Applying computer simulation modelling to minimizing appointment lead-time in elderly outpatient clinics: a case study

Appointment lead-time is a pivotal parameter in elderly outpatient clinics. In this regard, delayed medical care may represent complications in the elderly population and the development of more severe diseases. However, healthcare managers are not skilled in methods effectively reducing waiting times. Therefore, this paper presents the computer simulation modelling to tackle this problem. In this regard, the real-world system was initially simulated and then, three improvement scenarios were designed and validated operationally and financially. The results evidenced that Scenario 2 was the best choice since it provided a low investment per reduced day and a significant reduction (47.1%) regarding the probability of waiting for more than 8 days per appointment. With this proposal, the quality of medical care in elderly population can be meaningfully increased and decisionmaking process can be effectively supporte

Evaluation of hospital disaster preparedness by a multi-criteria decision making approach: The case of Turkish hospitals

Considering the unexpected emergence of natural and man-made disasters over the world and Turkey, the importance of preparedness of hospitals, which are the first reference points for people to get healthcare services, becomes clear. Determining the level of disaster preparedness of hospitals is an important and necessary issue. This is because identifying hospitals with low level of preparedness is crucial for disaster preparedness planning. In this study, a hybrid fuzzy decision making model was proposed to evaluate the disaster preparedness of hospitals. This model was developed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)-fuzzy decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL)-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions (TOPSIS) techniques and aimed to determine a ranking for hospital disaster preparedness. FAHP is used to determine weights of six main criteria (including hospital buildings, equipment, communication, transportation, personnel, flexibility) and a total of thirty-six sub-criteria regarding disaster preparedness. At the same time, FDEMATEL is applied to uncover the interdependence between criteria and sub-criteria. Finally, TOPSIS is used to obtain ranking of hospitals. To provide inputs for TOPSIS implementation, some key performance indicators are established and related data is gathered by the aid of experts from the assessed hospitals. A case study considering 4 hospitals from the Turkish healthcare sector was used to demonstrate the proposed approach. The results evidenced that Personnel is the most important factor (global weight = 0.280) when evaluating the hospital preparedness while Flexibility has the greatest prominence (c + r = 23.09

A case of food supply chain management with AHP, DEMATEL, and TOPSIS

The bullwhip effect leads to considerable inefficiencies along the food supply chain such as missed production schedules, poor customer service, excessive inventory, and misguided capacity plans. To tackle this problem, it is necessary, apart from other interventions, to continuously monitor the performance of food suppliers so that the demand information flow, order batching, transportation planning, and inventory management can be substantially improved. Therefore, supplier assessment has then become critical decision‐making support for identifying and addressing inefficiencies of food providers, which ends up reducing the variation of several key logistics parameters for upstream members of the food supply chain. In addition, such assessment is of multicriteria nature given the presence of several criteria from different domains and various food suppliers. With these considerations in mind, this paper proposes a hybrid approach integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for evaluating the performance of pork suppliers. Thereby, the economic and operational burden caused by the bullwhip effect throughout the pork supply chain can be alleviated. AHP was first used to determine the criteria and subcriteria weights. Then DEMATEL was applied to assess the interdependence and feedback between the decision elements. Finally, TOPSIS was implemented to discriminate between high‐performance and low‐performance pork suppliers. A case study from the Colombian pork supply chain is presented to validate the proposed approach. The results of this study evidenced that the most important criterion was the “service level” and the most influencing factor was the “financial profile.” In addition, based on the supplier assessment results, improvement plans, and new negotiation, strategies were established for each supplier in order to diminish the bullwhip effect along the pork supply chain

Grape pomace - advances in its bioactivity, health benefits, and food applications

From a circular economy perspective, the appropriate management and valorization of winery wastes and by-products are crucial for sustainable development. Nowadays, grape pomace (GP) has attracted increasing interest within the food field due to its valuable content, comprising nutritional and bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, organic and fatty acids, vitamins, etc.). Particularly, GP polyphenols have been recognized as exhibiting technological and health-promoting effects in different food and biological systems. Hence, GP valorization is a step toward offering new functional foods and contributing to solving waste management problems in the wine industry. On this basis, the use of GP as a food additive/ingredient in the development of novel products with technological and functional advantages has recently been proposed. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the bioactivity and health-promoting effects of polyphenolic-rich extracts from GP samples. Advances in GP incorporation into food formulations (enhancement of physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional quality) and information supporting the intellectual property related to GP potential applications in the food industry are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geolocalización de instituciones educativas basada en datos abiertos

