Applying a business intelligence system in a big data context: production companies

Industry 4.0 promotes automation through computer systems of the manufacturing industry and its objective is the Smart Factory. Its development is considered a key factor in the strategic positioning not only of companies, but of regions, countries and continents in the short, medium and long term. Thus, it is no surprise that governments such as the United States and the European Commission are already taking this into consideration in the development of their industrial policies. This article presents a case of the implementation of a BI system in an industrial food environment with Big Data characteristics in which information from various sources is combined to provide information that improves the decision-making of the controls

Constraints on aerosol nitrate photolysis as a potential source of HONO and NO_x

The concentration of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) plays a central role in controlling air quality. On a global scale, the primary sink of NO_x is oxidation to form HNO_3. Gas-phase HNO_3 photolyses slowly with a lifetime in the troposphere of 10 days or more. However, several recent studies examining HONO chemistry have proposed that particle-phase HNO_3 undergoes photolysis 10–300 times more rapidly than gas-phase HNO_3. We present here constraints on the rate of particle-phase HNO_3 photolysis based on observations of NO_x and HNO_3 collected over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ study in summer 2016. The fastest proposed photolysis rates are inconsistent with the observed NO_x to HNO_3 ratios. Negligible to moderate enhancements of the HNO_3 photolysis rate in particles, 1–30 times faster than in the gas phase, are most consistent with the observations. Small or moderate enhancement of particle-phase HNO_3 photolysis would not significantly affect the HNO_3 budget but could help explain observations of HONO and NO_x in highly aged air

Constraints on aerosol nitrate photolysis as a potential source of HONO and NOx, Environmental Science and Technology

The concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) plays a central role in controlling air quality. On a global scale, the primary sink of NOx is oxidation to form HNO3. Gas-phase HNO3 photolyses slowly with a lifetime in the troposphere of 10 days or more. However, several recent studies examining HONO chemistry have proposed that particle-phase HNO3 undergoes photolysis 10–300 times more rapidly than gas-phase HNO3. We present here constraints on the rate of particle-phase HNO3 photolysis based on observations of NOx and HNO3 collected over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ study in summer 2016. The fastest proposed photolysis rates are inconsistent with the observed NOx to HNO3 ratios. Negligible to moderate enhancements of the HNO3 photolysis rate in particles, 1–30 times faster than in the gas phase, are most consistent with the observations. Small or moderate enhancement of particle-phase HNO3 photolysis would not significantly affect the HNO3 budget but could help explain observations of HONO and NOx in highly aged air

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force recommendations for a veterinary epilepsy-specific MRI protocol

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases in veterinary practice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as an important diagnostic test to reach the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. However, given that the diagnosis requires the exclusion of other differentials for seizures, the parameters for MRI examination should allow the detection of subtle lesions which may not be obvious with existing techniques. In addition, there are several differentials for idiopathic epilepsy in humans, for example some focal cortical dysplasias, which may only apparent with special sequences, imaging planes and/or particular techniques used in performing the MRI scan. As a result, there is a need to standardize MRI examination in veterinary patients with techniques that reliably diagnose subtle lesions, identify post-seizure changes, and which will allow for future identification of underlying causes of seizures not yet apparent in the veterinary literature. There is a need for a standardized veterinary epilepsy-specific MRI protocol which will facilitate more detailed examination of areas susceptible to generating and perpetuating seizures, is cost efficient, simple to perform and can be adapted for both low and high field scanners. Standardisation of imaging will improve clinical communication and uniformity of case definition between research studies. A 6–7 sequence epilepsy-specific MRI protocol for veterinary patients is proposed and further advanced MR and functional imaging is reviewed

What do we know about the α/β for prostate cancer?

Since last decade, the debate on the parameter which reflects prostate cancer sensitivity to fractionation in a radiotherapy treatment, the α/β, has become extensive. Unlike most tumors, the low labeling indices (LI) and large potential doubling time that characterize the prostate tumor led some authors to consider that it may behave as a late responding tissue. So far, the existing studies with regard to this subject point to a low value of α/β, around 2.7 Gy, which may be considered as a therapeutic gain in relation to surrounding normal tissues by using fewer and larger fractions. The aim of this paper is to review several estimates that have been made in the last few years regarding the prostate cancer α/β both from clinical and experimental data, as well as the set of factors that have potentially influenced these evaluations

Variations in the quality and costs of end-of-life care, preferences and palliative outcomes for cancer patients by place of death: the QUALYCARE study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emerging trends and new policies suggest that more cancer patients might die at home in the future. However, not all have equal chances of achieving this. Furthermore, there is lack of evidence to support that those who die at home experience better care and a better death than those who die as inpatients. The QUALYCARE study aims to examine variations in the quality and costs of end-of-life care, preferences and palliative outcomes associated with dying at home or in an institution for cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Mortality followback survey (with a nested case-control study of home vs. hospital deaths) conducted with bereaved relatives of cancer patients in four Primary Care Trusts in London. Potential participants are identified from death registrations and approached by the Office for National Statistics in complete confidence. Data are collected via a postal questionnaire to identify the informal and formal care received in the three months before death and the associated costs, relatives' satisfaction with care, and palliative outcomes for the patients and their relatives. A well-established questionnaire to measure relatives' views on the care integrates four brief and robust tools - the Client Service Receipt Inventory, the Palliative Outcome Scale, the EQ-5 D and the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief. Further questions assess patients and relatives' preferences for place of death. The survey aims to include 500 bereaved relatives (140 who experienced a home death, 205 a hospital death, 115 a hospice death and 40 a nursing home death). Bivariate and multivariate analyses will explore differences in place of death and place of end-of-life care, in preferences for place of death, patients' palliative outcomes and relatives' bereavement outcomes, in relation to place of death. Factors influencing death at home and the costs of end-of-life care by place of death will be identified.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Collecting data on end-of-life care retrospectively from bereaved relatives has ethical, practical and scientific challenges. QUALYCARE has been carefully designed to address these challenges in a robust and ethically sound population-based survey. By discovering variations in the underlying individual reality of place of death for people dying from cancer and their families, this study will advance our understanding of end-of-life care and, we hope, improve care for cancer patients and their families in the future.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network Portfolio. UKCRN7041.</p