Sample records for congestion management rules

  1. 23 CFR 450.320 - Congestion management process in transportation management areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Congestion management process in transportation... Programming § 450.320 Congestion management process in transportation management areas. (a) The transportation planning process in a TMA shall address congestion management through a process that provides for safe and...

  2. 23 CFR 450.320 - Congestion management process in transportation management areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Congestion management process in transportation... Programming § 450.320 Congestion management process in transportation management areas. (a) The transportation planning process in a TMA shall address congestion management through a process that provides for safe and...

  3. 23 CFR 450.320 - Congestion management process in transportation management areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Congestion management process in transportation... Programming § 450.320 Congestion management process in transportation management areas. (a) The transportation planning process in a TMA shall address congestion management through a process that provides for safe and...

  4. Rhode Island congestion management plan : executive summary

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-09-01

    This document provides an overview of the Rhode Island Congestion Management System (CMS) program consisting of the following: Congestion Management System Plan; Incident Management Plan; and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Early Deployment P...

  5. 23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Federal lands congestion management system (CMS). 970... LANDS HIGHWAYS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS National Park Service Management Systems § 970.214 Federal lands congestion management system (CMS). (a) For purposes of this section, congestion...

  6. 23 CFR 971.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... congestion management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi... Federal lands congestion management system (CMS). (a) For purposes of this section, congestion means the... for the transportation systems providing access to and within National Forests, as appropriate, that...

  7. 23 CFR 973.214 - Indian lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Indian lands congestion management system (CMS). 973.214... HIGHWAYS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS PERTAINING TO THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND THE INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Bureau of Indian Affairs Management Systems § 973.214 Indian lands congestion management system...

  8. Congestion Management System Process Report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-03-01

    In January 1995, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization with the help of an interagency Study Review Committee began the process of developing a Congestion Management System (CMS) Plan resulting in this report. This report documents the ...

  9. Airport Characterization for the Adaptation of Surface Congestion Management Approaches

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-02-01

    Surface Congestion Management Program at New York JFK airport [6,7], the human-in-the-loop simulations of the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor...a surface congestion management technique at New York JFK airport ,” AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration and Operations (ATIO) Conference...Virginia Beach, VA, September 2011. [7] S. Stroiney, H. Khadilkar and H. Balakrishnan, “Ground Management Program at JFK Airport : Implementation and

  10. Statewide planning scenario synthesis : transportation congestion measurement and management.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-09-01

    This study is a review of current practices in 13 states to: (1) measure traffic congestion and its costs; and (2) manage congestion with programs and techniques that do not involve the building of new highway capacity. In regard to the measures of c...

  11. 23 CFR 450.320 - Congestion management process in transportation management areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... travel demand reduction and operational management strategies. (b) The development of a congestion... appropriate analysis of reasonable (including multimodal) travel demand reduction and operational management... the analysis demonstrates that travel demand reduction and operational management strategies cannot...

  12. Auctionable fixed transmission rights for congestion management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alomoush, Muwaffaq Irsheid

    Electric power deregulation has proposed a major change to the regulated utility monopoly. The change manifests the main part of engineers' efforts to reshape three components of today's regulated monopoly: generation, distribution and transmission. In this open access deregulated power market, transmission network plays a major role, and transmission congestion is a major problem that requires further consideration especially when inter-zonal/intra-zonal scheme is implemented. Declaring that engineering studies and experience are the criteria to define zonal boundaries or defining a zone based on the fact that a zone is a densely interconnected area (lake) and paths connecting these densely interconnected areas are inter-zonal lines will render insufficient and fuzzy definitions. Moreover, a congestion problem formulation should take into consideration interactions between intra-zonal and inter-zonal flows and their effects on power systems. In this thesis, we introduce a procedure for minimizing the number of adjustments of preferred schedules to alleviate congestion and apply control schemes to minimize interactions between zones. In addition, we give the zone definition a certain criterion based on the Locational Marginal Price (LMP). This concept will be used to define congestion zonal boundaries and to decide whether any zone should be merged with another zone or split into new zones. The thesis presents a unified scheme that combines zonal and FTR schemes to manage congestion. This combined scheme is utilized with LMPs to define zonal boundaries more appropriately. The presented scheme gains the best features of the FTR scheme, which are providing financial certainty, maximizing the efficient use of the system and making users pay for the actual use of congested paths. LMPs may give an indication of the impact of wheeling transactions, and calculations of and comparisons of LMPs with and without wheeling transactions should be adequate criteria to approve

  13. 23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... experiencing congestion, the NPS shall develop a separate CMS to cover those facilities. Approaches may include... congestion management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic...

  14. 23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... experiencing congestion, the NPS shall develop a separate CMS to cover those facilities. Approaches may include... congestion management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic...

  15. Diagnosis and management of nasal congestion: the role of intranasal corticosteroids.

    PubMed

    Benninger, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Nasal congestion is considered the most bothersome of allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms and can significantly impair ability to function at work, home, and school. Effective management of AR-related nasal congestion depends on accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Many individuals with AR and AR-related congestion remain undiagnosed and do not receive prescription medication. However, new tools intended to improve the diagnosis of nasal congestion have been developed and validated. Intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) are recommended as first-line therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe AR and also when nasal congestion is a prominent symptom. Double blind, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated greater efficacy of INSs versus placebo, antihistamines, or montelukast for relief of all nasal symptoms, especially congestion. Patient adherence to treatment also affects outcomes, and this may be influenced by patient preferences for the sensory attributes of an individual drug. Increased awareness of the effects of AR-related nasal congestion, the efficacy and safety of available pharmacotherapies, and barriers to adherence may improve clinical outcomes.

  16. Long Island Transportation Plan to Manage Congestion: Framework for Developing and Evaluating Improvement Strategies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-04-20

    The Long Island Transportation Plan to Manage Congestion (LITP 2000) will establish an integrated, multi-modal transportation program of cost-effective strategies to manage congestion and improve the movement of people and goods in Nassau and Suffolk...

  17. Congestion management system/IVHS program study Birmingham, Alabama : phase 1, report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-04-01

    The Inter-modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) required states and : metropolitan areas designated as transportation management areas develop congestion : management systems. The Birmingham Planning Area is designated as a non-...

  18. Congestion Management System/IVHS Program Study for Birmingham, Alabama. Phase 1 Report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-04-01

    The Inter-modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) required states and : metropolitan areas designated as transportation management areas develop congestion : management systems. The Birmingham Planning Area is designated as a non-...

  19. Transmission dispatch and congestion management in open market systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fang, Risheng

    This thesis is located in the domain of electricity supply industry restructuring. It deals with emerging issues, whose understanding is essential to advancing knowledge of open access transmission theory and proceeds to develop approaches for solving the transmission dispatch and congestion management problem. An overview of current trends and experiences in utility restructuring and the main models for restructuring, as well as the classifications of system operators, is first presented. A fully unbundled competitive electricity market model, called the bilateral/multilateral trades model, is then developed. A survey of current research in transmission dispatch and congestion management is included with discussion of transmission capacity and ancillary services. A methodology for the power dispatch problem in a structure dominated by bilateral and multilateral transmission contracts is presented. Group structures are mathematically formulated and explored and three basic types of curtailment strategies proposed for use by market participants. A more complex model is then developed, which takes into account the co-existence of bilateral and multilateral contracts with pool type dynamic supplies and demands based on bids and market clearing prices. An integrated dispatch strategy to reconcile all three types of transactions (bilateral, multilateral and pool) is then developed. Prioritization of electricity transactions and related curtailment strategies are explored and a mechanism for coordination between market participants to achieve additional economic advantages is described. A theory of security based rescheduling is presented in order to investigate the security-related aspects of operation in an unbundled and deregulated system. The impact of post-contingency corrective capability on optimal rescheduling results has been identified and the advantage of incorporating post-contingency corrective rescheduling into the objective function demonstrated. Finally

  20. Autonomous Congestion Control in Delay-Tolerant Networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burleigh, Scott; Jennings, Esther; Schoolcraft, Joshua

    2006-01-01

    Congestion control is an important feature that directly affects network performance. Network congestion may cause loss of data or long delays. Although this problem has been studied extensively in the Internet, the solutions for Internet congestion control do not apply readily to challenged network environments such as Delay Tolerant Networks (DTN) where end-to-end connectivity may not exist continuously and latency can be high. In DTN, end-to-end rate control is not feasible. This calls for congestion control mechanisms where the decisions can be made autonomously with local information only. We use an economic pricing model and propose a rule-based congestion control mechanism where each router can autonomously decide on whether to accept a bundle (data) based on local information such as available storage and the value and risk of accepting the bundle (derived from historical statistics). Preliminary experimental results show that this congestion control mechanism can protect routers from resource depletion without loss of data.

  1. Autonomous Congestion Control in Delay-Tolerant Networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burleigh, Scott C.; Jennings, Esther H.

    2005-01-01

    Congestion control is an important feature that directly affects network performance. Network congestion may cause loss of data or long delays. Although this problem has been studied extensively in the Internet, the solutions for Internet congestion control do not apply readily to challenged network environments such as Delay Tolerant Networks (DTN) where end-to-end connectivity may not exist continuously and latency can be high. In DTN, end-to-end rate control is not feasible. This calls for congestion control mechanisms where the decisions can be made autonomously with local information only. We use an economic pricing model and propose a rule-based congestion control mechanism where each router can autonomously decide on whether to accept a bundle (data) based on local information such as available storage and the value and risk of accepting the bundle (derived from historical statistics).

  2. The congestion control algorithm based on queue management of each node in mobile ad hoc networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Yifei; Chang, Lin; Wang, Yali; Wang, Gaoping

    2016-12-01

    This paper proposes an active queue management mechanism, considering the node's own ability and its importance in the network to set the queue threshold. As the network load increases, local congestion of mobile ad hoc network may lead to network performance degradation, hot node's energy consumption increase even failure. If small energy nodes congested because of forwarding data packets, then when it is used as the source node will cause a lot of packet loss. This paper proposes an active queue management mechanism, considering the node's own ability and its importance in the network to set the queue threshold. Controlling nodes buffer queue in different levels of congestion area probability by adjusting the upper limits and lower limits, thus nodes can adjust responsibility of forwarding data packets according to their own situation. The proposed algorithm will slow down the send rate hop by hop along the data package transmission direction from congestion node to source node so that to prevent further congestion from the source node. The simulation results show that, the algorithm can better play the data forwarding ability of strong nodes, protect the weak nodes, can effectively alleviate the network congestion situation.

  3. Incorporating travel-time reliability into the congestion management process : a primer.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-02-01

    This primer explains the value of incorporating travel-time reliability into the Congestion Management Process (CMP) : and identifies the most current tools available to assist with this effort. It draws from applied research and best practices : fro...

  4. Transmission congestion management in the electricity market

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yue

    2018-04-01

    In this paper we mainly discuss how to optimize the arrangement to decrease the loss of each line when the power generation side of the system transmission congestion occurs in a safe and economical manner. We respectively set the adjust model if the transmission can be eliminated which can calculate the best scheme and safety margin model when transmission cannot be eliminated which is a multi-objective planning problem. We solve the two models on the condition of the load power demands are 982.4MW and 1052.8 MW by Lingo and get the optimal management scheme.

  5. Optimal Congestion Management in Electricity Market Using Particle Swarm Optimization with Time Varying Acceleration Coefficients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boonyaritdachochai, Panida; Boonchuay, Chanwit; Ongsakul, Weerakorn

    2010-06-01

    This paper proposes an optimal power redispatching approach for congestion management in deregulated electricity market. Generator sensitivity is considered to indicate the redispatched generators. It can reduce the number of participating generators. The power adjustment cost and total redispatched power are minimized by particle swarm optimization with time varying acceleration coefficients (PSO-TVAC). The IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus systems are used to illustrate the proposed approach. Test results show that the proposed optimization scheme provides the lowest adjustment cost and redispatched power compared to the other schemes. The proposed approach is useful for the system operator to manage the transmission congestion.

  6. A novel symbiotic organisms search algorithm for congestion management in deregulated environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verma, Sumit; Saha, Subhodip; Mukherjee, V.

    2017-01-01

    In today's competitive electricity market, managing transmission congestion in deregulated power system has created challenges for independent system operators to operate the transmission lines reliably within the limits. This paper proposes a new meta-heuristic algorithm, called as symbiotic organisms search (SOS) algorithm, for congestion management (CM) problem in pool based electricity market by real power rescheduling of generators. Inspired by interactions among organisms in ecosystem, SOS algorithm is a recent population based algorithm which does not require any algorithm specific control parameters unlike other algorithms. Various security constraints such as load bus voltage and line loading are taken into account while dealing with the CM problem. In this paper, the proposed SOS algorithm is applied on modified IEEE 30- and 57-bus test power system for the solution of CM problem. The results, thus, obtained are compared to those reported in the recent state-of-the-art literature. The efficacy of the proposed SOS algorithm for obtaining the higher quality solution is also established.

  7. A novel symbiotic organisms search algorithm for congestion management in deregulated environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verma, Sumit; Saha, Subhodip; Mukherjee, V.

    2017-01-01

    In today's competitive electricity market, managing transmission congestion in deregulated power system has created challenges for independent system operators to operate the transmission lines reliably within the limits. This paper proposes a new meta-heuristic algorithm, called as symbiotic organisms search (SOS) algorithm, for congestion management (CM) problem in pool-based electricity market by real power rescheduling of generators. Inspired by interactions among organisms in ecosystem, SOS algorithm is a recent population-based algorithm which does not require any algorithm specific control parameters unlike other algorithms. Various security constraints such as load bus voltage and line loading are taken into account while dealing with the CM problem. In this paper, the proposed SOS algorithm is applied on modified IEEE 30- and 57-bus test power system for the solution of CM problem. The results, thus, obtained are compared to those reported in the recent state-of-the-art literature. The efficacy of the proposed SOS algorithm for obtaining the higher quality solution is also established.

  8. Making the Traffic Operations Case for Congestion Pricing: Operational Impacts of Congestion Pricing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chin, Shih-Miao; Hu, Patricia S; Davidson, Diane

    2011-02-01

    , based on hours spent in traffic in a year, grew by 22% as the national average of hours spent in delay grew from 36 hours to 44 hours. Peak delay per traveler grew one-third in medium-size urban areas over the 10 year period. The traffic engineering community has developed an arsenal of integrated tools to mitigate the impacts of congestion on freeway throughput and performance, including pricing of capacity to manage demand for travel. Congestion pricing is a strategy which dynamically matches demand with available capacity. A congestion price is a user fee equal to the added cost imposed on other travelers as a result of the last traveler's entry into the highway network. The concept is based on the idea that motorists should pay for the additional congestion they create when entering a congested road. The concept calls for fees to vary according to the level of congestion with the price mechanism applied to make travelers more fully aware of the congestion externality they impose on other travelers and the system itself. The operational rationales for the institution of pricing strategies are to improve the efficiency of operations in a corridor and/or to better manage congestion. To this end, the objectives of this project were to: (1) Better understand and quantify the impacts of congestion pricing strategies on traffic operations through the study of actual projects, and (2) Better understand and quantify the impacts of congestion pricing strategies on traffic operations through the use of modeling and other analytical methods. Specifically, the project was to identify credible analytical procedures that FHWA can use to quantify the impacts of various congestion pricing strategies on traffic flow (throughput) and congestion.« less

  9. Diagnostic strategies in nasal congestion

    PubMed Central

    Krouse, John; Lund, Valerie; Fokkens, Wytske; Meltzer, Eli O

    2010-01-01

    Nasal congestion is a major symptom of upper respiratory tract disorders, and its characterization an important part of the diagnosis of these illnesses. Patient history and assessment of nasal symptoms are essential components of diagnosis, providing an initial evaluation that may be adequate to rule out serious conditions. However, current congestion medications are not always fully effective. Thus, if symptoms do not respond adequately to therapy, or symptoms suggestive of more serious conditions are present, specialized assessments may be needed. Various techniques are available for diagnosing patients, including those used chiefly by primary care clinicians and those requiring the expertise of otolaryngologists, allergists, and other specialists. Endoscopy remains a mainstay for evaluating nasal blockage and its causes, while modalities such as peak nasal inspiratory flow and acoustic rhinometry are evolving to provide easy-to-use, noninvasive procedures that are sensitive enough to measure small but clinically important abnormalities and therapeutic changes. Several imaging modalities are available to the specialist for severe or unusual cases, as are specialized diagnostic procedures that measure adjunctive features of congestion, such as impaired mucociliary function. PMID:20463824

  10. Local empathy provides global minimization of congestion in communication networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meloni, Sandro; Gómez-Gardeñes, Jesús

    2010-11-01

    We present a mechanism to avoid congestion in complex networks based on a local knowledge of traffic conditions and the ability of routers to self-coordinate their dynamical behavior. In particular, routers make use of local information about traffic conditions to either reject or accept information packets from their neighbors. We show that when nodes are only aware of their own congestion state they self-organize into a hierarchical configuration that delays remarkably the onset of congestion although leading to a sharp first-order-like congestion transition. We also consider the case when nodes are aware of the congestion state of their neighbors. In this case, we show that empathy between nodes is strongly beneficial to the overall performance of the system and it is possible to achieve larger values for the critical load together with a smooth, second-order-like, transition. Finally, we show how local empathy minimize the impact of congestion as much as global minimization. Therefore, here we present an outstanding example of how local dynamical rules can optimize the system’s functioning up to the levels reached using global knowledge.

  11. Congestion information surveillance system

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1992-10-14

    This document advances a proposal to implement a Congestion Information Surveillance System (CISS)for the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The CISS will offer agencies in the region responsible for transportation and air quality management a new capabi...

  12. Influence of TCSC Devices on Congestion Management in a Deregulated Power System Using Evolutionary Programming Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ananthichristy, A., Dr.; Elanthirayan, R.; Brindha, R., Dr.; Siddhiq, M. S.; Venkatesh, N.; Harshit, M. V.; Nikhilreddy, M.

    2018-04-01

    Congestion management is one of the technical challenges in power system deregulation. In deregulated electricity market it may always not be possible to dispatch all of the contracted power transactions due to congestion of the transmission corridors. Transmission congestion occurs when there is insufficient transmission capacity to simultaneously accommodate all constraints for transmission of a line. Flexible Alternative Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices can be an alternative to reduce the flows in the heavily loaded lines, resulting in an increased loadability, low system loss, improved stability of the network, reduced cost of production and fulfilled contractual requirement by controlling the power flow in the network. A method to determine the optimal location of FACTS has been suggested based on reduction of total system VAR power losses. The simulation was done on IEEE 14 bus system and results were obtained.

  13. Traffic congestion and reliability : trends and advanced strategies for congestion mitigation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-09-01

    The report Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for : Congestion Mitigation provides a snapshot of congestion in the United States by : summarizing recent trends in congestion, highlighting the role of travel time : reli...

  14. Real time driver information for congestion management.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-07-01

    Traffic demand in the U.S. has grown substantially over the past few years because of the increase in population and : urbanization in large cities. This causes traffic congestion to spread out over U.S. highways and arterials, and subsequently : lea...

  15. Germany's Disease Management Program: Improving Outcomes in Congestive Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    Kottmair, Stefan; Frye, Christian; Ziegenhagen, Dieter J.

    2005-01-01

    Hospital admissions among patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are a major contributor to health care costs. A comprehensive disease management program for CHF was developed for private and statutory health insurance companies in order to improve health outcomes and reduce rehospitalization rates and costs. The program comprises care calls, written training material, telemetric monitoring, and health reports. Currently, 909 members from six insurance companies are enrolled. Routine evaluation, based on medical data warehouse software, demonstrates benefits in terms of improved health outcomes and processes of care. Economical evaluation of claims data indicates significant cost savings in a pre/post study design. PMID:17288080

  16. Speed harmonization and peak-period shoulder use to manage urban freeway congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-10-01

    Traffic congestion is an increasing problem in the nations urban areas, leading to personal inconvenience, : increased pollution, hampered economic productivity, and reduced quality of life. While traffic congestion tends : to continuously increas...

  17. Congestion Pricing for Aircraft Pushback Slot Allocation.

    PubMed

    Liu, Lihua; Zhang, Yaping; Liu, Lan; Xing, Zhiwei

    2017-01-01

    In order to optimize aircraft pushback management during rush hour, aircraft pushback slot allocation based on congestion pricing is explored while considering monetary compensation based on the quality of the surface operations. First, the concept of the "external cost of surface congestion" is proposed, and a quantitative study on the external cost is performed. Then, an aircraft pushback slot allocation model for minimizing the total surface cost is established. An improved discrete differential evolution algorithm is also designed. Finally, a simulation is performed on Xinzheng International Airport using the proposed model. By comparing the pushback slot control strategy based on congestion pricing with other strategies, the advantages of the proposed model and algorithm are highlighted. In addition to reducing delays and optimizing the delay distribution, the model and algorithm are better suited for use for actual aircraft pushback management during rush hour. Further, it is also observed they do not result in significant increases in the surface cost. These results confirm the effectiveness and suitability of the proposed model and algorithm.

  18. Dynamic, stochastic models for congestion pricing and congestion securities.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-12-01

    This research considers congestion pricing under demand uncertainty. In particular, a robust optimization (RO) approach is applied to optimal congestion pricing problems under user equilibrium. A mathematical model is developed and an analysis perfor...

  19. Integrative Assessment of Congestion in Heart Failure Throughout the Patient Journey.

    PubMed

    Girerd, Nicolas; Seronde, Marie-France; Coiro, Stefano; Chouihed, Tahar; Bilbault, Pascal; Braun, François; Kenizou, David; Maillier, Bruno; Nazeyrollas, Pierre; Roul, Gérard; Fillieux, Ludivine; Abraham, William T; Januzzi, James; Sebbag, Laurent; Zannad, Faiez; Mebazaa, Alexandre; Rossignol, Patrick

    2018-04-01

    Congestion is one of the main predictors of poor patient outcome in patients with heart failure. However, congestion is difficult to assess, especially when symptoms are mild. Although numerous clinical scores, imaging tools, and biological tests are available to assist physicians in ascertaining and quantifying congestion, not all are appropriate for use in all stages of patient management. In recent years, multidisciplinary management in the community has become increasingly important to prevent heart failure hospitalizations. Electronic alert systems and communication platforms are emerging that could be used to facilitate patient home monitoring that identifies congestion from heart failure decompensation at an earlier stage. This paper describes the role of congestion detection methods at key stages of patient care: pre-admission, admission to the emergency department, in-hospital management, and lastly, discharge and continued monitoring in the community. The multidisciplinary working group, which consisted of cardiologists, emergency physicians, and a nephrologist with both clinical and research backgrounds, reviewed the current literature regarding the various scores, tools, and tests to detect and quantify congestion. This paper describes the role of each tool at key stages of patient care and discusses the advantages of telemedicine as a means of providing true integrated patient care. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Reducing congestion : congestion pricing has promise for improving use of transportation infrastructure

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-05-06

    Congestion pricing can potentially reduce congestion by providing incentives for drivers to shift trips to off-peak periods, use less congested routes, or use alternative modes, thereby spreading out demand for available transportation infrastructure...

  1. Autonomous Distributed Congestion Control Scheme in WCDMA Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, Hafiz Farooq; Suguri, Hiroki; Choudhary, Muhammad Qaisar; Hassan, Ammar; Liaqat, Ali; Khan, Muhammad Umer

    Wireless technology has become widely popular and an important means of communication. A key issue in delivering wireless services is the problem of congestion which has an adverse impact on the Quality of Service (QoS), especially timeliness. Although a lot of work has been done in the context of RRM (Radio Resource Management), the deliverance of quality service to the end user still remains a challenge. Therefore there is need for a system that provides real-time services to the users through high assurance. We propose an intelligent agent-based approach to guarantee a predefined Service Level Agreement (SLA) with heterogeneous user requirements for appropriate bandwidth allocation in QoS sensitive cellular networks. The proposed system architecture exploits Case Based Reasoning (CBR) technique to handle RRM process of congestion management. The system accomplishes predefined SLA through the use of Retrieval and Adaptation Algorithm based on CBR case library. The proposed intelligent agent architecture gives autonomy to Radio Network Controller (RNC) or Base Station (BS) in accepting, rejecting or buffering a connection request to manage system bandwidth. Instead of simply blocking the connection request as congestion hits the system, different buffering durations are allocated to diverse classes of users based on their SLA. This increases the opportunity of connection establishment and reduces the call blocking rate extensively in changing environment. We carry out simulation of the proposed system that verifies efficient performance for congestion handling. The results also show built-in dynamism of our system to cater for variety of SLA requirements.

  2. CCS_WHMS: A Congestion Control Scheme for Wearable Health Management System.

    PubMed

    Kafi, Mohamed Amine; Ben Othman, Jalel; Bagaa, Miloud; Badache, Nadjib

    2015-12-01

    Wearable computing is becoming a more and more attracting field in the last years thanks to the miniaturisation of electronic devices. Wearable healthcare monitoring systems (WHMS) as an important client of wearable computing technology has gained a lot. Indeed, the wearable sensors and their surrounding healthcare applications bring a lot of benefits to patients, elderly people and medical staff, so facilitating their daily life quality. But from a research point of view, there is still work to accomplish in order to overcome the gap between hardware and software parts. In this paper, we target the problem of congestion control when all these healthcare sensed data have to reach the destination in a reliable manner that avoids repetitive transmission which wastes precious energy or leads to loss of important information in emergency cases, too. We propose a congestion control scheme CCS_WHMS that ensures efficient and fair data delivery while used in the body wearable system part or in the multi-hop inter bodies wearable ones to get the destination. As the congestion detection paradigm is very important in the control process, we do experimental tests to compare between state of the art congestion detection methods, using MICAz motes, in order to choose the appropriate one for our scheme.

  3. Disease management produces limited quality-of-life improvements in patients with congestive heart failure: evidence from a randomized trial in community-dwelling patients.

    PubMed

    Smith, Brad; Forkner, Emma; Zaslow, Barbara; Krasuski, Richard A; Stajduhar, Karl; Kwan, Michael; Ellis, Robert; Galbreath, Autumn Dawn; Freeman, Gregory L

    2005-11-01

    Disease management programs are reported to improve clinical and quality-of-life outcomes while simultaneously lowering healthcare costs. To examine the effectiveness of disease management in improving health-related quality of life (HRQL) among patients with heart failure beyond 12 months. A total of 1069 community-dwelling patients 18 years and older in South Texas with echocardiographic evidence of congestive heart failure were randomly assigned to disease management, augmented disease management, and control groups. They were followed up 18 months. Patients in the control group received usual care. Patients in the intervention groups were assigned a registered nurse as a disease manager who performed telephonic patient education and medication management. Health-related quality-of-life data (based on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36]) were collected 4 times, at 6-month intervals. Disease management has a limited effect on HRQL. Analysis of the SF-36 health transition measure showed a positive effect of the intervention on self-reported improvement in health at 6 months and at 12 months (P = .04 and P = .004, respectively). However, no effect of disease management was observed across any of the SF-36 components. Women and patients with diastolic heart failure had poorer HRQL scores. Participation in disease management has little effect on HRQL outcomes in congestive heart failure. Beneficial effects on the SF-36 scale scores seen at 6 and 12 months were not sustained. Therefore, it is unclear whether disease management can provide long-term improvement in HRQL for patients with congestive heart failure.

  4. 34 CFR 668.161 - Scope and purpose (cash management rules).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Scope and purpose (cash management rules). 668.161... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS Cash Management § 668.161 Scope and purpose (cash management rules). (a) General. (1) This subpart establishes the rules and...

  5. 34 CFR 668.161 - Scope and purpose (cash management rules).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Scope and purpose (cash management rules). 668.161... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS Cash Management § 668.161 Scope and purpose (cash management rules). (a) General. (1) This subpart establishes the rules and...

  6. 34 CFR 668.161 - Scope and purpose (cash management rules).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Scope and purpose (cash management rules). 668.161... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS Cash Management § 668.161 Scope and purpose (cash management rules). (a) General. (1) This subpart establishes the rules and...

  7. 34 CFR 668.161 - Scope and purpose (cash management rules).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Scope and purpose (cash management rules). 668.161... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS Cash Management § 668.161 Scope and purpose (cash management rules). (a) General. (1) This subpart establishes the rules and...

  8. 34 CFR 668.161 - Scope and purpose (cash management rules).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Scope and purpose (cash management rules). 668.161... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS Cash Management § 668.161 Scope and purpose (cash management rules). (a) General. (1) This subpart establishes the rules and...

  9. Congestion relaxation due to density-dependent junction rules in TASEP network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tannai, Takahiro; Nishinari, Katsuhiro

    2017-09-01

    We now consider a small network module of Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process with branching and aggregation points, and rules of junctions dependent on the densities of segments of the network module. We also focus on the interaction among junctions which are branching and aggregation. The interaction among junctions with density-dependent rules possesses more complexity than those with density-independent rules studied in the previous papers. In conclusion, we confirm the result that density-dependent rules enable vehicles to move more effectively than the density-independent rules.

  10. Evaluation of wholesale electric power market rules and financial risk management by agent-based simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Nanpeng

    As U.S. regional electricity markets continue to refine their market structures, designs and rules of operation in various ways, two critical issues are emerging. First, although much experience has been gained and costly and valuable lessons have been learned, there is still a lack of a systematic platform for evaluation of the impact of a new market design from both engineering and economic points of view. Second, the transition from a monopoly paradigm characterized by a guaranteed rate of return to a competitive market created various unfamiliar financial risks for various market participants, especially for the Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). This dissertation uses agent-based simulation methods to tackle the market rules evaluation and financial risk management problems. The California energy crisis in 2000-01 showed what could happen to an electricity market if it did not go through a comprehensive and rigorous testing before its implementation. Due to the complexity of the market structure, strategic interaction between the participants, and the underlying physics, it is difficult to fully evaluate the implications of potential changes to market rules. This dissertation presents a flexible and integrative method to assess market designs through agent-based simulations. Realistic simulation scenarios on a 225-bus system are constructed for evaluation of the proposed PJM-like market power mitigation rules of the California electricity market. Simulation results show that in the absence of market power mitigation, generation company (GenCo) agents facilitated by Q-learning are able to exploit the market flaws and make significantly higher profits relative to the competitive benchmark. The incorporation of PJM-like local market power mitigation rules is shown to be effective in suppressing the exercise of market power. The importance of financial risk management is exemplified by the recent financial crisis. In this

  11. Congestive heart failure and central sleep apnea.

    PubMed

    Sands, Scott A; Owens, Robert L

    2015-07-01

    Congestive heart failure (CHF) is among the most common causes of admission to hospitals in the United States, especially in those over age 65. Few data exist regarding the prevalence CHF of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) owing to congestive heart failure in the intensive care unit (ICU). Nevertheless, CSR is expected to be highly prevalent among those with CHF. Treatment should focus on the underlying mechanisms by which CHF increases loop gain and promotes unstable breathing. Few data are available to determine prevalence of CSR in the ICU, or how CSR might affect clinical management and weaning from mechanical ventilation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Congestive Heart Failure and Central Sleep Apnea.

    PubMed

    Sands, Scott A; Owens, Robert L

    2016-03-01

    Congestive heart failure (CHF) is among the most common causes of admission to hospitals in the United States, especially in those over age 65. Few data exist regarding the prevalence CHF of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) owing to congestive heart failure in the intensive care unit (ICU). Nevertheless, CSR is expected to be highly prevalent among those with CHF. Treatment should focus on the underlying mechanisms by which CHF increases loop gain and promotes unstable breathing. Few data are available to determine prevalence of CSR in the ICU, or how CSR might affect clinical management and weaning from mechanical ventilation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparing Perceptions and Measures of Congestion

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-10-01

    Peoples perception of congestion and the actual measured congestion do not always agree. Measured : congestion relates to the delay resulting from field measurements of traffic volume, speed, and travel : time. Peoples perception of congestion ...

  14. Analysis of Aircraft Clusters to Measure Sector-Independent Airspace Congestion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bilimoria, Karl D.; Lee, Hilda Q.

    2005-01-01

    The Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept of operations* permits appropriately equipped aircraft to conduct Free Maneuvering operations. These independent aircraft have the freedom to optimize their trajectories in real time according to user preferences; however, they also take on the responsibility to separate themselves from other aircraft while conforming to any local Traffic Flow Management (TFM) constraints imposed by the air traffic service provider (ATSP). Examples of local-TFM constraints include temporal constraints such as a required time of arrival (RTA), as well as spatial constraints such as regions of convective weather, special use airspace, and congested airspace. Under current operations, congested airspace typically refers to a sector(s) that cannot accept additional aircraft due to controller workload limitations; hence Dynamic Density (a metric that is indicative of controller workload) can be used to quantify airspace congestion. However, for Free Maneuvering operations under DAG-TM, an additional metric is needed to quantify the airspace congestion problem from the perspective of independent aircraft. Such a metric would enable the ATSP to prevent independent aircraft from entering any local areas of congestion in which the flight deck based systems and procedures may not be able to ensure separation. This new metric, called Gaggle Density, offers the ATSP a mode of control to regulate normal operations and to ensure safety and stability during rare-normal or off-normal situations (e.g., system failures). It may be difficult to certify Free Maneuvering systems for unrestricted operations, but it may be easier to certify systems and procedures for specified levels of Gaggle Density that could be monitored by the ATSP, and maintained through relatively minor flow-rate (RTA type) restrictions. Since flight deck based separation assurance is airspace independent, the challenge is to measure congestion independent of sector

  15. When weight management lasts. Lower perceived rule complexity increases adherence.

    PubMed

    Mata, Jutta; Todd, Peter M; Lippke, Sonia

    2010-02-01

    Maintaining behavior change is one of the major challenges in weight management and long-term weight loss. We investigated the impact of the cognitive complexity of eating rules on adherence to weight management programs. We studied whether popular weight management programs can fail if participants find the rules too complicated from a cognitive perspective, meaning that individuals are not able to recall or process all required information for deciding what to eat. The impact on program adherence of participants' perceptions of eating rule complexity and other behavioral factors known to influence adherence (including previous weight management, self-efficacy, and planning) was assessed via a longitudinal online questionnaire given to 390 participants on two different popular weight management regimens. As we show, the regimens, Weight Watchers and a popular German recipe diet (Brigitte), strongly differ in objective rule complexity and thus their cognitive demands on the dieter. Perceived rule complexity was the strongest factor associated with increased risk of quitting the cognitively demanding weight management program (Weight Watchers); it was not related to adherence length for the low cognitive demand program (Brigitte). Higher self-efficacy generally helped in maintaining a program. The results emphasize the importance of considering rule complexity to promote long-term weight management. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Adaptive mechanism-based congestion control for networked systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Zhi; Zhang, Yun; Chen, C. L. Philip

    2013-03-01

    In order to assure the communication quality in network systems with heavy traffic and limited bandwidth, a new ATRED (adaptive thresholds random early detection) congestion control algorithm is proposed for the congestion avoidance and resource management of network systems. Different to the traditional AQM (active queue management) algorithms, the control parameters of ATRED are not configured statically, but dynamically adjusted by the adaptive mechanism. By integrating with the adaptive strategy, ATRED alleviates the tuning difficulty of RED (random early detection) and shows a better control on the queue management, and achieve a more robust performance than RED under varying network conditions. Furthermore, a dynamic transmission control protocol-AQM control system using ATRED controller is introduced for the systematic analysis. It is proved that the stability of the network system can be guaranteed when the adaptive mechanism is finely designed. Simulation studies show the proposed ATRED algorithm achieves a good performance in varying network environments, which is superior to the RED and Gentle-RED algorithm, and providing more reliable service under varying network conditions.

  17. Streamling the Change Management with Business Rules

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Savela, Christopher

    2015-01-01

    Will discuss how their organization is trying to streamline workflows and the change management process with business rules. In looking for ways to make things more efficient and save money one way is to reduce the work the workflow task approvers have to do when reviewing affected items. Will share the technical details of the business rules, how to implement them, how to speed up the development process by using the API to demonstrate the rules in action.

  18. Forearm vasodilatation following release of venous congestion

    PubMed Central

    Caro, C. G.; Foley, T. H.; Sudlow, M. F.

    1970-01-01

    1. The volume rate of forearm blood flow was measured with a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge, or with a water-filled plethysmograph, from 1 sec after termination of a 2-3 min period of venous congestion. 2. When congesting pressure had been less than 18 mm Hg, average post-congestion flow (five subjects) was constant during approx. 10 sec and not significantly different from resting flow. 3. When congesting pressure had been 30 mm Hg, average post-congestion flow (eight subjects) was 26% higher than resting, during 3-4 sec after release of congestion, but rose to 273% of resting during 4-6 sec after release of congestion. 4. In other studies forearm vascular resistance had been found normal or increased during such venous congestion, and theoretical studies here indicated that passive mechanical factors could not account for the delayed occurrence of high post-congestion flow. 5. It appears, therefore, that the forearm vascular bed dilates actively shortly after release of substantial venous congestion. It would seem more likely that a myogenic mechanism, rather than a metabolic one, is responsible. PMID:5532541

  19. A New Procedure for Wrapped-Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Congestion After Arterialized Venous Flap Surgery

    PubMed Central

    Niimi, Yosuke; Mori, Satoko; Takeuchi, Masaki

    2017-01-01

    Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a method for treating wound. However, there are no case reports using NPWT for treating congestion after arterialized venous flap. Therefore, this study reported favorable outcomes after using a single-use NPWT system for managing congestion. A 39-year-old man had his index finger caught by a press machine. The finger had a soft tissue defect at the ventral part. An arterialized venous flap taken from the right forearm was transplanted. Perfusion of the flap was favorable, but on postoperative day 5, congestion and the edema of the flap were found. Then, NPWT was initiated. The congestion and edema in the flap were improved without complications such as flap necrosis and wound infection. At 4 months postoperatively, the morphology of the finger was favorable. In this study, NPWT was speculated to force the deeper blood vessels within the flap to dilate with inducing drainage and the simultaneous reduction in excess blood flow to the cortical layer, resulting in the improvement of congestion. Negative pressure wound therapy was used for treating congestion after the transplantation of arterialized venous flap, and the wound was favorably managed. PMID:29270041

  20. Recommendation System Based On Association Rules For Distributed E-Learning Management Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mihai, Gabroveanu

    2015-09-01

    Traditional Learning Management Systems are installed on a single server where learning materials and user data are kept. To increase its performance, the Learning Management System can be installed on multiple servers; learning materials and user data could be distributed across these servers obtaining a Distributed Learning Management System. In this paper is proposed the prototype of a recommendation system based on association rules for Distributed Learning Management System. Information from LMS databases is analyzed using distributed data mining algorithms in order to extract the association rules. Then the extracted rules are used as inference rules to provide personalized recommendations. The quality of provided recommendations is improved because the rules used to make the inferences are more accurate, since these rules aggregate knowledge from all e-Learning systems included in Distributed Learning Management System.

  1. Congestion Pricing for Aircraft Pushback Slot Allocation

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yaping

    2017-01-01

    In order to optimize aircraft pushback management during rush hour, aircraft pushback slot allocation based on congestion pricing is explored while considering monetary compensation based on the quality of the surface operations. First, the concept of the “external cost of surface congestion” is proposed, and a quantitative study on the external cost is performed. Then, an aircraft pushback slot allocation model for minimizing the total surface cost is established. An improved discrete differential evolution algorithm is also designed. Finally, a simulation is performed on Xinzheng International Airport using the proposed model. By comparing the pushback slot control strategy based on congestion pricing with other strategies, the advantages of the proposed model and algorithm are highlighted. In addition to reducing delays and optimizing the delay distribution, the model and algorithm are better suited for use for actual aircraft pushback management during rush hour. Further, it is also observed they do not result in significant increases in the surface cost. These results confirm the effectiveness and suitability of the proposed model and algorithm. PMID:28114429

  2. Signalling and obfuscation for congestion control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mareček, Jakub; Shorten, Robert; Yu, Jia Yuan

    2015-10-01

    We aim to reduce the social cost of congestion in many smart city applications. In our model of congestion, agents interact over limited resources after receiving signals from a central agent that observes the state of congestion in real time. Under natural models of agent populations, we develop new signalling schemes and show that by introducing a non-trivial amount of uncertainty in the signals, we reduce the social cost of congestion, i.e., improve social welfare. The signalling schemes are efficient in terms of both communication and computation, and are consistent with past observations of the congestion. Moreover, the resulting population dynamics converge under reasonable assumptions.

  3. Study on the propagation and dissipation of inland ship congestion under different control strategies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yanyi; Wu, Hongyu; Wen, Zhe

    2017-05-01

    Inland waterway transportation is an important part of the comprehensive transportation system of sustainable development, and it is also a way of transportation which is restricted by natural conditions greatly. In recent years, the problems of insufficient traffic capacity of The Three Gorges become prominent due to the increasing in the number of ships. And the ship's detention caused by gale, frog, accident and one-way traffic in dry season has occurred, which not only increased the pressure of the navigable waterway but also seriously affected the safety of shipping. Based on the different types of ships, the Arena software was used to simulate the ship traffic flow. The paper analyzed the traffic congestion propagation and dissipation rule of the ship under different navigation control methods, and provided decision reference for the navigation management department to formulate the relevant navigation control strategy.

  4. Analysis of Random Drop for Gateway Congestion Control

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-11-01

    effective congest)on control policies. Currently No Gateway Policy is used to relieve and signal congestion, which leads to unfair service to the...early application of the policy removes the pressure of congestion relief and allows more accurate signaling of congestion. ’ To be used effectively ...prompted the need for more effective congestion control policies. Currently No Gateway Policy is used to relieve and signal congestion, which leads to

  5. Wilmington Area Planning Council, New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland : a performance-based approach to integrating congestion management into the metropolitan planning process

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-04-01

    The Wilmington Area Planning Council takes an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to its metropolitan transportation planning, including paying special attention to integrating its Congestion Management Process into its planning efforts. Th...

  6. Congestion control and routing over satellite networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Jinhua

    Satellite networks and transmissions find their application in fields of computer communications, telephone communications, television broadcasting, transportation, space situational awareness systems and so on. This thesis mainly focuses on two networking issues affecting satellite networking: network congestion control and network routing optimization. Congestion, which leads to long queueing delays, packet losses or both, is a networking problem that has drawn the attention of many researchers. The goal of congestion control mechanisms is to ensure high bandwidth utilization while avoiding network congestion by regulating the rate at which traffic sources inject packets into a network. In this thesis, we propose a stable congestion controller using data-driven, safe switching control theory to improve the dynamic performance of satellite Transmission Control Protocol/Active Queue Management (TCP/AQM) networks. First, the stable region of the Proportional-Integral (PI) parameters for a nominal model is explored. Then, a PI controller, whose parameters are adaptively tuned by switching among members of a given candidate set, using observed plant data, is presented and compared with some classical AQM policy examples, such as Random Early Detection (RED) and fixed PI control. A new cost detectable switching law with an interval cost function switching algorithm, which improves the performance and also saves the computational cost, is developed and compared with a law commonly used in the switching control literature. Finite-gain stability of the system is proved. A fuzzy logic PI controller is incorporated as a special candidate to achieve good performance at all nominal points with the available set of candidate controllers. Simulations are presented to validate the theory. An effocient routing algorithm plays a key role in optimizing network resources. In this thesis, we briefly analyze Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, review the Cross Entropy (CE

  7. Risk of venous congestion in live donors of extended right liver graft

    PubMed Central

    Radtke, Arnold; Sgourakis, George; Molmenti, Ernesto P; Beckebaum, Susanne; Cicinnati, Vito R; Schmidt, Hartmut; Peitgen, Heinz-Otto; Broelsch, Christoph E; Malagó, Massimo; Schroeder, Tobias

    2015-01-01

    AIM: To investigate middle hepatic vein (MHV) management in adult living donor liver transplantation and safer remnant volumes (RV). METHODS: There were 59 grafts with and 12 grafts without MHV (including 4 with MHV-5/8 reconstructions). All donors underwent our five-step protocol evaluation containing a preoperative protocol liver biopsy Congestive vs non-congestive RV, remnant-volume-body-weight ratios (RVBWR) and postoperative outcomes were evaluated in 71 right graft living donors. Dominant vs non-dominant MHV anatomy in total liver volume (d-MHV/TLV vs nd-MHV/TLV) was constellated with large/small congestion volumes (CV-index). Small for size (SFS) and non-SFS remnant considerations were based on standard cut-off- RVBWR and RV/TLV. Non-congestive RVBWR was based on non-congestive RV. RESULTS: MHV and non-MHV remnants showed no significant differences in RV, RV/TLV, RVBWR, total bilirubin, or INR. SFS-remnants with RV/TLV < 30% and non-SFS-remnants with RV/TLV ≥ 30% showed no significant differences either. RV and RVBWR for non-MHV (n = 59) and MHV-containing (n = 12) remnants were 550 ± 95 mL and 0.79 ± 0.1 mL vs 568 ± 97 mL and 0.79 ± 0.13, respectively (P = 0.423 and P = 0.919. Mean left RV/TLV was 35.8% ± 3.9%. Non-MHV (n = 59) and MHV-containing (n = 12) remnants (34.1% ± 3% vs 36% ± 4% respectively, P = 0.148. Eight SFS-remnants with RVBWR < 0.65 had a significantly smaller RV/TLV than 63 non-SFS-remnants with RVBWR ≥ 0.65 [SFS: RV/TLV 32.4% (range: 28%-35.7%) vs non-SFS: RV/TLV 36.2% (range: 26.1%-45.5%), P < 0.009. Six SFS-remnants with RV/TLV < 30% had significantly smaller RVBWR than 65 non-SFS-remnants with RV/TLV ≥ 30% (0.65 (range: 0.6-0.7) vs 0.8 (range: 0.6-1.27), P < 0.01. Two (2.8%) donors developed reversible liver failure. RVBWR and RV/TLV were concordant in 25%-33% of SFS and in 92%-94% of non-SFS remnants. MHV management options including complete MHV vs MHV-4A selective retention were necessary in n = 12 vs n = 2 remnants

  8. Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Philadelphia Metropolitan Region : planning for congestion

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-04-01

    The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission uses a systematic process for managing traffic congestion and monitoring transportation system performance in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Guided by an advisory team of stakeholders, the agenc...

