Using variance neighbourhood search to optimize the bus waiting allocation problem in a multi-floor bus station

This research deals with a multi-floor bus station, which provides services for a large number of passengers. The bus station has a limited platform capacity and there is no temporary parking lot for buses. When a large number of buses move into one floor of the station, buses cannot move smoothly and may not even be able to move at all. When a floor is full, buses waiting outside cannot enter, and buses inside cannot move out. It is fortunate that the station is designed as a multi-floor structure. When a bus is scheduled to move onto a floor, which has no more space for parking, it can move to another floor temporarily to wait. This research proposes the use of integer-programming to optimize the assignment of temporary waiting floor for all incoming buses in order to minimize the maximum delay. A Variance Neighbourhood Search (VNS) is proposed to solve the problem. The results show that when temporary waiting on another floor is permitted, the total time delay can be reduced by up to 47.41%

KINEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE SUPPORTING LEG BETWEEN DIFFERENT WEIGHT DIVISIONS IN THE ROUNDHOUSE KICK OF TAEKWONDO

The purpose of this study was to compare kinematic differences in the supporting leg between two weight divisions in the Taekwondo Roundhouse Kick. Collegiate Taekwondo athletes participated in the study and differences in maximum joint angles and ranges of motion on the supporting leg during executing the Roundhouse Kick were examined. The results showed significantly larger (

The role of thrombomodulin lectin-like domain in inflammation

Thrombomodulin (TM) is a cell surface glycoprotein which is widely expressed in a variety of cell types. It is a cofactor for thrombin binding that mediates protein C activation and inhibits thrombin activity. In addition to its anticoagulant activity, recent evidence has revealed that TM, especially its lectin-like domain, has potent anti-inflammatory function through a variety of molecular mechanisms. The lectin-like domain of TM plays an important role in suppressing inflammation independent of the TM anticoagulant activity. This article makes an extensive review of the role of TM in inflammation. The molecular targets of TM lectin-like domain have also been elucidated. Recombinant TM protein, especially the TM lectin-like domain may play a promising role in the management of sepsis, glomerulonephritis and arthritis. These data demonstrated the potential therapeutic role of TM in the treatment of inflammatory diseases

A Flexible Proximity Sensor Fully Fabricated by Inkjet Printing

A flexible proximity sensor fully fabricated by inkjet printing is proposed in this paper. The flexible proximity sensor is composed of a ZnO layer sandwiched in between a flexible aluminum sheet and a web-shaped top electrode layer. The flexible aluminum sheet serves as the bottom electrode. The material of the top electrode layer is nano silver. Both the ZnO and top electrode layers are deposited by inkjet printing. The fully inkjet printing process possesses the advantages of direct patterning and low-cost. It does not require photolithography and etching processes since the pattern is directly printed on the flexible aluminum sheet. The prototype demonstrates that the presented flexible sensor is sensitive to the human body. It may be applied to proximity sensing or thermal eradiation sensing

Predictors of intra-abdominal coagulopathic hemorrhage after living donor liver transplantation

AbstractBackgroundResults of preoperative conventional coagulation assays are a poor predictor of hemorrhage after liver transplantation. In this study, we evaluated the factors that are predictive of intra-abdominal coagulopathic hemorrhage after living donor liver transplantation surgery.MethodsDuring the period from January 2009 to December 2012, 118 adults underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in our institution. Of those patients, 18 (15.3%) developed intra-abdominal coagulopathic hemorrhage (n = 7) or hemorrhage due to non-coagulopathic causes (n = 11) that required emergency medical, radiological, or surgical intervention within the first month after LDLT. Possible predictors of postoperative coagulopathic hemorrhage included donor-related factors, age, body mass index, MELD score, INR value, intra-operative blood transfusion, graft/recipient weight ratio, anhepatic phase, cold ischemia time, operative time, APACHE II score, onset of re-bleeding, and hemoglobin levels during rebleeding episodes.ResultsThere were no differences in any of the variables between the two groups (coagulopathic and noncoagulopathic hemorrhage) except for cold ischemia time. We found that cold ischemia time was significantly longer in patients with postoperative coagulopathic hemorrhage (160.50 ± 45.02 min) than in patients with hemorrhage due to non-coagulopathic causes (113.55 ± 29.31 min; P = 0.027).ConclusionProlonged cold ischemia time is associated with postoperative intra-abdominal coagulopathic hemorrhage in patients after LDLT. It is, therefore, necessary to shorten the cold ischemia time in order to reduce the risk of postoperative intra-abdominal hemorrhage due to coagulopathic causes

