ESTABLISHING ZONES IN SINGLE-COMMAND CLASS-BASED RECTANGULAR AS/RS

In this paper, we develop procedures for dividing rectangular warehouses into classes. We describe three types of classes and develop their corresponding traveling time models. A solution procedure involving a one-dimensional (or at most two-dimensional) search is developed. We show that the one-dimensional search procedure is very effective in solving most practical problems. Additionally, we show that most of the savings obtained by a full-turnover policy can be obtained with a relatively few classes—a result similar to the one obtained for the square AS/RS.     

An investigation of the predictive validity and economic utility of the assessment center for the high-management level.

Obtained final ratings on 25 assessment dimensions for 382 candidates for high-level management positions in an Israeli corporation. The ratings were determined by an assessment center process, 2 clinically derived assessment scores, and a mechanically derived assessment score. For 49 of the assessees, scores were also available on a battery of paper-and-pencil cognitive tests. For all Ss, data were obtained on 2 criterion measures over a period of 4 yrs. Both the general intelligence rating formulated in the assessment center and the scores on the cognitive tests were found to be predictively invalid, while the personality measure proved valid. Despite the modest coefficients of predictive validity found for the other assessment center predictors, the economic utility analysis performed with an amended formula demonstrated a cost-effectiveness for the assessment center program. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Semantic-oriented 3d shape retrieval using relevance feedback

Shape-based retrieval of 3D models has become an important challenge in computer graphics. Object similarity, however, is a subjective matter, dependent on the human viewer, since objects have semantics and are not mere geometric entities. Relevance feedback aims at addressing the subjectivity of similarity. This paper presents a novel relevance feedback algorithm that is based on supervised as well as unsupervised feature extraction techniques. It also proposes a novel signature for 3D models, the sphere projection. A Web search engine that realizes the signature and the relevance feedback algorithm is presented. We show that the proposed approach produces good results and outperforms previous techniques.     

Relationship between intrinsic needs and women's persistence at work.

Attempted to predict Israeli females' persistence at work on the basis of the needs determining their occupational choice. Ss included 288 dentists, 31 registered nurses, 20 policewomen, 30 social workers, and 35 youth counselors. Ss rated a list of needs according to the effect they had on Ss' occupational choice. Persistence was measured by the length of time S worked during the critical period for her occupation (e.g., between ages 35-50 yr. for nurses). All correlations between job persistence and intrinsic needs were positive. Correlations between extrinsic needs and job persistence were either positive or negative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing Demand to Optimize Production Costs

Manufacturing firms often have to deal with a demand pattern that is characterized by fluctuations. Demand fluctuations may be caused by factors such as seasonalities, the dynamics of a particular industrial sector or of the entire economy, change in demand levels over a short product life cycle, promotions carried out by marketing, or by contracts between an organization and its customers. Typically, a firm would be able to exercise a high degree of control over its choice of contracts and over marketing promotions and very little control over the remaining factors. This paper focuses on situations in which demand fluctuations are caused by "controllable" factors. The paper develops an analytic model to examine the impact of demand fluctuations (resulting from "controllable" factors) on the production system. The objective is to manage demand to ensure that production costs are minimized for a given amount of aggregate demand over the planning horizon. The paper examines the validity of the notion that demand fluctuations always have an adverse impact on manufacturing. The results indicate that optimal demand and production patterns tend to be well-behaved monotone series that are characterized by little, if any, fluctuation. These results thus support the notion that fluctuations are undesirable. It is shown, however, that a level demand pattern is not necessarily optimal.     

UV disinfection of wastewater effluents for unrestricted irrigation.

Wastewater reuse in arid regions is important for the production of a water resource to be utilised for non-potable purposes and to prevent the environmental transmission of disease-causing agents. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water quality on the comparative disinfection efficiency of viruses, bacteria and spores by UV irradiation. Furthermore, the microbial quality of effluent produced by coagulation, high rate filtration (HRF) and either UV irradiation or chlorination was determined. Using low pressure collimated beam, a UV dose of 80 mWs/cm2 was needed to achieve a 3-log10 inactivation of either rotavirus SA-11 or coliphage MS2, whereas over 5-log10 inactivation of E. coli was reached with a dose of only 20 mWs/cm2. B. subtilis inactivation was found to be linear up to a dose of 40 mWs/cm2 and then a tailing up to a UV dose of 120 mWs/cm2 was observed. It is worth noting that effluent turbidity of < 5 NTU did not influence the inactivation efficiency of UV irradiation. Operation of a pilot plant to treat secondary effluent by coagulation, HRF and UV disinfection at a UV dose of 80 mWs/cm2 resulted in the production of high quality effluent in compliance with the Israel standards for unrestricted irrigation (< 10 CFU/100 mL faecal coliform and turbidity of < 5 NTU). Sulphite reducing clostridia (SRC) were found to be more resistant than coliphages and F coliform for UV irradiation. The results of this study indicated that UV disinfection is suitable for the production of effluents for unrestricted irrigation of food crops.     

