Sample records for planning approach final
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-07-24
... General Management Plan and Wilderness Study (Final EIS/GMP/WS) for Fort Pulaski National Monument... national monument, the Final EIS/GMP/WS will guide the management of the national monument over the next 20... publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability of the Final EIS/GMP/WS in the...
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Technical approach to groundwater restoration. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1993-11-01
The Technical Approach to Groundwater Restoration (TAGR) provides general technical guidance to implement the groundwater restoration phase of the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. The TAGR includes a brief overview of the surface remediation and groundwater restoration phases of the UMTRA Project and describes the regulatory requirements, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and regulatory compliance. A section on program strategy discusses program optimization, the role of risk assessment, the observational approach, strategies for meeting groundwater cleanup standards, and remedial action decision-making. A section on data requirements for groundwater restoration evaluates the data quality objectives (DQO) andmore » minimum data required to implement the options and comply with the standards. A section on sits implementation explores the development of a conceptual site model, approaches to site characterization, development of remedial action alternatives, selection of the groundwater restoration method, and remedial design and implementation in the context of site-specific documentation in the site observational work plan (SOWP) and the remedial action plan (RAP). Finally, the TAGR elaborates on groundwater monitoring necessary to evaluate compliance with the groundwater cleanup standards and protection of human health and the environment, and outlines licensing procedures.« less
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2003-10-01
The purpose of this document is to expand upon the evaluation components presented in "Computer-aided dispatch--traffic management center field operational test final evaluation plan : WSDOT deployment". This document defines the objective, approach,...
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300 Area dangerous waste tank management system: Compliance plan approach. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
1996-03-01
In its Dec. 5, 1989 letter to DOE-Richland (DOE-RL) Operations, the Washington State Dept. of Ecology requested that DOE-RL prepare ``a plant evaluating alternatives for storage and/or treatment of hazardous waste in the 300 Area...``. This document, prepared in response to that letter, presents the proposed approach to compliance of the 300 Area with the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Washington State`s Chapter 173-303 WAC, Dangerous Waste Regulations. It also contains 10 appendices which were developed as bases for preparing the compliance plan approach. It refers to the Radioactive Liquid Waste System facilities and to the radioactive mixedmore » waste.« less
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2004-01-01
The purpose of this document is to expand upon the evaluation components presented in "Computer-aided dispatch--traffic management center field operational test final evaluation plan : state of Utah". This document defines the objective, approach, an...
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Vector-model-supported approach in prostate plan optimization
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Liu, Eva Sau Fan; Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Wu, Vincent Wing Cheung
Lengthy time consumed in traditional manual plan optimization can limit the use of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy/volumetric-modulated radiotherapy (S&S IMRT/VMAT). A vector model base, retrieving similar radiotherapy cases, was developed with respect to the structural and physiologic features extracted from the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) files. Planning parameters were retrieved from the selected similar reference case and applied to the test case to bypass the gradual adjustment of planning parameters. Therefore, the planning time spent on the traditional trial-and-error manual optimization approach in the beginning of optimization could be reduced. Each S&S IMRT/VMAT prostate reference database comprised 100more » previously treated cases. Prostate cases were replanned with both traditional optimization and vector-model-supported optimization based on the oncologists' clinical dose prescriptions. A total of 360 plans, which consisted of 30 cases of S&S IMRT, 30 cases of 1-arc VMAT, and 30 cases of 2-arc VMAT plans including first optimization and final optimization with/without vector-model-supported optimization, were compared using the 2-sided t-test and paired Wilcoxon signed rank test, with a significance level of 0.05 and a false discovery rate of less than 0.05. For S&S IMRT, 1-arc VMAT, and 2-arc VMAT prostate plans, there was a significant reduction in the planning time and iteration with vector-model-supported optimization by almost 50%. When the first optimization plans were compared, 2-arc VMAT prostate plans had better plan quality than 1-arc VMAT plans. The volume receiving 35 Gy in the femoral head for 2-arc VMAT plans was reduced with the vector-model-supported optimization compared with the traditional manual optimization approach. Otherwise, the quality of plans from both approaches was comparable. Vector-model-supported optimization was shown to offer much shortened planning time and iteration
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1991-02-01
to adequately assess the health and environmental risks associated with the closure and transfer of the Annex forI other use; and 3) identification of...1990); Draft Final Technical Plan, Draft Final Sampling Design Plan and Draft Final Health and Safety Plan, USATHAMA, June 1990. 2.1.2 Draft Final...Final Technical Plan, Sampling Design Plan and Health and Safety Plan) supplied by USATHAMA. The estimate may be revised, with USATHAMA approval, as
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An Asset-Based Approach to Tribal Community Energy Planning
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Gutierrez, Rachael A.; Martino, Anthony; Begay, Sandra K.
Community energy planning is a vital component of successful energy resource development and project implementation. Planning can help tribes develop a shared vision and strategies to accomplish their energy goals. This paper explores the benefits of an asset-based approach to tribal community energy planning. While a framework for community energy planning and federal funding already exists, some areas of difficulty in the planning cycle have been identified. This paper focuses on developing a planning framework that offsets those challenges. The asset-based framework described here takes inventory of a tribe’s capital assets, such as: land capital, human capital, financial capital, andmore » political capital. Such an analysis evaluates how being rich in a specific type of capital can offer a tribe unique advantages in implementing their energy vision. Finally, a tribal case study demonstrates the practical application of an asset-based framework.« less
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45 CFR 1386.36 - Final disapproval of the State plan or plan amendments.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES PROGRAM FORMULA GRANT PROGRAMS Federal Assistance to State Developmental Disabilities Councils § 1386.36 Final disapproval of the State plan or plan...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Chung, Ching-Luan
1990-01-01
The term trajectory planning has been used to refer to the process of determining the time history of joint trajectory of each joint variable corresponding to a specified trajectory of the end effector. The trajectory planning problem was solved as a purely kinematic problem. The drawback is that there is no guarantee that the actuators can deliver the effort necessary to track the planned trajectory. To overcome this limitation, a motion planning approach which addresses the kinematics, dynamics, and feedback control of a manipulator in a unified framework was developed. Actuator constraints are taken into account explicitly and a priori in the synthesis of the feedback control law. Therefore the result of applying the motion planning approach described is not only the determination of the entire set of joint trajectories but also a complete specification of the feedback control strategy which would yield these joint trajectories without violating actuator constraints. The effectiveness of the unified motion planning approach is demonstrated on two problems which are of practical interest in manipulator robotics.
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Claims Procedure for Plans Providing Disability Benefits. Final rule.
2016-12-19
This document contains a final regulation revising the claims procedure regulations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) for employee benefit plans providing disability benefits. The final rule revises and strengthens the current rules primarily by adopting certain procedural protections and safeguards for disability benefit claims that are currently applicable to claims for group health benefits pursuant to the Affordable Care Act. This rule affects plan administrators and participants and beneficiaries of plans providing disability benefits, and others who assist in the provision of these benefits, such as third-party benefits administrators and other service providers.
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Strategic Planning Study Team. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tennessee Univ., Chattanooga.
This final report presents the results of a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's (UTC) strategic planning study team, which was charged with documenting computerized services currently available and recommending to the UTC administration areas in which new services should be introduced at the university. A questionnaire was administered to…
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Tax treatment of cafeteria plans. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. Final regulations.
2000-03-23
This document contains final regulations relating to section 125 cafeteria plans. The final regulations clarify the circumstances under which a section 125 cafeteria plan election may be changed. The final regulations permit an employer to allow a section 125 cafeteria plan participant to revoke an existing election and make a new election during a period of coverage for accident or health coverage or group-term life insurance coverage.
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76 FR 17808 - Final Vehicle Safety Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan 2011-2013
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-03-31
... [Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0108] Final Vehicle Safety Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan 2011- 2013 AGENCY... availability. SUMMARY: This document announces the availability of the Final NHTSA Vehicle Safety and Fuel.... This Priority Plan is an update to the Final Vehicle Safety Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan 2009...
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Space Shuttle Orbiter Approach and Landing Test: Final Evaluation Report
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1978-01-01
The Approach and Landing Test Program consisted of a series of steps leading to the demonstration of the capability of the Space Shuttle orbiter to safely approach and land under conditions similar to those planned for the final phases of an orbital flight. The tests were conducted with the orbiter mounted on top of a specially modified carrier aircraft. The first step provided airworthiness and performance verification of the carrier aircraft after modification. The second step consisted of three taxi tests and five flight tests with an inert unmanned orbiter. The third step consisted of three mated tests with an active manned orbiter. The fourth step consisted of five flights in which the orbiter was separated from the carrier aircraft. For the final two flights, the orbiter tail cone was replaced by dummy engines to simulate the actual orbital configuration. Landing gear braking and steering tests were accomplished during rollouts following the free flight landings. Ferry testing was integrated into the Approach and Landing Test Program to the extent possible. In addition, four ferry test flights were conducted with the orbiter mated to the carrier aircraft in the ferry configuration after the free-flight tests were completed.
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76 FR 40394 - Final Plan for Fiscal Year 2011
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-07-08
... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJP (OJJDP) Docket No. 1563] Final Plan for Fiscal Year 2011 AGENCY: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.... SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is publishing this notice of its Final...
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A Planning Approach of Engineering Characteristics Based on QFD-TRIZ Integrated
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Shang; Shi, Dongyan; Zhang, Ying
Traditional QFD planning method compromises contradictions between engineering characteristics to achieve higher customer satisfaction. However, this compromise trade-off can not eliminate the contradictions existing among the engineering characteristics which limited the overall customer satisfaction. QFD (Quality function deployment) integrated with TRIZ (the Russian acronym of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) becomes hot research recently for TRIZ can be used to solve contradictions between engineering characteristics which construct the roof of HOQ (House of quality). But, the traditional QFD planning approach is not suitable for QFD integrated with TRIZ for that TRIZ requires emphasizing the contradictions between engineering characteristics at problem definition stage instead of compromising trade-off. So, a new planning approach based on QFD / TRIZ integration is proposed in this paper, which based on the consideration of the correlation matrix of engineering characteristics and customer satisfaction on the basis of cost. The proposed approach suggests that TRIZ should be applied to solve contradictions at the first step, and the correlation matrix of engineering characteristics should be amended at the second step, and at next step IFR (ideal final result) must be validated, then planning execute. An example is used to illustrate the proposed approach. The application indicated that higher customer satisfaction can be met and the contradictions between the characteristic parameters are eliminated.
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Preservation Planning Project Study Team. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pittsburgh Univ., PA. Libraries.
This final report is a product of a comprehensive 14-month Preservation Planning Program (PPP) self-study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Libraries, working with the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) Office of Management Studies. The PPP is designed to put self-help tools into the hands of library staff responsible for developing…
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Effects of planning strategies on writing dynamics and final texts.
Limpo, Teresa; Alves, Rui A
2018-06-12
Expert writing involves the interaction among three cognitively demanding processes: planning, translating, and revising. To manage the cognitive load brought on by these processes, writers frequently use strategies. Here, we examined the effects of planning strategies on writing dynamics and final texts. Before writing an argumentative text with the triple-task technique, 63 undergraduates were asked either to elaborate an outline with the argumentative structure embedded (structure-based planning condition), to provide a written list of ideas for the text (list-based planning condition), or to do a non-writing-related filler task (no planning condition). Planning showed no effects on the length of the pre-writing pause and cognitive effort, but influenced writing processes occurrences. Compared to participants in the no-planning condition, those in the planning conditions showed a later activation of revising. Moreover, participants in the structure-based condition were mainly focused on translating in the beginning and middle of composition, whereas their peers tended to distribute their attention among all processes. Planning ahead of writing also resulted in texts with longer words, produced at a higher rate. Only the structure-based planning strategy led to an increase in the number of argumentation elements as well as in essays' persuasiveness and overall quality. There was, however, no indication that these improvements in final texts were associated with changes in the dynamics of writing. Overall, the use of structure-based plans seems to be an effective and efficient way of improving undergraduates' argumentative writing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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New Approaches to Final Cooling
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Neuffer, David
2014-11-10
A high-energy muon collider scenario require a “final cooling” system that reduces transverse emittances by a factor of ~10 while allowing longitudinal emittance increase. The baseline approach has low-energy transverse cooling within high-field solenoids, with strong longitudinal heating. This approach and its recent simulation are discussed. Alternative approaches which more explicitly include emittance exchange are also presented. Round-to-flat beam transform, transverse slicing, and longitudinal bunch coalescence are possible components of the alternative approach. A more explicit understanding of solenoidal cooling beam dynamics is introduced.
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EPA is taking final rulemaking action to approve, as part of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the State of Arizona, the second 10-year maintenance plan for the Douglas maintenance area for the 1971 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO2.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-03-02
... Decision for the General Management Plan/Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement for New River... Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan for New River Gorge National... Record of Decision can be downloaded from the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-03-21
... Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement, Hampton National Historic Site, Maryland AGENCY...) announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan.../Baltimore County Library, 320 York Avenue, Towson, Maryland 21204. Baltimore County Tourism Office and...
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2015-10-28
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to amend the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program regulations regarding enrollment options following the termination of a plan or plan option.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-17
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R6-ES-2010-N175; 61130-1115-0000 F2] Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Final Habitat Conservation Plan and Final... Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) a Final Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and prepared...
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FOCUS: a fire management planning system -- final report
Frederick W. Bratten; James B. Davis; George T. Flatman; Jerold W. Keith; Stanley R. Rapp; Theodore G. Storey
1981-01-01
FOCUS (Fire Operational Characteristics Using Simulation) is a computer simulation model for evaluating alternative fire management plans. This final report provides a broad overview of the FOCUS system, describes two major modules-fire suppression and cost, explains the role in the system of gaming large fires, and outlines the support programs and ways of...
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Hawaii State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health. Final rule.
2012-09-21
This document announces the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) decision to modify the Hawaii State Plan's ``final approval'' determination under Section 18(e) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act) and to transition to ``initial approval'' status. OSHA is reinstating concurrent federal enforcement authority over occupational safety and health issues in the private sector, which have been solely covered by the Hawaii State Plan since 1984.
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Preservation Planning Program. Study Report. Iowa State University Library. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Galejs, John; And Others
This final report is a product of a Preservation Planning Program (PPP) self-study conducted by the Iowa State University, working with the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) Office of Management Studies. The PPP is designed to put self-help tools into the hands of library staff responsible for developing plans and procedures for preserving…
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2000-11-21
This document contains a final rule amending the regulations governing the content of the Summary Plan Description (SPD) required to be furnished to employee benefit plan participants and beneficiaries under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). These amendments implement information disclosure recommendations of the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, as set forth in their November 20, 1997, report, "Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities." Specifically, the amendments clarify benefit, medical provider, and other information required to be disclosed in, or as part of, the SPD of a group health plan and repeal the limited exemption with respect to SPDs of welfare plans providing benefits through qualified health maintenance organizations (HMOs). In addition, this document contains several amendments updating and clarifying provisions relating to the content of SPDs that affect both pension and welfare benefit plans. This document also adopts in final form certain regulations that were effective on an interim basis implementing amendments to ERISA enacted as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This final rule will affect employee pension and welfare benefit plans, including group health plans, as well as administrators, fiduciaries, participants and beneficiaries of such plans.
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Comparison of anatomy-based, fluence-based and aperture-based treatment planning approaches for VMAT
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rao, Min; Cao, Daliang; Chen, Fan; Ye, Jinsong; Mehta, Vivek; Wong, Tony; Shepard, David
2010-11-01
Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has the potential to reduce treatment times while producing comparable or improved dose distributions relative to fixed-field intensity-modulated radiation therapy. In order to take full advantage of the VMAT delivery technique, one must select a robust inverse planning tool. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of VMAT planning techniques of three categories: anatomy-based, fluence-based and aperture-based inverse planning. We have compared these techniques in terms of the plan quality, planning efficiency and delivery efficiency. Fourteen patients were selected for this study including six head-and-neck (HN) cases, and two cases each of prostate, pancreas, lung and partial brain. For each case, three VMAT plans were created. The first VMAT plan was generated based on the anatomical geometry. In the Elekta ERGO++ treatment planning system (TPS), segments were generated based on the beam's eye view (BEV) of the target and the organs at risk. The segment shapes were then exported to Pinnacle3 TPS followed by segment weight optimization and final dose calculation. The second VMAT plan was generated by converting optimized fluence maps (calculated by the Pinnacle3 TPS) into deliverable arcs using an in-house arc sequencer. The third VMAT plan was generated using the Pinnacle3 SmartArc IMRT module which is an aperture-based optimization method. All VMAT plans were delivered using an Elekta Synergy linear accelerator and the plan comparisons were made in terms of plan quality and delivery efficiency. The results show that for cases of little or modest complexity such as prostate, pancreas, lung and brain, the anatomy-based approach provides similar target coverage and critical structure sparing, but less conformal dose distributions as compared to the other two approaches. For more complex HN cases, the anatomy-based approach is not able to provide clinically acceptable VMAT plans while highly
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-12-16
...] Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Final Trail Management Plan/Environmental Impact... (ROD) for the Final Trail Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/EIS), Cuyahoga Valley... 1, the no-action alternative, the trails, authorized uses, and facilities addressed in this Plan/EIS...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-04-29
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [2310-0003-422] Coral Reef Restoration Plan... for the Coral Reef Restoration Plan, Biscayne National Park. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National... availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Coral Reef Restoration Plan (Plan...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-05-18
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Final Environmental Impact Statement for the... Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General... Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan for Monocacy National Battlefield. The plan will...
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Theoretical orientations in environmental planning: An inquiry into alternative approaches
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Briassoulis, Helen
1989-07-01
In the process of devising courses of action to resolve problems arising at the society-environment interface, a variety of planning approaches are followed, whose adoption is influenced by—among other things—the characteristics of environmental problems, the nature of the decision-making context, and the intellectual traditions of the disciplines contributing to the study of these problems. This article provides a systematic analysis of six alternative environmental planning approaches—comprehensive/rational, incremental, adaptive, contingency, advocacy, and participatory/consensual. The relative influence of the abovementioned factors is examined, the occurrence of these approaches in real-world situations is noted, and their environmental soundness and political realism is evaluated. Because of the disparity between plan formulation and implementation and between theoretical form and empirical reality, a synthetic view of environmental planning approaches is taken and approaches in action are identified, which characterize the totality of the planning process from problem definition to plan implementation, as well as approaches in the becoming, which may be on the horizon of environmental planning of tomorrow. The suggested future research directions include case studies to verify and detail the presence of the approaches discussed, developing measures of success of a given approach in a given decision setting, and an intertemporal analysis of environmental planning approaches.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-08-28
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLCAC06000.L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS095B0000] Notice of Availability of the Proposed Bakersfield Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental... prepared the Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the...
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Implementing corporate wellness programs: a business approach to program planning.
Helmer, D C; Dunn, L M; Eaton, K; Macedonio, C; Lubritz, L
1995-11-01
1. Support of key decision makers is critical to the successful implementation of a corporate wellness program. Therefore, the program implementation plan must be communicated in a format and language readily understood by business people. 2. A business approach to corporate wellness program planning provides a standardized way to communicate the implementation plan. 3. A business approach incorporates the program planning components in a format that ranges from general to specific. This approach allows for flexibility and responsiveness to changes in program planning. 4. Components of the business approach are the executive summary, purpose, background, ground rules, approach, requirements, scope of work, schedule, and financials.
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Reference condition approach to restoration planning
Nestler, J.M.; Theiling, C.H.; Lubinski, S.J.; Smith, D.L.
2010-01-01
Ecosystem restoration planning requires quantitative rigor to evaluate alternatives, define end states, report progress and perform environmental benefits analysis (EBA). Unfortunately, existing planning frameworks are, at best, semi-quantitative. In this paper, we: (1) describe a quantitative restoration planning approach based on a comprehensive, but simple mathematical framework that can be used to effectively apply knowledge and evaluate alternatives, (2) use the approach to derive a simple but precisely defined lexicon based on the reference condition concept and allied terms and (3) illustrate the approach with an example from the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) using hydrologic indicators. The approach supports the development of a scaleable restoration strategy that, in theory, can be expanded to ecosystem characteristics such as hydraulics, geomorphology, habitat and biodiversity. We identify three reference condition types, best achievable condition (A BAC), measured magnitude (MMi which can be determined at one or many times and places) and desired future condition (ADFC) that, when used with the mathematical framework, provide a complete system of accounts useful for goal-oriented system-level management and restoration. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Data integration for statewide transportation planning : final report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2009-08-01
The goal of this study was to investigate the data availability, accessibility, and interoperability issues arisen from the statewide : transportation planning activities undertaken at WisDOT and to identify possible approaches for addressing these i...
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Seattle To Portland Inter-City ITS Corridor Study And Communications Plan, Final Report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1996-03-01
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE FINAL REPORT PRESENTING THE SEATTLE TO PORTLAND INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (ITS) EARLY DEPLOYMENT PLAN. THE FINAL REPORT SYNTHESIZES INFORMATION FROM TECHNICAL MEMORANDUMS 1 THROUGH 5; INCLUDING EXISTING AND FUTURE CONDITI...
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A Functional Plan for an Illinois Library Telecommunications Network. The Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Calabrese, Alice; And Others
This final report describes the plan developed by the Northern Illinois Learning Resources Cooperative, a consortium of 44 community colleges and other academic institutions, which was awarded a Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title III planning grant to research the requirements for a statewide electronic network that would provide…
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Final-Approach-Spacing Subsystem For Air Traffic
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Davis, Thomas J.; Erzberger, Heinz; Bergeron, Hugh
1992-01-01
Automation subsystem of computers, computer workstations, communication equipment, and radar helps air-traffic controllers in terminal radar approach-control (TRACON) facility manage sequence and spacing of arriving aircraft for both efficiency and safety. Called FAST (Final Approach Spacing Tool), subsystem enables controllers to choose among various levels of automation.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-06-21
...-FF03E00000] Final Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment and Finding of... Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan (Plan) and Environmental Assessment and Finding of No... Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (77 FR 1717). The public comment...
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Effect of the Family and Medical Leave Act on the operation of cafeteria plans. Final regulations.
2001-10-17
This document contains final regulations relating to cafeteria plans that reflect changes made by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (Act). The final regulations provide the public with guidance needed to comply with the Act and affect employees who participate in cafeteria plans.
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Eco-approach and Eco-departure planning study : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2016-01-31
A long term (10 year) research roadmap is proposed to guide the development and potential deployment of Eco-Approach and Departure (Eco A/D) functionality at signalized intersections, with a focus on commercialization of initial system concepts in 5+...
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Financial Planning for Information Technology: Conventional Approaches Need Not Apply.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Falduto, Ellen F.
1999-01-01
Rapid advances in information technology have rendered conventional approaches to planning and budgeting useless, and no single method is universally appropriate. The most successful planning efforts are consistent with the institution's overall plan, and may combine conventional, opportunistic, and entrepreneurial approaches. Chief financial…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jin, Hao; Xu, Rui; Xu, Wenming; Cui, Pingyuan; Zhu, Shengying
2017-10-01
As to support the mission of Mars exploration in China, automated mission planning is required to enhance security and robustness of deep space probe. Deep space mission planning requires modeling of complex operations constraints and focus on the temporal state transitions of involved subsystems. Also, state transitions are ubiquitous in physical systems, but have been elusive for knowledge description. We introduce a modeling approach to cope with these difficulties that takes state transitions into consideration. The key technique we build on is the notion of extended states and state transition graphs. Furthermore, a heuristics that based on state transition graphs is proposed to avoid redundant work. Finally, we run comprehensive experiments on selected domains and our techniques present an excellent performance.
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Security and privacy preserving approaches in the eHealth clouds with disaster recovery plan.
Sahi, Aqeel; Lai, David; Li, Yan
2016-11-01
Cloud computing was introduced as an alternative storage and computing model in the health sector as well as other sectors to handle large amounts of data. Many healthcare companies have moved their electronic data to the cloud in order to reduce in-house storage, IT development and maintenance costs. However, storing the healthcare records in a third-party server may cause serious storage, security and privacy issues. Therefore, many approaches have been proposed to preserve security as well as privacy in cloud computing projects. Cryptographic-based approaches were presented as one of the best ways to ensure the security and privacy of healthcare data in the cloud. Nevertheless, the cryptographic-based approaches which are used to transfer health records safely remain vulnerable regarding security, privacy, or the lack of any disaster recovery strategy. In this paper, we review the related work on security and privacy preserving as well as disaster recovery in the eHealth cloud domain. Then we propose two approaches, the Security-Preserving approach and the Privacy-Preserving approach, and a disaster recovery plan. The Security-Preserving approach is a robust means of ensuring the security and integrity of Electronic Health Records, and the Privacy-Preserving approach is an efficient authentication approach which protects the privacy of Personal Health Records. Finally, we discuss how the integrated approaches and the disaster recovery plan can ensure the reliability and security of cloud projects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Wang, Xue-Dong; Wang, Hong-Guang; Shi, Jun; Duan, Wei-Dong; Luo, Ying; Ji, Wen-Bin; Zhang, Ning; Dong, Jia-Hong
2017-06-01
Decision making and surgical planning are to achieve the precise balance of maximal removal of target lesion, maximal sparing of functional liver remnant volume, and minimal surgical invasiveness and therefore, crucial in liver surgery. The aim of this prospective study was to validate the accuracy and predictability of 3D interactive quantitative surgical planning approach (IQSP), and to evaluate the impact of IQSP on traditional surgical plans based on 2D images. A total of 305 consecutive patients undergoing hepatectomy were included in this study. Surgical plans were created by traditional 2D approach using picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and 3D approach using IQSP respectively by two groups of physicians who did not know the surgical plans of the other group. The two surgical plans were submitted to the chief surgeon for selection before operation. The specimens were weighed. The two surgical plans were compared and analyzed retrospectively based on the operation results. The two surgical plans were successfully developed in all 305 patients and all the 3D IQSP surgical plans were selected as the final decision. Total 278 patients successfully underwent surgery, including 147 uncomplex hepatectomy and 131 complex hepatectomy. Twenty-seven patients were withdrawn from hepatectomy. In the uncomplex group, the two surgical plans were the same in all 147 patients and no statistically significant difference was found among 2D calculated resection volume (2D-RV), 3D IQSP calculated resection volume (IQSP-RV) and the specimen volume. In the complex group, the two surgical plans were different in 49 patients (49/131, 37.4%). According to the significance of differences, the 49 different patients were classified into three grades. No statistically significant difference was found between IQSP-RV and specimen volume. The coincidence rate of territory analysis of IQSP with operation was 92.1% (93/101) for 101 patients of anatomic hepatectomy. The
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-03-05
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Fire Management Plan, Final Environmental Impact... Statement for the Fire Management Plan, Grand Canyon National Park. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National... the Record of Decision for the Fire Management Plan, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. On January...
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Incentives for nondiscriminatory wellness programs in group health plans. Final rule.
2013-06-03
This document contains final regulations, consistent with the Affordable Care Act, regarding nondiscriminatory wellness programs in group health coverage. Specifically, these final regulations increase the maximum permissible reward under a health-contingent wellness program offered in connection with a group health plan (and any related health insurance coverage) from 20 percent to 30 percent of the cost of coverage. The final regulations further increase the maximum permissible reward to 50 percent for wellness programs designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use. These regulations also include other clarifications regarding the reasonable design of health-contingent wellness programs and the reasonable alternatives they must offer in order to avoid prohibited discrimination.
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Demographic Planning: An Action Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Finch, Harold L.; Smith, Joyce
1974-01-01
Community colleges are in a good position to obtain reliable long-term forecasts of future demand. An approach developed at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, has enabled the college to assist other community institutions in their parallel planning efforts. (Author/MLF)
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2000-04-18
This document amends OSHA's regulations to reflect the Assistant Secretary's decision granting final approval to the Nevada State plan. As a result of this affirmative determination under section 18(e) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Federal OSHA's standards and enforcement authority no longer apply to occupational safety and health issues covered by the Nevada plan, and authority for Federal concurrent jurisdiction is relinquished. Federal enforcement jurisdiction is retained over any private sector maritime employment, private sector employers on Indian land, and any contractors or subcontractors on any Federal establishment where the land is exclusive Federal jurisdiction. Federal jurisdiction remains in effect with respect to Federal government employers and employees. Federal OSHA will also retain authority for coverage of the United States Postal Service (USPS), including USPS employees, contract employees, and contractor-operated facilities engaged in USPS mail operations.
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Career Plans of Final-Year South African Student Teachers: Migration to "Greener Pastures"?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Villiers, J. J. R.
2017-01-01
Teacher loss due to migration is a global phenomenon that impacts both developed and developing nations the world over. The aim of this study was to find out about the career plans of final-year South African student teachers. A group of final-year Bachelor of Education student teachers from a South African university responded to a questionnaire…
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2007-01-17
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to amend the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) regulations regarding discontinuance of a health plan to include situations in which a health plan becomes incapacitated, either temporarily or permanently, as the result of a disaster.
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Simulator evaluation of the final approach spacing tool
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Davis, Thomas J.; Erzberger, Heinz; Green, Steven M.
1990-01-01
The design and simulator evaluation of an automation tool for assisting terminal radar approach controllers in sequencing and spacing traffic onto the final approach course is described. The automation tool, referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), displays speed and heading advisories for arrivals as well as sequencing information on the controller's radar display. The main functional elements of FAST are a scheduler that schedules and sequences the traffic, a 4-D trajectory synthesizer that generates the advisories, and a graphical interface that displays the information to the controller. FAST was implemented on a high performance workstation. It can be operated as a stand-alone in the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Facility or as an element of a system integrated with automation tools in the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). FAST was evaluated by experienced TRACON controllers in a real-time air traffic control simulation. Simulation results show that FAST significantly reduced controller workload and demonstrated a potential for an increase in landing rate.
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A Final Approach Trajectory Model for Current Operations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gong, Chester; Sadovsky, Alexander
2010-01-01
Predicting accurate trajectories with limited intent information is a challenge faced by air traffic management decision support tools in operation today. One such tool is the FAA's Terminal Proximity Alert system which is intended to assist controllers in maintaining safe separation of arrival aircraft during final approach. In an effort to improve the performance of such tools, two final approach trajectory models are proposed; one based on polynomial interpolation, the other on the Fourier transform. These models were tested against actual traffic data and used to study effects of the key final approach trajectory modeling parameters of wind, aircraft type, and weight class, on trajectory prediction accuracy. Using only the limited intent data available to today's ATM system, both the polynomial interpolation and Fourier transform models showed improved trajectory prediction accuracy over a baseline dead reckoning model. Analysis of actual arrival traffic showed that this improved trajectory prediction accuracy leads to improved inter-arrival separation prediction accuracy for longer look ahead times. The difference in mean inter-arrival separation prediction error between the Fourier transform and dead reckoning models was 0.2 nmi for a look ahead time of 120 sec, a 33 percent improvement, with a corresponding 32 percent improvement in standard deviation.
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Final consolidated action plan to Tiger Team. Volume 1, Change 1
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1993-04-01
Two separate Tiger Team assessments were conducted at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The first was conducted at the California site in Livermore between April 30, 1990, and May 18, 1990. A second Tiger team assessment was conducted at the New Mexico site in Albuquerque between April 15 and May 24, 1991. One purpose of this Action Plan is to provide a formal written response to each of the findings and/or concerns cited in the SNL Tiger Team assessment reports. A second purpose is to present actions planned to be conducted to eliminate deficiencies identified by the Tiger Teams. A thirdmore » purpose is to consolidate (group) related findings and to identify priorities assigned to the planned actions for improved efficiency and enhanced management of the tasks. A fourth and final purpose is to merge the two original SNL Action Plans for the New Mexico and California sites into a single Action Plan as a major step toward managing all SNL ES&H activities more similarly. Included in this combined SNL Action Plan are descriptions of the actions to be taken by SNL to liminate all problems identified in the Tiger Teams` findings/concerns, as well as estimated costs and schedules for planned actions.« less
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-09-29
... and Environmental Impact Statement for Isle Royale National Park, MI AGENCY: National Park Service... the availability of a Final Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan and Environmental Impact... the Internet through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Web site ( http://parkplanning...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vlasak, Frances Stetson; Kaufman, Martin J.
Presented is Stage II of the Comprehensive Approach to Pupil Planning (CAPP) System, a three-stage model for planning educational interventions in the regular and special education classrooms and for guiding placement decisions. The guide focuses on the evaluation services performed by the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) with sections on the…
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2002-04-09
This document contains final rules under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), concerning the disclosure of certain employee benefit plan information through electronic media, and the maintenance and retention of employee benefit plan records in electronic form. The rules establish a safe harbor pursuant to which all pension and welfare benefit plans covered by Title I of ERISA may use electronic media to satisfy disclosure obligations under Title I of ERISA. The rules also provide standards concerning the use of electronic media in the maintenance and retention of records required by sections 107 and 209 of ERISA. The rules affect employee pension and welfare benefit plans, including group health plans, plan sponsors, administrators and fiduciaries, and plan participants and beneficiaries.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-06-11
... Environmental Management (IDEM) submitted the State Plan on February 27, 2013. The State Plan is consistent with... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 62 [EPA-R05-OAR-2013-0372; FRL-9821-1] Direct Final Approval of Sewage Sludge Incinerators State Plan for Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Indiana AGENCY...
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The NASA planning process, appendix D. [as useful planning approach for solving urban problems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Annett, H. A.
1973-01-01
The planning process is outlined which NASA used in making some fundamental post-Apollo decisions concerning the reuseable space shuttle and the orbiting laboratory. It is suggested that the basic elements and principles of the process, when combined, form a useful planning approach for solving urban problems. These elements and principles are defined along with the basic strengths of the planning model.
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Planning a Whole-School Approach to STEM
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Knowles, Becca
2014-01-01
An interdisciplinary approach to STEM has huge benefits in terms of engaging young people and increasing their awareness of the opportunities that STEM skills can provide. However, planning a whole-school approach to STEM education can be challenging. This article gives case studies of two recent projects in STEM education and introduces two…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-04
... the Final Staff Guidance Standard Review Plan Section 13.6.3, Revision 1 on Physical Security--Early... NRC is issuing its Final Revision 1 to NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Section 13.6.3, Revision 1 on Physical Security...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-04
... the Final Staff Guidance Standard Review Plan Section 13.6.2, Revision 1 on Physical Security--Design... issuing its Final Revision 1 to NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Section 13.6.2, Revision 1 on Physical Security--Design Certification...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-04
... the Final Staff Guidance Standard Review Plan, Section 13.6.1, Revision 1 on Physical Security... Availability. SUMMARY: The NRC is issuing its Final Revision 1 to NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Section 13.6.1, Revision 1 on...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-05-18
... guidance to park management for administration, development, and interpretation of park resources over the... General Management Plan for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National... availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan for Harpers Ferry [[Page...
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Final Approval of Arizona Air Plan Revision; Stationary Sources; New Source Review; Ammonia
EPA is taking final action to approve a revision to a portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning issuance of New Source Review (NSR) permits for stationary sources related to ammonia.
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Final consolidated action plan to Tiger Team. Volume 2, Change 1
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1993-04-01
Two separate Tiger Team assessments were conducted at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The first was conducted at the California site in Livermore between April 30, 1990, and May 18, 1990. A second Tiger Team assessment was conducted at the New Mexico site in Albuquerque between April 15 and May 24, 1991. This report is volume two, change one. One purpose of this Action Plan is to provide a formal written response to each of the findings and/or concerns cited in the SNL Tiger Team assessment reports. A second purpose is to present actions planned to be conducted to eliminate deficienciesmore » identified by the Tiger Teams. A third purpose is to consolidate (group) related findings and to identify priorities assigned to the planned actions for improved efficiency and enhanced management of the tasks. A fourth and final purpose is to merge the two original SNL Action Plans for the New Mexico [Ref. a] and California [Ref. b] sites into a single Action Plan as a major step toward managing all SNL ES&H activities more similarly. Included in this combined SNL Action Plan are descriptions of the actions to be taken by SNL to liminate all problems identified in the Tiger Teams` findings/concerns, as well as estimated costs and schedules for planned actions.« less
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SPATIAL APPROACH TO PLANNING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
BELLOMY, CLEON C.; CAUDILL, WILLIAM W.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT DEFINES THE SPATIAL APPROACH TO PLANNING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND SUGGESTS A MORE NATURAL APPROACH TO A LESS RESTRICTED ARCHITECTURE. ONE OF THE TWO BASIC ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS IN THE SPATIAL CONCEPT IS THE HORIZONTAL SCREEN WHICH KEEPS THE SUN AND RAIN OFF, LETS IN LIGHT, KEEPS OUT SUN HEAT, RETAINS ROOM HEAT, AND…
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Planning in Education--A Systematic Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barker, L. J.
1977-01-01
Presents a case for and poses a procedure including techniques for a systematic approach to planning in education as a means of improving efficiency and effectiveness. Available from: Australian College of Education, 916 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia, $2.50 single copy. (Author/MLF)
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An innovative approach to capability-based emergency operations planning
Keim, Mark E
2013-01-01
This paper describes the innovative use information technology for assisting disaster planners with an easily-accessible method for writing and improving evidence-based emergency operations plans. This process is used to identify all key objectives of the emergency response according to capabilities of the institution, community or society. The approach then uses a standardized, objective-based format, along with a consensus-based method for drafting capability-based operational-level plans. This information is then integrated within a relational database to allow for ease of access and enhanced functionality to search, sort and filter and emergency operations plan according to user need and technological capacity. This integrated approach is offered as an effective option for integrating best practices of planning with the efficiency, scalability and flexibility of modern information and communication technology. PMID:28228987
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An innovative approach to capability-based emergency operations planning.
Keim, Mark E
2013-01-01
This paper describes the innovative use information technology for assisting disaster planners with an easily-accessible method for writing and improving evidence-based emergency operations plans. This process is used to identify all key objectives of the emergency response according to capabilities of the institution, community or society. The approach then uses a standardized, objective-based format, along with a consensus-based method for drafting capability-based operational-level plans. This information is then integrated within a relational database to allow for ease of access and enhanced functionality to search, sort and filter and emergency operations plan according to user need and technological capacity. This integrated approach is offered as an effective option for integrating best practices of planning with the efficiency, scalability and flexibility of modern information and communication technology.
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2008-10-03
This final rule provides guidance to States that want to administer self-directed personal assistance services through their State Plans, as authorized by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The State plan option allows beneficiaries, through an approved self-directed services plan and budget, to purchase personal assistance services. The rule also provides guidance to ensure beneficiary health and welfare and financial accountability of the State Plan option.
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Network-Oriented Approach to Distributed Generation Planning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kochukov, O.; Mutule, A.
2017-06-01
The main objective of the paper is to present an innovative complex approach to distributed generation planning and show the advantages over existing methods. The approach will be most suitable for DNOs and authorities and has specific calculation targets to support the decision-making process. The method can be used for complex distribution networks with different arrangement and legal base.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-24
... on the Web site: http://stellwagen.noaa.gov . For a hard copy or data CD of the plan contact the sanctuary office at the contact number identified below. DATES: The final revised management plan is available to the public on June 17, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Smrcina, Stellwagen Bank...
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Approach of ICT Application to Governance in Urban Planning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Virtudes, Ana; Sá, João
2017-10-01
This article discusses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) at the local level of governance in the field of urban planning. It is based on a literature review, in order to define a set of considerations about their use in the urban context and the challenges ahead on this domain. As a starting point, there is the need of rethinking the local governance through the use of ICT related to cities, focused on the modernization of the processes associated with urban planning. Nowadays, in several societies the paradigm about cities if shifting, from an expansionist way of acting towards a regeneration and rehabilitation approach. In the case of Portugal, the local authorities; the municipalities; are the main responsible for the coordination, and integration of policies with territorial impacts. However, these policies are generally onerous and inefficient, triggering communication and information failures in between local administration and citizens. In this sense, governance should support the decision-making process related to cities’ policies, engaging citizens and socio-economic agents. As the main result in this scenario, the use of ICT demonstrates the ability to play an important role in urban planning, by contributing as a simplifying tool, regarding the information and knowledge sharing, gathering local authorities, citizens and socio-economic agents. On the one hand, they promote the reduction of inefficiencies associated to the urban planning process. On the other hand, they boost the development of networks, and consequently the social and territorial cohesion. In summary, the use of ICT infrastructures works as a glue allowing the integration of several intelligence elements of the city, and operating as their base platform. Finally, the literature has revealed that the use of ICT in urban planning should be seen as a means to a wider social goal, and not as an end by itself. With the use of ICT, urban planning authorities are more
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zeng, Wenhui; Yi, Jin; Rao, Xiao; Zheng, Yun
2017-11-01
In this article, collision-avoidance path planning for multiple car-like robots with variable motion is formulated as a two-stage objective optimization problem minimizing both the total length of all paths and the task's completion time. Accordingly, a new approach based on Pythagorean Hodograph (PH) curves and Modified Harmony Search algorithm is proposed to solve the two-stage path-planning problem subject to kinematic constraints such as velocity, acceleration, and minimum turning radius. First, a method of path planning based on PH curves for a single robot is proposed. Second, a mathematical model of the two-stage path-planning problem for multiple car-like robots with variable motion subject to kinematic constraints is constructed that the first-stage minimizes the total length of all paths and the second-stage minimizes the task's completion time. Finally, a modified harmony search algorithm is applied to solve the two-stage optimization problem. A set of experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
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Transportation Planning with Immune System Derived Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sugiyama, Kenji; Yaji, Yasuhito; Ootsuki, John Takuya; Fujimoto, Yasutaka; Sekiguchi, Takashi
This paper presents an immune system derived approach for planning transportation of materials between manufacturing processes in the factory. Transportation operations are modeled by Petri Net, and divided into submodels. Transportation orders are derived from the firing sequences of those submodels through convergence calculation by the immune system derived excitation and suppression operations. Basic evaluation of this approach is conducted by simulation-based investigation.
