Journal articles on the topic 'Refill synchronization'

Tip decomposition is a crucial kernel for mining dense subgraphs in bipartite networks, with applications in spam detection, analysis of affiliation networks etc. It creates a hierarchy of vertex-induced subgraphs with varying densities determined by the participation of vertices in butterflies (2, 2-bicliques). To build the hierarchy, existing algorithms iteratively follow a delete-update (peeling) process: deleting vertices with the minimum number of butterflies and correspondingly updating the butterfly count of their 2-hop neighbors. The need to explore 2-hop neighborhood renders tip-decomposition computationally very expensive. Furthermore, the inherent sequentiality in peeling only minimum butterfly vertices makes derived parallel algorithms prone to heavy synchronization. In this paper, we propose a novel parallel tip-decomposition algorithm - REfine CoarsE-grained Independent Tasks (RECEIPT) that relaxes the peeling order restrictions by partitioning the vertices into multiple independent subsets that can be concurrently peeled. This enables RECEIPT to simultaneously achieve a high degree of parallelism and dramatic reduction in synchronizations. Further, RECEIPT employs a hybrid peeling strategy along with other optimizations that drastically reduce the amount of wedge exploration and execution time. We perform detailed experimental evaluation of RECEIPT on a shared-memory multicore server. It can process some of the largest publicly available bipartite datasets orders of magnitude faster than the state-of-the-art algorithms - achieving up to 1100× and 64× reduction in the number of thread synchronizations and traversed wedges, respectively. Using 36 threads, RECEIPT can provide up to 17.1× self-relative speedup.

Synchronization plays an important role in strategic planning, especially for large multi-business firms, in avoiding parallel duplicate efforts and improving synergies. The focus is on (technology) roadmapping as it is a simple, flexible, and popular method that covers three core dimensions relating to synchronization in strategic planning: function (horizontal), system hierarchy (vertical), and time. This research aims to identify the enablers of the synchronization process, and to develop, test and refine a Synchronization Assessment Framework (SAF). The adopted methodology is a process approach, consisting of three phases: development (literature review), improvement (in-dept case study), and validation (case studies). As a result, five groups and 13 enablers or critical factors of synchronization processes were identified, and a SAF was developed, leveraging the identified enablers and the roadmapping structure (know-why, know-what and know-know), leading to practical guidelines for a company.

The article deals with the systems of phase synchronization of radio engineering devices of communication technology. The purpose of the article is theoretical research in the direction of development, analysis and improvement of known and synthesis of new phase synchronization circuits, characterized by high noise immunity, accuracy and speed with simplicity of design. The problem is solved to investigate the possibilities of closed and combined synchronization systems for operation under conditions of phase instability of generators in a communication channel against the background of external additive Gaussian noise and Doppler frequency shift. The following results were obtained. The analysis of closed-type synchronization systems during operation under the conditions of phase instability of generators is carried out and its inconsistency is shown in order to minimize the phase error variance and increase the dynamics during carrier frequency monitoring. The process of synthesis of open communication in the combined synchronization system is refined and analytical dependences are offered, which allow to refine the technique of synthesis of open communication for the combined synchronization system with regard to the phase instability of the generators against the background of the influence of the adducts. Conclusions. Increasing the noise bandwidth of the proportional-integrating filter of the closed-loop phase-in-phase synchronization system to the parameters of the ideal filter impairs the dynamics of the specified system. For the combined synchronization system, in the conditions of phase instability of the generators, an increase in the noise bandwidth of the input signal can be achieved by applying a closed-loop proportional-integrating filter and by making appropriate selection of parameters of the transfer function of the link of the open channel. In the conditions of phase instability of the generators in the combined system of synchronization by selecting the parameters of the proportional-integrating filter, it is possible to provide the necessary dynamics of the system and to achieve the optimal value of the dispersion of the phase error in it. Taking into account Doppler noise under conditions of phase instability of generators for a closed-type synchronization system and a combined synchronization system requires a reduction of the optimal value of the noise bandwidth.

