Real Benefits Research Articles

Optimal Contracting of Transmission System Usage Combined With Subtransmission Planning via Cross-Entropy Method

Local power distribution companies (DISCOs) are not self-sufficient in electricity to serve their customers and require importing additional energy supply from the interconnected bulk power systems. In Brazil, they annually carry out the contracting process for the amount of transmission system usage (ATSU) for the next four years. This process is a real example of a task that involves decisions under uncertainty with a high impact on the productivity of DISCOs and the electricity sector in general. The task becomes even more complex in face of the increasing variability associated with the generation of renewable energy and the changing profile of the consumer. In this work, the main objective is to develop a methodology based on probabilistic power flow and cross-entropy techniques to assess the optimal contracting under uncertainty of the ATSU, combined with the expansion plan for the subtransmission network. As the robustness of the network influences the power import by the DISCO, there are real measurable benefits to assessing contracts and grid expansion altogether. Results with academic and real systems show that the proposals reduce the total costs with ATSU contracts.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence Tools in the Clinical Research Setting: The Ovarian Cancer Use Case.

Artificial intelligence (AI) methods applied to healthcare problems have shown enormous potential to alleviate the burden of health services worldwide and to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of predictions. In particular, developments in computer vision are creating a paradigm shift in the analysis of radiological images, where AI tools are already capable of automatically detecting and precisely delineating tumours. However, such tools are generally developed in technical departments that continue to be siloed from where the real benefit would be achieved with their usage. Significant effort still needs to be made to make these advancements available, first in academic clinical research and ultimately in the clinical setting. In this paper, we demonstrate a prototype pipeline based entirely on open-source software and free of cost to bridge this gap, simplifying the integration of tools and models developed within the AI community into the clinical research setting, ensuring an accessible platform with visualisation applications that allow end-users such as radiologists to view and interact with the outcome of these AI tools.

Sosialisasi dan Pelatihan Pembuatan Pupuk Organik Cair (POC) di Pondok Pesantren Al-Azhaar Tulungagung dari Limbah Air Cucian Beras

Rice washing water is one of the household wastes that has the potential to be utilized. Research shows that rice washing water can be useful as a Liquid Organic Fertilizer (POC) which can be used as a plant fertilizer and soil fertilizer. Nutrients from rice washing water are processed into POC in the form of N, P, and K and other microelements obtained from the results of fermentation carried out for some time. POC from rice washing water waste also provides real benefits to plant growth, increases fruit weight and number of leaves. The purpose of conducting socialization and training on making POC from rice washing water waste at the Al Batul Tulungagung cottage is for female students to be able to process rice washing water waste which was initially useless so that it can be utilized into a more useful product in the form of liquid organic fertilizer.

Energy Recovery Optimization by Means of a Turbine in a Pressure Regulation Node of a Real Water Network Through a Data-Driven Digital Twin

In recent years, various devices have been proposed for pressure regulation and energy recovery in water distribution and transport networks. To provide a real net benefit, they require a dedicated long-distance management system in order to carry on both hydraulic regulation and electricity production without direct human manual operations. This work presents a new proposal for the management of a pressure regulation system based on the PRS turbine. The proposal is applied to a real water distribution network, named Montescuro Ovest pipeline, at the San Giovannello station. The Real Time Control (RTC) logic currently applied at San Giovannello station is first presented and discussed. A new Advanced Real Time Control (ARTC) logic is then proposed, based on direct configuration of the turbine and the surrounding valves as computed by the solution of an optimization problem. In ARTC a digital twin, including the hydraulic model of the surrounding network, provides a one-to-one relationship between the configuration parameters and the state variables, i.e. flow rates and pressures. The digital twin model equations are continuously updated on the basis of the recorded measures. Besides providing almost identical performance to the current RTC logic in the current operational scenario, the improved ARTC is more robust, in that it guarantees better hydropower generation in modified operational scenarios, as shown in specific tests. The proposed methodology constitutes a new approach to regulating the valves in hydroelectric plants which are currently regulated with traditional automation algorithms.

