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The development of a decision support tool to assist with call center agent scheduling at Henkel is described. Call center demand varies by hour, and agents have dissimilar service time distributions. Target agent utilizations are calculated using a metamodel of a simulation that finds the elbow of the utilization to waiting time curve. This article presents a customized decision support system for labor allocation at Henkel Corporation's Loctite adhesives call center, which mainly serves business-to-business customers who use Loctite adhesives to bond parts during manufacturing. The project includes an analysis of call center data, a simulation model that captures nuances of its operations, and a metamodel that generates optimal server utilization targets. The system, which projects performance on an hour-by-hour basis, maintains flexibility when assigning staff. Its use has decreased caller abandonment rates from 4.26% to 2.83% without increasing agent labor costs. History: This paper was refereed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used to sustain or favor hepatocyte differentiation in vitro. Thus, DMSO is used in the differentiation protocol of the HepaRG cells that present the closest drug-metabolizing enzyme activities to primary human hepatocytes in culture. The aim of our study is to clarify its influence on liver-specific gene expression. For that purpose, we performed a large-scale analysis (gene expression and histone modification) to determine the global role of DMSO exposure during the differentiation process of the HepaRG cells. The addition of DMSO drives the upregulation of genes mainly regulated by PXR and PPARα whereas genes not affected by this addition are regulated by HNF1α, HNF4α, and PPARα. DMSO-differentiated-HepaRG cells show a differential expression for genes regulated by histone acetylation, while differentiated-HepaRG cells without DMSO show gene signatures associated with histone deacetylases. In addition, we observed an interplay between cytoskeleton organization and EMC remodeling with hepatocyte maturation.

Over the last few years, the number of research publications about the role of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) in the development of liver diseases such as liver fibrosis, fatty liver diseases, or liver cancers is constantly increasing. However, the mechanisms involved in these effects are not well understood. In this review, we first recapitulate the way the liver is in contact with catecholamines and consider liver implications in their metabolism. A focus on the expression of the adrenergic and dopaminergic receptors by the liver cells is also discussed. Involvement of catecholamines in physiological (glucose metabolism, lipids metabolism, and liver regeneration) and pathophysiological (impact on drug-metabolizing enzymes expression, liver dysfunction during sepsis, fibrosis development, or liver fatty diseases and liver cancers) processes are then discussed. This review highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which catecholamines influence liver functions in order to draw benefit from the adrenergic and dopaminergic antagonists currently marketed. Indeed, as these molecules are well-known drugs, their use as therapies or adjuvant treatments in several liver diseases could be facilitated.

This study investigates whether specialized high school mathematics teachers, chosen to educate selected students, are mentally ready to integrate Fatih project technologies into their teaching. Forty mathematics teachers from randomly selected specialized and general high schools in Ankara responded to a survey comprising 31 items grouped under four measures of self-confidence in the technology domain. An independent t-test revealed no statistically significant difference between specialized and general high school teachers' self-confidence levels. We conclude that technological pedagogical content knowledge should be an essential criterion for selecting specialized school teachers, who educate the country's future innovators.

Inclusive education strives to support all students, regardless of their differences, so no child is left behind. However, some teachers, especially those in high schools, may oppose inclusive education. This study aimed to examine the experiences and actions of high school mathematics teachers as they taught students with visual impairments to understand the challenges they faced and how these affected their willingness to embrace the inclusion of these students. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with eight mathematics teachers experienced in teaching students with visual impairments. The findings were organized into five themes: mathematics teaching practices, curriculum, material preparation, assessment practices, and beliefs about inclusive education and students with visual impairments. The results revealed that while mathematics teachers were conscious of not being adequately equipped to implement inclusive education, those with strong teaching efficacy beliefs were more inclined to teach rigorous mathematics to students with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visibility is a significant parameter for defining, developing, and evaluating space in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) Industry. Therefore, visibility is considered when designing visually comfortable buildings. Visibility is also a significant parameter in building appraisal. Therefore, in this study, visibility was examined through 3-dimensional (3D) isovists, which are thought to represent the human perception of vision. Visibility was examined regarding spatial openness and mathematically calculated "visual openness indexes" were developed for building valuation. The analysis area was selected in Istanbul, and the urban model was created by using Geographic Information System (GIS) data in Building Information Modelling (BIM) software. Due to, economic reasons affecting different stakeholders in building valuation, it is necessary to create an accurate urban model. For this reason, in the study, the process of obtaining current and accurate GIS data covering the world from open sources is preferred. Then, the process of correctly transferring GIS data to BIM is explained. A sufficient urban model for analysis is created. To calculate the openness indexes, the dormitory in the Golden Horn was modelled in BIM, and different rooms' openness indexes were calculated. Some solutions have been presented to ensure the modelling process with large file sizes and in the calculation of visibility factors. To allow different AEC stakeholders to calculate these indexes, modelling, and calculation is done within BIM. Eventually, it was calculated how much the building users cognitively perceive the openness of the view, and a mathematical comparison of the different rooms' openness indexes was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The one-commodity pickup and delivery traveling salesman problem (1-PDTSP) concerns the transportation of single-type goods that are picked up from supply locations to be delivered to the demand points while minimizing transportation costs. 1-PDTSP finds several applications in practice including the food redistribution operations, where excess edible foods from restaurants and food vendors are collected and delivered to food banks or meal centers, which are then made available to those in need. This paper addresses the realistic case where the pickup and delivery quantities are rarely known in advance and studies the 1-PDTSP with stochastic demand and supply values. We propose a novel simheuristic algorithm, which combines VND metaheuristic with Monte Carlo simulation (SimVND) to solve the stochastic 1-PDTSP. The resulting algorithm takes into account both the transportation cost and the penalty cost, which is incurred due to the inability to satisfy the entire demand. The experimental results indicate that the SimVND solution performs well on deterministic data sets when compared with the existing solutions in the literature. On the stochastic problems, this algorithm leads to a significant decrease in the penalty costs compared to those observed under deterministic solutions. When the penalty costs of not being able to meet demand are high, simheuristic techniques provide a more reliable solution than deterministic heuristic solutions or limited scenario-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing need for a more sustainable management of natural resources depends not only on the decisions made by governments and the will of the population, but also on the knowledge of the role of energy in our society and the relevance of preserving natural resources. In this sense, critical work is being done to instill key concepts—such as the circular economy and sustainable energy—in higher education institutions. In this way, it is expected that future professionals and managers will be aware of the importance of energy optimization, and will learn a series of computational methods that can support the decision-making process. In the context of higher education, this paper reviews the main trends and challenges related to the concepts of circular economy and sustainable energy. Besides, we analyze the role of simulation and serious games as a learning tool for the aforementioned concepts. Finally, the paper provides insights and discusses open research opportunities regarding the use of these computational tools to incorporate circular economy concepts in higher education degrees. Our findings show that, while efforts are being made to include these concepts in current programs, there is still much work to be done, especially from the point of view of university management. In addition, the analysis of the teaching methodologies analyzed shows that, although their implementation has been successful in favoring the active learning of students, their use (especially that of serious games) is not yet widespread.