Financial Planning with Fractional Goals

When solving financial planning problems with multiple goals by means of multiple objective programming, the presence of fractional goals leads to technical difficulties. In this paper we present a straightforward interactive approach for solving such linear fractional programs with multiple goal variables. The approach is illustrated by means of an example in financial planning

An interactive heuristic for financial planning in decentralized organizations.

Planning and controlling overall performance in decentralized organizations is a complex task for central management because it is contronted with incomplete information on organizational opportunities and possible conflicts of interest with local managers. Many formal procedures for the support of planning processes in decentralized organizations are based on decomposition methods for mathematical programming. Most of these procedures assume organizational decision models with a single overall goal that is supported by all decision makers involved. In this paper, a framework for an interactive heuristic planning procedure is proposed for decentralized organizational decision models with multiple goals that may be conflicting within and between decision levels. This procedure aims at solving the planning problem straightforwardly in a low number of information exchanges between the decision levels, which makes it more acceptable for decision makers in practice

Interferon-gamma impairs maintenance and alters hematopoietic support of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells

Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) provide microenvironmental support to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Culture-expanded MSCs are interesting candidates for cellular therapies due to their immunosuppressive and regenerative potential which can be further enhanced by pretreatment with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). However, it remains unknown whether IFN-γ can also influence hematopoietic support by BM-MSCs. In this study, we elucidate the impact of IFN-γ on the hematopoietic support of BM-MSCs. We found that IFN-γ increases expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and stem cell factor by human BM-MSCs. IFN-γ-treated BM-MSCs drive HSPCs toward myeloid commitment in vitro, but impair subsequent differentiation of HSPC. Moreover, IFN-γ-ARE-Del mice with increased IFN-γ production specifically lose their BM-MSCs, which correlates with a loss of hematopoietic stem cells\u27 quiescence. Although IFN-γ treatment enhances the immunomodulatory function of MSCs in a clinical setting, we conclude that IFN-γ negatively affects maintenance of BM-MSCs and their hematopoietic support in vitro and in vivo

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic individuals using the Panbio COVID-19 antigen rapid test (Abbott) compared with RT-PCR: A prospective cohort study

Background Antigen-based point-of-care tests for identification of SARS-CoV-2 may markedly enhance effectiveness of population-based controlling strategies. Previous studies have demonstrated >70% sensitivity and high specificity compared with reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR) in symptomatic individuals, but test performance for asymptomatic individuals is unknown. Methods Test performance of the Panbio COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test (Abbott) was compared with RT-PCR in a longitudinal cohort study of asymptomatic football players and staff members of professional football clubs. Based on timing of symptoms and prior and subsequent test results, positive RT-PCR tests were categorised as presymptomatic, early or late infection, or persistent RNA shedding. Findings 2425 tests were performed in 824 individuals, of which 52 (6.3%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive based on RT-PCR. There were 2406 paired sets from asymptomatic subjects for analysis. Sixteen Panbio tests were inconclusive, for which sensitivity analyses were performed (considering results as either positive or negative or being excluded). Sensitivity of Panbio for screening of asymptomatic individuals ranged from 80.0% (61.4-92.3) to 86.67% (69.2-96.2) and specificity from 99.53% (95% CI 99.2 to 99.8) to 100% (95% CI 99.8 to 100). Sensitivity of Panbio to detect subjects with presymptomatic/early infection (n=42) ranged from 81.82% (95% CI 67.3 to 91.8) to 90.91% (95% CI 78.3 to 97.5) with specificity always above 99%. Interpretation The Panbio COVID-19 Ag rapid test identifies 81%-90% of presymptomatic and early asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections with high specificity. This test may therefore be adopted in testing strategies such as targeted screening of specific populations where prevalence is low

Research on increasing the enrolment in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science teacher education

Dit rapport geeft de resultaten weer van een onderzoek dat is uitgevoerd door drie universiteiten naar de vergroting van de instroom in de eerstegraads lerarenopleiding bij de bètavakken wiskunde, informatica, natuurkunde en scheikunde. Het onderzoek is tot stand gekomen in samenwerking met de decanen van de bètafaculteiten vanwege de zorgen over de lage instroom in universitaire lerarenopleidingen. Het onderzoek maakt deel uit van een project tot versterking van de bètadidactiek waaraan ook de Universiteit Twente en de Universiteit Utrecht deelnemen, en is mogelijk gemaakt door subsidie van het ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap.In dit rapport worden de deelonderzoeken weergegeven in verschillende hoofdstukken:• Universiteit Leiden (dr. ir. Alma Kuijpers, dr. Michiel Dam, prof. r. ir. Fred Janssen): hoofdstukken 2 en 6.• Technische Universiteit Delft (dr. Begüm Coskun, prof. dr. Marc de Vries): hoofdstuk 4.• Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (dr. Els van Rooij, dr. Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma, prof. dr. Martin Goedhart): hoofdstukken 3 en 5

Anomalous gas in ESO 149-G003 : a MeerKAT-16 view

ESO 149-G003 is a close-by, isolated dwarf irregular galaxy. Previous observations with the ATCA indicated the presence of anomalous neutral hydrogen (⁠HI⁠) deviating from the kinematics of a regularly rotating disc. We conducted follow-up observations with the MeerKAT radio telescope during the 16-dish Early Science programme as well as with the MeerLICHT optical telescope. Our more sensitive radio observations confirm the presence of anomalous gas in ESO 149-G003, and further confirm the formerly tentative detection of an extraplanar HI component in the galaxy. Employing a simple tilted-ring model, in which the kinematics is determined with only four parameters but including morphological asymmetries, we reproduce the galaxy’s morphology, which shows a high degree of asymmetry. By comparing our model with the observed HI⁠, we find that in our model, we cannot account for a significant (but not dominant) fraction of the gas. From the differences between our model and the observed data cube, we estimate that at least 7–8 per cent of the HI in the galaxy exhibits anomalous kinematics, while we estimate a minimum mass fraction of less than 1 per cent for the morphologically confirmed extraplanar component. We investigate a number of global scaling relations and find that, besides being gas-dominated with a neutral gas-to-stellar mass ratio of 1.7, the galaxy does not show any obvious global peculiarities. Given its isolation, as confirmed by optical observations, we conclude that the galaxy is likely currently acquiring neutral gas. It is either re-accreting gas expelled from the galaxy or accreting pristine intergalactic material.http://mnras.oxfordjournals.orghj2022Physic

Anomalous gas in ESO 149-G003: A MeerKAT-16 view

ESO 149-G003 is a close-by, isolated dwarf irregular galaxy. Previous observations with the ATCA indicated the presence of anomalous neutral hydrogen (H I) deviating from the kinematics of a regularly rotating disc. We conducted follow-up observations with the MeerKAT radio telescope during the 16-dish Early Science programme as well as with the MeerLICHT optical telescope. Our more sensitive radio observations confirm the presence of anomalous gas in ESO 149-G003, and further confirm the formerly tentative detection of an extraplanar H I component in the galaxy. Employing a simple tilted-ring model, in which the kinematics is determined with only four parameters but including morphological asymmetries, we reproduce the galaxy's morphology, which shows a high degree of asymmetry. By comparing our model with the observed H I, we find that in our model, we cannot account for a significant (but not dominant) fraction of the gas. From the differences between our model and the observed data cube, we estimate that at least 7-8 per cent of the H I in the galaxy exhibits anomalous kinematics, while we estimate a minimum mass fraction of less than 1 per cent for the morphologically confirmed extraplanar component