  9. Congestion pricing : a primer : overview

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-10-01

    This Overview primer was produced to explain the concept of congestion pricing and its benefits, to present examples of congestion-pricing approaches implemented in the United States and abroad, and to briefly discuss federal-aid policy and programs ...

  10. Urban roadway congestion : annual report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-01-01

    The annual traffic congestion study is an effort to monitor roadway congestion in major urban areas in the United States. The comparisons to other areas and to previous experiences in each area are facilitated by a database that begins in 1982 and in...

  11. Delivering Faster Congestion Feedback with the Mark-Front Strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Chunlei; Jain, Raj

    2001-01-01

    Computer networks use congestion feedback from the routers and destinations to control the transmission load. Delivering timely congestion feedback is essential to the performance of networks. Reaction to the congestion can be more effective if faster feedback is provided. Current TCP/IP networks use timeout, duplicate Acknowledgement Packets (ACKs) and explicit congestion notification (ECN) to deliver the congestion feedback, each provides a faster feedback than the previous method. In this paper, we propose a markfront strategy that delivers an even faster congestion feedback. With analytical and simulation results, we show that mark-front strategy reduces buffer size requirement, improves link efficiency and provides better fairness among users. Keywords: Explicit Congestion Notification, mark-front, congestion control, buffer size requirement, fairness.

  12. 75 FR 4451 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Final Rule-Management of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Fiscal Service Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Final Rule--Management of Federal Agency Disbursements. AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service, Treasury. ACTION: Notice and Request for comments. SUMMARY: The Financial Management...

  13. Knowledge-Centric Management of Business Rules in a Pharmacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Puustjärvi, Juha; Puustjärvi, Leena

    A business rule defines or constraints some aspect of the business. In healthcare sector many of the business rules are dictated by law or medical regulations, which are constantly changing. This is a challenge for the healthcare organizations. Although there is available several commercial business rule management systems the problem from pharmacies point of view is that these systems are overly geared towards the automation and manipulation of business rules, while the main need in pharmacies lies in easy retrieving of business rules within daily routines. Another problem is that business rule management systems are isolated in the sense that they have their own data stores that cannot be accessed by other information systems used in pharmacies. As a result, a pharmacist is burdened by accessing many systems inside a user task. In order to avoid this problem we have modeled business rules as well as their relationships to other relevant information by OWL (Web Ontology Language) such that the ontology is shared among the pharmacy's applications. In this way we can avoid the problems of isolated applications and replicated data. The ontology also encourages pharmacies business agility, i.e., the ability to react more rapidly to the changes required by the new business rules. The deployment of the ontology requires that stored business rules are annotated by appropriate metadata descriptions, which are presented by RDF/XML serialization format. However, neither the designer nor the pharmacists are burdened by RDF/XML format as there are sophisticated graphical editors that can be used.

  14. Disease management 360 degrees: a scorecard approach to evaluating TRICARE's programs for asthma, congestive heart failure, and diabetes.

    PubMed

    Yang, Wenya; Dall, Timothy M; Zhang, Yiduo; Hogan, Paul F; Arday, David R; Gantt, Cynthia J

    2010-08-01

    To assess the effect of TRICARE's asthma, congestive heart failure, and diabetes disease management programs using a scorecard approach. EVALUATION MEASURES: Patient healthcare utilization, financial, clinical, and humanistic outcomes. Absolute measures were translated into effect size and incorporated into a scorecard. Actual outcomes for program participants were compared with outcomes predicted in the absence of disease management. The predictive equations were established from regression models based on historical control groups (n = 39,217). Z scores were calculated for the humanistic measures obtained through a mailed survey. Administrative records containing medical claims, patient demographics and characteristics, and program participation status were linked using an encrypted patient identifier (n = 57,489). The study time frame is 1 year prior to program inception through 2 years afterward (October 2005-September 2008). A historical control group was identified with the baseline year starting October 2003 and a 1-year follow-up period starting October 2004. A survey was administered to a subset of participants 6 months after baseline assessment (39% response rate). Within the observation window--24 months for asthma and congestive heart failure, and 15 months for the diabetes program--we observed modest reductions in hospital days and healthcare cost for all 3 programs and reductions in emergency visits for 2 programs. Most clinical outcomes moved in the direction anticipated. The scorecard provided a useful tool to track performance of 3 regional contractors for each of 3 diseases and over time.

  15. Better road congestion measures are needed

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-05-01

    Road congestion is growing worse as demand : outstrips new roadway construction and other : efforts to increase traffic flows. : Better ways to measure congestion are needed to : effectively address the problem. : Actual measures of speeds an...

  16. FACTS Devices Cost Recovery During Congestion Management in Deregulated Electricity Markets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Ashwani Kumar; Mittapalli, Ram Kumar; Pal, Yash

    2016-09-01

    In future electricity markets, flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices will play key role for providing ancillary services. Since huge cost is involved for the FACTS devices placement in the power system, the cost invested has to be recovered in their life time for the replacement of these devices. The FACTS devices in future electricity markets can act as an ancillary services provider and have to be remunerated. The main contributions of the paper are: (1) investment recovery of FACTS devices during congestion management such as static VAR compensator and unified power flow controller along with thyristor controlled series compensator using non-linear bid curves, (2) the impact of ZIP load model on the FACTS cost recovery of the devices, (3) the comparison of results obtained without ZIP load model for both pool and hybrid market model, (4) secure bilateral transactions incorporation in hybrid market model. An optimal power flow based approach has been developed for maximizing social welfare including FACTS devices cost. The optimal placement of the FACTS devices have been obtained based on maximum social welfare. The results have been obtained for both pool and hybrid electricity market for IEEE 24-bus RTS.

  17. Traffic congestion and reliability : linking solutions to problems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2004-07-19

    The Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Linking Solutions to Problems Report provides : a snapshot of congestion in the United States by summarizing recent trends in : congestion, highlighting the role of unreliable travel times in the effects of con...

  18. Delay-based virtual congestion control in multi-tenant datacenters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yuxin; Zhu, Danhong; Zhang, Dong

    2018-03-01

    With the evolution of cloud computing and virtualization, the congestion control of virtual datacenters has become the basic issue for multi-tenant datacenters transmission. Regarding to the friendly conflict of heterogeneous congestion control among multi-tenant, this paper proposes a delay-based virtual congestion control, which translates the multi-tenant heterogeneous congestion control into delay-based feedback uniformly by setting the hypervisor translation layer, modifying three-way handshake of explicit feedback and packet loss feedback and throttling receive window. The simulation results show that the delay-based virtual congestion control can effectively solve the unfairness of heterogeneous feedback congestion control algorithms.

  19. The SMART personalised self-management system for congestive heart failure: results of a realist evaluation.

    PubMed

    Bartlett, Yvonne K; Haywood, Annette; Bentley, Claire L; Parker, Jack; Hawley, Mark S; Mountain, Gail A; Mawson, Susan

    2014-11-25

    Technology has the potential to provide support for self-management to people with congestive heart failure (CHF). This paper describes the results of a realist evaluation of the SMART Personalised Self-Management System (PSMS) for CHF. The PSMS was used, at home, by seven people with CHF. Data describing system usage and usability as well as questionnaire and interview data were evaluated in terms of the context, mechanism and outcome hypotheses (CMOs) integral to realist evaluation. The CHF PSMS improved heart failure related knowledge in those with low levels of knowledge at baseline, through providing information and quizzes. Furthermore, participants perceived the self-regulatory aspects of the CHF PSMS as being useful in encouraging daily walking. The CMOs were revised to describe the context of use, and how this influences both the mechanisms and the outcomes. Participants with CHF engaged with the PSMS despite some technological problems. Some positive effects on knowledge were observed as well as the potential to assist with changing physical activity behaviour. Knowledge of CHF and physical activity behaviour change are important self-management targets for CHF, and this study provides evidence to direct the further development of a technology to support these targets.

  20. Alternative performance measures for evaluating congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2004-04-01

    This report summarizes the results of the work performed under the project Alternative Performance Measures for Evaluating : Congestion. The study first outlines existing approaches to looking at congestion. It then builds on the previous work in the...

  1. Understanding congested travel in urban areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Çolak, Serdar; Lima, Antonio; González, Marta C.

    2016-03-01

    Rapid urbanization and increasing demand for transportation burdens urban road infrastructures. The interplay of number of vehicles and available road capacity on their routes determines the level of congestion. Although approaches to modify demand and capacity exist, the possible limits of congestion alleviation by only modifying route choices have not been systematically studied. Here we couple the road networks of five diverse cities with the travel demand profiles in the morning peak hour obtained from billions of mobile phone traces to comprehensively analyse urban traffic. We present that a dimensionless ratio of the road supply to the travel demand explains the percentage of time lost in congestion. Finally, we examine congestion relief under a centralized routing scheme with varying levels of awareness of social good and quantify the benefits to show that moderate levels are enough to achieve significant collective travel time savings.

  2. Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration. National evaluation : travel demand management (TDM) data test plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-01-01

    Internet-based Advanced Traveler Information Services (ATIS) provide the urban traveler with estimated travel times based on current roadway congestion. Survey research indicates that the vast majority of current ATIS users are satisfied consumers wh...

  3. Understanding congested travel in urban areas

    PubMed Central

    Çolak, Serdar; Lima, Antonio; González, Marta C.

    2016-01-01

    Rapid urbanization and increasing demand for transportation burdens urban road infrastructures. The interplay of number of vehicles and available road capacity on their routes determines the level of congestion. Although approaches to modify demand and capacity exist, the possible limits of congestion alleviation by only modifying route choices have not been systematically studied. Here we couple the road networks of five diverse cities with the travel demand profiles in the morning peak hour obtained from billions of mobile phone traces to comprehensively analyse urban traffic. We present that a dimensionless ratio of the road supply to the travel demand explains the percentage of time lost in congestion. Finally, we examine congestion relief under a centralized routing scheme with varying levels of awareness of social good and quantify the benefits to show that moderate levels are enough to achieve significant collective travel time savings. PMID:26978719

  4. Contemporary approaches to congestion pricing : lessons learned from the national evaluation of congestion pricing strategies at six sites.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-08-01

    This document represents the final report of the national evaluation of congestion reduction strategies at six sites that received federal funding under the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) programs. The ...

  5. Assessment and management of human health risk from toxic metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban stormwater arising from anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion.

    PubMed

    Ma, Yukun; Liu, An; Egodawatta, Prasanna; McGree, James; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

    2017-02-01

    Toxic metals (TMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban stormwater pose risk to human health, thereby constraining its reuse potential. Based on the hypothesis that stormwater quality is primarily influenced by anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion, the primary focus of the research study was to analyse the impacts on human health risk from TMs and PAHs in urban stormwater and thereby develop a quantitative risk assessment model. The study found that anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion exert influence on the risk posed by TMs and PAHs in stormwater from commercial and residential areas. Motor vehicle related businesses (FVS) and traffic congestion (TC) were identified as two parameters which need to be included as independent variables to improve the model. Based on the study outcomes, approaches for mitigating the risk associated with TMs and PAHs in urban stormwater are discussed. Additionally, a roadmap is presented for the assessment and management of the risk arising from these pollutants. The study outcomes are expected to contribute to reducing the human health risk associated urban stormwater pollution and thereby enhance its reuse potential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Improving Explicit Congestion Notification with the Mark-Front Strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Chunlei; Jain, Raj

    2001-01-01

    Delivering congestion signals is essential to the performance of networks. Current TCP/IP networks use packet losses to signal congestion. Packet losses not only reduces TCP performance, but also adds large delay. Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) delivers a faster indication of congestion and has better performance. However, current ECN implementations mark the packet from the tail of the queue. In this paper, we propose the mark-front strategy to send an even faster congestion signal. We show that mark-front strategy reduces buffer size requirement, improves link efficiency and provides better fairness among users. Simulation results that verify our analysis are also presented.

  7. Technologies that enable congestion pricing : a primer

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-10-01

    This volume explores transportation technologies that enable congestion pricing. This document considers the following: the functional processes for tolling and congestion pricing; what technologies there are to consider; how the technologies are app...

  8. STC synthesis of real-time driver information for congestion management : research project capsule.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-02-01

    The main focus of this synthesis report is to compile a technical summary of past and current research, as : well as the state of the practice, on the role of real-time information in congestion mitigation programs. The : speci c objectives are to...

  9. An evaluation and implementation of rule-based Home Energy Management System using the Rete algorithm.

    PubMed

    Kawakami, Tomoya; Fujita, Naotaka; Yoshihisa, Tomoki; Tsukamoto, Masahiko

    2014-01-01

    In recent years, sensors become popular and Home Energy Management System (HEMS) takes an important role in saving energy without decrease in QoL (Quality of Life). Currently, many rule-based HEMSs have been proposed and almost all of them assume "IF-THEN" rules. The Rete algorithm is a typical pattern matching algorithm for IF-THEN rules. Currently, we have proposed a rule-based Home Energy Management System (HEMS) using the Rete algorithm. In the proposed system, rules for managing energy are processed by smart taps in network, and the loads for processing rules and collecting data are distributed to smart taps. In addition, the number of processes and collecting data are reduced by processing rules based on the Rete algorithm. In this paper, we evaluated the proposed system by simulation. In the simulation environment, rules are processed by a smart tap that relates to the action part of each rule. In addition, we implemented the proposed system as HEMS using smart taps.

  10. Income-based equity impacts of congestion pricing

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-12-01

    This equity primer was produced to examine the impacts of congestion pricing on low-income groups, public opinion as expressed by various income groups, and ways to mitigate the equity impacts of congestion pricing

  11. Income-based equity impacts of congestion pricing.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-12-01

    This equity primer was produced to examine the impacts of congestion pricing on low-income groups, public opinion as expressed by various income groups, and ways to mitigate the equity impacts of congestion pricing.

  12. Technologies that complement congestion pricing : a primer.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-10-01

    The purpose of this volume is to consider the technology options that are available to complement congestion-pricing approaches. This primer explores how technology broadens the success for congestion pricing by supporting the traveler's decision to ...

  13. Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration : national evaluation report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-03-01

    This document presents the final report on the national evaluation of the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) CRD Program. The Atlanta CRD projects focus on reducing congest...

  14. Investigating the effect of freeway congestion thresholds on decision-making inputs.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-05-01

    Congestion threshold is embedded in the congestion definition. Two basic approaches exist in : current practice for setting the congestion threshold. One common approach uses the free-flow or : unimpeded conditions as the congestion threshold. ...

  15. Network congestion control algorithm based on Actor-Critic reinforcement learning model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Tao; Gong, Lina; Zhang, Wei; Li, Xuhong; Wang, Xia; Pan, Wenwen

    2018-04-01

    Aiming at the network congestion control problem, a congestion control algorithm based on Actor-Critic reinforcement learning model is designed. Through the genetic algorithm in the congestion control strategy, the network congestion problems can be better found and prevented. According to Actor-Critic reinforcement learning, the simulation experiment of network congestion control algorithm is designed. The simulation experiments verify that the AQM controller can predict the dynamic characteristics of the network system. Moreover, the learning strategy is adopted to optimize the network performance, and the dropping probability of packets is adaptively adjusted so as to improve the network performance and avoid congestion. Based on the above finding, it is concluded that the network congestion control algorithm based on Actor-Critic reinforcement learning model can effectively avoid the occurrence of TCP network congestion.

  16. Improving UDP/IP Transmission Without Increasing Congestion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burleigh, Scott

    2006-01-01

    Datagram Retransmission (DGR) is a computer program that, within certain limits, ensures the reception of each datagram transmitted under the User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol. [User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is considered unreliable because it does not involve a reliability-ensuring connection-initiation dialogue between sender and receiver. UDP is well suited to issuing of many small messages to many different receivers.] Unlike prior software for ensuring reception of UDP datagrams, DGR does not contribute to network congestion by retransmitting data more frequently as an ever-increasing number of messages and acknowledgements is lost. Instead, DGR does just the opposite: DGR includes an adaptive timeout-interval- computing component that provides maximum opportunity for reception of acknowledgements, minimizing retransmission. By monitoring changes in the rate at which message-transmission transactions are completed, DGR detects changes in the level of congestion and responds by imposing varying degrees of delay on the transmission of new messages. In addition, DGR maximizes throughput by not waiting for acknowledgement of a message before sending the next message. All DGR communication is asynchronous, to maximize efficient utilization of network connections. DGR manages multiple concurrent datagram transmission and acknowledgement conversations.

  17. Understanding the topological characteristics and flow complexity of urban traffic congestion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wen, Tzai-Hung; Chin, Wei-Chien-Benny; Lai, Pei-Chun

    2017-05-01

    For a growing number of developing cities, the capacities of streets cannot meet the rapidly growing demand of cars, causing traffic congestion. Understanding the spatial-temporal process of traffic flow and detecting traffic congestion are important issues associated with developing sustainable urban policies to resolve congestion. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a flow-based ranking algorithm for investigating traffic demands in terms of the attractiveness of street segments and flow complexity of the street network based on turning probability. Our results show that, by analyzing the topological characteristics of streets and volume data for a small fraction of street segments in Taipei City, the most congested segments of the city were identified successfully. The identified congested segments are significantly close to the potential congestion zones, including the officially announced most congested streets, the segments with slow moving speeds at rush hours, and the areas near significant landmarks. The identified congested segments also captured congestion-prone areas concentrated in the business districts and industrial areas of the city. Identifying the topological characteristics and flow complexity of traffic congestion provides network topological insights for sustainable urban planning, and these characteristics can be used to further understand congestion propagation.

  18. Research on Urban Road Traffic Congestion Charging Based on Sustainable Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Sun

    Traffic congestion is a major problem which bothers our urban traffic sustainable development at present. Congestion charging is an effective measure to alleviate urban traffic congestion. The paper first probes into several key issues such as the goal, the pricing, the scope, the method and the redistribution of congestion charging from theoretical angle. Then it introduces congestion charging practice in Singapore and London and draws conclusion and suggestion that traffic congestion charging should take scientific plan, support of public, public transportation development as the premise.

  19. Containing air pollution and traffic congestion: Transport policy and the environment in Singapore

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chin, Anthony T. H.

    Land transportation remains one of the main contributors of noise and air pollution in urban areas. This is in addition to traffic congestion and accidents which result in the loss of productive activity. While there is a close relationship between traffic volumes and levels of noise and air pollution, transport authorities often assume that solving traffic congestion would reduce noise and air pollutant levels. Tight control over automobile ownership and use in Singapore has contributed in improving traffic flows, travel speeds and air quality. The adoption of internationally accepted standards on automobile emissions and gasoline have been effective in reducing air pollution from motor vehicles. Demand management measures have largely focused on controlling the source of traffic congestion, i.e. private automobile ownership and its use especially within the Central Business District during the day. This paper reviews and analyzes the effectiveness of two measures which are instrumental in controlling congestion and automobile ownership, i.e. road pricing and the vehicle quota scheme (VQS). While these measures have been successful in achieving desired objectives, it has also led to the spreading of traffic externalities to other roads in the network, loss in consumer welfare and rent seeking by automobile traders.

  20. 2012 urban congestion trends, operations : the key to reliable travel.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-04-01

    Congestion levels remained relatively unchanged : from 2011 to 2012 in the 19 urban areas in the United States monitored : in this report. : Congestion levels across all of the congestion measures are still generally : below the levels experienced in...

  1. Debate as Encapsulated Conflict: Ruled Controversy as an Approach to Learning Conflict Management Skills.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, David G.; Hensley, Carl Wayne

    Debate can provide a format for the development of communication skills to aid students in managing conflicts, because an understanding of rule-governed communication in conflict situations is invaluable in constructive conflict management. Since in debate procedural rules restrict discussion primarily to substantive and procedural topics, debate…

  2. Predictive functional control for active queue management in congested TCP/IP networks.

    PubMed

    Bigdeli, N; Haeri, M

    2009-01-01

    Predictive functional control (PFC) as a new active queue management (AQM) method in dynamic TCP networks supporting explicit congestion notification (ECN) is proposed. The ability of the controller in handling system delay along with its simplicity and low computational load makes PFC a privileged AQM method in the high speed networks. Besides, considering the disturbance term (which represents model/process mismatches, external disturbances, and existing noise) in the control formulation adds some level of robustness into the PFC-AQM controller. This is an important and desired property in the control of dynamically-varying computer networks. In this paper, the controller is designed based on a small signal linearized fluid-flow model of the TCP/AQM networks. Then, closed-loop transfer function representation of the system is derived to analyze the robustness with respect to the network and controller parameters. The analytical as well as the packet-level ns-2 simulation results show the out-performance of the developed controller for both queue regulation and resource utilization. Fast response, low queue fluctuations (and consequently low delay jitter), high link utilization, good disturbance rejection, scalability, and low packet marking probability are other features of the developed method with respect to other well-known AQM methods such as RED, PI, and REM which are also simulated for comparison.

  3. Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) relationships, models, and management rules

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, William; Hendrick, Robert; Valett, Jon D.

    1991-01-01

    Over 50 individual Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) research results, extracted from a review of published SEL documentation, that can be applied directly to managing software development projects are captured. Four basic categories of results are defined and discussed - environment profiles, relationships, models, and management rules. In each category, research results are presented as a single page that summarizes the individual result, lists potential uses of the result by managers, and references the original SEL documentation where the result was found. The document serves as a concise reference summary of applicable research for SEL managers.

  4. Simulation of operating rules and discretional decisions using a fuzzy rule-based system integrated into a water resources management model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macian-Sorribes, Hector; Pulido-Velazquez, Manuel

    2013-04-01

    Water resources systems are operated, mostly, using a set of pre-defined rules not regarding, usually, to an optimal allocation in terms of water use or economic benefits, but to historical and institutional reasons. These operating policies are reproduced, commonly, as hedging rules, pack rules or zone-based operations, and simulation models can be used to test their performance under a wide range of hydrological and/or socio-economic hypothesis. Despite the high degree of acceptation and testing that these models have achieved, the actual operation of water resources systems hardly follows all the time the pre-defined rules with the consequent uncertainty on the system performance. Real-world reservoir operation is very complex, affected by input uncertainty (imprecision in forecast inflow, seepage and evaporation losses, etc.), filtered by the reservoir operator's experience and natural risk-aversion, while considering the different physical and legal/institutional constraints in order to meet the different demands and system requirements. The aim of this work is to expose a fuzzy logic approach to derive and assess the historical operation of a system. This framework uses a fuzzy rule-based system to reproduce pre-defined rules and also to match as close as possible the actual decisions made by managers. After built up, the fuzzy rule-based system can be integrated in a water resources management model, making possible to assess the system performance at the basin scale. The case study of the Mijares basin (eastern Spain) is used to illustrate the method. A reservoir operating curve regulates the two main reservoir releases (operated in a conjunctive way) with the purpose of guaranteeing a high realiability of supply to the traditional irrigation districts with higher priority (more senior demands that funded the reservoir construction). A fuzzy rule-based system has been created to reproduce the operating curve's performance, defining the system state (total

  5. Increasing Intelligence in Inter-Vehicle Communications to Reduce Traffic Congestions: Experiments in Urban and Highway Environments.

    PubMed

    Meneguette, Rodolfo I; Filho, Geraldo P R; Guidoni, Daniel L; Pessin, Gustavo; Villas, Leandro A; Ueyama, Jó

    2016-01-01

    Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) rely on Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) to streamline the operation of vehicles by managing vehicle traffic, assisting drivers with safety and sharing information, as well as providing appropriate services for passengers. Traffic congestion is an urban mobility problem, which causes stress to drivers and economic losses. In this context, this work proposes a solution for the detection, dissemination and control of congested roads based on inter-vehicle communication, called INCIDEnT. The main goal of the proposed solution is to reduce the average trip time, CO emissions and fuel consumption by allowing motorists to avoid congested roads. The simulation results show that our proposed solution leads to short delays and a low overhead. Moreover, it is efficient with regard to the coverage of the event and the distance to which the information can be propagated. The findings of the investigation show that the proposed solution leads to (i) high hit rate in the classification of the level of congestion, (ii) a reduction in average trip time, (iii) a reduction in fuel consumption, and (iv) reduced CO emissions.

  6. Increasing Intelligence in Inter-Vehicle Communications to Reduce Traffic Congestions: Experiments in Urban and Highway Environments

    PubMed Central

    Filho, Geraldo P. R.; Guidoni, Daniel L.; Pessin, Gustavo; Villas, Leandro A.; Ueyama, Jó

    2016-01-01

    Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) rely on Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) to streamline the operation of vehicles by managing vehicle traffic, assisting drivers with safety and sharing information, as well as providing appropriate services for passengers. Traffic congestion is an urban mobility problem, which causes stress to drivers and economic losses. In this context, this work proposes a solution for the detection, dissemination and control of congested roads based on inter-vehicle communication, called INCIDEnT. The main goal of the proposed solution is to reduce the average trip time, CO emissions and fuel consumption by allowing motorists to avoid congested roads. The simulation results show that our proposed solution leads to short delays and a low overhead. Moreover, it is efficient with regard to the coverage of the event and the distance to which the information can be propagated. The findings of the investigation show that the proposed solution leads to (i) high hit rate in the classification of the level of congestion, (ii) a reduction in average trip time, (iii) a reduction in fuel consumption, and (iv) reduced CO emissions PMID:27526048

  7. Fluid Volume Overload and Congestion in Heart Failure: Time to Reconsider Pathophysiology and How Volume Is Assessed.

    PubMed

    Miller, Wayne L

    2016-08-01

    Volume regulation, assessment, and management remain basic issues in patients with heart failure. The discussion presented here is directed at opening a reassessment of the pathophysiology of congestion in congestive heart failure and the methods by which we determine volume overload status. Peer-reviewed historical and contemporary literatures are reviewed. Volume overload and fluid congestion remain primary issues for patients with chronic heart failure. The pathophysiology is complex, and the simple concept of intravascular fluid accumulation is not adequate. The dynamics of interstitial and intravascular fluid compartment interactions and fluid redistribution from venous splanchnic beds to central pulmonary circulation need to be taken into account in strategies of volume management. Clinical bedside evaluations and right heart hemodynamic assessments can alert clinicians of changes in volume status, but only the quantitative measurement of total blood volume can help identify the heterogeneity in plasma volume and red blood cell mass that are features of volume overload in patients with chronic heart failure and help guide individualized, appropriate therapy-not all volume overload is the same. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  8. Air quality assessment at a congested urban intersection

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-09-01

    The deficient transportation system of Beirut results in significant economic losses for the city and causes severe traffic congestion in the urban areas. Proposals have been made for grade separations at some of the worst congested intersections. Th...

  9. Impact of congestion on bus operations and costs.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-10-01

    Traffic congestion in Northern New Jersey imposes substantial operational and monetary penalty on bus service. The purpose of this project was to quantify the additional time and costs due to traffic congestion. A regression model was developed that ...

  10. The economic cost of traffic congestion in Florida.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-08-01

    Traffic congestion in the U.S. is bad and getting worse, and it is expensive. Appropriate solutions to this problem require appropriate information. A comprehensive and accurate analysis of congestion costs is a critical tool for planning and impleme...

  11. Telehealth Protocol to Prevent Readmission Among High-Risk Patients With Congestive Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Rosen, Daniel; McCall, Janice D; Primack, Brian A

    2017-11-01

    Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of hospital readmissions. We aimed to assess adherence to and effectiveness of a telehealth protocol designed to prevent hospital admissions for congestive heart failure. We recruited a random sample of 50 patients with congestive heart failure (mean age 61 years) from a managed care organization. We developed a telehealth platform allowing for daily, real-time reporting of health status and video conferencing. We defined adherence as the percentage of days on which the patient completed the daily check-in protocol. To assess efficacy, we compared admission and readmission rates between the 6-month intervention period and the prior 6 months. Primary outcomes were admissions and readmissions due to congestive heart failure, and secondary outcomes were admissions and readmissions due to any cause. Forty-eight patients (96%) completed the protocol. Approximately half (46%) were at high risk for readmission according to standardized measures. Median 120-day adherence was 96% (interquartile range, 92%-98%), and adherence did not significantly differ across sex, race, age, living situation, depression, cognitive ability, or risk for readmission. Approximately equal proportions of patients were admitted for all causes during the 6-month intervention period versus the comparison period (37% vs 43%; P = .32). Half as many patients were admitted for congestive heart failure during the 6-month intervention period compared with the comparison period (12% vs 25%; P = .11). Adherence to this telehealth protocol was excellent and consistent, even among high-risk patients. Future research should test the protocol using a more rigorous randomized design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Development of congestion performance measures using ITS information.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to define a performance measure(s) that could be used to show congestion levels on critical corridors throughout Virginia and to develop a method to select and calculate performance measures to quantify congestion in...

  13. Congestion road tax and physical activity.

    PubMed

    Bergman, Patrick; Grjibovski, Andrej M; Hagströmer, Maria; Patterson, Emma; Sjöström, Michael

    2010-02-01

    Large-scale policy and environmental changes, such as congestion road taxes, may be a way to promote active transportation. This study aimed to examine the potential effect of a congestion road tax on physical activity. Baseline data were collected during October-November 2003, follow-up data in May 2006, and analysis was performed in September 2008. The short self-administered version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity. Data from those with access to motorized vehicles in the Stockholm region (n=165), where the tax was in place, were compared with those from the Göteborg/Malmö regions (n=138). Within each region before and during the road tax implementation, the data were analyzed for differences in time spent at different intensity levels of physical activity, in addition to sitting, as well as for changes in reported time in overall (weighted) physical activity. There were no significant differences in the magnitude of the changes of the intensity levels of physical activity, weighted overall physical activity, or sitting, between Stockholm and Göteborg/Malmö. Among those exposed to the congestion road tax and with access to motorized vehicles, an increase in moderate physical activity (p=0.036); overall physical activity (p=0.015); and a reduction in time spent sitting (p=0.009) was observed. No differences were observed among those unexposed. The results from this study on the influence of a congestion road tax on levels of physical activity, though inconclusive, suggest that policy changes such as a congestion road tax might promote improvements in physical activity levels in individuals with motorized vehicles. Copyright 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Analysis of random drop for gateway congestion control. M.S. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hashem, Emam Salaheddin

    1989-01-01

    Lately, the growing demand on the Internet has prompted the need for more effective congestion control policies. Currently No Gateway Policy is used to relieve and signal congestion, which leads to unfair service to the individual users and a degradation of overall network performance. Network simulation was used to illustrate the character of Internet congestion and its causes. A newly proposed gateway congestion control policy, called Random Drop, was considered as a promising solution to the pressing problem. Random Drop relieves resource congestion upon buffer overflow by choosing a random packet from the service queue to be dropped. The random choice should result in a drop distribution proportional to the bandwidth distribution among all contending TCP connections, thus applying the necessary fairness. Nonetheless, the simulation experiments demonstrate several shortcomings with this policy. Because Random Drop is a congestion control policy, which is not applied until congestion has already occurred, it usually results in a high drop rate that hurts too many connections including well-behaved ones. Even though the number of packets dropped is different from one connection to another depending on the buffer utilization upon overflow, the TCP recovery overhead is high enough to neutralize these differences, causing unfair congestion penalties. Besides, the drop distribution itself is an inaccurate representation of the average bandwidth distribution, missing much important information about the bandwidth utilization between buffer overflow events. A modification of Random Drop to do congestion avoidance by applying the policy early was also proposed. Early Random Drop has the advantage of avoiding the high drop rate of buffer overflow. The early application of the policy removes the pressure of congestion relief and allows more accurate signaling of congestion. To be used effectively, algorithms for the dynamic adjustment of the parameters of Early Random Drop

  15. A Bayesian ridge regression analysis of congestion's impact on urban expressway safety.

    PubMed

    Shi, Qi; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Lee, Jaeyoung

    2016-03-01

    With the rapid growth of traffic in urban areas, concerns about congestion and traffic safety have been heightened. This study leveraged both Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system and Microwave Vehicle Detection System (MVDS) installed on an expressway in Central Florida to explore how congestion impacts the crash occurrence in urban areas. Multiple congestion measures from the two systems were developed. To ensure more precise estimates of the congestion's effects, the traffic data were aggregated into peak and non-peak hours. Multicollinearity among traffic parameters was examined. The results showed the presence of multicollinearity especially during peak hours. As a response, ridge regression was introduced to cope with this issue. Poisson models with uncorrelated random effects, correlated random effects, and both correlated random effects and random parameters were constructed within the Bayesian framework. It was proven that correlated random effects could significantly enhance model performance. The random parameters model has similar goodness-of-fit compared with the model with only correlated random effects. However, by accounting for the unobserved heterogeneity, more variables were found to be significantly related to crash frequency. The models indicated that congestion increased crash frequency during peak hours while during non-peak hours it was not a major crash contributing factor. Using the random parameter model, the three congestion measures were compared. It was found that all congestion indicators had similar effects while Congestion Index (CI) derived from MVDS data was a better congestion indicator for safety analysis. Also, analyses showed that the segments with higher congestion intensity could not only increase property damage only (PDO) crashes, but also more severe crashes. In addition, the issues regarding the necessity to incorporate specific congestion indicator for congestion's effects on safety and to take care of the

  16. Fixed-rate layered multicast congestion control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bing, Zhang; Bing, Yuan; Zengji, Liu

    2006-10-01

    A new fixed-rate layered multicast congestion control algorithm called FLMCC is proposed. The sender of a multicast session transmits data packets at a fixed rate on each layer, while receivers each obtain different throughput by cumulatively subscribing to deferent number of layers based on their expected rates. In order to provide TCP-friendliness and estimate the expected rate accurately, a window-based mechanism implemented at receivers is presented. To achieve this, each receiver maintains a congestion window, adjusts it based on the GAIMD algorithm, and from the congestion window an expected rate is calculated. To measure RTT, a new method is presented which combines an accurate measurement with a rough estimation. A feedback suppression based on a random timer mechanism is given to avoid feedback implosion in the accurate measurement. The protocol is simple in its implementation. Simulations indicate that FLMCC shows good TCP-friendliness, responsiveness as well as intra-protocol fairness, and provides high link utilization.

  17. Wireless Sensor Network Congestion Control Based on Standard Particle Swarm Optimization and Single Neuron PID

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xiaoping; Chen, Xueying; Xia, Riting; Qian, Zhihong

    2018-01-01

    Aiming at the problem of network congestion caused by the large number of data transmissions in wireless routing nodes of wireless sensor network (WSN), this paper puts forward an algorithm based on standard particle swarm–neural PID congestion control (PNPID). Firstly, PID control theory was applied to the queue management of wireless sensor nodes. Then, the self-learning and self-organizing ability of neurons was used to achieve online adjustment of weights to adjust the proportion, integral and differential parameters of the PID controller. Finally, the standard particle swarm optimization to neural PID (NPID) algorithm of initial values of proportion, integral and differential parameters and neuron learning rates were used for online optimization. This paper describes experiments and simulations which show that the PNPID algorithm effectively stabilized queue length near the expected value. At the same time, network performance, such as throughput and packet loss rate, was greatly improved, which alleviated network congestion and improved network QoS. PMID:29671822

  18. Wireless Sensor Network Congestion Control Based on Standard Particle Swarm Optimization and Single Neuron PID.

    PubMed

    Yang, Xiaoping; Chen, Xueying; Xia, Riting; Qian, Zhihong

    2018-04-19

    Aiming at the problem of network congestion caused by the large number of data transmissions in wireless routing nodes of wireless sensor network (WSN), this paper puts forward an algorithm based on standard particle swarm⁻neural PID congestion control (PNPID). Firstly, PID control theory was applied to the queue management of wireless sensor nodes. Then, the self-learning and self-organizing ability of neurons was used to achieve online adjustment of weights to adjust the proportion, integral and differential parameters of the PID controller. Finally, the standard particle swarm optimization to neural PID (NPID) algorithm of initial values of proportion, integral and differential parameters and neuron learning rates were used for online optimization. This paper describes experiments and simulations which show that the PNPID algorithm effectively stabilized queue length near the expected value. At the same time, network performance, such as throughput and packet loss rate, was greatly improved, which alleviated network congestion and improved network QoS.

  19. Phase diagram of congested traffic flow: An empirical study

    PubMed

    Lee; Lee; Kim

    2000-10-01

    We analyze traffic data from a highway section containing one effective on-ramp. Based on two criteria, local velocity variation patterns and expansion (or nonexpansion) of congested regions, three distinct congested traffic states are identified. These states appear at different levels of the upstream flux and the on-ramp flux, thereby generating a phase digram of the congested traffic flow. Observed traffic states are compared with recent theoretical analyses and both agreeing and disagreeing features are found.

  20. Mobility and the costs of congestion in New Jersey : 2001 update

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-07-01

    The objective of the Mobility and the Costs of Congestion study is to measure quantifiable and qualitative impacts of roadway congestion in New Jersey. The study addresses the impacts of congestion on an average traveler or affected person, as well a...

  1. Snoring and Nasal Congestion

    MedlinePlus

    ... treat the various causes of nasal congestion include: Topical nasal steroid spray Topical nasal antihistamine spray Oral antibiotic (in case of ... include more than just the decrease in oxygen levels at night during the apnea episodes. They also ...

  2. Statewide GIS mapping of recurring congestion corridors : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-07-01

    Recurring congestion occurs when travel demand reaches or exceeds the available roadway : capacity. This project developed an interactive geographic information system (GIS) map of the : recurring congestion corridors (labeled herein as hotspots) in ...

  3. Interaction between worsening renal function and persistent congestion in acute decompensated heart failure.

    PubMed

    Wattad, Malak; Darawsha, Wisam; Solomonica, Amir; Hijazi, Maher; Kaplan, Marielle; Makhoul, Badira F; Abassi, Zaid A; Azzam, Zaher S; Aronson, Doron

    2015-04-01

    Worsening renal function (WRF) and congestion are inextricably related pathophysiologically, suggesting that WRF occurring in conjunction with persistent congestion would be associated with worse clinical outcome. We studied the interdependence between WRF and persistent congestion in 762 patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF). WRF was defined as ≥0.3 mg/dl increase in serum creatinine above baseline at any time during hospitalization and persistent congestion as ≥1 sign of congestion at discharge. The primary end point was all-cause mortality with mean follow-up of 15 ± 9 months. Readmission for HF was a secondary end point. Persistent congestion was more common in patients with WRF than in patients with stable renal function (51.0% vs 26.6%, p <0.0001). Both persistent congestion and persistent WRF were significantly associated with mortality (both p <0.0001). There was a strong interaction (p = 0.003) between persistent WRF and congestion, such that the increased risk for mortality occurred predominantly with both WRF and persistent congestion. The adjusted hazard ratio for mortality in patients with persistent congestion as compared with those without was 4.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.20 to 7.86) in patients with WRF and 1.50 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.93) in patients without WRF. In conclusion, persisted congestion is frequently associated with WRF. We have identified a substantial interaction between persistent congestion and WRF such that congestion portends increased mortality particularly when associated with WRF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Assessment and Management of Volume Overload and Congestion in Chronic Heart Failure: Can Measuring Blood Volume Provide New Insights?

    PubMed

    Miller, Wayne L

    2017-01-01

    Volume overload and fluid congestion remain primary clinical challenges in the assessment and management of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). The pathophysiology of volume regulation is complex, and the simple concept of passive intravascular fluid accumulation is not adequate. The dynamics of interstitial and intravascular fluid compartment interactions and fluid redistribution from venous splanchnic beds to the central pulmonary circulation need to be taken into account in strategies of volume management. Clinical bedside evaluations and right heart hemodynamic assessments can alert of changes in volume status, but only the quantitative measurement of total blood volume can help identify the heterogeneity in plasma volume and red blood cell mass that are features of volume overload in chronic HF. The quantitative assessment of intravascular volume is an effective tool to help guide individualized, appropriate therapy. Not all volume overload is the same, and the measurement of intravascular volume identifies heterogeneity to guide tailored therapy.

  5. Congestion control for a fair packet delivery in WSN: from a complex system perspective.

    PubMed

    Aguirre-Guerrero, Daniela; Marcelín-Jiménez, Ricardo; Rodriguez-Colina, Enrique; Pascoe-Chalke, Michael

    2014-01-01

    In this work, we propose that packets travelling across a wireless sensor network (WSN) can be seen as the active agents that make up a complex system, just like a bird flock or a fish school, for instance. From this perspective, the tools and models that have been developed to study this kind of systems have been applied. This is in order to create a distributed congestion control based on a set of simple rules programmed at the nodes of the WSN. Our results show that it is possible to adapt the carried traffic to the network capacity, even under stressing conditions. Also, the network performance shows a smooth degradation when the traffic goes beyond a threshold which is settled by the proposed self-organized control. In contrast, without any control, the network collapses before this threshold. The use of the proposed solution provides an effective strategy to address some of the common problems found in WSN deployment by providing a fair packet delivery. In addition, the network congestion is mitigated using adaptive traffic mechanisms based on a satisfaction parameter assessed by each packet which has impact on the global satisfaction of the traffic carried by the WSN.

  6. Determining queue and congestion in highway work zone bottlenecks.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-11

    Construction zones, though required for infrastructure maintenance, have become congestion choke points on most highway systems in the US. The congestion may create potentially unsafe driving conditions for approaching motorists that do not expect qu...

  7. Determining Queue and Congestion in Highway Work Zone Bottlenecks

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-11

    Construction zones, though required for infrastructure maintenance, have become congestion choke points on most highway systems in the US. The congestion may create potentially unsafe driving conditions for approaching motorists that do not expect qu...

  8. A toolbox for alleviating traffic congestion and enhancing mobility

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-06-01

    This report presents the Tolling Data Test Plan for the national evaluation of the Los Angeles (LA) Congestion Reduction Demonstration (Metro ExpressLanes) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstra...

  9. Mobility and the Costs of Congestion in New Jersey

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-02-01

    This study measured quantifiable and qualitative impacts of congestion in New Jersey on mobility, the cost of transportation, and economic productivity. It addressed the impacts of congestion on both an individual level (impacts on an average travele...

  10. 75 FR 8645 - Public Meetings on the Development of the Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Public Meetings on the Development of the Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meetings. SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service is committed to developing a new Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule...

  11. Curbing gridlock: Peak-period fees to relieve traffic congestion. Volume 2. Commissioned papers. Special report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1994-01-01

    ;Contents: Volume 2: Commissioned Papers: Congestion Trends in Metropolitan Areas; Alternative Methods for Measuring Congestion Levels; Potential of Congestion Pricing in the Metropolitan Washington Region; Transportation Pricing and Travel Behavior; Peak Pricing Strategies in Transportation, Utilities, and Telecommunications: Lessons for Road Pricing; Cashing Out Employer-Paid Parking: A Precedent for Congestion Pricing; The New York Region: First in Tolls, Last in Road Pricing; Pricing Urban Roadways: Administrative and Institutional Issues; Equity and Fairness Considerations of Congestion Pricing; The Politics of Congestion Pricing; Institutional and Political Challenges in Implementing Congestion Pricing: Case Study of the San Francisco Bay Area; How Congestion Pricingmore » Came to Be Proposed in the San Diego Region: A Case History; Urban Transportation Congestion Pricing: Effects on Urban Form; Congestion Pricing and Motor Vehicle Emissions: An Initial Review; Private Toll Roads: Acceptability of Congestion Pricing in Southern California; Potential of Next-Generation Technology; Electronic Toll Collection Systems; and Impacts of Congestion Pricing on Transit and Carpool Demand and Supply.« less

  12. An evaluation of congestion-reducing measures used in Virginia.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1992-01-01

    Congestion on our nation's highways, especially in urban areas, is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse. In Virginia, it is estimated that 28 percent of the daily vehicle miles of travel (VMT) occurring during peak hour traffic is congest...

  13. Oxymetazoline plus dexpanthenol in nasal congestion.

    PubMed

    Jagade, Mohan V; Langade, Deepak G; Pophale, Rupesh R; Prabhu, Arun

    2008-12-01

    To compare the efficacy and tolerability of Oxymetazoline 0.05 % plus Dexpanthanol 5% versus Xylometazoline 0.1 % nasal drops in patients with nasal congestion due to allergic rhinitis and following nasal surgery. An investigator-blind, randomized, controlled, phase IV clinical trial conducted in 100 patients with acute allergic rhinitis or patients post-nasal surgery. Patients received either Oxymetazoline 0.05% with Dexpanthanol 5% (OD) or Xylometazoline 0.1% (XO) nasal drops. Relief from nasal congestion was significantly better in the OD group then in the XO group (mean nasal scores 1.24 vs 1.86). Significantly more improvement in sneezing and decrease in nasal discharge was seen in the OD group than the XO group. Nasal irritation in the OD group was significantly less as compared to XO group (0.38 v/s 1.12 on second day and 0.10 vs 0.36 on the fourth day). The recovery time for OD group was 1.08 hours, which was significantly (46 min) lesser than that of the XO group. Rebound congestion was significantly less in OD as compared to XO group (6.25% vs 82.98%). 93.75% of the physicians in the OD group and 51.28% in XO group reported response to therapy as good to excellent. 95.83% patients in the OD group and only 52.91% patients in the XO group rated tolerability to therapy as good to excellent. Oxymetazoline and dexpanthenol combination has a better efficacy, shorter recovery time, causes lesser rebound congestion and has better tolerability than xylometazoline.

  14. Creating a Culture: A Longitudinal Examination of the Influence of Management and Employee Values on Communication Rule Stability and Emergence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shockley-Zalabak, Pamela; Morley, Donald Dean

    1994-01-01

    Provides an examination of management and employee values as influential for organizational rule formation. Demonstrates that management values are directly related to employee values but indirectly influence the evolution of organization rules. Supports a view of rule emergence based on management and employee values. (HB)

  15. On-board congestion control for satellite packet switching networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chu, Pong P.

