Cost Aspects Research Articles

Research on the Impact of Modern Information Technology on English Teaching in Colleges and Universities

In the era of rapid development of modern information technology, English teaching in colleges and universities in China is facing unprecedented changes and new opportunities, and while making full use of the convenience brought about by science and technology, English teaching in colleges and universities is also facing many challenges. This paper provides a more comprehensive discussion on the use of modern information technology in the process of teaching English in colleges and universities, and analyses the impact and challenges it brings. From the aspects of cost, equipment and network environment, this paper makes an in-depth analysis of the use of modern information technology, the development of students information skills and self-learning ability, and puts forward the countermeasures that should be taken in English teaching in colleges and universities.

Emerging Medications and Strategies in Acute Pain Management: Evolving Role of Novel Sodium and Calcium Channel Blockers, Peptide-Based Pharmacologic Drugs, and Non-Medicinal Methods.

The present investigation evaluated integration of novel medication technology to enhance treatment options, while improving patient outcomes in acute pain management. In this regard, we focused on determining the role of development and utilization of cutting-edge pharmaceutical advancements, such as targeted drug delivery systems, as well as non-pharmacologic interventions in addressing acute pain states. Further research in this area is warranted related to the need for increased patient comfort and reduced adverse effects. Recent innovations and techniques are discussed including pharmacologic drugs targeting sodium and calcium channels, peptide-based pharmacologic drugs, and non-medicinal methods of alleviating pain such as soothing music or virtual reality. The present investigation included review of current literature on the application of these innovative technologies, analyzing mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, and clinical effectiveness. Our study also investigated the potential benefits in terms of pain relief, reduced side effects, and improved patient adherence. The research critically examines the challenges and considerations associated with implementing these technologies in acute pain management, considering factors like cost, accessibility, and regulatory aspects. Additionally, case studies and clinical trials are highlighted which demonstrate practical implications of these novel medication technologies in real-world scenarios. The findings aim to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape in acute pain management while guiding future research and clinical practices toward optimizing their use in enhancing patient care.

Assessing the bioaccumulation and translocation potential of vetiver grass for dioxins phytoremediation in Bien Hoa airbase, Viet Nam

Dioxins (PCDD/Fs) are well-known toxic organic pollutants that accumulate in the environment and the food chain, imposing a risk to human health and the ecosystem. Due to the use of dioxin-contaminated herbicides during the US-Vietnam War, there are several hotspots in Vietnam with very high levels of dioxins. Phytoremediation has been increasingly developed in recent decades because of its low cost and environmental-friendly aspect. Vetiver grass is a plant that can remediate both organic and inorganic agents. In this study, the uptake and translocation of dioxins in Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) from the dioxin-contaminated soil was investigated in a field experiment on the Bien Hoa airbase, Vietnam. An experimental area was divided into six plots, of which three were planted with Vetiver grass and three served as control plots, with the initial dioxin concentrations as following: FC2>FC3>FC1>FT2>FT3>FT1. Vetiver grass had grown well on the dioxin-contaminated soils, yielding high biomass and the level of dioxins in the roots of vetiver grass was positively correlated (r2 = 0.67; p<0.01) with its growth rate. During the first year of cultivation, Vetiver grass had the greatest capacity to efficiently accumulate dioxin. Accumulation occurs in the roots, with BAF>1 throughout the entire experiment period for FT3, and in the first year for FT1 and FT2. The dioxin translocation from the roots to the shoots was significantly lower than the BAF and less than one (TF<1), with the first and second sampling times having the highest values compared to the others. Dioxin concentrations do not provide a reliable indicator of its bioavailability but numerous other factors, such as physicochemical properties of the soil and microbes. Our study aims to contribute significant insights to capability of Vetiver grass to accumulate and translocate dioxins, hence the arsenal of dioxin remediation. Furthermore, we envisage translating our findings into practical applications in other areas, considering optimized planting techniques, growth conditions, and long-term sustainability.