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Spatiotemporal radiotherapy planning using a global optimization approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Adibi, Ali; Salari, Ehsan
2018-02-01
This paper aims at quantifying the extent of potential therapeutic gain, measured using biologically effective dose (BED), that can be achieved by altering the radiation dose distribution over treatment sessions in fractionated radiotherapy. To that end, a spatiotemporally integrated planning approach is developed, where the spatial and temporal dose modulations are optimized simultaneously. The concept of equivalent uniform BED (EUBED) is used to quantify and compare the clinical quality of spatiotemporally heterogeneous dose distributions in target and critical structures. This gives rise to a large-scale non-convex treatment-plan optimization problem, which is solved using global optimization techniques. The proposed spatiotemporal planning approach is tested on two stylized cancer cases resembling two different tumor sites and sensitivity analysis is performed for radio-biological and EUBED parameters. Numerical results validate that spatiotemporal plans are capable of delivering a larger BED to the target volume without increasing the BED in critical structures compared to conventional time-invariant plans. In particular, this additional gain is attributed to the irradiation of different regions of the target volume at different treatment sessions. Additionally, the trade-off between the potential therapeutic gain and the number of distinct dose distributions is quantified, which suggests a diminishing marginal gain as the number of dose distributions increases.
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[Landscape planning approaches for biodiversity conservation in agriculture].
Liu, Yun-hui; Li, Liang-tao; Yu, Zhen-rong
2008-11-01
Biodiversity conservation in agriculture not only relates to the sustainable development of agriculture, but also is an essential part of species conservation. In recent years, the landscape planning approach for biodiversity was highlighted instead of species-focused approach. In this paper, the landscape factors affecting the biodiversity in agriculture were reviewed, and the possible landscape approaches at three different scales for more efficient conservation of biodiversity in agro-landscape were suggested, including: (1) the increase of the proportion of natural or semi-natural habitats in agriculture, diversification of land use or crop pattern, and protection or construction of corridor at landscape level; (2) the establishment of non-cropping elements such as field margin at between-field level; and (3) the application of reasonable crop density, crop distribution pattern and rotation, and intercrop etc. at within-field level. It was suggested that the relevant policies for natural conservation, land use planning, and ecological compensation should be made to apply the landscape approaches for biodiversity conservation at larger scale.
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Completable scheduling: An integrated approach to planning and scheduling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gervasio, Melinda T.; Dejong, Gerald F.
1992-01-01
The planning problem has traditionally been treated separately from the scheduling problem. However, as more realistic domains are tackled, it becomes evident that the problem of deciding on an ordered set of tasks to achieve a set of goals cannot be treated independently of the problem of actually allocating resources to the tasks. Doing so would result in losing the robustness and flexibility needed to deal with imperfectly modeled domains. Completable scheduling is an approach which integrates the two problems by allowing an a priori planning module to defer particular planning decisions, and consequently the associated scheduling decisions, until execution time. This allows a completable scheduling system to maximize plan flexibility by allowing runtime information to be taken into consideration when making planning and scheduling decision. Furthermore, through the criteria of achievability placed on deferred decision, a completable scheduling system is able to retain much of the goal-directedness and guarantees of achievement afforded by a priori planning. The completable scheduling approach is further enhanced by the use of contingent explanation-based learning, which enables a completable scheduling system to learn general completable plans from example and improve its performance through experience. Initial experimental results show that completable scheduling outperforms classical scheduling as well as pure reactive scheduling in a simple scheduling domain.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Barbara J.
This final report describes the objectives, activities and outcomes of a federally funded initiative to train and assist early childhood interagency teams in a model of planning systems and services for all young children, including children with disabilities and other special needs. The project is based on the value of stakeholder ownership in…
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1991-07-05
This final rule amends the portions of the Medicaid regulations under which an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) with substantial deficiencies that did not pose an immediate jeopardy to the health and safety of clients could continue participation in the Medicaid program. These regulations gave State Medicaid agencies the option of submitting written plans to either correct deficiencies or permanently reduce the number of beds in the certified portion of the facility. This rule removes all requirements for submitting, approving, and monitoring correction plans for ICFs/MR. The requirements for submitting and approving correction plans are being removed because the time limit for submission of these plans has passed. The provisions for monitoring correction plans are being removed because there are no remaining facilities for which these provisions apply. This final rule also removes requirements for submitting and approving reduction plans for ICFs/MR because the time limit for submitting these plans has passed. It retains and updates the requirements for monitoring and compliance that apply to those ICFs/MR for which reduction plans were approved by January 1, 1990.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-07-02
... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 52 [EPA-R09-OAR-2012-0236; FRL-9690-9] Withdrawal of Direct Final Rule Revising the California State Implementation Plan, South Coast Air Quality Management... State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerned South Coast Air Quality Management District...
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Water Resources Planning under Uncertainty: A "Real Options" Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jeuland, M. A.; Whittington, D.
2011-12-01
This research develops a real options approach for planning new water resources developments, in infrastructure construction and system operation, under uncertainty. The approach treats the planning problem as a series of staged decisions - the selection of new projects; their scale, timing and sequencing; and finally their operating rules - each of which is characterized by varying levels of irreversibility. The performance of different configurations of the system is then assessed along the various dimensions of the decision space, using simulation methods. The methodology is then made operational using an existing hydrological simulation model that can be used to study the example of hydropower development options in the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. The model includes physical linkages between climate change and system hydrology, and allows users to test the sensitivity of the basin-wide economic consequences of dams, which consist of energy generation, changes in irrigation crop-water demand, the value of flood control, and other basin-wide impacts, to climate change or changes in runoff, as well as to other uncertainties. The analysis shows that, from an economic perspective, there is no single optimal system configuration across a range of future climate conditions deemed plausible for this basin. For example, small infrastructures perform best in scenarios with reduced runoff into the river, whereas large ones are best when runoff increases. The real options framework therefore becomes useful for helping to identify configurations that are both more robust to poor outcomes and still contain sufficient flexibility to capture high upside benefits should favorable future conditions arise. The framework could readily be extended to explore a range of features that could be usefully built into water resources projects more generally, to improve the long-term economic performance of such investments.
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Chiarelli, Tommaso; Franchini, Federico; Lamma, Achille; Lamma, Evelina; Sansoni, Tommaso
2012-03-01
Using oral implantology software and transferring the preoperative planning into a stereolithographic model, prosthodontists can produce the related surgical guide. This procedure has some disadvantages: bone-supported stent invasiveness, lack of references due to scattering and non-negligible stereolithography cost. An alternative solution is presented that provides an ideal surgical stent (not invasive, precise, and cheap) as a result. This work focuses on the third phase of a fully 3D approach to oral implant planning, that starts by CT scanning a patient who wears a markers-equipped radiological stent, continues exploiting built-on-purpose preoperative planning software, and finishes producing the ideal surgical template. A 5-axes bur-equipped robot has been designed able to reproduce the milling vectors planned by the software. Software-robot interfacing has been achieved properly matching the stent reference frame and the software and robot coordinate systems. Invasiveness has been avoided achieving the surgical stent from the mucosa-supported radiological mask wax-up. Scattering is ignored because of the surgical stent independency from the bone structure radiography. Production cost has been strongly reduced by avoiding the stereolithographic model. Finally, software-robot interfacing precision has been validated comparing digitally a multi-marker base and its planning transfer. Average position and orientation errors (respectively 0.283 mm ± 0.073 mm and 1.798° ± 0.496°) were significantly better than those achieved using methods based on stereolithography (respectively, 1.45 mm ± 1.42 mm and 7.25° ± 2.67°, with a general best maximum translation discrepancy of about 1.1 mm). This paper describes the last step of a fully 3D approach in which implant planning can be done in a 3D environment, and the correct position, orientation and depth of the planned implants are easily computed and transferred to the surgical phase. Copyright
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-07-30
... Impact Statement for the General Management Plan (GMP/EIS) for Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, Hyde Park, New York. The Abbreviated Final GMP/EIS includes an analysis of agency and public comments received on the Draft GMP/EIS with NPS responses, errata sheets detailing editorial corrections to...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
N /A
This Final ''Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement'' (HCP EIS) is being used by the Department of Energy (DOE) and its nine cooperating and consulting agencies to develop a comprehensive land-use plan (CLUP) for the Hanford Site. The DOE will use the Final HCP EIS as a basis for a Record of Decision (ROD) on a CLUP for the Hanford Site. While development of the CLUP will be complete with release of the HCP EIS ROD, full implementation of the CLUP is expected to take at least 50 years. Implementation of the CLUP would begin a more detailed planningmore » process for land-use and facility-use decisions at the Hanford Site. The DOE would use the CLUP to screen proposals. Eventually, management of Hanford Site areas would move toward the CLUP land-use goals. This CLUP process could take more than 50 years to fully achieve the land-use goals.« less
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ActiveWV: a systematic approach to developing a physical activity plan for West Virginia.
Elliott, Eloise; Jones, Emily; Bulger, Sean
2014-03-01
Modeled after the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), ActiveWV 2015: The West Virginia Physical Activity Plan was developed to provide strategic direction for physical activity promotion within the state. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the systematic approach taken in developing ActiveWV. Plan development began with establishing capacity and leadership among key stakeholders representing all societal sectors. A multiphase, statewide decision-making process allowed for input across sectors and geographic regions. The process results identified five priority areas that served as the conceptual framework for ActiveWV. Sector teams, comprised of key organization stakeholders across the eight sectors, finalized the sector-specific strategies and tactics using the NPAP evidence-based recommendations, results from a formalized strategic process, and the teams' expertise and experience. ActiveWV was officially released on January 19, 2012 at the State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. Community events throughout the state surrounded the release and celebrated West Virginia Physical Activity Day. Ongoing implementation and dissemination efforts are underway at state and local levels. As the NPAP calls for states and communities to develop plans that meet the needs of their particular context, other states may find the lessons learned from West Virginia helpful in the development process.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vlasak, Frances Stetson; Kaufman, Martin J.
Presented is Stage III of the Comprehensive Approach to Pupil Planning (CAPP) System, a three-stage model for planning educational interventions in the regular and special education classrooms and for guiding placement decisions. The guide focuses on the instructional planning team with sections on the following: Stage III personnel; roles and…
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[Final Resolutions Adopted by the Conference on Planning of Rural Areas in Europe, 7 October 1978].
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).
Two final resolutions were adopted by the Council of Europe at the October 1978 European Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning. Resolution 1 focused on guidelines for the planning of rural areas in Europe. Strategies and policies called for: a more balanced development which makes the living conditions of different regions as…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-06-07
...-FF03E15000] Final Environmental Impact Statement, Habitat Conservation Plan, and Implementing Agreement, Ni... Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) associated with an application received from NiSource Inc. (hereafter ``Ni... Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). If issued, the ITP would authorize NiSource to take 10...
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Transportation planning performance measures : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2005-10-01
Oregon transportation plans, including the statewide Oregon Transportation Plan, and current regional transportation plans for the Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford metropolitan areas, contain some policy areas that are not adequately addressed by...
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Planning for Multiagent Using ASP-Prolog
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Son, Tran Cao; Pontelli, Enrico; Nguyen, Ngoc-Hieu
This paper presents an Answer Set Programming based approach to multiagent planning. The proposed methodology extends the action language \\cal B in [12] to represent and reason about plans with cooperative actions of an individual agent operating in a multiagent environment. This language is used to formalize multiagent planning problems and the notion of a joint plan for multiagent in the presence of cooperative actions. Finally, the paper presents a system for computing joint plans based on the ASP-Prolog system.
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A planning approach for agricultural watersheds using precision conservation
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
This brief article, written for a non-technical audience, discusses a recently-developed approach for watershed planning and nutrient reduction. The approach can help local stakeholders identify conservation practices that are locally preferred and determine how those practices can be distributed ac...
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Groundwater monitoring well assessment final work plan
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1993-10-01
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEG) has been contracted by Environmental Management Operations (EMO) to develop and implement a Groundwater Monitoring Well Assessment Plan for Canal Creek in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG-EA). The task will be performed under the provisions of Master Agreement 071914-A-D7, Task Order 142133. The project consists of assessing the condition of existing groundwater monitoring wells in the Canal Creek Area prior to a groundwater sampling program. The following Work Plan describes the technical approach that will be used to conduct field work for the project. Integrity of some monitoring wells installed at APG-EAmore » has come into question because of problems with well completions that were detected in wells at the O-field Study Area during a recent sampling event. Because of this, EPA and APG-DSHE officials have requested a well integrity assessment for a percentage of 168 monitoring wells installed at the Canal Creek Study Area(14 by USATHAMA, 152 by USGS). Results of the well assessment will be used to determine if these wells were completed in a fashion that minimizes the potential for either cross-contamination of aquifers or leakage of water from the surface into the well.« less
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-06-29
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Western Area Power Administration Revision to the Final Principles of... Administration (Western) published proposed Principles for Integrated Resource planning (IRP) for use in its... December 6, 1994. After considering public comments on the proposed principles, Western adopted the Final...
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2014-02-24
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule implementing modifications to the Multi-State Plan (MSP) Program based on the experience of the Program to date. OPM established the MSP Program pursuant to the Affordable Care Act. This rule clarifies the approach used to enforce the applicable standards of the Affordable Care Act with respect to health insurance issuers that contract with OPM to offer MSP options; amends MSP standards related to coverage area, benefits, and certain contracting provisions under section 1334 of the Affordable Care Act; and makes non-substantive technical changes.
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[Planning driven by health priorities. Master planning criteria].
Tresserras, Ricard
2008-12-01
With the aim of responding to a number of problems detected in health plan evaluations, a new direction has been proposed in Catalonia which would lead to the improved unification of the strategic and operational approaches, and leadership. The master plans that tackle those health problems with the greatest impact were created along these lines. This article presents the most salient aspects of the master plans for oncology, circulatory diseases, mental health and addictions, immigration and the field of social healthcare. Their organisational structure, mission and functions are presented, commenting on the prioritisation of activities and the principal benchmark elements of the healthcare model in the definition of planning criteria for services incorporated into the Health Map. Finally, mention is made of the evaluation procedures. The in-depth study of priority settings has resulted in significant progress towards unifying health and service planning.
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Miami Valley ITS : early deployment plan : final user service plan
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1997-07-01
This User Service Plan is the first major product of the process to develop an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Early Deployment Plan (EDP) for the Miami Valley. This User Service Plan documents the travel environment, growth trends and transp...
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7 CFR 220.23 - Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM § 220.23 Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts. (a) What are the nutrition...
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7 CFR 220.23 - Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM § 220.23 Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts. (a) What are the nutrition...
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Forest management planning for timber production: a sequential approach
Krishna P. Rustagi
1978-01-01
Explicit forest management planning for timber production beyond the first few years at any time necessitates use of information which can best be described as suspect. The two-step approach outlined here concentrates on the planning strategy over the next few years without losing sight of the long-run productivity. Frequent updating of the long-range and short-range...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-15
... the Final Staff Guidance; Standard Review Plan, Section 13.6.6, Revision 0 on Cyber Security Plan... Reports for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Section 13.6.6, Revision 0 on ``Cyber Security Plan'' (Agencywide.... Disposition: On May 13, 2010, the NRC staff issued the proposed Revision 0 on SRP Section 13.6.6 on ``Cyber...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-07-22
... evaluated the construction and operation of a new 20,000-square-foot standard design Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility/Base Building conforming to the guidelines of the Terminal Facilities Design Standards... Airport Layout Plan. The Final EA has been prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy...
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7 CFR 220.8 - Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM § 220.8 Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts. (a) What are the nutrition standards for...
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7 CFR 220.8 - Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM § 220.8 Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts. (a) What are the nutrition standards for...
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7 CFR 220.8 - Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM § 220.8 Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for breakfasts. (a) What are the nutrition standards for...
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The indexed time table approach for planning and acting
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ghallab, Malik; Alaoui, Amine Mounir
1989-01-01
A representation is discussed of symbolic temporal relations, called IxTeT, that is both powerful enough at the reasoning level for tasks such as plan generation, refinement and modification, and efficient enough for dealing with real time constraints in action monitoring and reactive planning. Such representation for dealing with time is needed in a teleoperated space robot. After a brief survey of known approaches, the proposed representation shows its computational efficiency for managing a large data base of temporal relations. Reactive planning with IxTeT is described and exemplified through the problem of mission planning and modification for a simple surveying satellite.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-26
... the availability of the Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the South Unit of Badlands National Park, South Dakota. DATES: The Final GMP/EIS will remain available... Register by the Environmental Protection Agency. ADDRESSES: Copies of the GMP/EIS are available by request...
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2003-09-16
The objective of this Hazardous Material (HazMat) Transportation Safety and Security Field Operational Test (FOT) Final Detailed Test Plans evaluation is to measure the impact of technology solutions on the safety, security, and operational efficienc...
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A fast optimization approach for treatment planning of volumetric modulated arc therapy.
Yan, Hui; Dai, Jian-Rong; Li, Ye-Xiong
2018-05-30
Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is widely used in clinical practice. It not only significantly reduces treatment time, but also produces high-quality treatment plans. Current optimization approaches heavily rely on stochastic algorithms which are time-consuming and less repeatable. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to provide a high-efficient optimization algorithm for VMAT treatment planning. A progressive sampling strategy is employed for beam arrangement of VMAT planning. The initial beams with equal-space are added to the plan in a coarse sampling resolution. Fluence-map optimization and leaf-sequencing are performed for these beams. Then, the coefficients of fluence-maps optimization algorithm are adjusted according to the known fluence maps of these beams. In the next round the sampling resolution is doubled and more beams are added. This process continues until the total number of beams arrived. The performance of VMAT optimization algorithm was evaluated using three clinical cases and compared to those of a commercial planning system. The dosimetric quality of VMAT plans is equal to or better than the corresponding IMRT plans for three clinical cases. The maximum dose to critical organs is reduced considerably for VMAT plans comparing to those of IMRT plans, especially in the head and neck case. The total number of segments and monitor units are reduced for VMAT plans. For three clinical cases, VMAT optimization takes < 5 min accomplished using proposed approach and is 3-4 times less than that of the commercial system. The proposed VMAT optimization algorithm is able to produce high-quality VMAT plans efficiently and consistently. It presents a new way to accelerate current optimization process of VMAT planning.
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Strategic planning--a plan for excellence for South Haven Health System.
Urbanski, Joanne; Baskel, Maureen; Martelli, Mary
2011-01-01
South Haven Health System has developed an innovative approach to strategic planning. The key to success of this process has been the multidisciplinary involvement of all stakeholders from the first planning session through the final formation of a strategic plan with measurable objectives for each goal. The process utilizes a Conversation Café method for identifying opportunities and establishing goals, Strategic Oversight Teams to address each goal and a Champion for implementation of each objective. Progress is measured quarterly by Strategic Oversight Team report cards. Transparency of communication within the organization and the sharing of information move the plan forward. The feedback from participant evaluations has been overwhelmingly positive. They are involved and excited.
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Emilie, Balbirnie; Matthew, Davies; Emma, Disley; Cristina Gonzalez, Monsalve; Stephen, Hartka; Stijn, Hoorens; Kristy, Kruithof; Martin, Sacher; Jirka, Taylor
2018-01-01
The aim of the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020 is to contribute to a reduction in drug demand and drug supply within the EU. The Strategy has so far been implemented by an Action Plan covering the period 2013-2016. This article sets out the findings of an evaluation that assesses the degree of implementation of the Strategy and the Action Plan in terms of outputs and, where possible, impacts. It looks at the extent to which the objectives of the Strategy have been achieved. The evaluation aims to provide evidence to support the European Commission's decision about whether to propose a new Action Plan for the period 2017-2020 and, if so, what changes would be needed compared to the current plan. Through applying a mixed-methods approach, the evaluation examined the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and coherence of the actions undertaken on the basis of the EU Drugs Strategy and the Action Plan, as well as their EU added value. The evaluation makes 20 recommendations, addressed to the European Commission, Member States, the European Council and other stakeholders. The key recommendation for the Commission is that a new Action Plan should be implemented for the period 2017-2020. This should be an updated version of the current Action Plan, rather than taking a new approach or introducing more new actions.
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Career influences among final year dental students who plan to enter private practice.
Nashleanas, Benjamin M; McKernan, Susan C; Kuthy, Raymond A; Qian, Fang
2014-03-08
Existing research about the influence of educational debt on students' decision to enter general practice immediately after graduation is conflicting. Other potential factors that could affect this decision include the influence of a spouse or other family member, the importance of a mentoring dentist, and how students perceive the burden of their debt. The goal of this study was to examine the importance of debt on career decision-making while also considering the role of other influences. Responses to a self-completed questionnaire of all final (fourth) year students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry from 2007 through 2010 were analyzed to identify the importance of educational debt and the influence of spouses, other family members, and mentoring dentists in the decision to enter private general practice immediately after graduation. Statistical analysis included bivariate tests (t-tests and Chi-square tests) and multivariable logistic regression. 58.9% of respondents (N = 156) planned to immediately enter private practice after dental school. Bivariate analyses revealed women to be more likely to enter private practice than their male counterparts (69.0% vs. 51.8%, p = .006). Students planning to enter practice immediately did not differ significantly from those with other career plans on the basis of marital status or having a family member in dentistry. Anticipated educational debt of at least $100,000 was positively associated with plans to enter private practice immediately after graduation. Self-reported importance of educational debt was not associated with career plans. However, the influence of a spouse, other family members, and family dentists were also positively associated with the decision to enter private practice. These factors all maintained significance in the final multivariable model (p < 0.05); however, educational debt of at least $100,000 was the strongest predictor of plans to enter private practice (OR = 2
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Career influences among final year dental students who plan to enter private practice
2014-01-01
Background Existing research about the influence of educational debt on students’ decision to enter general practice immediately after graduation is conflicting. Other potential factors that could affect this decision include the influence of a spouse or other family member, the importance of a mentoring dentist, and how students perceive the burden of their debt. The goal of this study was to examine the importance of debt on career decision-making while also considering the role of other influences. Methods Responses to a self-completed questionnaire of all final (fourth) year students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry from 2007 through 2010 were analyzed to identify the importance of educational debt and the influence of spouses, other family members, and mentoring dentists in the decision to enter private general practice immediately after graduation. Statistical analysis included bivariate tests (t-tests and Chi-square tests) and multivariable logistic regression. Results 58.9% of respondents (N = 156) planned to immediately enter private practice after dental school. Bivariate analyses revealed women to be more likely to enter private practice than their male counterparts (69.0% vs. 51.8%, p = .006). Students planning to enter practice immediately did not differ significantly from those with other career plans on the basis of marital status or having a family member in dentistry. Anticipated educational debt of at least $100,000 was positively associated with plans to enter private practice immediately after graduation. Self-reported importance of educational debt was not associated with career plans. However, the influence of a spouse, other family members, and family dentists were also positively associated with the decision to enter private practice. These factors all maintained significance in the final multivariable model (p < 0.05); however, educational debt of at least $100,000 was the strongest predictor of plans to enter
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Vajdi, Ahmadreza; Zhang, Gongxuan; Zhou, Junlong; Wei, Tongquan; Wang, Yongli; Wang, Tianshu
2018-05-04
We study the problem of employing a mobile-sink into a large-scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks (EWSNs) for the purpose of data harvesting from sensor-nodes. Generally, this employment improves the main weakness of WSNs that is about energy-consumption in battery-driven sensor-nodes. The main motivation of our work is to address challenges which are related to a network’s topology by adopting a mobile-sink that moves in a predefined trajectory in the environment. Since, in this fashion, it is not possible to gather data from sensor-nodes individually, we adopt the approach of defining some of the sensor-nodes as Rendezvous Points (RPs) in the network. We argue that RP-planning in this case is a tradeoff between minimizing the number of RPs while decreasing the number of hops for a sensor-node that needs data transformation to the related RP which leads to minimizing average energy consumption in the network. We address the problem by formulating the challenges and expectations as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). Henceforth, by proving the NP-hardness of the problem, we propose three effective and distributed heuristics for RP-planning, identifying sojourn locations, and constructing routing trees. Finally, experimental results prove the effectiveness of our approach.
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Zhang, Gongxuan; Wang, Yongli; Wang, Tianshu
2018-01-01
We study the problem of employing a mobile-sink into a large-scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks (EWSNs) for the purpose of data harvesting from sensor-nodes. Generally, this employment improves the main weakness of WSNs that is about energy-consumption in battery-driven sensor-nodes. The main motivation of our work is to address challenges which are related to a network’s topology by adopting a mobile-sink that moves in a predefined trajectory in the environment. Since, in this fashion, it is not possible to gather data from sensor-nodes individually, we adopt the approach of defining some of the sensor-nodes as Rendezvous Points (RPs) in the network. We argue that RP-planning in this case is a tradeoff between minimizing the number of RPs while decreasing the number of hops for a sensor-node that needs data transformation to the related RP which leads to minimizing average energy consumption in the network. We address the problem by formulating the challenges and expectations as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). Henceforth, by proving the NP-hardness of the problem, we propose three effective and distributed heuristics for RP-planning, identifying sojourn locations, and constructing routing trees. Finally, experimental results prove the effectiveness of our approach. PMID:29734718
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg.
Volume 3 of a three volume final report presents prototype job training plans developed as part of a research project which pilot tested a distributive education program for rural schools utilizing a retail store simulation plan. The plans are for 15 entry-level and 15 career-level jobs in seven categories of distributive business (department…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-10-06
... Impact Statement for the General Management Plan (GMP/EIS) for New River Gorge National River, West..., and interpretation of park resources over the next 20 years. The Abbreviated Final GMP/EIS includes an analysis of agency and public comments received on the Draft GMP/EIS with NPS responses, errata sheets...
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A plan for structured management of the Systems Approach to Training (SAT) process
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Schurman, D.L.
1987-01-01
This paper describes the plan and accomplishments for development of a Systematic Management Plan for the Systems Approach to Training (SMPSAT). This project is sponsored by the United States Marine Corps Headquarters training policy branch (HQMC(TAP)). Purpose of this effort is to develop a comprehensive plan for management of the Systems Approach to Training (SAT) system in the USMC. This management plan will allow HQMC to monitor the SAT system in order to provide maximum support to the SAT system in both the formal schools and the Fleet Marine Force.
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1995-08-01
Historically, the development of advanced automation for air traffic control in : the United States has excluded the input of the air traffic controller until the : end of the development process. In contrast, the development of the Final : Approach ...
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Language Management Theory as One Approach in Language Policy and Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nekvapil, Jirí
2016-01-01
Language Policy and Planning is currently a significantly diversified research area and thus it is not easy to find common denominators that help to define basic approaches within it. Richard B. Baldauf attempted to do so by differentiating between four basic approaches: (1) the classical approach, (2) the language management approach (Language…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-17
...This document contains an amendment to interim final regulations implementing the rules for group health plans and health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets under provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regarding status as a grandfathered health plan; the amendment permits certain changes in policies, certificates, or contracts of insurance without loss of grandfathered status.
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Operational test results of the passive final approach spacing tool
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1997-06-01
A prototype decision support tool for terminal area air traffic controllers, : referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), was recently evaluated in : operation with live air traffic at the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Airport, : Controllers u...
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Curriculum Planning and the Concept of Participation in the Reggio Emilia Pedagogical Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hocevar, Andreja; Šebart, Mojca Kovac; Štefanc, Damijan
2013-01-01
The article analyses two defining assumptions about the Reggio Emilia (RE) approach: the absence of a planned curriculum designed in advance as a basis for educational work and children's participation in preschools. The authors demonstrate that different approaches to planning preschool education have advantages and disadvantages, which we cannot…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-10-02
.... The final plan identifies goals, objectives, and strategies that describe the future management of the... management purpose, for migratory birds'' (Migratory Bird Conservation Act); and (2) ``for (a) incidental... participate in interpretive programs in the indoor and outdoor classrooms. The Refuge provides habitat for...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-02-14
... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Final Management Plan and... Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of public availability. SUMMARY: NOAA is... the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, best known for its battle with the Confederate...
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2010-11-17
This document contains an amendment to interim final regulations implementing the rules for group health plans and health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets under provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regarding status as a grandfathered health plan; the amendment permits certain changes in policies, certificates, or contracts of insurance without loss of grandfathered status.
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Inspection planning development: An evolutionary approach using reliability engineering as a tool
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Graf, David A.; Huang, Zhaofeng
1994-01-01
This paper proposes an evolutionary approach for inspection planning which introduces various reliability engineering tools into the process and assess system trade-offs among reliability, engineering requirement, manufacturing capability and inspection cost to establish an optimal inspection plan. The examples presented in the paper illustrate some advantages and benefits of the new approach. Through the analysis, reliability and engineering impacts due to manufacturing process capability and inspection uncertainty are clearly understood; the most cost effective and efficient inspection plan can be established and associated risks are well controlled; some inspection reductions and relaxations are well justified; and design feedbacks and changes may be initiated from the analysis conclusion to further enhance reliability and reduce cost. The approach is particularly promising as global competitions and customer quality improvement expectations are rapidly increasing.
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; health insurance market rules. Final rule.
2013-02-27
This final rule implements provisions related to fair health insurance premiums, guaranteed availability, guaranteed renewability, single risk pools, and catastrophic plans, consistent with title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, referred to collectively as the Affordable Care Act. The final rule clarifies the approach used to enforce the applicable requirements of the Affordable Care Act with respect to health insurance issuers and group health plans that are non-federal governmental plans. This final rule also amends the standards for health insurance issuers and states regarding reporting, utilization, and collection of data under the federal rate review program, and revises the timeline for states to propose state-specific thresholds for review and approval by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Reynolds, Heidi W; Sutherland, Elizabeth G
2013-05-06
Because of the current emphasis and enthusiasm focused on integration of health systems, there is a risk of piling resources into integrated strategies without the necessary systems in place to monitor their progress adequately or to measure impact, and to learn from these efforts. The rush to intervene without adequate monitoring and evaluation will continue to result in a weak evidence base for decision making and resource allocation. Program planning and implementation are inextricability linked to monitoring and evaluation. Country level guidance is needed to identify country-specific integrated strategies, thereby increasing country ownership. This paper focuses on integrated health services but takes into account how health services are influenced by the health system, managed by programs, and made up of interventions. We apply the principles in existing comprehensive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks in order to outline a systematic approach to the M&E of integration for the country level. The approach is grounded by first defining the country-specific health challenges that integration is intended to affect. Priority points of contact for care can directly influence health, and essential packages of integration for all major client presentations need to be defined. Logic models are necessary to outline the plausible causal pathways and define the inputs, roles and responsibilities, indicators, and data sources across the health system. Finally, we recommend improvements to the health information system and in data use to ensure that data are available to inform decisions, because changes in the M&E function to make it more integrated will also facilitate integration in the service delivery, planning, and governance components. This approach described in the paper is the ideal, but its application at the country level can help reveal gaps and guide decisions related to what health services to prioritize for integration, help plan for how to
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Developing a mental health care plan in a low resource setting: the theory of change approach.
Hailemariam, Maji; Fekadu, Abebaw; Selamu, Medhin; Alem, Atalay; Medhin, Girmay; Giorgis, Tedla Wolde; DeSilva, Mary; Breuer, Erica
2015-09-28
Scaling up mental healthcare through integration into primary care remains the main strategy to address the extensive unmet mental health need in low-income countries. For integrated care to achieve its goal, a clear understanding of the organisational processes that can promote and hinder the integration and delivery of mental health care is essential. Theory of Change (ToC), a method employed in the planning, implementation and evaluation of complex community initiatives, is an innovative approach that has the potential to assist in the development of a comprehensive mental health care plan (MHCP), which can inform the delivery of integrated care. We used the ToC approach to develop a MHCP in a rural district in Ethiopia. The work was part of a cross-country study, the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) which focuses on developing evidence on the integration of mental health in to primary care. An iterative ToC development process was undertaken involving multiple workshops with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds that included representatives from the community, faith and traditional healers, community associations, non-governmental organisations, Zonal, Regional and Federal level government offices, higher education institutions, social work and mental health specialists (psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses). The objective of this study is to report the process of implementing the ToC approach in developing mental health care plan. A total of 46 persons participated in four ToC workshops. Four critical path dimensions were identified: community, health facility, administrative and higher level care organisation. The ToC participants were actively engaged in the process and the ToC encouraged strong commitment among participants. Key opportunities and barriers to implementation and how to overcome these were suggested. During the workshops, a map incorporating the key agreed outcomes and outcome indicators was developed and finalized later
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Performance planning for rural planning organizations - final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2017-02-01
Recent federal rules place increased emphasis on performance-based management of the multimodal : transportation system and require the use of performance based methods in state, metropolitan, and : non-metropolitan transportation planning and progra...
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The interim final Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats to Drinking Water Systems is designed to help the water sector effectively and appropriately respond to intentional contamination threats and incidents. It was produced by EPA, buil...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kirlik, G; D’Souza, W; Zhang, H
2016-06-15
Purpose: To present a novel multi-criteria optimization (MCO) solution approach that generates treatment plans with deliverable apertures using column generation. Methods: We demonstrate our method with 10 locally advanced head-and-neck cancer cases retrospectively. In our MCO formulation, we defined an objective function for each structure in the treatment volume. This resulted in 9 objective functions, including 3 distinct objectives for primary target volume, high-risk and low-risk target volumes, 5 objectives for each of the organs-at-risk (OARs) (two parotid glands, spinal cord, brain stem and oral cavity), and one for the non-target non-OAR normal tissue. Conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) constraints were utilizedmore » to ensure at least certain fraction of the target volumes receiving the prescription doses. To directly generate deliverable plans, column generation algorithm was embedded within our MCO approach for aperture shape generation. Final dose distributions for all plans were generated using a Monte Carlo kernel-superposition dose calculation. We compared the MCO plans with the clinical plans, which were created by clinicians. Results: At least 95% target coverage was achieved by both MCO plans and clinical plans. However, the average conformity indices of clinical plans and the MCO plans were 1.95 and 1.35, respectively (31% reduction, p<0.01). Compared to the conventional clinical plan, the proposed MCO method achieved average reductions in left parotid mean dose of 5% (p=0.06), right parotid mean dose of 18% (p<0.01), oral cavity mean dose of 21% (p=0.03), spinal cord maximum dose of 20% (p<0.01), brain stem maximum dose of 61% (p<0.01), and normal tissue maximum dose of 5% (p<0.01), respectively. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the proposed MCO method was able to obtain deliverable IMRT treatment plans while achieving significant improvements in dosimetric plan quality.« less
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Final Inventory Work-Off Plan for ORNL transuranic wastes (1986 version)
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Dickerson, L.S.
1988-05-01
The Final Inventory Work-Off Plan (IWOP) for ORNL Transuranic Wastes addresses ORNL's strategy for retrieval, certification, and shipment of its stored and newly generated contact-handled (CH) and remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) wastes to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the proposed geologic repository near Carlsbad, New Mexico. This document considers certification compliance with the WIPP waste acceptance criteria (WAC) and is consistent with the US Department of Energy's Long-Range Master Plan for Defense Transuranic Waste Management. This document characterizes Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) TRU waste by type and estimates the number of shipments required to dispose of it; describesmore » the methods, facilities, and systems required for its certification and shipment; presents work-off strategies and schedules for retrieval, certification, and transportation; discusses the resource needs and additions that will be required for the effort and forecasts costs for the long-term TRU waste management program; and lists public documentation required to support certification facilities and strategies. 22 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs.« less
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-24
.../Infectious Waste Incinerators'' (HMIWI). The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) submitted the... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 62 [EPA-R05-OAR-2012-0087; FRL-9663-4] Direct Final Approval of Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators State Plan for Designated Facilities and...
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IT strategic planning in hospitals: from theory to practice.
Jaana, Mirou; Teitelbaum, Mari; Roffey, Tyson
2014-07-01
To date, IT strategic planning has been mostly theory-based with limited information on "best practices" in this area. This study presents the process and outcomes of IT strategic planning undertaken at a pediatric hospital (PH) in Canada. A five-stage sequential and incremental process was adopted. Various tools / approaches were used including review of existing documentation, internal survey (n = 111), fifteen interviews, and twelve workshops. IT strategic planning was informed by 230 individuals (12 percent of hospital community) and revealed consistency in the themes and concerns raised by participants (e.g., slow IT projects delivery rate, lack of understanding of IT priorities, strained communication with IT staff). Mobile and remote access to patients' information, and an integrated EMR were identified as top priorities. The methodology and used approach revealed effective, improved internal relationships, and ensured commitment to the final IT strategic plan. Several lessons were learned including: maintaining a dynamic approach capable of adapting to the fast technology evolution; involving stakeholders and ensuring continuous communication; using effective research tools to support strategic planning; and grounding the process and final product in existing models. This study contributes to the development of "best practices" in IT strategic planning, and illustrates "how" to apply the theoretical principles in this area. This is especially important as IT leaders are encouraged to integrate evidence-based management into their decision making and practices. The methodology and lessons learned may inform practitioners in other hospitals planning to engage in IT strategic planning in the future.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Green, Stephen; And Others
This final report is a product of a Preservation Planning Program (PPP) self-study conducted by the Colorado State University Library (CSUL) working with the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) Office of Management Studies (OMS). Designed to put self-help tools into the hands of library staff responsible for developing plans and procedures…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-08-23
...-Road Vehicle Management Plan, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve AGENCY: National Park... a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Off-Road Vehicle Management in the Nabesna District... preferred alternative and four action alternatives for management of off-road vehicles in the Nabesna...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-24
... Incinerators'' (HMIWI). The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) submitted the revised State... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 62 [EPA-R05-OAR-2012-0086; FRL-9663-2] Direct Final Approval of Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators State Plan for Designated Facilities and...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-12-28
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLAK930000.L13100000.DS0000] Notice of Availability of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact... of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State Office, is issuing the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-02-22
... Historic trails. The four alternatives were: Alternative A: Continues existing management practices (no... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLWYR05000 L16100000.DQ0000 LXSS04 K0000] Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hen, Itay; Rieffel, Eleanor G.; Do, Minh; Venturelli, Davide
2014-01-01
There are two common ways to evaluate algorithms: performance on benchmark problems derived from real applications and analysis of performance on parametrized families of problems. The two approaches complement each other, each having its advantages and disadvantages. The planning community has concentrated on the first approach, with few ways of generating parametrized families of hard problems known prior to this work. Our group's main interest is in comparing approaches to solving planning problems using a novel type of computational device - a quantum annealer - to existing state-of-the-art planning algorithms. Because only small-scale quantum annealers are available, we must compare on small problem sizes. Small problems are primarily useful for comparison only if they are instances of parametrized families of problems for which scaling analysis can be done. In this technical report, we discuss our approach to the generation of hard planning problems from classes of well-studied NP-complete problems that map naturally to planning problems or to aspects of planning problems that many practical planning problems share. These problem classes exhibit a phase transition between easy-to-solve and easy-to-show-unsolvable planning problems. The parametrized families of hard planning problems lie at the phase transition. The exponential scaling of hardness with problem size is apparent in these families even at very small problem sizes, thus enabling us to characterize even very small problems as hard. The families we developed will prove generally useful to the planning community in analyzing the performance of planning algorithms, providing a complementary approach to existing evaluation methods. We illustrate the hardness of these problems and their scaling with results on four state-of-the-art planners, observing significant differences between these planners on these problem families. Finally, we describe two general, and quite different, mappings of planning
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EPA is taking final action to approve a revision to a portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning emissions of lead-bearing fugitive dust associated with the primary copper smelter located in Hayden, Arizona.
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A Comparative Study of Strategic HRD Approaches for Workforce Planning in the Tourism Industry
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bartlett, Kenneth; Johnson, Karen; Schneider, Ingrid E.
2006-01-01
This study compares the outcomes of two often used approaches for strategic HRD planning. Using methods framed within a strategic HRD planning framework the outcomes of a qualitative primary data approach are examined against quantitative labor market projections in a study of the future Minnesota tourism workforce. Results show each planning…
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2015-12-18
This document contains final regulations on the health insurance premium tax credit enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, as amended by the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010, the Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection and Repayment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011, and the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. These final regulations affect individuals who enroll in qualified health plans through Affordable Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges, sometimes called Marketplaces) and claim the health insurance premium tax credit, and Exchanges that make qualified health plans available to individuals and employers.
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EPA is taking final action to approve a revision to the Butte County Air Quality Management District (BCAQMD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerns the District's New Source Review (NSR) permitting program.
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Design and evaluation of an air traffic control Final Approach Spacing Tool
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Davis, Thomas J.; Erzberger, Heinz; Green, Steven M.; Nedell, William
1991-01-01
This paper describes the design and simulator evaluation of an automation tool for assisting terminal radar approach controllers in sequencing and spacing traffic onto the final approach course. The automation tool, referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), displays speed and heading advisories for arriving aircraft as well as sequencing information on the controller's radar display. The main functional elements of FAST are a scheduler that schedules and sequences the traffic, a four-dimensional trajectory synthesizer that generates the advisories, and a graphical interface that displays the information to the controller. FAST has been implemented on a high-performance workstation. It can be operated as a stand-alone in the terminal radar approach control facility or as an element of a system integrated with automation tools in the air route traffic control center. FAST was evaluated by experienced air traffic controllers in a real-time air traffic control simulation. simulation results summarized in the paper show that the automation tools significantly reduced controller work load and demonstrated a potential for an increase in landing rate.
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A Unified Approach to Model-Based Planning and Execution
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Muscettola, Nicola; Dorais, Gregory A.; Fry, Chuck; Levinson, Richard; Plaunt, Christian; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)
2000-01-01
Writing autonomous software is complex, requiring the coordination of functionally and technologically diverse software modules. System and mission engineers must rely on specialists familiar with the different software modules to translate requirements into application software. Also, each module often encodes the same requirement in different forms. The results are high costs and reduced reliability due to the difficulty of tracking discrepancies in these encodings. In this paper we describe a unified approach to planning and execution that we believe provides a unified representational and computational framework for an autonomous agent. We identify the four main components whose interplay provides the basis for the agent's autonomous behavior: the domain model, the plan database, the plan running module, and the planner modules. This representational and problem solving approach can be applied at all levels of the architecture of a complex agent, such as Remote Agent. In the rest of the paper we briefly describe the Remote Agent architecture. The new agent architecture proposed here aims at achieving the full Remote Agent functionality. We then give the fundamental ideas behind the new agent architecture and point out some implication of the structure of the architecture, mainly in the area of reactivity and interaction between reactive and deliberative decision making. We conclude with related work and current status.
