The contribution deals with simulation-optimization of schedules that are modelled by simple Coloured Petri nets (CPNs). CPN modelling of standard classes of scheduling problems is addressed and compact CPN representations of scheduling problems are proposed. It is shown how a combination of CPN representations with predefined transition sequence conflict resolution strategy can be used to opti...

Pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis commonly produce pain that is difficult to control.1,2 Initial therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) is often inadequate and necessitates opioid administration. Although opioids effectively relieve pain, they are associated with dry mouth, constipation, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, delirium, and may impair immune function.3,4 In ...

BACKGROUND Studies have suggested that the prevalence of antibodies against heat-shock proteins (HSPs), Chlamydia pneumoniae (CPN), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), but the independent or joint effects of human (h) HSP60 antibodies and these pathogens in patients have not been fully elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 405 subjects (276 patient...

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-augmented cannulated pedicle-screw fixation has been routinely performed for the surgical treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. Despite its satisfactory clinical outcomes and prevalence, problems and complications associated with high-strength, stiff, and nondegradable PMMA have largely hindered the long-term efficacy and safety of pedicle-screw fixation in o...

Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) could play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cpn interferes with HIF-1alpha regulation in infected host cells during intracellular replication in hypoxia. We obtained carotid artery specimens with low (n=38), high (n=25) levels of stenosis and 10 middle cerebral arteries. Fifty eight percent of the carotids with low levels of stenosis showed evi...

In order to approximate discrete-event systems in which there exist considerable states and events, David and Alla define a continuous Petri net (CPN). So far, CPNs have been a useful tool not only for approximating discrete-event systems but also for modelling continuous processes. Due to different ways of calculating instantaneous firing speeds of transitions, various continuous Petri net mod...

Responsive space launch is currently developing rapidly and has application cases in many fields, with advantages such as fast response speed flexible networking. Aiming at the efficiency evaluation of responsive system, this article first summarizes typical process launch, then gives a hierarchical model system based on timed colored Petri nets, including top-level model, demand command decisi...

Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection is a leading cause for a variety of respiratory diseases and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. The regulatory mechanisms in host defense against Cpn infection are less understood. In this study, we investigated the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in immune regulation in Cpn respiratory tract infection. We f...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of application time of colloidal platinum nanoparticles (CPN) on bond strength. Dentin surfaces were subjected to one of the following treatments: (A) Etching with 10% citric acid-3% FeCl(3 )solution (10-3 solution); (B) Etching with 10-3 solution followed by applying CPN as a primer solution for 10, 20, 30, or 60 seconds; and (C) Priming ...

Providing optimal and safe routes to evacuees in emergency situations requires fast and adaptive algorithms. The common approaches are often too slow to converge, too complex, or only focus on one aspect of the problem, e.g. finding the shortest path. This paper presents an adaptation of the Cognitive Packet Network (CPN) concept to emergency evacuation problems. Using Neural Networks, CPN is a...