Aforementioned Tool Research Articles

Clinical Outcomes Associated With Diltiazem Use in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction After Implementation of a Clinical Support System.

Despite atrial fibrillation guideline recommendations, many patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF) continue to receive IV diltiazem for acute rate control. Our institution recently implemented a clinical decision support system (CDSS)-based tool that recommends against the use of diltiazem in patients with an EF ≤ 40%. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of adherence to the aforementioned CDSS-based tool. This multi-hospital, retrospective study assessed patients who triggered the CDSS alert and compared those who did and did not discontinue diltiazem. The primary outcome was the occurrence of clinical deterioration. The primary endpoint was compared utilizing a Fisher's Exact Test, and a multivariate logistic regression model was developed to confirm the results of the primary analysis. A total of 246 patients were included in this study with 146 patients in the nonadherent group (received diltiazem) and 100 patients in the adherent group (did not receive diltiazem). There was a higher proportion of patients experiencing clinical deterioration in the alert nonadherence group (33% vs 21%, P = 0.044), including increased utilization of inotropes and vasopressors, and higher rate of transfer to ICU. In patients with heart failure with reduced EF, diltiazem use after nonadherence to a CDSS alert resulted in an increased risk of clinical deterioration. This study highlights the need for improved provider adherence to diltiazem clinical decision support systems.

EXPLORING THE EFFICACY OF DIGITAL MEME MARKETING CAMPAIGNS IN GENERATING LEADS WITHIN THE GENERATION Z DEMOGRAPHIC

Quite recently, marketers have used memes because they entice customers’ attention. It serves as a means to have a dialogue between customers and companies. Some companies would even hire people to browse the internet for relevant memes. The emergence of Generation Z, who are digital natives, has brought significant changes to how businesses interact with their target audience. One potential strategy is to use digital memes as a marketing tool to engage them. The study, using 271 respondents, investigates the use of the aforementioned tool to determine its appropriateness in lead generation based on the Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA) model. Using the software Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), a descriptive exploratory design using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the relationship between the different variables in the study. The findings show that attention impacts interest, interest influences desire, and desire significantly affects action at a significance level of p < 0.01. The study revealed that Digital memes are an effective tool that can be utilized to generate leads. Businesses can use digital memes to engage with the Generation Z segment. However, prudence in creating memes must align the message with corporate values and be relevant to the target audience.

MOBILE GAME: TECNOLOGIA EDUCACIONAL PARA CUIDADOS DOMICILIARES DO PACIENTE SUBMETIDO AO TRANSPLANTE HEPÁTICO

ABSTRACT Objective: to develop and validate an educational game capable of supporting health education actions for patients undergoing liver transplantation. Method: this is a study of a technological product, based on the User-Centered Design framework, carried out in a reference hospital for liver transplantation. Participants were patients undergoing liver transplantation, nurses and information technology professionals. Data collection took place through semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire, using Brazilian standards for usability assessment. Data analysis occurred through content analysis, based on the calculation model for the System Usability Scale. Results: seventeen patients participated, including seven nurses and four information technology professionals. The game is made up of five paths with the main care to be carried out at home. Each path presents steps to be followed with its rules. As for validation, the overall mean was 1.38. Usability assessment by patients had a mean of 80 points, while by professionals it was above 75%. Conclusion: it is considered that the aforementioned tool is capable of being used in practice by users. Furthermore, this was adjusted to meet the needs of patients undergoing liver transplantation to support and manage home care.

