Influence of summer temperatures on basic economic and tourism indicators of the middle mediterranean

The Middle Mediterranean is characterized by long, hot, and dry summers, significant historical and cultural values, and the warm Mediterranean sea, making it attractive for coastal tourism. Given these characteristics, the goal of our paper is to analyze the influence of summer temperatures in the region of the Middle Mediterranean on the values of underlying economic and tourism indicators. The method of simple linear correlation and regression was used. Based on the results of testing, we came to the conclusion that the temperatures in the summer months have no significant influence on selected economic and tourism indicators. Also, we conclude that social factors have the greatest influence on these indicators. The coefficients of variation are calculated in the observed period to analyze the variability of the tested values. It could not be identified a statistically significant relationship of indicators with summer temperatures

Association between loop diuretic dose changes and outcomes in chronic heart failure: observations from the ESC-EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

[Abstract] Aims. Guidelines recommend down-titration of loop diuretics (LD) once euvolaemia is achieved. In outpatients with heart failure (HF), we investigated LD dose changes in daily cardiology practice, agreement with guideline recommendations, predictors of successful LD down-titration and association between dose changes and outcomes. Methods and results. We included 8130 HF patients from the ESC-EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry. Among patients who had dose decreased, successful decrease was defined as the decrease not followed by death, HF hospitalization, New York Heart Association class deterioration, or subsequent increase in LD dose. Mean age was 66±13 years, 71% men, 62% HF with reduced ejection fraction, 19% HF with mid-range ejection fraction, 19% HF with preserved ejection fraction. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] LD dose was 40 (25–80) mg. LD dose was increased in 16%, decreased in 8.3% and unchanged in 76%. Median (IQR) follow-up was 372 (363–419) days. Diuretic dose increase (vs. no change) was associated with HF death [hazard ratio (HR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–2.08; P = 0.008] and nominally with cardiovascular death (HR 1.25, 95% CI 0.96–1.63; P = 0.103). Decrease of diuretic dose (vs. no change) was associated with nominally lower HF (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.33–1.07; P = 0.083) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.62 95% CI 0.38–1.00; P = 0.052). Among patients who had LD dose decreased, systolic blood pressure [odds ratio (OR) 1.11 per 10 mmHg increase, 95% CI 1.01–1.22; P = 0.032], and absence of (i) sleep apnoea (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.69; P = 0.008), (ii) peripheral congestion (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29–0.80; P = 0.005), and (iii) moderate/severe mitral regurgitation (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37–0.87; P = 0.008) were independently associated with successful decrease. Conclusion. Diuretic dose was unchanged in 76% and decreased in 8.3% of outpatients with chronic HF. LD dose increase was associated with worse outcomes, while the LD dose decrease group showed a trend for better outcomes compared with the no-change group. Higher systolic blood pressure, and absence of (i) sleep apnoea, (ii) peripheral congestion, and (iii) moderate/severe mitral regurgitation were independently associated with successful dose decrease

Sex- and age-related differences in the management and outcomes of chronic heart failure: an analysis of patients from the ESC HFA EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

Aims: This study aimed to assess age- and sex-related differences in management and 1-year risk for all-cause mortality and hospitalization in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Methods and results: Of 16 354 patients included in the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Long-Term Registry, 9428 chronic HF patients were analysed [median age: 66 years; 28.5% women; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 37%]. Rates of use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were high (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists: 85.7%, 88.7% and 58.8%, respectively). Crude GDMT utilization rates were lower in women than in men (all differences: P\ua0 64 0.001), and GDMT use became lower with ageing in both sexes, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT prescription; however, age >75 years was a significant predictor of GDMT underutilization. Rates of all-cause mortality were lower in women than in men (7.1% vs. 8.7%; P\ua0=\ua00.015), as were rates of all-cause hospitalization (21.9% vs. 27.3%; P\ua075 years. Conclusions: There was a decline in GDMT use with advanced age in both sexes. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT or adverse outcomes. However, age >75 years independently predicted lower GDMT use and higher all-cause mortality in patients with LVEF 6445%

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial

Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort

Nonlinear and Linearized Gray Box Models of Direct-Write Printing Dynamics

Control of material metering in material extrusion based additive manufacturing modalities, such as positive displacement direct-write, is critical for manufacturing accuracy. However, in positive displacement direct-write, transient flows are poorly controlled due to capacitive pressure dynamics - pressure is stored and slowly released over time from the build material and other compliant system elements, negatively impacting flow rate startups and stops. Thus far, modeling of these dynamics has ranged from simplistic, potentially omitting key contributors to the observed phenomena, to highly complex, making usage in control schemes difficult. Here, we present nonlinear and linearized models that seek to both capture the capacitive and nonlinear resistive fluid elements of positive displacement direct-write systems and to pose them as ordinary differential equations for integration into nonlinear and linear control schemes. We validate our theoretical work with experimental flow rate and material measurements across a range of extrusion nozzles and materials to address different feature sizes and diverse applications spanning tissue engineering, electronics fabrication, and food science. As part of this experimental work, we explore the contribution of the bulk system compliance and the build material compliance to these dynamics. We show that all models accurately describe the measured dynamics, facilitating ease of integration into future nonlinear and linear control systems. Additionally, we show that while build material compliance may be nearly entirely reduced through appropriate system design, the compliance from build material alone is significant enough to require feedback control to fully control material delivery.Mechanical Engineerin

The effect of pressing pressure on the magnetic properties of amorphous Co80Ni20 alloy powder

The impact of amorphous Co80Ni20 alloy powder pressing pressure on magnetic properties was investigated. The powder was pressed at room temperature under pressures of 560 MPa, 1100 MPa and 1300 MPa. Investigation of magnetic properties was conducted by magnetic susceptibility measurement in temperature range from 290 K to 900 K. It has been determined that with a pressing pressure increase the magnetic susceptibility rises. The differential scanning calorimetry method showed that the crystallization process occurred in two stages and each crystallization stage was followed by a magnetic susceptibility change

Improving service business of industrial companies through data: conceptualization and application

As a consequence of the exponential growth of technologies, big data combined with increasing processing power, are leading to profound changes for industrial companies. Although the acknowledge importance of adopting a specific “big data strategy” in order to exploit the opportunity arising from servitization, how companies can do it in practice still remains poorly understood. This paper proposes a hierarchical framework to describe and operationalize the Big Data management to support servitization, in order to enable new service offerings and be able to react to fast changing customers' need

Real-time Data Analytics Edge Computing Application for Industry 4.0: The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Approach

Industry 4.0 and its innovative technologies (e.g., Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems, Cloud Computing, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence) represent great promise. Still, com-panies experience hardship when transforming from reactive to predictive manufacturing systems. The latter, driven by data science development, use predictive models to detect and solve production and maintenance issues before they happen. To eliminate the need for large and varied datasets for development of predictive models, in the present research we propose development of real-time predictive models based on small dataset without faulty data. This is achieved by using Mahalanobis-Taguchi system for fault detection in lack of fault data samples, and by using Edge Computing environment which provides higher re-sponsiveness, better security and decreased costs. Subsequently, two predictive models are developed, tested and compared for the case company from process industry (i.e. the vi-nyl-floor industry sector). Finally, recommendations for the industry are provided