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Good, David; Lo, Joseph; Lee, W Robert; Wu, Q Jackie; Yin, Fang-Fang; Das, Shiva K
2013-09-01
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning can have wide variation among different treatment centers. We propose a system to leverage the IMRT planning experience of larger institutions to automatically create high-quality plans for outside clinics. We explore feasibility by generating plans for patient datasets from an outside institution by adapting plans from our institution. A knowledge database was created from 132 IMRT treatment plans for prostate cancer at our institution. The outside institution, a community hospital, provided the datasets for 55 prostate cancer cases, including their original treatment plans. For each "query" case from the outside institution, a similar "match" case was identified in the knowledge database, and the match case's plan parameters were then adapted and optimized to the query case by use of a semiautomated approach that required no expert planning knowledge. The plans generated with this knowledge-based approach were compared with the original treatment plans at several dose cutpoints. Compared with the original plan, the knowledge-based plan had a significantly more homogeneous dose to the planning target volume and a significantly lower maximum dose. The volumes of the rectum, bladder, and femoral heads above all cutpoints were nominally lower for the knowledge-based plan; the reductions were significantly lower for the rectum. In 40% of cases, the knowledge-based plan had overall superior (lower) dose-volume histograms for rectum and bladder; in 54% of cases, the comparison was equivocal; in 6% of cases, the knowledge-based plan was inferior for both bladder and rectum. Knowledge-based planning was superior or equivalent to the original plan in 95% of cases. The knowledge-based approach shows promise for homogenizing plan quality by transferring planning expertise from more experienced to less experienced institutions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-05-31
... Negative Declaration and Withdrawal of Large Municipal Waste Combustors State Plan for Designated.... SUMMARY: EPA is taking direct final action to approve Illinois' negative declaration and request for EPA..., the state may submit a letter of certification to that effect, or a negative declaration, in lieu of a...
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2010-02-01
This guidebook presents an approach for integrating management and operations (M&O) strategies into the metropolitan transportation planning process that is designed to maximize the performance of the existing and planned transportation system. This ...
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A Mission Planning Approach for Precision Farming Systems Based on Multi-Objective Optimization.
Zhai, Zhaoyu; Martínez Ortega, José-Fernán; Lucas Martínez, Néstor; Rodríguez-Molina, Jesús
2018-06-02
As the demand for food grows continuously, intelligent agriculture has drawn much attention due to its capability of producing great quantities of food efficiently. The main purpose of intelligent agriculture is to plan agricultural missions properly and use limited resources reasonably with minor human intervention. This paper proposes a Precision Farming System (PFS) as a Multi-Agent System (MAS). Components of PFS are treated as agents with different functionalities. These agents could form several coalitions to complete the complex agricultural missions cooperatively. In PFS, mission planning should consider several criteria, like expected benefit, energy consumption or equipment loss. Hence, mission planning could be treated as a Multi-objective Optimization Problem (MOP). In order to solve MOP, an improved algorithm, MP-PSOGA, is proposed, taking advantages of the Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization. A simulation, called precise pesticide spraying mission, is performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed approach works properly. This approach enables the PFS to plan missions and allocate scarce resources efficiently. The theoretical analysis and simulation is a good foundation for the future study. Once the proposed approach is applied to a real scenario, it is expected to bring significant economic improvement.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Katharine K.; Davis, Thomas J.
1995-01-01
Historically, the development of advanced automation for air traffic control in the United States has excluded the input of the air traffic controller until the need of the development process. In contrast, the development of the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), for the terminal area controller, has incorporated the end-user in early, iterative testing. This paper describes a cooperative between the controller and the developer to create a tool which incorporates the complexity of the air traffic controller's job. This approach to software development has enhanced the usability of FAST and has helped smooth the introduction of FAST into the operational environment.
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Personal Development Plans: Insights from a Case Based Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Greenan, Peter
2016-01-01
Purpose: In light of contemporary shifts away from annual appraisals, this study aims to explore the implications of using a personal development plan (PDP) as a means of focussing on continuous feedback and development to improve individual performance and ultimately organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected…
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Social marketing: an approach to planned social change.
Kotler, P; Zaltman, G
1971-07-01
This article examines the applicability of marketing concepts to social causes and social change. Social marketing is defined as the design, implementation, and control of programs calculated to influence the acceptability of social ideas and involving considerations of product planning, pricing, communication, distribution and marketing research. Wiebe examined four social advertising campaigns and concluded that their effectiveness depended on the presence of adequate force, direction, adequate and compatible social mechanism, and distance (the "cost" of the new attitude as seen by message's message"s recepient). A marketing planning approach is not a guarantee for the achievement of social objectives; yet, it represents a bridging mechanism linking the knowledge of the behavioral scientist with the socially useful implementation of that knowledge.
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Coping planning: a patient-centred and strengths-focused approach to suicide prevention training.
Stallman, Helen M
2018-04-01
Suicide is a leading cause of premature death and, despite significant investment, the prevalence rate has remained relatively stable for more than a decade. Theoretically, the use of 'safety planning' as a response to suicidality likely maintains suicide as a potential solution for vulnerable people. This paper describes a theoretically-supported paradigm shift from safety planning to 'coping planning' to improve patient outcomes and improve the confidence and competence of clinicians working with people with suicidality. Coping planning is a strategy used to support people with acute distress. Its components of 'caring', 'collaborating' and 'connecting' reinforce existing strengths, promote self-efficacy and link people with more intensive supports, as needed. Coping planning overcomes the limitations of existing approaches. It reframes suicide prevention from managing patients disclosing suicidality to ensuring patients have minimally sufficient temporary support to help them cope. This approach has the potential to promote coping self-efficacy and prevent deterioration that leads to suicide.
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Freight planning support system : final summary report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2003-07-01
This report summarizes the activities and the findings of the Freight Planning Support System (FPSS) project conducted for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). The underlying purpose of the project is to allow for better projec...
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Leadership through Partnership: A Collaborative, Strengths-Based Approach to Strategic Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Randolph, Loretta H.
2006-01-01
Organization sustainability depends on the creation of innovative partnerships that engage organization members at all levels in setting strategy and achieving goals. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an approach to exploring what gives life to human systems when they function at their best. The use of an AI approach to strategic planning, invites…
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Cruz, Theresa H; Hess, Julia Meredith; Woelk, Leona; Bear, Samantha
2016-01-01
Sexual violence is of special concern in New Mexico because of the presence of large priority populations in which its prevalence is high. This article describes a 3-component approach to developing a strategic plan to prevent sexual violence in the state that consisted of an advisory group, subject matter experts, and focus groups from geographically and demographically diverse communities. Both common and community-specific themes emerged from the focus groups and were included in the strategic plan. By incorporating community needs and experiences, this approach fosters increased investment in plan implementation.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
National Archives and Records Administration, 2006
2006-01-01
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) publishes the Final Long-Range Plan (Final Plan) for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for FY 2005 through 2009. As required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), the Assistant Secretary takes this action to…
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Graduate certificate in transportation planning : final report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2008-12-12
The purpose of this project was to develop and implement a graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning at Texas : A&M University. Texas A&M currently offers instruction in transportation through its Masters of Urban Planning and : Civil Engineeri...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Connelly, L. C.
1977-01-01
The mission planning processor is a user oriented tool for consumables management and is part of the total consumables subsystem management concept. The approach to be used in developing a working model of the mission planning processor is documented. The approach includes top-down design, structured programming techniques, and application of NASA approved software development standards. This development approach: (1) promotes cost effective software development, (2) enhances the quality and reliability of the working model, (3) encourages the sharing of the working model through a standard approach, and (4) promotes portability of the working model to other computer systems.
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The HEFCE Guide to Strategic Planning: The Need for a New Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tolmie, Fiona
2005-01-01
This paper examines the approach of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to institutional strategy and planning, set out in 2000 in "Strategic Planning in Higher Education: A Guide for Heads of Institutions, Senior Managers and Members of Governing Bodies" ("the Guide"). It considers the general lack of…
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The Integrated Curriculum of "Planned Approach to Healthier Schools"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lounsbery, Monica; Gast, Julie; Smith, Nicole
2005-01-01
Planned Approach to Healthier Schools (PATHS) is a multicomponent school program that aims to establish and sustain a social norm consistent with physical activity and healthy nutrition in the school community. The PATHS components include: (1) a professional development and wellness program for faculty and staff; (2) ongoing social-marketing…
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Advance care planning: challenges and approaches for pediatricians.
Heckford, Emma; Beringer, Antonia Jane
2014-09-01
There is increasing recognition of the value of advance care planning for children with life-limiting conditions. It is important that we acknowledge and reflect on the challenges that this work presents in order to optimize practice. Our aim was to review advance care planning for children with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions (LTLLCs) in our local area. We conducted a retrospective case note review. Study subjects were from two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in Bristol in the United Kingdom. Cases were identified from Child Death Overview Panel data. Forty-two sets of case notes were reviewed in relation to 20 children. Measurements included quantitative and qualitative review of advance care planning in relation to standards set by The Association for Children's Palliative Care (ACT). In 25% of cases there was no documented discussion with families about the approach to end of life (EOL). In 25% of cases there was no evidence of an advance care plan, and the content and accessibility of those that did exist was variable. Forty-five percent of families were not offered a choice with regard to location of care (LOC) in the last months of life and 50% were not offered a choice about location of death (LOD). We hope that acknowledgement of some of the challenges, alongside recognition of the clear benefits, of planning will help pediatricians to deliver this important area of care.
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Approaches to determining Final Ecosystem Goods and Services: Benefits and Beneficiaries
By nature, the concept of ‘Final’ Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) poses the question; to what or to whom are these goods and services final? We identify two main approaches theoreticians and practitioners are using to define and perceive FEGS (note: we recognize t...
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Putting people on the map through an approach that integrates social data in conservation planning.
Stephanson, Sheri L; Mascia, Michael B
2014-10-01
Conservation planning is integral to strategic and effective operations of conservation organizations. Drawing upon biological sciences, conservation planning has historically made limited use of social data. We offer an approach for integrating data on social well-being into conservation planning that captures and places into context the spatial patterns and trends in human needs and capacities. This hierarchical approach provides a nested framework for characterizing and mapping data on social well-being in 5 domains: economic well-being, health, political empowerment, education, and culture. These 5 domains each have multiple attributes; each attribute may be characterized by one or more indicators. Through existing or novel data that display spatial and temporal heterogeneity in social well-being, conservation scientists, planners, and decision makers may measure, benchmark, map, and integrate these data within conservation planning processes. Selecting indicators and integrating these data into conservation planning is an iterative, participatory process tailored to the local context and planning goals. Social well-being data complement biophysical and threat-oriented social data within conservation planning processes to inform decisions regarding where and how to conserve biodiversity, provide a structure for exploring socioecological relationships, and to foster adaptive management. Building upon existing conservation planning methods and insights from multiple disciplines, this approach to putting people on the map can readily merge with current planning practices to facilitate more rigorous decision making. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.
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MnDOT Library strategic plan : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2017-06-01
MnDOTs Senior Leadership asked MnDOT Library to develop a Strategic Plan that identifies and reviews the challenges facing the Library over the next five years to better address the evolving needs of the department and users. The strategic plan is...
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South Dakota ITS/CVO business plan : final business plan
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1998-01-18
This report defines an Intelligent Transportation Systems/Commercial Vehicle Operations (ITS/CVO) program for the State of South Dakota. Structured as a business plan, the document includes the following components: 1) description of the current CVO ...
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A review of plan library approaches in adaptive radiotherapy of bladder cancer.
Collins, Shane D; Leech, Michelle M
2018-05-01
Large variations in the shape and size of the bladder volume are commonly observed in bladder cancer radiotherapy (RT). The clinical target volume (CTV) is therefore frequently inadequately treated and large isotropic margins are inappropriate in terms of dose to organs at risk (OAR); thereby making adaptive radiotherapy (ART) attractive for this tumour site. There are various methods of ART delivery, however, for bladder cancer, plan libraries are frequently used. A review of published studies on plan libraries for bladder cancer using four databases (Pubmed, Science Direct, Embase and Cochrane Library) was conducted. The endpoints selected were accuracy and feasibility of initiation of a plan library strategy into a RT department. Twenty-four articles were included in this review. The majority of studies reported improvement in accuracy with 10 studies showing an improvement in planning target volume (PTV) and CTV coverage with plan libraries, some by up to 24%. Seventeen studies showed a dose reduction to OARs, particularly the small bowel V45Gy, V40Gy, V30Gy and V10Gy, and the rectal V30Gy. However, the occurrence of no suitable plan was reported in six studies, with three studies showing no significant difference between adaptive and non-adaptive strategies in terms of target coverage. In addition, inter-observer variability in plan selection appears to remain problematic. The additional resources, education and technology required for the initiation of plan library selection for bladder cancer may hinder its routine clinical implementation, with eight studies illustrating increased treatment time required. While there is a growing body of evidence in support of plan libraries for bladder RT, many studies differed in their delivery approach. The advent of the clinical use of the MRI-linear accelerator will provide RT departments with the opportunity to consider daily online adaption for bladder cancer as an alternate to plan library approaches.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-09-06
...: Pursuant to 102 (2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the Final General Management Plan and... to include the entire story of the park, from its beginnings in the 18th century to its heyday in the...
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A strategic planning approach for operational-environmental tradeoff assessments in terminal areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jimenez, Hernando
This thesis proposes the use of well established statistical analysis techniques, leveraging on recent developments in interactive data visualization capabilities, to quantitatively characterize the interactions, sensitivities, and tradeoffs prevalent in the complex behavior of airport operational and environmental performance. Within the strategic airport planning process, this approach is used in the assessment of airport performance under current/reference conditions, as well as in the evaluation of terminal area solutions under projected demand conditions. More specifically, customized designs of experiments are utilized to guide the intelligent selection and definition of modeling and simulation runs that will yield greater understanding, insight, and information about the inherent systemic complexity of a terminal area, with minimal computational expense. For the research documented in this thesis, a modeling and simulation environment was created featuring three primary components. First, a generator of schedules of operations, based primarily on previous work on aviation demand characterization, whereby growth factors and scheduling adjustment algorithms are applied on appropriate baseline schedules so as to generate notional operational sets representative of consistent future demand conditions. The second component pertains to the modeling and simulation of aircraft operations, defined by a schedule of operations, on the airport surface and within its terminal airspace. This component is a discrete event simulator for multiple queuing models that captures the operational architecture of the entire terminal area along with all the necessary operational logic pertaining to simulated Air Traffic Control (ATC) functions, rules, and standard practices. The third and final component is comprised of legacy aircraft performance, emissions and dispersion, and noise exposure modeling tools, that use the simulation history of aircraft movements to generate estimates
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hornstein, Rhoda S.; Shinkle, Gerald L.; Weiler, Jerry D.; Willoughby, John K.
1990-01-01
This paper presents a planning approach to the Space Station Freedom program which takes into account the widely distributed nature of that program. The program management structure is organized into three major levels: a strategic level, a tactical level, and an execution level. For each level, resource availabilities are determined, the resources are distributed, schedules are built independently within the resource limits, the schedules are integrated into a single schedule, and conflicts are resolved by negotiating requirements and/or relaxing contraints. This approach distributes resources to multiple planning entities in such a way that when the multiple plans are collected, they fit together with minimal modification. The up-front distribution is planned in such a way and to a sufficient degree that a fit is virtually assured.
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Planning in Reverse: A Viable Approach to Organizational Leadership
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ballantyne, Scott; Berret, Beth; Wells, Mary Ellen
2011-01-01
Planning in Reverse is an innovative concept designed to make organizations more successful by altering the perspective utilized in the strategy process. What is needed for organizations to thrive in this new environment of change and uncertainty is a short-term approach for long-term viability. In this book, tools and concepts regarding Planning…
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Mission planning for on-orbit servicing through multiple servicing satellites: A new approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Daneshjou, K.; Mohammadi-Dehabadi, A. A.; Bakhtiari, M.
2017-09-01
In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for the mission planning of on-orbit servicing such as visual inspection, active debris removal and refueling through multiple servicing satellites (SSs). The scheduling has been done with the aim of minimization of fuel consumption and mission duration. So a multi-objective optimization problem is dealt with here which is solved by employing particle swarm optimization algorithm. Also, Taguchi technique is employed for robust design of effective parameters of optimization problem. The day that the SSs have to leave parking orbit, transfer duration from parking orbit to final orbit, transfer duration between one target to another, and time spent for the SS on each target are the decision parameters which are obtained from the optimization problem. The raised idea is that in addition to the aforementioned decision parameters, eccentricity and inclination related to the initial orbit and also phase difference between the SSs on the initial orbit are identified by means of optimization problem, so that the designer has not much role on determining them. Furthermore, it is considered that the SS and the target rendezvous at the servicing point and the SS does not perform any phasing maneuver to reach the target. It should be noted that Lambert theorem is used for determination of the transfer orbit. The results show that the proposed approach reduces the fuel consumption and the mission duration significantly in comparison with the conventional approaches.
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2011-12-07
This interim final rule with comment period revises the regulations implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements for health insurance issuers under the Public Health Service Act in order to establish rules governing the distribution of rebates by issuers in group markets for non-Federal governmental plans.
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2009-04-01
The Wilmington Area Planning Council takes an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to its metropolitan transportation planning, including paying special attention to integrating its Congestion Management Process into its planning efforts. Th...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION... Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for lunches and requirements for afterschool snacks. (a...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for... Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION... Nutrition standards and menu planning approaches for lunches and requirements for afterschool snacks. (a...
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2014-03-19
This interim final rule requires issuers of qualified health plans (QHPs), including stand-alone dental plans (SADPs), to accept premium and cost-sharing payments made on behalf of enrollees by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, other Federal and State government programs that provide premium and cost sharing support for specific individuals, and Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations.
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Decision-theoretic approach to data acquisition for transit operations planning
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Ritchie, S.G.
The most costly element of transportation planning and modeling activities in the past has usually been that of data acquisition. This is even truer today when the unit costs of data collection are increasing rapidly and at the same time budgets are severely limited by continuing policies of fiscal austerity in the public sector. The overall objectives of this research were to improve the decisions and decision-making capabilities of transit operators or planners in short-range transit planning, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of associated route or corridor-level data collection and service monitoring activities. A new approach was presentedmore » for sequentially updating the parameters of both simple and multiple linear regression models with stochastic regressors, and for determining the expected value of sample information and expected net gain of sampling for associated sample designs. A new approach was also presented for estimating and updating (both spatially and temporally) the parameters of multinomial logit discrete choice models, and for determining associated optimal sample designs for attribute-based and choice-based sampling methods. The approach provides an effective framework for addressing the issue of optimal sampling method and sample size, which to date have been largely unresolved. The application of these methodologies and the feasibility of the decision-theoretic approach was illustrated with a hypothetical case study example.« less
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Breaking the Boundaries: A One-World Approach to Planning Education. Urban Innovation Abroad Series.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sanyal, Bishwapriya, Ed.
Chapters in this collection present the views of academics and professionals from the Third World who have received their planning education in the west and who now hold posts in western urban and regional planning schools. They discuss the need for a radically changed curriculum based on a comparative, one-world approach to planning education.…
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Participatory approach in planning for low carbon and eco-village: A case of Felda Taib Andak
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ngah, I.; Zulkifli, A. S.
2014-02-01
Participatory approaches have becoming an important tool in planning of sustainable communities. Although participation is conceived as a malleable concept there are certain methods that planners can adopt to ensure a meaningful participation. This paper will provide some experiences and lessons on how participatory planning could be carried out with local people, the role of planners in the process of plan preparation, implementation and the outcome. This paper first explores some of the meanings of participation, the criteria of participation and the approaches of participation in planning for sustainable community. The second part is a description and discussion of how participatory approach in planning was applied in planning for low carbon and eco-village in Iskandar Malaysia based on a case study of planning of Felda Taib Andak scheme. The participatory approach involved a series of meetings, site visit and focus group discussions with representative of the Felda Village to come out with action plan and actual implementation. From focus group discussions a roadmap consisted of a vision and objectives and a dozen actions were formulated and adopted. In the process of implementation the main implementation & coordination committee was form in which the author (planner) is one of its members to look into fund raising & implementation strategies together with the local people. Several task forces or sub committees responsible to implement the dozen actions were also formed. The outcome was encouraging in which some of the actions such as planting of bamboo trees, reduction of pollution from oil palm factory and bicycling activities has been implemented and shown progress. The paper also highlights some of the issues and challenges in participatory planning.
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Automated planning for intelligent machines in energy-related applications
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Weisbin, C.R.; de Saussure, G.; Barhen, J.
1984-01-01
This paper discusses the current activities of the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) program related to plan generation and execution by an intelligent machine. The system architecture for the CESAR mobile robot (named HERMIES-1) is described. The minimal cut-set approach is developed to reduce the tree search time of conventional backward chaining planning techniques. Finally, a real-time concept of an Intelligent Machine Operating System is presented in which planning and reasoning is embedded in a system for resource allocation and process management.
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Curriculum Integration Using Enterprise Resource Planning: An Integrative Case Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cannon, David M.; Klein, Helen A; Koste, Lori L.; Magal, Simha R.
2004-01-01
Efforts to achieve greater curriculum integration in schools of business have included team teaching, student group projects, multidisciplinary cases, and, more recently, the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Although these approaches are beneficial, they tend to be implemented on an ad hoc basis rather than through curriculum…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-24
... Mills, LLC; Notice of Final Land Management Plan and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and...: Wausau Paper Mills, LLC. e. Name of Project: Rhinelander Hydroelectric Project. f. Location: The upper.... Applicant Contact: Mr. Tim Hasbargen, Wausau Paper Mills, LLC, 515 Davenport St., Rhinelander, Wisconsin...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2014-01-01
The 2013 Nutrition Risk Standing Review Panel (from here on referred to as the SRP) was impressed by the degree of progress the nutrition discipline has made with the research plan presented since the 2012 Nutrition Risk SRP WebEx/teleconference. The scientists and staff associated with the nutrition discipline have, in addition, continued their impressive publication track record. Specifically the SRP found that the novel and important progress in the ocular health research area (Gap N7.3) represents an important advance in understanding the etiology and potential countermeasures for this condition and thinks that the work will not only be valuable for vision, but may have implications for cardiovascular health, as well. The SRP also considered the bone countermeasure data presented a potentially valuable tool for investigating bone metabolism under the unique conditions of space travel, specifically the innovation of variable use of stable Ca isotopes for bone synthesis and equal contribution for bone to investigate bone metabolism, as well as, the impact of the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED) on body composition during spaceflight. Finally, the SRP considers the planned Integrated Nutrition task to be an important and necessary strategic part of the research plan. The SRP is concerned that the risks observed in previous research on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) may not capture all the risks of longer duration flight beyond LEO. In particular, the SRP believes that there may be a much greater likelihood of an intensified chronic inflammatory response compared to the very minimal evidence seen to date and that modest effects seen in LEO, such as the reduction in appetite, may not predict an absence in longer duration flight out of LEO. The added complications of longer duration flight, greater bio-behavioral stress, radiation exposure, poorer communication, and inability to respond to unforeseen exigencies may create different risks. Thus, preparation for
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Luiking, Marie-Louise; Aarts, Leon; Bras, Leo; Grypdonck, Maria; van Linge, Roland
2017-11-01
Nurses' clinical autonomy is considered important for patients' outcome and influenced by the implementation approach of innovations. Emergent change approach with participation in the implementation process is thought to increase clinical autonomy. Planned change approach without this participation is thought not to increase clinical autonomy. Evidence of these effects on clinical autonomy is however limited. To examine the changes in clinical autonomy and in personal norms and values for a planned change and emergent change implementation of an innovation, e.g. intensive insulin therapy. Prospective comparative study with two geographically separated nurses' teams on one intensive care unit (ICU), randomly assigned to the experimental conditions. Data were collected from March 2008 to January 2009. Pre-existing differences in perception of team and innovation characteristics were excluded using instruments based on the innovation contingency model. The Nursing Activity Scale was used to measure clinical autonomy. The Personal Values and Norms instrument was used to assess orientation towards nursing activities and the Team Learning Processes instrument to assess learning as a team. Pre-implementation the measurements did not differ. Post-implementation, clinical autonomy was increased in the emergent change team and decreased in the planned change team. The Personal Values and Norms instrument showed in the emergent change team a decreased hierarchic score and increased developmental and rational scores. In the planned change team the hierarchical and group scores were increased. Learning as a team did not differ between the teams. In both teams there was a change in clinical autonomy and orientation towards nursing activities, in line with the experimental conditions. Emergent change implementation resulted in more clinical autonomy than planned change implementation. If an innovation requires the nurses to make their own clinical decisions, an emergent change
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RTSTEP regional transportation simulation tool for emergency planning - final report.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Ley, H.; Sokolov, V.; Hope, M.
2012-01-20
Large-scale evacuations from major cities during no-notice events - such as chemical or radiological attacks, hazardous material spills, or earthquakes - have an obvious impact on large regions rather than on just the directly affected area. The scope of impact includes the accommodation of emergency evacuation traffic throughout a very large area; the planning of resources to respond appropriately to the needs of the affected population; the placement of medical supplies and decontamination equipment; and the assessment and determination of primary escape routes, as well as routes for incoming emergency responders. Compared to events with advance notice, such as evacuationsmore » based on hurricanes approaching an affected area, the response to no-notice events relies exclusively on pre-planning and general regional emergency preparedness. Another unique issue is the lack of a full and immediate understanding of the underlying threats to the population, making it even more essential to gain extensive knowledge of the available resources, the chain of command, and established procedures. Given the size of the area affected, an advanced understanding of the regional transportation systems is essential to help with the planning for such events. The objectives of the work described here (carried out by Argonne National Laboratory) is the development of a multi-modal regional transportation model that allows for the analysis of different evacuation scenarios and emergency response strategies to build a wealth of knowledge that can be used to develop appropriate regional emergency response plans. The focus of this work is on the effects of no-notice evacuations on the regional transportation network, as well as the response of the transportation network to the sudden and unusual demand. The effects are dynamic in nature, with scenarios changing potentially from minute to minute. The response to a radiological or chemical hazard will be based on the time
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2012-02-15
These regulations finalize, without change, interim final regulations authorizing the exemption of group health plans and group health insurance coverage sponsored by certain religious employers from having to cover certain preventive health services under provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2008-07-01
This report presents three case studies that illustrate how geographic information systems (GIS) have been used to implement the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWA) Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) approach. The PEL approach provides inf...
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: Evaluation of Where Land Protection Planning Can Incorporate Climate Change Information. This report is a review of decision-making processes of selected land protection prog...
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Assessing Changes in Job Behavior Due to Training: A Guide to the Participant Action Plan Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Office of Personnel Management, Washington, DC.
This guide provides a brief introduction to the Participant Action Plan Approach (PAPA) and a user's handbook. Part I outlines five steps of PAPA which determine how job behavior is changed by training course or program participation. Part II, the manual, is arranged by the five steps of the PAPA approach. Planning for PAPA discusses making…
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1988-01-25
These final regulations provide States options under which an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) found to have substantial deficiencies only in physical plant and staffing (or physical plant, staffing, and other minor deficiencies) that do not pose an immediate threat to the clients' health and safety may remedy those deficiencies. The regulations provide the State Medicaid agency with options to submit written plans either to correct the necessary staff and physical plant deficiencies, and all other minor deficiencies, within 6 months of the approval date of the plan, or to reduce permanently the number of beds in certified units within 36 months of the approval date of the plan. These regulations implement section 9516 of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 and section 4217 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. The purpose of the correction plan provision is to promote correction of deficiencies without having to exclude ICFs/MR from the Medicaid program. The reduction plan provision is intended to move Medicaid clients out of deficient ICFs/MR into licensed or certified (as applicable) community settings while maintaining the clients' quality of life and retaining their Medicaid eligibility.
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Final Work Plan: Targeted Investigation at York, Nebraska
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
LaFreniere, Lorraine M.
The targeted investigation at York will be implemented in phases, so that data collected and interpretations developed at each stage of the program can be evaluated to guide subsequent phases most effectively. Section 2 of this Work Plan presents a brief overview of the York site, its geologic and hydrologic setting, and the previous CCC/USDA investigations. Section 3, outlines the proposed technical program for the targeted investigation, and Section 4 describes the investigative methods to be employed. A community relations plan is in Section 5, and Section 6 includes health and safety information. In addition to this site-specific Work Plan,more » the Master Work Plan (Argonne 2002) developed by Argonne for CCC/USDA investigations in Nebraska should be consulted for complete details of the methods and procedures to be used at York.« less
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A knowledge-based approach to improving optimization techniques in system planning
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Momoh, J. A.; Zhang, Z. Z.
1990-01-01
A knowledge-based (KB) approach to improve mathematical programming techniques used in the system planning environment is presented. The KB system assists in selecting appropriate optimization algorithms, objective functions, constraints and parameters. The scheme is implemented by integrating symbolic computation of rules derived from operator and planner's experience and is used for generalized optimization packages. The KB optimization software package is capable of improving the overall planning process which includes correction of given violations. The method was demonstrated on a large scale power system discussed in the paper.
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Intelligent transportation systems business plan for Kentucky : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2001-09-01
This report presents a Business Plan for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in Kentucky. The purpose of the Business Plan is to define ITS projects that are planned for implementation from 2002 through 2007. The list of projects contained withi...
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Family planning and the labor sector: soft-sell approach.
Teston, R C
1981-01-01
Dr. Cesar T. San Pedro, the director of the company clinic at Dole Philippines plantation in South Cotabato in Region 11, has been pressing the management to initiate a comprehensive family planning programs for their 10,000 workers. Pedro wants the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) to enforce its population program. The situation at Dole is one that requires an arbiter. Since 1977, there has not been a Population/Family Planning Officer (PFPO) for the area, and it is not possible to monitor closely if the qualified firms are following the labor code and providing family planning services to their employees. Susan B. Dedel, executive director of the PFPO, has reported that the office has sought to endear its program to the private sector by showing that family planning is also profitable for the firm. This "soft-sell" approach has been the hallmark of the MOLE-PFPO since it began in 1975 as a joint project of the Commission on Population (POPCOM), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), and International Labor Organization (ILO). Some critics have argued that this liberal style of implementation is short-selling the program. They point out that the Labor Code of 1973 enforces all establishments with at least 200 employees to have a free in-plant family planning program which includes clinic care, paid motivators, and volunteer population workers. The critics seem, at 1st glance, to have the statistics on their side. In its 5 years of operation, the PFPO has convinced only 137,000 workers to accept family planning. This is quite low, since of the 1.2 million employed by the covered firms, 800,000 are eligible for the MOLE program. Much of the weakness of the implementation is said to be due to the slow activation of the Labor-Management Coordinating Committees (LMCC). The critics maintain that because of the liberal enforcement of Department Order No. 9, the recalcitrant firms see no reason to comply. Dedel claims that the program is on the
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Evaluation of Cities in the Context of Energy Efficient Urban Planning Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Handan Yücel Yıldırım, H.; Burcu Gültekin, Arzuhan; Tanrıvermiş, Harun
2017-10-01
Due to the increase in energy need with urbanization as a result of industrialization and rapid population growth, preservation of natural resources has become impossible. As the energy generated particularly from non-renewable natural resources that are in danger of depletion such as coal, natural gas, petroleum is limited, and as environmental issues caused by energy resources increase, means of safe and continuous access to energy are searched in the world. Owing to the limited energy resources and energy dependence on foreign sources in the world, particularly in European Union countries, efforts of increasing the share of renewable energy sources in energy consumption increased in all industries, including urban planning as well. Concordantly, it is necessary to develop policies and approaches that enable utilization of domestic resources complying with the country’s conditions, and monitor developments in energy. Such policies and approaches, which must be implemented in urban planning as well, have great importance in terms of not deteriorating habitable environments of future generations while utilizing present-day energy resources, prevalence of utilization of renewable energy sources, and utilization of energy effectively. For that purpose, this paper puts forward a conceptual framework covering the principles, strategies, and methods on energy efficient urban planning approach, and discusses the energy efficient urban area examples within the scope of the suggested framework.
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Quinault Indian Nation Renewable Energy Plan
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Don Hopps, Institute for Washington's Future; Jesse Nelson, Institute for Washington's Future
2006-11-28
production. This plan calls for commercial-scale production only, with the QIN being the first “customer” for the product. This plan favors employing the pyrolysis technology to produce bio-oil, heat, and char. We favor this approach and technology because it is the most cost effective way to use the available resource. Its main product, bio-oil, has proven utility for the production of heat and electricity. It has promise for use as an alternative fuel, which is a much higher value than present uses of wood and it meets the QIN need for flexibility, scalability, and portability. Char, the secondary product from the pyrolysis process, has proven value-added uses. In addition to these direct benefits, the use of biomass in pyrolysis technology has significant indirect benefits. These benefits include the fact that the technology is a good fit with the Nation’s cultural values, i.e., environmental protection and the holistic use of a resource. It fits well with current QIN enterprises. For example, char could be processed into a charcoal co-product for QIN fish. Finally, the QIN can become a leader in developing and demonstrating this innovative approach to the use of wood. This plan proposes key organization steps to insure both excellent implementation of the plan and taking the best advantage of the processes and facilities put in place. This plan calls for two new QIN organizations: an energy production/distribution corporation and a community development corporation. The production/distribution corporation can be either a utility or a business enterprise that develops and markets renewable energy. The community development corporation can be a not-for-profit to support the QIN in taking best advantage of its energy opportunities. The production and distribution corporation is the subject of a further business planning effort now underway. This plan envisions a community development corporation that works directly with the Business Committee on research, education
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Career Planning Support System Program (CPSS). Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
Intended for the developmental practitioner, this report examines literature produced by the Career Planning Support System dealing with career guidance in four major areas: minority youth; women; transition from school to work; and program planning and evaluation. The area of minority youth includes a review of literature on: educational and…
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2009-09-01
to promote one way as the best, but to show there are several ways to define the problem. 107 Figure 71. Final Orientation/Obstacle Scenario...a comparison of the running cost vs. distance from an obstacle for varying values of p. Simulations have shown that for 4p , the running cost...sliding door example. This scenario shows a major weakness when conducting trajectory planning using snapshots in a dynamic environment
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Designing Training Plans for Distributive Education. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Syhlman, William D.
These distributive education training and development plans for secondary-level programs provide lists of competencies a student needs to hold a job in sales and marketing occupational areas. The design of the training plans is based on a "pyramid" which incorporates the following five sections or levels of competencies (from general to…
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A Multifaceted Approach to Investigating Pre-Task Planning Effects on Paired Oral Test Performance
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nitta, Ryo; Nakatsuhara, Fumiyo
2014-01-01
Despite the growing popularity of paired format speaking assessments, the effects of pre-task planning time on performance in these formats are not yet well understood. For example, some studies have revealed the benefits of planning but others have not. Using a multifaceted approach including analysis of the process of speaking performance, the…
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2012-07-20
This final rule establishes data collection standards necessary to implement aspects of section 1302 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act), which directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to define essential health benefits. This final rule outlines the data on applicable plans to be collected from certain issuers to support the definition of essential health benefits. This final rule also establishes a process for the recognition of accrediting entities for purposes of certification of qualified health plans.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Newman, William
1989-01-01
Discusses an integrated approach for presenting production planning and control fundamentals at the survey level using a Lotus 1-2-3 template. This approach provides an overview of the relationships between the problem components and highlights managerial decision-making points. (Author/JOW)
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2013-06-04
This final rule implements provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively referred to as the Affordable Care Act) related to the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). Specifically, this final rule amends existing regulations regarding triggering events and special enrollment periods for qualified employees and their dependents and implements a transitional policy regarding employees' choice of qualified health plans (QHPs) in the SHOP.
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Plan for the Class of 2000. Final Report of the Program Planning Committee.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wake Forest Univ., Winston Salem, NC.
This report presents the comprehensive academic plan for undergraduate students to be phased in at Wake Forest University (North Carolina) beginning with the class entering in 1996. Four concepts are emphasized in the plan: (1) continued personalization and individualization of the professor-student relationship; (2) establishment of a first-year…
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, Metabolically Derived Human Ventilation Rates: A Revised Approach Based Upon Oxygen Consumption Rates. This report provides a revised approach for calculating an individual's ventilation rate directly from their oxygen c...
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Planning for strategic change? A participative planning approach for community hospitals.
MacDonald, S K; Beange, J E; Blachford, P C
1992-01-01
Strategic planning is becoming to hospitals what business case analysis is to private corporations. In fact, this type of planning is becoming essential for the professional management of Ontario hospitals. The participative strategic planning process at Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) is an example of how a professionally structured and implemented strategic planning process can be successfully developed and implemented in a community hospital. In this article, the environmental factors driving planning are reviewed and the critical success factors for the development and implementation of a strategic plan are examined in the context of TEGH's experience.
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An integrated approach for facilities planning by ELECTRE method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Elbishari, E. M. Y.; Hazza, M. H. F. Al; Adesta, E. Y. T.; Rahman, Nur Salihah Binti Abdul
2018-01-01
Facility planning is concerned with the design, layout, and accommodation of people, machines and activities of a system. Most of the researchers try to investigate the production area layout and the related facilities. However, few of them try to investigate the relationship between the production space and its relationship with service departments. The aim of this research to is to integrate different approaches in order to evaluate, analyse and select the best facilities planning method that able to explain the relationship between the production area and other supporting departments and its effect on human efforts. To achieve the objective of this research two different approaches have been integrated: Apple’s layout procedure as one of the effective tools in planning factories, ELECTRE method as one of the Multi Criteria Decision Making methods (MCDM) to minimize the risk of getting poor facilities planning. Dalia industries have been selected as a case study to implement our integration the factory have been divided two main different area: the whole facility (layout A), and the manufacturing area (layout B). This article will be concerned with the manufacturing area layout (Layout B). After analysing the data gathered, the manufacturing area was divided into 10 activities. There are five factors that the alternative were compared upon which are: Inter department satisfactory level, total distance travelled for workers, total distance travelled for the product, total time travelled for the workers, and total time travelled for the product. Three different layout alternatives have been developed in addition to the original layouts. Apple’s layout procedure was used to study and evaluate the different alternatives layouts, the study and evaluation of the layouts was done by calculating scores for each of the factors. After obtaining the scores from evaluating the layouts, ELECTRE method was used to compare the proposed alternatives with each other and with
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Emergency Planning Guidelines for Campus Health Services: An All-Hazards Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Journal of American College Health, 2011
2011-01-01
This document, written collaboratively by members of ACHA's Emerging Public Health Threats and Emergency Response Coalition and Campus Safety and Violence Coalition, is designed to assist members of the college health community in planning for emergencies using an all-hazards approach. Its perspective is both macro and micro, beginning with a…
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Beyond Lip Service: A Council Approach to Planning for Behaviour Change
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Collier, Grahame; Smith, Phil
2009-01-01
The Council of the City of Sydney--like many other councils around Australia--has embarked on a whole-of-council approach to establishing sustainable behaviours amongst its residents. In developing its "Residential Environmental Action Plan"--designed to motivate and bring about real change in resident choices and behaviours--the City…
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Meade Krosby; Ian Breckheimer; D. John Pierce; Peter H. Singleton; Sonia A. Hall; Karl C. Halupka; William L. Gaines; Robert A. Long; Brad H. McRae; Brian L. Cosentino; Joanne P. Schuett-Hames
2015-01-01
Context  The dual threats of habitat fragmentation and climate change have led to a proliferation of approaches for connectivity conservation planning. Corridor analyses have traditionally taken a focal species approach, but the landscape âânaturalnessââ approach of modeling connectivity among areas of low human modification has gained popularity...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Farmer, D. W.
1983-01-01
An effective collegial and relatively noncompetitive approach to integrated planning developed at King's College is discussed. The development of a structured system of intensive oral communication; an organizational design integrating planning, budgeting, marketing, and evaluation, and a modified matrix management system are described. (MLW)
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Simulation Model for the Piper PA-30 Light Maneuverable Aircraft in the Final Approach
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1971-07-01
The report describes the Piper PA-30 'Twin Comanche' aircraft and a representative autopilot during the final approach configuration for simulation purposes. The aircraft is modeled by linearized six-degree-of-freedom perturbation equations reference...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
EISLER, G. RICHARD
This report summarizes the analytical and experimental efforts for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project entitled ''Robust Planning for Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots In Unstructured, Dynamic Environments (AutoNav)''. The project goal was to develop an algorithmic-driven, multi-spectral approach to point-to-point navigation characterized by: segmented on-board trajectory planning, self-contained operation without human support for mission duration, and the development of appropriate sensors and algorithms to navigate unattended. The project was partially successful in achieving gains in sensing, path planning, navigation, and guidance. One of three experimental platforms, the Minimalist Autonomous Testbed, used a repetitive sense-and-re-plan combination to demonstratemore » the majority of elements necessary for autonomous navigation. However, a critical goal for overall success in arbitrary terrain, that of developing a sensor that is able to distinguish true obstacles that need to be avoided as a function of vehicle scale, still needs substantial research to bring to fruition.« less
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Voyager Approaches Final Frontier Artist Concept
2003-12-12
An artist's concept illustrates the positions of the Voyager spacecraft in relation to structures formed around our Sun by the solar wind. Also illustrated is the termination shock, a violent region the spacecraft must pass through before reaching the outer limits of the solar system. At the termination shock, the supersonic solar wind abruptly slows from an average speed of 400 kilometers per second to less than 100 kilometer per second (900,000 to less than 225,000 miles per hour). Beyond the termination shock is the solar system's final frontier, the heliosheath, a vast region where the turbulent and hot solar wind is compressed as it presses outward against the interstellar wind that is beyond the heliopause. A bow shock likely forms as the interstellar wind approaches and is deflected around the heliosphere, forcing it into a teardrop-shaped structure with a long, comet-like tail. The exact location of the termination shock is unknown, and it originally was thought to be closer to the Sun than Voyager 1 currently is. As Voyager 1 cruised ever farther from the Sun, it confirmed that all the planets are inside an immense bubble blown by the solar wind and the termination shock was much more distant. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04927
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A new methodological approach for PET implementation in radiotherapy treatment planning.
