Scheduling with multiple tasks per job – the case of quality control laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry

This paper addresses a complex scheduling problem encountered in a major pharmaceutical industry setting. Specifically, the problem deals with assigning tasks to technicians as part of the quality control phase in order to minimise the total flowtime, and the number of jobs not meeting a required time window. The problem considers test batching, overlapping tests, and resource assignments constrained by test specific capability requirements. Furthermore, batching tasks of similar types is possible, but batch sizes are particular to each product-test type combination. This is a significant difference from previous literature in batching parallel machines. The particular problem described in the paper is highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry and has not been previously addressed in the literature. Various approaches to solve this particular problem are described and compared via statistical analyses. Finally, the authors present a software prototype with implemented solution algorithms.     

The effectiveness of helmets in bicycle collisions with motor vehicles: A case–control study

There has been an ongoing debate in Australia and internationally regarding the effectiveness of bicycle helmets in preventing head injury. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of bicycle helmets in preventing head injury amongst cyclists in crashes involving motor vehicles, and to assess the impact of ‘risky cycling behaviour’ among helmeted and unhelmeted cyclists. This analysis involved a retrospective, case–control study using linked police-reported road crash, hospital admission and mortality data in New South Wales (NSW), Australia during 2001–2009.     

The role of the social sciences in East–West relations

This paper explores the foundations of the current system of East–West scholarly exchanges in the social sciences, beginning with the Congress for Cultural Freedom in 1950. It traces the development of the social sciences in post-war Europe to philosophical differences between Polanyi and Bernal concerning long-term planning in science. This article argues that the development of the social sciences played a part in changing attitudes and tactics of war and in establishing channels of communication between East and West.     

What is the role of the accessibility of wood hydroxyl groups in controlling moisture content?

It has often been claimed that the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of wood is controlled by the available hydroxyl group content and their accessibility, but this has not been proven. In the present study, the accessibility of the hydroxyl groups were analysed by deuterium exchange in a dynamic vapour sorption apparatus, and generally poor correlation with the EMC and hydroxyl group accessibility was found. Therefore, the role of the accessibility of wood hydroxyl groups in relation to exerting sole influence on the EMC is disputable. It is concluded that there has to be an additional mechanism to exercise control over the EMC in addition to hydroxyl group accessibility.     

Influence of the surface mechanical pulsed treatment on the oxidation of Fe – 0.2C – 13Cr – 0.3Si steel in lead melts

We study the influence of mechanical pulsed treatment (MPT-1) on the corrosion resistance of Fe – 0.2C – 13Cr – 0.3Si steel in a lead melt containing 1.3 · 10^{– 3} wt.% of oxygen at a temperature of 550°C for 1000 h. It is shown that the MPT promotes the formation of micro- and macrodefects in the subsurface zone of the specimens, which intensifies the process of oxidation of steel. The oxidation resistance of steel after MPT-2 and MPT-3 (with adding aluminum and silicon) is attained as a result of the formation of a hardened zone with nanocrystalline structure and large lengths of grain boundaries intensifying the diffusion of chromium into the oxide films.     

Great differences in the ways of implementing the new EIA Directive – the offerings of the EIALAW 2018 conference

On the 23 March 2018, the most recent developments of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) law were examined by experts in Helsinki. The main theme of the conference was the comparison of the implementation experiences of various countries concerning the reformed EU EIA Directive. The European EIA debate was reflected against experiences in Canada. This paper examines the key points of the conference presentations and the lessons of the event.     

A comparison of the emissions of gasoline–ethanol fuel and compressed natural gas fuel used in vehicles with spark ignition engine in Rio de Janeiro: Brazil

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - A comparison of the emissions of gasoline–ethanol fuel and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel used in vehicles with spark ignition engine was...     

