Short-term Management Research Articles

Paternal effects on fetal programming.

Paternal programming is the concept that the environmental signals from the sire's experiences leading up to mating can alter semen and ultimately affect the phenotype of resulting offspring. Potential mechanisms carrying the paternal effects to offspring can be associated with epigenetic signatures (DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNAs), oxidative stress, cytokines, and the seminal microbiome. Several opportunities exist for sperm/semen to be influenced during development; these opportunities are within the testicle, the epididymis, or accessory sex glands. Epigenetic signatures of sperm can be impacted during the pre-natal and pre-pubertal periods, during sexual maturity and with advancing sire age. Sperm are susceptible to alterations as dictated by their developmental stage at the time of the perturbation, and sperm and seminal plasma likely have both dependent and independent effects on offspring. Research using rodent models has revealed that many factors including over/under nutrition, dietary fat, protein, and ingredient composition (e.g., macro- or micronutrients), stress, exercise, and exposure to drugs, alcohol, and endocrine disruptors all elicit paternal programming responses that are evident in offspring phenotype. Research using livestock species has also revealed that sire age, fertility level, plane of nutrition, and heat stress can induce alterations in the epigenetic, oxidative stress, cytokine, and microbiome profiles of sperm and/or seminal plasma. In addition, recent findings in pigs, sheep, and cattle have indicated programming effects in blastocysts post-fertilization with some continuing into post-natal life of the offspring. Our research group is focused on understanding the effects of common management scenarios of plane of nutrition and growth rates in bulls and rams on mechanisms resulting in paternal programming and subsequent offspring outcomes. Understanding the implication of paternal programming is imperative as short-term feeding and management decisions have the potential to impact productivity and profitability of our herds for generations to come.

Digital Water Services using Digital Twin paradigm

In the last years, the digital transition concept has spread all over public and private life as a process designed for improving problem solving in industry by the combination of models, information, and connectivity technologies. In the Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) management sector, the innovations in the areas of ICT/IoT, virtual representation of infrastructure elements in GIS/BIM platforms and the advancements in hydraulic modelling offer the opportunity to open a new era for water engineering. Nonetheless, a unique consensus about the digital transformation meaning in WDNs management is still missing. In this paper a recent paradigm for the digital transformation for WDNs is exposed and further extended, starting from the concept of Digital Twin for WDNs management. It encompasses the virtual representation of features and devices of the network integrated with advanced hydraulic modelling and Artificial Intelligence for supporting WDNs management tasks. The WDN Digital Twin is used within tools, named Digital Water Services (DWSs), working on GIS platforms. DWSs are conceived to support distinct phases of WDNs management by improving engineering awareness on technical decisions. Several DWSs, previously adopted for real WDNs management and planning, are here presented, as support tools for technicians and water utilities for achieving short-term and long-term management tasks.

Publicly funded exome sequencing for outpatients with neurodevelopmental disorders demonstrates a high rate of unexpected findings impacting medical management

PurposeExome sequencing (ES) is a powerful tool that facilitates the diagnosis of patients with rare Mendelian syndromes. In 2018 the Israeli Ministry of Health initiated a national pilot program that funds ES for outpatients with global developmental delay (GDD). Here, we describe the 3-year impact of this program on patient care in a single tertiary hospital. MethodsFrom 2018 to 2020, trio ES was performed on 170 participants fulfilling Israeli Ministry of Health criteria: (1) moderate to severe GDD and (2) mild GDD with epilepsy or a major congenital anomaly. We retrospectively analyzed this cohort. ResultsA diagnosis was achieved in 74 individuals (43%). There were 82 clinically significant variants, the majority being novel. Consanguinity was reported in 22% and was not associated with a higher diagnostic rate. The presence of autism spectrum was associated with a lower diagnostic rate of 8/33 (24%). Autosomal dominant inheritance was identified in 14% of participants, and the parental phenotype ranged between fully affected and asymptomatic. Among the diagnosed participants, 16% had an unexpected diagnosis that did not fit the typical clinical presentation. In 9%, the diagnosis changed short-term active clinical management, in 19%, the surveillance recommendations, and in 23%, the family-focused outcomes. ConclusionThe introduction of a national program that funds ES for GDD has transformed patient care, leading to a significant effect on medical management and treatment. The high rate of an unexpected inheritance mode and variable phenotypes emphasizes the diagnostic complexity of neurodevelopmental disorders and the strength of a non-targeted approach.

