Forecasting has extreme importance in industry due to the numerous competitive advantages that it provides, allowing to foresee what might happen and adjust management decisions accordingly. ...Industries increasingly use sensors, which allow for large-scale data collection. Big datasets enable training, testing and application of complex predictive algorithms based on machine learning models. The present paper focuses on predicting values from sensors installed on a pulp paper press, using data collected over three years. The variables analyzed are electric current, pressure, temperature, torque, oil level and velocity. The results of XGBoost and artificial neural networks, with different feature vectors, are compared. They show that it is possible to predict sensor data in the long term and thus predict the asset’s behaviour several days in advance.
Monitoring the condition of industrial equipment is fundamental to avoid failures and maximize uptime. The present work used supervised and unsupervised learning methods to create models for ...predicting the condition of an industrial machine. The main objective was to determine when the asset was either in its nominal operation or working outside this zone, thus being at risk of failure or sub-optimal operation. The results showed that it is possible to classify the machine state using artificial neural networks. K-means clustering and PCA methods showed that three states, chosen through the Elbow Method, cover almost all the variance of the data under study. Knowing the importance that the quality of the lubricants has in the functioning and classification of the state of machines, a lubricant classification algorithm was developed using Neural Networks. The lubricant classifier results were 98% accurate compared to human expert classifications. The main gap identified in the research is that the found classification works only carried out classifications of present, short-term, or mid-term failures. To close this gap, the work presented in this paper conducts a long-term classification.
Purpose
This study aims to explore the nature of the relationship between market orientation and business performance in the Portuguese hotel industry and to evaluate the mediating role of service ...quality in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature analysis on market orientation, service quality and hotel business performance was conducted. The structural model was developed, and the measurement scales’ items were generated. Working data were obtained by sending a survey to Portuguese hotel managers. A purification process was conducted, and the convergent and discriminant validity, as well the reliability, of the measurement models were assessed. The structural model was tested by conducting a path analysis, as well by evaluating the coefficient of determination (R2) and the predictive relevance indicator (Q2).
Findings
Research results show that market orientation has a positive direct effect on business performance. Moreover, results indicate that market orientation effects on business performance are mediated throughout the hotels’ ability to provide service quality.
Originality/value
Despite the large amount of research on market orientation, research on the hospitality sector has been conducted mainly using tools developed for the manufacturing and consumer goods sectors. On the other hand, little has been done to explore the nature of the mediating effect of service quality on the relationship between market orientation and business performance in the hotel industry. Moreover, despite the contribution of the tourism industry to the Portuguese gross domestic product, research on the hotel industry is scarce.
OBJECTIVES:Adverse physiology and antibiotic exposure devastate the intestinal microbiome in critical illness. Time and cost implications limit the immediate clinical potential of microbial ...sequencing to identify or treat intestinal dysbiosis. Here, we examined whether metabolic profiling is a feasible method of monitoring intestinal dysbiosis in critically ill children.
DESIGN:Prospective multicenter cohort study.
SETTING:Three U.K.-based PICUs.
PATIENTS:Mechanically ventilated critically ill (n = 60) and age-matched healthy children (n = 55).
INTERVENTIONS:Collection of urine and fecal samples in children admitted to the PICU. A single fecal and urine sample was collected in healthy controls.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:Untargeted and targeted metabolic profiling using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or urine and fecal samples. This was integrated with analysis of fecal bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA profiles and clinical disease severity indicators. We observed separation of global urinary and fecal metabolic profiles in critically ill compared with healthy children. Urinary excretion of mammalian-microbial co-metabolites hippurate, 4-cresol sulphate, and formate were reduced in critical illness compared with healthy children. Reduced fecal excretion of short-chain fatty acids (including butyrate, propionate, and acetate) were observed in the patient cohort, demonstrating that these metabolites also distinguished between critical illness and health. Dysregulation of intestinal bile metabolism was evidenced by increased primary and reduced secondary fecal bile acid excretion. Fecal butyrate correlated with days free of intensive care at 30 days (r = 0.38; p = 0.03), while urinary formate correlated inversely with vasopressor requirement (r = –0.2; p = 0.037).
