Grid-enabled Workflows for Industrial Product Design

This paper presents a generic approach for developing and using Grid-based workflow technology for enabling cross-organizational engineering applications. Using industrial product design examples from the automotive and aerospace industries we highlight the main requirements and challenges addressed by our approach and describe how it can be used for enabling interoperability between heterogeneous workflow engines

An Effective Design and Simulation for Microfluidic Passive Mixing with Geometric Variation

[Abstract not available

Advanced Microfluidic Mixing Device for the Study of Macromolecule Dynamics

[Abstract not available

Kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya di Kabupaten Bogor

Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Januari sampai dengan Maret 2016. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi tingkat kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya dalam melaksanakan tugasnya, dan untuk menganalisis faktor yang terkait dengan kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya Penelitian menggunakan metode pendekatan deskriptif. Metode Pendekatan dekskriptif yang digunakan bersifat kualitatif dan kuantitatif dengan analisis Regresi berganda. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menggunakan kuesioner, wawancara dan studi literatur. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tingkat kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya di Kabupaten Bogor secara keseluruhan berada dalam kategori relatif baik. Hal ini disebabkan tingginya beberapa aspek kinerja, yaitu: kegiatan penyuluhan, pelaporan dan menyampaikan informasi teknologi. Faktor karakteristik internal Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya yang mempengaruhi kinerja adalah: tingkat pendidikan formal dan pengalaman USAha, sementara yang tidak mempengaruhi adalah usia dan motivasi. Faktor karakteristik eksternal Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya yang mempengaruhi kinerja adalah: pemanfaatan sarana dan prasarana, serta dukungan biaya, yang tidak mempengaruhi adalah penghargaan dan jarak tempat tinggal/keterjangkauan. Faktor kompetensi yang berpengaruh terhadap kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan Swadaya adalah kemampuan penguasaan teknologi dan kemampuan bekerjasama, sedangkan pengelolaan program dan kegiatan penyuluhan, serta kemampuan komunikasi tidak mempengaruhi

Persepsi Pelaku Usaha Perikanan terhadap Kinerja Penyuluh Perikanan

Penelitian mengenai persepsi pelaku USAha terhadap kinerja penyuluh perikanan dilakukan pada bulan April sampai bulan Mei 2011. Lokasi penelitian di 11 provinsi yang tersebar di 13 kabupaten/kota. Jumlah responden sebanyak 89 orang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui persepsi pelaku USAha perikanan terhadap kinerja penyuluh perikanan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan keberadaan penyuluh masih sangat dibutuhkan oleh pelaku USAha, materi yang dibutuhkan terkait dengan peningkatan produksi USAhanya, dan cara yang diinginkan pelaku USAha adalah penyuluh dapat memberi contoh USAha perikanan sesuai kebutuhan pelaku USAha

Results of a pilot cluster randomised trial of the use of a Medication Review Tool for people taking antipsychotic medication

BACKGROUND: Government policy encourages increasing involvement of patients in their long-term care. This paper describes the development and pilot evaluation of a 'Medication Review Tool' designed to assist people to participate more effectively in discussions about antipsychotic drug treatment. METHODS: The Medication Review Tool developed consisted of a form to help patients identify pros and cons of their current antipsychotic treatment and any desired changes. It was associated with a website containing information and links about antipsychotics. For the trial, participants diagnosed with psychotic disorders were recruited from community mental health services. Cluster randomisation was used to allocate health professionals (care co-ordinators) and their associated patients to use of the Medication Review Tool or usual care. All participants had a medical consultation scheduled, and those in the intervention group completed the Medication Review Tool, with the help of their health professional prior to this, and took the completed Form into the consultation. Two follow-up interviews were conducted up to three months after the consultation. The principal outcome was the Decision Self Efficacy Scale (DSES). Qualitative feedback was collected from patients in the intervention group. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty patients were screened, sixty patients were randomised, 51 completed the first follow-up assessment and 49 completed the second. Many patients were not randomised due to the timing of their consultation, and involvement of health professionals was inconsistent. There was no difference between the groups on the DSES (-4.16 95 % CI -9.81, 1.49), symptoms, side effects, antipsychotic doses or patient satisfaction. Scores on the Medication Adherence Questionnaire indicated an increase in participants' reported inclination to adherence in the intervention group (coefficient adjusted for baseline values -0.44; 95 % CI -0.76, -0.11), and there was a small increase in positive attitudes to antipsychotic medication (Drug Attitude Inventory, adjusted coefficient 1.65; 95 % CI -0.09, 3.40). Qualitative feedback indicated patients valued the Tool for identifying both positive and negative aspects of drug treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The trial demonstrated the design was feasible, although challenges included service re-configurations and maintaining health professional involvement. Results may indicate a more intensive and sustained intervention is required to facilitate participation in decision-making for this group of patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current controlled trials ISRCTN12055530 , Retrospectively registered 9/12/2013

