Optimal Strategies for a Knowledge Workers Acquisition Problem with Expanding and Volatile Demand: Train Internally or Recruit Externally?

The aim of this paper is to consider the process of supplying trained workers with knowledge and skills for upcoming business opportunities, and of training apprentices prepared to meet future demands in an IT service firm. As the demand for new workers has fluctuations, a firm should employ a buffer workforce such as apprentices or interns. However, as a result of rapid development of a business, the buffer‟s capacity may be exceeded, thus requiring the company to recruit skilled workers from outside the firm. It is thus important for a firm to map out a strategy for manpower planning so as to fulfill the demands of new business and minimize operation costs related to training apprentices and recruiting experienced workers. This paper first analyzes the demand and supply of workers for IT service in a knowledge-intensive field. It then presents optimal human resource planning via the familiar method of stochastic process - queueing analysis

A Sensitivity Analysis on the Impact of Uncertanties of the Supply and Demand of a Workforce on a Recruiting Strategy in an IT Service Company

This paper investigates a managerial problem related to human resource planning for an IT service company which mainly carries out time-base projects. As the demand for new workers is subject to wide fluctuations, the firm should hire workers in advance and train them. However, the firm should urgently recruit skilled workers from outside the firm due to the shortages in the workforce. Hence, it is important for the firm to design an optimal human resource planning program so as to fulfill the needs of new IT service projects and minimize operation costs, though this involves a trade-off between holding excess workers to prepare for upcoming demand and recruiting experienced workers. This paper presents a quantitative model that describes the stochastic behavior of the supply and demands of the workforce. Numerical results pertaining to the optimal solution are given via a simulation

SREBP and MDT-15 protect C. elegans from glucose-induced accelerated aging by preventing accumulation of saturated fat

Glucose-rich diets shorten the life spans of various organisms. However, the metabolic processes involved in this phenomenon remain unknown. Here, we show that sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) and mediator-15 (MDT-15) prevent the life-shortening effects of a glucose-rich diet by regulating fat-converting processes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Up-regulation of the SREBP/MDT-15 transcription factor complex was necessary and sufficient for alleviating the life-shortening effect of a glucose-rich diet. Glucose feeding induced key enzymes that convert saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), which are regulated by SREBP and MDT-15. Furthermore, SREBP/MDT-15 reduced the levels of SFAs and moderated glucose toxicity on life span. Our study may help to develop strategies against elevated blood glucose and free fatty acids, which cause glucolipotoxicity in diabetic patients.112217Ysciescopu

Hemodynamic effects of carbetocin administered as an intravenous bolus or infusion during cesarean delivery

Background Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality. Oxytocin being the most popular uterotonic agent, has been routinely administered after both vaginal delivery and cesarean section. Carbetocin is a newer uterotonic agent and provides the benefit of a longer duration of action without additional administration post-delivery. Methods We recruited 34 women undergoing elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. All patient was received spinal anesthesia using 0.5% hyperbaric Marcaine 8–10 mg in conjugation with fentanyl 20 μg in the left lateral decubitus position. Hartmann’s solution 10–15 ml/kg was administered before carbetocin. The operation started as soon as sensory block at level T4–T6 was confirmed. A non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring cuff (Finometer®) was attached to the patient’s finger soon after the induction of spinal anesthesia. Using the Finometer, we recorded the heart rate and mean arterial pressure at every 15 s, starting from 15 s before the administration of carbetocin to 5 min after. After the removal of the placenta, the bolus group was administered intravenous bolus injection of carbetocin 100 μg and the infusion group was administered carbetocin 100 μg diluted in 50 ml normal saline, over 5 min using an infusion pump. Results The demographic data showed no significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore, there were no significant hemodynamic differences between the two groups. Conclusions The method of administration of carbetocin does not influence its hemodynamic effects

Power-Time Exploration Tools for NMP-Enabled Systems

Recently, dramatic improvements in memory performance have been highly required for data demanding application services such as deep learning, big data, and immersive videos. To this end, the throughput-oriented memory such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) and hybrid memory cube (HMC) has been introduced to provide a high bandwidth. For its effective use, various research efforts have been conducted. Among them, the near-memory-processing (NMP) is a concept that utilizes bandwidth and power consumption by placing computation logic near the memory. In the NMP-enabled system, a processor hierarchy consisting of hosts and NMPs is formed based on the distance from the main memory. In this paper, an evaluation tool is proposed to obtain the optimal design decision considering the power-time trade-off in the processor hierarchy. Every time the operating condition and constraints change, the decision of task-level offloading is dynamically made. For the realistic NMP-enabled system environment, the relationship among HBM, host, and NMP should be carefully considered. Hosts and NMPs are almost hidden from each other and the communications between them are extremely limited. In the simulation results, popular benchmarks and a machine learning application are used to demonstrate power-time trade-offs depending on applications and system conditions

