias Stork genannt Wersborg ◽  
Henning Zülch
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Economic Point ◽  
Instructional Resource

ABSTRACT This case originates from a real-life business situation and illustrates the application of impairment tests in accordance with IFRS and U.S. GAAP. In the first part of the case study, students examine conceptual questions of impairment tests under IFRS and U.S. GAAP with respect to applicable accounting standards, definitions, value concepts, and frequency of application. In addition, the case encourages students to discuss the impairment regime from an economic point of view. The second part of the instructional resource continues to provide instructors with the flexibility of applying U.S. GAAP and/or IFRS when students are asked to test a long-lived asset for impairment and, if necessary, allocate any potential impairment. This latter part demonstrates that impairment tests require professional judgment that students are to exercise in the case.

scholarly journals The contribution of the Italian residents in neurology to the COVID-19 crisis: admirable generosity but neurological training remains their priority

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Tassorelli ◽  
Vincenzo Silani ◽  
Alessandro Padovani ◽  
Paolo Barone ◽  
Paolo Calabresi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Training ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Healthcare Management ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Training And Research

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted the Italian healthcare system, underscoring a dramatic shortage of specialized doctors in many disciplines. The situation affected the activity of the residents in neurology, who were also offered the possibility of being formally hired before their training completion. Aims (1) To showcase examples of clinical and research activity of residents in neurology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and (2) to illustrate the point of view of Italian residents in neurology about the possibility of being hired before the completion of their residency program. Results Real-life reports from several areas in Lombardia—one of the Italian regions more affected by COVID-19—show that residents in neurology gave an outstanding demonstration of generosity, collaboration, reliability, and adaptation to the changing environment, while continuing their clinical training and research activities. A very small minority of the residents participated in the dedicated selections for being hired before completion of their training program. The large majority of them prioritized their training over the option of earlier employment. Conclusions Italian residents in neurology generously contributed to the healthcare management of the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways, while remaining determined to pursue their training. Neurology is a rapidly evolving clinical field due to continuous diagnostic and therapeutic progress. Stakeholders need to listen to the strong message conveyed by our residents in neurology and endeavor to provide them with the most adequate training, to ensure high quality of care and excellence in research in the future.

Adherence, Persistence, and Effectiveness in Real Life. Multicenter Long-Term Study on the Use of Pirfenidone and Nintedanib in the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

2021 ◽  
pp. 089719002110086
Author(s):  
Fiorenzo Santoleri ◽  
Luigia Auriemma ◽  
Antonella Spacone ◽  
Stefano Marinari ◽  
Fabio Esposito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pharmacological Study ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Second Year

Background: In the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), nintedanib and pirfenidone, with their different mechanisms of action, lead to a reduction in the rate of progression of the fibrosis process measured by the reduction of functional decline, and, in particular, the decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC) and of the diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO). The objective of this study was to analyze real-life adherence, persistence and efficacy in the use of pirfenidone and nintedanib in the treatment of IPF. Methods: A non-interventional multicenter retrospective observational pharmacological study in real-life treat-ment at 1 and 2 years was conducted. Furthermore, we analyzed the levels of FVC and DLCO at 6 and 12 months, respectively, from the start of treatment. Results: We identified 144 patients in the period between January 2013 and April 2019. From the point of view of adherence, there is no difference between the two drugs, even though patients who used pirfenidone had increasingly higher values: 0.90 vs 0.89, in the first year, and 0.91 vs 0.84, in the second year. In the first year of treatment, the percentage of persistent patients was 67% and 76%, while in the second year, it dropped to 47% and 53% for pirfenidone and nintedanib, respectively. Conclusion: The stratification of the adherence values as a function of the response to treatment in terms of FVC at 12 months for both study drugs showed that patients with optimal response scored adherence of more than 90%.

scholarly journals ALVIC versus the Internet: Redesigning a Networked Virtual Environment Architecture

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Quax ◽  
Jeroen Dierckx ◽  
Bart Cornelissen ◽  
Wim Lamotte
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Generic Framework ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Networked Virtual Environment ◽  
Near Future

The explosive growth of the number of applications based on networked virtual environment technology, both games and virtual communities, shows that these types of applications have become commonplace in a short period of time. However, from a research point of view, the inherent weaknesses in their architectures are quickly exposed. The Architecture for Large-Scale Virtual Interactive Communities (ALVICs) was originally developed to serve as a generic framework to deploy networked virtual environment applications on the Internet. While it has been shown to effectively scale to the numbers originally put forward, our findings have shown that, on a real-life network, such as the Internet, several drawbacks will not be overcome in the near future. It is, therefore, that we have recently started with the development of ALVIC-NG, which, while incorporating the findings from our previous research, makes several improvements on the original version, making it suitable for deployment on the Internet as it exists today.