The Concept of an Intelligent Decision Support System for Ore Transportation in Underground Mine

The management of in-mine ore transportation systems is a crucial challenge due to the constant development of underground mines. The transport network's stability and efficiency directly affect enterprise profits and growth. Managing key areas such as transportation asset maintenance, object control, and ore extraction planning is essential to ensuring high transportation standards. For larger, multi-site enterprises, transportation supervision is divided among many managers. To address short-term production planning and management support during unplanned events, a decision support system is proposed in this article to meet the expectations of both lower and higher-level managers. The proposed concept is based on the simulation deployed from real-time operational data from mine, in which an agent is placed and taught through reinforcement learning. The simulation as well as agent possible actions have a block structure, where each means of ore transport is a separate add-on. In addition, it is assumed that the solution will be further improved by the implementation of various algorithms found in the literature (e.g. early fault detection algorithms). When created and implemented, such a system will bring improvements in multiple levels of operation, such as the safety of employees, overall machine health, cost reduction, energy efficiency, etc. As a result of this work, a conception of an intelligent decision-support system is presented, along with the specification of areas of its influence and a description of tasks and algorithms proposed to be incorporated within the system itself.

Effects of Atomoxetine for the Treatment of Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension in Patients With Alpha-synucleinopathies: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and a Focus-Group Discussion.

Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH) is one of the most important nonmotor symptoms in patients with α-synucleinopathies. Atomoxetine is a selective norepinephrine transporter blocker that is a treatment option for nOH. This systematic review and expert focus-group study was designed to obtain evidence from published data and clinical experiences of Korean movement-disorder specialists about the efficacy and safety of atomoxetine for the pharmacological treatment of nOH in patients with α-synucleinopathies. The study comprised a systematic review and a focus-group discussion with clinicians. For the systematic review, multiple comprehensive databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and KoreaMed were searched to retrieve articles that assessed the outcomes of atomoxetine therapy. A focus-group discussion was additionally performed to solicit opinions from experts with experience in managing nOH. The literature review process yielded only four randomized controlled trials on atomoxetine matching the inclusion criteria. Atomoxetine effectively increased systolic blood pressure and improved OH-related symptoms as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs. Its effects were pronounced in cases with central autonomic failure, including multiple-system atrophy (MSA). Atomoxetine might be a safe monotherapy regarding the risk of supine hypertension. Atomoxetine is an effective and safe option for short-term nOH management, which could be more evident in patients with central autonomic dysfunction such as MSA. However, there is a paucity of evidence in the literature, and data from the focus-group discussion were inadequate, and so further investigation is warranted.

Toward Social Role-Based Interruptibility Management

Pervasive and ubiquitous computing facilitates immediate access to information in the sense of always-on. Information, such as news, messages, or reminders, can significantly enhance our daily routines but are rendered useless or disturbing when not being aligned with our intrinsic interruptibility preferences. Attention management systems use machine learning to identify short-term opportune moments, so that information delivery leads to fewer interruptions. Humans’ intrinsic interruptibility preferences—established for and across social roles and life domains—would complement short-term attention and interruption management approaches. In this article, we present our comprehensive results toward social role-based attention and interruptibility management. Our approach combines on-device sensing and machine learning with theories from social science to form a personalized two-stage classification model. Finally, we discuss the challenges of the current and future AI-driven attention management systems concerning privacy, ethical issues, and future directions.

Is the Purpose of Cohesion Policy Changing?