Purpose Previous work on the temporal coordination between gesture and speech found that the prominence in gesture coordinates with speech prominence. In this study, the authors investigated the anchoring regions in speech and pointing gesture that align with each other. The authors hypothesized that (a) in contrastive focus conditions, the gesture apex is anchored in the intonation peak and (b) the upcoming prosodic boundary influences the timing of gesture and intonation movements. Method Fifteen Catalan speakers pointed at a screen while pronouncing a target word with different metrical patterns in a contrastive focus condition and followed by a phrase boundary. A total of 702 co-speech deictic gestures were acoustically and gesturally analyzed. Results Intonation peaks and gesture apexes showed parallel behavior with respect to their position within the accented syllable: They occurred at the end of the accented syllable in non–phrase-final position, whereas they occurred well before the end of the accented syllable in phrase-final position. Crucially, the position of intonation peaks and gesture apexes was correlated and was bound by prosodic structure. Conclusions The results refine the phonological synchronization rule (McNeill, 1992), showing that gesture apexes are anchored in intonation peaks and that gesture and prosodic movements are bound by prosodic phrasing.

Abstract Underwater monitoring activities are crucial for the preservation of marine ecosystems. Currently, scuba divers are involved in data collection campaigns that are repetitive, dangerous, and expensive. This article describes the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools to underwater visual data for monitoring purposes. The data refer to a Posidonia Oceanica survey mission carried out by a scuba diver using a Smart Dive Scooter equipped with visual acquisition and acoustic localization systems. An acoustic-based strategy for geo-referencing of the optical dataset is reported. It exploits the synchronization between the audio track extracted from a camera and the transponder pings adopted for the acoustic positioning. The positioning measurements are employed within an extended Kalman filter to estimate the diver's path during the mission. A visual odometry algorithm is implemented within the filter to refine the navigation state estimation of the diver with respect to the acoustic positioning only. Moreover, a smoothing step based on the Rauch-Tung-Striebel smoother is applied to further improve the estimated diver's positions. Finally, the article reports the results of two different data processing for monitoring applications. The first one is an image mosaicking obtained by concatenating subsequent frames, whereas the second one refers to a qualitative distribution of the Posidonia Oceanica over the mission area accomplished through an image segmentation process. The two outcomes are plotted over a satellite image of the surveyed area, showing that the proposed process is an effective tool capable of facilitating divers in their monitoring and inspection activities.

6145 Background: The timely identification of available clinical trials by an oncologist for a patient represents a critical initial step in the research process. The challenges in supporting this step are threefold: (1) Large cancer centers may have more than 200 active clinical trials; (2) The accrual status of any particular clinical trial can change frequently; (3) Oncologists have limited time in their schedule to seek out clinical trial information. We hypothesized that delivering up-to-date clinical trial information directly to a handheld device would address the combination of these three challenges, and we utilized an iterative design process to refine the format and organization of this information. Methods: Web pages containing clinical trial information and optimized for a handheld display were created using an existing database and standard web development software. AvantGo software was utilized for transferring these web pages to handheld devices upon synchronization. Feedback on the initial design was obtained from four oncologists based in our community network locations. Two subsequent designs were developed based on both this feedback and encountered technical constraints. Results: Four major design changes emerged during our iterative design process. These changes included: (1) The organization of trial information based on network location; (2) The improvement of trial disease categories; (3) The shortening of trial titles; and (4) The inclusion of descriptive trial summaries for all trials. Conclusions: A demonstration of the handheld clinical trial information that is available to over 60 oncologists in our extended network will be provided. The merits of this approach as well as the lessons learned from our design process should be considered by other cancer centers seeking new methods for the distribution of clinical trial information. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Abstract Abstract 2989 Sequential drug combination is a rational approach to maximize tumor killing and minimize side effects in cancer therapy. However, this is rarely achieved because the mechanism of drug action is often incompletely understood and the cell cycle specificity of individual drugs unknown. Dysregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4 and CDK6 is common in human cancer and precedes unrestrained proliferation of tumor cells in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, especially during refractory relapse. This highlights the critical importance of targeting CDK4/CDK6 in MM. We have now developed, for the first time, a novel therapeutic strategy to selectively inhibit CDK4/CDK6 in sequential combination with clinically relevant cytotoxic drugs for maximal tumor killing at reduced doses in MM. CDK4 and CDK6 promote reentry and progression of the cell cycle through G1. PD 0332991, the only known CDK4/CDK6-specific inhibitor, is potent, reversible and bioavailable. We showed that inhibition of CDK4/CDK6 with PD 0332991 induces early G1 arrest and upon release from the G1 block, synchronous progression to S phase and G2/M with exceptional precision and efficiency in MM cells in vitro and in animal models. This provides a unique means to determine the cell cycle targeting specificity of individual compounds for optimal combination. Simultaneous analysis of BrdU pulse-labeling (30 minutes) and DNA content per cell reveals that bortezomib, a reversible proteasome inhibitor; carfilzomib (PR-171), an irreversible selective inhibitor of the proteasom; and its oral analog ONX-0912 (PR-047) all preferentially target MM cells