A Neural Network for Collaborative Forecasting

As the supply chain activities’ backbone, demand forecasting must be accurate. This paper proposes an artificial neural network forecasting model, which integrates and synchronizes shared information, such as sales or consumption rate among different partners, to improve the forecasting’s accuracy. This information sharing is part of the collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) model, which is a supply chain model aiming to enhance the supply chain’s efficiency by jointly planning and forecasting between two or more supply chain partners that will be used as the base for production and replenishment activities. The model is validated using a tuna product sales data, and the combination of individual forecasts resulted in better demand forecasting accuracy for the supply chain. This improvement will lead to reduced costs associated with the forecast’s overestimation or underestimation

Impact of ageing and a synbiotic on the immune response to seasonal influenza vaccination; a randomised controlled trial

Background & Aims Ageing increases risk of respiratory infections and impairs the response to influenza vaccination. Pre- and probiotics offer an opportunity to modulate anti-viral defenses and the response to vaccination via alteration of the gut microbiota. This study investigated the effect of a novel probiotic, Bifidobacterium longum bv. infantis CCUG 52486, combined with a prebiotic, gluco-oligosaccharide, on the B and T cell response to seasonal influenza vaccination in young and older subjects. Methods In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 58 young (18-35y) and 54 older (60-85y) subjects were supplemented with the synbiotic for 8 weeks. At 4 weeks they were administered with a seasonal influenza vaccine. B and T cell phenotype and responsiveness to in vitro re-stimulation with the vaccine were assessed at baseline, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Results B and T cell profiles differed markedly between young and older subjects. Vaccination increased numbers of memory, IgA+ memory, IgG+ memory and total IgG+ B cells in young subjects, but failed to do so in older subjects and did not significantly alter T cell subsets. Seroconversion to the H1N1 subunit in the older subjects was associated with higher post-vaccination numbers of plasma B cells, but seroconversion was less consistently associated with T cell phenotype. B and T cell subsets from both young and older subjects demonstrated a strong antigen-specific recall challenge, and although not influenced by age, responsiveness to the recall challenge was associated with seroconversion. In older subjects, CMV seropositivity was associated with a significantly lower recall response to the vaccine, but the synbiotic did not affect the responsiveness of B or T cells to re-stimulation with influenza vaccine. Conclusions Antigen-specific B and T cell activation following an in vitro recall challenge with the influenza vaccine was influenced by CMV seropositivity, but not by a synbiotic

'Silence bleeds': Hamlet across borders : The Shakespearean Adaptations of Sulayman Al-Bassam

Original article can be found at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713734315~db=all Copyright Informa / Taylor and FrancisThis article addresses the writing and performance work of Anglo-Kuwaiti director Sulayman Al-Bassam, tracing the development of his various adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet into English and Arabic 'cross-cultural' versions between 2001 and 2007. Al-Bassam's work presents English as a 'language in translation'. His works move from early modern to modern English, from Arabized English to Arabic, from one linguistic and geographical location to another, their forms moulded and remoulded by complex cultural pressures. The study focuses on specific examples from three adaptations to show in practice how in these works English is 'constantly crossed, challenged and contested'Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A study of the development in Wordsworth's use of some central images in the Prelude, I-VI

This is a study of the development in some aspects of Wordsworth's poetic vision as they are reflected in certain central images in the early and later texts of The Prelude, I-VI. Chapter I deals with images of Nature which portray it as a great mother, and imply man's need to depend on it for emotional food; most of these images are removed from the 185O Prelude. Chapter II deals with other removed images which reflect the poet's early panentheism. In Chapter III the changes introduced in Nature imagery are discussed: in revising his poem, Wordsworth deprives Nature of its maternal role, stressing its outward beauties; he also removes many panentheistic images, adding others intended to suggest a belief in orthodox religion. The added images are mainly elaborate and complex, many being highly wrought metaphors and personifications, whilst most of the early images are simple, direct and swift shifting similes. Chapter IV deals with the removed images of childhood which contribute to a glorified image of the child in the 1805 text of that poem. The last chapter concerns images of movement and stillness, and the effect of the removal and addition of these on the style of both versions of The Prelude. It has been found that the revision, although it has profited the text in many ways, has affected certain images and views characteristic of the poet's great period, the years 1798-1807, and has led to inconsistencies in the poetic vision expressed in the final Prelude.<p

Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine

Abstract Central Odontogenic Fibroma (COF) is a rare, benign neoplasm of mesenchymal origin that makes up less than 5% of odontogenic tumors commonly found in women in ratio 2.8:1. For many years there was considerable confusion concerning the criteria by which the lesion should be diagnosed and as a result, a verity of different conditions were being reported as odontogenic fibroma (OF). In this article reporting a case of COF (Epithelium Rich-type) in the maxilla radiographically presented as a well-defined radiolucent and radiopaque lesion retarding the first premolar from erupting plus reviewing the literature about COF including its variants

Antimicrobial consumption and resistance in adult hospital inpatients in 53 countries:results of an internet-based global point prevalence survey