An effective cohesion policy is the backbone of the common market and European economy in general. It mitigates the negative effects of economic integration by strengthening the weakest links in the chain of European economic cooperation. The significance of cohesion policy is evident, however, there are worrying tendencies weakening its effectiveness. Not only does the Multiannual Financial Framework have less nominal resources allocated for cohesion in general, but the focus, objectives, and recipients seem to be shifting as well. By introducing the objectives of other policy fields into cohesion policy and deviating its resources for short-term crisis management, the development of regions and their cohesion seems to become a secondary, subsidiary objective. Without cohesion policy, the costs of accelerated economic integration can become unbearable for certain parts of the EU. Even though the European Parliament does recognise this tendency, it sends mixed signals during legislative and non-legislative procedures. There is only one solution for the change in the nature of cohesion policy and thus its hollowing-out – a strict separation of cohesion and non-cohesion goals and their allocation in the EU budget.

INVESTIGATING THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH IN THE ENERGY SECTOR: A STUDY ON TGTDCL

This study presents a descriptive study analyzing the financial strength of TGTDCL in the energy sector. The study examines various financial aspects, including shareholding pattern, annual turnover, net assets value per share, liquidity ratios, profitability ratios, working capital ratios, capital structure ratios, contribution to the national exchequer, and system loss reduction. Employing a descriptive research design, the study utilizes purposive sampling to select TGTDCL. Data is collected from TGTDCL's annual reports spanning 2017-18 to 2020-21 and analyzed using Ms Excel, incorporating descriptive statistics and ratio analysis. Findings indicate that TGTDCL's operations are influenced by government control. Nevertheless, the company exhibits consistent growth in annual turnover, indicating effectiveness in capitalizing on market opportunities and meeting gas demand. The upward trend in net assets value per share reflects growth of assets, benefiting shareholders. Additionally, positive liquidity ratios highlight improved financial health and effective short-term obligation management. However, profitability ratios reveal a decline in profit generation and conversion of revenues to earnings. The study emphasizes inventory management, enhanced collection processes, and optimized payment cycles for financial strengthening. Capital structure ratios underscore the need for managing debt levels and improving cash flow generation. TGTDCL's contributions to the national exchequer demonstrate financial responsibility and positive impact on the economy. Efforts in system loss reduction enhance operational efficiency and cost management. The findings contribute to understanding the financial landscape of the TGTDCL and offer insights for policymakers, industry practitioners, and researchers. Future research should consider qualitative factors and detailed financial data to comprehensively assess financial position of industries in the energy sector.

Short-Term and Topographic Variations in Ecological Site Description of a Semi-Arid Mountain Rangeland

Deficiencies in the rangeland assessment methods prompted researchers to seek new methodologies. Rangeland Ecological Site Description (RESD), is a method suggested to produce information about the sustainability of the ecological services of the rangelands. Improvability for various ecologies is an advantage of the method. In this study, the short-term variation and the effect of the topographical differences on the RESD method were determined. Suggested ecological indicators were scored at the 60 different locations (20 north, 20 south, 20 summits) of the Bozdağ Rangeland for two years (2019-2020), and the ecological indicator scores were compared using non-parametric tests. Results showed that the RESD did not change in two years but it was lower at the south face considering the north face and summit. The RESD class of the south faces was “fair”, while they were “good” for north faces and summit positions. Variations in slope gradient, light exposure, and grazing practices might be responsible for this difference. RESD method provides wider information about the ecological services of the rangelands. However, this method should be improved to give information that could be used in short-term rangeland management plans, including grazing capacity.

Preservation of Mulyosari Site: An Initial Plan

This paper aims to explain the management plan of the Mulyosari site in accordance with the social and cultural potential of Banyuwangi. There are two methods of data collection, through literature studies and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The study of literature comprises archaeological and historical data from the prehistoric to the historic era. It also comprises social and cultural data for the present-day Banyuwangi. Meanwhile, FGD comprises an overview of stakeholder perceptions of the Mulyosari site and the expected management plan. Based on that, the Mulyosari site shortterm management plan was compiled. The management plan is still open to any adjustments in the future. It has adaptive sense in line with the ongoing archaeological research at the Mulyosari site. There are two actions that need to be taken immediately: first, conducting comprehensive archaeological research, and second, official stipulating the Mulyosari site as a cultural heritage site. Such actions are considered an initial plan for the management of the cultural site. It adheres to the principle of preservation as stated in UU Cagar Budaya No 11 Tahun 2010.

