Beacon Model Research Articles

Paper-Supported Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Dual-Mode miRNA-106a Assay: Integration of Luminescence-Confined Upconversion-Actuated Fluorescent Resonance Energy Transfer and CRISPR/Cas13a-Powered Cascade DNA Circuits.

Near-infrared (NIR)-responsive bioassays based on upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) incorporating high-performance semiconductors have been developed by researchers, but most lack satisfactory ultrasensitivity for exceedingly trace amounts of target. Herein, for the first time, the CRISPR/Cas13a system is combined with cascade DNA circuits, fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect, and luminescence-confined UCNPs-bonded CuInS2/ZnO p-n heterostructures-functionalized paper-working electrode to construct dual-signal-on paper-supported NIR-irradiated photoelectrochemical (PEC) (NIR-PEC) and upconversion luminescence (UCL) bioassay for high-sensitive quantification of miRNA-106a (miR-106a). By constructing an ideal FAM-labeled aminating molecular beacon (FAM-H2) model, a relatively good FRET ratio between the UCNP and FAM (≈85.3%) can be achieved. In the existence of miR-106a, the hairpin-structure FAM-H2 was unwound, bringing about the distance increase of UCNP and FAM and the restraint of FRET. Accordingly, both the NIR-PEC signal and the UCL intensity gradually recovered distinctly. Unlike conventional single-mode PEC sensors, with NIR excitation, the designed dual-mode sensing system could implement minimized misdiagnose assay and quantitative miR-106a determination with low detection limits, that is, 76.54 and 51.36 aM for NIR-PEC and UCL detection, respectively. This work not only broadens the horizon of application of the CRISPR/Cas13a strategy toward biosensing but also constructs a new structure of the UCNP-semiconductor in the exploration of efficient NIR-responsive tools and inspires the construction of a no-misdiagnosed and novel biosensor for dual-mode liquid biopsy.

Analysis of real-world length of stay data and costs associated with use of autologous skin cell suspension for the treatment of small burns in U.S. centers.

Autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is a treatment for acute thermal burn injuries associated with significantly lower donor skin requirements than conventional split-thickness skin grafts (STSG). Projections using the BEACON model suggest that among patients with small burns (total body surface area [TBSA]<20%), use of ASCS±STSG leads to a shorter length of stay (LOS) in hospital and cost savings compared with use of STSG alone. This study evaluated whether data from real-world clinical practice corroborate these findings. Electronic medical record data were collected from January 2019 through August 2020 from 500 healthcare facilities in the United States. Adult patients receiving inpatient treatment with ASCS±STSG for small burns were identified and matched to patients receiving STSG using baseline characteristics. LOS was assumed to cost $7554/day and to account for 70% of overall costs. Mean LOS and costs were calculated for the ASCS±STSG and STSG cohorts. A total of 151 ASCS±STSG and 2243 STSG cases were identified; 63.0% of patients were male and the average age was 44.2 years. Sixty-three matches were made between cohorts. LOS was 18.5 days with ASCS±STSG and 20.6 days with STSG (difference: 2.1 days [10.2%]). This difference led to bed cost savings of $15,587.62 per ASCS±STSG patient. Overall cost savings with ASCS±STSG were $22,268.03 per patient. Analysis of real-world data shows that treatment of small burn injuries with ASCS±STSG provides reduced LOS and substantial cost savings compared with STSG, supporting the validity of the BEACON model projections.

Research on the rapid assembly algorithm of the wireless ultraviolet cooperative UAV formation.

Aiming at the problem that the strong electromagnetic interference environment restricts the communication of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) formation, which affects the rapid assembly of the UAV formation, a wireless ultraviolet cooperative UAV formation rapid assembly algorithm is proposed to realize the fixed-point assembly of the UAV formation in the airspace. First, the Ultraviolet(UV) light beacon model is used to realize the information interaction of the UAV formation. secondly, the UV four-node positioning algorithm is used to realize the three-dimensional positioning of the UAV formation. Combined with the method, the UAV formation can reach a consensus speed when assembling. The simulation results show that when there are more than 6 reference nodes, the three-dimensional space positioning accuracy can reach 96%. The assembly algorithm can realize the fixed-point assembly of the UAV formation, and can maintain the circular motion trajectory after the assembly is completed.