Bellan, Elena; Ferretti, Alice; Capirci, Carlo; Grassetto, Gaia; Gava, Marcello; Chondrogiannis, Sotirios; Virdis, Graziella; Marzola, Maria Cristina; Massaro, Arianna; Rubello, Domenico; Nibale, Otello
2012-05-01
In this paper, a new methodological approach to using PET information in radiotherapy treatment planning has been discussed. Computed tomography (CT) represents the primary modality to plan personalized radiation treatment, because it provides the basic electron density map for correct dose calculation. If PET scanning is also performed it is typically coregistered with the CT study. This operation can be executed automatically by a hybrid PET/CT scanner or, if the PET and CT imaging sets have been acquired through different equipment, by a dedicated module of the radiotherapy treatment planning system. Both approaches have some disadvantages: in the first case, the bore of a PET/CT system generally used in clinical practice often does not allow the use of certain bulky devices for patient immobilization in radiotherapy, whereas in the second case the result could be affected by limitations in window/level visualization of two different image modalities, and the displayed PET volumes can appear not to be related to the actual uptake into the patient. To overcome these problems, at our centre a specific procedure has been studied and tested in 30 patients, allowing good results of precision in the target contouring to be obtained. The process consists of segmentation of the biological target volume by a dedicated PET/CT console and its export to a dedicated radiotherapy system, where an image registration between the CT images acquired by the PET/CT scanner and a large-bore CT is performed. The planning target volume is contoured only on the large-bore CT and is used for virtual simulation, to individuate permanent skin markers on the patient.
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Mission Operations Planning with Preferences: An Empirical Study
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bresina, John L.; Khatib, Lina; McGann, Conor
2006-01-01
This paper presents an empirical study of some nonexhaustive approaches to optimizing preferences within the context of constraint-based, mixed-initiative planning for mission operations. This work is motivated by the experience of deploying and operating the MAPGEN (Mixed-initiative Activity Plan GENerator) system for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. Responsiveness to the user is one of the important requirements for MAPGEN, hence, the additional computation time needed to optimize preferences must be kept within reasonabble bounds. This was the primary motivation for studying non-exhaustive optimization approaches. The specific goals of rhe empirical study are to assess the impact on solution quality of two greedy heuristics used in MAPGEN and to assess the improvement gained by applying a linear programming optimization technique to the final solution.
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Unique Approach to Creating and Implementing a Social Media Strategic Plan
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davis, Jamie; Dishon, Karissa
2017-01-01
Social media is a valuable communication, outreach, and marketing tool, yet Extension educators often underutilize social media due to concerns related to lack of guidance and perceived risks. This article showcases a unique approach to creating a social media strategic plan that applies best practices from the field of marketing and addresses…
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Patient Activities Planning and Progress Noting a Humanistic Integrated-Team Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Muilenburg, Ted
This document outlines a system for planning recreation therapy, documenting progress, and relating the entire process to a team approach which includes patient assessment and involvement. The recreation program is seen as therapeutic, closely related to the total medical treatment program. The model is designed so that it can be adapted to almost…
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Planning the Transition to Long-Term Stewardship for the River Corridor
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Cearlock, C.S.; Lerch, J.A.; Sands, J.P.
2007-07-01
Long-term stewardship refers to all activities necessary to ensure protection of human health and the environment following completion of remediation, disposal, or stabilization of a site or a portion of a site. Efforts to establish the proposed approach and criteria to be met for long-term stewardship in the river corridor of the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, are currently being established and a draft plan is expected to be completed in mid-2007 to facilitate planning for a smooth and seamless transition to long-term stewardship. Once the initial criteria have been established, supporting information will be gathered as the work proceeds.more » Near the end of cleanup actions under the River Corridor Closure Contract, these criteria will be finalized in a long-term stewardship plan that documents how the criteria have been met. In addition, the final long-term stewardship plan will also contain a proposed Finding of Suitability to Transfer in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Section 120(h) [1]. This final long-term stewardship plan will provide the foundation for post-River Corridor Closure Contract and management activities in the river corridor pending actual property transfer from the U.S. Department of Energy. (authors)« less
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Miami Valley ITS : early deployment plan : final ITS strategic deployment plan
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1997-09-01
This report presents the Strategic Deployment Plan for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in Clark, Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties, Ohio (the Miami Valley). The report summarizes the steps that were performed in preparing the Strat...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Small, Neil; Raghavan, Raghu; Pawson, Nicole
2013-01-01
Transition planning using a person-centred approach has, in the main, failed to shape service provision. We offer an alternative based on an ecological understanding of human development linked to public health approaches that prioritise whole system planning. A total of 43 young people with intellectual disabilities, in Bradford, England, who…
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Planning and Design: A Systems Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bozeman, William C.; Clements, Mary A.
1981-01-01
Explains "purpose design," a planning and problem-solving strategy involving determination of planning purposes, generation and selection of solutions, specification of solution details, implementation, and evaluation. Describes the application of purpose design to the planning of an alumni association at Black Hawk College, a community…
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Gregório, João; Cavaco, Afonso; Velez Lapão, Luís
2014-10-13
Health workforce planning is especially important in a setting of political, social, and economic uncertainty. Portuguese community pharmacists are experiencing such conditions as well as increasing patient empowerment, shortage of primary care physicians, and primary health care reforms. This study aims to design three future scenarios for Portuguese community pharmacists, recognizing the changing environment as an opportunity to develop the role that community pharmacists may play in the Portuguese health system. The community pharmacist scenario design followed a three-stage approach. The first stage comprised thinking of relevant questions to be addressed and definition of the scenarios horizon. The second stage comprised two face-to-face, scenario-building workshops, for which 10 experts from practice and academic settings were invited. Academic and professional experience was the main selection criteria. The first workshop was meant for context analysis and design of draft scenarios, while the second was aimed at scenario analysis and validation. The final scenarios were built merging workshops' information with data collected from scientific literature followed by team consensus. The final stage involved scenario development carried by the authors alone, developing the narratives behind each scenario. Analysis allowed the identification of critical factors expected to have particular influence in 2020 for Portuguese community pharmacists, leading to two critical uncertainties: the "Legislative environment" and "Ability to innovate and develop services". Three final scenarios were built, namely "Pharmacy-Mall", "e-Pharmacist", and "Reorganize or Die". These scenarios provide possible trends for market needs, pharmacist workforce numbers, and expected qualifications to be developed by future professionals. In all scenarios it is clear that the future advance of Portuguese community pharmacists will depend on pharmaceutical services provision beyond medicine
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Resection planning for robotic acoustic neuroma surgery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McBrayer, Kepra L.; Wanna, George B.; Dawant, Benoit M.; Balachandran, Ramya; Labadie, Robert F.; Noble, Jack H.
2016-03-01
Acoustic neuroma surgery is a procedure in which a benign mass is removed from the Internal Auditory Canal (IAC). Currently this surgical procedure requires manual drilling of the temporal bone followed by exposure and removal of the acoustic neuroma. This procedure is physically and mentally taxing to the surgeon. Our group is working to develop an Acoustic Neuroma Surgery Robot (ANSR) to perform the initial drilling procedure. Planning the ANSR's drilling region using pre-operative CT requires expertise and around 35 minutes' time. We propose an approach for automatically producing a resection plan for the ANSR that would avoid damage to sensitive ear structures and require minimal editing by the surgeon. We first compute an atlas-based segmentation of the mastoid section of the temporal bone, refine it based on the position of anatomical landmarks, and apply a safety margin to the result to produce the automatic resection plan. In experiments with CTs from 9 subjects, our automated process resulted in a resection plan that was verified to be safe in every case. Approximately 2 minutes were required in each case for the surgeon to verify and edit the plan to permit functional access to the IAC. We measured a mean Dice coefficient of 0.99 and surface error of 0.08 mm between the final and automatically proposed plans. These preliminary results indicate that our approach is a viable method for resection planning for the ANSR and drastically reduces the surgeon's planning effort.
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Strategic Planning: A (Site) Sight-Based Approach to Curriculum and Staff Development.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Daniel P.
The purpose of (Colorado's) Clear Creek School District's strategic planning process has been to develop basic district-wide parameters to promote instructional improvement through a process of shared leadership. The approach is termed "sight-based" to indicate the school district's commitment to connecting curriculum and…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dittes, Beatrice; Špačková, Olga; Ebrahimian, Negin; Kaiser, Maria; Rieger, Wolfgang; Disse, Markus; Straub, Daniel
2017-04-01
Flood risk estimates are subject to significant uncertainties, e.g. due to limited records of historic flood events, uncertainty in flood modeling, uncertain impact of climate change or uncertainty in the exposure and loss estimates. In traditional design of flood protection systems, these uncertainties are typically just accounted for implicitly, based on engineering judgment. In the AdaptRisk project, we develop a fully quantitative framework for planning of flood protection systems under current and future uncertainties using quantitative pre-posterior Bayesian decision analysis. In this contribution, we focus on the quantification of the uncertainties and study their relative influence on the flood risk estimate and on the planning of flood protection systems. The following uncertainty components are included using a Bayesian approach: 1) inherent and statistical (i.e. limited record length) uncertainty; 2) climate uncertainty that can be learned from an ensemble of GCM-RCM models; 3) estimates of climate uncertainty components not covered in 2), such as bias correction, incomplete ensemble, local specifics not captured by the GCM-RCM models; 4) uncertainty in the inundation modelling; 5) uncertainty in damage estimation. We also investigate how these uncertainties are possibly reduced in the future when new evidence - such as new climate models, observed extreme events, and socio-economic data - becomes available. Finally, we look into how this new evidence influences the risk assessment and effectivity of flood protection systems. We demonstrate our methodology for a pre-alpine catchment in southern Germany: the Mangfall catchment in Bavaria that includes the city of Rosenheim, which suffered significant losses during the 2013 flood event.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Walsh, Kath; Rebaczonok-Padulo, Michael
1993-01-01
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading postsecondary technical institution in Singapore, offers English for academic and occupational purposes to prepare students for writing their final year projects. This article discusses the approaches used in Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology projects. A sample exercise is appended. (Contains two references.)…
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The interim final Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats to Drinking Water Systems is designed to help the water sector effectively and appropriately respond to intentional contamination threats and incidents. It was produced by EPA, buil...
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Least-cost transportation planning in ODOT : phase 2 final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1996-06-01
This project is intended to suggest ways in which least-cost planning principles could be incorporated into the transportation planning process. The Mt. Hood corridor was chosen for examination. The examination of the planning process highlighted sev...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mabry, Ann; Kaufman, Martin J.
Presented is Stage I of the Comprehensive Approach to Pupil Planning (CAPP) System, a three-stage model for planning educational interventions in the regular and special education classrooms and for guiding placement decisions. The guide consists of the following: an overview of the CAPP System; an introduction to Stage I on classroom support…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kusumaningrum, Indrati; Hidayat, Hendra; Ganefri; Anori, Sartika; Dewy, Mega Silfia
2016-01-01
This article describes the development of a business plan by using production-based learning approach. In addition, this development also aims to maximize learning outcomes in vocational education. Preliminary analysis of curriculum and learning and the needs of the market and society become the basic for business plan development. To produce a…
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45 CFR 2103.1 - General approaches to review of plans by the Commission.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
...) COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS STATEMENTS OF POLICY § 2103.1 General approaches to review of plans by the Commission... herein. These functions are to serve the purpose of conserving and enhancing the visual assets which...
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45 CFR 2103.1 - General approaches to review of plans by the Commission.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
...) COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS STATEMENTS OF POLICY § 2103.1 General approaches to review of plans by the Commission... herein. These functions are to serve the purpose of conserving and enhancing the visual assets which...
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45 CFR 2103.1 - General approaches to review of plans by the Commission.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
...) COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS STATEMENTS OF POLICY § 2103.1 General approaches to review of plans by the Commission... herein. These functions are to serve the purpose of conserving and enhancing the visual assets which...
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45 CFR 2103.1 - General approaches to review of plans by the Commission.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
...) COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS STATEMENTS OF POLICY § 2103.1 General approaches to review of plans by the Commission... herein. These functions are to serve the purpose of conserving and enhancing the visual assets which...
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45 CFR 2103.1 - General approaches to review of plans by the Commission.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
...) COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS STATEMENTS OF POLICY § 2103.1 General approaches to review of plans by the Commission... herein. These functions are to serve the purpose of conserving and enhancing the visual assets which...
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Traffic Management Plan Effectiveness Study, Final Report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1993-05-28
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLANS (TMPS) HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY ACCEPTED BY TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE PUBLIC AS A VIABLE MEANS OF MAINTANING ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF TRAFFIC FLOW DURING PERIODS OF TRAFFI...
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Planning-in-Action: An Innovative Approach to Human Development. The Hunger Project.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Community Development Journal, 1991
1991-01-01
The Hunger Project in India used a strategic planning-in-action approach that involved (1) reaching a common understanding; (2) creating a strategic intent; (3) choosing social indicators; (4) identifying strategic objectives; (5) empowering leadership; (6) identifying immediate action steps; and (7) sustaining the action. (SK)
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Groundwater Monitoring Plan. Volume 2. Final Quality Assurance Project Plan
1993-10-01
5 Table 4-2. US EPA Drinking Water MCLs ........................................ 4-6 Table 5-1. Sample Bottle Requirements, Preservation, and Holding... drinking water . " The types of quality control samples that will be collected during the Canal Creek groundwater monitoring program. ]- Jacobs...Revision No.: 0 Date: 10/27/93 Page: 6 of 9 Canal Creek Area, APG-EA, Maryland Groundwater Monitoring Plan, VOLUME I1 Table 4-2. US EPA Drinking Water
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On-Line Allocation Of Robot Resources To Task Plans
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lyons, Damian M.
1989-02-01
In this paper, I present an approach to representing plans that make on-line decisions about resource allocation. An on-line decision is the evaluation of a conditional expression involving sensory information as the plan is being executed. I use a plan representation called 7ZS10'1 1,12that has been especially designed for the domain of robot programming, and in particular, for the problem of on-line decisions. The resource allocation example is based on the robot assembly cell architecture outlined by Venkataraman and Lyons16. I begin by setting forth a definition of on-line decision making and some arguments as to why this form of decision making is important and useful. To set the context for the resource allocation example, I take some care in categorizing the types of on-line decision making and the approaches adopted by other workers so far. In particular, I justify a plan-based approach to the study of on-line decision making. From that, the focus shifts to one type of decision making: on-line allocation of robot resources to task plans. Robot resources are the physical manipulators (grippers, wrists, arms, feeders, etc) that are available to carry out the task. I formulate the assembly cell architecture of Venkataraman and Lyons16 as an R.S plan schema, and show how the on-line allocation specified in that architecture can be implemented. Finally, I show how considering the on-line allocation of logical resources, that is a physical resource plus some model information, can be used as a non-traditional approach to some problems in robot task planning.
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The Portfolio Approach Developed to Underpin the Capital Investment Program Plan Review (CIPPR)
2014-11-06
Basinger, Director, DCI, CFD Scientific Letter The PORTFOLIO APPROACH developed to underpin the Capital Investment Program Plan Review (CIPPR) To better...prepare senior management for meetings about CIPPR in November 2014, this scientific letter has been pre- pared upon request [1] to clarify some of...Research and Analysis in support of CIPPR was to: 1. Provide scientific support to the development of a traceable and sustainable approach and process by
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1993-10-01
Disposal Act (SWDA)/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Jacobs Englnwfng Gmo Inc FINAL PROJECT WORK PLAN Washington Operatvo 8~ Fs 2-551I Date...shaded map of contaminated areas defined by chemical data, more than one map may be consructed f special and grapk cons *tft ame encountered. Results...that a Siophysical c ao p Pro rma down the axis or Beah PointS using geophysic teehnozoglosts that are •vi subsurface hyd&rosAdgraphic cmal beneath
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hull, Daniel M.; Lovett, James E.
This volume of the final report for the Robotics/Automated Systems Technician (RAST) curriculum project is a curriculum planning guide intended for school administrators, faculty, and student counselors/advisors. It includes step-by-step procedures to help institutions evaluate their community's needs and their capabilities to meet these needs in…
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EPA released the final report, Approaches for the Application of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Models and Supporting Data in Risk Assessment as announced in a September 22 2006 Federal Register Notice.This final report addresses the application and evaluati...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sullivan, Patricia A.; Goldzwig, Steven R.
1995-01-01
Defines a relational approach to moral reasoning. Notes that the Supreme Court, in "Planned Parenthood v. Casey," rejected simplistic approaches to moral reasoning and acknowledged the complex web of relationships involved in abortion decision making. Suggests that rhetoricians "revision" the art of persuasion to place more…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lewis, Steven
1996-01-01
Disaster recovery planning need not be expensive nor complete to be effective. Systematic planning involves several crucial steps, including outlining the final plan, understanding the nature of a disaster's effects and the stages of disaster recovery, prioritizing appropriately, and learning how to test the plan in a practical way for the…
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Strategic planning for aircraft noise route impact analysis: A three dimensional approach
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bragdon, C. R.; Rowan, M. J.; Ahuja, K. K.
1993-01-01
The strategic routing of aircraft through navigable and controlled airspace to minimize adverse noise impact over sensitive areas is critical in the proper management and planning of the U.S. based airport system. A major objective of this phase of research is to identify, inventory, characterize, and analyze the various environmental, land planning, and regulatory data bases, along with potential three dimensional software and hardware systems that can be potentially applied for an impact assessment of any existing or planned air route. There are eight data bases that have to be assembled and developed in order to develop three dimensional aircraft route impact methodology. These data bases which cover geographical information systems, sound metrics, land use, airspace operational control measures, federal regulations and advisories, census data, and environmental attributes have been examined and aggregated. A three dimensional format is necessary for planning, analyzing space and possible noise impact, and formulating potential resolutions. The need to develop this three dimensional approach is essential due to the finite capacity of airspace for managing and planning a route system, including airport facilities. It appears that these data bases can be integrated effectively into a strategic aircraft noise routing system which should be developed as soon as possible, as part of a proactive plan applied to our FAA controlled navigable airspace for the United States.
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Hayati, Elyas; Majnounian, Baris; Abdi, Ehsan; Sessions, John; Makhdoum, Majid
2013-02-01
Changes in forest landscapes resulting from road construction have increased remarkably in the last few years. On the other hand, the sustainable management of forest resources can only be achieved through a well-organized road network. In order to minimize the environmental impacts of forest roads, forest road managers must design the road network efficiently and environmentally as well. Efficient planning methodologies can assist forest road managers in considering the technical, economic, and environmental factors that affect forest road planning. This paper describes a three-stage methodology using the Delphi method for selecting the important criteria, the Analytic Hierarchy Process for obtaining the relative importance of the criteria, and finally, a spatial multi-criteria evaluation in a geographic information system (GIS) environment for identifying the lowest-impact road network alternative. Results of the Delphi method revealed that ground slope, lithology, distance from stream network, distance from faults, landslide susceptibility, erosion susceptibility, geology, and soil texture are the most important criteria for forest road planning in the study area. The suitability map for road planning was then obtained by combining the fuzzy map layers of these criteria with respect to their weights. Nine road network alternatives were designed using PEGGER, an ArcView GIS extension, and finally, their values were extracted from the suitability map. Results showed that the methodology was useful for identifying road that met environmental and cost considerations. Based on this work, we suggest future work in forest road planning using multi-criteria evaluation and decision making be considered in other regions and that the road planning criteria identified in this study may be useful.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shouse, A. Clay; Epstein, Ann S.
This document is the final report of the McGregor-funded High/Scope training initiative, a system-wide approach to improving the quality of early childhood programs in the Detroit metropolitan area. The 3-year project was based on the validated High/Scope educational approach and training model, which advocates hands-on active learning for both…
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Reassessing Unintended Pregnancy: Toward a Patient-centered Approach to Family Planning.
Morse, Jessica E; Ramesh, Shanthi; Jackson, Andrea
2017-03-01
Underserved women, especially those with low incomes and from racial and ethnic minorities, experience a disproportionate share of unintended pregnancies in the United States. Although unintended pregnancy rates are general markers of women's health and status, they may not accurately capture women's experiences of these pregnancies or their social circumstances. A patient-centered approach to family planning optimizes women's reproductive preferences, is cognizant of historical harms and current disparities, and may more comprehensively address the issue of unintended pregnancy. Clinicians, researchers, and policy makers can all adopt a patient-centered approach to help underserved women regain their reproductive autonomy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Social Justice, Children's Needs and Rights: An Approach to Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sims, Margaret
2015-01-01
Commonly, planning for children involves comparing what they know against a curriculum or learning framework which identifies what they should know. Early childhood educators are then expected to create learning opportunities to help fill the gap between these two extremes. In this paper I argue that such an approach does not honour the…
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The interim final Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats to Drinking Water Systems is designed to help the water sector effectively and appropriately respond to intentional contamination threats and incidents. It was produced by EPA, buil...
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Single Event Effects (SEE) Testing: Practical Approach to Test Plans
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
LaBel, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan Allen; Berg, Melanie D.
2014-01-01
While standards and guidelines for performing SEE testing have existed for several decades, guidance for developing SEE test plans has not been as easy to find. In this presentation, the variety of areas that need to be considered ranging from resource issues (funds, personnel, schedule) to extremely technical challenges (particle interaction and circuit application), shall be discussed. Note: we consider the approach outlined here as a "living" document: Mission-specific constraints and new technology related issues always need to be taken into account.
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Martin, J B; Wilkins, A S; Stawski, S K
1998-08-01
The evolving health care environment demands that health care organizations fully utilize information technologies (ITs). The effective deployment of IT requires the development and implementation of a comprehensive IT strategic plan. A number of approaches to health care IT strategic planning exist, but they are outdated or incomplete. The component alignment model (CAM) introduced here recognizes the complexity of today's health care environment, emphasizing continuous assessment and realignment of seven basic components: external environment, emerging ITs, organizational infrastructure, mission, IT infrastructure, business strategy, and IT strategy. The article provides a framework by which health care organizations can develop an effective IT strategic planning process.
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Rebranding city: A strategic urban planning approach in Indonesia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Firzal, Yohannes
2018-03-01
Concomitant with entering the decentralization period has had a significant effect on cities in Indonesia, and is seen as a new era for local life. The decentralization period has also generated sentiments which are locally bounded that can be identified in the discretion given to the local government in charge to rebranding the city. In this paper, the rebranding phenomena have learned from Pekanbaru city where has changed its city brand for few times. By using a qualitative research approach and combining multi methods to collect and process the data, this paper investigates that the rebranding city has found as a strategic approach in urban planning today that is used to inject more senses to the city and its local life by the local government. This research has confirmed, for almost two decades of the decentralization period, the rebranding phenomena are not only found to generate sense locally, but also as a power marker of the local regime.
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WastePlan model implementation for New York State. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Visalli, J.R.; Blackman, D.A.
1995-07-01
WastePlan is a computer software tool that models solid waste quantities, costs, and other parameters on a regional basis. The software was developed by the Tellus Institute, a nonprofit research and consulting firm. The project`s objective was to provide local solid waste management planners in New York State responsible to develop and implement comprehensive solid waste management plans authorized by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1988, with a WastePlan model specifically tailored to fit the demographic and other characteristics of New York State and to provide training and technical support to the users. Two-day workshops were held in 1992more » to introduce planners to the existing versions; subsequently, extensive changes were made to the model and a second set of two-day workshops were held in 1993 to introduce planners to the enhanced version of WastePlan. Following user evaluations, WastePlan was further modified to allow users to model systems using a simplified version, and to incorporate report forms required by New York State. A post-project survey of trainees revealed limited regular use of software. Possible reasons include lack of synchronicity with NYSDEC planning process; lack of computer literacy and aptitude among trainees; hardware limitations; software user-friendliness; and the work environment of the trainees. A number of recommendations are made to encourage use of WastePlan by local solid waste management planners.« less
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Stakeholder perceptions of a total market approach to family planning in Nicaragua.
Drake, Jennifer Kidwell; Espinoza, Henry; Suraratdecha, Chutima; Lacayo, Yann; Keith, Bonnie M; Vail, Janet G
2011-05-01
To assess private-sector stakeholders' and donors' perceptions of a total market approach (TMA) to family planning in Nicaragua in the context of decreased funding; to build evidence for potential strategies and mechanisms for TMA implementation (including public-private partnerships (PPPs)); and to identify information gaps and future priorities for related research and advocacy. A descriptive exploratory study was conducted in various locations in Nicaragua from March to April 2010. A total of 24 key private-sector stakeholders and donors were interviewed and their responses analyzed using two questionnaires and a stakeholder analysis tool (PolicyMakerTM software). All survey participants supported a TMA, and public-private collaboration, in family planning in Nicaragua. Based on the survey responses, opportunities for further developing PPPs for family planning include building on and expanding existing governmental frameworks, such as Nicaragua's current coordination mechanism for contraceptive security. Obstacles include the lack of ongoing government engagement with the commercial (for-profit) sector and confusion about regulations for its involvement in family planning. Strategies for strengthening existing PPPs include establishing a coordination mechanism specifically for the commercial sector and collecting and disseminating evidence supporting public-private collaboration in family planning. There was no formal or absolute opposition to a TMA or PPPs in family planning in Nicaragua among a group of diverse nongovernmental stakeholders and donors. This type of study can help identify strategies to mobilize existing and potential advocates in achieving articulated policy goals, including diversification of funding sources for family planning to achieve contraceptive security.
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Euro 2012 European Football Championship Finals: planning for a health legacy.
Smallwood, Catherine A H; Arbuthnott, Katherine G; Banczak-Mysiak, Barbara; Borodina, Mariya; Coutinho, Ana Paula; Payne-Hallström, Lara; Lipska, Elzbieta; Lyashko, Viktor; Miklasz, Miroslaw; Miskiewicz, Paulina; Nitzan, Dorit; Pokanevych, Igor; Posobkiewicz, Marek; Rockenschaub, Gerald; Sadkowska-Todys, Malgorzata; Sinelnik, Svetlana; Smiley, Daniel; Tomialoic, Rysard; Yurchenko, Volodimir; Memish, Ziad A; Heymann, David; Endericks, Tina; McCloskey, Brian; Zumla, Alimuddin; Barbeschi, Maurizio
2014-06-14
The revised international health regulations offer a framework that can be used by host countries to organise public health activities for mass gatherings. From June 8, to July 1, 2012, Poland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Union of European Football Associations European Football Championship Finals (Euro 2012). More than 8 million people from around the world congregated to watch the games. Host countries and international public health agencies planned extensively to assess and build capacity in the host countries and to develop effective strategies for dissemination of public health messages. The effectiveness of public health services was maximised through rapid sharing of information between parties, early use of networks of experienced individuals, and the momentum of existing national health programmes. Organisers of future mass gatherings for sporting events should share best practice and their experiences through the WHO International Observer Program. Research about behaviour of large crowds is needed for crowd management and the evidence base translated into practice. A framework to measure and evaluate the legacy of Euro 2012 is needed based on the experiences and the medium-term and long-term benefits of the tournament. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kainz, K; Prah, D; Ahunbay, E
2014-06-01
Purpose: A novel modulated arc therapy technique, mARC, enables superposition of step-and-shoot IMRT segments upon a subset of the optimization points (OPs) of a continuous-arc delivery. We compare two approaches to mARC planning: one with the number of OPs fixed throughout optimization, and another where the planning system determines the number of OPs in the final plan, subject to an upper limit defined at the outset. Methods: Fixed-OP mARC planning was performed for representative cases using Panther v. 5.01 (Prowess, Inc.), while variable-OP mARC planning used Monaco v. 5.00 (Elekta, Inc.). All Monaco planning used an upper limit of 91more » OPs; those OPs with minimal MU were removed during optimization. Plans were delivered, and delivery times recorded, on a Siemens Artiste accelerator using a flat 6MV beam with 300 MU/min rate. Dose distributions measured using ArcCheck (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Inc.) were compared with the plan calculation; the two were deemed consistent if they agreed to within 3.5% in absolute dose and 3.5 mm in distance-to-agreement among > 95% of the diodes within the direct beam. Results: Example cases included a prostate and a head-and-neck planned with a single arc and fraction doses of 1.8 and 2.0 Gy, respectively. Aside from slightly more uniform target dose for the variable-OP plans, the DVHs for the two techniques were similar. For the fixed-OP technique, the number of OPs was 38 and 39, and the delivery time was 228 and 259 seconds, respectively, for the prostate and head-and-neck cases. For the final variable-OP plans, there were 91 and 85 OPs, and the delivery time was 296 and 440 seconds, correspondingly longer than for fixed-OP. Conclusion: For mARC, both the fixed-OP and variable-OP approaches produced comparable-quality plans whose delivery was successfully verified. To keep delivery time per fraction short, a fixed-OP planning approach is preferred.« less
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Staschus, K.
1985-01-01
In this dissertation, efficient algorithms for electric-utility capacity expansion planning with renewable energy are developed. The algorithms include a deterministic phase that quickly finds a near-optimal expansion plan using derating and a linearized approximation to the time-dependent availability of nondispatchable energy sources. A probabilistic second phase needs comparatively few computer-time consuming probabilistic simulation iterations to modify this solution towards the optimal expansion plan. For the deterministic first phase, two algorithms, based on a Lagrangian Dual decomposition and a Generalized Benders Decomposition, are developed. The probabilistic second phase uses a Generalized Benders Decomposition approach. Extensive computational tests of the algorithms aremore » reported. Among the deterministic algorithms, the one based on Lagrangian Duality proves fastest. The two-phase approach is shown to save up to 80% in computing time as compared to a purely probabilistic algorithm. The algorithms are applied to determine the optimal expansion plan for the Tijuana-Mexicali subsystem of the Mexican electric utility system. A strong recommendation to push conservation programs in the desert city of Mexicali results from this implementation.« less
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A Comprehensive Approach to Emergency Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Worsley, Tracy L.; Beckering, Don
2007-01-01
It is essential that the traditional emergency management structure be used as a framework for higher education emergency planning. The four phases of emergency management should be reflected in the architecture of all planning efforts. These include "preparedness," "response," "mitigation," and "recovery."…
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78 FR 21245 - Continuity of Operations Plan
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-04-10
...; Order No. 778] Continuity of Operations Plan AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: In this Final Rule the Commission revises its Continuity of Operations Plan... Commission's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) regulations to incorporate its regional offices into the...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Wu, B; Pang, D; Kusters, M
Purpose: Knowledge-based Planning (KBP) founded on prior planning experience and Auto-Planning Engine (APE; commercialized in Pinnacle v9.10 TPS) based on progressive optimization algorithm both aim to eliminate the trial-and-error process in radiotherapy inverse planning. This study investigates the performance of the approaches in a multi-institutional setting to evaluate their functionalities in oropharyngeal cancer and offers suggestions how they can be implemented in the clinic. Methods: Radboud University Medical Center (RUMC) provided 35 oropharyngeal cancer patients (SIB-IMRT with two-dose-level prescription: 68 Gy to PTV68 and 50.3 Gy to PTV50.3) with corresponding comparative APE plans. Johns Hopkins University (JHU) contributed to amore » three-dose-level (70 Gy 63 Gy and 58.1 Gy) plan library for RUMC’s patient KBP generation. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) contributed to a KBP approach employing overlap-volume histogram (OVH-KBP) for generating RUMC’s patient KBP plans using JHU’s plan library. Since both approaches need their own user-defined parameters as initial inputs the first 10 patients were set aside as training set to finalize them. Meanwhile cross-institutional comparisons and adjustments were implemented for investigating institutions’ protocol discrepancies and the approaches’ user-defined parameters were updated accordingly. The finalized parameters were then applied to the remaining 25 patients for OVH-KBP and APE generation. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for statistical comparison with significance level of p<0.05. Results: On average PTV68’s V95 was 96.5% in APE plans vs. 97% in OVH-KBP plans (p=0.36); PTV50.3’s V95 in APE plans was 97.8% vs.97.6% in OVH-KBP plans (p=0.6); cord’s D0.1 cc was 38.6 Gy in OVH-KBP plans vs. 43.7 Gy in APE plans (p=0.0001); mean doses to larynxes oral cavities parotids and submandibular glands were similar with p>0.2. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that KBP and APE
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Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project : Rainwater Wildlife Area Final Management Plan.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Childs, Allen
This Draft Management Plan has been developed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to document how the Rainwater Wildlife Area (formerly known as the Rainwater Ranch) will be managed. The plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Appendix A and Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into amore » 5-Year Action Plan that will focus our management actions and prioritize funding during the Fiscal 2001-2005 planning period. This plan is a product of nearly two years of field studies and research, public scoping, and coordination with the Rainwater Advisory Committee. The committee consists of representatives from tribal government, state agencies, local government, public organizations, and members of the public. The plan is organized into several sections with Chapter 1 providing introductory information such as project location, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, common elements and assumptions, coordination efforts and public scoping, and historical information about the project area. Key issues are presented in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses existing resource conditions within the wildlife area. Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation on management activities and Chapter 5 outlines a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project that will help assess whether the project is meeting the intended purpose and need and the goals and objectives. Chapter 6 displays the action plan and provides a prioritized list of actions with associated budget for the next five year period. Successive chapters contain appendices, references, definitions, and a glossary.« less
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2010-06-02
Operations and maintenance OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration P2 Pollution prevention Pb Lead PFC Perfluorocarbon PG& E Pacific... lounge , a warehouse, Chapter 2. Description of the Proposed Action and Alternatives Final Environmental Assessment - California Space Center...Pacific Gas & Electric (PG& E ) for the entire Center, once a planned line is completed by PG& E . Acceptance of this approach is dependent on
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Fernandez, M E; Bartholomew, L K; Alterman, T
2009-01-01
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the second most prevalent self-reported occupational illness or injury in the U.S., and agricultural workers experience high rates of hearing loss. This article uses Intervention Mapping (IM), a systematic approach to intervention development, to make recommendations for a program to improve hearing loss protection among farmworkers and managers. Final recommendations, based on previous work in the literature on hearing loss prevention, qualitative formative research, and theoretical considerations, include a specification of a multilevel theory- and evidence-based hearing protection program for farmworkers and farm managers. Twelve performance objectives (e.g., "monitor hearing and hearing loss with regular hearing testing") are specified and crossed with six relevant determinants (knowledge and behavioral capability; perceived exposure and susceptibility and noise annoyance; outcome expectations; barriers; social influence; skills and self-efficacy) to create a highly detailed matrix of change objectives for farmworkers and for their managers. These change objectives are then grouped into five categories: two for both farmworkers and their managers (noticing exposures, taking action) and three only for the latter (surveying and planning, implementation and evaluation, and communication). Theoretical methods and practical strategies, including program materials and activities, are then delineated.
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Integrating climate change into the transportation planning process : final report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2008-07-01
The objective of this study is to advance the practice and application of transportation planning among state, regional, and local transportation planning agencies to successfully meet growing concerns about the relationship between transportation an...
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Metropolitan planning organizations in Texas : overview and profiles : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2017-04-01
A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) has authority and responsibility for regional transportation planning in urbanized areas where the population is at least 50,000 and surrounding areas meet size/density criteria determined by the U.S. Census...
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Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007
Casazza, Michael L.; Overton, Cory T.; Farinha, Melissa A.; Torregrosa, Alicia; Fleskes, Joseph P.; Miller, Michael R.; Sedinger, James S.; Kolada, Eric J.
2009-01-01
completed in 2004 and 2005 addressed each of the specific objectives and this final report focuses on the biological information gathered in support of local conservation efforts. Participation in the development of the Bi-State Local Area Conservation Plan was accomplished on multiple scales. Beginning in the fall of 2002, USGS personnel began participating in meetings of local stakeholders involved in the development of a sage-grouse conservation plan for the Bi-State planning area. This included attendance at numerous local PMU group meetings and field trips as well as participating on the technical advisory committee (TAC) for the Bi-State group. Whenever appropriate, ongoing results and findings regarding sage-grouse ecology in the local area were incorporated into these working group meetings. In addition, the USGS partnered with CDFG to help reorganize one of the local PMU groups (South Mono) and edited that portion of the Bi-State plan. The USGS also worked closely with CDFG to draft a description of the state of knowledge for sage-grouse genetic information for inclusion in the Bi-State Conservation Plan. The first edition of the Bi-State Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse was completed in June 2004 (Bi-State Sage-grouse Conservation Team 2004). This report is organized primarily by PMU to facilitate the incorporation of these research findings into the individual PMU plans that compose the Bi-State plan. Information presented in this report was derived from over 7,000 radio-telemetry locations obtained on 145 individual sage-grouse during a three year period (2003-2005). In addition, we collected detailed vegetation measurements at over 590 habitat sampling plots within the study area including canopy cover, shrubs, forbs, and grasses diversity. Vegetation data collection focused on sage-grouse nests, and brood-use areas. Additionally we collected data at random sites to examine sage-grouse habitat relationships within the study area. The majori
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Forest Resource Management Plans: A Sustainability Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pile, Lauren S.; Watts, Christine M.; Straka, Thomas J.
2012-01-01
Forest Resource Management Plans is the capstone course in many forestry and natural resource management curricula. The management plans are developed by senior forestry students. Early management plans courses were commonly technical exercises, often performed on contrived forest "tracts" on university-owned or other public lands, with a goal of…
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Cattarino, Lorenzo; Hermoso, Virgilio; Carwardine, Josie; Kennard, Mark J.; Linke, Simon
2015-01-01
Planning for the remediation of multiple threats is crucial to ensure the long term persistence of biodiversity. Limited conservation budgets require prioritizing which management actions to implement and where. Systematic conservation planning traditionally assumes that all the threats in priority sites are abated (fixed prioritization approach). However, abating only the threats affecting the species of conservation concerns may be more cost-effective. This requires prioritizing individual actions independently within the same site (independent prioritization approach), which has received limited attention so far. We developed an action prioritization algorithm that prioritizes multiple alternative actions within the same site. We used simulated annealing to find the combination of actions that remediate threats to species at the minimum cost. Our algorithm also accounts for the importance of selecting actions in sites connected through the river network (i.e., connectivity). We applied our algorithm to prioritize actions to address threats to freshwater fish species in the Mitchell River catchment, northern Australia. We compared how the efficiency of the independent and fixed prioritization approach varied as the importance of connectivity increased. Our independent prioritization approach delivered more efficient solutions than the fixed prioritization approach, particularly when the importance of achieving connectivity was high. By spatially prioritizing the specific actions necessary to remediate the threats affecting the target species, our approach can aid cost-effective habitat restoration and land-use planning. It is also particularly suited to solving resource allocation problems, where consideration of spatial design is important, such as prioritizing conservation efforts for highly mobile species, species facing climate change-driven range shifts, or minimizing the risk of threats spreading across different realms. PMID:26020794
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Cattarino, Lorenzo; Hermoso, Virgilio; Carwardine, Josie; Kennard, Mark J; Linke, Simon
2015-01-01
Planning for the remediation of multiple threats is crucial to ensure the long term persistence of biodiversity. Limited conservation budgets require prioritizing which management actions to implement and where. Systematic conservation planning traditionally assumes that all the threats in priority sites are abated (fixed prioritization approach). However, abating only the threats affecting the species of conservation concerns may be more cost-effective. This requires prioritizing individual actions independently within the same site (independent prioritization approach), which has received limited attention so far. We developed an action prioritization algorithm that prioritizes multiple alternative actions within the same site. We used simulated annealing to find the combination of actions that remediate threats to species at the minimum cost. Our algorithm also accounts for the importance of selecting actions in sites connected through the river network (i.e., connectivity). We applied our algorithm to prioritize actions to address threats to freshwater fish species in the Mitchell River catchment, northern Australia. We compared how the efficiency of the independent and fixed prioritization approach varied as the importance of connectivity increased. Our independent prioritization approach delivered more efficient solutions than the fixed prioritization approach, particularly when the importance of achieving connectivity was high. By spatially prioritizing the specific actions necessary to remediate the threats affecting the target species, our approach can aid cost-effective habitat restoration and land-use planning. It is also particularly suited to solving resource allocation problems, where consideration of spatial design is important, such as prioritizing conservation efforts for highly mobile species, species facing climate change-driven range shifts, or minimizing the risk of threats spreading across different realms.
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Comprehensive plan amendment impacts on interchanges in Oregon : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2005-09-01
This report examines the effects of amendments to local comprehensive plans on interchange performance on the Oregon highway system. Plan amendments over a 15-year period in Oregon, resulting in changes to industrial or commercial land use, were revi...
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This document describes three general approaches to the design of a sampling plan for biological monitoring of coral reefs. Status assessment, trend detection and targeted monitoring each require a different approach to site selection and statistical analysis. For status assessm...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
California Univ., Los Angeles. Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
This final report on a project at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) on strategic planning for libraries and information resources in the research university begins with an introductory section on levels of consideration in planning; issues of current concern (effects of technology, economics of libraries, changes in the academic…
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Selected approaches to determining the purpose of emergency planning zones
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dobeš, Pavel; Baudišová, Barbora; Sluka, Vilém; Skřínský, Jan; Danihelka, Pavel; Dlabka, Jakub; Řeháček, Jakub
2013-04-01
One of the major accident hazards (hereinafter referred to as "MAH") tools to determine the range of effects of a major accident and consequent protection of the public is the determination of the emergency planning zone (hereinafter referred to as "zone"). In the Czech Republic, the determination of the zone is regulated by the Decree No. 103/2006 Coll. laying down the principles for determination of the emergency planning zone and the extent and manner of elaborating the external emergency plan (hereinafter referred to as "Decree") 3. The Decree is based on the principles of the IAEA-TECDOC-727 method - Manual for the Classification and Prioritization of Risks Due to Major Accidents in Process and Related Industries (hereinafter referred to as "method" and "manual", respectively)3. In the manual, it is pointed out that the method used is not suitable for making emergency plans for special situations (industrial activities in an inhabited area). Nonetheless, its principles and procedures are still used for such purposes in the Czech Republic. The expert scientific community dealing with MAH issues in the Czech Republic, however, realizes that the procedure of the zone boundary delineation should be modified to reflect up-to-date knowledge in protection of the public and its enhancement. Therefore, the OPTIZON Project (Optimization of the Emergency Planning Zone Designation and Elaboration of Emergency Plans Based on Threatening Effects of Dangerous Chemical Substances at Operational Accidents with Respect to Inhabitant Protection Enhancement) was developed and approved for the Program of Security Research of the Czech Republic 2010 - 2015 (BV II/2-VS). One of the main project's objectives is to define clearly the purpose of the zone because at present it is not quite apparent. From the general view, this step may seem insignificant or trivial, but the reverse is true. It represents one of the most important stages in seeking the approach to the zone designation as
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Interagency Planning and Support Project. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Salisbury, Christine
This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a systemically oriented process model for improving the coordination of education and human services for young children with identified disabilities and their families at the local level. The project developed and used…
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Biologically optimized helium ion plans: calculation approach and its in vitro validation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mairani, A.; Dokic, I.; Magro, G.; Tessonnier, T.; Kamp, F.; Carlson, D. J.; Ciocca, M.; Cerutti, F.; Sala, P. R.; Ferrari, A.; Böhlen, T. T.; Jäkel, O.; Parodi, K.; Debus, J.; Abdollahi, A.; Haberer, T.