Effect of botulinum toxin A on pain, bite force, and satisfaction of patients with bruxism: A randomized single-blind clinical trial comparing two protocols

PurposeThe current study aims to evaluate bite force, perception of orofacial pain, and treatment satisfaction of patients with bruxism using two protocols of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections. Material and MethodsTwo groups of patients seeking bruxism treatment and presenting bilateral orofacial pain of muscle origin were randomly created according to BTX-A injection sites: masseter muscle only, bilaterally (3 points in each muscle, 10 U per point), and masseter and temporal muscles (3 points in each masseter muscle and 2 points in each temporal muscle, 10 U per point). The patients were evaluated preoperatively and longitudinally at 15, 90, 120, and 180 days by the use of visual analog scales for pain and treatment satisfaction and a gnathodynamometer for bite force recording. ResultsThe final sample included 10 participants in each group. Both groups presented mitigation of pain at 15, 90, 120, and 180 days in comparison with baseline; however, reduction in the posterior bite force was noted only at 15, 90, and 120 days. Quite high treatment satisfaction was reported from both groups at 15, 90, 120, and 180 days. No differences were observed between the groups in all evaluations and study periods. ConclusionIn general, considering pain relief, reduction in bite force, and treatment satisfaction, both protocols of BTX-A seem to be somewhat equally effective in the short-term management (up to 120 days) of bruxism.

Genes drive organisms and slippery slopes

ABSTRACT The bioethical debate about using gene drives to alter or eradicate wild populations has focused mostly on issues concerning short-term risk assessment and management, governance and oversight, and public and community engagement, but has not examined big-picture— ‘where is this going?’—questions in great depth. In other areas of bioethical controversy, big-picture questions often enter the public forum via slippery slope arguments. Given the incredible potential of gene drive organisms to alter the Earth’s biota, it is somewhat surprising that slippery slope arguments have not played a more prominent role in ethical and policy debates about these emerging technologies. In this article, we examine a type of slippery slope argument against using gene drives to alter or suppress wild pest populations and consider whether it has a role to play in ethical and policy debates. Although we conclude that this argument does not provide compelling reasons for banning the use of gene drives in wild pest populations, we believe that it still has value as a morally instructive cautionary narrative that can motivate scientists, ethicists, and members of the public to think more clearly about appropriate vs. inappropriate uses of gene drive technologies, the long-term and cumulative and emergent risks of using gene drives in wild populations, and steps that can be taken to manage these risks, such as protecting wilderness areas where people can enjoy life forms that have not been genetically engineered.

Effect of increased temperature and leachate recirculation on biogas production and settlement of municipal solid waste.

This study evaluated the effects of increased temperature and leachate recirculation on volatile solids (VS), biogas, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) leachate quality (pH and chemical oxygen demand) and the settlement of municipal solid waste (MSW). Three large-scale tests were conducted with no leachate recirculation at 21°C, weekly leachate recirculation at 20°C and weekly leachate recirculation at 50°C. Leachate recirculation and increased temperature accelerated biodegradation and pushed forward the onset time (from 27 to 8 days). The increase of biodegradation activity was reflected in the change of biogas production, VS and settlement. Compressibility index , increased from 0.71 and 0.77 at 21°C to 0.83 when the temperature was 50°C. In addition, leachate recirculation and high temperature reduced H2S concentration levels by inhibiting the growth of sulphate-reducing bacteria and leachate recirculation lowered H2S production by dissolving the high H2S presence. The results showed that MSW can have significantly changed mechanical and biochemical behaviour under different temperatures and saturations. The results help understand the processes in landfills for more effective short-term and long-term design and management.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES FOLLOWING FREY'S PROCEDURE FOR CHRONIC PANCREATITIS – A TEN-YEARS OF SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE FROM A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN SOUTH INDIA