92 ASCS Treatment Impact on Length of Stay Data and Costs for Patients with Small Burns

IntroductionIntroduction: Small burns with a total body surface area (TBSA) of < 20% account for the large majority (92%) of burn injury hospital admissions. Autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is a novel treatment for acute thermal burn injuries – including small burns -- that is associated with significantly lower donor skin requirements than split-thickness skin grafts, the traditional standard of care (SOC). The ASCS treatment indication was recently expanded from adult patients to include pediatric patients. Previously modeled analyses suggested that ASCS use is associated with a lower hospital length of stay (LOS) and costs savings versus SOC. This study evaluated whether real-world data (RWD) corroborate these findings in small burns and in both adult and pediatric populations.MethodsMethods: Data were collected from January 2019 through August 2020 from 500 facilities in the United States. Adult patients (age ≥ 21) and pediatric patients (< age 21) receiving inpatient burn treatment with ASCS were identified and matched to patients receiving SOC based on sex, age, TBSA < 20%, and comorbidities. Based on typical BEACON model outcomes, LOS was assumed to account for 70% of total costs and was used as a proxy to assess the data. LOS was assumed to cost $7,554 per day. Mean LOS and costs were calculated for the ASCS and SOC adult and pediatric cohorts. The incremental revenue associated with changes in inpatient capacity was also analyzed.ResultsResults: A total of 151 ASCS and 2,243 SOC adult cases and 19 ASCS and 341 SOC pediatric cases were identified. In adults, the SOC cohort had a higher percentage of patients with TBSA < 20% than the ASCS cohort (82.9% vs. 55.0%). For small burns, sixty-three matches were made for each adult cohort, and seven matches were made for each pediatric cohort. For adults, LOS was 18.5 days with ASCS use and 20.6 days with SOC use (difference: 2.1 days [10.2%]). For pediatrics, the ASCS LOS was 18.6 days, and the SOC LOS was 21.4 days (difference: 2.9 days [15.4%]). This difference led to cost savings of $15,587.62 per adult ASCS patient. Total cost savings with ASCS adult patients were $22,268.03 per patient. The reduced LOS with ASCS adult patients resulted in an increased capacity of 2.0 inpatients per bed per year, which was estimated to increase hospital revenue by $83,894 per burn unit bed annually. Pediatric cost results and savings were similar.ConclusionsConclusion: This RWD analysis shows that small burn treatment with ASCS is associated with reduced LOS and substantial cost savings compared with SOC in both adult and pediatric populations, supporting the validity of previous model projections. ASCS use may also significantly increase hospital revenue related to increased inpatient capacity.

Evaluating Health Economic Outcomes of Autologous Skin Cell Suspension (ASCS) For Definitive Closure in US Burn Care Using Contemporary Real-World Burn Center Data

