Abstract
Software size estimation is a vital activity of software project planning and management. Early software size estimation is a challenging task due to the limited information available during ...the early phases of software development. The goal of this paper is to construct and validate early software size estimation models based on four analysis-to-design adjustment factor (ADAF)-adjusted analysis class diagram metrics (i.e. ADAF-adjusted number of classes, ADAF-adjusted number of attributes, ADAF-adjusted number of methods and ADAF-adjusted number of relationships) using stepwise multiple linear regression and leave-one-out cross-validation. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy of the best-performing proposed model is also compared with the model based on objective class points. The results of this comparison reveal that our proposed method reduces errors significantly (i.e. on average, 16% reduction in mean absolute residual and 24% reduction in mean squared error).
Purpose
Over the past years, collaborative robots have been introduced as a new generation of industrial robotics working alongside humans to share the workload. These robots have the potential to ...enable human–robot collaboration (HRC) for flexible automation. However, the deployment of these robots in industrial environments, particularly in assembly, still comprises several challenges, of which one is skills-based tasks distribution between humans and robots. With ever-decreasing product life cycles and high-mix low volume production, the skills-based task distribution is to become a frequent activity. This paper aims to present a methodology for tasks distribution between human and robot in assembly work by complexity-based tasks classification.
Design/methodology/approach
The assessment method of assembly tasks is based on the physical features of the components and associated task description. The attributes that can influence assembly complexity for automation are presented. Physical experimentation with a collaborative robot and work with several industrial cases helped to formulate the presented method.
Findings
The method will differentiate the tasks with higher complexity of handling, mounting, human safety and part feeding from low-complexity tasks, thereby simplifying collaborative automation in HRC scenario. Such structured method for tasks distribution in HRC can significantly reduce deployment and changeover times.
Originality/value
Assembly attributes affecting HRC automation are identified. The methodology is presented for evaluating tasks for assigning to the robot and creating a work–load balance forming a human–robot work team. Finally, an assessment tool for simplified industrial deployment.
Patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have a high burden of symptoms and functional limitations, and have a poor quality of life. By targeting cardiometabolic ...abmormalities, sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may improve these impairments. In this multicenter, randomized trial of patients with HFpEF (NCT03030235), we evaluated whether the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin improves the primary endpoint of Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CS), a measure of heart failure-related health status, at 12 weeks after treatment initiation. Secondary endpoints included the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), KCCQ Overall Summary Score (KCCQ-OS), clinically meaningful changes in KCCQ-CS and -OS, and changes in weight, natriuretic peptides, glycated hemoglobin and systolic blood pressure. In total, 324 patients were randomized to dapagliflozin or placebo. Dapagliflozin improved KCCQ-CS (effect size, 5.8 points (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3-9.2, P = 0.001), meeting the predefined primary endpoint, due to improvements in both KCCQ total symptom score (KCCQ-TS) (5.8 points (95% CI 2.0-9.6, P = 0.003)) and physical limitations scores (5.3 points (95% CI 0.7-10.0, P = 0.026)). Dapagliflozin also improved 6MWT (mean effect size of 20.1 m (95% CI 5.6-34.7, P = 0.007)), KCCQ-OS (4.5 points (95% CI 1.1-7.8, P = 0.009)), proportion of participants with 5-point or greater improvements in KCCQ-OS (odds ratio (OR) = 1.73 (95% CI 1.05-2.85, P = 0.03)) and reduced weight (mean effect size, 0.72 kg (95% CI 0.01-1.42, P = 0.046)). There were no significant differences in other secondary endpoints. Adverse events were similar between dapagliflozin and placebo (44 (27.2%) versus 38 (23.5%) patients, respectively). These results indicate that 12 weeks of dapagliflozin treatment significantly improved patient-reported symptoms, physical limitations and exercise function and was well tolerated in chronic HFpEF.
Bromhidrosis treatment modalities: A literature review Malik, Ali S.; Porter, Caroline L.; Feldman, Steven R.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology,
July 2023, 2023-Jul, 2023-07-00, 20230701, Letnik:
89, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Treatment options for Bromhidrosis include botulinum toxin therapy, microwave-based therapy, laser therapy, and surgical intervention. Limited studies compare their efficacies.
The purpose of this ...literature review is to compare the efficacy and safety of these treatments for bromhidrosis.
