A review of information flow diagrammatic models for product-service systems

A product-service system (PSS) is a combination of products and services to create value for both customers and manufacturers. Modelling a PSS based on function orientation offers a useful way to distinguish system inputs and outputs with regards to how data are consumed and information is used, i.e. information flow. This article presents a review of diagrammatic information flow tools, which are designed to describe a system through its functions. The origin, concept and applications of these tools are investigated, followed by an analysis of information flow modelling with regards to key PSS properties. A case study of selection laser melting technology implemented as PSS will then be used to show the application of information flow modelling for PSS design. A discussion based on the usefulness of the tools in modelling the key elements of PSS and possible future research directions are also presented

Visual field progression 8 years after trabeculectomy in Asian eyes: results from The Singapore 5-Fluorouracil Study

Background/Aims: This work aimed to study the effect of long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuation on visual field (VF) progression 8 years post-trabeculectomy in Asian eyes. / Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 8-year post-trabeculectomy data from The Singapore 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) Study. VFs were analysed using Progressor software (Medisoft, Leeds, UK). Outcome measures included mean slope for VF per year, number of progressing points and mean slope for progressing points per year. Multivariate regression analyses were performed adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, glaucoma type, intraoperative 5-FU, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, best pre-trabeculectomy VF mean deviation, post-trabeculectomy mean IOP, IOP reduction and IOP fluctuation (SD of IOPs at 6-monthly timepoints). / Results: 127 (52.3%) subjects completed 8-year follow-up with ≥5 reliable VFs and ≥8 6-monthly IOP measurements. Mean age was 61.8±9.6 years. Post-operatively, mean IOP was 14.2±2.8 mm Hg and mean IOP fluctuation was 2.53±1.20 mm Hg. Higher IOP fluctuation was associated with greater mean slope for field (B=−0.071; p=0.013), number of progressing points (B=0.963; p=0.014) and VF progression as defined by ≥1 progressing point (OR=1.585; p=0.029). There was also a trend towards eyes with higher IOP fluctuation having ≥3 adjacent progressing points in the same hemifield (OR=1.489; p=0.055). Greater mean IOP reduction post-trabeculectomy was associated only with a lower mean slope for progressing points per year (B=−0.026; p=0.028). There was no significant effect of intra-operative 5-FU compared with placebo for all outcome measures. / Conclusion: In post-trabeculectomy Asian eyes with well-controlled IOP, higher long-term IOP fluctuation may be associated with greater VF progression

Business ethics and finance in Greater China:Synthesis and future directions in sustainability, CSR, and fraud

Following the financial crisis and recent recession, the center of gravity of global economic growth and competitiveness is shifting toward emerging economies. As a leading and increasingly influential emerging economy, China is currently attracting the attention of academics, practitioners, and policy makers. There is a rise of research interest in and publications on issues relating to China within high-quality international academic journals. We therefore organized a special issue conference in conjunction with the Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) in Lhasa, Tibet, on May 19-20, 2014, on the topic of Business Ethics in Greater China: Past, Present and Future. The papers for the special issue were at the intersection of ethics and finance, and fit within one of three themes: environment and sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and fraud. Within these themes, issues of intellectual capital protection, gender equality, political connections, regional development, investor protection, corporate stewardship, trust and corruption, and corporate transparency each play a significant role. In this paper, we survey these studies and the related literature to provide a comprehensive coverage of business ethics and finance issues that affect China

Rheological Characteristics of Municipal Thickened Excess Activated Sludge (TEAS): Impacts of pH, Temperature, Solid Concentration and Polymer Dose