CONCLUSIONS:Disruption to the functional activity of the intestinal microbiome may result in worsening organ failure in the critically ill child. Profiling of bacterial metabolites in fecal and urine samples may support identification and treatment of intestinal dysbiosis in critical illness.
Background and Aims Cerradão (Brazilian woodland savannas) and seasonally dry forests (SDF) from southeastern Brazil occur under the same climate but are remarkably distinct in species composition. ...The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of soil origin in the initial growth and distribution of SDF and Cerradão species. Methods We conducted a greenhouse experiment growing Cerradão and SDF tree seedlings over their soil and the soil of the contrasting vegetation type. We evaluated soil nutrient availability and seedling survivorship, growth and leaf functional traits. Results Despite the higher nutrient availability in SDF soils, soil origin did not affect seedling survivorship. The three SDF species demonstrated home-soil advantage, enhanced growth with increasing soil nutrient availability and had higher growth rates than Cerradão species, even on Cerradão soils. Growth of Cerradão seedlings was not higher on Cerradão soil and, overall, was not positively correlated with soil nutrient availability. Conclusions SDF species are fast-growing species while Cerradão trees tend to be slow-growing species. Although savanna soil reduces growth of forest species, our findings suggest that soil chemical attributes, alone, does not exclude the occurrence of SDF seedlings in Cerradão and vice-versa.
BACKGROUND
The impact of rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) on thyroid aspirates has been a matter of extensive debate. In the current study, the authors reviewed all thyroid fine‐needle aspiration ...biopsies (FNABs) performed in their service in recent years to evaluate the impact of ROSE on final adequacy and diagnostic rates.
METHODS
All ultrasound‐guided FNABs of the thyroid performed between July 2015 and July 2017 were included retrospectively. ROSE was performed by experienced cytopathologists, with production of Romanowsky‐stained slides for immediate evaluation. When ROSE was not performed, a total of 3 needle passes were performed as the default. Final specimen adequacy and the risk of malignancy (ROM) of each The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) category were calculated in the 2 groups (ROSE and non‐ROSE) and compared using the chi‐square test.
RESULTS
An initial search obtained 4649 cytology specimens, 3469 of which (74.6%) underwent ROSE and 1180 of which (25.4%) did not. Patients were predominantly female (85.4%), with a mean age of 53 years. Specimen adequacy was found to be significantly higher in the ROSE group (93.4% vs 69.4%; P<.0001), with a mean number of needle passes necessary for an adequate diagnosis of 1.48 ± 0.71 (median, 1.0 needle passes; range, 1‐5 needle passes). No statistical difference was observed with regard to the ROM for each TBSRTC category when the 2 groups (ROSE and non‐ROSE) were compared.
CONCLUSIONS
The current study data support ROSE as a valuable technique in thyroid FNAB. It was proven to significantly improve specimen adequacy with a decreased mean number of needle passes necessary to achieve an adequate cytological diagnosis and no impact on the ROM for any TBSRTC category.
The current study reviews all thyroid fine‐needle aspiration biopsies performed at the study institution in recent years to evaluate the impact of rapid on‐site evaluation on final adequacy and diagnostic rates. The value of rapid on‐site evaluation for thyroid fine‐needle aspiration biopsy has been a subject of great debate in the literature. Although some authors report a significant increase in specimen adequacy and a decrease in the mean number of needle passes required with such a technique, others contend that its benefits are limited, with extended procedure times and higher costs. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is one of the largest series concerning this issue published to date.
Ruthenium(II) complexes are currently considered attractive alternatives to the widely used platinum-based drugs. We present herein the synthesis and characterization of half-sandwich ruthenium ...compounds formulated as Ru(p-cymene)(L)ClCF3SO3 (L = 1,1-bis(methylenediphenylphosphano)ethylene, 1; L = 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphano)ethylene, 2), which were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, 1H and 31P{1H} NMR, UV–vis and IR spectroscopy, conductivity measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The molecular structures for both complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Their cytotoxic activity was evaluated using the MTT assay against human tumor cells, namely ovarian (A2780) and breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231). Both complexes were active against breast adenocarcinoma cells, with complex 1 exhibiting a quite remarkable cytotoxicity in the submicromolar range. Interestingly, at concentrations equivalent to the IC50 values in the MCF7 cancer cells, complexes 1 and 2 presented lower cytotoxicity in normal human primary fibroblasts. The antiproliferative effects of 1 and 2 in MCF7 cells might be associated with the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a combined cell death mechanism via apoptosis and autophagy. Despite the fact that in vitro a partial intercalation between complexes and DNA was observed, no MCF7 cell cycle delay or arrest was observed, indicating that DNA might not be a direct target. Complexes 1 and 2 both exhibited a moderate to strong interaction with human serum albumin, suggesting that protein targets may be involved in their mode of action. Their acute toxicity was evaluated in the zebrafish model. Complex 1 (the most toxic of the two) exhibited a lethal toxicity LC50 value about 1 order of magnitude higher than any IC50 concentrations found for the cancer cell models used, highlighting its therapeutic relevance as a drug candidate in cancer chemotherapy.
