Intelligent Resource Management for Local Area Networks: Approach and Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meike, Roger

1988-01-01

The Data Management System network is a complex and important part of manned space platforms. Its efficient operation is vital to crew, subsystems and experiments. AI is being considered to aid in the initial design of the network and to augment the management of its operation. The Intelligent Resource Management for Local Area Networks (IRMA-LAN) project is concerned with the application of AI techniques to network configuration and management. A network simulation was constructed employing real time process scheduling for realistic loads, and utilizing the IEEE 802.4 token passing scheme. This simulation is an integral part of the construction of the IRMA-LAN system. From it, a causal model is being constructed for use in prediction and deep reasoning about the system configuration. An AI network design advisor is being added to help in the design of an efficient network. The AI portion of the system is planned to evolve into a dynamic network management aid. The approach, the integrated simulation, project evolution, and some initial results are described.

Automation of On-Board Flightpath Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erzberger, H.

1981-01-01

The status of concepts and techniques for the design of onboard flight path management systems is reviewed. Such systems are designed to increase flight efficiency and safety by automating the optimization of flight procedures onboard aircraft. After a brief review of the origins and functions of such systems, two complementary methods are described for attacking the key design problem, namely, the synthesis of efficient trajectories. One method optimizes en route, the other optimizes terminal area flight; both methods are rooted in optimal control theory. Simulation and flight test results are reviewed to illustrate the potential of these systems for fuel and cost savings.

Next Generation Civil Transport Aircraft Design Considerations for Improving Vehicle and System-Level Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acosta, Diana M.; Guynn, Mark D.; Wahls, Richard A.; DelRosario, Ruben,

2013-01-01

The future of aviation will benefit from research in aircraft design and air transportation management aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. This paper presents civil transport aircraft design trends and opportunities for improving vehicle and system-level efficiency. Aircraft design concepts and the emerging technologies critical to reducing thrust specific fuel consumption, reducing weight, and increasing lift to drag ratio currently being developed by NASA are discussed. Advancements in the air transportation system aimed towards system-level efficiency are discussed as well. Finally, the paper describes the relationship between the air transportation system, aircraft, and efficiency. This relationship is characterized by operational constraints imposed by the air transportation system that influence aircraft design, and operational capabilities inherent to an aircraft design that impact the air transportation system.

Renovating Interior Office Space: What a Manager Needs To Consider.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babey, Evelyn R.

When planning an office renovation, a manager should design an office layout that is efficient and should consider the psychological aspects of office design, including sound level, color harmony, and lighting. The manager must also have a good understanding of all phases of the project plan and the timing involved. There are basically five phases…

[A design of software for management of hospital equipment maintenance process].

PubMed

Xie, Haiyuan; Liu, Yiqing

2010-03-01

According to the circumstance of hospital equipment maintenance, we designed a computer program for management of hospital equipment maintenance process by Java programming language. This program can control the maintenance process, increase the efficiency; and be able to fix the equipment location.

Advanced Solar Receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, W. A.

1984-01-01

Low thermal efficiencies in solar receivers are discussed in terms of system design. It is recommended that careful attention be given to the overall thermal systems design, especially to conductive losses about the window and areas of relatively thin insulation. If the cavity design is carefully managed to insure a small, minimally reradiating aperture, the goal of a very high efficiency cavity receiver is a realistic one.

Thermal management and design for optical refrigeration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symonds, G.; Farfan, B. G.; Ghasemkhani, M. R.; Albrecht, A. R.; Sheik-Bahae, M.; Epstein, R. I.

2016-03-01

We present our recent work in developing a robust and versatile optical refrigerator. This work focuses on minimizing parasitic energy losses through efficient design and material optimization. The cooler's thermal linkage system and housing are studied using thermal analysis software to minimize thermal gradients through the device. Due to the extreme temperature differences within the device, material selection and characterization are key to constructing an efficient device. We describe the design constraints and material selections necessary for thermally efficient and durable optical refrigeration.

The Efficiency of Split Panel Designs in an Analysis of Variance Model

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei-Guo; Liu, Hai-Jun

2016-01-01

We consider split panel design efficiency in analysis of variance models, that is, the determination of the cross-sections series optimal proportion in all samples, to minimize parametric best linear unbiased estimators of linear combination variances. An orthogonal matrix is constructed to obtain manageable expression of variances. On this basis, we derive a theorem for analyzing split panel design efficiency irrespective of interest and budget parameters. Additionally, relative estimator efficiency based on the split panel to an estimator based on a pure panel or a pure cross-section is present. The analysis shows that the gains from split panel can be quite substantial. We further consider the efficiency of split panel design, given a budget, and transform it to a constrained nonlinear integer programming. Specifically, an efficient algorithm is designed to solve the constrained nonlinear integer programming. Moreover, we combine one at time designs and factorial designs to illustrate the algorithm’s efficiency with an empirical example concerning monthly consumer expenditure on food in 1985, in the Netherlands, and the efficient ranges of the algorithm parameters are given to ensure a good solution. PMID:27163447

Design of the Hospital Integrated Information Management System Based on Cloud Platform.

PubMed

Aijing, L; Jin, Y

2015-12-01

At present, the outdated information management style cannot meet the needs of hospital management, and has become the bottleneck of hospital's management and development. In order to improve the integrated management of information, hospitals have increased their investment in integrated information management systems. On account of the lack of reasonable and scientific design, some hospital integrated information management systems have common problems, such as unfriendly interface, poor portability and maintainability, low security and efficiency, lack of interactivity and information sharing. To solve the problem, this paper carries out the research and design of a hospital information management system based on cloud platform, which can realize the optimized integration of hospital information resources and save money.

Providing Personalized Energy Management and Awareness Services for Energy Efficiency in Smart Buildings.

PubMed

Fotopoulou, Eleni; Zafeiropoulos, Anastasios; Terroso-Sáenz, Fernando; Şimşek, Umutcan; González-Vidal, Aurora; Tsiolis, George; Gouvas, Panagiotis; Liapis, Paris; Fensel, Anna; Skarmeta, Antonio

2017-09-07

Considering that the largest part of end-use energy consumption worldwide is associated with the buildings sector, there is an inherent need for the conceptualization, specification, implementation, and instantiation of novel solutions in smart buildings, able to achieve significant reductions in energy consumption through the adoption of energy efficient techniques and the active engagement of the occupants. Towards the design of such solutions, the identification of the main energy consuming factors, trends, and patterns, along with the appropriate modeling and understanding of the occupants' behavior and the potential for the adoption of environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes have to be realized. In the current article, an innovative energy-aware information technology (IT) ecosystem is presented, aiming to support the design and development of novel personalized energy management and awareness services that can lead to occupants' behavioral change towards actions that can have a positive impact on energy efficiency. Novel information and communication technologies (ICT) are exploited towards this direction, related mainly to the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), data modeling, management and fusion, big data analytics, and personalized recommendation mechanisms. The combination of such technologies has resulted in an open and extensible architectural approach able to exploit in a homogeneous, efficient and scalable way the vast amount of energy, environmental, and behavioral data collected in energy efficiency campaigns and lead to the design of energy management and awareness services targeted to the occupants' lifestyles. The overall layered architectural approach is detailed, including design and instantiation aspects based on the selection of set of available technologies and tools. Initial results from the usage of the proposed energy aware IT ecosystem in a pilot site at the University of Murcia are presented along with a set of identified open issues for future research.

Providing Personalized Energy Management and Awareness Services for Energy Efficiency in Smart Buildings

PubMed Central

Fotopoulou, Eleni; Tsiolis, George; Gouvas, Panagiotis; Liapis, Paris; Fensel, Anna; Skarmeta, Antonio

2017-01-01

Considering that the largest part of end-use energy consumption worldwide is associated with the buildings sector, there is an inherent need for the conceptualization, specification, implementation, and instantiation of novel solutions in smart buildings, able to achieve significant reductions in energy consumption through the adoption of energy efficient techniques and the active engagement of the occupants. Towards the design of such solutions, the identification of the main energy consuming factors, trends, and patterns, along with the appropriate modeling and understanding of the occupants’ behavior and the potential for the adoption of environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes have to be realized. In the current article, an innovative energy-aware information technology (IT) ecosystem is presented, aiming to support the design and development of novel personalized energy management and awareness services that can lead to occupants’ behavioral change towards actions that can have a positive impact on energy efficiency. Novel information and communication technologies (ICT) are exploited towards this direction, related mainly to the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), data modeling, management and fusion, big data analytics, and personalized recommendation mechanisms. The combination of such technologies has resulted in an open and extensible architectural approach able to exploit in a homogeneous, efficient and scalable way the vast amount of energy, environmental, and behavioral data collected in energy efficiency campaigns and lead to the design of energy management and awareness services targeted to the occupants’ lifestyles. The overall layered architectural approach is detailed, including design and instantiation aspects based on the selection of set of available technologies and tools. Initial results from the usage of the proposed energy aware IT ecosystem in a pilot site at the University of Murcia are presented along with a set of identified open issues for future research. PMID:28880227

Local flow management/profile descent algorithm. Fuel-efficient, time-controlled profiles for the NASA TSRV airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groce, J. L.; Izumi, K. H.; Markham, C. H.; Schwab, R. W.; Thompson, J. L.

1986-01-01

The Local Flow Management/Profile Descent (LFM/PD) algorithm designed for the NASA Transport System Research Vehicle program is described. The algorithm provides fuel-efficient altitude and airspeed profiles consistent with ATC restrictions in a time-based metering environment over a fixed ground track. The model design constraints include accommodation of both published profile descent procedures and unpublished profile descents, incorporation of fuel efficiency as a flight profile criterion, operation within the performance capabilities of the Boeing 737-100 airplane with JT8D-7 engines, and conformity to standard air traffic navigation and control procedures. Holding and path stretching capabilities are included for long delay situations.

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

Horiike, S.; Okazaki, Y.

This paper describes a performance estimation tool developed for modeling and simulation of open distributed energy management systems to support their design. The approach of discrete event simulation with detailed models is considered for efficient performance estimation. The tool includes basic models constituting a platform, e.g., Ethernet, communication protocol, operating system, etc. Application softwares are modeled by specifying CPU time, disk access size, communication data size, etc. Different types of system configurations for various system activities can be easily studied. Simulation examples show how the tool is utilized for the efficient design of open distributed energy management systems.

Building Management Policy and Procedures for Emergency Preparedness and Facility Coordination for the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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

EHS Staff

2003-04-01

To ensure efficient and effective management of LBNL facilities, LBNL shall assign line managers to perform appropriate work functions. LBNL divisions that are delegated responsibility for the management of buildings shall designate division personnel to serve as --''Building Managers.''

X-33/RLV System Health Management/Vehicle Health Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mouyos, William; Wangu, Srimal

1998-01-01

To reduce operations costs, Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVS) must include highly reliable robust subsystems which are designed for simple repair access with a simplified servicing infrastructure, and which incorporate expedited decision-making about faults and anomalies. A key component for the Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) RLV system used to meet these objectives is System Health Management (SHM). SHM incorporates Vehicle Health Management (VHM), ground processing associated with the vehicle fleet (GVHM), and Ground Infrastructure Health Management (GIHM). The primary objective of SHM is to provide an automated and paperless health decision, maintenance, and logistics system. Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, is leading the design, development, and integration of the SHM system for RLV and for X-33 (a sub-scale, sub-orbit Advanced Technology Demonstrator). Many critical technologies are necessary to make SHM (and more specifically VHM) practical, reliable, and cost effective. This paper will present the X-33 SHM design which forms the baseline for the RLV SHM, and it will discuss applications of advanced technologies to future RLVs. In addition, this paper will describe a Virtual Design Environment (VDE) which is being developed for RLV. This VDE will allow for system design engineering, as well as program management teams, to accurately and efficiently evaluate system designs, analyze the behavior of current systems, and predict the feasibility of making smooth and cost-efficient transitions from older technologies to newer ones. The RLV SHM design methodology will reduce program costs, decrease total program life-cycle time, and ultimately increase mission success.

Design of New Power Management Circuit for Light Energy Harvesting System

PubMed Central

Jafer, Issa; Stack, Paul; MacNamee, Kevin

2016-01-01

Nowadays, it can be observed that Wireless Sensors Networks (WSN) are taking increasingly vital roles in many applications, such as building energy monitoring and control, which is the focus of the work in this paper. However, the main challenging issue with adopting WSN technology is the use of power sources such as batteries, which have a limited lifetime. A smart solution that could tackle this problem is using Energy Harvesting technology. The work in this paper will be focused on proposing a new power management design through harvesting indoor light intensity. The new approach is inspired by the use of the Fractional Open Circuit Voltage based Maximum Power Point tracking (MPPT) concept for sub mw Photo Voltaic (PV) cells. The new design adopts two main features: First, it minimizes the power consumed by the power management section; and second, it maximizes the MPPT-converted output voltage and consequently improves the efficiency of the power conversion in the sub mw power level. The new experimentally-tested design showed an improvement of 81% in the efficiency of MPPT conversion using 0.5 mW input power in comparison with the other presented solutions that showed less efficiency with higher input power. PMID:26907300

An Attempt at Quantifying Factors that Affect Efficiency in the Management of Solid Waste Produced by Commercial Businesses in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

PubMed Central

Worku, Yohannes; Muchie, Mammo

2012-01-01

Objective. The objective was to investigate factors that affect the efficient management of solid waste produced by commercial businesses operating in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Methods. Data was gathered from 1,034 businesses. Efficiency in solid waste management was assessed by using a structural time-based model designed for evaluating efficiency as a function of the length of time required to manage waste. Data analysis was performed using statistical procedures such as frequency tables, Pearson's chi-square tests of association, and binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios estimated from logistic regression analysis were used for identifying key factors that affect efficiency in the proper disposal of waste. Results. The study showed that 857 of the 1,034 businesses selected for the study (83%) were found to be efficient enough with regards to the proper collection and disposal of solid waste. Based on odds ratios estimated from binary logistic regression analysis, efficiency in the proper management of solid waste was significantly influenced by 4 predictor variables. These 4 influential predictor variables are lack of adherence to waste management regulations, wrong perception, failure to provide customers with enough trash cans, and operation of businesses by employed managers, in a decreasing order of importance. PMID:23209483

Identifying and managing inappropriate hospital utilization: a policy synthesis.

PubMed Central

Payne, S M

1987-01-01

Utilization review, the assessment of the appropriateness and efficiency of hospital care through review of the medical record, and utilization management, deliberate action by payers or hospital administrators to influence providers of hospital services to increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which services are provided, are valuable but relatively unfamiliar strategies for containing hospital costs. The purpose of this synthesis is to increase awareness of the scope of and potential for these approaches among health services managers and administrators, third-party payers, policy analysts, and health services researchers. The synthesis will assist the reader to trace the conceptual context and the historical development of utilization review from unstructured methods using individual physicians' professional judgment to structured methods using explicit criteria; to establish the context of utilization review and clarify its uses; to understand the concepts and tools used in assessing the efficiency of hospital use; and to select, design, and evaluate utilization review and utilization management programs. The extent of inappropriate (medical unnecessary) hospital utilization and the factors associated with it are described. Implications for managers, providers, and third-party payers in targeting utilization review and in designing and evaluating utilization management programs are discussed. PMID:3121538

Negotiating designs of multi-purpose reservoir systems in international basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geressu, Robel; Harou, Julien

2016-04-01

Given increasing agricultural and energy demands, coordinated management of multi-reservoir systems could help increase production without further stressing available water resources. However, regional or international disputes about water-use rights pose a challenge to efficient expansion and management of many large reservoir systems. Even when projects are likely to benefit all stakeholders, agreeing on the design, operation, financing, and benefit sharing can be challenging. This is due to the difficulty of considering multiple stakeholder interests in the design of projects and understanding the benefit trade-offs that designs imply. Incommensurate performance metrics, incomplete knowledge on system requirements, lack of objectivity in managing conflict and difficulty to communicate complex issue exacerbate the problem. This work proposes a multi-step hybrid multi-objective optimization and multi-criteria ranking approach for supporting negotiation in water resource systems. The approach uses many-objective optimization to generate alternative efficient designs and reveal the trade-offs between conflicting objectives. This enables informed elicitation of criteria weights for further multi-criteria ranking of alternatives. An ideal design would be ranked as best by all stakeholders. Resource-sharing mechanisms such as power-trade and/or cost sharing may help competing stakeholders arrive at designs acceptable to all. Many-objective optimization helps suggests efficient designs (reservoir site, its storage size and operating rule) and coordination levels considering the perspectives of multiple stakeholders simultaneously. We apply the proposed approach to a proof-of-concept study of the expansion of the Blue Nile transboundary reservoir system.

Design of the Hospital Integrated Information Management System Based on Cloud Platform

PubMed Central

Aijing, L; Jin, Y

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT At present, the outdated information management style cannot meet the needs of hospital management, and has become the bottleneck of hospital's management and development. In order to improve the integrated management of information, hospitals have increased their investment in integrated information management systems. On account of the lack of reasonable and scientific design, some hospital integrated information management systems have common problems, such as unfriendly interface, poor portability and maintainability, low security and efficiency, lack of interactivity and information sharing. To solve the problem, this paper carries out the research and design of a hospital information management system based on cloud platform, which can realize the optimized integration of hospital information resources and save money. PMID:27399033

Efficiency improvement of technological preparation of power equipment manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milukov, I. A.; Rogalev, A. N.; Sokolov, V. P.; Shevchenko, I. V.

2017-11-01

Competitiveness of power equipment primarily depends on speeding-up the development and mastering of new equipment samples and technologies, enhancement of organisation and management of design, manufacturing and operation. Actual political, technological and economic conditions cause the acute need in changing the strategy and tactics of process planning. At that the issues of maintenance of equipment with simultaneous improvement of its efficiency and compatibility to domestically produced components are considering. In order to solve these problems, using the systems of computer-aided process planning for process design at all stages of power equipment life cycle is economically viable. Computer-aided process planning is developed for the purpose of improvement of process planning by using mathematical methods and optimisation of design and management processes on the basis of CALS technologies, which allows for simultaneous process design, process planning organisation and management based on mathematical and physical modelling of interrelated design objects and production system. An integration of computer-aided systems providing the interaction of informative and material processes at all stages of product life cycle is proposed as effective solution to the challenges in new equipment design and process planning.

Engineering management technologies of increasing energy efficiency processes in the investment and construction projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisovich Zelentsov, Leonid; Dmitrievna Mailyan, Liya; Sultanovich Shogenov, Murat

2017-10-01

The article deals with the problems of using the energy-efficient materials and engineering technologies during the construction of buildings and structures. As the analysis showed, one of the most important problems in this sphere is the infringement of production technologies working with energy-efficient materials. To improve the given situation, it is offered to set a technological normal at the design stage by means of working out the technological maps studying the set and the succession of operations in details, taking in mind the properties of energy-efficient materials. At Don State Technical University (DSTU) the intelligent systems of management are being developed providing organizational and technological and also informational integration of design and production stages by means of creating the single database of technological maps, volumes of work and resources.

Service Discovery Oriented Management System Construction Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huawei; Ren, Ying

2017-10-01

In order to solve the problem that there is no uniform method for design service quality management system in large-scale complex service environment, this paper proposes a distributed service-oriented discovery management system construction method. Three measurement functions are proposed to compute nearest neighbor user similarity at different levels. At present in view of the low efficiency of service quality management systems, three solutions are proposed to improve the efficiency of the system. Finally, the key technologies of distributed service quality management system based on service discovery are summarized through the factor addition and subtraction of quantitative experiment.

Management of data from clinical trials using the ArchiMed system.

PubMed

Duftschmid, Georg; Gall, Walter; Eigenbauer, Ernst; Dorda, Wolfgang

2002-06-01

Clinical trials constitute a key source of medical research and are therefore conducted on a regular basis at university hospitals. The professional execution of trials requires, among other things, a repertoire of tools that support efficient data management. Tasks that are essential for efficient data management in clinical trials include the following: the design of the trial database, the design of electronic case report forms, recruiting patients, collection of data, and statistical analysis. The present article reports the manner in which these tasks are supported by the ArchiMed system at the University of Vienna and Graz Medical Schools. ArchiMed is customized for clinical end users, allowing them to autonomously manage their clinical trials without having to consult computer experts. An evaluation of the ArchiMed system in 12 trials recently conducted at the University of Vienna Medical School shows that the individual system functions can be usefully applied for data management in clinical trials.

Recovery Act: High-Efficiency, Wideband Three-Phase Rectifiers and Adaptive Rectifier Management for Telecomm Central Office and Large Data Center Applications

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

Mark A. Johnson

2012-06-29

Lineage Power and Verizon teamed up to address a DOE funding opportunity focused on improving the power conversion chain in telecommunications facilities and data centers. The project had three significant elements: the design and development of high efficiency and high power three-phase rectifiers by Lineage Power, design and development of software to optimize overall plant energy efficiency by Lineage Power, and a field trial in active Verizon telecommunications facilities where energy consumption was measured before and after efficiency upgrades.

[A medical consumable material management information system].

PubMed

Tang, Guoping; Hu, Liang

2014-05-01

Medical consumables material is essential supplies to carry out medical work, which has a wide range of varieties and a large amount of usage. How to manage it feasibly and efficiently that has been a topic of concern to everyone. This article discussed about how to design a medical consumable material management information system that has a set of standardized processes, bring together medical supplies administrator, suppliers and clinical departments. Advanced management mode, enterprise resource planning (ERP) applied to the whole system design process.

Online fault adaptive control for efficient resource management in Advanced Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdelwahed, Sherif; Wu, Jian; Biswas, Gautam; Ramirez, John; Manders, Eric-J

2005-01-01

This article presents the design and implementation of a controller scheme for efficient resource management in Advanced Life Support Systems. In the proposed approach, a switching hybrid system model is used to represent the dynamics of the system components and their interactions. The operational specifications for the controller are represented by utility functions, and the corresponding resource management problem is formulated as a safety control problem. The controller is designed as a limited-horizon online supervisory controller that performs a limited forward search on the state-space of the system at each time step, and uses the utility functions to decide on the best action. The feasibility and accuracy of the online algorithm can be assessed at design time. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the scheme by running a set of experiments on the Reverse Osmosis (RO) subsystem of the Water Recovery System (WRS).

Traffic Management in ATM Networks Over Satellite Links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goyal, Rohit; Jain, Raj; Goyal, Mukul; Fahmy, Sonia; Vandalore, Bobby; vonDeak, Thomas

1999-01-01

This report presents a survey of the traffic management Issues in the design and implementation of satellite Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks. The report focuses on the efficient transport of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic over satellite ATM. First, a reference satellite ATM network architecture is presented along with an overview of the service categories available in ATM networks. A delay model for satellite networks and the major components of delay and delay variation are described. A survey of design options for TCP over Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR), Guaranteed Frame Rate (GFR) and Available Bit Rate (ABR) services in ATM is presented. The main focus is on traffic management issues. Several recommendations on the design options for efficiently carrying data services over satellite ATM networks are presented. Most of the results are based on experiments performed on Geosynchronous (GEO) latencies. Some results for Low Earth Orbits (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) latencies are also provided.

Online fault adaptive control for efficient resource management in Advanced Life Support Systems.

PubMed

Abdelwahed, Sherif; Wu, Jian; Biswas, Gautam; Ramirez, John; Manders, Eric-J

2005-01-01

This article presents the design and implementation of a controller scheme for efficient resource management in Advanced Life Support Systems. In the proposed approach, a switching hybrid system model is used to represent the dynamics of the system components and their interactions. The operational specifications for the controller are represented by utility functions, and the corresponding resource management problem is formulated as a safety control problem. The controller is designed as a limited-horizon online supervisory controller that performs a limited forward search on the state-space of the system at each time step, and uses the utility functions to decide on the best action. The feasibility and accuracy of the online algorithm can be assessed at design time. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the scheme by running a set of experiments on the Reverse Osmosis (RO) subsystem of the Water Recovery System (WRS).

[The conceptual bases for an entrepreneurial management of local health systems].

PubMed

Yepes, F J; Durán-Arenas, L

1994-01-01

Health management has become a fashion and it is now common to talk about strategic or service management, or of total quality management applied to health systems. However, all these elements of business management are being translated to health systems without a previous analysis on the implicit health model and the rationality of the prevalent production functions, which can lead to a higher level of efficiency but with an inadequate use of resources. This paper suggests the importance of integrating the advances in management and health sciences and proposes what are considered to be the conceptual basis for the design of a management tool geared to conduct local health systems with effectiveness, efficiency, quality and equity.

Salary Management System for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Zhang; Guangli, Xu; Yuhuan, Zhang; Yilong, Lei

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the process of wage entry, calculation, the total number are needed to be done manually in the past, the data volume is quite large, processing speed is low, and it is easy to make error, which is resulting in low efficiency. The main purpose of writing this paper is to present the basis of salary management system, establish a scientific database, the computer payroll system, using the computer instead of a lot of past manual work in order to reduce duplication of staff labor, it will improve working efficiency.This system combines the actual needs of SMEs, through in-depth study and practice of the C/S mode, PowerBuilder10.0 development tools, databases and SQL language, Completed a payroll system needs analysis, database design, application design and development work. Wages, departments, units and personnel database file are included in this system, and have data management, department management, personnel management and other functions, through the control and management of the database query, add, delete, modify, and other functions can be realized. This system is reasonable design, a more complete function, stable operation has been tested to meet the basic needs of the work.

Caring for people efficiently.

PubMed

Hughes, D

1993-09-01

The UK government's plans and objectives for community care in the 1990s are examined. The objective of providing care in the community 'wherever possible' is unlikely to be efficient unless the costs and benefits of providing such care are accounted for. Even if it were efficient to provide more care in the community, the mechanisms aimed at ensuring the transfer of funds have been inadequate in terms of encouraging such an objective. These same principles (i.e. the need to assess costs and benefits) should be applied to the design of individual packages of care in the community, when the costs and benefits of carers' time become more important. Case management offers the opportunity to assess individual circumstances which is necessary for the design of efficient packages of care. However, case management is likely to suffer from the problems of fragmentation which makes organisation of flexible packages of care difficult.

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

Elia, Valerio; Gnoni, Maria Grazia, E-mail: mariagrazia.gnoni@unisalento.it; Tornese, Fabiana

Highlights: • Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) schemes are becoming widespread in several countries. • Economic, organizational and technological issues have to be integrated in an efficient PAYT model design. • Efficiency refers to a PAYT system which support high citizen participation rates as well as economic sustainability. • Different steps and constraints have to be evaluated from collection services to type technologies. • An holistic approach is discussed to support PAYT systems diffusion. - Abstract: Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) strategies are becoming widely applied in solid waste management systems; the main purpose is to support a more sustainable – from economic, environmental and socialmore » points of view – management of waste flows. Adopting PAYT charging models increases the complexity level of the waste management service as new organizational issues have to be evaluated compared to flat charging models. In addition, innovative technological solutions could also be adopted to increase the overall efficiency of the service. Unit pricing, user identification and waste measurement represent the three most important processes to be defined in a PAYT system. The paper proposes a holistic framework to support an effective design and management process. The framework defines most critical processes and effective organizational and technological solutions for supporting waste managers as well as researchers.« less

Maximize Energy Efficiency in Buildings | Climate Neutral Research Campuses

Science.gov Websites

Buildings on a research campus, especially laboratory buildings, often represent the most cost-effective plans, campuses can evaluate the following: Energy Management Building Management New Buildings Design

An electronic regulatory document management system for a clinical trial network.

PubMed

Zhao, Wenle; Durkalski, Valerie; Pauls, Keith; Dillon, Catherine; Kim, Jaemyung; Kolk, Deneil; Silbergleit, Robert; Stevenson, Valerie; Palesch, Yuko

2010-01-01

A computerized regulatory document management system has been developed as a module in a comprehensive Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) designed for an NIH-funded clinical trial network in order to more efficiently manage and track regulatory compliance. Within the network, several institutions and investigators are involved in multiple trials, and each trial has regulatory document requirements. Some of these documents are trial specific while others apply across multiple trials. The latter causes a possible redundancy in document collection and management. To address these and other related challenges, a central regulatory document management system was designed. This manuscript shares the design of the system as well as examples of it use in current studies. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of Microcomputer to Manage Assessment Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vance, Booney; Hayden, David

1982-01-01

Examples are provided of a computerized special education management system used to manage assessment data for exceptional students. The system is designed to provide a simple yet efficient method of tracking data from educational and psychological evaluations (specifically the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised scores). (CL)

Effective and efficient implementation of alternative project delivery : research summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-05-01

Alternative project delivery (APD) methods such as Design Build (DB) and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), are used by state departments of transportation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of project delivery. The Maryland Department of ...

Design and implement of mobile equipment management system based on QRcode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Runze; Duan, Xiaohui; Jiao, Bingli

2017-08-01

A mobile equipment management system based on QRcode is proposed for remote and convenient device management. Unlike conventional systems, the system here makes managers accessible to real-time information with smart phones. Compared with the conventional method, which can only be operated with specific devices, this lightweight and efficient tele management mode is conducive to the asset management in multiple scenarios.

Physical design correlates of efficiency and safety in emergency departments: a qualitative examination.

PubMed

Pati, Debajyoti; Harvey, Thomas E; Pati, Sipra

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore and identify physical design correlates of safety and efficiency in emergency department (ED) operations. This study adopted an exploratory, multimeasure approach to (1) examine the interactions between ED operations and physical design at 4 sites and (2) identify domains of physical design decision-making that potentially influence efficiency and safety. Multidisciplinary gaming and semistructured interviews were conducted with stakeholders at each site. Study data suggest that 16 domains of physical design decisions influence safety, efficiency, or both. These include (1) entrance and patient waiting, (2) traffic management, (3) subwaiting or internal waiting areas, (4) triage, (5) examination/treatment area configuration, (6) examination/treatment area centralization versus decentralization, (7) examination/treatment room standardization, (8) adequate space, (9) nurse work space, (10) physician work space, (11) adjacencies and access, (12) equipment room, (13) psych room, (14) staff de-stressing room, (15) hallway width, and (16) results waiting area. Safety and efficiency from a physical environment perspective in ED design are mutually reinforcing concepts--enhancing efficiency bears positive implications for safety. Furthermore, safety and security emerged as correlated concepts, with security issues bearing implications for safety, thereby suggesting important associations between safety, security, and efficiency.

Harnessing Technology for School Accountability: A Case Study of Implementing a Management Information System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enomoto, Ernestine K.; Conley, Sharon

2007-01-01

Schools employ educational technology to comply with pressures for greater accountability and efficiency in conducting operations. Specifically, schools use "management information systems" designed to automate data collection of student attendance, grades, test scores, and so on. These management information systems (MIS) employed…

Appendix X. ComField Information Management System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffin, Robert W.

This appendix outlines the ComField information management system which is designed to give the project management a comprehensive tool for decisionmaking and to free instructors from tasks of keeping current records of every student's performance, help them plan their time more efficiently for counseling students and planning instruction, and…

The science of trail surveys: Recreation ecology provides new tools for managing wilderness trails

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Wimpey, Jeremy F.; Park, Logan O.

2011-01-01

Recreation ecology examines the effects of recreation on protected area ecosystems. One core focus of recreation ecology research is trail science, including the development of efficient protocols to assess and monitor the type and severity of resource impacts, analyses to improve knowledge of factors that influence trail conditions, and studies to assist land managers in improving trail design, maintenance, and visitor management. This article reviews alternative trail survey methodologies most useful for the management of wilderness and backcountry trail networks. Illustrations and implications from survey data for trail planning, design, and management are included.

Comprehensive managed care evaluation.

PubMed

Bushick, B

1992-01-01

To optimize the benefits of managed care delivery systems, employers must identify and reward those systems that are most efficient and effective. At the same time, their deeper involvement in system design and management exposes employers to greater potential liability. Employers thus need to better evaluate their managed care programs in order to enhance the benefits and minimize the risks.

Optical management for efficiency enhancement in hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cells

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hui; Toudert, Johann

2018-01-01

Abstract In a few years only, solar cells using hybrid organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites as optical absorber have reached record photovoltaic energy conversion efficiencies above 20%. To reach and overcome such values, it is required to tailor both the electrical and optical properties of the device. For a given efficient device, optical optimization overtakes electrical one. Here, we provide a synthetic review of recent works reporting or proposing so-called optical management approaches for improving the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, including the use of anti-reflection coatings at the front substrate surface, the design of optical cavities integrated within the device, the incorporation of plasmonic or dielectric nanostructures into the different layers of the device and the structuration of its internal interfaces. We finally give as outlooks some insights into the less-explored management of the perovskite fluorescence and its potential for enhancing the cell efficiency. PMID:29868146

Analyzing the impact of carbon regulatory mechanisms on supply chain management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The objective of this research is developing a toolset for designing and managing cost : efficient and environmentally friendly supply chains for perishable products. : The models we propose minimize transportation and inventory holding costs in the ...

Contracting for Efficiency. A Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Product Procurement

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

Bunch, Saralyn; Payne, Christopher

2016-04-01

The requirement to buy energy- and water-efficient products applies to federal purchases made through any procurement pathway (e.g., purchase cards, e-retailers, and solicitations) and to a wide variety of federal projects. The Federal Energy Management Program’s (FEMP's) Buy Energy-Efficient Products buyer overview fact sheet and Contracting for Efficiency best practices guide for product procurement are designed to support federal buyers in the purchase of energy- and water-efficient products.

Contracting for Efficiency: A Best Practices Guide for Energy Efficient Product Procurement

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

Bunch, Saralyn; Payne, Christopher

The requirement to buy energy- and water-efficient products applies to federal purchases made through any procurement pathway (e.g., purchase cards, e-retailers, and solicitations) and to a wide variety of federal projects. The Federal Energy Management Program’s (FEMP's) Buy Energy-Efficient Products buyer overview fact sheet and Contracting for Efficiency best practices guide for product procurement are designed to support federal buyers in the purchase of energy- and water-efficient products.

A Data Base Management System for Clinical and Epidemiologic Studies In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Design and Maintenance

PubMed Central

Kosmides, Victoria S.; Hochberg, Marc C.

1984-01-01

This report describes the development, design specifications, features and implementation of a data base management system (DBMS) for clinical and epidemiologic studies in SLE. The DBMS is multidimensional with arrays formulated across patients, studies and variables. The major impact of this DBMS has been to increase the efficiency of managing and analyzing vast amounts of clinical and laboratory data and, as a result, to allow for continued growth in research productivity in areas related to SLE.

Obtaining mathematical models for assessing efficiency of dust collectors using integrated system of analysis and data management STATISTICA Design of Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azarov, A. V.; Zhukova, N. S.; Kozlovtseva, E. Yu; Dobrinsky, D. R.

2018-05-01

The article considers obtaining mathematical models to assess the efficiency of the dust collectors using an integrated system of analysis and data management STATISTICA Design of Experiments. The procedure for obtaining mathematical models and data processing is considered by the example of laboratory studies on a mounted installation containing a dust collector in counter-swirling flows (CSF) using gypsum dust of various fractions. Planning of experimental studies has been carried out in order to reduce the number of experiments and reduce the cost of experimental research. A second-order non-position plan (Box-Bencken plan) was used, which reduced the number of trials from 81 to 27. The order of statistical data research of Box-Benken plan using standard tools of integrated system for analysis and data management STATISTICA Design of Experiments is considered. Results of statistical data processing with significance estimation of coefficients and adequacy of mathematical models are presented.

A strategic plan for the design and creation of a safety management system for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-01-01

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 required that states develop systems for managing highway pavement, bridges, safety, congestion, public transportation, and intermodal transportation. This document is Virginia's wo...

Managing Inventory At A Transitional Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutchins, Henry A.

1993-01-01

Kennedy Inventory Management System, KIMS, geared to needs of facility in transition from research and development to manufacturing. Operated jointly by several contractors at Kennedy Space Center, KIMS designed to reduce cost and increase efficiency of fabrication and maintenance of spaceflight hardware.

Performance Efficiency of a Crash Energy Management System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-03-13

Previous work has led to the development of a crash energy : management (CEM) system designed to distribute crush : throughout unoccupied areas of a passenger train in a collision : event. This CEM system is comprised of crush zones at the : front an...

Wisconsin System for Instructional Management: Terminal Operator Manual. Practical Paper No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozeman, William C.; And Others

The Wisconsin System for Instructional Management (WIS-SIM) is a computer managed instruction (CMI) system designed to improve instructional decision making in order to maximize the educational progress of each child while making efficient use of the available human, material, and financial resources within an organizational structure such as the…

SYN-OP-SYS™: A Computerized Management Information System for Quality Assurance and Risk Management

PubMed Central

Thomas, David J.; Weiner, Jayne; Lippincott, Ronald C.

1985-01-01

SYN·OP·SYS™ is a computerized management information system for quality assurance and risk management. Computer software for the efficient collection and analysis of “occurrences” and the clinical data associated with these kinds of patient events is described. The system is evaluated according to certain computer design criteria, and the system's implementation is assessed.

Performance indicators: healthcare professionals' views.

PubMed

Gu, Xiuzhu; Itoh, Kenji

2016-08-08

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to capture factors behind professional views of indicator usefulness as a common structure for assessing healthcare performance and their important characteristics to design limited key performance indicators (PIs) for holistic hospital management. Design/methodology/approach - Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which hospital manager/staff respondents were asked to rate the 52 PIs' usefulness. In total, 228 manager and 894 staff responses were collected. Findings - Eight factors were elicited from manager and staff responses as performance measures with 72 percent cumulative variance accounted for. Hospital managers and staff showed similar performance measure perceptions: high-utility acknowledgment on safety, operational efficiency and patient/employee satisfaction but relatively low-employee development concerns. Manager indicator usefulness perceptions were rather homogeneous and significantly higher than staff for almost all performance measures. Practical implications - Homogeneous manager views mean that a single key PI set for hospital management may be established regardless of hospital attributes. The following aspects may be measures that should be managed in a healthcare organization based on their key PIs: patient/employee safety, operational efficiency, financial effectiveness and patient/employee satisfaction. Originality/value - This is a pilot study on hospital management PIs in Japan. The eight-dimensional factor structure and findings about healthcare provider perceptions may be useful for healthcare management.

Designing new institutions for implementing integrated disaster risk management: key elements and future directions.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, Chennat; Okada, Norio

2007-12-01

The goal of integrated disaster risk management is to promote an overall improvement in the quality of safety and security in a region, city or community at disaster risk. This paper presents the case for a thorough overhaul of the institutional component of integrated disaster risk management. A review of disaster management institutions in the United States indicates significant weaknesses in their ability to contribute effectively to the implementation of integrated disaster risk management. Our analysis and findings identify eight key elements for the design of dynamic new disaster management institutions. Six specific approaches are suggested for incorporating the identified key elements in building new institutions that would have significant potential for enhancing the effective implementation of integrated disaster risk management. We have developed a possible blueprint for effective design and construction of efficient, sustainable and functional disaster management institutions.

Evaluating hospital design from an operations management perspective.

PubMed

Vos, Leti; Groothuis, Siebren; van Merode, Godefridus G

2007-12-01

This paper describes an evaluation method for the assessment of hospital building design from the viewpoint of operations management to assure that the building design supports the efficient and effective operating of care processes now and in the future. The different steps of the method are illustrated by a case study. In the case study an experimental design is applied to assess the effect of used logistical concepts, patient mix and technologies. The study shows that the evaluation method provides a valuable tool for the assessment of both functionality and the ability to meet future developments in operational control of a building design.

I/O-Efficient Scientific Computation Using TPIE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vengroff, Darren Erik; Vitter, Jeffrey Scott

1996-01-01

In recent years, input/output (I/O)-efficient algorithms for a wide variety of problems have appeared in the literature. However, systems specifically designed to assist programmers in implementing such algorithms have remained scarce. TPIE is a system designed to support I/O-efficient paradigms for problems from a variety of domains, including computational geometry, graph algorithms, and scientific computation. The TPIE interface frees programmers from having to deal not only with explicit read and write calls, but also the complex memory management that must be performed for I/O-efficient computation. In this paper we discuss applications of TPIE to problems in scientific computation. We discuss algorithmic issues underlying the design and implementation of the relevant components of TPIE and present performance results of programs written to solve a series of benchmark problems using our current TPIE prototype. Some of the benchmarks we present are based on the NAS parallel benchmarks while others are of our own creation. We demonstrate that the central processing unit (CPU) overhead required to manage I/O is small and that even with just a single disk, the I/O overhead of I/O-efficient computation ranges from negligible to the same order of magnitude as CPU time. We conjecture that if we use a number of disks in parallel this overhead can be all but eliminated.

Development of an Item Unique Identification Strategy for the Legacy Components of the US Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams Tank

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-03

and efficiency) criteria will merit a high-risk designation . The DoD’s inventory management, later expanded in 2003 to include DoD supply chain...management,3 is not only one of the fourteen charter designations on the first high-risk list issued in 1993, it has also been on every biennial update...and logistics support data. Furthermore, the top-down design of the centralized information repository (IUID Registry) is perhaps the greatest

Design and Verification of Remote Sensing Image Data Center Storage Architecture Based on Hadoop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, D.; Zhou, X.; Jing, Y.; Cong, W.; Li, C.

2018-04-01

The data center is a new concept of data processing and application proposed in recent years. It is a new method of processing technologies based on data, parallel computing, and compatibility with different hardware clusters. While optimizing the data storage management structure, it fully utilizes cluster resource computing nodes and improves the efficiency of data parallel application. This paper used mature Hadoop technology to build a large-scale distributed image management architecture for remote sensing imagery. Using MapReduce parallel processing technology, it called many computing nodes to process image storage blocks and pyramids in the background to improve the efficiency of image reading and application and sovled the need for concurrent multi-user high-speed access to remotely sensed data. It verified the rationality, reliability and superiority of the system design by testing the storage efficiency of different image data and multi-users and analyzing the distributed storage architecture to improve the application efficiency of remote sensing images through building an actual Hadoop service system.

Energy efficient engine high-pressure turbine detailed design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thulin, R. D.; Howe, D. C.; Singer, I. D.

1982-01-01

The energy efficient engine high-pressure turbine is a single stage system based on technology advancements in the areas of aerodynamics, structures and materials to achieve high performance, low operating economics and durability commensurate with commercial service requirements. Low loss performance features combined with a low through-flow velocity approach results in a predicted efficiency of 88.8 for a flight propulsion system. Turbine airfoil durability goals are achieved through the use of advanced high-strength and high-temperature capability single crystal materials and effective cooling management. Overall, this design reflects a considerable extension in turbine technology that is applicable to future, energy efficient gas-turbine engines.

BARI+: A Biometric Based Distributed Key Management Approach for Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Muhammad, Khaliq-ur-Rahman Raazi Syed; Lee, Heejo; Lee, Sungyoung; Lee, Young-Koo

2010-01-01

Wireless body area networks (WBAN) consist of resource constrained sensing devices just like other wireless sensor networks (WSN). However, they differ from WSN in topology, scale and security requirements. Due to these differences, key management schemes designed for WSN are inefficient and unnecessarily complex when applied to WBAN. Considering the key management issue, WBAN are also different from WPAN because WBAN can use random biometric measurements as keys. We highlight the differences between WSN and WBAN and propose an efficient key management scheme, which makes use of biometrics and is specifically designed for WBAN domain. PMID:22319333

BARI+: a biometric based distributed key management approach for wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Muhammad, Khaliq-ur-Rahman Raazi Syed; Lee, Heejo; Lee, Sungyoung; Lee, Young-Koo

2010-01-01

Wireless body area networks (WBAN) consist of resource constrained sensing devices just like other wireless sensor networks (WSN). However, they differ from WSN in topology, scale and security requirements. Due to these differences, key management schemes designed for WSN are inefficient and unnecessarily complex when applied to WBAN. Considering the key management issue, WBAN are also different from WPAN because WBAN can use random biometric measurements as keys. We highlight the differences between WSN and WBAN and propose an efficient key management scheme, which makes use of biometrics and is specifically designed for WBAN domain.

Special Report: Part One. New Tools for Professionals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liskin, Miriam; And Others

1984-01-01

This collection of articles includes an examination of word-processing software; project management software; new expert systems that turn microcomputers into logical, well-informed consultants; simulated negotiation software; telephone management systems; and the physical design of an efficient microcomputer work space. (MBR)

45 CFR 205.36 - State plan requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., of an automated statewide management information system designed effectively and efficiently, to assist management in the administration of an approved AFDC State plan. The submission process to amend... aid or services is changed. (c) To electronically refer and exchange information with programs under...

Waste-efficient materials procurement for construction projects: A structural equation modelling of critical success factors.

PubMed

Ajayi, Saheed O; Oyedele, Lukumon O

2018-05-01

Albeit the understanding that construction waste is caused by activities ranging from all stages of project delivery process, research efforts have been concentrated on design and construction stages, while the possibility of reducing waste through materials procurement process is widely neglected. This study aims at exploring and confirming strategies for achieving waste-efficient materials procurement in construction activities. The study employs sequential exploratory mixed method approach as its methodological framework, using focus group discussion, statistical analysis and structural equation modelling. The study suggests that for materials procurement to enhance waste minimisation in construction projects, the procurement process would be characterised by four features. These include suppliers' commitment to low waste measures, low waste purchase management, effective materials delivery management and waste-efficient Bill of Quantity, all of which have significant impacts on waste minimisation. This implies that commitment of materials suppliers to such measures as take back scheme and flexibility in supplying small materials quantity, among others, are expected of materials procurement. While low waste purchase management stipulates the need for such measures as reduced packaging and consideration of pre-assembled/pre-cut materials, efficient delivery management entails effective delivery and storage system as well as adequate protection of materials during the delivery process, among others. Waste-efficient specification and bill of quantity, on the other hand, requires accurate materials take-off and ordering of materials based on accurately prepared design documents and bill of quantity. Findings of this study could assist in understanding a set of measures that should be taken during materials procurement process, thereby corroborating waste management practices at other stages of project delivery process. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

NREL Evaluates Performance of Fast-Charge Electric Buses

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

2016-09-16

This real-world performance evaluation is designed to enhance understanding of the overall usage and effectiveness of electric buses in transit operation and to provide unbiased technical information to other agencies interested in adding such vehicles to their fleets. Initial results indicate that the electric buses under study offer significant fuel and emissions savings. The final results will help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potential of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals. help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potentialmore » of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals.« less

Design of lane merges at rural freeway construction work zones.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-01

Practices for the design and control of work zone traffic control configurations have evolved over time : to reflect safer and more efficient management practices. However, they are also recognized as areas : of frequent vehicle conflicts that can ca...

Engineering Changes in Product Design - A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karthik, K.; Janardhan Reddy, K., Dr

2016-09-01

Changes are fundamental to product development. Engineering changes are unavoidable and can arise at any phase of the product life cycle. The consideration of market requirements, customer/user feedbacks, manufacturing constraints, design innovations etc., turning them into viable products can be accomplished when product change is managed properly. In the early design cycle, informal changes are accepted. However, changes become formal when its complexity and cost increases, and as product matures. To maximize the market shares, manufacturers have to effectively and efficiently manage engineering changes by means of Configuration Control. The paper gives a broad overview about ‘Engineering Change Management’ (ECM) through configuration management and its implications in product design. The aim is to give an idea and understanding about the engineering changes in product design scenario to the new researchers. This paper elaborates the significant aspect of managing the engineering changes and the importance of ECM in a product life cycle.

Professional Development Of Junior Full Time Support Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officers

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

management information system NAMP naval aviation maintenance program OCS officer candidate school OOMA optimized organizational maintenance activity...retrieval of information is effective and efficient. 13 Knowledge management solutions broadly fall into two categories, enterprise solutions...designed to manage large amounts of knowledge and information , access by many concurrent users at multiple organization units and locations, and

Purchasing and Accounting. MAS-116. Waste Isolation Division (WID). Management and Supervisor Training (MAST) Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM.

This learning module, which is part of a management and supervisor training program for managers and supervisors employed at the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Division, is designed to prepare trainees to perform purchasing and accounting tasks efficiently and effectively. The first section is an introduction to the module. The next three…

Investigating the value of time and value of reliability for managed lanes : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

Managed lanes employ various operational and design strategies to improve highway : efficiency by moving traffic to lanes that are restricted, for example, to drivers with one or : more passengers or to drivers that pay a fee. A drivers decision t...

45 CFR 205.36 - State plan requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., of an automated statewide management information system designed effectively and efficiently, to assist management in the administration of an approved AFDC State plan. The submission process to amend... account for— (1) All the factors in the total eligibility determination process under the plan for aid...

Creative Classroom Assignment Through Database Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Vivek; Bryant, Milton

1987-01-01

The Faculty Scheduling System (FSS), a database management system designed to give administrators the ability to schedule faculty in a fast and efficient manner is described. The FSS, developed using dBASE III, requires an IBM compatible microcomputer with a minimum of 256K memory. (MLW)

Heuristics in Managing Complex Clinical Decision Tasks in Experts’ Decision Making

PubMed Central

Islam, Roosan; Weir, Charlene; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2016-01-01

Background Clinical decision support is a tool to help experts make optimal and efficient decisions. However, little is known about the high level of abstractions in the thinking process for the experts. Objective The objective of the study is to understand how clinicians manage complexity while dealing with complex clinical decision tasks. Method After approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), three clinical experts were interviewed the transcripts from these interviews were analyzed. Results We found five broad categories of strategies by experts for managing complex clinical decision tasks: decision conflict, mental projection, decision trade-offs, managing uncertainty and generating rule of thumb. Conclusion Complexity is created by decision conflicts, mental projection, limited options and treatment uncertainty. Experts cope with complexity in a variety of ways, including using efficient and fast decision strategies to simplify complex decision tasks, mentally simulating outcomes and focusing on only the most relevant information. Application Understanding complex decision making processes can help design allocation based on the complexity of task for clinical decision support design. PMID:27275019

Heuristics in Managing Complex Clinical Decision Tasks in Experts' Decision Making.

PubMed

Islam, Roosan; Weir, Charlene; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2014-09-01

Clinical decision support is a tool to help experts make optimal and efficient decisions. However, little is known about the high level of abstractions in the thinking process for the experts. The objective of the study is to understand how clinicians manage complexity while dealing with complex clinical decision tasks. After approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), three clinical experts were interviewed the transcripts from these interviews were analyzed. We found five broad categories of strategies by experts for managing complex clinical decision tasks: decision conflict, mental projection, decision trade-offs, managing uncertainty and generating rule of thumb. Complexity is created by decision conflicts, mental projection, limited options and treatment uncertainty. Experts cope with complexity in a variety of ways, including using efficient and fast decision strategies to simplify complex decision tasks, mentally simulating outcomes and focusing on only the most relevant information. Understanding complex decision making processes can help design allocation based on the complexity of task for clinical decision support design.

Improvement of thermal management in the composite Yb:YAG/YAG thin-disk laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsov, I. I.; Mukhin, I. B.; Palashov, O. V.