Single-crystalline δ-Ni2Si nanowires with excellent physical properties

[[abstract]]In this article, we report the synthesis of single-crystalline nickel silicide nanowires (NWs) via chemical vapor deposition method using NiCl2·6H2O as a single-source precursor. Various morphologies of δ-Ni2Si NWs were successfully acquired by controlling the growth conditions. The growth mechanism of the δ-Ni2Si NWs was thoroughly discussed and identified with microscopy studies. Field emission measurements show a low turn-on field (4.12 V/μm), and magnetic property measurements show a classic ferromagnetic characteristic, which demonstrates promising potential applications for field emitters, magnetic storage, and biological cell separation.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子版[[booktype]]紙

IDENTIFIKASI JIWA KEWIRAUSAHAAN PADA PEMILIK MAFASARI FURNITURE BERDASARKAN TEORI MEREDITH

Penelitian ini berjudul : “IDENTIFIKASI JIWA KEWIRAUSAHAAN PADA PEMILIK MAFASARI FURNITURE BERDASARKAN TEORI MEREDITH” dengan perumusan masalah yaitu bagaimana identifikasi jiwa kewirausahaan pada pemilik MAFASARI furniture berdasarkan teori Meredith ?. Adapun yang menjadi tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi jiwa kewirausahaaan pemilik MAFASARI furniture, berdasarkan teori yang dikemukakan oleh Meredith. Dari hasil identifikasi yang telah didapat, yaitu pemilik MAFASARI furniture memiliki jiwa kewirausahaan yang sesuai dengan teori Meredith, dimana terdapat 6 variabel didalam teori tersebut, yaitu percaya diri, berorientasikan tugas dan hasil, berani mengambil risiko, kepemimpinan, keorisinilan, dan berorientasi ke masa depan. Dari ke-enam variabel tersebut, seluruhnya telah dipenuhi oleh Bapak Slamet Raharjo selaku pemilik dari MAFASARI furniture. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah dengan menggunakan metode wawancara

Dichlorido{(E)-2,4,6-trimethyl-N-[phen­yl(2-pyridyl)methyl­idene]aniline-κ2 N,N′}palladium(II)

The title complex, [PdCl2(C21H20N2)], contains a PdII atom in a slightly distorted square-planar coordination environment defined by two N atoms from one 2,4,6-trimethyl-N-[phen­yl(2-pyrid­yl)methyl­idene]aniline ligand and two Cl atoms, forming a five-membered ring (N—Pd—N—C—C)

Potential of Cellular Therapy for ALS: Current Strategies and Future Prospects

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive upper and lower motor neuron (MN) degeneration with unclear pathology. The worldwide prevalence of ALS is approximately 4.42 per 100,000 populations, and death occurs within 3–5 years after diagnosis. However, no effective therapeutic modality for ALS is currently available. In recent years, cellular therapy has shown considerable therapeutic potential because it exerts immunomodulatory effects and protects the MN circuit. However, the safety and efficacy of cellular therapy in ALS are still under debate. In this review, we summarize the current progress in cellular therapy for ALS. The underlying mechanism, current clinical trials, and the pros and cons of cellular therapy using different types of cell are discussed. In addition, clinical studies of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ALS are highlighted. The summarized findings of this review can facilitate the future clinical application of precision medicine using cellular therapy in ALS