Brazil has committed to fulfilling international restoration goals and to enforcing environmental legislation that will require private landowners to undertake ecological restoration of 21 million ...hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes. To support a broad range of restoration practices, a well‐established supply chain capable of representing regional plant diversity is essential. This study investigated the restoration species pool in native plant nurseries in São Paulo state, located in southeastern Brazil, and evaluated their geographic distribution, similarity of their plant stocks, and the proportion of species represented from regional floras. Despite a lack of technical assistance and a significant presence of nonnative species (126 species, average 7.5 species/nursery), we found an impressive native species richness in plant nurseries (561 species, average 86.4 species/nursery) from both the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado domains, representing 38–44% of regional floras. There was a huge bias toward tree and shrub species (96.6%) and an absence or underrepresentation of other growth forms, as well as of savanna specialists, animal‐dispersed, and threatened species. The dissimilarity of species observed among the different nurseries surveyed highlights their role in representing regional diversity, which reflects their regional seed collection practices. Effective assistance and training are essential to address issues related to misidentification of species, underrepresentation of most functional plant groups, and the presence of nonnative species, as well as to support the supply chain, which is currently undergoing a market downturn.
High‐diversity reforestation can help jumpstart tropical forest restoration, but obtaining viable seedlings is a major constraint: if nurseries do not offer them, it is hard to plant all the species ...one would like. From 2007 to 2009, we investigated five different seed acquisition strategies employed by a well‐established tree nursery in southeastern Brazil, namely (1) in‐house seed harvesters; (2) hiring a professional harvester; (3) amateur seed harvesters; or (4) a seed production cooperative, as well as (5) participating in a seed exchange program. In addition, we evaluated two strategies not dependent on seeds: harvesting seedlings from native tree species found regenerating under Eucalyptus plantations, and in a native forest remnant. A total of 344 native tree and shrub species were collected as seeds or seedlings, including 2,465 seed lots. Among these, a subset of 120 species was obtained through seed harvesting in each year. Overall, combining several strategies for obtaining planting stocks was an effective way to increase species richness, representation of some functional groups (dispersal syndromes, planting group, and shade tolerance), and genetic diversity of seedlings produced in forest tree nurseries. Such outcomes are greatly desirable to support high‐diversity reforestation as part of tropical forest restoration. In addition, community‐based seed harvesting strategies fostered greater socioeconomic integration of traditional communities in restoration projects and programs, which is an important bottleneck for the advance of ecological restoration, especially in developing countries. Finally, we discuss some of the limitations of the various strategies for obtaining planting stocks and the way forward for their improvement.
Large-scale ecological restoration programs across the world have begun to extensively transform degraded lands into young native ecosystems. However, more projects like these will be necessary in ...the coming years to fulfill the goal of restoring 150 million ha established by United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Here, we present and discuss the steps required for and the lessons learned from the organization of a large-scale ecological restoration program in Brazil, the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact. These lessons are organized around 9 steps: (a) the presentation of the motivations driving the promotion of large-scale restoration, (b) the organization of the main stakeholders, (c) the definition of goals, (d) the organization of a database, (e) the indication of both available and priority areas for restoration, (f) the proposal of science-based and field-validated methods, (g) the establishment of a monitoring protocol, (h) the proposal of a communication program to unite members and interact with society, and (i) the strategies for promoting the establishment of public policies conducive to restoration. This framework may provide a template to help other initiatives to mainstream isolated restoration projects into a large and well-organized movement, which may increase the chances of successful restoration in the future.
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