6,275 research outputs found
An Adaptive Inventory Management System for Hospital Supply Chain
In healthcare, delivering high quality care to the patients typically requires significant investment in supply chain management systems. Inventory management is an important part of any supply chain system. Researchers have indicated great potential for optimizing existing healthcare inventory systems, especially within hospitals. With ever changing needs, product prices and policies, managing inventory of products in hospitals becomes difficult. As time progresses, the inventory policies of products become sub-optimal. In this research, we study multiple echelons of a hospital supply chain considering the distributors, to address the need for an efficient and effective hospital inventory management system. We propose a method consisting of two components: (1) system design and optimization; and (2) system monitoring, evaluation, and forecasting. The system design and optimization methodology includes a sim-heuristic approach where optimization of inventory levels and hospital operations is considered. As time evolves, to monitor the relevant system performance measures over time, control-chart like methods are used. When significant deviations in system performance occur, a re-evaluation of the inventory decision variables and/or system operations is conducted to maintain an efficient inventory system. A hierarchical procedure is used to determine the extent of evaluation of the system. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology
Rates of Short-GRB afterglows in association with Binary Neutron Star mergers
Assuming all binary Neutron Star mergers produce Short Gamma Ray Bursts
(SGRBs), we combine the merger rates of binary Neutron Stars (BNS) from
population synthesis studies, the sensitivities of advanced Gravitational Wave
(GW) interferometer networks, and of the electromagnetic (EM) facilities in
various wave bands, to compute the detection rate of associated afterglows in
these bands. Using the inclination angle measured from GWs as a proxy for the
viewing angle and assuming a uniform distribution of jet opening angle between
3 to 30 degrees, we generate light curves of the counterparts using the open
access afterglow hydrodynamics package BoxFit for X-ray, Optical and Radio
bands. For different EM detectors we obtain the fraction of EM counterparts
detectable in these three bands by imposing appropriate detection thresholds.
In association with BNS mergers detected by five (three) detector network of
advanced GW interferometers, assuming a BNS merger rate of ~\citep{dominik2012double}, we find the afterglow
detection rates (per year) to be (), ()
and () in the X-ray, optical and radio bands respectively.
Our rates represent maximum possible detections for the given BNS rate since we
ignore effects of cadence and field of view in EM follow up observations.Comment: Published in MNRA
Exploring Short-GRB afterglow parameter space for observations in coincidence with gravitational waves
Short duration Gamma Ray Bursts(SGRB) and their afterglows are among the most
promising electro-magnetic (EM) counterparts of Neutron Star (NS) mergers. The
afterglow emission is broadband, visible across the entire electro-magnetic
window from -ray to radio frequencies. The flux evolution in these
frequencies is sensitive to the multi-dimensional afterglow physical parameter
space. Observations of gravitational wave (GW) from BNS mergers in spatial and
temporal coincidence with SGRB and associated afterglows can provide valuable
constraints on afterglow physics. We run simulations of GW-detected BNS events
and assuming all of them are associated with a GRB jet which also produces an
afterglow, investigate how detections or non-detections in X-ray, optical and
radio frequencies can be influenced by the parameter space. We narrow-down the
regions of afterglow parameter space for a uniform top-hat jet model which
would result in different detection scenarios. We list inferences which can be
drawn on the physics of GRB afterglows from multi-messenger astronomy with
coincident GW-EM observations.Comment: Published in MNRA
Zero Temperature Insulator-Metal Transition in Doped Manganites
We study the transition at T=0 from a ferromagnetic insulating to a
ferromagnetic metallic phase in manganites as a function of hole doping using
an effective low-energy model Hamiltonian proposed by us recently. The model
incorporates the quantum nature of the dynamic Jahn-Teller(JT) phonons strongly
coupled to orbitally degenerate electrons as well as strong Coulomb correlation
effects and leads naturally to the coexistence of localized (JT polaronic) and
band-like electronic states. We study the insulator-metal transition as a
function of doping as well as of the correlation strength U and JT gain in
energy E_{JT}, and find, for realistic values of parameters, a ground state
phase diagram in agreement with experiments. We also discuss how several other
features of manganites as well as differences in behaviour among manganites can
be understood in terms of our model.Comment: To be published in Europhysics Letter
User Perception Of Technologies in Libraries
Information Technology is the collective term for various technologies involved in the processing and transmission of information. The various technologies like computer technology, barcode technology, RFID technology, CCTV technology, remote access technology etc. can be adopted in libraries to provide better services to the users. Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a premier higher education institute is striving hard to provide excellent library services to its stake holders. The adoption of various technologies to provide better library services is explained in the paper. An attempt is made to capture the user perception on IT applications in libraries
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