Analysis of human performance as a measure of mental fatigue

In our day to day, we often experience a sense of being tired due to mental or physical workload. Along with that, there is also a feeling of degrading performance, even after the completion of simple tasks. These mental states however, are often not felt consciously or are ignored. This is an attitude that may result in human error, failure, and may lead to potential health problems together with a decrease in quality of life. States of acute mental fatigue may be detected with the close monitoring of certain indicators, such as productivity, performance and health indicators. In this paper, a model and prototype are proposed to detect and monitor acute acute fatigue, based on non-invasive Humancomputer Interaction (HCI). This approach will enable the development of better working environments, with an impact on the quality of life and the work produced.This work was developed in the context of the project CAMCoF - Contextaware Multimodal Communication Framework funded by ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT - Funda ção para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028980

Health in times of uncertainty in the eastern Mediterranean region, 1990�2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Background The eastern Mediterranean region is comprised of 22 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Since our Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010), the region has faced unrest as a result of revolutions, wars, and the so-called Arab uprisings. The objective of this study was to present the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in the eastern Mediterranean region as of 2013. Methods GBD 2013 includes an annual assessment covering 188 countries from 1990 to 2013. The study covers 306 diseases and injuries, 1233 sequelae, and 79 risk factors. Our GBD 2013 analyses included the addition of new data through updated systematic reviews and through the contribution of unpublished data sources from collaborators, an updated version of modelling software, and several improvements in our methods. In this systematic analysis, we use data from GBD 2013 to analyse the burden of disease and injuries in the eastern Mediterranean region specifically. Findings The leading cause of death in the region in 2013 was ischaemic heart disease (90·3 deaths per 100�000 people), which increased by 17·2 since 1990. However, diarrhoeal diseases were the leading cause of death in Somalia (186·7 deaths per 100�000 people) in 2013, which decreased by 26·9 since 1990. The leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) was ischaemic heart disease for males and lower respiratory infection for females. High blood pressure was the leading risk factor for DALYs in 2013, with an increase of 83·3 since 1990. Risk factors for DALYs varied by country. In low-income countries, childhood wasting was the leading cause of DALYs in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen, whereas unsafe sex was the leading cause in Djibouti. Non-communicable risk factors were the leading cause of DALYs in high-income and middle-income countries in the region. DALY risk factors varied by age, with child and maternal malnutrition affecting the younger age groups (aged 28 days to 4 years), whereas high bodyweight and systolic blood pressure affected older people (aged 60�80 years). The proportion of DALYs attributed to high body-mass index increased from 3·7 to 7·5 between 1990 and 2013. Burden of mental health problems and drug use increased. Most increases in DALYs, especially from non-communicable diseases, were due to population growth. The crises in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria have resulted in a reduction in life expectancy; life expectancy in Syria would have been 5 years higher than that recorded for females and 6 years higher for males had the crisis not occurred. Interpretation Our study shows that the eastern Mediterranean region is going through a crucial health phase. The Arab uprisings and the wars that followed, coupled with ageing and population growth, will have a major impact on the region's health and resources. The region has historically seen improvements in life expectancy and other health indicators, even under stress. However, the current situation will cause deteriorating health conditions for many countries and for many years and will have an impact on the region and the rest of the world. Based on our findings, we call for increased investment in health in the region in addition to reducing the conflicts. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY licens

The effects of learning and forgetting on the economic manufactured quantity (EMQ)

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN008186 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Coordinating a three-level supply chain with multiple suppliers, a vendor and multiple buyers

This paper investigates the coordination of order quantities amongst the players in a three-level supply chain with a centralized decision process. The first level of the supply chain consists of multiple buyers, the second level of a vendor (e.g., manufacturer), and the third level consists of multiple suppliers. Each supplier supplies one or more items required in the manufacture of the product produced. Survey of earlier research reveals that players in a supply chain usually have conflicting interests, such as reducing inventories and increasing profitability. When players in a supply chain agree to coordinate, it is possible to have some of the players benefiting more than others in the chain. The model developed in this paper guarantees that the local costs for the players either remain the same as before coordination, or decrease as a result of coordination. Furthermore, this paper assumes that savings generated from coordination would be distributed among the players of the chain. A mathematical model is developed, with numerical examples presented and results discussed.Inventory Supply chain Coordination

A note on: Optimal ordering policies in response to a discount offer

In this short note, we are suggesting a marginal analysis approach over the approach used by Sarker and Al Kindi [2006, Optimal ordering policies in response to a discount offer. International Journal of Production Economics 100(2), 195-211] for developing models for determining the optimal ordering policy for an item for which the supplies offer a price discount during a sale period.

An inventory model with backorders with fuzzy parameters and decision variables

AbstractThe paper considers an inventory model with backorders in a fuzzy situation by employing two types of fuzzy numbers, which are trapezoidal and triangular. A full-fuzzy model is developed where the input parameters and the decision variables are fuzzified. The optimal policy for the developed model is determined using the Kuhn–Tucker conditions after the defuzzification of the cost function with the graded mean integration (GMI) method. Numerical examples and a sensitivity analysis study are provided to highlight the differences between crisp and the fuzzy cases