Cost Decision Support in Product Design

The constraints addressed in decision making during product design, process planning and production planning determine the admissible solution space for the manufacture of products. The solution space determines largely the costs that are incurred in the production process. In order to be able to make economically sound decisions, costing data support must be integrated into the decision making processes. Regarding product design, the designer must be supplied with transparent costing data, that is ready for direct application. In this paper a functional architecture for costing data support during product design, as well as a corresponding data structure are presented

The continuous stop location problem in public transportation networks

In this paper we consider the location of stops along the edges of an already existing public transportation network. This can be the introduction of bus stops along some given bus routes, or of railway stations along the tracks in a railway network. The positive effect of new stops is given by the better access of the potential customers to their closest station, while the increasement of travel time caused by the additional stopping activities of the trains leads to a negative effect. The goal is to cover all given demand points with a minimal amount of additional traveling time, where covering may be defined with respect to an arbitrary norm (or even a gauge). Unfortunately, this problem is NP-hard, even if only the Euclidean distance is used. In this paper, we give a reduction to a finite candidate set leading to a discrete set covering problem. Moreover, we identify network structures in which the coefficient matrix of the resulting set covering problem is totally unimodular, and use this result to derive efficient solution approaches. Various extensions of the problem are also discussed

Report from the National Society of Genetic Counselors Service Delivery Model Task Force: A Proposal to Define Models, Components, and Modes of Referral

The Service Delivery Model Task Force (SDMTF) was appointed in 2009 by the leadership of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) with a charge to research and assess the capacity of all existing service delivery models to improve access to genetic counseling services in the context of increasing demand for genetic testing and counseling. In approaching this charge, the SDMTF found that there were varying interpretations of what was meant by “service delivery models” and the group held extensive discussions about current practices to arrive at consensus of proposed definitions for current genetic service delivery models, modes of referral and components of service delivery. The major goal of these proposed definitions is to allow for conversations to begin to address the charge to the committee. We propose that current models of service delivery can be defined by: 1) the methods in which genetic counseling services are delivered (In‐person, Telephone, Group and Telegenetics), 2) the way they are accessed by patients (Traditional referral, Tandem, Triage, Rescue and Self‐referral) and 3) the variable components that depend upon multiple factors unique to each service setting. This report by the SDMTF provides a starting point whereby standardized terminology can be used in future studies that assess the effectiveness of these described models to overcome barriers to access to genetic counseling services.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146876/1/jgc40645.pd

Planar subgraphs without low-degree nodes

We study the following problem: given a geometric graph G and an integer k, determine if G has a planar spanning subgraph (with the original embedding and straight-line edges) such that all nodes have degree at least k. If G is a unit disk graph, the problem is trivial to solve for k = 1. We show that even the slightest deviation from the trivial case (e.g., quasi unit disk graphs or k = 1) leads to NP-hard problems.Peer reviewe

Crossing and weighted crossing number of near-planar graphs

A nonplanar graph G is near-planar if it contains an edge e such that G − e is planar. The problem of determining the crossing number of a near-planar graph is exhibited from different combinatorial viewpoints. On the one hand, we develop min-max formulas involving efficiently computable lower and upper bounds. These min-max results are the first of their kind in the study of crossing numbers and improve the approximation factor for the approximation algorithm given by Hliněny and Salazar (Graph Drawing GD’06). On the other hand, we show that it is NP-hard to compute a weighted version of the crossing number for near-planar graphs

Differences in size between first and replacement clutches match the seasonal decline in single clutches in Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor

© 2016 British Ornithologists' UnionThe seasonal decline in clutch size in birds can be a response to the environmentally conditioned decrease in prospects for offspring or a consequence of a lower physical ability of late-breeding females. To find out which of the explanations apply in Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor, we assessed whether replacement clutch size in this species is affected by an individual female's ability to lay a certain number of eggs. To do this, we measured the decline in clutch size as a function of laying date between first and replacement clutches in individuals that re-nested following natural failure, and compared this with the rate of decline in clutch size with laying date for Tree Swallows that laid only a single clutch in that season. Additionally, we assessed whether the clutch size and the rate of its seasonal decline varied across years. We accounted for the truncated and under-dispersed nature of clutch size data by using a Bayesian approach in the analysis. We found little variation in the rate of clutch size decline across years at our breeding site. Accounting for this seasonal decline in clutch size, mean clutch size was similar between single-time breeding females and those that laid replacement clutches, implying that the number of eggs laid on the second attempt by female Tree Swallows is determined by laying date, rather than by the female's physical ability to produce a clutch of a certain size

Intuitive Visualization and Analysis of Multi-Omics Data and Application to Escherichia coli Carbon Metabolism

Combinations of ‘omics’ investigations (i.e, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and/or fluxomic) are increasingly applied to get comprehensive understanding of biological systems. Because the latter are organized as complex networks of molecular and functional interactions, the intuitive interpretation of multi-omics datasets is difficult. Here we describe a simple strategy to visualize and analyze multi-omics data. Graphical representations of complex biological networks can be generated using Cytoscape where all molecular and functional components could be explicitly represented using a set of dedicated symbols. This representation can be used i) to compile all biologically-relevant information regarding the network through web link association, and ii) to map the network components with multi-omics data. A Cytoscape plugin was developed to increase the possibilities of both multi-omic data representation and interpretation. This plugin allowed different adjustable colour scales to be applied to the various omics data and performed the automatic extraction and visualization of the most significant changes in the datasets. For illustration purpose, the approach was applied to the central carbon metabolism of Escherichia coli. The obtained network contained 774 components and 1232 interactions, highlighting the complexity of bacterial multi-level regulations. The structured representation of this network represents a valuable resource for systemic studies of E. coli, as illustrated from the application to multi-omics data. Some current issues in network representation are discussed on the basis of this work

I/O-Efficient Algorithms on Near-Planar Graphs

Obtaining I/O-efficient algorithms for basic graph problems on sparse directed graphs is a long-standing open problem. While the best known upper bounds for most basic problems on such graphs with V vertices still require O(V ) I/Os, optimal O(sort (V )) I/O algorithms are known for special classes of sparse graphs, like planar graphs and grid graphs. It is hard to accept that a problem becomes difficult as soon as the graph contains a few deviations from planarity. In this paper we extend the class of graphs on which basic graph problems can be solved I/O-efficiently. We give a characterization of near-planarity which covers a wide range of near-planar graphs, and obtain the first I/O-efficient algorithms for directed graphs that are near-planar

Musculoskeletal symptoms of the upper extremities and the neck: A cross-sectional study on prevalence and symptom-predicting factors at visual display terminal (VDT) workstations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the predictors of musculoskeletal symptoms in the upper extremities and neck at visual display terminal (VDT) workstations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a cross-sectional study 1,065 employees working at VDT > 1 h/d completed a standardised questionnaire. Workstation conditions were documented in a standardised checklist, and a subgroup of 82 employees underwent a physical examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the Nordic Questionnaire, the 12-month prevalence of symptoms of the neck, shoulder region, hand/wrist, or elbow/lower arm was 55%, 38%, 21%, and 15% respectively. The duration of VDT work had a significant impact on the frequency of neck symptoms in employees performing such work > 6 h/d.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>With regard to musculoskeletal symptoms of the upper extremities, preventive measures at VDT workstations should be focused on neck and shoulder symptoms (e.g. ergonomic measures, breaks to avoid sitting over long periods).</p