Rheological characterization of sludge is known to be an essential tool to optimize flow, mixing and other process parameters in wastewater treatment plants. This study deals with the characterization of thickened excess activated sludge in comparison to raw primary sludge and excess activated sludge. The effects of key parameters (total solid concentration, temperature, and pH) on the rheology and flow behavior of thickened excess activated sludge were studied. The rheological investigations were carried out for total solid concentration range of 0.9–3.7 %w/w, temperature range of 23–55 °C, and pH range of 3.6–10.0. Different rheological model equations were fitted to the experimental data. The model equations with better fitting were used to calculate the yield stress, apparent, zero-rate, infinite-rate viscosities, flow consistency index, and flow index. The decrease in concentration from 3.7 to 3.1 %w/w resulted in a drastic reduction of yield stress from 27.6 to 11.0 Pa, while a further reduction of yield stress to 1.3 Pa was observed as solid concentration was reduced to 1.3 %w/w. The viscosity at higher shear rate (>600 s−1) decreased from 0.05 Pa·s down to 0.008 Pa·s when the total solid concentration was reduced from 3.7 to 0.9 %. Yield stress decreased from 20.1 Pa down to 8.3 Pa for the Bingham plastic model when the temperature was raised from 25 to 55 °C. Activation energy and viscosity also showed decreasing trends with increasing temperature. Yield stress of thickened excess activated sludge increased from a value of 6.0 Pa to 8.3 Pa when the pH was increased from 3.6 to 10.0. The effect of polymer dose on the rheological behavior of the thickening of excess activated sludge was also investigated, and the optimum polymer dosage for enhanced thickener performance was determined to be 1.3 kg/ton DS

The application of exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with suspected dilated cardiomyopathy

Objectives The imaging features of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) overlap with physiological exercise-induced cardiac remodeling in active and otherwise healthy individuals. Distinguishing the two conditions is challenging. This study examined the diagnostic and prognostic roles of exercise stress imaging in asymptomatic patients with suspected DCM. Methods Exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) was performed in 60 asymptomatic patients with suspected DCM (dilated left ventricle and/or impaired systolic function on CMR), who also underwent DNA sequencing for DCM-causing genetic variants. Confirmed DCM was defined as genotype- and phenotype-positive (G+P+). Another 100 healthy subjects were recruited to establish normal exercise capacities (peak exercise cardiac index; PeakCI). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, cardiac decompensation and ventricular arrhythmic events. Results No patients with confirmed G+P+ DCM had PeakCI exceeding the 35th percentile specific for age and sex. Applying this threshold in G-P+ patients, those with PeakCI below 35th percentile had characteristics similar to confirmed DCM while patients with higher PeakCI were younger, more active and higher longitudinal strain. Adverse cardiovascular events occurred only in patients with low exercise capacity (P = 0.004). Conclusions In individuals with suspected DCM, exercise stress CMR demonstrates diagnostic and prognostic potential in distinguishing between pathological DCM and physiological exercise-induced cardiac remodeling

A framework to move forward on the path to eco-innovation in the construction industry: implications to improve firms´ sustainable orientation

This paper examines key aspects in the innovative behavior of the construction firms that determine their environmental orientation while innovating. Structural equation modeling was used and data of 222 firms retrieved from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for 2010 to analyse the drivers of environmental orientation of the construction firms during the innovation process. The results show that the environmental orientation is positively affected by the product and process orientation of construction firms during the innovation process. Furthermore, the positive relation between the importance of market information sources and environmental orientation, mediated by process and product orientation, is discussed. Finally, a model that explains these relations is proposed and validated. 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Evidence for Top Quark Production in Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

Peer reviewe

Pooled analysis of who surgical safety checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods: In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results: Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89⋅6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60⋅6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0⋅17, 95 per cent c.i. 0⋅14 to 0⋅21, P < 0⋅001) or low (363 of 860, 42⋅2 percent; OR 0⋅08, 0⋅07 to 0⋅10, P < 0⋅001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference −9⋅4 (95 per cent c.i. −11⋅9 to −6⋅9) per cent; P < 0⋅001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+12⋅1 (+7⋅0 to +17⋅3) per cent; P < 0⋅001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0⋅60, 0⋅50 to 0⋅73; P < 0⋅001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low-and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion: Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries