The mission operations planning assistant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuetzle, James G.

1987-01-01

The Mission Operations Planning Assistant (MOPA) is a knowledge-based system developed to support the planning and scheduling of instrument activities on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS). The MOPA system represents and maintains instrument plans at two levels of abstraction in order to keep plans comprehensible to both UARS Prinicpal Investigators and Command Management personnel. The hierarchical representation of plans also allows MOPA to automatically create detailed instrument activity plans from which spacecraft command loads may be generated. The MOPA system was developed on a Symbolics 3640 computer using the ZETALISP and ART languages. MOPA's features include a textual and graphical interface for plan inspection and modification, recognition of instrument operational constraint violations during the planning process, and consistency maintenance between the different planning levels. This paper describes the current MOPA system.

Intelligent transportation systems Professional Capacity Building Program : planning and deploying ITS : six white papers describing current and planned programs of five transportation associations and four university ITS Research Centers of Excellence

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-12-01

In the fall of 1997, the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program initiated the development of six White Papers to briefly describe the current status of, and plans for future education and training activities of six organizations engaged in ...

Telecommunications systems evolution for Mars Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noreen, Gary; De Paula, Ramon P.; Edwards, Charles D. Jr; Komarek, Thomas; Edwards, Bernard L.; Edwards, Bernard L.; Kerridge, Stuart J.; Diehl, Roger; Franklin, Stephen F.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the evolution of telecommunication systems at Mars. It reviews the telecommunications capabilities, technology and limiting factors of current and planned Mars orbiters from Mars Global Surveyor to the planned Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO).

A Generalized Decision Framework Using Multi-objective Optimization for Water Resources Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basdekas, L.; Stewart, N.; Triana, E.

2013-12-01

Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) is currently engaged in an Integrated Water Resource Plan (IWRP) to address the complex planning scenarios, across multiple time scales, currently faced by CSU. The modeling framework developed for the IWRP uses a flexible data-centered Decision Support System (DSS) with a MODSIM-based modeling system to represent the operation of the current CSU raw water system coupled with a state-of-the-art multi-objective optimization algorithm. Three basic components are required for the framework, which can be implemented for planning horizons ranging from seasonal to interdecadal. First, a water resources system model is required that is capable of reasonable system simulation to resolve performance metrics at the appropriate temporal and spatial scales of interest. The system model should be an existing simulation model, or one developed during the planning process with stakeholders, so that 'buy-in' has already been achieved. Second, a hydrologic scenario tool(s) capable of generating a range of plausible inflows for the planning period of interest is required. This may include paleo informed or climate change informed sequences. Third, a multi-objective optimization model that can be wrapped around the system simulation model is required. The new generation of multi-objective optimization models do not require parameterization which greatly reduces problem complexity. Bridging the gap between research and practice will be evident as we use a case study from CSU's planning process to demonstrate this framework with specific competing water management objectives. Careful formulation of objective functions, choice of decision variables, and system constraints will be discussed. Rather than treating results as theoretically Pareto optimal in a planning process, we use the powerful multi-objective optimization models as tools to more efficiently and effectively move out of the inferior decision space. The use of this framework will help CSU evaluate tradeoffs in a continually changing world.

The next pandemic: anticipating an overwhelmed health care system.

PubMed

Duley, Mary Grace Keating

2005-10-01

In September 2005, an overview of current health care system planning efforts was presented to the audience at the Yale University Ethics Symposium on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. The speaker, also the author of this article, provided the audience with a summary of what was being undertaken with the use of federal preparedness funds to improve the overall infrastructure of the health care system. All of Connecticut's 31 acute care hospitals, the Veteran's Administration Hospital in West Haven, Hospital for Special Care, Gaylord Rehabilitation Hospital, Natchaug Psychiatric Hospital, and the state's 13 Community Health Centers are currently recipients of federal preparedness funds. Federal funding for this planning comes from Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Service's National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program. This article outlines the planning activities around pandemic influenza that the state's health care system partners started in 2004-2005 and also those they are currently participating in or will be participating in the next 12 to 15 months. The article highlights the key objectives and strategies that health care facilities will be using in this planning. There are four major objectives that each health care facility's Emergency Operations Plan must address. They are: increasing bed availability, developing strategies to deal with the potential staffing shortages, developing strategies for dealing with potential critical equipment and pharmaceutical shortages, and, lastly, the implementation of education, training and communication strategies for their health care workers and the public they serve. These plans, and all the activities needed to operationalize the plans, such as education, training, drills, and exercises, will include their key partners, i.e., local health departments, local emergency management, police, fire, and Emergency Medical Services. This article will describe this work plan in detail. Descriptive information was obtained through the author's observations and personal experiences, in addition to governmental guidance, reports, and plans. The "all-hazards" planning currently being undertaken by the key health care system partners in Connecticut as a result of federal funding for preparedness post 9/11 has fostered great working relationships between these entities and their local, regional, and statewide planning counterparts. Many of the specific grant dollars being provided to these facilities can assist in the planning that must be done for pandemic flu.

Nursing in the information age: status quo and future of ICT use in German hospitals.

PubMed

Hübner, Ursula; Sellemann, Björn

2004-01-01

Hospital information systems (HIS) should give support to nurses in their clinical and managerial duties. Though there are statistical data on the current use of HIS systems we know only little about the numbers of nursing modules implemented. We therefore conducted a nationwide survey in Germany (n = 2182) on the current state and future plans of HIS modules including nursing applications (response rate of 27.6 %). The findings show that management applications (84 % accounting) are still more frequent than clinical applications, in particular clinical patient record systems (19 %). What applied for HIS modules in general held also true for nursing on a lower level. Whereas 51 % of the hospitals had rostering systems in place only 6 % used care planning software. Priorities and plans for the future reveal no change in the rank order of systems. We argue that in order for clinical documentation and planning systems to catch up they must be immediately rewarding for the clinicians in their daily need for information

Computerized physician order entry from a chief information officer perspective.

PubMed

Cotter, Carole M

2004-12-01

Designing and implementing a computerized physician order entry system in the critical care units of a large urban hospital system is an enormous undertaking. With their significant potential to improve health care and significantly reduce errors, the time for computerized physician order entry or physician order management systems is past due. Careful integrated planning is the key to success, requiring multidisciplinary teams at all levels of clinical and administrative management to work together. Articulated from the viewpoint of the Chief Information Officer of Lifespan, a not-for-profit hospital system in Rhode Island, the vision and strategy preceding the information technology plan, understanding the system's current state, the gap analysis between current and future state, and finally, building and implementing the information technology plan are described.

The Planning Wheel: Value Added Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murk, Peter J.; Walls, Jeffrey L.

The "Planning Wheel" is an evolution of the original Systems Approach Model (SAM) that was introduced in 1986 by Murk and Galbraith. Unlike most current planning models, which are linear in design and concept, the Planning Wheel bridges the gap between linear and nonlinear processes. The "Program Planning Wheel" is designed to…

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.

Public transportation and intercity rail passenger plan for Washington state 1997-2016

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-12-01

The Public Transportation and Intercity Rail Passenger Plan for Washington : State is a 20-year plan for preserving our current public transportation systems : while improving mobility for a growing population. The plan builds toward a : future in wh...

Air Force Geophysics Laboratory Management Information System Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-01

management information system (MIS) at AFGL. The study summarizes current management and administrative practices at AFGL. Requirements have been identified for automating several currently manual functions to compile accurate and timely information to better manage and plan AFGL programs. This document describes the functions and relative priorities of five MIS subsystems and provides suggestions for implementation solutions. Creation of a detailed Development Plan is recommended as the follow-on task.

Planning and Resource Management in an Intelligent Automated Power Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robert A.

1991-01-01

Power system management is a process of guiding a power system towards the objective of continuous supply of electrical power to a set of loads. Spacecraft power system management requires planning and scheduling, since electrical power is a scarce resource in space. The automation of power system management for future spacecraft has been recognized as an important R&D goal. Several automation technologies have emerged including the use of expert systems for automating human problem solving capabilities such as rule based expert system for fault diagnosis and load scheduling. It is questionable whether current generation expert system technology is applicable for power system management in space. The objective of the ADEPTS (ADvanced Electrical Power management Techniques for Space systems) is to study new techniques for power management automation. These techniques involve integrating current expert system technology with that of parallel and distributed computing, as well as a distributed, object-oriented approach to software design. The focus of the current study is the integration of new procedures for automatically planning and scheduling loads with procedures for performing fault diagnosis and control. The objective is the concurrent execution of both sets of tasks on separate transputer processors, thus adding parallelism to the overall management process.

Planning Non-Formal Education Curricula: The Case of Israel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Diana; Dror, Ilana

This paper compares the formal and non-formal education systems currently operating in Israel, describing the special features of curriculum planning in non-formal education. The central argument is that the non-formal education system fulfills functions that constitute a critique of the formal education system. The non-formal system offers the…

Space Station Mission Planning System (MPS) development study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klus, W. J.

1987-01-01

The basic objective of the Space Station (SS) Mission Planning System (MPS) Development Study was to define a baseline Space Station mission plan and the associated hardware and software requirements for the system. A detailed definition of the Spacelab (SL) payload mission planning process and SL Mission Integration Planning System (MIPS) software was derived. A baseline concept was developed for performing SS manned base payload mission planning, and it was consistent with current Space Station design/operations concepts and philosophies. The SS MPS software requirements were defined. Also, requirements for new software include candidate programs for the application of artificial intelligence techniques to capture and make more effective use of mission planning expertise. A SS MPS Software Development Plan was developed which phases efforts for the development software to implement the SS mission planning concept.

Summary of Current and Future MSFC International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Charles D.; Carrasquillo, Robyn L.; Minton-Summers, Silvia

1997-01-01

This paper provides a summary of current work accomplished under technical task agreement (TTA) by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) regarding the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) as well as future planning activities in support of the International Space Station (ISS). Current activities include ECLSS computer model development, component design and development, subsystem integrated system testing, life testing, and government furnished equipment delivered to the ISS program. A long range plan for the MSFC ECLSS test facility is described whereby the current facility would be upgraded to support integrated station ECLSS operations. ECLSS technology development efforts proposed to be performed under the Advanced Engineering Technology Development (AETD) program are also discussed.

The Feasibility of Instituting a Department Head Screen in the Naval Special Warfare Community.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

community, and through use of the Structured Accession Planning System for Officers (STRAP-O) model, projects the community from 1985 to 1991 both with and...Placement Officer. It looks at the current state of the NSW community, and through use of the Structured Accession Planning System for Officers (STRAP-0...ACCESSION PLANNING SYSTEM FOR OFFICERS----------------------------------------19 Ill. NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO PROPOSAL

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 ...

49 CFR 260.25 - Additional information for Applicants not having a credit rating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the following: (1) Applicant's current and prospective traffic base, including by commodity and... prospective traffic base; (3) System-wide plans to maintain equipment and rights-of-way at current or improved... flow projections; (e) Contingency plans for termination of the project before completion, if necessary...

49 CFR 260.25 - Additional information for Applicants not having a credit rating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the following: (1) Applicant's current and prospective traffic base, including by commodity and... prospective traffic base; (3) System-wide plans to maintain equipment and rights-of-way at current or improved... flow projections; (e) Contingency plans for termination of the project before completion, if necessary...