Positive evaluation in the language of human resources: textbooks versus reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-152
Author(s):  
Pavel Reich
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Business English ◽  
Evaluative Language ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
General Business ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Authentic Language ◽  
Positive Evaluation

Abstract The aim of the present paper is to focus on the language of Human Resources (HR) as one of the subfields of English for business purposes in respect of positive evaluation and stancetaking and to identify to what extent evaluative language common in real-life situations is reflected in currently available textbooks of English for HR (EHR). Authentic language is taken from blogs and interviews with prominent HR managers on www.thehrdirector.com, which is a global online magazine dedicated to HR professionals. The corpus created from these texts is analysed from the point of view of evaluative language and the data ascertained are put into contrast with the language presented in three commonly available HR English textbooks. The analysis focusses on the lexical level of language and is based on the Appraisal framework (and the system of Attitude) of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Even though the present study is intended as qualitative rather than quantitative, the findings are quantified in order to shed some light on the commonality and frequency of some of the phenomena ascertained and their reflection in the textbooks. The outcomes of the analysis might serve as food for thought and inspiration for tertiary-level teachers of general business English courses as well as highly specialised courses focusing on the language of human resources.

Systematic Synthesis and Applications of Novel Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Differential Systems

1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sridhar Kota ◽  
Srinivas Bidare
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Differential Systems ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Epicyclic Gear ◽  
Differential Mechanism ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Gear Trains ◽  
Drive Systems

Abstract A two-degree-of-freedom differential system has been known for a long time and is widely used in automotive drive systems. Although higher degree-of-freedom differential systems have been developed in the past based on the well-known standard differential, the number of degrees-of-freedom has been severely restricted to 2n. Using a standard differential mechanism and simple epicyclic gear trains as differential building blocks, we have developed novel whiffletree-like differential systems that can provide n-degrees of freedom, where n is any integer greater than two. Symbolic notation for representing these novel differentials is also presented. This paper presents a systematic method of deriving multi-degree-of-freedom differential systems, a three and four output differential systems and some of their practical applications.

Bona fides and ubuntu – A response to Dale Hutchison

Acta Juridica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 85-106
Author(s):  
J Barnard-Naudé
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
Contract Law ◽  
Law School ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Long Time ◽  
School Faculty ◽  
The Common ◽  
Faculty Meeting

This paper is a response to Dale Hutchison’s recent arguments about the role of fairness in contract law after the Constitution. From the point of view of transformative constitutionalism, the paper argues that the fairness ‘debate’ in the South African law of contract should be approached as what it so patently is, namely, as evidence of a deep ideological conflict that has existed in our law of contract for a very long time, and that this debate now exists within the context of a larger debate about the appropriate transformative reach of the Constitution. The argument takes the form of two ‘dangerous supplements’ to Hutchison’s discourse. The first of these supplements contends that indeterminacy is a symptom of the common law itself, rather than a result of contract law’s contact with the Constitution. The second dangerous supplement suggests a responsible judicial engagement with bona fides and ubuntu, one that can exploit the strengths of both the common law and the Constitution and that understands good faith and ubuntu to be ‘inter-linking’ constitutional values that should be enlisted in unison or at least in resonance when it comes to the question of fairness in our contemporary law of contract. In conclusion, I offer a reading of Hutchison’s own politics of contract law and contend that his is an altruistic politics committed to the standard form. I contend that this politics of contract law is consistent with a transformative understanding of the post-apartheid legal order. ‘Law, like every other cultural institution, is a place where we tell one another stories about our relationships with ourselves, one another, and authority. In this, law is no different from the Boston Globe, the CBS evening news, Mother Jones, or a law school faculty meeting. When we tell one another stories, we use languages and themes that different pieces of the culture make available to us, and that limit the stories we can tell. Since our stories influence how we imagine, as well as how we describe, our relationships, our stories also limit who we can be’.

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