Throughput Analysis for Layout Optimisation of Modular Conveyor Systems

In this paper, objective functions for the optimisation of modular conveyor systems will be introduced. Modular conveyor systems consist of conventional as well as modular conveyor hardware, which are arranged in form of matrix-like layouts. The aim of an ongoing research project is to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with a user-friendly decision support for the selection and planning of modular conveyor systems. For this purpose, the conveyor systems should be evaluated according to the objectives throughput and space requirement. Therefore, mathematical equations have been developed, which enable a fast and precise evaluation of layouts. The paper focuses mainly on the efficient calculation of the throughput. The result quality of the evaluation equations regarding the throughput was proven by a simulation of example systems

Flow paths and variability of the North Atlantic Current: A comparison of observations and a high-resolution model

The North Atlantic Current (NAC) is subject to variability on multiannual to decadal time scales, influencing the transport of volume, heat, and freshwater from the subtropical to the eastern subpolar North Atlantic (NA). Current observational time series are either too short or too episodic to study the processes involved. Here we compare the observed continuous NAC transport time series at the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and repeat hydrographic measurements at the OVIDE line in the eastern Atlantic with the NAC transport and circulation in the high-resolution (1/20°) ocean model configuration VIKING20 (1960–2008). The modeled baroclinic NAC transport relative to 3400 m (24.5 ± 7.1 Sv) at the MAR is only slightly lower than the observed baroclinic mean of 27.4 ± 4.7 Sv from 1993 to 2008, and extends further north by about 0.5°. In the eastern Atlantic, the western NAC (WNAC) carries the bulk of the transport in the model, while transport estimates based on hydrographic measurements from five repeated sections point to a preference for the eastern NAC (ENAC). The model is able to simulate the main features of the subpolar NA, providing confidence to use the model output to analyze the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Model based velocity composites reveal an enhanced NAC transport across the MAR of up to 6.7 Sv during positive NAO phases. Most of that signal (5.4 Sv) is added to the ENAC transport, while the transport of the WNAC was independent of the NAO

25 years of experience with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS): changes in patient selection and procedural aspects

Background: TIPS is an established treatment for portal hypertension. The aim was to analyze how patient selection for TIPS implantation and procedural aspects have changed over 25 years. Routinely collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and procedural data of 835 patients treated with TIPS in a single center were used. Time trends over the observational period from 1993 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: The most common indication for TIPS implantation has changed significantly from secondary prevention of variceal hemorrhage in the early years to treatment of recurrent ascites. During the observation period, increasingly more severely ill patients became TIPS candidates. There was little change in MELD scores over this period (in total median 13.00; IQR 10.00-18.00). The proportion of patients with Child-Pugh C cirrhosis increased. The most frequent underlying diseases in total were alcohol-related liver disease (66.5%) and viral hepatitis (11.9%). However, shares of cryptogenic liver cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and NASH increased over time. The proportion of patients post liver transplant also increased. While bare metal stents were standard in the past, use of covered stents increased. The success rate of TIPS (defined by successful implantation and a decrease in the portosystemic pressure gradient <= 12 mmHg) increased significantly over time. The total success rate according to this definition was 84.9%. Conclusion: The results of our analysis reflect technical developments in TIPS, especially in terms of stent material and gains in clinical experience, particularly regarding indications and patient selection for TIPS implantation

Observed and modeled meridional overturning circulation related flow into the Caribbean

