Information and participation in decision-making about treatment: a qualitative study of the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To elicit the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis regarding information and participation in treatment decision-making. To analyse the patients’ narratives on the background of the ethical discourse on various approaches to treatment decisionmaking. Design: In-depth interviews with themes identified using principles of grounded theory. Participants: 22 patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis. Main outcome measures: Qualitative data on patients’ perceptions and preferences regarding information and participation in decision-making about treatment. Results: Decision-making about treatment has been described by the patients as a process consisting of different stages with shifting loci of control and responsibility. Patients initially received one treatment recommendation and were not aware of alternative treatment options. Those participants in this study who wanted information about negative effects of a treatment cited ‘‘interest in one’s own health’’ and the potential ‘‘use of information’’ as reasons for their preference. The physicians’ expert knowledge and clinical experience regarding the effects of medication were cited as arguments by patients for a treatment recommendation. Conclusions: The patients’ accounts of decision-making about treatment differ from models of physician–patient relationship that have been put forward in ethical discourse. These differences may be relevant with respect to the starting point of an ethical analysis of treatment decision-making. Patients’ accounts with respect to a lack of information on treatment alternatives point to ethically relevant challenges regarding treatment decision-making in clinical practice

The Value of Verbal Feedback in Allocation Decisions

Depending on the context at hand, people’s preference for receiving feedback might differ. Especially in allocation decisions that directly concern another individual, feedback from the affected person can have positive or negative value. We study such preferences in a laboratory experiment by eliciting the willingness-to-pay to receive or to avoid verbal feedback from subjects that were previously affected by an allocation decision. We find that most decision makers exhibit a positive willingness-to-pay for having control about whether feedback occurs or not. Specifically, decision makers that equally shared their endowment with the recipient revealed a positive willingness-to-pay for receiving, but not for avoiding feedback. By contrast, among decision makers that behaved selfishly, we identify both: subjects that were willing to pay for receiving and subjects that were willing to pay for avoiding feedback. The stated motivations indicate that curiosity, the desire to receive social approval and giving the recipient the chance to express his/her feelings are the main reasons for feedback acquisition, while shame and fear of negative feedback are the main reasons for avoidance

High resolution measurement of FGM thin films using picosecond ultrasonics

AbstractFunctionally Graded Materials (FGMs) are materials with elastic properties λ, μ and density ρ depending on spatial coordinates. When between two homogeneous materials the transition layer thickness is of the same order of magnitude as the mechanical wave length, the wave scattering behavior at the interface becomes frequency dependent. The effect is of growing importance for micro- and nanostructures since the relative size of the interface layers is generally larger than in macroscopic structures. In this work a linear material grading is achieved with physical vapor deposition by magnetron sputtering. The used materials are aluminum (Al) and tantalum (Ta) due to their strong variation in acoustic impedance (bulk force reflection coefficient 0.6) and their good intermixing properties. In the sample investigated here the material transition layer thickness amounts to 60nm. With Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) measurements and electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) the material properties of the sample are characterized. Mechanical waves in the specimen are excited and detected using a pump probe laser acoustic setup. The frequency dependent wave propagation in FGM is demonstrated by investigating the spectral response in theory and experiments. The entire experimental setup is modeled using a finite difference algorithm for better interpretation of the measurements. The frequency dependent wave propagation in FGM is analyzed to characterize the interface and finds applications in high frequency filters, semiconductor manufacturing or thermal barrier layers

Genetic variation and relationships among spring camelina (Camelina sativa, Brassicaceae) accessions of different origin

Camelina sativa L. is one of the oldest crops of the Brassicaceae family, first domesticated in the region of south-eastern Europe. It has regained interest as a very promising alternative oilseed crop with broad adaptability, a wide range of tolerances to pests and diseases, and low-input requirements. The genetic diversity in spring camelina proved to be limited, so the identification and characterization of genetic variations is considered very useful for development of efficient breeding programmes. The aim of the study was to use SSR markers in order to investigate genetic variation of twenty spring camelina accessions and their relatedness. Forty-five individual samples were taken from each accession and used for amplification of SSR markers P4C11, P6E4 and LIB19. The accessions expressed different levels of genetic variation, AMOVA (analysis of molecular variance) showed that 64% of the total genetic variation was attributed to variance within accessions. Genetic distance analysis indicated that there was overlapping in certain breeding programs and exchange of breeding germplasm