49 CFR 260.25 - Additional information for Applicants not having a credit rating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... the following: (1) Applicant's current and prospective traffic base, including by commodity and... prospective traffic base; (3) System-wide plans to maintain equipment and rights-of-way at current or improved... flow projections; (e) Contingency plans for termination of the project before completion, if necessary...

49 CFR 260.25 - Additional information for Applicants not having a credit rating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the following: (1) Applicant's current and prospective traffic base, including by commodity and... prospective traffic base; (3) System-wide plans to maintain equipment and rights-of-way at current or improved... flow projections; (e) Contingency plans for termination of the project before completion, if necessary...

Road weather information system statewide implementation plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

The objective of this project was to develop a plan for deploying a statewide RWIS to support both current NYSDOT operations and future MDSS applications. To develop the plan, various information and data sources were investigated, including the curr...

The California general plan process and sustainable transportation planning

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-11-01

This study reviewed the current and potential utility of California's General Plan process as a tool for promoting more sustainable local transportation systems The study used multiple methods to investigate this issue, including: 1. An extensive lit...

33 CFR 154.1020 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... personnel identified to staff the organizational structure identified in a response plan to manage response... identifying response systems and equipment in a response plan for the applicable operating environment... visibility, and currents within the COTP zone in which the systems or equipment are intended to function...

The Effects of Top Management Support on Strategic Information Systems Planning Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elysee, Gerald

2012-01-01

The success of strategic information systems planning (SISP) is of paramount importance to academics as well as practitioners. SISP is a management process that enables organizations to successfully harness the power of current- and next-generation information systems (IS) applications to fulfill their business goals. Hence, by capturing the major…

On the role of model-based monitoring for adaptive planning under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raso, Luciano; Kwakkel, Jan; Timmermans, Jos; Haasnoot, Mariolijn

2016-04-01

Adaptive plans, designed to anticipate and respond to an unfolding uncertain future, have found a fertile application domain in the planning of deltas that are exposed to rapid socioeconomic development and climate change. Adaptive planning, under the moniker of adaptive delta management, is used in the Dutch Delta Program for developing a nation-wide plan to prepare for uncertain climate change and socio-economic developments. Scientifically, adaptive delta management relies heavily on Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways. Currently, in the Netherlands the focus is shifting towards implementing the adaptive delta plan. This shift is especially relevant because the efficacy of adaptive plans hinges on monitoring on-going developments and ensuring that actions are indeed taken if and when necessary. In the design of an effective monitoring system for an adaptive plan, three challenges have to be confronted: • Shadow of the past: The development of adaptive plans and the design of their monitoring system relies heavily on current knowledge of the system, and current beliefs about plausible future developments. A static monitoring system is therefore exposed to the exact same uncertainties one tries to address through adaptive planning. • Inhibition of learning: Recent applications of adaptive planning tend to overlook the importance of learning and new information, and fail to account for this explicitly in the design of adaptive plans. • Challenge of surprise: Adaptive policies are designed in light of the current foreseen uncertainties. However, developments that are not considered during the design phase as being plausible could still substantially affect the performance of adaptive policies. The shadow of the past, the inhibition of learning, and the challenge of surprise taken together suggest that there is a need for redesigning the concepts of monitoring and evaluation to support the implementation of adaptive plans. Innovations from control theory, triggered by the challenge of uncertainty in operational control, may offer solutions from which monitoring for adaptive planning can benefit. Specifically: (i) in control, observations are incorporated into the model through data assimilation, updating the present state, boundary conditions, and parameters based on new observations, diminishing the shadow of the past; (ii) adaptive control is a way to modify the characteristics of the internal model, incorporating new knowledge on the system, countervailing the inhibition of learning; and (iii) in closed-loop control, a continuous system update equips the controller with "inherent robustness", i.e. to capacity to adapts to new conditions even when these were not initially considered. We aim to explore how inherent robustness addresses the challenge of surprise. Innovations in model-based control might help to improve and adapt the models used to support adaptive delta management to new information (reducing uncertainty). Moreover, this would offer a starting point for using these models not only in the design of adaptive plans, but also as part of the monitoring. The proposed research requires multidisciplinary cooperation between control theory, the policy sciences, and integrated assessment modeling.

The Team-Based Internal Supervision System Development for the Primary Schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tubsuli, Nattapong; Julsuwan, Suwat; Tesaputa, Kowat

2017-01-01

Internal supervision in the school is currently experiencing various problems. Supervision preparation problems are related to: lacking of supervision plan, lacking of holistic and systematic planning, and lacking of analysis in current conditions or requirements. While supervision operational problems are included: lacking of supervision…

15 CFR 273.6 - Reporting requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... implementation plans, with a current timetable for the agency's transition to the metric system, as well as actions planned for the budget year involved to implement fully the metric system, in accordance with this... OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE METRIC CONVERSION POLICY FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES...

Final Design for a Comprehensive Orbital Debris Management Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The rationale and specifics for the design of a comprehensive program for the control of orbital debris, as well as details of the various components of the overall plan, are described. The problem of orbital debris has been steadily worsening since the first successful launch in 1957. The hazards posed by orbital debris suggest the need for a progressive plan for the prevention of future debris, as well as the reduction of the current debris level. The proposed debris management plan includes debris removal systems and preventative techniques and policies. The debris removal is directed at improving the current debris environment. Because of the variance in sizes of debris, a single system cannot reasonably remove all kinds of debris. An active removal system, which deliberately retrieves targeted debris from known orbits, was determined to be effective in the disposal of debris tracked directly from earth. However, no effective system is currently available to remove the untrackable debris. The debris program is intended to protect the orbital environment from future abuses. This portion of the plan involves various environment from future abuses. This portion of the plan involves various methods and rules for future prevention of debris. The preventative techniques are protective methods that can be used in future design of payloads. The prevention policies are rules which should be employed to force the prevention of orbital debris.

An Air Force Guide to the System Specification.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

basis for sound management plans and decisions to initiate system full-scale development. Related topics include: current problems and questions...such current documents as AFR 800-2 and AFR 57-1. Key elements of coverage include the following: a. Levels of system engineering studies are...equipment and computer program elements of a system are acquired most directly acainst lower-level (configuration item) specifications. b. Current

Information technology strategic planning: art or science?

PubMed

Hutsell, Richard; Mancini-Newell, Lulcy

2005-01-01

It had been almost a decade since the hospitals that make up the Daughters of Charity Health System (DCHS) had engaged in a formal information technology strategic planning process. In the summer of 2002, as the health system re-formed, there was a unique opportunity to introduce a planning process that reflected the governance style of the new health system. DCHS embarked on this journey, with the CIO initiating and formally sponsoring the information technology strategic planning process in a dynamic and collaborative manner The system sought to develop a plan tailored to encompass both enterprise-wide and local requirements; to develop a governance model to engage the members of the local health ministries in plan development, both now and in the future; and to conduct the process in a manner that reflected the values of the Daughters of Charity. The DCHS CIO outlined a premise that the CIO would guide and be continuously involved in the development of this tailored process, in conjunction with an external resource. Together, there would be joint responsibility for introducing a flexible information technology strategic planning methodology; providing an education on the current state of healthcare IT, including future trends and success factors; facilitating support to tap into existing internal talent; cultivating a collaborative process to support both current requirements and future vision; and developing a well-functioning governance structure that would enable the plan to evolve and reflect user community requirements. This article highlights the planning process, including the lessons learned, the benchmarking during and in post-planning, and finally, but most importantly, the unexpected benefit that resulted from this planning process.

A synthesis of the "state-of-the-practice for advancing planning and operations integration opportunities within transportation agencies".

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

Linking Planning and Operations is vital to improving transportation decision-making and overall : efficiency of transportation systems management. This synthesis summarizes current state of : knowledge and practices in Planning and Operations Integr...

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…

Strategic Information Systems Planning in Malaysian Public Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Noor Azizi; Raja Mohd Ali, Raja Haslinda; Mat Saat, Rafeah; Hsbollah, Hafizah Mohamad

2007-01-01

Purpose: The paper's purpose is to investigate the current status, problems and benefits of strategic information systems planning implementation in Malaysian public universities. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses dual but mutually supportive strands of investigation, i.e. a questionnaire survey and interviews. Findings: Malaysian public…

Cost Benefit Analysis of Enterprise Resource Planning System for the Naval Postgraduate School

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

Department-wide introduction and use of appropriate commercial financial practices and reporting • Develop a strategic plan for implementing a business... Development of a process innovation approach given the current capabilities of the system, recommend possible alternatives to close gaps. E

Strategies for Promoting Gatekeeper Course Success among Students Needing Remediation: Research Report for the Virginia Community College System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roksa, Josipa; Jenkins, Davis; Jaggars, Shanna Smith; Zeidenberg, Matthew; Cho, Sung-Woo

2009-01-01

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is engaged in a strategic planning process to improve performance beyond the goals in "Dateline 2009," the system's current vision and plan. A key objective is to encourage colleges to improve retention and academic success for students, particularly the substantial numbers who arrive…

[Health care plans: interfaces between the public and private system in the dental sector].

PubMed

Pietrobon, Louise; da Silva, Cíntia Magali; Batista, Luciana Rodrigues Vieira; Caetano, João Carlos

2008-01-01

The present work presents a brief history of health plans in Brazil examining the interface between the public and the private sector. The evolution and regulation of the supplementary care system is analyzed, the different care modalities are defined and the main differences between health plans and dental care insurance are pointed out. The coverage provided by the supplementary care system and its relationship with the public health system is shown on the basis of current data. On the other hand, the study focuses on the care services, health plans and the labor market in the sector correlating, also on the basis of current data, the challenges and new opportunities of the supplementary care market, mainly in the dental sector. Although the dental sector is living an extraordinary moment within the private health care system and given that ANS data are pointing to a growth of this sector of 210% over last the 7 years, the service coverage of the supplementary care sector mainly directed to medical and inpatient care does not meet the real demand for integrated health care.

A Plan for the Development and Demonstration of Optical Communications for Deep Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lesh, J. R.; Deutsch, L. J.; Weber, W. J.

1990-01-01

In this article, an overall plan for the development and demonstration of optical communications for deep-space applications is presented. The current state of the technology for optical communications is presented. Then, the development and demonstration plan is presented in two parts: the overall major systems activities, followed by the generic technology developments that will enable them. The plan covers the path from laboratory subsystems demonstrations out to a full-scale flight experiment system for the proposed Mars Communications Relay Orbiter mission.

Bursting at the Seams: Report of the Citizens' Commission on Planning for Enrollment Growth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Ricardo R.; Timpane, P. Michael

The independent Citizens' Commission on Planning for Enrollment Growth for New York City has concluded that the school system is experiencing explosive enrollment growth, and that current strategies are incapable of dealing with this growth. The only way to forestall a crisis is to increase classroom space significantly. Given current demographic…

New Hampshire state rail plan 2001

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-04-01

This report is the 2001 update to the New Hampshire Statewide Rail Plan, which was last updated in 1991 and amended in 1993. The Rail Plan presents an overview of the current status of the New Hampshire Rail System, who operates it and how it is util...

Study of onboard expert systems to augment space shuttle and space station autonomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurtzman, C. R.; Akin, D. L.; Kranzler, D.; Erlanson, E.

1986-01-01

The feasibility of onboard crew activity planning was examined. The use of expert systems technology to aid crewmembers in locating stowed equipment was also investigated. The crew activity planning problem, along with a summary of past and current research efforts, was discussed in detail. The requirements and specifications used to develop the crew activity planning system was also defined. The guidelines used to create, develop, and operate the MFIVE Crew Scheduler and Logistics Clerk were discussed. Also discussed is the mathematical algorithm, used by the MFIVE Scheduler, which was developed to aid in optimal crew activity planning.

Model compilation for real-time planning and diagnosis with feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrett, Anthony

2005-01-01

This paper describes MEXEC, an implemented micro executive that compiles a device model that can have feedback into a structure for subsequent evaluation. This system computes both the most likely current device mode from n sets of sensor measurements and the n-1 step reconfiguration plan that is most likely to result in reaching a target mode - if such a plan exists. A user tunes the system by increasing n to improve system capability at the cost of real-time performance.

Appendix X. ComField Information Management System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffin, Robert W.

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

Examining the Planning and Management of Principal Succession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zepeda, Sally J.; Bengtson, Ed; Parylo, Oksana

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine principal succession planning and management by analyzing current practices of handling school leader succession in four Georgia school systems. Design/methodology/approach: Looking through the lens of organizational leadership succession theory, the practices of school systems as they experienced…

The Consolidated Planning and Scheduling System for Space Transportation and Space Station operations - Successful development experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornstein, Rhoda S.; Willoughby, John K.; Gardner, Jo A.; Shinkle, Gerald L.

1993-01-01

In 1992, NASA made the decision to evolve a Consolidated Planning System (CPS) by adding the Space Transportation System (STS) requirements to the Space Station Freedom (SSF) planning software. This paper describes this evolutionary process, which began with a series of six-month design-build-test cycles, using a domain-independent architecture and a set of developmental tools known as the Advanced Scheduling Environment. It is shown that, during these tests, the CPS could be used at multiple organizational levels of planning and for integrating schedules from geographically distributed (including international) planning environments. The potential for using the CPS for other planning and scheduling tasks in the SSF program is being currently examined.

A dynamic case-based planning system for space station application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oppacher, F.; Deugo, D.

1988-01-01

We are currently investigating the use of a case-based reasoning approach to develop a dynamic planning system. The dynamic planning system (DPS) is designed to perform resource management, i.e., to efficiently schedule tasks both with and without failed components. This approach deviates from related work on scheduling and on planning in AI in several aspects. In particular, an attempt is made to equip the planner with an ability to cope with a changing environment by dynamic replanning, to handle resource constraints and feedback, and to achieve some robustness and autonomy through plan learning by dynamic memory techniques. We briefly describe the proposed architecture of DPS and its four major components: the PLANNER, the plan EXECUTOR, the dynamic REPLANNER, and the plan EVALUATOR. The planner, which is implemented in Smalltalk, is being evaluated for use in connection with the Space Station Mobile Service System (MSS).

Situational analysis and future directions of AYUSH: An assessment through 5-year plans of India.

PubMed

Samal, Janmejaya

2015-01-01

AYUSH is an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. These are the six indigenous systems of medicine practiced in India. A department called Department of Indian System of medicine was created in March 1995 and renamed to AYUSH in November 2003 with a focus to provide increased attention for the development of these systems. Very recently, in 2014, a separate ministry was created under the union Government of India, which is headed by a minister of state. Planning regarding these systems of medicine was a part of 5-year planning process since 1951. Since then many developments have happened in this sector albeit the system was struggling with a great degree of uncertainty at the time of 1(st)5-year plan. A progressive path of development could be observed since the first to the 12(th)5-year plan. It was up to the 7(th)plan the growth was little sluggish and from 8(th)plan onward the growth took its pace and several innovative development processes could be observed thereafter. The system is gradually progressing ahead with a vision to be a globally accepted system, as envisaged in 11(th)5-year plan. Currently, AYUSH system is a part of mainstream health system implemented under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). NRHM came into play in 2005 but implemented at ground level in 2006 and introduced the scheme of "Mainstreaming of AYUSH and revitalization of local health traditions" to strengthen public health services. This scheme is currently in operation in its second phase, since 1(st)April 2012, with the 12(th)5-year plan. The scheme was primarily brought in to operation with three important objectives; choice of treatment system to the patients, strengthen facility functionally and strengthen the implementation of national health programmes, however, in some places it seems to be a forced medical pluralism owing to a top-down approach by the union government without considerable involvement of the concerned community. In this study, the 5-year planning documents have been reviewed, from the 1(st)plan to 12(th)plan, to enable reflection and throw some light into the future directions of AYUSH system.

Trends and Issues in U.S. Navy Manpower

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

Planning (ADSTAP) system7, consists of several subsystems and models for planning and managing enlisted manpower, personnel, and training. It was... models to provide information for formulating goals and planning the transition from current inventory to estab- lished objectives 9 Operational...planning models to provide information for formulating operating plans to control the size and quality (ratings or skills and pay grades) of the active-duty

Oak Ridge Reservation Waste Management Plan

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

Turner, J.W.

1995-02-01

This report presents the waste management plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation facilities. The primary purpose is to convey what facilities are being used to manage wastes, what forces are acting to change current waste management systems, and what plans are in store for the coming fiscal year.

Master Plan for Data Processing Services, 1988-1993. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Regional Community Colleges, Hartford. Board of Trustees.

Developed in accordance with a legislative mandate, this master plan for Connecticut's regional community colleges provides baseline data on the current status of data processing; identifies issues, trends, and constraints; and sets forth specific plans for computing activities and services within the community college system. Introductory…

Streamlining Collaborative Planning in Spacecraft Mission Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Misra, Dhariti; Bopf, Michel; Fishman, Mark; Jones, Jeremy; Kerbel, Uri; Pell, Vince

2000-01-01

During the past two decades, the planning and scheduling community has substantially increased the capability and efficiency of individual planning and scheduling systems. Relatively recently, research work to streamline collaboration between planning systems is gaining attention. Spacecraft missions stand to benefit substantially from this work as they require the coordination of multiple planning organizations and planning systems. Up to the present time this coordination has demanded a great deal of human intervention and/or extensive custom software development efforts. This problem will become acute with increased requirements for cross-mission plan coordination and multi -spacecraft mission planning. The Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is taking innovative steps to define collaborative planning architectures, and to identify coordinated planning tools for Cross-Mission Campaigns. Prototypes are being developed to validate these architectures and assess the usefulness of the coordination tools by the planning community. This presentation will focus on one such planning coordination too], named Visual Observation Layout Tool (VOLT), which is currently being developed to streamline the coordination between astronomical missions

SOCAP: Lessons learned in applying SIPE-2 to the military operations crisis action planning domain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desimone, Roberto

1992-01-01

This report describes work funded under the DARPA Planning and Scheduling Initiative that led to the development of SOCAP (System for Operations Crisis Action Planning). In particular, it describes lessons learned in applying SIPE-2, the underlying AI planning technology within SOCAP, to the domain of military operations deliberate and crisis action planning. SOCAP was demonstrated at the U.S. Central Command and at the Pentagon in early 1992. A more detailed report about the lessons learned is currently being prepared. This report was presented during one of the panel discussions on 'The Relevance of Scheduling to AI Planning Systems.'

Java RMI Software Technology for the Payload Planning System of the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Barrett R.

1999-01-01

The Payload Planning System is for experiment planning on the International Space Station. The planning process has a number of different aspects which need to be stored in a database which is then used to generate reports on the planning process in a variety of formats. This process is currently structured as a 3-tier client/server software architecture comprised of a Java applet at the front end, a Java server in the middle, and an Oracle database in the third tier. This system presently uses CGI, the Common Gateway Interface, to communicate between the user-interface and server tiers and Active Data Objects (ADO) to communicate between the server and database tiers. This project investigated other methods and tools for performing the communications between the three tiers of the current system so that both the system performance and software development time could be improved. We specifically found that for the hardware and software platforms that PPS is required to run on, the best solution is to use Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) for communication between the client and server and SQLJ (Structured Query Language for Java) for server interaction with the database. Prototype implementations showed that RMI combined with SQLJ significantly improved performance and also greatly facilitated construction of the communication software.

Early deployment of ATMS/ATIS for metropolitan Detroit

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-09-26

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is currently planning for the expansion of their current Advanced Traffic Management and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATMS and ATIS, respectively). Current ATMS and ATIS coverage include 3...

Review of 3D image data calibration for heterogeneity correction in proton therapy treatment planning.

PubMed

Zhu, Jiahua; Penfold, Scott N

2016-06-01

Correct modelling of the interaction parameters of patient tissues is of vital importance in proton therapy treatment planning because of the large dose gradients associated with the Bragg peak. Different 3D imaging techniques yield different information regarding these interaction parameters. Given the rapidly expanding interest in proton therapy, this review is written to make readers aware of the current challenges in accounting for tissue heterogeneities and the imaging systems that are proposed to tackle these challenges. A summary of the interaction parameters of interest in proton therapy and the current and developmental 3D imaging techniques used in proton therapy treatment planning is given. The different methods to translate the imaging data to the interaction parameters of interest are reviewed and a summary of the implementations in several commercial treatment planning systems is presented.

Internet-based system for simulation-based medical planning for cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Steele, Brooke N; Draney, Mary T; Ku, Joy P; Taylor, Charles A

2003-06-01

Current practice in vascular surgery utilizes only diagnostic and empirical data to plan treatments, which does not enable quantitative a priori prediction of the outcomes of interventions. We have previously described simulation-based medical planning methods to model blood flow in arteries and plan medical treatments based on physiologic models. An important consideration for the design of these patient-specific modeling systems is the accessibility to physicians with modest computational resources. We describe a simulation-based medical planning environment developed for the World Wide Web (WWW) using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and the Java programming language.

The Multiple Gyrotron System on the DIII-D Tokamak

DOE PAGES

Lohr, J.; Anderson, J.; Brambila, R.; ...

2015-08-28

A major component of the versatile heating systems on the DIII-D tokamak is the gyrotron complex. This system routinely operates at 110 GHz with 4.7 MW generated rf power for electron cyclotron heating and current drive. The complex is being upgraded with the addition of new depressed collector potential gyrotrons operating at 117.5 GHz and generating rf power in excess of 1.0 MW each. The long term upgrade plan calls for 10 gyrotrons at the higher frequency being phased in as resources permit, for an injected power near 10 MW. This article presents a summary of the current status ofmore » the DIII-D gyrotron complex, its performance, individual components, testing procedures, operational parameters, plans, and a brief summary of the experiments for which the system is currently being used.« less

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Strategic Plan for Improving Physical Plant Management at Southwest Texas Junior College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Box, Wilford Winston

A study was conducted at Southwest Texas Junior College (STJC) to assess current management practices used by the physical plant maintenance department (PPMD) and to develop a strategic plan for physical plant management. Procedures included an analysis of current management practices and systems that affect physical resources, and periodic and…

Developing a Campaign Plan to Target Centers of Gravity Within Economic Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-05-01

Conclusion 67 CHAPTER 7: CURRENT AND FUTURE CONCERNS 69 Decision Making and Planning 69 Conclusion 72 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION 73 APPENDIX A: STATISTICS 80...Terminology and Statistical Tests 80 Country Analysis 84 APPENDIX B 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY 157 VITAE 162 IV LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Air Campaign...This project furthers the original statistical effort and adds to this a campaign planning approach (including both systems and operational level

Power Systems Design and Studies | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Design and Studies Power Systems Design and Studies NREL develops new tools, algorithms, and market design and performance evaluations; and planning, operations, and protection studies. Photo of two researchers looking at a screen showing a distribution grid map Current design and planning tools for the

Global Test Range: Toward Airborne Sensor Webs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mace, Thomas H.; Freudinger, Larry; DelFrate John H.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the planned global sensor network that will monitor the Earth's climate, and resources using airborne sensor systems. The vision is an intelligent, affordable Earth Observation System. Global Test Range is a lab developing trustworthy services for airborne instruments - a specialized Internet Service Provider. There is discussion of several current and planned missions.