    1991-01-01

    It is desirable to incorporate packet switching capability on-board for future communication satellites. Because of the statistical nature of packet communication, incoming traffic fluctuates and may cause congestion. Thus, it is necessary to incorporate a congestion control mechanism as part of the on-board processing to smooth and regulate the bursty traffic. Although there are extensive studies on congestion control for both baseband and broadband terrestrial networks, these schemes are not feasible for space based switching networks because of the unique characteristics of satellite link. Here, we propose a new congestion control method for on-board satellite packet switching. This scheme takes into consideration the long propagation delay in satellite link and takes advantage of the the satellite's broadcasting capability. It divides the control between the ground terminals and satellite, but distributes the primary responsibility to ground terminals and only requires minimal hardware resource on-board satellite.

  16. Fixture congestion modulates post-match recovery kinetics in professional soccer players.

    PubMed

    Lundberg, Tommy R; Weckström, Kristoffer

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the influence of fixture congestion on physical performance and biochemical variables in professional male footballers. After 3 competitive matches within a week (3M cycle), 16 players underwent blood sampling and field testing 72 h after the last match. The same tests were performed after a regular 1 match-week cycle (1M cycle). The 1M vs. 3M change scores were compared between Congested (high match exposure) and non-selected Control players. The change score in muscle soreness was greater (effect size 1.0; CI 0.0-1.9) in the Congested players than Controls, indicating a possible negative effect of fixture congestion. There were no effects on sprint and jump performance. The change in plasma (P)-Urea was greater in Congested players than controls (effect size 1.3; CI 0.3-2.2). The effects on other blood variables were either non-existing/trivial, or unclear. Altogether, physical fitness and immune function were not compromised by match congestion, yet some indices of physiological stress and muscle damage were still evident.

  17. Fair and efficient network congestion control based on minority game

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zuxi; Wang, Wen; Hu, Hanping; Deng, Zhaozhang

    2011-12-01

    Low link utility, RTT unfairness and unfairness of Multi-Bottleneck network are the existing problems in the present network congestion control algorithms at large. Through the analogy of network congestion control with the "El Farol Bar" problem, we establish a congestion control model based on minority game(MG), and then present a novel network congestion control algorithm based on the model. The result of simulations indicates that the proposed algorithm can make the achievements of link utility closing to 100%, zero packet lose rate, and small of queue size. Besides, the RTT unfairness and the unfairness of Multi-Bottleneck network can be solved, to achieve the max-min fairness in Multi-Bottleneck network, while efficiently weaken the "ping-pong" oscillation caused by the overall synchronization.

  18. 23 CFR 970.200 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Federal land management agency, to the extent appropriate, to develop by rule safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. These management systems serve to...

  19. 23 CFR 970.200 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Federal land management agency, to the extent appropriate, to develop by rule safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. These management systems serve to...

  20. Involvement of systemic venous congestion in heart failure.

    PubMed

    Rubio Gracia, J; Sánchez Marteles, M; Pérez Calvo, J I

    2017-04-01

    Systemic venous congestion has gained significant importance in the interpretation of the pathophysiology of acute heart failure, especially in the development of renal function impairment during exacerbations. In this study, we review the concept, clinical characterisation and identification of venous congestion. We update current knowledge on its importance in the pathophysiology of acute heart failure and its involvement in the prognosis. We pay special attention to the relationship between abdominal congestion, the pulmonary interstitium as filtering membrane, inflammatory phenomena and renal function impairment in acute heart failure. Lastly, we review decongestion as a new therapeutic objective and the measures available for its assessment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.

  1. Risk management. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Interim rule adopted as final with changes.

    PubMed

    2000-11-22

    This is a final rule amending the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) to emphasize considerations of risk management, including safety, security (including information technology security), health, export control, and damage to the environment, within the acquisition process. This final rule addresses risk management within the context of acquisition planning, selecting sources, choosing contract type, structuring award fee incentives, administering contracts, and conducting contractor surveillance.

  2. 76 FR 75875 - Plan for Conduct of 2012 Electric Transmission Congestion Study

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Plan for Conduct of 2012 Electric Transmission Congestion Study AGENCY... preparation of a study of electric transmission congestion pursuant to section 216(a)(1) of the Federal Power...-register at this Web site: http://energy.gov/oe/congestion-study-2012 . [[Page 75876

  3. Mean field games with congestion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Achdou, Yves; Porretta, Alessio

    2018-03-01

    We consider a class of systems of time dependent partial differential equations which arise in mean field type models with congestion. The systems couple a backward viscous Hamilton-Jacobi equation and a forward Kolmogorov equation both posed in $(0,T)\\times (\\mathbb{R}^N /\\mathbb{Z}^N)$. Because of congestion and by contrast with simpler cases, the latter system can never be seen as the optimality conditions of an optimal control problem driven by a partial differential equation. The Hamiltonian vanishes as the density tends to $+\\infty$ and may not even be defined in the regions where the density is zero. After giving a suitable definition of weak solutions, we prove the existence and uniqueness results of the latter under rather general assumptions. No restriction is made on the horizon $T$.

  4. Modeling the effect of accessibility and congestion in location choice.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-12-01

    This study explores the relationship between accessibility and congestion, and their impacts on property values. Three research questions are addressed: (1) What is the relation between accessibility and congestion both regional and neighborhood leve...

  5. Developing a congestion mitigation toolbox.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-30

    Researchers created A Michigan Toolbox for Mitigating Traffic Congestion to be a useful desk reference for practitioners and an educational tool for elected officials acting through public policy boards to better understand the development, planning,...

  6. Land use and traffic congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-03-01

    "The study investigated the link between land use, travel behavior, and traffic congestion. Popular wisdom : suggests that higher-density development patterns may be beneficial in reducing private vehicle dependency : and use, which if true, could ho...

  7. Impact of Considering 110 kV Grid Structures on the Congestion Management in the German Transmission Grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffrichter, André; Barrios, Hans; Massmann, Janek; Venkataramanachar, Bhavasagar; Schnettler, Armin

    2018-02-01

    The structural changes in the European energy system lead to an increase of renewable energy sources that are primarily connected to the distribution grid. Hence the stationary analysis of the transmission grid and the regionalization of generation capacities are strongly influenced by subordinate grid structures. To quantify the impact on the congestion management in the German transmission grid, a 110 kV grid model is derived using publicly available data delivered by Open Street Map and integrated into an existing model of the European transmission grid. Power flow and redispatch simulations are performed for three different regionalization methods and grid configurations. The results show a significant impact of the 110 kV system and prove an overestimation of power flows in the transmission grid when neglecting subordinate grids. Thus, the redispatch volume in Germany to dissolve bottlenecks in case of N-1 contingencies decreases by 38 % when considering the 110 kV grid.

  8. Prospective Validation of Optimal Drain Management "The 3 × 3 Rule" after Liver Resection.

    PubMed

    Mitsuka, Yusuke; Yamazaki, Shintaro; Yoshida, Nao; Masamichi, Moriguchi; Higaki, Tokio; Takayama, Tadatoshi

    2016-09-01

    We previously established an optimal postoperative drain management rule after liver resection (i.e., drain removal on postoperative day 3 if the drain fluid bilirubin concentration is <3 mg/dl) from the results of 514 drains of 316 consecutive patients. This test set predicts that 274 of 316 patients (87.0 %) will be safely managed without adverse events when drain management is performed without deviation from the rule. To validate the feasibility of our rule in recent time period. The data from 493 drains of 274 consecutive patients were prospectively collected. Drain fluid volumes, bilirubin levels, and bacteriological cultures were measured on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, 5, and 7. The drains were removed according to the management rule. The achievement rate of the rule, postoperative adverse events, hospital stay, medical costs, and predictive value for reoperation according to the rule were validated. The rule was achieved in 255 of 274 (93.1 %) patients. The drain removal time was significantly shorter [3 days (1-30) vs. 7 (2-105), p < 0.01], drain fluid infection was less frequent [4 patients (1.5 %) vs. 58 (18.4 %), p < 0.01], postoperative hospital stay was shorter [11 days (6-73) vs. 16 (9-59), p = 0.04], and medical costs were decreased [1453 USD (968-6859) vs. 1847 (4667-9498), p < 0.01] in the validation set compared with the test set. Five patients who required reoperation were predicted by the drain-based information and treated within 2 days after operation. Our 3 × 3 rule is clinically feasible and allows for the early removal of the drain tube with minimum infection risk after liver resection.

  9. Cooperative vehicles for robust traffic congestion reduction: An analysis based on algorithmic, environmental and agent behavioral factors

    PubMed Central

    Desai, Prajakta; Desai, Aniruddha

    2017-01-01

    Traffic congestion continues to be a persistent problem throughout the world. As vehicle-to-vehicle communication develops, there is an opportunity of using cooperation among close proximity vehicles to tackle the congestion problem. The intuition is that if vehicles could cooperate opportunistically when they come close enough to each other, they could, in effect, spread themselves out among alternative routes so that vehicles do not all jam up on the same roads. Our previous work proposed a decentralized multiagent based vehicular congestion management algorithm entitled Congestion Avoidance and Route Allocation using Virtual Agent Negotiation (CARAVAN), wherein the vehicles acting as intelligent agents perform cooperative route allocation using inter-vehicular communication. This paper focuses on evaluating the practical applicability of this approach by testing its robustness and performance (in terms of travel time reduction), across variations in: (a) environmental parameters such as road network topology and configuration; (b) algorithmic parameters such as vehicle agent preferences and route cost/preference multipliers; and (c) agent-related parameters such as equipped/non-equipped vehicles and compliant/non-compliant agents. Overall, the results demonstrate the adaptability and robustness of the decentralized cooperative vehicles approach to providing global travel time reduction using simple local coordination strategies. PMID:28792513

  10. Cooperative vehicles for robust traffic congestion reduction: An analysis based on algorithmic, environmental and agent behavioral factors.

    PubMed

    Desai, Prajakta; Loke, Seng W; Desai, Aniruddha

    2017-01-01

    Traffic congestion continues to be a persistent problem throughout the world. As vehicle-to-vehicle communication develops, there is an opportunity of using cooperation among close proximity vehicles to tackle the congestion problem. The intuition is that if vehicles could cooperate opportunistically when they come close enough to each other, they could, in effect, spread themselves out among alternative routes so that vehicles do not all jam up on the same roads. Our previous work proposed a decentralized multiagent based vehicular congestion management algorithm entitled Congestion Avoidance and Route Allocation using Virtual Agent Negotiation (CARAVAN), wherein the vehicles acting as intelligent agents perform cooperative route allocation using inter-vehicular communication. This paper focuses on evaluating the practical applicability of this approach by testing its robustness and performance (in terms of travel time reduction), across variations in: (a) environmental parameters such as road network topology and configuration; (b) algorithmic parameters such as vehicle agent preferences and route cost/preference multipliers; and (c) agent-related parameters such as equipped/non-equipped vehicles and compliant/non-compliant agents. Overall, the results demonstrate the adaptability and robustness of the decentralized cooperative vehicles approach to providing global travel time reduction using simple local coordination strategies.

  11. Congestion-based emergency vehicle preemption.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-08-01

    This research analyzed and evaluated a new strategy for preemption of emergency vehicles along a corridor, which is : route-based and adaptive to real-time traffic conditions. The method uses dynamic offsets which are adjusted using : congestion-leve...

  12. Using a business rule management system to improve disposition of traumatized patients.

    PubMed

    Neuhaus, Philipp; Noack, Oliver; Majchrzak, Tim; Uckert, Frank

    2010-01-01

    We propose a business rule management system that is used to optimize the dispatchment on a mass casualty incident. Using geospatial information from available ambulances and rescue helicopters, a business rule engine calculates an optimized transportation plan for injured persons. It automatically considers special needs like ambulances equipped for baby transportation or special decontamination equipment, e.g. to deal with an accident in a chemical factory. The rules used in the system are not hardcoded; thus, it is possible to redefine them on the fly without changing the program's source code. It is possible to load and save a rule set in case of a catastrophe. Furthermore, it is possible to automatically recalculate an already planned operation if it becomes clear that the rescue vehicles assigned are needed by a person with life-threatening injuries.

  13. Cerebral Venous Congestion as Indication for Thrombolytic Treatment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tsai, Fong Y., E-mail: ftsai@uci.edu; Kostanian, Varoujan; Rivera, Monica

    Purpose. To carry out a retrospective analysis of patients with acute dural sinus thrombosis, and the role of cerebral venous congestion in patient management. Methods. Twenty-five patients were identified with the clinical and imaging diagnosis of acute dural sinus thrombosis. The imaging diagnosis was by magnetic resonance (MR) and/or computed tomography (CT) venography. There was a female predominance with a female to male ratio of 1.5 to 1 (16 women, 9 men). The age range was from 19 to 64 years old with an average age of 37 years. The first 10 patients, who ranged in age from 21 tomore » 64 years old (average 37 years), received only anticoagulation therapy with heparin and warfarin for periods ranging from 5 days to 2 months. The remaining 15 patients ranged in age from 19 to 57 years old (average 38 years). They either underwent subsequent thrombectomy after a trial of anticoagulation therapy, or went straight to thrombectomy. These latter 15 patients had initial evidence of cerebral venous congestion, either clinically by severe or worsening symptoms despite anticoagulation therapy, or on initial or subsequent CT or MR imaging. In our experience, the cerebral venous congestion imaging findings included intracranial hemorrhage, a hematoma, or edema. The thrombolytic treatment technique consisted of the advancement of a 6 Fr guiding catheter to the jugular bulb or sigmoid sinus from a transfemoral approach. A microcatheter was then advanced to the proximal portion of the thrombus and then either tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or urokinase was injected to prevent clot propagation. A balloon catheter was used to perform thrombectomy since the thrombolytic agents can be injected via the inner lumen with an inflated balloon. The inflated balloon helped to keep the venous flow from washing out the thrombolytic agent, thus facilitating the agent's effect. Results. The first 10 patients received only anticoagulation therapy with heparin and warfarin for

  14. Highly Dynamic and Adaptive Traffic Congestion Avoidance in Real-Time Inspired by Honey Bee Behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wedde, Horst F.; Lehnhoff, Sebastian; van Bonn, Bernhard; Bay, Z.; Becker, S.; Böttcher, S.; Brunner, C.; Büscher, A.; Fürst, T.; Lazarescu, A. M.; Rotaru, E.; Senge, S.; Steinbach, B.; Yilmaz, F.; Zimmermann, T.

    Traffic congestions have become a major problem in metropolitan areas world-wide, within and between cities, to an extent where they make driving and transportation times largely unpredictable. Due to the highly dynamic character of congestion building and dissolving this phenomenon appears even to resist a formal treatment. Static approaches, and even more their global management, have proven counterproductive in practice. Given the latest progress in VANET technology and the remarkable commercially driven efforts like in the European C2C consortium, or the VSC Project in the US, allow meanwhile to tackle various aspects of traffic regulation through VANET communication. In this paper we introduce a novel, completely decentralized multi-agent routing algorithm (termed BeeJamA) which we have derived from the foraging behavior of honey bees. It is highly dynamic, adaptive, robust, and scalable, and it allows for both avoiding congestions, and minimizing traveling times to individual destinations. Vehicle guidance is provided well ahead of every intersection, depending on the individual speeds. Thus strict deadlines are imposed on, and respected by, the BeeJamA algorithm. We report on extensive simulation experiments which show the superior performance of BeeJamA over conventional approaches.

  15. Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide Levels and Reported Congestion and Headaches on the International Space Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cole, Robert; Wear, Mary; Young, Millennia; Cobel, Christopher; Mason, Sara

    2017-01-01

    Congestion is commonly reported during spaceflight, and most crewmembers have reported using medications for congestion during International Space Station (ISS) missions. Although congestion has been attributed to fluid shifts during spaceflight, fluid status reaches equilibrium during the first week after launch while congestion continues to be reported throughout long duration missions. Congestion complaints have anecdotally been reported in relation to ISS CO2 levels; this evaluation was undertaken to determine whether or not an association exists. METHODS: Reported headaches, congestion symptoms, and CO2 levels were obtained for ISS expeditions 2-31, and time-weighted means and single-point maxima were determined for 24-hour (24hr) and 7-day (7d) periods prior to each weekly private medical conference. Multiple imputation addressed missing data, and logistic regression modeled the relationship between probability of reported event of congestion or headache and CO2 levels, adjusted for possible confounding covariates. The first seven days of spaceflight were not included to control for fluid shifts. Data were evaluated to determine the concentration of CO2 required to maintain the risk of congestion below 1% to allow for direct comparison with a previously published evaluation of CO2 concentrations and headache. RESULTS: This study confirmed a previously identified significant association between CO2 and headache and also found a significant association between CO2 and congestion. For each 1-mm Hg increase in CO2, the odds of a crew member reporting congestion doubled. The average 7-day CO2 would need to be maintained below 1.5 mmHg to keep the risk of congestion below 1%. The predicted probability curves of ISS headache and congestion curves appear parallel when plotted against ppCO2 levels with congestion occurring at approximately 1mmHg lower than a headache would be reported. DISCUSSION: While the cause of congestion is multifactorial, this study showed

  16. Development of operating mode distributions for different types of roadways under different congestion levels for vehicle emission assessment using MOVES.

    PubMed

    Qi, Yi; Padiath, Ameena; Zhao, Qun; Yu, Lei

    2016-10-01

    The Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) quantifies emissions as a function of vehicle modal activities. Hence, the vehicle operating mode distribution is the most vital input for running MOVES at the project level. The preparation of operating mode distributions requires significant efforts with respect to data collection and processing. This study is to develop operating mode distributions for both freeway and arterial facilities under different traffic conditions. For this purpose, in this study, we (1) collected/processed geographic information system (GIS) data, (2) developed a model of CO2 emissions and congestion from observations, (3) implemented the model to evaluate potential emission changes from a hypothetical roadway accident scenario. This study presents a framework by which practitioners can assess emission levels in the development of different strategies for traffic management and congestion mitigation. This paper prepared the primary input, that is, the operating mode ID distribution, required for running MOVES and developed models for estimating emissions for different types of roadways under different congestion levels. The results of this study will provide transportation planners or environmental analysts with the methods for qualitatively assessing the air quality impacts of different transportation operation and demand management strategies.

  17. CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY IN OKAPI (OKAPIA JOHNSTONI).

    PubMed

    Warren, Joshua D; Aitken-Palmer, Copper; Weldon, Alan D; Flanagan, Joseph P; Howard, Lauren L; Garner, Michael M; Citino, Scott B

    2017-03-01

    Acute signs associated with cardiovascular disease occurred in three pregnant okapi ( Okapia johnstoni ) during early to midgestation and progressed to congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure was diagnosed antemortem using echocardiography and plasma cardiac troponin levels. Clinical signs included decreased activity, hyporexia, tachypnea, dyspnea, flared nostrils, and productive coughing with copious amounts of foamy nasal discharge. Parenteral and oral treatment with furosemide, enalapril, and spironolactone controlled clinical signs in the three okapi allowing each to carry out one pregnancy to term. Two okapi carried the first pregnancy to term after showing signs, while one okapi aborted the first calf and gave birth to a healthy calf in a subsequent pregnancy. Subsequent pregnancy in one okapi ended with abortion and associated dystocia and endometritis. Following parturition, clinical signs associated with heart failure resolved in all three individuals; serial echocardiography in two individuals showed improvement in fractional shortening and left atrial size and all three okapi showed markedly decreased pleural effusion and resolution of pulmonary edema. However, subsequent pregnancies in all three okapi induced respiratory distress and recurrence of congestive heart failure; one okapi died from congestive heart failure associated with subsequent pregnancy. This case series describes the clinical presentation and pathologic findings of congestive heart failure during pregnancy in adult okapi.

  18. Exploration of SWRL Rule Bases through Visualization, Paraphrasing, and Categorization of Rules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassanpour, Saeed; O'Connor, Martin J.; Das, Amar K.

    Rule bases are increasingly being used as repositories of knowledge content on the Semantic Web. As the size and complexity of these rule bases increases, developers and end users need methods of rule abstraction to facilitate rule management. In this paper, we describe a rule abstraction method for Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) rules that is based on lexical analysis and a set of heuristics. Our method results in a tree data structure that we exploit in creating techniques to visualize, paraphrase, and categorize SWRL rules. We evaluate our approach by applying it to several biomedical ontologies that contain SWRL rules, and show how the results reveal rule patterns within the rule base. We have implemented our method as a plug-in tool for Protégé-OWL, the most widely used ontology modeling software for the Semantic Web. Our tool can allow users to rapidly explore content and patterns in SWRL rule bases, enabling their acquisition and management.

  19. Large-scale transportation network congestion evolution prediction using deep learning theory.

    PubMed

    Ma, Xiaolei; Yu, Haiyang; Wang, Yunpeng; Wang, Yinhai

    2015-01-01

    Understanding how congestion at one location can cause ripples throughout large-scale transportation network is vital for transportation researchers and practitioners to pinpoint traffic bottlenecks for congestion mitigation. Traditional studies rely on either mathematical equations or simulation techniques to model traffic congestion dynamics. However, most of the approaches have limitations, largely due to unrealistic assumptions and cumbersome parameter calibration process. With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Internet of Things (IoT), transportation data become more and more ubiquitous. This triggers a series of data-driven research to investigate transportation phenomena. Among them, deep learning theory is considered one of the most promising techniques to tackle tremendous high-dimensional data. This study attempts to extend deep learning theory into large-scale transportation network analysis. A deep Restricted Boltzmann Machine and Recurrent Neural Network architecture is utilized to model and predict traffic congestion evolution based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data from taxi. A numerical study in Ningbo, China is conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Results show that the prediction accuracy can achieve as high as 88% within less than 6 minutes when the model is implemented in a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-based parallel computing environment. The predicted congestion evolution patterns can be visualized temporally and spatially through a map-based platform to identify the vulnerable links for proactive congestion mitigation.

  20. Large-Scale Transportation Network Congestion Evolution Prediction Using Deep Learning Theory

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Xiaolei; Yu, Haiyang; Wang, Yunpeng; Wang, Yinhai

    2015-01-01

    Understanding how congestion at one location can cause ripples throughout large-scale transportation network is vital for transportation researchers and practitioners to pinpoint traffic bottlenecks for congestion mitigation. Traditional studies rely on either mathematical equations or simulation techniques to model traffic congestion dynamics. However, most of the approaches have limitations, largely due to unrealistic assumptions and cumbersome parameter calibration process. With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Internet of Things (IoT), transportation data become more and more ubiquitous. This triggers a series of data-driven research to investigate transportation phenomena. Among them, deep learning theory is considered one of the most promising techniques to tackle tremendous high-dimensional data. This study attempts to extend deep learning theory into large-scale transportation network analysis. A deep Restricted Boltzmann Machine and Recurrent Neural Network architecture is utilized to model and predict traffic congestion evolution based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data from taxi. A numerical study in Ningbo, China is conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Results show that the prediction accuracy can achieve as high as 88% within less than 6 minutes when the model is implemented in a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-based parallel computing environment. The predicted congestion evolution patterns can be visualized temporally and spatially through a map-based platform to identify the vulnerable links for proactive congestion mitigation. PMID:25780910

  1. 14 CFR 137.49 - Operations over other than congested areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Operations over other than congested areas. 137.49 Section 137.49 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... congested areas below 500 feet above the surface and closer than 500 feet to persons, vessels, vehicles, and...

  2. A perspective on diuretic resistance in chronic congestive heart failure

    PubMed Central

    Shah, Niel; Madanieh, Raef; Alkan, Mehmet; Dogar, Muhammad U.; Kosmas, Constantine E.; Vittorio, Timothy J.

    2017-01-01

    Chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) is a complex disorder characterized by inability of the heart to keep up the demands on it, followed by the progressive pump failure and fluid accumulation. Although the loop diuretics are widely used in heart failure (HF) patients, both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic alterations are thought to be responsible for diuretic resistance in these patients. Strategies to overcome diuretic resistance include sodium intake restriction, changes in diuretic dose and route of administration and sequential nephron diuretic therapy. In this review, we discuss the definition, prevalence, mechanism of development and management strategies of diuretic resistance in HF patients. PMID:28728476

  3. A perspective on diuretic resistance in chronic congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    Shah, Niel; Madanieh, Raef; Alkan, Mehmet; Dogar, Muhammad U; Kosmas, Constantine E; Vittorio, Timothy J

    2017-10-01

    Chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) is a complex disorder characterized by inability of the heart to keep up the demands on it, followed by the progressive pump failure and fluid accumulation. Although the loop diuretics are widely used in heart failure (HF) patients, both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic alterations are thought to be responsible for diuretic resistance in these patients. Strategies to overcome diuretic resistance include sodium intake restriction, changes in diuretic dose and route of administration and sequential nephron diuretic therapy. In this review, we discuss the definition, prevalence, mechanism of development and management strategies of diuretic resistance in HF patients.

  4. 76 FR 33342 - Final Supplementary Rules for Public Lands Managed by the California Desert District

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [L12200000.NO0000.LLCAD00000] Final Supplementary Rules for Public Lands Managed by the California Desert District AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management... Land Management (BLM), CDD office and the five field offices within the CDD, are issuing Final...

  5. Measuring non-recurrent congestion in small to medium sized urban areas.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-05-01

    Understanding the relative magnitudes of recurrent vs. non-recurrent congestion in an urban area is critical to the selection of proper countermeasures and the appropriate allocation of resources to address congestion problems. Small to medium sized ...

  6. Liver congestion in heart failure contributes to inappropriately increased serum hepcidin despite anemia.

    PubMed

    Ohno, Yukako; Hanawa, Haruo; Jiao, Shuang; Hayashi, Yuka; Yoshida, Kaori; Suzuki, Tomoyasu; Kashimura, Takeshi; Obata, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Komei; Watanabe, Tohru; Minamino, Tohru

    2015-01-01

    Hepcidin is a key regulator of mammalian iron metabolism and mainly produced by the liver. Hepcidin excess causes iron deficiency and anemia by inhibiting iron absorption from the intestine and iron release from macrophage stores. Anemia is frequently complicated with heart failure. In heart failure patients, the most frequent histologic appearance of liver is congestion. However, it remains unclear whether liver congestion associated with heart failure influences hepcidin production, thereby contributing to anemia and functional iron deficiency. In this study, we investigated this relationship in clinical and basic studies. In clinical studies of consecutive heart failure patients (n = 320), anemia was a common comorbidity (41%). In heart failure patients without active infection and ongoing cancer (n = 30), log-serum hepcidin concentration of patients with liver congestion was higher than those without liver congestion (p = 0.0316). Moreover, in heart failure patients with liver congestion (n = 19), the anemia was associated with the higher serum hepcidin concentrations, which is a type of anemia characterized by induction of hepcidin. Subsequently, we produced a rat model of heart failure with liver congestion by injecting monocrotaline that causes pulmonary hypertension. The monocrotaline-treated rats displayed liver congestion with increase of hepcidin expression at 4 weeks after monocrotaline injection, followed by anemia and functional iron deficiency observed at 5 weeks. We conclude that liver congestion induces hepcidin production, which may result in anemia and functional iron deficiency in some patients with heart failure.

  7. A simulation-optimization-based decision support tool for mitigating traffic congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-12-01

    "Traffic congestion has grown considerably in the United States over the past twenty years. In this paper, we develop : a robust decision support tool based on simulation optimization to evaluate and recommend congestion-mitigation : strategies to tr...

  8. Limb congestion enhances the synchronization of sympathetic outflow with muscle contraction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mostoufi-Moab, S.; Herr, M. D.; Silber, D. H.; Gray, K. S.; Leuenberger, U. A.; Sinoway, L. I.

    2000-01-01

    In this report, we examined if the synchronization of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) with muscle contraction is enhanced by limb congestion. To explore this relationship, we applied signal-averaging techniques to the MSNA signal obtained during short bouts of forearm contraction (2-s contraction/3-s rest cycle) at 40% maximal voluntary contraction for 5 min. We performed this analysis before and after forearm venous congestion; an intervention that augments the autonomic response to sustained static muscle contractions via a local effect on muscle afferents. There was an increased percentage of the MSNA noted during second 2 of the 5-s contraction/rest cycles. The percentage of total MSNA seen during this particular second increased from minute 1 to 5 of contraction and was increased further by limb congestion (control minute 1 = 25.6 +/- 2.0%, minute 5 = 32.8 +/- 2.2%; limb congestion minute 1 = 29.3 +/- 2.1%, minute 5 = 37.8 +/- 3.9%; exercise main effect <0.005; limb congestion main effect P = 0.054). These changes in the distribution of signal-averaged MSNA were seen despite the fact that the mean number of sympathetic discharges did not increase over baseline. We conclude that synchronization of contraction and MSNA is seen during short repetitive bouts of handgrip. The sensitizing effect of contraction time and limb congestion are apparently due to feedback from muscle afferents within the exercising muscle.

  9. Congestive heart failure in subjects with thyrotoxicosis in a black community

    PubMed Central

    Anakwue, R C; Onwubere, B J C; Anisiuba, B C; Ikeh, V O; Mbah, A; Ike, S O

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: Thyroid hormone has profound effects on a number of metabolic processes in virtually all tissues but the cardiovascular manifestations are prominent usually creating a hyperdynamic circulatory state. Thyrotoxicosis is not a common cause of congestive heart failure among black communities. Objectives: To determine the hospital prevalence, clinical characteristics and echocardiographic findings in patients with thyrotoxicosis who present with congestive heart failure (CCF) in the eastern part of Nigeria. Subjects and methods: A total of 50 subjects aged 15 years and above who were diagnosed as thyrotoxic following clinical and thyroid function tests were consecutively recruited. Fifty age- and sex-matched controls with no clinical or biochemical evidence of thyrotoxicosis and no comorbidities were used as controls. Two-dimensional echocardiography was carried out on all the subjects. CCF was determined clinically and echocardiographically. Results: Eight patients (5 females and 3 males) out of a total of 50 thyrotoxic patients presented with congestive heart failure. Conclusion: The study revealed that congestive heart failure can occur in thyrotoxicosis in spite of the associated hyperdynamic condition. The underlying mechanism may include direct damage by autoimmune myocarditis, congestive circulation secondary to excess sodium, and fluid retention. PMID:20730063

  10. Quantum random walks on congested lattices and the effect of dephasing.

    PubMed

    Motes, Keith R; Gilchrist, Alexei; Rohde, Peter P

    2016-01-27

    We consider quantum random walks on congested lattices and contrast them to classical random walks. Congestion is modelled on lattices that contain static defects which reverse the walker's direction. We implement a dephasing process after each step which allows us to smoothly interpolate between classical and quantum random walks as well as study the effect of dephasing on the quantum walk. Our key results show that a quantum walker escapes a finite boundary dramatically faster than a classical walker and that this advantage remains in the presence of heavily congested lattices.

  11. Quantum random walks on congested lattices and the effect of dephasing

    PubMed Central

    Motes, Keith R.; Gilchrist, Alexei; Rohde, Peter P.

    2016-01-01

    We consider quantum random walks on congested lattices and contrast them to classical random walks. Congestion is modelled on lattices that contain static defects which reverse the walker’s direction. We implement a dephasing process after each step which allows us to smoothly interpolate between classical and quantum random walks as well as study the effect of dephasing on the quantum walk. Our key results show that a quantum walker escapes a finite boundary dramatically faster than a classical walker and that this advantage remains in the presence of heavily congested lattices. PMID:26812924

  12. Transport growth in Bangkok: Energy, environment, and traffic congestion. Workshop proceedings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Philpott, J.

    1995-07-01

    Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a physically and economically complexcity with a complicated transport system. With daily traffic congestion averaging 16 hours, the air quality is such that to breathe street level pollution for 8 eight hours is roughly equivalent to smoking nine cigarettes per day. Estimates suggest idling traffic costs up to $1.6 billion annually. Energy use within the transport sector is on a steady rise with an estimated increase in 11 years of two and one half times. Severe health impacts have begun to effect many residents - young children and the elderly being particularly vulnerable. Bangkok`smore » air quality and congestion problems are far from hopeless. Great potential exists for Bangkok to remedy its transport-related problems. The city has many necessary characteristics that allow an efficient, economical system of transport. For example, its high density level makes the city a prime candidate for an efficient system of mass transit and the multitude and close proximity of shops, street vendors, restaurants, and residential areas is highly conducive to walking and cycling. Technical knowledge and capacity to devise and implement innovative policies and projects to address air quality and congestion problems is plentiful. There is also consensus among Bangkokians that something needs to be done immediately to clear the air and the roads. However, little has been done. This report proposes a new approach to transport planning for Bangkok that integrates consideration of ecological, social, and financial viability in the process of making decisions regarding managing existing infrastructure and investments in new infrastructure. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.« less

  13. Desloratadine and pseudoephedrine combination therapy as a comprehensive treatment for allergic rhinitis and nasal congestion.

    PubMed

    Anolik, Robert

    2009-06-01

    Allergic rhinitis (AR) is rapidly increasing in global prevalence. Symptoms of AR, particularly nasal congestion, can cause quality of life (QoL) impairment. Second-generation antihistamines are a recommended first-line therapy for AR but are not viewed as very effective for the treatment of congestion. Therefore, an antihistamine plus a decongestant, such as the combination of desloratadine and pseudoephedrine, is a convenient and efficacious treatment. To review the clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of combination desloratadine/pseudoephedrine for the treatment of AR symptoms, particularly nasal congestion. Four large studies found that improvement in nasal congestion is enhanced when patients are treated with combination desloratadine/pseudoephedrine. The combination drug significantly improved mean reflective nasal congestion scores in these studies compared with either component as monotherapy (p congestion were observed by day 2. Mean reductions in nasal congestion scores were comparable between the once- and twice-daily dosing regimens of the combination drug. Comprehensive treatment of AR that effectively relieves nasal congestion can also improve patient QoL. Administration of the second-generation antihistamine desloratadine in combination with the decongestant pseudoephedrine may be regarded as an efficacious and convenient option for patients with AR who are particularly troubled by nasal congestion.

  14. Projecting future landside congestion delays at the BWI Airport : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-10-01

    This study examines the access to the BWI Airport in detail. Complex density functions are utilized to determine the : congestion curves faced by passengers arriving at the airport. It is found that all lots have congestion during peak : periods and ...

  15. Guidelines for operating congested traffic signals.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-08-01

    The objective of this project was to develop guidelines for mitigating congestion in traffic signal systems. As : part of the project, researchers conducted a thorough review of literature and developed preliminary : guidelines for combating congesti...

  16. Modeling truck traffic volume growth congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-05-01

    Modeling of the statewide transportation system is an important element in understanding issues and programming of funds to thwart potential congestion. As Alabama grows its manufacturing economy, the number of heavy vehicles traversing its highways ...

  17. A resilience-oriented approach for quantitatively assessing recurrent spatial-temporal congestion on urban roads.

    PubMed

    Tang, Junqing; Heinimann, Hans Rudolf

    2018-01-01

    Traffic congestion brings not only delay and inconvenience, but other associated national concerns, such as greenhouse gases, air pollutants, road safety issues and risks. Identification, measurement, tracking, and control of urban recurrent congestion are vital for building a livable and smart community. A considerable amount of works has made contributions to tackle the problem. Several methods, such as time-based approaches and level of service, can be effective for characterizing congestion on urban streets. However, studies with systemic perspectives have been minor in congestion quantification. Resilience, on the other hand, is an emerging concept that focuses on comprehensive systemic performance and characterizes the ability of a system to cope with disturbance and to recover its functionality. In this paper, we symbolized recurrent congestion as internal disturbance and proposed a modified metric inspired by the well-applied "R4" resilience-triangle framework. We constructed the metric with generic dimensions from both resilience engineering and transport science to quantify recurrent congestion based on spatial-temporal traffic patterns and made the comparison with other two approaches in freeway and signal-controlled arterial cases. Results showed that the metric can effectively capture congestion patterns in the study area and provides a quantitative benchmark for comparison. Also, it suggested not only a good comparative performance in measuring strength of proposed metric, but also its capability of considering the discharging process in congestion. The sensitivity tests showed that proposed metric possesses robustness against parameter perturbation in Robustness Range (RR), but the number of identified congestion patterns can be influenced by the existence of ϵ. In addition, the Elasticity Threshold (ET) and the spatial dimension of cell-based platform differ the congestion results significantly on both the detected number and intensity. By tackling

  18. Performance analysis of SS7 congestion controls under sustained overload

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manfield, David R.; Millsteed, Gregory K.; Zukerman, Moshe

    1994-04-01

    Congestion controls are a key factor in achieving the robust performance required of common channel signaling (CCS) networks in the face of partial network failures and extreme traffic loads, especially as networks become large and carry high traffic volume. The CCITT recommendations define a number of types of congestion control, and the parameters of the controls must be well set in order to ensure their efficacy under transient and sustained signalling network overload. The objective of this paper is to present a modeling approach to the determination of the network parameters that govern the performance of the SS7 congestion controls under sustained overload. Results of the investigation by simulation are presented and discussed.

  19. Impact of distracted driving on congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-01

    Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association : between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study : examined the behavior of teens and yo...

  20. Congestion control strategy on complex network with privilege traffic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Shi-Bao; He, Ya; Liu, Jian-Hang; Zhang, Zhi-Gang; Huang, Jun-Wei

    The congestion control of traffic is one of the most important studies in complex networks. In the previous congestion algorithms, all the network traffic is assumed to have the same priority, and the privilege of traffic is ignored. In this paper, a privilege and common traffic congestion control routing strategy (PCR) based on the different priority of traffic is proposed, which can be devised to cope with the different traffic congestion situations. We introduce the concept of privilege traffic in traffic dynamics for the first time and construct a new traffic model which taking into account requirements with different priorities. Besides, a new factor Ui is introduced by the theoretical derivation to characterize the interaction between different traffic routing selection, furthermore, Ui is related to the network throughput. Since the joint optimization among different kinds of traffic is accomplished by PCR, the maximum value of Ui can be significantly reduced and the network performance can be improved observably. The simulation results indicate that the network throughput with PCR has a better performance than the other strategies. Moreover, the network capacity is improved by 25% at least. Additionally, the network throughput is also influenced by privilege traffic number and traffic priority.

  1. [Use of antihypertensive drug therapy and risk of development of congestive heart failure].

    PubMed

    Sobrino, Javier; Plana, Jaume; Felip, Angela; Doménech, Mónica; Reth, Peter; Adrián, María Jesús; de la Sierra, Alejandro

    2004-09-18

    It has been suggested that the use of some antihypertensive agents may favour the development of congestive heart failure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate such a possible association in patients who had a new diagnosis of congestive heart failure. This was a retrospective case-control study of 81 patients who had a first hospital admission with a new diagnosis of congestive heart failure (cases) and 162 patients admitted for other hypertensive complications (controls). Previous antihypertensive drug use was registered and the possible association with congestive heart failure was evaluated. The presence of congestive heart failure was not associated with the use of any antihypertensive drug class. When treatments were grouped in classic (diuretics and betablockers) or modern (calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, alphablockers or angiotensin receptor blockers), a negative association was observed with the latter group, which was observed in 48.1% of cases and 63.6% of controls (odds ratio: 0.532; 95% confidence interval, 0.310-0.913). This association was lost after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors or previous hypertensive complications. The development of congestive heart failure was not associated with the use of any specific antihypertensive drug class. From the present evidence, it is not possible to recommend a specific antihypertensive agent in patients at risk of developing congestive heart failure but without evidence of such disease.

  2. Distributive routing and congestion control in wireless multihop ad hoc communication networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glauche, Ingmar; Krause, Wolfram; Sollacher, Rudolf; Greiner, Martin

    2004-10-01

    Due to their inherent complexity, engineered wireless multihop ad hoc communication networks represent a technological challenge. Having no mastering infrastructure the nodes have to selforganize themselves in such a way that for example network connectivity, good data traffic performance and robustness are guaranteed. In this contribution the focus is on routing and congestion control. First, random data traffic along shortest path routes is studied by simulations as well as theoretical modeling. Measures of congestion like end-to-end time delay and relaxation times are given. A scaling law of the average time delay with respect to network size is revealed and found to depend on the underlying network topology. In the second step, a distributive routing and congestion control is proposed. Each node locally propagates its routing cost estimates and information about its congestion state to its neighbors, which then update their respective cost estimates. This allows for a flexible adaptation of end-to-end routes to the overall congestion state of the network. Compared to shortest-path routing, the critical network load is significantly increased.

  3. Receiver-Assisted Congestion Control to Achieve High Throughput in Lossy Wireless Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Kai; Shu, Yantai; Yang, Oliver; Luo, Jiarong

    2010-04-01

    Many applications would require fast data transfer in high-speed wireless networks nowadays. However, due to its conservative congestion control algorithm, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) cannot effectively utilize the network capacity in lossy wireless networks. In this paper, we propose a receiver-assisted congestion control mechanism (RACC) in which the sender performs loss-based control, while the receiver is performing delay-based control. The receiver measures the network bandwidth based on the packet interarrival interval and uses it to compute a congestion window size deemed appropriate for the sender. After receiving the advertised value feedback from the receiver, the sender then uses the additive increase and multiplicative decrease (AIMD) mechanism to compute the correct congestion window size to be used. By integrating the loss-based and the delay-based congestion controls, our mechanism can mitigate the effect of wireless losses, alleviate the timeout effect, and therefore make better use of network bandwidth. Simulation and experiment results in various scenarios show that our mechanism can outperform conventional TCP in high-speed and lossy wireless environments.

  4. Impact of managed care on physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules: an explanatory model.

    PubMed

    VanGeest, Jonathan; Weiner, Saul; Johnson, Timothy; Cummins, Deborah

    2007-07-01

    To develop and test an explanatory model of the impact of managed care on physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules for patients. A self-administered mailed questionnaire of a national random sample of 1124 practicing physicians in the USA. Structural equation modelling was used. The main outcome measure assessed whether or not physicians had manipulated reimbursement rules (such as exaggerated the severity of patients conditions, changed billing diagnoses, or reported signs or symptoms that the patients did not have) to help patients secure coverage for needed treatment or services. The response rate was 64% (n = 720). Physicians' decisions to manipulate reimbursement rules for patients are directly driven not only by ethical beliefs about gaming the system but also by requests from patients, the perception of insufficient time to deliver care, and the proportion of Medicaid patients. Covert advocacy is also the indirect result of utilization review hassles, primary care specialty, and practice environment. Managed care is not just a set of rules that physicians choose to follow or disobey, but an environment of competing pressures from patients, purchasers, and high workload. Reimbursement manipulation is a response to that environment, rather than simply a reflection of individual physicians' values.

  5. Minnesota : innovative choices for congestion relief.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-01-01

    Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing traffic congestion in the I-35W corridor and in downtown Minneapolis. ITS technologies underlie many of the Minnesota UPA projects, including those centered on tolling, real-time traffic and transit informatio...

  6. Evaluation of the public health impacts of traffic congestion: a health risk assessment

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Traffic congestion is a significant issue in urban areas in the United States and around the world. Previous analyses have estimated the economic costs of congestion, related to fuel and time wasted, but few have quantified the public health impacts or determined how these impacts compare in magnitude to the economic costs. Moreover, the relative magnitudes of economic and public health impacts of congestion would be expected to vary significantly across urban areas, as a function of road infrastructure, population density, and atmospheric conditions influencing pollutant formation, but this variability has not been explored. Methods In this study, we evaluate the public health impacts of ambient exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations associated with a business-as-usual scenario of predicted traffic congestion. We evaluate 83 individual urban areas using traffic demand models to estimate the degree of congestion in each area from 2000 to 2030. We link traffic volume and speed data with the MOBILE6 model to characterize emissions of PM2.5 and particle precursors attributable to congestion, and we use a source-receptor matrix to evaluate the impact of these emissions on ambient PM2.5 concentrations. Marginal concentration changes are related to a concentration-response function for mortality, with a value of statistical life approach used to monetize the impacts. Results We estimate that the monetized value of PM2.5-related mortality attributable to congestion in these 83 cities in 2000 was approximately $31 billion (2007 dollars), as compared with a value of time and fuel wasted of $60 billion. In future years, the economic impacts grow (to over $100 billion in 2030) while the public health impacts decrease to $13 billion in 2020 before increasing to $17 billion in 2030, given increasing population and congestion but lower emissions per vehicle. Across cities and years, the public health impacts range from more than an order of

  7. Evaluation of the public health impacts of traffic congestion: a health risk assessment.

    PubMed

    Levy, Jonathan I; Buonocore, Jonathan J; von Stackelberg, Katherine

    2010-10-27

    Traffic congestion is a significant issue in urban areas in the United States and around the world. Previous analyses have estimated the economic costs of congestion, related to fuel and time wasted, but few have quantified the public health impacts or determined how these impacts compare in magnitude to the economic costs. Moreover, the relative magnitudes of economic and public health impacts of congestion would be expected to vary significantly across urban areas, as a function of road infrastructure, population density, and atmospheric conditions influencing pollutant formation, but this variability has not been explored. In this study, we evaluate the public health impacts of ambient exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations associated with a business-as-usual scenario of predicted traffic congestion. We evaluate 83 individual urban areas using traffic demand models to estimate the degree of congestion in each area from 2000 to 2030. We link traffic volume and speed data with the MOBILE6 model to characterize emissions of PM2.5 and particle precursors attributable to congestion, and we use a source-receptor matrix to evaluate the impact of these emissions on ambient PM2.5 concentrations. Marginal concentration changes are related to a concentration-response function for mortality, with a value of statistical life approach used to monetize the impacts. We estimate that the monetized value of PM2.5-related mortality attributable to congestion in these 83 cities in 2000 was approximately $31 billion (2007 dollars), as compared with a value of time and fuel wasted of $60 billion. In future years, the economic impacts grow (to over $100 billion in 2030) while the public health impacts decrease to $13 billion in 2020 before increasing to $17 billion in 2030, given increasing population and congestion but lower emissions per vehicle. Across cities and years, the public health impacts range from more than an order of magnitude less to in excess of

  8. 36 CFR 1202.28 - What rules do NARA employees follow in managing personal information?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... protection of nonpublic information in the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch... follow in managing personal information? 1202.28 Section 1202.28 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Collecting Information § 1202.28 What rules do NARA employees follow in managing personal information? All...

