The optimisation of a strategic business process

The optimisation of a Tendering Process for Warship Refit Contracts is presented. The Pre Contract Award process (PCA) involves all the activities needed to successfully win a Refit Contract, e.g. estimating, planning, tendering and negotiation. Process activities and information flows have been modelled using Integrated computer aided manufacturing DEFinition methodology (IDEF0) and a Design Structure Matrix (DSM) with optimisation performed via a Genetic Algorithm (DSM-GA) search technique [1]. The aim of the DSM-GA is to provide the user with an enhanced sequence of performing process activities. A new process was extracted from the optimised solution, showing an improved sequence with reduced iteration and planned activity concurrency based on carefully considered information requirements. This is of practical benefit to enhance understanding and to provide a guide to implementation. The approach suggests an enhanced sequence of process activities, based on information requirements, and can lead to improved business practice. This Paper discusses the potential benefits and limitations of this approach in a practical setting

The optimisation of the estimating and tendering process in warship refit - a case study

The optimisation of a tendering process for warship refit contracts is presented. The tendering process, also known as the pre-contract award process (PCA), involves all the activities needed to be successfully awarded a refit contract. Process activities and information flows have been modelled using Integrated Definition Language IDEF0 and a Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) with optimisation performed via a Genetic Algorithm (DSM-GA) search technique. By utilising this approach the process activities were re-sequenced in such an order that the number and size of rework cycles were reduced. The result being a 57% reduction in a criterion indicating 're-work' cycles

Non-isothermal flow of a thin film of fluid with temperature-dependent viscosity on a stationary horizontal cylinder

A comprehensive description is obtained of the two-dimensional steady gravity-driven flow with prescribed volume flux of a thin film of Newtonian fluid with temperature-dependent viscosity on a stationary horizontal cylinder. When the cylinder is uniformly hotter than the surrounding atmosphere (positive thermoviscosity), the effect of increasing the heat transfer to the surrounding atmosphere at the free surface is to increase the average viscosity and hence reduce the average velocity within the film, with the net effect that the film thickness (and hence the total fluid load on the cylinder) is increased to maintain the fixed volume flux of fluid. When the cylinder is uniformly colder than the surrounding atmosphere (negative thermoviscosity), the opposite occurs. Increasing the heat transfer at the free surface from weak to strong changes the film thickness everywhere (and hence the load, but not the temperature or the velocity) by a constant factor which depends only on the specific viscosity model considered. The effect of increasing the thermoviscosity is always to increase the film thickness and hence the load. In the limit of strong positive thermoviscosity, the velocity is small and uniform outside a narrow boundary layer near the cylinder leading to a large film thickness, while in the limit of strong negative thermoviscosity, the velocity increases from zero at the cylinder to a large value at the free surface leading to a small film thickness

Deep-sea scavenging amphipod assemblages from the submarine canyons of the Western Iberian Peninsula

Submarine canyons have often been identified as hotspots of secondary production with the potential to house distinct faunal assemblages and idiosyncratic ecosystems. Within these deep-sea habitats, assemblages of scavenging fauna play a vital role in reintroducing organic matter from large food falls into the wider deep-sea food chain. Free-fall baited traps were set at different depths within three submarine canyons on the Iberian Margin. Amphipods from the traps were identified to species level and counted. Scavenging amphipod assemblages were compared at different depths within each canyon and between individual canyon systems. Using data from literature, abyssal plain assemblages were compared to submarine canyon assemblages. Samples from canyons were found to contain common abyssal plain species but in greater than expected abundances. It is proposed that this is a result of the high organic carbon input into canyon systems owing to their interception of sediment from the continental shelf and input from associated estuarine systems. Community composition differed significantly between the submarine canyons and abyssal plains. The cause of this difference cannot be attributed to one environmental variable due to the numerous inherent differences between canyons and abyssal plains.<br/

Comparison of advanced gravitational-wave detectors

We compare two advanced designs for gravitational-wave antennas in terms of their ability to detect two possible gravitational wave sources. Spherical, resonant mass antennas and interferometers incorporating resonant sideband extraction (RSE) were modeled using experimentally measurable parameters. The signal-to-noise ratio of each detector for a binary neutron star system and a rapidly rotating stellar core were calculated. For a range of plausible parameters we found that the advanced LIGO interferometer incorporating RSE gave higher signal-to-noise ratios than a spherical detector resonant at the same frequency for both sources. Spheres were found to be sensitive to these sources at distances beyond our galaxy. Interferometers were sensitive to these sources at far enough distances that several events per year would be expected

