An organizational systems perspective to business process modeling in small to medium enterprises (smes) : a case of food production

Taking an organizational systems perspective, this paper presents a review to business process modelling and examines the case of food manufacture in a Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME), which operates in Cyprus. As a result of the modelling and analysis carried out, areas of concern, issues and opportunities are identified and explored taking into consideration the current business environment of the SME, by focusing on the decision making processes of the production and scheduling activities. The knowledge gained from the modelling effort provides a deeper understanding of the operations and interrelationships between important processes such as “Make”, “Buy”, “Sell” and “Manage”. This proves to be useful for the effective re-design of a production/scheduling decision support system in the particular firm but it also represents the first step towards for the long term development of a generic framework for managerial decision making which takes into consideration the limitations and particularities of manufacturing SMEs.peer-reviewe

Genetic programming for manufacturing optimisation.

A considerable number of optimisation techniques have been proposed for the solution of problems associated with the manufacturing process. Evolutionary computation methods, a group of non-deterministic search algorithms that employ the concept of Darwinian strife for survival to guide the search for optimal solutions, have been extensively used for this purpose. Genetic programming is an evolutionary algorithm that evolves variable-length solution representations in the form of computer programs. While genetic programming has produced successful applications in a variety of optimisation fields, genetic programming methodologies for the solution of manufacturing optimisation problems have rarely been reported. The applicability of genetic programming in the field of manufacturing optimisation is investigated in this thesis. Three well-known problems were used for this purpose: the one-machine total tardiness problem, the cell-formation problem and the multiobjective process planning selection problem. The main contribution of this thesis is the introduction of novel genetic programming frameworks for the solution of these problems. In the case of the one-machine total tardiness problem genetic programming employed combinations of dispatching rules for the indirect representation of job schedules. The hybridisation of genetic programming with alternative search algorithms was proposed for the solution of more difficult problem instances. In addition, genetic programming was used for the evolution of new dispatching rules that challenged the efficiency of man-made dispatching rules for the solution of the problem. An integrated genetic programming - hierarchical clustering approach was proposed for the solution of simple and advanced formulations of the cell-formation problem. The proposed framework produced competitive results to alternative methodologies that have been proposed for the solution of the same problem. The evolution of similarity coefficients that can be used in combination with clustering techniques for the solution of cell-formation problems was also investigated. Finally, genetic programming was combined with a number of evolutionary multiobjective techniques for the solution of the multiobjective process planning selection problem. Results on test problems illustrated the ability of the proposed methodology to provide a wealth of potential solutions to the decision-maker

Excision Repair Cross-Complementation Group 1 Enzyme as a Molecular Determinant of Responsiveness to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for non Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Although platinum-based chemotherapy remains the “standard” in advanced non small-cell lung cancer, not all patients derive clinical benefit from such a treatment. Hence, the development of predictive biomarkers able to identify lung cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from cisplatin-based chemotherapy has become a scientific priority. Among the molecular pathways involved in DNA damage control after chemotherapy, the nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a critical process for the repair of DNA damage caused by cisplatin-induced DNA adducts. Many reports have explored the role of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 enzyme (ERCC1) expression in the repair mechanism of cisplatin-induced DNA adducts in cancer cells

A retroesophageal right subclavian artery originating from the left aortic arch - a case report and review of the literature

The retroesophageal right subclavian artery is an anatomical abnormality encountered by anatomists and pathologists and recently interventional cardiologists and thoracic surgeons have also come across this phenomenon. We report a case of a retroesophageal right subclavian artery arising from a normally located left aortic arch in a young male autopsied in the Department of Forensic Service of Warsaw Medical University. In addition to the aforementioned anomaly, the presence of a right non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve was noticed. The possible embryonic development of these branching patterns and their clinical significance is discussed

EFFECT OF GAS-PROPERTIES EVALUATION METHOD ON THE OPTIMUM POINT OF GAS TURBINE CYCLES

ABSTRACT Recent work has revealed that the assumption regarding the behavior of gases (perfect, ideal, real) and, consequently, the way their properties are evaluated may alter critically the picture obtained about the performance of gas turbine systems. This fact prompted an investigation of how the aforementioned assumption may affect the optimal design point of gas turbine systems. Three systems have been selected for study and three optimization problems have been formulated and solved for each system: two thermodynamic and one thermoeconomic. The results demonstrate that the method (assumption) used for the evaluation of properties of gases has a very significant effect on the optimal point of each system

TELIOS: A Tool for the Automatic Generation of Logic Programming Machines

Abstract In this paper the tool TELIOS is presented, for the automatic generation of a hardware machine, corresponding to a given logic program. The machine is implemented using an FPGA, where a corresponding inference machine, in application specific hardware, is created on the FPGA, based on a BNF parser, to carry out the inference mechanism. The unification mechanism is based on actions embedded between the non-terminal symbols and implemented using special modules on the FPGA

Panic Attack during Elective Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Background. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy (CS) can evoke anxiety, embarrassment, and discomfort. These concerns can culminate in panic attacks, which may traumatize patients and significantly decrease their compliance to the procedure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between preendoscopic anxiety and the possibility of a panic attack during an elective gastrointestinal endoscopy (EGE). Methods. The study population comprised of 79 Greek outpatients. The examination was carried out without the use of conscious sedation. Patients' anxiety levels were assessed before the procedure using the Greek version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Results. Seventy-nine patients were enrolled: 45 EGD and 34 CS. Females had higher state and trait anxiety levels than males (48.14 ± 7.94 versus 44.17 ± 7.43, P < 0.05; and 43.68 ± 6.95 versus 39.86 ± 7.46, P < 0.05). Patients who experienced panic attack had significantly higher levels of both trait and state anxiety, compared to those who were panic-free. There was no significant relationship between panic attacks and sex or type of procedure. Conclusions. Patients who experience panic attacks during endoscopic procedures appear to have significantly higher anxiety levels before the procedure. Administering the STAI questionnaire prior to the endoscopy seems to be a useful screening method for vulnerable patients

Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis after Long-Term Treatment with Sunitinib: A Case Report

We report on a 63-year-old woman, previously in good health, who had undergone nephrectomy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma in 2002. Because of systemic relapse with multiple lung metastases in 2006, the patient was treated with sunitinib 50 mg daily on a 4-weeks on-/2-weeks off-schedule. After 3 years of treatment, she developed a purpuric rash on her feet and trunk. Biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. No other organ involvement was diagnosed. She was started on oral prednisone 30 mg daily with rapid resolution of the vasculitic skin lesions. Sunitinib was temporally discontinued and reintroduced at the same dose level. Reappearance of a less serious vasculitis after 2 cycles of re-treatment was resolved in the weeks off-treatment and by reducing the dose of sunitinib along with 5 mg of prednisone daily. One year after the diagnosis, the patient is still on this therapy. Oncology providers should be aware of this rare but potentially serious, possible adverse effect of sunitinib