Latissimus Dorsi Flap and Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator Flap with Immediate Fat Transfer (LIFT and TIFT): A Retrospective Study about Total Breast Reconstruction in High-Risk Patients.

Microsurgical breast reconstruction has become popular over the past twenty years and allows a tailor-tuck approach to each patient. However, smoking or coagulation disorders may switch surgeon's choice towards alternative options. When facing these risk factors, we performed pedicled latissimus dorsi (LD) flap and thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) flap reconstruction with immediate fat transfer (LIFT and TIFT), achieving satisfactory surgical outcomes. Hence, we aim to present our seven-years case-series and discuss our decisional algorithm. Thirty smoker women and seven women affected by coagulation disorder (n = 37) respectively had LIFT and TIFT surgery and were retrospectively evaluated. Patients' demographics and outcomes were recorded and compared. LIFT patients received higher volumes of immediate fat grafting compared to TIFT patients (p < 0.05), which required additional lipofilling to provide adequate volume amount, since the TDAP flap was not immediately grafted. However, the additional lipofilling procedures and fat volume were similar (p > 0.05). Flap survival reached 100%, and flap necrosis or loss did not occur. Few minor complications were evidenced in the LIFT group only (p > 0.05). Based on our experience, we support the reliability of pedicled LD and TDAP flaps with immediate fat transfer in breast reconstruction as valuable alternative to microsurgery in smokers (LIFT) and patients with coagulation disorders (TIFT). However, the results of our study are not conclusive since still must be clarified the role of the smoking and coagulation disorders in microsurgery and the real benefit of a non-microsurgical procedure. Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

PENGEMBANGAN APLIKASI PERMOHONAN CUTI DENGAN METODE WATERFALL PADA PT AISIN INDONESIA AUTOMOTIVE BERBASIS WEB

In an increasingly advanced digital era, the use of information technology has become an important need for industries and companies, including automotive manufacturing companies such as PT Aisin Indonesia Automotive. Currently, the application for leave of employees in such companies is still done verbally or through manual submission, which can take a long time and lead to clerical errors. Therefore, the development of a web-based leave application application is expected to increase the efficiency of the employee leave application process, facilitate access and approval, and reduce the potential for administrative errors. By using the Waterfall method, it is expected that each stage of application development will be carried out in a structured and systematic manner, so that it can provide real benefits for PT Aisin Indonesia Automotive in managing employee leave and applying modern information technology.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in "Special" NSCLC Populations: A Viable Approach?

Over the last decade, the therapeutic scenario for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has undergone a major paradigm shift. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown a meaningful clinical and survival improvement in different settings of the disease. However, the real benefit of this therapeutic approach remains controversial in selected NSCLC subsets, such as those of the elderly with active brain metastases or oncogene-addicted mutations. This is mainly due to the exclusion or underrepresentation of these patient subpopulations in most pivotal phase III studies; this precludes the generalization of ICI efficacy in this context. Moreover, no predictive biomarkers of ICI response exist that can help with patient selection for this therapeutic approach. Here, we critically summarize the current state of ICI efficacy in the most common "special" NSCLC subpopulations.