Integrated Waqf Farm: A Contemporary Model for Waqf Land Development

The important role of waqf is felt to have been greatly reduced recently, due to various problems faced in developing waqf land. The lack of nazhir competence, limited development capital, and management that is not yet professional are some of the many problems in waqf. Various approaches are needed to close this problem, such as changing the form of waqf, cooperation between lines, and other alternative innovations. This research aims to reveal contemporary innovation models in integrated agricultural waqf land development and analyze the benefits, opportunities, costs and risks using the analytic network process approach-Benefit, Opportunity, Cost and Risk (BOCR). This research design uses an interpretative paradigm with a qualitative approach in the form of a case study. Through content analysis, data obtained from interviews is then interpreted according to the research objectives. This research reveals that there are two types of innovation developed through the integration of agriculture in waqf development. �Bersamamu sadar ternak� is a livestock-based innovation, this innovation is the result of collaboration with farmers to produce sheep without costs being charged to partners. To strengthen the existence of tourism on this waqf land, "Kopi Bersamamu" is the next caf�-based innovation. Through BOCR analysis among waqf experts, "waqf land becomes productive" is the benefit element that is considered the most important with an average of 0.34. "Business development opportunities" is the most important element in the opportunity elements with a mean of 0.38. Meanwhile, "high costs for technology, management and maintenance" is considered the highest element in the cost aspect. Finally, "Shariah compliance risk" is the greatest risk in developing agricultural-based waqf land with an average of 0.45

Staycation: A review of definitions, trends, and intersections

Staycations have emerged as a popular alternative in the tourism industry, driven by travel risks and restrictions. However, the concept of staycations remains ambiguous, lacking a clear definition and distinct features. This review aims to shed light on key aspects of staycations, including time, distance, types, locations, cost, and benefits. As tourism becomes an integral part of modern lifestyle, there is a need for further research on proximity experiences, both in physical and online spaces. Future studies should focus on staycation development, product design, well-being considerations, and sustainability aspects. This review offers valuable insights to support in-depth investigations, enabling the enhancement of domestic tourism and resident well-being. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating advanced technologies and promoting sustainable practices for a thriving staycation industry.

PENGARUH BELANJA ONLINE TERHADAP PERILAKU PERJALANAN BELANJA DI KECAMATAN KUTA

Advances in telecommunications technology can be used to hold meetings, distance learning processes, recreation, and online shopping without having to travel to the store. A person's decision to shop online will indirectly influence a person's travel behavior, such as substitution (online shopping replaces conventional shopping), modification (changing the characteristics of the shopping trip), complementary (complementing the shopping trip), or neutral (no effect on the shopping trip). The purpose of this research is to analyze the factors that influence online shopping activities on the travel behavior of people who live in the Kuta District Area. The primary data collection method was carried out by observation and distributing questionnaires containing closed questions to 100 respondents. The data analysis method uses multiple linear regression statistics. The results of the analysis show that the trust aspect, the time and cost aspect, as well as the information and promo aspect have a significant positive effect partially and simultaneously on the travel behavior of people who live in the Kuta District area to use online shopping system services. The resulting equation model is: Y = 2.501+ 0.254X1 + 0.376X2 + 0.267X3, where the time and cost aspects have the greatest influence compared to the trust and information aspects. The model's ability to predict is very strong as indicated by the coefficient of determination (R2) of 81.0%.

Aligning health, environment, and cost aspects of diets: Identifying sustainable dietary patterns in China

