On-line SPC with consideration of learning curve

This work identifies a link between on-line statistical process control (SPC) and the learning effect for the process standard deviation (PSD) caused by the quality improvement (QI) program. The learning curve (LC) is used to describe and forecast, and the exponentially weighted root mean square control chart is used to monitor the progress in reducing PSD. A modification of the quality control chart (QCC) that considers LC of PSD is proposed. The reduction rate of PSD may be large during the initial stage of the QI program, and influences QCC construction. Simulation is used to compare the shift-detecting ability of the Shewhart- control chart and EWMA- control chart, without- and with- consideration of LC. The EWMA- chart with consideration of LC performs best. In comparison, the Shewhart- chart without LC consideration has almost no shift-detecting ability when the shift magnitude of the process mean is small, leading to rendering quality control ineffective.     

The Social Sustainable Aquifer Yield: An Indicator for the Analysis and Assessment of the Integrated Aquifers Management

Integrated Aquifers Management (IAM) demands innovative tools and methods that are able to consider as much perspectives as possible. This research is aimed to design, apply and provide an indicator named Social Sustainable Aquifer Yield (SSAY), expressed in units of time that includes pure hydrological variables as well as social ones. The indicator is defined as the relation between the Residence Time, which is the relation between aquifer Storage (S) and Recharge (R) (S/R), and the relation between the aquifer Pumping (P) and the new variable named Aquifer Social Yield (ASY). The whole indicator is defined by this formula: (S/R)/(P/ASY). The assessment of the residence time is essential in aquifers with at least one of the following features: i) high hydraulic diffusivity, and ii) small volume of reserves. Finally, the variable ASY is defined as the average perception from the stakeholders about the maximum acceptable aquifer exploitation. This indicator has been successfully applied in the aquifers located in southern Jaen province (South Spain) belonging to the Water System SE4-Jaén Water Supply. The results probe the high utility of the indicator, especially in regards to the public participation processes.     

Effective discrepancy and numerical experiments

Many problems require the computation of a high dimensional integral, typically with a few tens of input factors, with a low number of integrand evaluations. To avoid the curse of dimensionality, we reduce the dimension before applying the Quasi-Monte Carlo method. We will show how to reduce the dimension by computing approximate Sobol indices of the variables with a two-levels fractional factorial design. Then, we will use the Sobol indices to define the effective discrepancy, which turns out to be correlated with the QMC error and thus enables one to choose a good sequence for the integral estimation.     

Matrix generation within a macroporous non-degradable implant for osteochondral defects is not enhanced with partial enzymatic digestion of the surrounding tissue: evaluation in an in vivo rabbit model

Articular cartilage defects are a significant source of pain, have limited ability to heal, and can lead to the development of osteoarthritis. However, a surgical solution is not available. To tackle this clinical problem, non-degradable implants capable of carrying mechanical load immediately after implantation and for the duration of implantation, while integrating with the host tissue, may be viable option. But integration between articular cartilage and non-degradable implants is not well studied. Our objective was to assess the in vivo performance of a novel macroporous, nondegradable, polyvinyl alcohol construct. We hypothesized that matrix generation within the implant would be enhanced with partial digestion of the edges of articular cartilage. Our hypothesis was tested by randomizing an osteochondral defect created in the trochlea of 14 New Zealand white rabbits to treatment with: (i) collagenase or (ii) saline, prior to insertion of the implant. At 1 and 3-month post-operatively, the gross morphology and histologic appearance of the implants and the surrounding tissue were assessed. At 3 months, the mechanical properties of the implant were also quantified. Overall, the hydrogel implants performed favorably; at all time-points and in all groups the implants remained well fixed, did not cause inflammation or synovitis, and did not cause extensive damage to the opposing articular cartilage. Regardless of treatment with saline or collagenase, at 1 month post-operatively implants from both groups had a contiguous interface with adjacent cartilage and were populated with chondrocyte-like cells. At 3 months fibrous encapsulation of all implants was evident, there was no difference between area of aggrecan staining in the collagenase versus saline groups, and implant modulus was similar in both groups; leading us to reject our hypothesis. In summary, a porous PVA osteochondral implant remained well fixed in a short term in vivo osteochondral defect model; however, matrix generation within the implant was not enhanced with partial digestion of adjacent articular cartilage.     

A process explanation of the effects of institutional distance between parties in outsourced information systems development projects

Outsourced information systems development (OISD) projects are challenging endeavors, and the literature suggests differences between the parties involved as critical hinderers of such projects. Using institutional theory as a foundational theory, we propose a process explanation of the effects of differences between parties in OISD projects. Our explanation relies on the interaction of four components: (1) the IS development and project management institutional profiles of the parties involved; (2) the institutional distance between practices within these profiles; (3) instances of conflicting institutional demands when institutional distance becomes salient; and (4) the repertoire of institutional strategic responses available to parties to address those instances. We suggest that the constitutive elements of institutional distance and the degree to which parties envision their collaboration beyond the project at hand contribute to explaining the enactment of strategic responses. Accounting for the fact that practices, as well as the institutional logics that drive their enactment, may differ between parties, we make a theoretical contribution to the literature on OISD by building a fine-grained explanation of the effects of differences between parties in OISD projects.     

The Role of Cholesterol on Triterpenoid Saponin-Induced Endolysosomal Escape of a Saporin-Based Immunotoxin

Cholesterol seems to play a central role in the augmentation of saporin-based immunotoxin (IT) cytotoxicity by triterpenoid saponins. Endolysosomal escape has been proposed as one mechanism for the saponin-mediated enhancement of targeted toxins. We investigated the effects of lipid depletion followed by repletion on Saponinum album (SA)-induced endolysosomal escape of Alexa Fluor labelled saporin and the saporin-based immunotoxin OKT10-SAP, directed against CD38, in Daudi lymphoma cells. Lipid deprived cells showed reduced SA-induced endolysosomal escape at two concentrations of SA, as determined by a flow cytometric method. The repletion of membrane cholesterol by low density lipoprotein (LDL) restored SA-induced endolysosomal escape at a concentration of 5 µg/mL SA but not at 1 µg/mL SA. When LDL was used to restore the cholesterol levels in lipid deprived cells, the SA augmentation of OKT10-SAP cytotoxicity was partially restored at 1 µg/mL SA and fully restored at 5 µg/mL SA. These results suggest that different mechanisms of action might be involved for the two different concentrations of SA and that endosomal escape may not be the main mechanism for the augmentation of saporin IT cytotoxicity by SA at the sub-lytic concentration of 1 µg/mL SA.