synchronized into S phase over those arrested in G1, but not cells in G2/M. On this basis, killing of myeloma cells by proteasome inhibitors is markedly enhanced in prolonged G1 arrest induced by PD 0332991 and further augmented during synchronous entry into and progression through S phase upon release from the G1 block, in vitro and in vivo in the native bone marrow niches. Induction of early G1 arrest by PD 0332991 requires Rb, the substrate of CDK4 and CDK6, but not p53. Importantly, the increase in carfilzomib, ONX-0912 or bortezomib mediated killing after S phase synchronization significantly surpasses the enrichment of S phase cells. It is in fact proportional to the time of prior G1 arrest. Kinetics analyses of global gene expression patterns, specific RNA and protein levels and functional shRNA interference show that prolonging early G1 arrest leads to time-dependent uncoupling of gene expression from the cell cycle. PD 0332991 withdraw rapidly restores the CDK4 and CDK6 catalytic activity and scheduled expression of cell cycle genes, hence synchronous progression to S phase and mitosis. This includes upregulation of cyclin A synthesis and Skp2 mediated ubiquitin-proteasome degradation of p27 for S phase entry, mini chromosome maintenance(MCM)s and thymidine kinase for DNA replication, and genes critical for G2/M checkpoint control and mitosis. However, it fails to fully reverse the metabolic impairment (altered glucose, nucleotide and ATP metabolism) induced in prolonged early G1 arrest. This culminates in the loss of IRF-4 required for myeloma survival and selective gain of pro-apoptotic Bim function in G1 arrest and Noxa in S phase in synergy with carfilzomib and bortezomib, which lowers the threshold for activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Selective inhibition of CDK4/CDK6 in sequential combination therapy thus not only halts tumor cell proliferation but also potently induces synergistic tumor killing. This sequential combination therapy has been implemented in a multi-center phase 1/2 clinical trial targeting CDK4/6 with PD 0332991 in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in relapsed refractory MM. Phase 1 data indicate that PD 0332991 is well tolerated, and directly and completely inhibits CDK4/CDK6 and the cell cycle in tumor cells in MM patients with promising clinical efficacy. Evidence from phase 2 trials of carfilzomib indicates that it is also well tolerated. The peripheral neuropathy commonly observed with bortezomib appears to be less severe and less frequent. Selective combination with carfilzomib or the oral agent ONX-0912 thus represents a promising alternative to refine targeting CDK4/6 in sequential combination therapy for multiple myeloma and potentially other cancers. Disclosures: Off Label Use: PD 0332991 is a cell cycle CDK4/CDK6 inhibitor Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor. Kirk:Onyx: Employment, Equity Ownership. Randolph:Pfizer: Employment, Equity Ownership. Niesvizky:Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Onyx: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Millennium: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to enhance the readers’ understanding of the domain of talent management and employee engagement, and how the former culminates in the latter, specifically as a tool for retention of employees. The paper also attempts to probe and aid readers in understanding of the domain of talent management and employee engagement, specifically as a tool for retention of employees. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on secondary research in the areas of talent management practices, employee engagement and talent retention. The authors have reviewed the existing body of work on these topics in order to arrive at an analysis of the practice of talent management and employee engagement and to successively measure its impact on the retention of employees. In order to aid the endeavor to bring some clarity to and explore the trends in talent management, the authors have based this paper on a systematic review of the existing literature which seeks to examine the modern thought process and evidence. Current examples are drawn from many leading companies and their practices are emphasized for better understanding. Various drivers responsible for engaging and retaining talent are studied by reviewing the existing literature. After analyzing the existing literature, the authors have arrived at talent retention and engagement practices that may aid and assist industry practitioners and policy makers in designing and implementing successful talent management initiatives. The authors have proposed a model for arriving at improved retention from talent management practices. Findings One of the most effective tools in ensuring that employees stay engaged and committed to their work is talent management. This sense of engagement or commitment toward their work ensures in turn that these employees stay with the organization in the long run. As the authors have begun analyzing the costs associated with recruitment, selection and the opportunity cost related to attrition, organizations have been concentrating their talent management efforts in the direction of retention. The paper concludes that a synchronization of talent management practices and employee engagement initiatives leads to improved talent retention and proposes a model to this end. Research limitations/implications Owing to the fact that the paper is conceptual, the model and hypotheses the authors arrive at must be empirically tested by relevant stakeholders in the organization, specifically the stakeholders specializing in the area of talent management, in order to add further weight to the literature. Practical implications Derived from an extensive study of current and impending talent management strategies, the findings may aid organizations and policy makers to develop and refine talent management practices in order to engage human capital, with the ulterior aim of talent retention – a concern that plagues most contemporary organizations. Originality/value Preempting or preventing attrition is a priority in several organizations, and more often, in some industries as a whole. The authors examine how talent management practices can contribute to the efforts in preempting or preventing attrition in organizations. Adding to the existing literature on talent management, the paper explores the areas of talent management which directly affect employee engagement and in turn make a difference in talent retention. This link connecting talent management practices with retention deserves a greater amount of investigation, which the paper explores.