Background: As new treatments for managing patients with burn injuries become available, it is imperative to consider the overall potential impact of both patient outcomes and costs to the burn center (BC). Health economic evaluations (HEE) can aid BC to assess new treatment options. Historically, the National Burn Repository (NBR) has aided in HEE with two limitations- variables are captured in an aggregate fashion over a 10-year period and it has limited data on resource utilization and procedure types. This prohibits real-world evidence development and effective HEE for new treatments. Our goal was to collect timely real-world data (RWD) and conduct a HEE to better understand the differences between anecdotal evidence and RWD in burn care treatment patterns and outcomes. Objective: To re-evaluate the economic impact of Autologous Skin Cell Suspension (ASCS) by conducting a primary research survey using RWD from BC on the current state of treatment care in order to identify trends since 2011 that impact evaluation of new interventions. Methods: 10% of U.S. burn centers were surveyed in 2019 by a panel of health economists on current BC practice patterns and outcomes. Survey data functioned as RWD with NBR 8.0 data in a previously developed health economic model (BEACON). A HEE was conducted with ASCS compared to standard of care (SOC) in a cost-effectiveness model for inpatients with deep-partial thickness (DPT) and full-thickness (FT) burn injury involving &gt;10%TBSA. The costs-effectiveness model incorporated costs of patient care from RWD and data from the NBR predictive equations method. Results: ASCS was cost-saving in both FT and DPT burns across all TBSA ranges. Cost savings increased with burn size due to the reduced number of autograft procedures, LOS and costs compared to SOC. Savings ranged from 1% to 43% in 10% and 40 % TBSA, respectively in FT, and 25% to 41% in 10% and 40% TBSA, respectively among DPT burns. For a hypothetical BC with an average of 341 patients, the use of ASCS is expected to reduce overall costs by an estimated $15.8M for the center and $79.5K (17.4% reduction) per patient, on average. Conclusion: The study provides the first HEE from RWD confirming the BEACON model and the potential of new technologies in burn care. We observed that use of ASCS has the potential to provide substantial financial savings to BC, corroborating findings of the original HEE of ASCS with the BEACON model.

PIT5 Cost Savings of Autologous Cell Harvesting Device for the Treatment of Burns Requiring Hospitalization: An Economic Evaluation Using Real-World DATA

Resource allocation and cost have become essential measures when assessing new technologies in burn care. To help providers make these assessments, the BEACON model was developed in 2018 using National Burn Repository (NBR) data. In BEACON, cost reductions for the treatment of severe burns using the new innovation autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) were largely attributed to reductions in length of stay (LOS). Our study seeks to confirm these results by performing a multicenter, real-world data (RWD) analysis of LOS and resulting costs for patients treated with ASCS vs. standard of care (SOC). De-identified electronic medical record data was collected over a 20-month period (1/2019 to 8/2020) from 43 burn centers in 14 states. Patients with burn injuries treated with ASCS were matched by age, gender, total body surface area (TBSA), and comorbidities to patients treated by current SOC treatment. Injury severity was calculated as categorical data with intervals: < 10%, 10-19%, 20-29%, 30-39%, and 40-49% TBSA. Cost analysis was determined using prior peer-reviewed literature in burn care. A total of 2,438 patients were reviewed, and 162 were used in the matched cohort analysis (n=81 per cohort). In these patients, 78% had < 20% TBSA. Compared to SOC, ASCS patients had a shorter LOS by 3.3 days. At an assumed per-patient hospital bed cost of $6,795 per day, these differences in LOS produced a savings of over $22,424 in hospital bed costs alone per ASCS patient versus SOC. LOS was shorter for ASCS patients in 67% of cases resulting in an overall savings of $1,807,470 for ASCS-treated patients compared to SOC. Our study is the largest RWD cost- analysis of ASCS vs SOC. This analysis corroborates the BEACON model with savings primarily originating from reducing LOS, even for small burns with 78% of patients having burns less than 20% TBSA.

38 Cost-effectiveness of Autologous Cell Harvesting Device for the Treatment of Burns Requiring Hospitalization: An Economic Evaluation Using Real World Data

