Cost Analysis on Imaging Diagnostic Techniques in Cerebral and Abdominal Neonatal Pathology

Background: Improvement of health care quality and cost control are the main aims of the health care reform in Romania. Objective: The aims of the research are to analyse the trend of costs for imaging techniques used as diagnostic tools for cerebral and abdominal neonatal pathology and to study the relationship between cost and diagnostic benefits. Design: This is a retrospective observational study design without a control group, conducted in the Radio-Imaging Department, Cluj District University Hospital, Romania, from October 2000 to February 2006. Patients: The study population was represented by neonates investigated in the Radio-Imaging Department, Cluj District University Hospital. Intervention: Five imaging diagnostic techniques used in the diagnosis of cerebral and abdominal neonatal pathology were investigated. Measurements: The costs of the investigated techniques were calculated. The concordance between clinical and imaging diagnostic was recorded. Results: Magnetic resonance proved to be the most expensive investigation. The rate between the raising of costs on investigation type on year was constant. The average cost of imaging investigations for patients with identified pathological aspects (€ 42.72) was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) compared with the average cost for patients with no pathologic imaging aspects (€ 37.62). The concordance between the clinical suspicion and the radio-imaging diagnosis was of 52.35%. Conclusions: The raise of radio-imaging investigation costs had a decreasing tendency over the years studied, decrease explained by the stabilization of the Romanian monetary market. The results on concordance analysis lead to the necessity of training of both clinicians and radiologists

X-ray fluorescence from the element with atomic number Z = 120

Accepted for publication in Physical Review LettersAn atomic clock based on X-ray fluorescence yields has been used to estimate the mean characteristic time for fusion followed by fission in reactions 238U + 64Ni at 6.6 MeV/A. Inner shell vacancies are created during the collisions in the electronic structure of the possibly formed Z=120 compound nuclei. The filling of these vacancies accompanied by X-ray emission with energies characteristic of Z=120 can take place only if the atomic transitions occur before nuclear fission. Therefore, the X-ray yield characteristic of the united atom with 120 protons is strongly related to the fission time and to the vacancy lifetimes. K X-rays from the element with Z = 120 have been unambiguously identified from a coupled analysis of the involved nuclear reaction mechanisms and of the measured photon spectra. A minimum mean fission time $\tau$_f$ = 2.5×10−18s has been deduced for Z=120 from the measured X-ray multiplicity

Histological changes in the vulva and vagina from ovariectomised rats undergoing oestrogen treatment

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the histological changes occurring in the vagina and vulva in ovariectomised female rats, as well as the response to the administration of injectable oestrogens. Material and methods: We used 30 female Wistar white rats, distributed as follows: group 1 — the control group, group 2 — the operated but untreated rats, and groups 3, 4 and 5 — operated rats, to which oestrogenic treatment was administered (Estradiol, Estradurin, Sintofolin) at a dosage of 0.2 mg/rat/day. After 14 days of treatment, all animals were sacrificed and vaginal and vulvar biopsies were taken from all groups. Results: In group 2, we encountered structural changes of the vaginal mucosa, with severe atrophy and alterations in the thickness of the vagina and vulva. In groups 3, 4 and 5 we found marked hyperplasia of the vaginal and vulvar epithelium, eosinophilic and mast cell infiltration in the chorion. Conclusions: Our study proves that the histopathological changes during anoestrus after administration of oestrogens are cell hyperplasia, thickening of the superficial mucosal layer, eosinophilic and mast cells infiltrations, and chorionic congestion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Estradiol therapy induces the most evident histological changes when compared to synthetic oestrogens such as Estradurin or Sintofolin.

Manufacturing analysis with discrete events using IoT platform

Abstract The paper presents how to integrate cloud systems and access them with IoT devices. The IoT platforms addressed in the paper are Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as Service (SaaS). The analysis is presented by modeling a case study for systems with discrete events. Because the general system is analyzed as a cloud system on levels, we will leave the general system as stochastic.Qualitative analysis has the role of checking the structural and behavioral properties of the system, the existence of bottlenecks, bridging, and security systems. The quantitative analysis measures the specific performance of the manufacturing system. The results show that this approach can be used to detect jams in the system. Thus, manufacturers can resize production capacity and optimize even the entire manufacturing system.</jats:p

Cloud manufacturing - the connection between RAMI 4.0 and IoT

Abstract The paper presents an empirical analysis regarding the advantages offered by cloud manufacturing, the need to analyze RAMI 4.0 and not least IoT applications. The latter using high performance platforms can lead to the modernization of the automation, tracking and control systems, but they also add to the optimization systems in order to increase the performance. RAMI offers a 3D analysis of the entire manufacturing flow, a system that can be more effectively analyzed, interpreted and can be intervened to grant mandatory maintenance. Cloud manufacturing offers an overview of the entire manufacturing process with all the resources and resources used, as well as an overall analysis regarding any possible interventions needed to optimize the manufacturing system. In order to be able to draw the most relevant conclusions in real time, we simulated such a system with the help offered by Petri nets. We chose the Petri nets because they are easier to interpret, they provide real-time information, modifications can be made relatively easily so that decisions can be made in the shortest time so as not to disturb the manufacturing system. Because cloud manufacturing, the manufacturing system and the IoT platforms have been presented in previous works on the same manufacturing system, in this paper I will review them and focus more on the cloud manufacturing relationship and RAMI 4.0.</jats:p

From Real – TIME Manufacturing to IoT Digital Technologies

The paper deals with several aspects of Petri networks, their implications in the modeling, analysis, synthesis and implementation of systems in the field of manufacturing. Since these aspects are being analyzed based on discrete events systems and because everything is done in real time, it is recommended that digital technology is accessed using IoT devices. For the chosen manufacturing system, we will only model and analyze the sectors in which the importance of the component systems can be highlighted in real time. Even though Petri networks are no longer secret in use, they are easy to use in simulation and modeling, and the resulting diagrams are easy to interpret. The synthesis and implementation proposed in this paper are considered cloud-based because the security of information is much more complex. The tracking and control system is proposed to be managed using IoT systems and all levels to provide the most accurate security of the manufacturing process. This system can be used in enterprises that adopt the implementation of IoT systems, implement digital technology. The system can only be applied to manufacturing sectors, and should not cover the whole system from supply to disposal