Using neural networks and Dyna algorithm for integrated planning, reacting and learning in systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lima, Pedro; Beard, Randal

1992-01-01

The traditional AI answer to the decision making problem for a robot is planning. However, planning is usually CPU-time consuming, depending on the availability and accuracy of a world model. The Dyna system generally described in earlier work, uses trial and error to learn a world model which is simultaneously used to plan reactions resulting in optimal action sequences. It is an attempt to integrate planning, reactive, and learning systems. The architecture of Dyna is presented. The different blocks are described. There are three main components of the system. The first is the world model used by the robot for internal world representation. The input of the world model is the current state and the action taken in the current state. The output is the corresponding reward and resulting state. The second module in the system is the policy. The policy observes the current state and outputs the action to be executed by the robot. At the beginning of program execution, the policy is stochastic and through learning progressively becomes deterministic. The policy decides upon an action according to the output of an evaluation function, which is the third module of the system. The evaluation function takes the following as input: the current state of the system, the action taken in that state, the resulting state, and a reward generated by the world which is proportional to the current distance from the goal state. Originally, the work proposed was as follows: (1) to implement a simple 2-D world where a 'robot' is navigating around obstacles, to learn the path to a goal, by using lookup tables; (2) to substitute the world model and Q estimate function Q by neural networks; and (3) to apply the algorithm to a more complex world where the use of a neural network would be fully justified. In this paper, the system design and achieved results will be described. First we implement the world model with a neural network and leave Q implemented as a look up table. Next, we use a lookup table for the world model and implement the Q function with a neural net. Time limitations prevented the combination of these two approaches. The final section discusses the results and gives clues for future work.

Data Flow System operations: from the NTT to the VLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, David R.; Leibundgut, Bruno; Quinn, Peter J.; Spyromilio, Jason; Tarenghi, Massimo

1998-07-01

Science operations at the ESO very large telescope is scheduled to begin in April 1999. ESO is currently finalizing the VLT science operations plan. This plan describes the operations tasks and staffing needed to support both visitor and service mode operations. The Data Flow Systems (DFS) currently being developed by ESO will provide the infrastructure necessary for VLT science operations. This paper describes the current VLT science operations plan, first by discussing the tasks involved and then by describing the operations teams that have responsibility for those tasks. Prototypes of many of these operational concepts and tools have been in use at the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) since February 1997. This paper briefly summarizes the status of these prototypes and then discusses what operation lessons have been learned from the NTT experience and how they can be applied to the VLT.

NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems Planning and Potential Future Systems Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, June F.; Woerner, Dave F.; Cairns-Gallimore, Dirk; Johnson, Stephen G.; Qualls, Louis

2016-01-01

The goal of NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program is to make RPS ready and available to support the exploration of the solar system in environments where the use of conventional solar or chemical power generation is impractical or impossible to meet the needs of the missions. To meet this goal, the RPS Program, working closely with the Department of Energy, performs mission and system studies (such as the recently released Nuclear Power Assessment Study), assesses the readiness of promising technologies to infuse in future generators, assesses the sustainment of key RPS capabilities and knowledge, forecasts and tracks the Program's budgetary needs, and disseminates current information about RPS to the community of potential users. This process has been refined and used to determine the current content of the RPS Program's portfolio. This portfolio currently includes an effort to mature advanced thermoelectric technology for possible integration into an enhanced Multi-Mission Radioisotope Generator (eMMRTG), sustainment and production of the currently deployed MMRTG, and technology investments that could lead to a future Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG). This paper describes the program planning processes that have been used, the currently available MMRTG, and one of the potential future systems, the eMMRTG.

NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems Planning and Potential Future Systems Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, June F.; Woerner, Dave F.; Cairns-Gallimore, Dirk; Johnson, Stephen G.; Qualis, Louis

2016-01-01

The goal of NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program is to make RPS ready and available to support the exploration of the solar system in environments where the use of conventional solar or chemical power generation is impractical or impossible to meet the needs of the missions. To meet this goal, the RPS Program, working closely with the Department of Energy, performs mission and system studies (such as the recently released Nuclear Power Assessment Study), assesses the readiness of promising technologies to infuse in future generators, assesses the sustainment of key RPS capabilities and knowledge, forecasts and tracks the Programs budgetary needs, and disseminates current information about RPS to the community of potential users. This process has been refined and used to determine the current content of the RPS Programs portfolio. This portfolio currently includes an effort to mature advanced thermoelectric technology for possible integration into an enhanced Multi-Mission Radioisotope Generator (eMMRTG), sustainment and production of the currently deployed MMRTG, and technology investments that could lead to a future Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG). This paper describes the program planning processes that have been used, the currently available MMRTG, and one of the potential future systems, the eMMRTG.

Supply chain planning classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hvolby, Hans-Henrik; Trienekens, Jacques; Bonde, Hans

2001-10-01

Industry experience a need to shift in focus from internal production planning towards planning in the supply network. In this respect customer oriented thinking becomes almost a common good amongst companies in the supply network. An increase in the use of information technology is needed to enable companies to better tune their production planning with customers and suppliers. Information technology opportunities and supply chain planning systems facilitate companies to monitor and control their supplier network. In spite if these developments, most links in today's supply chains make individual plans, because the real demand information is not available throughout the chain. The current systems and processes of the supply chains are not designed to meet the requirements now placed upon them. For long term relationships with suppliers and customers, an integrated decision-making process is needed in order to obtain a satisfactory result for all parties. Especially when customized production and short lead-time is in focus. An effective value chain makes inventory available and visible among the value chain members, minimizes response time and optimizes total inventory value held throughout the chain. In this paper a supply chain planning classification grid is presented based current manufacturing classifications and supply chain planning initiatives.

Methods for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage planning; The hidden side of cities.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaxa-Rozen, M.; Bloemendal, M.; Theo, O.

2017-12-01

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, by supplying heating and cooling to buildings with a heat pump combined with seasonal heat storage in aquifers. The climactic and geohydrological conditions required for this technology can be found in many temperate regions around the world; In The Netherlands there are currently approximately 2,200 active systems. Despite this modest adoption level, many urban areas in the Netherlands already struggle to accommodate the subsurface claims needed to further develop ATES under current planning regulations. To identify best practices for ATES planning and maximize the technology's future potential, this work first reviews a set of 24 ATES-plans which were used for the spatial layout of ATES in various urban areas in The Netherlands and the method used to make those plans. This analysis revealed that three crucial elements are found to be missing in current ATES planning: i) a consistent assessment framework which can be used to compare the performance of different planning strategies; ii) a systematic adjustment of ATES design parameters to suit local conditions; iii) the identification and use of aquifer allocation thresholds to guide the choice of a planning strategy. All three steps are elaborated and added to the method. For the latter, these thresholds are identified by exploratory numerical modelling, using a coupled agent-based/geohydrological (MODFLOW) simulation to explore a broad range of scenarios for ATES design and layout parameters. The results give insight in how technical ATES-well design choices affect optimal use of subsurface space and in the trade-of between individual efficiency and overall emission reductions. The improved ATES-planning method now fosters planning and design rules ensuring optimal and sustainable use of subsurface space, i.e. maximizing energy saving by accommodating as much ATES systems as possible while maintaining individual well efficiency.

IVHS Denver Metro Area, Strategic Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-10-01

THE IVHS STRATEGIC PLAN WHICH FOLLOWS DEFINES THE CURRENT SITUATION AND EXISTING CONDITIONS IN THE DENVER AREA; PROVIDES BACKGROUND INFORMATION DESCRIBING IVHS SYSTEMS; DETAILS REGIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES; LISTS AND DESCRIBES THE MENU OF 44 POTENTI...

Aviation Capacity Enhancement (ACE) Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-12-31

A comprehensive review of Federal Aviation Administration programs intended to improve the capacity of the National Air Transportation System. The Plan describes the extent of capacity and delay problems currently associated with air travel in the U....

1995 Aviation Capacity Enhancement (ACE) Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-12-31

A comprehensive review of Federal Aviation Administration programs intended to improve : the capacity of the National Air Transportation System. The Plan describes the extent of capacity : and delay problems currently associated with air travel in th...

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sukhan (Inventor)

1992-01-01

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies is presented. The planning system analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc., that must occur during the assembly. Additionally, the planning handles nonreversible, as well as reversible, assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to decrease the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

Study and development of techniques for automatic control of remote manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaket, E.; Leal, A.

1976-01-01

An overall conceptual design for an autonomous control system of remote manipulators which utilizes feedback was constructed. The system consists of a description of the high-level capabilities of a model from which design algorithms are constructed. The autonomous capability is achieved through automatic planning and locally controlled execution of the plans. The operator gives his commands in high level task-oriented terms. The system transforms these commands into a plan. It uses built-in procedural knowledge of the problem domain and an internal model of the current state of the world.

Simulation-Based Cryosurgery Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) Prototype

PubMed Central

Sehrawat, Anjali; Keelan, Robert; Shimada, Kenji; Wilfong, Dona M.; McCormick, James T.; Rabin, Yoed

2015-01-01

As a part of an ongoing effort to develop computerized training tools for cryosurgery, the current study presents a proof-of-concept for a computerized tool for cryosurgery tutoring. The tutoring system lists geometrical constraints of cryoprobes placement, simulates cryoprobe insertion, displays a rendered shape of the prostate, enables distance measurements, simulates the corresponding thermal history, and evaluates the mismatch between the target region shape and a pre-selected planning isotherm. The quality of trainee planning is measured in comparison with a computer-generated planning, created for each case study by previously developed planning algorithms. Two versions of the tutoring system have been tested in the current study: (i) an unguided version, where the trainee can practice cases in unstructured sessions, and (ii) an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), which forces the trainee to follow specific steps, believed by the authors to potentially shorten the learning curve. While the tutoring level in this study aims only at geometrical constraints on cryoprobe placement and the resulting thermal histories, it creates a unique opportunity to gain insight into the process outside of the operation room. Posttest results indicate that the ITS system maybe more beneficial than the non-ITS system, but the proof-of-concept is demonstrated with either system. PMID:25941163

Simulation-Based Cryosurgery Intelligent Tutoring System Prototype.