2016-04-01

To improve the thermal management in the composite Yb:YAG/YAG thin-disk laser a new design of laser head is developed. Thermal-induced phase distortions, small signal gain and lasing in the upgraded laser head are investigated and compared with previously published results. A substantial decrease of the thermal lens optical power and phase aberrations and increase of the laser slope efficiency are observed. A continuous-wave laser with 440 W average power and 44% slope efficiency is constructed.

Improving Working Memory Efficiency by Reframing Metacognitive Interpretation of Task Difficulty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Autin, Frederique; Croizet, Jean-Claude

2012-01-01

Working memory capacity, our ability to manage incoming information for processing purposes, predicts achievement on a wide range of intellectual abilities. Three randomized experiments (N = 310) tested the effectiveness of a brief psychological intervention designed to boost working memory efficiency (i.e., state working memory capacity) by…

78 FR 5462 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-25

... these decisionmaking processes will be applied by FDA to help design effective communication strategies..., beliefs, and behaviors--and use risk communications; (2) more efficiently and effectively design messages... provided about the design and methodology of the pretests and the studies to effectively comment on the...

Organizational Learning and Product Design Management: Towards a Theoretical Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiva-Gomez, Ricardo; Camison-Zornoza, Cesar; Lapiedra-Alcami, Rafael

2003-01-01

Case studies of four Spanish ceramics companies were used to construct a theoretical model of 14 factors essential to organizational learning. One set of factors is related to the conceptual-analytical phase of the product design process and the other to the creative-technical phase. All factors contributed to efficient product design management…

Meta-manager: a requirements analysis.

PubMed

Cook, J F; Rozenblit, J W; Chacko, A K; Martinez, R; Timboe, H L

1999-05-01

The digital imaging network-picture-archiving and communications system (DIN-PACS) will be implemented in ten sites within the Great Plains Regional Medical Command (GPRMC). This network of PACS and teleradiology technology over a shared T1 network has opened the door for round the clock radiology coverage of all sites. However, the concept of a virtual radiology environment poses new issues for military medicine. A new workflow management system must be developed. This workflow management system will allow us to efficiently resolve these issues including quality of care, availability, severe capitation, and quality of the workforce. The design process of this management system must employ existing technology, operate over various telecommunication networks and protocols, be independent of platform operating systems, be flexible and scaleable, and involve the end user at the outset in the design process for which it is developed. Using the unified modeling language (UML), the specifications for this new business management system were created in concert between the University of Arizona and the GPRMC. These specifications detail a management system operating through a common object request brokered architecture (CORBA) environment. In this presentation, we characterize the Meta-Manager management system including aspects of intelligence, interfacility routing, fail-safe operations, and expected improvements in patient care and efficiency.

Facility Management as Part of an Integrated Design of Civil Engineering Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyben, Ivan; Podmanický, Peter

2014-11-01

The present article deals about facility management, as still relatively young component of an integrated planning and design of buildings. Attention is focused on the area of the proposal, which can greatly affect to amount of future operating costs. Operational efficiency has been divided into individual components and satisfaction with the solution of buildings already constructed was assessed by workers, who are actually dedicated facility management in these organizations. The results were then assessed and evaluated through regression analysis. The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent is desired update project documentation of new buildings from the perspective of facility management.

Design for perception management system on offshore reef based on integrated management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Li; Qiankun, Wang

2017-06-01

According to an analysis of actual monitoring demands using integrated management and information technology, a quad monitoring system is proposed to provide intelligent perception of offshore reefs, including indoor building environments, architectural structures, and facilities and perimeter integrity. This will strengthen the ability to analyse and evaluate offshore reef operation and health, promoting efficiency in decision making.

CliniProteus: A flexible clinical trials information management system

PubMed Central

Mathura, Venkatarajan S; Rangareddy, Mahendiranath; Gupta, Pankaj; Mullan, Michael

2007-01-01

Clinical trials involve multi-site heterogeneous data generation with complex data input-formats and forms. The data should be captured and queried in an integrated fashion to facilitate further analysis. Electronic case-report forms (eCRF) are gaining popularity since it allows capture of clinical information in a rapid manner. We have designed and developed an XML based flexible clinical trials data management framework in .NET environment that can be used for efficient design and deployment of eCRFs to efficiently collate data and analyze information from multi-site clinical trials. The main components of our system include an XML form designer, a Patient registration eForm, reusable eForms, multiple-visit data capture and consolidated reports. A unique id is used for tracking the trial, site of occurrence, the patient and the year of recruitment. Availability http://www.rfdn.org/bioinfo/CTMS/ctms.html. PMID:21670796

Analyzing the impact of intermodal-related risk to the design and management of biofuel supply chain.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

The objective of this project is to design decision-support tools for identifying : biorefinery locations that ensure a cost-efficient and reliable supply chain. We built : mathematical models which take into consideration the benefits (such as acces...

40 CFR Appendix E to Part 300 - Oil Spill Response

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... management authority of the United States. (b) This appendix is designed to facilitate efficient, coordinated... and Health Administration RSPA—Research and Special Programs Administration USCG—United States Coast... changes to the NCP designed to improve the effectiveness of the national response system, including...

Performance management of multiple access communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Suk; Ray, Asok

1993-12-01

This paper focuses on conceptual design, development, and implementation of a performance management tool for computer communication networks to serve large-scale integrated systems. The objective is to improve the network performance in handling various types of messages by on-line adjustment of protocol parameters. The techniques of perturbation analysis of Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (DEDS), stochastic approximation (SA), and learning automata have been used in formulating the algorithm of performance management. The efficacy of the performance management tool has been demonstrated on a network testbed. The conceptual design presented in this paper offers a step forward to bridging the gap between management standards and users' demands for efficient network operations since most standards such as ISO (International Standards Organization) and IEEE address only the architecture, services, and interfaces for network management. The proposed concept of performance management can also be used as a general framework to assist design, operation, and management of various DEDS such as computer integrated manufacturing and battlefield C(sup 3) (Command, Control, and Communications).

A Process Management System for Networked Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tingting; Wang, Huifen; Liu, Linyan

With the development of computer, communication and network, networked manufacturing has become one of the main manufacturing paradigms in the 21st century. Under the networked manufacturing environment, there exist a large number of cooperative tasks susceptible to alterations, conflicts caused by resources and problems of cost and quality. This increases the complexity of administration. Process management is a technology used to design, enact, control, and analyze networked manufacturing processes. It supports efficient execution, effective management, conflict resolution, cost containment and quality control. In this paper we propose an integrated process management system for networked manufacturing. Requirements of process management are analyzed and architecture of the system is presented. And a process model considering process cost and quality is developed. Finally a case study is provided to explain how the system runs efficiently.

Operations Management in the Design and Execution of MBA Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busing, Michael E.; Palocsay, Susan W.

2016-01-01

Master of business administration (MBA) programs are under intense pressure to improve efficiencies, lower tuition, and offer refreshed curriculum that is of high quality and regarded as relevant by the marketplace. In light of this environment, the authors propose a conceptual framework for effectively employing operations management (OM)…

46 CFR 501.5 - Functions of the organizational components of the Federal Maritime Commission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... activities designed to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of, and to...(8) of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. 40102(8)), researches their status, and makes... include: Conducting IT management studies and surveys; managing data and voice telecommunications...

46 CFR 501.5 - Functions of the organizational components of the Federal Maritime Commission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... and recommends policies for activities designed to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in...(8) of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. 40102(8)), researches their status, and makes... Commission. The Office's functions include: Conducting IT management studies and surveys; managing data and...

NREL Leads Energy Systems Integration - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

performance data to manage and optimize campus energy use. Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World 03 Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World Energy systems integration optimizes the design and efficient data centers in the world. Sustainability through Dynamic Energy Management Sustainability through

Improving diabetes population management efficiency with an informatics solution.

PubMed

Zai, Adrian; Grant, Richard; Andrews, Carl; Yee, Ronnie; Chueh, Henry

2007-10-11

Despite intensive resource use for diabetes management in the U.S., our care continues to fall short of evidence-based goals, partly due to system inefficiencies. Diabetes registries are increasingly being utilized as a critical tool for population level disease management by providing real-time data. Since the successful adoption of a diabetes registry depends on how well it integrates with disease management workflows, we optimized our current diabetes management workflow and designed our registry application around it.

Efficiency of Personal and Administrative Skills for Managerial Leadership on Administrative Creativity at Najran University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yossef, Sameh Abdalraof Mahmoud; Rakha, Ahmed Hassan Hassan

2017-01-01

This research aims to identify the level of personal skills and leadership management at the Najran University in Saudi Arabia. And the efficiency of those skills in administrative creativity. Research sample amounted (39) administrative leaders at Najran University. Researchers designed two questionnaires for measuring personal and administrative…

Hydrological Monitoring System Design and Implementation Based on IOT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kun; Zhang, Dacheng; Bo, Jingyi; Zhang, Zhiguang

In this article, an embedded system development platform based on GSM communication is proposed. Through its application in hydrology monitoring management, the author makes discussion about communication reliability and lightning protection, suggests detail solutions, and also analyzes design and realization of upper computer software. Finally, communication program is given. Hydrology monitoring system from wireless communication network is a typical practical application of embedded system, which has realized intelligence, modernization, high-efficiency and networking of hydrology monitoring management.

Managing Input during Assistive Technology Product Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Young Mi

2011-01-01

Many different sources of input are available to assistive technology innovators during the course of designing products. However, there is little information on which ones may be most effective or how they may be efficiently utilized within the design process. The aim of this project was to compare how three types of input--from simulation tools,…

A DVE Time Management Simulation and Verification Platform Based on Causality Consistency Middleware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Hangjun; Zhang, Wei; Peng, Yuxing; Li, Sikun

During the course of designing a time management algorithm for DVEs, the researchers always become inefficiency for the distraction from the realization of the trivial and fundamental details of simulation and verification. Therefore, a platform having realized theses details is desirable. However, this has not been achieved in any published work to our knowledge. In this paper, we are the first to design and realize a DVE time management simulation and verification platform providing exactly the same interfaces as those defined by the HLA Interface Specification. Moreover, our platform is based on a new designed causality consistency middleware and might offer the comparison of three kinds of time management services: CO, RO and TSO. The experimental results show that the implementation of the platform only costs small overhead, and that the efficient performance of it is highly effective for the researchers to merely focus on the improvement of designing algorithms.

Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services for Sustainable Buildings: A Guide for Federal Project Managers

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

Not Available

2004-06-01

This guide was prepared to be a resource for federal construction project managers and others who want to integrate the principles of sustainable design into the procurement of professional building design and consulting services. To economize on energy costs and improve the safety, comfort, and health of building occupants, building design teams can incorporate daylighting, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and passive solar design into all projects in which these elements are technically and economically feasible. The information presented here will help project leaders begin the process and manage the inclusion of sustainable design in the procurement process. The section onmore » establishing selection criteria contains key elements to consider before selecting an architectural and engineering (A/E) firm. The section on preparing the statement of work discusses the broad spectrum of sustainable design services that an A/E firm can provide. Several helpful checklists are included.« less

TRIENNIAL LACTATION SYMPOSIUM: Systems biology of regulatory mechanisms of nutrient metabolism in lactation.

PubMed

McNamara, J P

2015-12-01

A major role of the dairy cow is to convert low-quality plant materials into high-quality protein and other nutrients for humans. We must select and manage cows with the goal of having animals of the greatest efficiency matched to their environment. We have increased efficiency tremendously over the years, yet the variation in productive and reproductive efficiency among animals is still large. In part, this is because of a lack of full integration of genetic, nutritional, and reproductive biology into management decisions. However, integration across these disciplines is increasing as the biological research findings show specific control points at which genetics, nutrition, and reproduction interact. An ordered systems biology approach that focuses on why and how cells regulate energy and N use and on how and why organs interact through endocrine and neurocrine mechanisms will speed improvements in efficiency. More sophisticated dairy managers will demand better information to improve the efficiency of their animals. Using genetic improvement and animal management to improve milk productive and reproductive efficiency requires a deeper understanding of metabolic processes throughout the life cycle. Using existing metabolic models, we can design experiments specifically to integrate data from global transcriptional profiling into models that describe nutrient use in farm animals. A systems modeling approach can help focus our research to make faster and larger advances in efficiency and determine how this knowledge can be applied on the farms.

Lead User Design: Medication Management in Electronic Medical Records.

PubMed

Price, Morgan; Weber, Jens H; Davies, Iryna; Bellwood, Paule

2015-01-01

Improvements in medication management may lead to a reduction of preventable errors. Usability and user experience issues are common and related to achieving benefits of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). This paper reports on a novel study that combines the lead user method with a safety engineering review to discover an innovative design for the medication management module in EMRs in primary care. Eight lead users were recruited that represented prescribers and clinical pharmacists with expertise in EMR design, evidence-based medicine, medication safety and medication research. Eight separate medication management module designs were prototyped and validated, one with each lead user. A parallel safety review of medicaiton management was completed. The findings were synthesized into a single common set of goals, activities and one interactive, visual prototype. The lead user method with safety review proved to be an effective way to elicit diverse user goals and synthesize them into a common design. The resulting design ideas focus on meeting the goals of quality, efficiency, safety, reducing the cognitive load on the user, and improving communication wih the patient and the care team. Design ideas are being adapted to an existing EMR product, providing areas for further work.

Efficient anomalous reflection through near-field interactions in metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalabi, H.; Ra'di, Y.; Sounas, D. L.; Alù, A.

2017-08-01

Gradient metasurfaces have been extensively used in the past few years for advanced wave manipulation over a thin surface. These metasurfaces have been mostly designed based on the generalized laws of reflection and refraction. However, it was recently revealed that metasurfaces based on this approach tend to suffer from inefficiencies and complex design requirements. We have recently proposed a different approach to the problem of efficient beam steering using a surface, based on bianisotropic particles in a periodic array. Here, we show highly efficient reflective metasurfaces formed by pairs of isotropic dielectric rods, which can offer asymmetrical scattering of normally incident beams with unitary efficiency. Our theory shows that moderately broadband anomalous reflection can be achieved with suitably designed periodic arrays of isotropic nanoparticles. We also demonstrate practical designs using TiO2 cylindrical nanorods to deflect normally incident light toward a desired direction. The proposed structures may pave the way to a broader range of light management opportunities, with applications in energy harvesting, signaling, and communications.

An Energy-Efficient Secure Routing and Key Management Scheme for Mobile Sinks in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Deployment Knowledge

PubMed Central

Hung, Le Xuan; Canh, Ngo Trong; Lee, Sungyoung; Lee, Young-Koo; Lee, Heejo

2008-01-01

For many sensor network applications such as military or homeland security, it is essential for users (sinks) to access the sensor network while they are moving. Sink mobility brings new challenges to secure routing in large-scale sensor networks. Previous studies on sink mobility have mainly focused on efficiency and effectiveness of data dissemination without security consideration. Also, studies and experiences have shown that considering security during design time is the best way to provide security for sensor network routing. This paper presents an energy-efficient secure routing and key management for mobile sinks in sensor networks, called SCODEplus. It is a significant extension of our previous study in five aspects: (1) Key management scheme and routing protocol are considered during design time to increase security and efficiency; (2) The network topology is organized in a hexagonal plane which supports more efficiency than previous square-grid topology; (3) The key management scheme can eliminate the impacts of node compromise attacks on links between non-compromised nodes; (4) Sensor node deployment is based on Gaussian distribution which is more realistic than uniform distribution; (5) No GPS or like is required to provide sensor node location information. Our security analysis demonstrates that the proposed scheme can defend against common attacks in sensor networks including node compromise attacks, replay attacks, selective forwarding attacks, sinkhole and wormhole, Sybil attacks, HELLO flood attacks. Both mathematical and simulation-based performance evaluation show that the SCODEplus significantly reduces the communication overhead, energy consumption, packet delivery latency while it always delivers more than 97 percent of packets successfully. PMID:27873956

An Energy-Efficient Secure Routing and Key Management Scheme for Mobile Sinks in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Deployment Knowledge.

PubMed

Hung, Le Xuan; Canh, Ngo Trong; Lee, Sungyoung; Lee, Young-Koo; Lee, Heejo

2008-12-03

For many sensor network applications such as military or homeland security, it is essential for users (sinks) to access the sensor network while they are moving. Sink mobility brings new challenges to secure routing in large-scale sensor networks. Previous studies on sink mobility have mainly focused on efficiency and effectiveness of data dissemination without security consideration. Also, studies and experiences have shown that considering security during design time is the best way to provide security for sensor network routing. This paper presents an energy-efficient secure routing and key management for mobile sinks in sensor networks, called SCODE plus . It is a significant extension of our previous study in five aspects: (1) Key management scheme and routing protocol are considered during design time to increase security and efficiency; (2) The network topology is organized in a hexagonal plane which supports more efficiency than previous square-grid topology; (3) The key management scheme can eliminate the impacts of node compromise attacks on links between non-compromised nodes; (4) Sensor node deployment is based on Gaussian distribution which is more realistic than uniform distribution; (5) No GPS or like is required to provide sensor node location information. Our security analysis demonstrates that the proposed scheme can defend against common attacks in sensor networks including node compromise attacks, replay attacks, selective forwarding attacks, sinkhole and wormhole, Sybil attacks, HELLO flood attacks. Both mathematical and simulation-based performance evaluation show that the SCODE plus significantly reduces the communication overhead, energy consumption, packet delivery latency while it always delivers more than 97 percent of packets successfully.

A value proposition for early physical therapist management of neck pain: a retrospective cohort analysis.

PubMed

Horn, Maggie E; Brennan, Gerard P; George, Steven Z; Harman, Jeffrey S; Bishop, Mark D

2016-07-12

Neck pain is one of the most common reasons for entry into the healthcare system. Recent increases in healthcare utilization and medical costs have not correlated with improvements in health. Therefore there is a need to identify management strategies for neck pain that are effective for the patient, cost efficient for the payer and provided at the optimal time during an episode of neck pain. One thousand five hundred thirty-one patients who underwent physical therapist management with a primary complaint of non-specific neck pain from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 were identified from the Rehabilitation Outcomes Management System (ROMS) database at Intermountain Healthcare. Patients reporting duration of symptoms less than 4 weeks were designated as undergoing "early" management and patients with duration of symptoms greater than 4 weeks were designated as receiving "delayed" management. These groups were compared using binary logistic regression to examine odds of achieving Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) on the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Separate generalized linear modeling examined the effect of timing of physical therapist management on the metrics of value and efficiency. Patients who received early physical therapist management had increased odds of achieving MCID on the NDI (aOR = 2.01, 95 % CI 1.57, 2.56) and MCID on the NPRS (aOR = 1.82, 95 % CI 1.42, 2.38), when compared to patients receiving delayed management. Patients who received early management demonstrated the greatest value in decreasing disability with a 2.27 percentage point change in NDI score per 100 dollars, best value in decreasing pain with a 0.38 point change on the NPRS per 100 dollars. Finally, patients receiving early management were managed more efficiently with a 3.44 percentage point change in NDI score per visit and 0.57 point change in NPRS score per visit. These findings suggest that healthcare systems that provide pathways for patients to receive early physical therapist management of neck pain may realize improved patient outcomes, greater value and higher efficiency in decreasing disability and pain compared to delayed management. Further research is needed to confirm this assertion.

Reengineering a database for clinical trials management: lessons for system architects.

PubMed

Brandt, C A; Nadkarni, P; Marenco, L; Karras, B T; Lu, C; Schacter, L; Fisk, J M; Miller, P L

2000-10-01

This paper describes the process of enhancing Trial/DB, a database system for clinical studies management. The system's enhancements have been driven by the need to maximize the effectiveness of developer personnel in supporting numerous and diverse users, of study designers in setting up new studies, and of administrators in managing ongoing studies. Trial/DB was originally designed to work over a local area network within a single institution, and basic architectural changes were necessary to make it work over the Internet efficiently as well as securely. Further, as its use spread to diverse communities of users, changes were made to let the processes of study design and project management adapt to the working styles of the principal investigators and administrators for each study. The lessons learned in the process should prove instructive for system architects as well as managers of electronic patient record systems.

Chip-set for quality of service support in passive optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ringoot, Edwin; Hoebeke, Rudy; Slabbinck, B. Hans; Verhaert, Michel

1998-10-01

In this paper the design of a chip-set for QoS provisioning in ATM-based Passive Optical Networks is discussed. The implementation of a general-purpose switch chip on the Optical Network Unit is presented, with focus on the design of the cell scheduling and buffer management logic. The cell scheduling logic supports `colored' grants, priority jumping and weighted round-robin scheduling. The switch chip offers powerful buffer management capabilities enabling the efficient support of GFR and UBR services. Multicast forwarding is also supported. In addition, the architecture of a MAC controller chip developed for a SuperPON access network is introduced. In particular, the permit scheduling logic and its implementation on the Optical Line Termination will be discussed. The chip-set enables the efficient support of services with different service requirements on the SuperPON. The permit scheduling logic built into the MAC controller chip in combination with the cell scheduling and buffer management capabilities of the switch chip can be used by network operators to offer guaranteed service performance to delay sensitive services, and to efficiently and fairly distribute any spare capacity to delay insensitive services.

A Risk Management Framework to Characterize Black Swan Risks: A Case Study of Lightning Effects on Insensitive High Explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Gary A.

Effective and efficient risk management processes include the use of high fidelity modeling and simulation during the concept exploration phase as part of the technology and risk assessment activities, with testing and evaluation tasks occurring in later design development phases. However, some safety requirements and design architectures may be dominated by the low probability/high consequence "Black Swan" vulnerabilities that require very early testing to characterize and efficiently mitigate. Failure to address these unique risks has led to catastrophic systems failures including the space shuttle Challenger, Deepwater Horizon, Fukushima nuclear reactor, and Katrina dike failures. Discovering and addressing these risks later in the design and development process can be very costly or even lead to project cancellation. This paper examines the need for risk management process adoption of early hazard phenomenology testing to inform the technical risk assessment, requirements definition and conceptual design. A case study of the lightning design vulnerability of the insensitive high explosives being used in construction, mining, demolition, and defense industries will be presented to examine the impact of this vulnerability testing during the concept exploration phase of the design effort. While these insensitive high explosives are far less sensitive to accidental initiation by fire, impact, friction or even electrical stimuli, their full range of sensitivities have not been characterized and ensuring safe engineering design and operations during events such as lightning storms requires vulnerability testing during the risk assessment phase.

Operations & Maintenance Best Practices - A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency (Release 3)

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

Sullivan, Greg; Pugh, Ray; Melendez, Aldo P.

This guide highlights operations and maintenance programs targeting energy and water efficiency that are estimated to save 5% to 20% on energy bills without a significant capital investment. The purpose of this guide is to provide you, the Operations and Maintenance (O&M)/Energy manager and practitioner, with useful information about O&M management, technologies, energy and water efficiency, and cost-reduction approaches. To make this guide useful and to reflect your needs and concerns, the authors met with O&M and Energy managers via Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) workshops. In addition, the authors conducted extensive literature searches and contacted numerous vendors and industrymore » experts. The information and case studies that appear in this guide resulted from these activities. It needs to be stated at the outset that this guide is designed to provide information on effective O&M as it applies to systems and equipment typically found at Federal facilities. This guide is not designed to provide the reader with step-by-step procedures for performing O&M on any specific piece of equipment. Rather, this guide first directs the user to the manufacturer's specifications and recommendations. In no way should the recommendations in this guide be used in place of manufacturer's recommendations. The recommendations in this guide are designed to supplement those of the manufacturer, or, as is all too often the case, provide guidance for systems and equipment for which all technical documentation has been lost. As a rule, this guide will first defer to the manufacturer's recommendations on equipment operation and maintenance.« less

Manufacturing Squares: An Integrative Statistical Process Control Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coy, Steven P.

2016-01-01

In the exercise, students in a junior-level operations management class are asked to manufacture a simple product. Given product specifications, they must design a production process, create roles and design jobs for each team member, and develop a statistical process control plan that efficiently and effectively controls quality during…

Architectural and Mobility Management Designs in Internet-Based Infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Weiyi

2011-01-01

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have recently emerged to be a cost-effective solution to support large-scale wireless Internet access. They have numerous applications, such as broadband Internet access, building automation, and intelligent transportation systems. One research challenge for Internet-based WMNs is to design efficient mobility…

A New Approach to Flood Protection Design and Riparian Management

Treesearch

Philip B. Williams; Mitchell L. Swanson

1989-01-01

Conventional engineering methods of flood control design focus narrowly on the efficient conveyance of water, with little regard for environmental resource planning and natural geomorphic processes. Consequently, flood control projects are often environmentally disastrous, expensive to maintain, and even inadequate to control floods. In addition, maintenance programs...

The Influence of Lean on K-12 District Management: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Beverly

2011-01-01

For decades, policymakers and educators have focused on public school equity and adequacy, while paying little attention to efficiency. This qualitative single case study was designed to capture explicit information about Lean management, operations, and culture in a K-12 Michigan school district engaged in Lean training and implementation for a…

76 FR 76174 - Request for Information on the State of the Offshore Renewable Energy Industry-Auction Format...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [Docket BOEM-2011-0095] Request for...) AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Request for information. SUMMARY..., each designed to efficiently issue renewable energy leases to those who value them most and are best...

Course Management Systems in Higher Education: Understanding Student Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen, Allan; Fox, Robert; Sun, Angie; Deng, Liping

2009-01-01

Purpose: The course management system (CMS), as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly used to promote the quality, efficiency and flexibility of teaching and learning in higher education. This paper aims to examine students' experiences of CMSs across faculties at a comprehensive university in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach:…

Knowledge management: An abstraction of knowledge base and database management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riedesel, Joel D.

1990-01-01

Artificial intelligence application requirements demand powerful representation capabilities as well as efficiency for real-time domains. Many tools exist, the most prevalent being expert systems tools such as ART, KEE, OPS5, and CLIPS. Other tools just emerging from the research environment are truth maintenance systems for representing non-monotonic knowledge, constraint systems, object oriented programming, and qualitative reasoning. Unfortunately, as many knowledge engineers have experienced, simply applying a tool to an application requires a large amount of effort to bend the application to fit. Much work goes into supporting work to make the tool integrate effectively. A Knowledge Management Design System (KNOMAD), is described which is a collection of tools built in layers. The layered architecture provides two major benefits; the ability to flexibly apply only those tools that are necessary for an application, and the ability to keep overhead, and thus inefficiency, to a minimum. KNOMAD is designed to manage many knowledge bases in a distributed environment providing maximum flexibility and expressivity to the knowledge engineer while also providing support for efficiency.

Brayton advanced heat receiver development program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heidenreich, G. R.; Downing, R. S.; Lacey, Dovie E.

1989-01-01

NASA Lewis Research Center is managing an advanced solar dynamic (ASD) space power program. The objective of the ASD program is to develop small and lightweight solar dynamic systems which show significant improvement in efficiency and specific mass over the baseline design derived from the Space Station Freedom technology. The advanced heat receiver development program is a phased program to design, fabricate and test elements of a 7-kWe heat-receiver/thermal-energy-storage subsystem. Receivers for both Brayton and Stirling heat engines are being developed under separate contracts. Phase I, described here, is the current eighteen month effort to design and perform critical technology experiments on innovative concepts designed to reduce mass without compromising thermal efficiency and reliability.

Probabilistic cost-benefit analysis of disaster risk management in a development context.

PubMed

Kull, Daniel; Mechler, Reinhard; Hochrainer-Stigler, Stefan

2013-07-01

Limited studies have shown that disaster risk management (DRM) can be cost-efficient in a development context. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an evaluation tool to analyse economic efficiency. This research introduces quantitative, stochastic CBA frameworks and applies them in case studies of flood and drought risk reduction in India and Pakistan, while also incorporating projected climate change impacts. DRM interventions are shown to be economically efficient, with integrated approaches more cost-effective and robust than singular interventions. The paper highlights that CBA can be a useful tool if certain issues are considered properly, including: complexities in estimating risk; data dependency of results; negative effects of interventions; and distributional aspects. The design and process of CBA must take into account specific objectives, available information, resources, and the perceptions and needs of stakeholders as transparently as possible. Intervention design and uncertainties should be qualified through dialogue, indicating that process is as important as numerical results. © 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

Facility Design and Health Management Program at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory

PubMed Central

Barton, Carrie L.; Johnson, Eric W.

2016-01-01

Abstract The number of researchers and institutions moving to the utilization of zebrafish for biomedical research continues to increase because of the recognized advantages of this model. Numerous factors should be considered before building a new or retooling an existing facility. Design decisions will directly impact the management and maintenance costs. We and others have advocated for more rigorous approaches to zebrafish health management to support and protect an increasingly diverse portfolio of important research. The Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (SARL) is located ∼3 miles from the main Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon. This facility supports several research programs that depend heavily on the use of adult, larval, and embryonic zebrafish. The new zebrafish facility of the SARL began operation in 2007 with a commitment to build and manage an efficient facility that diligently protects human and fish health. An important goal was to ensure that the facility was free of Pseudoloma neurophilia (Microsporidia), which is very common in zebrafish research facilities. We recognize that there are certain limitations in space, resources, and financial support that are institution dependent, but in this article, we describe the steps taken to build and manage an efficient specific pathogen-free facility. PMID:26981844

Facility Design and Health Management Program at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory.

PubMed

Barton, Carrie L; Johnson, Eric W; Tanguay, Robert L

2016-07-01

The number of researchers and institutions moving to the utilization of zebrafish for biomedical research continues to increase because of the recognized advantages of this model. Numerous factors should be considered before building a new or retooling an existing facility. Design decisions will directly impact the management and maintenance costs. We and others have advocated for more rigorous approaches to zebrafish health management to support and protect an increasingly diverse portfolio of important research. The Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (SARL) is located ∼3 miles from the main Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon. This facility supports several research programs that depend heavily on the use of adult, larval, and embryonic zebrafish. The new zebrafish facility of the SARL began operation in 2007 with a commitment to build and manage an efficient facility that diligently protects human and fish health. An important goal was to ensure that the facility was free of Pseudoloma neurophilia (Microsporidia), which is very common in zebrafish research facilities. We recognize that there are certain limitations in space, resources, and financial support that are institution dependent, but in this article, we describe the steps taken to build and manage an efficient specific pathogen-free facility.

A framework of medical equipment management system for in-house clinical engineering department.

PubMed

Chien, Chia-Hung; Huang, Yi-You; Chong, Fok-Ching

2010-01-01

Medical equipment management is an important issue for safety and cost in modern hospital operation. In addition, the use of an efficient information system effectively promotes the managing performance. In this study, we designed a framework of medical equipment management system used for in-house clinical engineering department. The system was web-based, and it integrated clinical engineering and hospital information system components. Through related information application, it efficiently improved the operation management of medical devices immediately and continuously. This system has run in the National Taiwan University Hospital. The results showed only few examples in the error analysis of medical equipment by the maintenance sub-system. The information can be used to improve work quality, to reduce the maintenance cost, and to promote the safety of medical device used in patients and clinical staffs.

Designing efficient surveys: spatial arrangement of sample points for detection of invasive species

Treesearch

Ludek Berec; John M. Kean; Rebecca Epanchin-Niell; Andrew M. Liebhold; Robert G. Haight

2015-01-01

Effective surveillance is critical to managing biological invasions via early detection and eradication. The efficiency of surveillance systems may be affected by the spatial arrangement of sample locations. We investigate how the spatial arrangement of sample points, ranging from random to fixed grid arrangements, affects the probability of detecting a target...

Improving Safety, Quality and Efficiency through the Management of Emerging Processes: The TenarisDalmine Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonometti, Patrizia

2012-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this contribution is to describe a new complexity-science-based approach for improving safety, quality and efficiency and the way it was implemented by TenarisDalmine. Design/methodology/approach: This methodology is called "a safety-building community". It consists of a safety-behaviour social self-construction…

Mental models of a water management system in a green building.

PubMed

Kalantzis, Anastasia; Thatcher, Andrew; Sheridan, Craig

2016-11-01

This intergroup case study compared users' mental models with an expert design model of a water management system in a green building. The system incorporates a constructed wetland component and a rainwater collection pond that together recycle water for re-use in the building and its surroundings. The sample consisted of five building occupants and the cleaner (6 users) and two experts who were involved with the design of the water management system. Users' mental model descriptions and the experts' design model were derived from in-depth interviews combined with self-constructed (and verified) diagrams. Findings from the study suggest that there is considerable variability in the user mental models that could impact the efficient functioning of the water management system. Recommendations for improvements are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Third International Symposium on Space Mission Operations and Ground Data Systems, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James L. (Editor)

1994-01-01

Under the theme of 'Opportunities in Ground Data Systems for High Efficiency Operations of Space Missions,' the SpaceOps '94 symposium included presentations of more than 150 technical papers spanning five topic areas: Mission Management, Operations, Data Management, System Development, and Systems Engineering. The papers focus on improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, and quality of data acquisition, ground systems, and mission operations. New technology, techniques, methods, and human systems are discussed. Accomplishments are also reported in the application of information systems to improve data retrieval, reporting, and archiving; the management of human factors; the use of telescience and teleoperations; and the design and implementation of logistics support for mission operations.

Conservation of design knowledge. [of large complex spaceborne systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sivard, Cecilia; Zweben, Monte; Cannon, David; Lakin, Fred; Leifer, Larry

1989-01-01

This paper presents an approach for acquiring knowledge about a design during the design process. The objective is to increase the efficiency of the lifecycle management of a space-borne system by providing operational models of the system's structure and behavior, as well as the design rationale, to human and automated operators. A design knowledge acquisition system is under development that compares how two alternative design versions meet the system requirements as a means for automatically capturing rationale for design changes.

Developing Digital Dashboard Management for Learning System Dynamic Cooperative Simulation Behavior of Indonesia. (Study on Cooperative Information Organization in the Ministry of Cooperatives and SME)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eni, Yuli; Aryanto, Rudy

2014-03-01

There are problems being experienced by the Ministry of cooperatives and SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) including the length of time in the decision by the Government to establish a policy that should be taken for local cooperatives across the province of Indonesia. The decision-making process is still analyzed manually, so that sometimes the decisions taken are also less appropriate, effective and efficient. The second problem is the lack of monitoring data cooperative process province that is too much, making it difficult for the analysis of dynamic information to be useful. Therefore the authors want to fix the system that runs by using digital dashboard management system supported by the modeling of system dynamics. In addition, the author also did the design of a system that can support the system. Design of this system is aimed to ease the experts, head, and the government to decide (DSS - Decision Support System) accurately effectively and efficiently, because in the system are raised alternative simulation in a description of the decision to be taken and the result from the decision. The system is expected to be designed dan simulated can ease and expedite the decision making. The design of dynamic digital dashboard management conducted by method of OOAD (Objects Oriented Analysis and Design) complete with UML notation.

On-Orbit Propulsion and Methods of Momentum Management for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Samuel P.; Spencer, Victor; Metrocavage, Kevin; Swanson, Robert A.; Krajchovich, Mark; Beisner, Matthew; Kamath, Ulhas P.

2010-01-01

Since the first documented design of a space station in 1929, it has been a dream of many to sustain a permanent presence in space. Russia and the US spent several decades competing for a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit. In the 1980 s, Russia and the US began to openly collaborate to achieve this goal. This collaboration lead to the current design of the ISS. Continuous improvement of procedures for controlling the ISS have lead to more efficient propellant management over the years. Improved efficiency combined with the steady use of cargo vehicles has kept ISS propellant levels well above their defined thresholds in all categories. The continuing evolution of propellant and momentum management operational strategies demonstrates the capability and flexibility of the ISS propulsion system. The hard work and cooperation of the international partners and the evolving operational strategies have made the ISS safe and successful. The ISS s proven success is the foundation for the future of international cooperation for sustaining life in space.

A robotic system for automation of logistics functions on the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, J. C.; Purves, R. B.; Hosier, R. N.; Krein, B. A.

1988-01-01

Spacecraft inventory management is currently performed by the crew and as systems become more complex, increased crew time will be required to perform routine logistics activities. If future spacecraft are to function effectively as research labs and production facilities, the efficient use of crew time as a limited resource for performing mission functions must be employed. The use of automation and robotics technology, such as automated warehouse and materials handling functions, can free the crew from many logistics tasks and provide more efficient use of crew time. Design criteria for a Space Station Automated Logistics Inventory Management System is focused on through the design and demonstration of a mobile two armed terrestrial robot. The system functionally represents a 0 gravity automated inventory management system and the problems associated with operating in such an environment. Features of the system include automated storage and retrieval, item recognition, two armed robotic manipulation, and software control of all inventory item transitions and queries.

Simulation of Soil Wetting Patterns in Drip and Subsurface Irrigation. Effects in Design and Irrigation Management Variables.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Sinobas, L.; Gil-Rodríguez, M.; Sánchez, R.; Losada, A.; Castañón, G.; Juana, L.; Laguna, F. V.; Benítez, J.

2010-05-01

Conventional drip irrigation is considered one of the most efficient irrigation systems. Alternatively to traditional surface drip irrigation systems (DI), laterals are deployed underneath the soil surface, as in subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), leading to a higher potential efficiency, which is of especial interest in places where water is a limited source. The design and management of DI and SDI systems involve selection of an appropriate combination of emitter discharge rate and spacing between emitters and the inlet pressure and irrigation time for any given set of soil, crop, and climatic conditions, as well as understanding the wetted zone pattern around the emitter. Likewise, water distribution is affected by soil hydraulic properties, initial water content, emitter discharge, irrigation frequency, evapotranspiration and root characteristics. However, complexity arousing of soil water properties and soil profile characteristics means that these are often not properly considered in the design and management of those systems. A better understanding of the infiltration process around the discharge point source should contribute to increase water use efficiency and thus to reduce the risk of environmental impact of irrigation. In this regard, numerical models have been proved to be a powerful tool to analyze the evolution of the wetting pattern during the distribution and redistribution processes, in order to explore irrigation management strategies, to set up the duration of irrigation, and finally to optimize water use efficiency. Also, irrigation design variables such as emitter spacing and discharge could also be assessed. In this study the suitability of the HYDRUS-2D to simulate infiltration process around an emitter during irrigation of a loamy soil with drip and SDI laterals has been addressed. The model was then applied in order to evaluate the main dimensions of the wetted soil volume surrounding the emitter during irrigation. Irrigation uniformity with DI and SDI laterals were determined by field evaluations at different inlet head pressures. Results were related with estimations made on water distribution within the soil that were simulated taking into account the emitter discharge at different lateral locations, initial soil water content, soil hydraulic properties and time of irrigation. Conclusions highlight the effect of emitter discharge, emitter spacing, and irrigation time on wetting patterns, and thus solute transport, in both drip and subsurface drip irrigation. The effect of emitter depth was also considered in SDI. Some recommendations for the design and management of these irrigation systems are also provided.

Final report : UAB transportation workforce development.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-01

Transportation engineering supports safe and efficient movement of people and goods through : planning, design, operation and management of transportation systems. As needs for : transportation continue to grow, the future needs for qualified transpo...

Analysis and design of hospital management information system based on UML

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lin; Zhao, Huifang; You, Shi Jun; Ge, Wenyong

2018-05-01

With the rapid development of computer technology, computer information management system has been utilized in many industries. Hospital Information System (HIS) is in favor of providing data for directors, lightening the workload for the medical workers, and improving the workers efficiency. According to the HIS demand analysis and system design, this paper focus on utilizing unified modeling language (UML) models to establish the use case diagram, class diagram, sequence chart and collaboration diagram, and satisfying the demands of the daily patient visit, inpatient, drug management and other relevant operations. At last, the paper summarizes the problems of the system and puts forward an outlook of the HIS system.

FEES: design of a Fire Economics Evaluation System

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills; Frederick W. Bratten

1982-01-01

The Fire Economics Evaluation System (FEES)--a simulation model--is being designed for long-term planning application by all public agencies with wildland fire management responsibilities. A fully operational version of FEES will be capable of estimating the economic efficiency, fire-induced changes in resource outputs, and risk characteristics of a range of fire...

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

Katipamula, Srinivas; Gowri, Krishnan; Hernandez, George

This paper describes one such reference process that can be deployed to provide continuous automated conditioned-based maintenance management for buildings that have BIM, a building automation system (BAS) and a computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) systems. The process can be deployed using an open source transactional network platform, VOLTTRON™, designed for distributed sensing and controls and supports both energy efficiency and grid services.

Sustaining Higher Education Using Wal-Mart's Best Supply Chain Management Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comm, Clare L.; Mathaisel, Dennis F. X.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The costs in higher education are increasing and need to be controlled. This paper aims to demonstrate what lessons higher education could learn from Wal-Mart's reasons for its financial success with its focus on efficient and effective supply chain management (SCM) best practices. Design/methodology/approach: Wal-Mart's best practices in…

Integration of Endnote Online in Information Literacy Instruction Designed for Small and Large Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baykoucheva, Svetla; Houck, Joseph D.; White, Natalia

2016-01-01

The blended model for information literacy instruction described in this article introduces students not only to efficient techniques for finding scientific literature and properties of chemical compounds, but also to managing this information with a bibliographic management program (EndNote Online). The model blends face-to-face instruction with…

A PBOM configuration and management method based on templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kai; Qiao, Lihong; Qie, Yifan

2018-03-01

The design of Process Bill of Materials (PBOM) holds a hinge position in the process of product development. The requirements of PBOM configuration design and management for complex products are analysed in this paper, which include the reuse technique of configuration procedure and urgent management need of huge quantity of product family PBOM data. Based on the analysis, the function framework of PBOM configuration and management has been established. Configuration templates and modules are defined in the framework to support the customization and the reuse of configuration process. The configuration process of a detection sensor PBOM is shown as an illustration case in the end. The rapid and agile PBOM configuration and management can be achieved utilizing template-based method, which has a vital significance to improve the development efficiency for complex products.

The potential of value management (VM) to improve the consideration of energy efficiency within pre-construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Rajemi, Mohamad Farizal

2016-08-01

Energy demand and consumption in buildings will rise rapidly in the near future because of several social economics factors and this situation occurs not only in developed countries but also in developing countries such as Malaysia. There is demand towards building with energy efficiency features at this time, however most of the current buildings types are still being constructed with conventional designs, thus contribute to inefficient of energy consumption during the operation stage of the building. This paper presents the concept and the application of Value Management (VM) approach and its potential to improve consideration of energy efficiency within pre-construction process. Based on the relevant literatures, VM has provides an efficient and effective delivery system to fulfill the objectives and client's requirements. Generally in this paper, VM is discussed and scrutinized with reference to previous studies to see how these concepts contribute to better optimize the energy consumption in a building by seeking the best value energy efficiency through the design and construction process. This paper will not draw any conclusion but rather a preliminary research to propose the most energy efficiency measures to reliably accomplish a function that will meet the client's needs, desires and expectations. For further research in future, simple quantitative industry survey and VM workshops will be conducted to validate and further improve the research.

Solar micro-power system for self-powered wireless sensor nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yongtai; Li, Yangqiu; Liu, Lihui; Wang, Lei

2008-10-01

In self-powered wireless sensor nodes, the efficiency for environmental energy harvesting, storage and management determines the lifetime and environmental adaptability of the sensor nodes. However, the method of improving output efficiency for traditional photovoltaic power generation is not suitable for a solar micro-power system due to the special requirements for its application. This paper presents a solar micro-power system designed for a solar self-powered wireless sensor node. The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of solar cells and energy storage are realized by the hybrid energy storage structure and "window" control. Meanwhile, the mathematical model of energy harvesting, storing and management is formulated. In the novel system, the output conversion efficiency of solar cells is 12%.

A resource management architecture based on complex network theory in cloud computing federation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zehua; Zhang, Xuejie

2011-10-01

Cloud Computing Federation is a main trend of Cloud Computing. Resource Management has significant effect on the design, realization, and efficiency of Cloud Computing Federation. Cloud Computing Federation has the typical characteristic of the Complex System, therefore, we propose a resource management architecture based on complex network theory for Cloud Computing Federation (abbreviated as RMABC) in this paper, with the detailed design of the resource discovery and resource announcement mechanisms. Compare with the existing resource management mechanisms in distributed computing systems, a Task Manager in RMABC can use the historical information and current state data get from other Task Managers for the evolution of the complex network which is composed of Task Managers, thus has the advantages in resource discovery speed, fault tolerance and adaptive ability. The result of the model experiment confirmed the advantage of RMABC in resource discovery performance.

[Design of medical equipment service management system].

PubMed

Jiang, Youhao; PengWen; Jiang, Ningfeng; Ma, Li; Kong, Lingwei; Yin, PeiHao; Sun, Cheng

2012-09-01

To develop a maintenance management system for medical equipment based on HIS. The system contains some special functions( including preventive maintenance, automatic job dispatch, performance assessment, etc.) which are very useful for confirming the medical equipment in proper conditions and promoting the working efficiency of the staff. The system provides technical support for the improvement of the maintenance management level. The system, completed the software design using C/S, B/S combination mode. The system realized clients of various sections of zero maintenance, and make the data manipulation, statistical features of equipment management department more convenient. the system connects the subsystems closer and interacts information from time to time, forming a tight network structure. This provides a basis for future hospital-wide information integration.

SNL/CA Facilities Management Design Standards Manual

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

Rabb, David; Clark, Eva

2014-12-01

At Sandia National Laboratories in California (SNL/CA), the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities is guided by industry standards, a graded approach, and the systematic analysis of life cycle benefits received for costs incurred. The design of the physical plant must ensure that the facilities are "fit for use," and provide conditions that effectively, efficiently, and safely support current and future mission needs. In addition, SNL/CA applies sustainable design principles, using an integrated whole-building design approach, from site planning to facility design, construction, and operation to ensure building resource efficiency and the health and productivity of occupants. The safetymore » and health of the workforce and the public, any possible effects on the environment, and compliance with building codes take precedence over project issues, such as performance, cost, and schedule.« less

1986 Year End Report for Road Following at Carnegie-Mellon

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

how to make them work efficiently. We designed a hierarchical structure and a monitor module which manages all parts of the hierarchy (see figure 1...database, called the Local Map, is managed by a program known as the Local Map Builder (LMB). Each module stores and retrieves information in the...knowledge-intensive modules, and a database manager that synchronizes the modules-is characteristic of a traditional blackboard system. Such a system is

Nano-engineered Multiwall Carbon Nanotube-copper Composite Thermal Interface Material for Efficient Heat Conduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ngo, Quoc; Cruden, Brett A.; Cassell, Alan M.; Sims, Gerard; Li, Jun; Meyyappa, M.; Yang, Cary Y.

2005-01-01

Efforts in integrated circuit (IC) packaging technologies have recently been focused on management of increasing heat density associated with high frequency and high density circuit designs. While current flip-chip package designs can accommodate relatively high amounts of heat density, new materials need to be developed to manage thermal effects of next-generation integrated circuits. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) have been shown to significantly enhance thermal conduction in the axial direction and thus can be considered to be a candidate for future thermal interface materials by facilitating efficient thermal transport. This work focuses on fabrication and characterization of a robust MWNT-copper composite material as an element in IC package designs. We show that using vertically aligned MWNT arrays reduces interfacial thermal resistance by increasing conduction surface area, and furthermore, the embedded copper acts as a lateral heat spreader to efficiently disperse heat, a necessary function for packaging materials. In addition, we demonstrate reusability of the material, and the absence of residue on the contacting material, both novel features of the MWNT-copper composite that are not found in most state-of-the-art thermal interface materials. Electrochemical methods such as metal deposition and etch are discussed for the creation of the MWNT-Cu composite, detailing issues and observations with using such methods. We show that precise engineering of the composite surface affects the ability of this material to act as an efficient thermal interface material. A thermal contact resistance measurement has been designed to obtain a value of thermal contact resistance for a variety of different thermal contact materials.

Roots Air Management System with Integrated Expander

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

Stretch, Dale; Wright, Brad; Fortini, Matt

2016-07-06

PEM fuel cells remain an emerging technology in the vehicle market with several cost and reliability challenges that must be overcome in order to increase market penetration and acceptance. The DOE has identified the lack of a cost effective, reliable, and efficient air supply system that meets the operational requirements of a pressurized PEM 80kW fuel cell as one of the major technological barriers that must be overcome. This project leveraged Roots positive displacement development advancements and demonstrated an efficient and low cost fuel cell air management system. Eaton built upon its P-Series Roots positive displacement design and shifted themore » peak efficiency making it ideal for use on an 80kW PEM stack. Advantages to this solution include: • Lower speed of the Roots device eliminates complex air bearings present on other systems. • Broad efficiency map of Roots based systems provides an overall higher drive cycle fuel economy. • Core Roots technology has been developed and validated for other transportation applications. Eaton modified their novel R340 Twin Vortices Series (TVS) Roots-type supercharger for this application. The TVS delivers more power and better fuel economy in a smaller package as compared to other supercharger technologies. By properly matching the helix angle with the rotor’s physical aspect ratio, the supercharger’s peak efficiency can be moved to the operating range where it is most beneficial for the application. The compressor was designed to meet the 90 g/s flow at a pressure ratio of 2.5, similar in design to the P-Series 340. A net shape plastic expander housing with integrated motor and compressor was developed to significantly reduce the cost of the system. This integrated design reduced part count by incorporating an overhung expander and motor rotors into the design such that only four bearings and two shafts were utilized.« less

Designing the role of the embedded care manager.

PubMed

Hines, Patricia; Mercury, Marge

2013-01-01

: The role of the professional case manager is changing rapidly. Health reform has called upon the industry to ensure that care is delivered in an efficient, effective, and high-quality and low cost manner. As a means to achieve this objective, health plans and health systems are moving the care manager out of a centralized location within their organizations to "embedding" them into physician offices. This move enables the care manager to work alongside the primary care physicians and their high-risk patients. This article discusses the framework for designing and implementing an embedded care manager role into a physician practice. Key elements of the program are discussed. IMPLICATIONS FOR CARE MANAGEMENT:: Historically care management has played a foundational role in improving the quality of care for individuals and populations via the efficient and effective use of resources. Now with the goals of health care reform, a successful transition from a volume-based to value-based reimbursement system requires primary care physicians to welcome care managers into their practices to improve patient care, quality, and costs through care coordination across health care settings and populations. : As patient-centered medical homes and integrated delivery systems formulate their plans for population health management, their efforts have included embedding a care manager in the primary practice setting. Having care managers embedded at the physician offices increases their ability to collaborate with the physician and their staff in the implementation and monitoring care plans for their patients. : Implementing an embedded care manager into an existing physician's practice requires the following:Although the embedded care manager is a highly evolving role, physician groups are beginning to realize the benefits from their care management collaborations. Examples cited include improved outreach and coordination, patient adherence to care plans, and improved quality of life.

Ramp meter design manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

Caltrans is committed to using ramp metering as an effective traffic management strategy to maintain an efficient freeway system and protect the investment made in constructing freeways by keeping them operating at or near capacity. Ramp Metering is ...