2016-06-01
Treatment planning studies on the biological effect of raster-scanned helium ion beams should be performed, together with their experimental verification, before their clinical application at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT). For this purpose, we introduce a novel calculation approach based on integrating data-driven biological models in our Monte Carlo treatment planning (MCTP) tool. Dealing with a mixed radiation field, the biological effect of the primary 4He ion beams, of the secondary 3He and 4He (Z = 2) fragments and of the produced protons, deuterons and tritons (Z = 1) has to be taken into account. A spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) in water, representative of a clinically-relevant scenario, has been biologically optimized with the MCTP and then delivered at HIT. Predictions of cell survival and RBE for a tumor cell line, characterized by {{(α /β )}\\text{ph}}=5.4 Gy, have been successfully compared against measured clonogenic survival data. The mean absolute survival variation ({μΔ \\text{S}} ) between model predictions and experimental data was 5.3% ± 0.9%. A sensitivity study, i.e. quantifying the variation of the estimations for the studied plan as a function of the applied phenomenological modelling approach, has been performed. The feasibility of a simpler biological modelling based on dose-averaged LET (linear energy transfer) has been tested. Moreover, comparisons with biophysical models such as the local effect model (LEM) and the repair-misrepair-fixation (RMF) model were performed. {μΔ \\text{S}} values for the LEM and the RMF model were, respectively, 4.5% ± 0.8% and 5.8% ± 1.1%. The satisfactorily agreement found in this work for the studied SOBP, representative of clinically-relevant scenario, suggests that the introduced approach could be applied for an accurate estimation of the biological effect for helium ion radiotherapy.
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29 CFR 1952.313 - Final approval determination.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 1902. Accordingly, the Hawaii plan was granted final approval and concurrent Federal enforcement... employment in Hawaii. The plan does not cover maritime employment in the private sector; Federal government... effective as operations under the Federal program; to submit plan supplements in accordance with 29 CFR part...
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29 CFR 1952.294 - Final approval determination.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
.... Accordingly, the Nevada plan was granted final approval and concurrent Federal enforcement authority was... Nevada. The plan does not cover Federal government employers and employees; any private sector maritime... under the Federal program; to submit plan supplements in accordance with 29 CFR Part 1953; to allocate...
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29 CFR 1952.294 - Final approval determination.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
.... Accordingly, the Nevada plan was granted final approval and concurrent Federal enforcement authority was... Nevada. The plan does not cover Federal government employers and employees; any private sector maritime... under the Federal program; to submit plan supplements in accordance with 29 CFR Part 1953; to allocate...
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Procedures For Continuing Metropolitan Planning: Final Research Report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1974-01-01
This report marks the conclusion of the third phase of the : Metropolitan Plan Evaluation Project. Findings of both phases two : and three are summarized here. More detailed and technical results : have been reported previously. : The continuing metr...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Floyd, Carol Everly
Statewide planning for higher education and the approaches that states take to budgeting and accountability are reviewed in this monograph. Statewide planning involves identifying problems and collecting relevant data, analyzing interrelationships among variables, and choosing the most desirable alternatives to reach objectives. State-level higher…
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Allnutt, Thomas F.; McClanahan, Timothy R.; Andréfouët, Serge; Baker, Merrill; Lagabrielle, Erwann; McClennen, Caleb; Rakotomanjaka, Andry J. M.; Tianarisoa, Tantely F.; Watson, Reg; Kremen, Claire
2012-01-01
The Government of Madagascar plans to increase marine protected area coverage by over one million hectares. To assist this process, we compare four methods for marine spatial planning of Madagascar's west coast. Input data for each method was drawn from the same variables: fishing pressure, exposure to climate change, and biodiversity (habitats, species distributions, biological richness, and biodiversity value). The first method compares visual color classifications of primary variables, the second uses binary combinations of these variables to produce a categorical classification of management actions, the third is a target-based optimization using Marxan, and the fourth is conservation ranking with Zonation. We present results from each method, and compare the latter three approaches for spatial coverage, biodiversity representation, fishing cost and persistence probability. All results included large areas in the north, central, and southern parts of western Madagascar. Achieving 30% representation targets with Marxan required twice the fish catch loss than the categorical method. The categorical classification and Zonation do not consider targets for conservation features. However, when we reduced Marxan targets to 16.3%, matching the representation level of the “strict protection” class of the categorical result, the methods show similar catch losses. The management category portfolio has complete coverage, and presents several management recommendations including strict protection. Zonation produces rapid conservation rankings across large, diverse datasets. Marxan is useful for identifying strict protected areas that meet representation targets, and minimize exposure probabilities for conservation features at low economic cost. We show that methods based on Zonation and a simple combination of variables can produce results comparable to Marxan for species representation and catch losses, demonstrating the value of comparing alternative approaches during
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Allnutt, Thomas F; McClanahan, Timothy R; Andréfouët, Serge; Baker, Merrill; Lagabrielle, Erwann; McClennen, Caleb; Rakotomanjaka, Andry J M; Tianarisoa, Tantely F; Watson, Reg; Kremen, Claire
2012-01-01
The Government of Madagascar plans to increase marine protected area coverage by over one million hectares. To assist this process, we compare four methods for marine spatial planning of Madagascar's west coast. Input data for each method was drawn from the same variables: fishing pressure, exposure to climate change, and biodiversity (habitats, species distributions, biological richness, and biodiversity value). The first method compares visual color classifications of primary variables, the second uses binary combinations of these variables to produce a categorical classification of management actions, the third is a target-based optimization using Marxan, and the fourth is conservation ranking with Zonation. We present results from each method, and compare the latter three approaches for spatial coverage, biodiversity representation, fishing cost and persistence probability. All results included large areas in the north, central, and southern parts of western Madagascar. Achieving 30% representation targets with Marxan required twice the fish catch loss than the categorical method. The categorical classification and Zonation do not consider targets for conservation features. However, when we reduced Marxan targets to 16.3%, matching the representation level of the "strict protection" class of the categorical result, the methods show similar catch losses. The management category portfolio has complete coverage, and presents several management recommendations including strict protection. Zonation produces rapid conservation rankings across large, diverse datasets. Marxan is useful for identifying strict protected areas that meet representation targets, and minimize exposure probabilities for conservation features at low economic cost. We show that methods based on Zonation and a simple combination of variables can produce results comparable to Marxan for species representation and catch losses, demonstrating the value of comparing alternative approaches during
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MO-B-BRB-00: Optimizing the Treatment Planning Process
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
The radiotherapy treatment planning process has evolved over the years with innovations in treatment planning, treatment delivery and imaging systems. Treatment modality and simulation technologies are also rapidly improving and affecting the planning process. For example, Image-guided-radiation-therapy has been widely adopted for patient setup, leading to margin reduction and isocenter repositioning after simulation. Stereotactic Body radiation therapy (SBRT) and Radiosurgery (SRS) have gradually become the standard of care for many treatment sites, which demand a higher throughput for the treatment plans even if the number of treatments per day remains the same. Finally, simulation, planning and treatment are traditionally sequentialmore » events. However, with emerging adaptive radiotherapy, they are becoming more tightly intertwined, leading to iterative processes. Enhanced efficiency of planning is therefore becoming more critical and poses serious challenge to the treatment planning process; Lean Six Sigma approaches are being utilized increasingly to balance the competing needs for speed and quality. In this symposium we will discuss the treatment planning process and illustrate effective techniques for managing workflow. Topics will include: Planning techniques: (a) beam placement, (b) dose optimization, (c) plan evaluation (d) export to RVS. Planning workflow: (a) import images, (b) Image fusion, (c) contouring, (d) plan approval (e) plan check (f) chart check, (g) sequential and iterative process Influence of upstream and downstream operations: (a) simulation, (b) immobilization, (c) motion management, (d) QA, (e) IGRT, (f) Treatment delivery, (g) SBRT/SRS (h) adaptive planning Reduction of delay between planning steps with Lean systems due to (a) communication, (b) limited resource, (b) contour, (c) plan approval, (d) treatment. Optimizing planning processes: (a) contour validation (b) consistent planning protocol, (c) protocol/template sharing, (d
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Planning for Self-Renewal: A New Approach to Planned Organizational Change.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Palola, Ernest G.; Padgett, William
This monograph presents the findings of a study of planning and change at 80 colleges and universities, private and public, located in four separate states--California, Florida, Illinois and New York. In Chapter I, different substantive crises now facing higher education are presented and discussed. The next chapter (II), analyzes planning styles…
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Addressing uncertainty in adaptation planning for agriculture.
Vermeulen, Sonja J; Challinor, Andrew J; Thornton, Philip K; Campbell, Bruce M; Eriyagama, Nishadi; Vervoort, Joost M; Kinyangi, James; Jarvis, Andy; Läderach, Peter; Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Nicklin, Kathryn J; Hawkins, Ed; Smith, Daniel R
2013-05-21
We present a framework for prioritizing adaptation approaches at a range of timeframes. The framework is illustrated by four case studies from developing countries, each with associated characterization of uncertainty. Two cases on near-term adaptation planning in Sri Lanka and on stakeholder scenario exercises in East Africa show how the relative utility of capacity vs. impact approaches to adaptation planning differ with level of uncertainty and associated lead time. An additional two cases demonstrate that it is possible to identify uncertainties that are relevant to decision making in specific timeframes and circumstances. The case on coffee in Latin America identifies altitudinal thresholds at which incremental vs. transformative adaptation pathways are robust options. The final case uses three crop-climate simulation studies to demonstrate how uncertainty can be characterized at different time horizons to discriminate where robust adaptation options are possible. We find that impact approaches, which use predictive models, are increasingly useful over longer lead times and at higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions. We also find that extreme events are important in determining predictability across a broad range of timescales. The results demonstrate the potential for robust knowledge and actions in the face of uncertainty.
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Addressing uncertainty in adaptation planning for agriculture
Vermeulen, Sonja J.; Challinor, Andrew J.; Thornton, Philip K.; Campbell, Bruce M.; Eriyagama, Nishadi; Vervoort, Joost M.; Kinyangi, James; Jarvis, Andy; Läderach, Peter; Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Nicklin, Kathryn J.; Hawkins, Ed; Smith, Daniel R.
2013-01-01
We present a framework for prioritizing adaptation approaches at a range of timeframes. The framework is illustrated by four case studies from developing countries, each with associated characterization of uncertainty. Two cases on near-term adaptation planning in Sri Lanka and on stakeholder scenario exercises in East Africa show how the relative utility of capacity vs. impact approaches to adaptation planning differ with level of uncertainty and associated lead time. An additional two cases demonstrate that it is possible to identify uncertainties that are relevant to decision making in specific timeframes and circumstances. The case on coffee in Latin America identifies altitudinal thresholds at which incremental vs. transformative adaptation pathways are robust options. The final case uses three crop–climate simulation studies to demonstrate how uncertainty can be characterized at different time horizons to discriminate where robust adaptation options are possible. We find that impact approaches, which use predictive models, are increasingly useful over longer lead times and at higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions. We also find that extreme events are important in determining predictability across a broad range of timescales. The results demonstrate the potential for robust knowledge and actions in the face of uncertainty. PMID:23674681
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Improved Test Planning and Analysis Through the Use of Advanced Statistical Methods
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Green, Lawrence L.; Maxwell, Katherine A.; Glass, David E.; Vaughn, Wallace L.; Barger, Weston; Cook, Mylan
2016-01-01
The goal of this work is, through computational simulations, to provide statistically-based evidence to convince the testing community that a distributed testing approach is superior to a clustered testing approach for most situations. For clustered testing, numerous, repeated test points are acquired at a limited number of test conditions. For distributed testing, only one or a few test points are requested at many different conditions. The statistical techniques of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Design of Experiments (DOE) and Response Surface Methods (RSM) are applied to enable distributed test planning, data analysis and test augmentation. The D-Optimal class of DOE is used to plan an optimally efficient single- and multi-factor test. The resulting simulated test data are analyzed via ANOVA and a parametric model is constructed using RSM. Finally, ANOVA can be used to plan a second round of testing to augment the existing data set with new data points. The use of these techniques is demonstrated through several illustrative examples. To date, many thousands of comparisons have been performed and the results strongly support the conclusion that the distributed testing approach outperforms the clustered testing approach.
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Improved Virtual Planning for Bimaxillary Orthognathic Surgery.
Hatamleh, Muhanad; Turner, Catherine; Bhamrah, Gurprit; Mack, Gavin; Osher, Jonas
2016-09-01
Conventional model surgery planning for bimaxillary orthognathic surgery can be laborious, time-consuming and may contain potential errors; hence three-dimensional (3D) virtual orthognathic planning has been proven to be an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective alternative. In this report, the 3D planning is described for a patient presenting with a Class III incisor relationship on a Skeletal III base with pan facial asymmetry complicated by reverse overjet and anterior open bite. A combined scan data of direct cone beam computer tomography and indirect dental scan were used in the planning. Additionally, a new method of establishing optimum intercuspation by scanning dental casts in final occlusion and positioning it to the composite-scans model was shown. Furthermore, conventional model surgery planning was carried out following in-house protocol. Intermediate and final intermaxillary splints were produced following the conventional method and 3D printing. Three-dimensional planning showed great accuracy and treatment outcome and reduced laboratory time in comparison with the conventional method. Establishing the final dental occlusion on casts and integrating it in final 3D planning enabled us to achieve the best possible intercuspation.
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, Implications of Climate Change for State Bioassessment Programs and Approaches to Account for Effects. This report uses biological data collected by four states in wadeable rivers and streams to examine the components ...
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Design of a final approach spacing tool for TRACON air traffic control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Davis, Thomas J.; Erzberger, Heinz; Bergeron, Hugh
1989-01-01
This paper describes an automation tool that assists air traffic controllers in the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Facilities in providing safe and efficient sequencing and spacing of arrival traffic. The automation tool, referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), allows the controller to interactively choose various levels of automation and advisory information ranging from predicted time errors to speed and heading advisories for controlling time error. FAST also uses a timeline to display current scheduling and sequencing information for all aircraft in the TRACON airspace. FAST combines accurate predictive algorithms and state-of-the-art mouse and graphical interface technology to present advisory information to the controller. Furthermore, FAST exchanges various types of traffic information and communicates with automation tools being developed for the Air Route Traffic Control Center. Thus it is part of an integrated traffic management system for arrival traffic at major terminal areas.
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Funding analysis for long-term planning : final report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2003-07-01
In existence since 1956, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is the source of nearly all Federal highway funding and roughly four-fifths of all Federal transit funding. The Highway Trust Fund is integral to the long-term transportation planning of all 50 St...
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A case-based approach to understanding vacation planning
Susan I. Stewart; Christine A. Vogt
1999-01-01
Vacations provide an opportunity to make many choices, and even for travelers who want their vacations to be spontaneous, planning is often an important part of vacationing. Although descriptive studies of travel planning have sketched out the elements of the vacation plan, these elements have not been drawn together in a conceptual model of the consumer planning...
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Sensor planning for moving targets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Musman, Scott A.; Lehner, Paul; Elsaesser, Chris
1994-10-01
Planning a search for moving ground targets is difficult for humans and computationally intractable. This paper describes a technique to solve such problems. The main idea is to combine probability of detection assessments with computational search heuristics to generate sensor plans which approximately maximize either the probability of detection or a user- specified knowledge function (e.g., determining the target's probable destination; locating the enemy tanks). In contrast to super computer-based moving target search planning, our technique has been implemented using workstation technology. The data structures generated by sensor planning can be used to evaluate sensor reports during plan execution. Our system revises its objective function with each sensor report, allowing the user to assess both the current situation as well as the expected value of future information. This capability is particularly useful in situations involving a high rate of sensor reporting, helping the user focus his attention on sensors reports most pertinent to current needs. Our planning approach is implemented in a three layer architecture. The layers are: mobility analysis, followed by sensor coverage analysis, and concluding with sensor plan analysis. It is possible using these layers to describe the physical, spatial, and temporal characteristics of a scenario in the first two layers, and customize the final analysis to specific intelligence objectives. The architecture also allows a user to customize operational parameters in each of the three major components of the system. As examples of these performance options, we briefly describe the mobility analysis and discuss issues affecting sensor plan analysis.
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CSAPR Direct Final Rule (77 FR 10342)
EPA takes direct final action on additional revisions to the final Transport Rule (Federal Implementation Plans: Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone and Correction of SIP Approvals published August 8, 2011).
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Area XV Career Education Research & Planning. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Indian Hills Community Coll., Ottumwa, IA.
Critical issues in career education are addressed in this report of an advisory committee seeking input and making recommendations for career education implementation in Iowa. Recommendations addressing state, area, and local school district responsibilities are grouped into three main perspectives: planning, implementation, and evaluation. The…
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Optimizing Motion Planning for Hyper Dynamic Manipulator
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aboura, Souhila; Omari, Abdelhafid; Meguenni, Kadda Zemalache
2012-01-01
This paper investigates the optimal motion planning for an hyper dynamic manipulator. As case study, we consider a golf swing robot which is consisting with two actuated joint and a mechanical stoppers. Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique is proposed to solve the optimal golf swing motion which is generated by Fourier series approximation. The objective function for GA approach is to minimizing the intermediate and final state, minimizing the robot's energy consummation and maximizing the robot's speed. Obtained simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
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This document is a copy of the Federal Register publication of the October 5, 1978 Final Rules for National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead (Pb) and Implementation Plans for Lead (Pb) NAAQS.
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The future of hydropower planning modeling
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haas, J.; Zuñiga, D.; Nowak, W.; Olivares, M. A.; Castelletti, A.; Thilmant, A.
2017-12-01
Planning the investment and operation of hydropower plants with optimization tools dates back to the 1970s. The focus used to be solely on the provision of energy. However, advances in computational capacity and solving algorithms, dynamic markets, expansion of renewable sources, and a better understanding of hydropower environmental impacts have recently led to the development of novel planning approaches. In this work, we provide a review, systematization, and trend analysis of these approaches. Further, through interviews with experts, we outline the future of hydropower planning modeling and identify the gaps towards it. We classified the found models along environmental, economic, multipurpose and technical criteria. Environmental interactions include hydropeaking mitigation, water quality protection and limiting greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs. Economic and regulatory criteria consider uncertainties of fossil fuel prices and relicensing of water rights and power purchase agreements. Multipurpose considerations account for irrigation, tourism, flood protection and drinking water. Recently included technical details account for sedimentation in reservoirs and variable efficiencies of turbines. Additional operational considerations relate to hydrological aspects such as dynamic reservoir inflows, water losses, and climate change. Although many of the above criteria have been addressed in detail on a project-to-project basis, models remain overly simplistic for planning large power fleets. Future hydropower planning tools are expected to improve the representation of the water-energy nexus, including environmental and multipurpose criteria. Further, they will concentrate on identifying new sources of operational flexibility (e.g. through installing additional turbines and pumps) for integrating renewable energy. The operational detail will increase, potentially emphasizing variable efficiencies, storage capacity losses due to sedimentation, and the
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Feasibility Study for Low Drag Acoustic Liners Final Report
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Riedel, Brian; Wu, Jackie
2017-01-01
This report documents the design and structural analysis as a final deliverable for the Phase 1 contract activity. Also included is a community noise test plan, which is a key deliverable for Phase 2. Finally, a high-level estimate (Phase 3 deliverable) is provided for the work statement of Phases 2-4, which covers the build of two inlet test articles, planning and execution of a flight test with the test inlets, as well as data analysis and final documentation. The two test inlets will be compared to the production baseline inlet configuration. There is also a plan to test one of the inlets "hardwalled" using speed tape or some other similar tape to block the acoustic perforations.
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Group Planning and Task Efficiency with Complex Problems. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lawson, E. D.
One hundred eighty 4-man groups (90 of men and 90 of women) using 3 types of net (All-Channel, Wheel and Circle) under 3 conditions (Planning Period (PP), Rest Period (RP) and Control) were run in a single session with 5 complex problems to determine whether a single 2-minute planning period after solution of the first problem would result in…
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Liu, Yi; Chen, Jining; He, Weiqi; Tong, Qingyuan; Li, Wangfeng
2010-04-15
Urban planning has been widely applied as a regulatory measure to guide a city's construction and management. It represents official expectations on future population and economic growth and land use over the urban area. No doubt, significant variations often occur between planning schemes and actual development; in particular in China, the world's largest developing country experiencing rapid urbanization and industrialization. This in turn leads to difficulty in estimating the environmental consequences of the urban plan. Aiming to quantitatively analyze the uncertain environmental impacts of the urban plan's implementation, this article developed an integrated methodology combining a scenario analysis approach and a stochastic simulation technique for strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Based on industrial development scenarios, Monte Carlo sampling is applied to generate all possibilities of the spatial distribution of newly emerged industries. All related environmental consequences can be further estimated given the industrial distributions as input to environmental quality models. By applying a HSY algorithm, environmentally unacceptable urban growth, regarding both economic development and land use spatial layout, can be systematically identified, providing valuable information to urban planners and decision makers. A case study in Dalian Municipality, Northeast China, is used to illustrate applicability of this methodology. The impacts of Urban Development Plan for Dalian Municipality (2003-2020) (UDP) on atmospheric environment are also discussed in this article.
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An empty toolbox? Changes in health plans' approaches for managing costs and care.
Mays, Glen P; Hurley, Robert E; Grossman, Joy M
2003-02-01
To examine how health plans have changed their approaches for managing costs and utilization in the wake of the recent backlash against managed care. Semistructured interviews with health plan executives, employers, providers, and other health care decision makers in 12 metropolitan areas that were randomly selected to be nationally representative of communities with more than 200,000 residents. Longitudinal data were collected as part of the Community Tracking Study during three rounds of site visits in 1996-1997, 1998-1999, and 2000-2001. Interviews probed about changes in the design and operation of health insurance products--including provider contracting and network development, benefit packages, and utilization management processes--and about the rationale and perceived impact of these changes. Data from more than 850 interviews were coded, extracted, and analyzed using computerized text analysis software. Health plans have begun to scale back or abandon their use of selected managed care tools in most communities, with selective contracting and risk contracting practices fading most rapidly and completely. In turn, plans increasingly have sought cost savings by shifting costs to consumers. Some plans have begun to experiment with new provider networks, payment systems, and referral practices designed to lower costs and improve service delivery. These changes promise to lighten administrative and financial burdens for physicians and hospitals, but they also threaten to increase consumers' financial burdens.
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2006 Long Range Development Plan Final Environmental ImpactReport
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Philliber, Jeff
2007-01-22
This environmental impact report (EIR) has been prepared pursuant to the applicable provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and its implementing guidelines (CEQA Guidelines), and the Amended University of California Procedures for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (UC CEQA Procedures). The University of California (UC or the University) is the lead agency for this EIR, which examines the overall effects of implementation of the proposed 2006 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP; also referred to herein as the 'project' for purposes of CEQA) for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL; also referred to as 'Berkeley Lab,' 'the Laboratory,'more » or 'the Lab' in this document). An LRDP is a land use plan that guides overall development of a site. The Lab serves as a special research campus operated by the University employees, but it is owned and financed by the federal government and as such it is distinct from the UC-owned Berkeley Campus. As a campus operated by the University of California, the Laboratory is required to prepare an EIR for an LRDP when one is prepared or updated pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080.09. The adoption of an LRDP does not constitute a commitment to, or final decision to implement, any specific project, construction schedule, or funding priority. Rather, the proposed 2006 LRDP describes an entire development program of approximately 980,000 gross square feet of new research and support space construction and 320,000 gross square feet of demolition of existing facilities, for a total of approximately 660,000 gross square feet of net new occupiable space for the site through 2025. Specific projects will undergo CEQA review at the time proposed to determine what, if any, additional review is necessary prior to approval. As described in Section 1.4.2, below, and in Chapter 3 of this EIR (the Project Description), the size of the project has been reduced since the Notice of
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A Quantitative Exposure Planning Tool for Surgical Approaches to the Sacroiliac Joint.
Phelps, Kevin D; Ming, Bryan W; Fox, Wade E; Bellamy, Nelly; Sims, Stephen H; Karunakar, Madhav A; Hsu, Joseph R
2016-06-01
To aid in surgical planning by quantifying and comparing the osseous exposure between the anterior and posterior approaches to the sacroiliac joint. Anterior and posterior approaches were performed on 12 sacroiliac joints in 6 fresh-frozen torsos. Visual and palpable access to relevant surgical landmarks was recorded. Calibrated digital photographs were taken of each approach and analyzed using Image J. The average surface areas of exposed bone were 44 and 33 cm for the anterior and posterior approaches, respectively. The anterior iliolumbar ligament footprint could be visualized in all anterior approaches, whereas the posterior aspect could be visualized in all but one posterior approach. The anterior approach provided visual and palpable access to the anterior superior edge of the sacroiliac joint in all specimens, the posterior superior edge in 75% of specimens, and the inferior margin in 25% and 50% of specimens, respectively. The inferior sacroiliac joint was easily visualized and palpated in all posterior approaches, although access to the anterior and posterior superior edges was more limited. The anterior S1 neuroforamen was not visualized with either approach and was more consistently palpated when going posterior (33% vs. 92%). Both anterior and posterior approaches can be used for open reduction of pure sacroiliac dislocations, each with specific areas for assessing reduction. In light of current plate dimensions, fractures more than 2.5 cm lateral to the anterior iliolumbar ligament footprint are amenable to anterior plate fixation, whereas those more medial may be better addressed through a posterior approach.
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Coordinating robot motion, sensing, and control in plans. LDRD project final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Xavier, P.G.; Brown, R.G.; Watterberg, P.A.
1997-08-01
The goal of this project was to develop a framework for robotic planning and execution that provides a continuum of adaptability with respect to model incompleteness, model error, and sensing error. For example, dividing robot motion into gross-motion planning, fine-motion planning, and sensor-augmented control had yielded productive research and solutions to individual problems. Unfortunately, these techniques could only be combined by hand with ad hoc methods and were restricted to systems where all kinematics are completely modeled in planning. The original intent was to develop methods for understanding and autonomously synthesizing plans that coordinate motion, sensing, and control. The projectmore » considered this problem from several perspectives. Results included (1) theoretical methods to combine and extend gross-motion and fine-motion planning; (2) preliminary work in flexible-object manipulation and an implementable algorithm for planning shortest paths through obstacles for the free-end of an anchored cable; (3) development and implementation of a fast swept-body distance algorithm; and (4) integration of Sandia`s C-Space Toolkit geometry engine and SANDROS motion planer and improvements, which yielded a system practical for everyday motion planning, with path-segment planning at interactive speeds. Results (3) and (4) have either led to follow-on work or are being used in current projects, and they believe that (2) will eventually be also.« less
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20 CFR 632.22 - Modification of a Comprehensive Annual Plan (CAP) and/or Master Plan.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-04-01
... (CAP) and/or Master Plan. 632.22 Section 632.22 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING... Master Plan. (a) The requirements for modifying a Master Plan and/or CAP will be included in administrative instructions issued by the Grant Officer upon final implementation of the Master Plan/CAP system...
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20 CFR 632.22 - Modification of a Comprehensive Annual Plan (CAP) and/or Master Plan.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-04-01
... (CAP) and/or Master Plan. 632.22 Section 632.22 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING... Master Plan. (a) The requirements for modifying a Master Plan and/or CAP will be included in administrative instructions issued by the Grant Officer upon final implementation of the Master Plan/CAP system...
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Small, Neil; Raghavan, Raghu; Pawson, Nicole
2013-12-01
Transition planning using a person-centred approach has, in the main, failed to shape service provision. We offer an alternative based on an ecological understanding of human development linked to public health approaches that prioritise whole system planning. A total of 43 young people with intellectual disabilities, in Bradford, England, who were approaching transition from school or college were recruited to a qualitative study. Their ethnic breakdown was as follows: 16 white British, 24 Pakistani, 2 Bangladeshi and 1 Black African. Each young person was interviewed twice, at recruitment and a year later, to observe any changes in their social networks during transition. Interviews were undertaken with a semi-structured interview schedule and with the pictorial approach of Talking Mats. Both the networks the young people live within, and their sense of what the future might hold for them, are described and linked to Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of human development. The importance of the family and school is emphasised, as is the absence of engagement in leisure activities and work. Transition planning needs to start with mapping the systems individuals live within, areas of strength should be supported and parts of the system, which are not fit for purpose for these young people, should be prioritised for interventions.
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Dalum, Peter; Schaalma, Herman; Kok, Gerjo
2012-02-01
The objective of this project was to develop a theory- and evidence-based adolescent smoking cessation intervention using both new and existing materials. We used the Intervention Mapping framework for planning health promotion programmes. Based on a needs assessment, we identified important and changeable determinants of cessation behaviour, specified change objectives for the intervention programme, selected theoretical change methods for accomplishing intervention objectives and finally operationalized change methods into practical intervention strategies. We found that guided practice, modelling, self-monitoring, coping planning, consciousness raising, dramatic relief and decisional balance were suitable methods for adolescent smoking cessation. We selected behavioural journalism, guided practice and Motivational Interviewing as strategies in our intervention. Intervention Mapping helped us to develop as systematic adolescent smoking cessation intervention with a clear link between behavioural goals, theoretical methods, practical strategies and materials and with a strong focus on implementation and recruitment. This paper does not present evaluation data.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ruhlman, Paul L., Jr.
2014-01-01
This study's purpose was to describe appreciative inquiry (AI) as an approach to strategic planning for special education in a public school. The study investigated four research questions. How do plans for special education emerge as participants engage in the four phases of AI during strategic planning for the future of special education in a…
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Modeling an integrated hospital management planning problem using integer optimization approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sitepu, Suryati; Mawengkang, Herman; Irvan
2017-09-01
Hospital is a very important institution to provide health care for people. It is not surprising that nowadays the people’s demands for hospital is increasing. However, due to the rising cost of healthcare services, hospitals need to consider efficiencies in order to overcome these two problems. This paper deals with an integrated strategy of staff capacity management and bed allocation planning to tackle these problems. Mathematically, the strategy can be modeled as an integer linear programming problem. We solve the model using a direct neighborhood search approach, based on the notion of superbasic variables.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-05-16
... Promulgation of Implementation Plans; North Carolina; State Implementation Plan Miscellaneous Revisions AGENCY... a revision to the North Carolina State Implementation Plan submitted on February 3, 2010, through... particulate matter found in the Code of Federal Regulations. In the Final Rules Section of this Federal...
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Metropolitan Planning Project, 1977-78. Final Performance Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Arnoff, Steven M.
This document provides a description of the Metropolitan Planning Project (MPP), its objectives, strategies, and an evaluation of its implementation in the Boston area. In order to encourage the voluntary elimination, reduction, and prevention of minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools in Boston, the project focuses on two…
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The Community Service Fellowship Planning Project: Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McKee, Robert L.; Gaffney, Michael J.
This report describes the findings and recommendations of the Community Service Fellowship (CSF) Planning Project conducted by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges under a grant from ACTION, the federal agency charged with promoting volunteer service. The proposed CSF program is a means of providing young people with…
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Strategic Planning: The Commission on School's Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gose, Kenneth F.
1995-01-01
Presents findings from activities undertaken by the North Central Association to determine strategic planning needs for 1995-2000, including a survey of 213 member schools and an environmental scan. Indicates that 91% of the members expressed the importance of keeping schools informed about standards. Lists eight critical elements discovered in…
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Planning for Office Automation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mick, Colin K.
1983-01-01
Outlines a practical approach to planning for office automation termed the "Focused Process Approach" (the "what" phase, "how" phase, "doing" phase) which is a synthesis of the problem-solving and participatory planning approaches. Thirteen references are provided. (EJS)
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zeng, Yajun; Skibniewski, Miroslaw J.
2013-08-01
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations are often characterised with large capital outlay, long implementation duration, and high risk of failure. In order to avoid ERP implementation failure and realise the benefits of the system, sound risk management is the key. This paper proposes a probabilistic risk assessment approach for ERP system implementation projects based on fault tree analysis, which models the relationship between ERP system components and specific risk factors. Unlike traditional risk management approaches that have been mostly focused on meeting project budget and schedule objectives, the proposed approach intends to address the risks that may cause ERP system usage failure. The approach can be used to identify the root causes of ERP system implementation usage failure and quantify the impact of critical component failures or critical risk events in the implementation process.
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Transit bus stop pedestrian warning application : acceptance test plan : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2016-10-14
This document is the Acceptance Test Plan for the Transit Bus Stop Pedestrian Warning (TSPW) application. This report describes the test and demonstration plan to verify that the application meets its functional and performance requirements.
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Model-Unified Planning and Execution for Distributed Autonomous System Control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Aschwanden, Pascal; Baskaran, Vijay; Bernardini, Sara; Fry, Chuck; Moreno, Maria; Muscettola, Nicola; Plaunt, Chris; Rijsman, David; Tompkins, Paul
2006-01-01
The Intelligent Distributed Execution Architecture (IDEA) is a real-time architecture that exploits artificial intelligence planning as the core reasoning engine for interacting autonomous agents. Rather than enforcing separate deliberation and execution layers, IDEA unifies them under a single planning technology. Deliberative and reactive planners reason about and act according to a single representation of the past, present and future domain state. The domain state behaves the rules dictated by a declarative model of the subsystem to be controlled, internal processes of the IDEA controller, and interactions with other agents. We present IDEA concepts - modeling, the IDEA core architecture, the unification of deliberation and reaction under planning - and illustrate its use in a simple example. Finally, we present several real-world applications of IDEA, and compare IDEA to other high-level control approaches.
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Companion Guides for Lesson Planning: A Planning Template and the Lesson Plan Pro Forma
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pang, May
2016-01-01
Jason Anderson's proposal, in "ELT Journal" (2015), for an affordance-based approach to lesson planning raises important issues in teacher education. However, his arguments against the role of planned outcomes in favour of an affordance-based focus using learning opportunities as units of planning fail to acknowledge the complexities…
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The interim final Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats to Drinking Water Systems is designed to help the water sector effectively and appropriately respond to intentional contamination threats and incidents. It was produced by EPA, buil...
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, Considerations for Developing a Dosimetry-Based Cumulative Risk Assessment Approach for Mixtures of Environmental Contaminants. This report describes a process that can be used to determine the potential value of develop...
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The educational approach within Colombia's nutrition plan (PAN)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de Pizano, Julia Mejia
1980-03-01
With the knowledge that malnutrition affects the quality of life of an individual, the Colombian Government set up in 1976 a unique multi-sectorial plan (PAN), to combat the country's serious malnutrition. Government agencies and private industries in the sectors of production, distribution, health, sanitation, and education have coordinated their previously independent efforts. Among the interesting aspects are the coordination of sectors through work at various levels and through control of the budget, the limitation of bureaucracy, and the decentralization of decision-making. The ongoing attempts to overcome the difficulties encountered include making decisions in the face of inconclusive knowledge on what constitutes a well-balanced diet; combating the lack of knowledge of professionals about the environment of the poorest percentage of the population; and revising the traditional teaching method to make it more successful through a multi-media approach to assure wider coverage and more impact for the least cost, using materials such as games, puppets, posters and radio.
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78 FR 60099 - Nontank Vessel Response Plans and Other Response Plan Requirements
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-09-30
... Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships MEPC Marine Environment Protection Committee NAICS... vessels to prepare and submit oil spill response plans. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act defines.... Additionally, this final rule updates the international Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan requirements...
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Final report : sampling plan for pavement condition ratings of secondary roads.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1984-01-01
The purpose of this project was to develop a random sampling plan for use in selecting segments of the secondary highway system for evaluation under the Department's PMS. The plan developed is described here. It is a simple, workable, random sampling...
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Better Forecasting for Better Planning: A Systems Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Austin, W. Burnet
Predictions and forecasts are the most critical features of rational planning as well as the most vulnerable to inaccuracy. Because plans are only as good as their forecasts, current planning procedures could be improved by greater forecasting accuracy. Economic factors explain and predict more than any other set of factors, making economic…
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Standby gasoline rationing plan
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1980-06-01
Title 10 - Energy, Chapter II - Department of Energy, PART 570 - Standby gasoline rationing plan regulations. Final rules adopted by the President for a Standby Gasoline Rationing Plan required by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1979 (P.L. ...
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Mission Planning and Decision Support for Underwater Glider Networks: A Sampling on-Demand Approach
Ferri, Gabriele; Cococcioni, Marco; Alvarez, Alberto
2015-01-01
This paper describes an optimal sampling approach to support glider fleet operators and marine scientists during the complex task of planning the missions of fleets of underwater gliders. Optimal sampling, which has gained considerable attention in the last decade, consists in planning the paths of gliders to minimize a specific criterion pertinent to the phenomenon under investigation. Different criteria (e.g., A, G, or E optimality), used in geosciences to obtain an optimum design, lead to different sampling strategies. In particular, the A criterion produces paths for the gliders that minimize the overall level of uncertainty over the area of interest. However, there are commonly operative situations in which the marine scientists may prefer not to minimize the overall uncertainty of a certain area, but instead they may be interested in achieving an acceptable uncertainty sufficient for the scientific or operational needs of the mission. We propose and discuss here an approach named sampling on-demand that explicitly addresses this need. In our approach the user provides an objective map, setting both the amount and the geographic distribution of the uncertainty to be achieved after assimilating the information gathered by the fleet. A novel optimality criterion, called Aη, is proposed and the resulting minimization problem is solved by using a Simulated Annealing based optimizer that takes into account the constraints imposed by the glider navigation features, the desired geometry of the paths and the problems of reachability caused by ocean currents. This planning strategy has been implemented in a Matlab toolbox called SoDDS (Sampling on-Demand and Decision Support). The tool is able to automatically download the ocean fields data from MyOcean repository and also provides graphical user interfaces to ease the input process of mission parameters and targets. The results obtained by running SoDDS on three different scenarios are provided and show that So
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Mission Planning and Decision Support for Underwater Glider Networks: A Sampling on-Demand Approach.
Ferri, Gabriele; Cococcioni, Marco; Alvarez, Alberto
2015-12-26
This paper describes an optimal sampling approach to support glider fleet operators and marine scientists during the complex task of planning the missions of fleets of underwater gliders. Optimal sampling, which has gained considerable attention in the last decade, consists in planning the paths of gliders to minimize a specific criterion pertinent to the phenomenon under investigation. Different criteria (e.g., A, G, or E optimality), used in geosciences to obtain an optimum design, lead to different sampling strategies. In particular, the A criterion produces paths for the gliders that minimize the overall level of uncertainty over the area of interest. However, there are commonly operative situations in which the marine scientists may prefer not to minimize the overall uncertainty of a certain area, but instead they may be interested in achieving an acceptable uncertainty sufficient for the scientific or operational needs of the mission. We propose and discuss here an approach named sampling on-demand that explicitly addresses this need. In our approach the user provides an objective map, setting both the amount and the geographic distribution of the uncertainty to be achieved after assimilating the information gathered by the fleet. A novel optimality criterion, called A η , is proposed and the resulting minimization problem is solved by using a Simulated Annealing based optimizer that takes into account the constraints imposed by the glider navigation features, the desired geometry of the paths and the problems of reachability caused by ocean currents. This planning strategy has been implemented in a Matlab toolbox called SoDDS (Sampling on-Demand and Decision Support). The tool is able to automatically download the ocean fields data from MyOcean repository and also provides graphical user interfaces to ease the input process of mission parameters and targets. The results obtained by running SoDDS on three different scenarios are provided and show that So
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Baker, Jean M.
This final report relates to student socialization through a bilingual (Spanish/English), bicultural program involving 6 second grades in 3 schools of Phoenix, Arizona, for the 1970-71 school year. As reported, the major objective of the program was to develop and implement a group process approach to bilingual education; in addition, classroom…
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Probabilistic approach to long range planning of manpower
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lejk, R. A.
1967-01-01
Publication presents a total long range planning model for project oriented organizations. The total model consists of planning systems which originate - /1/ at the project level and consolidate into an overall plan, and /2/ from a budetary ceiling and allocate to the individual projects. Analysis of /1/ and /2/ is provided for management decision making.
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Zhu; Dale
2000-10-01
/ Regional resource use planning relies on key regional stakeholder groups using and having equitable access to appropriate social, economic, and environmental information and assessment tools. Decision support systems (DSS) can improve stakeholder access to such information and analysis tools. Regional resource use planning, however, is a complex process involving multiple issues, multiple assessment criteria, multiple stakeholders, and multiple values. There is a need for an approach to DSS development that can assist in understanding and modeling complex problem situations in regional resource use so that areas where DSSs could provide effective support can be identified, and the user requirements can be well established. This paper presents an approach based on the soft systems methodology for identifying DSS opportunities for regional resource use planning, taking the Central Highlands Region of Queensland, Australia, as a case study.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Seligman, Linda
1993-01-01
Describes approach to teaching treatment planning that author has used successfully in both seminars and graduate courses. Clarifies nature and importance of systematic treatment planning, then describes context in which treatment planning seems more effectively taught, and concludes with step-by-step plan for teaching treatment planning.…
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A systematic conservation planning approach to fire risk management in Natura 2000 sites.