SYST-07 PLASMA MEMBRANE PROFILING REVEALS A TARGETABLE CELL-SURFACE PHENOTYPE OF WNT-MEDULLOBLASTOMA

Abstract WNT-medulloblastoma has an excellent prognosis, with an overall survival rate of 90% among children receiving standard-of-care surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. While curative, this treatment is associated with major, long-term, debilitating side effects. Therefore, it is crucial we develop effective, less toxic therapies for these children. The Gilbertson lab has previously shown that WNT-medulloblastomas are devoid of a Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB). This disruption allows large molecules such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to penetrate WNT-medulloblastomas. To discover WNT-medulloblastoma specific antigens for mAb targeting, we have first generated bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing profiles of the wild-type and WNT-medulloblastoma-prone mossy-fibre progenitor lineages in the lower rhombic lip, as well as human medulloblastoma patient derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) tumours. We next generated plasma membrane proteome profiles of hindbrain germinal zones and WNT-medulloblastomas. Plasma Membrane Profiling (PMP) deploys an isobaric chemical labelling approach -Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) - that allows multiplexing of up to sixteen variables per mass spectrometry experiment and ex vivo TMT-labelling of primary cells. Using this approach, we have mapped the cell surface proteome of our medulloblastoma models. Interrogation of these developmental and tumour data has unmasked WNT-medulloblastoma associated antigens that are specific for prenatal brain and WNT-medulloblastoma, but that are not expressed on critical postnatal tissues. Our workflow integrates multi-omic data sets to uncover a targetable landscape on the surface of WNT-medulloblastoma cells that we have cross-validated with a large cohort of patient RNA sequencing profiles and histological samples of both mouse and human tumours. To translate this dataset to real patient benefit, we are generating high affinity antibodies of these validated cell-surface proteins for assessment in our pre-clinical mouse models. Through our comparative analyses we have additionally identified non-WNT-specific targets and thus aim to expand this approach to identifying targets in other more agressive CNS tumours and brain metastases.

Can we predict the cardiac benefit of deep inspiration breath hold for left breast and regional nodal irradiation?

PurposeDeep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is used to decrease the dose of radiotherapy delivered to the heart. There is a need to define criteria to select patients with the potential to derive a real clinical benefit from DIBH treatment. Our study's main goal was to investigate whether two CT-scan cardiac anatomical parameters, cardiac contact distance in the parasagittal plane (CCDps) and lateral heart-to-chest distance (HCD), were predictive of unmet dosimetric cardiac constraints for left breast and regional nodal irradiation (RNI). Materials and methodsThis retrospective single-institution dosimetric study included 62 planning CT scans of women with left-sided breast cancer (BC) from 2016 to 2021. Two independent radiation oncologists measured HCD and CCDps twice to assess inter- and intra-observer reproducibility. Dosimetric constraints to be respected were defined, and dosimetric parameters of interest were collected for each patient. ResultsMean heart dose was 7.9Gy. Inter-rater reproducibility between the two readers was considered excellent. The mean heart dose constraint<8Gy was not achieved in 25 patients (40%) and was achieved in 37 patients (60%). There was a significant correlation between mean heart dose and HCD (rs=–0.25, P=0.050) and between mean heart dose and CCDps (rs=0.25, P=0.047). The correlation between HCD and CCDps and unmet cardiac dosimetric constraints was not statistically significant. ConclusionOur dosimetric analysis did not find that the cardiac anatomical parameters HCD and CCDps were predictive of unmet dosimetric cardiac constraints, nor that they were good predictors for cardiac exposure in left-sided BC radiotherapy comprising RNI.

Tokenism Analysis in Community Participation: A Case Study from Saung Pandu Program of Badak LNG Bontang

Saung Pandu is an acronym for Usaha Unggulan Pertanian Terpadu, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program located in direct proximity to PT Badak NGL Bontang in East Kalimantan. Saung Pandu was initiated to mitigate land conflicts through community empowerment approaches. As a result, Saung Pandu has become a community development program that focuses on integrated agriculture by utilizing processed domestic wastewater from the company. This research examines the process of community empowerment and participation using the theories of empowerment and community participation. Given the intertwined nature of empowerment and participation, the empowerment process is seen as a sequence of awareness-raising, capacity building, and empowerment. Meanwhile, participation is observed through the stages of planning, implementation, benefit realization, and monitoring and evaluation. This research adopts a qualitative methodology. The findings of this study indicate that while there is an existing empowerment process, optimal participation has not been achieved. The participation that occurs is largely influenced by the historical background of conflicts between the company and the community. This is due to the segmentation of groups based on land ownership, leading to some degree of tokenism among certain parties, thereby resulting in suboptimal individual participation within the groups.