Radio constraints on dark matter annihilation in Canes Venatici I with LOFAR

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2020 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Dwarf galaxies are dark matter-dominated and therefore promising targets for the search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which are well-known candidates for dark matter. Annihilation of WIMPs produce ultra-relativistic cosmic-ray electrons and positrons that emit synchrotron radiation in the presence of magnetic fields. For typical magnetic field strengths (few $\mu$G) and $\mathcal O$(GeV-TeV) WIMP masses (and thus typical electron energies of the same order) this emission peaks at hundreds of MHz. Here, we use the non-detection of 150-MHz radio continuum emission from the dwarf spheroidal galaxy `Canes Venatici I' with the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR) to derive constraints on the annihilation cross section of WIMPs into primary electron-positron and other fundamental particle-antiparticle pairs. In this first-of-its-kind LOFAR study, we obtain new constraints on annihilating WIMP dark matter (DM). Using conservative estimates for the magnetic field strengths and diffusion coefficients, we obtain limits that are comparable with those by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) using gamma-ray observations. Assuming s-wave annihilation and WIMPs making up 100% of the DM density, our limits exclude several thermal WIMP realisations in the $[2,20]$-GeV mass range. A more ambitious multi-wavelength and multi-target LOFAR study could improve these limits by a few orders of magnitude.Peer reviewe

The distributed assembly permutation flowshop scheduling problem

Nowadays, improving the management of complex supply chains is a key to become competitive in the twenty-first century global market. Supply chains are composed of multi-plant facilities that must be coordinated and synchronised to cut waste and lead times. This paper proposes a Distributed Assembly Permutation Flowshop Scheduling Problem (DAPFSP) with two stages to model and study complex supply chains. This problem is a generalisation of the Distributed Permutation Flowshop Scheduling Problem (DPFSP). The first stage of the DAPFSP is composed of f identical production factories. Each one is a flowshop that produces jobs to be assembled into final products in a second assembly stage. The objective is to minimise the makespan. We present first a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model (MILP). Three constructive algorithms are proposed. Finally, a Variable Neighbourhood Descent (VND) algorithm has been designed and tested by a comprehensive ANOVA statistical analysis. The results show that the VND algorithm offers good performance to solve this scheduling problem.Ruben Ruiz is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the project 'RESULT - Realistic Extended Scheduling Using Light Techniques' with reference DPI2012-36243-C02-01. Carlos Andres-Romano is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the project 'INSAMBLE' - Scheduling at assembly/disassembly synchronised supply chains with reference DPI2011-27633.Hatami, S.; Ruiz García, R.; Andrés Romano, C. (2013). The distributed assembly permutation flowshop scheduling problem. International Journal of Production Research. 51(17):5292-5308. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2013.807955S529253085117Basso, D., Chiarandini, M., & Salmaso, L. (2007). Synchronized permutation tests in replicated designs. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, 137(8), 2564-2578. doi:10.1016/j.jspi.2006.04.016Biggs, D., De Ville, B., & Suen, E. (1991). A method of choosing multiway partitions for classification and decision trees. Journal of Applied Statistics, 18(1), 49-62. doi:10.1080/02664769100000005Chan, F. T. S., Chung, S. H., Chan, L. Y., Finke, G., & Tiwari, M. K. (2006). Solving distributed FMS scheduling problems subject to maintenance: Genetic algorithms approach. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 22(5-6), 493-504. doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2005.11.005Chan, F. T. S., Chung, S. H., & Chan, P. L. Y. (2006). Application of genetic algorithms with dominant genes in a distributed scheduling problem in flexible manufacturing systems. International Journal of Production Research, 44(3), 523-543. doi:10.1080/00207540500319229Liao, C.-J., & Liao, L.-M. (2008). Improved MILP models for two-machine flowshop with batch processing machines. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 48(7-8), 1254-1264. doi:10.1016/j.mcm.2008.01.001Framinan, J. M., & Leisten, R. (2003). An efficient constructive heuristic for flowtime minimisation in permutation flow shops. Omega, 31(4), 311-317. doi:10.1016/s0305-0483(03)00047-1Gao, J., & Chen, R. (2011). A hybrid genetic algorithm for the distributed permutation flowshop scheduling problem. International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems, 4(4), 497-508. doi:10.1080/18756891.2011.9727808Hansen, P., & Mladenović, N. (2001). Variable neighborhood search: Principles and applications. European Journal of Operational Research, 130(3), 449-467. doi:10.1016/s0377-2217(00)00100-4Hariri, A. M. A., & Potts, C. N. (1997). A branch and bound algorithm for the two-stage assembly scheduling problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 103(3), 547-556. doi:10.1016/s0377-2217(96)00312-8Jia, H. Z., Fuh, J. Y. H., Nee, A. Y. C., & Zhang, Y. F. (2002). Web-based Multi-functional Scheduling System for a Distributed Manufacturing Environment. Concurrent Engineering, 10(1), 27-39. doi:10.1177/1063293x02010001054Jia, H. Z., Nee, A. Y. C., Fuh, J. Y. H., & Zhang, Y. F. (2003). Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 14(3/4), 351-362. doi:10.1023/a:1024653810491Jia, H. Z., Fuh, J. Y. H., Nee, A. Y. C., & Zhang, Y. F. (2007). Integration of genetic algorithm and Gantt chart for job shop scheduling in distributed manufacturing systems. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 53(2), 313-320. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2007.06.024Kass, G. V. (1980). An Exploratory Technique for Investigating Large Quantities of Categorical Data. Applied Statistics, 29(2), 119. doi:10.2307/2986296Lee, C.-Y., Cheng, T. C. E., & Lin, B. M. T. (1993). Minimizing the Makespan in the 3-Machine Assembly-Type Flowshop Scheduling Problem. Management Science, 39(5), 616-625. doi:10.1287/mnsc.39.5.616Morgan, J. N., & Sonquist, J. A. (1963). Problems in the Analysis of Survey Data, and a Proposal. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 58(302), 415-434. doi:10.1080/01621459.1963.10500855Pan, Q.-K., & Ruiz, R. (2012). Local search methods for the flowshop scheduling problem with flowtime minimization. European Journal of Operational Research, 222(1), 31-43. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2012.04.034Potts, C. N., Sevast’janov, S. V., Strusevich, V. A., Van Wassenhove, L. N., & Zwaneveld, C. M. (1995). The Two-Stage Assembly Scheduling Problem: Complexity and Approximation. Operations Research, 43(2), 346-355. doi:10.1287/opre.43.2.346Ruiz, R., & Stützle, T. (2007). A simple and effective iterated greedy algorithm for the permutation flowshop scheduling problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 177(3), 2033-2049. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2005.12.009Ruiz, R., Şerifoğlu, F. S., & Urlings, T. (2008). Modeling realistic hybrid flexible flowshop scheduling problems. Computers & Operations Research, 35(4), 1151-1175. doi:10.1016/j.cor.2006.07.014Ruiz, R., & Andrés-Romano, C. (2011). Scheduling unrelated parallel machines with resource-assignable sequence-dependent setup times. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 57(5-8), 777-794. doi:10.1007/s00170-011-3318-2Stafford, E. F., Tseng, F. T., & Gupta, J. N. D. (2005). Comparative evaluation of MILP flowshop models. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 56(1), 88-101. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jors.2601805Tozkapan, A., Kırca, Ö., & Chung, C.-S. (2003). A branch and bound algorithm to minimize the total weighted flowtime for the two-stage assembly scheduling problem. Computers & Operations Research, 30(2), 309-320. doi:10.1016/s0305-0548(01)00098-3Tseng, F. T., & Stafford, E. F. (2008). New MILP models for the permutation flowshop problem. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 59(10), 1373-1386. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jors.260245

