A BPMN extension to support discrete-event simulation for healthcare applications:an explicit representation of queues, attributes and data-driven decision points

Stakeholder engagement in simulation projects is important, especially in healthcare where there is a plurality of stakeholder opinions, objectives and power. One promising approach for increasing engagement is facilitated modelling. Currently, the complexity of producing a simulation model means that the ‘model coding’ stage is performed without the involvement of stakeholders, interrupting the possibility of a fully-facilitated project. Early work demonstrated that with currently-available software tools we can represent a simple healthcare process using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and generate a simulation model automatically. However, for more complex processes, BPMN currently has a number of limitations, namely the ability to represent queues and data-driven decision points. To address these limitations, we propose a conceptual design for an extension to BPMN (BPMN4SIM) using Model Driven Architecture. Application to an elderly emergency care pathway in a UK hospital shows that BPMN4SIM is able to represent a more-complex business process

A spectroscopic analysis of the thermally induced folding-unfolding transition of beta-trypsin.

Absorption and fluorescence changes were used to monitor the thermally induced folding-unfolding transition of beta-trypsin. These parameters reflect changes in the microenvironment of different subsets of the four tryptophanyl residues of this protein. The thermal transition was found to be sequential

Collagen based scaffold for biomedical application

Next generation of biomaterials with enhanced functionalities requires the integration of material science and molecular biology, in order to identify bio-inspired designing concepts. New families of collagen based 3D scaffolds with biomimetic chemical-physical properties were obtained thanks to complex fabrication techniques able to generate specific geometries and pore structures in compli- ance with the specific regenerating tissue. Collagen is a significant constituent of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) thus collagenous scaffolds have been used exten- sively in a variety of tissue engineering applications for their useful properties: hemostatic, low antigenicity, appropriate mechanical stiffness, promotion of cell and tissue attachment and growth. The remarkable biofunctional properties of tissues such as ten- dons/ligaments, depend on their hierarchic structures which is an organized assembly of structural units at increasing size levels. Ten- don substitutes were prepared thanks to a special casting technique able to produce hole cylinders with controlled pores direction and dimensions. A pH-controlled fibration process using reinforcing natural nano-fibers was applied to obtain an artificial collagenous supramolecular assembly and appropriate mechanical properties. The process requires: i) the optimization of homogeneous and stable slurries and ii) the selection of effective operative parame- ters. Reticulation techniques were also employed to modifying the collagen surfaces and to achieve good resistance to physiological environment. Regenerative medicine has been also shown to be a potential alternative to cardiac transplantation for patients with severe heart failure. In this view a modified tape-casting technique was used to obtain thin preformed collagenous scaffolds/membranes to be tested as a potential vector for the transplantation of cardiomy- ocytes. Indeed the efficacy of the scaffolds endowed with contracting cardiac cell sheets was evaluated after application onto the injured area of rat infarcted myocardium in order to improve cardiac func- tion

Effects of red blood cell transfusion on resting energy expenditure in adolescents with sickle cell anemia

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