Considering the adverse effects of agricultural-food systems on both human health and the environment, this research aimed to identify sustainable diets, which are nutritious, culturally acceptable, affordable, and have low environmental impacts, based on self-reported diets in China. Dietary data was collected with a 3-day 24-h dietary recall and weight food record combined method among 10,324 subjects aged 18–64 year, who participated in the China Health Nutrition Survey 2011. Diet quality was assessed by the Chinese Healthy Eating Index 2016 (CHEI2016). Environmental impact was measured by greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), total water use (TWU), and land use (LU), and diet costs were calculated using market prices of community surveys. Reduced rank regression derived dietary patterns with 34 food groups as predictor variables, and used CHEI2016 score, dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), total water use (TWU), land use (LU), and cost of the diet as response variables. Four dietary patterns were identified. Participants with the highest adherence (decile 10) to the “High animal-based food” pattern showed higher dietary GHGE (+57%), TWU (+51%), and LU (+54%) and dietary costs (+64%), compared to the average population's diets. The diet in decile 10 for the “High fruit, low ruminant meat” pattern displayed a 21% higher CHEI2016 score, and higher dietary environmental impact (GHGE +17%; TWU +22%; LU +19%) and dietary costs (+46%) than the average diets. Diets of participants who followed the “High fish, low beverages” pattern showed higher environmental impact (GHGE +39%; TWU +32%; LU +28%) and dietary costs (+19%), but the CHEI2016 score was similar (+0.1%). Finally, the “High wheat, low pork” pattern demonstrated lower environmental impacts (GHGE -17%, TWU -12%, LU -2%) and lower cost of the diet (−2%) but also lower CHEI2016 score (−1%) compared to average population. This study reveals the complex trade-offs between diet quality, environmental sustainability, and dietary costs of current dietary patterns. None of the four patterns achieved the desirable combination of high CHEI2016 scores, reduced environmental impact, and reduced dietary costs. The findings offer insights into sustainable diet choices within the current food system, suggesting dietary guidelines should consider environmental sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Smart and Intelligent Prayer System for Elderly Muslim with IoT

An assistive and monitoring prayer system has been designed to help elderly Muslims in performing their daily prayers. However, the system has several limitations in the aspect of efficiency, cost, size, complexity, security and usability. In this paper, several enhancements have been proposed to improve the existing smart prayer system including a better approach to retrieve exact prayer times, efficient way to retrieve current date/time, two different sensors used to detect the physical movements, smaller microcontroller with a built-in Wi-Fi module and the fabrication of PCB board. On the monitoring system, this project offers a more user’s friendly mobile application with several enhanced features. Reminder and authentication features are added to the mobile application for increased security and usability. The mobile application only allowed authorized or registered users to use the mobile application to view prayer performance of the elderly and send a prayer reminder to the elderly. The proposed system implements Internet of Things (IoT) technology, with a microcontroller communicating with the database through Wi-Fi, and data is modified before being displayed via the mobile application. Experimental testing shows a high level of support for the system's commercialization due to its ability to assist and monitor the elderly with their daily prayers. This new smart prayer system offers a more reliable assistive and monitoring system for elderly Muslim.

Analyzing Leak Detection Methods for Aluminum Cast Components in Automotive Manufacturing Processes

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the 'Cosmo Air Leak Tester' machine and the 'Waterleak' method in detecting leaks in aluminum casting transmission components in the manufacturing process in the automotive industry. Although the 'Cosmo Air Leak Tester' successfully detects large leaks, it has limitations in detecting small leaks such as air bubbles. The research proposed a combination of both methods to improve early leak detection and ensure higher product quality. The research findings highlight the importance of considering cost, cycle time, and safety aspects in the manufacturing process.

Examining leisure constraints and motivations within the psychological continuum model: a study among recreational video gamers

ABSTRACT This study investigates perceived leisure constraints and motivations among Iranian gamers, employing the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM). Targeting recreational gamers under 30 years old, dedicating 1 to 6 hours per week to gaming, we utilised (D. Funk et al. 2008) PCM stages questionnaire, Crawford’s et al. (1991) perceived hierarchical leisure constraints questionnaire, and Cianfrone et al. (2011) motivations questionnaire. Our analysis, featuring One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for constraints and motivations across PCM stages and Multiple Discriminant Analysis (MDA) for psychological communication, revealed compelling insights. Results indicate a noteworthy increase in perceived constraints with PCM progression (p < 0.05), highlighting significant differences in dimensions such as interest, time involvement, facilities, cost, and interpersonal aspects (p < 0.05). Concurrently, motivations progressively rise with PCM advancement, showcasing significant variations in competition, diversion, fantasy, and social interaction dimensions (p < 0.01). This study’s significant findings illuminate the evolving landscape of constraints and motivations across distinct PCM stages, offering valuable implications for comprehending gaming behaviours within this demographic.

