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Purpose: The paper aims to provide a simulation optimization solution to improve patient scheduling that accounts for varying ancillary service time such as x-ray to minimize patient wait time., Design/methodology/approach: The two-step approach is to: identify patients' needs for ancillary services while scheduling appointments; and propose an algorithm to determine ancillary service time via simulation optimization. The main aim is to provide sufficient time between arrival at the clinic and the actual examination time for a patient to complete pre-visit activities without contributing significantly to patient wait time. Two case studies are included to demonstrate the approach., Findings: Triaging at the appointment-scheduling time saves an average 17 minutes for physician's first consultation in a clinic day, and a 7 percent reduction on current average patient wait time for case 1. Case 2 results in a 9 percent reduction on average patient wait time. The scheduled ancillary service time depends on the frequency and the ancillary service time, and appointment slot design., Research Limitations/implications: One limitation is the impact of modeling error on the account of ancillary service times and the modeling assumptions., Practical Implications: The proposed approach provides a studying method for clinic staff to account for ancillary services prior to physicians' visits for a better patient care. Two case studies demonstrated the practicability and promising results on reducing patient waiting., Originality/value: This article presents a unique approach to considering the required ancillary services in outpatient scheduling system that minimizes patient wait times. The approach will strengthen the existing scheduling methods to allow the time for ancillary services.

The objectives of this study are to investigate the volatile organic compound (VOC) distribution using passive samplers and to assess the resulting health risks in a high-tech science industrial park. With the advantages of passive sampling techniques, long-term and wide-area samples are collected. The results show TVOC concentrations in summer, fall, winter, and spring are 7.14 ± 5.66 ppb, 18.17 ± 5.81 ppb, 10.30 ± 3.54 ppb, and 14.56 ± 4.53 ppb, respectively; those on weekdays and weekends are 14.36 ± 6.80 ppb and 9.87 ± 4.86 ppb, respectively; and those in industrial and residential zones are 12.97 ± 0.39 ppb and 11.13 ± 0.68 ppb, respectively. Based on concentration variations, and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene ratios, we can resolve the source origins. Health risks are assessed based on the resulting concentrations. In the case of non-cancer chronic effects, long-term exposure to these concentrations does not support there is a risk of adverse health effects. However, potential cancer risks of exposure to these concentrations may occur, especially to carbon tetrachloride and benzene. By applying this study's procedures, information on VOC concentration distribution, source identification, and health assessment can be obtained and they are applicable to similar studies.

Making electronic devices using a single molecule has been the ultimate goal of molecular electronics. For binary data storage in particular, the challenge has been the ability to switch a single molecule in between bistable states in a simple and repeatable manner. The reversible switching of single molecules of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) dipolar molecules within a close-packed monolayer is demonstrated. By pulsing an scanning tunneling microscopy tip, read-write operations of single-molecular binary bits at ~40 Tb/cm(2) (~250 Tb/in(2)) are demonstrated., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background Aims: We investigated bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) transplantation combined with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) treatment in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the role of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)., Methods: AMI models were established in Sprague-Dawley rats by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and grouped into blank control (BC), ACEI treatment (ACEI), BMSC transplantation (BMSC) and BMSC transplantation plus ACEI (combined). Perindopril (2.5 mg/kg) was administered by gavage to ACEI and combined groups from the day after AMI. BMSC (2 × 10(8)) were injected into the border of the MI area a week later in the BMSC and combined groups., Results: After 4 weeks, hemodynamics in the BMSC and combined groups were significantly improved (P < 0.05 versus BC), with the greatest improvement in the combined group (P < 0.05). In addition, an increased number of BMSC survived in the combined group (P < 0.05 versus BMSC). A proportion of BMSC was positive for troponin T, as detected by immunofluorescence. The number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes was decreased in the BMSC and ACEI groups, and even further in the combined group (P < 0.05). IGF-1 expression was up-regulated in the BMSC and combined groups (P < 0.05 versus BC), but not in the ACEI group. B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression was up-regulated in the ACEI, BMSC and combined groups, with the highest expression in the combined group (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Our results show that BMSC engrafted in AMI can survive well and secrete IGF-1 and preserve cardiac function significantly. These data suggest that BMSC transplantation inhibits apoptosis of cardiomyocytes by up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression in the myocardium, and this effect might be sensitized by ACEI.

Purpose: A weighted scoring system was used to select a pharmacy layout redesign., Summary: Facilities layout design techniques were applied at a local hospital pharmacy using a step-by-step design process. The process involved observing and analyzing the current situation, observing the current available space, completing activity flow charts of the pharmacy processes, completing communication and material relationship charts to detail which areas in the pharmacy were related to one another and how they were related, researching applications in other pharmacies or in scholarly works that could be beneficial, numerically defining space requirements for areas within the pharmacy, measuring the available space within the pharmacy, developing a set of preliminary designs, and modifying preliminary designs so they were all acceptable to the pharmacy staff. To select a final layout that could be implemented in the pharmacy, those layouts were compared via a weighted scoring system. The weighted aspect further allowed additional emphasis on categories based on their effect on pharmacy performance. The results produced a beneficial layout design as determined through simulated models of the pharmacy operation that more effectively allocated and strategically located space to improve transportation distances and materials handling, employee utilization, and ergonomics., Conclusion: Facilities layout designs for a hospital pharmacy were evaluated using a weighted scoring system to identify a design that was superior to both the current layout and alternative layouts in terms of feasibility, cost, patient safety, employee safety, flexibility, robustness, transportation distance, employee utilization, objective adherence, maintainability, usability, and environmental impact.