Sensitivity Analysis of a Hybrid MCDM Model for Sustainability Assessment—An Example from the Aviation Industry

When it comes to achieving sustainability and circular economy objectives, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tools can be of aid in supporting decision-makers to reach a satisfying solution, especially when conflicting criteria are present. In a previous work of the authors, a hybrid MCDM tool was introduced to support the selection of sustainable materials in aviation. The reliability of an MCDM tool depends decisively on its robustness. Hence, in the present work, the robustness of the aforementioned tool has been assessed by conducting an extensive sensitivity analysis. To this end, the extent to which the results are affected by the normalization method involved in the proposed MCDM tool is examined. In addition, the sensitivity of the final output to the weights’ variation as well as to the data values variation has been investigated towards monitoring the stability of the tool in terms of the final ranking obtained. In order to carry out the analysis, a case study from the aviation industry has been considered. In the current study, carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) components, both virgin and recycled, are assessed and compared with regard to their sustainability by accounting for metrics linked to their whole lifecycle. The latter assessment also accounts for the impact of the fuel type utilized during the use phase of the components. The results show that the proposed tool provides an effective and robust method for the evaluation of the sustainability of aircraft components. Moreover, the present work can provide answers to questions raised concerning the adequacy of the CFRP recycled parts performance and their expected contribution towards sustainability and circular economy goals in aviation.

The Multidimensional Evaluation of Cultural Heritage Regeneration Projects: A Proposal for Integrating Level(s) Tool—The Case Study of Villa Vannucchi in San Giorgio a Cremano (Italy)

The challenges of sustainable development are mainly concentrated in the cities. Therefore, they represent a key place for implementing strategies and actions to achieve (or not achieve) sustainable development objectives. In this perspective, the circular city model represents a new way of organizing the city. As demonstrated by a variety of best practices, the entry points for triggering circular processes at the urban scale are various. In this paper, cultural heritage is presented as the entry point for the implementation of this new urban development model. The focus here is on the implementation tools, with a particular emphasis on the evaluation tools for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of this model, that is, the multidimensional benefits that it can produce. The Level(s) tool, proposed by the European Commission in 2017, is the only officially recognised assessment tool related to the circular economy at the European level. It aims to evaluate the performance of new buildings from a circular economy perspective. This paper intends to expand the field of action of the aforementioned tool to projects related to cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the Level(s) tool has some weaknesses in relation to values and attributes that need to be considered when dealing with cultural heritage. This paper proposes an evaluation framework for assessing cultural heritage renovation and reuse projects, considering all its values and the multidimensional impacts that they are able to produce (economic, social, environmental impacts) in the city. The starting point for the development of the proposed evaluation framework is the Level(s) tool by the European Commission. On the basis of critical considerations, this tool is integrated with criteria and indicators deduced from other previous studies and other official tools on this issue (Green Building Council and Heritage Impact Assessment tools). The evaluation framework is here tested to evaluate the renovation/reuse project of Villa Vannucchi, a historic building located in the city of San Giorgio a Cremano in the metropolitan city of Naples (Italy).

The Potential of Control Models Based on Reinforcement Learning in the Operating of Solar Thermal Cooling Systems

The objective of this research work was to investigate the potential of control models based on reinforcement learning in the optimization of solar thermal cooling systems (STCS) operation through a case study. In this, the performance of the installation working with a traditional predictive control approach and with a reinforcement learning (RL)-based control approach was analyzed and compared using a specific realistic simulation tool. In order to achieve the proposed objective, a control system module based on the reinforcement learning approach with the capacity for interacting with the aforementioned realistic simulation tool was developed in Python. For the studied period and the STCS operating with a control system based on RL, the following was observed: a 35% reduction in consumption of auxiliary energy, a 17% reduction in the electrical consumption of the pump that feeds the absorption machine and more precise control in the generation of cooling energy regarding the installation working under a predictive control approach. Through the obtained results, the advantages and potential of control models based on RL for the controlling and regulation of solar thermal cooling systems were verified.

