Analysis On The Effect Of Express Checkouts In Retail Stores

In this study, we investigate the effect of having express checkout lanes in retail stores. Express checkout lanes are being used to reduce expected wait time of small-buying customers, but their operational effect has not been analyzed so far. By comparing the wait time and the queue length of the two scenarios (universal checkout lanes only and separated checkout lanes with express counters) via simulation, we have found that the average wait time of the separated checkout lanes may not be shorter than that of universal checkout lanes. This may be due to that the effect of pooling servers decreases as the number of servers being pooled at each checkout set decreases. The queue length of express checkout lanes may be shorter than that of universal checkout lanes, but in some cases, the average queue length of separated checkout lanes is longer than that of universal checkout lanes, probably due to the effect of pooling servers. By conducting a computational study, we have observed that the effect of pooling servers decreases with customer arrival rate, decreases with regular checkout duration, and slightly increases with regular checkout time variability. These results give us an insight on when the express checkout counters can be effective in retail service operations

The Value Of Information Sharing In Capacity Allocation In Serial Service Operations

In this study, we investigate the value of information sharing in serial service operations. When services are offered sequentially in two stages, we may use the demand information from the previous period in assigning servers at each stage. This study compares an information-based policy with a basic policy for capacity allocation in serial service operations in order to explore the value of information shared between the two stages. Among several possible candidates for an information-based policy, we chose an assigning rule such that the number of servers at the latter stage is determined by the number of customers served out of the prior stage in the previous period. On the other hand, the basic policy is designated as an assigning rule such that the two stages have the same constant number of servers through all periods. Assuming independent and identically distributed Normal demands with various parameters, we conducted computational experiments to compute the cost savings from using the information-based policy over the basic policy. The cost of using each policy includes the labor cost and the waiting cost. The results show that the cost savings of information sharing are relatively low and that the value of information sharing increases with demand variability or with unit waiting cost. These results give us some managerial insights on capacity allocation in serial service operations.

Analysis Of Fraud On A Chinese Business Review Website

Recently, local business-review websites have gained popularity, but the problem of fraud has become more and more severe. We did research based on the biggest Chinese local business-review website: Dazhongdianping. We collected 792,364 reviews of every registered restaurant on the Dazhongdianping website in Hangzhou, and our findings include:1. Compared with US businesses Luca and Zervas (2016) who give both unfavorable reviews to their competitors and favorable reviews to their own business, Chinese businesses focus only on the latter, perhaps because of the differences in business ethics between the two countries.2. Review frauds have a close relationship with the user’s social network. Users with many followers and higher interaction scores are always more powerful than other users, and they also have reasonable incentives to commit fraud. We found that these users are more likely to post fake reviews.3. Finer restaurants are less likely to commit review fraud

Benign Aspirates on Follow-Up FNA May Be Enough in Patients with Initial Atypia of Undetermined Significance/Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance

Background. Management of thyroid nodules with benign aspirates following atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is not well established. We reviewed the risk of malignancy and the role of ultrasound (US) features among thyroid nodules with benign results following initial AUS/FLUS diagnoses. Methods. From December 2009 to February 2011, a total of 114 nodules in 114 patients diagnosed as benign on follow-up fine-needle aspiration (FNA) after AUS/FLUS results were included in our study. Eight among 114 nodules were confirmed pathologically and 106 were clinically observed by a follow-up FNA or US. Suspicious US features were defined as markedly hypoechogenicity, irregular or microlobulated margin, presence of microcalcifications, and taller than wide shape. Results. There were 110 (96.5%) benign nodules and 4 (3.5%) malignant nodules. Two (4.8%) among 42 nodules without suspicious US features and 2 (2.8%) out of 72 nodules with suspicious US features were confirmed as malignancy, but there were no significant associations between the malignancy rate and US features (P=0.625). Conclusion. Clinical follow-up instead of surgical excision or continuous repeat FNA may be enough for benign thyroid nodules after AUS/FLUS. The role of US features might be insignificant in the management of these nodules

Rapid foreign object detection system on seaweed using vnir hyperspectral imaging

The consumption of seaweed is increasing year by year worldwide. Therefore, the foreign object inspection of seaweed is becoming increasingly important. Seaweed is mixed with various materials such as laver and sargassum fusiforme. So it has various colors even in the same seaweed. In addition, the surface is uneven and greasy, causing diffuse reflections frequently. For these reasons, it is difficult to detect foreign objects in seaweed, so the accuracy of conventional foreign object detectors used in real manufacturing sites is less than 80%. Supporting real‐time inspection should also be considered when inspecting foreign objects. Since seaweed requires mass production, rapid inspection is essential. However, hyperspectral imaging techniques are generally not suitable for high‐speed inspection. In this study, we overcome this limitation by using dimensionality reduction and using simplified operations. For accuracy improvement, the proposed algorithm is carried out in 2 stages. Firstly, the subtraction method is used to clearly distinguish seaweed and conveyor belts, and also detect some relatively easy to detect foreign objects. Secondly, a standardization inspection is performed based on the result of the subtraction method. During this process, the proposed scheme adopts simplified and burdenless calculations such as subtraction, division, and one‐by‐one matching, which achieves both accuracy and low latency performance. In the experiment to evaluate the performance, 60 normal seaweeds and 60 seaweeds containing foreign objects were used, and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 95%. Finally, by implementing the proposed algorithm as a foreign object detection platform, it was confirmed that real‐time operation in rapid inspection was possible, and the possibility of deployment in real manufacturing sites was confirmed. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1

Clear Cell Hidradenoma of the Axilla: a Case Report with Literature Review

Clear cell hidradenoma is an uncommon benign skin appendageal tumor that typically involves the dermal layer of the head, face, and extremities. The breast is a rare site for this lesion, with only two documented cases, which were determined based on mammogram and sonogram findings. We present a case of clear cell hidradenoma of the axillary tail with radiological findings and a literature review

Level of Contamination of Positive Airway Pressure Devices Used in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objectives. No study has yet evaluated the degree of contamination after the total disassembly of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices. We investigated the extent of contamination of CPAP devices used daily by patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by disassembling the systems and identifying the factors that influenced the degree of CPAP contamination. Methods. We conducted a chart review of the medical records of patients with OSA for whom the CPAP devices were disassembled and cleaned. Two skilled technicians photographed the levels of contamination of each component and scored them using a visual analog scale. Patients’ clinical characteristics and records of CPAP device usage were statistically analyzed to identify characteristics that were significantly associated with the degree of CPAP device contamination. Results. Among the 55 participants, both the external components, including the mask and tube, and the internal components, such as the humidifier and the interior of the main body, showed a substantial degree of contamination. The total and average daily duration of usage of the CPAP device did not show significant associations with the degree of contamination. Age was most consistently associated with the degree of contamination, such as in masks, humidifiers, and interior and exterior main parts. The degree of contamination of the internal components of the device was significantly correlated with the degree of contamination of the external components. Conclusion. Age-specific guidelines for managing the hygiene of external and internal CPAP components should be prepared