Although there are several approaches and strategies for teaching foreign languages, the Total Physical Response (TPR) approach is the most suitable for young learners. TPR is a way of teaching language that is based on the synchronization of speech and behaviour, or in other words, teaching language through movement. This study aims to develop English learning media for children through the Total Physical Response (TPR) method. This study uses a Research and Development (R & D) approach. The development model used is the ADDIE development model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation). Data collection techniques in this study were based on the results of expert validation tests, media practicality tests, and media effectiveness tests on children aged 5-6 years in Kindergarten. The results showed that the validity test of developing interactive media for children's English learning through the TPR method by media expert was declared valid with the result of 93%. The validity test on the material aspect shows the result is 98%. In the language aspect, the language expert gave the results of the feasibility of the language used in the media with a value of 96%. Likewise, with the practicality test, the results showed that the media had an average value of practicality with a percentage of 94%. The most important result in media development is determined by the results of the effectiveness test, and this media gets an average percentage score of 77.8% on the media tested on children. Therefore, interactive media for children's English learning through the Total Physical Response method deserves to be used as interactive and quality learning media that is practical and effective for early childhood. Intervention in introducing how to develop interactive media for learning English to teachers can be carried out in further research. Keywords: Early Childhood, English Learning Media, Total Physical Response (TPR) method References: Amri, S. (2013). Pengembangan & Model Pembelajaran Dalam Kurikulum. Prestasi Pustakarya. Andi. (2013). Kupas Tuntas Adobe Flash CS6. Gramedia. Ariani, N. & H. (2010). Pembelajaran Multimedia di Sekolah Pedoman Pembelajaran Inspiratif, Konstruktif, dan Prospektif. Prestasi Pustakarya. Arsyad, A. (2011). Media Pembelajaran. Raja Grafindo Persada. Asher, J. J. (1969). The Total Physical Response Approach to Second Language Learning. The Modern Language Journal, 53(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.2307/322091 Astutik, Y., & Aulina Choirun, N. (2017). Total Physical Response (Tpr) Pada Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris Siswa Taman Kanak-Kanak. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 17(2), 196–2017. Chaer, A. (2009). Psikolinguistik Kajian Teoretik. Rineka Cipta. Cheng, G. (2009). Using Game Making Pedagogy to Facilitate Student Learning of Interactive Multimedia. Australasian Journal Educational Technology, Vol. 25 (2, 204–220. Danim. (2008). Media Komunikasi Pendidikan. Bumi Aksara. Dardjowidjojo, S. (2010). Psikolinguistik: Pengantar Pemahaman Manusia Edisi Kedua. Yayasan Obor Indonesia Unika Atma Jaya. Darmawan, D. (2012). Inovasi Pendidikan. Remaja Rosdakarya. Daryanto. (2011). Media Pembelajaran. PT. Sarana Tutorial Nurani Sejahtera. Depdiknas. (2009). Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Republik Indonesia Nomor 58 Tahun 2009 tentang Standar Pendidikan Anak Usia dini. Er, S. (2013). Using Total Physical Response Method in Early Childhood Foreign Language Teaching Environments. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 1766–1768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.113 Fauzi, C., & Basikin. (2020). The Impact of the Whole Language Approach Towards Children Early Reading and Writing in English. JPUD - Jurnal Pendidikan Usia Dini, 14(1), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.21009/jpud.141.07 Hanafiah, Nanang & Cucu, S. (2010). Konsep Strategi Pembelajaran. Refika Aditama. Jackman Hilda, L. (2010). Childhood Education Curriculum: A Child’s Connection to The world. Nelson Education Ltd. Jared, K., & Grace, O. (2009). Technology Interaction Profeesional Development Model for Practicing Teachers. Journal Technology and Early Childhood Education, 37, 209–218. Komalasari, K. (2010). Pembelajaran Kontekstual: Konsep dan Aplikasi. Refika Aditama. Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed). Oxford University Press. Lase, F. (2017). Hakikat Pendidikan Berdasarkan Kebutuhan Usia. . . Jurnal PPKn & Hukum, 12(1). Mayesky. (2012). Creative Activities for Young Children. Nelson Education. Mohamad Syarif Sumantri. (2015). Strategi Pembelajaran: Teori dan Praktik di Tingkat Pendidikan Dasar. PT Raja Grafindo Persada. Ghani, N. H. H. M. G. (2014). The Effectiveness of Total Physical Response (TPR ) Approach in Helping Slow Young Learners With Low. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 4(6). Mulia Dewi. (2016). Thesis the Role of Play in Teaching English as A Foreign Language in Early Childhood Settings in Indonesia. Australia: Deakin University. Munir. (2009). Multimedia Konsep dan Aplikasi dalam Pendidikan. Alfabeta. Munir. (2012). Multimedia Konsep dan Aplikasi dalam Pendidikan. Alfabeta. Nuraeni, C. (2019). Using Total Physical Response (TPR) Method on Young Learners English Language Teaching. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 3(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v3i1.1223 Paturan Menteri Pendidikan Repuberlik Indonesia Nomor 137. (2014). Tentang Standar PAUD. Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI No. 146 Tahun 2014 Tentang Implementasi Kurikulum 2013 PAUD. (2014). Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching young language learners. Oxford University Press. Pranowo, G. (2011). Kreasi Animasi Interaktif dengan Action Script 3.0 pada Flash CS6. Graha Ilmu. Priscilla, C. (2009). Supporting Children Learning English as Second Language in the Early Years (Birth to Six Years). Australia: Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Purwanti, R. (2020). Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris Untuk Anak Usia Dini Melalui Metode Gerak dan Lagu. Potensia, Jurnal Ilmiah, 5(2), 91–105. Putro, W. E. (2013). Teknik Penyusunan Instrumen Penelitian. Pustaka Pelajar. Rahmat, A. (2010). Implementasi Kurikulum Bahasa Asing di Taman-Kanak (TK) DKI Jakarta. Jurnal Kajian Linguistik Dan Sastra, 22(77–10), 1. Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press. Riduwan. (2012). Skala Pengukuran Variabel-Variabel Penelitian. Alfabeta. Sanjaya, W. (2009). Strategi Pembelajaran. Kencana. Santrock, Jhon. W. (2011). - Span Development: Perkembangan Masa Hidup. Erlangga. Sari, N. E., & Suryana, D. (2019). Thematic Pop-Up Book as a Learning Media for Early Childhood Language Development. JPUD - Jurnal Pendidikan Usia Dini, 13(1), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.21009/10.21009/jpud.131.04 Savic, V. (2014). Total Physical Response Activities in Teaching English to Young Learners. Journal of Physical Culture and Modern Society, 17, 447–454. Setiawan Deni dkk. (2017). Pengaruh Media Pembelajaran Dan Motivasi Belajar Terhadap Hasil Belajar Desain Sistem Instruksional Pendekatan Tpack. Jurnal Teknologi Dan Informasi Dalam Pendidikan, Vol 4 No 2, 141–146. Stakanova E., & Tolstikhina, E. (2014). Different Approaches to Teaching English As A Foreign Language to Young Learner. . . Journal of Procedia Social and Behaviour Science, Vol. 146, 456–460. Suryana, D. (2016). Stimulasi dan Aspek Perkembangan Anak. Kencana. Suyadi. (2013). Konsep Dasar PAUD. Rosdakarya. Suyanto. (2008). Evolutionary Computation. Informatika. Tarigan, H. G. (2009). Pengajaran kedwibahasaan. Angkasa. Wijayatiningsih, & Mulyadi. (2014). Pemanfaatan model total physical response dan repetition untuk pengembangan pembelajaran bahasa Inggris anak usia dini / TK. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan, 31(1), 63–66. Wiyani, N. A. (2014). Perkembangan Anak Usia Dini: Panduan Orang Tua dan Pendidik PAUD Dalam Memahami serta mendidik Anak Usia Dini. Gava Media.