Human-centered sensor-based Bayesian control: Increased energy efficiency and user satisfaction in commercial lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granderson, Jessica Ann

2007-12-01

The need for sustainable, efficient energy systems is the motivation that drove this research, which targeted the design of an intelligent commercial lighting system. Lighting in commercial buildings consumes approximately 13% of all the electricity generated in the US. Advanced lighting controls1 intended for use in commercial office spaces have proven to save up to 45% in electricity consumption. However, they currently comprise only a fraction of the market share, resulting in a missed opportunity to conserve energy. The research goals driving this dissertation relate directly to barriers hindering widespread adoption---increase user satisfaction, and provide increased energy savings through more sophisticated control. To satisfy these goals an influence diagram was developed to perform daylighting actuation. This algorithm was designed to balance the potentially conflicting lighting preferences of building occupants, with the efficiency desires of building facilities management. A supervisory control policy was designed to implement load shedding under a demand response tariff. Such tariffs offer incentives for customers to reduce their consumption during periods of peak demand, trough price reductions. In developing the value function occupant user testing was conducted to determine that computer and paper tasks require different illuminance levels, and that user preferences are sufficiently consistent to attain statistical significance. Approximately ten facilities managers were also interviewed and surveyed to isolate their lighting preferences with respect to measures of lighting quality and energy savings. Results from both simulation and physical implementation and user testing indicate that the intelligent controller can increase occupant satisfaction, efficiency, cost savings, and management satisfaction, with respect to existing commercial daylighting systems. Several important contributions were realized by satisfying the research goals. A general model of a daylighted environment was designed, and a practical means of user preference identification was defined. Further, a set of general procedures were identified for the design of human-centered sensor-based decision-analytic systems, and for the identification of the allowable uncertainty in nodes of interest. To confirm generality, a vehicle health monitoring problem was defined and solved using these two procedures. 1'Daylighting' systems use sensors to determine room occupancy and available sunlight, and automatically dim the lights in response.

Quality evaluation of portal sites in health system, as a tool for education and learning.

PubMed

Hejazi, Sayed Mehdi; Sarmadi, Sima

2013-01-01

The main objective of creating a portal is to make information service available for users who need them for performance of duties and responsibilities regardless of the sources. This article is attempted to consider the parameters that can evaluate these sites since these criteria can be effective in designing and implementing such portals. On the other hand, portal sites in health systems of every country make it possible for leaders, policy makers, and directors to system education as a tool for new learning technologies. One of the main decisions each manager has to make is precise selection of appropriate portal sites. This is a descriptive and qualitative study. The research sample was 53 computer professional working in the area of computer programming and design. In the first part of the study a questionnaire was send to the participants and in the second part of the study based on their response to the questionnaire the participant was interviewed and the main themes of the studies were formulated. The validity and the reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. The study results were summarized in 10 themes and 50 sub-categories. The main themes included were portal requirements, security, management, and efficiency, user friendliness, built-in applications, portal flexibility, interoperability, and support systems. Portal sites in any education systems make it possible for health system leaders and policy makers to manage their organization information system efficiently and effectively. One of the major decisions each manager has to make is precise selection of an appropriate portal sites design and development. The themes and sub-categories of this study could help health system managers and policy makers and information technology professionals to make appropriate decisions regarding portal design and development.

Resource Efficient Metal and Material Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuter, Markus A.; van Schaik, Antoinette

Metals enable sustainability through their use and their recyclability. However, various factors can affect the Resource Efficiency of Metal Processing and Recycling. Some typical factors that enable Resource Efficiency include and arranged under the drivers of sustainability: Environment (Maximize Resource Efficiency — Energy, Recyclates, Materials, Water, Sludges, Emissions, Land); Economic Feasibility (BAT & Recycling Systems Simulation / Digitalization, Product vis-à-vis Material Centric Recycling); and Social — Licence to Operate (Legislation, consumer, policy, theft, manual labour.). In order to realize this primary production has to be linked systemically with typical actors in the recycling chain such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Recyclers & Collection, Physical separation specialists as well as process metallurgical operations that produce high value metals, compounds and products that recycle back to products. This is best done with deep knowledge of multi-physics, technology, product & system design, process control, market, life cycle management, policy, to name a few. The combination of these will be discussed as Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Design for Recycling (DfR) applications.

Knowledge discovery from data and Monte-Carlo DEA to evaluate technical efficiency of mental health care in small health areas

PubMed Central

García-Alonso, Carlos; Pérez-Naranjo, Leonor

2009-01-01

Introduction Knowledge management, based on information transfer between experts and analysts, is crucial for the validity and usability of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Aim To design and develop a methodology: i) to assess technical efficiency of small health areas (SHA) in an uncertainty environment, and ii) to transfer information between experts and operational models, in both directions, for improving expert’s knowledge. Method A procedure derived from knowledge discovery from data (KDD) is used to select, interpret and weigh DEA inputs and outputs. Based on KDD results, an expert-driven Monte-Carlo DEA model has been designed to assess the technical efficiency of SHA in Andalusia. Results In terms of probability, SHA 29 is the most efficient being, on the contrary, SHA 22 very inefficient. 73% of analysed SHA have a probability of being efficient (Pe) >0.9 and 18% <0.5. Conclusions Expert knowledge is necessary to design and validate any operational model. KDD techniques make the transfer of information from experts to any operational model easy and results obtained from the latter improve expert’s knowledge.

C-A1-03: Considerations in the Design and Use of an Oracle-based Virtual Data Warehouse

PubMed Central

Bredfeldt, Christine; McFarland, Lela

2011-01-01

Background/Aims The amount of clinical data available for research is growing exponentially. As it grows, increasing the efficiency of both data storage and data access becomes critical. Relational database management systems (rDBMS) such as Oracle are ideal solutions for managing longitudinal clinical data because they support large-scale data storage and highly efficient data retrieval. In addition, they can greatly simplify the management of large data warehouses, including security management and regular data refreshes. However, the HMORN Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW) was originally designed based on SAS datasets, and this design choice has a number of implications for both the design and use of an Oracle-based VDW. From a design standpoint, VDW tables are designed as flat SAS datasets, which do not take full advantage of Oracle indexing capabilities. From a data retrieval standpoint, standard VDW SAS scripts do not take advantage of SAS pass-through SQL capabilities to enable Oracle to perform the processing required to narrow datasets to the population of interest. Methods Beginning in 2009, the research department at Kaiser Permanente in the Mid-Atlantic States (KPMA) has developed an Oracle-based VDW according to the HMORN v3 specifications. In order to take advantage of the strengths of relational databases, KPMA introduced an interface layer to the VDW data, using views to provide access to standardized VDW variables. In addition, KPMA has developed SAS programs that provide access to SQL pass-through processing for first-pass data extraction into SAS VDW datasets for processing by standard VDW scripts. Results We discuss both the design and performance considerations specific to the KPMA Oracle-based VDW. We benchmarked performance of the Oracle-based VDW using both standard VDW scripts and an initial pre-processing layer to evaluate speed and accuracy of data return. Conclusions Adapting the VDW for deployment in an Oracle environment required minor changes to the underlying structure of the data. Further modifications of the underlying data structure would lead to performance enhancements. Maximally efficient data access for standard VDW scripts requires an extra step that involves restricting the data to the population of interest at the data server level prior to standard processing.

Dynamically-allocated multi-queue buffers for VLSI communication switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tamir, Yuval; Frazier, Gregory L.

1992-01-01

Several buffer structures are discussed and compared in terms of implementation complexity, interswitch handshaking requirements, and their ability to deal with variations in traffic patterns and message lengths. A new design of buffers is presented that provide non-FIFO message handling and efficient storage allocation for variable size packets using linked lists managed by a simple on-chip controller. The new buffer design is evaluated by comparing it to several alternative designs in the context of a multistage interconnection network. The present modeling and simulations show that the new buffer outperforms alternative buffers and can thus be used to improve the performance of a wide variety of systems currently using less efficient buffers.

NASIS data base management system - IBM 360/370 OS MVT implementation. 1: Installation standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The installation standards for the NASA Aerospace Safety Information System (NASIS) data base management system are presented. The standard approach to preparing systems documentation and the program design and coding rules and conventions are outlined. Included are instructions for preparing all major specifications and suggestions for improving the quality and efficiency of the programming task.

Institutional management of core facilities during challenging financial times.

PubMed

Haley, Rand

2011-12-01

The economic downturn is likely to have lasting effects on institutions of higher education, prioritizing proactive institutional leadership and planning. Although by design, core research facilities are more efficient and effective than supporting individual pieces of research equipment, cores can have significant underlying financial requirements and challenges. This paper explores several possible institutional approaches to managing core facilities during challenging financial times.

The Design of Management Practices To Improve the Physical Plant Maintenance of Southwest Texas Junior College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Box, Wilford Winston

A study was conducted of the physical plant maintenance department (PPMD) of Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC), in order to determine if the department was structured as a functional organization, if maintenance control procedures were in place, and if efficient management practices were being used. Consultations with the director of the PPMD…

Principles of Emergency Department facility design for optimal management of mass-casualty incidents.

PubMed

Halpern, Pinchas; Goldberg, Scott A; Keng, Jimmy G; Koenig, Kristi L

2012-04-01

The Emergency Department (ED) is the triage, stabilization and disposition unit of the hospital during a mass-casualty incident (MCI). With most EDs already functioning at or over capacity, efficient management of an MCI requires optimization of all ED components. While the operational aspects of MCI management have been well described, the architectural/structural principles have not. Further, there are limited reports of the testing of ED design components in actual MCI events. The objective of this study is to outline the important infrastructural design components for optimization of ED response to an MCI, as developed, implemented, and repeatedly tested in one urban medical center. In the authors' experience, the most important aspects of ED design for MCI have included external infrastructure and promoting rapid lockdown of the facility for security purposes; an ambulance bay permitting efficient vehicle flow and casualty discharge; strategic placement of the triage location; patient tracking techniques; planning adequate surge capacity for both patients and staff; sufficient command, control, communications, computers, and information; well-positioned and functional decontamination facilities; adequate, well-located and easily distributed medical supplies; and appropriately built and functioning essential services. Designing the ED to cope well with a large casualty surge during a disaster is not easy, and it may not be feasible for all EDs to implement all the necessary components. However, many of the components of an appropriate infrastructural design add minimal cost to the normal expenditures of building an ED. This study highlights the role of design and infrastructure in MCI preparedness in order to assist planners in improving their ED capabilities. Structural optimization calls for a paradigm shift in the concept of structural and operational ED design, but may be necessary in order to maximize surge capacity, department resilience, and patient and staff safety.

78 FR 79053 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE MKT LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-27

... discretion to the member organizations to define pre-set risk thresholds. The tools are designed to act as a... comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the... To Offer Risk Management Tools Designed To Allow Member Organizations To Monitor and Address Exposure...

Photon and carrier management design for nonplanar thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide photovoltaics

DOEpatents

Atwater, Harry A.; Callahan, Dennis; Bukowsky, Colton

2017-11-21

Photovoltaic structures are disclosed. The structures can comprise randomly or periodically structured layers, a dielectric layer to reduce back diffusion of charge carriers, and a metallic layer to reflect photons back towards the absorbing semiconductor layers. This design can increase efficiency of photovoltaic structures. The structures can be fabricated by nanoimprint.

Deep space telecommunications, navigation, and information management. Support of the space exploration initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Justin R.; Hastrup, Rolf C.

The United States Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) calls for the charting of a new and evolving manned course to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This paper discusses key challenges in providing effective deep space telecommunications, navigation, and information management (TNIM) architectures and designs for Mars exploration support. The fundamental objectives are to provide the mission with means to monitor and control mission elements, acquire engineering, science, and navigation data, compute state vectors and navigate, and move these data efficiently and automatically between mission nodes for timely analysis and decision-making. Although these objectives do not depart, fundamentally, from those evolved over the past 30 years in supporting deep space robotic exploration, there are several new issues. This paper focuses on summarizing new requirements, identifying related issues and challenges, responding with concepts and strategies which are enabling, and, finally, describing candidate architectures, and driving technologies. The design challenges include the attainment of: 1) manageable interfaces in a large distributed system, 2) highly unattended operations for in-situ Mars telecommunications and navigation functions, 3) robust connectivity for manned and robotic links, 4) information management for efficient and reliable interchange of data between mission nodes, and 5) an adequate Mars-Earth data rate.

Resource Analysis of Cognitive Process Flow Used to Achieve Autonomy

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

to be used as a decision - making aid to guide system designers and program managers not necessarily familiar with cognitive pro- cessing, or resource...implementing end-to-end cognitive processing flows multiplies and the impact of these design decisions on efficiency and effectiveness increases [1]. The...end-to-end cognitive systems and alternative computing technologies, then system design and acquisition personnel could make systematic analyses and

A novel minimum cost maximum power algorithm for future smart home energy management.

PubMed

Singaravelan, A; Kowsalya, M

2017-11-01

With the latest development of smart grid technology, the energy management system can be efficiently implemented at consumer premises. In this paper, an energy management system with wireless communication and smart meter are designed for scheduling the electric home appliances efficiently with an aim of reducing the cost and peak demand. For an efficient scheduling scheme, the appliances are classified into two types: uninterruptible and interruptible appliances. The problem formulation was constructed based on the practical constraints that make the proposed algorithm cope up with the real-time situation. The formulated problem was identified as Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem, so this problem was solved by a step-wise approach. This paper proposes a novel Minimum Cost Maximum Power (MCMP) algorithm to solve the formulated problem. The proposed algorithm was simulated with input data available in the existing method. For validating the proposed MCMP algorithm, results were compared with the existing method. The compared results prove that the proposed algorithm efficiently reduces the consumer electricity consumption cost and peak demand to optimum level with 100% task completion without sacrificing the consumer comfort.

Case Studies in the Field of Marketing Education: Learner Impact, Case Performance, and Cost Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spais, George S.

2005-01-01

The major objective of this study is to identify a methodology that will help educators in marketing to efficiently manage the design, impact, and cost of case studies. It is my intention is to examine the impact of case study characteristics in relation to the degree of learner involvement in the learning process. The author proposes that…

Optical enhancement of a printed organic tandem solar cell using diffractive nanostructures.

PubMed

Mayer, Jan A; Offermans, Ton; Chrapa, Marek; Pfannmöller, Martin; Bals, Sara; Ferrini, Rolando; Nisato, Giovanni

2018-03-19

Solution processable organic tandem solar cells offer a promising approach to achieve cost-effective, lightweight and flexible photovoltaics. In order to further enhance the efficiency of optimized organic tandem cells, diffractive light-management nanostructures were designed for an optimal redistribution of the light as function of both wavelength and propagation angles in both sub-cells. As the fabrication of these optical structures is compatible with roll-to-roll production techniques such as hot-embossing or UV NIL imprinting, they present an optimal cost-effective solution for printed photovoltaics. Tandem cells with power conversion efficiencies of 8-10% were fabricated in the ambient atmosphere by doctor blade coating, selected to approximate the conditions during roll-to-roll manufacturing. Application of the light management structure onto an 8.7% efficient encapsulated tandem cell boosted the conversion efficiency of the cell to 9.5%.

Improvement of automatic fish feeder machine design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chui Wei, How; Salleh, S. M.; Ezree, Abdullah Mohd; Zaman, I.; Hatta, M. H.; Zain, B. A. Md; Mahzan, S.; Rahman, M. N. A.; Mahmud, W. A. W.

2017-10-01

Nation Plan of action for management of fishing is target to achieve an efficient, equitable and transparent management of fishing capacity in marine capture fisheries by 2018. However, several factors influence the fishery production and efficiency of marine system such as automatic fish feeder machine could be taken in consideration. Two latest fish feeder machines have been chosen as the reference for this study. Based on the observation, it has found that the both machine was made with heavy structure, low water and temperature resistance materials. This research’s objective is to develop the automatic feeder machine to increase the efficiency of fish feeding. The experiment has conducted to testing the new design of machine. The new machine with maximum storage of 5 kg and functioning with two DC motors. This machine able to distribute 500 grams of pellets within 90 seconds and longest distance of 4.7 meter. The higher speed could reduce time needed and increase the distance as well. The minimum speed range for both motor is 110 and 120 with same full speed range of 255.

Colorado Transportation Management Center (CTMC) integration project (FY01 Earmark) : local evaluation report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-11-09

The CTMC Integration Project is the result of FY01 congressionally designated earmarks to improve transportation efficiency, promote safety, increase traffic flow, reduce emissions, improve traveler information dissemination, enhance alternate transp...

A Novel Re-keying Function Protocol (NRFP) For Wireless Sensor Network Security

PubMed Central

Abdullah, Maan Younis; Hua, Gui Wei; Alsharabi, Naif

2008-01-01

This paper describes a novel re-keying function protocol (NRFP) for wireless sensor network security. A re-keying process management system for sensor networks is designed to support in-network processing. The design of the protocol is motivated by decentralization key management for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), covering key deployment, key refreshment, and key establishment. NRFP supports the establishment of novel administrative functions for sensor nodes that derive/re-derive a session key for each communication session. The protocol proposes direct connection, in-direct connection and hybrid connection. NRFP also includes an efficient protocol for local broadcast authentication based on the use of one-way key chains. A salient feature of the authentication protocol is that it supports source authentication without precluding innetwork processing. Security and performance analysis shows that it is very efficient in computation, communication and storage and, that NRFP is also effective in defending against many sophisticated attacks. PMID:27873963

A Novel Re-keying Function Protocol (NRFP) For Wireless Sensor Network Security.

PubMed

Abdullah, Maan Younis; Hua, Gui Wei; Alsharabi, Naif

2008-12-04

This paper describes a novel re-keying function protocol (NRFP) for wireless sensor network security. A re-keying process management system for sensor networks is designed to support in-network processing. The design of the protocol is motivated by decentralization key management for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), covering key deployment, key refreshment, and key establishment. NRFP supports the establishment of novel administrative functions for sensor nodes that derive/re-derive a session key for each communication session. The protocol proposes direct connection, in-direct connection and hybrid connection. NRFP also includes an efficient protocol for local broadcast authentication based on the use of one-way key chains. A salient feature of the authentication protocol is that it supports source authentication without precluding in-network processing. Security and performance analysis shows that it is very efficient in computation, communication and storage and, that NRFP is also effective in defending against many sophisticated attacks.

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

Hobbs, R.E.

In large facilities, successful energy management cannot be measured by a few projects, no matter how significant the energy savings. Large facilities today are comprised of extensive energy consuming systems. For every energy project developed, two more projects remain to be discovered. The successful energy manager is one who has completed ten projects, or twenty, or thirty, and is still finding more projects to do. Nothing is assumed to be as efficient as possible, and no part of any system is ignored. The successful energy manager is willing to take risks, not of being fired, but to use imagination, studymore » engineering theory, exercise common sense, develop concept designs, calculate savings, sell projects to management, control designers, study equipment performance, pre-select contractors, manage the contractor efforts, solve inherent problems along the way, and then optimize the project after acceptance when the designers and contractors all walk off. Once the successful energy manager establishes his credibility, his problem becomes finding enough time to get the projects rolling as he dreams them up. He sees what others do not. As they say in the North, only the lead dog sees new scenery.« less

Base Station Activation and Linear Transceiver Design for Optimal Resource Management in Heterogeneous Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Wei-Cheng; Hong, Mingyi; Liu, Ya-Feng; Luo, Zhi-Quan

2014-08-01

In a densely deployed heterogeneous network (HetNet), the number of pico/micro base stations (BS) can be comparable with the number of the users. To reduce the operational overhead of the HetNet, proper identification of the set of serving BSs becomes an important design issue. In this work, we show that by jointly optimizing the transceivers and determining the active set of BSs, high system resource utilization can be achieved with only a small number of BSs. In particular, we provide formulations and efficient algorithms for such joint optimization problem, under the following two common design criteria: i) minimization of the total power consumption at the BSs, and ii) maximization of the system spectrum efficiency. In both cases, we introduce a nonsmooth regularizer to facilitate the activation of the most appropriate BSs. We illustrate the efficiency and the efficacy of the proposed algorithms via extensive numerical simulations.

Efficient management design for swimming exercise treatment.

PubMed

Kim, Kyunghun; Kyung, Taewon; Kim, Wonhyun; Shin, Chungsick; Song, Youngjae; Lee, Moo Yeol; Lee, Hyunwoo; Cho, Yongchan

2009-12-01

Exercise-mediated physical treatment has attracted much recent interest. In particular, swimming is a representative exercise treatment method recommended for patients experiencing muscular and cardiovascular diseases. The present study sought to design a swimming-based exercise treatment management system. A survey questionnaire was completed by participants to assess the prevalence of muscular and cardiovascular diseases among adult males and females participating in swimming programs at sport centers in metropolitan regions of country. Using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, weighted values of indices were determined, to maximize participant clarity. A patient management system model was devised using information technology. The favorable results are evidence of the validity of this approach. Additionally, the swimming-based exercise management system can be supplemented together with analyses of weighted values considering connectivity between established indices.

DREAMS and IMAGE: A Model and Computer Implementation for Concurrent, Life-Cycle Design of Complex Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Mark A.; Craig, James I.; Mistree, Farrokh; Schrage, Daniel P.

1995-01-01

Computing architectures are being assembled that extend concurrent engineering practices by providing more efficient execution and collaboration on distributed, heterogeneous computing networks. Built on the successes of initial architectures, requirements for a next-generation design computing infrastructure can be developed. These requirements concentrate on those needed by a designer in decision-making processes from product conception to recycling and can be categorized in two areas: design process and design information management. A designer both designs and executes design processes throughout design time to achieve better product and process capabilities while expanding fewer resources. In order to accomplish this, information, or more appropriately design knowledge, needs to be adequately managed during product and process decomposition as well as recomposition. A foundation has been laid that captures these requirements in a design architecture called DREAMS (Developing Robust Engineering Analysis Models and Specifications). In addition, a computing infrastructure, called IMAGE (Intelligent Multidisciplinary Aircraft Generation Environment), is being developed that satisfies design requirements defined in DREAMS and incorporates enabling computational technologies.

The Design and Development of a Management Information System for the Monterey Navy Flying Club.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-27

Management Information System for the Monterey Navy Flying Club. It supplies the tools necessary to enable the club manager to maintain all club records and generate required administrative and financial reports. The Monterey Navy Flying Club has one of the largest memberships of the Navy sponsored flying clubs. As a result of this large membership and the amount of manual paperwork required to properly maintain club records, the Manager’s ability to provide necessary services and reports in severely hampered. The implementation of an efficient

Sandia National Laboratories Facilities Management and Operations Center Design Standards Manual

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

Peterson, Timothy L.

2014-09-01

At Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico (SNL/NM), the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities is guided by industry standards, a graded approach, and the systematic analysis of life cycle benefits received for costs incurred. The design of the physical plant must ensure that the facilities are "fit for use," and provide conditions that effectively, efficiently, and safely support current and future mission needs. In addition, SNL/NM applies sustainable design principles, using an integrated whole-building design approach, from site planning to facility design, construction, and operation to ensure building resource efficiency and the health and productivity of occupants. Themore » safety and health of the workforce and the public, any possible effects on the environment, and compliance with building codes take precedence over project issues, such as performance, cost, and schedule. These design standards generally apply to all disciplines on all SNL/NM projects. Architectural and engineering design must be both functional and cost-effective. Facility design must be tailored to fit its intended function, while emphasizing low-maintenance, energy-efficient, and energy-conscious design. Design facilities that can be maintained easily, with readily accessible equipment areas, low maintenance, and quality systems. To promote an orderly and efficient appearance, architectural features of new facilities must complement and enhance the existing architecture at the site. As an Architectural and Engineering (A/E) professional, you must advise the Project Manager when this approach is prohibitively expensive. You are encouraged to use professional judgment and ingenuity to produce a coordinated interdisciplinary design that is cost-effective, easily contractible or buildable, high-performing, aesthetically pleasing, and compliant with applicable building codes. Close coordination and development of civil, landscape, structural, architectural, fire protection, mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, and security features is expected to ensure compatibility with planned functional equipment and to facilitate constructability. If portions of the design are subcontracted to specialists, delivery of the finished design documents must not be considered complete until the subcontracted portions are also submitted for review. You must, along with support consultants, perform functional analyses and programming in developing design solutions. These solutions must reflect coordination of the competing functional, budgetary, and physical requirements for the project. During design phases, meetings between you and the SNL/NM Project Team to discuss and resolve design issues are required. These meetings are a normal part of the design process. For specific design-review requirements, see the project-specific Design Criteria. In addition to the design requirements described in this manual, instructive information is provided to explain the sustainable building practice goals for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of SNL/NM facilities. Please notify SNL/NM personnel of design best practices not included in this manual, so they can be incorporated in future updates. You must convey all documents describing work to the SNL/NM Project Manager in both hard copy and in an electronic format compatible with the SNL/NM-prescribed CADD and other software packages, and in accordance with a SNL/NM approved standard format. Print all hard copy versions of submitted documents (excluding drawings and renderings) double-sided when practical.« less

Structured Qualitative Research: Organizing “Mountains of Words” for Data Analysis, both Qualitative and Quantitative

PubMed Central

Johnson, Bruce D.; Dunlap, Eloise; Benoit, Ellen

2008-01-01

Qualitative research creates mountains of words. U.S. federal funding supports mostly structured qualitative research, which is designed to test hypotheses using semi-quantitative coding and analysis. The authors have 30 years of experience in designing and completing major qualitative research projects, mainly funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]. This article reports on strategies for planning, organizing, collecting, managing, storing, retrieving, analyzing, and writing about qualitative data so as to most efficiently manage the mountains of words collected in large-scale ethnographic projects. Multiple benefits accrue from this approach. Several different staff members can contribute to the data collection, even when working from remote locations. Field expenditures are linked to units of work so productivity is measured, many staff in various locations have access to use and analyze the data, quantitative data can be derived from data that is primarily qualitative, and improved efficiencies of resources are developed. The major difficulties involve a need for staff who can program and manage large databases, and who can be skillful analysts of both qualitative and quantitative data. PMID:20222777

[Design of an anesthesia and micro-environment information management system in mobile operating room].

PubMed

Wang, Xianwen; Liu, Zhiguo; Zhang, Wenchang; Wu, Qingfu; Tan, Shulin

2013-08-01

We have designed a mobile operating room information management system. The system is composed of a client and a server. A client, consisting of a PC, medical equipments, PLC and sensors, provides the acquisition and processing of anesthesia and micro-environment data. A server is a powerful computer that stores the data of the system. The client gathers the medical device data by using the C/S mode, and analyzes the obtained HL7 messages through the class library call. The client collects the micro-environment information with PLC, and finishes the data reading with the OPC technology. Experiment results showed that the designed system could manage the patient anesthesia and micro-environment information well, and improve the efficiency of the doctors' works and the digital level of the mobile operating room.

Modifying physician behavior to improve cost-efficiency in safety-net ambulatory settings.

PubMed

Borkowski, Nancy; Gumus, Gulcin; Deckard, Gloria J

2013-01-01

Change interventions in one form or another are viewed as important tools to reduce variation in medical services, reduce costs, and improve quality of care. With the current focus on efficient resource use, the successful design and implementation of change strategies are of utmost importance for health care managers. We present a case study in which macro and micro level change strategies were used to modify primary care physicians' practice patterns of prescribing diagnostic services in a safety-net's ambulatory clinics. The findings suggest that health care managers using evidence-based strategies can create a practice environment that reduces barriers and facilitates change.

Risk management and statistical multivariate analysis approach for design and optimization of satranidazole nanoparticles.

PubMed

Dhat, Shalaka; Pund, Swati; Kokare, Chandrakant; Sharma, Pankaj; Shrivastava, Birendra

2017-01-01

Rapidly evolving technical and regulatory landscapes of the pharmaceutical product development necessitates risk management with application of multivariate analysis using Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD). Poorly soluble, high dose drug, Satranidazole was optimally nanoprecipitated (SAT-NP) employing principles of Formulation by Design (FbD). The potential risk factors influencing the critical quality attributes (CQA) of SAT-NP were identified using Ishikawa diagram. Plackett-Burman screening design was adopted to screen the eight critical formulation and process parameters influencing the mean particle size, zeta potential and dissolution efficiency at 30min in pH7.4 dissolution medium. Pareto charts (individual and cumulative) revealed three most critical factors influencing CQA of SAT-NP viz. aqueous stabilizer (Polyvinyl alcohol), release modifier (Eudragit® S 100) and volume of aqueous phase. The levels of these three critical formulation attributes were optimized by FbD within established design space to minimize mean particle size, poly dispersity index, and maximize encapsulation efficiency of SAT-NP. Lenth's and Bayesian analysis along with mathematical modeling of results allowed identification and quantification of critical formulation attributes significantly active on the selected CQAs. The optimized SAT-NP exhibited mean particle size; 216nm, polydispersity index; 0.250, zeta potential; -3.75mV and encapsulation efficiency; 78.3%. The product was lyophilized using mannitol to form readily redispersible powder. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the conversion of crystalline SAT to amorphous form. In vitro release of SAT-NP in gradually pH changing media showed <20% release in pH1.2 and pH6.8 in 5h, while, complete release (>95%) in pH7.4 in next 3h, indicative of burst release after a lag time. This investigation demonstrated effective application of risk management and QbD tools in developing site-specific release SAT-NP by nanoprecipitation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Chronic Care Model as vehicle for the development of disease management in Europe

PubMed Central

Spreeuwenberg, Cor

2008-01-01

The Chronic Care Model (Wagner, WHO) aims to improve the functioning and clinical situation of chronic patients by focussing on the patient, the practice team and the conditions that determine the functioning of the team. The patient is the most important actor who must be stimulated proactively by a competent, integrated practice team. Six interdependent conditional components are essential: health care organisation, delivery system design, community resources and policies, self-management support systems, decision support and clinical information systems. While the Chronic Care Model focuses on quality and effectiveness of care, disease management programmes underline more the efficiency of care. These programmes apply industrial management principles in health care. Information about process, structure and outcome is gathered and used systematically and human and material sources are used efficiently. There is evidence that the approaches of the Chronic Care Model and disease management can be integrated. Both approaches underline the need of information and focus on the patient as the main actor to improve and that a balance can be found between effectiveness and efficiency. Ideas will be given how the Chronic Care Model can be used as a framework for the development of a European way of disease management for people with a chronic condition.

An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability.

PubMed

Cevik, Ismail; Huang, Xiwei; Yu, Hao; Yan, Mei; Ay, Suat U

2015-03-06

An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability is introduced in this paper. The photodiode pixel array can not only capture images but also harvest solar energy. As such, the CMOS image sensor chip is able to switch between imaging and harvesting modes towards self-power operation. Moreover, an on-chip maximum power point tracking (MPPT)-based power management system (PMS) is designed for the dual-mode image sensor to further improve the energy efficiency. A new isolated P-well energy harvesting and imaging (EHI) pixel with very high fill factor is introduced. Several ultra-low power design techniques such as reset and select boosting techniques have been utilized to maintain a wide pixel dynamic range. The chip was designed and fabricated in a 1.8 V, 1P6M 0.18 µm CMOS process. Total power consumption of the imager is 6.53 µW for a 96 × 96 pixel array with 1 V supply and 5 fps frame rate. Up to 30 μW of power could be generated by the new EHI pixels. The PMS is capable of providing 3× the power required during imaging mode with 50% efficiency allowing energy autonomous operation with a 72.5% duty cycle.

An Ultra-Low Power CMOS Image Sensor with On-Chip Energy Harvesting and Power Management Capability

PubMed Central

Cevik, Ismail; Huang, Xiwei; Yu, Hao; Yan, Mei; Ay, Suat U.

2015-01-01

An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability is introduced in this paper. The photodiode pixel array can not only capture images but also harvest solar energy. As such, the CMOS image sensor chip is able to switch between imaging and harvesting modes towards self-power operation. Moreover, an on-chip maximum power point tracking (MPPT)-based power management system (PMS) is designed for the dual-mode image sensor to further improve the energy efficiency. A new isolated P-well energy harvesting and imaging (EHI) pixel with very high fill factor is introduced. Several ultra-low power design techniques such as reset and select boosting techniques have been utilized to maintain a wide pixel dynamic range. The chip was designed and fabricated in a 1.8 V, 1P6M 0.18 µm CMOS process. Total power consumption of the imager is 6.53 µW for a 96 × 96 pixel array with 1 V supply and 5 fps frame rate. Up to 30 μW of power could be generated by the new EHI pixels. The PMS is capable of providing 3× the power required during imaging mode with 50% efficiency allowing energy autonomous operation with a 72.5% duty cycle. PMID:25756863

Managing the physics of the economics of integrated health care.

PubMed

Zismer, Daniel K; Werner, Mark J

2012-01-01

The physics metaphor, as applied to the economics (and financial performance) of the integrated health system, seems appropriate when considered together with the nine principles of management framework provided. The nature of the integrated design enhances leaders' management potential as they consider organizational operations and strategy in the markets ahead. One question begged by this argument for the integrated design is the durability, efficiency and ultimate long-term survivability of the more "traditional" community health care delivery models, which, by design, are fragmented, internally competitive and less capital efficient. They also cannot exploit the leverage of teams, optimal access management or the pursuit of revenues made available in many forms. For those who wish to move from the traditional to the more integrated community health system designs (especially those who have not yet started the journey), the path requires: * Sufficient balance sheet capacity to fund the integration process-especially as the model requires physician practice acquisitions and electronic health record implementations * A well-prepared board13, 14 * A functional, durable and sustainable physician services enterprise design * A redesigned organizational and governance structure * Favorable internal financial incentives alignment design * Effective accountable physician leadership * Awareness that the system is not solely a funding strategy for acquired physicians, rather a fully -.. committed clinical and business model, one in which patient-centered integrated care is the core service (and not acute care hospital-based services) A willingness to create and exploit the implied and inherent potential of an integrated design and unified brand Last, it's important to remember that an integrated health system is a tool that creates a "new potential" (a physics metaphor reference, one last time). The design doesn't operate itself. Application of the management principles presented here are necessary as a complete recipe. Leaders of health systems moving toward integration are cautioned to apply the recipe in full. This article ends with two questions. First, if not an integrated model of health care, what's the alternative? Since it seems clear that many of the existing community-based models are excessively fragmented and inefficient, especially in a reforming U.S. health care marketplace, is there a new model that is superior to the integrated models and, if so, what is it and what are its functional principles? The second question: Is there more than one functional form of integration? This article argues for the most integrated form. Others would argue that clinical integration is sufficient,'s and full integration isn't required. The stability, durability and adaptability of the fully integrated models have, arguably, been tested. The lesser integrated models remain to be proven in an unstable health care marketplace seeking higher levels of economic efficiency.

TAE Plus: Transportable Applications Environment Plus tools for building graphic-oriented applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szczur, Martha R.

1989-01-01

The Transportable Applications Environment Plus (TAE Plus), developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is a portable User Interface Management System (UIMS), which provides an intuitive WYSIWYG WorkBench for prototyping and designing an application's user interface, integrated with tools for efficiently implementing the designed user interface and effective management of the user interface during an application's active domain. During the development of TAE Plus, many design and implementation decisions were based on the state-of-the-art within graphics workstations, windowing system and object-oriented programming languages. Some of the problems and issues experienced during implementation are discussed. A description of the next development steps planned for TAE Plus is also given.

IGDS/TRAP Interface Program (ITIP). Software Design Document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jefferys, Steve; Johnson, Wendell

1981-01-01

The preliminary design of the IGDS/TRAP Interface Program (ITIP) is described. The ITIP is implemented on the PDP 11/70 and interfaces directly with the Interactive Graphics Design System and the Data Management and Retrieval System. The program provides an efficient method for developing a network flow diagram. Performance requirements, operational rquirements, and design requirements are discussed along with sources and types of input and destination and types of output. Information processing functions and data base requirements are also covered.

Demonstration Program for Low-Cost, High-Energy-Saving Dynamic Windows

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Design The scope of this project was to demonstrate the impact of dynamic windows via energy savings and HVAC peak-load reduction; to validate the...temperature and glare. While the installed dynamic window system does not directly control the HVAC or lighting of the facility, those systems are designed ...optimize energy efficiency and HVAC load management. The conversion to inoperable windows caused an unforeseen reluctance to accept the design and

Geospatial Based Information System Development in Public Administration for Sustainable Development and Planning in Urban Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouziokas, Georgios N.

2016-09-01

It is generally agreed that the governmental authorities should actively encourage the development of an efficient framework of information and communication technology initiatives so as to advance and promote sustainable development and planning strategies. This paper presents a prototype Information System for public administration which was designed to facilitate public management and decision making for sustainable development and planning. The system was developed by using several programming languages and programming tools and also a Database Management System (DBMS) for storing and managing urban data of many kinds. Furthermore, geographic information systems were incorporated into the system in order to make possible to the authorities to deal with issues of spatial nature such as spatial planning. The developed system provides a technology based management of geospatial information, environmental and crime data of urban environment aiming at improving public decision making and also at contributing to a more efficient sustainable development and planning.

Design of a Recommendation System for Adding Support in the Treatment of Chronic Patients.

PubMed

Torkar, Simon; Benedik, Peter; Rajkovič, Uroš; Šušteršič, Olga; Rajkovič, Vladislav

2016-01-01

Rapid growth of chronic disease cases around the world is adding pressure on healthcare providers to ensure a structured patent follow-up during chronic disease management process. In response to the increasing demand for better chronic disease management and improved health care efficiency, nursing roles have been specialized or enhanced in the primary health care setting. Nurses become key players in chronic disease management process. Study describes a system to help nurses manage the care process of patient with chronic disease. It supports focusing nurse's attention on those resources/solutions that are likely to be most relevant to their particular situation/problem in nursing domain. System is based on multi-relational property graph representing a flexible modeling construct. Graph allows modeling a nursing ontology and the indices that partition domain into an efficient, searchable space where the solution to a problem is seen as abstractly defined traversals through its vertices and edges.

Keeping it wild in the National Park Service: A user guide to integrating wilderness character into park planning, management, and monitoring

Treesearch

Peter Landres; Suzy Stutzman; Wade Vagias; Carol Cook; Christina Mills; Tim Devine; Sandee Dingman; Adrienne Lindholm; Miki Stuebe; Melissa Memory; Ruth Scott; Michael Bilecki; Ray O' Neil; Chris Holbeck; Frank Turina; Michael Haynie; Sarah Craighead; Chip Jenkins; Jeremy Curtis; Karen Trevino

2014-01-01

This User Guide was developed to help National Park Service (NPS) staff effectively and efficiently fulfill the mandate from the 1964 Wilderness Act and NPS policy to "preserve wilderness character" now and into the future. This mandate applies to all congressionally designated wilderness and other park lands that are, by policy, managed as wilderness,...

Third International Symposium on Space Mission Operations and Ground Data Systems, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James L. (Editor)

1994-01-01

Under the theme of 'Opportunities in Ground Data Systems for High Efficiency Operations of Space Missions,' the SpaceOps '94 symposium included presentations of more than 150 technical papers spanning five topic areas: Mission Management, Operations, Data Management, System Development, and Systems Engineering. The symposium papers focus on improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of data acquisition, ground systems, and mission operations. New technology, methods, and human systems are discussed. Accomplishments are also reported in the application of information systems to improve data retrieval, reporting, and archiving; the management of human factors; the use of telescience and teleoperations; and the design and implementation of logistics support for mission operations. This volume covers expert systems, systems development tools and approaches, and systems engineering issues.

Optimization of protocol design: a path to efficient, lower cost clinical trial execution

PubMed Central

Malikova, Marina A

2016-01-01

Managing clinical trials requires strategic planning and efficient execution. In order to achieve a timely delivery of important clinical trials’ outcomes, it is useful to establish standardized trial management guidelines and develop robust scoring methodology for evaluation of study protocol complexity. This review will explore the challenges clinical teams face in developing protocols to ensure that the right patients are enrolled and the right data are collected to demonstrate that a drug is safe and efficacious, while managing study costs and study complexity based on proposed comprehensive scoring model. Key factors to consider when developing protocols and techniques to minimize complexity will be discussed. A methodology to identify processes at planning phase, approaches to increase fiscal return and mitigate fiscal compliance risk for clinical trials will be addressed. PMID:28031939

Energy-aware Thread and Data Management in Heterogeneous Multi-core, Multi-memory Systems

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

Su, Chun-Yi

By 2004, microprocessor design focused on multicore scaling—increasing the number of cores per die in each generation—as the primary strategy for improving performance. These multicore processors typically equip multiple memory subsystems to improve data throughput. In addition, these systems employ heterogeneous processors such as GPUs and heterogeneous memories like non-volatile memory to improve performance, capacity, and energy efficiency. With the increasing volume of hardware resources and system complexity caused by heterogeneity, future systems will require intelligent ways to manage hardware resources. Early research to improve performance and energy efficiency on heterogeneous, multi-core, multi-memory systems focused on tuning a single primitivemore » or at best a few primitives in the systems. The key limitation of past efforts is their lack of a holistic approach to resource management that balances the tradeoff between performance and energy consumption. In addition, the shift from simple, homogeneous systems to these heterogeneous, multicore, multi-memory systems requires in-depth understanding of efficient resource management for scalable execution, including new models that capture the interchange between performance and energy, smarter resource management strategies, and novel low-level performance/energy tuning primitives and runtime systems. Tuning an application to control available resources efficiently has become a daunting challenge; managing resources in automation is still a dark art since the tradeoffs among programming, energy, and performance remain insufficiently understood. In this dissertation, I have developed theories, models, and resource management techniques to enable energy-efficient execution of parallel applications through thread and data management in these heterogeneous multi-core, multi-memory systems. I study the effect of dynamic concurrent throttling on the performance and energy of multi-core, non-uniform memory access (NUMA) systems. I use critical path analysis to quantify memory contention in the NUMA memory system and determine thread mappings. In addition, I implement a runtime system that combines concurrent throttling and a novel thread mapping algorithm to manage thread resources and improve energy efficient execution in multi-core, NUMA systems.« less

Generalized linear models and point count data: statistical considerations for the design and analysis of monitoring studies

Treesearch

Nathaniel E. Seavy; Suhel Quader; John D. Alexander; C. John Ralph

2005-01-01

The success of avian monitoring programs to effectively guide management decisions requires that studies be efficiently designed and data be properly analyzed. A complicating factor is that point count surveys often generate data with non-normal distributional properties. In this paper we review methods of dealing with deviations from normal assumptions, and we focus...

‘HighChest’: An Augmented Freezer Designed for Smart Food Management and Promotion of Eco-Efficient Behaviour

PubMed Central

Bonaccorsi, Manuele; Betti, Stefano; Rateni, Giovanni; Esposito, Dario; Brischetto, Alessia; Marseglia, Marco; Dario, Paolo; Cavallo, Filippo

2017-01-01

This paper introduces HighChest, an innovative smart freezer designed to promote energy efficient behavior and the responsible use of food. Introducing a novel human–machine interface (HMI) design developed through assessment phases and a user involvement stage, HighChest is state of the art, featuring smart services that exploit embedded sensors and Internet of things functionalities, which enhance the local capabilities of the appliance. The industrial design thinking approach followed for the advanced HMI is intended to maximize the social impact of the food management service, enhancing both the user experience of the product and the user’s willingness to adopt eco- and energy-friendly behaviors. The sensor equipment realizes automatic recognition of food by learning from the users, as well as automatic localization inside the deposit space. Moreover, it provides monitoring of the appliance’s usage, avoiding temperature and humidity issues related to improper use. Experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the localization system, and the results showed 100% accuracy for weights greater or equal to 0.5 kg. Drifts due to the lid opening and prolonged usage time were also measured, to implement automatic reset corrections. PMID:28604609

The efficacy and efficiency of Disability Management in job-retention and job-reintegration. A systematic review.

PubMed

Lefever, Marlies; Decuman, Saskia; Perl, François; Braeckman, Lutgart; Van de Velde, Dominique

2018-01-01

Disability management (DM) is a systematic method to ensure job-retention and job-reintegration in competitive employment for individuals with a disability. There is evidence that 'returning to work' has a positive impact on the individual, the company and on the society. However, a clear overview of the efficacy and efficiency of the DM programs is scarce. To systematically review the efficacy and efficiency of the disability management programs. Cochrane, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched from 1994 to 2015. Two reviewers independently evaluated the articles on title, abstract, and full text. The data extraction and results are documented according to the study designs. Twenty-eight articles were included in the review. These 28 articles consisted of 7 systematic reviews, 3 randomized controlled trials, 9 clinical trials, 4 mixed-method studies and 5 qualitative studies. The DM program has shown to be effective and efficient. A consensus about the DM components is still not reached. Nevertheless, some components are emphasized more than others; job accommodation, facilitation of transitional duty, communication between all stakeholders, health care provider advice, early intervention, and acceptance, goodwill and trust in the stakeholders, in the organization, and in the disability management process.

The Croton-Yorktown Model of Individualized Earth Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthias, George F.; Snyder, Edward B.

1980-01-01

The individualized learning model, discussed in this article, uses an efficient feedback mechanism which incorporates an innovative student evaluation program and a unique system of classroom management. The design provides a model for monitoring student progress. (Author/SA)

Community Development in Ireland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Anna

2003-01-01

In the last decade, community development in Ireland has emphasized social and economic inclusion, regeneration, and civic participation. Continuing challenges include designation of diverse community representatives, demand for increased administrative efficiency, and management of mandates and accountability. There are more community development…

Parity for mental health and substance abuse care under managed care.

PubMed

Frank, Richard G.; McGuire, Thomas G.

1998-12-01

BACKGROUND: Parity in insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse has been a key goal of mental health and substance abuse care advocates in the United States during most of the past 20 years. The push for parity began during the era of indemnity insurance and fee for service payment when benefit design was the main rationing device in health care. The central economic argument for enacting legislation aimed at regulating the insurance benefit was to address market failure stemming from adverse selection. The case against parity was based on inefficiency related to moral hazard. Empirical analyses provided evidence that ambulatory mental health services were considerably more responsive to the terms of insurance than were ambulatory medical services. AIMS: Our goal in this research is to reexamine the economics of parity in the light of recent changes in the delivery of health care in the United States. Specifically managed care has fundamentally altered the way in which health services are rationed. Benefit design is now only one mechanism among many that are used to allocate health care resources and control costs. We examine the implication of these changes for policies aimed at achieving parity in insurance coverage. METHOD: We develop a theoretical approach to characterizing rationing under managed care. We then analyze the traditional efficiency concerns in insurance, adverse selection and moral hazard in the context of policy aimed at regulating health and mental health benefits under private insurance. RESULTS: We show that since managed care controls costs and utilization in new ways parity in benefit design no longer implies equal access to and quality of mental health and substance abuse care. Because costs are controlled by management under managed care and not primarily by out of pocket prices paid by consumers, demand response recedes as an efficiency argument against parity. At the same time parity in benefit design may accomplish less with respect to providing a remedy to problems related to adverse selection.

Security Implications of Physical Design Attributes in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Pati, Debajyoti; Pati, Sipra; Harvey, Thomas E

2016-07-01

Security, a subset of safety, is equally important in the efficient delivery of patient care. The emergency department (ED) is susceptible to violence creating concerns for the safety and security of patients, staff, and visitors and for the safe and efficient delivery of care. Although there is an implicit and growing recognition of the role of the physical environment, interventions typically have been at the microlevel. The objective of this study was to identify physical design attributes that potentially influence safety and efficiency of ED operations. An exploratory, qualitative research design was adopted to examine the efficiency and safety correlates of ED physical design attributes. The study comprised a multimeasure approach involving multidisciplinary gaming, semistructured interviews, and touring interviews of frontline staff in four EDs at three hospital systems across three states. Five macro physical design attributes (issues that need to be addressed at the design stage and expensive to rectify once built) emerged from the data as factors substantially associated with security issues. They are design issues pertaining to (a) the entry zone, (b) traffic management, (c) patient room clustering, (d) centralization versus decentralization, and (e) provisions for special populations. Data from this study suggest that ED security concerns are generally associated with three sources: (a) gang-related violence, (b) dissatisfied patients, and (c) behavioral health patients. Study data show that physical design has an important role in addressing the above-mentioned concerns. Implications for ED design are outlined in the article. © The Author(s) 2016.

Modeling and experimental performance of an intermediate temperature reversible solid oxide cell for high-efficiency, distributed-scale electrical energy storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendel, Christopher H.; Gao, Zhan; Barnett, Scott A.; Braun, Robert J.

2015-06-01

Electrical energy storage is expected to be a critical component of the future world energy system, performing load-leveling operations to enable increased penetration of renewable and distributed generation. Reversible solid oxide cells, operating sequentially between power-producing fuel cell mode and fuel-producing electrolysis mode, have the capability to provide highly efficient, scalable electricity storage. However, challenges ranging from cell performance and durability to system integration must be addressed before widespread adoption. One central challenge of the system design is establishing effective thermal management in the two distinct operating modes. This work leverages an operating strategy to use carbonaceous reactant species and operate at intermediate stack temperature (650 °C) to promote exothermic fuel-synthesis reactions that thermally self-sustain the electrolysis process. We present performance of a doped lanthanum-gallate (LSGM) electrolyte solid oxide cell that shows high efficiency in both operating modes at 650 °C. A physically based electrochemical model is calibrated to represent the cell performance and used to simulate roundtrip operation for conditions unique to these reversible systems. Design decisions related to system operation are evaluated using the cell model including current density, fuel and oxidant reactant compositions, and flow configuration. The analysis reveals tradeoffs between electrical efficiency, thermal management, energy density, and durability.

A Design Support Framework through Dynamic Deployment of Hypothesis and Verification in the Design Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomaguch, Yutaka; Fujita, Kikuo

This paper proposes a design support framework, named DRIFT (Design Rationale Integration Framework of Three layers), which dynamically captures and manages hypothesis and verification in the design process. A core of DRIFT is a three-layered design process model of action, model operation and argumentation. This model integrates various design support tools and captures design operations performed on them. Action level captures the sequence of design operations. Model operation level captures the transition of design states, which records a design snapshot over design tools. Argumentation level captures the process of setting problems and alternatives. The linkage of three levels enables to automatically and efficiently capture and manage iterative hypothesis and verification processes through design operations over design tools. In DRIFT, such a linkage is extracted through the templates of design operations, which are extracted from the patterns embeded in design tools such as Design-For-X (DFX) approaches, and design tools are integrated through ontology-based representation of design concepts. An argumentation model, gIBIS (graphical Issue-Based Information System), is used for representing dependencies among problems and alternatives. A mechanism of TMS (Truth Maintenance System) is used for managing multiple hypothetical design stages. This paper also demonstrates a prototype implementation of DRIFT and its application to a simple design problem. Further, it is concluded with discussion of some future issues.