  9. 36 CFR 1202.28 - What rules do NARA employees follow in managing personal information?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... protection of nonpublic information in the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch... follow in managing personal information? 1202.28 Section 1202.28 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Collecting Information § 1202.28 What rules do NARA employees follow in managing personal information? All...

  10. Understanding congestion in China's medical market: an incentive structure perspective.

    PubMed

    Sun, Zesheng; Wang, Shuhong; Barnes, Stephen R

    2016-04-01

    Congestion has become one of the most important factors leading to patient dissatisfaction and doctor-patient conflicts in the medical market of China. In this study, we explore the causes and effects of structural congestion in the Chinese medical market from an incentive structure perspective. Our analysis reveals that prior medical system reforms with price regulation in China have induced hospitals to establish incentives for capital-intensive investments, while ignoring human capital, and have driven medical staff and patients to higher-level hospitals, reinforcing an incentive structure in which congestion in higher-level hospitals and idle resources in lower-level hospitals coexist. The existing incentive structure has led to cost increases and degradation of human capital and specific factor effects. Recent reforms to reduce congestion in the Chinese medical market were not effective. Most of them had no impact on and did not involve the existing distorted incentive structure. Future reforms should consider rebalancing expectations for medical quality, free flow of human capital and price regulation reforms to rebuild a new incentive structure. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Avoiding Steric Congestion in Dendrimer Growth through Proportionate Branching. A Twist on da Vinci's Rule of Tree Branching

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yue, Xuyi; Taraban, Marc B.; Hyland, Laura L.

    2012-10-05

    In making defect-free macromolecules, the challenge occurs during chemical synthesis. This challenge is especially pronounced in dendrimer synthesis where exponential growth quickly leads to steric congestion. To overcome this difficulty, proportionate branching in dendrimer growth is proposed. In proportionate branching, both the number and the length of branches increase exponentially but in opposite directions to mimic tree growth. The effectiveness of this strategy is demonstrated through the synthesis of a fluorocarbon dendron containing 243 chemically identical fluorine atoms with a MW of 9082 Da. Monodispersity is confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Moreover, growingmore » different parts proportionately, as nature does, could be a general strategy to achieve defect-free synthesis of macromolecules.« less

  12. Targeting congestion in allergic rhinitis: the importance of intranasal corticosteroids.

    PubMed

    Marple, Bradley F

    2008-01-01

    The cardinal nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR) are sustained by an underlying inflammatory process. Congestion is one of the most prominent and distressing symptoms for patients and is strongly associated with a broadly deteriorated quality of life and significant losses in productivity. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) in down-regulating the inflammatory response to allergen and their clinical efficacy on AR symptoms, particularly congestion. AR is characterized by an influx of inflammatory cells and mediators into the nasal mucosa after antigen exposure. The response is biphasic, encompassing an early and a late phase. Antigen exposure has a priming effect, decreasing the threshold for subsequent allergic reaction on rechallenge and increasing the responsiveness of the nasal mucosa. INSs are a mainstay of therapy for AR and the most effective intervention for nasal congestion and other nasal symptoms, with established superiority to antihistamines, decongestants, and leukotriene antagonists. In addition to symptom relief, INSs suppress numerous stages of the inflammatory cascade, inhibiting the influx of inflammatory cells and mediators. Topical nasal corticosteroids have a low incidence of local adverse effects, negligible systemic absorption, and excellent safety. Congestion is one of the most bothersome symptoms of AR. INS therapy improves AR symptoms, with particular efficacy in relieving congestion, by attenuating nasal hyperresponsiveness. Pretreatment with INSs has been shown to relieve early and late-phase clinical symptoms of AR. Modification of the disease process results in significant relief of symptoms and leads to fewer disease exacerbations.

  13. A new casemix adjustment index for hospital mortality among patients with congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    Polanczyk, C A; Rohde, L E; Philbin, E A; Di Salvo, T G

    1998-10-01

    Comparative analysis of hospital outcomes requires reliable adjustment for casemix. Although congestive heart failure is one of the most common indications for hospitalization, congestive heart failure casemix adjustment has not been widely studied. The purposes of this study were (1) to describe and validate a new congestive heart failure-specific casemix adjustment index to predict in-hospital mortality and (2) to compare its performance to the Charlson comorbidity index. Data from all 4,608 admissions to the Massachusetts General Hospital from January 1990 to July 1996 with a principal ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis of congestive heart failure were evaluated. Massachusetts General Hospital patients were randomly divided in a derivation and a validation set. By logistic regression, odds ratios for in-hospital death were computed and weights were assigned to construct a new predictive index in the derivation set. The performance of the index was tested in an internal Massachusetts General Hospital validation set and in a non-Massachusetts General Hospital external validation set incorporating data from all 1995 New York state hospital discharges with a primary discharge diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.4%. Based on the new index, patients were assigned to six categories with incrementally increasing hospital mortality rates ranging from 0.5% to 31%. By logistic regression, "c" statistics of the congestive heart failure-specific index (0.83 and 0.78, derivation and validation set) were significantly superior to the Charlson index (0.66). Similar incrementally increasing hospital mortality rates were observed in the New York database with the congestive heart failure-specific index ("c" statistics 0.75). In an administrative database, this congestive heart failure-specific index may be a more adequate casemix adjustment tool to predict hospital mortality in patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure.

  14. Using pricing to reduce traffic congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-03-01

    Highway congestion occurs when a vehicle causes delay to other vehicles on the road, resulting in longer and less reliable travel times, the use of additional fuel, and other costs to the economy. According to one widely cited study, in 2005 highway ...

  15. Losartan corrects abnormal frequency response of renal vasculature in congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    DiBona, Gerald F; Sawin, Linda L

    2003-11-01

    In congestive heart failure, renal blood flow is decreased and renal vascular resistance is increased in a setting of increased activity of both the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin systems. The renal vasoconstrictor response to renal nerve stimulation is enhanced. This is associated with an abnormality in the low-pass filter function of the renal vasculature wherein higher frequencies (> or =0.01 Hz) within renal sympathetic nerve activity are not normally attenuated and are passed into the renal blood flow signal. This study tested the hypothesis that excess angiotensin II action mediates the abnormal frequency response characteristics of the renal vasculature in congestive heart failure. In anesthetized rats, the renal vasoconstrictor response to graded frequency renal nerve stimulation was significantly greater in congestive heart failure than in control rats. Losartan attenuated the renal vasoconstrictor response to a significantly greater degree in congestive heart failure than in control rats. In control rats, the frequency response of the renal vasculature was that of a first order (-20 dB/frequency decade) low-pass filter with a corner frequency (-3 dB, 30% attenuation) of 0.002 Hz and 97% attenuation (-30 dB) at > or =0.1 Hz. In congestive heart failure rats, attenuation did not exceed 45% (-5 dB) over the frequency range of 0.001-0.6 Hz. The frequency response of the renal vasculature was not affected by losartan treatment in control rats but was completely restored to normal by losartan treatment in congestive heart failure rats. The enhanced renal vasoconstrictor response to renal nerve stimulation and the associated abnormality in the frequency response characteristics of the renal vasculature seen in congestive heart failure are mediated by the action of angiotensin II on renal angiotensin II AT1 receptors.

  16. Seasonal variation in traffic congestion : a study of three U.S. cities

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-08-01

    Drivers may notice seasonal : changes in patterns of highway : congestion in many urban : areas of the country. These : patterns, however, can be very different for individual cities. : This report looks at congestion patterns over a 3-year period : ...

  17. On the Inefficiency of Equilibria in Linear Bottleneck Congestion Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Keijzer, Bart; Schäfer, Guido; Telelis, Orestis A.

    We study the inefficiency of equilibrium outcomes in bottleneck congestion games. These games model situations in which strategic players compete for a limited number of facilities. Each player allocates his weight to a (feasible) subset of the facilities with the goal to minimize the maximum (weight-dependent) latency that he experiences on any of these facilities. We derive upper and (asymptotically) matching lower bounds on the (strong) price of anarchy of linear bottleneck congestion games for a natural load balancing social cost objective (i.e., minimize the maximum latency of a facility). We restrict our studies to linear latency functions. Linear bottleneck congestion games still constitute a rich class of games and generalize, for example, load balancing games with identical or uniformly related machines with or without restricted assignments.

  18. The Influence of Individual Driver Characteristics on Congestion Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Lanjun; Zhang, Hao; Meng, Huadong; Wang, Xiqin

    Previous works have pointed out that one of the reasons for the formation of traffic congestion is instability in traffic flow. In this study, we investigate theoretically how the characteristics of individual drivers influence the instability of traffic flow. The discussions are based on the optimal velocity model, which has three parameters related to individual driver characteristics. We specify the mappings between the model parameters and driver characteristics in this study. With linear stability analysis, we obtain a condition for when instability occurs and a constraint about how the model parameters influence the unstable traffic flow. Meanwhile, we also determine how the region of unstable flow densities depends on these parameters. Additionally, the Langevin approach theoretically validates that under the constraint, the macroscopic characteristics of the unstable traffic flow becomes a mixture of free flows and congestions. All of these results imply that both overly aggressive and overly conservative drivers are capable of triggering traffic congestion.

  19. Rate of change of heart size before congestive heart failure in dogs with mitral regurgitation.

    PubMed

    Lord, P; Hansson, K; Kvart, C; Häggström, J

    2010-04-01

    The objective of the study was to examine the changes in vertebral heart scale, and left atrial and ventricular dimensions before and at onset of congestive heart failure in cavalier King Charles spaniels with mitral regurgitation. Records and radiographs from 24 cavalier King Charles spaniels with mitral regurgitation were used. Vertebral heart scale (24 dogs), and left atrial dimension and left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic diameters (18 dogs) and their rate of increase were measured at intervals over years to the onset of congestive heart failure. They were plotted against time to onset of congestive heart failure. Dimensions and rates of change of all parameters were highest at onset of congestive heart failure, the difference between observed and chance outcome being highly significant using a two-tailed chi-square test (P<0.001). The left heart chambers increase in size rapidly only in the last year before the onset of congestive heart failure. Increasing left ventricular end systolic dimension is suggestive of myocardial failure before the onset of congestive heart failure. Rate of increase of heart dimensions may be a useful indicator of impending congestive heart failure.

  20. Economic Evaluation of Manitoba Health Lines in the Management of Congestive Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Yang; Doupe, Malcolm; Katz, Alan; Nyhof, Paul; Forget, Evelyn L.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: This one-year study investigated whether the Manitoba Provincial Health Contact program for congestive heart failure (CHF) is a cost-effective intervention relative to the standard treatment. Design: Individual patient-level, randomized clinical trial of cost-effective model using data from the Health Research Data Repository at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba. Methods: A total of 179 patients aged 40 and over with a diagnosis of CHF levels II to IV were recruited from Winnipeg and Central Manitoba and randomized into three treatment groups: one receiving standard care, a second receiving Health Lines (HL) intervention and a third receiving Health Lines intervention plus in-house monitoring (HLM). A cost-effectiveness study was conducted in which outcomes were measured in terms of QALYs derived from the SF-36 and costs using 2005 Canadian dollars. Costs included intervention and healthcare utilization. Bootstrap-resampled incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed to take into account the uncertainty related to small sample size. Results: The total per-patient mean costs (including intervention cost) were not significantly different between study groups. Both interventions (HL and HLM) cost less and are more effective than standard care, with HL able to produce an additional QALY relative to HLM for $2,975. The sensitivity analysis revealed that there is an 85.8% probability that HL is cost-effective if decision-makers are willing to pay $50,000. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate that the HL intervention from the Manitoba Provincial Health Contact program for CHF is an optimal intervention strategy for CHF management compared to standard care and HLM. PMID:24359716

  1. Increased walking variability in elderly persons with congestive heart failure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hausdorff, J. M.; Forman, D. E.; Ladin, Z.; Goldberger, A. L.; Rigney, D. R.; Wei, J. Y.

    1994-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of congestive heart failure on a person's ability to walk at a steady pace while ambulating at a self-determined rate. SETTING: Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, a primary and tertiary teaching hospital, and a social activity center for elderly adults living in the community. PARTICIPANTS: Eleven elderly subjects (aged 70-93 years) with well compensated congestive heart failure (NY Heart Association class I or II), seven elderly subjects (aged 70-79 years) without congestive heart failure, and 10 healthy young adult subjects (aged 20-30 years). MEASUREMENTS: Subjects walked for 8 minutes on level ground at their own selected walking rate. Footswitches were used to measure the time between steps. Step rate (steps/minute) and step rate variability were calculated for the entire walking period, for 30 seconds during the first minute of the walk, for 30 seconds during the last minute of the walk, and for the 30-second period when each subject's step rate variability was minimal. Group means and 5% and 95% confidence intervals were computed. MAIN RESULTS: All measures of walking variability were significantly increased in the elderly subjects with congestive heart failure, intermediate in the elderly controls, and lowest in the young subjects. There was no overlap between the three groups using the minimal 30-second variability (elderly CHF vs elderly controls: P < 0.001, elderly controls vs young: P < 0.001), and no overlap between elderly subjects with and without congestive heart failure when using the overall variability. For all four measures, there was no overlap in any of the confidence intervals, and all group means were significantly different (P < 0.05).

  2. Allergic rhinitis-induced nasal congestion: its impact on sleep quality.

    PubMed

    Storms, William

    2008-03-01

    Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an extremely common health problem affecting 20 to 40 million Americans and between 10-25% of the world's population. Patients with AR suffer from both nasal symptoms (congestion, rhinorrhea, itching, and sneezing) and ocular symptoms (itching, redness, and tearing). The negative impact on sleep quality and quantity, and consequently on various aspects of the patient's life, is an under-recognised and under-treated component of AR morbidity. Nasal congestion, which is one of the most bothersome and prevalent symptoms of AR, is thought to be the leading symptom responsible for rhinitis-related sleep problems. In addition to reducing clinical symptoms, pharmacologic therapies for AR that specifically reduce inflammatory cells and mediators - and therefore nasal congestion and other symptoms - should also improve sleep quality and overall quality of life (QOL). Intranasal corticosteroids (INS) are the current mainstay of therapy for AR. Results of a number of clinical trials demonstrate that INS effectively reduce nasal congestion and ocular symptoms, improve sleep quality, and decrease daytime somnolence. Intranasal corticosteroids have also proved to be effective in reducing symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis, both of which also negatively impact on sleep quality. Intranasal corticosteroids are considered safe due to their low systemic bioavailability.

  3. How Travel Demand Affects Detection of Non-Recurrent Traffic Congestion on Urban Road Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anbaroglu, B.; Heydecker, B.; Cheng, T.

    2016-06-01

    Occurrence of non-recurrent traffic congestion hinders the economic activity of a city, as travellers could miss appointments or be late for work or important meetings. Similarly, for shippers, unexpected delays may disrupt just-in-time delivery and manufacturing processes, which could lose them payment. Consequently, research on non-recurrent congestion detection on urban road networks has recently gained attention. By analysing large amounts of traffic data collected on a daily basis, traffic operation centres can improve their methods to detect non-recurrent congestion rapidly and then revise their existing plans to mitigate its effects. Space-time clusters of high link journey time estimates correspond to non-recurrent congestion events. Existing research, however, has not considered the effect of travel demand on the effectiveness of non-recurrent congestion detection methods. Therefore, this paper investigates how travel demand affects detection of non-recurrent traffic congestion detection on urban road networks. Travel demand has been classified into three categories as low, normal and high. The experiments are carried out on London's urban road network, and the results demonstrate the necessity to adjust the relative importance of the component evaluation criteria depending on the travel demand level.

  4. 76 FR 70122 - Plan for Conduct of 2012 Electric Transmission Congestion Study

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-10

    ... preparations for the 2012 Congestion Study, and seeks comments on what publicly-available data and information...), and Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt). The Department intends to use only data that is publicly available... Study, the Department gathered historical congestion data obtained from existing studies prepared by...

  5. Weight Management Belief is the Leading Influential Factor of Weight Monitoring Compliance in Congestive Heart Failure Patients.

    PubMed

    Lu, Min-Xia; Zhang, Yan-Yun; Jiang, Jun-Fang; Ju, Yang; Wu, Qing; Zhao, Xin; Wang, Xiao-Hua

    2016-11-01

    Daily weight monitoring is frequently recommended as a part of heart failure self-management to prevent exacerbations. This study is to identify factors that influence weight monitoring compliance of congestive heart failure patients at baseline and after a 1-year weight management (WM) program. This was a secondary analysis of an investigative study and a randomized controlled study. A general information questionnaire assessed patient demographics and clinical variables such as medicine use and diagnoses, and the weight management scale evaluated their WM abilities. Good and poor compliance based on abnormal weight gain from the European Society of Cardiology (> 2 kg in 3 days) were compared, and hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing weight monitoring compliance. A total of 316 patients were enrolled at baseline, and 66 patients were enrolled after the 1-year WM program. Of them, 12.66% and 60.61% had good weight monitoring compliance at baseline and after 1 year of WM, respectively. A high WM-related belief score indicated good weight monitoring compliance at both time points [odds ratio (OR), 1.043, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.023-1.063, p < 0.001; and OR, 2.054, 95% CI, 1.209-3.487, p < 0.001, respectively). Patients with a high WM-related practice score had good weight monitoring compliance at baseline (OR, 1.046, 95% CI, 1.027-1.065, p < 0.001), and patients who had not monitored abnormal weight had poor weight monitoring compliance after the 1-year WM program (OR, 0.244, 95% CI, 0.006-0.991, p = 0.049). Data from this study suggested that belief related to WM plays an important role in weight monitoring compliance.

  6. Effective use of congestion in complex networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Echagüe, Juan; Cholvi, Vicent; Kowalski, Dariusz R.

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we introduce a congestion-aware routing protocol that selects the paths according to the congestion of nodes in the network. The aim is twofold: on one hand, and in order to prevent the networks from collapsing, it provides a good tolerance to nodes' overloads; on the other hand, and in order to guarantee efficient communication, it also incentivize the routes to follow short paths. We analyze the performance of our proposed routing strategy by means of a series of experiments carried out by using simulations. We show that it provides a tolerance to collapse close to the optimal value. Furthermore, the average length of the paths behaves optimally up to the certain value of packet generation rate ρ and it grows in a linear fashion with the increase of ρ.

  7. Can complexity decrease in congestive heart failure?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukherjee, Sayan; Palit, Sanjay Kumar; Banerjee, Santo; Ariffin, M. R. K.; Rondoni, Lamberto; Bhattacharya, D. K.

    2015-12-01

    The complexity of a signal can be measured by the Recurrence period density entropy (RPDE) from the reconstructed phase space. We have chosen a window based RPDE method for the classification of signals, as RPDE is an average entropic measure of the whole phase space. We have observed the changes in the complexity in cardiac signals of normal healthy person (NHP) and congestive heart failure patients (CHFP). The results show that the cardiac dynamics of a healthy subject is more complex and random compare to the same for a heart failure patient, whose dynamics is more deterministic. We have constructed a general threshold to distinguish the border line between a healthy and a congestive heart failure dynamics. The results may be useful for wide range for physiological and biomedical analysis.

  8. Reasoning the causality of city sprawl, traffic congestion, and green land disappearance in Taiwan using the CLD model.

    PubMed

    Chen, Mei-Chih; Chang, Kaowen

    2014-11-06

    Many city governments choose to supply more developable land and transportation infrastructure with the hope of attracting people and businesses to their cities. However, like those in Taiwan, major cities worldwide suffer from traffic congestion. This study applies the system thinking logic of the causal loops diagram (CLD) model in the System Dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the issue of traffic congestion and other issues related to roads and land development in Taiwan's cities. Comparing the characteristics of development trends with yearbook data for 2002 to 2013 for all of Taiwan's cities, this study explores the developing phenomenon of unlimited city sprawl and identifies the cause and effect relationships in the characteristics of development trends in traffic congestion, high-density population aggregation in cities, land development, and green land disappearance resulting from city sprawl. This study provides conclusions for Taiwan's cities' sustainability and development (S&D). When developing S&D policies, during decision making processes concerning city planning and land use management, governments should think with a holistic view of carrying capacity with the assistance of system thinking to clarify the prejudices in favor of the unlimited developing phenomena resulting from city sprawl.

  9. Reasoning the Causality of City Sprawl, Traffic Congestion, and Green Land Disappearance in Taiwan Using the CLD Model

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Mei-Chih; Chang, Kaowen

    2014-01-01

    Many city governments choose to supply more developable land and transportation infrastructure with the hope of attracting people and businesses to their cities. However, like those in Taiwan, major cities worldwide suffer from traffic congestion. This study applies the system thinking logic of the causal loops diagram (CLD) model in the System Dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the issue of traffic congestion and other issues related to roads and land development in Taiwan’s cities. Comparing the characteristics of development trends with yearbook data for 2002 to 2013 for all of Taiwan’s cities, this study explores the developing phenomenon of unlimited city sprawl and identifies the cause and effect relationships in the characteristics of development trends in traffic congestion, high-density population aggregation in cities, land development, and green land disappearance resulting from city sprawl. This study provides conclusions for Taiwan’s cities’ sustainability and development (S&D). When developing S&D policies, during decision making processes concerning city planning and land use management, governments should think with a holistic view of carrying capacity with the assistance of system thinking to clarify the prejudices in favor of the unlimited developing phenomena resulting from city sprawl. PMID:25383609

  10. Innovative contracting methods and construction traffic congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-01-01

    Increasing travel demand and lack of sufficient highway capacity are serious problems in most : major metropolitan areas in the United States. Large metropolitan cities have been experiencing : increased traffic congestion problems over the past seve...

  11. Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration national evaluation plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-04-01

    This report provides an analytic framework for evaluating the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and CRD Programs. The Atlanta CRD project...

  12. A Michigan toolbox for mitigating traffic congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-30

    "Researchers created A Michigan Toolbox for Mitigating Traffic Congestion to be a useful desk reference : for practitioners and an educational tool for elected officials acting through public policy boards to better : understand the development, plan...

  13. Strategy as simple rules.

    PubMed

    Eisenhardt, K M; Sull, D N

    2001-01-01

    The success of Yahoo!, eBay, Enron, and other companies that have become adept at morphing to meet the demands of changing markets can't be explained using traditional thinking about competitive strategy. These companies have succeeded by pursuing constantly evolving strategies in market spaces that were considered unattractive according to traditional measures. In this article--the third in an HBR series by Kathleen Eisenhardt and Donald Sull on strategy in the new economy--the authors ask, what are the sources of competitive advantage in high-velocity markets? The secret, they say, is strategy as simple rules. The companies know that the greatest opportunities for competitive advantage lie in market confusion, but they recognize the need for a few crucial strategic processes and a few simple rules. In traditional strategy, advantage comes from exploiting resources or stable market positions. In strategy as simple rules, advantage comes from successfully seizing fleeting opportunities. Key strategic processes, such as product innovation, partnering, or spinout creation, place the company where the flow of opportunities is greatest. Simple rules then provide the guidelines within which managers can pursue such opportunities. Simple rules, which grow out of experience, fall into five broad categories: how- to rules, boundary conditions, priority rules, timing rules, and exit rules. Companies with simple-rules strategies must follow the rules religiously and avoid the temptation to change them too frequently. A consistent strategy helps managers sort through opportunities and gain short-term advantage by exploiting the attractive ones. In stable markets, managers rely on complicated strategies built on detailed predictions of the future. But when business is complicated, strategy should be simple.

  14. Substance P contributes to rapidly adapting receptor responses to pulmonary venous congestion in rabbits.

    PubMed

    Bonham, A C; Kott, K S; Ravi, K; Kappagoda, C T; Joad, J P

    1996-05-15

    1. This study tested the hypothesis that substance P stimulates rapidly adapting receptors (RARs), contributes to the increase in RAR activity produced by mild pulmonary congestion, and evokes an augmented response from RARs when combined with near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 2. RAR activity, peak tracheal pressure, arterial blood pressure and left atrial pressure were measured in paralysed, anaesthetized and ventilated rabbits. Substance P was given i.v. in one-half log incremental doses to a maximum of 3 micrograms kg-1. Mild pulmonary congestion was produced by inflating a balloon in the left atrium to increase left atrial pressure by 5 mmHg. Near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion were produced by increasing left atrial pressure by 2 mmHg. 3. Substance P produced dose-dependent increases in RAR activity. The highest dose given increased the activity from 1.3 +/- 0.5 to 11.0 +/- 3.1 impulses bin-1. Increases in left atrial pressure of 5 mmHg increased RAR activity from 3.8 +/- 1.4 to 14.7 +/- 3.9 impulses bin-1. Blockade of NK1 receptors with CP 96345 significantly attenuated RAR responses to substance P and to mild pulmonary congestion. 4. Doses of substance P, which alone had no effect, stimulated the RARs when delivered during near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 5. The findings suggest that substance P augments the stimulatory effect of mild pulmonary congestion on RAR activity, most probably by enhancing hydraulically induced microvascular leak.

  15. I-55 integrated diversion traffic management benefit study.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-11-01

    Traffic congestion, recurrent and non-recurrent, creates significant economic losses and environmental impacts. : Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) is a U.S.DOT research initiative that has been proven to effectively relieve : recurrent congestion...

  16. Infinite horizon optimal impulsive control with applications to Internet congestion control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avrachenkov, Konstantin; Habachi, Oussama; Piunovskiy, Alexey; Zhang, Yi

    2015-04-01

    We investigate infinite-horizon deterministic optimal control problems with both gradual and impulsive controls, where any finitely many impulses are allowed simultaneously. Both discounted and long-run time-average criteria are considered. We establish very general and at the same time natural conditions, under which the dynamic programming approach results in an optimal feedback policy. The established theoretical results are applied to the Internet congestion control, and by solving analytically and nontrivially the underlying optimal control problems, we obtain a simple threshold-based active queue management scheme, which takes into account the main parameters of the transmission control protocols, and improves the fairness among the connections in a given network.

  17. Congested traffic states in empirical observations and microscopic simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Treiber, Martin; Hennecke, Ansgar; Helbing, Dirk

    2000-08-01

    We present data from several German freeways showing different kinds of congested traffic forming near road inhomogeneities, specifically lane closings, intersections, or uphill gradients. The states are localized or extended, homogeneous or oscillating. Combined states are observed as well, like the coexistence of moving localized clusters and clusters pinned at road inhomogeneities, or regions of oscillating congested traffic upstream of nearly homogeneous congested traffic. The experimental findings are consistent with a recently proposed theoretical phase diagram for traffic near on-ramps [D. Helbing, A. Hennecke, and M. Treiber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4360 (1999)]. We simulate these situations with a continuous microscopic single-lane model, the ``intelligent driver model,'' using empirical boundary conditions. All observations, including the coexistence of states, are qualitatively reproduced by describing inhomogeneities with local variations of one model parameter. We show that the results of the microscopic model can be understood by formulating the theoretical phase diagram for bottlenecks in a more general way. In particular, a local drop of the road capacity induced by parameter variations has essentially the same effect as an on-ramp.

  18. Mean Field Type Control with Congestion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Achdou, Yves, E-mail: achdou@ljll.univ-paris-diderot.fr; Laurière, Mathieu

    2016-06-15

    We analyze some systems of partial differential equations arising in the theory of mean field type control with congestion effects. We look for weak solutions. Our main result is the existence and uniqueness of suitably defined weak solutions, which are characterized as the optima of two optimal control problems in duality.

  19. Characteristics of Saudi patients with congestive heart failure and adherence to management guidelines in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh.

    PubMed

    Alqahtani, Mohammad; Alanazi, Thari; Binsalih, Salih; Aljohani, Naji; Alshammari, Mohammed; Ashagag, Ali; Abdullah, Mohammed; Buabbas, Sara; Abdulbaqi, Manar

    2012-01-01

    There is limited data available on the characteristics of local Saudi patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) and on their adherence to guidelines for managing the disease. This study aimed to fill this gap. Retrospective study of patients treated at King Abdulaziz Medical City from 20022008. The records were reviewed of subjects admitted secondary to heart failure (defined as systolic heart failure [ejection fraction < 55%] and/or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction diagnosed either clinically and/or by echocardiogram and/or cardiac catheterization) or who visited the outpatient department for the same complaint. Of 392 CHF cases, the mean age was 67.8 (12.8) years and the majority were males (53.1%). Hypertension was the predominant comorbid illness, accounting for 84.9% of cases, followed by diabetes mellitus type 2 and hyperlipidemia. Almost three-fourths (73.7%) of the subjects had mild to severe left ventricular dysfunction, with 68.5% of the cases having right ischemic cardiomyopathy. Spironolactone, exercise and vaccination were the the least least adhered to recommendations (30.0%, 20.5% and 15.2%, respectively). The study highlights the need for proper education of patients and caregivers to increase compliance to medications. Physicians are also encouraged to undergo continuing medical education and training courses to properly implement current recommendations in the management of heart failure. Further studies are needed on a larger scale in order to formulate an effective management scheme that will address the current challenges faced by both clinicians and CHF patients.

  20. Current perspectives on biomedical waste management: Rules, conventions and treatment technologies.

    PubMed

    Capoor, Malini R; Bhowmik, Kumar Tapas

    2017-01-01

    Unregulated biomedical waste management (BMWM) is a public health problem. This has posed a grave threat to not only human health and safety but also to the environment for the current and future generations. Safe and reliable methods for handling of biomedical waste (BMW) are of paramount importance. Effective BMWM is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility. This article reviews the current perspectives on BMWM and rules, conventions and the treatment technologies used worldwide. BMWM should ideally be the subject of a national strategy with dedicated infrastructure, cradle-to-grave legislation, competent regulatory authority and trained personnel. Improving the management of biomedical waste begins with waste minimisation. These standards, norms and rules on BMWM in a country regulate the disposal of various categories of BMW to ensure the safety of the health-care workers, patients, public and environment. Furthermore, developing models for the monitoring of hospital health-care waste practices and research into non-burn eco-friendly sustainable technologies, recycling and polyvinyl chloride-free devices will go in long way for safe carbon environment. Globally, greater research in BMWM is warranted to understand its growing field of public health importance.

  1. Frame Transmission Efficiency-Based Cross-Layer Congestion Notification Scheme in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks.

    PubMed

    He, Huaguang; Li, Taoshen; Feng, Luting; Ye, Jin

    2017-07-15

    Different from the traditional wired network, the fundamental cause of transmission congestion in wireless ad hoc networks is medium contention. How to utilize the congestion state from the MAC (Media Access Control) layer to adjust the transmission rate is core work for transport protocol design. However, recent works have shown that the existing cross-layer congestion detection solutions are too complex to be deployed or not able to characterize the congestion accurately. We first propose a new congestion metric called frame transmission efficiency (i.e., the ratio of successful transmission delay to the frame service delay), which describes the medium contention in a fast and accurate manner. We further present the design and implementation of RECN (ECN and the ratio of successful transmission delay to the frame service delay in the MAC layer, namely, the frame transmission efficiency), a general supporting scheme that adjusts the transport sending rate through a standard ECN (Explicit Congestion Notification) signaling method. Our method can be deployed on commodity switches with small firmware updates, while making no modification on end hosts. We integrate RECN transparently (i.e., without modification) with TCP on NS2 simulation. The experimental results show that RECN remarkably improves network goodput across multiple concurrent TCP flows.

  2. Traffic congestion and blood pressure elevation: A comparative cross-sectional study in Lebanon.

    PubMed

    Bou Samra, Patrick; El Tomb, Paul; Hosni, Mohammad; Kassem, Ahmad; Rizk, Robin; Shayya, Sami; Assaad, Sarah

    2017-12-01

    This comparative cross-sectional study examines the association between traffic congestion and elevation of systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels among a convenience sample of 310 drivers. Data collection took place during a gas station pause at a fixed time of day. Higher average systolic (142 vs 123 mm Hg) and diastolic (87 vs 78 mm Hg) blood pressures were detected among drivers exposed to traffic congestion compared with those who were not exposed (P<.001), while controlling for body mass index, age, sex, pack-year smoking, driving hours per week, and occupational driving. Moreover, among persons exposed to traffic congestion, longer exposure time was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms of the significant association between elevated blood pressure and traffic congestion. ©2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Chest ultrasound and hidden lung congestion in peritoneal dialysis patients.

    PubMed

    Panuccio, Vincenzo; Enia, Giuseppe; Tripepi, Rocco; Torino, Claudia; Garozzo, Maurizio; Battaglia, Giovanni Giorgio; Marcantoni, Carmelita; Infantone, Lorena; Giordano, Guido; De Giorgi, Maria Loreta; Lupia, Mario; Bruzzese, Vincenzo; Zoccali, Carmine

    2012-09-01

    Chest ultrasound (US) is a non-invasive well-validated technique for estimating extravascular lung water (LW) in patients with heart diseases and in end-stage renal disease. We systematically applied this technique to the whole peritoneal dialysis (PD) population of five dialysis units. We studied the cross-sectional association between LW, echocardiographic parameters, clinical [pedal oedema, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class] and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) markers of volume status in 88 PD patients. Moderate to severe lung congestion was evident in 41 (46%) patients. Ejection fraction was the echocardiographic parameter with the strongest independent association with LW (r = -0.40 P = 0.002). Oedema did not associate with LW on univariate and multivariate analysis. NYHA class was slightly associated with LW (r = 0.21 P = 0.05). Among patients with severe lung congestion, only 27% had pedal oedema and the majority (57%) had no dyspnoea (NYHA Class I). Similarly, the prevalence of patients with BIA, evidence of volume excess was small (11%) and not significantly different (P = 0.79) from that observed in patients with mild or no congestion (9%). In PD patients, LW by chest US reveals moderate to severe lung congestion in a significant proportion of asymptomatic patients. Intervention studies are necessary to prove the usefulness of chest US for optimizing the control of fluid excess in PD patients.

  4. Substance P contributes to rapidly adapting receptor responses to pulmonary venous congestion in rabbits.

    PubMed Central

    Bonham, A C; Kott, K S; Ravi, K; Kappagoda, C T; Joad, J P

    1996-01-01

    1. This study tested the hypothesis that substance P stimulates rapidly adapting receptors (RARs), contributes to the increase in RAR activity produced by mild pulmonary congestion, and evokes an augmented response from RARs when combined with near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 2. RAR activity, peak tracheal pressure, arterial blood pressure and left atrial pressure were measured in paralysed, anaesthetized and ventilated rabbits. Substance P was given i.v. in one-half log incremental doses to a maximum of 3 micrograms kg-1. Mild pulmonary congestion was produced by inflating a balloon in the left atrium to increase left atrial pressure by 5 mmHg. Near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion were produced by increasing left atrial pressure by 2 mmHg. 3. Substance P produced dose-dependent increases in RAR activity. The highest dose given increased the activity from 1.3 +/- 0.5 to 11.0 +/- 3.1 impulses bin-1. Increases in left atrial pressure of 5 mmHg increased RAR activity from 3.8 +/- 1.4 to 14.7 +/- 3.9 impulses bin-1. Blockade of NK1 receptors with CP 96345 significantly attenuated RAR responses to substance P and to mild pulmonary congestion. 4. Doses of substance P, which alone had no effect, stimulated the RARs when delivered during near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 5. The findings suggest that substance P augments the stimulatory effect of mild pulmonary congestion on RAR activity, most probably by enhancing hydraulically induced microvascular leak. Images Figure 6 PMID:8735708

  5. 23 CFR 973.200 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... appropriate, to develop by rule safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded... TO THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND THE INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Bureau of Indian Affairs...

  6. 23 CFR 973.200 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... appropriate, to develop by rule safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded... TO THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND THE INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Bureau of Indian Affairs...

  7. Traffic Congestion Detection System through Connected Vehicles and Big Data

    PubMed Central

    Cárdenas-Benítez, Néstor; Aquino-Santos, Raúl; Magaña-Espinoza, Pedro; Aguilar-Velazco, José; Edwards-Block, Arthur; Medina Cass, Aldo

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses the simulation and evaluation of a traffic congestion detection system which combines inter-vehicular communications, fixed roadside infrastructure and infrastructure-to-infrastructure connectivity and big data. The system discussed in this article permits drivers to identify traffic congestion and change their routes accordingly, thus reducing the total emissions of CO2 and decreasing travel time. This system monitors, processes and stores large amounts of data, which can detect traffic congestion in a precise way by means of a series of algorithms that reduces localized vehicular emission by rerouting vehicles. To simulate and evaluate the proposed system, a big data cluster was developed based on Cassandra, which was used in tandem with the OMNeT++ discreet event network simulator, coupled with the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) traffic simulator and the Veins vehicular network framework. The results validate the efficiency of the traffic detection system and its positive impact in detecting, reporting and rerouting traffic when traffic events occur. PMID:27136548

  8. Traffic Congestion Detection System through Connected Vehicles and Big Data.

    PubMed

    Cárdenas-Benítez, Néstor; Aquino-Santos, Raúl; Magaña-Espinoza, Pedro; Aguilar-Velazco, José; Edwards-Block, Arthur; Medina Cass, Aldo

    2016-04-28

    This article discusses the simulation and evaluation of a traffic congestion detection system which combines inter-vehicular communications, fixed roadside infrastructure and infrastructure-to-infrastructure connectivity and big data. The system discussed in this article permits drivers to identify traffic congestion and change their routes accordingly, thus reducing the total emissions of CO₂ and decreasing travel time. This system monitors, processes and stores large amounts of data, which can detect traffic congestion in a precise way by means of a series of algorithms that reduces localized vehicular emission by rerouting vehicles. To simulate and evaluate the proposed system, a big data cluster was developed based on Cassandra, which was used in tandem with the OMNeT++ discreet event network simulator, coupled with the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) traffic simulator and the Veins vehicular network framework. The results validate the efficiency of the traffic detection system and its positive impact in detecting, reporting and rerouting traffic when traffic events occur.

  9. Implementing active traffic management strategies in the U.S.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-10-01

    Limited public funding for roadway expansion and improvement projects, coupled with continued growth in travel along congested urban freeway corridors, creates a pressing need for innovative congestion management approaches. Strategies to address con...

  10. 75 FR 26981 - Notice of Establishment of Interim Final Supplementary Rules for Public Lands Managed by the...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLCACO8000 L16100000 DX0000] Notice of..., California AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Establishment of Interim Final Supplementary Rules. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Record of Decision for the Sierra Resource Management Plan...

  11. Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure: A Review of the Literature

    PubMed Central

    Stern, Theodore A.; Hebert, Kathy A.; Musselman, Dominique L.

    2013-01-01

    Context: Major depressive disorder (MDD) can be challenging to diagnose in patients with congestive heart failure, who often suffer from fatigue, insomnia, weight changes, and other neurovegetative symptoms that overlap with those of depression. Pathophysiologic mechanisms (eg, inflammation, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, and altered platelet function) connect depression and congestive heart failure. Objective: We sought to review the prevalence, diagnosis, neurobiology, and treatment of depression associated with congestive heart failure. Data Sources: A search of all English-language articles between January 2003 and January 2013 was conducted using the search terms congestive heart failure and depression. Study Selection: We found 1,498 article abstracts and 19 articles (meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and original research articles) that were selected for inclusion, as they contained information about our focus on diagnosis, treatment, and pathophysiology of depression associated with congestive heart failure. The search was augmented with manual review of reference lists of articles from the initial search. Articles selected for review were determined by author consensus. Data Extraction: The prevalence, diagnosis, neurobiology, and treatment of depression associated with congestive heart failure were reviewed. Particular attention was paid to the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of antidepressant medications commonly used to treat depression and how their side-effect profiles impact the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure. Drug-drug interactions between antidepressant medications and medications used to treat congestive heart failure were examined. Results: MDD is highly prevalent in patients with congestive heart failure. Moreover, the prevalence and severity of depression correlate with the degree of cardiac dysfunction and development of congestive heart failure. Depression increases the risk of congestive heart

  12. Rules and management of biomedical waste at Vivekananda Polyclinic: a case study.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Saurabh; Boojh, Ram; Mishra, Ajai; Chandra, Hem

    2009-02-01

    Hospitals and other healthcare establishments have a "duty of care" for the environment and for public health, and have particular responsibilities in relation to the waste they produce (i.e., biomedical waste). Negligence, in terms of biomedical waste management, significantly contributes to polluting the environment, affects the health of human beings, and depletes natural and financial resources. In India, in view of the serious situation of biomedical waste management, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, within the Government of India, ratified the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, in July 1998. The present paper provides a brief description of the biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, and the current biomedical waste management practices in one of the premier healthcare establishments of Lucknow, the Vivekananda Polyclinic. The objective in undertaking this study was to analyse the biomedical waste management system, including policy, practice (i.e., storage, collection, transportation and disposal), and compliance with the standards prescribed under the regulatory framework. The analysis consisted of interviews with medical authorities, doctors, and paramedical staff involved in the management of the biomedical wastes in the Polyclinic. Other important stakeholders that were consulted and interviewed included environmental engineers (looking after the Biomedical Waste Cell) of the State Pollution Control Board, and randomly selected patients and visitors to the Polyclinic. A general survey of the facilities of the Polyclinic was undertaken to ascertain the efficacy of the implemented measures. The waste was quantified based on random samples collected from each ward. It was found that, although the Polyclinic in general abides by the prescribed regulations for the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, there is a need to further build the capacity of the Polyclinic and its staff in terms of providing state

  13. 76 FR 18618 - Operating Limitations at Newark Liberty International Airport

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-04

    ... International Airport (JFK). With a temporary schedule limit order in place, the FAA proposed a long-term rule... to implement a long-term congestion management rule at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), JFK, and EWR. The FAA... coincides with the expiration dates for the Orders limiting scheduled operations at JFK and LGA, as also...

  14. 75 FR 32968 - Final Supplementary Rules for Public Land Administered by the Bureau of Land Management in...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLCO910000, L71220000.PN0000, LVTFC002CO00] Final Supplementary Rules for Public Land Administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado Relating to Camping and Occupancy of Public Lands AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION...

  15. Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System. Final rule.

    PubMed

    2016-06-02

    This final rule replaces the Statewide and Tribal Automated Child Welfare Information Systems (S/TACWIS) rule with the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) rule. The rule also makes conforming amendments in rules in related requirements. This rule will assist title IV-E agencies in developing information management systems that leverage new innovations and technology in order to better serve children and families. More specifically, this final rule supports the use of cost-effective, innovative technologies to automate the collection of high-quality case management data and to promote its analysis, distribution, and use by workers, supervisors, administrators, researchers, and policy makers.

  16. 41 CFR Appendix to Subchapter D - Temporary Regulations Federal Property Management Regulations; Interim Rule D-1

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND SPACE Ch. 101, Subch. D, App. Appendix to Subchapter D—Temporary Regulations Federal... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Temporary Regulations Federal Property Management Regulations; Interim Rule D-1 Appendix to Subchapter D Public Contracts and...

  17. Congestion estimation technique in the optical network unit registration process.

    PubMed

    Kim, Geunyong; Yoo, Hark; Lee, Dongsoo; Kim, Youngsun; Lim, Hyuk

    2016-07-01

    We present a congestion estimation technique (CET) to estimate the optical network unit (ONU) registration success ratio for the ONU registration process in passive optical networks. An optical line terminal (OLT) estimates the number of collided ONUs via the proposed scheme during the serial number state. The OLT can obtain congestion level among ONUs to be registered such that this information may be exploited to change the size of a quiet window to decrease the collision probability. We verified the efficiency of the proposed method through simulation and experimental results.

  18. Interim guidance for implementing SAFETEA-LU provisions on planning, environment, and air quality for FHWA authorities

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-02-14

    This final rule revises the regulations governing the development of metropolitan transportation plans and programs for urbanized areas, State transportation plans and programs and the regulations for Congestion Management Systems. The revision resul...

  19. Lessons learned from international experience in congestion pricing.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-08-01

    Large road pricing projects have been implemented in U.K., France, Norway, Sweden, : Germany, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia over the past three decades. Additionally, : congestion pricing has been analyzed and evaluated through numerous studie...

  20. Cardiac Dysfunction, Congestion and Loop Diuretics: their Relationship to Prognosis in Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Pellicori, Pierpaolo; Cleland, John G F; Zhang, Jufen; Kallvikbacka-Bennett, Anna; Urbinati, Alessia; Shah, Parin; Kazmi, Syed; Clark, Andrew L

    2016-12-01

    Diuretics are the mainstay of treatment for congestion but concerns exist that they adversely affect prognosis. We explored whether the relationship between loop diuretic use and outcome is explained by the underlying severity of congestion amongst patients referred with suspected heart failure. Of 1190 patients, 712 had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤50 %, 267 had LVEF >50 % with raised plasma NTproBNP (>400 ng/L) and 211 had LVEF >50 % with NTproBNP ≤400 ng/L; respectively, 72 %, 68 % and 37 % of these groups were treated with loop diuretics including 28 %, 29 % and 10 % in doses ≥80 mg furosemide equivalent/day. Compared to patients with cardiac dysfunction (either LVEF ≤50 % or NT-proBNP >400 ng/L) but not taking a loop diuretic, those taking a loop diuretic were older and had more clinical evidence of congestion, renal dysfunction, anaemia and hyponatraemia. During a median follow-up of 934 (IQR: 513-1425) days, 450 patients were hospitalized for HF or died. Patients prescribed loop diuretics had a worse outcome. However, in multi-variable models, clinical, echocardiographic (inferior vena cava diameter), and biochemical (NTproBNP) measures of congestion were strongly associated with an adverse outcome but not the use, or dose, of loop diuretics. Prescription of loop diuretics identifies patients with more advanced features of heart failure and congestion, which may account for their worse prognosis. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between loop diuretic agents and outcome; imaging and biochemical measures of congestion might be better guides to diuretic dose than symptoms or clinical signs.

  1. Adapting End Host Congestion Control for Mobility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eddy, Wesley M.; Swami, Yogesh P.