A profile on the WISE cortical strip for intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring

ABSTRACT Introduction During intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in neurosurgery, brain electrodes are placed to record electrocorticography or to inject current for direct cortical stimulation. A low impedance electrode may improve signal quality. Areas covered We review here a brain electrode (WISE Cortical Strip, WCS®), where a thin polymer strip embeds platinum nanoparticles to create conductive electrode contacts. The low impedance contacts enable a high signal-to-noise ratio, allowing for better detection of small signals such as high-frequency oscillations (HFO). The softness of the WCS may hinder sliding the electrode under the dura or advancing it to deeper structures as the hippocampus but assures conformability with the cortex even in the resection cavity. We provide an extensive review on WCS including a market overview, an introduction to the device (mechanistics, cost aspects, performance standards, safety and contraindications) and an overview of the available pre- and post-approval data. Expert opinion The WCS improves signal detection by lower impedance and better conformability to the cortex. The higher signal-to-noise ratio improves the detection of challenging signals. The softness of the electrode may be a disadvantage in some applications and an advantage in others.

Analyzing the Influence of the Commuter Rail in Decongesting Roads in Nairobi

Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya is experiencing road traffic congestion which gets worse at peak times. Amongst, the interventions tried to help reduce the congestion is the introduction of commuter rail services. However, almost 11 years after commissioning the usage of the service is still very low and the roads are still experiencing congestion. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the commuter rail service in decongesting the roads in Nairobi. The study made use of questionnaires to determine the stakeholders’ perception on the influence of travel cost, travel time, convenience and reliability in attracting them to the usage of the commuter rail. The results indicate a direct relationship on the influence of travel time, travel cost, convenience and reliability of the commuter rail to decongestion of roads. The improvement of the travel aspects of time, cost, convenience and reliability is expected to attract users to the commuter rail in effect reducing road transport users leading to less congestion on the roads

Design of product configuration systems supporting customised product cost estimation using object-oriented ontology framework

The manufacturing sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the demand for personalised products, challenging manufacturers to provide precise quotations while maintaining cost control and profitability. Product Configuration Systems (PCS) play a pivotal role in supporting product configurations, facing challenges such as data integration, cost calculation relevance, and the need for a knowledge expression framework. This study significantly contributes by delineating an object-oriented ontology framework tailored for configurable product families within PCS. It incorporates comprehensive domain information models for MBOM, inventory, purchase, manufacturing, and sales and distribution. Additionally, the study proposes a domain information model-based cost estimation, integrating actual values from existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for various cost aspects. Design patterns for transforming domain information models into system implementations are introduced, covering both data and business operation layers. Practical application and feasibility are demonstrated through a detailed case study, emphasising the method's practicality. The proposed approach empowers manufacturers to derive accurate product cost estimates, supporting well-informed business decisions. Future research directions involve refining product model configurations, expanding support for diverse product types, and integrating additional digital technologies for an enhanced user experience. Further exploration of labour, equipment, and engineering design expenses aims to enhance cost estimation accuracy.

Scenario’s for the hydrogen market and strategic options for MNEs

Aim: The purpose of this article is to investigate how hydrogen-based energy will be implemented in the future economy and to find strategic options in the future hydrogen market for multinational enterprises (MNEs) active in the energy sector. Design/Research methods: The current literature on hydrogen production tends to focus on the technical and cost aspects, while there is limited attention on how one could implement hydrogen in the future. In this explorative research, interviews with experts formed a basis and the scenario planning methodology was used. Conclusions/findings: The three scenarios that were developed are based on the potential strategies of the European Union, which are Hydrogen Independence, Cost Optimization, and Energy Security. Based on a literature review, five key characteristics that will impact the functioning of the future hydrogen economy were selected. By using notions from the environmental- and positioning schools of Mintzberg, strategic options for MNEs were identified in each scenario. In all three scenarios, the implementation of hydrogen-based alternatives will differ. Besides this, the strategic options that MNEs can obtain will also change. Originality; value of the article: This article helps us understand how hydrogen-based energy sources will be implemented into the economy, taking on board the priorities of the European Union. Furthermore, it gives managers of MNEs guidance to identify strategic options that fit alongside their firms’ strategy. Finally, this research gives an incentive for future research as, on several topics, the interviewees could not find consensus. Keywords: Hydrogen Market, Scenario Planning, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Strategy, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). JEL: L22 L25 Q40 Q47.