Objective: To explore the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on migration, proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)., Methods: MSCs were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats by a combination of gradient centrifugation and cell culture techniques and treated with IGF-1 at concentrations of 5-20 ng/ml. Proliferation of MSCs was determined as the mean doubling time. Expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and migration property were determined by flow cytometry and transwell migration essay, respectively. mRNA expression of GATA-4 and collagen II was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)., Results: The mean doubling time of MSC proliferation was decreased, and the expression of CXCR4 on MSCs and migration of MSCs were increased by IGF-1, all in a dose-dependent manner, while the optimal concentration of IGF-1 on proliferation and migration was different. IGF-1 did not affect the expression of GATA-4 or collagen II mRNA., Conclusions: IGF-1 dose-dependently stimulated the proliferation of MSCs, upregulated the expression of CXCR4, and accelerated migration. There was no apparent differentiation of MSCs to cardiomyocytes or chondrocytes after culturing with IGF-1 alone.

Molecular preferential adsorption on molecular patterned surfaces via specific intermolecular interactions provides an efficient route to construct ordered organic nanostructures for future nanodevices. Here, we demonstrate the preferential trapping of second-layer molecules atop two-dimensional binary supramolecular networks, F(16)CuPc on DIP:F(16)CuPc and 6P:F(16)CuPc systems, respectively, through intermolecular π-π interactions. The formation of the second-layer supramolecular nanostructures, individual molecular dots or linear molecular chains, can be controlled by the underlying molecular networks.

The self-assembly of the binary molecular system comprising copper(II) phthalocyanine (CuPc) and copper-hexadecafluoro-phthalocyanine (F(16)CuPc) on graphite has been investigated by in situ low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM). The adsorption of this binary molecular system on graphite results in the formation of a well-ordered chessboardlike nanopattern. The in-plane molecular orientation of the guest CuPc molecules can be tuned by varying the coverage. At low coverage, the sparse CuPc molecules are randomly embedded in the host F(16)CuPc monolayer, possessing two different in-plane orientations; as the CuPc coverage increases, the in-plane molecular orientations of CuPc and F(16)CuPc become unidirectional and a highly ordered chessboardlike pattern forms. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation results suggest that the selective and directional intermolecular hydrogen bonding determines the in-plane molecular orientation as well as the supramolecular packing arrangement.

A total of 357 water samples were collected from a public beach in northern Taiwan during beach season, and the densities of enterococci were analyzed by Enterolert methods. The mean enterococci level was 356 MPN/100 ml and ranged from <10 to 2,005 MPN/100 ml, which was classified as high contamination level according to the WHO water quality guideline (95 percentile >1,000 MPN/100 ml). Most of the deteriorated water quality conditions occurred during rainfall. By excluding data from the rain days, the overall beach water quality would be considered in the moderate contamination level (95 percentile 200-1,000 MPN/100 ml). Among the selected microbiological parameters tested, the densities of total coliforms and enterococci exhibited the highest correlation (r = 0.449, p = 0.009), followed by the concentrations of total coliforms and fecal coliforms (r = 0.403, p = 0.02). Nonetheless, no significant correlation was found between enterococci and fecal coliform levels (r = 0.197, p = 0.271).

Objective: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 15 STRs loci in Chinese E Wen-ke population., Methods: DNA samples from 99 unrelated individuals in Chinese E Wen-ke population were screened by Power Plex 16 System and ABI3100 Genetic Analyzer., Results: The genotype frequencies of these 15 STR loci meet the Hardy-Weinberg expectation. The Matching probability of 15 STRs loci were between 0.0205-0.1733, discriminating power (DP) at 0.8267-0.9795, heterozygosity (Ho) at 0.6061-0.9091, power of exclusion (PE) at 0.4038-0.7690, polymorphism information content (PIC) at 0.5985-0.8734. The total DP of 15 STRs loci is 0.9999999999998., Conclusion: Our results showed that the 15 STRs loci of Power Plex 16 System are valuable STR loci genetic marker system having high DP and are useful in forensic case work in Chinese E Wen-ke population.

Objective: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 15 STRs loci in Chinese East Mongolian population., Methods: DNA samples from 105 unrelated individuals in Chinese East Mongolian population were screened by Power Plex 16 System and ABI3100 Genetic Analyzer., Results: The genotype frequencies of these 15 STR loci meet the Hardy-Weinberg expectation. The Matching probability of 15 STRs loci were between 0.0084-0.2169, discriminating power (DP) at 0.7831-0.9916, heterozygosity (H) at 0.5619-0.9231, power of exclusion (PE) at 0.4490-0.8444, polymorphism information content (PIC) at 0.5438-0.9178. The total DP of 15 STRs loci is 0.9999999999998., Conclusion: Our results showed that the 15 STRs loci of Power Plex 16 System are valuable STR loci genetic marker system having high DP and are useful in forensic case work in Chinese East Mongolian population.

The absorption spectra of photoinitiator cyclopentadiene-Fe-naphthalene tetrafluoroborate salt ([Cp-Fe-Naph]BF4) and ferocinium tetrafluoroborate salt([Cp-Fe-Cp]BF4), in two solvents have been studied. The influence of irradiation on the solution of photoinitiator has been observed. The kinetics of photolysis has been determined by real-time UV absorption spectrum. The results show that the photolysis reactions of two initiators are the first order reaction, the rate constant of photolysis reaction are 0.72 and 0.65 min-1, respectively. The photoinitiated mechanism of [Cp-Fe-Cp]BF4 was obtained.