A PubMed search included terms bromhidrosis and bromhidrosis AND treatment.
A total of 25 articles were reviewed. Botulinum toxin therapy shows consistent benefit but requires repeated therapies. Microwave therapies have shown promising results but require larger cohort sizes with bromhidrosis. Similarly, laser therapy has shown promise with biopsy-proven results, but long-lasting effects remain unknown. Surgery has the best long-term prognosis, but the ideal surgical method remains unknown.
Each study varied in their treatment interval and method of assessing bromhidrosis, making direct comparisons difficult.
Managing bromhidrosis requires shared decision making with the patient. Mild-to-moderate symptoms may be treated initially with botulinum toxin therapy. In cases that are refractory, laser therapy should be considered, as it is better studied than microwave therapy currently. Lastly, if the condition is severe and refractory to other options, surgery can be considered, although the ideal method remains unknown.
Chronic stress in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including peripheral artery disease (PAD), is independently associated worse outcomes. A model that can reliably identify factors ...associated with risk of chronic stress in patients with CVD is needed. In a prospective myocardial infarction (MI) registry (TRIUMPH), we constructed a logistic regression model using 27 patient demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors, adjusting for site, to identify predictors of chronic stress over 1 year. Stress at baseline and at 1-, 6- and 12-month follow-up was measured using the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) range 0-16, scores greater than or equal to6 depicting high stress. Chronic stress was defined as at least 2 follow-up PSS-4 scores greater than or equal to6. We identified and validated this final model in another prospective registry of patients with symptomatic PAD, the PORTRAIT study. Our derivation cohort consisted of 4,340 patients with MI (mean age 59.1 ± 12.3 years, 33% females, 30% non-white), of whom 30% had chronic stress at follow-up. Of the 27 factors examined, female sex, current smoking, socioeconomic status, and economic burden due to medical care were positively associated with chronic stress, and ENRICHD Social Support Instrument (ESSI) score and age were inversely related to chronic stress. In the validation cohort of 797 PAD patients (mean age 68.6±9.7 years, 42% females, 28% non-white, 18% chronic stress) the c-statistic for the model was 0.77 and calibration was excellent. We can reliably identify factors that are independently associated with risk of chronic stress in patients with CVD. As chronic stress is associated with worse outcomes in this population, our work identifies potential targets for interventions to as well as the patients that could benefit from these.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Madam, Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel positive single-strand RNA virus that is the causative agent of COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019. Since the ...beginning of 2020, this virus has taken the world by storm, brought the globe to an absolute crawl for the last two years, and overburdened healthcare facilities in numerous countries. The Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is transmitted via aerosolized droplets, and once the virus finds itself inside the host's body, it undergoes an incubation period between 6-7 days. After the viral incubation period passes, the patient suffers from fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia, and, in severe cases, hypoxia that requires hospitalization and mechanical ventilation.1 The pathogenesis of COVID-19 involves the dysregulation of the host immune response, which may lead to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the host. The dysfunction of the host's immune response involves the hyperactivation of the humoral pathway, resulting in the overproduction of interleukin-6. Elevated levels of Interleukin-6 may lead to the development of numerous pathologies like respiratory failure, shock, and multiorgan dysfunction. This derangement of the host immune response would act as a potential target for several therapeutic agents to relieve COVID-19 symptoms.2 One such therapeutic agent is Toculimizab, which is a recombinant humanized anti-interleukin 6 receptor monoclonal antibody that functions by binding to membrane IL-6 R, thus preventing the formation of the complex with IL-6 and blocking the signal transmission. It is used in several inflammatory immune diseases such as Systemic Sclerosis, Giant Cell Arteritis, Takayasu Arteritis, etc. Tocilizumab has been shown to improve the hyperinflammatory and hypercoagulable state of COVID- 19 patients by reducing the circulating inflammatory biomarkers.3 To support the use and clinical efficacy of Tocilizumab in the hospitalized patient, a 2021 metaanalysis by Kyriakopoilous C. et al. showed the effects of Tocilizumab on mortality amongst Hospitalized COVID-19 patients and to see whether mechanical ventilation would be necessary once Tocilizumab was administered. This research was a combination of observational studies and randomized control trials. The results revealed a reduction in mortalities among 27,004 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In the meta-analysis observational studies, there was an overall 31% decrease in mortality In the randomized control trials, there was an 11% decrease in mortality, along with a 19% decrease in the need for mechanical ventilation, showing that Tocilizumab was beneficial for all hospitalized patients.4
Continued...