Background/Aim: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is surgically treated in selected patient populations. Frey's procedure (FP) is the most commonly described procedure for CP with head mass. This study is being conducted to determine the long-term outcome and efcacy of FP in patients with CP in South India of various etiologies. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent FP at our institution. Clinical features, perioperative ndings, and follow-up results were evaluated. A subgroup analysis of pain relief was performed between alcoholics and non-alcoholic groups and between patients receiving FP alone and FP with additional procedures. Results: Of the 181 patients, alcohol was the causative factor in 99 (54.69%), gallstones in 20 (11.04%), and idiopathic in 62 (34.25%). With a median follow-up of 43.49 months (range 12-72 months), 78 (43.09%) patients experienced complete pain relief. Due to persistent pain and the presence of preoperative diabetes mellitus (DM), pain relief in patients with postoperative complications was incomplete. New DM and exocrine dysfunction were reported in 25 years (13.81%) and 15 (8.28%) patients. Patients with a history of alcohol abuse, smoking, weight loss, and postoperative complications are associated with newly developed diabetes. Conclusion: FP is a safe surgical option for CP with acceptable perioperative complications and appropriate short-term and long-term pain management in properly selected patients. Continuous pain and preoperative DM were independent predictors of incomplete pain relief after FP. Symptoms associated with alcohol abuse, smoking, and weight loss were associated with the development of post-FP DM in the study population.

Priority‐aware intelligent device access management for carbon footprint monitoring in sustainable cites and society

Carbon footprint monitoring provides significant basis for computing facilities to improve the computing efficiency and reduce the energy cost, which can enable low/zero carbon computing and facilitate the construction of sustainable cites. Massive sensing devices access to 5G base station to transmit collected carbon emission data, which requires intelligent access management. Fast uplink grant possesses the advantages of reducing signalling overhead and access conflicts while facing the problems of incomplete information and difficulty in guaranteeing priority constraint. This paper examines, the maximum access queuing delay minimization problem is formulated under the long-term service priority constraint and the short-term access management constraint. First, Lyapunov optimization is leveraged to decouple the long-term service priority constraint and short-term access management optimization, and decompose the long-term stochastic optimization problem into a series of short-term deterministic problems. Then, a priority-aware deep Q-network (DQN)-based fast uplink grant access management (PDAC) algorithm is proposed to achieve intelligent access management with differentiated service priority requirements. PDAC utilizes DQN to handle non-convex high-dimensional optimization problem with service priority constraint to achieve intelligent access management and priority awareness. Simulation results demonstrate that PDAC outperforms the existing algorithms in access queuing delay, buffer queue backlog, and priority deficit fluctuation.

Sentinel-1 InSAR and GPS-Integrated Long-Term and Seasonal Subsidence Monitoring in Houston, Texas, USA

For approximately 100 years, the Houston region has been adversely impacted by land subsidence associated with excessive groundwater withdrawals. The rapidly growing population in the Houston region means the ongoing subsidence must be vigilantly monitored. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has become a powerful tool for remotely mapping land-surface deformation over time and space. However, the humid weather and the heavy vegetation have significantly degraded the performance of InSAR techniques in the Houston region. This study introduced an approach integrating GPS and Sentinel-1 InSAR datasets for mapping long-term (2015–2019) and short-term (inter-annual, seasonal) subsidence within the greater Houston region. The root-mean-square (RMS) of the detrended InSAR-displacement time series is able to achieve a subcentimeter level, and the uncertainty (95% confidence interval) of the InSAR-derived subsidence rates is able to achieve a couple of millimeters per year for 5-year or longer datasets. The InSAR mapping results suggest the occurrence of moderate ongoing subsidence (~1 cm/year) in nothwestern Austin County, northern Waller County, western Liberty County, and the city of Mont Belvieu in Champers County. Subsidence in these areas was not recognized in previous GPS-based investigations. The InSAR mapping results also suggest that previous GPS-based investigations overestimated the ongoing subsidence in southwestern Montgomery County, but underestimated the ongoing subsidence in the northeastern portion of the county. We also compared the InSAR- and GPS-derived seasonal ground movements (subsidence and heave). The amplitudes of the seasonal signals from both datasets are comparable, below 4 mm within non-subsiding areas and over 6 mm in subsiding (>1 cm/year) areas. This study indicates that groundwater-level changes in the Evangeline aquifer are the primary reason for ongoing long-term and seasonal subsidence in the Houston region. The former is dominated by inelastic deformation, and the latter is dominated by elastic deformation. Both could cause infrastructure damage. This study demonstrated the potential of employing the GPS- and InSAR-integrated method (GInSAR) for near-real-time subsidence monitoring in the greater Houston region. The near-real-time monitoring would also provide timely information for understanding the dynamic of groundwater storage and improving both long-term and short-term groundwater resource management.