TimeGAN based distributionally robust optimization for biomass-photovoltaic-hydrogen scheduling under source-load-market uncertainties

The Biomass-Photovoltaic-Hydrogen Integrated Energy System (BPH-IES) is receiving increasing attentions due to the utilization of hydrogen storage for renewables accommodation. However, owing to its internal components and capability for participating in electricity and carbon markets, source-load-market uncertainties such as the random photovoltaic output, loads, as well as electricity and carbon prices are non-negligible, which seriously hinders the stable operation and realization of economic and environmental benefits for BPH-IES. In this paper, in view of the insufficient samples and the time-series attribute for the uncertainties, a novel Time-series Generative Adversarial Network (TimeGAN) based Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) model is proposed for BPH-IES scheduling. Based on TimeGAN learning the dynamics of the limited samples of uncertainties, sufficient generated samples are obtained with approximating the real distributions. Then, the temporal covariance conditions are introduced in the ambiguity set construction, aiming at getting rid of those distributions unmatching the temporal correlations of the enlarged samples. Finally, DRO model for scheduling is established, which jointly optimizes multi-energy operation and electricity-carbon trading strategy for BPH-IES considering the “worst-case” distributions within the narrowed ambiguity set. The solution procedure is developed according to the duality and semi-definite programming theories. Simulations have verified that for BPH-IES, the proposed model: 1) improves the economic and environmental benefits by 10.04% and 7.79% respectively, due to the TimeGAN and temporal covariance based modifications; 2) maintains operation stability and 100% renewables accommodation under the source-load uncertainties; 3) reduces the fluctuation of benefits via considering the market uncertainties.

Study on the Influencing Factors of Value Added of China's Auto Exports--Taking Trade with EU as an Example

After entering the 21st century, global trade has gradually changed from the traditional independent production of import and export to the global cooperative division of labor, and the production division of labor of each country has gradually become clearer, which also brings about the repeated flow of intermediate products in the international arena, and this has become especially obvious in the automobile industry. Since there are a large number of raw materials and intermediate products flowing in and out of the automotive industry, the traditional method of accounting for total trade value has become difficult to accurately calculate the real trade benefits of each country and is therefore no longer applicable to today's situation. The EU region, as the birthplace of the auto industry, has a huge auto market and is an important region for China to develop overseas markets in the future. This paper measures the value added of China's auto exports to the EU using the value added trade law from the background of China's auto exports to the EU, and explores the micro and macro factors that currently affect the value added of China's auto exports to the EU, which has positive guiding significance for China's auto exports to the EU market in the future.

Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve or sustain a penile erection, whose prevalence and severity increase in the older age. It is correlated with the use of several cardiovascular drugs or it can be associated with coronary heart disease. ED prevalence is estimated to be about 50% in patients with coronary heart disease whereas it can be an independent risk factor for future events in patients without cardiovascular disease. Diagnostic work-up in ED includes a cardiovascular screening, although the real benefit of that recommendation is at present unclear. Although patients affected by ED cannot be considered tout court at high cardiovascular risk, a more thorough evaluation may help identifying a high-risk subgroup needing a different therapeutic approach.

BSL‐4 laboratories, combatting conspiracies, and using a culture‐centered approach to improve risk and crisis communication in a One Health framework