ASSESSMENT OF SOCİAL MEDİA UTİLİZATİON AND FİNANCİAL PERFORMANCE OF BIST-100 INDEX COMPANİES: TWİTTER EXAMPLE

The relationship between the use of Twitter by companies, a social media tool, and their financial performance was examined. Between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2020, companies listed in BIST 100 during that same period, companies included in the Fortune 500 and their financial data, as well as the use of the aforementioned social media tool and the number of shares were used as datasets. All Twitter posts were scanned using the content analytics method, within the date range determined by considering the limitations of the research. The aforementioned shared tweets, companies' turnover, export figures, etc. In compiling the data of 36 companies, with the help of Python, a general-purpose programming language, a software-based model was created to collect data from the Twitter database via the googlecolab platform. In addition, in the review of the writings; we have seen that the analyzes generally made are limited to one fiscal year, and when it is evaluated that 98,805 tweets belonging to 36 companies covering the years 2009-2020 are analyzed in detail, no study with a similar scope has been found. To study the relationship between the use of Twitter and the financial performance of companies in the BIST-100 index, a normality test was conducted with Kolmogorov Smirnov test and the distribution was found not suitable for normal distribution. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed because the variables did not match the normal distribution. As a result of the tests and analyzes applied, a weak positive relationship was found between net sales, the number of employees and the number of shares, and a very weak positive relationship between the export amount and the number of shares. No correlation was found between the number of shares and the variables of profit before interest and tax, total assets and amount of equity.

Monte Carlo Tree Search as a Tool for Self-Learning and Teaching People to Play Complete Information Board Games

Artificial intelligence allows computer systems to make decisions similar to those of humans. However, the expert knowledge that artificial intelligence systems have is rarely used to teach non-expert humans in a specific knowledge domain. In this paper, we want to explore this possibility by proposing a tool which presents and explains recommendations for playing board games generated by a Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm combined with Neural Networks. The aim of the aforementioned tool is to showcase the information in an easily interpretable way and to effectively transfer knowledge: in this case, which movements should be avoided, and which action is recommended. Our system displays the state of the game in the form of a tree, showing all the movements available from the current state and a set of their successors. To convince and try to teach people, the tool offers a series of queries and all information available about every possible movement. In addition, it produces a brief textual explanation for those which are recommended or not advisable. To evaluate the tool, we performed a series of user tests, observing and assessing how participants learn while using this system.

A facile strategy for observation of helical carbon nanofiber fillers in polymer matrix under different stresses

Dispersion of fillers in polymer substrates is crucial to the mechanical performance of filler/polymer composites. Kinds of methods have been utilized to assess the dispersion of fillers in polymer. However, it still keeps difficulties in observing the dispersion of fillers and plausible structure changes of fillers when the filler/polymer hybrids are loaded with variable stresses. Here, an effective tool is designed to load and hold different stresses in filler/polymer hybrids, and combined with embedding process the loaded hybrids can be fixed. In this work, helical carbon nanofibers (HCNFs) are fabricated and added in natural rubber (NR). The HCNFs/NR hybrids are loaded with different stress by the aforementioned tool and then are embedded in solidified adhesion. Flat surfaces on the indurated samples are achieved using microtome cryostat and observed in a scanning probe microscope (SPM). Experimental results show that HCNFs and the rubber matrix do not perform synergistic deformation under the different external forces; when under lower stress the pitch of HCNFs exhibits less elongation than the HCNFs/NR hybrids. While the tensile force increases to a certain extent, HCNFs will be aligned in the direction of the stress direction, leading to the change of dispersion. The mechanically interlock between HNCFs and NR is also demonstrated.

Abstract IA19: EHR-based tools and algorithms for managing cardiovascular risk among survivors