Efficient Windows Collaborative

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

Nils Petermann

2010-02-28

The project goals covered both the residential and commercial windows markets and involved a range of audiences such as window manufacturers, builders, homeowners, design professionals, utilities, and public agencies. Essential goals included: (1) Creation of 'Master Toolkits' of information that integrate diverse tools, rating systems, and incentive programs, customized for key audiences such as window manufacturers, design professionals, and utility programs. (2) Delivery of education and outreach programs to multiple audiences through conference presentations, publication of articles for builders and other industry professionals, and targeted dissemination of efficient window curricula to professionals and students. (3) Design and implementation of mechanismsmore » to encourage and track sales of more efficient products through the existing Window Products Database as an incentive for manufacturers to improve products and participate in programs such as NFRC and ENERGY STAR. (4) Development of utility incentive programs to promote more efficient residential and commercial windows. Partnership with regional and local entities on the development of programs and customized information to move the market toward the highest performing products. An overarching project goal was to ensure that different audiences adopt and use the developed information, design and promotion tools and thus increase the market penetration of energy efficient fenestration products. In particular, a crucial success criterion was to move gas and electric utilities to increase the promotion of energy efficient windows through demand side management programs as an important step toward increasing the market share of energy efficient windows.« less

Basic principles of stability.

PubMed

Egan, William; Schofield, Timothy

2009-11-01

An understanding of the principles of degradation, as well as the statistical tools for measuring product stability, is essential to management of product quality. Key to this is management of vaccine potency. Vaccine shelf life is best managed through determination of a minimum potency release requirement, which helps assure adequate potency throughout expiry. Use of statistical tools such a least squares regression analysis should be employed to model potency decay. The use of such tools provides incentive to properly design vaccine stability studies, while holding stability measurements to specification presents a disincentive for collecting valuable data. The laws of kinetics such as Arrhenius behavior help practitioners design effective accelerated stability programs, which can be utilized to manage stability after a process change. Design of stability studies should be carefully considered, with an eye to minimizing the variability of the stability parameter. In the case of measuring the degradation rate, testing at the beginning and the end of the study improves the precision of this estimate. Additional design considerations such as bracketing and matrixing improve the efficiency of stability evaluation of vaccines.

Implementation of a best management practice (BMP) system for a clay mining facility in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Jen-Yang; Chen, Yen-Chang; Chen, Walter; Lee, Tsu-Chuan; Yu, Shaw L

2006-01-01

The present paper describes the planning and implementation of a best management practice (BMP) system for a clay mining facility in Northern Taiwan. It is a challenge to plan and design BMPs for mitigating the impact of clay mining operations due to the fact that clay mining drainage typically contains very high concentrations of suspended solids (SS), Fe-ions, and [H+] concentrations. In the present study, a field monitoring effort was conducted to collect data for runoff quality and quantity from a clay mining area in Northern Taiwan. A BMP system including holding ponds connected in series was designed and implemented and its pollutant removal performance was assessed. The assessment was based on mass balance computations and an analysis of the relationship between BMP design parameters such as pond depth, detention time, surface loading rate, etc. and the pollutant removal efficiency. Field sampling results showed that the surface-loading rate is exponential related to the removing rate. The results provide the basis for a more comprehensive and efficient BMP implementation plan for clay mining operations.

An Integrated Mobile Application to Improve the Watershed Management in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, T. Y.; Chen, M. H.; Lee, C. Y.

2015-12-01

This study aims to focus on the application of information technology on the reservoir watershed management. For the civil and commercial water usage, reservoirs and its upstream plays a significant role due to water scarcity and inequality, especially in Taiwan. Due to the progress of information technology, apply it can improve the efficiency and accuracy of daily affairs significantly which already proved by previous researches. Taipei Water Resource District (TWRD) is selected as study area for this study, it is the first reservoir watershed which authorized as special protection district by urban planning act. This study has designed a framework of mobile application, which addressed three types of public affairs relate to watershed management, includes building management, illegal land-use investigation, and a dashboard of real time stream information. This mobile application integrated a dis-connected map and interactive interface to collect, record and calculate field information which helps the authority manage the public affairs more efficiency.

Enhancing DSN Operations Efficiency with the Discrepancy Reporting Management System (DRMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chatillon, Mark; Lin, James; Cooper, Tonja M.

2003-01-01

The DRMS is the Discrepancy Reporting Management System used by the Deep Space Network (DSN). It uses a web interface and is a management tool designed to track and manage: data outage incidents during spacecraft tracks against equipment and software known as DRs (discrepancy Reports), to record "out of pass" incident logs against equipment and software in a Station Log, to record instances where equipment has be restarted or reset as Reset records, and to electronically record equipment readiness status across the DSN. Tracking and managing these items increases DSN operational efficiency by providing: the ability to establish the operational history of equipment items, data on the quality of service provided to the DSN customers, the ability to measure service performance, early insight into processes, procedures and interfaces that may need updating or changing, and the capability to trace a data outage to a software or hardware change. The items listed above help the DSN to focus resources on areas of most need.

Increasing value and reducing waste in biomedical research regulation and management

PubMed Central

Salman, Rustam Al-Shahi; Beller, Elaine; Kagan, Jonathan; Hemminki, Elina; Phillips, Robert S; Savulescu, Julian; Macleod, Malcolm; Wisely, Janet; Chalmers, Iain

2014-01-01

After identification of an important research question and selection of an appropriate study design, waste can arise from the regulation, governance, and management of biomedical research. Obtaining regulatory and governance approval has become increasingly burdensome and disproportionate to the conceivable risks to research participants. Regulation and governance involve interventions that are assumed to be justified in the interests of patients and the public, but they can actually compromise these interests. Inefficient management of the procedural conduct of research is wasteful, especially if it results in poor recruitment and retention of participants in well designed studies addressing important questions. These sources of waste can be minimised if the following four recommendations are addressed. First, regulators should use their influence to reduce other causes of waste and inefficiency in research. Second, regulators and policy makers should work with researchers, patients, and health professionals to streamline and harmonise the laws, regulations, guidelines, and processes that govern whether and how research can be done, and ensure that they are proportionate to the plausible risks associated with the research. Third, researchers and research managers should increase the efficiency of recruitment, retention, data monitoring, and data sharing in research through use of research designs known to reduce inefficiencies, and further research should be done to learn how efficiency can be increased. Finally, everyone, particularly those responsible for health-care systems, should promote integration of research into everyday clinical practice. Regulators and researchers should monitor adherence to each of these recommendations and publish metrics. PMID:24411646

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the psychometric function using the updated maximum-likelihood adaptive procedure.

PubMed

Shen, Yi; Dai, Wei; Richards, Virginia M

2015-03-01

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the threshold, slope, and lapse rate of the psychometric function is described. The toolbox enables the efficient implementation of the updated maximum-likelihood (UML) procedure. The toolbox uses an object-oriented architecture for organizing the experimental variables and computational algorithms, which provides experimenters with flexibility in experimental design and data management. Descriptions of the UML procedure and the UML Toolbox are provided, followed by toolbox use examples. Finally, guidelines and recommendations of parameter configurations are given.

Research Initiatives and Preliminary Results In Automation Design In Airspace Management in Free Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corker, Kevin; Lebacqz, J. Victor (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The NASA and the FAA have entered into a joint venture to explore, define, design and implement a new airspace management operating concept. The fundamental premise of that concept is that technologies and procedures need to be developed for flight deck and ground operations to improve the efficiency, the predictability, the flexibility and the safety of airspace management and operations. To that end NASA Ames has undertaken an initial development and exploration of "key concepts" in the free flight airspace management technology development. Human Factors issues in automation aiding design, coupled aiding systems between air and ground, communication protocols in distributed decision making, and analytic techniques for definition of concepts of airspace density and operator cognitive load have been undertaken. This paper reports the progress of these efforts, which are not intended to definitively solve the many evolving issues of design for future ATM systems, but to provide preliminary results to chart the parameters of performance and the topology of the analytic effort required. The preliminary research in provision of cockpit display of traffic information, dynamic density definition, distributed decision making, situation awareness models and human performance models is discussed as they focus on the theme of "design requirements".

Lean Production as an Innovative Approach to Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spišáková, Marcela; Kozlovská, Mária

2013-06-01

Lean production presents a new approach to the construction management which has enabled enterprises to attain very high levels of efficiency, competitiveness and flexibility in production systems. Nowadays, a number of industrial processes are managed in accordance with these advanced management principles [1]. The principles of lean production are applied within the integrated design and delivery solutions (IDDS) and prefabricated construction. IDDS uses collaborative work processes and enhanced skills, with integrated data, information, and knowledge management to minimize structural and process inefficiencies and to enhance the value delivered during design, build, and operation, and across projects. Prefabrication presents a one of opportunities for construction methods, which allows the compliance with principles of sustainable design, provides the potential benefits such as faster construction, fewer housing defects, reduction in energy use and waste and elimination of environmental and safety risks. This paper presents the lean production within the IDDS and its potential in the modern prefabrication. There is created a field providing of benefits of lean production in construction industry.

An efficient smolt trap for sandy and debris-laden streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scace, J.G.; Letcher, B.H.; Noreika, J.

2007-01-01

Tripod weir and box traps are traditionally used to capture and enumerate out-migrating salmonid smolts in short-term studies and in streams where temporary or portable traps are the only practical option. Although traditional traps can be effective when conditions are ideal, they are often unable to withstand high-discharge events in streams containing a large amount of debris or sandy substrates. We created a rotary-screw trap and resistance board weir hybrid design that we evaluated along with a tripod weir and box trap, both in a 6.1-m-wide flume and in the field. The new design outperformed the tripod weir in both situations. The tripod weir failed in 10 min in the flume trial, whereas the new design was still operating at the conclusion of an 8-h trial under the same conditions. The new design operated continuously in the field during a high-discharge event that caused the tripod weir to fail. The new design also required less frequent cleaning than the tripod weir. The trap efficiency of the new design was estimated by using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas and radiotelemetry. The trap was 80% efficient (n = 40) in capturing migrating PIT-tagged individuals detected at an antenna upstream of the trap and 87.5% efficient (n = 48) at recapturing fish that had been tagged and released upstream. With its high efficiency and increased resiliency over the tripod weir, the new trap design will benefit management and research efforts in streams where traditional traps are unsuitable. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

Photonic Design: From Fundamental Solar Cell Physics to Computational Inverse Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Owen Dennis

Photonic innovation is becoming ever more important in the modern world. Optical systems are dominating shorter and shorter communications distances, LED's are rapidly emerging for a variety of applications, and solar cells show potential to be a mainstream technology in the energy space. The need for novel, energy-efficient photonic and optoelectronic devices will only increase. This work unites fundamental physics and a novel computational inverse design approach towards such innovation. The first half of the dissertation is devoted to the physics of high-efficiency solar cells. As solar cells approach fundamental efficiency limits, their internal physics transforms. Photonic considerations, instead of electronic ones, are the key to reaching the highest voltages and efficiencies. Proper photon management led to Alta Device's recent dramatic increase of the solar cell efficiency record to 28.3%. Moreover, approaching the Shockley-Queisser limit for any solar cell technology will require light extraction to become a part of all future designs. The second half of the dissertation introduces inverse design as a new computational paradigm in photonics. An assortment of techniques (FDTD, FEM, etc.) have enabled quick and accurate simulation of the "forward problem" of finding fields for a given geometry. However, scientists and engineers are typically more interested in the inverse problem: for a desired functionality, what geometry is needed? Answering this question breaks from the emphasis on the forward problem and forges a new path in computational photonics. The framework of shape calculus enables one to quickly find superior, non-intuitive designs. Novel designs for optical cloaking and sub-wavelength solar cell applications are presented.

Addressing On-Chip Power Converstion and Dissipation Issues in Many-Core System-on-a-Chip Based on Conventional Silicon and Emerging Nanotechnologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashenafi, Emeshaw

Integrated circuits (ICs) are moving towards system-on-a-chip (SOC) designs. SOC allows various small and large electronic systems to be implemented in a single chip. This approach enables the miniaturization of design blocks that leads to high density transistor integration, faster response time, and lower fabrication costs. To reap the benefits of SOC and uphold the miniaturization of transistors, innovative power delivery and power dissipation management schemes are paramount. This dissertation focuses on on-chip integration of power delivery systems and managing power dissipation to increase the lifetime of energy storage elements. We explore this problem from two different angels: On-chip voltage regulators and power gating techniques. On-chip voltage regulators reduce parasitic effects, and allow faster and efficient power delivery for microprocessors. Power gating techniques, on the other hand, reduce the power loss incurred by circuit blocks during standby mode. Power dissipation (Ptotal = Pstatic and Pdynamic) in a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit comes from two sources: static and dynamic. A quadratic dependency on the dynamic switching power and a more than linear dependency on static power as a form of gate leakage (subthreshold current) exist. To reduce dynamic power loss, the supply power should be reduced. A significant reduction in power dissipation occurs when portions of a microprocessor operate at a lower voltage level. This reduction in supply voltage is achieved via voltage regulators or converters. Voltage regulators are used to provide a stable power supply to the microprocessor. The conventional off-chip switching voltage regulator contains a passive floating inductor, which is difficult to be implemented inside the chip due to excessive power dissipation and parasitic effects. Additionally, the inductor takes a very large chip area while hampering the scaling process. These limitations make passive inductor based on-chip regulator design very unattractive for SOC integration and multi-/many-core environments. To circumvent the challenges, three alternative techniques based on active circuit elements to replace the passive LC filter of the buck convertor are developed. The first inductorless on-chip switching voltage regulator architecture is based on a cascaded 2nd order multiple feedback (MFB) low-pass filter (LPF). This design has the ability to modulate to multiple voltage settings via pulse-with modulation (PWM). The second approach is a supplementary design utilizing a hybrid low drop-out scheme to lower the output ripple of the switching regulator over a wider frequency range. The third design approach allows the integration of an entire power management system within a single chipset by combining a highly efficient switching regulator with an intermittently efficient linear regulator (area efficient), for robust and highly efficient on-chip regulation. The static power (Pstatic) or subthreshold leakage power (Pleak) increases with technology scaling. To mitigate static power dissipation, power gating techniques are implemented. Power gating is one of the popular methods to manage leakage power during standby periods in low-power high-speed IC design. It works by using transistor based switches to shut down part of the circuit block and put them in the idle mode. The efficiency of a power gating scheme involves minimum Ioff and high Ion for the sleep transistor. A conventional sleep transistor circuit design requires an additional header, footer, or both switches to turn off the logic block. This additional transistor causes signal delay and increases the chip area. We propose two innovative designs for next generation sleep transistor designs. For an above threshold operation, we present a sleep transistor design based on fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) device. For a subthreshold circuit operation, we implement a sleep transistor utilizing the newly developed silicon-on-ferroelectric-insulator field effect transistor (SOFFET). In both of the designs, the ability to control the threshold voltage via bias voltage at the back gate makes both devices more flexible for sleep transistors design than a bulk MOSFET. The proposed approaches simplify the design complexity, reduce the chip area, eliminate the voltage drop by sleep transistor, and improve power dissipation. In addition, the design provides a dynamically controlled Vt for times when the circuit needs to be in a sleep or switching mode.

Risk assessment, identification, and notification (RAIN) system : a novel approach for traffic management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-08-31

Primary research focused on the design and development of an energy-efficient Risk Notification Message Dissemination Protocol (RNMDP) for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). RNMDP propagates Risk Notification Messages (RNMs) from a location of origi...

Exploitation and Benefits of BIM in Construction Project Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesároš, Peter; Mandičák, Tomáš

2017-10-01

BIM is increasingly getting into the awareness in construction industry. BIM is the process of creating and data managing of the building during its life cycle. BIM became a part of management tools in modern construction companies. Construction projects have a number of participants. It means difficulty process of construction project management and a serious requirement for processing the huge amount of information including design, construction, time and cost parameters, economic efficiency and sustainability. Progressive information and communication technologies support cost management and management of construction project. One of them is Building Information Modelling. Aim of the paper is to examine the impact of BIM exploitation and benefits on construction project management in Slovak companies.

[Assessment and comparison of hospital operating efficiency under different management systems].

PubMed

2017-06-18

To assess and analyze the operation efficiency of 8 commission general public hospitals managed directly by National Health and Family Planning Commission and 8 municipal general hospitals managed directly by Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals in Beijing and to provide suggestions on improving service capacity and designing relevant health policy. Input and output data of 8 commission hospitals and 8 municipal hospitals were obtained from Beijing Direct-Reported Health Statistics data from 2011 to 2014. Data envelopment analysis was used as the hospital operation efficiency measurement tool. The CCR and BCC models were built to calculate technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE), scale efficiency (SE) and the status of scale efficiency of 16 hospitals in 2011 and 2014; the Malmquist index model was built to analyze the total factor productivity change (TFPC), technological change (TC), technical efficiency change, pure technical efficiency change and scale efficiency change of the 16 hospitals from 2011 to 2014. In 2011, the TE, PTE and SE of the commission hospitals were higher than those of the municipal hospitals, and the TEs of the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals were 0.918 and 0.873 respectively. In 2014, the TE, PTE and SE of commission hospitals were lower than those of the municipal hospitals, and the TE of the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals were 0.906 and 0.951, respectively, which was contrary to the results in 2011. According to the Malmquist index model, the average of TFPC of the municipal hospitals was larger than that of the commission hospitals, the former increased 5.9% and the latter increased 2.8% per year; the average of TC was greater than the one in both the municipal hospitals and the commission hospitals, with a growth of 3.2% and 2.9% per year, respectively; the average growth of PTE in the commission hospitals was lower than that of the municipal hospitals, and the average descent of SE in the commission hospitals was larger than that in the municipal hospitals. There are significant differences in the operation efficiency between different management systems and the main factors associated with operation efficiency are the technological and management level. Given scale efficiency status and macroeconomic medical policies, the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals require further adjusting the distribution of medical resources, and it is of great significance for all the commission hospitals and the municipal hospitals to improve the management level and resource integration capability.

Shuttle Ground Operations Efficiencies/Technologies (SGOE/T) study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholz, A. L.; Hart, M. T.; Lowry, D. J.

1987-01-01

Methods and technolgoy were defined to reduce the overall operations cost of a major space program. Space Shuttle processing at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) was designed as the working model that would be the source of the operational information. Methods of improving efficiency of ground operations were assessed and technology elements that could reduce cost identified. Emphasis is on: (1) specific technology items and (2) management approaches required to develop and support efficient ground operations. Prime study results are to be recommendations on how to achieve more efficient operations and identification of existing or new technology that would make vehicle processing in both the current program and future programs more efficient and, therefore, less costly.

Multiagent Systems Based Modeling and Implementation of Dynamic Energy Management of Smart Microgrid Using MACSimJX.

PubMed

Raju, Leo; Milton, R S; Mahadevan, Senthilkumaran

The objective of this paper is implementation of multiagent system (MAS) for the advanced distributed energy management and demand side management of a solar microgrid. Initially, Java agent development environment (JADE) frame work is used to implement MAS based dynamic energy management of solar microgrid. Due to unstable nature of MATLAB, when dealing with multithreading environment, MAS operating in JADE is linked with the MATLAB using a middle ware called Multiagent Control Using Simulink with Jade Extension (MACSimJX). MACSimJX allows the solar microgrid components designed with MATLAB to be controlled by the corresponding agents of MAS. The microgrid environment variables are captured through sensors and given to agents through MATLAB/Simulink and after the agent operations in JADE, the results are given to the actuators through MATLAB for the implementation of dynamic operation in solar microgrid. MAS operating in JADE maximizes operational efficiency of solar microgrid by decentralized approach and increase in runtime efficiency due to JADE. Autonomous demand side management is implemented for optimizing the power exchange between main grid and microgrid with intermittent nature of solar power, randomness of load, and variation of noncritical load and grid price. These dynamics are considered for every time step and complex environment simulation is designed to emulate the distributed microgrid operations and evaluate the impact of agent operations.

Multiagent Systems Based Modeling and Implementation of Dynamic Energy Management of Smart Microgrid Using MACSimJX

PubMed Central

Raju, Leo; Milton, R. S.; Mahadevan, Senthilkumaran

2016-01-01

The objective of this paper is implementation of multiagent system (MAS) for the advanced distributed energy management and demand side management of a solar microgrid. Initially, Java agent development environment (JADE) frame work is used to implement MAS based dynamic energy management of solar microgrid. Due to unstable nature of MATLAB, when dealing with multithreading environment, MAS operating in JADE is linked with the MATLAB using a middle ware called Multiagent Control Using Simulink with Jade Extension (MACSimJX). MACSimJX allows the solar microgrid components designed with MATLAB to be controlled by the corresponding agents of MAS. The microgrid environment variables are captured through sensors and given to agents through MATLAB/Simulink and after the agent operations in JADE, the results are given to the actuators through MATLAB for the implementation of dynamic operation in solar microgrid. MAS operating in JADE maximizes operational efficiency of solar microgrid by decentralized approach and increase in runtime efficiency due to JADE. Autonomous demand side management is implemented for optimizing the power exchange between main grid and microgrid with intermittent nature of solar power, randomness of load, and variation of noncritical load and grid price. These dynamics are considered for every time step and complex environment simulation is designed to emulate the distributed microgrid operations and evaluate the impact of agent operations. PMID:27127802

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

Moreno, Gilbert; Bennion, Kevin

This project will develop thermal management strategies to enable efficient and high-temperature wide-bandgap (WBG)-based power electronic systems (e.g., emerging inverter and DC-DC converter designs). The use of WBG-based devices in automotive power electronics will improve efficiency and increase driving range in electric-drive vehicles; however, the implementation of this technology is limited, in part, due to thermal issues. This project will develop system-level thermal models to determine the thermal limitations of current automotive power modules under elevated device temperature conditions. Additionally, novel cooling concepts and material selection will be evaluated to enable high-temperature silicon and WBG devices in power electronics components.more » WBG devices (silicon carbide [SiC], gallium nitride [GaN]) promise to increase efficiency, but will be driven as hard as possible. This creates challenges for thermal management and reliability.« less

A Prototype Decision Support System for the Location of Military Water Points.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

create an environ- ment which is conductive to an efficient man/machine decision making system . This could be accomplished by designing the operating...Figure 12. Flowchart of Program COMPUTE 50 Procedure This Decision Support System was designed to be interactive. That is, it requests data from the user...Pg. 82-114, 1974. 24. Geoffrion, A.M. and G.W. Graves, "Multicomodity Distribution System Design by Benders Partition", Management Science, Vol. 20, Pg

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

Not Available

The Best Practices Manual was written as a part of the promotional effort for EnergySmart Schools, provided by the US Department of Energy, to educate school districts around the country about energy efficiency and renewable energy. Written specifically for architects and engineers, The Best Practices Manual is designed to help those who are responsible for designing or retrofitting schools, as well as their project managers. This manual will help design staff make informed decisions about energy and environmental issues important to the school systems and communities.

Modeling watershed-scale impacts of stormwater management with traditional versus low impact development design

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparkman, Stephanie A.; Hogan, Dianna; Hopkins, Kristina G.; Loperfido, J. V.

2017-01-01

Stormwater runoff and associated pollutants from urban areas in the greater Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW) impair local streams and downstream ecosystems, despite urbanized land comprising only 7% of the CBW area. More recently, stormwater best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented in a low impact development (LID) manner to treat stormwater runoff closer to its source. This approach included the development of a novel BMP model to compare traditional and LID design, pioneering the use of comprehensively digitized storm sewer infrastructure and BMP design connectivity with spatial patterns in a geographic information system at the watershed scale. The goal was to compare total watershed pollutant removal efficiency in two study watersheds with differing spatial patterns of BMP design (traditional and LID), by quantifying the improved water quality benefit of LID BMP design. An estimate of uncertainty was included in the modeling framework by using ranges for BMP pollutant removal efficiencies that were based on the literature. Our model, using Monte Carlo analysis, predicted that the LID watershed removed approximately 78 kg more nitrogen, 3 kg more phosphorus, and 1,592 kg more sediment per square kilometer as compared with the traditional watershed on an annual basis. Our research provides planners a valuable model to prioritize watersheds for BMP design based on model results or in optimizing BMP selection.

Body Bias usage in UTBB FDSOI designs: A parametric exploration approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puschini, Diego; Rodas, Jorge; Beigne, Edith; Altieri, Mauricio; Lesecq, Suzanne

2016-03-01

Some years ago, UTBB FDSOI has appeared in the horizon of low-power circuit designers. With the 14 nm and 10 nm nodes in the road-map, the industrialized 28 nm platform promises highly efficient designs with Ultra-Wide Voltage Range (UWVR) thanks to extended Body Bias properties. From the power management perspective, this new opportunity is considered as a new degree of freedom in addition to the classic Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS), increasing the complexity of the power optimization problem at design time. However, so far no formal or empiric tool allows to early evaluate the real need for a Dynamic Body Bias (DBB) mechanism on future designs. This paper presents a parametric exploration approach that analyzes the benefits of using Body Bias in 28 nm UTBB FDSOI circuits. The exploration is based on electrical simulations of a ring-oscillator structure. These experiences show that a Body Bias strategy is not always required but, they underline the large power reduction that can be achieved when mandatory. Results are summarized in order to help designers to analyze how to choose the best dynamic power management strategy for a given set of operating conditions in terms of temperature, circuit activity and process choice. This exploration contributes to the identification of conditions that make DBB more efficient than DVS, and vice versa, and when both methods are mandatory to optimize power consumption.

A simulation exercise to teach principles of bovine reproductive management.

PubMed

Perry, G A; Smith, M F

2004-05-01

Students in Reproductive Management (a senior-level course with approximately 20 to 50 students per semester) at the University of Missouri-Columbia are required to participate in a simulation exercise that is designed to improve reproductive efficiency in a beef herd. During a simulated 5-yr period, students must 1) improve reproductive efficiency in a beef cow-herd through implementation of reproductive management principles; 2) determine the economic impact of reproductive management decisions in a beef herd; and 3) evaluate the constraints of different geographical locations on approaches to reproductive management. Groups of three to four students are provided with the reproductive and economic records of a farm/ranch located in different parts of North America. Students create reproductive management plans consisting of 1) detailed discussion of farm/ranch environment (climate, terrain, forage and grain availability, and stocking rate; season for breeding and calving; and justification for choice of breed); 2) assessment of current level of reproductive performance; 3) identification and economic justification of specific (measurable) objectives; 4) discussion of alternatives for accomplishing specific objectives; 5) prediction of reproductive performance (pregnancy rate, quantity of calf weaned per cow exposed, and cost per quantity of calf weaned) in response to implementation of specific management practices; and 6) an annual and 5-yr reproductive and economic summary. Students obtain livestock marketing information for their assigned location via the Internet. Spreadsheets were developed to calculate the reproductive efficiency of postpartum cows and replacement heifers based on management decisions made by the groups and to calculate a yearly economic summary for each of the 5 yr. Management decisions are justified in a written report, and oral presentations are given to the class when the project is completed. Greater than 85% of students indicated that the exercise increased their understanding of how management decisions affect reproductive efficiency and profitability in a beef operation and also provided added confidence for students that applied for beef management positions.

Design and evaluation of a simple signaling device for live traps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benevides, F.L.; Hansen, H.; Hess, S.C.

2008-01-01

Frequent checks of live traps require enormous amounts of labor and add human scents associated with repeated monitoring, which may reduce capture efficiency. To reduce efforts and increase efficiency, we developed a trap-signaling device with long-distance reception, durability in adverse weather, and ease of transport, deployment, and use. Modifications from previous designs include a normally open magnetic switch and a mounting configuration to maximize reception. The system weighed <225 g, was effective ???17.1 km, and failed in <1% of trap-nights. Employing this system, researchers and wildlife managers may reduce the amount of effort checking traps while improving the welfare of trapped animals.

Design-for-Six-Sigma To Develop a Bioprocess Knowledge Management Framework.

PubMed

Junker, Beth; Maheshwari, Gargi; Ranheim, Todd; Altaras, Nedim; Stankevicz, Michael; Harmon, Lori; Rios, Sandra; D'anjou, Marc

2011-01-01

Owing to the high costs associated with biopharmaceutical development, considerable pressure has developed for the biopharmaceutical industry to increase productivity by becoming more lean and flexible. The ability to reuse knowledge was identified as one key advantage to streamline productivity, efficiently use resources, and ultimately perform better than the competition. A knowledge management (KM) strategy was assembled for bioprocess-related information using the technique of Design-for-Six-Sigma (DFSS). This strategy supported quality-by-design and process validation efforts for pipeline as well as licensed products. The DFSS technique was selected because it was both streamlined and efficient. These characteristics permitted development of a KM strategy with minimized team leader and team member resources. DFSS also placed a high emphasis on the voice of the customer, information considered crucial to the selection of solutions most appropriate for the current knowledge-based challenges of the organization. The KM strategy developed was comprised of nine workstreams, constructed from related solution buckets which in turn were assembled from the individual solution tasks that were identified. Each workstream's detailed design was evaluated against published and established best practices, as well as the KM strategy project charter and design inputs. Gaps and risks were identified and mitigated as necessary to improve the robustness of the proposed strategy. Aggregated resources (specifically expense/capital funds and staff) and timing were estimated to obtain vital management sponsorship for implementation. Where possible, existing governance and divisional/corporate information technology efforts were leveraged to minimize the additional bioprocess resources required for implementation. Finally, leading and lagging indicator metrics were selected to track the success of pilots and eventual implementation. A knowledge management framework was assembled for bioprocess-related information using a streamlined and efficient technique that minimized team leader and member resources. The technique also highly emphasized input from the staff, who generated and used the knowledge, information considered crucial to selection of solutions most appropriate for the current knowledge-based challenges in the organization. The framework developed was comprised of nine workstreams, constructed from related solution buckets which were assembled from individual solution tasks that were identified. Each workstream's detailed design was evaluated against published and established best practices, as well as the project charter and design inputs. Gaps and risks were identified and mitigated to improve robustness of the proposed framework. Aggregated resources (specifically expense/capital funds and staff) and timing were estimated to obtain vital management sponsorship for implementation. Where possible, existing governance and information technology efforts were leveraged to minimize additional bioprocess resources required for implementation. Finally, metrics were selected to track the success of pilots and eventual implementation.

Disaster management and the critical thinking skills of local emergency managers: correlations with age, gender, education, and years in occupation.

PubMed

Peerbolte, Stacy L; Collins, Matthew Lloyd

2013-01-01

Emergency managers must be able to think critically in order to identify and anticipate situations, solve problems, make judgements and decisions effectively and efficiently, and assume and manage risk. Heretofore, a critical thinking skills assessment of local emergency managers had yet to be conducted that tested for correlations among age, gender, education, and years in occupation. An exploratory descriptive research design, using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal-Short Form (WGCTA-S), was employed to determine the extent to which a sample of 54 local emergency managers demonstrated the critical thinking skills associated with the ability to assume and manage risk as compared to the critical thinking scores of a group of 4,790 peer-level managers drawn from an archival WGCTA-S database. This exploratory design suggests that the local emergency managers, surveyed in this study, had lower WGCTA-S critical thinking scores than their equivalents in the archival database with the exception of those in the high education and high experience group. © 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

The Management Challenge: Handling Exams Involving Large Quantities of Students, on and off Campus--A Design Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsson, Ken

2014-01-01

This paper looks at the process of managing large numbers of exams efficiently and secure with the use of a dedicated IT support. The system integrates regulations on different levels, from national to local, (even down to departments) and ensures that the rules are employed in all stages of handling the exams. The system has a proven record of…

Coordination and Management of Multisite Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies: Experience from a Multisite Reflexology Intervention Trial

PubMed Central

Rahbar, Mohammad H.; Wyatt, Gwen; Sikorskii, Alla; Victorson, David; Ardjomand-Hessabi, Manouchehr

2011-01-01

Background Multisite randomized clinical trials allow for increased research collaboration among investigators and expedite data collection efforts. As a result, government funding agencies typically look favorably upon this approach. As the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) continues to evolve, so do increased calls for the use of more rigorous study design and trial methodologies, which can present challenges for investigators. Purpose To describe the processes involved in the coordination and management of a multisite randomized clinical trial of a CAM intervention. Methods Key aspects related to the coordination and management of a multisite CAM randomized clinical trial are presented, including organizational and site selection considerations, recruitment concerns and issues related to data collection and randomization to treatment groups. Management and monitoring of data, as well as quality assurance procedures are described. Finally, a real world perspective is shared from a recently conducted multisite randomized clinical trial of reflexology for women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Results The use of multiple sites in the conduct of CAM-based randomized clinical trials can provide an efficient, collaborative and robust approach to study coordination and data collection that maximizes efficiency and ensures the quality of results. Conclusions Multisite randomized clinical trial designs can offer the field of CAM research a more standardized and efficient approach to examine the effectiveness of novel therapies and treatments. Special attention must be given to intervention fidelity, consistent data collection and ensuring data quality. Assessment and reporting of quantitative indicators of data quality should be required. PMID:21664296

Capturing, Sharing, and Discovering Product Data at a Semantic Level--Moving Forward to the Semantic Web for Advancing the Engineering Product Design Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Lijuan

2011-01-01

Along with the greater productivity that CAD automation provides nowadays, the product data of engineering applications needs to be shared and managed efficiently to gain a competitive edge for the engineering product design. However, exchanging and sharing the heterogeneous product data is still challenging. This dissertation first presents a…

Adoption of Building Information Modelling in project planning risk management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mering, M. M.; Aminudin, E.; Chai, C. S.; Zakaria, R.; Tan, C. S.; Lee, Y. Y.; Redzuan, A. A.

2017-11-01

An efficient and effective risk management required a systematic and proper methodology besides knowledge and experience. However, if the risk management is not discussed from the starting of the project, this duty is notably complicated and no longer efficient. This paper presents the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in project planning risk management. The objectives is to identify the traditional risk management practices and its function, besides, determine the best function of BIM in risk management and investigating the efficiency of adopting BIM-based risk management during the project planning phase. In order to obtain data, a quantitative approach is adopted in this research. Based on data analysis, the lack of compliance with project requirements and failure to recognise risk and develop responses to opportunity are the risks occurred when traditional risk management is implemented. When using BIM in project planning, it works as the tracking of cost control and cash flow give impact on the project cycle to be completed on time. 5D cost estimation or cash flow modeling benefit risk management in planning, controlling and managing budget and cost reasonably. There were two factors that mostly benefit a BIM-based technology which were formwork plan with integrated fall plan and design for safety model check. By adopting risk management, potential risks linked with a project and acknowledging to those risks can be identified to reduce them to an acceptable extent. This means recognizing potential risks and avoiding threat by reducing their negative effects. The BIM-based risk management can enhance the planning process of construction projects. It benefits the construction players in various aspects. It is important to know the application of BIM-based risk management as it can be a lesson learnt to others to implement BIM and increase the quality of the project.

Gold and Silver Health Plans: Accommodating Demand Heterogeneity in Managed Competition

PubMed Central

Glazer, Jacob; McGuire, Thomas G.

2011-01-01

New regulation of health insurance markets creates multiple levels of health plans, with designations like “Gold” and “Silver”. The underlying rationale for the heavy-metal approach to insurance regulation is that heterogeneity in demand for health care is not only due to health status (sick demand more than the healthy) but also to other, “taste” related factors (rich demand more than the poor). This paper models managed competition with demand heterogeneity to consider plan payment and enrollee premium policies in relation to efficiency (net consumer benefit) and fairness (the European concept of “solidarity”). Specifically, this paper studies how to implement a “Silver” and “Gold” health plan efficiently and fairly in a managed competition context. We show that there are sharp tradeoffs between efficiency and fairness. When health plans cannot or may not (because of regulation) base premiums on any factors affecting demand, enrollees do not choose the efficient plan. When taste (e.g. income) can be used as a basis of payment, a simple tax can achieve both efficiency and fairness. When only health status (and not taste) can be used as a basis of payment, health status-based taxes and subsidies are required and efficiency can only be achieved with a modified version of fairness we refer to as “weak solidarity.” An overriding conclusion is that the regulation of premiums for both the basic and the higher level plans is necessary for efficiency. PMID:21767887

Geographic information system-based healthcare waste management planning for treatment site location and optimal transportation routeing.

PubMed

Shanmugasundaram, Jothiganesh; Soulalay, Vongdeuane; Chettiyappan, Visvanathan

2012-06-01

In Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), a growth of healthcare centres, and the environmental hazards and public health risks typically accompanying them, increased the need for healthcare waste (HCW) management planning. An effective planning of an HCW management system including components such as the treatment plant siting and an optimized routeing system for collection and transportation of waste is deemed important. National government offices at developing countries often lack the proper tools and methodologies because of the high costs usually associated with them. However, this study attempts to demonstrate the use of an inexpensive GIS modelling tool for healthcare waste management in the country. Two areas were designed for this study on HCW management, including: (a) locating centralized treatment plants and designing optimum travel routes for waste collection from nearby healthcare facilities; and (b) utilizing existing hospital incinerators and designing optimum routes for collecting waste from nearby healthcare facilities. Spatial analysis paved the way to understand the spatial distribution of healthcare wastes and to identify hotspots of higher waste generating locations. Optimal route models were designed for collecting and transporting HCW to treatment plants, which also highlights constraints in collecting and transporting waste for treatment and disposal. The proposed model can be used as a decision support tool for the efficient management of hospital wastes by government healthcare waste management authorities and hospitals.

SCRMS: An RFID and Sensor Web-Enabled Smart Cultural Relics Management System

PubMed Central

Xiao, Changjiang; Chen, Nengcheng; Li, Dandan; Lv, You; Gong, Jianya

2016-01-01

Cultural relics represent national or even global resources of inestimable value. How to efficiently manage and preserve these cultural relics is a vitally important issue. To achieve this goal, this study proposed, designed, and implemented an RFID and Sensor Web–enabled smart cultural relics management system (SCRMS). In this system, active photovoltaic subtle energy-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used for long-range contactless identification and lifecycle management of cultural relics during their storage and circulation. In addition, different types of ambient sensors are integrated with the RFID tags and deployed around cultural relics to monitor their environmental parameters, helping to ensure that they remain in good condition. An Android-based smart mobile application, as middleware, is used in collaboration with RFID readers to collect information and provide convenient management for the circulation of cultural relics. Moreover, multiple sensing techniques are taken advantage of simultaneously for preservation of cultural relics. The proposed system was successfully applied to a museum in the Yongding District, Fujian Province, China, demonstrating its feasibility and advantages for smart and efficient management and preservation of cultural relics. PMID:28042820

SCRMS: An RFID and Sensor Web-Enabled Smart Cultural Relics Management System.

PubMed

Xiao, Changjiang; Chen, Nengcheng; Li, Dandan; Lv, You; Gong, Jianya

2016-12-30

Cultural relics represent national or even global resources of inestimable value. How to efficiently manage and preserve these cultural relics is a vitally important issue. To achieve this goal, this study proposed, designed, and implemented an RFID and Sensor Web-enabled smart cultural relics management system (SCRMS). In this system, active photovoltaic subtle energy-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used for long-range contactless identification and lifecycle management of cultural relics during their storage and circulation. In addition, different types of ambient sensors are integrated with the RFID tags and deployed around cultural relics to monitor their environmental parameters, helping to ensure that they remain in good condition. An Android-based smart mobile application, as middleware, is used in collaboration with RFID readers to collect information and provide convenient management for the circulation of cultural relics. Moreover, multiple sensing techniques are taken advantage of simultaneously for preservation of cultural relics. The proposed system was successfully applied to a museum in the Yongding District, Fujian Province, China, demonstrating its feasibility and advantages for smart and efficient management and preservation of cultural relics.

How streamlining telecommunications can cut IT expense.

PubMed

McIntyre, Greg

2016-02-01

Hospitals and health systems can save IT expenses by implementing more efficient processes in accordance with the principles of effective telecommunications expense management. This approach involves three primary steps: Inventory of existing infrastructure. Charge verification. Optimization of rates and design for continual improvement.

Reclamation of landfills and dumps of municipal solid waste in a energy efficient waste management system: methodology and practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlova, Tatyana; Melnichuk, Aleksandr; Klimenko, Kseniya; Vitvitskaya, Valentina; Popovych, Valentina; Dunaieva, Ielizaveta; Terleev, Vitaly; Nikonorov, Aleksandr; Togo, Issa; Volkova, Yulia; Mirschel, Wilfried; Garmanov, Vitaly

2017-10-01

The article considers the methodological and practical aspects of reclamation of landfills and dumps of municipal solid waste in a waste management system. The general tendencies of system development in the context of elements of the international concept of waste hierarchy are analyzed. Statistics of the formation and burial of domestic waste indicate a strategic non-alternative to the rejection of landfill technologies in favor of environmentally, energy efficient and economically expedient ways of utilization of municipal waste as a world trend. Practical approaches to the study of territories on which there are dumps and landfills are considered to justify the design solutions for reclamation.

Organizing "mountains of words" for data analysis, both qualitative and quantitative.

PubMed

Johnson, Bruce D; Dunlap, Eloise; Benoit, Ellen

2010-04-01

Qualitative research creates mountains of words. U.S. federal funding supports mostly structured qualitative research, which is designed to test hypotheses using semiquantitative coding and analysis. This article reports on strategies for planning, organizing, collecting, managing, storing, retrieving, analyzing, and writing about qualitative data so as to most efficiently manage the mountains of words collected in large-scale ethnographic projects. Multiple benefits accrue from this approach. Field expenditures are linked to units of work so productivity is measured, many staff in various locations have access to use and analyze the data, quantitative data can be derived from data that is primarily qualitative, and improved efficiencies of resources are developed.

Process-driven information management system at a biotech company: concept and implementation.

PubMed

Gobbi, Alberto; Funeriu, Sandra; Ioannou, John; Wang, Jinyi; Lee, Man-Ling; Palmer, Chris; Bamford, Bob; Hewitt, Robin

2004-01-01

While established pharmaceutical companies have chemical information systems in place to manage their compounds and the associated data, new startup companies need to implement these systems from scratch. Decisions made early in the design phase usually have long lasting effects on the expandability, maintenance effort, and costs associated with the information management system. Careful analysis of work and data flows, both inter- and intradepartmental, and identification of existing dependencies between activities are important. This knowledge is required to implement an information management system, which enables the research community to work efficiently by avoiding redundant registration and processing of data and by timely provision of the data whenever needed. This paper first presents the workflows existing at Anadys, then ARISE, the research information management system developed in-house at Anadys. ARISE was designed to support the preclinical drug discovery process and covers compound registration, analytical quality control, inventory management, high-throughput screening, lower throughput screening, and data reporting.

The design and implementation of hydrographical information management system (HIMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Haigang; Hua, Li; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Anming

2005-10-01

With the development of hydrographical work and information techniques, the large variety of hydrographical information including electronic charts, documents and other materials are widely used, and the traditional management mode and techniques are unsuitable for the development of the Chinese Marine Safety Administration Bureau (CMSAB). How to manage all kinds of hydrographical information has become an important and urgent problem. A lot of advanced techniques including GIS, RS, spatial database management and VR techniques are introduced for solving these problems. Some design principles and key techniques of the HIMS including the mixed mode base on B/S, C/S and stand-alone computer mode, multi-source & multi-scale data organization and management, multi-source data integration and diverse visualization of digital chart, efficient security control strategies are illustrated in detail. Based on the above ideas and strategies, an integrated system named Hydrographical Information Management System (HIMS) was developed. And the HIMS has been applied in the Shanghai Marine Safety Administration Bureau and obtained good evaluation.

A means to an end: a web-based client management system in palliative care.

PubMed

O'Connor, Margaret; Erwin, Trudy; Dawson, Linda

2009-03-01

Home-based palliative care (hospice) services require comprehensive and fully integrated information systems to develop and manage the various aspects of their business, incorporating client data and management information. These systems assist in maintaining the quality of client care as well as improved management efficiencies. This article reports on a large not-for-profit home-based palliative care service in Australia, which embarked on a project to develop an electronic data management system specifically designed to meet the needs of the palliative care sector. This web-based client information management system represents a joint venture between the organization and a commercial company and has been a very successful project.

Recipe for Success: Digital Viewables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaPha, Steven; Gaydos, Frank

2014-01-01

The Engineering Services Contract (ESC) and Information Management Communication Support contract (IMCS) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) provide services to NASA in respect to flight and ground systems design and development. These groups provides the necessary tools, aid, and best practice methodologies required for efficient, optimized design and process development. The team is responsible for configuring and implementing systems, software, along with training, documentation, and administering standards. The team supports over 200 engineers and design specialists with the use of Windchill, Creo Parametric, NX, AutoCAD, and a variety of other design and analysis tools.

Enabling efficient vertical takeoff/landing and forward flight of unmanned aerial vehicles: Design and control of tandem wing-tip mounted rotor mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancuso, Peter Timothy

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that offer vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and forward flight capability suffer from sub-par performance in both flight modes. Achieving the next generation of efficient hybrid aircraft requires innovations in: (i) power management, (ii) efficient structures, and (iii) control methodologies. Existing hybrid UAVs generally utilize one of three transitioning mechanisms: an external power mechanism to tilt the rotor-propulsion pod, separate propulsion units and rotors during hover and forward flight, or tilt body craft (smaller scale). Thus, hybrid concepts require more energy compared to dedicated fixed-wing or rotorcraft UAVs. Moreover, design trade-offs to reinforce the wing structure (typically to accommodate the propulsion systems and enable hover, i.e. tilt-rotor concepts) adversely impacts the aerodynamics, controllability and efficiency of the aircraft in both hover and forward flight modes. The goal of this research is to develop more efficient VTOL/ hover and forward flight UAVs. In doing so, the transition sequence, transition mechanism, and actuator performance are heavily considered. A design and control methodology was implemented to address these issues through a series of computer simulations and prototype benchtop tests to verify the proposed solution. Finally, preliminary field testing with a first-generation prototype was conducted. The methods used in this research offer guidelines and a new dual-arm rotor UAV concept to designing more efficient hybrid UAVs in both hover and forward flight.

Development of an Item Unique Identification Strategy for the Legacy Components of the US Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams Tank

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

than $1 billion is at risk) and qualitative (i.e., significantly reduced effectiveness and efficiency) criteria will merit a high-risk designation ...management,3 is not only one of the fourteen charter designations on the first high- risk list issued in 1993, it has also been on every biennial...Furthermore, the top-down design of the centralized information repository (IUID Registry) is perhaps the greatest benefit of the IUID vision, as it

Using task analysis to improve the requirements elicitation in health information system.

PubMed

Teixeira, Leonor; Ferreira, Carlos; Santos, Beatriz Sousa

2007-01-01

This paper describes the application of task analysis within the design process of a Web-based information system for managing clinical information in hemophilia care, in order to improve the requirements elicitation and, consequently, to validate the domain model obtained in a previous phase of the design process (system analysis). The use of task analysis in this case proved to be a practical and efficient way to improve the requirements engineering process by involving users in the design process.

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management Program Update, April-June 2009

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

None

2009-04-01

Welcome to the April-June 2009 issue of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) Program Update. This publication is designed to provide a status of activities within LM. The Legacy Management goals are: (1) Protect human health and the environment through effective and efficient long-term surveillance and maintenance - This goal highlights DOE's responsibility to ensure long-term protection of people, the environment, and the integrity of engineered remedies and monitoring systems. (2) Preserve, protect, and make accessible legacy records and information - This goal recognizes LM's commitment to successfully manage records, information, and archives of legacymore » sites under its authority. (3) Support an effective and efficient work force structured to accomplish Departmental missions and assure continuity of contractor worker pension and medical benefits - This goal recognizes DOE's commitment to its contracted work force and the consistent management of pension and health benefits. As sites continue to close, DOE faces the challenges of managing pension plan and health benefits liability. (4) Manage legacy land and assets, emphasizing protective real and personal property reuse and disposition - This goal recognizes a DOE need for local collaborative management of legacy assets, including coordinating land use planning, personal property disposition to community reuse organizations, and protecting heritage resources (natural, cultural, and historical). (5) Improve program effectiveness through sound management - This goal recognizes that LM's goals cannot be attained efficiently unless the federal and contractor work force is motivated to meet requirements and work toward continuous performance improvement.« less

Regenerative fuel cells for High Altitude Long Endurance Solar Powered Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitlitsky, F.; Colella, N. J.; Myers, B.; Anderson, C. J.

1993-06-01

High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned missions appear to be feasible using a lightweight, high efficiency, span-loaded, Solar Powered Aircraft (SPA) which includes a Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) system and novel tankage for energy storage. An existing flightworthy electric powered flying wing design was modified to incorporate present and near-term technologies in energy storage, power electronics, aerodynamics, and guidance and control in order to substantiate feasibility. The design philosophy was to work with vendors to identify affordable near-term technological opportunities that could be applied to existing designs in order to reduce weight, increase reliability, and maintain adequate efficiency of components for delivery within 18 months. The energy storage subsystem for a HALE SPA is a key driver for the entire vehicle because it can represent up to half of the vehicle weight and most missions of interest require the specific energy to be considerably higher than 200 W-hr/kg for many cycles. This stringent specific energy requirement precludes the use of rechargeable batteries or flywheels and suggests examination of various RFC designs. An RFC system using lightweight tankage, a single fuel cell (FC) stack, and a single electrolyzer (EC) stack separated by the length of a spar segment (up to 39 ft), has specific energy of approximately 300 W-hr/kg with 45% efficiency, which is adequate for HALE SPA requirements. However, this design has complexity and weight penalties associated with thermal management, electrical wiring, plumbing, and structural weight. A more elegant solution is to use unitized RFC stacks (reversible stacks that act as both FC's and EC's) because these systems have superior specific energy, scale to smaller systems more favorably, and have intrinsically simpler thermal management.

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

Hall, Debora Lynn

Los Alamos National Laboratory is committed to an environmental management strategy aimed at reducing the Laboratory's environmental impacts, while still maintaining or increasing operating efficiencies. This training is designed to help you understand the critical importance of environmental management to the continuing success of the Laboratory and your personal role in this essential endeavor. If you are new to this training, you may wish to explore the various links that will take you to more in-depth information. If this is refresher training, you will find new information concerning the Laboratory's current institutional objectives and targets for environmental management.

Design and realization of the compound text-based test questions library management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Lei; Feng, Lin; Zhao, Xin

2011-12-01

The test questions library management system is the essential part of the on-line examination system. The basic demand for which is to deal with compound text including information like images, formulae and create the corresponding Word documents. Having compared with the two current solutions of creating documents, this paper presents a design proposal of Word Automation mechanism based on OLE/COM technology, and discusses the way of Word Automation application in detail and at last provides the operating results of the system which have high reference value in improving the generated efficiency of project documents and report forms.

Developing Methods Using ToxCast Data for the Classification and Prioritization of Antimicrobials and Inerts

EPA Science Inventory

Improved chemical risk management and increased efficiency of chemical prioritization, classification and assessment are major goals within EPA. Towards achieving these goals, EPA's ToxCast™ research program has been designed to rapidly screen hundreds to thousands of chemicals' ...

Wireless data collection retrievals of bridge inspection/management information.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-02-28

To increase the efficiency and reliability of bridge inspections, MDOT contracted to have a 3D-model-based data entry application for mobile tablets developed to aid inspectors in the field. The 3D Bridge App is a mobile software tool designed to fac...

Energy Sourcebook for Educational Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Educational Facility Planners, Columbus, OH.

