443 research outputs found
PLC-SCADA Based Automated Logistics Warehouse Management System
This paper is based upon use of PLCs(Programmable Logic Controllers)and SCADA(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)for the purpose of automatic material handling inside the warehouse and the logistics industries . Involvement of manpower has various disadvantages and so automating the process will curb all the demerits The implementation of this system would reduce the work done by humans to about 90% and thereby resulting in the increase in work/process speed
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of heavy-metal transport and fate in an artificial biofilm
Unlike planktonic systems, reaction rates in biofilms are often limited by mass transport, which controls the rate of supply of contaminants into the biofilm matrix. To help understand this phenomenon, we investigated the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to spatially quantify copper transport and fate in biofilms. For this initial study we utilized an artificial biofilm composed of a 50:50 mix of bacteria and agar. MRI successfully mapped Cu2+ uptake into the artificial biofilm by mapping T2 relaxation rates. A calibration protocol was used to convert T2 values into actual copper concentrations. Immobilization rates in the artificial biofilm were slow compared to the rapid equilibration of planktonic systems. Even after 36 h, the copper front had migrated only 3 mm into the artificial biofilm and at this distance from the copper source, concentrations were very low. This slow equilibration is a result of (1) the time it takes copper to diffuse over such distances and (2) the adsorption of copper onto cell surfaces, which further impedes copper diffusion. The success of this trial run indicates MRI could be used to quantitatively map heavy metal transport and immobilization in natural biofilms
Frobenius Splittings
We give a gentle introduction to Frobenius splittings. Then we recall a few
results that have been obtained with the method.Comment: 21 pages, typos correcte
Stringent constraints on the scalar K pi form factor from analyticity, unitarity and low-energy theorems
We investigate the scalar K pi form factor at low energies by the method of
unitarity bounds adapted so as to include information on the phase and modulus
along the elastic region of the unitarity cut. Using at input the values of the
form factor at t=0 and the Callan-Treiman point, we obtain stringent
constraints on the slope and curvature parameters of the Taylor expansion at
the origin. Also, we predict a quite narrow range for the higher order ChPT
corrections at the second Callan-Treiman point.Comment: 5 pages latex, uses EPJ style files, 3 figures, replaced with version
accepted by EPJ
Loss of superfluidity in the Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice with cubic and quintic nonlinearity
In a one-dimensional shallow optical lattice, in the presence of both cubic
and quintic nonlinearity, a superfluid density wave is identified in a
Bose-Einstein condensate. Interestingly, it ceases to exist when only one of
these interactions is operative. We predict the loss of superfluidity through a
classical dynamical phase transition, where modulational instability leads to
the loss of phase coherence. In a certain parameter domain, the competition
between lattice potential and the interactions is shown to give rise to a
stripe phase, where atoms are confined in finite domains. In a pure two-body
case, apart from the known superfluid and insulating phases, a density wave
insulating phase is found to exist, possessing two frequency modulations
commensurate with the lattice potential.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
Cost-effectiveness analysis of adalimumab for the treatment of uveitis associated with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Purpose To investigate the cost effectiveness of adalimumab in combination with methotrexate, compared with methotrexate alone, for the management of uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Design A cost-utility analysis based on a clinical trial and decision analytic model. Participants Children and adolescents 2 to 18 years of age with persistently active uveitis associated with JIA, despite optimized methotrexate treatment for at least 12 weeks. Methods The SYCAMORE (Randomised controlled trial of the clinical effectiveness, SafetY and Cost effectiveness of Adalimumab in combination with MethOtRExate for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis associated uveitis) trial (identifier, ISRCTN10065623) of methotrexate (up to 25 mg weekly) with or without fortnightly administered adalimumab (20 or 40 mg, according to body weight) provided data on resource use (based on patient self-report and electronic records) and health utilities (from the Health Utilities Index questionnaire). Surgical event rates and long-term outcomes were based on data from a 10-year longitudinal cohort. A Markov model was used to extrapolate the effects of treatment based on visual impairment. Main Outcome Measures Medical costs to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, utility of defined health states, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost per QALY. Results Adalimumab in combination with methotrexate resulted in additional costs of £39 316, with a 0.30 QALY gain compared with methotrexate alone, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £129 025 per QALY gained. The probability of cost effectiveness at a threshold of £30 000 per QALY was less than 1%. Based on a threshold analysis, a price reduction of 84% would be necessary for adalimumab to be cost effective. Conclusions Adalimumab is clinically effective in uveitis associated with JIA; however, its cost effectiveness is not demonstrated compared with methotrexate alone in the United Kingdom setting