    2005-01-01

    Network layer mobility allows transport protocols to maintain connection state, despite changes in a node's physical location and point of network connectivity. However, some congestion-controlled transport protocols are not designed to deal with these rapid and potentially significant path changes. In this paper we demonstrate several distinct problems that mobility-induced path changes can create for TCP performance. Our premise is that mobility events indicate path changes that require re-initialization of congestion control state at both connection end points. We present the application of this idea to TCP in the form of a simple solution (the Lightweight Mobility Detection and Response algorithm, that has been proposed in the IETF), and examine its effectiveness. In general, we find that the deficiencies presented are both relatively easily and painlessly fixed using this solution. We also find that this solution has the counter-intuitive property of being both more friendly to competing traffic, and simultaneously more aggressive in utilizing newly available capacity than unmodified TCP.

  2. Launching automated rotary parking system: Towards traffic congestion free Dhaka city

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Islam, Mohummad Shariful; Tithi, Afshana Morshed; Hossain, Farzad; Shetu, Rifat Sultana; Amin, S. M. Abdullah Al; Chowdhury, Shakia Zannatul Ferdous

    2017-12-01

    Bangladesh is the most densely populated city in the whole world, which is visible more in the capital city Dhaka. People have to suffer and valuable times are being wasted for this chronic quandary. Lack of proper planning of the city, different speed vehicles on the same road, over population, inadequate road space, unplanned stoppage or parking etc. are responsible for causing the traffic congestion in Dhaka City. Among those insufficient/unplanned parking system is one of the main reasons for causing traffic congestion. The automated rotary car parking system is the best and suitable because of its less utilization of space compared to other systems. It is a friendly parking system due to the non-utilization of noise/pollution related mechanism. The aim of this paper is to develop an automated car parking system with a minimum cost for reducing congestion in Dhaka city.

  3. Value rules: senior management incentives in the post-option era.

    PubMed

    Ericson, Richard

    2004-01-01

    Big changes are in the news and on boardroom agendas. This is a good time for many companies to step back and think fundamentally about how senior management incentives are structured and how these programs should be redesigned for better business results. This article describes the main problems with current incentive structures. It then shows how "value rules" can help employers make better use of incentive plans and create a real stake in business units' long-term results, so that the overall structure of executive incentives consistently encourages value creation for shareholders.

  4. Rules and management of biomedical waste at Vivekananda Polyclinic: A case study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gupta, Saurabh; Boojh, Ram; Mishra, Ajai

    Hospitals and other healthcare establishments have a 'duty of care' for the environment and for public health, and have particular responsibilities in relation to the waste they produce (i.e., biomedical waste). Negligence, in terms of biomedical waste management, significantly contributes to polluting the environment, affects the health of human beings, and depletes natural and financial resources. In India, in view of the serious situation of biomedical waste management, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, within the Government of India, ratified the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, in July 1998. The present paper provides a brief description of the biomedicalmore » waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, and the current biomedical waste management practices in one of the premier healthcare establishments of Lucknow, the Vivekananda Polyclinic. The objective in undertaking this study was to analyse the biomedical waste management system, including policy, practice (i.e., storage, collection, transportation and disposal), and compliance with the standards prescribed under the regulatory framework. The analysis consisted of interviews with medical authorities, doctors, and paramedical staff involved in the management of the biomedical wastes in the Polyclinic. Other important stakeholders that were consulted and interviewed included environmental engineers (looking after the Biomedical Waste Cell) of the State Pollution Control Board, and randomly selected patients and visitors to the Polyclinic. A general survey of the facilities of the Polyclinic was undertaken to ascertain the efficacy of the implemented measures. The waste was quantified based on random samples collected from each ward. It was found that, although the Polyclinic in general abides by the prescribed regulations for the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, there is a need to further build the capacity of the Polyclinic and its staff in terms of providing state

  5. Congestive cardiomyopathy and endobronchial granulomas as manifestations of Churg-Strauss syndrome.

    PubMed Central

    Alvarez-Sala, R.; Prados, C.; Armada, E.; Del Arco, A.; Villamor, J.

    1995-01-01

    Churg-Strauss syndrome is a systemic vasculitis. Its most frequent complications are heart diseases and asthma. Usually, cardiological manifestations are pericarditis, cardiac failure and myocardial infarction. Endobronchial granulomas identified by bronchoscopy are unusual. We present the case of a man with congestive cardiomyopathy and endobronchial granulomas macroscopically visible at bronchoscopy. After a review of medical literature, we found one case of congestive cardiomyopathy and no cases of endobronchial granulomas observed by bronchoscopy associated with Churg-Strauss syndrome. Images Figure PMID:7644400

  6. A Study of the Effects of Congestion Information and a Priority Boarding Pass in a Theme Park with Multi-Agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tone, Tetsuya; Kohara, Kazuhiro

    We have investigated ways to reduce congestion in a theme park with multi-agents. We constructed a theme park model called Digital Park 1.0 with twenty-three attractions similar in form to Tokyo Disney Sea. We consider not only congestion information (number of vistors standing in line at each attraction) but also the advantage of a priority boarding pass, like Fast Pass which is used at Tokyo Disney Sea. The congestion-information-usage ratio, which reflects the ratio of visitors who behave according to congestion information, was changed from 0% to 100% in both models, with and without priority boarding pass. The “mean stay time of visitors" is a measure of satisfaction. The smaller mean stay time, the larger degree of satisfaction. Here, a short stay time means a short wait time. The resluts of each simulation are averaged over ten trials. The main results are as follows. (1) When congestion-information-usage ratio increased, the mean stay time decreases. When 20% of visitors behaved according to congestion information, the mean stay time was reduced by 30%. (2) A priority boarding pass reduced congestion, and mean stay time was reduced by 15%. (3) When visitors used congestion information and a priority boarding pass, mean stay time was further reduced. When the congestion-information-usage ratio was 20%, mean stay time was reduced by 35%. (4) When congestion-information-usage ratio was over 50%, the congestion reduction effects reached saturation.

  7. 30 CFR 250.463 - Who establishes field drilling rules?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Drilling Requirements § 250.463 Who establishes field drilling rules? (a) The District Manager may... drilling rules and nonconflicting requirements of this subpart. The District Manager may amend or cancel field drilling rules at any time. (b) You may request the District Manager to establish, amend, or...

  8. Investigation of solutions to recurring congestion on freeways.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-01-01

    Persistent daily congestion, which has been increasing in recent years, is commonly experienced for several hours or more during the morning and evening on Virginia's urban freeways. Many of these roadways are at or near capacity, which causes severe...

  9. The economics of time shared computing: Congestion, user costs and capacity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Agnew, C. E.

    1982-01-01

    Time shared systems permit the fixed costs of computing resources to be spread over large numbers of users. However, bottleneck results in the theory of closed queueing networks can be used to show that this economy of scale will be offset by the increased congestion that results as more users are added to the system. If one considers the total costs, including the congestion cost, there is an optimal number of users for a system which equals the saturation value usually used to define system capacity.

  10. Does rush hour see a rush of emotions? Driver mood in conditions likely to exhibit congestion

    PubMed Central

    Morris, Eric A; Hirsch, Jana A.

    2016-01-01

    Polls show that a large portion of the public considers traffic congestion to be a problem and believes a number of policy interventions would ameliorate it. However, most of the public rejects new taxes and fees to fund these improvements. This may be because of a disconnect between the public's stated antipathy towards congestion and the recalled emotional costs congestion imposes. To explore this, we use a large and representative sample drawn from the American Time Use Survey to examine how drivers experience four emotions (happiness, sadness, stress, and fatigue), plus a constructed composite mood variable, when they travel in peak periods, in large cities, in city centers, and in combinations of these. We also explore the interactions between these indicators and trip duration. We find evidence that drivers in the largest cities at the very peak of rush hour (5:00pm-6:00pm) are in a less positive mood, presumably because of congestion. However, this effect, though significant, is small, and we find no significant results using broader definitions of the peak period. In all, our findings suggest that congestion's impact on drivers as a group is quite limited. This may help explain why the public's attitude toward painful financial trade-offs to address congestion is lukewarm. PMID:27231669

  11. The Physics of Traffic Congestion and Road Pricing in Transportation Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levinson, David

    2010-03-01

    This presentation develops congestion theory and congestion pricing theory from its micro- foundations, the interaction of two or more vehicles. Using game theory, with a two- player game it is shown that the emergence of congestion depends on the players' relative valuations of early arrival, late arrival, and journey delay. Congestion pricing can be used as a cooperation mechanism to minimize total costs (if returned to the players). The analysis is then extended to the case of the three- player game, which illustrates congestion as a negative externality imposed on players who do not themselves contribute to it. A multi-agent model of travelers competing to utilize a roadway in time and space is presented. To realize the spillover effect among travelers, N-player games are constructed in which the strategy set includes N+1 strategies. We solve the N-player game (for N = 7) and find Nash equilibria if they exist. This model is compared to the bottleneck model. The results of numerical simulation show that the two models yield identical results in terms of lowest total costs and marginal costs when a social optimum exists. Moving from temporal dynamics to spatial complexity, using consistent agent- based techniques, we model the decision-making processes of users and infrastructure owner/operators to explore the welfare consequence of price competition, capacity choice, and product differentiation on congested transportation networks. Component models include: (1) An agent-based travel demand model wherein each traveler has learning capabilities and unique characteristics (e.g. value of time); (2) Econometric facility provision cost models; and (3) Representations of road authorities making pricing and capacity decisions. Different from small-network equilibrium models in prior literature, this agent- based model is applicable to pricing and investment analyses on large complex networks. The subsequent economic analysis focuses on the source, evolution

  12. 41 CFR 60-250.83 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Rulings and interpretations. 60-250.83 Section 60-250.83 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... PROTECTED VETERANS Ancillary Matters § 60-250.83 Rulings and interpretations. Rulings under or...

  13. 41 CFR 60-250.83 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Rulings and interpretations. 60-250.83 Section 60-250.83 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... PROTECTED VETERANS Ancillary Matters § 60-250.83 Rulings and interpretations. Rulings under or...

  14. 41 CFR 60-250.83 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Rulings and interpretations. 60-250.83 Section 60-250.83 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... PROTECTED VETERANS Ancillary Matters § 60-250.83 Rulings and interpretations. Rulings under or...

  15. 41 CFR 60-250.83 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2012-07-01 2009-07-01 true Rulings and interpretations. 60-250.83 Section 60-250.83 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... PROTECTED VETERANS Ancillary Matters § 60-250.83 Rulings and interpretations. Rulings under or...

  16. Rule Driven Multi-Objective Management (RDMOM) - An Alternative Form for Describing and Developing Effective Water Resources Management Strategies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheer, D. P.

    2011-12-01

    Economics provides a model for describing human behavior applied to the management of water resources, but that model assumes, among other things, that managers have a way of directly relating immediate actions to long-term economic outcomes. This is rarely the case in water resources problems where uncertainty has significant impacts on the effectiveness of management strategies and where the management objectives are very difficult to commensurate. The difficulty in using economics is even greater in multiparty disputes, where each party has a different relative value for each of the management objectives, and many of the management objectives are shared. A three step approach to collaborative decision making can overcome these difficulties. The first step involves creating science based performance measures and evaluation tools to estimate the effect of alternative management strategies on each of the non-commensurate objectives. The second step involves developing short-term surrogate operating objectives that implicitly deal with all of the aspects of the long term uncertainty. Management that continually "optimizes" the short-term objectives subject to physical and other constraints that change through time can be characterized as Rule Driven Multi-Objective Management (RDMOM). RDMOM strategies are then tested in simulation models to provide the basis for evaluating performance measures. Participants in the collaborative process then engage in multiparty discussions that create new alternatives, and "barter" a deal. RDMOM does not assume that managers fully understand the link between current actions and long term goals. Rather, it assumes that managers operate to achieve short-term surrogate objectives which they believe will achieve an appropriate balance of both short and long-term incommensurable benefits. A reservoir rule curve is a simple, but often not particularly effective, example of the real-world implementation of RDMOM. Water managers find they

  17. Predictability of Road Traffic and Congestion in Urban Areas

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jingyuan; Mao, Yu; Li, Jing; Xiong, Zhang; Wang, Wen-Xu

    2015-01-01

    Mitigating traffic congestion on urban roads, with paramount importance in urban development and reduction of energy consumption and air pollution, depends on our ability to foresee road usage and traffic conditions pertaining to the collective behavior of drivers, raising a significant question: to what degree is road traffic predictable in urban areas? Here we rely on the precise records of daily vehicle mobility based on GPS positioning device installed in taxis to uncover the potential daily predictability of urban traffic patterns. Using the mapping from the degree of congestion on roads into a time series of symbols and measuring its entropy, we find a relatively high daily predictability of traffic conditions despite the absence of any priori knowledge of drivers' origins and destinations and quite different travel patterns between weekdays and weekends. Moreover, we find a counterintuitive dependence of the predictability on travel speed: the road segment associated with intermediate average travel speed is most difficult to be predicted. We also explore the possibility of recovering the traffic condition of an inaccessible segment from its adjacent segments with respect to limited observability. The highly predictable traffic patterns in spite of the heterogeneity of drivers' behaviors and the variability of their origins and destinations enables development of accurate predictive models for eventually devising practical strategies to mitigate urban road congestion. PMID:25849534

  18. Urban partnership agreement and congestion reduction demonstration programs : lessons learned on congestion pricing from the Seattle and Atlanta household travel behavior surveys.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-04-01

    This paper presents lessons learned from household traveler surveys administered in Seattle and Atlanta as part of the evaluation of the Urban Partnership Agreement and Congestion Reduction Demonstration Programs. The surveys use a two-stage panel su...

  19. The Best Friendships of Aggressive Boys: Relationship Quality, Conflict Management, and Rule-Breaking Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bagwell, Catherine L.; Coie, John D.

    2004-01-01

    The current study examined the best friendships of aggressive and nonaggressive boys (N=96 boys, 48 dyads, mean age=10.6 years). Friends completed self-report measures of friendship quality, and their interactions were observed in situations that required conflict management and provided opportunities for rule-breaking behavior. Although there…

  20. Congestion and flow control in signaling system no. 7: Impacts of intelligent networks and new services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zepf, Joachim; Rufa, Gerhard

    1994-04-01

    This paper focuses on the transient performance analysis of the congestion and flow control mechanisms in CCITT Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). Special attention is directed to the impacts of the introduction of intelligent services and new applications, e.g., Freephone, credit card services, user-to-user signaling, etc. In particular, we show that signaling traffic characteristics like signaling scenarios or signaling message length as well as end-to-end signaling capabilities have a significant influence on the congestion and flow control and, therefore, on the real-time signaling performance. One important result of our performance studies is that if, e.g., intelligent services are introduced, the SS7 congestion and flow control does not work correctly. To solve this problem, some reinvestigations into these mechanisms would be necessary. Therefore, some approaches, e.g., modification of the Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) congestion control, usage of the SCCP relay function, or a redesign of the MTP flow control procedures are discussed in order to guarantee the efficacy of the congestion and flow control mechanisms also in the future.

  1. A simple rule based model for scheduling farm management operations in SWAT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schürz, Christoph; Mehdi, Bano; Schulz, Karsten

    2016-04-01

    For many interdisciplinary questions at the watershed scale, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT; Arnold et al., 1998) has become an accepted and widely used tool. Despite its flexibility, the model is highly demanding when it comes to input data. At SWAT's core the water balance and the modeled nutrient cycles are plant growth driven (implemented with the EPIC crop growth model). Therefore, land use and crop data with high spatial and thematic resolution, as well as detailed information on cultivation and farm management practices are required. For many applications of the model however, these data are unavailable. In order to meet these requirements, SWAT offers the option to trigger scheduled farm management operations by applying the Potential Heat Unit (PHU) concept. The PHU concept solely takes into account the accumulation of daily mean temperature for management scheduling. Hence, it contradicts several farming strategies that take place in reality; such as: i) Planting and harvesting dates are set much too early or too late, as the PHU concept is strongly sensitivity to inter-annual temperature fluctuations; ii) The timing of fertilizer application, in SWAT this often occurs simultaneously on the same date in in each field; iii) and can also coincide with precipitation events. Particularly, the latter two can lead to strong peaks in modeled nutrient loads. To cope with these shortcomings we propose a simple rule based model (RBM) to schedule management operations according to realistic farmer management practices in SWAT. The RBM involves simple strategies requiring only data that are input into the SWAT model initially, such as temperature and precipitation data. The user provides boundaries of time periods for operation schedules to take place for all crops in the model. These data are readily available from the literature or from crop variety trials. The RBM applies the dates by complying with the following rules: i) Operations scheduled in the

  2. A "Sweet 16" of Rules About Teamwork

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laufer, Alexander (Editor)

    2002-01-01

    The following "Sweet 16" rules included in this paper derive from a longer paper by APPL Director Dr. Edward Hoffman and myself entitled " 99 Rules for Managing Faster, Better, Cheaper Projects." Our sources consisted mainly of "war stories" told by master project managers in my book Simultaneous Management: Managing Projects in a Dynamic Environment (AMACOM, The American Management Association, 1996). The Simultaneous Management model was a result of 10 years of intensive research and testing conducted with the active participation of master project managers from leading private organizations such as AT&T, DuPont, Exxon, General Motors, IBM, Motorola and Procter & Gamble. In a more recent study, led by Dr. Hoffman, we learned that master project managers in leading public organizations employ most of these rules as well. Both studies, in private and public organizations, found that a dynamic environment calls for dynamic management, and that is especially clear in how successful project managers think about their teams.

  3. Impact of traffic congestion on road accidents: a spatial analysis of the M25 motorway in England.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chao; Quddus, Mohammed A; Ison, Stephen G

    2009-07-01

    Traffic congestion and road accidents are two external costs of transport and the reduction of their impacts is often one of the primary objectives for transport policy makers. The relationship between traffic congestion and road accidents however is not apparent and less studied. It is speculated that there may be an inverse relationship between traffic congestion and road accidents, and as such this poses a potential dilemma for transport policy makers. This study aims to explore the impact of traffic congestion on the frequency of road accidents using a spatial analysis approach, while controlling for other relevant factors that may affect road accidents. The M25 London orbital motorway, divided into 70 segments, was chosen to conduct this study and relevant data on road accidents, traffic and road characteristics were collected. A robust technique has been developed to map M25 accidents onto its segments. Since existing studies have often used a proxy to measure the level of congestion, this study has employed a precise congestion measurement. A series of Poisson based non-spatial (such as Poisson-lognormal and Poisson-gamma) and spatial (Poisson-lognormal with conditional autoregressive priors) models have been used to account for the effects of both heterogeneity and spatial correlation. The results suggest that traffic congestion has little or no impact on the frequency of road accidents on the M25 motorway. All other relevant factors have provided results consistent with existing studies.

  4. Prevention of relapse in patients with congestive heart failure: the role of precipitating factors

    PubMed Central

    Feenstra, J; Grobbee, D; Jonkman, F; Hoes, A; Stricker, B

    1998-01-01

    Relapse of congestive heart failure (CHF) frequently occurs and has serious consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure. Many studies have investigated the aetiological and prognostic factors of CHF, but there are only limited data on the role of precipitating factors that trigger relapse of CHF. Knowledge of potential precipitating factors may help to optimise treatment and provide guidance for patients with CHF. The literature was reviewed to identify factors that may influence haemodynamic homeostasis in CHF. Precipitating factors that may offer opportunities for preventing relapse of CHF were selected. Potential precipitating factors are discussed in relation to the pathophysiology of CHF: alcohol, smoking, psychological stress, uncontrolled hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial ischaemia, poor treatment compliance, and inappropriate medical treatment. Poor treatment compliance in particular is frequently encountered in patients with CHF. Furthermore, studies of medical treatment under everyday circumstances indicate that some aspects of the management of CHF can be improved. In conclusion, the identification of precipitating factors for relapse of CHF may strongly contribute to optimal treatment. Improvement of treatment compliance and optimalisation of medical treatment may offer important possibilities to clinicians to reduce the number of relapses in patients with CHF.

 Keywords: congestive heart failure;  precipitating factors;  prevention PMID:9930039

  5. Reflex tracheal contraction during pulmonary venous congestion in the dog.

    PubMed Central

    Kappagoda, C T; Man, G C; Ravi, K; Teo, K K

    1988-01-01

    1. The effect of pulmonary venous congestion on tracheal tone was studied in dogs anaesthetized with alpha-chloralose. Pulmonary venous congestion was produced by partial obstruction of the mitral valve to increase left atrial pressure by 10 mmHg. Tracheal tone was measured in vivo by an isometric force displacement method. 2. Tracheal tone increased by 6.3 +/- 0.3 g from a control level of 91.6 +/- 2.8 g when left atrial pressure was increased by 10.5 +/- 0.3 mmHg. This response was abolished by cooling the cervical vagi to 8 degrees C at a point caudal to the origin of the superior laryngeal nerves. Also, sectioning the superior laryngeal nerves abolished this increase in tracheal tone. 3. Afferent activity recorded from rapidly adapting receptors of the airways increased significantly during pulmonary venous congestion. This increase in activity was abolished by cooling the vagi caudal to the recording site to 8-9 degrees C. 4. Administration of propranolol (0.5 mg/kg) failed to abolish this increase in tracheal tone while atropine (3 mg/kg) did so. 5. Stimulation of left atrial receptors without an increase in left atrial pressure and stimulation of right atrial receptors with and without increases in right atrial pressure did not cause any change in tracheal tone. 6. It is suggested that pulmonary venous congestion is associated with a reflex increase in tracheal tone, the afferent limb of which is formed by pulmonary receptors discharging into myelinated fibres in the cervical vagi and the efferent limb by parasympathetic cholinergic fibres in the superior laryngeal nerves. The afferent receptors are likely to be the rapidly adapting receptors. This reflex may be of importance in the development of the respiratory symptoms associated with left ventricular failure. PMID:3236242

  6. The best friendships of aggressive boys: relationship quality, conflict management, and rule-breaking behavior.

    PubMed

    Bagwell, Catherine L; Coie, John D

    2004-05-01

    The current study examined the best friendships of aggressive and nonaggressive boys (N = 96 boys, 48 dyads, mean age = 10.6 years). Friends completed self-report measures of friendship quality, and their interactions were observed in situations that required conflict management and provided opportunities for rule-breaking behavior. Although there were no differences in boys' self-reports of friendship quality, observers rated nonaggressive boys and their friends as showing greater positive engagement, on-task behavior, and reciprocity in their interactions compared with aggressive boys and their friends. Aggressive boys and their friends provided more enticement for rule violations and engaged in more rule-breaking behavior than did nonaggressive boys and their friends. Also, the intensity of negative affect in observed conflicts between aggressive boys and their friends was greater than that between nonaggressive boys and their friends. The findings suggest that friendships may provide different developmental contexts for aggressive and nonaggressive boys. Copyright 2003 Elsevier, Inc.

  7. 30 CFR 250.612 - Field well-workover rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... District Manager to determine specific operating requirements, field well-workover rules may be established on the District Manager's initiative or in response to a request from a lessee. Such rules may modify... initiative of the District Manager or upon the request of a lessee. ...

  8. 30 CFR 250.512 - Field well-completion rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... the District Manager to determine specific operating requirements, field well-completion rules may be established on the District Manager's initiative or in response to a request from a lessee. Such rules may... the initiative of the District Manager or upon the request of a lessee. ...

  9. Algorithm and data support of traffic congestion forecasting in the controlled transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dmitriev, S. V.

    2015-06-01

    The topicality of problem of the traffic congestion forecasting in the logistic systems of product movement highways is considered. The concepts: the controlled territory, the highway occupancy by vehicles, the parking and the controlled territory are introduced. Technical realizabilityof organizing the necessary flow of information on the state of the transport system for its regulation has been marked. Sequence of practical implementation of the solution is given. An algorithm for predicting traffic congestion in the controlled transport system is suggested.

  10. A Survey on Urban Traffic Management System Using Wireless Sensor Networks.

    PubMed

    Nellore, Kapileswar; Hancke, Gerhard P

    2016-01-27

    Nowadays, the number of vehicles has increased exponentially, but the bedrock capacities of roads and transportation systems have not developed in an equivalent way to efficiently cope with the number of vehicles traveling on them. Due to this, road jamming and traffic correlated pollution have increased with the associated adverse societal and financial effect on different markets worldwide. A static control system may block emergency vehicles due to traffic jams. Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) have gained increasing attention in traffic detection and avoiding road congestion. WSNs are very trendy due to their faster transfer of information, easy installation, less maintenance, compactness and for being less expensive compared to other network options. There has been significant research on Traffic Management Systems using WSNs to avoid congestion, ensure priority for emergency vehicles and cut the Average Waiting Time (AWT) of vehicles at intersections. In recent decades, researchers have started to monitor real-time traffic using WSNs, RFIDs, ZigBee, VANETs, Bluetooth devices, cameras and infrared signals. This paper presents a survey of current urban traffic management schemes for priority-based signalling, and reducing congestion and the AWT of vehicles. The main objective of this survey is to provide a taxonomy of different traffic management schemes used for avoiding congestion. Existing urban traffic management schemes for the avoidance of congestion and providing priority to emergency vehicles are considered and set the foundation for further research.

  11. A Survey on Urban Traffic Management System Using Wireless Sensor Networks

    PubMed Central

    Nellore, Kapileswar; Hancke, Gerhard P.

    2016-01-01

    Nowadays, the number of vehicles has increased exponentially, but the bedrock capacities of roads and transportation systems have not developed in an equivalent way to efficiently cope with the number of vehicles traveling on them. Due to this, road jamming and traffic correlated pollution have increased with the associated adverse societal and financial effect on different markets worldwide. A static control system may block emergency vehicles due to traffic jams. Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) have gained increasing attention in traffic detection and avoiding road congestion. WSNs are very trendy due to their faster transfer of information, easy installation, less maintenance, compactness and for being less expensive compared to other network options. There has been significant research on Traffic Management Systems using WSNs to avoid congestion, ensure priority for emergency vehicles and cut the Average Waiting Time (AWT) of vehicles at intersections. In recent decades, researchers have started to monitor real-time traffic using WSNs, RFIDs, ZigBee, VANETs, Bluetooth devices, cameras and infrared signals. This paper presents a survey of current urban traffic management schemes for priority-based signalling, and reducing congestion and the AWT of vehicles. The main objective of this survey is to provide a taxonomy of different traffic management schemes used for avoiding congestion. Existing urban traffic management schemes for the avoidance of congestion and providing priority to emergency vehicles are considered and set the foundation for further research. PMID:26828489

  12. Traffic control strategies for congested freeways and work zones.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-10-01

    The primary objective of the research was to identify and evaluate effective ways of improving traffic operations and : safety on congested freeways. There was particular interest in finding condition-responsive traffic control solutions : for the fo...

  13. Packet Traffic Dynamics Near Onset of Congestion in Data Communication Network Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawniczak, A. T.; Tang, X.

    2006-05-01

    The dominant technology of data communication networks is the Packet Switching Network (PSN). It is a complex technology organized as various hierarchical layers according to the International Standard Organization (ISO) Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model. The Network Layer of the ISO OSI Reference Model is responsible for delivering packets from their sources to their destinations and for dealing with congestion if it arises in a network. Thus, we focus on this layer and present an abstraction of the Network Layer of the ISO OSI Reference Model. Using this abstraction we investigate how onset of traffic congestion is affected for various routing algorithms by changes in network connection topology. We study how aggregate measures of network performance depend on network connection topology and routing. We explore packets traffic spatio-temporal dynamics near the phase transition point from free flow to congestion for various network connection topologies and routing algorithms. We consider static and adaptive routings. We present selected simulation results.

  14. Increasing Complexity in Rule-Based Clinical Decision Support: The Symptom Assessment and Management Intervention.

    PubMed

    Lobach, David F; Johns, Ellis B; Halpenny, Barbara; Saunders, Toni-Ann; Brzozowski, Jane; Del Fiol, Guilherme; Berry, Donna L; Braun, Ilana M; Finn, Kathleen; Wolfe, Joanne; Abrahm, Janet L; Cooley, Mary E

    2016-11-08

    Management of uncontrolled symptoms is an important component of quality cancer care. Clinical guidelines are available for optimal symptom management, but are not often integrated into the front lines of care. The use of clinical decision support (CDS) at the point-of-care is an innovative way to incorporate guideline-based symptom management into routine cancer care. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a rule-based CDS system to enable management of multiple symptoms in lung cancer patients at the point-of-care. This study was conducted in three phases involving a formative evaluation, a system evaluation, and a contextual evaluation of clinical use. In Phase 1, we conducted iterative usability testing of user interface prototypes with patients and health care providers (HCPs) in two thoracic oncology clinics. In Phase 2, we programmed complex algorithms derived from clinical practice guidelines into a rules engine that used Web services to communicate with the end-user application. Unit testing of algorithms was conducted using a stack-traversal tree-spanning methodology to identify all possible permutations of pathways through each algorithm, to validate accuracy. In Phase 3, we evaluated clinical use of the system among patients and HCPs in the two clinics via observations, structured interviews, and questionnaires. In Phase 1, 13 patients and 5 HCPs engaged in two rounds of formative testing, and suggested improvements leading to revisions until overall usability scores met a priori benchmarks. In Phase 2, symptom management algorithms contained between 29 and 1425 decision nodes, resulting in 19 to 3194 unique pathways per algorithm. Unit testing required 240 person-hours, and integration testing required 40 person-hours. In Phase 3, both patients and HCPs found the system usable and acceptable, and offered suggestions for improvements. A rule-based CDS system for complex symptom management was systematically developed and tested. The

  15. Serial cardiac MRIs in adult Fontan patients detect progressive hepatic enlargement and congestion.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Matthew J; Hecht, Elizabeth; Ginns, Jonathan; Benton, Joshua; Prince, Martin; Rosenbaum, Marlon S

    2017-03-01

    The progression of hepatic disease in adult Fontan patients is not well understood. They reviewed the experience with serial cardiac MRIs (CMR) in adult Fontan patients to determine if hepatic anatomic markers of prolonged Fontan exposure were present and if clinical predictors of progressive hepatic congestion could be identified. A retrospective cohort study of all adult Fontan patients who had undergone at least two CMRs was performed. Hepatic dimensions, inferior vena cava (IVC) size, right hepatic vein (RHV) size and spleen diameter were determined from images acquired at the time of clinically guided CMR. Two radiologists with expertise in hepatic imaging graded congestion and liver size independently using post-gadolinium contrast sequences. Twenty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. Over a mean time of 5.1 years between CMRs, there was a significant increase in mean lateral-medial hepatic dimension (P = .005), mean RHV diameter (P = .004), and mean splenic diameter (P = .001). Serial post-gadolinium imaging was available in 25/27 (93%) patients of which 15/27 (55%) showed evidence of progressive hepatic congestion across serial studies. Progressive hepatic congestion was associated with single ventricle ejection fraction (SVEF) less than 50% (P = .008), and larger indexed end-diastolic (EDVI) and end-systolic volume (ESVI). RHV diameter was the only anatomic variable significantly correlated with time from Fontan completion (P = .004). Serial CMRs detected progressive liver and hepatic vein enlargement in our cohort of adult Fontan patients over a mean time of 5.2 years. Progressive hepatic congestion occurs in a significant number of adult Fontan patients and may be associated with ventricular enlargement and decreased ventricular function by CMR. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Plasmapheresis affects responses of slowly and rapidly adapting airway receptors to pulmonary venous congestion in dogs.

    PubMed Central

    Kappagoda, C T; Ravi, K

    1989-01-01

    1. The effects of plasmapheresis on the responses of rapidly adapting receptors (RARs) and slowly adapting receptors (SARs) of the airways to pulmonary venous congestion were examined in dogs anaesthetized with alpha-chloralose. Pulmonary venous congestion was produced in a graded manner by partial obstruction of the mitral valve sufficient to raise the mean left atrial pressure by 5, 10 and 15 mmHg. Plasmapheresis was performed by withdrawing 10% of blood volume twice. 2. Both RARs (n = 11) and SARs (n = 5) responded to pulmonary venous congestion by increasing their activities. The responses of the former were proportionately greater. 3. After plasmapheresis which reduced the concentration of plasma proteins by 12.3 +/- 1.0%, the responses of the RARs to pulmonary venous congestion were enhanced significantly. There was no significant change in the responses of SARs. 4. In another set of six RARs, the effects of graded pulmonary venous congestion were investigated twice with an interval of 45 min between the two observations. No significant differences were noted between the two responses. 5. Collection of lymph from the tracheobronchial lymph duct (n = 6) showed that after plasmapheresis, there was an increase in the control lymph flow. In addition, the lymph flow was enhanced during pulmonary venous congestion (mean left atrial pressure increased by 10 mmHg). 6. It is suggested that a natural stimulus for the excitation of the RAR is a function of the fluid fluxes in the pulmonary extravascular space. PMID:2607464

  17. Transportation infrastructure : states' implementation of transportation management systems

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-13

    This report focuses on the U.S. General Accounting Office's ISTEA update of the states' implementation of pavement management systems, bridges, highway safety, congestion management systems, public transportation, and intermodal management systems. A...

  18. 75 FR 60689 - Hazardous Waste Management System; Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste; Proposed Rule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-01

    ... exclude (or delist) a certain solid waste generated by its Beaumont, Texas, facility from the lists of hazardous wastes. EPA used the Delisting Risk Assessment Software (DRAS) Version 3.0 in the evaluation of... Waste Management System; Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste; Proposed Rule AGENCY...

  19. Congestion and flow control in signaling system No. 7: Impacts of intelligent networks and new services

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zepf, J.; Rufa, G.

    1994-04-01

    This paper focuses on the transient performance analysis of the congestion and flow control mechanisms in CCITT Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). Special attention is directed to the impacts of the introduction of intelligent services and new applications, e.g., Freephone, credit card services, user-to-user signaling, etc. In particular, we show that signaling traffic characteristics like signaling scenarios or signaling message length as well as end-to-end signaling capabilities have a significant influence on the congestion and flow control and, therefore, on the real-time signaling performance. One important result of our performance studies is that if, e.g., intelligent services are introduced, themore » SS7 congestion and flow control does not work correctly. To solve this problem, some reinvestigations into these mechanisms would be necessary. Therefore, some approaches, e.g., modification of the Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) congestion control, usage of the SCCP relay function, or a redesign of the MTP flow control procedures are discussed in order to guarantee the efficacy of the congestion and flow control mechanisms also in the future. 16 refs.« less

  20. 5 CFR 1001.101 - In addition to this part, what other rules of conduct apply to Office of Personnel Management...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... rules of conduct apply to Office of Personnel Management employees? 1001.101 Section 1001.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS GOVERNING EMPLOYEES OF THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT OPM EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 1001.101 In addition to this part...

  1. 5 CFR 1001.101 - In addition to this part, what other rules of conduct apply to Office of Personnel Management...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... rules of conduct apply to Office of Personnel Management employees? 1001.101 Section 1001.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS GOVERNING EMPLOYEES OF THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT OPM EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 1001.101 In addition to this part...

  2. Reducing Traffic Congestion: Using Market Prices to Enhance Mobility

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-01-01

    This is the Department of Transportation's 1997 biennial report on the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program, as required by Section 1012(b) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, P.L. 102-240. The report highlights the significa...

  3. Agent-based real-time signal coordination in congested networks.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    This study is the continuation of a previous NEXTRANS study on agent-based reinforcement : learning methods for signal coordination in congested networks. In the previous study, the : formulation of a real-time agent-based traffic signal control in o...

  4. Commuting, congestion, and pollution : the employer-paid parking connection

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1992-09-01

    Urban areas increasingly face problems associated with traffic congestion and vehicle air emissions. Employer-paid parking--a form of matching grant whereby an employer offers to pay the cost of parking if employees are willing to pay all other costs...

  5. Traffic Congestion on a University Campus: A Consideration of Unconventional Remedies to Nontraditional Transportation Patterns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaplan, Dave; Clapper, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    U.S. transportation data suggest that the number of vehicle miles traveled has far surpassed new capacity, resulting in increased traffic congestion in many communities throughout the country. This article reports on traffic congestion around a university campus located within a small town. The mix of trip purposes varies considerably in this…

  6. Pulmonary Vascular Congestion: A Mechanism for Distal Lung Unit Dysfunction in Obesity.

    PubMed

    Oppenheimer, Beno W; Berger, Kenneth I; Ali, Saleem; Segal, Leopoldo N; Donnino, Robert; Katz, Stuart; Parikh, Manish; Goldring, Roberta M

    2016-01-01

    Obesity is characterized by increased systemic and pulmonary blood volumes (pulmonary vascular congestion). Concomitant abnormal alveolar membrane diffusion suggests subclinical interstitial edema. In this setting, functional abnormalities should encompass the entire distal lung including the airways. We hypothesize that in obesity: 1) pulmonary vascular congestion will affect the distal lung unit with concordant alveolar membrane and distal airway abnormalities; and 2) the degree of pulmonary congestion and membrane dysfunction will relate to the cardiac response. 54 non-smoking obese subjects underwent spirometry, impulse oscillometry (IOS), diffusion capacity (DLCO) with partition into membrane diffusion (DM) and capillary blood volume (VC), and cardiac MRI (n = 24). Alveolar-capillary membrane efficiency was assessed by calculation of DM/VC. Mean age was 45±12 years; mean BMI was 44.8±7 kg/m2. Vital capacity was 88±13% predicted with reduction in functional residual capacity (58±12% predicted). Despite normal DLCO (98±18% predicted), VC was elevated (135±31% predicted) while DM averaged 94±22% predicted. DM/VC varied from 0.4 to 1.4 with high values reflecting recruitment of alveolar membrane and low values indicating alveolar membrane dysfunction. The most abnormal IOS (R5 and X5) occurred in subjects with lowest DM/VC (r2 = 0.31, p<0.001; r2 = 0.34, p<0.001). Cardiac output and index (cardiac output / body surface area) were directly related to DM/VC (r2 = 0.41, p<0.001; r2 = 0.19, p = 0.03). Subjects with lower DM/VC demonstrated a cardiac output that remained in the normal range despite presence of obesity. Global dysfunction of the distal lung (alveolar membrane and distal airway) is associated with pulmonary vascular congestion and failure to achieve the high output state of obesity. Pulmonary vascular congestion and consequent fluid transudation and/or alterations in the structure of the alveolar capillary membrane may be considered often

  7. Use of the short form 36 in a primary care based disease management program for patients with congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    Sidorov, Jaan; Shull, Robert D; Girolami, Sabrina; Mensch, Debra

    2003-01-01

    While disease management has been described as an important strategy for the care of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) in the managed care setting, little is known about the impact of this approach on overall health-related quality of life. In this study the Short Form 36 (SF-36) was administered to all patients entering CHF disease management at the time of program entry and at 1 year following entry. Scores on the eight subscales and the two composite scales were calculated and compared before and after. Patients were enrolled from a mixed-model health maintenance organization (HMO) with 34,740 Medicare + Choice enrollees residing in 38 counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Two hundred sixty-eight continuously enrolled patients in an HMO-sponsored CHF disease state management program with completed baseline and follow-up SF-36 surveys were sampled. All patients entered into disease management received primary care based, nurse-directed education about CHF self-management including instruction on etiology of CHF, the importance of medication compliance, home care services if indicated, monitoring weight gain, increased understanding of the warning signs of worsening CHF, and coaching on strategies to contact a physician in a timely manner when CHF worsens. Nurses also facilitated for CHF guidelines among primary care physicians, including the need to obtain a baseline assessment of cardiac function, prescribe angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta blockers when appropriate, and initiated appropriate specialist referral. Compared with enrollees who did not complete a pair of SF-36 surveys, the 268 respondents were younger and had a significantly higher rate of cardiac imaging as well as use of ACE inhibitors and beta blocker medications. Analysis of the SF-36 data revealed that three of the eight (Role Physical, General Health Perceptions, and Role Emotional) subscales increased in a statistically significant manner, as

  8. Surveying traffic congestion based on the concept of community structure of complex networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Lili; Zhang, Zhanli; Li, Meng

    2016-07-01

    In this paper, taking the traffic of Beijing city as an instance, we study city traffic states, especially traffic congestion, based on the concept of network community structure. Concretely, using the floating car data (FCD) information of vehicles gained from the intelligent transport system (ITS) of the city, we construct a new traffic network model which is with floating cars as network nodes and time-varying. It shows that this traffic network has Gaussian degree distributions at different time points. Furthermore, compared with free traffic situations, our simulations show that the traffic network generally has more obvious community structures with larger values of network fitness for congested traffic situations, and through the GPSspg web page, we show that all of our results are consistent with the reality. Then, it indicates that network community structure should be an available way for investigating city traffic congestion problems.

  9. The effectiveness of the McIsaac clinical decision rule in the management of sore throat: an evaluation from a pediatrics ward.

    PubMed

    Thillaivanam, Saravanapriya; Amin, Arwa M; Gopalakrishnan, Sheila; Ibrahim, Baharudin

    2016-10-01

    Sore throats may be due to either viral or group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) infections; but diagnosis of the etiology of a sore throat is difficult, often leading to unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and consequent increases in bacterial resistance. Scoring symptoms using the McIsaac clinical decision rule can help physicians to diagnose and manage streptococcal infections leading to sore throat and have been recommended by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. In this paper, we offer the first assessment of the effectiveness of the McIsaac rule in a clinical setting in Malaysia. This study is a retrospective review of 116 pediatric patients presenting with sore throat. Group A comprised patients before the implementation of the McIsaac rule and Group B comprised patients after the implementation. Unnecessary throat swab cultures were reduced by 40% (P = 0.003). Redundant antibiotic prescriptions were reduced by 26.5% (P = 0.003) and the overall use of antibiotics was reduced by 22.1% (P = 0.003). The pediatricians' compliance rate to McIsaac rule criteria was 45% before implementation of the McIsaac rule, but improved to 67.9% (P = 0.0005) after implementation. The McIsaac rule is an effective tool for the management of sore throat in children in Malaysia.

  10. Evaluation of a rule base for decision making in general practice.

    PubMed Central

    Essex, B; Healy, M

    1994-01-01

    BACKGROUND. Decision making in general practice relies heavily on judgmental expertise. It should be possible to codify this expertise into rules and principles. AIM. A study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness, of rules from a rule base designed to improve students' and trainees' management decisions relating to patients seen in general practice. METHOD. The rule base was developed after studying decisions about and management of thousands of patients seen in one general practice over an eight year period. Vignettes were presented to 93 fourth year medical students and 179 general practitioner trainees. They recorded their perception and management of each case before and after being presented with a selection of relevant rules. Participants also commented on their level of agreement with each of the rules provided with the vignettes. A panel of five independent assessors then rated as good, acceptable or poor, the participants' perception and management of each case before and after seeing the rules. RESULTS. Exposure to a few selected rules of thumb improved the problem perception and management decisions of both undergraduates and trainees. The degree of improvement was not related to previous experience or to the stated level of agreement with the proposed rules. The assessors identified difficulties students and trainees experienced in changing their perceptions and management decisions when the rules suggested options they had not considered. CONCLUSION. The rules developed to improve decision making skills in general practice are effective when used with vignettes. The next phase is to transform the rule base into an expert system to train students and doctors to acquire decision making skills. It could also be used to provide decision support when confronted with difficult management decisions in general practice. PMID:8204334

  11. Estimating teat canal cross-sectional area to determine the effects of teat-end and mouthpiece chamber vacuum on teat congestion.

    PubMed

    Penry, J F; Upton, J; Mein, G A; Rasmussen, M D; Ohnstad, I; Thompson, P D; Reinemann, D J

    2017-01-01

    The primary objective of this experiment was to assess the effect of mouthpiece chamber vacuum on teat-end congestion. The secondary objective was to assess the interactive effects of mouthpiece chamber vacuum with teat-end vacuum and pulsation setting on teat-end congestion. The influence of system vacuum, pulsation settings, mouthpiece chamber vacuum, and teat-end vacuum on teat-end congestion were tested in a 2×2 factorial design. The low-risk conditions for teat-end congestion (TEL) were 40 kPa system vacuum (Vs) and 400-ms pulsation b-phase. The high-risk conditions for teat-end congestion (TEH) were 49 kPa Vs and 700-ms b-phase. The low-risk condition for teat-barrel congestion (TBL) was created by venting the liner mouthpiece chamber to atmosphere. In the high-risk condition for teat-barrel congestion (TBH) the mouthpiece chamber was connected to short milk tube vacuum. Eight cows (32 quarters) were used in the experiment conducted during 0400 h milkings. All cows received all treatments over the entire experimental period. Teatcups were removed after 150 s for all treatments to standardize the exposure period. Calculated teat canal cross-sectional area (CA) was used to assess congestion of teat tissue. The main effect of the teat-end treatment was a reduction in CA of 9.9% between TEL and TEH conditions, for both levels of teat-barrel congestion risk. The main effect of the teat-barrel treatment was remarkably similar, with a decrease of 9.7% in CA between TBL and TBH conditions for both levels of teat-end congestion risk. No interaction between treatments was detected, hence the main effects are additive. The most aggressive of the 4 treatment combinations (TEH plus TBH) had a CA estimate 20% smaller than for the most gentle treatment combination (TEL plus TBL). The conditions designed to impair circulation in the teat barrel also had a deleterious effect on circulation at the teat end. This experiment highlights the importance of elevated mouthpiece

  12. Urban Partnership Agreement and Congestion Reduction Demonstration : National Evaluation Framework

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-11-21

    This report provides an analytical framework for evaluating six deployments under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) Programs. The six UPA/CRD sites...

  13. School Children's Reasoning about School Rules

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thornberg, Robert

    2008-01-01

    School rules are usually associated with classroom management and school discipline. However, rules also define ways of thinking about oneself and the world. Rules are guidelines for actions and for the evaluation of actions in terms of good and bad, or right and wrong, and therefore a part of moral or values education in school. This study is a…

  14. Medicinal Leech Therapy for Glans Penis Congestion After Primary Bladder Exstrophy-Epispadias Repair in an Infant: A Case Report.

