Line balancing optimization under robot location and worker-station assignment considerations: A case study of a dishwasher factory

The focus of this article is on the line balancing work planned on the assembly line of a Dishwasher Factory. The main motivation is to make the assembly line more stable by grouping similar jobs and to increase the number of dishwashers produced per shift. In addition to these basic objectives, this study aims to rearrange the number of operators, optimize work-stock area and balance the man power at the stations. We propose a novel integer programming model that takes into account the location selection of stations, elevators and robots and the decisions of assigning jobs and workers to stations and use a commercial solver to solve the problem exactly. In the light of the outputs obtained from the solution of the problem, the current system and the improved system results were compared. First, the increase of dishwasher production capacity under current operational guidelines was evaluated and then the effect of grouping jobs on cycle time was evaluated. Based on the results of the sensitivity analysis, different results were proposed to optimize the current tempo, cycle time and number of workers. The results indicate that the number of workers can be reduced by 36%, while the number of dishwashers produced per shift can be increased by up to 52%, when all other inputs of the problem are fixed. Compared to the current practice, in the solution proposed to the manufacturing firm, the number of stations opened with similar jobs grouped was reduced by 68%, the number of fields that could be used by the stations was kept the same, the number of workers was reduced by 10% and the cycle time was improved by 4.34 seconds and the number of machines produced per shift increased by 43%

Child motherhood: the incapability remains

Baş, Vedat (Arel Author)The period of adolescence, defined by the World Health Organization as the period between 10 and 19 years of age, is the transition from childhood to adulthood through a number of biological, psychological, and social changes. It has been reported that one in five individuals is an adolescent, and 85% of adolescents live in developing countries.[1] Pregnancies that occur in this period, when the individual has yet to complete the maturation process in both biological and psychological senses, are risky for both the mother and child

Maternal Characteristics and Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes of Singleton Pregnancies Among Adolescents

Background: Adolescent pregnancy remains a global public health issue with serious implications on maternal and child health, particularly in developing countries The aim of this study was to investigate maternal characteristics and obstetric and neonatal outcomes of singleton pregnancies among adolescents.Material/Methods: A total of 241 adolescent women who gave birth to singletons between January 2015 and December 2015 at our hospital were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Data on maternal sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics as well as neonatal outcome were recorded.Results: Primary school education (66.0%), lack of regular antenatal care (69.7%), religious (36.7%) and consanguineous (37.0) marriage, Southeastern Anatolia hometown (34.9%) and Eastern Anatolia hometown (21.2%) were noted in most of the adolescent pregnancies, while 95% were desired pregnancies within marriage. Pregnancy complications were noted in 19.5% (preeclampsia in 5.8%) and cesarean delivery was performed in 44.8% of adolescent pregnancies. Preterm delivery rate was 27.0% (20.3% were in >34 weeks). Overall, 13.3% of neonates were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the postpartum period (prematurity in 28.1%), while 25.3% were re-admitted to NICU admission in the post-discharge 1-month (hyperbilirubinemia in 55.7%). Adolescent pregnancies were associated considerably high rates of fetal distress at birth (28.7%), preterm delivery (26.9%), and re-admission to NICU after hospital discharge (25.3%).Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings indicate that along with considerably high rates of poor antenatal care, maternal anemia and cesarean delivery, adolescent pregnancies were also associated with high rates for fetal distress at birth, preterm delivery, and NICU re-admission within post-discharge 1-month

Orta ve ağır derece prematürelerde okul öncesi dönemde (4-6 yaş) Denver gelişim testinin değerlendirilmesi