BACKGROUND:Outcome trials in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have demonstrated reduced hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors. However, few of ...these patients had HF, and those that did were not well-characterized. Thus, the effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in patients with established HF with reduced ejection fraction, including those with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus, remain unknown.
METHODS:DEFINE-HF (Dapagliflozin Effects on Biomarkers, Symptoms and Functional Status in Patients with HF with Reduced Ejection Fraction) was an investigator-initiated, multi-center, randomized controlled trial of HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-III, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥30 mL/min/1.73m, and elevated natriuretic peptides. In total, 263 patients were randomized to dapagliflozin 10 mg daily or placebo for 12 weeks. Dual primary outcomes were (1) mean NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide) and (2) proportion of patients with ≥5-point increase in HF disease-specific health status on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score, or a ≥20% decrease in NT-proBNP.
RESULTS:Patient characteristics reflected stable, chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction with high use of optimal medical therapy. There was no significant difference in average 6- and 12-week adjusted NT-proBNP with dapagliflozin versus placebo (1133 pg/dL (95% CI 1036–1238) vs 1191 pg/dL (95% CI 1089–1304), P=0.43). For the second dual-primary outcome of a meaningful improvement in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score or NT-proBNP, 61.5% of dapagliflozin-treated patients met this end point versus 50.4% with placebo (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.03-3.06, nominal P=0.039). This was attributable to both higher proportions of patients with ≥5-point improvement in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score (42.9 vs 32.5%, adjusted OR 1.73, 95% CI 0.98–3.05), and ≥20% reduction in NT-proBNP (44.0 vs 29.4%, adjusted OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.3) by 12 weeks. Results were consistent among patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus, and other prespecified subgroups (all P values for interaction=NS).
CONCLUSIONS:In patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, use of dapagliflozin over 12 weeks did not affect mean NT-proBNP but increased the proportion of patients experiencing clinically meaningful improvements in HF-related health status or natriuretic peptides. Benefits of dapagliflozin on clinically meaningful HF measures appear to extend to patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:URLhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifierNCT 02653482.
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•14% CO2 conversion and 95% methanol selectivity were achieved over PdZn/CeO2.•1.0PdZn/CeO2 catalyst showed optimum catalytic performance.•Two possible routes for methanol formation ...via formaldehyde and/or formic acid hydrogenation are proposed.
We report the compositional optimization of Pd:Zn/CeO2 catalysts prepared via sol-gel chelatization for the hydrogenation of CO2 under mild reaction conditions. The formation of a PdZn alloy, which is the main active phase for this reaction, was maximized for the catalyst with a Pd to Zn ratio close to 1. For this catalyst, a maximum conversion of 14%, close to thermodynamic equilibrium, and high selectivity to methanol (95%) were achieved at 220 °C, 20 bar, 2400 h−1 GHSV and H2:CO2 stoichiometric ratio of 3:1. The formation of PdZn alloys was achieved by reducing the catalyst precursor at 550 °C under hydrogen flow and confirmed by XRD. XPS study confirmed the presence of Pd°, being maximum for the optimized catalyst composition. At lower temperature, i.e. 180 °C, 1.0PdZn catalyst showed 100% selectivity to methanol with 8% CO2 conversion. RWGS reaction is responsible for the production of CO and its selectivity increases with temperature. In situ DRIFTS suggests that CO2 is activated as adsorbed CO3- species over CeO2. Surface micro-kinetics demonstrates that methanol can be formed either via formaldehyde or formic acid surface intermediates.
The recent proliferation of smart manufacturing technologies has emerged the concept of hybrid automation for assembly systems utilizing the best of humans and robots in a combination. Based on the ...ability to work alongside human-workers the next generation of industrial robots (or robotics 2.0) are referred to as collaborative robots or cobots. This paper presents a systematic framework based on Roozenburg's engineering design cycle for the deployment of cobots in existing assembly cells for enhanced productivity. A model for defining evaluation-parameters for a cobot are presented. The effectiveness of virtual simulations is discussed for validation and optimization of human-robot work environment. Keywords: Cobot; framework; collaborative; assembly system; cobot selection; HMLV; Lean automation; HRC
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