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for natural product biosynthesis

Natural products are widely employed in our daily lives as food additives, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmetic ingredients, among others. However, their supply has often been limited because of low-yield extraction from natural resources such as plants. To overcome this problem, metabolically engineered Escherichia coli has emerged as a cell factory for natural product biosynthesis because of many advantages including the availability of well-established tools and strategies for metabolic engineering and high cell density culture, in addition to its high growth rate. We review state-of-the-art metabolic engineering strategies for enhanced production of natural products in E. coli, together with representative examples. Future challenges and prospects of natural product biosynthesis by engineered E. coli are also discussed

Atmospheric pressure mass spectrometric imaging of live hippocampal tissue slices with subcellular spatial resolution

Ambient mass spectrometry-based approaches have found application in biology and medicine. Here the authors report a mass spectrometric imaging method (ambient nanoPALDI) for live hippocampal tissues, based on gold nanorodassisted femtosecond laser desorption and subsequent non-thermal plasma induced ionization

Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in Sustainable Agriculture: Advantages and Limitations

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are significant groups of probiotic organisms in fermented food and are generally considered safe. LAB regulate soil organic matter and the biochemical cycle, detoxify hazardous chemicals, and enhance plant health. They are found in decomposing plants, traditional fermented milk products, and normal human gastrointestinal and vaginal flora. Exploring LAB identified in unknown niches may lead to isolating unique species. However, their classification is quite complex, and they are adapted to high sugar concentrations and acidic environments. LAB strains are considered promising candidates for sustainable agriculture, and they promote soil health and fertility. Therefore, they have received much attention regarding sustainable agriculture. LAB metabolites promote plant growth and stimulate shoot and root growth. As fertilizers, LAB can promote biodegradation, accelerate the soil organic content, and produce organic acid and bacteriocin metabolites. However, LAB show an antagonistic effect against phytopathogens, inhibiting fungal and bacterial populations in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere. Several studies have proposed the LAB bioremediation efficiency and detoxification of heavy metals and mycotoxins. However, LAB genetic manipulation and metabolic engineered tools provide efficient cell factories tailor-made to produce beneficial industrial and agro-products. This review discusses lactic acid bacteria advantages and limitations in sustainable agricultural development

Predictive modeling of microhole profile drilled using a focused electron beam with backing materials

This study establishes a simple and rapid predictive model for a microhole profile drilled using a focused electron beam based on the finite difference method. Vertical irradiation and full penetration using a focused beam with a Gaussian distribution were reflected onto the three-dimensional mesh of metallic substrates. The predictive hole profiles on the substrate were estimated by analyzing the phase transition using predictive temperature distributions. To validate the predictive accuracy of model, experimental drilling processes on AISI 304 stainless steel substrates were conducted, and the experimental hole qualities were measured using microcomputed tomography. Comparisons between predictive and experimental results represented high predictive accuracy in three criteria: hole diameters, straightness, and geometrical hole shape. Applying the fractional energy absorptance dependent on the substrate depth significantly improved the prediction accuracy of model. The predictive results demonstrated that the thermal analysis with temperature distributions could predict the drilled hole qualities rapidly and accurately, avoiding the high computational loads from considerations for velocity fields or pressure distributions around the substrate

Evans blue dye-enhanced imaging of the brain microvessels using spectral focusing coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

<div><p>We performed dye-enhanced imaging of mouse brain microvessels using spectral focusing coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (SF-CARS) microscopy. The resonant signals from C-H stretching in forward CARS usually show high background intensity in tissues, which makes CARS imaging of microvessels difficult. In this study, epi-detection of back-scattered SF-CARS signals showed a negligible background, but the overall intensity of resonant CARS signals was too low to observe the network of brain microvessels. Therefore, Evans blue (EB) dye was used as contrasting agent to enhance the back-scattered SF-CARS signals. Breakdown of brain microvessels by inducing hemorrhage in a mouse was clearly visualized using backward SF-CARS signals, following intravenous injection of EB. The improved visualization of brain microvessels with EB enhanced the sensitivity of SF-CARS, detecting not only the blood vessels themselves but their integrity as well in the brain vasculature.</p></div