Foresta, Massimiliano; Carranza, Maria Laura; Garfì, Vittorio; Di Febbraro, Mirko; Marchetti, Marco; Loy, Anna
2016-10-01
A primary challenge in conservation biology is to preserve the most representative biodiversity while simultaneously optimizing the efforts associated with conservation. In Europe, the implementation of the Natura 2000 network requires protocols to recognize and map threats to biodiversity and to identify specific mitigation actions. We propose a systematic conservation planning approach to optimize management actions against specific threats based on two fundamental parameters: biodiversity values and threat pressure. We used the conservation planning software Marxan to optimize a fire management plan in a Natura 2000 coastal network in southern Italy. We address three primary questions: i) Which areas are at high fire risk? ii) Which areas are the most valuable for threatened biodiversity? iii) Which areas should receive priority risk-mitigation actions for the optimal effect?, iv) which fire-prevention actions are feasible in the management areas?. The biodiversity values for the Natura 2000 spatial units were derived from the distribution maps of 18 habitats and 89 vertebrate species of concern in Europe (Habitat Directive 92/43/EEC). The threat pressure map, defined as fire probability, was obtained from digital layers of fire risk and of fire frequency. Marxan settings were defined as follows: a) planning units of 40 × 40 m, b) conservation features defined as all habitats and vertebrate species of European concern occurring in the study area, c) conservation targets defined according with fire sensitivity and extinction risk of conservation features, and d) costs determined as the complement of fire probabilities. We identified 23 management areas in which to concentrate efforts for the optimal reduction of fire-induced effects. Because traditional fire prevention is not feasible for most of policy habitats included in the management areas, alternative prevention practices were identified that allows the conservation of the vegetation structure. The
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maroy, Edith; Javaux, Mathieu; Vandermosten, Pierre; Englebert, Benjamin
2015-04-01
The Flood Directive 2007/60/CE establishes a common framework within the European Union for assessing and reducing risks posed by floods on human health, the environment, economic activity and cultural heritage. For that purpose, Member States had to establish flood areas and flood risk maps, and subsequently, flood risk management plans (due December 2015). According to the Directive, special attention is to be paid to international coordination for transboundary water courses, integrated management approaches at the catchment scale, cost-effectiveness of measures and public involvement. Management measures must focus on reducing the probability of flooding and the potential consequences of flooding. They must cover prevention, protection and preparedness and must take into account relevant aspects, such as water management, soil management, spatial planning, land use and nature conservation. Floods in Wallonia mostly originate from overflowing of both little sloped rivers and highly reactive rivers but also, from concentrated runoff in the intensely cultivated and erosion-prone region north of the Sambre-Meuse axis. Consequently, walloon flood area maps not only show flood areas based on hydraulic modelling and observations but also runoff concentration axis in agricultural areas. Now released to the public, this information can be used to assess the risk of damage for land planning and erosion control strategies. Incidentally, some 166 km2 were mapped as flood hazard area with a return period of 25 years, 28.8 of which are urbanized or destined to urbanisation and counting of number of approximatively 39.000 people living in those areas. Flood area and flood risk maps should be the starting point of elaborating flood risk management plans. In order to involve the diversity of water managers and stakeholders in the drafting of a management plan for hydrographic districts in Wallonia, responsible authorities decided to mandate scientists and engineers to organize
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Space Station crew safety alternatives study. Volume 5: Space Station safety plan
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mead, G. H.; Peercy, R. L., Jr.; Raasch, R. F.
1985-01-01
The Space Station Safety Plan has been prepared as an adjunct to the subject contract final report, suggesting the tasks and implementation procedures to ensure that threats are addressed and resolution strategy options identified and incorporated into the space station program. The safety program's approach is to realize minimum risk exposure without levying undue design and operational constraints. Safety objectives and risk acceptances are discussed.
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Capacity planning for the future.
Johnson, A M
1997-01-01
Managed care is changing the way health care organizations plan for their futures. Traditional planning takes into account history and geography, while the new approach factors in the impact of managed care of future utilization. The new approach also incorporates strategic planning into an organization's broader strategic plan and budgeting process. The result is a more comprehensive planning method that is critical for health care organization's success.
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MO-B-BRB-01: Optimize Treatment Planning Process in Clinical Environment
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Feng, W.
The radiotherapy treatment planning process has evolved over the years with innovations in treatment planning, treatment delivery and imaging systems. Treatment modality and simulation technologies are also rapidly improving and affecting the planning process. For example, Image-guided-radiation-therapy has been widely adopted for patient setup, leading to margin reduction and isocenter repositioning after simulation. Stereotactic Body radiation therapy (SBRT) and Radiosurgery (SRS) have gradually become the standard of care for many treatment sites, which demand a higher throughput for the treatment plans even if the number of treatments per day remains the same. Finally, simulation, planning and treatment are traditionally sequentialmore » events. However, with emerging adaptive radiotherapy, they are becoming more tightly intertwined, leading to iterative processes. Enhanced efficiency of planning is therefore becoming more critical and poses serious challenge to the treatment planning process; Lean Six Sigma approaches are being utilized increasingly to balance the competing needs for speed and quality. In this symposium we will discuss the treatment planning process and illustrate effective techniques for managing workflow. Topics will include: Planning techniques: (a) beam placement, (b) dose optimization, (c) plan evaluation (d) export to RVS. Planning workflow: (a) import images, (b) Image fusion, (c) contouring, (d) plan approval (e) plan check (f) chart check, (g) sequential and iterative process Influence of upstream and downstream operations: (a) simulation, (b) immobilization, (c) motion management, (d) QA, (e) IGRT, (f) Treatment delivery, (g) SBRT/SRS (h) adaptive planning Reduction of delay between planning steps with Lean systems due to (a) communication, (b) limited resource, (b) contour, (c) plan approval, (d) treatment. Optimizing planning processes: (a) contour validation (b) consistent planning protocol, (c) protocol/template sharing, (d
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Green city Banda Aceh: city planning approach and environmental aspects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Arif, A. A.
2017-02-01
Banda Aceh as the capital of Aceh Province is the region with the tsunami disaster that occurred on December 26, 2004 the most severe of which over 60% of the city area were destroyed mainly coastal region and settlements. One product plan for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Banda Aceh is made of Banda Aceh as Green City. To realize the Green City Banda Aceh, urban development process should be conducted in a planned and integrated way with attention to spatial and environmental aspects to ensure an efficient urban management and to create a healthy, beautiful and comfortable environment. There is a weakness of the process in urban planning and development that occurred at present where cities tend to minimize the development of green open space and land conversion into a commercial district, residential areas, industrial areas, transport networks and infrastructure and facilities for other cities. Another tendency that occurs is urban environment only developed economically but not ecologically, whereas ecological balance is as important as the development of the economic value of urban areas. Such conditions have caused unbalance of urban ecosystems including increased air temperature, air pollution, declining water table, flooding, salt water intrusion and increased content of heavy metals in the soil. From an ecological perspective, unfavorable microclimate, high-temperature increase due to the lack of trees as a sieve / filter against heavy rain, can cause flooding. These conditions result in inconvienient, arid and less beautiful urban areas. The author identifies the elements contained in the Green City Banda Aceh and how the efforts and approaches must be made toward Green City Banda Aceh.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kontaxis, C; Bol, G; Lagendijk, J
2016-06-15
Purpose: To develop a new IMRT treatment planning methodology suitable for the new generation of MR-linear accelerator machines. The pipeline is able to deliver Pareto-optimal plans and can be utilized for conventional treatments as well as for inter- and intrafraction plan adaptation based on real-time MR-data. Methods: A Pareto-optimal plan is generated using the automated multicriterial optimization approach Erasmus-iCycle. The resulting dose distribution is used as input to the second part of the pipeline, an iterative process which generates deliverable segments that target the latest anatomical state and gradually converges to the prescribed dose. This process continues until a certainmore » percentage of the dose has been delivered. Under a conventional treatment, a Segment Weight Optimization (SWO) is then performed to ensure convergence to the prescribed dose. In the case of inter- and intrafraction adaptation, post-processing steps like SWO cannot be employed due to the changing anatomy. This is instead addressed by transferring the missing/excess dose to the input of the subsequent fraction. In this work, the resulting plans were delivered on a Delta4 phantom as a final Quality Assurance test. Results: A conventional static SWO IMRT plan was generated for two prostate cases. The sequencer faithfully reproduced the input dose for all volumes of interest. For the two cases the mean relative dose difference of the PTV between the ideal input and sequenced dose was 0.1% and −0.02% respectively. Both plans were delivered on a Delta4 phantom and passed the clinical Quality Assurance procedures by achieving 100% pass rate at a 3%/3mm gamma analysis. Conclusion: We have developed a new sequencing methodology capable of online plan adaptation. In this work, we extended the pipeline to support Pareto-optimal input and clinically validated that it can accurately achieve these ideal distributions, while its flexible design enables inter- and intrafraction plan
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Interactive approach to segment organs at risk in radiotherapy treatment planning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dolz, Jose; Kirisli, Hortense A.; Viard, Romain; Massoptier, Laurent
2014-03-01
Accurate delineation of organs at risk (OAR) is required for radiation treatment planning (RTP). However, it is a very time consuming and tedious task. The use in clinic of image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) becomes more and more popular, thus increasing the need of (semi-)automatic methods for delineation of the OAR. In this work, an interactive segmentation approach to delineate OAR is proposed and validated. The method is based on the combination of watershed transformation, which groups small areas of similar intensities in homogeneous labels, and graph cuts approach, which uses these labels to create the graph. Segmentation information can be added in any view - axial, sagittal or coronal -, making the interaction with the algorithm easy and fast. Subsequently, this information is propagated within the whole volume, providing a spatially coherent result. Manual delineations made by experts of 6 OAR - lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, heart and aorta - over a set of 9 computed tomography (CT) scans were used as reference standard to validate the proposed approach. With a maximum of 4 interactions, a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) higher than 0.87 was obtained, which demonstrates that, with the proposed segmentation approach, only few interactions are required to achieve similar results as the ones obtained manually. The integration of this method in the RTP process may save a considerable amount of time, and reduce the annotation complexity.
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Developing a Career Planning Center. Occupational Education Research Project Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kidd, Frank E.; Embry, Judy K.
Designed as a guide for those community college institutions developing a career planning center, this handbook presents a model for planning and implementing such a center. Options for centers are suggested for three levels of development and staffing: self-directed, intermediate, and comprehensive. Chapter 1 outlines the rationale and possible…
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77 FR 74688 - Final Recovery Plan, First Revision; Mexican Spotted Owl
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-12-17
... Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, and south through the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico. The recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met...). The revised recovery plan was prepared by a team of experts from both the United States and Mexico...
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Multimodal Logistics Network Design over Planning Horizon through a Hybrid Meta-Heuristic Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shimizu, Yoshiaki; Yamazaki, Yoshihiro; Wada, Takeshi
Logistics has been acknowledged increasingly as a key issue of supply chain management to improve business efficiency under global competition and diversified customer demands. This study aims at improving a quality of strategic decision making associated with dynamic natures in logistics network optimization. Especially, noticing an importance to concern with a multimodal logistics under multiterms, we have extended a previous approach termed hybrid tabu search (HybTS). The attempt intends to deploy a strategic planning more concretely so that the strategic plan can link to an operational decision making. The idea refers to a smart extension of the HybTS to solve a dynamic mixed integer programming problem. It is a two-level iterative method composed of a sophisticated tabu search for the location problem at the upper level and a graph algorithm for the route selection at the lower level. To keep efficiency while coping with the resulting extremely large-scale problem, we invented a systematic procedure to transform the original linear program at the lower-level into a minimum cost flow problem solvable by the graph algorithm. Through numerical experiments, we verified the proposed method outperformed the commercial software. The results indicate the proposed approach can make the conventional strategic decision much more practical and is promising for real world applications.
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Joint Planning and Development Office Work Plan FY10
2010-01-01
IPSA ) Division will make refinements to the NextGen Portfolio Analysis. In addition, IPSA will work with the Department of Defense (DoD) to define and...Submitted Interagency Portfolio and Systems Analysis ( IPSA ) DRAFT DoD Portfolio Analysis Criteria BASELINE DoD Portfolio Analysis Criteria DRAFT...WG Work Plan Review Prototype Capability Selected and Defined CHAs Complete Safety Metrics for IPSA Complete FINAL Prototype Report FINAL
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2014-07-01
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) commissioned a review of transportation corridor plans to determine the extent to which these plans have utilized FHWA's Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) approach, as described in the FHWA Guidance on ...
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5 CFR 470.311 - Final project approval.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECTS Regulatory Requirements Pertaining to Demonstration Projects § 470.311 Final project approval. (a) The Office of Personnel Management will consider all timely...) The Office of Personnel Management shall provide a copy of the final version of the project plan to...
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5 CFR 470.311 - Final project approval.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... 470.311 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PERSONNEL... Projects § 470.311 Final project approval. (a) The Office of Personnel Management will consider all timely...) The Office of Personnel Management shall provide a copy of the final version of the project plan to...
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From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea.
Wedding, L M; Friedlander, A M; Kittinger, J N; Watling, L; Gaines, S D; Bennett, M; Hardy, S M; Smith, C R
2013-12-22
Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 × 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km(2)) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management.
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From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea
Wedding, L. M.; Friedlander, A. M.; Kittinger, J. N.; Watling, L.; Gaines, S. D.; Bennett, M.; Hardy, S. M.; Smith, C. R.
2013-01-01
Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion–Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 × 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km2) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management. PMID:24197407
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2008-07-28
This final rule prohibits Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations, including organizations offering MA plans to employer and union group health plan sponsors, from making midyear changes to nonprescription drug benefits, premiums, and cost-sharing submitted in their approved bids for a given contract year. This final rule also clarifies that MA organizations offering certain kinds of plans restricted to employer and union group health plan sponsors and not open to general enrollment may continue to offer benefit enhancements as they do currently, through means other than midyear benefit enhancements (MYBEs). Programs of all-inclusive care for elderly (PACE) are not subject to the provisions of this final rule and may continue to offer enhanced benefits as specified in our guidance for PACE plans.
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The European cooperative approach to securing critical information infrastructure.
Purser, Steve
2011-10-01
This paper provides an overview of the EU approach to securing critical information infrastructure, as defined in the Action Plan contained in the Commission Communication of March 2009, entitled 'Protecting Europe from large-scale cyber-attacks and disruptions: enhancing preparedness, security and resilience' and further elaborated by the Communication of May 2011 on critical Information infrastructure protection 'Achievements and next steps: towards global cyber-security'. After explaining the need for pan-European cooperation in this area, the CIIP Action Plan is explained in detail. Finally, the current state of progress is summarised together with the proposed next steps.
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High Burnup Dry Storage Cask Research and Development Project, Final Test Plan
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
None
2014-02-27
EPRI is leading a project team to develop and implement the first five years of a Test Plan to collect data from a SNF dry storage system containing high burnup fuel.12 The Test Plan defined in this document outlines the data to be collected, and the storage system design, procedures, and licensing necessary to implement the Test Plan.13 The main goals of the proposed test are to provide confirmatory data14 for models, future SNF dry storage cask design, and to support license renewals and new licenses for ISFSIs. To provide data that is most relevant to high burnup fuel inmore » dry storage, the design of the test storage system must mimic real conditions that high burnup SNF experiences during all stages of dry storage: loading, cask drying, inert gas backfilling, and transfer to the ISFSI for multi-year storage.15 Along with other optional modeling, SETs, and SSTs, the data collected in this Test Plan can be used to evaluate the integrity of dry storage systems and the high burnup fuel contained therein over many decades. It should be noted that the Test Plan described in this document discusses essential activities that go beyond the first five years of Test Plan implementation.16 The first five years of the Test Plan include activities up through loading the cask, initiating the data collection, and beginning the long-term storage period at the ISFSI. The Test Plan encompasses the overall project that includes activities that may not be completed until 15 or more years from now, including continued data collection, shipment of the Research Project Cask to a Fuel Examination Facility, opening the cask at the Fuel Examination Facility, and examining the high burnup fuel after the initial storage period.« less
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, An Iterative Approach for Identifying the Causes of Reduced Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the Willimantic River, Connecticut. This study demonstrates that a screening assessment can help to focus sampling for ...
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Community-Based Financing of Family Planning in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review.
Karra, Mahesh; Canning, David; Hu, Janice; Ali, Moazzam; Lissner, Craig
2016-12-01
In this systematic review, we gather evidence on community financing schemes and insurance programs for family planning in developing countries, and we assess the impact of these programs on primary outcomes related to contraceptive use. To identify and evaluate the research findings, we adopt a four-stage review process that employs a weight-of-evidence and risk-of-bias analytic approach. Out of 19,138 references that were identified, only four studies were included in our final analysis, and only one study was determined to be of high quality. In the four studies, the evidence on the impact of community-based financing on family planning and fertility outcomes is inconclusive. These limited and mixed findings suggest that either: 1) more high-quality evidence on community-based financing for family planning is needed before any conclusions can be made; or 2) community-based financing for family planning may, in fact, have little or no effect on family planning outcomes. © 2016 The Population Council, Inc.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chareonchai, Ruang; And Others
This extensive assessment project report focuses on the Rural Secondary Schools (RSS) Project in Thailand. The background, design, rationale and objectives of the assessment are described, as are the eight phases of the study: reconnaissance; proposals; basic planning and pre-testing; data collection; analysis; academic review; final report; and…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wang, Carrie Lijuan; Ha, Amy S.
2013-01-01
The two-pronged purpose of this study is to examine factors determining the teaching behaviour of pre-service physical education (PE) teachers towards a constructivist approach, likewise referred to as teaching games for understanding (TGfU). Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was applied to guide the formulation of research purpose and design. Six…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holmes, George W., III; Seawell, William H.
This report presents (1) details of a program for educational administration by objectives and (2) the results of such a program developed by the Virginia State Department of Education to upgrade the quality of education in the public schools of that State. Administration by objectives is a systematic approach to education planning using…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Irwin, D.; Frankel-Reed, J.
2017-12-01
SERVIR is joint development initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), working in partnership with leading regional organizations around the world to help developing countries use information provided by Earth observing satellites and geospatial technologies to empower decision-makers with tools, products, and services to better address critical issues related to food security, water resources, natural disasters, and land use. Since its launch in 2005, SERVIR has grown into a global network of four active hubs that are improving awareness, increasing access to information, and supporting analysis to help people in Africa, Hindu Kush Himalaya, and the Lower Mekong regions better manage today's complex environmental challenges. To help improve the impact of SERVIR activities throughout the global network, a Service Planning Approach was developed with three main steps that involve: 1) consultation and needs assessment, 2) service design and 3) service delivery. To successfully accomplish these steps, SERVIR has created a series of capacity building tools that focus on specific activities to better engage stakeholders, design a more successful service, and to conduct end-to-end monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Currently, all four SERVIR hubs in different regions of the world are implementing this Service Planning Approach and helping to improve it by providing feedback based on their implementation. This presentation will describe the SERVIR Service Planning Approach and discuss the various tools, which ultimately can empower remote sensing scientists and application developers to obtain a greater impact from the Earth Observation products they develop.
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75 FR 36551 - State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-28
...-0032; Notice No. 5] RIN 2130-AC20 State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final... three years, to develop State highway-rail grade crossing action plans. The final rule addresses the...
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Constraint-based integration of planning and scheduling for space-based observatory management
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Muscettola, Nicola; Smith, Steven F.
1994-01-01
Progress toward the development of effective, practical solutions to space-based observatory scheduling problems within the HSTS scheduling framework is reported. HSTS was developed and originally applied in the context of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) short-term observation scheduling problem. The work was motivated by the limitations of the current solution and, more generally, by the insufficiency of classical planning and scheduling approaches in this problem context. HSTS has subsequently been used to develop improved heuristic solution techniques in related scheduling domains and is currently being applied to develop a scheduling tool for the upcoming Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) mission. The salient architectural characteristics of HSTS and their relationship to previous scheduling and AI planning research are summarized. Then, some key problem decomposition techniques underlying the integrated planning and scheduling approach to the HST problem are described; research results indicate that these techniques provide leverage in solving space-based observatory scheduling problems. Finally, more recently developed constraint-posting scheduling procedures and the current SWAS application focus are summarized.
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Final-Approach Spacing Aids (FASA) evaluation for terminal-area, time-based air traffic control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Credeur, Leonard; Capron, William R.; Lohr, Gary W.; Crawford, Daniel J.; Tang, Dershuen A.; Rodgers, William G., Jr.
1993-01-01
A jointly funded (NASA/FAA) real-time simulation study was conducted at NASA Langley Research Center to gather comparative performance data among three candidate final-approach spacing aid (FASA) display formats. Several objective measures of controller performance and their display eye-scan behavior as well as subjective workload and rating questionnaires were used. For each of two representative pattern-speed procedures (a 170-knot procedure and a 210-knot procedure with speed control aiding), data were gathered, via twelve FAA controllers, using four final-controller display format conditions (manual/ARTS 3, graphic marker, DICE countdown, and centerline slot marker). Measured runway separations were more precise with both the graphic marker and DICE countdown formats than with the centerline slot marker and both (graphic and DICE) improved precision relative to the manual/ARTS 3 format. For three separate rating criteria, the subject controllers ranked the FASA formats in the same order: graphic marker, DICE countdown, and centerline slot marker. The increased precision measured with the 210-knot pattern-speed procedure may indicate the potential for the application of speed-control aiding where higher pattern speeds are practical after the base-to-final turn. Also presented are key FASA issues, a rationale for the formats selected for testing, and their description.
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D'Amours, Michel; Pouliot, Jean; Dagnault, Anne; Verhaegen, Frank; Beaulieu, Luc
2011-12-01
Brachytherapy planning software relies on the Task Group report 43 dosimetry formalism. This formalism, based on a water approximation, neglects various heterogeneous materials present during treatment. Various studies have suggested that these heterogeneities should be taken into account to improve the treatment quality. The present study sought to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating Monte Carlo (MC) dosimetry within an inverse planning algorithm to improve the dose conformity and increase the treatment quality. The method was based on precalculated dose kernels in full patient geometries, representing the dose distribution of a brachytherapy source at a single dwell position using MC simulations and the Geant4 toolkit. These dose kernels are used by the inverse planning by simulated annealing tool to produce a fast MC-based plan. A test was performed for an interstitial brachytherapy breast treatment using two different high-dose-rate brachytherapy sources: the microSelectron iridium-192 source and the electronic brachytherapy source Axxent operating at 50 kVp. A research version of the inverse planning by simulated annealing algorithm was combined with MC to provide a method to fully account for the heterogeneities in dose optimization, using the MC method. The effect of the water approximation was found to depend on photon energy, with greater dose attenuation for the lower energies of the Axxent source compared with iridium-192. For the latter, an underdosage of 5.1% for the dose received by 90% of the clinical target volume was found. A new method to optimize afterloading brachytherapy plans that uses MC dosimetric information was developed. Including computed tomography-based information in MC dosimetry in the inverse planning process was shown to take into account the full range of scatter and heterogeneity conditions. This led to significant dose differences compared with the Task Group report 43 approach for the Axxent source. Copyright © 2011
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rocconi, Louis M.; Ribera, Amy K.; Nelson Laird, Thomas F.
2015-01-01
This study examines the extent to which college seniors' plans for graduate school are related to their tendency to engage in deep approaches to learning (DAL) and their academic environments (majors) as classified by Holland type. Using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement, we analyzed responses from over 116,000 seniors attending…
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AutoLock: a semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control.
Dewhurst, Joseph M; Lowe, Matthew; Hardy, Mark J; Boylan, Christopher J; Whitehurst, Philip; Rowbottom, Carl G
2015-05-08
A semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control (QC), named AutoLock, is presented. AutoLock is designed to augment treatment plan QC by automatically checking aspects of treatment plans that are well suited to computational evaluation, whilst summarizing more subjective aspects in the form of a checklist. The treatment plan must pass all automated checks and all checklist items must be acknowledged by the planner as correct before the plan is finalized. Thus AutoLock uniquely integrates automated treatment plan QC, an electronic checklist, and plan finalization. In addition to reducing the potential for the propagation of errors, the integration of AutoLock into the plan finalization workflow has improved efficiency at our center. Detailed audit data are presented, demonstrating that the treatment plan QC rejection rate fell by around a third following the clinical introduction of AutoLock.
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Temporal planning for transportation planning and scheduling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Frederking, Robert E.; Muscettola, Nicola
1992-01-01
In this paper we describe preliminary work done in the CORTES project, applying the Heuristic Scheduling Testbed System (HSTS) to a transportation planning and scheduling domain. First, we describe in more detail the transportation problems that we are addressing. We then describe the fundamental characteristics of HSTS and we concentrate on the representation of multiple capacity resources. We continue with a more detailed description of the transportation planning problem that we have initially addressed in HSTS and of its solution. Finally we describe future directions for our research.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-24
... Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision- making), the NPS announces the availability of a... National Park Service will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no sooner than 30 days following publication...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-01-04
... document is available on the internet at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Web site at http.../EIS assesses impacts to soil resources, water quality, soundscapes, vegetation and wildlife...
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Evaluating the distributional effects of regional transportation plans and projects : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2017-05-01
Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have long been required to consider the equity implications of their regional transportation plans and processes. Funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, this research aims to pr...
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2008-01-01
The motivation for this study was the observation that the reactive approach to the coordination of land use and transportation planning, which treats transportation planning as the handmaiden of land use planning and which greatly limits the options...
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Spacecraft Attitude Maneuver Planning Using Genetic Algorithms
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kornfeld, Richard P.
2004-01-01
A key enabling technology that leads to greater spacecraft autonomy is the capability to autonomously and optimally slew the spacecraft from and to different attitudes while operating under a number of celestial and dynamic constraints. The task of finding an attitude trajectory that meets all the constraints is a formidable one, in particular for orbiting or fly-by spacecraft where the constraints and initial and final conditions are of time-varying nature. This approach for attitude path planning makes full use of a priori constraint knowledge and is computationally tractable enough to be executed onboard a spacecraft. The approach is based on incorporating the constraints into a cost function and using a Genetic Algorithm to iteratively search for and optimize the solution. This results in a directed random search that explores a large part of the solution space while maintaining the knowledge of good solutions from iteration to iteration. A solution obtained this way may be used as is or as an initial solution to initialize additional deterministic optimization algorithms. A number of representative case examples for time-fixed and time-varying conditions yielded search times that are typically on the order of minutes, thus demonstrating the viability of this method. This approach is applicable to all deep space and planet Earth missions requiring greater spacecraft autonomy, and greatly facilitates navigation and science observation planning.
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Interactive planning of miniplates
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gall, Markus; Reinbacher, Knut; Wallner, Jürgen; Stanzel, Jan; Chen, Xiaojun; Schwenzer-Zimmerer, Katja; Schmalstieg, Dieter; Egger, Jan
2017-03-01
In this contribution, a novel method for computer aided surgery planning of facial defects by using models of purchasable MedArtis Modus 2.0 miniplates is proposed. Implants of this kind, which belong to the osteosynthetic material, are commonly used for treating defects in the facial area. By placing them perpendicular on the defect, the miniplates are fixed on the healthy bone, bent with respect to the surface, to stabilize the defective area. Our software is able to fit a selection of the most common implant models to the surgeon's desired position in a 3D computer model. The fitting respects the local surface curvature and adjusts direction and position in any desired way. Conventional methods use Computed Tomography (CT) scans to generate STereoLithic (STL) models serving as bending template for the implants or use a bending tool during the surgery for readjusting the implant several times. Both approaches lead to undesirable expenses in time. With our visual planning tool, surgeons are able to pre-plan the final implant within just a few minutes. The resulting model can be stored in STL format, which is the commonly used format for 3D printing. With this technology, surgeons are able to print the implant just in time or use it for generating a bending tool, both leading to an exactly bent miniplate.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Center for Literacy, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
This document combines a final project report and the resulting guidebook of 20 lesson plans for English as a second language (ESL) instructors to help learners work within the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) system and acquire effective job readiness strategies, choose a career path, and pursue employment. The report describes the…
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Adeleye, Sanya; Chung, Christopher
2006-01-01
Commercial aircraft undergo a significant number of maintenance and logistical activities during the turnaround operation at the departure gate. By analyzing the sequencing of these activities, more effective turnaround contingency plans may be developed for logistical and maintenance disruptions. Turnaround contingency plans are particularly important as any kind of delay in a hub based system may cascade into further delays with subsequent connections. The contingency sequencing of the maintenance and logistical turnaround activities were analyzed using a combined network and computer simulation modeling approach. Experimental analysis of both current and alternative policies provides a framework to aid in more effective tactical decision making.
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Africa takes a more male-friendly approach to family planning.
Omuodo, D O
1996-12-01
It has been demonstrated that men are more likely to support family planning (FP) and to use a method themselves if services and educational programs are targeted to them. Because men fear that contraception reduces their control over their wives' sexuality, male-friendly approaches can enhance gender equality in reproductive health decisions. In Togo, the media is being used to encourage positive attitudes towards FP in specific male groups. In Ghana, FP services targeted to men have resulted in increased male involvement. In Swaziland, male audiences are targeted with FP education. In Sierra Leone, men have met in groups to learn about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and about the benefits of FP, and in Kenya, three male-only clinics exist to provide FP services to men.
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Al-Sawai, Abdulaziz; Al-Shishtawy, Moeness M.
2015-01-01
In most countries, the lack of explicit health workforce planning has resulted in imbalances that threaten the capacity of healthcare systems to attain their objectives. This has directed attention towards the prospect of developing healthcare systems that are more responsive to the needs and expectations of the population by providing health planners with a systematic method to effectively manage human resources in this sector. This review analyses various approaches to health workforce planning and presents the Six-Step Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning which highlights essential elements in workforce planning to ensure the quality of services. The purpose, scope and ownership of the approach is defined. Furthermore, developing an action plan for managing a health workforce is emphasised and a reviewing and monitoring process to guide corrective actions is suggested. PMID:25685381
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Manpower Planning: The Need for a Diagnostic Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fyfe, John
1980-01-01
Makes observations about progress in the field of manpower planning in highly industrialized and developed countries. Discusses the internal and external labor market, the state of the art of manpower planning at the micro level, and an economic framework. (CT)
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Planning Education: Exchanging Approaches to Teaching Practice-Based Skills
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ritchie, Heather; Sheppard, Adam; Croft, Nick; Peel, Deborah
2017-01-01
Planning curricula have continually evolved to meet changing societal needs, technological change and employer expectations. The professional accrediting body in the United Kingdom, the Royal Town Planning Institute, stipulates the core planning skills required, differentiating between formal classroom-based learning and professional competencies,…
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Test Planning Approach and Lessons
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Parkinson, Douglas A.; Brown, Kendall K.
2004-01-01
As NASA began technology risk reduction activities and planning for the next generation launch vehicle under the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), now the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program, a review of past large liquid rocket engine development programs was performed. The intent of the review was to identify any significant lessons from the development testing programs that could be applied to current and future engine development programs. Because the primary prototype engine in design at the time of this study was the Boeing-Rocketdyne RS-84, the study was slightly biased towards LOX/RP-1 liquid propellant engines. However, the significant lessons identified are universal. It is anticipated that these lessons will serve as a reference for test planning in the Engine Systems Group at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Towards the end of F-1 and J-2 engine development testing, NASA/MSFC asked Rocketdyne to review those test programs. The result was a document titled, Study to Accelerate Development by Test of a Rocket Engine (R-8099). The "intent (of this study) is to apply this thinking and learning to more efficiently develop rocket engines to high reliability with improved cost effectivenes" Additionally, several other engine programs were reviewed - such as SSME, NSTS, STME, MC-1, and RS-83- to support or refute the R-8099. R-8099 revealed two primary lessons for test planning, which were supported by the other engine development programs. First, engine development programs can benefit from arranging the test program for engine system testing as early as feasible. The best test for determining environments is at the system level, the closest to the operational flight environment. Secondly, the component testing, which tends to be elaborate, should instead be geared towards reducing risk to enable system test. Technical risk can be reduced at the component level, but the design can only be truly verified and validated after engine system testing.
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Goh, Yang Miang; Askar Ali, Mohamed Jawad
2016-08-01
One of the key challenges in improving construction safety and health is the management of safety behavior. From a system point of view, workers work unsafely due to system level issues such as poor safety culture, excessive production pressure, inadequate allocation of resources and time and lack of training. These systemic issues should be eradicated or minimized during planning. However, there is a lack of detailed planning tools to help managers assess the impact of their upstream decisions on worker safety behavior. Even though simulation had been used in construction planning, the review conducted in this study showed that construction safety management research had not been exploiting the potential of simulation techniques. Thus, a hybrid simulation framework is proposed to facilitate integration of safety management considerations into construction activity simulation. The hybrid framework consists of discrete event simulation (DES) as the core, but heterogeneous, interactive and intelligent (able to make decisions) agents replace traditional entities and resources. In addition, some of the cognitive processes and physiological aspects of agents are captured using system dynamics (SD) approach. The combination of DES, agent-based simulation (ABS) and SD allows a more "natural" representation of the complex dynamics in construction activities. The proposed hybrid framework was demonstrated using a hypothetical case study. In addition, due to the lack of application of factorial experiment approach in safety management simulation, the case study demonstrated sensitivity analysis and factorial experiment to guide future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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A knowledge-based approach to automated planning for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Zhang, Yujie; Li, Tingting; Xiao, Han; Ji, Weixing; Guo, Ming; Zeng, Zhaochong; Zhang, Jianying
2018-01-01
To build a knowledge-based model of liver cancer for Auto-Planning, a function in Pinnacle, which is used as an automated inverse intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning system. Fifty Tomotherapy patients were enrolled to extract the dose-volume histograms (DVHs) information and construct the protocol for Auto-Planning model. Twenty more patients were chosen additionally to test the model. Manual planning and automatic planning were performed blindly for all twenty test patients with the same machine and treatment planning system. The dose distributions of target and organs at risks (OARs), along with the working time for planning, were evaluated. Statistically significant results showed that automated plans performed better in target conformity index (CI) while mean target dose was 0.5 Gy higher than manual plans. The differences between target homogeneity indexes (HI) of the two methods were not statistically significant. Additionally, the doses of normal liver, left kidney, and small bowel were significantly reduced with automated plan. Particularly, mean dose and V15 of normal liver were 1.4 Gy and 40.5 cc lower with automated plans respectively. Mean doses of left kidney and small bowel were reduced with automated plans by 1.2 Gy and 2.1 Gy respectively. In contrast, working time was also significantly reduced with automated planning. Auto-Planning shows availability and effectiveness in our knowledge-based model for liver cancer. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
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Planning additional drilling campaign using two-space genetic algorithm: A game theoretical approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kumral, Mustafa; Ozer, Umit
2013-03-01
Grade and tonnage are the most important technical uncertainties in mining ventures because of the use of estimations/simulations, which are mostly generated from drill data. Open pit mines are planned and designed on the basis of the blocks representing the entire orebody. Each block has different estimation/simulation variance reflecting uncertainty to some extent. The estimation/simulation realizations are submitted to mine production scheduling process. However, the use of a block model with varying estimation/simulation variances will lead to serious risk in the scheduling. In the medium of multiple simulations, the dispersion variances of blocks can be thought to regard technical uncertainties. However, the dispersion variance cannot handle uncertainty associated with varying estimation/simulation variances of blocks. This paper proposes an approach that generates the configuration of the best additional drilling campaign to generate more homogenous estimation/simulation variances of blocks. In other words, the objective is to find the best drilling configuration in such a way as to minimize grade uncertainty under budget constraint. Uncertainty measure of the optimization process in this paper is interpolation variance, which considers data locations and grades. The problem is expressed as a minmax problem, which focuses on finding the best worst-case performance i.e., minimizing interpolation variance of the block generating maximum interpolation variance. Since the optimization model requires computing the interpolation variances of blocks being simulated/estimated in each iteration, the problem cannot be solved by standard optimization tools. This motivates to use two-space genetic algorithm (GA) approach to solve the problem. The technique has two spaces: feasible drill hole configuration with minimization of interpolation variance and drill hole simulations with maximization of interpolation variance. Two-space interacts to find a minmax solution
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AutoLock: a semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control
Lowe, Matthew; Hardy, Mark J.; Boylan, Christopher J.; Whitehurst, Philip; Rowbottom, Carl G.
2015-01-01
A semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control (QC), named AutoLock, is presented. AutoLock is designed to augment treatment plan QC by automatically checking aspects of treatment plans that are well suited to computational evaluation, whilst summarizing more subjective aspects in the form of a checklist. The treatment plan must pass all automated checks and all checklist items must be acknowledged by the planner as correct before the plan is finalized. Thus AutoLock uniquely integrates automated treatment plan QC, an electronic checklist, and plan finalization. In addition to reducing the potential for the propagation of errors, the integration of AutoLock into the plan finalization workflow has improved efficiency at our center. Detailed audit data are presented, demonstrating that the treatment plan QC rejection rate fell by around a third following the clinical introduction of AutoLock. PACS number: 87.55.Qr PMID:26103498
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Griner, James H.; Jirberg, Russ; Frantz, Brian; Kachmar, Brian A.
2006-01-01
NASA s Aviation Safety Program was created for the purpose of making a significant reduction in the incidents of weather related aviation accidents by improving situational awareness. The objectives of that program are being met in part through advances in weather sensor technology, and in part through advances in the communications technology that are developed for use in the National Airspace System. It is this latter element, i.e., the improvements in aviation communication technologies, that is the focus of the Weather Information Communications project. This report describes the final flight test results completed under the WINCOMM project at the NASA Glenn Research Center of the 1090 Extended Squitter (1090ES) and VDL Mode 3 (VDL-3) data links as a medium for weather data exchange. It presents the use of 1090ES to meet the program objectives of sending broadcast turbulence information and the use of VDL-3 to send graphical weather images. This report provides the test requirements and test plans, which led to flight tests, as well as final results from flight testing. The reports define the changes made to both avionics and ground-based receivers as well as the ground infrastructure to support implementation of the recommended architecture, with a focus on the issues associated with these changes.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoverman, Suzanne; Ayre, Margaret
2012-12-01
SummaryIndigenous land owners of the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory Australia have begun the first formal freshwater allocation planning process in Australia entirely within Indigenous lands and waterways. The process is managed by the Northern Territory government agency responsible for water planning, the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, in partnership with the Tiwi Land Council, the principal representative body for Tiwi Islanders on matters of land and water management and governance. Participatory planning methods ('tools') were developed to facilitate community participation in Tiwi water planning. The tools, selected for their potential to generate involvement in the planning process needed both to incorporate Indigenous knowledge of water use and management and raise awareness in the Indigenous community of Western science and water resources management. In consultation with the water planner and Tiwi Land Council officers, the researchers selected four main tools to develop, trial and evaluate. Results demonstrate that the tools provided mechanisms which acknowledge traditional management systems, improve community engagement, and build confidence in the water planning process. The researchers found that participatory planning approaches supported Tiwi natural resource management institutions both in determining appropriate institutional arrangements and clarifying roles and responsibilities in the Islands' Water Management Strategy.
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2017-03-31
requirements based on valid, approved workload. • Link peacetime and mobilization manpower requirements. 16 Moreover, the purpose of the SMRD is to... research and policy; energy and environment; manpower management; acquisition and cost; infrastructure; and military readiness . CPP-2017 -U-015038-Final...CNA ANALYSIS & SOLUTIONS 31st March 2017 Subject: NAVY MANPOWER PLANNING MONOGRAPH Navy manpower planning is a rich and complex topic that has a
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Development of an automated pre-sampling plan for construction projects : final report.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1983-03-01
The development of an automated pre-sampling plan was undertaken to free the district construction personnel from the cumbersome and time-consuming task of preparing such plans manually. A computer program was written and linked to a data file which ...
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The development and validation of the advance care planning questionnaire in Malaysia.
Lai, Pauline Siew Mei; Mohd Mudri, Salinah; Chinna, Karuthan; Othman, Sajaratulnisah
2016-10-18
Advance care planning is a voluntary process whereby individual preferences, values and beliefs are used to aid a person in planning for end-of-life care. Currently, there is no local instrument to assess an individual's awareness and attitude towards advance care planning. This study aimed to develop an Advance Care Planning Questionnaire and to determine its validity and reliability among older people in Malaysia. The Advance Care Planning Questionnaire was developed based on literature review. Face and content validity was verified by an expert panel, and piloted among 15 participants. Our study was conducted from October 2013 to February 2014, at an urban primary care clinic in Malaysia. Included were those aged >50 years, who could understand English. A retest was conducted 2 weeks after the first administration. Participants from the pilot study did not encounter any problems in answering the Advance Care Planning Questionnaire. Hence, no further modifications were made. Flesch reading ease was 71. The final version of the Advance Care Planning Questionnaire consists of 66 items: 30 items were measured on a nominal scale, whilst 36 items were measured on a Likert-like scale; of which we were only able to validate 22 items, as the remaining 14 items were descriptive in nature. A total of 245 eligible participants were approached; of which 230 agreed to participate (response rate = 93.9 %). Factor analysis on the 22 items measured on a Likert-scale revealed four domains: "feelings regarding advance care planning", "justifications for advance care planning", "justifications for not having advance care planning: fate and religion", and "justifications for not having advance care planning: avoid thinking about death". The Cronbach's alpha values for items each domain ranged from 0.637-0.915. In test-retest, kappa values ranged from 0.738-0.947. The final Advance Care Planning Questionnaire consisted of 63 items and 4 domains. It was found to be a valid and
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What is the Final Verification of Engineering Requirements?
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Poole, Eric
2010-01-01
This slide presentation reviews the process of development through the final verification of engineering requirements. The definition of the requirements is driven by basic needs, and should be reviewed by both the supplier and the customer. All involved need to agree upon a formal requirements including changes to the original requirements document. After the requirements have ben developed, the engineering team begins to design the system. The final design is reviewed by other organizations. The final operational system must satisfy the original requirements, though many verifications should be performed during the process. The verification methods that are used are test, inspection, analysis and demonstration. The plan for verification should be created once the system requirements are documented. The plan should include assurances that every requirement is formally verified, that the methods and the responsible organizations are specified, and that the plan is reviewed by all parties. The options of having the engineering team involved in all phases of the development as opposed to having some other organization continue the process once the design has been complete is discussed.
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Comprehensive Development Plan in Office Skills. Final Performance Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Waubonsee Community Coll., Sugar Grove, IL.
The Waubonsee Community College Comprehensive Development Plan in Office Skills served 208 students by assessment of basic skills and referral to appropriate programs or help with job skills and referral to employment during the 18-month grant period from December 1988 through June 30, 1990. The target population was minority women or economically…
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2018-02-15
models and approaches are also valid using other invasive and non - invasive technologies. Finally, we illustrate and experimentally evaluate this...2017 Project Outline q Pattern formation diversity in wild microbial societies q Experimental and mathematical analysis methodology q Skeleton...chemotaxis, nutrient degradation, and the exchange of amino acids between cells. Using both quantitative experimental methods and several theoretical
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Study of the Subarea Approach to Health Manpower Planning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Comprehensive Health Planning, Inc., Chicago, IL.
Recognizing the need for a health manpower planning system that would insure the recruitment, training, utilization, and retention of area residents as skilled providers of health care, Comprehensive Health Planning, Inc., Metropolitan Chicago (CHP), and the West Side Health Planning Organization (WSHPO) embarked on a 1-year project to demonstrate…
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PLAN-IT: Knowledge-Based Mission Sequencing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Biefeld, Eric W.
