5,808 research outputs found
Crew Scheduling for Netherlands Railways: "destination: customer"
: In this paper we describe the use of a set covering model with additional constraints for scheduling train drivers and conductors for the Dutch railway operator NS Reizigers. The schedules were generated according to new rules originating from the project "Destination: Customer" ("Bestemming: Klant" in Dutch). This project is carried out by NS Reizigers in order to increase the quality and the punctuality of its train services. With respect to the scheduling of drivers and conductors, this project involves the generation of efficient and acceptable duties with a high robustness against the transfer of delays of trains. A key issue for the acceptability of the duties is the included amount of variation per duty. The applied set covering model is solved by dynamic column generation techniques, Lagrangean relaxation and powerful heuristics. The model and the solution techniques are part of the TURNI system, which is currently used by NS Reizigers for carrying out several analyses concerning the required capacities of the depots. The latter are strongly influenced by the new rules.crew scheduling;dynamic column generation;lagrange relaxation;railways;set covering model
Asymptotic properties of the development of conformally flat data near spatial infinity
Certain aspects of the behaviour of the gravitational field near null and
spatial infinity for the developments of asymptotically Euclidean, conformally
flat initial data sets are analysed. Ideas and results from two different
approaches are combined: on the one hand the null infinity formalism related to
the asymptotic characteristic initial value problem and on the other the
regular Cauchy initial value problem at spatial infinity which uses Friedrich's
representation of spatial infinity as a cylinder. The decay of the Weyl tensor
for the developments of the class of initial data under consideration is
analysed under some existence and regularity assumptions for the asymptotic
expansions obtained using the cylinder at spatial infinity. Conditions on the
initial data to obtain developments satisfying the Peeling Behaviour are
identified. Further, the decay of the asymptotic shear on null infinity is also
examined as one approaches spatial infinity. This decay is related to the
possibility of selecting the Poincar\'e group out of the BMS group in a
canonical fashion. It is found that for the class of initial data under
consideration, if the development peels, then the asymptotic shear goes to zero
at spatial infinity. Expansions of the Bondi mass are also examined. Finally,
the Newman-Penrose constants of the spacetime are written in terms of initial
data quantities and it is shown that the constants defined at future null
infinity are equal to those at past null infinity.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figur
Recognising and Managing Increased HIV Transmission Risk in Newborns
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes have improved maternal health outcomes and reduced the incidence of paediatric HIV, resulting in improved child health and survival. Nevertheless, high-risk vertical exposures remain common and are responsible for a high proportion of transmissions. In the absence of antiretrovirals (ARVs), an 8- to 12-hour labour has approximately the same 15% risk of transmission as 18 months of mixed feeding. The intensity of transmission risk is highest during labour and delivery; however, the brevity of this intra-partum period lends itself to post-exposure interventions to reduce such risk. There is good evidence that infant post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) reduces intra-partum transmission even in the absence of maternal prophylaxis. Recent reports suggest that infant combination ARV prophylaxis (cARP) is more efficient at reducing intra-partum transmission than a single agent in situations of minimal pre-labour prophylaxis. Guidelines from the developed world have incorporated infant cARP for increased-risk scenarios. In contrast, recent guidelines for low-resource settings have rightfully focused on reducing postnatal transmission to preserve the benefits of breastfeeding, but have largely ignored the potential of augmented infant PEP for reducing intra-partum transmissions. Minimal prelabour prophylaxis, poor adherence in the month prior to delivery, elevated maternal viral load at delivery, spontaneous preterm labour with prolonged rupture of membranes and chorioamnionitis are simple clinical criteria that identify increased intra-partum transmission risk. In these increased-risk scenarios, transmission frequency may be halved by combining nevirapine and zidovudine as a form of boosted infant PEP. This strategy may be important to reduce intra-partum transmissions when PMTCT is suboptimal
Approximate twistors and positive mass
In this paper the problem of comparing initial data to a reference solution
for the vacuum Einstein field equations is considered. This is not done in a
coordinate sense, but through quantification of the deviation from a specific
symmetry. In a recent paper [T. B\"ackdahl, J.A. Valiente Kroon, Phys. Rev.
Lett. 104, 231102 (2010)] this problem was studied with the Kerr solution as a
reference solution. This analysis was based on valence 2 Killing spinors. In
order to better understand this construction, in the present article we analyse
the analogous construction for valence 1 spinors solving the twistor equation.
This yields an invariant that measures how much the initial data deviates from
Minkowski data. Furthermore, we prove that this invariant vanishes if and only
of the mass vanishes. Hence, we get a proof of the positivity of mass.Comment: 18 pages, corrected typos, updated reference
On the existence and convergence of polyhomogeneous expansions of zero-rest-mass fields
The convergence of polyhomogeneous expansions of zero-rest-mass fields in
asymptotically flat spacetimes is discussed. An existence proof for the
asymptotic characteristic initial value problem for a zero-rest-mass field with
polyhomogeneous initial data is given. It is shown how this non-regular problem
can be properly recast as a set of regular initial value problems for some
auxiliary fields. The standard techniques of symmetric hyperbolic systems can
be applied to these new auxiliary problems, thus yielding a positive answer to
the question of existence in the original problem.Comment: 10 pages, 1 eps figur
Treatment of Locally Advanced Melanoma by Isolated Limb Infusion with Cytotoxic Drugs
Since its introduction in the late 1950s, isolated limb perfusion (ILP) has been the preferred treatment option for locally advanced melanoma and sarcoma confined to a limb. This treatment results in high response rates with a satisfying duration of response in both tumor types. A drawback of ILP, however, is the invasive and complex character of the procedure. Isolated limb infusion (ILI) has been designed in the early 1990s as a minimally invasive alternative to ILP. Results of this simple procedure, reported by various centers around the world, show comparable response rates for melanoma and sarcoma when compared to ILP. Due to its minimally invasive character, ILI may replace ILP in the future as the preferred treatment for these locally advanced limb tumors
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