    PubMed

    Wagenheim, Gavin N; Au, Jason; Gargollo, Patricio C

    2016-01-01

    Many postoperative complications have been reported after repair of classic bladder exstrophy. We present a case of medicinal leech therapy for glans penis congestion following exstrophy repair in an infant. A 2-week-old male with classic bladder exstrophy underwent complete primary repair. On postoperative day 1, he developed rapidly worsening glans penis venous congestion. Medicinal leech therapy was instituted with antibiotics and blood transfusions to maintain a hematocrit >30%. After 24 hours, venous congestion improved and therapy was discontinued. The patient's remaining hospital course was uncomplicated. Medicinal leeches are an effective therapy to relieve glans penis venous congestion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center vehicular and pedestrian traffic congestion study

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-05-01

    The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center of Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska is experiencing vehicular and pedestrian congestion. This study was initiated by the United States Forest Service, Alaska Region, in cooperation with Western Federal L...

  16. How congestion shapes cities: from mobility patterns to scaling

    PubMed Central

    Louf, Rémi; Barthelemy, Marc

    2014-01-01

    The recent availability of data for cities has allowed scientists to exhibit scalings which present themselves in the form of a power-law dependence on population of various socio-economical and structural indicators. We propose here a stochastic theory of urban growth which accounts for some of the observed scalings and we confirm these predictions on US and OECD empirical data. In particular, we show that the dependence on population size of the total number of miles driven daily, the total length of the road network, the total traffic delay, the total consumption of gasoline, the quantity of CO2 emitted and the relation between area and population of cities, are all governed by a single parameter which characterizes the sensitivity to congestion. Our results suggest that diseconomies associated with congestion scale superlinearly with population size, implying that –despite polycentrism– cities whose transportation infrastructure rely heavily on traffic sensitive modes are unsustainable. PMID:24990624

  17. Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule Overview

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    As required by Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act Amendments, this rule contains regulations and guidance for chemical accident prevention at facilities that use extremely hazardous substances, and aids in emergency preparedness and response.

  18. Analysis of traffic congestion induced by the work zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fei, L.; Zhu, H. B.; Han, X. L.

    2016-05-01

    Based on the cellular automata model, a meticulous two-lane cellular automata model is proposed, in which the driving behavior difference and the difference of vehicles' accelerations between the moving state and the starting state are taken into account. Furthermore the vehicles' motion is refined by using the small cell of one meter long. Then accompanied by coming up with a traffic management measure, a two-lane highway traffic model containing a work zone is presented, in which the road is divided into normal area, merging area and work zone. The vehicles in different areas move forward according to different lane changing rules and position updating rules. After simulation it is found that when the density is small the cluster length in front of the work zone increases with the decrease of the merging probability. Then the suitable merging length and the appropriate speed limit value are recommended. The simulation result in the form of the speed-flow diagram is in good agreement with the empirical data. It indicates that the presented model is efficient and can partially reflect the real traffic. The results may be meaningful for traffic optimization and road construction management.

  19. Factors associated with health-related quality of life in stable ambulatory congestive heart failure patients: Systematic review.

    PubMed

    Baert, Anneleen; De Smedt, Delphine; De Sutter, Johan; De Bacquer, Dirk; Puddu, Paolo Emilio; Clays, Els; Pardaens, Sofie

    2018-03-01

    Background Since improved treatment of congestive heart failure has resulted in decreased mortality and hospitalisation rates, increasing self-perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become a major goal of congestive heart failure treatment. However, an overview on predictieve factors of HRQoL is currently lacking in literature. Purpose The aim of this study was to identify key factors associated with HRQoL in stable ambulatory patients with congestive heart failure. Methods A systematic review was performed. MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase were searched for the following combination of terms: heart failure, quality of life, health perception or functional status between the period 2000 and February 2017. Literature screening was done by two independent reviewers. Results Thirty-five studies out of 8374 titles were included for quality appraisal, of which 29 were selected for further data extraction. Four distinct categories grouping different types of variables were identified: socio-demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, health and health behaviour, and care provider characteristics. Within the above-mentioned categories the presence of depressive symptoms was most consistently related to a worse HRQoL, followed by a higher New York Heart Association functional class, younger age and female gender. Conclusion Through a systematic literature search, factors associated with HRQoL among congestive heart failure patients were investigated. Age, gender, New York Heart Association functional class and depressive symptoms are the most consistent variables explaining the variance in HRQoL in patients with congestive heart failure. These findings are partly in line with previous research on predictors for hard endpoints in patients with congestive heart failure.

  20. Wind power development in the United States: Effects of policies and electricity transmission congestion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hitaj, Claudia

    In this dissertation, I analyze the drivers of wind power development in the United States as well as the relationship between renewable power plant location and transmission congestion and emissions levels. I first examine the role of government renewable energy incentives and access to the electricity grid on investment in wind power plants across counties from 1998-2007. The results indicate that the federal production tax credit, state-level sales tax credit and production incentives play an important role in promoting wind power. In addition, higher wind power penetration levels can be achieved by bringing more parts of the electricity transmission grid under independent system operator regulation. I conclude that state and federal government policies play a significant role in wind power development both by providing financial support and by improving physical and procedural access to the electricity grid. Second, I examine the effect of renewable power plant location on electricity transmission congestion levels and system-wide emissions levels in a theoretical model and a simulation study. A new renewable plant takes the effect of congestion on its own output into account, but ignores the effect of its marginal contribution to congestion on output from existing plants, which results in curtailment of renewable power. Though pricing congestion removes the externality and reduces curtailment, I find that in the absence of a price on emissions, pricing congestion may in some cases actually increase system-wide emissions. The final part of my dissertation deals with an econometric issue that emerged from the empirical analysis of the drivers of wind power. I study the effect of the degree of censoring on random-effects Tobit estimates in finite sample with a particular focus on severe censoring, when the percentage of uncensored observations reaches 1 to 5 percent. The results show that the Tobit model performs well even at 5 percent uncensored observations

  1. 41 CFR 60-1.44 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Rulings and interpretations. 60-1.44 Section 60-1.44 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... OF LABOR 1-OBLIGATIONS OF CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS Ancillary Matters § 60-1.44 Rulings and...

  2. 41 CFR 60-1.44 - Rulings and interpretations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Rulings and interpretations. 60-1.44 Section 60-1.44 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... OF LABOR 1-OBLIGATIONS OF CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS Ancillary Matters § 60-1.44 Rulings and...

  3. Cerebral blood flow in patients with congestive heart failure treated with captopril.

    PubMed

    Paulson, O B; Jarden, J O; Godtfredsen, J; Vorstrup, S

    1984-05-31

    The effect of captopril on cerebral blood flow was studied in five patients with severe congestive heart failure and in five control subjects. Cerebral blood flow was measured by inhalation of 133xenon and registration of its uptake and washout from the brain by single photon emission computer tomography. In addition, cerebral (internal jugular) venous oxygen tension was determined in the controls. The measurements were made before and 15, 60, and 180 minutes after a single oral dose of captopril (6.25 mg in patients with congestive heart failure and 25 mg in controls). Despite a marked decrease in blood pressure, cerebral blood flow increased slightly in the patients with severe congestive heart failure. When a correction was applied to take account of a change in arterial carbon dioxide tension, however, cerebral blood flow was unchanged after captopril administration even in patients with the greatest decrease in blood pressure, in whom a decrease in cerebral blood flow might have been expected. In the controls, blood pressure was little affected by captopril, whereas a slight, but not statistically significant, decrease in cerebral blood flow was observed. The cerebral venous oxygen tension decreased concomitantly.

  4. 77 FR 30585 - Operating Limitations at New York LaGuardia Airport; Technical Amendment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-23

    ... limiting operations at LaGuardia Airport until the final Congestion Management Rule for LaGuardia Airport... this Order contact: Patricia Bynum, System Operations Services, Air Traffic Organization, Federal... Limiting Operations at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA).\\1\\ As a result of the extension, the Order remains...

  5. A pricing approach for mitigating congestion in multimodal transportation systems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-02-19

    The problem addressed in this research is to determine usage prices for a system with : multiple modes of transportation with the objective of reducing congestion. With multiple : modes, these prices can take on several forms. On road networks, the u...

  6. Visceral Congestion in Heart Failure: Right Ventricular Dysfunction, Splanchnic Hemodynamics, and the Intestinal Microenvironment.

    PubMed

    Polsinelli, Vincenzo B; Sinha, Arjun; Shah, Sanjiv J

    2017-12-01

    Visceral venous congestion of the gut may play a key role in the pathogenesis of right-sided heart failure (HF) and cardiorenal syndromes. Here, we review the role of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, visceral congestion, splanchnic hemodynamics, and the intestinal microenvironment in the setting of right-sided HF. We review recent literature on this topic, outline possible mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, and discuss potential therapeutics. There are several mechanisms linking RV-gut interactions via visceral venous congestion which could result in (1) hypoxia and acidosis in enterocytes, which may lead to enhanced sodium-hydrogen exchanger 3 (NHE3) expression with increased sodium and fluid retention; (2) decreased luminal pH in the intestines, which could lead to alteration of the gut microbiome which could increase gut permeability and inflammation; (3) alteration of renal hemodynamics with triggering of the cardiorenal syndrome; and (4) altered phosphate metabolism resulting in increased pulmonary artery stiffening, thereby increasing RV afterload. A wide variety of therapeutic interventions that act on the RV, pulmonary vasculature, intestinal microenvironment, and the kidney could alter these pathways and should be tested in patients with right-sided HF. The RV-gut axis is an important aspect of HF pathogenesis that deserves more attention. Modulation of the pathways interconnecting the right heart, visceral congestion, and the intestinal microenvironment could be a novel avenue of intervention for right-sided HF.

  7. Modeling and analyzing cascading dynamics of the Internet based on local congestion information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Qian; Nie, Jianlong; Zhu, Zhiliang; Yu, Hai; Xue, Yang

    2018-06-01

    Cascading failure has already become one of the vital issues in network science. By considering realistic network operational settings, we propose the congestion function to represent the congested extent of node and construct a local congestion-aware routing strategy with a tunable parameter. We investigate the cascading failures on the Internet triggered by deliberate attacks. Simulation results show that the tunable parameter has an optimal value that makes the network achieve a maximum level of robustness. The robustness of the network has a positive correlation with tolerance parameter, but it has a negative correlation with the packets generation rate. In addition, there exists a threshold of the attacking proportion of nodes that makes the network achieve the lowest robustness. Moreover, by introducing the concept of time delay for information transmission on the Internet, we found that an increase of the time delay will decrease the robustness of the network rapidly. The findings of the paper will be useful for enhancing the robustness of the Internet in the future.

  8. Teaching Congestive Heart Failure to Doctor of Pharmacy Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Robert B.

    1992-01-01

    This paper summarizes a lecture given to pharmacy students that emphasizes the pathophysiologic mechanisms causing congestive heart failure and the effects of drugs on these mechanisms. The approach shows the importance of drug therapy in this disorder and how this knowledge can improve patient care. An appendix provides a case study. (GLR)

  9. Random early detection for congestion avoidance in wired networks: a discretized pursuit learning-automata-like solution.

    PubMed

    Misra, Sudip; Oommen, B John; Yanamandra, Sreekeerthy; Obaidat, Mohammad S

    2010-02-01

    In this paper, we present a learning-automata-like The reason why the mechanism is not a pure LA, but rather why it yet mimics one, will be clarified in the body of this paper. (LAL) mechanism for congestion avoidance in wired networks. Our algorithm, named as LAL Random Early Detection (LALRED), is founded on the principles of the operations of existing RED congestion-avoidance mechanisms, augmented with a LAL philosophy. The primary objective of LALRED is to optimize the value of the average size of the queue used for congestion avoidance and to consequently reduce the total loss of packets at the queue. We attempt to achieve this by stationing a LAL algorithm at the gateways and by discretizing the probabilities of the corresponding actions of the congestion-avoidance algorithm. At every time instant, the LAL scheme, in turn, chooses the action that possesses the maximal ratio between the number of times the chosen action is rewarded and the number of times that it has been chosen. In LALRED, we simultaneously increase the likelihood of the scheme converging to the action, which minimizes the number of packet drops at the gateway. Our approach helps to improve the performance of congestion avoidance by adaptively minimizing the queue-loss rate and the average queue size. Simulation results obtained using NS2 establish the improved performance of LALRED over the traditional RED methods which were chosen as the benchmarks for performance comparison purposes.

  10. Green supply chain: Simulating road traffic congestion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jalal, Muhammad Zulqarnain Hakim Abd; Nawawi, Mohd Kamal Mohd; Laailatul Hanim Mat Desa, Wan; Khalid, Ruzelan; Khalid Abduljabbar, Waleed; Ramli, Razamin

    2017-09-01

    With the increasing awareness of the consumers about environmental issues, businesses, households and governments increasingly want use green products and services which lead to green supply chain. This paper discusses a simulation study of a selected road traffic system that will contribute to the air pollution if in the congestion state. Road traffic congestion (RTC) can be caused by a temporary obstruction, a permanent capacity bottleneck in the network itself, and stochastic fluctuation in demand within a particular sector of the network, leading to spillback and queue propagation. A discrete-event simulation model is developed to represent the real traffic light control (TLC) system condition during peak hours. Certain performance measures such as average waiting time and queue length were measured using the simulation model. Existing system uses pre-set cycle time to control the light changes which is fixed time cycle. In this research, we test several other combination of pre-set cycle time with the objective to find the best system. In addition, we plan to use a combination of the pre-set cycle time and a proximity sensor which have the authority to manipulate the cycle time of the lights. The sensors work in such situation when the street seems to have less occupied vehicles, obviously it may not need a normal cycle for green light, and automatically change the cycle to street where vehicle is present.

  11. 41 CFR 60-30.18 - Rules of evidence.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Rules of evidence. 60-30.18 Section 60-30.18 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to Public... ORDER 11246 Hearings and Related Matters § 60-30.18 Rules of evidence. In any hearing, decision, or...

  12. 41 CFR 60-30.18 - Rules of evidence.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Rules of evidence. 60-30.18 Section 60-30.18 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to Public... ORDER 11246 Hearings and Related Matters § 60-30.18 Rules of evidence. In any hearing, decision, or...

  13. 76 FR 18616 - Operating Limitations at New York LaGuardia Airport

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-04

    ... under the same marketing control up to 5 business days after the actual operation. This post-transfer... of Extension to Order. SUMMARY: This action amends the Order Limiting Operations at New York..., 2008, and October 7, 2009. The Order remains effective until the final Congestion Management Rule for...

  14. Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity.

    PubMed

    Jing, Wentao; Ramezani, Mohsen; An, Kun; Kim, Inhi

    2018-01-01

    The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm.

  15. Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm. PMID:29543875

  16. Nationwide SIP Telephony Network Design to Prevent Congestion Caused by Disaster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Satoh, Daisuke; Ashitagawa, Kyoko

    We present a session initiation protocol (SIP) network design for a voice-over-IP network to prevent congestion caused by people calling friends and family after a disaster. The design increases the capacity of SIP servers in a network by using all of the SIP servers equally. It takes advantage of the fact that equipment for voice data packets is different from equipment for signaling packets in SIP networks. Furthermore, the design achieves simple routing on the basis of telephone numbers. We evaluated the performance of our design in preventing congestion through simulation. We showed that the proposed design has roughly 20 times more capacity, which is 57 times the normal load, than the conventional design if a disaster were to occur in Niigata Prefecture struck by the Chuetsu earthquake in 2004.

  17. Value of travel-time reliability, part II : a study of tradeoffs between travel reliability, congestion-mitigation strategies and emissions.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-09-01

    Capacity, demand, and vehicle based emissions reduction strategies are compared for several pollutants employing aggregate US : congestion and vehicle fleet condition data. We find that congestion mitigation does not inevitably lead to reduced emissi...

  18. An XML-Based Manipulation and Query Language for Rule-Based Information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mansour, Essam; Höpfner, Hagen

    Rules are utilized to assist in the monitoring process that is required in activities, such as disease management and customer relationship management. These rules are specified according to the application best practices. Most of research efforts emphasize on the specification and execution of these rules. Few research efforts focus on managing these rules as one object that has a management life-cycle. This paper presents our manipulation and query language that is developed to facilitate the maintenance of this object during its life-cycle and to query the information contained in this object. This language is based on an XML-based model. Furthermore, we evaluate the model and language using a prototype system applied to a clinical case study.

  19. Applications of variable speed control for contending with recurrent highway congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-07-01

    This research project developed vital operational guidelines for design of a variable speed limit (VSL) system and its integrated operations with ramp metering control in contending with recurrent highway congestion. The developed guidelines can serv...

  20. Decrease of cardiac chaos in congestive heart failure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poon, Chi-Sang; Merrill, Christopher K.

    1997-10-01

    The electrical properties of the mammalian heart undergo many complex transitions in normal and diseased states. It has been proposed that the normal heartbeat may display complex nonlinear dynamics, including deterministic chaos,, and that such cardiac chaos may be a useful physiological marker for the diagnosis and management, of certain heart trouble. However, it is not clear whether the heartbeat series of healthy and diseased hearts are chaotic or stochastic, or whether cardiac chaos represents normal or abnormal behaviour. Here we have used a highly sensitive technique, which is robust to random noise, to detect chaos. We analysed the electrocardiograms from a group of healthy subjects and those with severe congestive heart failure (CHF), a clinical condition associated with a high risk of sudden death. The short-term variations of beat-to-beat interval exhibited strongly and consistently chaotic behaviour in all healthy subjects, but were frequently interrupted by periods of seemingly non-chaotic fluctuations in patients with CHF. Chaotic dynamics in the CHF data, even when discernible, exhibited a high degree of random variability over time, suggesting a weaker form of chaos. These findings suggest that cardiac chaos is prevalent in healthy heart, and a decrease in such chaos may be indicative of CHF.

  1. Congestion-Responsive On-Ramp Metering : Before and After Studies - Phase 1

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-07-06

    The objective of this project was to develop recommendations toward a statewide policy of congestion responsive freeway ramp metering operation. The research is performed in two phases. In phase 1, alternative ramp metering activation strategies were...

  2. Health-Mining: a Disease Management Support Service based on Data Mining and Rule Extraction.

    PubMed

    Bei, Andrea; De Luca, Stefano; Ruscitti, Giancarlo; Salamon, Diego

    2005-01-01

    The disease management is the collection of the processes aimed to control the health care and improving the quality at same time reducing the overall cost of the procedures. Our system, Health-Mining, is a Decision Support System with the objective of controlling the adequacy of hospitalization and therapies, determining the effective use of standard guidelines and eventually identifying better ones emerged from the medical practice (Evidence Based Medicine). In realizing the system, we have the aim of creation of a path to admissions- appropriateness criteria construction, valid at an international level. A main goal of the project is rule extraction and the identification of the rules adequate in term of efficacy, quality and cost reduction, especially in the view of fast changing technologies and medicines. We tested Health-Mining in a real test case for an Italian Region, Regione Veneto, on the installation of pacemaker and ICD.

  3. What can a pilot congestive heart failure disease management program tell us about likely return on investment?: A case study from a program offered to federal employees.

    PubMed

    vanVonno, Catherine J; Ozminkowski, Ronald J; Smith, Mark W; Thomas, Eileen G; Kelley, Doniece; Goetzel, Ron; Berg, Gregory D; Jain, Susheel K; Walker, David R

    2005-12-01

    In 1999, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (FEP) implemented a pilot disease management program to manage congestive heart failure (CHF) among members. The purpose of this project was to estimate the financial return on investment in the pilot CHF program, prior to a full program rollout. A cohort of 457 participants from the state of Maryland was matched to a cohort of 803 nonparticipants from a neighboring state where the CHF program was not offered. Each cohort was followed for 12 months before the program began and 12 months afterward. The outcome measures of primary interest were the differences over time in medical care expenditures paid by FEP and by all payers. Independent variables included indicators of program participation, type of heart disease, comorbidity measures, and demographics. From the perspective of the funding organization (FEP), the estimated return on investment for the pilot CHF disease management program was a savings of $1.08 in medical expenditure for every dollar spent on the program. Adding savings to other payers as well, the return on investment was a savings of $1.15 in medical expenditures per dollar spent on the program. The amount of savings depended upon CHF risk levels. The value of a pilot initiative and evaluation is that lessons for larger-scale efforts can be learned prior to full-scale rollout.

  4. Enforcing Academic Rules in Higher Education--A Total Quality Management Approach. AIR 1993 Annual Forum Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgar, Paul

    A case study was done of how Total Quality Management (TQM) was used in a Masters in Business Administration program to prevent rule infractions rather than to punish students. The program allowed students to take up to 20 hours of classes under an unclassified status before they took an admissions test. In order to continue, however, students…

  5. St. Vincent's Home telehealth for congestive heart failure patients.

    PubMed

    Whitten, Pamela; Bergman, Alicia; Meese, Mary Ann; Bridwell, Karin; Jule, Kim

    2009-03-01

    St. Vincent's Homecare implemented a remote monitoring project in which researchers studied whether the telehome health patients exhibit enhanced clinical outcomes and patient perceptions of telehome healthcare. Fifty congestive heart failure patients (n = 50) participated in this program. Data collection included pre and post Outcome and Assessment Information Set items, 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, and data from patient charts were used to capture demographic information. In addition, interviews were conducted in order to assess overall perceptions and attitudes. Results indicate significant changes occurring among respondents in three important aspects that impact their quality of life, namely, physical, behavioral, and emotional improvements. Specifically, statistical significance was documented at the 0.05 level regarding improvement for home telehealth patients in shortness of breath, management of oral medications, ability to engage in moderate activities, amount of energy, swelling in legs/ankles, need to sit/lie down during day, fatigue, need for hospitalization, side effects from treatment, and worry. Additionally, patients found the service easy to use and perceived the care they received via telehealth to be as good as regular in-person care.

  6. Time allocation shifts and pollutant exposure due to traffic congestion: an analysis using the national human activity pattern survey.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Kai; Batterman, Stuart A

    2009-10-15

    Traffic congestion increases air pollutant exposures of commuters and urban populations due to the increased time spent in traffic and the increased vehicular emissions that occur in congestion, especially "stop-and-go" traffic. Increased time in traffic also decreases time in other microenvironments, a trade-off that has not been considered in previous time activity pattern (TAP) analyses conducted for exposure assessment purposes. This research investigates changes in time allocations and exposures that result from traffic congestion. Time shifts were derived using data from the National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS), which was aggregated to nine microenvironments (six indoor locations, two outdoor locations and one transport location). After imputing missing values, handling outliers, and conducting other quality checks, these data were stratified by respondent age, employment status and period (weekday/weekend). Trade-offs or time-shift coefficients between time spent in vehicles and the eight other microenvironments were then estimated using robust regression. For children and retirees, congestion primarily reduced the time spent at home; for older children and working adults, congestion shifted the time spent at home as well as time in schools, public buildings, and other indoor environments. Changes in benzene and PM(2.5) exposure were estimated for the current average travel delay in the U.S. (9 min day(-1)) and other scenarios using the estimated time shifts coefficients, concentrations in key microenvironments derived from the literature, and a probabilistic analysis. Changes in exposures depended on the duration of the congestion and the pollutant. For example, a 30 min day(-1) travel delay was determined to account for 21+/-12% of current exposure to benzene and 14+/-8% of PM(2.5) exposure. The time allocation shifts and the dynamic approach to TAPs improve estimates of exposure impacts from congestion and other recurring events.

  7. Detection and prognostic value of pulmonary congestion by lung ultrasound in ambulatory heart failure patients.

    PubMed

    Platz, Elke; Lewis, Eldrin F; Uno, Hajime; Peck, Julie; Pivetta, Emanuele; Merz, Allison A; Hempel, Dorothea; Wilson, Christina; Frasure, Sarah E; Jhund, Pardeep S; Cheng, Susan; Solomon, Scott D

    2016-04-14

    Pulmonary congestion is a common and important finding in heart failure (HF). While clinical examination and chest radiography are insensitive, lung ultrasound (LUS) is a novel technique that may detect and quantify subclinical pulmonary congestion. We sought to independently relate LUS and clinical findings to 6-month HF hospitalizations and all-cause mortality (composite primary outcome). We used LUS to examine 195 NYHA class II-IV HF patients (median age 66, 61% men, 74% white, ejection fraction 34%) during routine cardiology outpatient visits. Lung ultrasound was performed in eight chest zones with a pocket ultrasound device (median exam duration 2 min) and analysed offline. In 185 patients with adequate LUS images in all zones, the sum of B-lines (vertical lines on LUS) ranged from 0 to 13. B-lines, analysed by tertiles, were associated with clinical and laboratory markers of congestion. Thirty-two per cent of patients demonstrated ≥3 B-lines on LUS, yet 81% of these patients had no findings on auscultation. During the follow-up period, 50 patients (27%) were hospitalized for HF or died. Patients in the third tertile (≥3 B-lines) had a four-fold higher risk of the primary outcome (adjusted HR 4.08, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.95, 8.54; P < 0.001) compared with those in the first tertile and spent a significantly lower number of days alive and out of the hospital (125 days vs. 165 days; adjusted P < 0.001). Pulmonary congestion assessed by ultrasound is prevalent in ambulatory patients with chronic HF, is associated with other features of clinical congestion, and identifies those who have worse prognosis. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Usefulness of radiological signs of pulmonary congestion in predicting failed spontaneous breathing trials

    PubMed Central

    Antonio, Ana Carolina Peçanha; Teixeira, Cassiano; Castro, Priscylla Souza; Zanardo, Ana Paula; Gazzana, Marcelo Basso; Knorst, Marli

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: Inspiratory fall in intrathoracic pressure during a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) may precipitate cardiac dysfunction and acute pulmonary edema. We aimed to determine the relationship between radiological signs of pulmonary congestion prior to an SBT and weaning outcomes. Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of a prospective cohort study involving patients in an adult medical-surgical ICU. All enrolled individuals met the eligibility criteria for liberation from mechanical ventilation. Tracheostomized subjects were excluded. The primary endpoint was SBT failure, defined as the inability to tolerate a T-piece trial for 30-120 min. An attending radiologist applied a radiological score on interpretation of digital chest X-rays performed before the SBT. Results: A total of 170 T-piece trials were carried out; SBT failure occurred in 28 trials (16.4%), and 133 subjects (78.3%) were extubated at first attempt. Radiological scores were similar between SBT-failure and SBT-success groups (median [interquartile range] = 3 [2-4] points vs. 3 [2-4] points; p = 0.15), which, according to the score criteria, represented interstitial lung congestion. The analysis of ROC curves demonstrated poor accuracy (area under the curve = 0.58) of chest x-rays findings of congestion prior to the SBT for discriminating between SBT failure and SBT success. No correlation was found between fluid balance in the 48 h preceding the SBT and radiological score results (ρ = −0.13). Conclusions: Radiological findings of pulmonary congestion should not delay SBT indication, given that they did not predict weaning failure in the medical-surgical critically ill population. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02022839 [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/]) PMID:29364998

  9. 5 CFR 9701.502 - Rule of construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 9701.502 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Labor-Management Relations § 9701.502 Rule of construction. In interpreting this...

  10. Emission Reduction Potential of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-05-19

    The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) provides : funds to states for projects designed to help attain and maintain the national : ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) set under the Clean Air Act (CAA). CMAQ : was creat...

  11. Climate Change Adaptation in the Western U.S.: the Case for Dynamic Rule Curves in Water Resources Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Hamlet, A. F.; Burges, S. J.

    2008-12-01

    Climate change in the Western U.S. will bring systematic hydrologic changes affecting many water resources systems. Successful adaptation to these changes, which will be ongoing through the 21st century, will require the 'rebalancing' of competing system objectives such as water supply, flood control, hydropower production, and environmental services in response to hydrologic (and other) changes. Although fixed operating policies for the operation of reservoirs has been a traditional approach to water management in the 20th century, the rapid pace of projected climate shifts (~0.5 F per decade), and the prohibitive costs of recursive policy intervention to mitigate impacts, suggest that more sophisticated approaches will be needed to cope with climate change on a long term basis. The use of 'dynamic rule curves' is an approach that maintains some of the key characteristics of current water management practice (reservoir rule curves) while avoiding many of the fundamental drawbacks of traditional water resources management strategies in a non-stationary climate. In this approach, water resources systems are optimized for each operational period using ensemble streamflow and/or water demand forecasts. The ensemble of optimized reservoir storage traces are then analyzed to produce a set of unique reservoir rule curves for each operational period reflecting the current state of the system. The potential advantage of this approach is that hydrologic changes associated with climate change (such as systematically warmer temperatures) can be captured explicitly in operational hydrologic forecasts, which would in turn inform the optimized reservoir management solutions, creating water resources systems that are largely 'self tending' as the climate system evolves. Furthermore, as hydrologic forecasting systems improve (e.g. in response to improved ENSO forecasting or other scientific advances), so does the performance of reservoir operations. An example of the approach is

  12. 30 CFR 250.612 - Field well-workover rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Field well-workover rules. 250.612 Section 250... Well-Workover Operations § 250.612 Field well-workover rules. When geological and engineering..., field well-workover rules may be established on the District Manager's initiative or in response to a...

  13. 30 CFR 250.512 - Field well-completion rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Field well-completion rules. 250.512 Section... Gas Well-Completion Operations § 250.512 Field well-completion rules. When geological and engineering..., field well-completion rules may be established on the District Manager's initiative or in response to a...

  14. Embolization of ovarian vein for pelvic congestion syndrome with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx®).

    PubMed

    Marcelin, C; Izaaryene, J; Castelli, M; Barral, P A; Jacquier, A; Vidal, V; Bartoli, J M

    2017-12-01

    To evaluate the safety and efficacy of pelvic embolization using ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx ® ) for pelvic congestion syndrome. Between March 2012 to September 2016, 17 women (mean age, 44.7± 12.2 (SD) years; range: 34-71years) presenting with pelvic congestion syndrome were evaluated for transvenous embolization with Onyx ® . Pelvic congestion syndrome was initially diagnosed by clinical examination and the results of transvaginal Doppler ultrasound and further confirmed by pelvic venography. Primary and secondary clinical efficacy was defined respectively by the resolution of the symptoms after embolization and at the end of the follow-up, irrespective to the number of embolization procedures. Technical efficacy of embolization was 100% with no significant complications during and after embolization. After a mean follow-up time of 24.2 months (range: 6-69months) a primary and secondary clinical efficacy of 76.4% (13/17 women) and 94.1% (16/17 women) respectively were observed. Four women (23.5%) underwent a second embolization procedure with one woman requiring a third embolization procedure. These additional embolization procedures were associated with direct puncture of vulvar varices for sclerotherapy in two women. Five women (29%) had recurrent symptoms 21 months post-treatment (7-42months). Pelvic embolization using ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx ® ) has a favorable clinical success for pelvic congestion syndrome. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  15. Rate-based congestion control in networks with smart links, revision. B.S. Thesis - May 1988

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heybey, Andrew Tyrrell

    1990-01-01

    The author uses a network simulator to explore rate-based congestion control in networks with smart links that can feed back information to tell senders to adjust their transmission rates. This method differs in a very important way from congestion control in which a congested network component just drops packets - the most commonly used method. It is clearly advantageous for the links in the network to communicate with the end users about the network capacity, rather than the users unilaterally picking a transmission rate. The components in the middle of the network, not the end users, have information about the capacity and traffic in the network. The author experiments with three different algorithms for calculating the control rate to feed back to the users. All of the algorithms exhibit problems in the form of large queues when simulated with a configuration modeling the dynamics of a packet-voice system. However, the problems are not with the algorithms themselves, but with the fact that feedback takes time. If the network steady-state utilization is low enough that it can absorb transients in the traffic through it, then the large queues disappear. If the users are modified to start sending slowly, to allow the network to adapt to a new flow without causing congestion, a greater portion of the network's bandwidth can be used.

  16. Los Angeles congestion reduction demonstration express lanes program : national evaluation report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-08-01

    This document presents the final report on the national evaluation of the Los Angeles Congestion Reduction Demonstration (LA CRD) ExpressLanes Program under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) CRD Program. The LA CRD projects fo...

  17. Effect of venous and lymphatic congestion on lymph capillary pressure of the skin in healthy volunteers and patients with lymph edema.

    PubMed

    Gretener, S B; Läuchli, S; Leu, A J; Koppensteiner, R; Franzeck, U K

    2000-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of venous and lymphatic congestion on lymph capillary pressure (LCP) in the skin of the foot dorsum of healthy volunteers and of patients with lymph edema. LCP was measured at the foot dorsum of 12 patients with lymph edema and 18 healthy volunteers using the servo-nulling technique. Glass micropipettes (7-9 microm) were inserted under microscopic control into lymphatic microvessels visualized by fluorescence microlymphography before and during venous congestion. Venous and lymphatic congestion was attained by cuff compression (50 mm Hg) at the thigh level. Simultaneously, the capillary filtration rate was measured using strain gauge plethysmography. The mean LCP in patients with lymph edema increased significantly (p < 0.05) during congestion (15.7 +/- 8.8 mm Hg) compared to the control value (12.2 +/- 8.9 mm Hg). The corresponding values of LCP in healthy volunteers were 4.3 +/- 2.6 mm Hg during congestion and 2.6 +/- 2.8 mm Hg during control conditions (p < 0.01). The mean increase in LCP in patients with lymph edema was 3.4 +/- 4.1 mm Hg, and 1.7 +/- 2.0 mm Hg in healthy volunteers (NS). The maximum spread of the lymph capillary network in patients increased from 13.9 +/- 6.8 mm before congestion to 18.8 +/- 8.2 mm during thigh compression (p < 0.05). No increase could be observed in healthy subjects. In summary, venous and lymphatic congestion by cuff compression at the thigh level results in a significant increase in LCP in healthy volunteers as well as in patients with lymph edema. The increased spread of the contrast medium in the superficial microlymphatics in lymph edema patients indicates a compensatory mechanism for lymphatic drainage during congestion of the veins and lymph collectors of the leg. Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel

  18. New accounting rules: asset allocation and portfolio management.

    PubMed

    Andrew, B K

    1997-01-01

    New accounting rules went into effect at the end of 1995 that are now starting to affect how medical practices must report income from equity and fixed income investments. This article explores the new accounting rules and considers the other factors that help practices determine investment strategies, including desired investment return, comfort with level of risk, appropriate time horizons, liquidity needs and legal restrictions. The author also presents an example that examines the different considerations that may affect an asset allocation decision, including endowments and operating reserve funds.

  19. Visibility graph analysis of heart rate time series and bio-marker of congestive heart failure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhaduri, Anirban; Bhaduri, Susmita; Ghosh, Dipak

    2017-09-01

    Study of RR interval time series for Congestive Heart Failure had been an area of study with different methods including non-linear methods. In this article the cardiac dynamics of heart beat are explored in the light of complex network analysis, viz. visibility graph method. Heart beat (RR Interval) time series data taken from Physionet database [46, 47] belonging to two groups of subjects, diseased (congestive heart failure) (29 in number) and normal (54 in number) are analyzed with the technique. The overall results show that a quantitative parameter can significantly differentiate between the diseased subjects and the normal subjects as well as different stages of the disease. Further, the data when split into periods of around 1 hour each and analyzed separately, also shows the same consistent differences. This quantitative parameter obtained using the visibility graph analysis thereby can be used as a potential bio-marker as well as a subsequent alarm generation mechanism for predicting the onset of Congestive Heart Failure.

  20. 5 CFR 293.108 - Rules of conduct.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PERSONNEL RECORDS Basic Policies on Maintenance of Personnel Records § 293.108 Rules of conduct. (a) Scope. These rules of conduct apply to all Office and agency employees responsible for creation, development, maintenance, processing...

  1. Reducing Traffic Congestions by Introducing CACC-Vehicles on a Multi-Lane Highway Using Agent-Based Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arnaout, Georges M.; Bowling, Shannon R.

    2011-01-01

    Traffic congestion is an ongoing problem of great interest to researchers from different areas in academia. With the emerging technology for inter-vehicle communication, vehicles have the ability to exchange information with predecessors by wireless communication. In this paper, we present an agent-based model of traffic congestion and examine the impact of having CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) embedded vehicle(s) on a highway system consisting of 4 traffic lanes without overtaking. In our model, CACC vehicles adapt their acceleration/deceleration according to vehicle-to-vehicle inter-communication. We analyze the average speed of the cars, the shockwaves, and the evolution of traffic congestion throughout the lifecycle of the model. The study identifies how CACC vehicles affect the dynamics of traffic flow on a complex network and reduce the oscillatory behavior (stop and go) resulting from the acceleration/deceleration of the vehicles.

  2. A rule-based approach for the correlation of alarms to support Disaster and Emergency Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gloria, M.; Minei, G.; Lersi, V.; Pasquariello, D.; Monti, C.; Saitto, A.

    2009-04-01

    Key words: Simple Event Correlator, Agent Platform, Ontology, Semantic Web, Distributed Systems, Emergency Management The importance of recognition of emergency's typology to control the critical situation for security of citizens has been always recognized. It follows this aspect is very important for proper management of a hazardous event. In this work we present a solution for the recognition of emergency's typology adopted by an Italian research project, called CI6 (Centro Integrato per Servizi di Emergenza Innovativi). In our approach, CI6 receives alarms by citizen or people involved in the work (for example: police, operator of 112, and so on). CI6 represents any alarm by a set of information, including a text that describes it and obtained when the user points out the danger, and a pair of coordinates for its location. The system realizes an analysis of text and automatically infers information on the type of emergencies by means a set of parsing rules and rules of inference applied by a independent module: a correlator of events based on their log and called Simple Event Correlator (SEC). SEC, integrated in CI6's platform, is an open source and platform independent event correlation tool. SEC accepts input both files and text derived from standard input, making it flexible because it can be matched to any application that is able to write its output to a file stream. The SEC configuration is stored in text files as rules, each rule specifying an event matching condition, an action list, and optionally a Boolean expression whose truth value decides whether the rule can be applied at a given moment. SEC can produce output events by executing user-specified shell scripts or programs, by writing messages to files, and by various other means. SEC has been successfully applied in various domains like network management, system monitoring, data security, intrusion detection, log file monitoring and analysis, etc; it has been used or integrated with many

  3. Output congestion leads to compromised care in Peruvian public hospital neonatal units.

    PubMed

    Arrieta, Alejandro; Guillén, Jorge

    2017-06-01

    Peru is moving toward a universal health insurance system, and it is facing important challenges in the provision of public health services. As more citizens gain access to health insurance, the flow of patients exceeds the capacity of public hospitals to provide care with quality. In this study we explore the relationship between technical efficiency and patient safety events in neonatal care units of Peru's public hospitals. We use Data Envelope Analysis (DEA) with output congestion to assess the association between technical efficiency and patient safety events. We study 35 neonatal care units of public hospitals in Peru's Social Security Health System, and identify two undesirable (risk-adjusted) safety outcomes: neonatal mortality and near-miss neonatal mortality. We found that for about half of hospital's neonatal care units, technical efficiency is affected by output congestion. For those hospitals, patient safety is being compromised by receiving too many patients. Our results are consistent with public reports indicating that hospitals in the Peru's Social Security Health System are overcrowded, affecting efficiency and jeopardizing quality of care. We found that most congested hospitals are located in the capital city and suburban areas, and are more likely to be hospitals with the lowest and the highest level of care. Our results call for improvements in the patient referral system and capacity expansion.

  4. 30 CFR 250.1607 - Field rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... engineering information in a field enables a District Manager to determine specific operating requirements, field rules may be established for drilling, well completion, or well workover on the District Manager's... cause at any time upon the initiative of the District Manager or upon the request of a lessee. ...

  5. 42 CFR 35.2 - Compliance with hospital rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.2 Compliance with hospital rules. All patients and visitors in stations and hospitals of the Service are expected to comply with the rules and instructions...

  6. Incident management program for Virginia.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1988-01-01

    Freeways that are already operating at or near capacity are becoming more congested because of frequent incidents such as accidents, disabled vehicles, etc. In an effort to initiate an incident management program in Virginia, information from other s...

  7. 23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... LANDS HIGHWAYS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS National Park Service Management Systems § 970... value (protection/rejuvenation of resources, improved visitor experience) to the park and adjacent...

  8. 23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... LANDS HIGHWAYS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS National Park Service Management Systems § 970... value (protection/rejuvenation of resources, improved visitor experience) to the park and adjacent...

  9. Characterizing the tradeoffs and costs associated with transportation congestion in supply chains.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-01-21

    We consider distribution and location-planning models for supply chains that explicitly : account for traffic congestion effects. The majority of facility location and transportation : planning models in the operations research literature consider fa...

  10. Reducing congestion and funding transportation using road pricing in Europe and Singapore

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-12-01

    Congestion pricing use has been limited in the United States because of political, institutional, and public acceptance concerns. The Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and National Coo...

  11. Route Optimization for Offloading Congested Meter Fixes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Xue, Min; Zelinski, Shannon

    2016-01-01

    The Optimized Route Capability (ORC) concept proposed by the FAA facilitates traffic managers to identify and resolve arrival flight delays caused by bottlenecks formed at arrival meter fixes when there exists imbalance between arrival fixes and runways. ORC makes use of the prediction capability of existing automation tools, monitors the traffic delays based on these predictions, and searches the best reroutes upstream of the meter fixes based on the predictions and estimated arrival schedules when delays are over a predefined threshold. Initial implementation and evaluation of the ORC concept considered only reroutes available at the time arrival congestion was first predicted. This work extends previous work by introducing an additional dimension in reroute options such that ORC can find the best time to reroute and overcome the 'firstcome- first-reroute' phenomenon. To deal with the enlarged reroute solution space, a genetic algorithm was developed to solve this problem. Experiments were conducted using the same traffic scenario used in previous work, when an arrival rush was created for one of the four arrival meter fixes at George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport. Results showed the new approach further improved delay savings. The suggested route changes from the new approach were on average 30 minutes later than those using other approaches, and fewer numbers of reroutes were required. Fewer numbers of reroutes reduce operational complexity and later reroutes help decision makers deal with uncertain situations.

  12. Using the revenues from congestion pricing : a Southern California case study

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1992-09-01

    Congestion pricing has many goals and benefits, but one thing is clear: its success depends on wise use of the revenues. The economic theory behind the concept relies on these revenues to help compensate for the payments required of highway users. Pr...

  13. Acoustic rhinometry in the dog: a novel large animal model for studies of nasal congestion.

    PubMed

    Koss, Michael C; Yu, Yongxin; Hey, John A; McLeod, Robbie L

    2002-01-01

    The aim of this project was to develop and pharmacologically characterize an experimental dog model of nasal congestion in which nasal patency is measured using acoustic rhinometry. Solubilized compound 48/80 (0.3-3.0%) was administered intranasally to thiopental anesthetized beagle dogs to elicit nasal congestion via localized mast cell degranulation. Compound 48/80-induced effects on parameters of nasal patency were studied in vehicle-treated animals, as well as in the same animals pretreated 2 hours earlier with oral d-pseudoephedrine or chlorpheniramine. Local mast cell degranulation caused a close-related decrease in nasal cavity volume and minimal cross-sectional area (Amin) together with a highly variable increase in nasal secretions. Maximal responses were seen at 90-120 minutes after 48/80 administration. Oral administration of the adrenergic agonist, d-pseudoephedrine (3.0 mg/kg), significantly antagonized all of the nasal effects of compound 48/80 (3.0%). In contrast, oral administration of the histamine H1 receptor antagonist chlorpheniramine (10 mg/kg) appeared to reduce the increased nasal secretions but was without effect on the compound 48/ 80-induced nasal congestion (i.e., volume and Amin). These results show the effectiveness of using acoustic rhinometry in this anesthetized dog model. The observations that compound 48/80-induced nasal congestion was prevented by d-pseudoephedrine pretreatment, but not by chlorpheniramine, suggest that this noninvasive model system may provide an effective tool with which to study the actions of decongestant drugs in preclinical investigations.

  14. Agent Reward Shaping for Alleviating Traffic Congestion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tumer, Kagan; Agogino, Adrian

    2006-01-01

    Traffic congestion problems provide a unique environment to study how multi-agent systems promote desired system level behavior. What is particularly interesting in this class of problems is that no individual action is intrinsically "bad" for the system but that combinations of actions among agents lead to undesirable outcomes, As a consequence, agents need to learn how to coordinate their actions with those of other agents, rather than learn a particular set of "good" actions. This problem is ubiquitous in various traffic problems, including selecting departure times for commuters, routes for airlines, and paths for data routers. In this paper we present a multi-agent approach to two traffic problems, where far each driver, an agent selects the most suitable action using reinforcement learning. The agent rewards are based on concepts from collectives and aim to provide the agents with rewards that are both easy to learn and that if learned, lead to good system level behavior. In the first problem, we study how agents learn the best departure times of drivers in a daily commuting environment and how following those departure times alleviates congestion. In the second problem, we study how agents learn to select desirable routes to improve traffic flow and minimize delays for. all drivers.. In both sets of experiments,. agents using collective-based rewards produced near optimal performance (93-96% of optimal) whereas agents using system rewards (63-68%) barely outperformed random action selection (62-64%) and agents using local rewards (48-72%) performed worse than random in some instances.

  15. Perceptions of Rule-Breaking Related to Marine Ecosystem Health

    PubMed Central

    Slater, Matthew J.; Mgaya, Yunus D.; Stead, Selina M.