Abstract Introduction Value is a prominent issue in healthcare measured by the clinical outcomes of good medical practices relative to the literal or figurative costs of care. As a result, cost effectiveness has become an essential measure when assessing new technologies in burn care. To help providers evaluate cost-effectiveness, the BEACON model was developed in 2018 using National Burn Repository (NBR) data. While the NBR data has tremendous value portraying a cumulative picture of burn care, it lacks resolution for new innovations such as autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS). In BEACON, ASCS was shown to reduce costs associated with the current treatment of severe burns, where this cost-saving was attributed to reductions in length of stay (LOS), the number of operations, the donor site size, and associated wound care. Our study examines the efficacy of the BEACON model by performing a multicenter real-world data (RWD) analysis of primary cost-savings measures of reduced LOS for patients treated with ASCS vs. standard of care (SOC). Methods De-identified electronic medical record data was collected over a 20-month period (1/2019 to 8/2020) from 43 burn centers in 14 states. Patients with burn injuries treated with ASCS were matched by age, gender, TBSA, and comorbidities to patients treated by current SOC treatment. Injury severity was calculated as categorical data with intervals: &amp;lt; 10%, 10–19%, 20–29%, 30–39%, and 40–49% TBSA. Co-morbidities were also assessed to facilitate a 1:1 comparison of patients across the two cohorts. Cost analysis was determined prior peer-reviewed literature in burn care. Results A total of 2,438 patients were reviewed, and 162 were used in the matched cohort analysis (n=81 in each cohort). In these patients, 68% had &amp;lt; 20% TBSA. When comparing patients matched on co-morbidities, burn %TBSA/extent, age, and gender, ASCS patients had a shorter LOS by 4.1 days. At an assumed cost of $6,795 per day, these differences in LOS produced a savings of over $28,000 in hospital bed costs alone per ASCS patient versus SOC. LOS was the same or shorter for ASCS patients in 63% of cases with an average reduction of 4.1 days resulting in an overall savings of $2,269,530 for ASCS-treated patients compared to SOC. Conclusions Our study is the largest RWD cost-effectiveness analysis of ASCS vs SOC. This analysis confirms the BEACON model with savings primarily originating from reducing LOS, even for small burns with 68% of patients having burns less than 20% TBSA.

Community-based integrated care versus hospital outpatient care for managing patients with complex type 2 diabetes: costing analysis.

Objective This study compared the cost of an integrated primary-secondary care general practitioner (GP)-based Beacon model with usual care at hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) for patients with complex type 2 diabetes. Methods A costing analysis was completed alongside a non-inferiority randomised control trial. Costs were calculated using information from accounting data and interviews with clinic managers. Two OPDs and three GP-based Beacon practices participated. In the Beacon practices, GPs with a special interest in advanced diabetes care worked with an endocrinologist and diabetes nurse educator to care for referred patients. The main outcome was incremental cost saving per patient course of treatment from a health system perspective. Uncertainty was characterised with probabilistic sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. Results The Beacon model is cost saving: the incremental cost saving per patient was A$365 (95% confidence interval -A$901, A$55) and was cost saving in 93.7% of simulations. The key contributors to the variance in the cost saving per patient course of treatment were the mean number of patients seen per site and the number of additional presentations per course of treatment associated with the Beacon model. Conclusions Beacon clinics were less costly per patient course of treatment than usual care in hospital OPDs for equivalent clinical outcomes. Local contractual arrangements and potential variation in the operational cost structure are of significant consideration in determining the cost-efficiency of Beacon models. What is known about this topic? Despite the growing importance of achieving care quality within constrained budgets, there are few costing studies comparing clinically-equivalent hospital and community-based care models. What does this paper add? Costing analyses comparing hospital-based to GP-based health services require considerable effort and are complex. We show that GP-based Beacon clinics for patients with complex chronic disease can be less costly per patient course of treatment than usual care offered in hospital OPDs. What are the implications for practitioners? In addition to improving access and convenience for patients, transferring care from hospital to the community can reduce health system costs.

Evaluation of Implementation Preparation for CE based on BEACON model —Taking Construction Enterprises in Yemen as a Case of Illustration

After decades of civil war, Yemen is in a desperate situation, and the construction industry has been suffering from low productivity and poor performance. In order to improve the productivity for the Yemeni construction industry, Construction enterprises must adopt the best and new technologies, new management concepts and philosophies such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and concurrent engineering (CE) owing to achieve improvements in the process of product development. To ensure the successful implementation of CE in the Yemeni construction industry, it is necessary to assess the readiness of those companies to implement CE. In this paper, the BEACON model is used to assess the readiness of the Yemeni companies to implement the concept of CE, that assist in overcoming the construction industry's poor productivity and performance. A study assessing CE implementation readiness will help to promote successful CE implementation in the construction industry and enhance the efficiency of construction companies. The results show that most of the construction companies in the Yemen are not ready to implement CE. The main reason is that the enterprises rely heavily on traditional management methods, and need to improve the organization and management technology. The research results can provide theoretical support for construction companies, especially Yemen companies, to establish basis in implementing an appropriate CE approach for improving performance, and also help international construction companies entering the Yemen construction market to cooperate and implement CE.