Abstract During a clinical encounter, providers are often distracted from having conversations with their patients about their health status and disease risk, given the need to document clinical data in the electronic health record (EHR). The promise of the EHR is that the data entered by providers during a clinical encounter can be used for real-time patient monitoring and shared-decision making, and for secondary use by researchers. EHRs have the ability to bring data to life, to make clinical data relevant for patients and providers, and to allow for a more efficient and patient-centered clinical encounter. To do so effectively, we cannot lose sight of the importance of stakeholder engagement when developing EHR-based tools and algorithms. This talk will describe the process for creating an EHR-based tool for addressing cardiovascular health in the primary care setting. The tool was designed to automatically pull data from a variety of clinical sources, and its use resulted in improvements in cardiovascular health among patients. In the context of this project, we demonstrated 1) use of an evidence-based cardiovascular health algorithm at the point of care; 2) usability of the tool by providers; 3) improvements in cardiovascular health among patients with access to the tool; and 4) informatics can be considered an interventional discipline. The result of this work encouraged us to consider other settings in which this tool could be implemented and evaluated. Since cancer survivors are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to having poorer cardiovascular health compared to the general population as well as their potential for receipt of cardiotoxic cancer therapies, we refined the aforementioned tool with the input of oncology providers. This talk will enumerate the lessons learned from the process of adapting an existing EHR tool for use among a new population of patients and providers. Next steps for this work will include modifying existing cardiovascular disease risk scores for validation among cancer survivors. Current algorithms tend to underestimate cardiovascular disease risk among survivors since they take into account traditional cardiovascular risk factors but not factors that represent the unique experience of cancer survivors, including receipt of cancer therapies that may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease in this population. It is critical for algorithms to learn from new evidence and evolve to better predict risk among patients. This talk will outline best practices for the creation of algorithms that can complement EHR-based tools and serve as a resource for shared decision-making for disease prevention and management. Citation Format: Randi E. Foraker. EHR-based tools and algorithms for managing cardiovascular risk among survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Modernizing Population Sciences in the Digital Age; 2019 Feb 19-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(9 Suppl):Abstract nr IA19.

Free and open-source GIS-integrated hydrogeological analysis tool: an application for coastal aquifer systems

This paper demonstrates the application of a recently developed free and open-source GIS-integrated hydrochemical–hydrogeological analysis tool (named AkvaGIS) for the management and interpretation of hydrogeological data with respect to a coastal aquifer system. The aforementioned tool is composed of a geospatial database implemented in Spatialite, complemented with a set of developed tools for the analysis, interpretation, and visualization of groundwater quality parameters and hydrogeological data. This ICT tool is part of the FREEWAT platform, an open-source and public domain GIS-integrated modelling environment based on groundwater flow and solute transport numerical models, including a water management and planning module. The case study that was used to perform a demonstration of the aforementioned tool, is a coastal aquifer system in Greece, suffering from both seawater intrusion and nitrate contamination as a result of extensive agricultural activities. It involves a complex hydrogeological environment incorporating karst and granular aquifer layers, subjected to different exploitation conditions. AkvaGIS was proved a useful ICT tool for the analysis and interpretation of the collected hydrogeological/hydrochemical data and results, which may be considered as a valuable tool for analyzing different aspects of aquifer systems.

Intelligent 3D tool path planning for optimized 3-axis sculptured surface CNC machining through digitized data evaluation and swarm-based evolutionary algorithms

This work suggests the trajectory optimization of three well-known 3-axis surface machining tool-paths available to commercial computer-aided manufacturing systems by means of a genetic algorithm. The toolpaths are Optimized-Z; Raster and 3D-Offset. An original approach involving digitized information derived from solid features of complex sculptured surfaces and cutting-edge machining modeling tools is presented; emphasizing to a Pareto multi-objective optimization problem formulated by considering two optimization criteria; surface deviation for quality and tool-path time for productivity. The antagonizing criteria are simultaneously examined whilst the variations owing to different cutting tool selections as well as several radial pass interval values are investigated to understand how these tool-paths influence machining efficiency during process planning stage. An L27 full factorial design of experiments addressing the examination of the aforementioned parameters and tool paths was established to study the effects and regression models were questioned to formulate the objective functions for evaluating the results using four modern meta-heuristics namely, multi-objective grey-wolf (MOGWO); multi-objective multi-universe; (MOMVO); multi-objective ant lion; (MOALO); multi-objective dragonfly (MODA); NSGA-II and evMOGA. Results have shown that all algorithms can efficiently contribute to the problem and support decision making with several non-dominated solutions with regard to the requirements for the simultaneous benefit of productivity and quality.