    2014-01-01

    Finding effective solutions to manage marine resources is high on political and conservation agendas worldwide. This is made more urgent by the rate of increase in the human population and concomitant resource pressures in coastal areas. This paper links empirical socio-economic data about perceptions of marine resource health to the breaking of marine management rules, using fisheries as a case study. The relationship between perceived rule-breaking (non-compliance with regulations controlling fishing) and perceived health of inshore marine environments was investigated through face-to-face interviews with 299 heads of households in three Tanzanian coastal communities in November and December 2011. Awareness of rules controlling fishing activity was high among all respondents. Fishers were able to describe more specific rules controlling fishing practices than non-fishers (t = 3.5, df = 297, p<0.01). Perceived breaking of fishing regulations was reported by nearly half of all respondents, saying “some” (32% of responses) or “most” (15% of responses) people break fishing rules. Ordinal regression modelling revealed a significant linkage (z = −3.44, p<0.001) in the relationship between respondents' perceptions of deteriorating marine health and their perception of increased rule-breaking. In this paper, inferences from an empirical study are used to identify and argue the potential for using perceptions of ecosystem health and level of rule-breaking as a means to guide management measures. When considering different management options (e.g. Marine Protected Areas), policy makers are advised to take account of and utilise likely egoistic or altruistic decision-making factors used by fishers to determine their marine activities. PMID:24586558

  16. Perceptions of rule-breaking related to marine ecosystem health.

    PubMed

    Slater, Matthew J; Mgaya, Yunus D; Stead, Selina M

    2014-01-01

    Finding effective solutions to manage marine resources is high on political and conservation agendas worldwide. This is made more urgent by the rate of increase in the human population and concomitant resource pressures in coastal areas. This paper links empirical socio-economic data about perceptions of marine resource health to the breaking of marine management rules, using fisheries as a case study. The relationship between perceived rule-breaking (non-compliance with regulations controlling fishing) and perceived health of inshore marine environments was investigated through face-to-face interviews with 299 heads of households in three Tanzanian coastal communities in November and December 2011. Awareness of rules controlling fishing activity was high among all respondents. Fishers were able to describe more specific rules controlling fishing practices than non-fishers (t = 3.5, df = 297, p<0.01). Perceived breaking of fishing regulations was reported by nearly half of all respondents, saying "some" (32% of responses) or "most" (15% of responses) people break fishing rules. Ordinal regression modelling revealed a significant linkage (z= -3.44, p<0.001) in the relationship between respondents' perceptions of deteriorating marine health and their perception of increased rule-breaking. In this paper, inferences from an empirical study are used to identify and argue the potential for using perceptions of ecosystem health and level of rule-breaking as a means to guide management measures. When considering different management options (e.g. Marine Protected Areas), policy makers are advised to take account of and utilise likely egoistic or altruistic decision-making factors used by fishers to determine their marine activities.

  17. Implementation of artificial intelligence rules in a data base management system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feyock, S.

    1986-01-01

    The intelligent front end prototype was transformed into a RIM-integrated system. A RIM-based expert system was written which demonstrated the developed capability. The use of rules to produce extensibility of the intelligent front end, including the concept of demons and rule manipulation rules were investigated. Innovative approaches such as syntax programming were to be considered.

  18. THE RAPID SHALLOW BREATHING RESULTING FROM PULMONARY CONGESTION AND EDEMA

    PubMed Central

    Churchill, Edward D.; Cope, Oliver

    1929-01-01

    These experiments record the effects of the experimental production of pulmonary congestion and edema in a lung completely isolated from the general circulation, but with an intact nerve supply. The resulting changes are: a slowing of the heart rate, a fall in systemic blood pressure and a temporary inhibition of respiration succeeded by rapid shallow breathing. The pulse rate and blood pressure show a rapid and spontaneous return to initial conditions. The respirations show a partial but not a complete return to their former rate and depth. The effects on respiration are similar to those described by Dunn and Binger and Moore which follow multiple embolism of the pulmonary circuit with starch granules. The alterations in the pulse rate and blood pressure are characteristic of the effects of vagal stimulation. A chemical effect on the respiratory center is excluded by the nature of the preparation. These results, therefore, add further evidence to support the hypothesis that the rapid shallow breathing attending congestion and edema of the lungs is due to the stimulation of nerve endings in the lungs. PMID:19869562

  19. Development of Watch Schedule Using Rules Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jurkevicius, Darius; Vasilecas, Olegas

    The software for schedule creation and optimization solves a difficult, important and practical problem. The proposed solution is an online employee portal where administrator users can create and manage watch schedules and employee requests. Each employee can login with his/her own account and see his/her assignments, manage requests, etc. Employees set as administrators can perform the employee scheduling online, manage requests, etc. This scheduling software allows users not only to see the initial and optimized watch schedule in a simple and understandable form, but also to create special rules and criteria and input their business. The system using rules automatically will generate watch schedule.

  20. Congestion based mechanism for route discovery in a V2I-V2V system applying smart devices and IoT.

    PubMed

    Parrado, Natalia; Donoso, Yezid

    2015-03-31

    The Internet of Things is a new paradigm in which objects in a specific context can be integrated into traditional communication networks to actively participate in solving a determined problem. The Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies are specific cases of IoT and key enablers for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). V2V and V2I have been widely used to solve different problems associated with transportation in cities, in which the most important is traffic congestion. A high percentage of congestion is usually presented by the inappropriate use of resources in vehicular infrastructure. In addition, the integration of traffic congestion in decision making for vehicular traffic is a challenge due to its high dynamic behavior. In this paper, an optimization model over the load balancing in the congestion percentage of the streets is formulated. Later, we explore a fully congestion-oriented route discovery mechanism and we make a proposal on the communication infrastructure that should support it based on V2I and V2V communication. The mechanism is also compared with a modified Dijkstra's approach that reacts at congestion states. Finally, we compare the results of the efficiency of the vehicle's trip with the efficiency in the use of the capacity of the vehicular network.

  1. Congestion Based Mechanism for Route Discovery in a V2I-V2V System Applying Smart Devices and IoT

    PubMed Central

    Parrado, Natalia; Donoso, Yezid

    2015-01-01

    The Internet of Things is a new paradigm in which objects in a specific context can be integrated into traditional communication networks to actively participate in solving a determined problem. The Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies are specific cases of IoT and key enablers for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). V2V and V2I have been widely used to solve different problems associated with transportation in cities, in which the most important is traffic congestion. A high percentage of congestion is usually presented by the inappropriate use of resources in vehicular infrastructure. In addition, the integration of traffic congestion in decision making for vehicular traffic is a challenge due to its high dynamic behavior. In this paper, an optimization model over the load balancing in the congestion percentage of the streets is formulated. Later, we explore a fully congestion-oriented route discovery mechanism and we make a proposal on the communication infrastructure that should support it based on V2I and V2V communication. The mechanism is also compared with a modified Dijkstra’s approach that reacts at congestion states. Finally, we compare the results of the efficiency of the vehicle’s trip with the efficiency in the use of the capacity of the vehicular network. PMID:25835185

  2. Private sector data for performance management.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-07-01

    This report examines and analyzes technical and institutional issues associated with the use of private sector travel time and speed data for public sector performance management. The primary data needs for congestion performance measures are outline...

  3. 78 FR 10206 - Notice of Final Supplementary Rules for Public Lands Managed by the Ukiah Field Office in Lake...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-13

    ... within the following areas: Lost Valley--40 acres (Cow Mountain Management Area, Mendocino County..., Sonoma County). d. The following rules apply to Cache Creek, Cow Mountain, Knoxville, Geysers, Indian... hour after sunset except for long-term parking for overnight backcountry visitors. Cow Mountain...

  4. The kidney in congestive heart failure: 'are natriuresis, sodium, and diuretics really the good, the bad and the ugly?'.

    PubMed

    Verbrugge, Frederik H; Dupont, Matthias; Steels, Paul; Grieten, Lars; Swennen, Quirine; Tang, W H Wilson; Mullens, Wilfried

    2014-02-01

    This review discusses renal sodium handling in heart failure. Increased sodium avidity and tendency to extracellular volume overload, i.e. congestion, are hallmark features of the heart failure syndrome. Particularly in the case of concomitant renal dysfunction, the kidneys often fail to elicit potent natriuresis. Yet, assessment of renal function is generally performed by measuring serum creatinine, which has inherent limitations as a biomarker for the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Moreover, glomerular filtration only represents part of the nephron's function. Alterations in the fractional reabsorptive rate of sodium are at least equally important in emerging therapy-refractory congestion. Indeed, renal blood flow decreases before the GFR is affected in congestive heart failure. The resulting increased filtration fraction changes Starling forces in peritubular capillaries, which drive sodium reabsorption in the proximal tubules. Congestion further stimulates this process by augmenting renal lymph flow. Consequently, fractional sodium reabsorption in the proximal tubules is significantly increased, limiting sodium delivery to the distal nephron. Orthosympathetic activation probably plays a pivotal role in those deranged intrarenal haemodynamics, which ultimately enhance diuretic resistance, stimulate neurohumoral activation with aldosterone breakthrough, and compromise the counter-regulatory function of natriuretic peptides. Recent evidence even suggests that intrinsic renal derangements might impair natriuresis early on, before clinical congestion or neurohumoral activation are evident. This represents a paradigm shift in heart failure pathophysiology, as it suggests that renal dysfunction-although not by conventional GFR measurements-is driving disease progression. In this respect, a better understanding of renal sodium handling in congestive heart failure is crucial to achieve more tailored decongestive therapy, while preserving renal function. © 2013 The

  5. 76 FR 56868 - Notice of Submission Deadline for Schedule Information for O'Hare International Airport, John F...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-14

    ... Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and... designated ORD as an IATA Level 2 airport, JFK as a Level 3 airport, and EWR as a Level 3 airport. Scheduled operations at JFK and EWR are currently limited by FAA Orders until a final Congestion Management Rule for...

  6. Challenges for Rule Systems on the Web

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Yuh-Jong; Yeh, Ching-Long; Laun, Wolfgang

    The RuleML Challenge started in 2007 with the objective of inspiring the issues of implementation for management, integration, interoperation and interchange of rules in an open distributed environment, such as the Web. Rules are usually classified as three types: deductive rules, normative rules, and reactive rules. The reactive rules are further classified as ECA rules and production rules. The study of combination rule and ontology is traced back to an earlier active rule system for relational and object-oriented (OO) databases. Recently, this issue has become one of the most important research problems in the Semantic Web. Once we consider a computer executable policy as a declarative set of rules and ontologies that guides the behavior of entities within a system, we have a flexible way to implement real world policies without rewriting the computer code, as we did before. Fortunately, we have de facto rule markup languages, such as RuleML or RIF to achieve the portability and interchange of rules for different rule systems. Otherwise, executing real-life rule-based applications on the Web is almost impossible. Several commercial or open source rule engines are available for the rule-based applications. However, we still need a standard rule language and benchmark for not only to compare the rule systems but also to measure the progress in the field. Finally, a number of real-life rule-based use cases will be investigated to demonstrate the applicability of current rule systems on the Web.

  7. 50 CFR 600.225 - Rules of conduct.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 12 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Rules of conduct. 600.225 Section 600.225 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MAGNUSON-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS Council Membership § 600.225 Rules of conduct. (a...

  8. Baroreflex Activation Therapy in Congestive Heart Failure: Novel Findings and Future Insights.

    PubMed

    Grassi, Guido; Brambilla, GianMaria; Pizzalla, Daniela Prata; Seravalle, Gino

    2016-08-01

    Congestive heart failure is characterized by hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic abnormalities, the latter including an activation of the sympathetic influences to the heart and peripheral circulation coupled with an impairment of baroreceptor control of autonomic function. Evidence has been provided that both these alterations are hallmark features of the disease with a specific relevance for the disease progression as well as for the development of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, a number of studies have documented in heart failure the adverse prognostic role of the sympathetic and baroreflex alterations, which both are regarded as major independent determinants of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This represents the pathophysiological and clinical background for the use of carotid baroreceptor activation therapy in the treatment of congestive heart failure. Promising data collected in experimental animal models of heart failure have supported the recent performance of pilot small-scale clinical studies, aimed at providing initial information in this area. The results of these studies demonstrated the clinical safety and efficacy of the intervention which has been tested in large-scale clinical studies. The present paper will critically review the background and main results of the published studies designed at defining the clinical impact of baroreflex activation therapy in congestive heart failure patients. Emphasis will be given to the strengths and limitations of such studies, which represent the background for the ongoing clinical trials testing the long-term effects of the device in heart failure patients.

  9. Relief of reinforcing congestion in beams and bent caps of concrete bridges.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-06-01

    In order to determine how to resolve the issues involving steel congestion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, three potential solutions to this problem were researched. In the first method, reinforced concrete (RC) was mixed with steel fibers. T...

  10. Evaluation of embolization for periuterine varices involving chronic pelvic pain secondary to pelvic congestion syndrome.

    PubMed

    Siqueira, Flavio Meirelles; Monsignore, Lucas Moretti; Rosa-E-Silva, Julio Cesar; Poli-Neto, Omero Benedicto; Castro-Afonso, Luis Henrique de; Nakiri, Guilherme Seizem; Muglia, Valdair Francisco; Abud, Daniel Giansante

    2016-12-01

    To evaluate the clinical response and success rate after periuterine varices embolization in patients with chronic pelvic pain secondary to pelvic congestion syndrome and to report the safety of endovascular treatment and its rate of complications. Retrospective cohort of patients undergoing endovascular treatment of pelvic congestion syndrome in our department from January 2012 to November 2015. Data were analyzed based on patient background, imaging findings, embolized veins, rate of complications, and clinical response as indicated by the visual analog pain scale. We performed periuterine varices embolization in 22 patients during the study, four of which required a second embolization. Seventeen patients reported a reduction in pelvic pain after the first embolization and three patients reported a reduction in pelvic pain after the second embolization. Minor complications were observed in our patients, such as postural hypotension, postoperative pain, and venous perforation during the procedure, without clinical repercussion. Periuterine varices embolization in patients with chronic pelvic pain secondary to pelvic congestion syndrome appears to be an effective and safe technique.

  11. Incident Management, Fast-Trac, Phase Iib Deliverables, #20. The Model Analysis Report On The Benefits Of Scats In Alleviating The Impacts Of Incidents

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-01-01

    FAST-TRAC : SELECTING THE MOST APPROPRIATE TRAFFIC CONTROL STRATEGY FOR INCIDENT CONGESTION MANAGEMENT CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE EXTENT AND DURATION OF THE RESULTING CONGESTION. THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTIVENESSES OF SEVERAL CONTRO...

  12. Acute Spinal Subdural Hematoma after Vertebroplasty: A Case Report Emphasizing the Possible Etiologic Role of Venous Congestion.

    PubMed

    Mattei, Tobias A; Rehman, Azeem A; Dinh, Dzung H

    2015-10-01

    Study Design Case report and literature review. Objective Spinal subdural hematomas are rare events that often progress with severe neurologic deficits. Although there have been several case reports in the literature of spontaneous spinal subdural hematomas in the setting of anticoagulation, antiplatelet therapy, or coagulation disorders, the exact pathophysiology of such phenomena remains obscure. Methods We present the first report of a subdural hematoma after a percutaneous vertebroplasty and provide a comprehensive review on the anatomy of venous drainage of the vertebral bodies with emphasis on the possible effects of venous congestion caused by cement obstruction. Results Because the subdural hematoma occurred in the absence of major cement extravasation to the spinal canal and two levels above the site of the vertebroplasty, we discuss the possible role of venous congestion as the main etiologic factor leading to rupture of the fragile, valveless radiculomedullary veins into the subdural space. Conclusions The reported case supports a possible new pathophysiological scheme for the development of spinal subdural hematoma in which venous congestion plays a pivotal etiologic role. The reported findings suggests that future anatomical and histologic studies investigating the response of the radiculomedullary veins to congestive venous hypertension may shed new light into the pathophysiology of spinal subdural hematomas.

  13. Acute Spinal Subdural Hematoma after Vertebroplasty: A Case Report Emphasizing the Possible Etiologic Role of Venous Congestion

    PubMed Central

    Mattei, Tobias A.; Rehman, Azeem A.; Dinh, Dzung H.

    2015-01-01

    Study Design Case report and literature review. Objective Spinal subdural hematomas are rare events that often progress with severe neurologic deficits. Although there have been several case reports in the literature of spontaneous spinal subdural hematomas in the setting of anticoagulation, antiplatelet therapy, or coagulation disorders, the exact pathophysiology of such phenomena remains obscure. Methods We present the first report of a subdural hematoma after a percutaneous vertebroplasty and provide a comprehensive review on the anatomy of venous drainage of the vertebral bodies with emphasis on the possible effects of venous congestion caused by cement obstruction. Results Because the subdural hematoma occurred in the absence of major cement extravasation to the spinal canal and two levels above the site of the vertebroplasty, we discuss the possible role of venous congestion as the main etiologic factor leading to rupture of the fragile, valveless radiculomedullary veins into the subdural space. Conclusions The reported case supports a possible new pathophysiological scheme for the development of spinal subdural hematoma in which venous congestion plays a pivotal etiologic role. The reported findings suggests that future anatomical and histologic studies investigating the response of the radiculomedullary veins to congestive venous hypertension may shed new light into the pathophysiology of spinal subdural hematomas. PMID:26430602

  14. CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE: WHERE HOMEOSTASIS BEGETS DYSHOMEOSTASIS

    PubMed Central

    Kamalov, German; Bhattacharya, Syamal K.; Weber, Karl T.

    2010-01-01

    Despite today’s standard of care, aimed at containing homeostatic neurohormonal activation, 1 in every 5 patients recently hospitalized with congestive heart failure (CHF) will be readmitted within 30 days of discharge because of a recurrence of their symptoms and signs. In light of recent pathophysiologic insights, it is now propitious to revisit CHF with a view toward complementary and evolving management strategies. CHF is a progressive systemic illness. Its features include: oxidative stress in diverse tissues; an immunostimulatory state with circulating proinflammatory cytokines; a wasting of soft tissues; and a resorption of bone. Its origins are rooted in homeostatic mechanisms gone awry to beget dyshomeostasis. For example, marked excretory losses of Ca2+ and Mg2+ accompany renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation, causing ionized hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia that lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) with consequent bone resorption and a propensity to atraumatic fractures. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) accounts for paradoxical intracellular Ca2+ overloading in diverse tissues and consequent systemic induction of oxidative stress. In cardiac myocytes and mitochondria these events orchestrate opening of the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore (mPTP) with an ensuing osmotic-based destruction of these organelles and resultant cardiomyocyte necrosis with myocardial scarring. Contemporaneous with Ca2+ and Mg2+ dyshomeostasis is hypozincemia and hyposelenemia, which compromise metalloenzyme-based antioxidant defenses while hypovitaminosis D threatens Ca2+ stores needed to prevent SHPT. An intrinsically coupled dyshomeostasis of intracellular Ca2+ and Zn2+, representing prooxidant and antioxidant, respectively, is integral to regulating mitochondrial redox state; it can be uncoupled by a Zn2+ supplement in favor of antioxidant defenses. Hence, the complementary use of nutriceuticals to nullify dyshomeostatic responses

  15. Research on Capacity Addition using Market Model with Transmission Congestion under Competitive Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katsura, Yasufumi; Attaviriyanupap, Pathom; Kataoka, Yoshihiko

    In this research, the fundamental premises for deregulation of the electric power industry are reevaluated. The authors develop a simple model to represent wholesale electricity market with highly congested network. The model is developed by simplifying the power system and market in New York ISO based on available data of New York ISO in 2004 with some estimation. Based on the developed model and construction cost data from the past, the economic impact of transmission line addition on market participants and the impact of deregulation on power plant additions under market with transmission congestion are studied. Simulation results show that the market signals may fail to facilitate proper capacity additions and results in the undesirable over-construction and insufficient-construction cycle of capacity addition.

  16. 41 CFR 101-8.704 - Rules against age discrimination.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2014-07-01 2012-07-01 true Rules against age... FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 8.7-Discrimination Prohibited on the Basis of Age § 101-8.704 Rules against age discrimination. The rules stated in this section are limited by the exceptions contained in § 101...

  17. 41 CFR 101-8.704 - Rules against age discrimination.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Rules against age... FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 8.7-Discrimination Prohibited on the Basis of Age § 101-8.704 Rules against age discrimination. The rules stated in this section are limited by the exceptions contained in § 101...

  18. 41 CFR 101-8.704 - Rules against age discrimination.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Rules against age... FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 8.7-Discrimination Prohibited on the Basis of Age § 101-8.704 Rules against age discrimination. The rules stated in this section are limited by the exceptions contained in § 101...

  19. 41 CFR 101-8.704 - Rules against age discrimination.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true Rules against age... FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 8.7-Discrimination Prohibited on the Basis of Age § 101-8.704 Rules against age discrimination. The rules stated in this section are limited by the exceptions contained in § 101...

  20. 41 CFR 101-8.704 - Rules against age discrimination.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2011-07-01 2007-07-01 true Rules against age... FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 8.7-Discrimination Prohibited on the Basis of Age § 101-8.704 Rules against age discrimination. The rules stated in this section are limited by the exceptions contained in § 101...

  1. The diagnostic accuracy of physical examination compared to lung ultrasound for determining lung congestion in hemodialysis patients who have reached their dry weight

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahardjo, K. D.; Dharmaeizar; Nainggolan, G.; Harimurti, K.

    2017-08-01

    Research has shown that hemodialysis patients with lung congestion have high morbidity and mortality. Patients were assumed to be free of lung congestion if they had reached their post-dialysis dry weight. Most often, to determine if the patient was free of lung congestion, physical examination was used. However, the accuracy of physical examination in detecting lung congestion has not been established. To compare the capabilities of physical examination and lung ultrasound in detection of lung congestion, cross-sectional data collection was conducted on hemodialysis patients. Analysis was done to obtain proportion, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and positive likelihood ratio. Sixty patients participated in this study. The inter observer variation of 20 patients revealed a kappa value of 0.828. When all 60 patients were taken into account, we found that 36 patients (57.1%) had lung congestion. Mild lung congestion was found in 24 (38.1%), and 12 (19%) had a moderate degree of congestion. In the analysis comparing jugular venous pressure to lung ultrasound, we found that sensitivity was 0.47 (0.31-0.63), specificity was 0.73 (0.54-0.86), positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.51 (0.36-0.67), negative predictive value (NPV) was 0.70 (0.49-0.84), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 1.75 (0.88-3.47), and the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.72 (0.47-1.12). In terms of lung auscultation, we found that sensitivity was 0.56 (0.39-0.71), specificity was 0.54 (0.35-0.71), PPV was 0.61 (0.44-0.76), NPV was 0.48 (0.31-0.66), PLR was 1.21 (0.73-2.0), and NLR was 0.82 (0.49-1.38). The results of our study showed that jugular venous distention and lung auscultation examination are not reliable means of detecting lung congestion.

  2. Development of a Traffic Management Decision Support Tool for Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) Plan Deployment : Research Summary

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-12-01

    In designing an effective traffic management plan for non-recurrent congestion, it is critical for responsible highway agencies to have some vital information, such as estimated incident duration, resulting traffic queues, and the expected delays. Ov...

  3. 29 CFR 452.49 - Other union rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Relating to Labor OFFICE OF LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS GENERAL STATEMENT CONCERNING THE ELECTION PROVISIONS OF THE LABOR-MANAGEMENT REPORTING AND DISCLOSURE ACT.... Such rules are intended to encourage as many members as possible to seek positions of leadership in the...

  4. 26 CFR 601.601 - Rules and regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... appear in internal management documents, are published in the Bulletin. No unpublished ruling or decision... internal management documents, but, where appropriate, they are also published to announce practices and procedures for guidance of the public. It is Service practice to publish as much of the internal management...

  5. Feasibility of incorporating crash risk in developing congestion mitigation measures for interstate highways : a case study of the Hampton Roads area.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-01-01

    A relationship between traffic flow variables and crash characteristics can greatly help the traffic engineer in the field to arrive at appropriate congestion mitigation measures that not only alleviate congestion and save time but also reduce the pr...

  6. 14 CFR 105.21 - Parachute operations over or into a congested area or an open-air assembly of persons.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... congested area or an open-air assembly of persons. 105.21 Section 105.21 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL...-air assembly of persons. (a) No person may conduct a parachute operation, and no pilot in command of... congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or an open-air assembly of persons unless a certificate of...

  7. Interpretation and use of natriuretic peptides in non-congestive heart failure settings.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Shih-Hung; Lin, Yen-Yue; Chu, Shi-Jye; Hsu, Ching-Wang; Cheng, Shu-Meng

    2010-03-01

    Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been found to be useful markers in differentiating acute dyspneic patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and emerged as potent prognostic markers for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The best-established and widely used clinical application of BNP and NT-proBNP testing is for the emergent diagnosis of CHF in patients presenting with acute dyspnea. Nevertheless, elevated NPs levels can be found in many circumstances involving left ventricular (LV) dysfunction or hypertrophy; right ventricular (RV) dysfunction secondary to pulmonary diseases; cardiac inflammatory or infectious diseases; endocrinology diseases and high output status without decreased LV ejection fraction. Even in the absence of significant clinical evidence of volume overload or LV dysfunction, markedly elevated NP levels can be found in patients with multiple comorbidities with a certain degree of prognostic value. Potential clinical applications of NPs are expanded accompanied by emerging reports regarding screening the presence of secondary cardiac dysfunction; monitoring the therapeutic responses, risk stratifications and providing prognostic values in many settings. Clinicians need to have expanded knowledge regarding the interpretation of elevated NPs levels and potential clinical applications of NPs. Clinicians should recognize that currently the only reasonable application for routine practice is limited to differentiation of acute dyspnea, rule-out-diagnostic-tests, monitoring of therapeutic responses and prognosis of acute or decompensated CHF. The rationales as well the potential applications of NPs in these settings are discussed in this review article.

  8. Interpretation and Use of Natriuretic Peptides in Non-Congestive Heart Failure Settings

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Yen-Yue; Chu, Shi-Jye; Hsu, Ching-Wang; Cheng, Shu-Meng

    2010-01-01

    Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been found to be useful markers in differentiating acute dyspneic patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and emerged as potent prognostic markers for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The best-established and widely used clinical application of BNP and NT-proBNP testing is for the emergent diagnosis of CHF in patients presenting with acute dyspnea. Nevertheless, elevated NPs levels can be found in many circumstances involving left ventricular (LV) dysfunction or hypertrophy; right ventricular (RV) dysfunction secondary to pulmonary diseases; cardiac inflammatory or infectious diseases; endocrinology diseases and high output status without decreased LV ejection fraction. Even in the absence of significant clinical evidence of volume overload or LV dysfunction, markedly elevated NP levels can be found in patients with multiple comorbidities with a certain degree of prognostic value. Potential clinical applications of NPs are expanded accompanied by emerging reports regarding screening the presence of secondary cardiac dysfunction; monitoring the therapeutic responses, risk stratifications and providing prognostic values in many settings. Clinicians need to have expanded knowledge regarding the interpretation of elevated NPs levels and potential clinical applications of NPs. Clinicians should recognize that currently the only reasonable application for routine practice is limited to differentiation of acute dyspnea, rule-out-diagnostic-tests, monitoring of therapeutic responses and prognosis of acute or decompensated CHF. The rationales as well the potential applications of NPs in these settings are discussed in this review article. PMID:20191004

  9. Brain stem venous congestion due to dural arteriovenous fistulas of the cavernous sinus.

    PubMed

    Kai, Y; Hamada, J I; Morioka, M; Yano, S; Ushio, Y

    2004-10-01

    Venous congestion of the brain stem due to dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) in the cavernous sinus is rare and presents therapeutic challenges. To assess the prognosis of patients with symptomatic DAVFs and brain stem dysfunction, we evaluated the degree of venous ischemia by examining pre- and post-treatment magnetic resonance images (MRI) in 2 patients presenting with venous congestion of the brain stem. A 56-year-old woman with left hemiparesis and a 70-year-old woman with gait disturbance attributable to right cavernous sinus DAVFs were referred to our hospital. In both cases, T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed a hyperintensity lesion in the brainstem due to venous congestion. Both patients underwent open surgery for direct embolization of the cavernous sinus because there were no approach routes for transvenous embolization. The patient whose pretreatment MRI demonstrated Gd enhancement continued to manifest neurological deficits and persistence of the abnormal hyperintensity on post-treatment T2-weighted MRI. In the other patient whose pretreatment MRI showed no Gd enhancement, treatment produced a complete response of her neurological deficit and disappearance of the abnormal hyperintensity area. We tentatively conclude that lesions corresponding to hyperintensity areas on non-Gd-enhanced, T2-weighted MRI may reflect a reversible condition whereas lesions identified as hyperintense areas on GD-enhanced T2-weighted MRI may be indicative of irreversibility.

  10. Political and Public Acceptability of Congestion Pricing: Ideology and Self-Interest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harsman, Bjorn; Quigley, John M.

    2010-01-01

    Studies of the "stated preferences" of households generally report public and political opposition by urban commuters to congestion pricing. It is thought that this opposition inhibits or precludes tolls and pricing systems that would enhance efficiency in the use of scarce roadways. This paper analyzes the only case in which road…

  11. 17 CFR 200.29 - Rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... INFORMATION AND REQUESTS Organization and Program Management General Organization § 200.29 Rules. The.... Where any such proposals presents a legal problem or is a matter of first impression, or involves a...

  12. 5 CFR 960.108 - Additional rules and directives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Additional rules and directives. 960.108 Section 960.108 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDS § 960.108 Additional rules and directives. The Director may...

  13. 5 CFR 960.108 - Additional rules and directives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Additional rules and directives. 960.108 Section 960.108 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDS § 960.108 Additional rules and directives. The Director may...

  14. Congestion transition in air traffic networks.

    PubMed

    Monechi, Bernardo; Servedio, Vito D P; Loreto, Vittorio

    2015-01-01

    Air Transportation represents a very interesting example of a complex techno-social system whose importance has considerably grown in time and whose management requires a careful understanding of the subtle interplay between technological infrastructure and human behavior. Despite the competition with other transportation systems, a growth of air traffic is still foreseen in Europe for the next years. The increase of traffic load could bring the current Air Traffic Network above its capacity limits so that safety standards and performances might not be guaranteed anymore. Lacking the possibility of a direct investigation of this scenario, we resort to computer simulations in order to quantify the disruptive potential of an increase in traffic load. To this end we model the Air Transportation system as a complex dynamical network of flights controlled by humans who have to solve potentially dangerous conflicts by redirecting aircraft trajectories. The model is driven and validated through historical data of flight schedules in a European national airspace. While correctly reproducing actual statistics of the Air Transportation system, e.g., the distribution of delays, the model allows for theoretical predictions. Upon an increase of the traffic load injected in the system, the model predicts a transition from a phase in which all conflicts can be successfully resolved, to a phase in which many conflicts cannot be resolved anymore. We highlight how the current flight density of the Air Transportation system is well below the transition, provided that controllers make use of a special re-routing procedure. While the congestion transition displays a universal scaling behavior, its threshold depends on the conflict solving strategy adopted. Finally, the generality of the modeling scheme introduced makes it a flexible general tool to simulate and control Air Transportation systems in realistic and synthetic scenarios.

  15. [The repercussions of pulmonary congestion on ventilatory volumes, capacities and flows].

    PubMed

    Carmo, M M; Ferreira, T; Lousada, N; Bárbara, C; Neves, P R; Correia, J M; Rendas, A B

    1994-10-01

    To evaluate the effects of pulmonary congestion on pulmonary function. Prospective study performed in patients with left ventricular failure or mitral stenosis. Forty-eight hospitalized patients were included suffering from pulmonary congestion either from left ventricular failure or mitral stenosis. While in hospital all patients were submitted to right heart catheterization by the Swan-Ganz method and also to an echocardiographic examination. Within 48 hours after the patients were submitted to the following lung function studies: lung volumes and capacities by the multi-breath helium dilution method and airway flows by pneumotachography. Respiratory symptoms were evaluated by the Medical Research Council Questionnaire and the functional class classified according to the NYHA. Correlations were made between the functional and clinical data. Regarding the cardiac evaluation patients presented with a mean pulmonary wedge pressure of 19.9 +/- 8.6 mmHg, a cardiac index of 2.5 +/- 0.8 l/min/m2, an end diastolic dimension of the left ventricle of 65.9 +/- 10.1 mm, and end systolic dimension of 51.2 +/- 12.2 mm, with a shortening fraction of 21.8 +/- 9.5%. The pulmonary evaluation showed a restrictive syndrome with a reduction in the mean values of the following parameters: total pulmonary capacity 71 +/- 14.4% of the predicted value (pv), forced vital capacity (FVC) 69.8 +/- 20.5% pv, and forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of 64 +/- 21.8% vp. The index FEV1/FVC was within the normal value of 72.7 +/- 9.7%. These lung function results did not correlate significantly with either the clinical, the hemodynamic or echocardiographic findings. In these group of patients pulmonary congestion led to the development of a restrictive syndrome which failed to correlate in severity with the duration of the disease, the pulmonary wedge pressure and the left ventricular function.

  16. Readability Assessment of Online Patient Education Material on Congestive Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Kher, Akhil; Johnson, Sandra; Griffith, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Online health information is being used more ubiquitously by the general population. However, this information typically favors only a small percentage of readers, which can result in suboptimal medical outcomes for patients. The readability of online patient education materials regarding the topic of congestive heart failure was assessed through six readability assessment tools. The search phrase "congestive heart failure" was employed into the search engine Google. Out of the first 100 websites, only 70 were included attending to compliance with selection and exclusion criteria. These were then assessed through six readability assessment tools. Only 5 out of 70 websites were within the limits of the recommended sixth-grade readability level. The mean readability scores were as follows: the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (9.79), Gunning-Fog Score (11.95), Coleman-Liau Index (15.17), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index (11.39), and the Flesch Reading Ease (48.87). Most of the analyzed websites were found to be above the sixth-grade readability level recommendations. Efforts need to be made to better tailor online patient education materials to the general population.

  17. A one-model approach based on relaxed combinations of inputs for evaluating input congestion in DEA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khodabakhshi, Mohammad

    2009-08-01

    This paper provides a one-model approach of input congestion based on input relaxation model developed in data envelopment analysis (e.g. [G.R. Jahanshahloo, M. Khodabakhshi, Suitable combination of inputs for improving outputs in DEA with determining input congestion -- Considering textile industry of China, Applied Mathematics and Computation (1) (2004) 263-273; G.R. Jahanshahloo, M. Khodabakhshi, Determining assurance interval for non-Archimedean ele improving outputs model in DEA, Applied Mathematics and Computation 151 (2) (2004) 501-506; M. Khodabakhshi, A super-efficiency model based on improved outputs in data envelopment analysis, Applied Mathematics and Computation 184 (2) (2007) 695-703; M. Khodabakhshi, M. Asgharian, An input relaxation measure of efficiency in stochastic data analysis, Applied Mathematical Modelling 33 (2009) 2010-2023]. This approach reduces solving three problems with the two-model approach introduced in the first of the above-mentioned reference to two problems which is certainly important from computational point of view. The model is applied to a set of data extracted from ISI database to estimate input congestion of 12 Canadian business schools.

  18. 41 CFR 102-117.100 - What business rules must I consider before acquiring transportation or related services?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false What business rules must...) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION TRANSPORTATION 117-TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT Business Rules To Consider Before Shipping Freight or Household Goods § 102-117.100 What business rules must I consider before...

  19. Integrated Traffic Flow Management Decision Making

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grabbe, Shon R.; Sridhar, Banavar; Mukherjee, Avijit

    2009-01-01

    A generalized approach is proposed to support integrated traffic flow management decision making studies at both the U.S. national and regional levels. It can consider tradeoffs between alternative optimization and heuristic based models, strategic versus tactical flight controls, and system versus fleet preferences. Preliminary testing was accomplished by implementing thirteen unique traffic flow management models, which included all of the key components of the system and conducting 85, six-hour fast-time simulation experiments. These experiments considered variations in the strategic planning look-ahead times, the replanning intervals, and the types of traffic flow management control strategies. Initial testing indicates that longer strategic planning look-ahead times and re-planning intervals result in steadily decreasing levels of sector congestion for a fixed delay level. This applies when accurate estimates of the air traffic demand, airport capacities and airspace capacities are available. In general, the distribution of the delays amongst the users was found to be most equitable when scheduling flights using a heuristic scheduling algorithm, such as ration-by-distance. On the other hand, equity was the worst when using scheduling algorithms that took into account the number of seats aboard each flight. Though the scheduling algorithms were effective at alleviating sector congestion, the tactical rerouting algorithm was the primary control for avoiding en route weather hazards. Finally, the modeled levels of sector congestion, the number of weather incursions, and the total system delays, were found to be in fair agreement with the values that were operationally observed on both good and bad weather days.

  20. Managerial Innovation: Rules for Successful Implementation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldridge, J. Victor

    1980-01-01

    The Higher Education Research Institute studied the impact of Exxon Foundation grants from the Resource Allocation and Management Program (RAMP) at 49 private colleges to determine if and how college planning and financial stability were affected by changes in management techniques. Rules for supporting innovations at various phases of a project's…

  1. Connected vehicle enabled freeway merge management - field test.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-01-01

    Freeway congestion is a major problem of the transportation system, resulting in major economic : loss in terms of traffic delays and fuel costs. With connected vehicle (CV) technologies, more : proactive traffic management strategies are possible. T...

  2. Integrated corridor management : implementation guide and lessons learned.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-02-01

    This implementation guide is intended for use by adopters of integrated corridor management (ICM) approaches and strategies to address congestion and travel time reliability issues within specific travel corridors. It introduces the topic of ICM and ...

  3. Learning the Rules: The Anatomy of Children's Relationships.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bigelow, Brian J.; Tesson, Geoffrey; Lewko, John H.

    This book explores the process and characteristics of children's personal and social relationships. To determine what relationships mean to children and how children manage those relationships, a recursive interviewing technique was used with nearly a thousand children to detail children's social rules. Those rules cover a range of social issues,…

  4. 42 CFR 35.1 - Hospital and station rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Hospital and station rules. 35.1 Section 35.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.1 Hospital and station rules. The officer in charge...

  5. 42 CFR 35.2 - Compliance with hospital rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Compliance with hospital rules. 35.2 Section 35.2 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.2 Compliance with hospital rules. All patients and...

  6. 42 CFR 35.2 - Compliance with hospital rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Compliance with hospital rules. 35.2 Section 35.2 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.2 Compliance with hospital rules. All patients and...

  7. 42 CFR 35.1 - Hospital and station rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Hospital and station rules. 35.1 Section 35.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.1 Hospital and station rules. The officer in charge...

  8. 42 CFR 35.1 - Hospital and station rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Hospital and station rules. 35.1 Section 35.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.1 Hospital and station rules. The officer in charge...

  9. 42 CFR 35.2 - Compliance with hospital rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Compliance with hospital rules. 35.2 Section 35.2 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.2 Compliance with hospital rules. All patients and...

  10. 42 CFR 35.1 - Hospital and station rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Hospital and station rules. 35.1 Section 35.1 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.1 Hospital and station rules. The officer in charge...

  11. 42 CFR 35.2 - Compliance with hospital rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Compliance with hospital rules. 35.2 Section 35.2 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICAL CARE AND EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.2 Compliance with hospital rules. All patients and...

  12. MQCC: Maximum Queue Congestion Control for Multipath Networks with Blockage

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-10-19

    higher error rates in wireless networks result in a great deal of “false” congestion indications, resulting in underutilization of the network [4...approaches that are relevant to lossy wireless networks . Multipath TCP (MPTCP) schemes [9], [10] explore the design and implementation of multipath...attempts to “fix” TCP to work with lossy wireless networks using existing techniques. The authors have taken the view that because packet losses are

  13. The impact of truck repositioning on congestion and pollution in the LA basin.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-01

    Pollution and congestion caused by port related truck traffic is usually estimated based on careful transportation modeling and simulation. In these efforts, however, attention is normally focused on trucks on their way from a terminal at the Los Ang...

  14. Enhancement of freeway incident traffic management and resulting benefits.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-04-01

    To improve traffic conditions on major highways plagued by non-recurrent congestion, most : highway agencies have invested their resources in two principal operational programs: incident response : and clearance, and traffic impact management. Howeve...

  15. Freeway geometric design for active traffic management in Europe

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-01

    Continued growth in travel on congested urban freeway corridors exceeds the ability of agencies to provide sufficient solutions and alternatives based on traditional roadway expansion and improvement projects. Several countries are implementing manag...

  16. Congestive Heart Failure: A Case of Protein Misfolding

    PubMed Central

    Ha, Chung-Eun; Bhagavan, Nadhipuram V; Loscalzo, Miki; Chan, Stephen K; Nguyen, Huy V; Rios, Carlos N

    2014-01-01

    This article describes an interesting case of a patient presenting with congestive heart failure found to have restrictive cardiomyopathy with initial laboratory evaluation showing hypogammaglobuminemia without a monoclonal band on serum and urine electrophoresis. This case highlights the clinically significant cardiac manifestation caused by protein misfolding, a defect in protein homeostasis. In addition, the utility of a relatively newer laboratory test, serum free light chains as well as the importance of clinical and pathophysiologic correlation is also discussed. We present a relatively uncommon cause of heart disease, cardiac amyloidosis in a patient with a systemic plasma cell dyscrasia, and multiple myeloma. PMID:24959390

  17. Safety rules and regulations on mine sites - the problem and a solution.

    PubMed

    Laurence, David

    2005-01-01

    Many accidents and incidents on mine sites have a causal factor in the rules and regulations that supposedly are in place to prevent the incident from occurring. The causes involve a lack of awareness or understanding, ignorance, or deliberate violations. The issue of mine rules, procedures, and regulations is a central focus of this paper, highlighted by this recent comment - "very few people have accidents for which there is no procedure in place..." An attitudinal survey was conducted at 33 mines throughout NSW, Queensland and international mine sites involving almost 500 mineworkers. The survey was in the form of a self-completing questionnaire, consisting of approximately 65 questions. It aimed to seek the opinions of the mining workforce on safety rules and regulations generally, as well as how they apply to their specific jobs on a mine site. The research also aimed to investigate: (a) the level of awareness and understanding of mine rules and procedures such as manager's rules and safe work procedures (SWPs); (b) the level of awareness and understanding of mine safety regulations and legislation; (c) the extent of communication of and commitment to rules and regulations; (d) the extent of compliance with rules and regulations; and (e) attitudes regarding errors, risk-taking, and accidents and their interaction with rules and regulations. The sample consisted of a random selection of underground and open pit mines, extracting coal, metals, or industrial minerals. The insights provided by the mineworkers enabled a set of principles to be developed to guide mine management and regulators in the development of more effective rules and regulations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPACT ON THE MINING INDUSTRY: (a) Management and regulators should not continue to produce more and more rules and regulations to cover every aspect of mining. (b) Detailed prescriptive regulations, detailed safe work procedures, and voluminous safety management plans will not "connect" with a miner

  18. Lung congestion augments the responses of cells in the rapidly adapting receptor pathway to cigarette smoke in rabbit.

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Z; Bonham, A C

    1995-01-01

    1. We examined the effects of cigarette smoke, inhaled alone and during mild pulmonary venous congestion, on the activity of fifty-three neurones in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) that were excited by input from pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors (RAR). Ten neurones excited by slowly adapting stretch receptors (SAR) were also studied. 2. Extracellular recordings of RAR-activated neurones were recorded in alpha-chloralose anaesthetized rabbits. Smoke from low- and high-nicotine cigarettes was delivered through a ventilator. Mild pulmonary venous congestion was produced by inflating a balloon in the left atrium. 3. Inhalation of three breaths of smoke from low-nicotine cigarettes increased the activity of fifty-one out of fifty-three RAR-activated neurones from 5.9 +/- 1.0 to 14.4 +/- 2.1 spikes breath-1 (P < 0.05). 4. The responses of fifteen neurones were compared with smoke inhaled alone or during mild pulmonary venous congestion. Smoke alone increased unit activity from 6.8 +/- 2.3 to 12.6 +/- 3.7 spikes breath-1 (P < 0.05). Small increases in left atrial pressure (2.0 +/- 0.5 mmHg) had no effect on baseline unit activity (7.6 +/- 2.11 vs. 7.7 +/- 2.3 spikes breath-1; P > 0.05), but enhanced the responses to smoke, increasing the activity from 7.6 +/- 2.1 to 17.1 +/- 4.8 spikes breath-1 (P < 0.05). The response was greater than to smoke alone (P < 0.05). 5. Of ten SAR-activated neurones, seven failed to respond to inhaled cigarette smoke, two were excited and one was inhibited. Pulmonary venous congestion had no effect on the unit activity before and after smoke (n = 4 neurones). 6. We conclude that smoke-evoked excitation of RAR lower-order neurones is augmented by pulmonary venous congestion. Images Figure 3 PMID:7602520

  19. 42 CFR 35.1 - Hospital and station rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... EXAMINATIONS HOSPITAL AND STATION MANAGEMENT General § 35.1 Hospital and station rules. The officer in charge of a station or hospital of the Service is authorized to adopt such rules and issue such instructions... for the efficient operation of the station or hospital and for the proper and humane care and...

  20. Flight Rules Critical Readiness Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, E.; Knudsen, F.; Rice, S.

    2010-01-01

    The increment 23/24 Critical Readiness Review (CRR) flight rules are presented. The topics include: 1) B13-152 Acoustic Constraints; 2) B13-113 IFM/Corrective Action Prioritization Due to Loss of Exercise Capability; 3) B13-116 Constraints on Treadmill VIS Failure; 4) B13-201 Medical Management of ISS Fire/Smoke Response; 5) ARED and T2 Exercise constraints Flight rules (flight and stage specific); 6) FYI: B14 FR to be updated with requirement to sample crew sleep locations prior to receiving a "recommendation" from SRAG on where to sleep.

  1. Optimal topology to minimizing congestion in connected communication complex network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benyoussef, M.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.; Benyoussef, A.

    In this paper, a new model of the interdependent complex network is proposed, based on two assumptions that (i) the capacity of a node depends on its degree, and (ii) the traffic load depends on the distribution of the links in the network. Based on these assumptions, the presented model proposes a method of connection not based on the node having a higher degree but on the region containing hubs. It is found that the final network exhibits two kinds of degree distribution behavior, depending on the kind and the way of the connection. This study reveals a direct relation between network structure and traffic flow. It is found that pc the point of transition between the free flow and the congested phase depends on the network structure and the degree distribution. Moreover, this new model provides an improvement in the traffic compared to the results found in a single network. The same behavior of degree distribution found in a BA network and observed in the real world is obtained; except for this model, the transition point between the free phase and congested phase is much higher than the one observed in a network of BA, for both static and dynamic protocols.