Characterization of Autoinducer-3 Structure and Biosynthesis in E. coli.

Escherichia coli is a common inhabitant of the human microbiota and a beacon model organism in biology. However, an understanding of its signaling systems that regulate population-level phenotypes known as quorum sensing remain incomplete. Here, we define the structure and biosynthesis of autoinducer-3 (AI-3), a metabolite of previously unknown structure involved in the pathogenesis of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). We demonstrate that novel AI-3 analogs are derived from threonine dehydrogenase (Tdh) products and “abortive” tRNA synthetase reactions, and they are distributed across a variety of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. In addition to regulating virulence genes in EHEC, we show that the metabolites exert diverse immunological effects on primary human tissues. The discovery of AI-3 metabolites and their biochemical origins now provides a molecular foundation for investigating the diverse biological roles of these elusive yet widely distributed bacterial signaling molecules.

Breaking Through Bead-Supported Assay: Integration of Optical Tweezers Assisted Fluorescence Imaging and Luminescence Confined Upconversion Nanoparticles Triggered Luminescent Resonance Energy Transfer (LRET).

Herein, a conceptual approach for significantly enhancing a bead-supported assay is proposed. For the fluorescence imaging technology, optical tweezers are introduced to overcome the fluid viscosity interference and immobilize a single tested bead at the laser focus to guarantee a fairly precise imaging condition. For the selection of fluorescent materials and the signal acquisition means, a type of innovative luminescence confined upconversion nanoparticle with a unique sandwich structure is specially designed to act as an efficient energy donor to trigger the luminescent resonance energy transfer (LRET) process. By further combining the double breakthrough with a molecular beacon model, the newly developed detection strategy allows for achieving a pretty high LRET ratio (≈ 88%) to FAM molecules and offering sound assay performance toward miRNA analysis with a detection limit as low as the sub-fM level, and is capable of well identifying single-base mismatching. Besides, this approach not only is able to accurately qualify the low-abundance targets from as few as 30 cancer cells but also can be employed as a valid cancer early warning tool for performing liquid biopsy.

Optimizing Node Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Received Signal Strength Indicator

In order to improve the precision of inside localization and optimize the allocation of node resources in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), an equal-arc trilateral localization algorithm based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is proposed from the perspective of increasing measurement precision and bettering beacon nodes layout. The algorithm adopts Kalman filter to filter the data collected from the best communication range, thus the disturbance problem of RSSI value can be tackled easily. By analyzing the changeable relationship between the communication distance and the RSSI, an optimal communication distance can be identified to satisfy the application requirements. In this paper, an equal-arc triangular beacon node layout model is established to ensure that the motion tracks of unknown nodes are always situated within an optimal communication distance to improve the measurement precision. The experimental results show that the proposed work increases the average location accuracy of the equal-arc triangulation layout model by 81%, 54%, and 48%, respectively, compared with the traditional square beacon model, the traditional equilateral triangle beacon model, and the improved equilateral triangle beacon model. In comparison with the traditional triangular layout, the equal-arc layout area coverage is increased by 23%.

Clinical outcomes of an integrated primary-secondary model of care for individuals with complex type 2 diabetes: a non-inferiority randomised controlled trial.