Comparisons of recycled manure solids and wood shavings/sawdust as bedding material—Implications for animal welfare, herd health, milk quality, and bedding costs in Swedish dairy herds

Increasing shortages and costs of common bedding materials have led dairy farmers in Sweden to consider using recycled manure solids (RMS), which are readily available and low cost, as an alternative bedding material. The main risks are effects on udder health and milk quality, but RMS could also affect animal welfare and claw health. The advantages and disadvantages of using RMS bedding have not been fully investigated, and findings in other countries cannot be directly applied to Swedish conditions and climate. This observational cross-sectional study investigated the use of RMS as bedding, regarding associations with certain aspects of animal welfare, herd health, milk quality, and bedding costs in Swedish dairy herds. Thirty-four dairy farms using RMS or wood shavings/sawdust (each n = 17) were compared. Each farm was visited 2 times during the housing period from 2020 to 2021, once from October to December and once from March to May. Dairy barns were observed, animal welfare was assessed, and freestall dimensions were measured. Farm owners were interviewed about housing system characteristics, herd performance, and herd management. Data on milk production and herd health were obtained from the Swedish official milk recording scheme for the indoor period from October to March. The prevalence of claw disorders and abnormal claw conformation were collected from the national claw health database for the period from October to May. On each farm visit, composite samples of unused bedding outside the barn and used bedding material from the freestalls, respectively, were taken for total bacterial count and DM analysis. Samples of bulk tank milk for determination of total bacterial count were taken in connection to the visits. In addition, samples of unused and used bedding material and manure from alleys for analysis of 3 Treponema species associated with digital dermatitis (DD) were gathered and analyzed. Total bacterial count was significantly higher in unused (8.50 log10 cfu/g) and used RMS bedding (9.75 log10 cfu/g) than in wood shavings/sawdust (used 4.74; unused 8.63 log10 cfu/g), but there were no significant differences in bulk milk total bacterial count (median 4.07 vs. 3.89 log10 cfu/mL) or SCC (median 243,800 vs. 229,200 cells/mL). The aspects of animal welfare assessed did not differ significantly between the 2 bedding systems, whereas the prevalence of total claw disorders (25.9% vs. 38.0% of trimmed cows), dermatitis (6.9% vs. 16.2% of trimmed cows) and sole ulcers (2.0% vs. 4.0% of trimmed cows) were significantly lower in the RMS herds. Treponema spp. were not detected in unused RMS material, but all RMS herds had presence of DD recorded at foot trimming. An economic assessment based on the interview results and price level from winter 2021 revealed that the costs of RMS bedding varied with amount of RMS produced. Thus, RMS is a potential alternative bedding material for dairy cows in Sweden and can be a profitable option for large dairy herds. However, the high level of total bacteria in the material requires attention to bedding and milking routines as well as regular monitoring of herd health.

Treatment approaches and costs associated with diabetes clinical metrics as measured by Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS)