PubMed

Sehrawat, Anjali; Keelan, Robert; Shimada, Kenji; Wilfong, Dona M; McCormick, James T; Rabin, Yoed

2016-04-01

As a part of an ongoing effort to develop computerized training tools for cryosurgery, the current study presents a proof of concept for a computerized tool for cryosurgery tutoring. The tutoring system lists geometrical constraints of cryoprobes placement, simulates cryoprobe insertion, displays a rendered shape of the prostate, enables distance measurements, simulates the corresponding thermal history, and evaluates the mismatch between the target region shape and a preselected planning isotherm. The quality of trainee planning is measured in comparison with a computer-generated planning, created for each case study by previously developed planning algorithms. The following two versions of the tutoring system have been tested in the current study: (1) an unguided version, where the trainee can practice cases in unstructured sessions and (2) an intelligent tutoring system, which forces the trainee to follow specific steps, believed by the authors to potentially shorten the learning curve. Although the tutoring level in this study aims only at geometrical constraints on cryoprobe placement and the resulting thermal histories, it creates a unique opportunity to gain insight into the process outside the operation room. Post-test results indicate that the intelligent tutoring system may be more beneficial than the nonintelligent tutoring system, but the proof of concept is demonstrated with either system. © The Author(s) 2015.

Transmission Planning Analysis Tool

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

2015-06-23

Developed to solve specific problem: Assist transmission planning for regional transfers in interconnected power systems. This work was originated in a study for the U.S. Department of State, to recommend transmission reinforcements for the Central American regional system that interconnects 6 countries. Transmission planning analysis is currently performed by engineers with domainspecific and systemspecific knowledge without a unique methodology. The software codes of this disclosure assists engineers by defining systematic analysis procedures to help identify weak points and make decisions on transmission planning of regional interconnected power systems. Transmission Planning Analysis Tool groups PSS/E results of multiple AC contingency analysismore » and voltage stability analysis and QV analysis of many scenarios of study and arrange them in a systematic way to aid power system planning engineers or transmission operators in effective decision]making process or in the off]line study environment.« less

Reinventing Military Retirement.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

private sector retirement plan principles to the military retirement system. The increasing cost and generosity of military retirement coupled with political pressures to reduce federal spending have focused attention on reforming the military retirement system. Previous studies of the military retirement system are addressed and critiqued. Private retirement options are reviewed and a 401(k) plan is proposed to replace the current military retirement system. The new retirement system would eventually reduce federal outlays for military retirement by 66 percent while

Model Deformation and Optical Angle of Attack Measurement System in the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, Laura K.; Drain, Bethany A.; Schairer, Edward T.; Heineck, James T.; Bell, James H.

2017-01-01

Both AoA and MDM measurements can be made using an optical system that relies on photogrammetry. Optical measurements are being requested by customers in wind tunnels with increasing frequency due to their non-intrusive nature and recent hardware and software advances that allow measurements to become near real time. The NASA Ames Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel is currently developing a system based on photogrammetry to measure model deformation and model angle of attack. This paper describes the new system, its development, its use on recent tests and plans to further develop the system.

Making the Case for Reusable Booster Systems: The Operations Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zapata, Edgar

2012-01-01

Presentation to the Aeronautics Space Engineering Board National Research Council Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment Committee. Addresses: the criteria and assumptions used in the formulation of current RBS plans; the methodologies used in the current cost estimates for RBS; the modeling methodology used to frame the business case for an RBS capability including: the data used in the analysis, the models' robustness if new data become available, and the impact of unclassified government data that was previously unavailable and which will be supplied by the USAF; the technical maturity of key elements critical to RBS implementation and the ability of current technology development plans to meet technical readiness milestones.

Will the Needs-Based Planning of Health Human Resources Currently Undertaken in Several Countries Lead to Excess Supply and Inefficiency?

PubMed

Basu, Kisalaya; Pak, Maxwell

2016-01-01

Recently, the emphasis on health human resources (HHR) planning has shifted away from a utilization-based approach toward a needs-based one in which planning is based on the projected health needs of the population. However, needs-based models that are currently in use rely on a definition of 'needs' that include only the medical circumstances of individuals and not personal preferences or other socio-economic factors. We examine whether planning based on such a narrow definition will maximize social welfare. We show that, in a publicly funded healthcare system, if the planner seeks to meet the aggregate need without taking utilization into consideration, then oversupply of HHR is likely because 'needs' do not necessarily translate into 'usage.' Our result suggests that HHR planning should track the healthcare system as access gradually improves because, even if health care is fully accessible, individuals may not fully utilize it to the degree prescribed by their medical circumstances. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cargo launch vehicles to low earth orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, Robert E.

1990-01-01

There are two primary space transportation capabilities required to support both base programs and expanded mission requirements: earth-to-orbit (ETO) transportation systems and space transfer vehicle systems. Existing and new ETO vehicles required to support mission requirements, and planned robotic missions, along with currently planned ETO vehicles are provided. Lunar outposts, Mars' outposts, base and expanded model, ETO vehicles, advanced avionics technologies, expert systems, network architecture and operations systems, and technology transfer are discussed.

Analysis of the value of battery storage with wind and photovoltaic generation to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District

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

Zaininger, H.W.

1998-08-01

This report describes the results of an analysis to determine the economic and operational value of battery storage to wind and photovoltaic (PV) generation technologies to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) system. The analysis approach consisted of performing a benefit-cost economic assessment using established SMUD financial parameters, system expansion plans, and current system operating procedures. This report presents the results of the analysis. Section 2 describes expected wind and PV plant performance. Section 3 describes expected benefits to SMUD associated with employing battery storage. Section 4 presents preliminary benefit-cost results for battery storage added at the Solano wind plantmore » and the Hedge PV plant. Section 5 presents conclusions and recommendations resulting from this analysis. The results of this analysis should be reviewed subject to the following caveat. The assumptions and data used in developing these results were based on reports available from and interaction with appropriate SMUD operating, planning, and design personnel in 1994 and early 1995 and are compatible with financial assumptions and system expansion plans as of that time. Assumptions and SMUD expansion plans have changed since then. In particular, SMUD did not install the additional 45 MW of wind that was planned for 1996. Current SMUD expansion plans and assumptions should be obtained from appropriate SMUD personnel.« less

Fuzzy logic based expert system for the treatment of mobile tooth.

PubMed

Mago, Vijay Kumar; Mago, Anjali; Sharma, Poonam; Mago, Jagmohan

2011-01-01

The aim of this research work is to design an expert system to assist dentist in treating the mobile tooth. There is lack of consistency among dentists in choosing the treatment plan. Moreover, there is no expert system currently available to verify and support such decision making in dentistry. A Fuzzy Logic based expert system has been designed to accept imprecise and vague values of dental sign-symptoms related to mobile tooth and the system suggests treatment plan(s). The comparison of predictions made by the system with those of the dentist is conducted. Chi-square Test of homogeneity is conducted and it is found that the system is capable of predicting accurate results. With this system, dentist feels more confident while planning the treatment of mobile tooth as he can verify his decision with the expert system. The authors also argue that Fuzzy Logic provides an appropriate mechanism to handle imprecise values of dental domain.

Methods and apparatus for integrating, organizing, and accessing flight planning and other data on multifunction cockpit displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, Michael J. (Inventor); Adams, Michael B. (Inventor); Chase, Karl L. (Inventor); Van Omen, Debi (Inventor); Lewis, Daniel E. (Inventor); McCrobie, Daniel E. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and system for displaying a flight plan such that an entire flight plan is viewable through the use of scrolling devices is disclosed. The flight plan display may also include a method and system for collapsing and expanding a flight plan display, have provisions for the conspicuous marking of changes to a flight plan, the use of tabs to switch between various displays of data, and access to a navigation database that allows a user to view information about various navigational aids. The database may also the access to the information about the navigational aids to be prioritized based on proximity to the current position of the aircraft.

Personalized Location-Based Recommendation Services for Tour Planning in Mobile Tourism Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chien-Chih; Chang, Hsiao-Ping

Travel and tour planning is a process of searching, selecting, grouping and sequencing destination related products and services including attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and activities. Personalized recommendation services aim at suggesting products and services to meet users’ preferences and needs, while location-based services focus on providing information based on users’ current positions. Due to the fast growing of user needs in the mobile tourism domain, how to provide personalized location-based tour recommendation services becomes a critical research and practical issue. The objective of this paper is to propose a system architecture and design methods for facilitating the delivery of location-based recommendation services to support personalized tour planning. Based on tourists’ current location and time, as well as personal preferences and needs, various recommendations regarding sightseeing spots, hotels, restaurants, and packaged tour plans can be generated efficiently. An application prototype is also implemented to illustrate and test the system feasibility and effectiveness.

Challenges: The State Board of Community Colleges 1988 Master Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Board of Community Colleges, Tallahassee.

The Florida State Board of Community Colleges' 1988 Master Plan presents current trends, challenges, and issues affecting the system in order to guide both local and state institutional development and legislation. The first section of the plan reviews population trends, indicating that: (1) population growth will be the most influential trend…

Recycling Academic Calendars. AAHE-ERIC/Higher Education Research Currents, October 1979.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eddy, Margot Sanders

The experiences of a variety of postsecondary institutions using different academic calendar options are examined. Several calendar options are described: the traditional semester, the early semester, 4-1-4, the quarter system, the trimester plan, composite plans, and year-round plans. The traditional semester calendar begins in mid-September and…

Integrating environment into land-use planning through strategic environmental assessment in China: Towards legal frameworks and operational procedures

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

Tao Tang; Tan Zhu; He Xu

China currently put forwards 'striving to build an environmentally friendly society' as one of the most important development goals. The land administration authorities are facing the challenge of effectively incorporating environment considerations into their planning system. This paper aims to investigate why and how Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is enacted as an effective tool to integrate the environment into land-use planning during the construction process of an environmentally friendly society in China, and identify factors that influence the integration. It presents characteristics of the land-use planning system, and reviews the progress and current state of SEA in China. Results showmore » that SEA provides many benefits in promoting environmental considerations into the land-use planning process. The legal frameworks and operational procedures, in the context of land-use master planning SEA, are summarized and an assessment made of their effectiveness. Some barriers are highlighted through examination of the latest case studies, and several recommendations are presented to overcome these obstacles.« less

Nutrient Use Efficiency in Bioenergy Cropping Systems: Critical Research Questions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Current U.S. plans for energy security rely on converting large areas of cropland from food to biofuel production. Additionally, lands currently considered too marginal for intensive food production may be considered suitable for biofuels production; predominant cropping systems may shift to more va...

49 CFR 611.7 - Relation to planning and project development processes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... (ii) Two years after the project opens for revenue service, the grantee shall collect the “after” data... the project. (i) The plan shall provide for: Collection of “before” data on the current transit system... project; collection of “after” data on the transit system two years after opening of the new start project...

Space Station thermal management system development status and plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rankin, J. G.

1985-01-01

The manned Space Station, as currently designed, contains a baseline thermal management system (TMS) which uses components and subsystems never before employed in manned spacecraft. The basis for the technology used in the TMS design is the result of a long-term TMS Technology Development Plan which was initiated in 1979. Rankin and Marshall (1983) have discussed the history and progress of that plan from its beginnings to early 1983. The present paper is concerned with the status of activities conducted at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) under this plan since 1983, taking into account also a summary of activities planned for the next several years.