Increased Production of the Soluble Tumor-Associated Antigens CA19-9, CA125, and CA15-3 in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Some tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are expressed on inflammatory cells. We previously detected carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA; CD66) in the rheumatoid (RA) synovium. The production of CEA, CA19-9, CA125, and CA15.3, may be increased in patients with RA, scleroderma, lupus, and SjÖgren's syndrome (SS). Some of these TAAs contain sialylated carbohydrate motifs and they are involved in tumor-associated cell adhesion and metastasis. We assessed levels of TAAs in the sera of RA patients and healthy subjects. Serum TAA levels were correlated with disease markers including serum rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-CCP antibody levels, DAS28, age disease duration. TAAs including CEA, CA15-3, CA72-4, CA125, and CA19-9, and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were assessed by immunoassay in the sera of 75 patients with RA and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Normal upper limits for these TAAs were 3.4 Μg/L, 25 kU/L, 6.9 kU/L, 35 kU/L, 34 kU/L, and 16.3 Μg/L, respectively. There were significantly more RA patients showing abnormally high levels of CA125 (10.8% versus 7.1%), CA19-9 (8.1% versus 0%), and CA15-3 (17.6% versus 14.3%) in comparison to controls ( P < 0.05). The mean absolute serum levels of CA125 (23.9 ± 1.8 versus 16.8 ± 2.2 kU/L) and CA19-9 (14.2 ± 1.2 versus 10.5 ± 1.6 kU/L) were also significantly higher in RA compared to controls ( P < 0.05). Among RA patients, serum CEA showed significant correlation with RF ( r = 0.270; P < 0.05). None of the assessed TAAs showed any correlation with CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28, age or disease duration. The concentration of some TAAs may be elevated in the sera of patients with established RA in comparison to healthy subjects. CEA, CA19-9, CA125, and CA15-3 contain carbohydrate motifs and thus they may be involved in synovitis-associated adhesive events. Furthermore, some TAAs, such as CEA, may also correlate with prognostic factors, such as serum RF levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73224/1/annals.1422.037.pd

Greenhouse gas and ammonia emission mitigation priorities for UK policy targets

Acknowledgements Many thanks to the Association of Applied Biologist’s for organising and hosting the ‘Agricultural greenhouse gases and ammonia mitigation: Solutions, challenges, and opportunities’ workshop. This work was supported with funding from the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme (2022-2027, C2-1 SRUC) and BBSRC (BBS/E/C/000I0320 and BBS/E/C/000I0330). We also acknowledge support from UKRI694 BBSRC (United Kingdom Research and Innovation-Biotechnology and Biological Sciences 695 Research Council; United Kingdom) via grants BBS/E/C/000I0320 and BBS/E/C/000I0330. and Rothamsted Research's Science Initiative Catalyst Award (SICA) supported by BBSRC.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Measurement of νˉμ\bar{\nu}_{\mu} and νμ\nu_{\mu} charged current inclusive cross sections and their ratio with the T2K off-axis near detector

We report a measurement of cross section $\sigma(\nu_{\mu}+{\rm nucleus}\rightarrow\mu^{-}+X)$ and the first measurements of the cross section $\sigma(\bar{\nu}_{\mu}+{\rm nucleus}\rightarrow\mu^{+}+X)$ and their ratio $R(\frac{\sigma(\bar \nu)}{\sigma(\nu)})$ at (anti-)neutrino energies below 1.5 GeV. We determine the single momentum bin cross section measurements, averaged over the T2K $\bar{\nu}/\nu$-flux, for the detector target material (mainly Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Copper) with phase space restricted laboratory frame kinematics of $\theta_{\mu}$500 MeV/c. The results are $\sigma(\bar{\nu})=\left( 0.900\pm0.029{\rm (stat.)}\pm0.088{\rm (syst.)}\right)\times10^{-39}$ and $\sigma(\nu)=\left( 2.41\ \pm0.022{\rm{(stat.)}}\pm0.231{\rm (syst.)}\ \right)\times10^{-39}$in units of cm$^{2}$/nucleon and$R\left(\frac{\sigma(\bar{\nu})}{\sigma(\nu)}\right)= 0.373\pm0.012{\rm (stat.)}\pm0.015{\rm (syst.)}$.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

High resolution seismic stratigraphic analysis: An integrated approach to the subsurface geology of the SE Persian Gulf

Papers included in this dissertation: Paper 1: Farzadi, P. 2006a. The development of Middle Cretaceous carbonate platforms, Persian Gulf, Iran: Constraints from seismic stratigraphy, well and biostratigraphy. Petroleum Geoscience, 12, 59-68. Paper 2: Farzadi, P. 2006b. Seismic facies analysis based on 3D multi-attribute volume classification, Dariyan Formation, SE Persian Gulf. Journal of Petroleum Geology,29/2, 159-174. Paper 3: Farzadi, P. & Hesthammer, J. (Submitted 2006). Diagnosis of the Upper Cretaceous paleokarst and turbidite systems from the Iranian Persian Gulf using volume-based multiple seismic attribute analysis and pattern recognition. N.B.: Originally accepted for publication in the AAPG Bulletin, later rejected because the US government prohibits the publication of papers using Iranian government datasets. The manuscript has been re-submitted to Petroleum Geoscience. Paper 4: Farzadi, P. & Alaei, B. (Submitted 2006). Stratigraphic architecture of the Zagros Basin: towards an objective comparison of the Fold-Thrust Belt and Foreland provinces. Submitted to the Journal of Petroleum Geology; under consideration for a thematic issue. Presentation (at international meeting and on web): Farzadi, P. 2005. Stratal geometries of the Cretaceous carbonate systems: application of multiple volumes attributes analysis to 3-D seismic data from the Persian Gulf. At: Middle to Far East Carbonate Reservoirs: Exploration, Development and Exploitation. PESGB Carbonate conference, 15th & 16th Nov. 2005 London