Objective: To determine patient awareness, perceived benefit, and intent to participate in 1) adherence packaging 2) Medication therapy management (MTM), 3) delivery, 4) automatic refill, and 5) refill synchronization. Methods: This cross-sectional exploratory study used convenience sampling to survey participants from January 26th, 2016 and March 28th, 2016. A 25-question survey and service sheet were developed. The survey consisted of four sections 1) awareness, 2) perceived benefit, 3) intent to participate, and 4) demographics. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and logistic regression were conducted. Results: A total of 336 people were approached. Thirty-four people only filled out the demographic section and 32 refused to participate. Therefore, 270 surveys were considered usable for statistical analysis (90.4% response rate). The majority of the participants were not aware of refill synchronization (77.0%), MTM (64.8%), and adherence packaging (87.0%). There were multiple factors that contributed to how patients perceived the benefits of adherence packaging and automatic refill. Participants who were middle aged or older (p<.05), had a higher income (p<.01), were on multiple medications (p<.01), and from Ohio (p<.05) saw a higher benefit in adherence packaging. Participants who were middle aged or older (p<.05), male (p<.01), had a higher income (p<.01), had a Bachelor’s degree or lower (p<.05), and were aware of the service (p<.01) were more likely to see a benefit in automatic refill. In contrast there was only one predictor for refill synchronization showing that non-white participants were more likely to see a benefit. There were not any factors that contributed to how patients perceived the benefits of delivery, refill synch, and MTM. There were several predictors that increased a patient’s intent to participate in a service. Some of the key predictors for each service included, participants who felt that adherence packaging will help them feel more in control of taking their medications were 2.81 times more likely to participate. Participants who felt that delivery would allow them more time to do other things were 6.89 times more likely to participate. Those who believed that automatic refill would help them take their medications on time were 8.30 times more likely to participate. Participants who felt refill synchronization would decrease multiple trips to the pharmacy were 2.26 times more likely to participate. Those that felt MTM would build their relationship with their pharmacist were 0.47 times more likely to participate. Overall, a consistent predictor for every service was feeling in control of taking their medications. Conclusion: Overall, there is a lack of awareness of pharmacy services. Specifically services such as medication therapy management, refill synchronization, and adherence packaging. Pharmacists should take a proactive approach in informing patients of the services offered at their pharmacy. Additionally to increase participation, pharmacists can educate patients on how a service may help them feel more in control of taking their medications. Type: Original Research

Objective: To examine the effect of a medication synchronization or education program on hypertensive health outcomes. Methods: This study used a design of randomized controlled trial lasting four months taking place within a family-owned community pharmacy chain in a U.S. Midwestern state. A total of 302 hypertensive patients were randomized into 3 study groups - control, medication synchronization, and education. Interventions included management of medication refills through a medication synchronization program for the medication synchronization group, and monthly hypertension (HTN) education for the education group. Outcome measures included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), percentage of patients at blood pressure (BP) goal, self-rated change in medication adherence, and patients' HTN knowledge. Results: All groups had significant decline of SBP from baseline; however the final analysis showed no significant SBP differences among study groups. The proportion of patients achieving BP goals in both the control (p=0.005) and education (p=0.019) groups increased at Month 4. Changes in self-reported adherence were not significant for any groups. All groups showed positive changes on HTN knowledge questions with the education group showing the greatest change. Conclusion: Compared to the control group, there was no difference in the primary outcomes. However, this study demonstrated that educational materials written at an appropriate level and presented by community pharmacists to patients may have been associated with an increase in HTN knowledge and a significant increase in the proportion of patients achieving their BP goal. These educational interventions had a greater impact on helping patients achieve their blood pressure goals than medication synchronization. This may indicate that further intervention is needed to impact adherence aside from ensuring that patients have their medication on hand. Taking the time to educate patients about hypertension led to self-reported positive change with being more careful about taking medications and with not forgetting to take medications when they felt better. Type: Original Research

International audience In this paper we address the problem of understanding Concurrency Theory from a combinatorial point of view. We are interested in quantitative results and algorithmic tools to refine our understanding of the classical combinatorial explosion phenomenon arising in concurrency. This paper is essentially focusing on the the notion of synchronization from the point of view of combinatorics. As a first step, we address the quantitative problem of counting the number of executions of simple processes interacting with synchronization barriers. We elaborate a systematic decomposition of processes that produces a symbolic integral formula to solve the problem. Based on this procedure, we develop a generic algorithm to generate process executions uniformly at random. For some interesting sub-classes of processes we propose very efficient counting and random sampling algorithms. All these algorithms have one important characteristic in common: they work on the control graph of processes and thus do not require the explicit construction of the state-space.