The Council of Educational Facility Planners, International (CEFP/I) has assembled an authoritative and comprehensive sourcebook for the design and management of energy efficient educational facilities. Information that bridges the gap between scientific energy theory/research/technology and the needs of the educational community is published in…

How To Organize Technology Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fickes, Michael

1998-01-01

Highlights three ways a college or university can organize its technology areas to maximize comfort and save space. Examples are provided on controlling equipment sprawl through thoughtful workstation development, designing computer rooms for flexibility and effective cable management, and emulating business setups that are work-flow efficient and…

REAL-TIME CONTROL OF COMBINED SEWER NETWORKS

EPA Science Inventory

Real-time control (RTC) is a custom-designed management program for a specific urban sewerage system during a wet-weather event. The function of RTC is to assure efficient operation of the sewerage system and maximum utilization of existing storage capacity, either to fully conta...

Design and Implementation of a Set-Top Box-Based Homecare System Using Hybrid Cloud.

PubMed

Lin, Bor-Shing; Hsiao, Pei-Chi; Cheng, Po-Hsun; Lee, I-Jung; Jan, Gene Eu

2015-11-01

Telemedicine has become a prevalent topic in recent years, and several telemedicine systems have been proposed; however, such systems are an unsuitable fit for the daily requirements of users. The system proposed in this study was developed as a set-top box integrated with the Android™ (Google, Mountain View, CA) operating system to provide a convenient and user-friendly interface. The proposed system can assist with family healthcare management, telemedicine service delivery, and information exchange among hospitals. To manage the system, a novel type of hybrid cloud architecture was also developed. Updated information is stored on a public cloud, enabling medical staff members to rapidly access information when diagnosing patients. In the long term, the stored data can be reduced to improve the efficiency of the database. The proposed design offers a robust architecture for storing data in a homecare system and can thus resolve network overload and congestion resulting from accumulating data, which are inherent problems in centralized architectures, thereby improving system efficiency.

CrossTalk. The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 13, Number 6, June 2000

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-06-01

Techniques for Efficiently Generating and Testing Software This paper presents a proven process that uses advanced tools to design, develop and test... optimal software. by Keith R. Wegner Large Software Systems—Back to Basics Development methods that work on small problems seem to not scale well to...Ability Requirements for Teamwork: Implications for Human Resource Management, Journal of Management, Vol. 20, No. 2, 1994. 11. Ferguson, Pat, Watts S

The Army Communications Objectives Measurement System (ACOMS): Parental User’s Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-01

system to support Army (1) assessments of advertising program effectiveness; (2) assessments of advertising strategy efficiencies; (3) management of the... advertising strategy in an integrated framework; and * (3) To support Army advertising management and planning for future strategy. 0 2 ACOMS was...recruiting goals. A second set of goals for ACOMS involved the use of ACOMS data to assess the Army’s advertising strategy . ACOMS was designed to be used

A Decision-Support System for Sustainable Water Distribution System Planning.

PubMed

Freund, Alina; Aydin, Nazli Yonca; Zeckzer, Dirk; Hagen, Hans

2017-01-01

An interactive decision-support system (DSS) can help experts prepare water resource management plans for decision makers and stakeholders. The design of the proposed prototype incorporates visualization techniques such as circle views, grid layout, small multiple maps, and node simplification to improve the data readability of water distribution systems. A case study with three urban water management and sanitary engineering experts revealed that the proposed DSS is satisfactory, efficient, and effective.

Hierachical Data Format 5 v1.10

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

KOZIOL, QUINCEY

2016-04-20

HDF5 is a data model, library, and file format for storing and managing data. It supports an unlimited variety of datatypes, and is designed for flexible and efficient I/O and for high volume and complex data. HDF5 is portable and is extensible, allowing applications to evolve in their use of HDF5. The HDF5 Technology suite includes tools and applications for managing, manipulating, viewing, and analyzing data in the HDF5 format.

City of San Antonio, Texas Better Buildings Program

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

Meyer, Liza C.; Hammer, Mary C.

2014-06-30

The San Antonio Better Buildings Program is a unified single-point-of-service energy efficiency delivery mechanism targeting residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and public buildings. This comprehensive and replicable energy efficiency program is designed to be an effective demand side management initiative to provide a seamless process for program participants to have turn-key access to expert analysis, support and incentives to improve the performance of their in-place energy using systems, while reducing electrical energy use and demand.

The Research on Safety Management Information System of Railway Passenger Based on Risk Management Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wenmin; Jia, Yuanhua

2018-01-01

Based on the risk management theory and the PDCA cycle model, requirements of the railway passenger transport safety production is analyzed, and the establishment of the security risk assessment team is proposed to manage risk by FTA with Delphi from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The safety production committee is also established to accomplish performance appraisal, which is for further ensuring the correctness of risk management results, optimizing the safety management business processes and improving risk management capabilities. The basic framework and risk information database of risk management information system of railway passenger transport safety are designed by Ajax, Web Services and SQL technologies. The system realizes functions about risk management, performance appraisal and data management, and provides an efficient and convenient information management platform for railway passenger safety manager.

Capacity building in water demand management as a key component for attaining millennium development goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gumbo, Bekithemba; Forster, Laura; Arntzen, Jaap

Successful water demand management (WDM) implementation as a component of integrated water resource management (IWRM) can play a significant role in the alleviation of poverty through more efficient use of available water resources. The urban population in Southern African cities is characterised by so-called ‘water poor’ communities who typically expend a high percentage of their household income on poor quality water. Usually they have no access to an affordable alternative source. Although WDM as a component of IWRM is not a panacea for poverty, it can help alleviate poverty by facilitating water services management by municipal water supply agencies (MWSAs) in the region. WDM is a key strategy for achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) and, as such, should be given due attention in the preparation of national IWRM and water efficiency plans. Various studies in the Southern African region have indicated that capacity building is necessary for nations to develop IWRM and water-use efficiency plans to meet the targets set out in the MDGs. WDM education and training of water professionals and end-users is particularly important in developing countries, which are resource and information-access poor. In response to these findings, The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and its consulting partners, the Training and Instructional Design Academy of South Africa (TIDASA), and Centre for Applied Research (CAR) designed, developed and presented a pilot WDM Guideline Training Module for MWSAs as part of Phase II of IUCN’s Southern Africa regional WDM project. Pilot training was conducted in July 2004 in Lusaka, Zambia for a group of 36 participants involved in municipal water supply from nine Southern African countries. This paper looks at the links between building the capacity of professionals, operational staff and other role-players in the municipal water supply chain to implement WDM as part of broader IWRM strategies, and the subsequent potential for poverty relief resulting from more effective, efficient and equitable use and allocation of municipal water supplies.

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

Park, Nam-Gyu; Grätzel, Michael; Miyasaka, Tsutomu

Solar cells employing a halide perovskite with an organic cation now show power conversion efficiency of up to 22%. But, these cells are facing issues towards commercialization, such as the need to achieve long-term stability and the development of a manufacturing method for the reproducible fabrication of high-performance devices. We propose a strategy to obtain stable and commercially viable perovskite solar cells. A reproducible manufacturing method is suggested, as well as routes to manage grain boundaries and interfacial charge transport. Electroluminescence is regarded as a metric to gauge theoretical efficiency. We highlight how optimizing the design of device architectures ismore » important not only for achieving high efficiency but also for hysteresis-free and stable performance. Here, we argue that reliable device characterization is needed to ensure the advance of this technology towards practical applications. We believe that perovskite-based devices can be competitive with silicon solar modules, and discuss issues related to the safe management of toxic material.« less

Ambulatory surgery centers best practices for the 90s.

PubMed

Hoover, J A

1994-05-01

Outpatient surgery will be the driving force in the continued growth of ambulatory care in the 1990s. Providing efficient, high-quality ambulatory surgical services should therefore be a priority among healthcare providers. Arthur Andersen conducted a survey to discover best practices in ambulatory surgical service. General success characteristics of best performers were business-focused relationships with physicians, the use of clinical protocols, patient convenience, cost management, strong leadership, teamwork, streamlined processes and efficient design. Other important factors included scheduling to maximize OR room use; achieving surgical efficiencies through reduced case pack assembly errors and equipment availability; a focus on cost capture rather than charge capture; sound materiel management practices, such as standardization and vendor teaming; and the appropriate use of automated systems. It is important to evaluate whether the best practices are applicable to your environment and what specific changes to your current processes would be necessary to adopt them.

Development of a model to assess environmental performance, concerning HSE-MS principles.

PubMed

Abbaspour, M; Hosseinzadeh Lotfi, F; Karbassi, A R; Roayaei, E; Nikoomaram, H

2010-06-01

The main objective of the present study was to develop a valid and appropriate model to evaluate companies' efficiency and environmental performance, concerning health, safety, and environmental management system principles. The proposed model overcomes the shortcomings of the previous models developed in this area. This model has been designed on the basis of a mathematical method known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In order to differentiate high-performing companies from weak ones, one of DEA nonradial models named as enhanced Russell graph efficiency measure has been applied. Since some of the environmental performance indicators cannot be controlled by companies' managers, it was necessary to develop the model in a way that it could be applied when discretionary and/or nondiscretionary factors were involved. The model, then, has been modified on a real case that comprised 12 oil and gas general contractors. The results showed the relative efficiency, inefficiency sources, and the rank of contractors.

Reducing the impact of speed dispersion on subway corridor flow.

PubMed

Qiao, Jing; Sun, Lishan; Liu, Xiaoming; Rong, Jian

2017-11-01

The rapid increase in the volume of subway passengers in Beijing has necessitated higher requirements for the safety and efficiency of subway corridors. Speed dispersion is an important factor that affects safety and efficiency. This paper aims to analyze the management control methods for reducing pedestrian speed dispersion in subways. The characteristics of the speed dispersion of pedestrian flow were analyzed according to field videos. The control measurements which were conducted by placing traffic signs, yellow marking, and guardrail were proposed to alleviate speed dispersion. The results showed that the methods of placing traffic signs, yellow marking, and a guardrail improved safety and efficiency for all four volumes of pedestrian traffic flow, and the best-performing control measurement was guardrails. Furthermore, guardrails' optimal position and design measurements were explored. The research findings provide a rationale for subway managers in optimizing pedestrian traffic flow in subway corridors. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A systems-based approach for integrated design of materials, products and design process chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchal, Jitesh H.; Choi, Hae-Jin; Allen, Janet K.; McDowell, David L.; Mistree, Farrokh

2007-12-01

The concurrent design of materials and products provides designers with flexibility to achieve design objectives that were not previously accessible. However, the improved flexibility comes at a cost of increased complexity of the design process chains and the materials simulation models used for executing the design chains. Efforts to reduce the complexity generally result in increased uncertainty. We contend that a systems based approach is essential for managing both the complexity and the uncertainty in design process chains and simulation models in concurrent material and product design. Our approach is based on simplifying the design process chains systematically such that the resulting uncertainty does not significantly affect the overall system performance. Similarly, instead of striving for accurate models for multiscale systems (that are inherently complex), we rely on making design decisions that are robust to uncertainties in the models. Accordingly, we pursue hierarchical modeling in the context of design of multiscale systems. In this paper our focus is on design process chains. We present a systems based approach, premised on the assumption that complex systems can be designed efficiently by managing the complexity of design process chains. The approach relies on (a) the use of reusable interaction patterns to model design process chains, and (b) consideration of design process decisions using value-of-information based metrics. The approach is illustrated using a Multifunctional Energetic Structural Material (MESM) design example. Energetic materials store considerable energy which can be released through shock-induced detonation; conventionally, they are not engineered for strength properties. The design objectives for the MESM in this paper include both sufficient strength and energy release characteristics. The design is carried out by using models at different length and time scales that simulate different aspects of the system. Finally, by applying the method to the MESM design problem, we show that the integrated design of materials and products can be carried out more efficiently by explicitly accounting for design process decisions with the hierarchy of models.

Daylighting as a design and energy strategy: Overview of opportunities and conflicts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selkowitz, S.

1981-06-01

The potentials and problems associated with using daylight both to improve visual performance and interior aesthetics and to reduce electrical lighting energy consumption and peak electric loads are reviewed. Use of daylighting as a design strategy is not always synonymous with effective use of daylighting as an energy-saving strategy unless both approaches are jointly pursued by the design team. Criteria for visual performance, disability and discomfort glare, historical perspectives on daylight utilization, building form as a limit to daylight penetration, beam sunlighting strategies, luminous efficacy of daylight versus efficient electric light sources, comparative thermal impacts, peak load and load management potential, and nonenergy benefits are reviewed. Although the energy benefits of daylighting can be oversold, it is concluded that in most cases a solid understanding of the energy and design issues should produce energy efficiency and pleasing working environments.

Designs and Technology Requirements for Civil Heavy Lift Rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne; Yamauchi, Gloria K.; Watts, Michael E.

2006-01-01

The NASA Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Investigation examined in depth several rotorcraft configurations for large civil transport, designed to meet the technology goals of the NASA Vehicle Systems Program. The investigation identified the Large Civil Tiltrotor as the configuration with the best potential to meet the technology goals. The design presented was economically competitive, with the potential for substantial impact on the air transportation system. The keys to achieving a competitive aircraft were low drag airframe and low disk loading rotors; structural weight reduction, for both airframe and rotors; drive system weight reduction; improved engine efficiency; low maintenance design; and manufacturing cost comparable to fixed-wing aircraft. Risk reduction plans were developed to provide the strategic direction to support a heavy-lift rotorcraft development. The following high risk areas were identified for heavy lift rotorcraft: high torque, light weight drive system; high performance, structurally efficient rotor/wing system; low noise aircraft; and super-integrated vehicle management system.

Statistical analysis and yield management in LED design through TCAD device simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Létay, Gergö; Ng, Wei-Choon; Schneider, Lutz; Bregy, Adrian; Pfeiffer, Michael

2007-02-01

This paper illustrates how technology computer-aided design (TCAD), which nowadays is an essential part of CMOS technology, can be applied to LED development and manufacturing. In the first part, the essential electrical and optical models inherent to LED modeling are reviewed. The second part of the work describes a methodology to improve the efficiency of the simulation procedure by using the concept of process compact models (PCMs). The last part demonstrates the capabilities of PCMs using an example of a blue InGaN LED. In particular, a parameter screening is performed to find the most important parameters, an optimization task incorporating the robustness of the design is carried out, and finally the impact of manufacturing tolerances on yield is investigated. It is indicated how the concept of PCMs can contribute to an efficient design for manufacturing DFM-aware development.

Cloud access to interoperable IVOA-compliant VOSpace storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertocco, S.; Dowler, P.; Gaudet, S.; Major, B.; Pasian, F.; Taffoni, G.

2018-07-01

Handling, processing and archiving the huge amount of data produced by the new generation of experiments and instruments in Astronomy and Astrophysics are among the more exciting challenges to address in designing the future data management infrastructures and computing services. We investigated the feasibility of a data management and computation infrastructure, available world-wide, with the aim of merging the FAIR data management provided by IVOA standards with the efficiency and reliability of a cloud approach. Our work involved the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomy Research (CANFAR) infrastructure and the European EGI federated cloud (EFC). We designed and deployed a pilot data management and computation infrastructure that provides IVOA-compliant VOSpace storage resources and wide access to interoperable federated clouds. In this paper, we detail the main user requirements covered, the technical choices and the implemented solutions and we describe the resulting Hybrid cloud Worldwide infrastructure, its benefits and limitations.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Bailey, W. J.; Symons, E. P.; Kroeger, E. W.

1984-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility (CFMF) is a reusable test bed which is designed to be carried into space in the Shuttle cargo bay to investigate systems and technologies required to efficiently and effectively manage cryogens in space. The facility hardware is configured to provide low-g verification of fluid and thermal models of cryogenic storage, transfer concepts and processes. Significant design data and criteria for future subcritical cryogenic storage and transfer systems will be obtained. Future applications include space-based and ground-based orbit transfer vehicles (OTV), space station life support, attitude control, power and fuel depot supply, resupply tankers, external tank (ET) propellant scavenging, space-based weapon systems and space-based orbit maneuvering vehicles (OMV). This paper describes the facility and discusses the cryogenic fluid management technology to be investigated. A brief discussion of the integration issues involved in loading and transporting liquid hydrogen within the Shuttle cargo bay is also included.

Computer Sciences Applied to Management at Open University of Catalonia: Development of Competences of Teamworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisa, Carlos Cabañero; López, Enric Serradell

Teamwork is considered one of the most important professional skills in today's business environment. More specifically, the collaborative work between professionals and information technology managers from various functional areas is a strategic key in competitive business. Several university-level programs are focusing on developing these skills. This article presents the case of the course Computer Science Applied to Management (hereafter CSAM) that has been designed with the objective to develop the ability to work cooperatively in interdisciplinary teams. For their design and development have been addressed to the key elements of efficiency that appear in the literature, most notably the establishment of shared objectives and a feedback system, the management of the harmony of the team, their level of autonomy, independence, diversity and level of supervision. The final result is a subject in which, through a working virtual platform, interdisciplinary teams solve a problem raised by a case study.

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

Keyser, Matthew A

Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell, the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type ofmore » battery thermal management solutions are available in today's market. Thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.« less

Enabling fast charging - Battery thermal considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keyser, Matthew; Pesaran, Ahmad; Li, Qibo; Santhanagopalan, Shriram; Smith, Kandler; Wood, Eric; Ahmed, Shabbir; Bloom, Ira; Dufek, Eric; Shirk, Matthew; Meintz, Andrew; Kreuzer, Cory; Michelbacher, Christopher; Burnham, Andrew; Stephens, Thomas; Francfort, James; Carlson, Barney; Zhang, Jiucai; Vijayagopal, Ram; Hardy, Keith; Dias, Fernando; Mohanpurkar, Manish; Scoffield, Don; Jansen, Andrew N.; Tanim, Tanvir; Markel, Anthony

2017-11-01

Battery thermal barriers are reviewed with regards to extreme fast charging. Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell, the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today's market. Thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.

Engineering Information Infrastructure for Product Lifecycle Managment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Fumihiko

For proper management of total product life cycle, it is fundamentally important to systematize design and engineering information about product systems. For example, maintenance operation could be more efficiently performed, if appropriate parts design information is available at the maintenance site. Such information shall be available as an information infrastructure for various kinds of engineering operations, and it should be easily accessible during the whole product life cycle, such as transportation, marketing, usage, repair/upgrade, take-back and recycling/disposal. Different from the traditional engineering database, life cycle support information has several characteristic requirements, such as flexible extensibility, distributed architecture, multiple viewpoints, long-time archiving, and product usage information, etc. Basic approaches for managing engineering information infrastructure are investigated, and various information contents and associated life cycle applications are discussed.

Developing a Physician Management & Leadership Program (PMLP) in Newfoundland and Labrador.

PubMed

Maddalena, Victor; Fleet, Lisa

2015-01-01

This article aims to document the process the province of Newfoundland and Labrador used to develop an innovative Physician Management and Leadership Program (PMLP). The PMLP is a collaborative initiative among Memorial University (Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Business), the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Regional Health Authorities. As challenges facing health-care systems become more complex there is a growing need for management and leadership training for physicians. Memorial University Faculty of Medicine and the Gardiner Centre in the Faculty of Business in partnership with Regional Health Authorities and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador identified the need for a leadership and management education program for physician leaders. A provincial needs assessment of physician leaders was conducted to identify educational needs to fill this identified gap. A Steering Committee was formed to guide the design and implementation and monitor delivery of the 10 module Physician Management and Leadership Program (PMLP). Designing management and leadership education programs to serve physicians who practice in a large, predominately rural geographic area can be challenging and requires efficient use of available resources and technology. While there are many physician management and leadership programs available in Canada and abroad, the PMLP was designed to meet the specific educational needs of physician leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the psychometric function using the updated maximum-likelihood adaptive procedure

PubMed Central

Richards, V. M.; Dai, W.

2014-01-01

A MATLAB toolbox for the efficient estimation of the threshold, slope, and lapse rate of the psychometric function is described. The toolbox enables the efficient implementation of the updated maximum-likelihood (UML) procedure. The toolbox uses an object-oriented architecture for organizing the experimental variables and computational algorithms, which provides experimenters with flexibility in experimental design and data management. Descriptions of the UML procedure and the UML Toolbox are provided, followed by toolbox use examples. Finally, guidelines and recommendations of parameter configurations are given. PMID:24671826

APINetworks Java. A Java approach to the efficient treatment of large-scale complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Caro, Camelia; Niño, Alfonso; Reyes, Sebastián; Castillo, Miriam

2016-10-01

We present a new version of the core structural package of our Application Programming Interface, APINetworks, for the treatment of complex networks in arbitrary computational environments. The new version is written in Java and presents several advantages over the previous C++ version: the portability of the Java code, the easiness of object-oriented design implementations, and the simplicity of memory management. In addition, some additional data structures are introduced for storing the sets of nodes and edges. Also, by resorting to the different garbage collectors currently available in the JVM the Java version is much more efficient than the C++ one with respect to memory management. In particular, the G1 collector is the most efficient one because of the parallel execution of G1 and the Java application. Using G1, APINetworks Java outperforms the C++ version and the well-known NetworkX and JGraphT packages in the building and BFS traversal of linear and complete networks. The better memory management of the present version allows for the modeling of much larger networks.

Efficient Mobility Management Signalling in Network Mobility Supported PMIPV6

PubMed Central

Jebaseeli Samuelraj, Ananthi; Jayapal, Sundararajan

2015-01-01

Proxy Mobile IPV6 (PMIPV6) is a network based mobility management protocol which supports node's mobility without the contribution from the respective mobile node. PMIPV6 is initially designed to support individual node mobility and it should be enhanced to support mobile network movement. NEMO-BSP is an existing protocol to support network mobility (NEMO) in PMIPV6 network. Due to the underlying differences in basic protocols, NEMO-BSP cannot be directly applied to PMIPV6 network. Mobility management signaling and data structures used for individual node's mobility should be modified to support group nodes' mobility management efficiently. Though a lot of research work is in progress to implement mobile network movement in PMIPV6, it is not yet standardized and each suffers with different shortcomings. This research work proposes modifications in NEMO-BSP and PMIPV6 to achieve NEMO support in PMIPV6. It mainly concentrates on optimizing the number and size of mobility signaling exchanged while mobile network or mobile network node changes its access point. PMID:26366431

Yoga therapy for developing emotional intelligence in mid-life managers.

PubMed

Ganpat, Tikhe Sham; Nagendra, H R

2011-01-01

Business executives' lives have become a never-ending race against time, technology, and targets. This race creates tension, which leads to dissatisfaction and frustration and eventually manifests itself as psychological and physiological stress with mental and emotional drain. This modern lifestyle intensifies the stress leading to "excessive tension" and consequent deterioration in "executive efficiency". To assess emotional intelligent quotient (EQ) in managers undergoing yoga-based Self Management of Excessive Tension (SMET) program. 72 managers participated in this study which is of "single group pre-post design." The EQ test developed by Prof N. K. Chadha from University of Delhi was administered as pre and post the 5 days of SMET program. Means, standard deviations, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to analyze the data. The data analysis showed 72.02% significant increase (P<0.001) in EQ. The results suggest that participation in a SMET program was associated with improvement in EQ and may have implications for "executive efficiency."

Efficient Mobility Management Signalling in Network Mobility Supported PMIPV6.

PubMed

Samuelraj, Ananthi Jebaseeli; Jayapal, Sundararajan

2015-01-01

Proxy Mobile IPV6 (PMIPV6) is a network based mobility management protocol which supports node's mobility without the contribution from the respective mobile node. PMIPV6 is initially designed to support individual node mobility and it should be enhanced to support mobile network movement. NEMO-BSP is an existing protocol to support network mobility (NEMO) in PMIPV6 network. Due to the underlying differences in basic protocols, NEMO-BSP cannot be directly applied to PMIPV6 network. Mobility management signaling and data structures used for individual node's mobility should be modified to support group nodes' mobility management efficiently. Though a lot of research work is in progress to implement mobile network movement in PMIPV6, it is not yet standardized and each suffers with different shortcomings. This research work proposes modifications in NEMO-BSP and PMIPV6 to achieve NEMO support in PMIPV6. It mainly concentrates on optimizing the number and size of mobility signaling exchanged while mobile network or mobile network node changes its access point.

Factorial Experiments: Efficient Tools for Evaluation of Intervention Components

PubMed Central

Collins, Linda M.; Dziak, John J.; Kugler, Kari C.; Trail, Jessica B.

2014-01-01

Background An understanding of the individual and combined effects of a set of intervention components is important for moving the science of preventive medicine interventions forward. This understanding can often be achieved in an efficient and economical way via a factorial experiment, in which two or more independent variables are manipulated. The factorial experiment is a complement to the randomized controlled trial (RCT); the two designs address different research questions. Purpose This article offers an introduction to factorial experiments aimed at investigators trained primarily in the RCT. Method The factorial experiment is compared and contrasted with other experimental designs used commonly in intervention science to highlight where each is most efficient and appropriate. Results Several points are made: factorial experiments make very efficient use of experimental subjects when the data are properly analyzed; a factorial experiment can have excellent statistical power even if it has relatively few subjects per experimental condition; and when conducting research to select components for inclusion in a multicomponent intervention, interactions should be studied rather than avoided. Conclusions Investigators in preventive medicine and related areas should begin considering factorial experiments alongside other approaches. Experimental designs should be chosen from a resource management perspective, which states that the best experimental design is the one that provides the greatest scientific benefit without exceeding available resources. PMID:25092122

Heat transfer and thermal management of electric vehicle batteries with phase change materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramandi, M. Y.; Dincer, I.; Naterer, G. F.

2011-07-01

This paper examines a passive thermal management system for electric vehicle batteries, consisting of encapsulated phase change material (PCM) which melts during a process to absorb the heat generated by a battery. A new configuration for the thermal management system, using double series PCM shells, is analyzed with finite volume simulations. A combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and second law analysis is used to evaluate and compare the new system against the single PCM shells. Using a finite volume method, heat transfer in the battery pack is examined and the results are used to analyse the exergy losses. The simulations provide design guidelines for the thermal management system to minimize the size and cost of the system. The thermal conductivity and melting temperature are studied as two important parameters in the configuration of the shells. Heat transfer from the surroundings to the PCM shell in a non-insulated case is found to be infeasible. For a single PCM system, the exergy efficiency is below 50%. For the second case for other combinations, the exergy efficiencies ranged from 30-40%. The second shell content did not have significant influence on the exergy efficiencies. The double PCM shell system showed higher exergy efficiencies than the single PCM shell system (except a case for type PCM-1). With respect to the reference environment, it is found that in all cases the exergy efficiencies decreased, when the dead-state temperatures rises, and the destroyed exergy content increases gradually. For the double shell systems for all dead-state temperatures, the efficiencies were very similar. Except for a dead-state temperature of 302 K, with the other temperatures, the exergy efficiencies for different combinations are well over 50%. The range of exergy efficiencies vary widely between 15 and 85% for a single shell system, and between 30-80% for double shell systems.

Informational system as an instrument for assessing the performance of the quality management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohan, R.; Roşu, M. M.

2017-08-01

At present there is used a significant number of techniques and methods for diagnosis and management analysis which support the decision-making process. All these methods facilitate reaching the objectives for improving the results through efficiency, quality and customer satisfaction. By developing a methodology for analysing the problems identified in the macro-productive companies there can be brought outstanding benefits to the management and there are offered new perspectives on the critical influencing factors within a system. Through this paper we present an effective management strategy, applicable to an organization with productive profile in order to design an informational system aimed to manage one of its most important and complex systems, namely the coordination of the quality management system. The informational organisation of the quality management system on management principles, ensures an optimization of the informational energy consumption, allowing the management to deal with the following: to ascertain the current situation; to seize the opportunities, but also the potential risks afferent to the organisation policy; to observe the strengths and weaknesses; to take appropriate decisions and then to control the effects obtained. In this way, the decisional factors are able to better understand the available opportunities and to base more efficiently the process of choosing the alternatives.

Energy Efficiency on Parade

Science.gov Websites

heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, structural insulated panels to improve products and systems. NREL building engineers estimate the combination of advanced products and design Building America program manager George James. "All of the technologies and systems used in this house

Path planning and energy management of solar-powered unmanned ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, Adam

Many of the applications pertinent to unmanned vehicles, such as environmental research and analysis, communications, and information-surveillance and reconnaissance, benefit from prolonged vehicle operation time. Conventional efforts to increase the operational time of electric-powered unmanned vehicles have traditionally focused on the design of energy-efficient components and the identification of energy efficient search patterns, while little attention has been paid to the vehicle's mission-level path plan and power management. This thesis explores the formulation and generation of integrated motion-plans and power-schedules for solar-panel equipped mobile robots operating under strict energy constraints, which cannot be effectively addressed through conventional motion planning algorithms. Transit problems are considered to design time-optimal paths using both Balkcom-Mason and Pseudo-Dubins curves. Additionally, a more complicated problem to generate mission plans for vehicles which must persistently travel between certain locations, similar to the traveling salesperson problem (TSP), is presented. A comparison between one of the common motion-planning algorithms and experimental results of the prescribed algorithms, made possible by use of a test environment and mobile robot designed and developed specifically for this research, are presented and discussed.

An intelligent healthcare management system: a new approach in work-order prioritization for medical equipment maintenance requests.

PubMed

Hamdi, Naser; Oweis, Rami; Abu Zraiq, Hamzeh; Abu Sammour, Denis

2012-04-01

The effective maintenance management of medical technology influences the quality of care delivered and the profitability of healthcare facilities. Medical equipment maintenance in Jordan lacks an objective prioritization system; consequently, the system is not sensitive to the impact of equipment downtime on patient morbidity and mortality. The current work presents a novel software system (EQUIMEDCOMP) that is designed to achieve valuable improvements in the maintenance management of medical technology. This work-order prioritization model sorts medical maintenance requests by calculating a priority index for each request. Model performance was assessed by utilizing maintenance requests from several Jordanian hospitals. The system proved highly efficient in minimizing equipment downtime based on healthcare delivery capacity, and, consequently, patient outcome. Additionally, a preventive maintenance optimization module and an equipment quality control system are incorporated. The system is, therefore, expected to improve the reliability of medical equipment and significantly improve safety and cost-efficiency.

Evaluation of advanced cooling therapy's esophageal cooling device for core temperature control.

PubMed

Naiman, Melissa; Shanley, Patrick; Garrett, Frank; Kulstad, Erik

2016-05-01

Managing core temperature is critical to patient outcomes in a wide range of clinical scenarios. Previous devices designed to perform temperature management required a trade-off between invasiveness and temperature modulation efficiency. The Esophageal Cooling Device, made by Advanced Cooling Therapy (Chicago, IL), was developed to optimize warming and cooling efficiency through an easy and low risk procedure that leverages heat transfer through convection and conduction. Clinical data from cardiac arrest, fever, and critical burn patients indicate that the Esophageal Cooling Device performs very well both in terms of temperature modulation (cooling rates of approximately 1.3°C/hour, warming of up to 0.5°C/hour) and maintaining temperature stability (variation around goal temperature ± 0.3°C). Physicians have reported that device performance is comparable to the performance of intravascular temperature management techniques and superior to the performance of surface devices, while avoiding the downsides associated with both.

Image management research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Andrew B.

1988-01-01

Two types of research issues are involved in image management systems with space station applications: image processing research and image perception research. The image processing issues are the traditional ones of digitizing, coding, compressing, storing, analyzing, and displaying, but with a new emphasis on the constraints imposed by the human perceiver. Two image coding algorithms have been developed that may increase the efficiency of image management systems (IMS). Image perception research involves a study of the theoretical and practical aspects of visual perception of electronically displayed images. Issues include how rapidly a user can search through a library of images, how to make this search more efficient, and how to present images in terms of resolution and split screens. Other issues include optimal interface to an IMS and how to code images in a way that is optimal for the human perceiver. A test-bed within which such issues can be addressed has been designed.

Antiviral Information Management System (AIMS): a prototype for operational innovation in drug development.

PubMed

Jadhav, Pravin R; Neal, Lauren; Florian, Jeff; Chen, Ying; Naeger, Lisa; Robertson, Sarah; Soon, Guoxing; Birnkrant, Debra

2010-09-01

This article presents a prototype for an operational innovation in knowledge management (KM). These operational innovations are geared toward managing knowledge efficiently and accessing all available information by embracing advances in bioinformatics and allied fields. The specific components of the proposed KM system are (1) a database to archive hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment data in a structured format and retrieve information in a query-capable manner and (2) an automated analysis tool to inform trial design elements for HCV drug development. The proposed framework is intended to benefit drug development by increasing efficiency of dose selection and improving the consistency of advice from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is also hoped that the framework will encourage collaboration among FDA, industry, and academic scientists to guide the HCV drug development process using model-based quantitative analysis techniques.

Approaches to quality management and accreditation in a genetic testing laboratory

PubMed Central

Berwouts, Sarah; Morris, Michael A; Dequeker, Elisabeth

2010-01-01

Medical laboratories, and specifically genetic testing laboratories, provide vital medical services to different clients: clinicians requesting a test, patients from whom the sample was collected, public health and medical-legal instances, referral laboratories and authoritative bodies. All expect results that are accurate and obtained in an efficient and effective manner, within a suitable time frame and at acceptable cost. There are different ways of achieving the end results, but compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189, the international standard for the accreditation of medical laboratories, is becoming progressively accepted as the optimal approach to assuring quality in medical testing. We present recommendations and strategies designed to aid genetic testing laboratories with the implementation of a quality management system, including key aspects such as document control, external quality assessment, internal quality control, internal audit, management review, validation, as well as managing the human side of change. The focus is on pragmatic approaches to attain the levels of quality management and quality assurance required for accreditation according to ISO 15189, within the context of genetic testing. Attention is also given to implementing efficient and effective quality improvement. PMID:20720559

How to manage future groundwater resource of China under climate change and urbanization: An optimal stage investment design from modern portfolio theory.

PubMed

Hua, Shanshan; Liang, Jie; Zeng, Guangming; Xu, Min; Zhang, Chang; Yuan, Yujie; Li, Xiaodong; Li, Ping; Liu, Jiayu; Huang, Lu

2015-11-15

Groundwater management in China has been facing challenges from both climate change and urbanization and is considered as a national priority nowadays. However, unprecedented uncertainty exists in future scenarios making it difficult to formulate management planning paradigms. In this paper, we apply modern portfolio theory (MPT) to formulate an optimal stage investment of groundwater contamination remediation in China. This approach generates optimal weights of investment to each stage of the groundwater management and helps maximize expected return while minimizing overall risk in the future. We find that the efficient frontier of investment displays an upward-sloping shape in risk-return space. The expected value of groundwater vulnerability index increases from 0.6118 to 0.6230 following with the risk of uncertainty increased from 0.0118 to 0.0297. If management investment is constrained not to exceed certain total cost until 2050 year, the efficient frontier could help decision makers make the most appropriate choice on the trade-off between risk and return. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced data management for optimising the operation of a full-scale WWTP.

PubMed

Beltrán, Sergio; Maiza, Mikel; de la Sota, Alejandro; Villanueva, José María; Ayesa, Eduardo

2012-01-01

The lack of appropriate data management tools is presently a limiting factor for a broader implementation and a more efficient use of sensors and analysers, monitoring systems and process controllers in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This paper presents a technical solution for advanced data management of a full-scale WWTP. The solution is based on an efficient and intelligent use of the plant data by a standard centralisation of the heterogeneous data acquired from different sources, effective data processing to extract adequate information, and a straightforward connection to other emerging tools focused on the operational optimisation of the plant such as advanced monitoring and control or dynamic simulators. A pilot study of the advanced data manager tool was designed and implemented in the Galindo-Bilbao WWTP. The results of the pilot study showed its potential for agile and intelligent plant data management by generating new enriched information combining data from different plant sources, facilitating the connection of operational support systems, and developing automatic plots and trends of simulated results and actual data for plant performance and diagnosis.

Investigating power capping toward energy-efficient scientific applications: Investigating Power Capping toward Energy-Efficient Scientific Applications

DOE PAGES

Haidar, Azzam; Jagode, Heike; Vaccaro, Phil; ...

2018-03-22

The emergence of power efficiency as a primary constraint in processor and system design poses new challenges concerning power and energy awareness for numerical libraries and scientific applications. Power consumption also plays a major role in the design of data centers, which may house petascale or exascale-level computing systems. At these extreme scales, understanding and improving the energy efficiency of numerical libraries and their related applications becomes a crucial part of the successful implementation and operation of the computing system. In this paper, we study and investigate the practice of controlling a compute system's power usage, and we explore howmore » different power caps affect the performance of numerical algorithms with different computational intensities. Further, we determine the impact, in terms of performance and energy usage, that these caps have on a system running scientific applications. This analysis will enable us to characterize the types of algorithms that benefit most from these power management schemes. Our experiments are performed using a set of representative kernels and several popular scientific benchmarks. Lastly, we quantify a number of power and performance measurements and draw observations and conclusions that can be viewed as a roadmap to achieving energy efficiency in the design and execution of scientific algorithms.« less

Investigating power capping toward energy-efficient scientific applications: Investigating Power Capping toward Energy-Efficient Scientific Applications

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

Haidar, Azzam; Jagode, Heike; Vaccaro, Phil

The emergence of power efficiency as a primary constraint in processor and system design poses new challenges concerning power and energy awareness for numerical libraries and scientific applications. Power consumption also plays a major role in the design of data centers, which may house petascale or exascale-level computing systems. At these extreme scales, understanding and improving the energy efficiency of numerical libraries and their related applications becomes a crucial part of the successful implementation and operation of the computing system. In this paper, we study and investigate the practice of controlling a compute system's power usage, and we explore howmore » different power caps affect the performance of numerical algorithms with different computational intensities. Further, we determine the impact, in terms of performance and energy usage, that these caps have on a system running scientific applications. This analysis will enable us to characterize the types of algorithms that benefit most from these power management schemes. Our experiments are performed using a set of representative kernels and several popular scientific benchmarks. Lastly, we quantify a number of power and performance measurements and draw observations and conclusions that can be viewed as a roadmap to achieving energy efficiency in the design and execution of scientific algorithms.« less

Pair-Wise Trajectory Management-Oceanic (PTM-O) . [Concept of Operations—Version 3.9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kenneth M.

2014-01-01

This document describes the Pair-wise Trajectory Management-Oceanic (PTM-O) Concept of Operations (ConOps). Pair-wise Trajectory Management (PTM) is a concept that includes airborne and ground-based capabilities designed to enable and to benefit from, airborne pair-wise distance-monitoring capability. PTM includes the capabilities needed for the controller to issue a PTM clearance that resolves a conflict for a specific pair of aircraft. PTM avionics include the capabilities needed for the flight crew to manage their trajectory relative to specific designated aircraft. Pair-wise Trajectory Management PTM-Oceanic (PTM-O) is a regional specific application of the PTM concept. PTM is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Concept and Technology Development Project (part of NASA's Airspace Systems Program). The goal of PTM is to use enhanced and distributed communications and surveillance along with airborne tools to permit reduced separation standards for given aircraft pairs, thereby increasing the capacity and efficiency of aircraft operations at a given altitude or volume of airspace.

Application of SNMP on CATV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Hong-bin; Liu, Wei-ping; Chen, Shun-er; Zheng, Liming

2005-02-01

A new type of CATV network management system developed by universal MCU, which supports SNMP, is proposed in this paper. From the point of view in both hardware and software, the function and method of every modules inside the system, which include communications in the physical layer, protocol process, data process, and etc, are analyzed. In our design, the management system takes IP MAN as data transmission channel and every controlled object in the management structure has a SNMP agent. In the SNMP agent developed, there are four function modules, including physical layer communication module, protocol process module, internal data process module and MIB management module. In the paper, the structure and function of every module are designed and demonstrated while the related hardware circuit, software flow as well as the experimental results are tested. Furthermore, by introducing RTOS into the software programming, the universal MCU procedure can conducts such multi-thread management as fast Ethernet controller driving, TCP/IP process, serial port signal monitoring and so on, which greatly improves efficiency of CPU.

Designing smart analytical data services for a personal health framework.

PubMed

Koumakis, Lefteris; Kondylakis, Haridimos; Chatzimina, Maria; Iatraki, Galatia; Argyropaidas, Panagiotis; Kazantzaki, Eleni; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Kiefer, Stephan; Marias, Kostas

2016-01-01

Information in the healthcare domain and in particular personal health record information is heterogeneous by nature. Clinical, lifestyle, environmental data and personal preferences are stored and managed within such platforms. As a result, significant information from such diverse data is difficult to be delivered, especially to non-IT users like patients, physicians or managers. Another issue related to the management and analysis is the volume, which increases more and more making the need for efficient data visualization and analysis methods mandatory. The objective of this work is to present the architectural design for seamless integration and intelligent analysis of distributed and heterogeneous clinical information in the PHR context, as a result of a requirements elicitation process in iManageCancer project. This systemic approach aims to assist health-care professionals to orient themselves in the disperse information space and enhance their decision-making capabilities, to encourage patients to have an active role by managing their health information and interacting with health-care professionals.

Survivable algorithms and redundancy management in NASA's distributed computing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malek, Miroslaw

1992-01-01

The design of survivable algorithms requires a solid foundation for executing them. While hardware techniques for fault-tolerant computing are relatively well understood, fault-tolerant operating systems, as well as fault-tolerant applications (survivable algorithms), are, by contrast, little understood, and much more work in this field is required. We outline some of our work that contributes to the foundation of ultrareliable operating systems and fault-tolerant algorithm design. We introduce our consensus-based framework for fault-tolerant system design. This is followed by a description of a hierarchical partitioning method for efficient consensus. A scheduler for redundancy management is introduced, and application-specific fault tolerance is described. We give an overview of our hybrid algorithm technique, which is an alternative to the formal approach given.

Energy conservation for housing: A workbook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1982-05-01

Multifamily housing project managers can reduce their energy costs from 30 to 60 percent by capitalizing on a variety of energy conservation opportunities (ECO's) identified in HUD research on the physical condition of public housing stock. This workbook prepares managers for this planning and for making individualized energy audits. It provides all the materials they need to proceed, including analysis sheets for calculating costs - benefit and payback periods for each of the 50 ECO's described. The ECO's listed all into four general categories: architectural improvements to the energy design of the building envelope; heating system ECO's to increase energy efficiency; secondary ECO's related to the domestic water supply, air conditioning systems, and central laundry equipment; and electric system ECO's reducing utility surcharges and increasing light bulb efficiency.

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions.

PubMed

Pavlacky, David C; Lukacs, Paul M; Blakesley, Jennifer A; Skorkowsky, Robert C; Klute, David S; Hahn, Beth A; Dreitz, Victoria J; George, T Luke; Hanni, David J

2017-01-01

Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer's sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales.

A statistically rigorous sampling design to integrate avian monitoring and management within Bird Conservation Regions

PubMed Central

Hahn, Beth A.; Dreitz, Victoria J.; George, T. Luke

2017-01-01

Monitoring is an essential component of wildlife management and conservation. However, the usefulness of monitoring data is often undermined by the lack of 1) coordination across organizations and regions, 2) meaningful management and conservation objectives, and 3) rigorous sampling designs. Although many improvements to avian monitoring have been discussed, the recommendations have been slow to emerge in large-scale programs. We introduce the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program designed to overcome the above limitations. Our objectives are to outline the development of a statistically defensible sampling design to increase the value of large-scale monitoring data and provide example applications to demonstrate the ability of the design to meet multiple conservation and management objectives. We outline the sampling process for the IMBCR program with a focus on the Badlands and Prairies Bird Conservation Region (BCR 17). We provide two examples for the Brewer’s sparrow (Spizella breweri) in BCR 17 demonstrating the ability of the design to 1) determine hierarchical population responses to landscape change and 2) estimate hierarchical habitat relationships to predict the response of the Brewer’s sparrow to conservation efforts at multiple spatial scales. The collaboration across organizations and regions provided economy of scale by leveraging a common data platform over large spatial scales to promote the efficient use of monitoring resources. We designed the IMBCR program to address the information needs and core conservation and management objectives of the participating partner organizations. Although it has been argued that probabilistic sampling designs are not practical for large-scale monitoring, the IMBCR program provides a precedent for implementing a statistically defensible sampling design from local to bioregional scales. We demonstrate that integrating conservation and management objectives with rigorous statistical design and analyses ensures reliable knowledge about bird populations that is relevant and integral to bird conservation at multiple scales. PMID:29065128

Environmental Awareness, Course 32461

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

Hall, Debora Lynn

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) is committed to an environmental management strategy aimed at reducing the Laboratory's environmental impacts, while still maintaining or increasing operating efficiencies. This training is designed to help you understand the critical importance of environmental management to the continuing success of the Laboratory and your personal role in this essential endeavor. If you are new to this training, you may wish to explore the various links that will take you to more in-depth information.

Data management for the internet of things: design primitives and solution.

PubMed

Abu-Elkheir, Mervat; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Ali, Najah Abu

2013-11-14

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a networking paradigm where interconnected, smart objects continuously generate data and transmit it over the Internet. Much of the IoT initiatives are geared towards manufacturing low-cost and energy-efficient hardware for these objects, as well as the communication technologies that provide objects interconnectivity. However, the solutions to manage and utilize the massive volume of data produced by these objects are yet to mature. Traditional database management solutions fall short in satisfying the sophisticated application needs of an IoT network that has a truly global-scale. Current solutions for IoT data management address partial aspects of the IoT environment with special focus on sensor networks. In this paper, we survey the data management solutions that are proposed for IoT or subsystems of the IoT. We highlight the distinctive design primitives that we believe should be addressed in an IoT data management solution, and discuss how they are approached by the proposed solutions. We finally propose a data management framework for IoT that takes into consideration the discussed design elements and acts as a seed to a comprehensive IoT data management solution. The framework we propose adapts a federated, data- and sources-centric approach to link the diverse Things with their abundance of data to the potential applications and services that are envisioned for IoT.

Data Management for the Internet of Things: Design Primitives and Solution

PubMed Central

Abu-Elkheir, Mervat; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Ali, Najah Abu

2013-01-01

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a networking paradigm where interconnected, smart objects continuously generate data and transmit it over the Internet. Much of the IoT initiatives are geared towards manufacturing low-cost and energy-efficient hardware for these objects, as well as the communication technologies that provide objects interconnectivity. However, the solutions to manage and utilize the massive volume of data produced by these objects are yet to mature. Traditional database management solutions fall short in satisfying the sophisticated application needs of an IoT network that has a truly global-scale. Current solutions for IoT data management address partial aspects of the IoT environment with special focus on sensor networks. In this paper, we survey the data management solutions that are proposed for IoT or subsystems of the IoT. We highlight the distinctive design primitives that we believe should be addressed in an IoT data management solution, and discuss how they are approached by the proposed solutions. We finally propose a data management framework for IoT that takes into consideration the discussed design elements and acts as a seed to a comprehensive IoT data management solution. The framework we propose adapts a federated, data- and sources-centric approach to link the diverse Things with their abundance of data to the potential applications and services that are envisioned for IoT. PMID:24240599

Hydroeconomic DSS for optimal hydrology-oriented forest management in semiarid areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Prats, A.; del Campo, A.; Pulido-Velazquez, M.

2016-12-01

In semiarid regions like the Mediterranean, managing the upper-catchment forests for water provision goals (hydrology-oriented silviculture) offers a strategy to increase the resilience of catchments to droughts and lower precipitation and higher evapotranspiration due to climate change. Understanding the effects of forest management on vegetation water use and groundwater recharge is particularly important in those regions. Despite the essential role that forests play in the water cycle on the provision of water resources, this contribution is often neither quantified nor explicitly valued. The aim of this work is to develop a novel decision support system (DSS) based on hydro-economic modelling, for assessing and designing the optimal integrated forest and water management for forested catchments. Hydro-economic modelling may support the design of economically efficient strategies integrating the hydrologic, engineering, environmental and economic aspects of water resources systems within a coherent framework. The optimization model explicitly integrates changes in water yield (increase n groundwater recharge) induced by the management of forest density, and the value of the additional water provided to the system. This latter component could serve as an indicator for the design of a "payment for environmental services" scheme in which groundwater beneficiaries could contribute towards funding and promoting efficient forest management operations. Besides, revenues from timber logging are also articulated in the modelling. The case study was an Aleppo pine forest in south-western Valencia province (Spain), using a typical 100-year rotation horizon. The model determines the optimal schedule of thinning interventions in the stands in order to maximize the total net benefits in the system (timber and water). Canopy cover and biomass evolution over time were simulated using growth and yield allometric equations specific for the species in Mediterranean conditions. Silvicultural operation costs were modelled using local cost databases. Groundwater recharge was simulated using HYDRUS, calibrated and validated with data from the experimental plots. This research reveal the potential of integrated water and forest policies and encourage their application by governments and policy makers.

Power Management System Design for Solar-Powered UAS

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

PV cells would have their own MPPT modules, which would enable two major advantages. The first can be considered more important to land-based solar ...The efficiency of the PV array is represented by ηpv. R represents the solar irradiance, and θ represents the angle between the array and the sun...SYSTEM DESIGN FOR SOLAR -POWERED UAS by Robert T. Fauci III December 2015 Thesis Advisor: Alejandro Hernandez Co-Advisor: Kevin Jones

Design and implementation for integrated UAV multi-spectral inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, X.; Li, X.; Yan, F.

2018-04-01

In order to improve the working efficiency of the transmission line inspection and reduce the labour intensity of the inspectors, this paper presents an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) inspection system architecture for the transmission line inspection. In this document, the light-duty design for different inspection equipment and processing terminals is completed. It presents the reference design for the information-processing terminal, supporting the inspection and interactive equipment accessing, and obtains all performance indicators of the inspection information processing through the tests. Practical application shows that the UAV inspection system supports access and management of different types of mainstream fault detection equipment, and can implement the independent diagnosis of the detected information to generate inspection reports in line with industry norms, which can meet the fast, timely, and efficient requirements for the power line inspection work.

Conceptual design and analysis of orbital cryogenic liquid storage and supply systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Cunnington, G. R.; Johns, W. A.

1981-01-01

A wide variety of orbital cryogenic liquid storage and supply systems are defined in NASA and DOD long-range plans. These systems include small cooling applications, large chemical and electrical orbit transfer vehicles and supply tankers. All have the common requirements of low-g fluid management to accomplish gas-free liquid expulsion and efficient thermal control to manage heat leak and tank pressure. A preliminary design study was performed to evaluate tanks ranging from 0.6 to 37.4 cu m (22 to 1320 cu ft). Liquids of interest were hydrogen, oxygen, methane, argon and helium. Conceptual designs were generated for each tank system and fluid dynamic, thermal and structural analyses were performed for Shuttle compatible operations. Design trades considered the paradox of conservative support structure and minimum thermal input. Orbital performance and weight data were developed, and a technology evaluation was completed.