  2. Liver Function in Areas of Hepatic Venous Congestion After Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer: 99mTc-GSA SPECT/CT Fused Imaging Study.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Morikatsu; Beppu, Toru; Shiraishi, Shinya; Tsuda, Noriko; Sakamoto, Fumi; Kuramoto, Kunitaka; Okabe, Hirohisa; Nitta, Hidetoshi; Imai, Katsunori; Tomiguchi, Seiji; Baba, Hideo; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

    2018-05-01

    Background/Aim: The sacrifice of a major hepatic vein can cause hepatic venous congestion (HVC). We evaluated the effects of HVC on regional liver function using the liver uptake value (LUV), that was calculated from 99m Tc-labeled-galactosyl-human-serum-albumin ( 99m Tc-GSA) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) /contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) fused images. Patients and Methods: Sixty-two patients underwent 99m Tc-GSA SPECT/CE-CT prior to hepatectomy for liver cancer and at 7 days after surgery were divided into groups with (n=8) and without HVC (n=54). In the HVC group, CT volume (CTv) and LUV were separately calculated in both congested and non-congested areas. Results: The remnant LUV/CTv of the HVC group was significantly smaller than that of the non-HVC group (p<0.01). The mean functional ratio was 0.47±0.05, and all ratios were ≥0.39. Conclusion: After hepatectomy with sacrifice of major hepatic vein, liver function per unit volume in the congested areas was approximately 40% of that in the non-congested areas. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  3. 41 CFR 102-117.100 - What business rules must I consider before acquiring transportation or related services?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What business rules must... Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION TRANSPORTATION 117-TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT Business Rules To Consider...

  4. Why Rules Matter in Complex Event Processing...and Vice Versa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vincent, Paul

    Many commercial and research CEP solutions are moving beyond simple stream query languages to more complete definitions of "process" and thence to "decisions" and "actions". And as capabilities increase in event processing capabilities, there is an increasing realization that the humble "rule" is as relevant to the event cloud as it is to specific services. Less obvious is how much event processing has to offer the process and rule execution and management technologies. Does event processing change the way we should manage businesses, processes and services, together with their embedded (and hopefully managed) rulesets?

  5. Leech Therapy For The Treatment Of Venous Congestion In Flaps, Digital Re-Plants And Revascularizations - A Two-Year Review From A Regional Centre.

    PubMed

    Butt, Ahsan Masood; Ismail, Amir; Lawson-Smith, Matthew; Shahid, Muhammad; Webb, Jill; Chester, Darren L

    2016-01-01

    Leeches are a well-recognized treatment for congested tissue. This study reviewed the efficacy of leech therapy for salvage of venous congested flaps and congested replanted or revascularized hand digits over a 2-year period. All patients treated with leeches between 1 Oct 2010 and 30 Sep 2012 (two years) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK were included in the study. Details regarding mode of injury requiring reconstruction, surgical procedure, leech therapy duration, subsequent surgery requirement and tissue salvage rates were recorded. Twenty tissues in 18 patients required leeches for tissue congestion over 2 years: 13 men and 5 women. The mean patient age was 41 years (range 17-79). The defect requiring reconstruction was trauma in 16 cases, following tumour resection in two, and two miscellaneous causes. Thirteen cases had flap reconstruction and seven digits in six patients had hand digit replantations or revascularisation. Thirteen of 20 cases (65%) had successful tissue salvage following leech therapy for congestion (77% in 10 out of 13 flaps, and 43% in 3 of 7 digits). The rate of tissue salvage in pedicled flaps was good 6/6 (100%) and so was in digital revascularizations 2/3 (67%), but poor in digital re-plants 1/4 (25%) and free flaps 0/2 (0%). Leeches are a helpful tool for congested tissue salvage and in this study, showed a greater survival benefit for pedicled flaps than for free flaps or digital replantations.

  6. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Recreation Site Choice with Expected Congestion and Social Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snipes, Katherine H.

    2009-01-01

    A set of computer-based recreation choice experiments were run to examine the effect of expected congestion and social interactions on the decision making process. MouseTrace is a process-tracing program that recorded individual subject's information acquisitions and provided the necessary information to determine if subjects used attribute-based…

  7. Buffer Management Simulation in ATM Networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yaprak, E.; Xiao, Y.; Chronopoulos, A.; Chow, E.; Anneberg, L.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a simulation of a new dynamic buffer allocation management scheme in ATM networks. To achieve this objective, an algorithm that detects congestion and updates the dynamic buffer allocation scheme was developed for the OPNET simulation package via the creation of a new ATM module.

  8. Twin Cities Metro Freight Initiative : Performance Management Framework

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-10-31

    As the demand for freight and passenger transportation continues to increase faster than our ability to manage current transportation facilities or provide new ones, we can expect increased congestion and lower mobility, as well as degradation of saf...

  9. Traffic congestion and ozone precursor emissions in Bilbao, Spain.

    PubMed

    Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel; Madariaga, Imanol

    2003-01-01

    can only be made on the long-term time scale, since that is the only fraction embedded in the ozone time series that can exclusively be attributed to emissions of precursors. This fact stresses the need to study the different fractions embedded in the time series of ozone measured levels separately. Though the coefficients obtained in the regression are only valid for the 1993-1996 period, these traffic regimes represent long-term targets (congestion or fluent traffic) that can inspire policies for a joint management of the traffic and pollution by ozone in the area of Bilbao beyond that period. The results of this work show the need of a joint management of ozone and traffic in Bilbao. Since an accurate knowledge of traffic was not available, the use of emission factors to relate traffic and actual ozone levels has not been possible. For this reason, this study has focused on the long-term fractions of traffic and ozone. In the future, if a more accurate knowledge of traffic is available, it will be possible to find relationships between traffic and ozone on all time scales.

  10. Implementation of the Algorithm for Congestion control in the Dynamic Circuit Network (DCN)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nalamwar, H. S.; Ivanov, M. A.; Buddhawar, G. U.

    2017-01-01

    Transport Control Protocol (TCP) incast congestion happens when a number of senders work in parallel with the same server where the high bandwidth and low latency network problem occurs. For many data center network applications such as a search engine, heavy traffic is present on such a server. Incast congestion degrades the entire performance as packets are lost at a server side due to buffer overflow, and as a result, the response time becomes longer. In this work, we focus on TCP throughput, round-trip time (RTT), receive window and retransmission. Our method is based on the proactive adjust of the TCP receive window before the packet loss occurs. We aim to avoid the wastage of the bandwidth by adjusting its size as per the number of packets. To avoid the packet loss, the ICTCP algorithm has been implemented in the data center network (ToR).

  11. SIRE: A Simple Interactive Rule Editor for NICBES

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bykat, Alex

    1988-01-01

    To support evolution of domain expertise, and its representation in an expert system knowledge base, a user-friendly rule base editor is mandatory. The Nickel Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES), a prototype of an expert system for the Hubble Space Telescope power storage management system, does not provide such an editor. In the following, a description of a Simple Interactive Rule Base Editor (SIRE) for NICBES is described. The SIRE provides a consistent internal representation of the NICBES knowledge base. It supports knowledge presentation and provides a user-friendly and code language independent medium for rule addition and modification. The SIRE is integrated with NICBES via an interface module. This module provides translation of the internal representation to Prolog-type rules (Horn clauses), latter rule assertion, and a simple mechanism for rule selection for its Prolog inference engine.

  12. Optimized active traffic management and speed harmonization in work zones.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    Traffic and demand management are major strategies to control delay and congestion in : highway bottlenecks including work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) : introduced innovative strategies, called Active Traffic and Demand Managemen...

  13. Exploring a new congestion pricing concept : focus group findings from Northern Virginia and Philadelphia

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-12-01

    In support of the U.S Department of Transportations (DOT) National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on Americas Transportation Network, the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWA) Office of Natural and Human Environment (HEPN) and Office of Tran...

  14. Readability Assessment of Online Patient Education Material on Congestive Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Background Online health information is being used more ubiquitously by the general population. However, this information typically favors only a small percentage of readers, which can result in suboptimal medical outcomes for patients. Objective The readability of online patient education materials regarding the topic of congestive heart failure was assessed through six readability assessment tools. Methods The search phrase “congestive heart failure” was employed into the search engine Google. Out of the first 100 websites, only 70 were included attending to compliance with selection and exclusion criteria. These were then assessed through six readability assessment tools. Results Only 5 out of 70 websites were within the limits of the recommended sixth-grade readability level. The mean readability scores were as follows: the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (9.79), Gunning-Fog Score (11.95), Coleman-Liau Index (15.17), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index (11.39), and the Flesch Reading Ease (48.87). Conclusion Most of the analyzed websites were found to be above the sixth-grade readability level recommendations. Efforts need to be made to better tailor online patient education materials to the general population. PMID:28656111

  15. Unmanned Aerial Systems Traffic Management (UTM): Safely Enabling UAS Operations in Low-Altitude Airspace

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rios, Joseph

    2016-01-01

    Currently, there is no established infrastructure to enable and safely manage the widespread use of low-altitude airspace and UAS flight operations. Given this, and understanding that the FAA faces a mandate to modernize the present air traffic management system through computer automation and significantly reduce the number of air traffic controllers by FY 2020, the FAA maintains that a comprehensive, yet fully automated UAS traffic management (UTM) system for low-altitude airspace is needed. The concept of UTM is to begin by leveraging concepts from the system of roads, lanes, stop signs, rules and lights that govern vehicles on the ground today. Building on its legacy of work in air traffic management (ATM), NASA is working with industry to develop prototype technologies for a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system that would evolve airspace integration procedures for enabling safe, efficient low-altitude flight operations that autonomously manage UAS operating in an approved low-altitude airspace environment. UTM is a cloud-based system that will autonomously manage all traffic at low altitudes to include UASs being operated beyond visual line of sight of an operator. UTM would thus enable safe and efficient flight operations by providing fully integrated traffic management services such as airspace design, corridors, dynamic geofencing, severe weather and wind avoidance, congestion management, terrain avoidance, route planning re-routing, separation management, sequencing spacing, and contingency management. UTM removes the need for human operators to continuously monitor aircraft operating in approved areas. NASA envisions concepts for two types of UTM systems. The first would be a small portable system, which could be moved between geographical areas in support of operations such as precision agriculture and public safety. The second would be a Persistent system, which would support low-altitude operations in an approved area by providing continuous automated

  16. 41 CFR 105-60.201 - Published information and rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Published information and rules. 105-60.201 Section 105-60.201 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Regional Offices-General Services...

  17. 41 CFR 105-60.201 - Published information and rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Published information and rules. 105-60.201 Section 105-60.201 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Regional Offices-General Services...

  18. 41 CFR 105-60.201 - Published information and rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Published information and rules. 105-60.201 Section 105-60.201 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Regional Offices-General Services...

  19. 41 CFR 105-60.201 - Published information and rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Published information and rules. 105-60.201 Section 105-60.201 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Regional Offices-General Services...

  20. Safer travel, improved economic productivity : incident management systems

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-01-01

    This brochure gives an overview of how incident management technologies can be used to reduce incident-related congestion and increase road safety. It focuses on the need for interagency cooperation and the benefits that can be derived from the coope...

  1. An Evaluation of Traffic Management at ISF Academy on Kong Sin Wan Road

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, M.

    2016-12-01

    The ISF Academy, a school with 1500 students, is located on Kong Sin Wan Road. The majority of students from the academy commute to school every morning by private cars, school buses and other public transportation. For the past few years, the school management team has been imposing traffic management regulations to alleviate and minimize traffic congestion in the nearby area. In spite of that, traffic management on Kong Sin Wan Road is fairly limited and inadequate, resulting in congestion at the start and finish of the school day. As a school, we are dedicated to reduce and mitigate the number of private cars and school buses, as well as to control carbon dioxide emissions from the variety of vehicles. In order to implement strategies to make improvements to the current traffic management system, we, as a school, aim to establish a systematic approach to calculate and model the number of private cars, EV cars, plug-in hybrids and school buses flowing near the ISF campus every day, and the number of students on each vehicle. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average annual carbon dioxide emission for a typical passenger vehicle is 4.7 metric tons. By multiplying the average carbon dioxide emission by the number of cars coming to campus every morning, we will gain a better understanding of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from school vehicles. To extend the research, we will design a survey to investigate and encourage carpooling between families and students who live close, in order to combat and relieve rising traffic congestion and minimize cars crowding the roads. The traffic study project will not only help the school community create a more environment-friendly campus, but also improve the traffic congestion around the school area.

  2. Congestion Prediction Modeling for Quality of Service Improvement in Wireless Sensor Networks

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Ga-Won; Lee, Sung-Young; Huh, Eui-Nam

    2014-01-01

    Information technology (IT) is pushing ahead with drastic reforms of modern life for improvement of human welfare. Objects constitute “Information Networks” through smart, self-regulated information gathering that also recognizes and controls current information states in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Information observed from sensor networks in real-time is used to increase quality of life (QoL) in various industries and daily life. One of the key challenges of the WSNs is how to achieve lossless data transmission. Although nowadays sensor nodes have enhanced capacities, it is hard to assure lossless and reliable end-to-end data transmission in WSNs due to the unstable wireless links and low hard ware resources to satisfy high quality of service (QoS) requirements. We propose a node and path traffic prediction model to predict and minimize the congestion. This solution includes prediction of packet generation due to network congestion from both periodic and event data generation. Simulation using NS-2 and Matlab is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution. PMID:24784035

  3. Sharing resources, coordinating response : deploying and operating incident management systems

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-01-05

    This brochure describes how cost-effective incident management technologies can be useful in handling traffic congestion. Embedded sensors, closed circuit television cameras, and variable message signs are examples of existing technologies that can b...

  4. 47 CFR 20.22 - Rules governing mobile spectrum holdings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Rules governing mobile spectrum holdings. 20.22... COMMERCIAL MOBILE SERVICES § 20.22 Rules governing mobile spectrum holdings. (a) Applicants for mobile... spectrum manager leasing arrangements as identified in § 1.9020(e)(1)(ii) must demonstrate that the public...

  5. Alternative approaches to condition monitoring in freeway management systems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-01-01

    In response to growing concerns over traffic congestion, traffic management systems have been built in large urban areas in an effort to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation network. This research effort developed an automated cond...

  6. Elephantiasis Nostras Verrucosa (ENV): a complication of congestive heart failure and obesity.

    PubMed

    Baird, Drew; Bode, David; Akers, Troy; Deyoung, Zachariah

    2010-01-01

    Congestive heart failure (CHF) and obesity are common medical conditions that have many complications and an increasing incidence in the United States. Presented here is a case of a disfiguring skin condition that visually highlights the dermatologic consequences of poorly controlled CHF and obesity. This condition will probably become more common as CHF and obesity increase in the US.

  7. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program: Cost-Effectiveness Tables Development and Methodology

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-05-01

    This document presents summary and detailed findings from a research effort to develop estimates of the cost-effectiveness of a range of project types funded under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. In this study, c...

  8. An actor-focused model of justice rule adherence and violation: the role of managerial motives and discretion.

    PubMed

    Scott, Brent A; Colquitt, Jason A; Paddock, E Layne

    2009-05-01

    Research on organizational justice has focused primarily on the receivers of just and unjust treatment. Little is known about why managers adhere to or violate rules of justice in the first place. The authors introduce a model for understanding justice rule adherence and violation. They identify both cognitive motives and affective motives that explain why managers adhere to and violate justice rules. They also draw distinctions among the justice rules by specifying which rules offer managers more or less discretion in their execution. They then describe how motives and discretion interact to influence justice-relevant actions. Finally, the authors incorporate managers' emotional reactions to consider how their actions may change over time. Implications of the model for theory, research, and practice are discussed. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

  9. For what illnesses is a disease management program most effective?

    PubMed

    Jutkowitz, Eric; Nyman, John A; Michaud, Tzeyu L; Abraham, Jean M; Dowd, Bryan

    2015-02-01

    We examined the impact of a disease management (DM) program offered at the University of Minnesota for those with various chronic diseases. Differences-in-differences regression equations were estimated to determine the effect of DM participation by chronic condition on expenditures, absenteeism, hospitalizations, and avoidable hospitalizations. Disease management reduced health care expenditures for individuals with asthma, cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, depression, musculoskeletal problems, low back pain, and migraines. Disease management reduced hospitalizations for those same conditions except for congestive heart failure and reduced avoidable hospitalizations for individuals with asthma, depression, and low back pain. Disease management did not have any effect for individuals with diabetes, arthritis, or osteoporosis, nor did DM have any effect on absenteeism. Employers should focus on those conditions that generate savings when purchasing DM programs. This study suggests that the University of Minnesota's DM program reduces hospitalizations for individuals with asthma, cardiovascular disease, depression, musculoskeletal problems, low back pain, and migraines. The program also reduced avoidable hospitalizations for individuals with asthma, depression, and low back pain.

  10. Stochastic Stability in Internet Router Congestion Games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chung, Christine; Pyrga, Evangelia

    Congestion control at bottleneck routers on the internet is a long standing problem. Many policies have been proposed for effective ways to drop packets from the queues of these routers so that network endpoints will be inclined to share router capacity fairly and minimize the overflow of packets trying to enter the queues. We study just how effective some of these queuing policies are when each network endpoint is a self-interested player with no information about the other players’ actions or preferences. By employing the adaptive learning model of evolutionary game theory, we study policies such as Droptail, RED, and the greedy-flow-punishing policy proposed by Gao et al. [10] to find the stochastically stable states: the states of the system that will be reached in the long run.

  11. Optimizing congestion and emissions via tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Wenlong; Ma, Shoufeng; Tian, Junfang

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations that can reassign network traffic flow patterns to optimize congestion and emissions. First, we prove the existence of the proposed schemes and further decentralize the minimum emission flow pattern to user equilibrium. Moreover, we design the solving method of the proposed credit scheme for minimum emission problem. Second, we investigate the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations for bi-objectives to obtain the Pareto system optimum flow patterns of congestion and emissions; and present the corresponding solutions are located in the polyhedron constituted by some inequalities and equalities system. Last, numerical example based on a simple traffic network is adopted to obtain the proposed credit schemes and verify they are revenue-neutral.

  12. 41 CFR 105-60.201 - Published information and rules.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Published information... Agency Information and Rules in the Federal Register § 105-60.201 Published information and rules. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1), GSA publishes in the Federal Register, for the guidance of the public...

  13. Systematic review of studies on telemonitoring of patients with congestive heart failure: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Clarke, Malcolm; Shah, Anila; Sharma, Urvashi

    2011-01-01

    We conducted a systematic review of large, well-conducted randomised trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of telemonitoring on patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Two people reviewed 125 articles independently and selected 13 articles for final review. These studies concerned 3480 patients. The follow-up period of the studies was 3-15 months. Pooled estimate results showed that there was an overall reduction in all-cause mortality (P = 0.02). There was no overall reduction in all-cause hospital admission (P = 0.84), although there was a reduction in CHF hospital admission (P = 0.0004). There was no reduction in all-cause emergency admission (P = 0.67). There was no significant difference in length of stay in hospital, medication adherence or cost. Telemonitoring in conjunction with nurse home visiting and specialist unit support can be effective in the clinical management of patients with CHF and help to improve their quality of life.

  14. Methodology for evaluating effectiveness of traffic-responsive systems on intersection congestion and traffic safety

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-01

    In 1986, the city of Milwaukee applied for and received approval for a hazard elimination grant to reduce congestion and traffic accidents at the intersection of two major and one minor arterial on the northwest side of the city. The intersection com...

  15. The Joint Military Medical Executive Skills initiative: an impressive response to changing human resource management rules of engagement.

    PubMed

    Kerr, Bernard J

    2007-01-01

    Confronted with a sudden and substantial change in the rules regarding who could command a military medical treatment facility (MTF), the Military Health System (MHS) responded to the challenge with an impressive human resource management solution-the Joint Medical Executive Skills Program. The history, emergence, and continuing role of this initiative exemplifies the MHS's capacity to fulfill the spirit and intent of an arduous Congressional mandate while enhancing professional development and sustaining the career opportunities of medical officers. The MHS response to the Congressional requirement that candidates for MTF command demonstrate professional administrative skills was decisive, creative, and consistent with the basic principles of human resource management. The Joint Medical Executive Skills Program is a management success story that demonstrates how strategic planning, well-defined skills requirements, and structured training can assure a ready supply of qualified commanders for the military's MTFs.

  16. Heterogeneity Index for the Assessment of Relationship Between Land Use Pattern and Road Traffic Congestion in Apapa-Oworoshoki Express way, Lagos Metropolis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alaigba, D. B.; Soumah, M.; Banjo, M. O.

    2017-05-01

    The problem of urban mobility is complicated by traffic delay, resulting from poor planning, high population density and poor condition of roads within urban spaces. This study assessed traffic congestion resulting from differential contribution made by various land-uses along Apapa-Oworoshoki expressway in Lagos metropolis. The data for this study was from both primary and secondary sources; GPS point data was collected at selected points for traffic volume count; observation of the nature of vehicular traffic congestion, and land use types along the corridor. Existing data on traffic count along the corridor, connectivity map and land use map sourced from relevant authorities were acquired. Traffic congestion within the area was estimated using volume capacity ratio (V/C). Heterogeneity Index was developed and used to quantify the percentage contribution to traffic volume from various land-use categories. Analytical Hierarchical Processing (AHP) and knowledge-based weighting were used to rank the importance of different heterogeneity indices. Results showed significant relationship between the degree of heterogeneity of the land use pattern and road traffic congestion. Volume Capacity Ratio computed revealed that the route corridor exceeds its designed capacity in the southward direction between the hours of 8am and 12pm on working days. Five major nodes were analyzed along the corridor, and were all above the expected Passenger Car Unit (PCU), these are "Oshodi" 15 %, "Airport junction" 10 %, "Cele bus stop" 21 %, "Mile 2" 14 %, "Berger" 15 % and "Tincan bus stop" 33 % indicating heavy traffic congestion.

  17. On Decision-Making Among Multiple Rule-Bases in Fuzzy Control Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tunstel, Edward; Jamshidi, Mo

    1997-01-01

    Intelligent control of complex multi-variable systems can be a challenge for single fuzzy rule-based controllers. This class of problems cam often be managed with less difficulty by distributing intelligent decision-making amongst a collection of rule-bases. Such an approach requires that a mechanism be chosen to ensure goal-oriented interaction between the multiple rule-bases. In this paper, a hierarchical rule-based approach is described. Decision-making mechanisms based on generalized concepts from single-rule-based fuzzy control are described. Finally, the effects of different aggregation operators on multi-rule-base decision-making are examined in a navigation control problem for mobile robots.

  18. Psychobiology of depression/distress in congestive heart failure

    PubMed Central

    Hassan, Mustafa; Sheps, David S.

    2011-01-01

    Heart failure affects millions of Americans and new diagnosis rates are expected to almost triple over the next 30 years as our population ages. Affective disorders including clinical depression and anxiety are common in patients with congestive heart failure. Furthermore, the presence of these disorders significantly impacts quality of life, medical outcomes, and healthcare service utilization. In recent years, the literature has attempted to describe potential pathophysiologic mechanisms relating affective disorders and psychosocial stress to heart failure. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed including autonomic nervous system dysfunction, inflammation, cardiac arrhythmias, and altered platelet function. These mechanisms are reviewed in this article. Additional novel mechanisms such as mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia are also discussed. PMID:18368481

  19. Congestive renal failure: the pathophysiology and treatment of renal venous hypertension.

    PubMed

    Ross, Edward A

    2012-12-01

    Longstanding experimental evidence supports the role of renal venous hypertension in causing kidney dysfunction and "congestive renal failure." A focus has been heart failure, in which the cardiorenal syndrome may partly be due to high venous pressure, rather than traditional mechanisms involving low cardiac output. Analogous diseases are intra-abdominal hypertension and renal vein thrombosis. Proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms include reduced transglomerular pressure, elevated renal interstitial pressure, myogenic and neural reflexes, baroreceptor stimulation, activation of sympathetic nervous and renin angiotensin aldosterone systems, and enhanced proinflammatory pathways. Most clinical trials have addressed the underlying condition rather than venous hypertension per se. Interpreting the effects of therapeutic interventions on renal venous congestion are therefore problematic because of such confounders as changes in left ventricular function, cardiac output, and blood pressure. Nevertheless, there is preliminary evidence from small studies of intense medical therapy or extracorporeal ultrafiltration for heart failure that there can be changes to central venous pressure that correlate inversely with renal function, independently from the cardiac index. Larger more rigorous trials are needed to definitively establish under what circumstances conventional pharmacologic or ultrafiltration goals might best be directed toward central venous pressures rather than left ventricular or cardiac output parameters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Risk Management Plan Rule

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    RMP implements Section 112(r) of the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, and requires facilities that use extremely hazardous substances to develop a Risk Management Plan and revise/resubmit every five years. Find guidance, factsheets, training, and assistance.

  1. Video Self-Modeling to Teach Classroom Rules to Two Students with Asperger's

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lang, Russell; Shogren, Karrie A.; Machalicek, Wendy; Rispoli, Mandy; O'Reilly, Mark; Baker, Sonia; Regester, April

    2009-01-01

    Classroom rules are an integral part of classroom management. Children with Asperger's may require systematic instruction to learn classroom rules, but may be placed in classrooms in which the rules are not explicitly taught. A multiple baseline design across students with probes for maintenance after the intervention ceased was used to evaluate…

  2. Use of clinical prediction rules and D-dimer tests in the diagnostic management of pregnant patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism.

    PubMed

    Van der Pol, L M; Mairuhu, A T A; Tromeur, C; Couturaud, F; Huisman, M V; Klok, F A

    2017-03-01

    Because pregnant women have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and at the same time normal pregnancy is associated with symptoms, mimicking those present in the setting of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), the latter diagnosis is frequently suspected in this patient category. Since imaging tests expose both mother and foetus to ionizing radiation, the ability to rule out PE based on non-radiological diagnostic tests is of paramount importance. However, clinical decision rules have only been scarcely evaluated in the pregnant population with suspected PE, while D-dimer levels lose diagnostic accuracy due to a physiological increase during normal pregnancy. Consequently, clinical guidelines provide contradicting and weak recommendations on this subject and the optimal diagnostic strategy remains highly debated. With this systematic review, we aimed to summarize current evidence on the safety and efficacy of clinical decision rules and biomarkers used in the diagnostic management of suspected acute PE in pregnant patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. 5 CFR 1.1 - Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter. 1.1 Section 1.1 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE RULES COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.1 Positions and employees affected by the rules in...

  4. 5 CFR 1.1 - Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter. 1.1 Section 1.1 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE RULES COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.1 Positions and employees affected by the rules in...

  5. 5 CFR 1.1 - Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter. 1.1 Section 1.1 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE RULES COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.1 Positions and employees affected by the rules in...

  6. 5 CFR 1.1 - Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter. 1.1 Section 1.1 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE RULES COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.1 Positions and employees affected by the rules in...

  7. 5 CFR 1.1 - Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Positions and employees affected by the rules in this subchapter. 1.1 Section 1.1 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE RULES COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.1 Positions and employees affected by the rules in...

  8. Inappropriate expression of hepcidin by liver congestion contributes to anemia and relative iron deficiency.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Tomoyasu; Hanawa, Haruo; Jiao, Shuang; Ohno, Yukako; Hayashi, Yuka; Yoshida, Kaori; Kashimura, Takeshi; Obata, Hiroaki; Minamino, Tohru

    2014-04-01

    Anemia and relative iron deficiency (RID) are prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF). The etiology of anemia and RID in HF patients is unclear. Hepcidin expression may be closely related to anemia and RID in HF patients. Although hepcidin is produced mainly by the liver, and the most frequent histologic appearance of liver in HF patients is congestion, the influence of liver congestion (LC) on hepcidin production has not yet been investigated. We investigated whether hepcidin contributed to anemia and RID in rats with LC. LC was induced in rats by ligating the inferior vena cava and compared with bleeding anemia (BA) model induced by phlebotomy and hemolytic anemia (HA) model induced by injection of phenylhydrazine. BA and HA strongly suppressed expression of hepcidin in liver and so did not cause decrease in serum iron and transferrin saturation. However, hepcidin expression did not decrease in LC rats, which resulted in anemia and lower transferrin saturation. In addition, many cells with hemosiderin deposits were observed in the liver and spleen and not in the bone marrow, and this appeared to be related to suppression of hepcidin expression. Iron accumulated in hepatocytes, and bone morphogenetic protein 6, which induces hepcidin, increased. Inflammation was observed in the congestive liver, and there was an increase in interleukin-6, which also induced hepcidin and was induced by free heme and hemoglobin via Toll-like receptor 4. We conclude that LC contributes to RID and anemia, and it does so via inappropriate expression of hepcidin. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Weather-responsive traffic management : real solutions for serious traffic problems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-04-01

    This flyer describes how weather responsive traffic management (WRTM) can prevent or mitigate the effects of weather on traffic operations and reduce congestion. The three types of WRTM described in the flyer include 1) Advisory strategies that provi...

  10. Columbus electronic freight management evaluation : achieving business benefits with EFM technologies.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-03-01

    Effective innovation in information technology (IT) may be the most important tool for the private and public sectors to respond to international supply chain capacity constraints and congestion. Electronic Freight Management (EFM) technologies are m...

  11. Allocation and management issues in multiple-transaction open access transmission networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, Shu

    This thesis focuses on some key issues related to allocation and management by the independent grid operator (IGO) of unbundled services in multiple-transaction open access transmission networks. The three unbundled services addressed in the thesis are transmission real power losses, reactive power support requirements from generation sources, and transmission congestion management. We develop the general framework that explicitly represents multiple transactions undertaken simultaneously in the transmission grid. This framework serves as the basis for formulating various problems treated in the thesis. We use this comprehensive framework to develop a physical-flow-based mechanism to allocate the total transmission losses to each transaction using the system. An important property of the allocation scheme is its capability to effectively deal with counter flows that result in the presence of specific transactions. Using the loss allocation results as the basis, we construct the equivalent loss compensation concept and apply it to develop flexible and effective procedures for compensating losses in multiple-transaction networks. We present a new physical-flow-based mechanism for allocating the reactive power support requirements provided by generators in multiple-transaction networks. The allocatable reactive support requirements are formulated as the sum of two specific components---the voltage magnitude variation component and the voltage angle variation component. The formulation utilizes the multiple-transaction framework and makes use of certain simplifying approximations. The formulation leads to a natural allocation as a function of the amount of each transaction. The physical interpretation of each allocation as a sensitivity of the reactive output of a generator is discussed. We propose a congestion management allocation scheme for multiple-transaction networks. The proposed scheme determines the allocation of congestion among the transactions on a physical

  12. Accounting principles, reporting rules, and payment practices.

    PubMed

    Kovener, R R

    1979-12-01

    Misconceptions concerning the distinction between accounting principles, reporting rules, and payment practices and how they interrelate can lessen the effectiveness of hospital financial managers in these areas/clarification and recommendations are offered.

  13. Financial and technical feasibility of dynamic congestion pricing as a revenue generation source in Indiana : exploiting the availability of real-time information and dynamic pricing technologies.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-10-19

    "Highway stakeholders continue to support research studies that address critical issues of the current era, including congestion mitigation and revenue generation. A mechanism that addresses both concerns is congestion pricing which establishes a dir...

  14. 5 CFR 839.201 - Do these rules apply to me?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Do these rules apply to me? 839.201 Section 839.201 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE... COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT Eligibility General Provisions § 839.201 Do these rules apply to me? (a) These...

  15. 5 CFR 839.201 - Do these rules apply to me?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Do these rules apply to me? 839.201 Section 839.201 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE... COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT Eligibility General Provisions § 839.201 Do these rules apply to me? (a) These...

  16. 5 CFR 839.201 - Do these rules apply to me?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Do these rules apply to me? 839.201 Section 839.201 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE... COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT Eligibility General Provisions § 839.201 Do these rules apply to me? (a) These...

  17. 5 CFR 839.201 - Do these rules apply to me?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Do these rules apply to me? 839.201 Section 839.201 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE... COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT Eligibility General Provisions § 839.201 Do these rules apply to me? (a) These...

  18. Identification and evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of highway design features to reduce nonrecurrent congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    This research report presents the findings on the identification and evaluation of the use of highway geometric design features on freeways to reduce nonrecurrent congestion and improve travel time reliability. General guidance is provided on the ran...

  19. 2003 urban mobility report. Volume 2 : five congestion reduction strategies and their effects on mobility

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-09-01

    The Urban Mobility Study Report procedures provide estimates of mobility at the areawide level. The approach that is used describes congestion in consistent ways using generally available data allowing for comparisons across urban areas or groups of ...

  20. Congestive heart failure adherence redesign trial: a pilot study

    PubMed Central

    Mangla, Ashvarya; Doukky, Rami; Powell, Lynda H; Avery, Elizabeth; Richardson, DeJuran; Calvin, James E

    2014-01-01

    Objective Heart failure (HF) continues to be a leading cause of hospital admissions, particularly in underserved patients. We hypothesised that providing individualised self-management support to patients and feedback on use of evidence-based HF therapies (EBT) to physicians could lead to improvements in care and decrease hospitalisations. To assess the feasibility of conducting a larger trial testing the efficacy of this dual-level intervention, we conducted the Congestive Heart failure Adherence Redesign Trial Pilot (CHART-P), a proof-of-concept, quasi-experimental, feasibility pilot study. Setting A large tertiary care medical centre in Chicago. Participants Low-income patients (management training for diet and medication adherence by a trained nurse through 11 interactive sessions over a 4-month period. Evaluations were conducted pre-enrolment and 1 month postintervention completion. Outcome measures Feasibility was assessed by the ability to deliver intervention to patients and physicians. Exploratory outcomes included changes in medication and sodium intake for patients and adherence to EBT for physicians. Results Eighty-seven per cent and 82% of patients received >80% of interventions at 1 month and by study completion, respectively. Median sodium intake declined (3.5 vs 2.0 g; p<0.01). There was no statistically significant change in medication adherence based on electronic pill cap monitoring or the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS); however, there was a trend towards improved adherence based on MMAS. All physicians received timely intervention. Conclusions This pilot study

  1. Congestive heart failure adherence redesign trial: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Mangla, Ashvarya; Doukky, Rami; Powell, Lynda H; Avery, Elizabeth; Richardson, DeJuran; Calvin, James E

    2014-12-04

    Heart failure (HF) continues to be a leading cause of hospital admissions, particularly in underserved patients. We hypothesised that providing individualised self-management support to patients and feedback on use of evidence-based HF therapies (EBT) to physicians could lead to improvements in care and decrease hospitalisations. To assess the feasibility of conducting a larger trial testing the efficacy of this dual-level intervention, we conducted the Congestive Heart failure Adherence Redesign Trial Pilot (CHART-P), a proof-of-concept, quasi-experimental, feasibility pilot study. A large tertiary care medical centre in Chicago. Low-income patients (management training for diet and medication adherence by a trained nurse through 11 interactive sessions over a 4-month period. Evaluations were conducted pre-enrolment and 1 month postintervention completion. Feasibility was assessed by the ability to deliver intervention to patients and physicians. Exploratory outcomes included changes in medication and sodium intake for patients and adherence to EBT for physicians. Eighty-seven per cent and 82% of patients received >80% of interventions at 1 month and by study completion, respectively. Median sodium intake declined (3.5 vs 2.0 g; p<0.01). There was no statistically significant change in medication adherence based on electronic pill cap monitoring or the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS); however, there was a trend towards improved adherence based on MMAS. All physicians received timely intervention. This pilot study demonstrated that the protocol was feasible. It provided important insights about the need for

  2. Cheyne-Stokes respiration in patients with congestive heart failure: causes and consequences.

    PubMed

    Lorenzi-Filho, Geraldo; Genta, Pedro R; Figueiredo, Adelaide C; Inoue, Daniel

    2005-08-01

    Cheyne-Stokes respiration is a form of periodic breathing in which central apneas and hypopneas alternate with periods of hyperventilation, producing a waxing and waning pattern of tidal volume. This review focuses on the causes and consequences of Cheyne-Stokes respiration in patients with congestive heart failure, in whom the prevalence is strikingly high and ranges from 30% to 50%. Several factors have been implicated in the genesis of Cheyne-Stokes respiration, including low cardiac output and recurrent hypoxia. The key pathophysiological mechanism triggering Cheyne-Stokes respiration is hyperventilation and low arterial CO2 (PaCO2) that when below the apneic threshold triggers a central apnea. Hyperventilation is associated with pulmonary congestion, and Cheyne-Stokes respiration is more prone to occur during sleep, when the respiratory system is mainly dependent on chemical control. It is associated with recurrent dips in oxygen saturation and arousals from sleep, with oscillations in blood pressure and heart rate, sympathetic activation and increased risk of ventricular tachycardia. Cheyne-Stokes respiration is an independent marker of poor prognosis and may participate in a vicious cycle, further stressing the failing heart.

  3. 23 CFR 972.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi-modal... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic... improve existing transportation system efficiency. Approaches may include the use of alternate mode...

  4. 23 CFR 972.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi-modal... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic... improve existing transportation system efficiency. Approaches may include the use of alternate mode...

  5. Does nasal congestion have a role in decreased resistance to regular CPAP usage?

    PubMed

    İriz, Ayşe; Düzlü, Mehmet; Köktürk, Oğuz; Kemaloğlu, Yusuf Kemal; Eravcı, Fakih Cihat; Zorlu, Mehmet Ekrem; Karamert, Recep

    2017-11-01

    Nasal obstruction is known to cause resistance to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In this paper, short- and long-term nasal congestion in OSAS patients receiving CPAP treatment were evaluated with acoustic rhinometry (AR). A total of 36 patients with moderate-to-severe OSAS, diagnosed with polysomnography were included in the study. Ten healthy subjects without OSAS constituted the control group. Pre-treatment nasal patency were measured with AR in all participants. 26 patients used the recommended CPAP treatment. Ten patients did not accept CPAP treatment. The AR test was repeated for all the subjects after 1 and 3 months except the 3rd month's measurements of the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the initial minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) measurements of OSAS patients, using or not using CPAP, and the control group (P > 0.05). However, the first month MCA measurements of patients receiving CPAP were found to be significantly decreased compared with the initial values (P < 0.001). There was no significant change in the first and third months MCA values in the control group and patients who did not use CPAP (P > 0.05). No significant difference revealed in the 3rd month MCA measurements of the patients using CPAP compared with the initial values (P > 0.05). In this study, the increased nasal congestion, which is thought to be the cause of CPAP resistance, was objectively demonstrated in OSAS patients using CPAP. In addition, the nasal congestion developing at the first month was shown to disappear over time, supporting the opinion that patient compliance in CPAP treatment is expected to increase after regular device usage.

  6. Understanding congestion context and a tool to help choose the right mitigation strategies : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-12-01

    Cities of every size (and even some rural areas) face growing traffic delays, increasing travel time variability, and overall longer trip times, which makes traveling more frustrating and difficult for everyone. Many congestion solutions focus on a s...

  7. Characterization of arterial traffic congestion through analysis of operational parameters (gap acceptance and lane changing).

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-05-01

    This project monitored an urban arterial highway to characterize recurring congestion. There were two major initiatives in the project. The first one focused on observed variations in gap acceptance and lane changing in relation to traffic flow rates...

  8. Bootstrapping Results of Exercise Therapy and Education for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witta, E. Lea; Brubaker, Craig

    2003-01-01

    When studies are conducted over a period of time, the sample size typically decreases. In a study of the effects of exercise therapy and education with recovering congestive heart failure (CHF) patients (Brubaker, Witta, & Angelopoulus, 2003), the sample size decreased from over 40 to 9 participants after an 18-month time span. Although the…

  9. Congenital mitral stenosis, subvalvular aortic stenosis, and congestive heart failure in a duck.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Elizabeth B; Hawkins, Michelle G; Orvalho, Joao S; Thomas, William P

    2008-06-01

    A 2.6-year-old duck was evaluated for respiratory difficulty. On the basis of physical, radiographic and echocardiographic findings, a diagnosis of congestive heart failure secondary to congenital mitral stenosis and subvalvular aortic stenosis was made. The duck did not respond well to medical therapy and was euthanized. The diagnosis was confirmed at necropsy.

  10. 16 CFR 437.1 - The Rule.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... operating officer, financial, business opportunity marketing, training and service officers). With regard to... the management of the business opportunity seller, a statement disclosing: (i) The nature and extent... CONCERNING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES § 437.1 The Rule. In connection with the advertising, offering, licensing...

  11. Heterogeneous Data Fusion Method to Estimate Travel Time Distributions in Congested Road Networks.

    PubMed

    Shi, Chaoyang; Chen, Bi Yu; Lam, William H K; Li, Qingquan

    2017-12-06

    Travel times in congested urban road networks are highly stochastic. Provision of travel time distribution information, including both mean and variance, can be very useful for travelers to make reliable path choice decisions to ensure higher probability of on-time arrival. To this end, a heterogeneous data fusion method is proposed to estimate travel time distributions by fusing heterogeneous data from point and interval detectors. In the proposed method, link travel time distributions are first estimated from point detector observations. The travel time distributions of links without point detectors are imputed based on their spatial correlations with links that have point detectors. The estimated link travel time distributions are then fused with path travel time distributions obtained from the interval detectors using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory. Based on fused path travel time distribution, an optimization technique is further introduced to update link travel time distributions and their spatial correlations. A case study was performed using real-world data from Hong Kong and showed that the proposed method obtained accurate and robust estimations of link and path travel time distributions in congested road networks.

  12. Input-Output Modeling and Control of the Departure Process of Congested Airports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pujet, Nicolas; Delcaire, Bertrand; Feron, Eric

    2003-01-01

    A simple queueing model of busy airport departure operations is proposed. This model is calibrated and validated using available runway configuration and traffic data. The model is then used to evaluate preliminary control schemes aimed at alleviating departure traffic congestion on the airport surface. The potential impact of these control strategies on direct operating costs, environmental costs and overall delay is quantified and discussed.

  13. Briefing paper : toward a best practice model for managed lanes in Texas.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-09-01

    Over the past two decades, agencies : have increasingly implemented managed : lanes (MLs) to mitigate growing urban traffic : congestion in the United States. Multiple operating : projects : representing a combination : of HOV-to-HOT conversions a...

  14. 76 FR 68521 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of Proposed Rule Change...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-04

    ... Managed Fund Shares of TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600; Correction November... Rule Change to List and Trade Managed Fund Shares of TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF under NYSE Arca Equities...

  15. Health Insurance: Understanding Your Health Plan's Rules

    MedlinePlus

    ... Point of service (POS) plan Preferred provider organization (PPO) Rules for selecting doctors and hospitals Managed care ... If you have a POS plan or a PPO, the insurance company will probably pay for you ...

  16. Evaluating Environmental Impact of Traffic Congestion in Real Time Based on Sparse Mobile Crowd-sourced Data

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-02-02

    Traffic congestion at arterial intersections and freeway bottlenecks degrades the air quality and threatens the public health. Conventionally, air pollutants are monitored by sparsely-distributed Quality Assurance Air Monitoring Sites. Sparse mobile ...

  17. Active Traffic Management: Comprehension, Legibility, Distance, and Motorist Behavior In Response to Selected Variable Speed Limit and Lane Control Signing

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-06-01

    Active traffic management (ATM) incorporates a collection of strategies allowing the dynamic management of recurrent and nonrecurrent congestion based on prevailing traffic conditions. These strategies help to increase peak capacity, smooth traffic f...

  18. Intravenous Milrinone in Treatment of Advanced Congestive Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    Zewail, Aly M.; Nawar, Mohammad; Vrtovec, Bojan; Eastwood, Cathy; Kar, Biswajit; Delgado, Reynolds M.

    2003-01-01

    Phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as milrinone can relieve symptoms and improve hemodynamics in patients with advanced congestive heart failure. We retrospectively evaluated the hemodynamic and clinical outcomes of long-term combination therapy with intravenous milrinone and oral β-blockers in 65 patients with severe congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class IV function and ejection fraction <25%) refractory to oral medical therapy. Fifty-one patients successfully began β-blocker therapy while on intravenous milrinone. Oral medical therapy was maximized when possible. The mean duration of milrinone treatment in this combination-treatment group was 269 days (range, 14–1,026 days). Functional class improved from IV to II–III with milrinone therapy. Twenty-four such patients tolerated β-blocker up-titration and were successfully weaned from milrinone. Sixteen patients (31%) died while receiving combination therapy; one died of sudden cardiac death (on treatment day 116); the other 15 died of progressive heart failure or other complications. Hospital admissions during the previous 6 months and admissions within 6 months after milrinone initiation stayed the same. Meanwhile, the total number of hospital days decreased from 450 to 380 (a 15.6% reduction), and the mean length of stay decreased by 1.4 days (a 14.7% reduction). We conclude that 1) milrinone plus β-blocker combination therapy is an effective treatment for heart failure even with β-blocker up-titration, 2) weaning from milrinone may be possible once medications are maximized, 3) patients' functional status improves on the combination regimen, and 4) treatment-related sudden death is relatively infrequent during the combination regimen. (Tex Heart Inst J 2003;30:109–13) PMID:12809251

  19. Does Expansion Cause Congestion? The Case of the Older British Universities, 1994-2004

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flegg, A. T.; Allen, D. O.

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines whether the rapid growth in the number of students in British universities in recent years has led to congestion, in the sense that certain universities' output could have been higher if this expansion had been less rapid. The focus of the paper is on 45 older universities that were in existence prior to 1992. The analysis…

  20. 23 CFR 973.214 - Indian lands congestion management system (CMS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... HIGHWAYS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS PERTAINING TO THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS AND THE INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS... performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic interference. The BIA and the FHWA, in consultation with the tribes, shall develop criteria to determine when a CMS is to be implemented for a specific...