Theory of unitarity bounds and low energy form factors
We present a general formalism for deriving bounds on the shape parameters of
the weak and electromagnetic form factors using as input correlators calculated
from perturbative QCD, and exploiting analyticity and unitarity. The values
resulting from the symmetries of QCD at low energies or from lattice
calculations at special points inside the analyticity domain can beincluded in
an exact way. We write down the general solution of the corresponding Meiman
problem for an arbitrary number of interior constraints and the integral
equations that allow one to include the phase of the form factor along a part
of the unitarity cut. A formalism that includes the phase and some information
on the modulus along a part of the cut is also given. For illustration we
present constraints on the slope and curvature of the K_l3 scalar form factor
and discuss our findings in some detail. The techniques are useful for checking
the consistency of various inputs and for controlling the parameterizations of
the form factors entering precision predictions in flavor physics.Comment: 11 pages latex using EPJ style files, 5 figures; v2 is version
accepted by EPJA in Tools section; sentences and figures improve
Adalimumab in combination with methotrexate for refractory uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a RCT
Abstract Background Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are at risk of uveitis. The role of adalimumab (Humira®; AbbVie Inc., Ludwigshafen, Germany) in the management of uveitis in children needs to be determined. Objective To compare the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of adalimumab in combination with methotrexate (MTX) versus placebo with MTX alone, with regard to controlling disease activity in refractory uveitis associated with JIA. Design This was a randomised (applying a ratio of 2 : 1 in favour of adalimumab), double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre parallel-group trial with an integrated economic evaluation. A central web-based system used computer-generated tables to allocate treatments. A cost–utility analysis based on visual acuity was conducted and a 10-year extrapolation by Markov modelling was also carried out. Setting The setting was tertiary care centres throughout the UK. Participants Patients aged 2–18 years inclusive, with persistently active JIA-associated uveitis (despite optimised MTX treatment for at least 12 weeks). Interventions All participants received a stable dose of MTX and either adalimumab (20 mg/0.8 ml for patients weighing < 30 kg or 40 mg/0.8 ml for patients weighing ≥ 30 kg by subcutaneous injection every 2 weeks based on body weight) or a placebo (0.8 ml as appropriate according to body weight by subcutaneous injection every 2 weeks) for up to 18 months. A follow-up appointment was arranged at 6 months. Main outcome measures Primary outcome – time to treatment failure [multicomponent score as defined by set criteria based on the Standardisation of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) criteria]. Economic outcome – incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained from the perspective of the NHS in England and Personal Social Services providers. Full details of secondary outcomes are provided in the study protocol. Results A total of 90 participants were randomised (adalimumab, n = 60; placebo, n = 30). There were 14 (23%) treatment failures in the adalimumab group and 17 (57%) in the placebo group. The analysis of the data from the double-blind phase of the trial showed that the hazard risk (HR) of treatment failure was significantly reduced, by 75%, for participants in the adalimumab group (HR 0.25, 95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.51; p < 0.0001 from log-rank test). The cost-effectiveness of adalimumab plus MTX was £129,025 per QALY gained. Adalimumab-treated participants had a much higher incidence of adverse and serious adverse events. Conclusions Adalimumab in combination with MTX is safe and effective in the management of JIA-associated uveitis. However, the likelihood of cost-effectiveness is < 1% at the £30,000-per-QALY threshold. Future work A clinical trial is required to define the most effective time to stop therapy. Prognostic biomarkers of early and complete response should also be identified
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