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic continues to pose a global zoonotic disease threat, highlighting the importance of developing strategies to combat new viruses and variants stemming from climate change and animal populations. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to address dis/misinformation surrounding such research. Collaborations across disciplines aid in actual responses to public health emergency events as well, easing the transition to a new equilibrium and impacting planning for future events. Russian disinformation regarding the joint work of Americans and Ukrainians as part of the Biological Threat Reduction Program is evidence of the need to educate the public about the real risks and benefits of zoonotic disease research. As seen in the recently released National Biodefense Strategy, political leaders in the United States are becoming more explicit about embracing a One Health framework for biodefense and public health emergency preparedness. This has significant benefits in terms of policy making by helping to dispel dis/misinformation, build trust in disease surveillance data, and give frontline workers such as those in the agricultural sector a voice in the conversation with which to share their expertise. A communication complex perspective applied through a culture‐centered approach to a One Health model aims to improve risk and crisis communication. This unique strategy will help government leaders as well as those in relevant sectors to speak to the unique questions and concerns of a particular population. Among other things, this helps to avoid an ineffective “cookie‐cutter” approach messaging. In this manuscript, we argue that coconstructing a cultural understanding of human, animal, and environmental health practices within a unique culture will lead to a specialized risk and crisis communication plan accepted by local communities.

Healthcare Chatbot Using Artificial Intelligence

In today's busy life, people often do not take proper care of their health. People try to avoid going to the doctor for a diagnosis, either because they don't like it or because they don't have time. Health care is very important if you want to lead a good life. However, it is very difficult to get a consultation with a doctor in case of any health problems. The proposed idea is to create a medical chatbot using artificial intelligence to diagnose the disease and provide basic details before consulting a doctor. The user can only get the real benefit of the chatbot if it can diagnose all kinds of diseases and provide the necessary information. To solve this problem, this project provides a platform where a human can interact with a highly trained chatbot on datasets using machine learning algorithms. Machine learning algorithms take a more natural approach to computation than a logical approach. The output depends on the dataset they are trained on. We can implement a real-time medical system and convert text results into voice format. The proposed system also supports the drug purchase process and payment process through this application.

Risk, the COVID‐19 pandemic, and organisations: Extending, repurposing, and developing theory

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has challenged and changed organisations. While the pandemic has brought opportunities for business in some sectors, such as information and communication, and for people who enjoy the flexibility they gain from home‐based or hybrid work arrangements, the realisation of benefits for individuals and organisations is uncertain over longer time periods and distributed unevenly across the workforce. Thus, the pandemic situation has been a trigger, albeit an unwelcome one, for revising our theorising about organisational risk. We build on the articles within our special section and develop a perspective on how to continue the development of new theoretical insights. First, we examine how existing theories can be extended to encompass organisational risk. We focus on theories of organisational culture to do so. Second, we discuss ways that existing theories can be repurposed to address important challenges. We illustrate our points using paradoxical leadership theory and theories of creativity. Third, we reflect on ways to develop new theorising by exploring multilevel modelling and the microfoundations of organisational risk. Fourth, we reflect on methods. In doing so, we pave the way for future studies that will enrich our understanding of organisational risk and contribute to preparations for future crises.

Las finanzas descentralizadas o los criptoactivos de última generación

RationaleThis article is intended as an introduction to the world of decentralised finance (DeFi). To this end, the focus is to explain, in a simplified manner, its key characteristics and most common use cases, along with the main risks.Takeaways•DeFi is one of the latest developments in the crypto-asset space and also the segment where most of the recent bouts of sector turmoil have taken place. It is a complex, but still largely endogenous, ecosystem and therefore its interaction with the real economy is limited.•DeFi is actually less decentralised than it purports to be. Its real benefits are limited, while the potential risks are considerable. Although the risks are not substantially different from those in the traditional financial sector, their drivers, speed of propagation and scale can differ entirely, compromising the authorities’ room to manoeuvre.•Although the policy and regulatory effort is, for now, focused on traditional crypto-assets, there is a growing debate as to what mix of measures would best contribute to mitigating the risks of DeFi. More specific action in this regard is expected in the years ahead.