Enhanced surveillance strategies for detecting and monitoring chronic wasting disease in free-ranging cervids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Daniel P.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this document is to provide wildlife management agencies with the foundation upon which they can build scientifically rigorous and cost-effective surveillance and monitoring programs for chronic wasting disease (CWD) or refine their existing programs. The first chapter provides an overview of potential demographic and spatial risk factors of susceptible wildlife populations that may be exploited for CWD surveillance and monitoring. The information contained in this chapter explores historic as well as recent developments in our understanding of CWD disease dynamics. It also contains many literature references for readers who may desire a more thorough review of the topics or CWD in general. The second chapter examines methods for enhancing efforts to detect CWD on the landscape where it is not presently known to exist and focuses on the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the surveillance program. Specifically, it describes the means of exploiting current knowledge of demographic and spatial risk factors, as described in the first chapter, through a two-stage surveillance scheme that utilizes traditional design-based sampling approaches and novel statistical methods to incorporate information about the attributes of the landscape, environment, populations and individual animals into CWD surveillance activities. By accounting for these attributes, efficiencies can be gained and cost-savings can be realized. The final chapter is unique in relation to the first two chapters. Its focus is on designing programs to monitor CWD once it is discovered within a jurisdiction. Unlike the prior chapters that are more detailed or prescriptive, this chapter by design is considerably more general because providing comprehensive direction for creating monitoring programs for jurisdictions without consideration of their monitoring goals, sociopolitical constraints, or their biological systems, is not possible. Therefore, the authors draw upon their collective experiences implementing disease-monitoring programs to present the important questions to consider, potential tools, and various strategies for those wildlife management agencies endeavoring to create or maintain a CWD monitoring program. Its intent is to aid readers in creating efficient and cost-effective monitoring programs, while avoiding potential pitfalls. It is hoped that these three chapters will be useful tools for wildlife managers struggling to implement efficient and effective CWD disease management programs.

NET-ZERO ENERGY BUILDING OPERATOR TRAINING PROGRAM (NZEBOT)

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

Brizendine, Anthony; Byars, Nan; Sleiti, Ahmad

2012-12-31

The primary objective of the Net-Zero Energy Building Operator Training Program (NZEBOT) was to develop certificate level training programs for commercial building owners, managers and operators, principally in the areas of energy / sustainability management. The expected outcome of the project was a multi-faceted mechanism for developing the skill-based competency of building operators, owners, architects/engineers, construction professionals, tenants, brokers and other interested groups in energy efficient building technologies and best practices. The training program draws heavily on DOE supported and developed materials available in the existing literature, as well as existing, modified, and newly developed curricula from the Department ofmore » Engineering Technology & Construction Management (ETCM) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte). The project goal is to develop a certificate level training curriculum for commercial energy and sustainability managers and building operators that: 1) Increases the skill-based competency of building professionals in energy efficient building technologies and best practices, and 2) Increases the workforce pool of expertise in energy management and conservation techniques. The curriculum developed in this project can subsequently be used to establish a sustainable energy training program that can contribute to the creation of new “green” job opportunities in North Carolina and throughout the Southeast region, and workforce training that leads to overall reductions in commercial building energy consumption. Three energy training / education programs were developed to achieve the stated goal, namely: 1. Building Energy/Sustainability Management (BESM) Certificate Program for Building Managers and Operators (40 hours); 2. Energy Efficient Building Technologies (EEBT) Certificate Program (16 hours); and 3. Energy Efficent Buildings (EEB) Seminar (4 hours). Training Program 1 incorporates the following topics in the primary five-day Building Energy/Sustainability Management Certificate program in five training modules, namely: 1) Strategic Planning, 2) Sustainability Audits, 3) Information Analysis, 4) Energy Efficiency, and 5) Communication. Training Program 2 addresses the following technical topics in the two-day Building Technologies workshop: 1) Energy Efficient Building Materials, 2) Green Roofing Systems, 3) Energy Efficient Lighting Systems, 4) Alternative Power Systems for Buildings, 5) Innovative Building Systems, and 6) Application of Building Performance Simulation Software. Program 3 is a seminar which provides an overview of elements of programs 1 and 2 in a seminar style presentation designed for the general public to raise overall public awareness of energy and sustainability topics.« less

Restructuring a Higher Education Institution: A Case Study from a Developing Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sohail, M. Sadiq; Daud, Salina; Rajadurai, Jegatheesan

2006-01-01

Purpose: The competitive environment facing all organizations has forced many of them to choose strategies that enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Re-engineering is one of the tools used in administering productivity improvements, cost control and asset management. Design/methodology/approach: This paper examines the…

Web 2.0 for Disaster Response and Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Gregory

2010-01-01

Successful disaster response is an exercise in managing human resources under very difficult conditions. Catastrophic disasters can disrupt both the physical communication networks and the social networks critical to efficient response and recovery. While a well-designed disaster plan serves as a framework, it often requires communication and…

Basic Science Training Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brummel, Clete

These six learning modules were developed for Lake Michigan College's Basic Science Training Program, a workshop to develop good study skills while reviewing basic science. The first module, which was designed to provide students with the necessary skills to study efficiently, covers the following topics: time management; an overview of a study…

Making the Most of It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

2005-01-01

When budgets are tight, administrators have to find ways to provide and maintain facilities without draining their budgets. Fortunately, advancements in technology, new ideas in construction and design, and savvy management strategies are available that enable schools and universities to spend their money more wisely and efficiently. Here are 10…

Innovation & Risk Management Result in Energy and Life-Cycle Savings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anstrand, David E.; Singh, J. B.

1999-01-01

Examines a Pennsylvania school's successful planning, design, and bidding process for acquiring a geothermal heat pump (GHP)system whose subsequent efficiency became award-winning for environmental excellence. Charts and statistical tables describe the GHP's energy savings. Concluding comments review the lessons learned from the process. (GR)

Mockup design of personal health diary app for patients with chronic kidney disease.

PubMed

Lin, Hsiu-Wen; Wang, Yu-Jen; Jing, Ling-Fang; Chang, Polun

2014-01-01

Health self-management is important in the care of patients with chronic kidney disease. It is possible to improve the efficiency of patient self-management through the use of mobile technology and related software. This study is divided into three stages: 1. analysis of need: through observation, interview and content analysis of the chronic kidney disease health management manual; 2. design of system prototype: establish interface and system function; 3. prototype evaluation: evaluate whether the prototype designed by this study meets user needs. The system prototype includes: daily record, laboratory examination results, trend graphs, information search, sharing, communications and settings. Prototyping is done with Pencil Project for interface design and linking. The prototype is then exported in PDF format for mock-up simulation. Evaluation results: overall score was 4.01±0.60 leaning towards "agree", the highest score was ease of use (4.25±0.6), followed by easy to learn (4.15±0.68), acceptance (4.01±0.61), reliability (3.87±0.6) and functionality (3.83±0.49). The results show positive attitude towards the system.

Technical and Economic Aspects of Designing an Efficient Room Air-Conditioner Program in India

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

Abhyankar, Nikit; Shah, Nihar; Phadke, Amol

Several studies have projected a massive increase in the demand for air conditioners (ACs) over the next two decades in India. By 2030, room ACs could add 140 GW to the peak load, equivalent to over 30% of the total projected peak load. Therefore, there is significant interest among policymakers, regulators, and utilities in managing room AC demand by enhancing energy efficiency. Building on the historical success of the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s star-labeling program, Energy Efficiency Services Limited recently announced a program to accelerate the sale of efficient room ACs using bulk procurement, similar to their successful UJALAmore » light-emitting diode (LED) bulk procurement program. This report discusses some of the key considerations in designing a bulk procurement or financial incentive program for enhancing room AC efficiency in India. We draw upon our previous research to demonstrate the overall technical potential and price impact of room AC efficiency improvement and its technical feasibility in India. We also discuss the importance of using low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and smart AC equipment that is demand response (DR) ready.« less

Lessons Learned in Building the Ares Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sumrall, John Phil

2010-01-01

Since being established in 2005, the Ares Projects at Marshall Space Flight Center have been making steady progress designing, building, testing, and flying the next generation of exploration launch vehicles. Ares is committed to rebuilding crucial capabilities from the Apollo era that made the first human flights to the Moon possible, as well as incorporating the latest in computer technology and changes in management philosophy. One example of an Apollo-era practice has been giving NASA overall authority over vehicle integration activities, giving civil service engineers hands-on experience in developing rocket hardware. This knowledge and experience help make the agency a "smart buyer" of products and services. More modern practices have been added to the management tool belt to improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, and institutional knowledge, including knowledge management/capture to gain better insight into design and decision making; earned value management, where Ares won a NASA award for its practice and implementation; designing for operability; and Lean Six Sigma applications to identify and eliminate wasted time and effort. While it is important to learn technical lessons like how to fly and control unique rockets like the Ares I-X flight test vehicle, the Ares management team also has been learning important lessons about how to manage large, long-term projects.

Design of a Software Configuration for Real-Time Multimedia Group Communication; HNUMTP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Gil-Cheol

This paper designs transport protocol of multi-session/channel method for real time multimedia group telecommunication and realizes it. The special features of the designed and realized protocol are first, that it solved the sync problem which is the specific character of multimedia telecommunication by using multi-channel method protocol. Usual multimedia telecommunication is assigned one channel by each media data. This paper shortened the phenomenon that waits data for sync of receiving part by assigning more than one channel for the channel that has a lot of data per hour as video data. The problem of intermedia synchronization that happens then could be solved by sending temporal/spacial related data among data assigning extra control channel. Second, that it does integrated management for sessions. Each session is one group telecommunication unit which supports mutual working environment that is independent. Each session communicates the participants in the group independently, the session manager manages all the communication among groups and lets media sources connected with all network be operated efficiently.

MSAT signalling and network management architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garland, Peter; Keelty, J. Malcolm

1989-01-01

Spar Aerospace has been active in the design and definition of Mobile Satellite Systems since the mid 1970's. In work sponsored by the Canadian Department of Communications, various payload configurations have evolved. In addressing the payload configuration, the requirements of the mobile user, the service provider and the satellite operator have always been the most important consideration. The current Spar 11 beam satellite design is reviewed, and its capabilities to provide flexibility and potential for network growth within the WARC87 allocations are explored. To enable the full capabilities of the payload to be realized, a large amount of ground based Switching and Network Management infrastructure will be required, when space segment becomes available. Early indications were that a single custom designed Demand Assignment Multiple Access (DAMA) switch should be implemented to provide efficient use of the space segment. As MSAT has evolved into a multiple service concept, supporting many service providers, this architecture should be reviewed. Some possible signalling and Network Management solutions are explored.

Distributed Prognostic Health Management with Gaussian Process Regression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Sankalita; Saha, Bhaskar; Saxena, Abhinav; Goebel, Kai Frank

2010-01-01

Distributed prognostics architecture design is an enabling step for efficient implementation of health management systems. A major challenge encountered in such design is formulation of optimal distributed prognostics algorithms. In this paper. we present a distributed GPR based prognostics algorithm whose target platform is a wireless sensor network. In addition to challenges encountered in a distributed implementation, a wireless network poses constraints on communication patterns, thereby making the problem more challenging. The prognostics application that was used to demonstrate our new algorithms is battery prognostics. In order to present trade-offs within different prognostic approaches, we present comparison with the distributed implementation of a particle filter based prognostics for the same battery data.

The Design of Integrated Information System for High Voltage Metering Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yan; Yang, Yi; Xu, Guangke; Gu, Chao; Zou, Lida; Yang, Feng

2018-01-01

With the development of smart grid, intelligent and informatization management of high-voltage metering lab become increasingly urgent. In the paper we design an integrated information system, which automates the whole transactions from accepting instruments, make experiments, generating report, report signature to instrument claims. Through creating database for all the calibrated instruments, using two-dimensional code, integrating report templates in advance, establishing bookmarks and online transmission of electronical signatures, our manual procedures reduce largely. These techniques simplify the complex process of account management and report transmission. After more than a year of operation, our work efficiency improves about forty percent averagely, and its accuracy rate and data reliability are much higher as well.

Preliminary test results of a flight management algorithm for fuel conservative descents in a time based metered traffic environment. [flight tests of an algorithm to minimize fuel consumption of aircraft based on flight time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, C. E.; Cannon, D. G.

1979-01-01

A flight management algorithm designed to improve the accuracy of delivering the airplane fuel efficiently to a metering fix at a time designated by air traffic control is discussed. The algorithm provides a 3-D path with time control (4-D) for a test B 737 airplane to make an idle thrust, clean configured descent to arrive at the metering fix at a predetermined time, altitude, and airspeed. The descent path is calculated for a constant Mach/airspeed schedule from linear approximations of airplane performance with considerations given for gross weight, wind, and nonstandard pressure and temperature effects. The flight management descent algorithms and the results of the flight tests are discussed.

Strategy for introduction of rainwater management facility considering rainfall event applied on new apartment complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KIM, H.; Lee, D. K.; Yoo, S.

2014-12-01

As regional torrential rains become frequent due to climate change, urban flooding happens very often. That is why it is necessary to prepare for integrated measures against a wide range of rainfall. This study proposes introduction of effective rainwater management facilities to maximize the rainwater runoff reductions and recover natural water circulation for unpredictable extreme rainfall in apartment complex scale. The study site is new apartment complex in Hanam located in east of Seoul, Korea. It has an area of 7.28ha and is analysed using the EPA-SWMM and STORM model. First, it is analyzed that green infrastructure(GI) had efficiency of flood reduction at the various rainfall events and soil characteristics, and then the most effective value of variables are derived. In case of rainfall event, Last 10 years data of 15 minutes were used for analysis. A comparison between A(686mm rainfall during 22days) and B(661mm/4days) knew that soil infiltration of A is 17.08% and B is 5.48% of the rainfall. Reduction of runoff after introduction of the GI of A is 24.76% and B is 6.56%. These results mean that GI is effective to small rainfall intensity, and artificial rainwater retarding reservoir is needed at extreme rainfall. Second, set of target year is conducted for the recovery of hydrological cycle at the predevelopment. And an amount of infiltration, evaporation, surface runoff of the target year and now is analysed on the basis of land coverage, and an arrangement of LID facilities. Third, rainwater management scenarios are established and simulated by the SWMM-LID. Rainwater management facilities include GI(green roof, porous pavement, vegetative swale, ecological pond, and raingarden), and artificial rainwater. Design scenarios are categorized five type: 1)no GI, 2)conventional GI design(current design), 3)intensive GI design, 4)GI design+rainwater retarding reservoir 5)maximized rainwater retarding reservoir. Intensive GI design is to have attribute value to obtain the maximum efficiency for each GI facility with in-depth experts interviews. Climate change scenario is also used to set the capacity of the rainwater management facilities considering the extreme precipitation. These all scenarios are not only simulated for calculating the hydrological balance but analysed the cost for each scenarios effect.

Factors affecting the labor efficiency of hospital-based blood bank laboratories.

PubMed

Lam, H C; Kominski, G F; Petz, L D; Sofaer, S

1994-09-01

A variety of financing mechanisms and managerial innovations have been developed in the past decade to control hospital costs. Some evidence suggests that those changes have not produced substantial improvements in labor efficiency among employees in the hospital's technical level, such as in the blood bank laboratories. This study measured labor efficiency in 40 hospital-based blood bank laboratories in Southern California during the year from July 1989 to June 1990 and explored the impact of financial, managerial, and operational factors on labor efficiency. With standardized output measures used in all blood bank laboratories, a wide variation of labor efficiency was found. Multivariate analyses indicate that the labor efficiency of blood bank employees was not influenced by organizational financial incentives, but was affected by the managerial styles of blood bank managers. Interpretation of the findings suggests that labor efficiency is affected by operational designs intended to improve responses to variable workloads and reduce slack time.

Critical care unit design: a nursing perspective.

PubMed

Williams, M

2001-11-01

The task of designing a new critical care unit is best accomplished with the input of people representing multiple disciplines including architects, engineers, physicians, nurses, and equipment manufacturers. It is imperative that the critical care nursing staff and management take an active role in planning the layout of the unit and patient rooms, as the nurses will be the bedside providers 24 hours a day. The new unit should be designed to offer efficient patient care as well as a healing, comfortable environment for both the patients and their families.

Ontological Model of Business Process Management Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoilov, G.; Deliiska, B.

2008-10-01

The activities which constitute business process management (BPM) can be grouped into five categories: design, modeling, execution, monitoring and optimization. Dedicated software packets for business process management system (BPMS) are available on the market. But the efficiency of its exploitation depends on used ontological model in the development time and run time of the system. In the article an ontological model of BPMS in area of software industry is investigated. The model building is preceded by conceptualization of the domain and taxonomy of BPMS development. On the base of the taxonomy an simple online thesaurus is created.

Designing and evaluating a balanced scorecard for a health information management department in a Canadian urban non-teaching hospital.

PubMed

Nippak, Pria Md; Veracion, Julius Isidro; Muia, Maria; Ikeda-Douglas, Candace J; Isaac, Winston W

2016-06-01

This report is a description of a balanced scorecard design and evaluation process conducted for the health information management department at an urban non-teaching hospital in Canada. The creation of the health information management balanced scorecard involved planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the indicators within the balanced scorecard by the health information management department and required 6 months to complete. Following the evaluation, the majority of members of the health information management department agreed that the balanced scorecard is a useful tool in reporting key performance indicators. These findings support the success of the balanced scorecard development within this setting and will help the department to better align with the hospital's corporate strategy that is linked to the provision of efficient management through the evaluation of key performance indicators. Thus, it appears that the planning and selection process used to determine the key indicators within the study can aid in the development of a balanced scorecard for a health information management department. In addition, it is important to include the health information management department staff in all stages of the balanced scorecard development, implementation, and evaluation phases. © The Author(s) 2014.

Accessorizing Building Science – A Web Platform to Support Multiple Market Transformation Programs

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

Madison, Michael C.; Antonopoulos, Chrissi A.; Dowson, Scott T.

As demand for improved energy efficiency in homes increases, builders need information on the latest findings in building science, rapidly ramping-up energy codes, and technical requirements for labeling programs. The Building America Solution Center is a Department of Energy (DOE) website containing hundreds of expert guides designed to help residential builders install efficiency measures in new and existing homes. Builders can package measures with other media for customized content. Website content provides technical support to market transformation programs such as ENERGY STAR and has been cloned and adapted to provide content for the Better Buildings Residential Program. The Solution Centermore » uses the Drupal open source content management platform to combine a variety of media in an interactive manner to make information easily accessible. Developers designed a unique taxonomy to organize and manage content. That taxonomy was translated into web-based modules that allow users to rapidly traverse structured content with related topics, and media. We will present information on the current design of the Solution Center and the underlying technology used to manage the content. The paper will explore development of features, such as “Field Kits” that allow users to bundle and save content for quick access, along with the ability to export PDF versions of content. Finally, we will discuss development of an Android based mobile application, and a visualization tool for interacting with Building Science Publications that allows the user to dynamically search the entire Building America Library.« less

A scalable and flexible hybrid energy storage system design and implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Younghyun; Koh, Jason; Xie, Qing; Wang, Yanzhi; Chang, Naehyuck; Pedram, Massoud

2014-06-01

Energy storage systems (ESS) are becoming one of the most important components that noticeably change overall system performance in various applications, ranging from the power grid infrastructure to electric vehicles (EV) and portable electronics. However, a homogeneous ESS is subject to limited characteristics in terms of cost, efficiency, lifetime, etc., by the energy storage technology that comprises the ESS. On the other hand, hybrid ESS (HESS) are a viable solution for a practical ESS with currently available technologies as they have potential to overcome such limitations by exploiting only advantages of heterogeneous energy storage technologies while hiding their drawbacks. However, the HESS concept basically mandates sophisticated design and control to actually make the benefits happen. The HESS architecture should be able to provide controllability of many parts, which are often fixed in homogeneous ESS, and novel management policies should be able to utilize the control features. This paper introduces a complete design practice of a HESS prototype to demonstrate scalability, flexibility, and energy efficiency. It is composed of three heterogenous energy storage elements: lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and supercapacitors. We demonstrate a novel system control methodology and enhanced energy efficiency through this design practice.

Chapter 11: Sample Design Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Khawaja, M. Sami; Rushton, Josh

Evaluating an energy efficiency program requires assessing the total energy and demand saved through all of the energy efficiency measures provided by the program. For large programs, the direct assessment of savings for each participant would be cost-prohibitive. Even if a program is small enough that a full census could be managed, such an undertaking would almost always be an inefficient use of evaluation resources. The bulk of this chapter describes methods for minimizing and quantifying sampling error. Measurement error and regression error are discussed in various contexts in other chapters.

Modeling Off-Nominal Recovery in NextGen Terminal-Area Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callantine, Todd J.

2011-01-01

Robust schedule-based arrival management requires efficient recovery from off-nominal situations. This paper presents research on modeling off-nominal situations and plans for recovering from them using TRAC, a route/airspace design, fast-time simulation, and analysis tool for studying NextGen trajectory-based operations. The paper provides an overview of a schedule-based arrival-management concept and supporting controller tools, then describes TRAC implementations of methods for constructing off-nominal scenarios, generating trajectory options to meet scheduling constraints, and automatically producing recovery plans.

Reliability based design optimization: Formulations and methodologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Harish

Modern products ranging from simple components to complex systems should be designed to be optimal and reliable. The challenge of modern engineering is to ensure that manufacturing costs are reduced and design cycle times are minimized while achieving requirements for performance and reliability. If the market for the product is competitive, improved quality and reliability can generate very strong competitive advantages. Simulation based design plays an important role in designing almost any kind of automotive, aerospace, and consumer products under these competitive conditions. Single discipline simulations used for analysis are being coupled together to create complex coupled simulation tools. This investigation focuses on the development of efficient and robust methodologies for reliability based design optimization in a simulation based design environment. Original contributions of this research are the development of a novel efficient and robust unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization, the development of an innovative decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology, the application of homotopy techniques in unilevel reliability based design optimization methodology, and the development of a new framework for reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty. The unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization is shown to be mathematically equivalent to the traditional nested formulation. Numerical test problems show that the unilevel methodology can reduce computational cost by at least 50% as compared to the nested approach. The decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology is an approximate technique to obtain consistent reliable designs at lesser computational expense. Test problems show that the methodology is computationally efficient compared to the nested approach. A framework for performing reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty is also developed. A trust region managed sequential approximate optimization methodology is employed for this purpose. Results from numerical test studies indicate that the methodology can be used for performing design optimization under severe uncertainty.

Ontological modelling of knowledge management for human-machine integrated design of ultra-precision grinding machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Haibo; Yin, Yuehong; Chen, Xing

2016-11-01

Despite the rapid development of computer science and information technology, an efficient human-machine integrated enterprise information system for designing complex mechatronic products is still not fully accomplished, partly because of the inharmonious communication among collaborators. Therefore, one challenge in human-machine integration is how to establish an appropriate knowledge management (KM) model to support integration and sharing of heterogeneous product knowledge. Aiming at the diversity of design knowledge, this article proposes an ontology-based model to reach an unambiguous and normative representation of knowledge. First, an ontology-based human-machine integrated design framework is described, then corresponding ontologies and sub-ontologies are established according to different purposes and scopes. Second, a similarity calculation-based ontology integration method composed of ontology mapping and ontology merging is introduced. The ontology searching-based knowledge sharing method is then developed. Finally, a case of human-machine integrated design of a large ultra-precision grinding machine is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.

Interventions designed to improve the quality and efficiency of medication use in managed care: A critical review of the literature – 2001–2007

PubMed Central

Lu, Christine Y; Ross-Degnan, Dennis; Soumerai, Stephen B; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

2008-01-01

Background Managed care organizations use a variety of strategies to reduce the cost and improve the quality of medication use. The effectiveness of such policies is not well understood. The objective of this research was to update a previous systematic review of interventions, published between 1966 and 2001, to improve the quality and efficiency of medication use in the US managed care setting. Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for publications from July 2001 to January 2007 describing interventions targeting drug use conducted in the US managed care setting. We categorized studies by intervention type and adequacy of research design using commonly accepted criteria. We summarized the outcomes of well-controlled strategies and documented the significance and magnitude of effects for key study outcomes. Results We identified 164 papers published during the six-year period. Predominant strategies were: educational interventions (n = 20, including dissemination of educational materials, and group or one-to-one educational outreach); monitoring and feedback (n = 22, including audit/feedback and computerized monitoring); formulary interventions (n = 66, including tiered formulary and patient copayment); collaborative care involving pharmacists (n = 15); and disease management with pharmacotherapy as a primary focus (n = 41, including care for depression, asthma, and peptic ulcer disease). Overall, 51 studies met minimum criteria for methodological adequacy. Effective interventions included one-to-one academic detailing, computerized alerts and reminders, pharmacist-led collaborative care, and multifaceted disease management. Further, changes in formulary tier-design and related increases in copayments were associated with reductions in medication use and increased out-of-pocket spending by patients. The dissemination of educational materials alone had little or no impact, while the impact of group education was inconclusive. Conclusion There is good evidence for the effectiveness of several strategies in changing drug use in the managed care environment. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Computerized alerts showed promise in improving short-term outcomes but little is known about longer-term outcomes. Few well-designed, published studies have assessed the potential negative clinical effects of formulary-related interventions despite their widespread use. However, some evidence suggests increases in cost sharing reduce access to essential medicines for chronic illness. PMID:18394200

Interventions designed to improve the quality and efficiency of medication use in managed care: a critical review of the literature - 2001-2007.

PubMed

Lu, Christine Y; Ross-Degnan, Dennis; Soumerai, Stephen B; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

2008-04-07

Managed care organizations use a variety of strategies to reduce the cost and improve the quality of medication use. The effectiveness of such policies is not well understood. The objective of this research was to update a previous systematic review of interventions, published between 1966 and 2001, to improve the quality and efficiency of medication use in the US managed care setting. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for publications from July 2001 to January 2007 describing interventions targeting drug use conducted in the US managed care setting. We categorized studies by intervention type and adequacy of research design using commonly accepted criteria. We summarized the outcomes of well-controlled strategies and documented the significance and magnitude of effects for key study outcomes. We identified 164 papers published during the six-year period. Predominant strategies were: educational interventions (n = 20, including dissemination of educational materials, and group or one-to-one educational outreach); monitoring and feedback (n = 22, including audit/feedback and computerized monitoring); formulary interventions (n = 66, including tiered formulary and patient copayment); collaborative care involving pharmacists (n = 15); and disease management with pharmacotherapy as a primary focus (n = 41, including care for depression, asthma, and peptic ulcer disease). Overall, 51 studies met minimum criteria for methodological adequacy. Effective interventions included one-to-one academic detailing, computerized alerts and reminders, pharmacist-led collaborative care, and multifaceted disease management. Further, changes in formulary tier-design and related increases in copayments were associated with reductions in medication use and increased out-of-pocket spending by patients. The dissemination of educational materials alone had little or no impact, while the impact of group education was inconclusive. There is good evidence for the effectiveness of several strategies in changing drug use in the managed care environment. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Computerized alerts showed promise in improving short-term outcomes but little is known about longer-term outcomes. Few well-designed, published studies have assessed the potential negative clinical effects of formulary-related interventions despite their widespread use. However, some evidence suggests increases in cost sharing reduce access to essential medicines for chronic illness.

Hypersonic airbreathing vehicle conceptual design (focus on aero-space plane)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, James L.; Martin, John G.

1989-01-01

The airbreathing single stage to orbit (SSTO) vehicle design environment is variable-rich, intricately networked and sensitivity intensive. As such, it represents a tremondous technology challenge. Creating a viable design will require sophisticated configuration/synthesis and the synergistic integration of advanced technologies across the discipline spectrum. In design exercises, reductions in the fuel weight-fraction requirements projected for an orbital vehicle concept can result from improvements in aerodynamics/controls, propulsion efficiencies and trajectory optimization; also, gains in the fuel weight-fraction achievable for such a concept can result from improvements in structural design, heat management techniques, and material properties. As these technology advances take place, closure on a viable vehicle design will be realizable.

Chip Design Process Optimization Based on Design Quality Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Häusler, Stefan; Blaschke, Jana; Sebeke, Christian; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang; Hahn, Axel

2010-06-01

Nowadays, the managing of product development projects is increasingly challenging. Especially the IC design of ASICs with both analog and digital components (mixed-signal design) is becoming more and more complex, while the time-to-market window narrows at the same time. Still, high quality standards must be fulfilled. Projects and their status are becoming less transparent due to this complexity. This makes the planning and execution of projects rather difficult. Therefore, there is a need for efficient project control. A main challenge is the objective evaluation of the current development status. Are all requirements successfully verified? Are all intermediate goals achieved? Companies often develop special solutions that are not reusable in other projects. This makes the quality measurement process itself less efficient and produces too much overhead. The method proposed in this paper is a contribution to solve these issues. It is applied at a German design house for analog mixed-signal IC design. This paper presents the results of a case study and introduces an optimized project scheduling on the basis of quality assessment results.

The six critical attributes of the next generation of quality management software systems.

PubMed

Clark, Kathleen

2011-07-01

Driven by both the need to meet regulatory requirements and a genuine desire to drive improved quality, quality management systems encompassing standard operating procedure, corrective and preventative actions and related processes have existed for many years, both in paper and electronic form. The impact of quality management systems on 'actual' quality, however, is often reported as far less than desired. A quality management software system that moves beyond formal forms-driven processes to include a true closed loop design, manage disparate processes across the enterprise, provide support for collaborative processes and deliver insight into the overall state of control has the potential to close the gap between simply accomplishing regulatory compliance and delivering measurable improvements in quality and efficiency.

Making it local: Beacon Communities use health information technology to optimize care management.

PubMed

Allen, Amy; Des Jardins, Terrisca R; Heider, Arvela; Kanger, Chatrian R; Lobach, David F; McWilliams, Lee; Polello, Jennifer M; Rein, Alison L; Schachter, Abigail A; Singh, Ranjit; Sorondo, Barbara; Tulikangas, Megan C; Turske, Scott A

2014-06-01

Care management aims to provide cost-effective, coordinated, non-duplicative care to improve care quality, population health, and reduce costs. The 17 communities receiving funding from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology through the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program are leaders in building and strengthening their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure to provide more effective and efficient care management. This article profiles 6 Beacon Communities' health IT-enabled care management programs, highlighting the influence of local context on program strategy and design, and describing challenges, lessons learned, and policy implications for care delivery and payment reform. The unique needs (eg, disease burden, demographics), community partnerships, and existing resources and infrastructure all exerted significant influence on the overall priorities and design of each community's care management program. Though each Beacon Community needed to engage in a similar set of care management tasks--including patient identification, stratification, and prioritization; intervention; patient engagement; and evaluation--the contextual factors helped shape the specific strategies and tools used to carry out these tasks and achieve their objectives. Although providers across the country are striving to deliver standardized, high-quality care, the diverse contexts in which this care is delivered significantly influence the priorities, strategies, and design of community-based care management interventions. Gaps and challenges in implementing effective community-based care management programs include: optimizing allocation of care management services; lack of available technology tailored to care management needs; lack of standards and interoperability; integrating care management into care settings; evaluating impact; and funding and sustainability.

Factorial experiments: efficient tools for evaluation of intervention components.

PubMed

Collins, Linda M; Dziak, John J; Kugler, Kari C; Trail, Jessica B

2014-10-01

An understanding of the individual and combined effects of a set of intervention components is important for moving the science of preventive medicine interventions forward. This understanding can often be achieved in an efficient and economical way via a factorial experiment, in which two or more independent variables are manipulated. The factorial experiment is a complement to the RCT; the two designs address different research questions. To offer an introduction to factorial experiments aimed at investigators trained primarily in the RCT. The factorial experiment is compared and contrasted with other experimental designs used commonly in intervention science to highlight where each is most efficient and appropriate. Several points are made: factorial experiments make very efficient use of experimental subjects when the data are properly analyzed; a factorial experiment can have excellent statistical power even if it has relatively few subjects per experimental condition; and when conducting research to select components for inclusion in a multicomponent intervention, interactions should be studied rather than avoided. Investigators in preventive medicine and related areas should begin considering factorial experiments alongside other approaches. Experimental designs should be chosen from a resource management perspective, which states that the best experimental design is the one that provides the greatest scientific benefit without exceeding available resources. Copyright © 2014 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effective, clinically feasible and sustainable: Key design features of psycho-educational and supportive care interventions to promote individualised self-management in cancer care.

PubMed

Schofield, Penelope; Chambers, Suzanne

2015-05-01

As the global burden of cancer increases healthcare services will face increasing challenges in meet the complex needs of these patients, their families and the communities in which they live. This raises the question of how to meet patient need where direct clinical contact may be constrained or not readily available. Patients and families require resources and skills to manage their illness outside of the hospital setting within their own communities. To propose a framework for the development and delivery of psycho-educational and supportive care interventions drawing on theoretical principles of behaviour change and evidence-based interventions, and based on extensive experience in developing and testing complex interventions in oncology. At the core of this intervention framework are considerations of efficiency: interventions are designed to cater for individuals' unique needs; to place minimal demands on the health system infrastructure and to be rapidly disseminated into usual care if successful. There are seven key features: 1) Targeting cancer type and stage; 2) Tailoring to unique individual needs; 3) Promotion of patient self-management of their disease and treatment side effects; 4) Efficient delivery of the intervention; 5) Training and adherence to protocol; 6) Ensuring the intervention is evidence-based; 7) Confirming stakeholder acceptability of the intervention. A case study of a randomised controlled trial which tested psycho-educational oncology interventions using this framework is presented. These interventions were designed to cater for individuals' unique needs and promote self-management while placing minimal demands on the acute health care setting. Innovative ways to realise the potentially major impact that psycho-educational and supportive care interventions can have on psychological morbidity, coping, symptoms and quality of life in serious and chronic illness are needed. This framework, which is driven by theory, evidence, and experience, is designed to ensure that interventions are effective, clinically feasible and sustainable.

The effect of physician practice organization on efficient utilization of hospital resources.

PubMed Central

Burns, L R; Chilingerian, J A; Wholey, D R

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVE. This study examines variations in the efficient use of hospital resources across individual physicians. DATA SOURCES AND SETTING. The study is conducted over a two-year period (1989-1990) in all short-term general hospitals with 50 or more beds in Arizona. We examine hospital discharge data for 43,625 women undergoing cesarean sections and vaginal deliveries without complications. These data include physician identifiers that permit us to link patient information with information on physicians provided by the state medical association. STUDY DESIGN. The study first measures the contribution of physician characteristics to the explanatory power of regression models that predict resource use. It then tests hypothesized effects on resource utilization exerted by two sets of physician level factors: physician background and physician practice organization. The latter includes effects of hospital practice volume, concentration of hospital practice, percent managed care patients in one's hospital practice, and diversity of patients treated. Efficiency (inefficiency) is measured as the degree of variation in patient charges and length of stay below (above) the average of treating all patients with the same condition in the same hospital in the same year with the same severity of illness, controlling for discharge status and the presence of complications. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. After controlling for patient factors, physician characteristics explain a significant amount of the variability in hospital charges and length of stay in the two maternity conditions. Results also support hypotheses that efficiency is influenced by practice organization factors such as patient volume and managed care load. Physicians with larger practices and a higher share of managed care patients appear to be more efficient. CONCLUSIONS. The results suggest that health care reform efforts to develop physician-hospital networks and managed competition may promote greater parsimony in physicians' practice behavior. PMID:8002351

Lessons learned from new construction utility demand side management programs and their implications for implementing building energy codes

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

Wise, B.K.; Hughes, K.R.; Danko, S.L.

1994-07-01

This report was prepared for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Codes and Standards by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) through its Building Energy Standards Program (BESP). The purpose of this task was to identify demand-side management (DSM) strategies for new construction that utilities have adopted or developed to promote energy-efficient design and construction. PNL conducted a survey of utilities and used the information gathered to extrapolate lessons learned and to identify evolving trends in utility new-construction DSM programs. The ultimate goal of the task is to identify opportunities where states might work collaboratively with utilities to promotemore » the adoption, implementation, and enforcement of energy-efficient building energy codes.« less

Beginning to manage drug discovery and development knowledge.

PubMed

Sumner-Smith, M

2001-05-01

Knowledge management approaches and technologies are beginning to be implemented by the pharmaceutical industry in support of new drug discovery and development processes aimed at greater efficiencies and effectiveness. This trend coincides with moves to reduce paper, coordinate larger teams with more diverse skills that are distributed around the globe, and to comply with regulatory requirements for electronic submissions and the associated maintenance of electronic records. Concurrently, the available technologies have implemented web-based architectures with a greater range of collaborative tools and personalization through portal approaches. However, successful application of knowledge management methods depends on effective cultural change management, as well as proper architectural design to match the organizational and work processes within a company.

Risk Management in Biologics Technology Transfer.

PubMed

Toso, Robert; Tsang, Jonathan; Xie, Jasmina; Hohwald, Stephen; Bain, David; Willison-Parry, Derek

Technology transfer of biological products is a complex process that is important for product commercialization. To achieve a successful technology transfer, the risks that arise from changes throughout the project must be managed. Iterative risk analysis and mitigation tools can be used to both evaluate and reduce risk. The technology transfer stage gate model is used as an example tool to help manage risks derived from both designed process change and unplanned changes that arise due to unforeseen circumstances. The strategy of risk assessment for a change can be tailored to the type of change. In addition, a cross-functional team and centralized documentation helps maximize risk management efficiency to achieve a successful technology transfer. © PDA, Inc. 2016.

Cities and “budget-based” management of the energy-water-climate nexus: Case studies in transportation policy, infrastructure systems, and urban utility risk management

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

Sperling, Joshua B.; Ramaswami, Anu

This article reviews city case studies to inform a framework for developing urban infrastructure design standards and policy instruments that together aim to pursue energy efficiency and greenhouse gas mitigation through city carbon budgets and water use efficiency and climate risk adaptation through city water budgets. Here, this article also proposes combining carbon and water budgeting at the city-scale for achieving successful coupled city carbon and water budget (CCCWB) programs. Under a CCCWB program, key actors including local governments, infrastructure designers/operators, and households would be assigned a GHG emissions and water 'budget' and be required by state or federal levelsmore » to keep within this budget through the use of flexibility mechanisms, incentive programs, and sanctions. Multiple incentives and cross-scale governance arrangements would be tied to energy-water systems integration, resource-efficient transportation and infrastructure development, and effective monitoring and management of energy use, emissions, climate risks to, and security of energy-water-transport-food and other critical systems. As a first step to promote strategies for CCCWB development, we systematically review approaches of and shortcomings to existing budget-based programs in the UK and US, and suggest improvements in three areas: measurement, modeling effectiveness of interventions for staying within a budget, and governance. To date, the majority of climate action or sustainability plans by cities, while mentioning climate impacts as a premise for the plan, do not address these impacts in the plan. They focus primarily on GHG mitigation while ignoring resource depletion challenges and energy-climate-water linkages, whereby water supplies can begin to limit energy production and energy shifts to mitigate climate change can limit water availability. Coupled carbon-water budget plans, programs, and policies - described in this study- may address these concerns as well as the emerging trends that will exacerbate these problems - e.g., including population growth, climatic changes, and emerging policy choices that are not coordinated. Cities and 'Budget-Based' Management of the Energy-Water-Climate Nexus: Case Studies to Inform Strategy for Integrated Performance- and Incentive-Based Design and Policy Instruments.« less

Cities and “budget-based” management of the energy-water-climate nexus: Case studies in transportation policy, infrastructure systems, and urban utility risk management

DOE PAGES

Sperling, Joshua B.; Ramaswami, Anu

2017-11-03

This article reviews city case studies to inform a framework for developing urban infrastructure design standards and policy instruments that together aim to pursue energy efficiency and greenhouse gas mitigation through city carbon budgets and water use efficiency and climate risk adaptation through city water budgets. Here, this article also proposes combining carbon and water budgeting at the city-scale for achieving successful coupled city carbon and water budget (CCCWB) programs. Under a CCCWB program, key actors including local governments, infrastructure designers/operators, and households would be assigned a GHG emissions and water 'budget' and be required by state or federal levelsmore » to keep within this budget through the use of flexibility mechanisms, incentive programs, and sanctions. Multiple incentives and cross-scale governance arrangements would be tied to energy-water systems integration, resource-efficient transportation and infrastructure development, and effective monitoring and management of energy use, emissions, climate risks to, and security of energy-water-transport-food and other critical systems. As a first step to promote strategies for CCCWB development, we systematically review approaches of and shortcomings to existing budget-based programs in the UK and US, and suggest improvements in three areas: measurement, modeling effectiveness of interventions for staying within a budget, and governance. To date, the majority of climate action or sustainability plans by cities, while mentioning climate impacts as a premise for the plan, do not address these impacts in the plan. They focus primarily on GHG mitigation while ignoring resource depletion challenges and energy-climate-water linkages, whereby water supplies can begin to limit energy production and energy shifts to mitigate climate change can limit water availability. Coupled carbon-water budget plans, programs, and policies - described in this study- may address these concerns as well as the emerging trends that will exacerbate these problems - e.g., including population growth, climatic changes, and emerging policy choices that are not coordinated. Cities and 'Budget-Based' Management of the Energy-Water-Climate Nexus: Case Studies to Inform Strategy for Integrated Performance- and Incentive-Based Design and Policy Instruments.« less

Using object-based image analysis to guide the selection of field sample locations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the most challenging tasks for resource management and research is designing field sampling schemes to achieve unbiased estimates of ecosystem parameters as efficiently as possible. This study focused on the potential of fine-scale image objects from object-based image analysis (OBIA) to be u...

Preventing Stalled Quality Improvement Teams: A Written Test of Project Selectionability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacdayan, Paul

2002-01-01

Discusses organizations' use of quality improvement teams in total quality management and how they can benefit from training team personnel in how to select projects with a low risk of stalling. Describes an efficient written assessment test of project selection ability designed for those who conduct evaluations of training sessions. (Author/LRW)

34 CFR 642.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... looks for information that shows methods of evaluation that are appropriate for the project and, to the... operation for the project. (2) The Secretary looks for information that shows— (i) High quality in the design of the project; (ii) An effective plan of managment that insures proper and efficient...

Fostering Undergraduate Research Experiences in Management Information Systems through the "Research Group" Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartkus, Ken; Mills, Robert; Olsen, David

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to propose an innovative approach to engaged learning. Founded on the principles of a scholarly think-tank and administered along the lines of a consulting organization, the proposed "Research Group" framework is designed to facilitate effective and efficient undergraduate research experiences in Management…

Maintaining Sustainability for Green Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

2011-01-01

The promise of sustainably designed school facilities is that they will operate more efficiently and last longer than buildings constructed in more traditional ways. But that promise comes with a big if. The payoff is delivered only if the facility managers operate and maintain the buildings in ways that adhere to sustainable strategies called for…

Human Factors of Queuing: A Library Circulation Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansfield, Jerry W.

1981-01-01

Classical queuing theories and their accompanying service facilities totally disregard the human factors in the name of efficiency. As library managers we need to be more responsive to human needs in the design of service points and make every effort to minimize queuing and queue frustration. Five references are listed. (Author/RAA)

The Elyria Schools First: An Initiative To Unleash a Community's Potential Empowering Children To Learn.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elyria City Board of Education, OH.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a process and strategy designed to improve an organization's effectiveness and efficiency. The Elyria Schools, named as Ohio's model urban school district in 1991, uses TQM to implement updated strategic goals through a process emphasizing teamwork, best knowledge, prevention, and commitment to continuous…

Working with Computers: Computer Orientation for Foreign Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Michael

Designed as a resource for foreign students, this book includes instructions not only on how to use computers, but also on how to use them to complete academic work more efficiently. Part I introduces the basic operations of mainframes and microcomputers and the major areas of computing, i.e., file management, editing, communications, databases,…

Design and Implementation of a Set-Top Box–Based Homecare System Using Hybrid Cloud

PubMed Central

Lin, Bor-Shing; Hsiao, Pei-Chi; Cheng, Po-Hsun; Jan, Gene Eu

2015-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Telemedicine has become a prevalent topic in recent years, and several telemedicine systems have been proposed; however, such systems are an unsuitable fit for the daily requirements of users. Materials and Methods: The system proposed in this study was developed as a set-top box integrated with the Android™ (Google, Mountain View, CA) operating system to provide a convenient and user-friendly interface. The proposed system can assist with family healthcare management, telemedicine service delivery, and information exchange among hospitals. To manage the system, a novel type of hybrid cloud architecture was also developed. Results: Updated information is stored on a public cloud, enabling medical staff members to rapidly access information when diagnosing patients. In the long term, the stored data can be reduced to improve the efficiency of the database. Conclusions: The proposed design offers a robust architecture for storing data in a homecare system and can thus resolve network overload and congestion resulting from accumulating data, which are inherent problems in centralized architectures, thereby improving system efficiency. PMID:26075333

Advances in Patch-Based Adaptive Mesh Refinement Scalability

DOE PAGES

Gunney, Brian T.N.; Anderson, Robert W.

2015-12-18

Patch-based structured adaptive mesh refinement (SAMR) is widely used for high-resolution simu- lations. Combined with modern supercomputers, it could provide simulations of unprecedented size and resolution. A persistent challenge for this com- bination has been managing dynamically adaptive meshes on more and more MPI tasks. The dis- tributed mesh management scheme in SAMRAI has made some progress SAMR scalability, but early al- gorithms still had trouble scaling past the regime of 105 MPI tasks. This work provides two critical SAMR regridding algorithms, which are integrated into that scheme to ensure efficiency of the whole. The clustering algorithm is an extensionmore » of the tile- clustering approach, making it more flexible and efficient in both clustering and parallelism. The partitioner is a new algorithm designed to prevent the network congestion experienced by its prede- cessor. We evaluated performance using weak- and strong-scaling benchmarks designed to be difficult for dynamic adaptivity. Results show good scaling on up to 1.5M cores and 2M MPI tasks. Detailed timing diagnostics suggest scaling would continue well past that.« less

Advances in Patch-Based Adaptive Mesh Refinement Scalability

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

Gunney, Brian T.N.; Anderson, Robert W.

Patch-based structured adaptive mesh refinement (SAMR) is widely used for high-resolution simu- lations. Combined with modern supercomputers, it could provide simulations of unprecedented size and resolution. A persistent challenge for this com- bination has been managing dynamically adaptive meshes on more and more MPI tasks. The dis- tributed mesh management scheme in SAMRAI has made some progress SAMR scalability, but early al- gorithms still had trouble scaling past the regime of 105 MPI tasks. This work provides two critical SAMR regridding algorithms, which are integrated into that scheme to ensure efficiency of the whole. The clustering algorithm is an extensionmore » of the tile- clustering approach, making it more flexible and efficient in both clustering and parallelism. The partitioner is a new algorithm designed to prevent the network congestion experienced by its prede- cessor. We evaluated performance using weak- and strong-scaling benchmarks designed to be difficult for dynamic adaptivity. Results show good scaling on up to 1.5M cores and 2M MPI tasks. Detailed timing diagnostics suggest scaling would continue well past that.« less

Innovative power management, attitude determination and control tile for CubeSat standard NanoSatellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Anwar; Mughal, M. Rizwan; Ali, Haider; Reyneri, Leonardo

2014-03-01

Electric power supply (EPS) and attitude determination and control subsystem (ADCS) are the most essential elements of any aerospace mission. Efficient EPS and precise ADCS are the core of any spacecraft mission. So keeping in mind their importance, they have been integrated and developed on a single tile called CubePMT module. Modular power management tiles (PMTs) are already available in the market but they are less efficient, heavier in weight, consume more power and contain less number of subsystems. Commercial of the shelf (COTS) components have been used for CubePMT implementation which are low cost and easily available from the market. CubePMT is developed on the design approach of AraMiS architecture: a project developed at Politecnico di Torino that provides low cost and higher performance space missions with dimensions larger than CubeSats. The feature of AraMiS design approach is its modularity. These modules can be reused for multiple missions which helps in significant reduction of the overall budget, development and testing time. One has just to reassemble the required subsystems to achieve the targeted specific mission.

NASA Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wayne; Yamauchi, Gloria K.; Watts, Michael E.

2005-01-01

The NASA Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Investigation examined in depth several rotorcraft configurations for large civil transport, designed to meet the technology goals of the NASA Vehicle Systems Program. The investigation identified the Large Civil Tiltrotor as the configuration with the best potential to meet the technology goals. The design presented was economically competitive, with the potential for substantial impact on the air transportation system. The keys to achieving a competitive aircraft were low drag airframe and low disk loading rotors; structural weight reduction, for both airframe and rotors; drive system weight reduction; improved engine efficiency; low maintenance design; and manufacturing cost comparable to fixed-wing aircraft. Risk reduction plans were developed to provide the strategic direction to support a heavy-lift rotorcraft development. The following high risk areas were identified for heavy lift rotorcraft: high torque, light weight drive system; high performance, structurally efficient rotor/wing system; low noise aircraft; and super-integrated vehicle management system.

Ultralow-power electronics for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Chandrakasan, Anantha P; Verma, Naveen; Daly, Denis C

2008-01-01

The electronics of a general biomedical device consist of energy delivery, analog-to-digital conversion, signal processing, and communication subsystems. Each of these blocks must be designed for minimum energy consumption. Specific design techniques, such as aggressive voltage scaling, dynamic power-performance management, and energy-efficient signaling, must be employed to adhere to the stringent energy constraint. The constraint itself is set by the energy source, so energy harvesting holds tremendous promise toward enabling sophisticated systems without straining user lifestyle. Further, once harvested, efficient delivery of the low-energy levels, as well as robust operation in the aggressive low-power modes, requires careful understanding and treatment of the specific design limitations that dominate this realm. We outline the performance and power constraints of biomedical devices, and present circuit techniques to achieve complete systems operating down to power levels of microwatts. In all cases, approaches that leverage advanced technology trends are emphasized.

Research and Design on a Product Data Definition System of Semiconductor Packaging Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jinfei; Ma, Qingyao; Zhou, Yifan; Chen, Ruwen

2017-12-01

This paper develops a product data definition (PDD) system for a semiconductor packaging and testing company with independent intellectual property rights. The new PDD system can solve the problems such as, the effective control of production plans, the timely feedback of production processes, and the efficient schedule of resources. Firstly, this paper introduces the general requirements of the PDD system and depicts the operation flow and the data flow of the PDD system. Secondly, the overall design scheme of the PDD system is put forward. After that, the physical data model is developed using the Power Designer15.0 tool, and the database system is built. Finally, the function realization and running effects of the PDD system are analysed. The successful operation of the PDD system can realize the information flow among various production departments of the enterprise to meet the standard of the enterprise manufacturing integration and improve the efficiency of production management.