Short-term variations and correlations in water quality after dam removal in the Chishui river basin

Dam damming has an adverse effect on river connectivity, leading to downstream nutrient transport and ecosystem fragmentation. Dam demolition has already been used as an effective measurement to promote the ecological restoration of rivers. Few studies have analyzed the short-term variations of water quality following dam removal. This study investigated the response of multi-element and multi-form water quality parameters, such as water temperature (TEM), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), to the demolition of 4 dams in Chishui River Basin in short term. The study employed Spearman correlation analysis and Generalized Additive Models to identify the critical variables and examine the inter-relationship between these water quality parameters. Our results show that COD, BOD5, and TP increased after two weeks of dam removal, while NH3–N and TN decreased. Dams with larger volumes and higher heights led to more obvious deterioration for DO, COD, and BOD5. We also found that denitrification and resuspension dominantly affect the water quality indicators following dam removal. Denitrification is responsible for downstream TN increase, and resuspension and related sediment transport contribute to downstream TP increase. Our study provides an opportunity to explore the transformation and migration of N and P in reservoirs following dam removal in the short term and presents a scientific basis and new thought for the short-term protection and management following the clean-up and rectification of multiple small hydropower plants.

EE116 Budget Impact Analysis of a Combination Analgesic for the Management of the Acute Mild to Moderate Pain in Italy

The evidence suggests that paracetamol/ibuprofen combinations as an intravenous formulation can be offered as an alternative to other analgesics for the short-term management of mild to moderate acute pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic impact of the introduction of this combination analgesic from the National Health Service (NHS) perspective in Italy.

Novel methodological and computational techniques for uncertainty quantification in diabetes short-term management models using real data

An open problem in diabetes clinical practice is determining where and how much insulin should be administered to a person with diabetes (PwD) and how many carbohydrates they should eat to maintain blood glucose levels at healthy safe levels. Here, we propose the use of a minimal model describing the glucose dynamics of PwD. Using glucose Pwd's data, we calibrate the minimal model considering the uncertainty due to errors in glucose measurement, finding the model parameter values that best reproduce the current glucose levels. Then, all the possible combinations of insulin administration and carbohydrate intake are analysed with the aim of maintaining the glucose at safe levels during the following hours. The resulting procedure is tested with data from two real persons with scenarios of the most typical situations. We expect to apply this procedure in more complex models to help the physicians to give suitable recommendations to PwD.

Changes in Alprazolam Metabolism by CYP3A43 Mutants.

Alprazolam is a triazolobenzodiazepine which is most commonly used in the short-term management of anxiety disorders, often in combination with antipsychotics. The four human members of the CYP3A subfamily are mainly responsible for its metabolism, which yields the main metabolites 4-hydroxyalprazolam and α-hydroxyalprazolam. We performed a comparison of alprazolam metabolism by all four CYP3A enzymes upon recombinant expression in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 show the highest 4-hydroxyalprazolam production rates, while CYP3A5 alone is the major producer of α-hydroxyalprazolam. For both metabolites, CYP3A7 and CYP3A43 show lower activities. Computational simulations rationalize the difference in preferred oxidation sites observed between the exemplary enzymes CYP3A5 and CYP3A43. Investigations of the alprazolam metabolites formed by three previously described CYP3A43 mutants (L293P, T409R, and P340A) unexpectedly revealed that they produce 4-hydroxy-, but not α-hydroxyalprazolam. Instead, they all also make a different metabolite, which is 5-N-O alprazolam. With respect to 4-hydroxyalprazolam, the mutants showed fourfold (T409R) to sixfold (L293P and P340A) higher production rates compared to the wild-type (CYP3A43.1). In the case of 5-N-O alprazolam, the production rates were similar for the three mutants, while no formation of this metabolite was found in the wild-type incubation.