Entropic forces generated by grafted semiflexible polymers

The entropic force exerted by the Brownian fluctuations of a grafted semiflexible polymer upon a rigid smooth wall are calculated both analytically and by Monte Carlo simulations. Such forces are thought to play an important role for several cellular phenomena, in particular, the physics of actin-polymerization-driven cell motility and movement of bacteria like Listeria. In the stiff limit, where the persistence length of the polymer is larger than its contour length, we find that the entropic force shows scaling behavior. We identify the characteristic length scales and the explicit form of the scaling functions. In certain asymptotic regimes we give simple analytical expressions which describe the full results to a very high numerical accuracy. Depending on the constraints imposed on the transverse fluctuations of the filament there are characteristic differences in the functional form of the entropic forces; in a two-dimensional geometry the entropic force exhibits a marked peak.Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, minor misprints correcte

Missense mutations at homologous positions in the fourth and fifth laminin A G-like domains of eyes shut homolog cause autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa

Purpose: To describe two novel mutations in the eyes shut homolog (EYS) gene in two families with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) from Pakistan and Indonesia. Methods: Genome-wide linkage and homozygosity mapping were performed using single nucleotide polymorphism microarray analysis in affected members of the two arRP families. Sequence analysis was performed to identify genetic changes in protein coding exons of EYS. Results: In the Indonesian and Pakistani families, homozygous regions encompassing the EYS gene at 6q12 were identified, with maximum LOD scores of 1.8 and 3.6, respectively. Novel missense variants in the EYS gene (p.D2767Y and p.D3028Y) were found in the Pakistani and Indonesian families, respectively, that co-segregate with the disease phenotype. Interestingly, the missense variants are located at the same homologous position within the fourth and fifth laminin A G-like domains of EYS. Conclusions: To date, mostly protein-truncating mutations have been described in EYS, while only few patients have been described with pathogenic compound heterozygous missense mutations. The mutations p.D2767Y and p.D3028Y described in this study affect highly conserved residues at homologous positions in laminin A G-like domains and support the notion that missense mutations in EYS can cause arRP

Identification and management of atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome immediately post heart transplantation

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a serious hematologic disorder with high mortality if left untreated. A comprehensive literature review revealed only two cases of aHUS post–heart transplantation. In both cases the disease developed after induction of calcineurin inhibitor therapy. We report a case of immediate post–heart transplantation aHUS, manifested before the induction of, and therefore not associated with, calcineurin inhibitor

Using SERVQUAL for assessing and improving patient satisfaction at a rural health facility in Pakistan.

A cross-sectional study of Patient satisfaction with care was conducted over a period of 1 year from March 2004 to March 2005 in a secondary-level hospital in a peri-urban area of Karachi, Pakistan. Using the SERVQUAL tool and exit interviews, data were collected quarterly from a total of 1533 Patients. Results sharing and capacity-building workshops were arranged during the 4 phases of the survey to sensitize the staff of the hospital to work towards improving Patient satisfaction. The level of satisfaction of the Patients with the outPatient health services provided showed a gradual increase from 34.4% to 82.0% over the 1-year period