BackgroundThe clinical outcomes of diabetes can be influenced by primary care providers’ (PCP) treatment approaches. This study explores the association between PCP approaches to management and performance measured by established diabetes metrics and related costs.MethodsIn phase one, Electronic Medical Records were used to extract diabetes related metrics using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), for patients with diabetes who had office visits to 44 PCP practices from April 2019 to March 2020. Using those metrics and scoring system, PCP practices were ranked and then categorized into high- and low-performing groups (top and bottom 25%, n = 11 each), with a total of 19,059 clinic visits by patients with a diagnosis of diabetes. Then extensive analysis was performed to evaluate a correlation between treatment approaches and diabetes outcomes across the top and bottom performing practices. In phase 2, patients with diabetes who were attributed to the aforementioned PCP practices were identified in a local health plan claims data base (a total of 3,221 patients), and the allowed amounts from their claims were used to evaluate differences in total and diabetes-related healthcare costs by providers’ performance.ResultsComparing 10,834 visits in high-performing practices to 8,235 visits in low-performing practices, referrals to certified diabetes care and education specialists and provider-to-provider electronic consults (e-consults) were higher in high-performing practices (Z = 6.06, p < .0001), while traditional referrals were higher in low-performing practices (Z = -6.94, p < .0001). The patient-to-provider ratio was higher in the low-performing group (M = 235.23) than in the high-performing group (M = 153.26) (Z = -2.82, p = .0048). Claims data analysis included 1,825 and 1,396 patients from high- and low-performing providers, respectively. The patient-to-provider ratio was again higher in the low-performing group (p = .009, V = 0.62). Patients receiving care from lower-performing practices were more likely to have had a diabetes-related hospital observation (5.7% vs. 3.9%, p = .02; V = 0.04) and higher diabetes-related care costs (p = .002; d = − 0.07); these differences by performance status persisted when controlling for differences in patient and physician characteristics. Patients seeing low-performing providers had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (Mdn = 3) than those seeing high-performing providers (Mdn = 2).ConclusionsReferrals to the CDCES and e-Consult were associated with better measured diabetes outcomes, as were certain aspects of cost and types of hospital utilization. Higher patients to providers ratio and patients with more comorbidities were observed in low performing group.

Multi-head attention ResUnet with sequential sliding windows for sea surface height anomaly field forecast: A regional study in North Atlantic Ocean

Accurate and efficient prediction of Sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) field is very important for operational marine monitoring and engineering. It is also a vital indicator of better understanding global climate changes and ocean dynamics. Many traditional SSHA forecasting methods focused primarily on single grid-point based predictions, and some classical Recurrent Neural Network/Long-Short-Term-Memory based machine learning approaches can cost heavily computational consumption, also the SSHA prediction by only employing the observations in single locations would lead to large potential uncertainties. This study proposed a novel purely Convolutional neural network (CNN) based Unet structure with Multi-head attention mechanism and Residual CNN blocks to accomplish daily SSHA variabilities prediction with higher accuracy and better computational efficiency. Specifically, the satellite altimetry observations aggregated by Data Unification and Altimeter Combination System (DUACS) from a sub-region with very high occurring frequently of storm surges and mesoscale/small-scale eddies in North Atlantic Ocean (NAO) was employed to verify the practicability and functionality of the proposed model. In addition, several existed deep learning approaches were adopted to implement a better comparison. Experimental results in this study demonstrated that the proposed methodology can achieve superior prediction performance amongst the four deep learning methods, and specifically, presenting significant superiorities on the aspect of computational costs compared to recurrent-based neural networks. Very high accurate SSHA predictions with averaged RMSE as 0.018 m and Correlation coefficient as 0.99 for 1 day ahead forecasting, and corresponded 0.107 m, 0.80 for 24days ahead forecasting was obtained by the proposed approach. It took about less than 2 minutes to fulfil a 5-year SSHA field forecasts together with optimal model training process, Additional forecasting experiments based on different seasonal SSHA sequential patterns reveal that the proposed purely CNN-based technique show pretty well generalization capability. This study provides an alternative promising-prospect on the application of purely CNN-based deep learning methods in sea surface variabilities forecasting.

Accessibility, availability and common practices regarding genetic testing for epilepsy across Europe: A survey of the European Reference Network EpiCARE.