1987-02-01
Mission sequencing consumes a large amount of time and manpower during a space exploration effort. Plan-It is a knowledge-based approach to assist in mission sequencing. Plan-It uses a combined frame and blackboard architecture. This paper reports on the approach implemented by Plan-It and the current applications of Plan-It for sequencing at NASA.
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Acoustic Sensor Planning for Gunshot Location in National Parks: A Pareto Front Approach
González-Castaño, Francisco Javier; Alonso, Javier Vales; Costa-Montenegro, Enrique; López-Matencio, Pablo; Vicente-Carrasco, Francisco; Parrado-García, Francisco J.; Gil-Castiñeira, Felipe; Costas-Rodríguez, Sergio
2009-01-01
In this paper, we propose a solution for gunshot location in national parks. In Spain there are agencies such as SEPRONA that fight against poaching with considerable success. The DiANa project, which is endorsed by Cabaneros National Park and the SEPRONA service, proposes a system to automatically detect and locate gunshots. This work presents its technical aspects related to network design and planning. The system consists of a network of acoustic sensors that locate gunshots by hyperbolic multi-lateration estimation. The differences in sound time arrivals allow the computation of a low error estimator of gunshot location. The accuracy of this method depends on tight sensor clock synchronization, which an ad-hoc time synchronization protocol provides. On the other hand, since the areas under surveillance are wide, and electric power is scarce, it is necessary to maximize detection coverage and minimize system cost at the same time. Therefore, sensor network planning has two targets, i.e., coverage and cost. We model planning as an unconstrained problem with two objective functions. We determine a set of candidate solutions of interest by combining a derivative-free descent method we have recently proposed with a Pareto front approach. The results are clearly superior to random seeding in a realistic simulation scenario. PMID:22303135
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Acoustic sensor planning for gunshot location in national parks: a pareto front approach.
González-Castaño, Francisco Javier; Alonso, Javier Vales; Costa-Montenegro, Enrique; López-Matencio, Pablo; Vicente-Carrasco, Francisco; Parrado-García, Francisco J; Gil-Castiñeira, Felipe; Costas-Rodríguez, Sergio
2009-01-01
In this paper, we propose a solution for gunshot location in national parks. In Spain there are agencies such as SEPRONA that fight against poaching with considerable success. The DiANa project, which is endorsed by Cabaneros National Park and the SEPRONA service, proposes a system to automatically detect and locate gunshots. This work presents its technical aspects related to network design and planning. The system consists of a network of acoustic sensors that locate gunshots by hyperbolic multi-lateration estimation. The differences in sound time arrivals allow the computation of a low error estimator of gunshot location. The accuracy of this method depends on tight sensor clock synchronization, which an ad-hoc time synchronization protocol provides. On the other hand, since the areas under surveillance are wide, and electric power is scarce, it is necessary to maximize detection coverage and minimize system cost at the same time. Therefore, sensor network planning has two targets, i.e., coverage and cost. We model planning as an unconstrained problem with two objective functions. We determine a set of candidate solutions of interest by combining a derivative-free descent method we have recently proposed with a Pareto front approach. The results are clearly superior to random seeding in a realistic simulation scenario.
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1994-07-15
This final rule implements sections 9312(c)(2), 9312(f), and 9434(b) of Public Law 99-509, section 7 of Public Law 100-93, section 4014 of Public Law 100-203, sections 224 and 411(k)(12) of Public Law 100-360, and section 6411(d)(3) of Public Law 101-239. These provisions broaden the Secretary's authority to impose intermediate sanctions and civil money penalties on health maintenance organizations (HMOs), competitive medical plans, and other prepaid health plans contracting under Medicare or Medicaid that (1) substantially fail to provide an enrolled individual with required medically necessary items and services; (2) engage in certain marketing, enrollment, reporting, or claims payment abuses; or (3) in the case of Medicare risk-contracting plans, employ or contract with, either directly or indirectly, an individual or entity excluded from participation in Medicare. The provisions also condition Federal financial participation in certain State payments on the State's exclusion of certain prohibited entities from participation in HMO contracts and waiver programs. This final rule is intended to significantly enhance the protections for Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients enrolled in a HMO, competitive medical plan, or other contracting organization under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act.
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2016-12-22
This final rule sets forth payment parameters and provisions related to the risk adjustment program; cost-sharing parameters and cost-sharing reductions; and user fees for Federally-facilitated Exchanges and State-based Exchanges on the Federal platform. It also provides additional guidance relating to standardized options; qualified health plans; consumer assistance tools; network adequacy; the Small Business Health Options Programs; stand-alone dental plans; fair health insurance premiums; guaranteed availability and guaranteed renewability; the medical loss ratio program; eligibility and enrollment; appeals; consumer-operated and oriented plans; special enrollment periods; and other related topics.
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SmartStaff: A Support Concept for Staff Planning
2000-11-01
facilitated time management and decreased the ambiguities of the plans presented. However, the quality of the final plan did not improve. Team decision making, Team Planning, Group Support Systems, Task Group Staff
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Keeping all options open: Parents' approaches to advance care planning.
Beecham, Emma; Oostendorp, Linda; Crocker, Joanna; Kelly, Paula; Dinsdale, Andrew; Hemsley, June; Russell, Jessica; Jones, Louise; Bluebond-Langner, Myra
2017-08-01
Early engagement in advance care planning (ACP) is seen as fundamental for ensuring the highest standard of care for children and young people with a life-limiting condition (LLC). However, most families have little knowledge or experience of ACP. To investigate how parents of children and young people with LLCs approach and experience ACP. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of 18 children; nine children who were currently receiving palliative care services, and nine children who had received palliative care and died. Verbatim transcripts of audiotaped interviews were analysed following principles of grounded theory while acknowledging the use of deductive strategies, taking account of both the child's condition, and the timing and nature of decisions made. Parents reported having discussions and making decisions about the place of care, place of death and the limitation of treatment. Most decisions were made relatively late in the illness and by parents who wished to keep their options open. Parents reported different levels of involvement in a range of decisions; many wished to be involved in decision making but did not always feel able to do so. This study highlights that parents' approaches to decision making vary by the type of decision required. Their views may change over time, and it is important to allow them to keep their options open. We recommend that clinicians have regular discussions over the course of the illness in an effort to understand parents' approaches to particular decisions rather than to drive to closure prematurely. © 2016 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Weller, J M; Henning, M; Civil, N; Lavery, L; Boyd, M J; Jolly, B
2013-09-01
When evaluating assessments, the impact on learning is often overlooked. Approaches to learning can be deep, surface and strategic. To provide insights into exam quality, we investigated the learning approaches taken by trainees preparing for the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Final Exam. The revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was modified and validated for this context and was administered to ANZCA advanced trainees. Additional questions were asked about perceived value for anaesthetic practice, study time and approaches to learning for each exam component. Overall, 236 of 690 trainees responded (34%). Responses indicated both deep and surface approaches to learning with a clear preponderance of deep approaches. The anaesthetic viva was valued most highly and the multiple choice question component the least. Despite this, respondents spent the most time studying for the multiple choice questions. The traditionally low short answer questions pass rate could not be explained by limited study time, perceived lack of value or study approaches. Written responses suggested that preparation for multiple choice questions was characterised by a surface approach, with rote memorisation of past questions. Minimal reference was made to the ANZCA syllabus as a guide for learning. These findings indicate that, although trainees found the exam generally relevant to practice and adopted predominantly deep learning approaches, there was considerable variation between the four components. These results provide data with which to review the existing ANZCA Final Exam and comparative data for future studies of the revisions to the ANZCA curriculum and exam process.
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A strategic approach for Water Safety Plans implementation in Portugal.
Vieira, Jose M P
2011-03-01
Effective risk assessment and risk management approaches in public drinking water systems can benefit from a systematic process for hazards identification and effective management control based on the Water Safety Plan (WSP) concept. Good results from WSP development and implementation in a small number of Portuguese water utilities have shown that a more ambitious nationwide strategic approach to disseminate this methodology is needed. However, the establishment of strategic frameworks for systematic and organic scaling-up of WSP implementation at a national level requires major constraints to be overcome: lack of legislation and policies and the need for appropriate monitoring tools. This study presents a framework to inform future policy making by understanding the key constraints and needs related to institutional, organizational and research issues for WSP development and implementation in Portugal. This methodological contribution for WSP implementation can be replicated at a global scale. National health authorities and the Regulator may promote changes in legislation and policies. Independent global monitoring and benchmarking are adequate tools for measuring the progress over time and for comparing the performance of water utilities. Water utilities self-assessment must include performance improvement, operational monitoring and verification. Research and education and resources dissemination ensure knowledge acquisition and transfer.
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Market Stabilization. Final rule.
2017-04-18
This rule finalizes changes that will help stabilize the individual and small group markets and affirm the traditional role of State regulators. This final rule amends standards relating to special enrollment periods, guaranteed availability, and the timing of the annual open enrollment period in the individual market for the 2018 plan year; standards related to network adequacy and essential community providers for qualified health plans; and the rules around actuarial value requirements.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chi, Alexander; Gao Mingcheng; Sinacore, James
2009-09-01
Purpose: To compare the dose distribution between customized planning (CP) and adopting a single plan (SP) in multifractionated high-dose-rate brachytherapy and to establish predictors for the necessity of CP in a given patient. Methods and Materials: A total of 50 computed tomography-based plans for 10 patients were evaluated. Each patient had received 6 Gy for five fractions. The clinical target volume and organs at risk (i.e., rectum, bladder, sigmoid, and small bowel) were delineated on each computed tomography scan. For the SP approach, the same dwell position and time was used for all fractions. For the CP approach, the dwellmore » position and time were reoptimized for each fraction. Applicator position variation was determined by measuring the distance between the posterior bladder wall and the tandem at the level of the vaginal fornices. Results: The organs at risk D{sub 2cc} (dose to 2 cc volume) was increased with the SP approach. The dose variation was statistically similar between the tandem and ring and tandem and ovoid groups. The bladder D{sub 2cc} dose was 81.95-105.42 Gy{sub 2} for CP and 82.11-122.49 Gy{sub 2} for SP. In 5 of the 10 patients, the bladder would have been significantly overdosed with the SP approach. The variation of the posterior bladder wall distance from that in the first fraction was correlated with the increase in the bladder D{sub 2cc} (SP/CP), with a correlation coefficient of -0.59. Conclusion: Our results support the use of CP instead of the SP approach to help avoid a significant overdose to the bladder. This is especially true for a decrease in the posterior wall distance of {>=}0.5 cm compared with that in the first fraction.« less
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LDRD project final report : hybrid AI/cognitive tactical behavior framework for LVC.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Djordjevich, Donna D.; Xavier, Patrick Gordon; Brannon, Nathan Gregory
This Lab-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) sought to develop technology that enhances scenario construction speed, entity behavior robustness, and scalability in Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) simulation. We investigated issues in both simulation architecture and behavior modeling. We developed path-planning technology that improves the ability to express intent in the planning task while still permitting an efficient search algorithm. An LVC simulation demonstrated how this enables 'one-click' layout of squad tactical paths, as well as dynamic re-planning for simulated squads and for real and simulated mobile robots. We identified human response latencies that can be exploited in parallel/distributed architectures. We did an experimentalmore » study to determine where parallelization would be productive in Umbra-based force-on-force (FOF) simulations. We developed and implemented a data-driven simulation composition approach that solves entity class hierarchy issues and supports assurance of simulation fairness. Finally, we proposed a flexible framework to enable integration of multiple behavior modeling components that model working memory phenomena with different degrees of sophistication.« less
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Patchner, Michael A.; Balgopal, Pallassana R.
Three studies were undertaken to examine topics of care planning, personnel management, and quality assurance in long-term care facilities. The first study examined the formulation and implementation processes of care planning for nursing home residents. The exemplary homes' care planning included the existence of strong care planning leadership,…
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Integrative Life Planning: A Holistic Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hansen, Sunny Sundal
2011-01-01
This article presents a brief description of integrative life planning (ILP), the career theory/concept created in the 1990s by the author. It describes what she calls "the heart of ILP," the 6 critical life tasks and their applications.
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Aghdasi, Nava; Whipple, Mark; Humphreys, Ian M; Moe, Kris S; Hannaford, Blake; Bly, Randall A
2018-06-01
Successful multidisciplinary treatment of skull base pathology requires precise preoperative planning. Current surgical approach (pathway) selection for these complex procedures depends on an individual surgeon's experiences and background training. Because of anatomical variation in both normal tissue and pathology (eg, tumor), a successful surgical pathway used on one patient is not necessarily the best approach on another patient. The question is how to define and obtain optimized patient-specific surgical approach pathways? In this article, we demonstrate that the surgeon's knowledge and decision making in preoperative planning can be modeled by a multiobjective cost function in a retrospective analysis of actual complex skull base cases. Two different approaches- weighted-sum approach and Pareto optimality-were used with a defined cost function to derive optimized surgical pathways based on preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans and manually designated pathology. With the first method, surgeon's preferences were input as a set of weights for each objective before the search. In the second approach, the surgeon's preferences were used to select a surgical pathway from the computed Pareto optimal set. Using preoperative CT and magnetic resonance imaging, the patient-specific surgical pathways derived by these methods were similar (85% agreement) to the actual approaches performed on patients. In one case where the actual surgical approach was different, revision surgery was required and was performed utilizing the computationally derived approach pathway.
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Erika L. Rowland; Jennifer E. Davison; Lisa J. Graumlich
2011-01-01
Assessing the impact of climate change on species and associated management objectives is a critical initial step for engaging in the adaptation planning process. Multiple approaches are available. While all possess limitations to their application associated with the uncertainties inherent in the data and models that inform their results, conducting and incorporating...
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Radiation Planning Assistant - A Streamlined, Fully Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning System
Court, Laurence E.; Kisling, Kelly; McCarroll, Rachel; Zhang, Lifei; Yang, Jinzhong; Simonds, Hannah; du Toit, Monique; Trauernicht, Chris; Burger, Hester; Parkes, Jeannette; Mejia, Mike; Bojador, Maureen; Balter, Peter; Branco, Daniela; Steinmann, Angela; Baltz, Garrett; Gay, Skylar; Anderson, Brian; Cardenas, Carlos; Jhingran, Anuja; Shaitelman, Simona; Bogler, Oliver; Schmeller, Kathleen; Followill, David; Howell, Rebecca; Nelson, Christopher; Peterson, Christine; Beadle, Beth
2018-01-01
The Radiation Planning Assistant (RPA) is a system developed for the fully automated creation of radiotherapy treatment plans, including volume-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for patients with head/neck cancer and 4-field box plans for patients with cervical cancer. It is a combination of specially developed in-house software that uses an application programming interface to communicate with a commercial radiotherapy treatment planning system. It also interfaces with a commercial secondary dose verification software. The necessary inputs to the system are a Treatment Plan Order, approved by the radiation oncologist, and a simulation computed tomography (CT) image, approved by the radiographer. The RPA then generates a complete radiotherapy treatment plan. For the cervical cancer treatment plans, no additional user intervention is necessary until the plan is complete. For head/neck treatment plans, after the normal tissue and some of the target structures are automatically delineated on the CT image, the radiation oncologist must review the contours, making edits if necessary. They also delineate the gross tumor volume. The RPA then completes the treatment planning process, creating a VMAT plan. Finally, the completed plan must be reviewed by qualified clinical staff. PMID:29708544
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Maglev program test plan. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
deBenedet, D.; Gilchrist, A.J.; Karanian, L.A.
1992-07-01
Maglev systems represent a promising evolution in the high-speed ground transportation, offering speeds in excess of 300 mph along with the potential for low operating costs and minimal environmental impact. The goal of this effort is to investigate the feasibility and viability of maglev systems in the United States. The emergence of a sophisticated technology such as maglev requires a need for a coordinated research test program and the determination of test requirements to identify and mitigate development risk and to maximize the use of domestic resources. The study is directed toward the identification and characterization of maglev systems developmentmore » risks tied to a preliminary system architecture. Research objectives are accomplished by surveying experiences from previous maglev development programs, both foreign and domestic, and interviews with individuals involved with maglev research and testing. Findings include ninety-four distinct development risks and twenty risk types. Planning and implementation requirements are identified for a maglev test program, including the development of a facilities strategy to meet any operational concepts that evolve out of early development effort. Also specified is the logical development flow and associated long-lead support needs for sub-scale and full-scale testing.« less
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Ten Year Plan for the Redevelopment of Intellectual Disability Services. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Neilson Associates Pty. Ltd., Melbourne (Australia).
This report recommends a 10-year plan for changes in services to people with intellectual disabilities in Victoria, Australia. Intended key outcomes of the plan include: increases in the numbers of clients receiving direct residential support in community-based accommodations; reductions in numbers of adult clients resident in large scale…
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2014-09-05
This final rule specifies additional options for annual eligibility redeterminations and renewal and re-enrollment notice requirements for qualified health plans offered through the Exchange, beginning with annual redeterminations for coverage for benefit year 2015. This final rule provides additional flexibility for Exchanges, including the ability to propose unique approaches that meet the specific needs of their state, while streamlining the consumer experience.
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Linking Resource Decisions to Planning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Saunders, Laura
2014-01-01
This chapter explores the relationship between strategic planning and budgeting. It describes how community college leaders can use strategic and foundational plans (academic, facilities, technology, and financial) to drive budgets and resource allocations in support of institutional goals and objectives. Finally, it identifies challenges of doing…
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Incorporating climate change into systematic conservation planning
Groves, Craig R.; Game, Edward T.; Anderson, Mark G.; Cross, Molly; Enquist, Carolyn; Ferdana, Zach; Girvetz, Evan; Gondor, Anne; Hall, Kimberly R.; Higgins, Jonathan; Marshall, Rob; Popper, Ken; Schill, Steve; Shafer, Sarah L.
2012-01-01
The principles of systematic conservation planning are now widely used by governments and non-government organizations alike to develop biodiversity conservation plans for countries, states, regions, and ecoregions. Many of the species and ecosystems these plans were designed to conserve are now being affected by climate change, and there is a critical need to incorporate new and complementary approaches into these plans that will aid species and ecosystems in adjusting to potential climate change impacts. We propose five approaches to climate change adaptation that can be integrated into existing or new biodiversity conservation plans: (1) conserving the geophysical stage, (2) protecting climatic refugia, (3) enhancing regional connectivity, (4) sustaining ecosystem process and function, and (5) capitalizing on opportunities emerging in response to climate change. We discuss both key assumptions behind each approach and the trade-offs involved in using the approach for conservation planning. We also summarize additional data beyond those typically used in systematic conservation plans required to implement these approaches. A major strength of these approaches is that they are largely robust to the uncertainty in how climate impacts may manifest in any given region.
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Arunyanak, Sirikarn P; Harris, Bryan T; Grant, Gerald T; Morton, Dean; Lin, Wei-Shao
2016-07-01
This report describes a digital approach for computer-guided surgery and immediate provisionalization in a partially edentulous patient. With diagnostic data obtained from cone-beam computed tomography and intraoral digital diagnostic scans, a digital pathway of virtual diagnostic waxing, a virtual prosthetically driven surgical plan, a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) surgical template, and implant-supported screw-retained interim restorations were realized with various open-architecture CAD/CAM systems. The optional CAD/CAM diagnostic casts with planned implant placement were also additively manufactured to facilitate preoperative inspection of the surgical template and customization of the CAD/CAM-fabricated interim restorations. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1991-01-01
The cryogenic/aerobrake (CAB) and the cryogenic all-propulsive (CAP) concept designs developed in support of the Space Transfer Concepts and Analysis for Exploration Missions (STCAEM) study are presented. The evolution of the CAB and CAP concepts is described along with the requirements, guidelines and assumptions for the designs. Operating modes and options are defined and systems descriptions of the vehicles are presented. Artificial gravity configuration options and space and ground support systems are discussed. Finally, an implementation plan is presented which addresses technology needs, schedules, facilities, and costs.
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Band, Rebecca; Bradbury, Katherine; Morton, Katherine; May, Carl; Michie, Susan; Mair, Frances S; Murray, Elizabeth; McManus, Richard J; Little, Paul; Yardley, Lucy
2017-02-23
This paper describes the intervention planning process for the Home and Online Management and Evaluation of Blood Pressure (HOME BP), a digital intervention to promote hypertension self-management. It illustrates how a Person-Based Approach can be integrated with theory- and evidence-based approaches. The Person-Based Approach to intervention development emphasises the use of qualitative research to ensure that the intervention is acceptable, persuasive, engaging and easy to implement. Our intervention planning process comprised two parallel, integrated work streams, which combined theory-, evidence- and person-based elements. The first work stream involved collating evidence from a mixed methods feasibility study, a systematic review and a synthesis of qualitative research. This evidence was analysed to identify likely barriers and facilitators to uptake and implementation as well as design features that should be incorporated in the HOME BP intervention. The second work stream used three complementary approaches to theoretical modelling: developing brief guiding principles for intervention design, causal modelling to map behaviour change techniques in the intervention onto the Behaviour Change Wheel and Normalisation Process Theory frameworks, and developing a logic model. The different elements of our integrated approach to intervention planning yielded important, complementary insights into how to design the intervention to maximise acceptability and ease of implementation by both patients and health professionals. From the primary and secondary evidence, we identified key barriers to overcome (such as patient and health professional concerns about side effects of escalating medication) and effective intervention ingredients (such as providing in-person support for making healthy behaviour changes). Our guiding principles highlighted unique design features that could address these issues (such as online reassurance and procedures for managing concerns). Causal
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Regional Haze Plan for Texas and Oklahoma
EPA partially approved and partially disapproved the Texas regional haze plan. EPA also finalized a plan to limit sulfur dioxide emissions from eight Texas coal-fired electricity generating facilities
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EPA announced the availability of the final report, An Approach to Using Toxicogenomic Data in U.S. EPA Human Health Risk Assessments: A Dibutyl Phthalate Case Study. This report outlines an approach to evaluate genomic data for use in risk assessment and a case study to ...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1991-01-01
The nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) concept design developed in support of the Space Transfer Concepts and Analysis for Exploration Missions (STCAEM) study is presented. The evolution of the NEP concept is described along with the requirements, guidelines, and assumptions for the design. Operating modes and options are defined and a systems description of the vehicle is presented. Artificial gravity configuration options and space and ground support systems are discussed. Finally, an implementation plan is presented which addresses technology needs, schedules, facilities and costs.
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Integrating planning and reactive control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wilkins, David E.; Myers, Karen L.
1994-01-01
Our research is developing persistent agents that can achieve complex tasks in dynamic and uncertain environments. We refer to such agents as taskable, reactive agents. An agent of this type requires a number of capabilities. The ability to execute complex tasks necessitates the use of strategic plans for accomplishing tasks; hence, the agent must be able to synthesize new plans at run time. The dynamic nature of the environment requires that the agent be able to deal with unpredictable changes in its world. As such, agents must be able to react to unanticipated events by taking appropriate actions in a timely manner, while continuing activities that support current goals. The unpredictability of the world could lead to failure of plans generated for individual tasks. Agents must have the ability to recover from failures by adapting their activities to the new situation, or replanning if the world changes sufficiently. Finally, the agent should be able to perform in the face of uncertainty. The Cypress system, described here, provides a framework for creating taskable, reactive agents. Several features distinguish our approach: (1) the generation and execution of complex plans with parallel actions; (2) the integration of goal-driven and event driven activities during execution; (3) the use of evidential reasoning for dealing with uncertainty; and (4) the use of replanning to handle run-time execution problems. Our model for a taskable, reactive agent has two main intelligent components, an executor and a planner. The two components share a library of possible actions that the system can take. The library encompasses a full range of action representations, including plans, planning operators, and executable procedures such as predefined standard operating procedures (SOP's). These three classes of actions span multiple levels of abstraction.
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Integrating planning and reactive control
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wilkins, David E.; Myers, Karen L.
1994-10-01
Our research is developing persistent agents that can achieve complex tasks in dynamic and uncertain environments. We refer to such agents as taskable, reactive agents. An agent of this type requires a number of capabilities. The ability to execute complex tasks necessitates the use of strategic plans for accomplishing tasks; hence, the agent must be able to synthesize new plans at run time. The dynamic nature of the environment requires that the agent be able to deal with unpredictable changes in its world. As such, agents must be able to react to unanticipated events by taking appropriate actions in a timely manner, while continuing activities that support current goals. The unpredictability of the world could lead to failure of plans generated for individual tasks. Agents must have the ability to recover from failures by adapting their activities to the new situation, or replanning if the world changes sufficiently. Finally, the agent should be able to perform in the face of uncertainty. The Cypress system, described here, provides a framework for creating taskable, reactive agents. Several features distinguish our approach: (1) the generation and execution of complex plans with parallel actions; (2) the integration of goal-driven and event driven activities during execution; (3) the use of evidential reasoning for dealing with uncertainty; and (4) the use of replanning to handle run-time execution problems. Our model for a taskable, reactive agent has two main intelligent components, an executor and a planner. The two components share a library of possible actions that the system can take. The library encompasses a full range of action representations, including plans, planning operators, and executable procedures such as predefined standard operating procedures (SOP's). These three classes of actions span multiple levels of abstraction.
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X-43A Final Flight Observations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Grindle, Laurie
2011-01-01
The presentation will provide an overview of the final flight of the NASA X-43A project. The project consisted of three flights, two planned for Mach 7 and one for Mach 10. The first flight, conducted on June 2, 2001, was unsuccessful and resulted in a nine-month mishap investigation. A two-year return to flight effort ensued and concluded when the second Mach 7 flight was successfully conducted on March 27, 2004. The third and final flight, which occurred on November 16, 2004, was the first Mach 10 flight demonstration of an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered, hypersonic vehicle. As such, the final flight presented first time technical challenges in addition to final flight project closeout concerns. The goals and objectives for the third flight as well as those for the project will be presented. The configuration of the Hyper-X stack including the X-43A, Hyper-X launch vehicle, and Hyper-X research vehicle adapter wil also be presented. Mission differences, vehicle modifications and lessons learned from the first and second flights as they applied to the third flight will also be discussed. Although X-43A flight 3 was always planned to be the final flight of the X-43A project, the X-43 program had two other vehicles and corresponding flight phases in X-43C and X-43B. Those other projects never manifested under the X-43 banner and X-43A flight 3 also became the final flight of X-43 program.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wijaya, I. N. S.; Rahadi, B.; Lusiana, N.; Maulidina, I.
2017-06-01
Urbanization in many countries, such as Indonesia, is commonly appeared as a dynamic population of developed areas. It is followed with reducing rural uses of land for improving urban land uses such as housing, industry, infrastructure, etc. in response to the growth of population. One may not be sufficiently considered by the urban planners and the decision makers, urbanization also means escalation of natural resources consumption that should be supported by the natural capacity of the area. In this situation, balancing approach as carrying capacity calculation in spatial planning is needed for sustainability. Indonesian Spatial Planning Law 26/2007 has already expressed about the balance approach in the system. Moreover, it strictly regulates the assessment and the permission system in controlling land development, especially for the conversion. However, the reductions over the rural uses of land, especially agriculture, are continuously occurred. Concerning the planning approach, this paper aims to disclose common insufficiency of carrying capacity considerations in Indonesian spatial planning practice. This paper describes common calculation weaknesses in projecting area for the urban development by recalculating the actual gap between supply and demand of agriculture land areas. Here, municipal spatial plan of Kutai Kartanegara Regency is utilized as single sample case to discuss. As the result, the recalculation shows that: 1) there are serious deficit status of agriculture land areas in order to fulfil the demanded agriculture production for the existed population, 2) some calculation of agriculture production may be miss-interpreted because of insufficient explanation toward the productivity of each agriculture commodity.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ricks, Wendell R.; Jonnson, Jon E.; Barry, John S.
1996-01-01
Adequately presenting all necessary information on an approach chart represents a challenge for cartographers. Since many tasks associated with using approach charts are cognitive (e.g., planning the approach and monitoring its progress), and since the characteristic of a successful interface is one that conforms to the users' mental models, understanding pilots' underlying models of approach chart information would greatly assist cartographers. To provide such information, a new methodology was developed for this study that enhances traditional information requirements analyses by combining psychometric scaling techniques with a simulation task to provide quantifiable links between pilots' cognitive representations of approach information and their use of approach information. Results of this study should augment previous information requirements analyses by identifying what information is acquired, when it is acquired, and what presentation concepts might facilitate its efficient use by better matching the pilots' cognitive model of the information. The primary finding in this study indicated that pilots mentally organize approach chart information into ten primary categories: communications, geography, validation, obstructions, navigation, missed approach, final items, other runways, visibility requirement, and navigation aids. These similarity categories were found to underlie the pilots' information acquisitions, other mental models, and higher level cognitive processes that are used to accomplish their approach and landing tasks.
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Ten-year urban forestry action plan
J.W." Jerry" Van Sambeek
2017-01-01
The Ten-year Urban Forestry Action Plan: 2016-2026 was published in September, 2015 (see http://www.urbanforestry.subr.edu/FinalActionPlan_Complete_11_17_15.pdf). This 260 page heavily illustrated document was prepared by the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) under leadership and funding from the USDA Forest Service. The Plan's...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Yongfang; Zhao, Yu; Chen, Guanrong
2016-11-01
This paper studies the distributed consensus and containment problems for a group of harmonic oscillators with a directed communication topology. First, for consensus without a leader, a class of distributed consensus protocols is designed by using motion planning and Pontryagin's principle. The proposed protocol only requires relative information measurements at the sampling instants, without requiring information exchange over the sampled interval. By using stability theory and the properties of stochastic matrices, it is proved that the distributed consensus problem can be solved in the motion planning framework. Second, for the case with multiple leaders, a class of distributed containment protocols is developed for followers such that their positions and velocities can ultimately converge to the convex hull formed by those of the leaders. Compared with the existing consensus algorithms, a remarkable advantage of the proposed sampled-data-based protocols is that the sampling periods, communication topologies and control gains are all decoupled and can be separately designed, which relaxes many restrictions in controllers design. Finally, some numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the analytical results.
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2013-07-15
This final rule implements provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively referred to as the Affordable Care Act. This final rule finalizes new Medicaid eligibility provisions; finalizes changes related to electronic Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility notices and delegation of appeals; modernizes and streamlines existing Medicaid eligibility rules; revises CHIP rules relating to the substitution of coverage to improve the coordination of CHIP coverage with other coverage; and amends requirements for benchmark and benchmark-equivalent benefit packages consistent with sections 1937 of the Social Security Act (which we refer to as ``alternative benefit plans'') to ensure that these benefit packages include essential health benefits and meet certain other minimum standards. This rule also implements specific provisions including those related to authorized representatives, notices, and verification of eligibility for qualifying coverage in an eligible employer-sponsored plan for Affordable Insurance Exchanges. This rule also updates and simplifies the complex Medicaid premium and cost sharing requirements, to promote the most effective use of services, and to assist states in identifying cost sharing flexibilities. It includes transition policies for 2014 as applicable.
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... Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is an eating plan that is based on research studies sponsored by ... risk of getting heart disease. The DASH eating plan Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole-grains Includes fat- ...
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2016-08-01
This document describes the Deployment Plan for the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC) Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment (CVPD) Project. This plan describes the approach to complete Phase 2 Design/Build/Test, and Phase 3 Operate and Ma...
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Backer, Hermanni; Leppänen, Juha-Markku; Brusendorff, Anne Christine; Forsius, Kaj; Stankiewicz, Monika; Mehtonen, Jukka; Pyhälä, Minna; Laamanen, Maria; Paulomäki, Hanna; Vlasov, Nikolay; Haaranen, Tarja
2010-05-01
The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Baltic Sea Action Plan, adopted by the coastal countries of the Baltic Sea and the European Community in November 2007, is a regional intergovernmental programme of measures for the protection and management of the marine environment explicitly based on the Ecosystem Approach. The Action Plan is structured around a set of Ecological Objectives used to define indicators and targets, including effect-based nutrient input ceilings, and to monitor implementation. The Action Plan strongly links Baltic marine environmental concerns to important socio-economic fields such as agriculture and fisheries and promotes cross-sectoral tools including marine spatial planning. Due to complementarities with the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Action Plan is in essence a pilot for this process without neglecting the important role of the Russian Federation - the only Baltic coastal country not a member of the EU. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Charlotte Circle Outreach. Final Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Calhoun, Mary Lynne; Rose, Terry L.; Prendergast, Donna
This final report details the activities of the Charlotte Circle Outreach, a program designed to provide technical assistance and training to early intervention programs offering services to infants and young children with substantial disabilities, ages birth through two years. This mission was accomplished through cooperative planning with…
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A benders decomposition approach to multiarea stochastic distributed utility planning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McCusker, Susan Ann
Until recently, small, modular generation and storage options---distributed resources (DRs)---have been installed principally in areas too remote for economic power grid connection and sensitive applications requiring backup capacity. Recent regulatory changes and DR advances, however, have lead utilities to reconsider the role of DRs. To a utility facing distribution capacity bottlenecks or uncertain load growth, DRs can be particularly valuable since they can be dispersed throughout the system and constructed relatively quickly. DR value is determined by comparing its costs to avoided central generation expenses (i.e., marginal costs) and distribution investments. This requires a comprehensive central and local planning and production model, since central system marginal costs result from system interactions over space and time. This dissertation develops and applies an iterative generalized Benders decomposition approach to coordinate models for optimal DR evaluation. Three coordinated models exchange investment, net power demand, and avoided cost information to minimize overall expansion costs. Local investment and production decisions are made by a local mixed integer linear program. Central system investment decisions are made by a LP, and production costs are estimated by a stochastic multi-area production costing model with Kirchhoff's Voltage and Current Law constraints. The nested decomposition is a new and unique method for distributed utility planning that partitions the variables twice to separate local and central investment and production variables, and provides upper and lower bounds on expected expansion costs. Kirchhoff's Voltage Law imposes nonlinear, nonconvex constraints that preclude use of LP if transmission capacity is available in a looped transmission system. This dissertation develops KVL constraint approximations that permit the nested decomposition to consider new transmission resources, while maintaining linearity in the three
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MO-B-BRB-02: Maintain the Quality of Treatment Planning for Time-Constraint Cases
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chang, J.
The radiotherapy treatment planning process has evolved over the years with innovations in treatment planning, treatment delivery and imaging systems. Treatment modality and simulation technologies are also rapidly improving and affecting the planning process. For example, Image-guided-radiation-therapy has been widely adopted for patient setup, leading to margin reduction and isocenter repositioning after simulation. Stereotactic Body radiation therapy (SBRT) and Radiosurgery (SRS) have gradually become the standard of care for many treatment sites, which demand a higher throughput for the treatment plans even if the number of treatments per day remains the same. Finally, simulation, planning and treatment are traditionally sequentialmore » events. However, with emerging adaptive radiotherapy, they are becoming more tightly intertwined, leading to iterative processes. Enhanced efficiency of planning is therefore becoming more critical and poses serious challenge to the treatment planning process; Lean Six Sigma approaches are being utilized increasingly to balance the competing needs for speed and quality. In this symposium we will discuss the treatment planning process and illustrate effective techniques for managing workflow. Topics will include: Planning techniques: (a) beam placement, (b) dose optimization, (c) plan evaluation (d) export to RVS. Planning workflow: (a) import images, (b) Image fusion, (c) contouring, (d) plan approval (e) plan check (f) chart check, (g) sequential and iterative process Influence of upstream and downstream operations: (a) simulation, (b) immobilization, (c) motion management, (d) QA, (e) IGRT, (f) Treatment delivery, (g) SBRT/SRS (h) adaptive planning Reduction of delay between planning steps with Lean systems due to (a) communication, (b) limited resource, (b) contour, (c) plan approval, (d) treatment. Optimizing planning processes: (a) contour validation (b) consistent planning protocol, (c) protocol/template sharing, (d
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On Intelligent Design and Planning Method of Process Route Based on Gun Breech Machining Process
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hongzhi, Zhao; Jian, Zhang
2018-03-01
The paper states an approach of intelligent design and planning of process route based on gun breech machining process, against several problems, such as complex machining process of gun breech, tedious route design and long period of its traditional unmanageable process route. Based on gun breech machining process, intelligent design and planning system of process route are developed by virtue of DEST and VC++. The system includes two functional modules--process route intelligent design and its planning. The process route intelligent design module, through the analysis of gun breech machining process, summarizes breech process knowledge so as to complete the design of knowledge base and inference engine. And then gun breech process route intelligently output. On the basis of intelligent route design module, the final process route is made, edited and managed in the process route planning module.
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Integrated watershed planning across jurisdictional boundaries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Watts, A. W.; Roseen, R.; Stacey, P.; Bourdeau, R.
2014-12-01
We will present the foundation for an Coastal Watershed Integrated Plan for three communities in southern New Hampshire. Small communities are often challenged by complex regulatory requirements and limited resources, but are wary of perceived risks in engaging in collaborative projects with other communities. Potential concerns include loss of control, lack of resources to engage in collaboration, technical complexity, and unclear benefits. This project explores a multi-town subwatershed application of integrated planning across jurisdictional boundaries that addresses some of today's highest priority water quality issues: wastewater treatment plant upgrades for nutrient removal; green infrastructure stormwater management for developing and re-developing areas; and regional monitoring of ecosystem indicators in support of adaptive management to achieve nutrient reduction and other water quality goals in local and downstream waters. The project outcome is a collaboratively-developed inter-municipal integrated plan, and a monitoring framework to support cross jurisdictional planning and assess attainment of water quality management goals. This research project has several primary components: 1) assessment of initial conditions, including both the pollutant load inputs and the political, economic and regulatory status within each community, 2) a pollutant load model for point and non-point sources, 3) multi-criteria evaluation of load reduction alternatives 4) a watershed management plan optimized for each community, and for Subwatersheds combining multiple communities. The final plan will quantify the financial and other benefits/drawbacks to each community for both inter municipal and individual pollution control approaches. We will discuss both the technical and collaborative aspects of the work, with lessons learned regarding science to action, incorporation of social, economic and water quality assessment parameters, and stakeholder/researcher interaction.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Eccleston, C.H.
1997-09-05
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 was established by Congress more than a quarter of a century ago, yet there is a surprising lack of specific tools, techniques, and methodologies for effectively implementing these regulatory requirements. Lack of professionally accepted techniques is a principal factor responsible for many inefficiencies. Often, decision makers do not fully appreciate or capitalize on the true potential which NEPA provides as a platform for planning future actions. New approaches and modem management tools must be adopted to fully achieve NEPA`s mandate. A new strategy, referred to as Total Federal Planning, is proposed formore » unifying large-scale federal planning efforts under a single, systematic, structured, and holistic process. Under this approach, the NEPA planning process provides a unifying framework for integrating all early environmental and nonenvironmental decision-making factors into a single comprehensive planning process. To promote effectiveness and efficiency, modem tools and principles from the disciplines of Value Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Total Quality Management are incorporated. Properly integrated and implemented, these planning tools provide the rigorous, structured, and disciplined framework essential in achieving effective planning. Ultimately, the goal of a Total Federal Planning strategy is to construct a unified and interdisciplinary framework that substantially improves decision-making, while reducing the time, cost, redundancy, and effort necessary to comply with environmental and other planning requirements. At a time when Congress is striving to re-engineer the governmental framework, apparatus, and process, a Total Federal Planning philosophy offers a systematic approach for uniting the disjointed and often convoluted planning process currently used by most federal agencies. Potentially this approach has widespread implications in the way federal planning is approached.« less
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Michigan sub-state area long range plans : final summary report
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1995-09-01
Extensive change will mark the future of transportation in Michigan. To meet this challenge, the Michigan Department of Transportation (M.DOT) embarked upon the creation of a statewide plan to chart improvements to the transportation system and to de...
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Incremental Contingency Planning
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Dearden, Richard; Meuleau, Nicolas; Ramakrishnan, Sailesh; Smith, David E.; Washington, Rich
2003-01-01
There has been considerable work in AI on planning under uncertainty. However, this work generally assumes an extremely simple model of action that does not consider continuous time and resources. These assumptions are not reasonable for a Mars rover, which must cope with uncertainty about the duration of tasks, the energy required, the data storage necessary, and its current position and orientation. In this paper, we outline an approach to generating contingency plans when the sources of uncertainty involve continuous quantities such as time and resources. The approach involves first constructing a "seed" plan, and then incrementally adding contingent branches to this plan in order to improve utility. The challenge is to figure out the best places to insert contingency branches. This requires an estimate of how much utility could be gained by building a contingent branch at any given place in the seed plan. Computing this utility exactly is intractable, but we outline an approximation method that back propagates utility distributions through a graph structure similar to that of a plan graph.
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Planning in the Continuous Operations Environment of the International Space Station
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Maxwell, Theresa; Hagopian, Jeff
1996-01-01
The continuous operation planning approach developed for the operations planning of the International Space Station (ISS) is reported on. The approach was designed to be a robust and cost-effective method. It separates ISS planning into two planning functions: long-range planning for a fixed length planning horizon which continually moves forward as ISS operations progress, and short-range planning which takes a small segment of the long-range plan and develops a detailed operations schedule. The continuous approach is compared with the incremental approach, the short and long-range planning functions are described, and the benefits and challenges of implementing a continuous operations planning approach for the ISS are summarized.
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TU-G-210-02: TRANS-FUSIMO - An Integrative Approach to Model-Based Treatment Planning of Liver FUS
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Preusser, T.