The flight planning - flight management connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sorensen, J. A.

1984-01-01

Airborne flight management systems are currently being implemented to minimize direct operating costs when flying over a fixed route between a given city pair. Inherent in the design of these systems is that the horizontal flight path and wind and temperature models be defined and input into the airborne computer before flight. The wind/temperature model and horizontal path are products of the flight planning process. Flight planning consists of generating 3-D reference trajectories through a forecast wind field subject to certain ATC and transport operator constraints. The interrelationships between flight management and flight planning are reviewed, and the steps taken during the flight planning process are summarized.

Regional health workforce planning through action research: lessons for commissioning health services from a case study in Far North Queensland.

PubMed

Panzera, Annette June; Murray, Richard; Stewart, Ruth; Mills, Jane; Beaton, Neil; Larkins, Sarah

2016-01-01

Creating a stable and sustainable health workforce in regional, rural and remote Australia has long been a challenge to health workforce planners, policy makers and researchers alike. Traditional health workforce planning is often reactive and assumes continuation of current patterns of healthcare utilisation. This demonstration project in Far North Queensland exemplifies how participatory regional health workforce planning processes can accurately model current and projected local workforce requirements. The recent establishment of Primary Health Networks (PHNs) with the intent to commission health services tailored to individual healthcare needs underlines the relevance of such an approach. This study used action research methodology informed by World Health Organization (WHO) systems thinking. Four cyclical stages of health workforce planning were followed: needs assessment; health service model redesign; skills-set assessment and workforce redesign; and development of a workforce and training plan. This study demonstrated that needs-based loco-regional health workforce planning can be achieved successfully through participatory processes with stakeholders. Stronger health systems and workforce training solutions were delivered by facilitating linkages and planning processes based on community need involving healthcare professionals across all disciplines and sectors. By focusing upon extending competencies and skills sets, local health professionals form a stable and sustainable local workforce. Concrete examples of initiatives generated from this process include developing a chronic disease inter-professional teaching clinic in a rural town and renal dialysis being delivered locally to an Aboriginal community. The growing trend of policy makers decentralising health funding, planning and accountability and rising health system costs increase the future utility of this approach. This type of planning can also assist the new PHNs to commission health services that meet the needs of the population and contribute to service and system improvement and innovation.

Policy implications in developing a land use management information systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landini, A. J.

1975-01-01

The current land use map for the city of Los Angeles was developed by the guesstimation process and provides single stage information for each level in the critical geographical hierarchy for land use planning management. Processing and incorporation of LANDSAT data in the land use information system requires special funding; however, computergraphic maps are able to provide a viable information system for city planning and management.

A Study of the Communication Capabilities of the OPARS Flight Planning System for Various Levels of Demand.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

Oceanography Center (FNOC) is currently testing and evaluating a computerized flight plan system, referred to, for short, as OPARS. This sytem , developed to...replace the Lockheed Jetplan flight plan sytem , provides users at remote sites with direct access to the FNOC computer via 11 telephone lines. The...validity, but only for format. For example, an entry of ABCE , as the four- letter identification code for the destination airfield, would be accepted

The Transition from VMS to Unix Operations for STScI's Science Planning and Scheduling Team

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, D. S.; Taylor, D. K.

The Science Planning and Scheduling Team of the Space Telescope Science Institute currently uses the VMS operating system. SPST began a transition to Unix-based operations in the summer of 1999. The main tasks for SPST to address in the Unix transition are: (1) converting the current SPST operational tools from DCL to Python; (2) converting our database report scripts from SQL; (3) adopting a Unix-based code management system; and (4) training the SPST staff. The goal is to fully transition the team to Unix operations by the end of 2001.

Implications of Current and Proposed Funding Plans for Oklahoma Common Schools. Research Report P-748.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowrance, Danny; Tweeten, Luther

Utilizing data from the 1973-1974 school year, the study analyzed and compared the educational funding system presently used by Oklahoma with other school funding plans on the basis of economic efficiency and social equity. Funding plans used for comparison included Flat Grants, Minimum Foundation, Percentage Equalizing, Guaranteed Tax Base, Full…

Journey to the 21st Century. A Summary of OCLC's Strategic Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., Dublin, OH.

This report on some of the strategic planning decisions that OCLC has made for the 21st century begins by describing the evolution of OCLC from a pioneer in the computer revolution with its Online Union Catalog and Shared Cataloging System in 1971 to a system that currently has nearly 60 distinct offerings. Corresponding computer and…

SURE (Science User Resource Expert): A science planning and scheduling assistant for a resource based environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thalman, Nancy E.; Sparn, Thomas P.

1990-01-01

SURE (Science User Resource Expert) is one of three components that compose the SURPASS (Science User Resource Planning and Scheduling System). This system is a planning and scheduling tool which supports distributed planning and scheduling, based on resource allocation and optimization. Currently SURE is being used within the SURPASS by the UARS (Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite) SOLSTICE instrument to build a daily science plan and activity schedule and in a prototyping effort with NASA GSFC to demonstrate distributed planning and scheduling for the SOLSTICE II instrument on the EOS platform. For the SOLSTICE application the SURE utilizes a rule-based system. Development of a rule-based program using Ada CLIPS as opposed to using conventional programming, allows for capture of the science planning and scheduling heuristics in rules and provides flexibility in inserting or removing rules as the scientific objectives and mission constraints change. The SURE system's role as a component in the SURPASS, the purpose of the SURE planning and scheduling tool, the SURE knowledge base, and the software architecture of the SURE component are described.

Applying Modern Marketing Concepts to Military Recruiting

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-03

new to military recruiting or are an updated version of currently used concepts. The concepts and systems include social marketing, marketing ... research , market planning and product development, pricing and management. New simulated application including a strategic planning war game and a simulated

Developing an information systems strategy for nursing.

PubMed

Callanan, K M; Hughes, S J

1995-01-01

With the rapidly changing health care environment and information technology advances, organizations need to engage in strategic, planned change in order to allocate limited resources, achieve the organization's goals, and fulfill its mission [1]. One of the most important aspects of the organization's planned strategies for change concerns the information systems. The involvement of the nursing department in this process is critical. This poster presentation will communicate how nurses can develop an information systems strategic plan that will enable them to play an active role as contributors and vital participants in the strategic and business planning processes for information systems. This information systems strategy for nursing will: a) provide direction and purpose, b) guide nursing in identifying the kinds of information technology needed, c) assist in timely implementation of a system that supports nursing, and d) identify desired outcomes and benefits of an information system. The nursing information systems plan must be built on, and support, the organization's mission and business plan and integrate into the over-all information systems plans [2]. Components of the nursing strategic plan include the nursing mission statement and vision, an assessment of the current environment to identify supporting technology needed to achieve the nursing vision, expectations/anticipated outcomes, environmental considerations, and special staffing/expertise considerations. The nursing vision and mission statement is an articulation of the overall direction and purpose of the nursing organization. An assessment of the nursing organization, problem areas, opportunities for growth, the physical environment, existing systems, communications requirements, and resources is carried out to help identify areas where new technologies and automated methods of managing information could be applied. Special staffing and expertise not currently available in the organization, but necessary to the successful implementation of the plan, should be identified, and plans for filling those needs should be included in the planning and prioritization process. Based on the mission and assessment findings, goals or anticipated outcomes are developed. These goals must be realistic, financially feasible, and logistically achievable; they should also provide direction for action and decision-making [3]. Measurable objectives and detailed action plans can then be developed from these goals when implementation of this aspect of the strategic plan is begun. It is especially important, even at a strategic planning level, to consider change management techniques, including specific steps to involve individuals who will be affected by the change and to ensure open communication throughout the process. Efforts to collaborate with all affected departments and to offer input and educational opportunities to the various members of the health care team should be included in the strategic plan. A business plan describing the mission, goals, and objectives for a specific system implementation is the final step in the strategic planning process. The business plan includes expected outcomes and cost justification and may be done in cooperation with other departments (in the organization) that will be involved with this system. The business plan is used to communicate the information system's needs to the administration and governing board of the organization. With a good information systems strategy, nursing will be prepared to make more timely and better informed decisions related to applying information technology within the nursing department. The end results of this planning should be evident in the improved utilization of information technology to support the nursing vision and mission.

CLV First Stage Design, Development, Test and Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burt, Richard K.; Brasfield, F.

2006-01-01

The Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is an integral part of NASA's Exploration architecture that will provide crew and cargo access to the International Space Station as well as low earth orbit support for lunar missions. Currently in the system definition phase, the CLV is planned to replace the Space Shuttle for crew transport in the post 2010 time frame. It is comprised of a solid rocket booster first stage derived from the current Space Shuttle SRB, a LOX/hydrogen liquid fueled second stage utilizing a derivative of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) for propulsion, and a Crew Exploration Vehicle (GEV) composed of Command and Service Modules. This paper deals with current DDT&E planning for the CLV first stage solid rocket booster. Described are the current overall point-of-departure design and booster subsystems, systems engineering approach, and milestone schedule requirements.

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sukhan (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies, and analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans is presented. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc. that must occur during the assembly, and handles nonreversible as well as reversible assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to increase the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project - Gen-4 and Gen-5 Radio Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griner, James H.

2014-01-01

NASA's UAS Integration in the NAS project, has partnered with Rockwell Collins to develop a concept Control and Non-Payload Communication (CNPC) system prototype radio, operating on recently allocated UAS frequency spectrum bands. This prototype radio is being used to validate initial proposed performance requirements for UAS control communications. This presentation will give an overview of the current plans for the prototype radio development.

An Overview of ANN Application in the Power Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niebur, D.

1995-01-01

The paper presents a survey on the development and experience with artificial neural net (ANN) applications for electric power systems, with emphasis on operational systems. The organization and constraints of electric utilities are reviewed, motivations for investigating ANN are identified, and a current assessment is given from the experience of 2400 projects using ANN for load forecasting, alarm processing, fault detection, component fault diagnosis, static and dynamic security analysis, system planning, and operation planning.

Status of the NASA Micro Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET): overview of the network and future plans, new version 3 data products, and the polarized MPL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welton, Ellsworth J.; Stewart, Sebastian A.; Lewis, Jasper R.; Belcher, Larry R.; Campbell, James R.; Lolli, Simone

2018-04-01

The NASA Micro Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET) is a global federated network of Micro-Pulse Lidars (MPL) co-located with the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). MPLNET began in 2000, and there are currently 17 long-term sites, numerous field campaigns, and more planned sites on the way. We have developed a new Version 3 processing system including the deployment of polarized MPLs across the network. Here we provide an overview of Version 3, the polarized MPL, and current and future plans.