The aim of the study was to determine if a Beacon model of integrated care utilising general practitioners (GPs) with special interests could achieve similar clinical outcomes to a hospital-based specialist diabetes outpatient clinic. This pragmatic non-inferiority multisite randomised controlled trial assigned individuals with complex type 2 diabetes to care delivered by a Beacon clinic or to usual care delivered by a hospital outpatient department, in a 3:1 ratio. Owing to the nature of the study, researchers were only blinded during the allocation process. Eligible participants were aged 18 or over, had been referred by their usual GP to the hospital central referral hub with type 2 diabetes and had been triaged to be seen within 30 or 90days. The intervention consisted of diabetes management in primary care by GPs with a special interest who had been upskilled in complex diabetes under the supervision of an endocrinologist. The primary outcome was HbA1c at 12months post-recruitment. The non-inferiority margin was 4.4mmol/mol (0.4%). Both per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses are reported. Between 27 November 2012 and 14 July 2015, 352 individuals were recruited and 305 comprised the intention-to-treat sample (71 in usual care group and 234 in the Beacon model group). The Beacon model was non-inferior to usual care for both the per-protocol (difference -0.38mmol/mol [95% CI -4.72, 3.96]; -0.03% [95% CI -0.43, 0.36]) and the intention-to-treat (difference -1.28mmol/mol [95% CI -5.96, 3.40]; -0.12% [95% CI -0.55, 0.31]) analyses. Non-inferiority was sustained in a sensitivity analysis at 12months. There were no statistically or clinically significant differences in the secondary outcomes of BP, lipids or quality of life as measured by the 12 item short-form health survey (SF-12v2) and the diabetes-related quality of life (DQoL-Brief) survey. Safety indicators did not differ between groups. Participant satisfaction on the eight-item client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-8) was good in both groups, but scores were significantly higher in the Beacon model group than the usual care group (mean [SD] 28.4 [4.9] vs 25.6 [4.9], respectively, p < 0.001). In individuals with type 2 diabetes, a model of integrated care delivered in the community by GPs with a special interest can safely achieve clinical outcomes that are not inferior to those achieved with gold-standard hospital-based specialist outpatient clinics. Individuals receiving care in the community had greater satisfaction. Further studies will determine the cost of delivering this model of care. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612000380897 FUNDING: The study was funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT1001157).

Cost saving with a GP-led integrated health service delivery model for complex chronic disease: an optimal Beacon practice

Health policy internationally is promoting the benefit of delivering complex chronic disease care in the community rather than the hospital setting. The Beacon model is designed as a primary-secondary integrated model of outpatient substitution whereby patients with complex diabetes receive care through a community-based practice where GPs with a special interest (GPwSI) and advanced training in diabetes work alongside an endocrinologist and diabetes nurse educator (DNE). We draw on over a decade of research to sketch a profile of an optimal Beacon clinic in terms of capacity and cost. We measured costs at five study sites: two hospitals and three Beacons and computed the Beacon clinic duration and patient load that minimises the costs of treatment. While the costs varied across sites, an optimal Beacon was found to be a lower cost alternative to usual hospital outpatient care. It costs $4,998 to deliver one optimal clinic of four hours duration with two GPwSI and one endocrinologist treating 14 patients with the DNE employed 3-days/week. This estimate is based on an urban setting in which local patient treatment needs are sufficient to support weekly/fortnightly clinics. The model holds promise as a way to cost-effectively manage complex chronic conditions, while freeing resources in hospital settings to attend to acute and inpatient services. It is delivered via a shared Commonwealth and state funding model, currently an uncommon arrangement for chronic disease management. However, proposed pooled funding arrangements at the local level designed to support better integrated care could provide leverage for the model.

Impact of a general practitioner-led integrated model of care on the cost of potentially preventable diabetes-related hospitalisations

AimTo estimate potential savings for Australia’s health care system through the implementation of an innovative Beacon model of care for patients with complex diabetes. MethodsA prospective controlled trial was conducted comparing a multidisciplinary, community-based, integrated primary-secondary care diabetes service with usual care at a hospital diabetes outpatient clinic. We extracted patient hospitalisation data from the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection and used Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups to assign costs to potentially preventable hospitalisations for diabetes. Results327 patients with complex diabetes referred by their general practitioner for specialist outpatient care were included in the analysis. The integrated model of care had potential for national cost savings of $132.5 million per year. ConclusionsThe differences in hospitalisations attributable to better integrated primary/secondary care can yield large cost savings. Models such as the Beacon are highly relevant to current national health care reform initiatives to improve the continuity and efficiency of care for those with complex chronic disease in primary care.