Modeling can play a vital role in predicting, optimizing and analyzing the results of therapeutic ultrasound treatments. Simulating the propagating acoustic beam in various targeted regions of the body allows for the prediction of the resulting power deposition and temperature profiles. In this session we will apply various modeling approaches to breast, abdominal organ and brain treatments. Of particular interest is the effectiveness of procedures for correcting for phase aberrations caused by intervening irregular tissues, such as the skull in transcranial applications or inhomogeneous breast tissues. Also described are methods to compensate for motion in targeted abdominal organs such asmore » the liver or kidney. Douglas Christensen – Modeling for Breast and Brain HIFU Treatment Planning Tobias Preusser – TRANS-FUSIMO – An Integrative Approach to Model-Based Treatment Planning of Liver FUS Tobias Preusser – TRANS-FUSIMO – An Integrative Approach to Model-Based Treatment Planning of Liver FUS Learning Objectives: Understand the role of acoustic beam modeling for predicting the effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound treatments. Apply acoustic modeling to specific breast, liver, kidney and transcranial anatomies. Determine how to obtain appropriate acoustic modeling parameters from clinical images. Understand the separate role of absorption and scattering in energy delivery to tissues. See how organ motion can be compensated for in ultrasound therapies. Compare simulated data with clinical temperature measurements in transcranial applications. Supported by NIH R01 HL172787 and R01 EB013433 (DC); EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under 270186 (FUSIMO) and 611889 (TRANS-FUSIMO)(TP); and P01 CA159992, GE, FUSF and InSightec (UV)« less
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1991-01-01
This document presents the solar electric propulsion (SEP) concept design developed as part of the Space Transfer Concepts and Analysis for Exploration Missions (STCAEM) study. The evolution of the SEP concept is described along with the requirements, guidelines and assumptions for the design. Operating modes and options are defined and a systems description of the vehicle is presented. Artificial gravity configuration options and space and ground support systems are discussed. Finally, an implementation plan is presented which addresses technology needs, schedules, facilities, and costs.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1991-01-01
This document presents the nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) concept design developed in support of the Space Transfer Concepts and Analysis for Exploration Missions (STCAEM) study. The evolution of the NTR concept is described along with the requirements, guidelines and assumptions for the design. Operating modes and options are defined and a systems description of the vehicle is presented. Artificial gravity configuration options and space and ground support systems are discussed. Finally, an implementation plan is presented which addresses technology needs, schedules, facilities and costs.
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Groundwater regulation and integrated planning
Quevauviller, Philippe; Batelaan, Okke; Hunt, Randall J.
2016-01-01
The complex nature of groundwater and the diversity of uses and environmental interactions call for emerging groundwater problems to be addressed through integrated management and planning approaches. Planning requires different levels of integration dealing with: the hydrologic cycle (the physical process) including the temporal dimension; river basins and aquifers (spatial integration); socioeconomic considerations at regional, national and international levels; and scientific knowledge. The great natural variation in groundwater conditions obviously affects planning needs and options as well as perceptions from highly localised to regionally-based approaches. The scale at which planning is done therefore needs to be carefully evaluated against available policy choices and options in each particular setting. A solid planning approach is based on River Basin Management Planning (RBMP), which covers: (1) objectives that management planning are designed to address; (2) the way various types of measures fit into the overall management planning; and (3) the criteria against which the success or failure of specific strategies or interventions can be evaluated (e.g. compliance with environmental quality standards). A management planning framework is to be conceived as a “living” or iterated document that can be updated, refined and if necessary changed as information and experience are gained. This chapter discusses these aspects, providing an insight into European Union (EU), United States and Australia groundwater planning practices.
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Nonprofit Hospitals’ Approach to Community Health Needs Assessment
McLeroy, Kenneth R.; Burdine, James N.; Matarrita-Cascante, David
2015-01-01
Objectives. We sought a better understanding of how nonprofit hospitals are fulfilling the community health needs assessment (CHNA) provision of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to conduct CHNAs and develop CHNA and implementation strategies reports. Methods. Through an Internet search of an estimated 179 nonprofit hospitals in Texas conducted between December 1, 2013, and January 5, 2014, we identified and reviewed 95 CHNA and implementation strategies reports. We evaluated and scored reports with specific criteria. We analyzed hospital-related and other report characteristics to understand relationships with report quality. Results. There was wide-ranging diversity in CHNA approaches and report quality. Consultant-led CHNA processes and collaboration with local health departments were associated with higher-quality reports. Conclusions. At the time of this study, the Internal Revenue Service had not yet issued the final regulations for the CHNA requirement. This provides an opportunity to strengthen the CHNA guidance for the final regulations, clarify the purpose of the assessment and planning process and reports, and better align assessment and planning activities through a public health framework. PMID:25602862
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Nonprofit hospitals' approach to community health needs assessment.
Pennel, Cara L; McLeroy, Kenneth R; Burdine, James N; Matarrita-Cascante, David
2015-03-01
We sought a better understanding of how nonprofit hospitals are fulfilling the community health needs assessment (CHNA) provision of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to conduct CHNAs and develop CHNA and implementation strategies reports. Through an Internet search of an estimated 179 nonprofit hospitals in Texas conducted between December 1, 2013, and January 5, 2014, we identified and reviewed 95 CHNA and implementation strategies reports. We evaluated and scored reports with specific criteria. We analyzed hospital-related and other report characteristics to understand relationships with report quality. There was wide-ranging diversity in CHNA approaches and report quality. Consultant-led CHNA processes and collaboration with local health departments were associated with higher-quality reports. At the time of this study, the Internal Revenue Service had not yet issued the final regulations for the CHNA requirement. This provides an opportunity to strengthen the CHNA guidance for the final regulations, clarify the purpose of the assessment and planning process and reports, and better align assessment and planning activities through a public health framework.
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Shukla, Nagesh; Wickramasuriya, Rohan; Miller, Andrew; Perez, Pascal
2015-11-01
This paper proposes an integrated modelling approach for location planning of radiotherapy treatment services based on cancer incidence and road network-based accessibility. Previous research efforts have established travel distance/time barriers as a key factor affecting access to cancer treatment services, as well as epidemiological studies have shown that cancer incidence rates vary with population demography. Our study is built on the evidence that the travel distances to treatment centres and demographic profiles of the accessible regions greatly influence the uptake of cancer radiotherapy (RT) services. An integrated service planning approach that combines spatially-explicit cancer incidence projections, and the placement of new RT services based on road network based accessibility measures have never been attempted. This research presents a novel approach for the location planning of RT services, and demonstrates its viability by modelling cancer incidence rates for different age-sex groups in New South Wales, Australia based on observed cancer incidence trends; and estimations of the road network-based access to current NSW treatment centres. Using three indices (General Efficiency, Service Availability and Equity), we show how the best location for a new RT centre may be chosen when there are multiple competing locations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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The GeoCitizen-approach: community-based spatial planning – an Ecuadorian case study
Atzmanstorfer, Karl; Resl, Richard; Eitzinger, Anton; Izurieta, Xiomara
2014-01-01
Over the last years, geospatial web platforms, social media, and volunteered geographic information (VGI) have opened a window of opportunity for traditional Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) to usher in a new era. Taking advantage of these technological achievements, this paper presents a new approach for a citizen-orientated framework of spatial planning that aims at integrating participatory community work into existing decision-making structures. One major cornerstone of the presented approach is the application of a social geoweb platform (the GeoCitizen platform) that combines geo-web technologies and social media in one single tool allowing citizens to collaboratively report observations, discuss ideas, solve, and monitor problems in their living environment at a local level. This paper gives an account of an ongoing participatory land-zoning process in the Capital District of Quito, Ecuador, where the GeoCitizen platform is applied in a long-term study. PMID:27019644
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
System Development Corp., Santa Monica, CA.
A national data program for the marine environment is recommended. Volume 2 includes: (1) objectives, scope, and methodology; (2) summary of the technical development plan; (3) agency development plans - Great Lakes and coastal development and (4) marine data network development plans. (Author)
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Human Factors Assessment: The Passive Final Approach Spacing Tool (pFAST) Operational Evaluation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Katharine K.; Sanford, Beverly D.
1998-01-01
Automation to assist air traffic controllers in the current terminal and en route air traff ic environments is being developed at Ames Research Center in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration. This automation, known collectively as the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS), provides decision- making assistance to air traffic controllers through computer-generated advisories. One of the CTAS tools developed specifically to assist terminal area air traffic controllers is the Passive Final Approach Spacing Tool (pFAST). An operational evaluation of PFAST was conducted at the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility. Human factors data collected during the test describe the impact of the automation upon the air traffic controller in terms of perceived workload and acceptance. Results showed that controller self-reported workload was not significantly increased or reduced by the PFAST automation; rather, controllers reported that the levels of workload remained primarily the same. Controller coordination and communication data were analyzed, and significant differences in the nature of controller coordination were found. Controller acceptance ratings indicated that PFAST was acceptable. This report describes the human factors data and results from the 1996 Operational Field Evaluation of Passive FAST.
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Symstad, Amy J.; Long, Andrew J.; Stamm, John; King, David A.; Bachelet, Dominque M.; Norton, Parker A.
2014-01-01
Wind Cave National Park (WICA) protects one of the world’s longest caves, has large amounts of high quality, native vegetation, and hosts a genetically important bison herd. The park’s relatively small size and unique purpose within its landscape requires hands-on management of these and other natural resources, all of which are interconnected. Anthropogenic climate change presents an added challenge to WICA natural resource management because it is characterized by large uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of park and National Park Service (NPS) staff. When uncertainty is high and control of this uncertainty low, scenario planning is an appropriate tool for determining future actions. In 2009, members of the NPS obtained formal training in the use of scenario planning in order to evaluate it as a tool for incorporating climate change into NPS natural resource management planning. WICA served as one of two case studies used in this training exercise. Although participants in the training exercise agreed that the scenario planning process showed promise for its intended purpose, they were concerned that the process lacked the scientific rigor necessary to defend the management implications derived from it in the face of public scrutiny. This report addresses this concern and others by (1) providing a thorough description of the process of the 2009 scenario planning exercise, as well as its results and management implications for WICA; (2) presenting the results of a follow-up, scientific study that quantitatively simulated responses of WICA’s hydrological and ecological systems to specific climate projections; (3) placing these climate projections and the general climate scenarios used in the scenario planning exercise in the broader context of available climate projections; and (4) comparing the natural resource management implications derived from the two approaches. Wind Cave National Park (WICA) protects one of the world’s longest caves
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Planning the diffusion of a neck-injury prevention programme among community rugby union coaches.
Donaldson, Alex; Poulos, Roslyn G
2014-01-01
This paper describes the development of a theory-informed and evidence-informed, context-specific diffusion plan for the Mayday Safety Procedure (MSP) among community rugby coaches in regional New South Wales, Australia. Step 5 of Intervention Mapping was used to plan strategies to enhance MSP adoption and implementation. Coaches were identified as the primary MSP adopters and implementers within a system including administrators, players and referees. A local advisory group was established to ensure context relevance. Performance objectives (eg, attend MSP training for coaches) and determinants of adoption and implementation behaviour (eg, knowledge, beliefs, skills and environment) were identified, informed by Social Cognitive Theory. Adoption and implementation matrices were developed and change-objectives for coaches were identified (eg, skills to deliver MSP training to players). Finally, intervention methods and specific strategies (eg, coach education, social marketing and policy and by-law development) were identified based on advisory group member experience, evidence of effective coach safety behaviour-change interventions and Diffusion of Innovations theory. This is the first published example of a systematic approach to plan injury prevention programme diffusion in community sports. The key strengths of this approach were an effective researcher-practitioner partnership; actively engaging local sports administrators; targeting specific behaviour determinants, informed by theory and evidence; and taking context-related practical strengths and constraints into consideration. The major challenges were the time involved in using a systematic diffusion planning approach for the first time; and finding a planning language that was acceptable and meaningful to researchers and practitioners.
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Population planning: a well co-ordinated approach required.
1984-01-01
of the region explicit or implicit incentives and/or disincentives are included in the population/family planning program. In the Philippine Population Program, incentives are explicitly given only to volunteer program workers. Disincentives are incorporated in the Internal Revenue Code and the Woman and Child Labor Code. In Indonesia preference is given to incentives rather than to disincentives. The government of Bangladesh is seriously considering the introduction of a package deal of incentives and disincentives in an all out effort to reach desired demographic objectives. In Nepal such a package is already in operation. The more recent innovative measures to encourage the 2-child child family norm in India include: increased compensation money to acceptors of sterilization and IUD and giving lottery tickets to acceptors of sterilization. There is recognition in these countries of the need for an integrated approach to population and development programs.
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An approach to family planning for Indochinese refugee women.
Presswell, N J
1982-08-01
Family planning services were introduced in Vietnam by the Americans about 20 years ago, but on a limited basis. Many of the Vietnamese refugee women have had no contact with such services. Abortion was illegal until 1975 in South Vietnam, but since the takeover, abortion clinics have been available as part of the public hospital system. Family planning was available in some of the refugee camps. Most of the Vietnam refugees fled their country by boat. Before their acceptance by Australia, the Vietnamese refugees have health checks by the Australian Commonwealth Health Department in the country of transit. Shortly after their arrival in Australia, health screening is done by the State Health Department. The majority of refugees are accommodated in migrant hostels for the 1st 3-12 months. Family planning is incorporated into Eastbridge Hostel's orientation program. During participation in some family planning discussion groups with the Indochinese refugees, it was observed that the women were particularly shy and hesitant to talk about sexual concerns in a large group or in mixed company. As personal matters are dealt with in the family, it is preferable to have a female as a discussion leader and interpreter. Visual aids such as a display of contraceptive devices, a model showing female anatomy and a family planning film for non-English speaking migrants are particularly useful. As a female doctor using a female interpreter the aim was to provide an accessible service for Indochinese women with family planning inquiries or gynecological problems. It is important that the interpreter is present in the consulting room. Nonverbal cues are most important and particular attention should be paid to establishing eye contact with the patient. Simple miming techniques or the use of diagrams may be helpful in reinforcing the work of the interpreter. When listening to the patient, it is useful to look and listen for nonverbal cues from them. Between February 1980 and May 1981
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Epstein, Joshua M.; Pankajakshan, Ramesh; Hammond, Ross A.
2011-01-01
We introduce a novel hybrid of two fields—Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Agent-Based Modeling (ABM)—as a powerful new technique for urban evacuation planning. CFD is a predominant technique for modeling airborne transport of contaminants, while ABM is a powerful approach for modeling social dynamics in populations of adaptive individuals. The hybrid CFD-ABM method is capable of simulating how large, spatially-distributed populations might respond to a physically realistic contaminant plume. We demonstrate the overall feasibility of CFD-ABM evacuation design, using the case of a hypothetical aerosol release in Los Angeles to explore potential effectiveness of various policy regimes. We conclude by arguing that this new approach can be powerfully applied to arbitrary population centers, offering an unprecedented preparedness and catastrophic event response tool. PMID:21687788
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The Consensus Plan: Dutchess Community College, 1984-85.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Donsky, Aaron P.; And Others
This 1984-85 Consensus Plan for Dutchess Community College is the result of a comprehensive planning process characterized by three elements: (1) a cycle of departmental input directed by a voluntary planning committee and finalized by the deans and president; (2) an integrated process in which departmental plans reflect the major thrusts…
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Knowledge-light adaptation approaches in case-based reasoning for radiotherapy treatment planning.
Petrovic, Sanja; Khussainova, Gulmira; Jagannathan, Rupa
2016-03-01
Radiotherapy treatment planning aims at delivering a sufficient radiation dose to cancerous tumour cells while sparing healthy organs in the tumour-surrounding area. It is a time-consuming trial-and-error process that requires the expertise of a group of medical experts including oncologists and medical physicists and can take from 2 to 3h to a few days. Our objective is to improve the performance of our previously built case-based reasoning (CBR) system for brain tumour radiotherapy treatment planning. In this system, a treatment plan for a new patient is retrieved from a case base containing patient cases treated in the past and their treatment plans. However, this system does not perform any adaptation, which is needed to account for any difference between the new and retrieved cases. Generally, the adaptation phase is considered to be intrinsically knowledge-intensive and domain-dependent. Therefore, an adaptation often requires a large amount of domain-specific knowledge, which can be difficult to acquire and often is not readily available. In this study, we investigate approaches to adaptation that do not require much domain knowledge, referred to as knowledge-light adaptation. We developed two adaptation approaches: adaptation based on machine-learning tools and adaptation-guided retrieval. They were used to adapt the beam number and beam angles suggested in the retrieved case. Two machine-learning tools, neural networks and naive Bayes classifier, were used in the adaptation to learn how the difference in attribute values between the retrieved and new cases affects the output of these two cases. The adaptation-guided retrieval takes into consideration not only the similarity between the new and retrieved cases, but also how to adapt the retrieved case. The research was carried out in collaboration with medical physicists at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, City Hospital Campus, UK. All experiments were performed using real-world brain cancer
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Engberg, Lovisa; Forsgren, Anders; Eriksson, Kjell; Hårdemark, Björn
2017-06-01
To formulate convex planning objectives of treatment plan multicriteria optimization with explicit relationships to the dose-volume histogram (DVH) statistics used in plan quality evaluation. Conventional planning objectives are designed to minimize the violation of DVH statistics thresholds using penalty functions. Although successful in guiding the DVH curve towards these thresholds, conventional planning objectives offer limited control of the individual points on the DVH curve (doses-at-volume) used to evaluate plan quality. In this study, we abandon the usual penalty-function framework and propose planning objectives that more closely relate to DVH statistics. The proposed planning objectives are based on mean-tail-dose, resulting in convex optimization. We also demonstrate how to adapt a standard optimization method to the proposed formulation in order to obtain a substantial reduction in computational cost. We investigated the potential of the proposed planning objectives as tools for optimizing DVH statistics through juxtaposition with the conventional planning objectives on two patient cases. Sets of treatment plans with differently balanced planning objectives were generated using either the proposed or the conventional approach. Dominance in the sense of better distributed doses-at-volume was observed in plans optimized within the proposed framework. The initial computational study indicates that the DVH statistics are better optimized and more efficiently balanced using the proposed planning objectives than using the conventional approach. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
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Excavated Soils Management Plan for AOCs 44 and 52, Fort Devens
1994-05-01
I FORT DEVENS AOCs 44 AND 52 I I I FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN DATA ITEM A009I I U 20070424310 I CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 I U.S. ARMY...obselete FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR AOCs 44 AND 52 FORT DEVENS Prepared for. U.S. Army Enviromnental Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland...BLANK 3 I I I I I I I I I I FINAL EXCAVATED SOILS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR AOCs 44 AND 52 FORT DEVENS TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Section Title Page No. 1.0
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Making climate change tangible for strategic adaptation planning: The Climate Corridor Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Orlowsky, Boris; Calanca, Pierluigi; Ali, Irshad; Ali, Jawad; Elguera Hilares, Agustin; Huggel, Christian; Khan, Inamullah; Neukom, Raphael; Nizami, Arjumand; Qazi, Muhammad Abbas; Robledo, Carmenza; Rohrer, Mario; Salzmann, Nadine; Schmidt, Kaspar
2017-04-01
Climate change is a global phenomenon and difficult to grasp. Although its importance is generally acknowledged, impacts of (future) climate change on human activities are in many cases not taken into account explicitly, in particular when planning development projects. This is due to technical and conceptual challenges, missing financial and human resources and competing priorities. Neglecting climate change can become problematic, if a proposed activity requires specific climatological conditions under which it becomes feasible, a simple example being crop cultivation that needs certain temperature an d precipitation ranges. Comparing such ``climate corridors'' to future climate projections provides an intuitive and low-cost yet quantitative means for assessing needs for, and viability of, adaptation activities under climate change - a "poor man's approach" to climate suitability analysis. A chief advantage of this approach is its modest demand on data. Three case studies from Pakistan, Peru and Tajikistan show that climate corridor analysis can deliver robust results and can be used to efficiently communicate risks and challenges of climate change to partners and stakeholders in the developing countries.
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Person-Centered Transition Planning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miner, Craig A.; Bates, Paul E.
1997-01-01
Describes a person-centered planning approach for involving students with disabilities and their families in the transition planning process. Components of person-centered planning are discussed, including development of a personal profile, identification of future lifestyle preferences, action steps and responsible parties, and necessary changes…
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Final Rule: Community Right-To-Know Reporting Requirements Federal Register Notice
Final reporting thresholds and threshold planning quantity (TPQ) for extremely hazardous substances (EHS) and non-EHS hazardous chemicals, required under Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.
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Li, Yongbao; Tian, Zhen; Shi, Feng; Song, Ting; Wu, Zhaoxia; Liu, Yaqiang; Jiang, Steve; Jia, Xun
2015-04-07
Intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT) plan optimization needs beamlet dose distributions. Pencil-beam or superposition/convolution type algorithms are typically used because of their high computational speed. However, inaccurate beamlet dose distributions may mislead the optimization process and hinder the resulting plan quality. To solve this problem, the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation method has been used to compute all beamlet doses prior to the optimization step. The conventional approach samples the same number of particles from each beamlet. Yet this is not the optimal use of MC in this problem. In fact, there are beamlets that have very small intensities after solving the plan optimization problem. For those beamlets, it may be possible to use fewer particles in dose calculations to increase efficiency. Based on this idea, we have developed a new MC-based IMRT plan optimization framework that iteratively performs MC dose calculation and plan optimization. At each dose calculation step, the particle numbers for beamlets were adjusted based on the beamlet intensities obtained through solving the plan optimization problem in the last iteration step. We modified a GPU-based MC dose engine to allow simultaneous computations of a large number of beamlet doses. To test the accuracy of our modified dose engine, we compared the dose from a broad beam and the summed beamlet doses in this beam in an inhomogeneous phantom. Agreement within 1% for the maximum difference and 0.55% for the average difference was observed. We then validated the proposed MC-based optimization schemes in one lung IMRT case. It was found that the conventional scheme required 10(6) particles from each beamlet to achieve an optimization result that was 3% difference in fluence map and 1% difference in dose from the ground truth. In contrast, the proposed scheme achieved the same level of accuracy with on average 1.2 × 10(5) particles per beamlet. Correspondingly, the computation
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Integral stormwater management master plan and design in an ecological community.
Che, Wu; Zhao, Yang; Yang, Zheng; Li, Junqi; Shi, Man
2014-09-01
Urban stormwater runoff nearly discharges directly into bodies of water through gray infrastructure in China, such as sewers, impermeable ditches, and pump stations. As urban flooding, water shortage, and other environment problems become serious, integrated water environment management is becoming increasingly complex and challenging. At more than 200ha, the Oriental Sun City community is a large retirement community located in the eastern side of Beijing. During the beginning of its construction, the project faced a series of serious water environment crises such as eutrophication, flood risk, water shortage, and high maintenance costs. To address these issues, an integral stormwater management master plan was developed based on the concept of low impact development (LID). A large number of LID and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) approaches were designed and applied in the community to replace traditional stormwater drainage systems completely. These approaches mainly included bioretention (which captured nearly 85th percentile volume of the annual runoff in the site, nearly 5.4×10(5)m(3) annually), swales (which functioned as a substitute for traditional stormwater pipes), waterscapes, and stormwater wetlands. Finally, a stormwater system plan was proposed by integrating with the gray water system, landscape planning, an architectural master plan, and related consultations that supported the entire construction period. After more than 10 years of planning, designing, construction, and operation, Oriental Sun City has become one of the earliest modern large-scale LID communities in China. Moreover, the project not only addressed the crisis efficiently and effectively, but also yielded economic and ecological benefits. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Murray, William R.
1990-01-01
An approach is described to student modeling for intelligent tutoring systems based on an explicit representation of the tutor's beliefs about the student and the arguments for and against those beliefs (called endorsements). A lexicographic comparison of arguments, sorted according to evidence reliability, provides a principled means of determining those beliefs that are considered true, false, or uncertain. Each of these beliefs is ultimately justified by underlying assessment data. The endorsement-based approach to student modeling is particularly appropriate for tutors controlled by instructional planners. These tutors place greater demands on a student model than opportunistic tutors. Numerical calculi approaches are less well-suited because it is difficult to correctly assign numbers for evidence reliability and rule plausibility. It may also be difficult to interpret final results and provide suitable combining functions. When numeric measures of uncertainty are used, arbitrary numeric thresholds are often required for planning decisions. Such an approach is inappropriate when robust context-sensitive planning decisions must be made. A TMS-based implementation of the endorsement-based approach to student modeling is presented, this approach is compared to alternatives, and a project history is provided describing the evolution of this approach.
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A nonlinear viscoelastic approach to durability predictions for polymer based composite structures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Brinson, Hal F.
1991-01-01
Current industry approaches for the durability assessment of metallic structures are briefly reviewed. For polymer based composite structures, it is suggested that new approaches must be adopted to include memory or viscoelastic effects which could lead to delayed failures that might not be predicted using current techniques. A durability or accelerated life assessment plan for fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) developed and documented over the last decade or so is reviewed and discussed. Limitations to the plan are outlined and suggestions to remove the limitations are given. These include the development of a finite element code to replace the previously used lamination theory code and the development of new specimen geometries to evaluate delamination failures. The new DCB model is reviewed and results are presented. Finally, it is pointed out that new procedures are needed to determine interfacial properties and current efforts underway to determine such properties are reviewed. Suggestions for additional efforts to develop a consistent and accurate durability predictive approach for FRP structures are outlined.
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A nonlinear viscoelastic approach to durability predictions for polymer based composite structures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Brinson, Hal F.; Hiel, C. C.
1990-01-01
Current industry approaches for the durability assessment of metallic structures are briefly reviewed. For polymer based composite structures, it is suggested that new approaches must be adopted to include memory or viscoelastic effects which could lead to delayed failures that might not be predicted using current techniques. A durability or accelerated life assessment plan for fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) developed and documented over the last decade or so is reviewed and discussed. Limitations to the plan are outlined and suggestions to remove the limitations are given. These include the development of a finite element code to replace the previously used lamination theory code and the development of new specimen geometries to evaluate delamination failures. The new DCB model is reviewed and results are presented. Finally, it is pointed out that new procedures are needed to determine interfacial properties and current efforts underway to determine such properties are reviewed. Suggestions for additional efforts to develop a consistent and accurate durability predictive approach for FRP structures is outlined.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kapur, A.
The radiotherapy treatment planning process has evolved over the years with innovations in treatment planning, treatment delivery and imaging systems. Treatment modality and simulation technologies are also rapidly improving and affecting the planning process. For example, Image-guided-radiation-therapy has been widely adopted for patient setup, leading to margin reduction and isocenter repositioning after simulation. Stereotactic Body radiation therapy (SBRT) and Radiosurgery (SRS) have gradually become the standard of care for many treatment sites, which demand a higher throughput for the treatment plans even if the number of treatments per day remains the same. Finally, simulation, planning and treatment are traditionally sequentialmore » events. However, with emerging adaptive radiotherapy, they are becoming more tightly intertwined, leading to iterative processes. Enhanced efficiency of planning is therefore becoming more critical and poses serious challenge to the treatment planning process; Lean Six Sigma approaches are being utilized increasingly to balance the competing needs for speed and quality. In this symposium we will discuss the treatment planning process and illustrate effective techniques for managing workflow. Topics will include: Planning techniques: (a) beam placement, (b) dose optimization, (c) plan evaluation (d) export to RVS. Planning workflow: (a) import images, (b) Image fusion, (c) contouring, (d) plan approval (e) plan check (f) chart check, (g) sequential and iterative process Influence of upstream and downstream operations: (a) simulation, (b) immobilization, (c) motion management, (d) QA, (e) IGRT, (f) Treatment delivery, (g) SBRT/SRS (h) adaptive planning Reduction of delay between planning steps with Lean systems due to (a) communication, (b) limited resource, (b) contour, (c) plan approval, (d) treatment. Optimizing planning processes: (a) contour validation (b) consistent planning protocol, (c) protocol/template sharing, (d
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-23
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation Millerton Lake Resource Management Plan/General Plan (RMP/GP), Madera and Fresno Counties, CA AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior. ACTION: Notice... adoption of the RMP/GP. The Final EIS/EIR outlines the formulation and evaluation of alternatives designed...
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Health insurance premium tax credit. Final regulations.
2013-02-01
This document contains final regulations relating to the health insurance premium tax credit enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.These final regulations provide guidance to individuals related to employees who may enroll in eligible employer-sponsored coverage and who wish to enroll in qualified health plans through Affordable Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges) and claim the premium tax credit.
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Burn disaster response planning: an urban region's approach.
Yurt, Roger W; Lazar, Eliot J; Leahy, Nicole E; Cagliuso, Nicholas V; Rabbitts, Angela C; Akkapeddi, Vijay; Cooper, Arthur; Dajer, Antonio; Delaney, Jack; Mineo, Frank P; Silber, Steven H; Soloff, Lewis; Magbitang, Kevin; Mozingo, David W
2008-01-01
The objective of this study was to describe a draft response plan for the tiered triage, treatment, or transportation of 400 adult and pediatric victims (50/million population) of a burn disaster for the first 3 to 5 days after injury using regional resources. Review of meeting minutes and the 11 deliverables of the draft response plan was performed. The draft burn disaster response plan developed for NYC recommended: 1) City hospitals or regional burn centers within a 60-mile distance be designated as tiered Burn Disaster Receiving Hospitals (BDRH); 2) these hospitals be divided into a four-tier system, based on clinical resources; and 3) burn care supplies be provided to Tier 3 nonburn centers. Existing burn center referral guidelines were modified into a hierarchical BDRH matrix, which would vector certain patients to local or regional burn centers for initial care until capacity is reached; the remainder would be cared for in nonburn center facilities for up to 3 to 5 days until a city, regional, or national burn bed becomes available. Interfacility triage would be coordinated by a central team. Although recommendations for patient transportation, educational initiatives for prehospital and hospital providers, city-wide, interfacility or interagency communication strategies and coordination at the State or Federal levels were outlined, future initiatives will expound on these issues. An incident resulting in critically injured burn victims exceeding the capacity of local and regional burn center beds may be a reality within any community and warrants a planned response. To address this possibility within New York City, an initial draft of a burn disaster response has been created. A scaleable plan using local, state, regional, or federal health care and governmental institutions was developed.
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24 CFR 290.15 - Disposition plan.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-04-01
... DEVELOPMENT HUD-OWNED PROPERTIES DISPOSITION OF MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS AND SALE OF HUD-HELD MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGES Disposition of Multifamily Projects § 290.15 Disposition plan. (a) In general. Before disposing of a HUD-owned multifamily housing project, HUD will develop an initial and a final disposition plan...
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24 CFR 290.15 - Disposition plan.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-04-01
... DEVELOPMENT HUD-OWNED PROPERTIES DISPOSITION OF MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS AND SALE OF HUD-HELD MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGES Disposition of Multifamily Projects § 290.15 Disposition plan. (a) In general. Before disposing of a HUD-owned multifamily housing project, HUD will develop an initial and a final disposition plan...
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24 CFR 290.15 - Disposition plan.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-04-01
... DEVELOPMENT HUD-OWNED PROPERTIES DISPOSITION OF MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS AND SALE OF HUD-HELD MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGES Disposition of Multifamily Projects § 290.15 Disposition plan. (a) In general. Before disposing of a HUD-owned multifamily housing project, HUD will develop an initial and a final disposition plan...
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An efficient inverse radiotherapy planning method for VMAT using quadratic programming optimization.
Hoegele, W; Loeschel, R; Merkle, N; Zygmanski, P
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of an inverse planning optimization approach for the Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) based on quadratic programming and the projection method. The performance of this method is evaluated against a reference commercial planning system (eclipse(TM) for rapidarc(TM)) for clinically relevant cases. The inverse problem is posed in terms of a linear combination of basis functions representing arclet dose contributions and their respective linear coefficients as degrees of freedom. MLC motion is decomposed into basic motion patterns in an intuitive manner leading to a system of equations with a relatively small number of equations and unknowns. These equations are solved using quadratic programming under certain limiting physical conditions for the solution, such as the avoidance of negative dose during optimization and Monitor Unit reduction. The modeling by the projection method assures a unique treatment plan with beneficial properties, such as the explicit relation between organ weightings and the final dose distribution. Clinical cases studied include prostate and spine treatments. The optimized plans are evaluated by comparing isodose lines, DVH profiles for target and normal organs, and Monitor Units to those obtained by the clinical treatment planning system eclipse(TM). The resulting dose distributions for a prostate (with rectum and bladder as organs at risk), and for a spine case (with kidneys, liver, lung and heart as organs at risk) are presented. Overall, the results indicate that similar plan qualities for quadratic programming (QP) and rapidarc(TM) could be achieved at significantly more efficient computational and planning effort using QP. Additionally, results for the quasimodo phantom [Bohsung et al., "IMRT treatment planning: A comparative inter-system and inter-centre planning exercise of the estro quasimodo group," Radiother. Oncol. 76(3), 354-361 (2005)] are presented as an example
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Conceptualizing 2000: Proactive Planning.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Angel, Dan, Ed.; DeVault, Mike, Ed.
As community, technical, and junior colleges approach the 21st century, faculty shortages, an increasingly diverse student body, dwindling financial resources, and accountability mandates will require careful, action-oriented college planning. This two-part book presents 10 articles on the dynamics of planning and specific planning models, and…
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A Comprehensive Planning Model.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rieley, James B.
The key to long-term institutional effectiveness is a comprehensive planning process that identifies a few vital goals that can be measured by an institution. Effective strategic planning involves five key elements: process-based planning, a systemic approach, integration with the budget process, an effective deployment process, and appropriate…
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Plan-graph Based Heuristics for Conformant Probabilistic Planning
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ramakrishnan, Salesh; Pollack, Martha E.; Smith, David E.
2004-01-01
In this paper, we introduce plan-graph based heuristics to solve a variation of the conformant probabilistic planning (CPP) problem. In many real-world problems, it is the case that the sensors are unreliable or take too many resources to provide knowledge about the environment. These domains are better modeled as conformant planning problems. POMDP based techniques are currently the most successful approach for solving CPP but have the limitation of state- space explosion. Recent advances in deterministic and conformant planning have shown that plan-graphs can be used to enhance the performance significantly. We show that this enhancement can also be translated to CPP. We describe our process for developing the plan-graph heuristics and estimating the probability of a partial plan. We compare the performance of our planner PVHPOP when used with different heuristics. We also perform a comparison with a POMDP solver to show over a order of magnitude improvement in performance.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1994-01-01
NASA's approach to continual improvement (CI) is a systems-oriented, agency-wide approach that builds on the past accomplishments of NASA Headquarters and its field installations and helps achieve NASA's vision, mission, and values. The NASA of the future will fully use the principles of continual improvement in every aspect of its operations. This NASA CI plan defines a systematic approach and a model for continual improvement throughout NASA, stressing systems integration and optimization. It demonstrates NASA's constancy of purpose for improvement - a consistent vision of NASA as a worldwide leader in top-quality science, technology, and management practices. The CI plan provides the rationale, structures, methods, and steps, and it defines NASA's short term (1-year) objectives for improvement. The CI plan presents the deployment strategies necessary for cascading the goals and objectives throughout the agency. It also provides guidance on implementing continual improvement with participation from top leadership and all levels of employees.
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TRACON Aircraft Arrival Planning and Optimization Through Spatial Constraint Satisfaction
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bergh, Christopher P.; Krzeczowski, Kenneth J.; Davis, Thomas J.; Denery, Dallas G. (Technical Monitor)
1995-01-01
A new aircraft arrival planning and optimization algorithm has been incorporated into the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST) in the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) developed at NASA-Ames Research Center. FAST simulations have been conducted over three years involving full-proficiency, level five air traffic controllers from around the United States. From these simulations an algorithm, called Spatial Constraint Satisfaction, has been designed, coded, undergone testing, and soon will begin field evaluation at the Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver International airport facilities. The purpose of this new design is an attempt to show that the generation of efficient and conflict free aircraft arrival plans at the runway does not guarantee an operationally acceptable arrival plan upstream from the runway -information encompassing the entire arrival airspace must be used in order to create an acceptable aircraft arrival plan. This new design includes functions available previously but additionally includes necessary representations of controller preferences and workload, operationally required amounts of extra separation, and integrates aircraft conflict resolution. As a result, the Spatial Constraint Satisfaction algorithm produces an optimized aircraft arrival plan that is more acceptable in terms of arrival procedures and air traffic controller workload. This paper discusses the current Air Traffic Control arrival planning procedures, previous work in this field, the design of the Spatial Constraint Satisfaction algorithm, and the results of recent evaluations of the algorithm.
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V&V Plan for FPGA-based ESF-CCS Using System Engineering Approach.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maerani, Restu; Mayaka, Joyce; El Akrat, Mohamed; Cheon, Jung Jae
2018-02-01
Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems play an important role in maintaining the safety of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operation. However, most current I&C safety systems are based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) hardware, which is difficult to verify and validate, and is susceptible to software common cause failure. Therefore, a plan for the replacement of the PLC-based safety systems, such as the Engineered Safety Feature - Component Control System (ESF-CCS), with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is needed. By using a systems engineering approach, which ensures traceability in every phase of the life cycle, from system requirements, design implementation to verification and validation, the system development is guaranteed to be in line with the regulatory requirements. The Verification process will ensure that the customer and stakeholder’s needs are satisfied in a high quality, trustworthy, cost efficient and schedule compliant manner throughout a system’s entire life cycle. The benefit of the V&V plan is to ensure that the FPGA based ESF-CCS is correctly built, and to ensure that the measurement of performance indicators has positive feedback that “do we do the right thing” during the re-engineering process of the FPGA based ESF-CCS.
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Sacramento Transportation Authority 1996-97 Final Budget
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1996-07-16
The Governing Board of the Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) and the : Sacramento Abandoned Vehicle Service Authority (SAVSA) present the 1996-97 Final Budget for these two entities. This document represents the operational plan for administe...
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The limits of scientific planning: Doxiadis and the Tehran Action Plan.
Madanipour, Ali
2010-01-01
Tehran after the Second World War experienced a modernization drive and rapid population growth. In 1972, the Greek planner, Constantinos Doxiadis, who had already undertaken major housing and planning projects in Iran, was invited to prepare an action plan for the city, to guide the future investment for easing the city's problems. Doxiadis saw cities as nightmares, but advocated that a holistic scientific analysis and a naturalist approach to urban growth management could address their problems. In applying his ideas to Tehran, however, the limits of his ideas of scientific planning became evident, not only through contextual pressures, such as lack of time and data, but also through the planning consultant's approach, in which commercial considerations and the application of readymade solutions could shape the outcome. Rather than working with the context, Doxiadis followed the modernist tenet of breaking with the past, proposing the creation of West Tehran, an alternative to the city where all future growth should take place on a utopian basis. The radical nature of his proposals, his death, and a turbulent revolution aborted the impact of his action plan on Tehran, while faith in modernist scientific planning was widely being abandoned.
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Bazeyo, W; Mayega, R W; Orach, G C; Kiguli, J; Mamuya, S; Tabu, J S; Sena, L; Rugigana, E; Mapatano, M; Lewy, D; Mock, N; Burnham, G; Keim, M; Killewo, J
2013-06-01
The Eastern Africa region is regularly affected by a variety of disasters ranging from drought, to human conflict and population displacement. The magnitude of emergencies and response capacities is similar across the region. In order to strengthen public health disaster management capacities at the operational level in six countries of the Eastern Africa region, the USAID-funded leadership project worked through the HEALTH Alliance, a network of seven schools of public health from six countries in the region to train district-level teams. To develop a sustainable regional approach to building operational level capacity for disaster planning. This project was implemented through a higher education leadership initiative. Project activities were spear-headed by a network of Deans and Directors of public health schools within local universities in the Eastern Africa region. The leadership team envisioned a district-oriented systems change strategy. Pre-service and in-service curricula were developed regionally and district teams were formed to attend short training courses. Project activities began with a situational analysis of the disaster management capacity at national and operational levels. The next steps were chronologically the formation of country training teams and training of trainers, the development of a regional disaster management training curriculum and training materials, the cascading of training activities in the region, and the incorporation of emerging issues into the training curriculum. An evaluation model included the analysis of preparedness impact of the training program. The output from the district teams was the creation of individual district-level disaster plans and their implementation. This 4-year project focused on building operational level public health emergency response capacity, which had not previously been part of any national program. Use of the all-hazard approach rather than a scenario-based contingency planning led to the
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ui, Kyoichi; Matunaga, Saburo; Satori, Shin; Ishikawa, Tomohiro
2005-09-01
Laboratory for Space Systems (LSS), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) conducted three-dimensional microgravity environment experiments about a docking mechanism for mothership-daughtership (MS-DS) nano-satellite using the facility of Japan Micro Gravity Center (JAMIC) with Hokkaido Institute of Technology (HIT). LSS has studied and developed a docking mechanism for MS-DS nano-satellite system in final rendezvous approach and docking phase since 2000. Consideration of the docking mechanism is to mate a nano-satellite stably while remaining control error of relative velocity and attitude because it is difficult for nano-satellite to have complicated attitude control and mating systems. Objective of the experiments is to verify fundamental grasping function based on our proposed docking methodology. The proposed docking sequence is divided between approach/grasping phase and guiding phase. In the approach/grasping phase, the docking mechanism grasps the nano-satellite even though the nano-satellite has relative position and attitude control errors as well as relative velocity in a docking space. In the guiding function, the docking mechanism guides the nano-satellite to a docking port while adjusting its attitude in order to transfer electrical power and fuel to the nano-satellite. In the paper, we describe the experimental system including the docking mechanism, control system, the daughtership system and the release mechanism, and describe results of microgravity experiments in JAMIC.
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Final Approval of California Air Plan Revision; Mobile Source Regulations
EPA is taking final action to approve a submittal by California to revise its SIP regulations establishing standards and requirements relating to the control of emissions from new and in-use ond and off-road vehicles and engines..
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Agricultural Conservation Planning Toolbox User's Manual
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) comprises an approach for applying concepts of precision conservation to watershed planning in agricultural landscapes. To enable application of this approach, USDA/ARS has developed a set of Geographic Information System (GIS) based software tools...
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75 FR 70670 - Final Vehicle Safety Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan 2010-2013
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-18
... management tool as well as a means to communicate to the public NHTSA's highest priorities to meet the Nation's motor vehicle safety challenges. Among them are programs and projects involving rollover crashes... in this plan. This plan lists the programs and projects the agency anticipates working on even though...
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Shape-based approach for the estimation of individual facial mimics in craniofacial surgery planning
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gladilin, Evgeny; Zachow, Stefan; Deuflhard, Peter; Hege, Hans-Christian
2002-05-01
Besides the static soft tissue prediction, the estimation of basic facial emotion expressions is another important criterion for the evaluation of craniofacial surgery planning. For a realistic simulation of facial mimics, an adequate biomechanical model of soft tissue including the mimic musculature is needed. In this work, we present an approach for the modeling of arbitrarily shaped muscles and the estimation of basic individual facial mimics, which is based on the geometrical model derived from the individual tomographic data and the general finite element modeling of soft tissue biomechanics.