La plataforma lúdica Kahoot en el aprendizaje de vocabulario en inglés

El objetivo principal del presente estudio fue proponer la implementación de la plataforma Kahoot en la enseñanza de vocabulario en inglés en el Nivel II de la Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica en Control y Redes Industriales, considerando la efectividad de la mencionada herramienta tecnológica y las principales dificultades que presentan los estudiantes al momento de aprender vocabulario en inglés. El enfoque que se utilizó es cuali-cuantitativo, pues se examinaron resultados tanto descriptivos como inferenciales. El diseño fue cuasiexperimental, de tipo documental y dentro del procedimientos se consideraron cuatro escenarios: diseño de los instrumentos de medición, Pretest y Post-test; confiabilidad y validez de los instrumentos; recolección de datos e información; y análisis e interpretación de resultados. Para la muestra se seleccionaron 48 estudiantes del Nivel II de inglés. Durante la intervención se implementaron tres actividades de la plataforma Kahoot: cloze activity, quiz, y word order. Como resultado de los datos de los exámenes aplicados al inicio y al final de la intervención se observa que el promedio del Pretest fue de 4,30/10 mientras que el del Post-test correspondió a 7,45/10. La investigación permite concluir que los estudiantes no se sentían motivados a aprender vocabulario debido a que las clases eran monótonas y se utilizaban diccionarios impresos, de ahí la importancia de introducir tecnología en las aulas. También se pudo observar que las actividades que ofrece la plataforma Kahoot son efectivas, no solamente porque existió un incremento de 3,15 puntos en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes que participaron en el estudio; sino que también se potenció el nivel de creatividad y trabajo colaborativo de los estudiantes.

Assessment of Geothermal Fields in the South Pannonian Basin System Using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool

This paper analyses potential geothermal sites in North-East Croatia which is part of the Pannonian Basin System where a substantial geothermal potential was discovered during hydrocarbon exploration using the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool specially developed for the purposes of the Horizon 2020 project: Multidisciplinary and multi-context demonstration of EGS exploration and Exploitation Techniques and potentials (H2020 MEET). Most of these sites use available geothermal energy potential for commercial purposes, mainly for balneology and more recently for agriculture and electricity generation. The case study involves five different geothermal locations chosen according to their geothermal potential, the current state of production and possible future development, including one oil field that is at the very end of its production life. Three potential final users’ types; agriculture demand, electricity generation demand and district heating have been evaluated for each of the five chosen geothermal sites. The conducted analysis should be of great benefit for further analyses which will be carried out using the aforementioned Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool. The performed study showed high consistency of obtained results and actual usage of five geothermal fields.

On the impacts of tool geometry and cutting conditions in straight turning of aluminum alloys 6061-T6: an experimentally validated numerical study

Aluminum alloys 6061-T6 are widely utilized in the automotive, aerospace, and marine industries due to high corrosion resistance, high strength, and good workability and machinability. The machining performance of these alloys depends on several factors including tool’s material, coating, and geometry. Cutting tool edge radius is one of the most effective factors in cutting forces, energy requirement, and chip formation during metal cutting. The present article aims to study the interactions between the cutting edge radius and cutting speed, feed rate, and rake angle and examine the impacts of the aforementioned tool geometry and cutting conditions on machining forces, cutting temperature, and chip thickness in cutting an aluminum alloy 6061-T6. Special attention is devoted to examining the influence of the cutting edge radius on machining variables and comparing the results of conventional machining (CM) and high speed machining (HSM). A finite element model was developed to simulate the above interactions and was experimentally validated for different machining parameters. The results demonstrate that although increasing the cutting edge radius clearly raises the machining forces, it has a slight influence on the chip thickness. It is also found that the maximum cutting temperatures remain nearly constant with changes in the tool edge radius, while the average temperatures of the tool tip increase especially in HSM. Furthermore, it was found that the location at which the maximum cutting temperature occurs depends more on cutting conditions and tool geometry than workpiece and tool materials.

A decision support system for assessment of street lighting tenders based on energy performance indicators and environmental criteria: Overview, methodology and case study

While LEDs are now the most efficient light sources, their adoption in the road lighting design has been delayed due to a variety of reasons such as malpractice, huge number of inappropriate luminaires, missing technical information and ineffective policies. An example is the, low luminous efficacy values, which confuse the decision makers for national roads. The new part of EN13201-5 describes many energy performance indicators, which are still not used in street light projects or in lighting simulation tools. The aim of this paper is a) to present the significance of using these indicators through a decision tool, capable to evaluate a number of lighting designs in a lighting tender and b) to propose an evaluation method as part of a future energy policy including environmental criteria. A case study is also presented. The results show that the aforementioned decision tool is necessary in order to evaluate the ranking of the corresponding offers. Thus, increased energy savings could be achieved together with environmental benefits. In the case examined, the best solution resulted in 72.1% energy savings and CO2 emission reduction.