Radiotherapy supporting system based on the image database using IS&C magneto-optical disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ando, Yutaka; Tsukamoto, Nobuhiro; Kunieda, Etsuo; Kubo, Atsushi

1994-05-01

Since radiation oncologists make the treatment plan by prior experience, information about previous cases is helpful in planning the radiation treatment. We have developed an supporting system for the radiation therapy. The case-based reasoning method was implemented in order to search old treatments and images of past cases. This system evaluates similarities between the current case and all stored cases (case base). The portal images of the similar cases can be retrieved for reference images, as well as treatment records which show examples of the radiation treatment. By this system radiotherapists can easily make suitable plans of the radiation therapy. This system is useful to prevent inaccurate plannings due to preconceptions and/or lack of knowledge. Images were stored into magneto-optical disks and the demographic data is recorded to the hard disk which is equipped in the personal computer. Images can be displayed quickly on the radiotherapist's demands. The radiation oncologist can refer past cases which are recorded in the case base and decide the radiation treatment of the current case. The file and data format of magneto-optical disk is the IS&C format. This format provides the interchangeability and reproducibility of the medical information which includes images and other demographic data.

Avionics test bed development plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, L. H.; Parks, J. M.; Murdock, C. R.

1981-01-01

A development plan for a proposed avionics test bed facility for the early investigation and evaluation of new concepts for the control of large space structures, orbiter attached flex body experiments, and orbiter enhancements is presented. A distributed data processing facility that utilizes the current laboratory resources for the test bed development is outlined. Future studies required for implementation, the management system for project control, and the baseline system configuration are defined. A background analysis of the specific hardware system for the preliminary baseline avionics test bed system is included.

A Future of Satellite-Aided Search and Rescue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Ronald

1998-01-01

Satellite technology has been an integral part of maritime search and rescue since the Cospas-Sarsat system began operation in 1984. This system, credited with more than eighty-six hundred lives saved, has recently been augmented to provide immediate response through geostationary satellites. The other satellite-based distress alerting system, INMARSAT, launched its emergency Standard C service in 1991 and Standard E in 1997. Current plans call for a continuation of service from both of these vital systems at least through the first decade of the next century. We are currently witnessing the construction of a number of new satellite systems that will have the potential for revolutionizing mobile communications. These systems will be capable of emergency communication, and must be given due consideration in any look at the future, This paper reviews existing systems using satellites for distress alerting, describes the plans in place for them, and discusses likely developments.

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) : program and projects

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-01

This is a brief outline of the current projects and programs related to the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) initiatives, formerly known as Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS), being planned, developed, or implemented by the Michigan D...

Intensity modulated neutron radiotherapy optimization by photon proxy

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

Snyder, Michael; Hammoud, Ahmad; Bossenberger, Todd

2012-08-15

Purpose: Introducing intensity modulation into neutron radiotherapy (IMNRT) planning has the potential to mitigate some normal tissue complications seen in past neutron trials. While the hardware to deliver IMNRT plans has been in use for several years, until recently the IMNRT planning process has been cumbersome and of lower fidelity than conventional photon plans. Our in-house planning system used to calculate neutron therapy plans allows beam weight optimization of forward planned segments, but does not provide inverse optimization capabilities. Commercial treatment planning systems provide inverse optimization capabilities, but currently cannot model our neutron beam. Methods: We have developed a methodologymore » and software suite to make use of the robust optimization in our commercial planning system while still using our in-house planning system to calculate final neutron dose distributions. Optimized multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf positions for segments designed in the commercial system using a 4 MV photon proxy beam are translated into static neutron ports that can be represented within our in-house treatment planning system. The true neutron dose distribution is calculated in the in-house system and then exported back through the MATLAB software into the commercial treatment planning system for evaluation. Results: The planning process produces optimized IMNRT plans that reduce dose to normal tissue structures as compared to 3D conformal plans using static MLC apertures. The process involves standard planning techniques using a commercially available treatment planning system, and is not significantly more complex than conventional IMRT planning. Using a photon proxy in a commercial optimization algorithm produces IMNRT plans that are more conformal than those previously designed at our center and take much less time to create. Conclusions: The planning process presented here allows for the optimization of IMNRT plans by a commercial treatment planning optimization algorithm, potentially allowing IMNRT to achieve similar conformality in treatment as photon IMRT. The only remaining requirements for the delivery of very highly modulated neutron treatments are incremental improvements upon already implemented hardware systems that should be readily achievable.« less

The Use of On-Line Technology in Connecticut Libraries, 1980-1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Hank; Epstein, Susan Baerg

This report describing the current and future use of online automation technology in Connecticut libraries provides recommendations designed to assist Connecticut libraries in making more effective use of current systems, in selecting the most appropriate new systems, and by providing a basis for effective statewide planning that will take…

DFL, Canada's Space AIT Facilities - Current and Planned Capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singhal, R.; Mishra, S.; Choueiry, E.; Dumoulin, J.; Ahmed, S.

2004-08-01

The David Florida Laboratory (DFL) of the Canadian Space Agency is the Canadian national ISO 9001:2000 registered facility for the assembly, integration, and (environmental) testing of space hardware. This paper briefly describes the three main qualification facilities: Structural Qualification Facilities (SQF); Radio Frequency Qualification Facilities (RFQF); and Thermal Qualification Facilities (TQF). The paper also describes the planned/new upgrades/improvements to the DFL's existing capabilities. These include: cylindrical near-field antenna measurement system, current capabilities in multi-frequency multi-band passive intermodulation (PIM) measurement; combined thermal/vibration test facility, improvement in efficiency and performance of the photogrammetry capability, acquisition of an additional mass properties measurement system for small and micro-satellites; combined control and data acquisition system for all existing thermal vacuum facilities, plus a new automatic thermal control system and hypobaric chamber.

Recent experimental results of KSTAR RF heating and current drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S. J.; Kim, J.; Jeong, J. H.; Kim, H. J.; Joung, M.; Bae, Y. S.; Kwak, J. G.

2015-12-01

The overview of KSTAR activities on ICRH, LHCD and ECH/CD including the last experimental results and future plan aiming for long-pulse high-beta plasma will be presented. Recently we achieved reasonable coupling of ICRF power to H-mode plasma through several efforts to increase system reliability. Power balance will be discussed on this experiment. LHCD is still struggling in the low power regime. Review of antenna spectrum for the higher coupling in H-mode plasma will be tried. ECH/CD provides 41 sec, 0.8 MW of heating power to support high-performance long-pulse discharge. Also, 170 GHz ECH system is integrated with the Plasma Control System (PCS) for the feedback controlling of NTM. Status and plan of ECH/CD will be discussed. Finally, helicon current drive is being prepared for the next stage of KSTAR operation. The hardware preparation and the calculation results of helicon current drive in KSTAR plasma will be discussed.

Path Planning Algorithms for the Adaptive Sensor Fleet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoneking, Eric; Hosler, Jeff

2005-01-01

The Adaptive Sensor Fleet (ASF) is a general purpose fleet management and planning system being developed by NASA in coordination with NOAA. The current mission of ASF is to provide the capability for autonomous cooperative survey and sampling of dynamic oceanographic phenomena such as current systems and algae blooms. Each ASF vessel is a software model that represents a real world platform that carries a variety of sensors. The OASIS platform will provide the first physical vessel, outfitted with the systems and payloads necessary to execute the oceanographic observations described in this paper. The ASF architecture is being designed for extensibility to accommodate heterogenous fleet elements, and is not limited to using the OASIS platform to acquire data. This paper describes the path planning algorithms developed for the acquisition phase of a typical ASF task. Given a polygonal target region to be surveyed, the region is subdivided according to the number of vessels in the fleet. The subdivision algorithm seeks a solution in which all subregions have equal area and minimum mean radius. Once the subregions are defined, a dynamic programming method is used to find a minimum-time path for each vessel from its initial position to its assigned region. This path plan includes the effects of water currents as well as avoidance of known obstacles. A fleet-level planning algorithm then shuffles the individual vessel assignments to find the overall solution which puts all vessels in their assigned regions in the minimum time. This shuffle algorithm may be described as a process of elimination on the sorted list of permutations of a cost matrix. All these path planning algorithms are facilitated by discretizing the region of interest onto a hexagonal tiling.

Optimum-AIV: A planning and scheduling system for spacecraft AIV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arentoft, M. M.; Fuchs, Jens J.; Parrod, Y.; Gasquet, Andre; Stader, J.; Stokes, I.; Vadon, H.

1991-01-01

A project undertaken for the European Space Agency (ESA) is presented. The project is developing a knowledge based software system for planning and scheduling of activities for spacecraft assembly, integration, and verification (AIV). The system extends into the monitoring of plan execution and the plan repair phase. The objectives are to develop an operational kernel of a planning, scheduling, and plan repair tool, called OPTIMUM-AIV, and to provide facilities which will allow individual projects to customize the kernel to suit its specific needs. The kernel shall consist of a set of software functionalities for assistance in initial specification of the AIV plan, in verification and generation of valid plans and schedules for the AIV activities, and in interactive monitoring and execution problem recovery for the detailed AIV plans. Embedded in OPTIMUM-AIV are external interfaces which allow integration with alternative scheduling systems and project databases. The current status of the OPTIMUM-AIV project, as of Jan. 1991, is that a further analysis of the AIV domain has taken place through interviews with satellite AIV experts, a software requirement document (SRD) for the full operational tool was approved, and an architectural design document (ADD) for the kernel excluding external interfaces is ready for review.

Wartime Medical Requirements Models: A Comparison of MPM, MEPES, and LPX-MED.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-10-01

theater-level models: • Medical Planning Module (MPM) • Medical Planning and Execution System (MEPES) • External Logistics Processor-Medical Module ...current plan is to modify LPX-MED to include a requirements calculator, there is no plan to link the require- ments calculation module and the...simulation module . We believe the simulation module (i.e., today’s LPX-MED) needs reasonable starting values, which a calculator model can pro- vide

China Report, Economic Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-28

further that while relaxing control over the microeconomy , we must make corresponding improvements in the work of planned management and stretigthen...borne out by practice that in the course of reforming the economic structure, it is necessary to further invigorate the microeconomy while...the microeconomy . This is the current new task for planned management. The establishment of a new system of planned management that suits the commodity

Bildung in Stufen: Programm und Planung fur ein dynamisches Bildungsystem (Learning by Steps: Programs and Plans for a Dynamic Educational System).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minister for Kultus, Unterricht und Volksbildung, Saarbrucken (Germany).

This report issued by the Minister of Public Education for the Saarland reviews current governmental policies and plans designed to effect an improved system of instruction from the primary to the university level. Consideration is also given to continuing education and education for the handicapped. Proceeding on the premise that the task of…

An integrated decision model for the application of airborne sensors for improved response to accidental and terrorist chemical vapor releases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapitan, Loginn

This research created a new model which provides an integrated approach to planning the effective selection and employment of airborne sensor systems in response to accidental or intentional chemical vapor releases. The approach taken was to use systems engineering and decision analysis methods to construct a model architecture which produced a modular structure for integrating both new and existing components into a logical procedure to assess the application of airborne sensor systems to address chemical vapor hazards. The resulting integrated process model includes an internal aggregation model which allowed differentiation among alternative airborne sensor systems. Both models were developed and validated by experts and demonstrated using appropriate hazardous chemical release scenarios. The resultant prototype integrated process model or system fills a current gap in capability allowing improved planning, training and exercise for HAZMAT teams and first responders when considering the selection and employment of airborne sensor systems. Through the research process, insights into the current response structure and how current airborne capability may be most effectively used were generated. Furthermore, the resultant prototype system is tailorable for local, state, and federal application, and can potentially be modified to help evaluate investments in new airborne sensor technology and systems. Better planning, training and preparedness exercising holds the prospect for the effective application of airborne assets for improved response to large scale chemical release incidents. Improved response will result in fewer casualties and lives lost, reduced economic impact, and increased protection of critical infrastructure when faced with accidental and intentional terrorist release of hazardous industrial chemicals. With the prospect of more airborne sensor systems becoming available, this prototype system integrates existing and new tools into an effective process for the selection and employment of airborne sensors to better plan, train and exercise ahead of potential chemical release events.