The change of the electric conductivity type in crystals of Bi2−xInxTe3 solid solutions

Room-temperature values of the Hall constantR _H (Bc), Seebeck coefficient (Tc), and the temperature dependence of the electric conductivity _c in the 120–360 K temperature interval have been investigated on samples of Bi_2–x In _x Te₃ crystals prepared by the Bridgman technique. It has been established on the basis of the changes of these transport coefficients with increasing content of indium that for values close tox=0.1 the conductivity type changes from p-type to n-type. Suppression of the concentration of holes due to the incorporation of In atoms into the crystal lattice of p-Bi₂Te₃ is accounted for by a model of point defects in the Bi₂–xIn _x Te₃ crystal lattice. It is assumed that the arising uncharged substitutional In _Bi ^x defects polarize the Bi₂Te₃ lattice and thus lower the concentration of anti-site defects Bi_Te, whose charges are compensated by holes. The dominant defects in the crystal lattice of n-Bi_2–x In _x Te₃ are the tellurium vacancies V _Te ^. .     

Improved sensitivity of tunable far-infrared spectroscopy: application to the detection of HBr in the ? = 1 state

We report the first detection of the pure rotational spectra of H79 Br and H81 Br in the first excited vibrational state at room temperature. We recorded the spectra with a tunable far-infrared spectrometer equipped with an optimized Ge:Ga photodetector and an improved multiple-pass gas cell to enhance the overall sensitivity. In particular, a minimum detectable absorption of better than 10-7 cm-1 was achieved. We measured a total of 60 frequencies for the two isotopomers with an accuracy of a few parts in 108 . The hyperfine structure was observed at the lower J values. The derived spectroscopic parameters, which include nuclear and quadrupole hyperfine constants, reproduce the assigned transitions within their experimental errors.     

The role of Fourier theory and of modulation in the prediction of visible moiré effects

Modern moiré theory is largely based on the Fourier approach. And yet, it seems that the Fourier theory by itself cannot answer all questions related to moiré effects. We present some visible phenomena in the superposition of periodic structures (such as line gratings) that are not captured by the Fourier approach. We discuss their significance, and provide possible explanations. In particular, we introduce the infinite module spanned by the frequencies of the original individual layers as a main tool in the moiré theory. We discuss its significance on the visible periodicities in the layer superposition–either real moiré effects, or pseudo-moiré (modulation) effects having no corresponding impulses in the Fourier spectral domain.     

Modeling of the Surface Structure in Gasdynamic Problems with the Use of the Data of Atomic‐Force Microscopy

The morphology of the surface of singlecrystalline silicon as a function of the degree of oxidation has been investigated by the method of atomicforce microscopy. The roughness of the surface at different stages of treatment has been evaluated with the use of topographic images. It has been found that the standard deviation characterizing the distribution of microroughnesses by height, or the roughness, increases with oxidation of the sample. A histogram of the distribution of structural surface elements has been presented. The data obtained can be employed in specifying boundary conditions to gasdynamic problems.     

Online comprehensive RPLC × RPLC with mass spectrometry detection for the analysis of proteome samples

LC-MS-based shotgun proteomics relies both on the power of the separation techniques and the sensitivity of detection methods. As a viable alternative to classical approaches in this field, we developed a fully automated, comprehensive 2D LC system, in which RPLC × RPLC was coupled to MS detection, for the first time, and applied for the analysis of tryptic digests obtained from α-casein and dephosphorylated α-casein. The use of a significantly different pH in the two dimensions allowed us to attain high peak capacity, despite the employment of novel identical stationary phases. Furthermore, such a combination addresses compatibility issues, thus allowing straightforward interfacing in online 2D LC configuration, as well as direct linkage to a mass spectrometer. A theoretical peak capacity of ca. 8500 was calculated for the setup, employing four serially coupled C18 columns in the first dimension (600 × 2.1 mm, 2.7 μm d.p.), operated under basic conditions, and 3 cm length of the same stationary phase (30 × 4.6 mm, 2.7 μm d.p. column), under acidic conditions, for fast second dimension analysis.     