Application of Near-Miss Management Systems: An Exploratory Field Analysis in the Italian Industrial Sector

Near-miss events are usually identified as adverse events that could have turned into incidents/injuries but, due to an intervention of a safety system or by chance, developed into harmless situations instead. Past and present studies have also outlined the importance of collecting and analyzing near-miss events, as they have same causes of more serious events, thereby allowing for more effective preventative measures at the workplace. Although their importance has been outlined for several years, standard models for designing near-miss management systems (NMMSs) are still lacking and cannot yet support companies in their full-scale application. Despite this condition, NMMSs are applied in several industrial sectors, such as in the construction, mining, chemical, and nuclear industries. The aim of this study is to analyze how companies are developing their own NMMSs. An exploratory analysis was developed through survey analysis; it was provided to a sample of Italian companies in order to evaluate the adoption level of NMMSs as well as current practices applied by companies. The sample included companies of different sizes in the industrial sector. The results extracted from the field analysis outline interesting issues that point out current procedures adopted for the identification, collection, and analysis of near-miss events as well as real benefits and criticalities related to the application of NMMSs.

Mild In Vitro Fertilisation

The case for making healthcare more sustainable is becoming increasingly urgent. Medical professionals understand the need to reduce the cost and environmental impact of our work. We also see that being creative in how we plan treatment pathways and communicate with patients can allow us to work sustainably in terms of the resources required, and in tandem, deliver real benefits for patients. Approaches that deliver ‘prevention rather than cure’ and keep medical intervention as minimally invasive as possible are often better for patients, as well as better for the environment. These concepts are particularly pertinent in the field of reproductive and women’s health, where CREATE Fertility specialise in adopting an approach that is friendly and safe. With natural and mild IVF treatment, delivered with lower doses of drugs, CREATE is able to offer women treatment that reduces risks, side effects and the burden of IVF and supports healthier outcomes for mother and baby, while maintaining outcomes. That philosophy of putting patients first and finding a more efficient way to work is at the heart of the foundation of CREATE’s ABC IVF. In the UK, and around the world, access to fertility treatment is not fair or equal. For many women and couples, cost is a major barrier and one that can stop them building the family they want. In the UK, availability of NHStreatment is variable around the country. At the time of its launch, ABC IVF was the UK’s lowest cost IVF provider, offering a lifeline to thousands of patients who would not otherwise have been able to access treatment. In women’s healthcare, alongside education, innovation and research is key, yet in the UK it is acknowledged that historically there has been a ‘male as default’ approach that has affected research and clinical trials 1 . Professor Nargund is committed to helping to work towards the UN’s sustainable development goals three (health and wellbeing), five (gender inequality), ten (reduced inequality) and thirteen (climate action) with s push to provide affordable, accessible, effective and safe fertility treatment, delivered sustainably. The work is far from over and Professor Nargund and her team remain committed to improving the outlook for women’s healthcare.

Metode Fatwa MPU (Majelis Permusyawaratan Ulama) Aceh

Fatwa is a process of providing legal certainty to issues that arise which are asked of the mufti. The people's need for fatwas began at the beginning of the development of Islam, which was marked by the presence of the Prophet as the first figure giving fatwas. In Islam, fatwas have an important position, so those who give fatwas must have adequate competence and scientific capacity. As far as research is concerned, no work has been found that specifically examines the fatwa method of the Aceh Ulama Consultative Council, bearing in mind that the fatwa issued by the Aceh Ulama Consultative Assembly has a great influence on Acehnese society. This research was conducted to answer two big questions which became the formulation of the problem, namely how is the MPU Aceh fatwa method and its application? How does the Aceh MPU fatwa method relate to the fatwa on the determination of the Ghair Mu'tabar book? In answering these two big questions, the researcher uses qualitative descriptive research using two approaches, namely library research which will examine the fatwa in depth and the history of the Aceh MPU and its fatwas. The second approach is with field research, to examine the extent to which the effect of the fatwa of the Ghair Mu'tabar book is on society. The theoretical framework used in this study is to use the theory of Islamic scholars and scientists who write about religious fatwas. This research is expected as an effort to understand the process of presenting fatwas that are right on target, so that stability can be created in life, the realization of justice, benefit and prosperity in human life in this world and in the hereafter.