En el marco de una hackathon open data se desarrolló una aplicación de geolocalización de instituciones educativas basada en datos abiertos, denominada Mapa Educacional que permite ubicar y mostrar las escuelas comprendidas en un área seleccionada dentro de la provincia de Corrientes y brindar información sobre la misma. Para lograr el objetivo se utilizaron métodos y herramientas dados principalmente en la asignatura Taller de Programación I, orientada a la programación web, de la carrera Licenciatura en Sistemas de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y de Agrimensura para la Universidad Nacional del Nordeste.Trabajos de Cátedra.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Geolocalización de instituciones educativas basada en datos abiertos

En el marco de una hackathon open data se desarrolló una aplicación de geolocalización de instituciones educativas basada en datos abiertos, denominada Mapa Educacional que permite ubicar y mostrar las escuelas comprendidas en un área seleccionada dentro de la provincia de Corrientes y brindar información sobre la misma. Para lograr el objetivo se utilizaron métodos y herramientas dados principalmente en la asignatura Taller de Programación I, orientada a la programación web, de la carrera Licenciatura en Sistemas de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y de Agrimensura para la Universidad Nacional del Nordeste.Trabajos de Cátedra.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Efecto de un programa adaptado de educación física en niños con discapacidad auditiva sobre la coordinación motora

Aim: To evaluate the effect of an adapted physical education program on students with hearing impairment on the motor quotient. Method: The design of the study was quasi-experimental, with convenience sampling, involving thirty-eight children with an average age of 7.4 ± 0.9 years, diagnosed with weakness or hearing loss, from two schools of the city of Mexicali, Baja California. Mexico. The participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 23) and a control group (n = 15). The motor quotient was evaluated using the KTK children's body coordination test (Kiphard Körperkoordinationstest für Kindergarten and Schiling, as per the German acronym), through the tests, balancing movements of backs, jumps on one foot, lateral jumps and transposition on a platform. The program was carried out for four months, five times a week, with a duration of 50 minutes per session. The communication with the students was through the Mexican sign language, and the tasks performed emphasized motor coordination. Results: When comparing the results between groups of the motor quotient variable, with the mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) 2 x 2, a doubly significant interaction between the groups and the measurements was observed (p = 0.01); the percentages of change (Δ %) were 26% for the experimental group, and 6.5% for the control group (Δ%). Conclusion: It is established that the application of a physical education program adapted for four months improves the motor coordination in children with hearing disabilities.Objetivo: evaluar el efecto de un programa de educación física adaptado en escolares con discapacidad auditiva sobre el cociente motor. Método: el diseño del estudio fue cuasiexperimental, con muestreo por conveniencia, participando treinta y ocho niños con una edad promedio de 7.4±0.9 años, diagnosticados con debilidad o pérdida auditiva, de dos escuelas de la ciudad de Mexicali, Baja California. México. Los participantes fueron divididos aleatoriamente en un grupo experimental (n=23) y otro control (n=15), a los cuales se les evaluó el cociente motor mediante el test de coordinación corporal para niños KTK (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder de Kiphard y Schiling), por sus siglas en alemán, mediante las pruebas: desplazamientos en equilibrio de espaldas, saltos monopódales, saltos laterales y transposición sobre plataforma. El programa se realizó durante 4 meses, 5 veces por semana, con una duración de 50 minutos por sesión, comunicándose con los alumnos mediante el lenguaje de señas mexicano y realizando una serie de tareas que enfatizaran la coordinación motora. Resultados: al comparar los resultados entre grupos de la variable cociente motor, con el análisis de varianza (ANOVA) mixtas 2 x 2 se observó una interacción doblemente significativa entre los grupos y las mediciones (p = 0.01), los porcentajes de cambio (Δ %) fueron 26 % del grupo experimental y 6.5 %. del grupo control (Δ %). Conclusión: se establece que la aplicación de un programa de educación física adaptado durante cuatro meses, mejora la coordinación motora en niños con discapacidad auditiva

Resiliencia Urbana. Una mirada académica desde el Pacífico.

PublishedEl presente libro resiliencia urbana: una mirada académica desde el pacifico, es el resultado de proyectos de investigación liderada por estudiantes de último año del programa de arquitectura de la Universidad del Pacifico y la Fundación Universitaria de Popayán, que revelan las necesidades urbano arquitectónicas de ambas ciudades y sus zonas rurales, que a través de documentos académicos responden a estas problemáticas desde al campo de la arquitectura. Una ciudad resiliente es aquella que evalúa, planea y actúa para preparar y responder a todo tipo de obstáculos, ya sean repentinos o lentos de origen, esperados o inesperados. De esta forma, las ciudades están mejor preparadas para proteger y mejorar la vida de sus habitantes, para asegurar avances en el desarrollo, para fomentar un entorno en el cual se pueda invertir, y promover el cambio positivo (ONU, 2019)