A major pathway of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is the warm inflow into the Caribbean Sea. The transport and the contribution of water from the South Atlantic is calculated from observations (ADCP data and hydrography) and compared to the results of the equation image° FLAME model. The model and the observations show high consistency in the strength of the mean total inflow and its range of variability as well as in the general distribution of water from South Atlantic origin. The measurements give an annual mean South Atlantic Water (SAW) transport into the Caribbean of 9.3 Sv with high variability. This estimate has to be regarded as a lower bound since the present method (using temperature and salinity data) cannot identify the SAW included in the North Equatorial Current (NEC), which recirculated and was transformed in the interior tropical Atlantic. The model transport reproduces the observational values rather closely, with an annual mean inflow of 8.6 Sv and similar high variability. Closer inspection of the SAW pathways in the model suggest that the additional contribution by the NEC‐pathway is only about 2 Sv. The model results confirm the relative importance of the MOC pathways suggested by observations: the Caribbean inflow seems to be the main pathway (63%) for the warm and central water (σθ < 27.1 kg m−3), whereas for the intermediate water a larger fraction (59%) is transported northward at the eastern side of the Lesser Antilles

Circulation characteristics in three eddy-permitting models of the North Atlantic

A systematic intercomparison of three realistic eddy-permitting models of the North Atlantic circulation has been performed. The models use different concepts for the discretization of the vertical coordinate, namely geopotential levels, isopycnal layers, terrain-following (sigma) coordinates, respectively. Although these models were integrated under nearly identical conditions, the resulting large-scale model circulations show substantial differences. The results demonstrate that the large-scale thermohaline circulation is very sensitive to the model representation of certain localised processes, in particular to the amount and water mass properties of the overflow across the Greenland-Scotland region, to the amount of mixing within a few hundred kilometers south of the sills, and to several other processes at small or sub-grid scales. The different behaviour of the three models can to a large extent be explained as a consequence of the different model representation of these processes

Circulation and transports in the Newfoundland Basin, western subpolar North Atlantic

The southwestern part of the subpolar North Atlantic east of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Flemish Cap is a crucial area for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Here the exchange between subpolar and subtropical gyre takes place, southward flowing cold and fresh water is replaced by northward flowing warm and salty water within the North Atlantic Current (NAC). As part of a long-term experiment, the circulation east of Flemish Cap has been studied by seven repeat hydrographic sections along 47 degrees N (2003-2011), a 2 year time series of current velocities at the continental slope (2009-2011), 19 years of sea surface height, and 47 years of output from an eddy resolving ocean circulation model. The structure of the flow field in the measurements and the model shows a deep reaching NAC with adjacent recirculation and two distinct cores of southward flow in the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC): one core above the continental slope with maximum velocities at mid-depth and the second farther east with bottom-intensified velocities. The western core of the DWBC is rather stable, while the offshore core shows high temporal variability that in the model is correlated with the NAC strength. About 30 Sv of deep water flow southward below a density of sigma=27.68 kg m(-3) in the DWBC. The NAC transports about 110 Sv northward, approximately 15 Sv originating from the DWBC, and 75 Sv recirculating locally east of the NAC, leaving 20 Sv to be supplied by the NAC from the south

Preliminary experience with dosimetry, response and patient reported outcome after Lu-177-PSMA-617 therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Prostate cancer can be targeted by ligands to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). We aimed to evaluate dosimetry, safety and efficacy of Lu-177-PSMA- 617 radioligand therapy (RLT) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Fifteen patients each received two cycles of 3.7 GBq (n = 5) or 6.0 GBq (n = 10) 177Lu-PSMA-617 at an eight to ten weeks interval. For safety monitoring, each treatment was followed by dosimetry with serial quantitative SPECT as well as inpatient and outpatient recording of adverse events. Response to RLT was primarily determined by baseline to follow-up change in Ga-68-PSMA PET/CT (RECIST1.1), as well as change in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), quality of life (QoL, FACT-P scale), and pain (Brief Pain Inventory) as secondary endpoints. Radiation dose delivered to the tumor (6.1 Gy/GBq) was six to twelve-fold higher than to critical organs (kidney left/right 0.5/0.6 Gy/GBq each, salivary glands 1.0 Gy/GBq). Total radiation dose per kidney did not exceed 23 Gy in any patient. Three patients had sub-acute and latent grade 3 events, i.e. anemia, leukocytopenia, and nausea. No acute events, grade >= 4 events or high grade events for salivary gland or kidney function were observed. After two RLT cycles, 4 (27%) patients had partial response, 6 (40%) had stable disease, and 5 (33%) had progressive disease according to RECIST. Any PSA decline was observed in 12/15 (80%) patients during RLT. Significant pain relief was documented in 7/10 (70%) symptomatic patients and QoL improved in 9/15 (60%) patients. Lu-177-PSMA-617 therapy proved safe and indicated promising response rates for both objective and patient-reported outcomes in our small group of mCRPC patients