Research on elastic resource management for multi-queue under cloud computing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

CHENG, Zhenjing; LI, Haibo; HUANG, Qiulan; Cheng, Yaodong; CHEN, Gang

2017-10-01

As a new approach to manage computing resource, virtualization technology is more and more widely applied in the high-energy physics field. A virtual computing cluster based on Openstack was built at IHEP, using HTCondor as the job queue management system. In a traditional static cluster, a fixed number of virtual machines are pre-allocated to the job queue of different experiments. However this method cannot be well adapted to the volatility of computing resource requirements. To solve this problem, an elastic computing resource management system under cloud computing environment has been designed. This system performs unified management of virtual computing nodes on the basis of job queue in HTCondor based on dual resource thresholds as well as the quota service. A two-stage pool is designed to improve the efficiency of resource pool expansion. This paper will present several use cases of the elastic resource management system in IHEPCloud. The practical run shows virtual computing resource dynamically expanded or shrunk while computing requirements change. Additionally, the CPU utilization ratio of computing resource was significantly increased when compared with traditional resource management. The system also has good performance when there are multiple condor schedulers and multiple job queues.

Evaluating the Properties of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Nanoparticle Formulations Encapsulating a Hydrophobic Drug by Using the Quality by Design Approach.

PubMed

Kozaki, Masato; Kobayashi, Shin-Ichiro; Goda, Yukihiro; Okuda, Haruhiro; Sakai-Kato, Kumiko

2017-01-01

We applied the Quality by Design (QbD) approach to the development of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticle formulations encapsulating triamcinolone acetonide, and the critical process parameters (CPPs) were identified to clarify the correlations between critical quality attributes and CPPs. Quality risk management was performed by using an Ishikawa diagram and experiments with a fractional factorial design (ANOVA). The CPPs for particle size were PLGA concentration and rotation speed, and the CPP for relative drug loading efficiency was the poor solvent to good solvent volume ratio. By assessing the mutually related factors in the form of ratios, many factors could be efficiently considered in the risk assessment. We found a two-factor interaction between rotation speed and rate of addition of good solvent by using a fractional factorial design with resolution V. The system was then extended by using a central composite design, and the results obtained were visualized by using the response surface method to construct a design space. Our research represents a case study of the application of the QbD approach to pharmaceutical development, including formulation screening, by taking actual production factors into consideration. Our findings support the feasibility of using a similar approach to nanoparticle formulations under development. We could establish an efficient method of analyzing the CPPs of PLGA nanoparticles by using a QbD approach.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Bailey, W. J.

1985-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility is a reusable test bed which is designed to be carried within the Shuttle cargo bay to investigate the systems and technologies associated with the efficient management of cryogens in space. Cryogenic fluid management consists of the systems and technologies for: (1) liquid storage and supply, including capillary acquisition/expulsion systems which provide single-phase liquid to the user system, (2) both passive and active thermal control systems, and (3) fluid transfer/resupply systems, including transfer lines and receiver tanks. The facility contains a storage and supply tank, a transfer line and a receiver tank, configured to provide low-g verification of fluid and thermal models of cryogenic storage and transfer processes. The facility will provide design data and criteria for future subcritical cryogenic storage and transfer system applications, such as Space Station life support, attitude control, power and fuel depot supply, resupply tankers, external tank (ET) propellant scavenging, and ground-based and space-based orbit transfer vehicles (OTV).

Enabling fast charging – Battery thermal considerations

DOE PAGES

Keyser, Matthew; Pesaran, Ahmad; Li, Qibo; ...

2017-10-23

Battery thermal barriers are reviewed with regards to extreme fast charging. Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell,more » the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today’s market. Here, thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.« less

Enabling fast charging – Battery thermal considerations

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

Keyser, Matthew; Pesaran, Ahmad; Li, Qibo

Battery thermal barriers are reviewed with regards to extreme fast charging. Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell,more » the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today’s market. Here, thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.« less

A New Model for the Organizational Structure of Medical Record Departments in Hospitals in Iran

PubMed Central

Moghaddasi, Hamid; Hosseini, Azamossadat; Sheikhtaheri, Abbas

2006-01-01

The organizational structure of medical record departments in Iran is not appropriate for the efficient management of healthcare information. In addition, there is no strong information management division to provide comprehensive information management services in hospitals in Iran. Therefore, a suggested model was designed based on four main axes: 1) specifications of a Health Information Management Division, 2) specifications of a Healthcare Information Management Department, 3) the functions of the Healthcare Information Management Department, and 4) the units of the Healthcare Information Management Department. The validity of the model was determined through use of the Delphi technique. The results of the validation process show that the majority of experts agree with the model and consider it to be appropriate and applicable for hospitals in Iran. The model is therefore recommended for hospitals in Iran. PMID:18066362

More Efficient Sodium Removal by Ultrafiltration Compared to Diuretics in Acute Heart Failure; Underexplored and Overstated.

PubMed

Kazory, Amir

2016-01-01

Enhanced removal of sodium has often been cited as an advantage of ultrafiltration (UF) therapy over diuretic-based medical treatment in the management of acute decompensated heart failure. However, so far clinical studies have rarely evaluated the precise magnitude of sodium removal, and this assumption is largely based on the physiologic mechanisms and anecdotal observations that predate the contemporary management of heart failure. Recent data suggest that patients treated with UF experience substantial reduction in urinary sodium excretion possibly due to prolonged intravascular volume contraction. Consequently, the efficient sodium extraction through production of isotonic ultrafiltrate can be offset by urine hypotonicity. Based on the limited currently available data, it seems unlikely that the persistent benefits of UF could be solely explained by its greater efficiency in sodium removal. The design of the future studies should include frequent measurements of urine sodium to precisely compare the impact of UF and diuretics on sodium balance. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Hybrid scheduling mechanisms for Next-generation Passive Optical Networks based on network coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jijun; Bai, Wei; Liu, Xin; Feng, Nan; Maier, Martin

2014-10-01

Network coding (NC) integrated into Passive Optical Networks (PONs) is regarded as a promising solution to achieve higher throughput and energy efficiency. To efficiently support multimedia traffic under this new transmission mode, novel NC-based hybrid scheduling mechanisms for Next-generation PONs (NG-PONs) including energy management, time slot management, resource allocation, and Quality-of-Service (QoS) scheduling are proposed in this paper. First, we design an energy-saving scheme that is based on Bidirectional Centric Scheduling (BCS) to reduce the energy consumption of both the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Units (ONUs). Next, we propose an intra-ONU scheduling and an inter-ONU scheduling scheme, which takes NC into account to support service differentiation and QoS assurance. The presented simulation results show that BCS achieves higher energy efficiency under low traffic loads, clearly outperforming the alternative NC-based Upstream Centric Scheduling (UCS) scheme. Furthermore, BCS is shown to provide better QoS assurance.

Towards stable and commercially available perovskite solar cells

DOE PAGES

Park, Nam-Gyu; Grätzel, Michael; Miyasaka, Tsutomu; ...

2016-10-17

Solar cells employing a halide perovskite with an organic cation now show power conversion efficiency of up to 22%. But, these cells are facing issues towards commercialization, such as the need to achieve long-term stability and the development of a manufacturing method for the reproducible fabrication of high-performance devices. We propose a strategy to obtain stable and commercially viable perovskite solar cells. A reproducible manufacturing method is suggested, as well as routes to manage grain boundaries and interfacial charge transport. Electroluminescence is regarded as a metric to gauge theoretical efficiency. We highlight how optimizing the design of device architectures ismore » important not only for achieving high efficiency but also for hysteresis-free and stable performance. Here, we argue that reliable device characterization is needed to ensure the advance of this technology towards practical applications. We believe that perovskite-based devices can be competitive with silicon solar modules, and discuss issues related to the safe management of toxic material.« less

Medical emergencies in the dental surgery. Part 1: Preparation of the office and basic management.

PubMed

Malamed, Stanley F

2015-12-01

Medical emergencies can and do happen in the dental surgery. In the 20- to 30-year practice lifetime of the typical dentist, he/she will encounter between five and seven emergency situations. Being prepared in advance of the emergency increases the likelihood of a successful outcome. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER: To prepare members of the dental office staff to be able to promptly recognize and efficiently manage those medical emergency situations that can occur in the dental office environment. Preparation of the dental office to promptly recognize and efficiently manage medical emergencies is predicated on successful implementation of the following four steps: basic life support for ALL members of the dental office staff; creation of a dental office emergency team; activation of emergency medial services (EMS) when indicated; and basic emergency drugs and equipment. The basic emergency algorithm (P->C->A->B->D) is designed for implementation in all emergency situations. Prompt implementation of the basic emergency management protocol can significantly increase the likelihood of a successful result when medical emergencies occur in the dental office environment.

An Ada implementation of the network manager for the advanced information processing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagle, Gail A.

1986-01-01

From an implementation standpoint, the Ada language provided many features which facilitated the data and procedure abstraction process. The language supported a design which was dynamically flexible (despite strong typing), modular, and self-documenting. Adequate training of programmers requires access to an efficient compiler which supports full Ada. When the performance issues for real time processing are finally addressed by more stringent requirements for tasking features and the development of efficient run-time environments for embedded systems, the full power of the language will be realized.

How to design a horizontal patient-focused hospital.

PubMed

Murphy, E C; Ruflin, P

1993-05-01

Work Imaging is an executive information system for analyzing the cost effectiveness and efficiency of work processes and structures in health care. Advanced Work Imaging relational database technology allows managers and employees to take a sample work activities profile organization-wide. This is married to financial and organizational data to produce images of work within and across all functions, departments, and levels. The images are benchmarked against best practice data to provide insight on the quality and cost efficiency of work practice patterns, from individual roles to departmental skill mix to organization-wide service processes.

Aerodynamics/ACEE: Aircraft energy efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

An overview is presented of a 10 year program managed by NASA which seeks to make possible the most efficient use of energy for aircraft propulsion and lift as well as provide a technology that can be used by U.S. manufacturers of air transports and engines. Supercritical wings, winglets, vortex drag reduction, high lift, active control, laminar flow control, and aerodynamics by computer are among the topics discussed. Wind tunnel models in flight verification of advanced technology, and the design, construction and testing of various aircraft structures are also described.

Integrity management of offshore structures and its implication on computation of structural action effects and resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moan, T.

2017-12-01

An overview of integrity management of offshore structures, with emphasis on the oil and gas energy sector, is given. Based on relevant accident experiences and means to control the associated risks, accidents are categorized from a technical-physical as well as human and organizational point of view. Structural risk relates to extreme actions as well as structural degradation. Risk mitigation measures, including adequate design criteria, inspection, repair and maintenance as well as quality assurance and control of engineering processes, are briefly outlined. The current status of risk and reliability methodology to aid decisions in the integrity management is briefly reviewed. Finally, the need to balance the uncertainties in data, methods and computational efforts and the cautious use and quality assurance and control in applying high fidelity methods to avoid human errors, is emphasized, and with a plea to develop both high fidelity as well as efficient, simplified methods for design.

Modular, Reconfigurable, High-Energy Systems Stepping Stones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, Joe T.; Carrington, Connie K.; Mankins, John C.

2005-01-01

Modular, Reconfigurable, High-Energy Systems are Stepping Stones to provide capabilities for energy-rich infrastructure strategically located in space to support a variety of exploration scenarios. Abundant renewable energy at lunar or L1 locations could support propellant production and storage in refueling scenarios that enable affordable exploration. Renewable energy platforms in geosynchronous Earth orbits can collect and transmit power to satellites, or to Earth-surface locations. Energy-rich space technologies also enable the use of electric-powered propulsion systems that could efficiently deliver cargo and exploration facilities to remote locations. A first step to an energy-rich space infrastructure is a 100-kWe class solar-powered platform in Earth orbit. The platform would utilize advanced technologies in solar power collection and generation, power management and distribution, thermal management, and electric propulsion. It would also provide a power-rich free-flying platform to demonstrate in space a portfolio of technology flight experiments. This paper presents a preliminary design concept for a 100-kWe solar-powered satellite with the capability to flight-demonstrate a variety of payload experiments and to utilize electric propulsion. State-of-the-art solar concentrators, highly efficient multi-junction solar cells, integrated thermal management on the arrays, and innovative deployable structure design and packaging make the 100-kW satellite feasible for launch on one existing launch vehicle. Higher voltage arrays and power management and distribution (PMAD) systems reduce or eliminate the need for massive power converters, and could enable direct- drive of high-voltage solar electric thrusters.

Design of housing file box of fire academy based on RFID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huaiyi

2018-04-01

This paper presents a design scheme of intelligent file box based on RFID. The advantages of RFID file box and traditional file box are compared and analyzed, and the feasibility of RFID file box design is analyzed based on the actual situation of our university. After introducing the shape and structure design of the intelligent file box, the paper discusses the working process of the file box, and explains in detail the internal communication principle of the RFID file box and the realization of the control system. The application of the RFID based file box will greatly improve the efficiency of our school's archives management.

Respiratory care management information systems.

PubMed

Ford, Richard M

2004-04-01

Hospital-wide computerized information systems evolved from the need to capture patient information and perform billing and other financial functions. These systems, however, have fallen short of meeting the needs of respiratory care departments regarding work load assessment, productivity management, and the level of outcome reporting required to support programs such as patient-driven protocols. The respiratory care management information systems (RCMIS) of today offer many advantages over paper-based systems and hospital-wide computer systems. RCMIS are designed to facilitate functions specific to respiratory care, including assessing work demand, assigning and tracking resources, charting, billing, and reporting results. RCMIS incorporate mobile, point-of-care charting and are highly configurable to meet the specific needs of individual respiratory care departments. Important and substantial benefits can be realized with an RCMIS and mobile, wireless charting devices. The initial and ongoing costs of an RCMIS are justified by increased charge capture and reduced costs, by way of improved productivity and efficiency. It is not unusual to recover the total cost of an RCMIS within the first year of its operation. In addition, such systems can facilitate and monitor patient-care protocols and help to efficiently manage the vast amounts of information encountered during the practitioner's workday. Respiratory care departments that invest in RCMIS have an advantage in the provision of quality care and in reducing expenses. A centralized respiratory therapy department with an RCMIS is the most efficient and cost-effective way to monitor work demand and manage the hospital-wide allocation of respiratory care services.

Simulative method for determining the optimal operating conditions for a cooling plate for lithium-ion battery cell modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Joshua; Hinterberger, Michael; Hable, Peter; Koehler, Juergen

2014-12-01

Extended battery system lifetime and reduced costs are essential to the success of electric vehicles. An effective thermal management strategy is one method of enhancing system lifetime increasing vehicle range. Vehicle-typical space restrictions favor the minimization of battery thermal management system (BTMS) size and weight, making their production and subsequent vehicle integration extremely difficult and complex. Due to these space requirements, a cooling plate as part of a water-glycerol cooling circuit is commonly implemented. This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and multi-objective analysis technique for determining the thermal effect of coolant flow rate and inlet temperature in a cooling plate-at a range of vehicle operating conditions-on a battery system, thereby providing a dynamic input for one-dimensional models. Traditionally, one-dimensional vehicular thermal management system models assume a static heat input from components such as a battery system: as a result, the components are designed for a set coolant input (flow rate and inlet temperature). Such a design method is insufficient for dynamic thermal management models and control strategies, thereby compromising system efficiency. The presented approach allows for optimal BMTS design and integration in the vehicular coolant circuit.

Design of a lighting system with high-power LEDs, large area electronics, and light management structure in the LUMENTILE European project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carraro, L.; Simonetta, M.; Benetti, G.; Tramonte, A.; Capelli, G.; Benedetti, M.; Randone, E. M.; Ylisaukko-oja, A.; Keränen, K.; Facchinetti, T.; Giuliani, G.

2017-02-01

LUMENTILE (LUMinous ElectroNic TILE) is a project funded by the European Commission with the goal of developing a luminous tile with novel functionalities, capable of changing its color and interact with the user. Applications include interior/exterior tile for walls and floors covering, high-efficiency luminaries, and advertising under the form of giant video screens. High overall electrical efficiency of the tile is mandatory, as several millions of square meters are foreseen to be installed each year. Demand is for high uniformity of the illumination of the top tile surface, and for high optical extraction efficiency. These features are achieved by smart light management, using a new approach based on light guiding slab and spatially selective light extraction obtained using both diffusion and/or reflection from the top and bottom interfaces of the optical layer. Planar and edge configurations for the RGB LEDs are considered and compared. A square shape with side length from 20cm to 60cm is considered for the tiles. The electronic circuit layout must optimize the electrical efficiency, and be compatible with low-cost roll-to-roll production on flexible substrates. LED heat management is tackled by using dedicated solutions that allow operation in thermally harsh environment. An approach based on OLEDs has also been considered, still needing improvement on emitted power and ruggedness.

ATLAS Data Management Accounting with Hadoop Pig and HBase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lassnig, Mario; Garonne, Vincent; Dimitrov, Gancho; Canali, Luca

2012-12-01

The ATLAS Distributed Data Management system requires accounting of its contents at the metadata layer. This presents a hard problem due to the large scale of the system, the high dimensionality of attributes, and the high rate of concurrent modifications of data. The system must efficiently account more than 90PB of disk and tape that store upwards of 500 million files across 100 sites globally. In this work a generic accounting system is presented, which is able to scale to the requirements of ATLAS. The design and architecture is presented, and the implementation is discussed. An emphasis is placed on the design choices such that the underlying data models are generally applicable to different kinds of accounting, reporting and monitoring.

Design and development of bio-inspired framework for reservoir operation optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asvini, M. Sakthi; Amudha, T.

2017-12-01

Frameworks for optimal reservoir operation play an important role in the management of water resources and delivery of economic benefits. Effective utilization and conservation of water from reservoirs helps to manage water deficit periods. The main challenge in reservoir optimization is to design operating rules that can be used to inform real-time decisions on reservoir release. We develop a bio-inspired framework for the optimization of reservoir release to satisfy the diverse needs of various stakeholders. In this work, single-objective optimization and multiobjective optimization problems are formulated using an algorithm known as "strawberry optimization" and tested with actual reservoir data. Results indicate that well planned reservoir operations lead to efficient deployment of the reservoir water with the help of optimal release patterns.

Application of BIM technology in green scientific research office building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Xin; Sun, Jianhua; Wang, Bo

2017-05-01

BIM technology as a kind of information technology, has been along with the advancement of building industrialization application in domestic building industry gradually. Based on reasonable construction BIM model, using BIM technology platform, through collaborative design tools can effectively improve the design efficiency and design quality. Vanda northwest engineering design and research institute co., LTD., the scientific research office building project in combination with the practical situation of engineering using BIM technology, formed in the BIM model combined with related information according to the energy energy model (BEM) and the application of BIM technology in construction management stage made exploration, and the direct experience and the achievements gained by the architectural design part made a summary.

Design of Organic Solar Cells as a Function of Radiative Quantum Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godefroid, Blaise; Kozyreff, Gregory

2017-09-01

We study the radiative decay, or fluorescence, of excitons in organic solar cells as a function of its geometrical parameters. Contrary to their nonradiative counterpart, fluorescence losses strongly depend on the environment. By properly tuning the thicknesses of the buffer layers between the active regions of the cell and the electrodes, the exciton lifetime and, hence, the exciton diffusion length can be increased. The importance of this phenomenon depends on the radiative quantum efficiency, which is the fraction of the exciton decay that is intrinsically due to fluorescence. Besides this effect, interferences within the cell control the efficiency of sunlight injection into the active layers. The optimal cell design must rely on a consideration of these two aspects. By properly managing fluorescence losses, one can significantly improve the cell performance. To demonstrate this fact, we use realistic material parameters inspired from literature data and obtain an increase of power-conversion efficiency from 11.3% to 12.7%. Conversely, not to take into account the strong dependence of fluorescence on the environment may lead to a suboptimal cell design and a degradation of cell performance. The presence of radiative losses, however small, significantly changes the optimal set of thicknesses. We illustrate the latter situation with experimental material data.

Design and Implementation of a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network to Support the Intelligent Control of Efficient Energy Usage.

PubMed

Blanco, Jesús; García, Andrés; Morenas, Javier de Las

2018-06-09

Energy saving has become a major concern for the developed society of our days. This paper presents a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network (WSAN) designed to provide support to an automatic intelligent system, based on the Internet of Things (IoT), which enables a responsible consumption of energy. The proposed overall system performs an efficient energetic management of devices, machines and processes, optimizing their operation to achieve a reduction in their overall energy usage at any given time. For this purpose, relevant data is collected from intelligent sensors, which are in-stalled at the required locations, as well as from the energy market through the Internet. This information is analysed to provide knowledge about energy utilization, and to improve efficiency. The system takes autonomous decisions automatically, based on the available information and the specific requirements in each case. The proposed system has been implanted and tested in a food factory. Results show a great optimization of energy efficiency and a substantial improvement on energy and costs savings.

Improving a free air breathing proton exchange membrane fuel cell through the Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higuita Cano, Mauricio; Mousli, Mohamed Islam Aniss; Kelouwani, Sousso; Agbossou, Kodjo; Hammoudi, Mhamed; Dubé, Yves

2017-03-01

This work investigates the design and validation of a fuel cell management system (FCMS) which can perform when the fuel cell is at water freezing temperature. This FCMS is based on a new tracking technique with intelligent prediction, which combined the Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking with variable perturbation-current step and the fuzzy logic technique (MEPT-FL). Unlike conventional fuel cell control systems, our proposed FCMS considers the cold-weather conditions, the reduction of fuel cell set-point oscillations. In addition, the FCMS is built to respond quickly and effectively to the variations of electric load. A temperature controller stage is designed in conjunction with the MEPT-FL in order to operate the FC at low-temperature values whilst tracking at the same time the maximum efficiency point. The simulation results have as well experimental validation suggest that propose approach is effective and can achieve an average efficiency improvement up to 8%. The MEPT-FL is validated using a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) of 500 W.

Wastewater Management Study for Cleveland-Akron and Three Rivers Watershed Areas, 1970. Appendix III. Municipal Wastewater and Stormwater Runoff.

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-08-01

average to peak flows. Cost estimates include provision of diesel-electric standby power generation. Sewage pumping stations are generally designed for a...20 year design period. The pumping station power costs have been based on a pump efficiency of 75%, the appropriate pumping head, and a power cost of...considered by the project evaluators. Table E4 shows both the total power generating capacity of the station as well as that which is normally available

Design of investment management optimization system for power grid companies under new electricity reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Chunhui; Su, Zhixiong; Wang, Xin; Liu, Yang; Qi, Yongwei

2017-03-01

The new normalization of the economic situation and the implementation of a new round of electric power system reform put forward higher requirements to the daily operation of power grid companies. As an important day-to-day operation of power grid companies, investment management is directly related to the promotion of the company's operating efficiency and management level. In this context, the establishment of power grid company investment management optimization system will help to improve the level of investment management and control the company, which is of great significance for power gird companies to adapt to market environment changing as soon as possible and meet the policy environment requirements. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to construct the investment management optimization system of power grid companies, which includes investment management system, investment process control system, investment structure optimization system, and investment project evaluation system and investment management information platform support system.

Making It Local: Beacon Communities Use Health Information Technology to Optimize Care Management

PubMed Central

Allen, Amy; Des Jardins, Terrisca R.; Heider, Arvela; Kanger, Chatrian R.; Lobach, David F.; McWilliams, Lee; Polello, Jennifer M.; Schachter, Abigail A.; Singh, Ranjit; Sorondo, Barbara; Tulikangas, Megan C.; Turske, Scott A.

2014-01-01

Abstract Care management aims to provide cost-effective, coordinated, non-duplicative care to improve care quality, population health, and reduce costs. The 17 communities receiving funding from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology through the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program are leaders in building and strengthening their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure to provide more effective and efficient care management. This article profiles 6 Beacon Communities' health IT-enabled care management programs, highlighting the influence of local context on program strategy and design, and describing challenges, lessons learned, and policy implications for care delivery and payment reform. The unique needs (eg, disease burden, demographics), community partnerships, and existing resources and infrastructure all exerted significant influence on the overall priorities and design of each community's care management program. Though each Beacon Community needed to engage in a similar set of care management tasks—including patient identification, stratification, and prioritization; intervention; patient engagement; and evaluation—the contextual factors helped shape the specific strategies and tools used to carry out these tasks and achieve their objectives. Although providers across the country are striving to deliver standardized, high-quality care, the diverse contexts in which this care is delivered significantly influence the priorities, strategies, and design of community-based care management interventions. Gaps and challenges in implementing effective community-based care management programs include: optimizing allocation of care management services; lack of available technology tailored to care management needs; lack of standards and interoperability; integrating care management into care settings; evaluating impact; and funding and sustainability. (Population Health Management 2014;17:149–158) PMID:24476558

Energy Efficient Building Management | Climate Neutral Research Campuses |

Science.gov Websites

NREL Efficient Building Management Energy Efficient Building Management As campuses complete generate the greatest climate impact. Energy efficient management in the existing stock of buildings is the following links go to sections that describe how an energy buildings management and maintenance program may

How to Manage Hospital-Based Palliative Care Teams Without Full-Time Palliative Care Physicians in Designated Cancer Care Hospitals: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Sakashita, Akihiro; Kishino, Megumi; Nakazawa, Yoko; Yotani, Nobuyuki; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Kizawa, Yoshiyuki

2016-07-01

To clarify how highly active hospital palliative care teams can provide efficient and effective care regardless of the lack of full-time palliative care physicians. Semistructured focus group interviews were conducted, and content analysis was performed. A total of 7 physicians and 6 nurses participated. We extracted 209 codes from the transcripts and organized them into 3 themes and 21 categories, which were classified as follows: (1) tips for managing palliative care teams efficiently and effectively (7 categories); (2) ways of acquiring specialist palliative care expertise (9 categories); and (3) ways of treating symptoms that are difficult to alleviate (5 categories). The findings of this study can be used as a nautical chart of hospital-based palliative care team (HPCT) without full-time PC physician. Full-time nurses who have high management and coordination abilities play a central role in resource-limited HPCTs. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Web Based Collaborative Design Environment for Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunphy, Julia

1998-01-01

In this era of shrinking federal budgets in the USA we need to dramatically improve our efficiency in the spacecraft engineering design process. We have come up with a method which captures much of the experts' expertise in a dataflow design graph: Seamlessly connectable set of local and remote design tools; Seamlessly connectable web based design tools; and Web browser interface to the developing spacecraft design. We have recently completed our first web browser interface and demonstrated its utility in the design of an aeroshell using design tools located at web sites at three NASA facilities. Multiple design engineers and managers are now able to interrogate the design engine simultaneously and find out what the design looks like at any point in the design cycle, what its parameters are, and how it reacts to adverse space environments.

Aerodynamic Design Study of Advanced Multistage Axial Compressor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larosiliere, Louis M.; Wood, Jerry R.; Hathaway, Michael D.; Medd, Adam J.; Dang, Thong Q.

2002-01-01

As a direct response to the need for further performance gains from current multistage axial compressors, an investigation of advanced aerodynamic design concepts that will lead to compact, high-efficiency, and wide-operability configurations is being pursued. Part I of this report describes the projected level of technical advancement relative to the state of the art and quantifies it in terms of basic aerodynamic technology elements of current design systems. A rational enhancement of these elements is shown to lead to a substantial expansion of the design and operability space. Aerodynamic design considerations for a four-stage core compressor intended to serve as a vehicle to develop, integrate, and demonstrate aerotechnology advancements are discussed. This design is biased toward high efficiency at high loading. Three-dimensional blading and spanwise tailoring of vector diagrams guided by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are used to manage the aerodynamics of the high-loaded endwall regions. Certain deleterious flow features, such as leakage-vortex-dominated endwall flow and strong shock-boundary-layer interactions, were identified and targeted for improvement. However, the preliminary results were encouraging and the front two stages were extracted for further aerodynamic trimming using a three-dimensional inverse design method described in part II of this report. The benefits of the inverse design method are illustrated by developing an appropriate pressure-loading strategy for transonic blading and applying it to reblade the rotors in the front two stages of the four-stage configuration. Multistage CFD simulations based on the average passage formulation indicated an overall efficiency potential far exceeding current practice for the front two stages. Results of the CFD simulation at the aerodynamic design point are interrogated to identify areas requiring additional development. In spite of the significantly higher aerodynamic loadings, advanced CFD-based tools were able to effectively guide the design of a very efficient axial compressor under state-of-the-art aeromechanical constraints.

SPOT4 Management Centre

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labrune, Yves; Labbe, X.; Roussel, A.; Vielcanet, P.

1994-01-01

In the context of the CNES SPOT4 program CISI is particularly responsible for the development of the SPOT4 Management Centre, part of the SPOT4 ground control system located at CNES Toulouse (France) designed to provide simultaneous control over two satellites. The main operational activities are timed to synchronize with satellite visibilities (ten usable passes per day). The automatic capability of this system is achieved through agenda services (sequence of operations as defined and planned by operator). Therefore, the SPOT4 Management Centre offers limited, efficient and secure human interventions for supervision and decision making. This paper emphasizes the main system characteristics as degree of automation, level of dependability and system parameterization.

Research of home energy management system based on technology of PLC and ZigBee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qi; Shen, Jiaojiao

2015-12-01

In view of the problem of saving effectively energy and energy management in home, this paper designs a home energy intelligent control system based on power line carrier communication and wireless ZigBee sensor networks. The system is based on ARM controller, power line carrier communication and wireless ZigBee sensor network as the terminal communication mode, and realizes the centralized and intelligent control of home appliances. Through the combination of these two technologies, the advantages of the two technologies complement each other, and provide a feasible plan for the construction of energy-efficient, intelligent home energy management system.

Managing Content in a Matter of Minutes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

NASA software created to help scientists expeditiously search and organize their research documents is now aiding compliance personnel, law enforcement investigators, and the general public in their efforts to search, store, manage, and retrieve documents more efficiently. Developed at Ames Research Center, NETMARK software was designed to manipulate vast amounts of unstructured and semi-structured NASA documents. NETMARK is both a relational and object-oriented technology built on an Oracle enterprise-wide database. To ensure easy user access, Ames constructed NETMARK as a Web-enabled platform utilizing the latest in Internet technology. One of the significant benefits of the program was its ability to store and manage mission-critical data.

Do managed care plans' tiered networks lead to inequities in care for minority patients?

PubMed

Brennan, Troyen A; Spettell, Claire M; Fernandes, Joaquim; Downey, Roberta L; Carrara, Lisa M

2008-01-01

This study examined whether specialists designated as meeting efficiency thresholds in an insurance company's performance network were less likely than non-designated specialists to treat minority patients insured by that company. Claims data were used to identify patients treated by specialists. Claimants' race/ethnicity status was self-reported to the insurer at enrollment. In large part, minority patients appeared to be evenly distributed across the performance network, with the exception of Asian/Pacific Islanders, who appeared to be more likely to be treated by nondesignated physicians than by designated "good-performing" specialists.

NASA technology program for future civil air transports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, H. T.

1983-01-01

An assessment is undertaken of the development status of technology, applicable to future civil air transport design, which is currently undergoing conceptual study or testing at NASA facilities. The NASA civil air transport effort emphasizes advanced aerodynamic computational capabilities, fuel-efficient engines, advanced turboprops, composite primary structure materials, advanced aerodynamic concepts in boundary layer laminarization and aircraft configuration, refined control, guidance and flight management systems, and the integration of all these design elements into optimal systems. Attention is given to such novel transport aircraft design concepts as forward swept wings, twin fuselages, sandwich composite structures, and swept blade propfans.

Thermal Emission Control via Bandgap Engineering in Aperiodically Designed Nanophotonic Devices.

PubMed

Maciá, Enrique

2015-05-20

Aperiodic photonic crystals can open up novel routes for more efficient photon management due to increased degrees of freedom in their design along with the unique properties brought about by the long-range aperiodic order as compared to their periodic counterparts. In this work we first describe the fundamental notions underlying the idea of thermal emission/absorption control on the basis of the systematic use of aperiodic multilayer designs in photonic quasicrystals. Then, we illustrate the potential applications of this approach in order to enhance the performance of daytime radiative coolers and solar thermoelectric energy generators.

Thermal Emission Control via Bandgap Engineering in Aperiodically Designed Nanophotonic Devices

PubMed Central

Maciá, Enrique

2015-01-01

Aperiodic photonic crystals can open up novel routes for more efficient photon management due to increased degrees of freedom in their design along with the unique properties brought about by the long-range aperiodic order as compared to their periodic counterparts. In this work we first describe the fundamental notions underlying the idea of thermal emission/absorption control on the basis of the systematic use of aperiodic multilayer designs in photonic quasicrystals. Then, we illustrate the potential applications of this approach in order to enhance the performance of daytime radiative coolers and solar thermoelectric energy generators. PMID:28347037

Building America

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

Brad Oberg

2010-12-31

Builders generally use a 'spec and purchase' business management system (BMS) when implementing energy efficiency. A BMS is the overall operational and organizational systems and strategies that a builder uses to set up and run its company. This type of BMS treats building performance as a simple technology swap (e.g. a tank water heater to a tankless water heater) and typically compartmentalizes energy efficiency within one or two groups in the organization (e.g. purchasing and construction). While certain tools, such as details, checklists, and scopes of work, can assist builders in managing the quality of the construction of higher performancemore » homes, they do nothing to address the underlying operational strategies and issues related to change management that builders face when they make high performance homes a core part of their mission. To achieve the systems integration necessary for attaining 40% + levels of energy efficiency, while capturing the cost tradeoffs, builders must use a 'systems approach' BMS, rather than a 'spec and purchase' BMS. The following attributes are inherent in a systems approach BMS; they are also generally seen in quality management systems (QMS), such as the National Housing Quality Certification program: Cultural and corporate alignment, Clear intent for quality and performance, Increased collaboration across internal and external teams, Better communication practices and systems, Disciplined approach to quality control, Measurement and verification of performance, Continuous feedback and improvement, and Whole house integrated design and specification.« less

Environmental effects of dredging. Documentation of the dyecon module for ADDAMS: Determining the hydraulic retention and efficiency of confined disposal facilities. Technical note

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

Hayes, D.F.; Schroeder, P.R.; Engler, R.M.

This technical note describes procedures for determining mean hydraulic retention time and efficiency of a confined disposal facility (CDF) from a dye tracer slug test. These parameters are required to properly design a CDF for solids retention and for effluent quality considerations. Detailed information on conduct and analysis of dye tracer studies can be found in Engineer Manual 1110-2-5027, Confined Dredged Material Disposal. This technical note documents the DYECON computer program which facilitates the analysis of dye tracer concentration data and computes the hydraulic efficiency of a CDF as part of the Automated Dredging and Disposal Alternatives Management System (ADDAMS).

Novel thermal management system design methodology for power lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieto, Nerea; Díaz, Luis; Gastelurrutia, Jon; Blanco, Francisco; Ramos, Juan Carlos; Rivas, Alejandro

2014-12-01

Battery packs conformed by large format lithium-ion cells are increasingly being adopted in hybrid and pure electric vehicles in order to use the energy more efficiently and for a better environmental performance. Safety and cycle life are two of the main concerns regarding this technology, which are closely related to the cell's operating behavior and temperature asymmetries in the system. Therefore, the temperature of the cells in battery packs needs to be controlled by thermal management systems (TMSs). In the present paper an improved design methodology for developing TMSs is proposed. This methodology involves the development of different mathematical models for heat generation, transmission, and dissipation and their coupling and integration in the battery pack product design methodology in order to improve the overall safety and performance. The methodology is validated by comparing simulation results with laboratory measurements on a single module of the battery pack designed at IK4-IKERLAN for a traction application. The maximum difference between model predictions and experimental temperature data is 2 °C. The models developed have shown potential for use in battery thermal management studies for EV/HEV applications since they allow for scalability with accuracy and reasonable simulation time.

Advanced Test Reactor Safety Basis Upgrade Lessons Learned Relative to Design Basis Verification and Safety Basis Management

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

G. L. Sharp; R. T. McCracken

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is a pressurized light-water reactor with a design thermal power of 250 MW. The principal function of the ATR is to provide a high neutron flux for testing reactor fuels and other materials. The reactor also provides other irradiation services such as radioisotope production. The ATR and its support facilities are located at the Test Reactor Area of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). An audit conducted by the Department of Energy's Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance (DOE OA) raised concerns that design conditions at the ATR were not adequately analyzedmore » in the safety analysis and that legacy design basis management practices had the potential to further impact safe operation of the facility.1 The concerns identified by the audit team, and issues raised during additional reviews performed by ATR safety analysts, were evaluated through the unreviewed safety question process resulting in shutdown of the ATR for more than three months while these concerns were resolved. Past management of the ATR safety basis, relative to facility design basis management and change control, led to concerns that discrepancies in the safety basis may have developed. Although not required by DOE orders or regulations, not performing design basis verification in conjunction with development of the 10 CFR 830 Subpart B upgraded safety basis allowed these potential weaknesses to be carried forward. Configuration management and a clear definition of the existing facility design basis have a direct relation to developing and maintaining a high quality safety basis which properly identifies and mitigates all hazards and postulated accident conditions. These relations and the impact of past safety basis management practices have been reviewed in order to identify lessons learned from the safety basis upgrade process and appropriate actions to resolve possible concerns with respect to the current ATR safety basis. The need for a design basis reconstitution program for the ATR has been identified along with the use of sound configuration management principles in order to support safe and efficient facility operation.« less

e-Vita: design of an innovative approach to COPD disease management in primary care through eHealth application.

PubMed

Talboom-Kamp, E P W A; Verdijk, N A; Blom, C M G; Harmans, L M; Talboom, I J S H; Numans, M E; Chavannes, N H

2016-08-17

COPD is a highly complex disease to manage as patients show great variation in symptoms and limitations in daily life. In the last decade self-management support of COPD has been introduced as an effective method to improve quality and efficiency of care, and to reduce healthcare costs. Despite the urge to change the organisation of health care and the potential of eHealth to support this, large-scale implementation in daily practice remains behind, especially in the Netherlands. We designed a multilevel study, called e-Vita, to investigate different organisational implementation methods of a self-management web portal to support and empower patients with COPD in three different primary care settings. Using a parallel cohort design, the clinical effects of the web portal will be assessed using an interrupted times series (ITS) study design and measured according to changes in health status with the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ). The different implementations and net benefits of self-management through eHealth on clinical outcomes will be evaluated from human, organisational, and technical perspectives. To our knowledge this is the first study to combine different study designs that enable simultaneous investigation of clinical effects, as well as effects of different organisational implementation methods whilst controlling for confounding effects of the organisational characteristics. We hypothesize that an implementation with higher levels of personal assistance, and integrated in an existing care program will result in increased use of and satisfaction with the platform, thereby increasing health status and diminishing exacerbation and hospitalisation. NTR4098 (31-07-2013).

e-Vita: design of an innovative approach to COPD disease management in primary care through eHealth application.

PubMed

Talboom-Kamp, E P W A; Verdijk, N A; Blom, C M G; Harmans, L M; Talboom, I J S H; Numans, M E; Chavannes, N H

2016-08-16

COPD is a highly complex disease to manage as patients show great variation in symptoms and limitations in daily life. In the last decade self-management support of COPD has been introduced as an effective method to improve quality and efficiency of care, and to reduce healthcare costs. Despite the urge to change the organisation of health care and the potential of eHealth to support this, large-scale implementation in daily practice remains behind, especially in the Netherlands. We designed a multilevel study, called e-Vita, to investigate different organisational implementation methods of a self-management web portal to support and empower patients with COPD in three different primary care settings. Using a parallel cohort design, the clinical effects of the web portal will be assessed using an interrupted times series (ITS) study design and measured according to changes in health status with the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ). The different implementations and net benefits of self-management through eHealth on clinical outcomes will be evaluated from human, organisational, and technical perspectives. To our knowledge this is the first study to combine different study designs that enable simultaneous investigation of clinical effects, as well as effects of different organisational implementation methods whilst controlling for confounding effects of the organisational characteristics. We hypothesize that an implementation with higher levels of personal assistance, and integrated in an existing care program will result in increased use of and satisfaction with the platform, thereby increasing health status and diminishing exacerbation and hospitalisation. NTR4098 (31-07-2013).

Time stress measurement device: system design and synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harchani, Noursaied; Jimenez, Fernando; Al-Mohammed, Mohammed; Esteve, Daniel; Courvoisier, M.

2000-04-01

System design methodology becomes a strategic activity in the industrial competition. Obtaining substantial reduction of time to market for complex and reliable products is one of the priorities for the manufacturers. Top down design, automated generation of architecture, co-design, virtual prototyping, etc. are already identified as research topics which have to be privileged. To be efficient, each theoretical contribution must be inserted in a global procedure of project management where complementary elements such as marketing, technico-economic survey, road-mapping, internal know-how,.. must be considered. In this context, this paper will present a design methodology starting from the requirement statement until the technical realization of the product, and applied to the design of a Time Stress Measurement Device for the observation of aeronautical mechanical systems.

Managing multicentre clinical trials with open source.

PubMed

Raptis, Dimitri Aristotle; Mettler, Tobias; Fischer, Michael Alexander; Patak, Michael; Lesurtel, Mickael; Eshmuminov, Dilmurodjon; de Rougemont, Olivier; Graf, Rolf; Clavien, Pierre-Alain; Breitenstein, Stefan

2014-03-01

Multicentre clinical trials are challenged by high administrative burden, data management pitfalls and costs. This leads to a reduced enthusiasm and commitment of the physicians involved and thus to a reluctance in conducting multicentre clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based open source platform to support a multi-centre clinical trial. We developed on Drupal, an open source software distributed under the terms of the General Public License, a web-based, multi-centre clinical trial management system with the design science research approach. This system was evaluated by user-testing and well supported several completed and on-going clinical trials and is available for free download. Open source clinical trial management systems are capable in supporting multi-centre clinical trials by enhancing efficiency, quality of data management and collaboration.

ADGS-2100 Adaptive Display and Guidance System Window Manager Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, Mike W.; Innis, John D.; Miller, Steven P.; Wagner, Lucas G.

2006-01-01

Recent advances in modeling languages have made it feasible to formally specify and analyze the behavior of large system components. Synchronous data flow languages, such as Lustre, SCR, and RSML-e are particularly well suited to this task, and commercial versions of these tools such as SCADE and Simulink are growing in popularity among designers of safety critical systems, largely due to their ability to automatically generate code from the models. At the same time, advances in formal analysis tools have made it practical to formally verify important properties of these models to ensure that design defects are identified and corrected early in the lifecycle. This report describes how these tools have been applied to the ADGS-2100 Adaptive Display and Guidance Window Manager being developed by Rockwell Collins Inc. This work demonstrates how formal methods can be easily and cost-efficiently used to remove defects early in the design cycle.

Development of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) based client/server NICU patient data and charting system.

PubMed

Carroll, A E; Saluja, S; Tarczy-Hornoch, P

2001-01-01

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) offer clinicians the ability to enter and manage critical information at the point of care. Although PDAs have always been designed to be intuitive and easy to use, recent advances in technology have made them even more accessible. The ability to link data on a PDA (client) to a central database (server) allows for near-unlimited potential in developing point of care applications and systems for patient data management. Although many stand-alone systems exist for PDAs, none are designed to work in an integrated client/server environment. This paper describes the design, software and hardware selection, and preliminary testing of a PDA based patient data and charting system for use in the University of Washington Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This system will be the subject of a subsequent study to determine its impact on patient outcomes and clinician efficiency.

Agile, a guiding principle for health care improvement?

PubMed

Tolf, Sara; Nyström, Monica E; Tishelman, Carol; Brommels, Mats; Hansson, Johan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to increased understanding of the concept agile and its potential for hospital managers to optimize design of organizational structures and processes to combine internal efficiency and external effectiveness. An integrative review was conducted using the reSEARCH database. Articles met the following criteria: first, a definition of agility; second, descriptions of enablers of becoming an agile organization; and finally, discussions of agile on multiple organizational levels. In total, 60 articles qualified for the final analysis. Organizational agility rests on the assumption that the environment is uncertain, ranging from frequently changing to highly unpredictable. Proactive, reactive or embracive coping strategies were described as possible ways to handle such uncertain environments. Five organizational capacities were derived as necessary for hospitals to use the strategies optimally: transparent and transient inter-organizational links; market sensitivity and customer focus; management by support for self-organizing employees; organic structures that are elastic and responsive; flexible human and resource capacity for timely delivery. Agile is portrayed as either the "new paradigm" following lean, the needed development on top of a lean base, or as complementary to lean in distinct hybrid strategies. Environmental uncertainty needs to be matched with coping strategies and organizational capacities to design processes responsive to real needs of health care. This implies that lean and agile can be combined to optimize the design of hospitals, to meet different variations in demand and create good patient management. While considerable value has been paid to strategies to improve the internal efficiency within hospitals, this review raise the attention to the value of strategies of external effectiveness.

Neighborhood Energy/Economic Development project

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

Not Available

1991-12-31

Energy costs impact low income communities more than anyone else. Low income residents pay a larger percentage of their incomes for energy costs. In addition, they generally have far less discretionary energy use to eliminate in response to increasing energy prices. Furthermore, with less discretionary income, home energy efficiency improvements are often too expensive. Small neighborhood businesses are in the same situation. Improved efficiency in the use of energy can improve this situation by reducing energy costs for residents and local businesses. More importantly, energy management programs can increase the demand for local goods and services and lead to themore » creation of new job training and employment opportunities. In this way, neighborhood based energy efficiency programs can support community economic development. The present project, undertaken with the support of the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force, was intended to serve as a demonstration of energy/economic programming at the neighborhood level. The San Francisco Neighborhood Energy/Economic Development (NEED) project was designed to be a visible demonstration of bringing the economic development benefits of energy management home to low-income community members who need it most. To begin, a Community Advisory Committee was established to guide the design of the programs to best meet needs of the community. Subsequently three neighborhood energy/economic development programs were developed: The small business energy assistance program; The youth training and weatherization program; and, The energy review of proposed housing development projects.« less

Putting Adaptive Management into Monitoring: Retrospective and Prospective Views of Northwest Forest Plan Monitoring

Treesearch

David E. Busch; Jon R. Martin

2006-01-01

Based on ten years of Northwest Forest Plan implementation, we focus on key scientifically-oriented questions relating to improving Plan monitoring. The questions, which fall into groups concerning issues of scale, integration, and efficiency, have applicability to monitoring programs being designed and implemented throughout the world. Progress toward answering such...

Successful Engagement: Guidance for Colleges and Providers on Effective Employer Engagement in Post-16 Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Maria

Successful employer engagement requires that colleges in the United Kingdom secure employers' involvement in the design, development, management, and delivery of post-16 learning so that the skill needs of employers and the workforce will be met and the increased productivity, competitiveness, and efficiency of individual organizations and the…

78 FR 40945 - Energy Efficiency Design Standards for New Federal Commercial and Multi-Family High-Rise...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-09

... Management. The life-cycle cost guidance and required discount rates and energy price projections are... Supplement to The National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 135: ``Energy Price Indices and... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Part 433 [Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-STD-0055] RIN 1904-AC60 Energy...

76 FR 49279 - Energy Efficiency Design Standards for New Federal Commercial and Multi-Family High-Rise...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-10

... Management. The life-cycle cost guidance and required discount rates and energy price projections are... Supplement to The National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 135: ``Energy Price Indices and...;Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each #0;week. #0; #0; #0; #0;#0...

An Efficient Resource Management System for a Streaming Media Distribution Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cahill, Adrian J.; Sreenan, Cormac J.

2006-01-01

This paper examines the design and evaluation of a TV on Demand (TVoD) system, consisting of a globally accessible storage architecture where all TV content broadcast over a period of time is made available for streaming. The proposed architecture consists of idle Internet Service Provider (ISP) servers that can be rented and released dynamically…

Productivity: America's Critical Need to Work Smarter. Fundamentals of Free Enterprise, No. 5. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Fletcher National Bank and Trust Co., Indianapolis, IN.

Designed for high school economics students as a public service project of the American Fletcher National Bank, the booklet examines America's decreasing productivity rate in terms of the efficiency. Natural resources, labor, skilled management, and capital are essential to the productive process. When there is an increase in the cost of the…

Improving Assessment Processes in Higher Education: Student and Teacher Perceptions of the Effectiveness of a Rubric Embedded in a LMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Doug; Lim, Siew Leng

2013-01-01

Students and teachers play different roles and thus have different perceptions about the effectiveness of assessment including structure, feedback, consistency, fairness and efficiency. In an undergraduate Business Information Systems course, a rubric was designed and semi-automated through a learning management system (LMS) to provide formative…

Relative Kerf and Sawing Variation Values for Some Hardwood Sawing Machines

Treesearch

Philip H. Steele; Michael W. Wade; Steven H. Bullard; Philip A. Araman

1992-01-01

Information on the conversion efficiency of sawing machines is important to those involved in the management, maintenance, and design of sawmills. Little information on the conversion characteristics of hardwood sawing machines has been available. This study, based on 266 studies of 6 machine types, provides an analysis of the machine characteristics of kerf width,...

Building the Community Nexus: A Community Centered Approach to Planning and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bingler, Steven

2011-01-01

Recent research indicates that the goals (of producing management efficiencies to deliver community programs and infrastructure and more graduates) can be better achieved through a holistic model that supports the whole family and child by providing better access to wrap around services. Nexus planning is a process through which these services can…

Report on the Payroll System. MORE: Management Operations Review & Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doody, Robert J.; And Others

Designed to improve the long-term operational efficiency of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools (MCPS) payroll system, this study begins with an executive summary, including a set of recommendations and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Following an introduction to the study and a general description of the payroll system in chapters 1…

Marrying Two Existing Software Packages into an Efficient Online Tutoring Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Timothy

2007-01-01

Many teachers today use Learning Management Systems (LMS), several of which are open-source. Specific examples are Claroline and Moodle. However, they are not specifically designed for language learning, and hence not entirely suitable. In this article, I will compare two uses of the Claroline LMS available at Louvain-la-Neuve within the framework…

Supplemental Driver Safety Program Development. Volume I--Development Research and Evaluation. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPherson, Kenard; And Others

Instructional modules for driver education programs were prepared to improve safe driving knowledge, attitudes, and performances of 16- to 18-year-old drivers. These modules were designed to provide supplementary instruction in five content areas critical to the safe and efficient operation of motor vehicles by young drivers--speed management,…

Transportation: Design, Build, and Manage the Future for America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertini, Robert

2011-01-01

A safe, efficient, and effective transportation system is critical to the growth and stability of the U.S. economy, America's ability as a nation to compete in increasingly competitive global markets, and as a commuter network that provides access to jobs and recreational facilities that are important to quality of life for all Americans. The…

OPTIGRAMI: Optimum lumber grade mix program for hardwood dimension parts

Treesearch

David G. Martens; Jr., Robert L. Nevel; Jr. Nevel

1985-01-01

With rapidly increasing lumber prices and shortages of some grades and species, the furniture industry must find ways to use its hardwood lumber resource more efficiently. A computer program called OPTIGRAMI is designed to help managers determine the best lumber to use in producing furniture parts. OPTIGRAMI determines the least-cost grade mix of lumber required to...

Reducing energy costs at state agencies and institutions in Texas through the Governor's energy management center

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

White, J.A.