News Sharing User Behaviour on Twitter: A Comprehensive Data Collection of News Articles and Social Interactions

Online social media are changing the news industry and revolutionizing the traditional role of journalists and newspapers. In this scenario, investigating the behaviour of users in relationship to news sharing is relevant, as it provides means for understanding the impact of online news, their propagation within social communities, their impact on the formation of opinions, and also for effectively detecting individual stances relative to specific news or topics.Our contribution is two-fold. First, we build a robust pipeline for collecting datasets describing news sharing; the pipeline takes as input a list of news sources and generates a large collection of articles, of the accounts that provide them on the social media either directly or by retweeting, and of the social activities performed by these accounts. Second, we also provide a large-scale dataset, built using the aforementioned tool, that can be used to study the social behavior of Twitter users and their involvement in the dissemination of news items. Finally we show an application of our data collection in the context of political stance classification and we suggest other potential usages of the presented resources.

Aunar criterios en un sistema fragmentado. Tensiones en torno a evaluación de la investigación aplicada y el desarrollo tecnológico en el origen de los Proyectos de Desarrollo Tecnológico y Social.

The Technological and Social Development Projects (PDTS) emerged as a response derived to the problem of academic evaluation in Argentina. Its emergence dates from the commissions convened by the then Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation in 2011 and 2012 that sought to review the evaluation parameters of the scientific task. The analysis that follows recovers over fifty interviews carried out with key actors of the process of the aforementioned scientific policy tool (officials, project managers, research teams, members of the PDTS Nacional Bank accrediting committees, members and coordinators of the special commissions of CONICET that evaluate requests for promotion and reports of researchers involved in PDTS) as well as a detailed documentary revision of forms of application, evaluation criteria documents, procceding and includes an updated bibliographical revision and analysis of scientific policies. In our analysis we highlight the awareness of officials about the importance of the evaluation criteria to address the problem of the lack of applied and technological research. The generation of instances of dialogue and articulation in a highly fragmented scientific system was another interesting effect of the process.

ESTADO DE INTERDICCIÓN, MODELOS LEGALES SOBRE DISCAPACIDAD E INTERPRETACIÓN CONFORME: UN CASO VÍCTIMA

El trabajo reflexiona sobre el concepto de interpretación conforme en el contexto del nuevo modelo de control regularidad constitucional en México, a raíz de un importante caso resuelto recientemente por la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, el llamado “caso Asperger”, relacionado con el modelo de discapacidad adoptado en el Distrito Federal. El autor argumenta que la Corte yerra en la elección de la herramienta de la interpretación conforme y en su implementación y sostiene que el caso no podía (ni debía) ser resuelto con ella. El autor busca llamar la atención sobre el abuso de esta herramienta argumentativa en la resolución de casos importantes de violación de derechos humanos, señalando que la persecución de un fin legítimo no justifica el descuido en la elección del marco de análisis.

Pragmatics of Sports News Reports

The paper aims to build the structure of sports news reports by bridging them to pragmatics hence coming up with their pragmatic structure. Accordingly, two pragmatic concepts (viz. cooperative principle and speech acts) are believed to be helpful in performing this task. Moreover, the notion of dialectical relevance, developed by Walton (1995), is utilized. This is done by pragmatically analyzing eight news reports of different sports (football, tennis, formula1, and golf, respectively) taken from the BBC sports official website. The analysis is carried out by means of an eclectic model developed by the study itself to serve this aim. This type of analysis is supported by a statistical analysis to quantitatively validate its findings. The two types of analysis basically show that there are no major differences between the games analyzed as to employing the various strategies compiling the aforementioned analytic tool.