Transmedia Storytelling in TV-Series : a comparison of opportunities and risks based on case studies and expert interviews.

Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema „Transmedia Stoytelling“ und fokussiert dabei auf transmediale Franchise mit dem Hauptmedium TV-Serie. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Vor- und Nachteile die neue Erzählform für den Konsumenten und die Medienmacher bietet. Die Basis der Bachelorarbeit bilden die vom Autor geführten Interviews mit Experten aus England, den USA und Deutschland sowie das von Professor Henry Jenkins geschriebene Werk „Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide” (2006). Mithilfe der Expertise werden ebenfalls Lösungsansätze für die möglichen Risiken der Erzählform aufgezeigt. Mittels Analyse der beiden Fallbeispiele „The Walking Dead“ (AMC) und „Sherlock“ (BBC) wird die aktuelle Umsetzung eines transmedialen Franchise dargestellt. Die Arbeit stellt heraus, dass die Vorteile für die neue Erzählart überwiegen und prognostiziert einen Anstieg der Nutzung. Anmerkung des Autors: Diese Arbeit enthält im geringen Maße Spoiler über die Serien „Sherlock“ (BBC) und „The Walking Dead“/ „Fear the Walking Dead“ (AMC). Da der Autor während der Recherche selbst „Opfer“ eines Spoilers geworden ist, möchte er hiervor warnen

Flexible Belegungsplanung unter Berücksichtigung menschlicher Leistungsschwankungen

In production, product-related error costs can be reduced by focusing on human production factors, such as considering human performance fluctuations during the day, when production planning with respect to job-shop scheduling. In this article, the flexible job-shop scheduling problem is extended by considering product-related error costs and logistic costs. Product-related error costs are increased by over stressing the operative workers. Logistic costs are based on work in process and throughput time. This cost-based definition enables a production plan to be simultaneously optimized in respect of both error and logistic costs. The product-related error costs and flexible job-shop scheduling problem are described mathematically and a memetic algorithm is also presented as an approach. Within the memetic algorithm, the evolutionary process is supplemented with a local search procedure to improve the ability of solutions and repair procedures to rectify infeasible solutions. The influence of product-related error costs on the total costs of a produc-tion plan, throughput and job waiting times within job-shop scheduling is presented.Produktbezogene Fehlerkosten können durch die Berücksichtigung menschlicher Leistungsschwankungen in der Belegungsplanung reduziert werden. In diesem Artikel wird das Problem der Belegungsplanung als mathematisches Problem formuliert und mit produktbezogenen Fehlerkosten und Logistikkosten erweitert. Produktbezogene Fehlerkosten steigen mit der Überbeanspruchung des operativen Personals. Die Logistikkosten basieren auf dem Umlaufbestand und der Durchlaufzeit. Die kostmäßige Definition der betrachteten Zielgrößen ermöglicht schließlich eine simultane Optimierung der Belegungsplanung. Zudem wird ein Memetischer Algorithmus (MA) zur Lösung des mathematischen Problems entwickelt. Im evolutionären Prozess des Memetischen Algorithmus ist ein lokales Suchverfahren sowie Reparaturverfahren integriert, um die Lösungsfindung zu beschleunigen und zu zu verbeseen. Schließlich wird der Einfluss von produktbezogenen Fehlerkosten auf die Gesamtkosten eines Belegungsplan untersucht