Effectiveness of strategic environmental assessment in Germany? – meta-review of SEA research in the light of effectiveness dimensions

SEA practice in Germany has been growing since its introduction and so has the number of SEA research projects and publications. This paper provides a meta-review of German SEA effectiveness research published between 2004 and 2018. In this context, we discuss: (1) What is the status quo of SEA application in Germany? (2) What dimensions of SEA effectiveness have been addressed in research to date? and (3) How effective is SEA in Germany? Our findings indicate that there is room and need for SEA improvement, for example, with regards to the practice of screening, transparency, and quality management. With a focus of previous SEA research on the dimension of procedural effectiveness, future research should aim at other dimensions and their interactions (substantive, transactive, knowledge and learning, legitimacy).     

Human health frames in EIA – the case of Swedish road planning

How human health is framed provides boundaries for choices in practice and bias for certain actions in health assessments in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This study examines health frames in legislation and policies of importance for EIA in Swedish road planning and their implications for practice. The emphasis is on different approaches, such as promotion of health and prevention of ill-health. Indicators of the choices in practice for which the health frames exert bias are further analysed through a review of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for road planning and comparison with a similar study conducted about 10 years ago. The indicators studied are: health determinants included, health impacts assessed, and aspects of the affected population concerned in the EISs. There are fundamentally different health frames in Swedish legislation and policies, but this range is not yet reflected in EISs, which mainly focus on environmental health rather than on broader health determinants and health equity. The results indicate that this situation becomes a dilemma for EIA practitioners and a challenge for the field.     

Computer-aided detection and characterization of stroke lesion – a short review on the current state-of-the art methods

The fast advancements in the field of computer vision, progress in radiology, image processing, modelling and simulation have changed the medical science to diagnose people in an efficient way. To be exact, the headways in medical imaging have prompted better diagnostic planning and accuracy in surgical methodology with little human–machine intervention. Stroke remains the third driving reason for death, after heart attack and cancer. Automatic computer-aided diagnosis of brain diseases has been gaining significant attention in the last two decades. The aim of this work is to review the current state-of-the-art techniques employed for segmentation, classification and detection of stroke lesion and present the key challenges in it. By investigating the advanced aspects and significant pitfalls of the different surveyed techniques, an overview on the performance of these methods is presented in this work.     

The role of ε-martensite in the impact toughness of an Fe-17Mn alloy

The influence of -martensite on the cryogenic toughness of an Fe-17 wt% Mn alloy was studied in this work. Alloys were tempered at various temperatures in order to systematically increase the volume fraction of -martensite. This was followed by Charpy impact testing conducted at room temperature and at–196°C. The experimental results indicated that although room-temperature toughness was not influenced by the -martensite content, the cryogenic toughness was strongly dependent on the volume fraction of -martensite. In particular, with the exception of the alloys tempered at 400 and 450°C, the impact toughness consistently increased with -martensite content. Microstructural and fractographic evaluations using SEM and TEM suggested that the toughness improvements were attributed to the stress-induced martensite transformation. No microstructural evidence was found which could be ascribed to an effect of -martensite on the low-temperature embrittlement exhibited by Fe-Mn alloys tempered at 400–450°C.     

The role of silicon in the formation of the (Al5Cu6Mg2) σ phase in Al-Cu-Mg alloys

The role of silicon in the precipitation of the phase (Al₅Cu₆Mg₂) has been investigated through comparative studies on Al-3.63Cu-1.67Mg (wt%) and Al-3.63Cu-1.67Mg-0.5Si alloys. Both alloys were extensively examined after solution treating at 525°C for 2.5 h followed by ageing at 265°C for times up to 650 h. Limited studies were also undertaken on both alloys after ageing at 200 and 305°C. Precipitation of was observed in Al-3.62%Cu-1.66%Mg-0.5%Si for all ageing conditions studied but was absent in Si-free Al-3.62%Cu-1.66%Mg. In addition, S and phases were observed in both alloys. The volume fraction of phase in the Si containing alloy was substantially reduced by a pre-age stretch followed by ageing for 24 h at 265°C with S being the dominant precipitate type. The volume fraction of phase in the Si containing alloy was lower after ageing 24 h at 200°C than after 24 h at 265 and 305°C. Peak hardness was higher for the Si free alloy on ageing at 200 and 265°C, but the Si free alloy softened more rapidly, reflecting the more rapid coarsening kinetics of S compared with .