Analysis of pharmacology data and the prediction of adverse drug reactions and off-target effects from chemical structure

Preclinical Safety Pharmacology (PSP) attempts to anticipate adverse drug reactions (ADRs) during early phases of drug discovery by testing compounds in simple, in vitro binding assays (that is, preclinical profiling). The selection of PSP targets is based largely on circumstantial evidence of their contribution to known clinical ADRs, inferred from findings in clinical trials, animal experiments, and molecular studies going back more than forty years. In this work we explore PSP chemical space and its relevance for the prediction of adverse drug reactions. Firstly, in silico (computational) Bayesian models for 70 PSP-related targets were built, which are able to detect 93% of the ligands binding at IC(50) < or = 10 microM at an overall correct classification rate of about 94%. Secondly, employing the World Drug Index (WDI), a model for adverse drug reactions was built directly based on normalized side-effect annotations in the WDI, which does not require any underlying functional knowledge. This is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to predict adverse drug reactions across hundreds of categories from chemical structure alone. On average 90% of the adverse drug reactions observed with known, clinically used compounds were detected, an overall correct classification rate of 92%. Drugs withdrawn from the market (Rapacuronium, Suprofen) were tested in the model and their predicted ADRs align well with known ADRs. The analysis was repeated for acetylsalicylic acid and Benperidol which are still on the market. Importantly, features of the models are interpretable and back-projectable to chemical structure, raising the possibility of rationally engineering out adverse effects. By combining PSP and ADR models new hypotheses linking targets and adverse effects can be proposed and examples for the opioid mu and the muscarinic M2 receptors, as well as for cyclooxygenase-1 are presented. It is hoped that the generation of predictive models for adverse drug reactions is able to help support early SAR to accelerate drug discovery and decrease late stage attrition in drug discovery projects. In addition, models such as the ones presented here can be used for compound profiling in all development stages.     

Modelling the effects of climate change on the energy system—A case study of Norway

The overall objective of this work is to identify the effects of climate change on the Norwegian energy system towards 2050. Changes in the future wind- and hydro-power resource potential, and changes in the heating and cooling demand are analysed to map the effects of climate change. The impact of climate change is evaluated with an energy system model, the MARKAL Norway model, to analyse the future cost optimal energy system. Ten climate experiments, based on five different global models and six emission scenarios, are used to cover the range of possible future climate scenarios and of these three experiments are used for detailed analyses. This study indicate that in Norway, climate change will reduce the heating demand, increase the cooling demand, have a limited impact on the wind power potential, and increase the hydro-power potential. The reduction of heating demand will be significantly higher than the increase of cooling demand, and thus the possible total direct consequence of climate change will be reduced energy system costs and lower electricity production costs. The investments in offshore wind and tidal power will be reduced and electric based vehicles will be profitable earlier.     

THE OPTIMALITY OF THE “CUT ACROSS THE BOARD” RULE APPLIED TO AN INVENTORY MODEL

A common procedure in budget allocation is to let the different entities of an organization determine their optimal budgets. Once the individual requests are received, they are then cut by a common factor, as necessary, so that a global constraint is satisfied. We refer to this procedure as the “cut across the board” rule. In general, this method will not result in a globally optimal solution. In this paper we identify conditions that assure the global optimality of die “cut (or expand) across the board” rule. We specifically focus on a constrained multi-item inventory model and generalize results of Rosenblatt [10] and Plossl and Wight [8]. In addition, we briefly discuss applicability of the results to other areas.     

Somatic deletion mapping on chromosome 10 and sequence analysis of PTEN/MMAC1 point to the 10q25-26 region as the primary target in low-grade and high-grade gliomas

The 10q25-26 region between the dinucleotide markers D10S587 and D10S216 is deleted in glioblastomas and, as we have recently shown, in low-grade oligodendrogliomas. We further refined somatic mapping on 10q23-tel and simultaneously assessed the role of the candidate tumor suppressor gene PTEN/MMAC1 in glial neoplasms by sequence analysis of eight low-grade and 24 high-grade gliomas. These tumors were selected for partial or complete loss of chromosome 10 based on deletion mapping with increased microsatellite marker density at 10q23-tel. Three out of eight (38%) low-grade and 3/24 (13%) high-grade gliomas exclusively target 10q25-26. We did not find a tumor only targeting 10q23.3, and most tumors (23/32, 72%) showed large deletions on 10q including both regions. The sequence analysis of PTEN/MMAC1 revealed nucleotide alterations in 1/8 (12.5%) low-grade gliomas in a tumor with LOH at l0q21-qtel and in 5/21 (24%) high-grade gliomas displaying LOH that always included 10q23-26. Our refined mapping data point to the 10q25-26 region as the primary target on 10q, an area that also harbors the DMBT1 candidate tumor suppressor gene. The fact that we find hemizygous deletions at 10q25-qtel in low-grade astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas - two histologically distinct entities of gliomas - suggests the existence of a putative suppressor gene involved early in glial tumorigenesis.