A GTS Allocation Scheme to Improve Multiple-Access Performance in Vehicular Sensor Networks

The IEEE 802.15.4 protocol is designed to flexibly support both real-time and contention-based services. When the beacon model is enabled, guaranteed time slot (GTS) scheduling can provide contention-free access to latency-sensitive services based on the time-division multiple-access mechanism. This characteristic makes IEEE 802.15.4 the appropriate candidate for vehicular sensor networks in which mobile nodes need to exchange packets with roadside units (RSUs) within a limited duration. In this paper, using network calculus theory, we analyzed the relationship between time-slot utilization and the corresponding access parameters, such as packet arrival rate, burst size, and vehicles' mobility extent. Then, for a given number of vehicles preparing to access an RSU, we proposed a time-sensitive weighted round-robin (TS-WRR) scheduler to improve the multiple-access performance, which can take the service delay requirement, packet arrival rate, and vehicular mobility level into account. Next, the weight determination and time-slot allocation strategy of the TS-WRR scheduler were issued in detail, which incorporate the special limitations and application requirements in a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication environment. To make our model feasible for testing, we also elaborately demonstrated the implementation procedure with pseudocode and simulator design. Numerical results show that our TS-WRR scheduler outperforms some classic schedulers such as First-Come First-Served and WRR, as well as two latest works, i.e., implicit GTS allocation scheme and adaptive real-time GTS allocation mechanism in terms of delay guarantee and GTS utilization maximization in vehicular sensor networks.

Path Planning of Mobile Beacon for Localization Based on Distribution of Unknown Nodes

For wireless sensor network (WSN), without full consideration of the influences of unknown nodes distribution and density when planning beacons moving path, most of existing localization methods have lower efficiency. In this paper, beacon model is presented according to the theory of equal distance 3-optimal-coverage, a new heuristic path planning method is proposed for the ROI in which unknown nodes distribute randomly and the node density is limited, this proposed method can make on-line decision for the moving direction and distance over every step. Simulations show that the proposed scheme is efficient.

Satisfiability Problem Based on Self-assembly of DNA Molecular Beacon Model

Satisfiability Problem Based on Self-assembly of DNA Molecular Beacon Model

Picking Winners to Define and Disseminate Best Practice

From 1998 the Government launched Beacon award schemes in local government, schools, the National Health Service, further education and central government. The schemes were distinctive in that they all shared the assumption that organisational learning could be advanced through a competitive process of identifying successful organisations and recruiting them to disseminate their good practices. Drawing on a number of evaluations of the different schemes, this article identifies three tensions in the operation of the Beacon model. We conclude that the relative persistence and success of the Beacon idea, in local government at least, is more a function of its effects on aspiration and morale than its concrete contribution to learning and improvement.

Concurrent Engineering Readiness Assessment Tool for Construction

The adoption of concurrent engineering (CE) within the software and manufacturing industries has led to significant benefits including improved time-to-market, reduced production cost, improved product quality and active customer involvement. The implementation of CE within construction is also expected to result in positive changes within the industry, as CE has the potential to make construction projects less fragmented, improve project quality, reduce construction time and cut total project cost. It is considered essential within other industries to carry out a readiness assessment of an organization before implementing CE. Therefore, to facilitate the adoption of CE within the construction industry, it is necessary to assess the extent to which organizations in the industry are ready for CE. This would help an organization to view its current performance and areas of weakness so that corrective action could be taken. This paper discusses CE and its implementation within the construction industry and highlights the need for CE readiness assessment. It argues that there is a need for a specific readiness assessment tool for the construction industry and describes the development of a CE readiness assessment model for the construction industry—the BEACON model. The benefits of using the BEACON model are discussed and strategies and considerations for CE implementation are outlined.