Time-dependent spectral-feature variations of stars displaying the B[e] phenomenon; I. V2028 Cyg

We present results of nearly six years of spectroscopic observations of the B[e] star V2028 Cyg. The presence of the cold-type absorption lines combined with a hot-type spectrum indicate the binarity of this object. Since B[e] stars are embedded in an extended envelope, the usage of common stellar atmosphere models for the analysis is quite inappropriate. Therefore, we focus on the analysis of the long-term spectral line variations in order to determine the nature of this object. We present the time dependences of the equivalent width and radial velocities of the H alpha line, [O I] 6300 A, Fe II 6427, 6433, and 6456 A lines. The bisector variations and line intensities are shown for the H alpha line. The radial velocities are also measured for the absorption lines of the K component. No periodic variation is found. The observed data show correlations between the measured quantities, which can be used in future modelling

A 10-hour period revealed in optical spectra of the highly variable WN8 Wolf-Rayet star WR 123

Aims. What is the origin of the large-amplitude variability in Wolf-Rayet WN8 stars in general and WR123 in particular? A dedicated spectroscopic campaign targets the ten-hour period previously found in the high-precision photometric data obtained by the MOST satellite. Methods. In June-August 2003 we obtained a series of high signal-to-noise, mid-resolution spectra from several sites in the {\lambda}{\lambda} 4000 - 6940 A^{\circ} domain. We also followed the star with occasional broadband (Johnson V) photometry. The acquired spectroscopy allowed a detailed study of spectral variability on timescales from \sim 5 minutes to months. Results. We find that all observed spectral lines of a given chemical element tend to show similar variations and that there is a good correlation between the lines of different elements, without any significant time delays, save the strong absorption components of the Hei lines, which tend to vary differently from the emission parts. We find a single sustained periodicity, P \sim 9.8 h, which is likely related to the relatively stable pulsations found in MOST photometry obtained one year later. In addition, seemingly stochastic, large-amplitude variations are also seen in all spectral lines on timescales of several hours to several days.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, data available on-line, accepted in A&A Research Note

Information and participation in decision-making about treatments: A qualitative study of the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT Objectives: To elicit the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis regarding information and participation in treatment decision-making