Baş, Vedat (Arel Author)Amaç: Bu çalışmada, prematüre bebeklerde rutin fizik muayenede gözden kaçabilen gelişimsel sorunların Denver Gelişimsel Tarama Testi II (DGTT II) ile erken saptanması amaçlandı. Materyal ve Metot: Ocak 2005-Aralık 2007 yılları arasında Yenidoğan Yoğun Bakım birimimize yatırılarak tedavi alan gebelik yaşı <34 hafta olan bebeklerin dosyaları geriye dönük olarak incelendi. Bu olgular okul öncesi dönemde (4-6 yaş) kontrole çağırılarak DGTT II uygulandı. Bulgular: Kliniğimizde 2005-2007 yılları arasında tedavi gören gebelik yaşı <34 hafta olan 56 prematüre çalışmaya alındı. Ortalama gebelik yaşları 30,1±2,4 hafta ve ortalama doğum tartıları 1342±331 g olarak saptandı. Çalışmaya alınan 56 prematüre olguya ortalama 5,1±1,4 (4,1-6,4) yaşta uygulanan DGTT ile 6 olguda (%10,7) gelişimsel gerilik gözlendi. Prematüre bebeklerde, 1500 gramın altında doğum ağırlığı, 32 haftanın altında gestasyonel yaş ve menenjitin prognozu kötü etkileyen risk faktörleri olduğu görüldü. Sonuç: Prematürelerin ancak %10,7’sinde gelişimsel gerilik saptanması, bu bebeklerin ülkemiz koşullarında da iyi bir bakımla sekelsiz yaşama şanslarının yüksek olduğunu gösteren ümit verici bir bulgu olarak yorumlandı

The long-term impacts of preterm birth and associated morbidities on bone health in preschool children: a prospective cross-sectional study from Turkey

Objective: To evaluate the impact of preterm birth on bone health in preschool children. Methods: A total of 166 preschool children (aged 7-8 years) born preterm (n = 86, = 37 weeks of gestation) in our hospital were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. Data on antenatal, perinatal, and early postnatal characteristics and maternal obstetric history were obtained from medical records. Bone densitometry data including total bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD; total, lumbar, and femoral), z-scores, and bone loss were collected for each participant. Results: Current height, weight, and BMI values were significantly lower in the preterm group (p < .001). Serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels did not differ among groups, whereas VitD3 levels were significantly higher in the preterm group (p = .039). The mean total BMC, total BMD, lumbar (L2-L4) BMD, femur BMD, total z-score, and L2-L4 z-score values were significantly lower for the preterm group, whereas the total, lumbar, and femoral bone loss were significantly higher (p < .001), regardless of the severity of prematurity. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and retinopathy were significantly associated with lower total BMC (p = .004, p = .012, respectively). Fortified breastfeeding was associated with lumbar bone loss (p = .043), and formula feeding was associated with both femur and lumbar bone loss (p = .006, p = .012, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings revealed long-term adverse effects of preterm birth on bone health, with significantly lower anthropometric values (weight, height, and BMI), lower scores for total BMC, BMD (total, lumbar, femoral), and z-scores (total, femur), along with higher bone loss (total, lumbar, femoral) and higher rates of osteopenia and osteoporosis in preschool children born preterm (whether moderate or very preterm) compared with those born at term. Exclusive breastfeeding appears to reduce the likelihood of long-term bone loss in preterm infant

The investigation of hawthorn (<i>Crataegus orientalis</i>) plant’s inhibition effect on angiotensin converting enzyme and <i>in silico</i> studies

Hawthorn plant is used among people due to its cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, and antihistamine properties. But no scientific study has been done about Crataegus orientalis (Mill.) M.Bieb. The presented study was planned to determine the effects of ethanol and n-hexane extracts of Crataegus orientalis leaves on human plasma ACE enzyme. In the study, the effect of plant extracts on ACE was studied by the spectrophotometric method. The chemical composition of the plant extracts was determined by HPLC-DAD analyses. In addition, molecular doking and ADME prediction studies were carried out. As a result, the obtained data showed that Crataegus orientalis could have an important place in the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery studies, as it supports the traditional use of Crataegus orientalis as hypotensive. The results of the molecular docking studies revealed that the interactions of the selected compounds with the human ACE enzyme caused inhibition.</p