1989-01-01

The one year internship required for partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Engineering Degree was completed at the Governor's Energy Management Center in Austin, Texas. The intern worked for the State Agencies Department of the Energy Management Center. The intern was involved in a variety of projects, but the primary projects requiring the greatest time were the involvement with the design reviews for energy efficiency of new prisons being constructed in Texas, conducting energy management audits at 18 major state universities, and the technical and administrative assistance to the State Cogeneration Council. Other project involvement included managing the preliminary engineeringmore » design of the cogeneration facility at Austin State Hospital, responsibility for applying for a $1.4 million dollar crude oil refund on the behalf of all state agencies in Texas, and assisting in the planning and coordination of the $48 million Revolving Loan Program for the state of Texas. The internship taught many things about management and communications. The experience also provided a better understanding of how the state and federal government operate. The greatest contribution of the internship experience was the improvement of the intern's written and oral communication skills.« less

Condenser design for AMTEC power conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crowley, Christopher J.

1991-01-01

The condenser and the electrodes are the two elements of an alkali metal thermal-to-electric conversion (AMTEC) cell which most greatly affect the energy conversion performance. A condenser is described which accomplishes two critical functions in an AMTEC cell: management of the fluid under microgravity conditions and optimization of conversion efficiency. The first function is achieved via the use of a controlled surface shape, along with drainage grooves and arteries to collect the fluid. Capillary forces manage the fluid in microgravity and dominate hydrostatic effects on the ground so the device is ground-testable. The second function is achieved via a smooth film of highly reflective liquid sodium on the condensing surface, resulting in minimization of parasitic heat losses due to radiation heat transfer. Power conversion efficiencies of 25 percent to 30 percent are estimated with this condenser using present technology for the electrodes.

Information theory-based decision support system for integrated design of multivariable hydrometric networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keum, Jongho; Coulibaly, Paulin

2017-07-01

Adequate and accurate hydrologic information from optimal hydrometric networks is an essential part of effective water resources management. Although the key hydrologic processes in the water cycle are interconnected, hydrometric networks (e.g., streamflow, precipitation, groundwater level) have been routinely designed individually. A decision support framework is proposed for integrated design of multivariable hydrometric networks. The proposed method is applied to design optimal precipitation and streamflow networks simultaneously. The epsilon-dominance hierarchical Bayesian optimization algorithm was combined with Shannon entropy of information theory to design and evaluate hydrometric networks. Specifically, the joint entropy from the combined networks was maximized to provide the most information, and the total correlation was minimized to reduce redundant information. To further optimize the efficiency between the networks, they were designed by maximizing the conditional entropy of the streamflow network given the information of the precipitation network. Compared to the traditional individual variable design approach, the integrated multivariable design method was able to determine more efficient optimal networks by avoiding the redundant stations. Additionally, four quantization cases were compared to evaluate their effects on the entropy calculations and the determination of the optimal networks. The evaluation results indicate that the quantization methods should be selected after careful consideration for each design problem since the station rankings and the optimal networks can change accordingly.

Development of highly compact and low power consumption athermal military laser designators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sijan, A.

2012-10-01

The utility of military lasers, particularly in the area of laser designation for laser-guided weapons, is well understood. Laser systems based on Nd:YAG have been fielded since the 1980's and over the last three decades have introduced incremental technology steps to improve performance and weight. The most recent technology step has been the introduction of athermal lasers based on laser-diode pumping of Nd:YAG and products are now emerging for use on the battlefield. The technical performance, efficiency, size, weight and power for these lasers, has been key to driving the new production designs. In this paper, we review the development of the laser designs and their introduction since the advent of laser designation. In particular, we compare the relative performance and characteristics over the evolution of fielded laser designators. Moreover, we will review the key building blocks for the design of athermal lasers and describe some critical design issues for engineering and productionisation of a military laser system, including removal of thermal lensing, novel diode-pumping schemes and robustness over the environment. These will be exemplified using results from the development of the SELEX Galileo Type 163 Laser Target Designators. These will cover not only technical performance, power and efficiency, but also thermal management, mass, volume, cost and overall complexity for manufacture.

Adaptive inertial shock-absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faraj, Rami; Holnicki-Szulc, Jan; Knap, Lech; Seńko, Jarosław

2016-03-01

This paper introduces and discusses a new concept of impact absorption by means of impact energy management and storage in dedicated rotating inertial discs. The effectiveness of the concept is demonstrated in a selected case-study involving spinning management, a recently developed novel impact-absorber. A specific control technique performed on this device is demonstrated to be the main source of significant improvement in the overall efficiency of impact damping process. The influence of various parameters on the performance of the shock-absorber is investigated. Design and manufacturing challenges and directions of further research are formulated.

Data Management System (DMS) Evolution Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Douglas, Katherine

1990-01-01

The all encompassing goal for the Data Management System (DMS) Evolution Analysis task is to develop an advocacy for ensuring that growth and technology insertion issues are properly and adequately addressed during DMS requirements specification, design, and development. The most efficient methods of addressing those issues are via planned and graceful evolution, technology transparency, and system growth margins. It is necessary that provisions, such as those previously mentioned, are made to accommodate advanced missions requirements (e.g., Human Space Exploration Programs) in addition to evolving Space Station Freedom operations and user requirements .

A Guide Management System Based on RFID and Bluetooth Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Han-Sheng; Wang, Jun-Jun

The most fundamental and important requirement of the tour guide in the tour process is to ensure the safety of tourists. In this paper, a portable guide management system is designed based on RFID technology, the Android software and blue-tooth communication technology. Through this system, the guide can get real-time information if some tourists are l behind, and send text message or dial to those tourists who are l behind immediately. The system reduces the roll-calling time on the tourists, improves the tour guide work efficiency and service quality.

Traffic Flow Management Wrap-Up

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grabbe, Shon

2011-01-01

Traffic Flow Management involves the scheduling and routing of air traffic subject to airport and airspace capacity constraints, and the efficient use of available airspace. Significant challenges in this area include: (1) weather integration and forecasting, (2) accounting for user preferences in the Traffic Flow Management decision making process, and (3) understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of air traffic on the environment. To address these challenges, researchers in the Traffic Flow Management area are developing modeling, simulation and optimization techniques to route and schedule air traffic flights and flows while accommodating user preferences, accounting for system uncertainties and considering the environmental impacts of aviation. This presentation will highlight some of the major challenges facing researchers in this domain, while also showcasing recent innovations designed to address these challenges.

Knowledge management for efficient quantitative analyses during regulatory reviews.

PubMed

Krudys, Kevin; Li, Fang; Florian, Jeffry; Tornoe, Christoffer; Chen, Ying; Bhattaram, Atul; Jadhav, Pravin; Neal, Lauren; Wang, Yaning; Gobburu, Joga; Lee, Peter I D

2011-11-01

Knowledge management comprises the strategies and methods employed to generate and leverage knowledge within an organization. This report outlines the activities within the Division of Pharmacometrics at the US FDA to effectively manage knowledge with the ultimate goal of improving drug development and advancing public health. The infrastructure required for pharmacometric knowledge management includes provisions for data standards, queryable databases, libraries of modeling tools, archiving of analysis results and reporting templates for effective communication. Two examples of knowledge management systems developed within the Division of Pharmacometrics are used to illustrate these principles. The benefits of sound knowledge management include increased productivity, allowing reviewers to focus on research questions spanning new drug applications, such as improved trial design and biomarker development. The future of knowledge management depends on the collaboration between the FDA and industry to implement data and model standards to enhance sharing and dissemination of knowledge.

Simulating and evaluating best management practices for integrated landscape management scenarios in biofuel feedstock production: Evaluating Best Management Practices for Biofuel Feedstock Production

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

Ha, Miae; Wu, May

Sound crop and land management strategies can maintain land productivity and improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural crop and feedstock production. This study evaluates the improvement of water sustainability through an integrated landscaping management strategy, where landscaping design, land management operations, crop systems, and agricultural best management practices (BMPs) play equal roles. The strategy was applied to the watershed of the South Fork Iowa River in Iowa, with a focus on implementing riparian buffers and converting low productivity land to provide cellulosic biomass while benefiting soil and water quality. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was employed to simulatemore » the impact of integrated landscape design on nutrients, suspended sediments, and flow on the watershed and subbasin scales. First, the study evaluated the representation of buffer strip as a vegetative barrier and as a riparian buffer using trapping efficiency and area ratio methods in SWAT. For the riparian buffer, the area ratio method tends to be more conservative, especially in nitrate loadings, while the trapping efficiency method generates more optimistic results. The differences between the two methods increase with buffer width. The two methods may not be comparable for the field-scale vegetative barrier simulation because of limitations in model spatial resolution. Landscape scenarios were developed to quantify water quality under (1) current land use, (2) partial land conversion to switchgrass, and (3) riparian buffer implementation. Results show that when low productivity land (15.2% of total watershed land area) is converted to grow switchgrass, suspended sediment, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and nitrate loadings are reduced by 69.3%, 55.5%, 46.1%, and 13.4%, respectively, in the watershed surface streams. The reduction was less extensive when riparian buffer strips (30 m or 50 m) were applied to the stream network at 1.4% of total land area in the watershed. At the subbasin level, the degree of nutrient and suspended sediment reduction varies extensively, ranging from a few percent up to 55%. Results indicate that effective landscape design on current agricultural land can potentially bring marked improvements in water quality and soil erosion control while producing food and fuel feedstock in the South Fork Iowa River watershed. The concept can be integrated with other watershed management programs to improve sustainability of land, water, and the ecosystem.« less

A modified eco-efficiency framework and methodology for advancing the state of practice of sustainability analysis as applied to green infrastructure.

PubMed

Ghimire, Santosh R; Johnston, John M

2017-09-01

We propose a modified eco-efficiency (EE) framework and novel sustainability analysis methodology for green infrastructure (GI) practices used in water resource management. Green infrastructure practices such as rainwater harvesting (RWH), rain gardens, porous pavements, and green roofs are emerging as viable strategies for climate change adaptation. The modified framework includes 4 economic, 11 environmental, and 3 social indicators. Using 6 indicators from the framework, at least 1 from each dimension of sustainability, we demonstrate the methodology to analyze RWH designs. We use life cycle assessment and life cycle cost assessment to calculate the sustainability indicators of 20 design configurations as Decision Management Objectives (DMOs). Five DMOs emerged as relatively more sustainable along the EE analysis Tradeoff Line, and we used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a widely applied statistical approach, to quantify the modified EE measures as DMO sustainability scores. We also addressed the subjectivity and sensitivity analysis requirements of sustainability analysis, and we evaluated the performance of 10 weighting schemes that included classical DEA, equal weights, National Institute of Standards and Technology's stakeholder panel, Eco-Indicator 99, Sustainable Society Foundation's Sustainable Society Index, and 5 derived schemes. We improved upon classical DEA by applying the weighting schemes to identify sustainability scores that ranged from 0.18 to 1.0, avoiding the nonuniqueness problem and revealing the least to most sustainable DMOs. Our methodology provides a more comprehensive view of water resource management and is generally applicable to GI and industrial, environmental, and engineered systems to explore the sustainability space of alternative design configurations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:821-831. Published 2017. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Published 2017. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Design and implementation of an inpatient disease management program.

PubMed

Cooper, G S; Armitage, K B; Ashar, B; Costantini, O; Creighton, F A; Raiz, P; Wong, R C; Carlson, M D

2000-07-01

To describe the development and implementation of an inpatient disease management program. Prospective observational study. On the basis of opportunities for improving quality or efficiency of inpatient and emergency department care, 4 diagnoses, including congestive heart failure (CHF), gastrointestinal hemorrhage, community-acquired pneumonia and sickle-cell crisis were selected for implementation of a disease management program. For each diagnosis, a task force assembled a disease management team led by a "physician champion" and nurse care manager and identified opportunities for improvement through medical literature review and interviews with caregivers. A limited number of disease-specific guidelines and corresponding interventions were selected with consensus of the team and disseminated to caregivers. Physician and nurse team leaders were actively involved in patient care to facilitate adherence to guidelines. For quarter 2 to 4 of 1997, there were improvements in angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use, daily weight compliance, assessment of left ventricular function, hospital costs, and length of stay for care-managed patients with CHF. Differences in utilization-related outcomes persisted even after adjustment for severity of illness. For the other 3 diagnoses, the observational period was shorter (quarter 4 only), and hence preliminary data showed similar hospital costs and length of stay for care-managed and noncare-managed patients. An interdisciplinary approach to inpatient disease management resulted in substantial improvements in both quality and efficiency of care for patients with CHF. Additional data are needed to determine the program's impact on outcomes of other targeted diagnoses.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Alien Plant Species Detection and Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dvořák, P.; Müllerová, J.; Bartaloš, T.; Brůna, J.

2015-08-01

Invasive species spread rapidly and their eradication is difficult. New methods enabling fast and efficient monitoring are urgently needed for their successful control. Remote sensing can improve early detection of invading plants and make their management more efficient and less expensive. In an ongoing project in the Czech Republic, we aim at developing innovative methods of mapping invasive plant species (semi-automatic detection algorithms) by using purposely designed unmanned aircraft (UAV). We examine possibilities for detection of two tree and two herb invasive species. Our aim is to establish fast, repeatable and efficient computer-assisted method of timely monitoring, reducing the costs of extensive field campaigns. For finding the best detection algorithm we test various classification approaches (object-, pixel-based and hybrid). Thanks to its flexibility and low cost, UAV enables assessing the effect of phenological stage and spatial resolution, and is most suitable for monitoring the efficiency of eradication efforts. However, several challenges exist in UAV application, such as geometrical and radiometric distortions, high amount of data to be processed and legal constrains for the UAV flight missions over urban areas (often highly invaded). The newly proposed UAV approach shall serve invasive species researchers, management practitioners and policy makers.

Complementarity and Area-Efficiency in the Prioritization of the Global Protected Area Network.

PubMed

Kullberg, Peter; Toivonen, Tuuli; Montesino Pouzols, Federico; Lehtomäki, Joona; Di Minin, Enrico; Moilanen, Atte

2015-01-01

Complementarity and cost-efficiency are widely used principles for protected area network design. Despite the wide use and robust theoretical underpinnings, their effects on the performance and patterns of priority areas are rarely studied in detail. Here we compare two approaches for identifying the management priority areas inside the global protected area network: 1) a scoring-based approach, used in recently published analysis and 2) a spatial prioritization method, which accounts for complementarity and area-efficiency. Using the same IUCN species distribution data the complementarity method found an equal-area set of priority areas with double the mean species ranges covered compared to the scoring-based approach. The complementarity set also had 72% more species with full ranges covered, and lacked any coverage only for half of the species compared to the scoring approach. Protected areas in our complementarity-based solution were on average smaller and geographically more scattered. The large difference between the two solutions highlights the need for critical thinking about the selected prioritization method. According to our analysis, accounting for complementarity and area-efficiency can lead to considerable improvements when setting management priorities for the global protected area network.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington: Laboratories for the 21st Century Case Studies

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

Not Available

2001-12-01

This case study was prepared by participants in the Laboratories for the 21st Century program, a joint endeavor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program. The goal of this program is to foster greater energy efficiency in new laboratory buildings for both the public and the private sectors. Retrofits of existing laboratories are also encouraged. The energy-efficient features of the laboratories in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center complex in Seattle, Washington, include extensive use of efficient lighting, variable-air-volume controls, variable-speed drives, motion sensors, and high-efficiency chillers and motors. With aboutmore » 532,000 gross square feet, the complex is estimated to use 33% less electrical energy than most traditional research facilities consume because of its energy-efficient design and features.« less

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington: Laboratories for the 21st Century Case Studies (Revision)

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

Not Available

2002-03-01

This case study was prepared by participants in the Laboratories for the 21st Century program, a joint endeavor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program. The goal of this program is to foster greater energy efficiency in new laboratory buildings for both the public and the private sectors. Retrofits of existing laboratories are also encouraged. The energy-efficient features of the laboratories in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center complex in Seattle, Washington, include extensive use of efficient lighting, variable-air-volume controls, variable-speed drives, motion sensors, and high-efficiency chillers and motors. With aboutmore » 532,000 gross square feet, the complex is estimated to use 33% less electrical energy than most traditional research facilities consume because of its energy-efficient design and features.« less

Improved Algorithms for Blending Dam Releases to Meet Downstream Water-Temperature Targets in the CE-QUAL-W2 Water-Quality Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rounds, S. A.; Buccola, N. L.

2014-12-01

The two-dimensional (longitudinal, vertical) water-quality model CE-QUAL-W2, version 3.7, was enhanced with new features to help dam operators and managers efficiently explore and optimize potential solutions for temperature management downstream of thermally stratified reservoirs. Such temperature management often is accomplished by blending releases from multiple dam outlets that access water of different temperatures at different depths in the reservoir. The original blending algorithm in this version of the model was limited to mixing releases from two outlets at a time, and few constraints could be imposed. The new enhanced blending algorithm allows the user to (1) specify a time-series of target release temperatures, (2) designate from 2 to 10 floating or fixed-elevation outlets for blending, (3) impose maximum head constraints as well as minimum and maximum flow constraints for any blended outlet, and (4) set a priority designation for each outlet that allows the model to choose which outlets to use and how to balance releases among them. The modified model was tested against a previously calibrated model of Detroit Lake on the North Santiam River in northwestern Oregon, and the results compared well. The enhanced model code is being used to evaluate operational and structural scenarios at multiple dam/reservoir systems in the Willamette River basin in Oregon, where downstream temperature management for endangered fish is a high priority for resource managers and dam operators. These updates to the CE-QUAL-W2 blending algorithm allow scenarios involving complicated dam operations and/or hypothetical outlet structures to be evaluated more efficiently with the model, with decreased need for multiple/iterative model runs or preprocessing of model inputs to fully characterize the operational constraints.

Intelligent systems and advanced user interfaces for design, operation, and maintenance of command management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, William J.; Mitchell, Christine M.

1993-01-01

Historically, command management systems (CMS) have been large and expensive spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as to develop a more generic CMS system. New technologies, in addition to a core CMS common to a range of spacecraft, may facilitate the training and enhance the efficiency of CMS operations. Current mission operations center (MOC) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ programming languages, and an X window interface. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of these issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, human-machine systems design and analysis tools (e.g., operator and designer models), and human-computer interaction tools (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation) may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of the CMS for a specific spacecraft as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft. The first six months of this research saw a broad investigation by Georgia Tech researchers into the function, design, and operation of current and planned command management systems at Goddard Space Flight Center. As the first step, the researchers attempted to understand the current and anticipated horizons of command management systems at Goddard. Preliminary results are given on CMS commonalities and causes of low re-use, and methods are proposed to facilitate increased re-use.

Objectives, priorities, reliable knowledge, and science-based management of Missouri River interior least terns and piping plovers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherfy, Mark; Anteau, Michael J.; Shaffer, Terry; Sovada, Marsha; Stucker, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Supporting recovery of federally listed interior least tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos; tern) and piping plover (Charadrius melodus; plover) populations is a desirable goal in management of the Missouri River ecosystem. Many tools are implemented in support of this goal, including habitat management, annual monitoring, directed research, and threat mitigation. Similarly, many types of data can be used to make management decisions, evaluate system responses, and prioritize research and monitoring. The ecological importance of Missouri River recovery and the conservation status of terns and plovers place a premium on efficient and effective resource use. Efficiency is improved when a single data source informs multiple high-priority decisions, whereas effectiveness is improved when decisions are informed by reliable knowledge. Seldom will a single study design be optimal for addressing all data needs, making prioritization of needs essential. Data collection motivated by well-articulated objectives and priorities has many advantages over studies in which questions and priorities are determined retrospectively. Research and monitoring for terns and plovers have generated a wealth of data that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The validity and strength of conclusions from analyses of these data is dependent on compatibility between the study design and the question being asked. We consider issues related to collection and interpretation of biological data, and discuss their utility for enhancing the role of science in management of Missouri River terns and plovers. A team of USGS scientists at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center has been conducting tern and plover research on the Missouri River since 2005. The team has had many discussions about the importance of setting objectives, identifying priorities, and obtaining reliable information to answer pertinent questions about tern and plover management on this river system. The objectives of this presentation are to summarize those conversations and to share insights about concepts that could contribute to rigorous science support for management of this river system.

Resource efficiency and culture--workplace training for small and medium-sized enterprises.

PubMed

Bliesner, Anna; Liedtke, Christa; Rohn, Holger

2014-05-15

Although there are already some qualification offers available for enterprises to support resource efficiency innovations, the high potentials that can be identified especially for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not been activated until now. As successful change lies in the hands of humans, the main aim of vocational education has to be the promotion of organisational and cultural changes in the enterprises. As there is already a small but increasing number of enterprises that perform very well in resource efficiency innovations one question arises: What are typical characteristics of those enterprises? Leaning on a good-practice approach, the project "ResourceCulture" is going to prove or falsify the hypothesis that enterprises being successful with resource efficiency innovations have a specific culture of trust, which substantially contributes to innovation processes, or even initially enables them. Detailed empirical field research will light up which correlations between resource efficiency, innovation and cultures of trust can be found and will offer important aspects for the improvement of management instruments and qualification concepts for workplace training. The project seizes qualification needs that were likewise mentioned by enterprises and consultants, regarding the implementation of resource efficiency. This article - based on first empirical field research results - derives preliminary indications for the design of the qualification module for the target groups resource efficiency consultants and managers. On this basis and in order to implement "ResourceCulture" conceptual and methodological starting points for workplace training are outlined. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A crew-centered flight deck design philosophy for High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, Michael T.; Rogers, William H.; Press, Hayes N.; Latorella, Kara A.; Abbott, Terence S.

1995-01-01

Past flight deck design practices used within the U.S. commercial transport aircraft industry have been highly successful in producing safe and efficient aircraft. However, recent advances in automation have changed the way pilots operate aircraft, and these changes make it necessary to reconsider overall flight deck design. The High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) mission will likely add new information requirements, such as those for sonic boom management and supersonic/subsonic speed management. Consequently, whether one is concerned with the design of the HSCT, or a next generation subsonic aircraft that will include technological leaps in automated systems, basic issues in human usability of complex systems will be magnified. These concerns must be addressed, in part, with an explicit, written design philosophy focusing on human performance and systems operability in the context of the overall flight crew/flight deck system (i.e., a crew-centered philosophy). This document provides such a philosophy, expressed as a set of guiding design principles, and accompanied by information that will help focus attention on flight crew issues earlier and iteratively within the design process. This document is part 1 of a two-part set.

A Mixed Integer Efficient Global Optimization Framework: Applied to the Simultaneous Aircraft Design, Airline Allocation and Revenue Management Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Satadru

Traditional approaches to design and optimize a new system, often, use a system-centric objective and do not take into consideration how the operator will use this new system alongside of other existing systems. This "hand-off" between the design of the new system and how the new system operates alongside other systems might lead to a sub-optimal performance with respect to the operator-level objective. In other words, the system that is optimal for its system-level objective might not be best for the system-of-systems level objective of the operator. Among the few available references that describe attempts to address this hand-off, most follow an MDO-motivated subspace decomposition approach of first designing a very good system and then provide this system to the operator who decides the best way to use this new system along with the existing systems. The motivating example in this dissertation presents one such similar problem that includes aircraft design, airline operations and revenue management "subspaces". The research here develops an approach that could simultaneously solve these subspaces posed as a monolithic optimization problem. The monolithic approach makes the problem a Mixed Integer/Discrete Non-Linear Programming (MINLP/MDNLP) problem, which are extremely difficult to solve. The presence of expensive, sophisticated engineering analyses further aggravate the problem. To tackle this challenge problem, the work here presents a new optimization framework that simultaneously solves the subspaces to capture the "synergism" in the problem that the previous decomposition approaches may not have exploited, addresses mixed-integer/discrete type design variables in an efficient manner, and accounts for computationally expensive analysis tools. The framework combines concepts from efficient global optimization, Kriging partial least squares, and gradient-based optimization. This approach then demonstrates its ability to solve an 11 route airline network problem consisting of 94 decision variables including 33 integer and 61 continuous type variables. This application problem is a representation of an interacting group of systems and provides key challenges to the optimization framework to solve the MINLP problem, as reflected by the presence of a moderate number of integer and continuous type design variables and expensive analysis tool. The result indicates simultaneously solving the subspaces could lead to significant improvement in the fleet-level objective of the airline when compared to the previously developed sequential subspace decomposition approach. In developing the approach to solve the MINLP/MDNLP challenge problem, several test problems provided the ability to explore performance of the framework. While solving these test problems, the framework showed that it could solve other MDNLP problems including categorically discrete variables, indicating that the framework could have broader application than the new aircraft design-fleet allocation-revenue management problem.

SOCRAT Platform Design: A Web Architecture for Interactive Visual Analytics Applications

PubMed Central

Kalinin, Alexandr A.; Palanimalai, Selvam; Dinov, Ivo D.

2018-01-01

The modern web is a successful platform for large scale interactive web applications, including visualizations. However, there are no established design principles for building complex visual analytics (VA) web applications that could efficiently integrate visualizations with data management, computational transformation, hypothesis testing, and knowledge discovery. This imposes a time-consuming design and development process on many researchers and developers. To address these challenges, we consider the design requirements for the development of a module-based VA system architecture, adopting existing practices of large scale web application development. We present the preliminary design and implementation of an open-source platform for Statistics Online Computational Resource Analytical Toolbox (SOCRAT). This platform defines: (1) a specification for an architecture for building VA applications with multi-level modularity, and (2) methods for optimizing module interaction, re-usage, and extension. To demonstrate how this platform can be used to integrate a number of data management, interactive visualization, and analysis tools, we implement an example application for simple VA tasks including raw data input and representation, interactive visualization and analysis. PMID:29630069

SOCRAT Platform Design: A Web Architecture for Interactive Visual Analytics Applications.

PubMed

Kalinin, Alexandr A; Palanimalai, Selvam; Dinov, Ivo D

2017-04-01

The modern web is a successful platform for large scale interactive web applications, including visualizations. However, there are no established design principles for building complex visual analytics (VA) web applications that could efficiently integrate visualizations with data management, computational transformation, hypothesis testing, and knowledge discovery. This imposes a time-consuming design and development process on many researchers and developers. To address these challenges, we consider the design requirements for the development of a module-based VA system architecture, adopting existing practices of large scale web application development. We present the preliminary design and implementation of an open-source platform for Statistics Online Computational Resource Analytical Toolbox (SOCRAT). This platform defines: (1) a specification for an architecture for building VA applications with multi-level modularity, and (2) methods for optimizing module interaction, re-usage, and extension. To demonstrate how this platform can be used to integrate a number of data management, interactive visualization, and analysis tools, we implement an example application for simple VA tasks including raw data input and representation, interactive visualization and analysis.

Architectural Techniques For Managing Non-volatile Caches

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

Mittal, Sparsh

As chip power dissipation becomes a critical challenge in scaling processor performance, computer architects are forced to fundamentally rethink the design of modern processors and hence, the chip-design industry is now at a major inflection point in its hardware roadmap. The high leakage power and low density of SRAM poses serious obstacles in its use for designing large on-chip caches and for this reason, researchers are exploring non-volatile memory (NVM) devices, such as spin torque transfer RAM, phase change RAM and resistive RAM. However, since NVMs are not strictly superior to SRAM, effective architectural techniques are required for making themmore » a universal memory solution. This book discusses techniques for designing processor caches using NVM devices. It presents algorithms and architectures for improving their energy efficiency, performance and lifetime. It also provides both qualitative and quantitative evaluation to help the reader gain insights and motivate them to explore further. This book will be highly useful for beginners as well as veterans in computer architecture, chip designers, product managers and technical marketing professionals.« less

Thin disk lasers: history and prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speiser, Jochen

2016-04-01

During the early 1990s, collaboration between the German Aerospace Center and the University of Stuttgart started to work on the Thin Disk concept. The core idea behind the thin disk design is the use of a thin, disk-shaped active medium that is cooled through one of the flat faces of the disk. This ensures a large surface-to-volume ratio and therefore provides very efficient thermal management. Today, the thin disk concept is used in various commercial lasers - ranging from compact, efficient low power systems to multi-kW lasers, including cw lasers and also pulsed (femtosecond to nanosecond) oscillators and amplifiers. The whole development of the Thin Disk laser was and will be accompanied by numerical modeling and optimization of the thermal and thermo-mechanic behavior of the disk and also the heat sink structure, mostly based on finite element models. For further increasing the energy and efficiency of pulsed Thin Disk lasers, the effects of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) are a core issue. Actual efforts are oriented towards short pulse and ultra-short pulse amplifiers with (multi-)kW average power or Joule-class Thin Disk amplifiers, but also on new designs for cw thin disk MOPA designs.

Miniature Fuel Processors for Portable Fuel Cell Power Supplies

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

Holladay, Jamie D.; Jones, Evan O.; Palo, Daniel R.

2003-06-02

Miniature and micro-scale fuel processors are discussed. The enabling technologies for these devices are the novel catalysts and the micro-technology-based designs. The novel catalyst allows for methanol reforming at high gas hourly space velocities of 50,000 hr-1 or higher, while maintaining a carbon monoxide levels at 1% or less. The micro-technology-based designs enable the devices to be extremely compact and lightweight. The miniature fuel processors can nominally provide between 25-50 watts equivalent of hydrogen which is ample for soldier or personal portable power supplies. The integrated processors have a volume less than 50 cm3, a mass less than 150 grams,more » and thermal efficiencies of up to 83%. With reasonable assumptions on fuel cell efficiencies, anode gas and water management, parasitic power loss, etc., the energy density was estimated at 1700 Whr/kg. The miniature processors have been demonstrated with a carbon monoxide clean-up method and a fuel cell stack. The micro-scale fuel processors have been designed to provide up to 0.3 watt equivalent of power with efficiencies over 20%. They have a volume of less than 0.25 cm3 and a mass of less than 1 gram.« less

Thinking outside ISD: A management model for instructional design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Tony Dewayne

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional system management-level model proposed by the author designed to orchestrate the efficient development and implementation of customer requested curriculum. The three phases of systems-based model are designed to ensure delivery of high quality and timely instruction are: (1) the assessment and documentation of organizational training requirements; (2) project management control of curriculum development; and (3) the implementation of relevant instruction by competent instructors. This model also provides (4) measurable and quantifiable course evaluation results to justify return on investment and validate its importance with respect to the customer's organizational strategic objectives. The theoretical approach for this study was systems theory-based due to the nature of the instructional systems design model and the systematic design of the management model. The study was accomplished using single-case study application of qualitative style of inquiry as described by Patton (2002). Qualitative inquiry was selected to collect and analyze participant holistic perspective assessment of effectiveness, relevance, and timeliness of the instructional design management model. Participants for this study included five managers, five subject matter experts, and six students assigned to a military organization responsible for the collection of hydrographic data for the U.S. Navy. Triangulation of data sources within the qualitative framework of the study incorporated the three participant groups---managers, SMEs, and students---incorporated multiple views of the course development and implementation to validate the findings and the remove researcher bias. Qualitative coding was accomplished by importing transcribed interviews into Microsoft Excel and sorted using Auto-Filter. The coded interviews indicated effective functionality in the views of the model from each of the three participant groups. Results from a pre-test/post-test comparative analysis indicated a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean at the p < .001 for the six students. Although the subject of the case study was within a military training environment, the application of the proposed instructional systems managerial model can be applied to the design, development, delivery, and assessment of instructional material in any line of study where quantifiable effective learning is the goal.

A rapid prototyping/artificial intelligence approach to space station-era information management and access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carnahan, Richard S., Jr.; Corey, Stephen M.; Snow, John B.

1989-01-01

Applications of rapid prototyping and Artificial Intelligence techniques to problems associated with Space Station-era information management systems are described. In particular, the work is centered on issues related to: (1) intelligent man-machine interfaces applied to scientific data user support, and (2) the requirement that intelligent information management systems (IIMS) be able to efficiently process metadata updates concerning types of data handled. The advanced IIMS represents functional capabilities driven almost entirely by the needs of potential users. Space Station-era scientific data projected to be generated is likely to be significantly greater than data currently processed and analyzed. Information about scientific data must be presented clearly, concisely, and with support features to allow users at all levels of expertise efficient and cost-effective data access. Additionally, mechanisms for allowing more efficient IIMS metadata update processes must be addressed. The work reported covers the following IIMS design aspects: IIMS data and metadata modeling, including the automatic updating of IIMS-contained metadata, IIMS user-system interface considerations, including significant problems associated with remote access, user profiles, and on-line tutorial capabilities, and development of an IIMS query and browse facility, including the capability to deal with spatial information. A working prototype has been developed and is being enhanced.

Design of RF energy harvesting platforms for power management unit with start-up circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costanzo, Alessandra; Masotti, Diego

2013-12-01

In this contribution we discuss an unconventional rectifier design dedicated to RF energy harvesting from ultra-low sources, such as ambient RF sources which are typically of the order of few to few tens of μW. In such conditions unsuccessful results may occur if the rectenna is directly connected to its actual load since either the minimum power or the minimum activation voltage may not be simultaneously available. For this reason a double-branch rectifier topology is considered for the power management unit (PMU), instead of traditional single-branch one. The new PMU, interposed between the rectenna and application circuits, allows the system to operate with significantly lower input power with respect to the traditional solution, while preserving efficiency during steady-state power conversion.

Exploring Medical Identity Theft

PubMed Central

Mancilla, Desla; Moczygemba, Jackie

2009-01-01

The crime of medical identity theft is a growing concern in healthcare institutions. A mixed-method study design including a two-stage electronic survey, telephone survey follow-up, and on-site observations was used to evaluate current practices in admitting and registration departments to reduce the occurrence of medical identity theft. Survey participants were chief compliance officers in acute healthcare organizations and members of the Health Care Compliance Association. Study results indicate variance in whether or how patient identity is confirmed in healthcare settings. The findings of this study suggest that information systems need to be designed for more efficient identity management. Admitting and registration staff must be trained, and compliance with medical identity theft policies and procedures must be monitored. Finally, biometric identity management solutions should be considered for stronger patient identification verification. PMID:20169017

Semantic Catalog of Things, Services, and Data to Support a Wind Data Management Facility

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

Stephan, E. G.; Elsethagen, T. O.; Berg, L. K.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how community vocabularies and linked open data best practices are being used to seamlessly link things, data, and off the shelf services to support scientific offshore wind energy research for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind and Water Power Program. This is largely made possible by leveraging collaborative advances in the Internet of Things (IoT), Semantic Web, Linked Services, Linked Open Data (LOD), and RDF vocabulary communities, which provide the foundation for our design. By adapting these linked community best practices, we designed amore » wind characterization data management facility capable of continually collecting, processing, and preservation of in situ and remote sensing instrume« less

AQUATOOL, a generalized decision-support system for water-resources planning and operational management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreu, J.; Capilla, J.; Sanchís, E.

1996-04-01

This paper describes a generic decision-support system (DSS) which was originally designed for the planning stage of dicision-making associated with complex river basins. Subsequently, it was expanded to incorporate modules relating to the operational stage of decision-making. Computer-assisted design modules allow any complex water-resource system to be represented in graphical form, giving access to geographically referenced databases and knowledge bases. The modelling capability includes basin simulation and optimization modules, an aquifer flow modelling module and two modules for risk assessment. The Segura and Tagus river basins have been used as case studies in the development and validation phases. The value of this DSS is demonstrated by the fact that both River Basin Agencies currently use a version for the efficient management of their water resources.

[Design and Implementation of a Mobile Operating Room Information Management System Based on Electronic Medical Record].

PubMed

Liu, Baozhen; Liu, Zhiguo; Wang, Xianwen

2015-06-01

A mobile operating room information management system with electronic medical record (EMR) is designed to improve work efficiency and to enhance the patient information sharing. In the operating room, this system acquires the information from various medical devices through the Client/Server (C/S) pattern, and automatically generates XML-based EMR. Outside the operating room, this system provides information access service by using the Browser/Server (B/S) pattern. Software test shows that this system can correctly collect medical information from equipment and clearly display the real-time waveform. By achieving surgery records with higher quality and sharing the information among mobile medical units, this system can effectively reduce doctors' workload and promote the information construction of the field hospital.

Exploring medical identity theft.

PubMed

Mancilla, Desla; Moczygemba, Jackie

2009-09-16

The crime of medical identity theft is a growing concern in healthcare institutions. A mixed-method study design including a two-stage electronic survey, telephone survey follow-up, and on-site observations was used to evaluate current practices in admitting and registration departments to reduce the occurrence of medical identity theft. Survey participants were chief compliance officers in acute healthcare organizations and members of the Health Care Compliance Association. Study results indicate variance in whether or how patient identity is confirmed in healthcare settings. The findings of this study suggest that information systems need to be designed for more efficient identity management. Admitting and registration staff must be trained, and compliance with medical identity theft policies and procedures must be monitored. Finally, biometric identity management solutions should be considered for stronger patient identification verification.

Options for diabetes management in sub-Saharan Africa with an electronic medical record system.

PubMed

Kouematchoua Tchuitcheu, G; Rienhoff, O

2011-01-01

An increase of diabetes prevalence of up to 80% is predicted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by 2025 exceeding the worldwide 55%. Mortality rates of diabetes and HIV/AIDS are similar. Diabetes shares several common factors with HIV/AIDS and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The latter two health problems have been efficiently managed by an open source electronic medical record system (EMRS) in Latin America. Therefore a similar solution for diabetes in SSA could be extremely helpful. The aim was to design and validate a conceptual model for an EMRS to improve diabetes management in SSA making use of the HIV and TB experience. A review of the literature addressed diabetes care and management in SSA as well as existing examples of information and communication technology (ICT) use in SSA. Based on a need assessment conducted in SSA a conceptual model based on the traditionally structured healthcare system in SSA was mapped into a three-layer structure. Application modules were derived and a demonstrator programmed based on an open source EMRS. Then the approach was validated by SSA experts. A conceptual model could be specified and validated which enhances a problem-oriented approach to diabetes management processes. The prototyp EMRS demonstrates options for a patient portal and simulation tools for education of health professional and patients in SSA. It is possible to find IT solutions for diabetes care in SSA which follow the same efficiency concepts as HIV or TB modules in Latin America. The local efficiency and sustainability of the solution will, however, depend on training and changes in work behavior.

BigQ: a NoSQL based framework to handle genomic variants in i2b2.

PubMed

Gabetta, Matteo; Limongelli, Ivan; Rizzo, Ettore; Riva, Alberto; Segagni, Daniele; Bellazzi, Riccardo

2015-12-29

Precision medicine requires the tight integration of clinical and molecular data. To this end, it is mandatory to define proper technological solutions able to manage the overwhelming amount of high throughput genomic data needed to test associations between genomic signatures and human phenotypes. The i2b2 Center (Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside) has developed a widely internationally adopted framework to use existing clinical data for discovery research that can help the definition of precision medicine interventions when coupled with genetic data. i2b2 can be significantly advanced by designing efficient management solutions of Next Generation Sequencing data. We developed BigQ, an extension of the i2b2 framework, which integrates patient clinical phenotypes with genomic variant profiles generated by Next Generation Sequencing. A visual programming i2b2 plugin allows retrieving variants belonging to the patients in a cohort by applying filters on genomic variant annotations. We report an evaluation of the query performance of our system on more than 11 million variants, showing that the implemented solution scales linearly in terms of query time and disk space with the number of variants. In this paper we describe a new i2b2 web service composed of an efficient and scalable document-based database that manages annotations of genomic variants and of a visual programming plug-in designed to dynamically perform queries on clinical and genetic data. The system therefore allows managing the fast growing volume of genomic variants and can be used to integrate heterogeneous genomic annotations.

Adaptation Design Tool for Climate-Smart Management of Coral Reefs and Other Natural Resources.

PubMed

West, Jordan M; Courtney, Catherine A; Hamilton, Anna T; Parker, Britt A; Gibbs, David A; Bradley, Patricia; Julius, Susan H

2018-06-22

Scientists and managers of natural resources have recognized an urgent need for improved methods and tools to enable effective adaptation of management measures in the face of climate change. This paper presents an Adaptation Design Tool that uses a structured approach to break down an otherwise overwhelming and complex process into tractable steps. The tool contains worksheets that guide users through a series of design considerations for adapting their planned management actions to be more climate-smart given changing environmental stressors. Also provided with other worksheets is a framework for brainstorming new adaptation options in response to climate threats not yet addressed in the current plan. Developed and tested in collaboration with practitioners in Hawai'i and Puerto Rico using coral reefs as a pilot ecosystem, the tool and associated reference materials consist of worksheets, instructions and lessons-learned from real-world examples. On the basis of stakeholder feedback from expert consultations during tool development, we present insights and recommendations regarding how to maximize tool efficiency, gain the greatest value from the thought process, and deal with issues of scale and uncertainty. We conclude by reflecting on how the tool advances the theory and practice of assessment and decision-making science, informs higher level strategic planning, and serves as a platform for a systematic, transparent and inclusive process to tackle the practical implications of climate change for management of natural resources.

Workflow management systems in radiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendler, Thomas; Meetz, Kirsten; Schmidt, Joachim

1998-07-01

In a situation of shrinking health care budgets, increasing cost pressure and growing demands to increase the efficiency and the quality of medical services, health care enterprises are forced to optimize or complete re-design their processes. Although information technology is agreed to potentially contribute to cost reduction and efficiency improvement, the real success factors are the re-definition and automation of processes: Business Process Re-engineering and Workflow Management. In this paper we discuss architectures for the use of workflow management systems in radiology. We propose to move forward from information systems in radiology (RIS, PACS) to Radiology Management Systems, in which workflow functionality (process definitions and process automation) is implemented through autonomous workflow management systems (WfMS). In a workflow oriented architecture, an autonomous workflow enactment service communicates with workflow client applications via standardized interfaces. In this paper, we discuss the need for and the benefits of such an approach. The separation of workflow management system and application systems is emphasized, and the consequences that arise for the architecture of workflow oriented information systems. This includes an appropriate workflow terminology, and the definition of standard interfaces for workflow aware application systems. Workflow studies in various institutions have shown that most of the processes in radiology are well structured and suited for a workflow management approach. Numerous commercially available Workflow Management Systems (WfMS) were investigated, and some of them, which are process- oriented and application independent, appear suitable for use in radiology.

Designing a sampling system for concurrently measuring outdoor recreation visitation and describing visitor characteristics

Treesearch

Donald B.K. English; Stanley J. Zarnoch; Susan M. Kocis

2004-01-01

Two primary information needs for managing recreation areas and the visitors to those areas are: (1) good estimates of visitation volume, and (2) accurate descriptions of visitor characteristics, such as length of stay, frequency of visit, and primary activity. For National Forests in the United States of America with large undeveloped areas, efficient sampling for the...

Designing and Implementing an Ergonomics Inventory to Improve Management of Human Factors Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Kenneth A.

Self-report ergometric inventories can provide valuable information to employers and can serve as a means of intervention to improve employee attributes. Based on the science of ergonomics (a science that studies the natural laws of work in order to maximize human efficiency in job performance), such an inventory focuses on the interaction of the…

Dissolved Oxygen management in catfish ponds using electric paddlewheel aerators: new approaches with old technology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The electric paddlewheel aerator has been the main aerator used in the U.S. catfish industry for the post forty years. While it has its limitations, it is perhaps the most efficient shallow-water aerator yet to be developed. Its shortcomings result not so much from poor design, as from poor usage. U...

Comparing Self-Management Strategies Delivered via an iPhone to Promote Grocery Shopping and Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Karen H.; Ayres, Kevin M.; Langone, John

2015-01-01

Four students with moderate intellectual disabilities used electronic lists delivered on an iPhone to assist them in skills related to community-based grocery shopping. An alternating treatments design was used to assist in comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of three different types of lists (Text Only, Audio + Text, and Picture + Text).…

Programming models for energy-aware systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Haitao

Energy efficiency is an important goal of modern computing, with direct impact on system operational cost, reliability, usability and environmental sustainability. This dissertation describes the design and implementation of two innovative programming languages for constructing energy-aware systems. First, it introduces ET, a strongly typed programming language to promote and facilitate energy-aware programming, with a novel type system design called Energy Types. Energy Types is built upon a key insight into today's energy-efficient systems and applications: despite the popular perception that energy and power can only be described in joules and watts, real-world energy management is often based on discrete phases and modes, which in turn can be reasoned about by type systems very effectively. A phase characterizes a distinct pattern of program workload, and a mode represents an energy state the program is expected to execute in. Energy Types is designed to reason about energy phases and energy modes, bringing programmers into the optimization of energy management. Second, the dissertation develops Eco, an energy-aware programming language centering around sustainability. A sustainable program built from Eco is able to adaptively adjusts its own behaviors to stay on a given energy budget, avoiding both deficit that would lead to battery drain or CPU overheating, and surplus that could have been used to improve the quality of the program output. Sustainability is viewed as a form of supply and demand matching, and a sustainable program consistently maintains the equilibrium between supply and demand. ET is implemented as a prototyped compiler for smartphone programming on Android, and Eco is implemented as a minimal extension to Java. Programming practices and benchmarking experiments in these two new languages showed that ET can lead to significant energy savings for Android Apps and Eco can efficiently promote battery awareness and temperature awareness in real-world Java programs.

A Conceptual Design of a Departure Planner Decision Aid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anagnostakis, Ioannis; Idris, Husni R.; Clark, John-Paul; Feron, Eric; Hansman, R. John; Odoni, Amedeo R.; Hall, William D.

2000-01-01

Terminal area Air Traffic Management handles both arriving and departing traffic. To date, research work on terminal area operations has focused primarily on the arrival flow and typically departures are taken into account only in an approximate manner. However, arrivals and departures are highly coupled processes especially in the terminal airspace, with complex interactions and sharing of the same airport resources between arrivals and departures taking place in practically every important terminal area. Therefore, the addition of automation aids for departures, possibly in co-operation with existing arrival flow automation systems, could have a profound contribution in enhancing the overall efficiency of airport operations. This paper presents the conceptual system architecture for such an automation aid, the Departure Planner (DP). This architecture can be used as a core in the development of decision-aiding systems to assist air traffic controllers in improving the performance of departure operations and optimize runway time allocation among different operations at major congested airports. The design of such systems is expected to increase the overall efficiency of terminal area operations and yield benefits for all stakeholders involved in Air Traffic Management (ATM) operations, users as well as service providers.

Integrated Cabin and Fuel Cell System Thermal Management with a Metal Hydride Heat Pump

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

Hovland, V.

2004-12-01

Integrated approaches for the heating and cooling requirements of both the fuel cell (FC) stack and cabin environment are critical to fuel cell vehicle performance in terms of stack efficiency, fuel economy, and cost. An integrated FC system and cabin thermal management system would address the cabin cooling and heating requirements, control the temperature of the stack by mitigating the waste heat, and ideally capture the waste heat and use it for useful purposes. Current work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) details a conceptual design of a metal hydride heat pump (MHHP) for the fuel cell system andmore » cabin thermal management.« less

Knowledge management in a waste based biorefinery in the QbD paradigm.

PubMed

Rathore, Anurag S; Chopda, Viki R; Gomes, James

2016-09-01

Shifting resource base from fossil feedstock to renewable raw materials for production of chemical products has opened up an area of novel applications of industrial biotechnology-based process tools. This review aims to provide a concise and focused discussion on recent advances in knowledge management to facilitate efficient and optimal operation of a biorefinery. Application of quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) as tools for knowledge creation and management at different levels has been highlighted. Role of process integration, government policies, knowledge exchange through collaboration, and use of databases and computational tools have also been touched upon. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Open source cardiology electronic health record development for DIGICARDIAC implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugarte, Nelson; Medina, Rubén.; Huiracocha, Lourdes; Rojas, Rubén.

2015-12-01

This article presents the development of a Cardiology Electronic Health Record (CEHR) system. Software consists of a structured algorithm designed under Health Level-7 (HL7) international standards. Novelty of the system is the integration of high resolution ECG (HRECG) signal acquisition and processing tools, patient information management tools and telecardiology tools. Acquisition tools are for management and control of the DIGICARDIAC electrocardiograph functions. Processing tools allow management of HRECG signal analysis searching for indicative patterns of cardiovascular pathologies. Telecardiology tools incorporation allows system communication with other health care centers decreasing access time to the patient information. CEHR system was completely developed using open source software. Preliminary results of process validation showed the system efficiency.

The science of laboratory and project management in regulated bioanalysis.

PubMed

Unger, Steve; Lloyd, Thomas; Tan, Melvin; Hou, Jingguo; Wells, Edward

2014-05-01

Pharmaceutical drug development is a complex and lengthy process, requiring excellent project and laboratory management skills. Bioanalysis anchors drug safety and efficacy with systemic and site of action exposures. Development of scientific talent and a willingness to innovate or adopt new technology is essential. Taking unnecessary risks, however, should be avoided. Scientists must strategically assess all risks and find means to minimize or negate them. Laboratory Managers must keep abreast of ever-changing technology. Investments in instrumentation and laboratory design are critical catalysts to efficiency and safety. Matrix management requires regular communication between Project Managers and Laboratory Managers. When properly executed, it aligns the best resources at the right times for a successful outcome. Attention to detail is a critical aspect that separates excellent laboratories. Each assay is unique and requires attention in its development, validation and execution. Methods, training and facilities are the foundation of a bioanalytical laboratory.

Job Management Requirements for NAS Parallel Systems and Clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saphir, William; Tanner, Leigh Ann; Traversat, Bernard

1995-01-01

A job management system is a critical component of a production supercomputing environment, permitting oversubscribed resources to be shared fairly and efficiently. Job management systems that were originally designed for traditional vector supercomputers are not appropriate for the distributed-memory parallel supercomputers that are becoming increasingly important in the high performance computing industry. Newer job management systems offer new functionality but do not solve fundamental problems. We address some of the main issues in resource allocation and job scheduling we have encountered on two parallel computers - a 160-node IBM SP2 and a cluster of 20 high performance workstations located at the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation facility. We describe the requirements for resource allocation and job management that are necessary to provide a production supercomputing environment on these machines, prioritizing according to difficulty and importance, and advocating a return to fundamental issues.

Graph Databases for Large-Scale Healthcare Systems: A Framework for Efficient Data Management and Data Services

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

Park, Yubin; Shankar, Mallikarjun; Park, Byung H.

Designing a database system for both efficient data management and data services has been one of the enduring challenges in the healthcare domain. In many healthcare systems, data services and data management are often viewed as two orthogonal tasks; data services refer to retrieval and analytic queries such as search, joins, statistical data extraction, and simple data mining algorithms, while data management refers to building error-tolerant and non-redundant database systems. The gap between service and management has resulted in rigid database systems and schemas that do not support effective analytics. We compose a rich graph structure from an abstracted healthcaremore » RDBMS to illustrate how we can fill this gap in practice. We show how a healthcare graph can be automatically constructed from a normalized relational database using the proposed 3NF Equivalent Graph (3EG) transformation.We discuss a set of real world graph queries such as finding self-referrals, shared providers, and collaborative filtering, and evaluate their performance over a relational database and its 3EG-transformed graph. Experimental results show that the graph representation serves as multiple de-normalized tables, thus reducing complexity in a database and enhancing data accessibility of users. Based on this finding, we propose an ensemble framework of databases for healthcare applications.« less