The article considers the views of various authors on the concept of economic security of the organization and formulates a general definition of this economic category. One of the main results of the study is an algorithm for constructing a definition of economic security, which allows you to model and refine the definition based on the original categories, taking into account the economic context. The methodological approach to the formation of economic security of the enterprise has been improved, which, in contrast to the existing ones, allows to take into account both the state and the direction of development of the enterprise under study. The article considers some aspects of strategic planning to increase the level of economic security of the enterprise in conditions of uncertainty of the external and internal environment. Approaches to the development of economic security strategy as part of the overall strategy of the enterprise, which is based on the use of four types of strategies for safe development of the entity. The development and implementation of these strategies is carried out in the functional areas of economic security, which depend on a number of factors, including the scope of the enterprise. Approaches to the development of economic security strategy as part of the overall strategy of the enterprise are considered. In the context of socio-political and economic crisis, the implementation period of any strategy should be reduced to three (or even one) years, which excludes the very understanding of the strategy, reducing it to operational and tactical management. In such a short period of strategy implementation it is impossible to achieve synchronization of management policy in certain aspects of the enterprise (which is one of the most important advantages of strategy development) and determine the effectiveness and feasibility of its application. the safety of business processes is offered on the basis of development of strategy of development of the enterprise, its constituent elements, object and subject are investigated that allows to consider influence of each of elements of system at all its levels.

BackgroundThe therapeutic effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for Parkinson's disease (PD) is related to the modulation of pathological neural activities, particularly the synchronization in the β band (13–35 Hz). However, whether the local β activity in the STN region can directly predict the stimulation outcome remains unclear.ObjectiveWe tested the hypothesis that low-β (13–20 Hz) and/or high-β (20–35 Hz) band activities recorded from the STN region can predict DBS efficacy.MethodsLocal field potentials (LFPs) were recorded in 26 patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery in the subthalamic nucleus area. Recordings were made after the implantation of the DBS electrode prior to its connection to a stimulator. The maximum normalized powers in the theta (4–7 Hz), alpha (7–13 Hz), low-β (13–20 Hz), high-β (20–35 Hz), and low-γ (40–55 Hz) subbands in the postoperatively recorded LFP were correlated with the stimulation-induced improvement in contralateral tremor or bradykinesia–rigidity. The distance between the contact selected for stimulation and the contact with the maximum subband power was correlated with the stimulation efficacy. Following the identification of the potential predictors by the significant correlations, a multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate their effect on the outcome.ResultsThe maximum high-β power was positively correlated with bradykinesia–rigidity improvement (rs = 0.549, p &lt; 0.0001). The distance to the contact with maximum high-β power was negatively correlated with bradykinesia–rigidity improvement (rs = −0.452, p &lt; 0.001). No significant correlation was observed with low-β power. The maximum high-β power and the distance to the contact with maximum high-β power were both significant predictors for bradykinesia–rigidity improvement in the multiple regression analysis, explaining 37.4% of the variance altogether. Tremor improvement was not significantly correlated with any frequency.ConclusionHigh-β oscillations, but not low-β oscillations, recorded from the STN region with the DBS lead can inform stimulation-induced improvement in contralateral bradykinesia–rigidity in patients with PD. High-β oscillations can help refine electrode targeting and inform contact selection for DBS therapy.