Summary: Background: The Global Point Prevalence Survey (Global-PPS) established an international network of hospitals to measure antimicrobial prescribing and resistance worldwide. We aimed to assess antimicrobial prescribing and resistance in hospital inpatients. Methods: We used a standardised surveillance method to collect detailed data about antimicrobial prescribing and resistance from hospitals worldwide, which were grouped by UN region. The internet-based survey included all inpatients (adults, children, and neonates) receiving an antimicrobial who were on the ward at 0800 h on one specific day between January and September, 2015. Hospitals were classified as primary, secondary, tertiary (including infectious diseases hospitals), and paediatric hospitals. Five main ward types were defined: medical wards, surgical wards, intensive-care units, haematology oncology wards, and medical transplantation (bone marrow or solid transplants) wards. Data recorded included patient characteristics, antimicrobials received, diagnosis, therapeutic indication according to predefined lists, and markers of prescribing quality (eg, whether a stop or review date were recorded, and whether local prescribing guidelines existed and were adhered to). We report findings for adult inpatients. Findings: The Global-PPS for 2015 included adult data from 303 hospitals in 53 countries, including eight lower-middle-income and 17 upper-middle-income countries. 86 776 inpatients were admitted to 3315 adult wards, of whom 29 891 (34·4%) received at least one antimicrobial. 41 213 antimicrobial prescriptions were issued, of which 36 792 (89·3%) were antibacterial agents for systemic use. The top three antibiotics prescribed worldwide were penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors, third-generation cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones. Carbapenems were most frequently prescribed in Latin America and west and central Asia. Of patients who received at least one antimicrobial, 5926 (19·8%) received a targeted antibacterial treatment for systemic use, and 1769 (5·9%) received a treatment targeting at least one multidrug-resistant organism. The frequency of health-care-associated infections was highest in Latin America (1518 [11·9%]) and east and south Asia (5363 [10·1%]). Overall, the reason for treatment was recorded in 31 694 (76·9%) of antimicrobial prescriptions, and a stop or review date in 15 778 (38·3%). Local antibiotic guidelines were missing for 7050 (19·2%) of the 36 792 antibiotic prescriptions, and guideline compliance was 77·4%. Interpretation: The Global-PPS showed that worldwide surveillance can be accomplished with voluntary participation. It provided quantifiable measures to assess and compare the quantity and quality of antibiotic prescribing and resistance in hospital patients worldwide. These data will help to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing through education and practice changes, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries that have no tools to monitor antibiotic prescribing in hospitals. Funding: bioMérieux

Association Between Anthropometric Indices and Nonanthropometric Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Saudi Adults

Context: Waist circumference (WC) is used in screening for metabolic syndrome (MetS) based on its association with cardiometabolic risk.This might apply differently in ethnically different populations. Associations with other measures are also unclear. Objective: This work aimed to investigate the association between neck circumference (NC), WC, WC:hip circumference, WC:height (VVC:Ht), NC:Ht, fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), conicity index, abdominal volume index, and weight-adjusted waist index with nonanthropometric components of MetS in nondiabetic Saudi adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in public health centers in Jeddah, comprising 1365 Saudi adults (772 men and 593 women) aged 18 years or older not previously diagnosed with diabetes. Main outcome measures included the presence of 2 or more nonanthropometric components of the MetS were used to define clinical metabolic abnormality (CMA). The predictive ability of studied anthropometric indices for CMA was determined using the area under receiver operating characteristics (AUC) curve and binary logistic regression. Results: A total of 157 men and 83 women had CMA. NC and NC:Ht had the highest predictive ability for CMA in men (odds ratio [OR](NC) = 1.79, P < .001 and ORNC:Ht = 1.68, P < .001; AUC(NC) = 0.69 [95% CI, 0.64-0.74] and ALS, = 0.69 [95% CI, 0.64-0.73]). In women, WC had the highest predictive ability ORWC = 1.81, P< .001; AUC(WC) = 0.75 [95% CI, 0.69-0.80]). Conclusion: Upper-body anthropometric indicators that were associated with subcutaneous fat had the highest predictive ability for CMA in men whereas abdominal obesity indictors had the best predictive ability in women, suggesting that fat distribution might contribute to CMA in a sex-specific manner.Peer reviewe

The Association between Dyslipidemia, Dietary Habits and Other Lifestyle Indicators among Non-Diabetic Attendees of Primary Health Care Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Diet and other lifestyle habits have been reported to contribute to the development of dyslipidemia in various populations. Therefore, this study investigated the association between dyslipidemia and dietary and other lifestyle practices among Saudi adults. Data were collected from adults (>= 20 years) not previously diagnosed with diabetes in a cross-sectional design. Demographic, anthropometric, and clinical characteristics, as well as lifestyle and dietary habits were recorded using a predesigned questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were drawn to estimate the serum lipid profile. Out of 1385 people, 858 (62%) (491 men, 367 women) had dyslipidemia. After regression analysis to adjust for age, body mass index, and waist circumference, an intake of >= 5 cups/week of Turkish coffee, or carbonated drinks was associated with increased risk of dyslipidemia in men (OR (95% CI), 2.74 (1.53, 4.89)p= 0.001, and 1.53 (1.04, 2.26)p= 0.03 respectively), while the same intake of American coffee had a protective effect (0.53 (0.30, 0.92)p= 0.025). Sleep durationPeer reviewe

Antimicrobials: a global alliance for optimizing their rational use in intra-abdominal infections (AGORA)

Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are an important cause of morbidity and are frequently associated with poor prognosis, particularly in high-risk patients. The cornerstones in the management of complicated IAIs are timely effective source control with appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Empiric antimicrobial therapy is important in the management of intra-abdominal infections and must be broad enough to cover all likely organisms because inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor patient outcomes and the development of bacterial resistance. The overuse of antimicrobials is widely accepted as a major driver of some emerging infections (such as C. difficile), the selection of resistant pathogens in individual patients, and for the continued development of antimicrobial resistance globally. The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and the limited development of new agents available to counteract them have caused an impending crisis with alarming implications, especially with regards to Gram-negative bacteria. An international task force from 79 different countries has joined this project by sharing a document on the rational use of antimicrobials for patients with IAIs. The project has been termed AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections). The authors hope that AGORA, involving many of the world's leading experts, can actively raise awareness in health workers and can improve prescribing behavior in treating IAIs