The increasingly rapid pace of advancement in genetic testing may lead to inequalities in technical and human resources with a negative impact on optimal epilepsy clinical practice. In this view, the European Reference Network (ERN) for Rare and Complex Epilepsies EpiCARE conducted a survey addressing several aspects of accessibility, availability, costs, and standard practices on genetic testing across ERN EpiCARE centers. An online Google form was sent to 70 representatives of ERN EpiCARE centers. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were used for data presentation. We received 45 responses (1/center) representing 23 European countries with a better representation of Western Europe. Forty-five percent of the centers did not have access to all available types of genetic testing, mainly reflecting the limited availability of whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Thirty-five percent of centers report cost coverage only for some of the available tests, while costs per test varied significantly (interquartile range IQR ranging from 150 to 1173 euros per test across centers). Urgent genetic testing is available in 71.7% of countries (time-to-urgent result: 2 day to 2 months). The average time-to-result of specific tests in case of non-urgent prescription has a significant variance across centers, with the biggest range observed for whole-exome sequencing (6-128 weeks, IQR: 27 weeks). The percentage of agreement among the experts regarding the choice of genetic test at first intention in specific clinical situations was in all cases less than 50 percent (34.9% to 47% according to the proposed scenarios). Costs, time to deliver the results to the clinician, and type of first-line genetic testing vary widely across Europe, even in countries where ERN EpiCARE centers are present. Increased availability of genetic tests and guidance for optimal test choices in epilepsy remains essential to avoid diagnostic delays and excess health costs. The survey of the ERN EpiCARE highlights disparities in genetic testing for epilepsy across 45 ERN EpiCARE centers in 23 European countries. The findings reveal variable access to certain genetic tests, with lowest access to WGS. Costs and time-to-results vary widely. Urgent genetic testing is available in 71.7% of countries. Agreement among experts on first-line genetic tests for specific patient scenarios is below 50%. The study emphasizes the need for improved test availability and guidance to avoid diagnostic delays and unnecessary costs. EpiCARE has the mission to contribute in homogenizing best practices across Europe.

Interactive scheduling optimization of regional multi-agent integrated energy systems considering uncertainties based on game theory

With the increasing number of integrated energy system (IES) construction, a multi-agent system group composed of multiple IESs would be formed in a certain region. Moreover, complex uncertainties gradually existed in the IES which affect the system optimal situation and optimization results. In order to take full use of each agent's advantages and improve the performance of the whole region under uncertainty, this paper focuses on the multiple energy types' interaction of multi-agent IESs within the region to realize the stable operation, economic and environmental improvement of each agent and the whole region. To this aim, a multi-objective multiple energy types' multi-agent interactive optimization model considering energy demand and renewable energy output uncertainties was built. The model was based on Nash bargaining cooperative game theory and took economy, flexibility and carbon emission as objectives. Moreover, energy interaction scheduling and its corresponding price can be optimized through the model. The results of non-cooperative operation mode without interaction and cooperative operation mode with interaction were compared to analyze the superiority of interaction from the cost, carbon emission and flexibility aspects. The overall regional carbon emission and the economic cost has been reduced by 13.84% and 9.94%, for each IES, the carbon emission and economic cost could reduce by up to 41.5% and 44.5%. Moreover, the flexibility of the IES was correspondingly increased by nearly 47%. These results denoted that after multi-agent interaction, not only the overall region's energy, economic and environmental performance are improved, but also that of each agent are significantly improved. In addition, different energy types among multiple agents could be effectively used and regional joint energy storage is realized, improving the region flexibility level and resilience.

Simulation and experimental evaluation of laser-induced graphene on the cellulose and lignin substrates

In this article, the formation of laser-induced graphene on the two natural polymers, cellulose, and lignin, as precursors was investigated with molecular dynamics simulations and some experiments. These eco-friendly polymers provide significant industrial advantages due to their low cost, biodegradability, and recyclable aspects. It was discovered during the simulation that LIG has numerous defects and a porous structure. Carbon monoxide, H2, and water vapor are gases released by cellulose and lignin substrates. H2O and CO are released when the polymer transforms into an amorphous structure. Later on, as the amorphous structure changes into an ordered graphitic structure, H2 is released continuously. Since cellulose monomer has a higher mass proportion of oxygen (49%) than lignin monomer (29%), it emits more CO. The LIG structure contains many 5- and 7-carbon rings, which cause the structure to have bends and undulations that go out of the plane. In addition, to verify the molecular dynamics simulation results with experimental tests, we used a carbon dioxide laser to transform filter paper, as a cellulose material, and coconut shell, as a lignin material, into graphene. Surprisingly, empirical experiments confirmed the simulation results.