Overview of NASA Glenn Research Center's Communications and Intelligent Systems Division

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.

2016-01-01

The Communications and Intelligent Systems Division provides expertise, plans, conducts and directs research and engineering development in the competency fields of advanced communications and intelligent systems technologies for application in current and future aeronautics and space systems.

Information technology systems for critical care triage and medical response during an influenza pandemic: a review of current systems.

PubMed

Bandayrel, Kristofer; Lapinsky, Stephen; Christian, Michael

2013-06-01

To assess local, state, federal, and global pandemic influenza preparedness by identifying pandemic plans at the local, state, federal, and global levels, and to identify any information technology (IT) systems in these plans to support critical care triage during an influenza pandemic in the Canadian province of Ontario. The authors used advanced MEDLINE and Google search strategies and conducted a comprehensive review of key pandemic influenza Web sites. Descriptive data extraction and analysis for IT systems were conducted on all of the included pandemic plans. A total of 155 pandemic influenza plans were reviewed: 29 local, 62 state, 63 federal, and 1 global. We found 70 plans that examined IT systems (10 local, 33 state, 26 federal, 1 global), and 85 that did not (19 local, 29 state, 37 federal). Of the 70 plans, 64 described surveillance systems (10 local, 32 state, 21 federal, 1 global), 2 described patient data collection systems (1 state, 1 federal); 4 described other types of IT systems (4 federal), and none were intended for triage. Although several pandemic plans have been drafted, the majority are high-level general documents that do not describe IT systems. The plans that discuss IT systems focus strongly on surveillance, which fails to recognize the needs of a health care system responding to an influenza pandemic. The best examples of the types of IT systems to guide decision making during a pandemic were found in the Kansas and the Czech Republic pandemic plans, because these systems were designed to collect both patient and surveillance data. Although Ontario has yet to develop such an IT system, several IT systems are in place that could be leveraged to support critical care triage and medical response during an influenza pandemic.

Lessons Learned In Developing Multiple Distributed Planning Systems for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, Theresa G.; McNair, Ann R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The planning processes for the International Space Station (ISS) Program are quite complex. Detailed mission planning for ISS on-orbit operations is a distributed function. Pieces of the on-orbit plan are developed by multiple planning organizations, located around the world, based on their respective expertise and responsibilities. The "pieces" are then integrated to yield the final detailed plan that will be executed onboard the ISS. Previous space programs have not distributed the planning and scheduling functions to this extent. Major ISS planning organizations are currently located in the United States (at both the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)), in Russia, in Europe, and in Japan. Software systems have been developed by each of these planning organizations to support their assigned planning and scheduling functions. Although there is some cooperative development and sharing of key software components, each planning system has been tailored to meet the unique requirements and operational environment of the facility in which it operates. However, all the systems must operate in a coordinated fashion in order to effectively and efficiently produce a single integrated plan of ISS operations, in accordance with the established planning processes. This paper addresses lessons learned during the development of these multiple distributed planning systems, from the perspective of the developer of one of the software systems. The lessons focus on the coordination required to allow the multiple systems to operate together, rather than on the problems associated with the development of any particular system. Included in the paper is a discussion of typical problems faced during the development and coordination process, such as incompatible development schedules, difficulties in defining system interfaces, technical coordination and funding for shared tools, continually evolving planning concepts/requirements, programmatic and budget issues, and external influences. Techniques that mitigated some of these problems will also be addressed, along with recommendations for any future programs involving the development of multiple planning and scheduling systems. Many of these lessons learned are not unique to the area of planning and scheduling systems, so may be applied to other distributed ground systems that must operate in concert to successfully support space mission operations.

Lessons Learned in Developing Multiple Distributed Planning Systems for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, Theresa G.

2002-01-01

The planning processes for the International Space Station (ISS) Program are quite complex. Detailed mission planning for ISS on-orbit operations is a distributed function. Pieces of the on-orbit plan are developed by multiple planning organizations, located around the world, based on their respective expertise and responsibilities. The pieces are then integrated to yield the final detailed plan that will be executed onboard the ISS. Previous space programs have not distributed the planning and scheduling functions to this extent. Major ISS planning organizations are currently located in the United States (at both the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)), in Russia, in Europe, and in Japan. Software systems have been developed by each of these planning organizations to support their assigned planning and scheduling functions. Although there is some cooperative development and sharing of key software components, each planning system has been tailored to meet the unique requirements and operational environment of the facility in which it operates. However, all the systems must operate in a coordinated fashion in order to effectively and efficiently produce a single integrated plan of ISS operations, in accordance with the established planning processes. This paper addresses lessons learned during the development of these multiple distributed planning systems, from the perspective of the developer of one of the software systems. The lessons focus on the coordination required to allow the multiple systems to operate together, rather than on the problems associated with the development of any particular system. Included in the paper is a discussion of typical problems faced during the development and coordination process, such as incompatible development schedules, difficulties in defining system interfaces, technical coordination and funding for shared tools, continually evolving planning concepts/requirements, programmatic and budget issues, and external influences. Techniques that mitigated some of these problems will also be addressed, along with recommendations for any future programs involving the development of multiple planning and scheduling systems. Many of these lessons learned are not unique to the area of planning and scheduling systems, so may be applied to other distributed ground systems that must operate in concert to successfully support space mission operations.

Using RSVP for analyzing state and previous activities for the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Brian K.; Hartman, Frank; Maxwell, Scott; Wright, John; Yen, Jeng

2004-01-01

Current developments in immersive environments for mission planning include several tools which make up a system for performing and rehearsing missions. This system, known as the Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program (RSVP), includes tools for planning long range sorties for highly autonomous rovers, tools for planning operations with robotic arms, and advanced tools for visualizing telemetry from remote spacecraft and landers. One of the keys to successful planning of rover activities is knowing what the rover has accomplished to date and understanding the current rover state. RSVP builds on the lessons learned and the heritage of the Mars Pathfinder mission This paper will discuss the tools and methodologies present in the RSVP suite for examining rover state, reviewing previous activities, visually comparing telemetered results to rehearsed results, and reviewing science and engineering imagery. In addition we will present how this tool suite was used on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) project to explore the surface of Mars.

Alternatives to Re-Planning: Methods for Plan Re-Evaluation at Runtime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benazera, Emmanuel

2005-01-01

Current planning algorithms have difficulty handling the complexity that is due to an increase in domain uncertainty, and especially in the case of multi-dimensional continuous spaces. Therefore, they produce plans that do not take into account numerous situations that can occur at runtime, such as faults or other changes in the planning domain itself. Thus there is a gap between the plan generation and the reality experienced at runtime. Here we present two methods that allow the plan conditionals to be revised w.r.t. uncertainty on the system as estimated at runtime.

GIS-assisted spatial analysis for urban regulatory detailed planning: designer's dimension in the Chinese code system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yang; Zeng, Zheng

2009-10-01

By discussing the causes behind the high amendments ratio in the implementation of urban regulatory detailed plans in China despite its law-ensured status, the study aims to reconcile conflict between the legal authority of regulatory detailed planning and the insufficient scientific support in its decision-making and compilation by introducing into the process spatial analysis based on GIS technology and 3D modeling thus present a more scientific and flexible approach to regulatory detailed planning in China. The study first points out that the current compilation process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China employs mainly an empirical approach which renders it constantly subjected to amendments; the study then discusses the need and current utilization of GIS in the Chinese system and proposes the framework of a GIS-assisted 3D spatial analysis process from the designer's perspective which can be regarded as an alternating processes between the descriptive codes and physical design in the compilation of regulatory detailed planning. With a case study of the processes and results from the application of the framework, the paper concludes that the proposed framework can be an effective instrument which provides more rationality, flexibility and thus more efficiency to the compilation and decision-making process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China.

Geothermal greenhouse-heating facilities for the Klamath County Nursing Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon

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

Not Available

The Klamath County Nursing Home, located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, was constructed in 1976. The building of 55,654 square feet currently houses care facilities for approximately 120 persons. During the initial planning for the Nursing Home, the present site was selected primarily on the basis of its geothermal resource. This resource (approx. 190/sup 0/F) currently provides space and domestic hot water heating for the Nursing Home, Merle West Medical Center and the Oregon Institute of Technology. The feasibility of installing a geothermal heating system in a planned greenhouse for the Nursing Home is explored. The greenhouse system would be tiedmore » directly to the existing hot water heating system for the Nursing Home.« less

Ares 1 First Stage Design, Development, Test, and Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Tom; Cannon, Scott

2006-01-01

The Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is an integral part of NASA s exploration architecture that will provide crew and cargo access to the International Space Station as well as low earth orbit support for lunar missions. Currently in the system definition phase, the CLV is planned to replace the Space Shuttle for crew transport in the post 2010 time frame. It is comprised of a solid rocket booster (SRB) first stage derived from the current Space Shuttle SRB, a liquid oxygen/hydrogen fueled second stage utilizing a derivative of the Apollo upper stage engine for propulsion, and a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) composed of command and service modules. This paper deals with current design, development, test, and evaluation planning for the CLV first stage SRB. Described are the current overall point-of-departure design and booster subsystems, systems engineering approach, and milestone schedule requirements.

Addressing water resources risk in England and Wales: Long term infrastructure planning in a private, regulated industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, Sean

2015-04-01

Water resources planning is a complex and challenging discipline in which decision makers must deal with conflicting objectives, contested socio-economic values and vast uncertainties, including long term hydrological variability. The task is arguably more demanding in England and Wales, where private water companies must adhere to a rigid set of regulatory planning guidelines in order to justify new infrastructural investments. These guidelines prescribe a "capacity expansion" approach to planning: ensure that a deterministic measure of supply, known as "Deployable Output," meets projected demand over a 25-year planning horizon. Deployable Output is derived using a method akin to yield analysis and is commensurate with the maximum rate of supply that a water resources system can sustain without incurring failure under a simulation of historical recorded hydrological conditions. This study examines whether Deployable Output analysis is fit to serve an industry in which: water companies are seeking to invest in cross-company water transfer schemes to deal with loss of water availability brought about by European environmental legislation and an increase in demand driven by population growth; water companies are expected address potential climate change impacts through their planning activities; and regulators wish to benchmark water resource system performance across the separate companies. Of particular interest, then, is the adequacy of Deployable Output analysis as a means to measuring current and future water shortage risk and comparing across supply systems. Data from the UK National River Flow Archive are used to develop a series of hypothetical reservoir systems in two hydrologically contrasting regions -- northwest England/north Wales and Southeast England. The systems are varied by adjusting the draft ratio (ratio of target annual demand to mean annual inflow), the inflow diversity (covariance of streamflow sequences supplying the system), the strength of interconnectivity in the system (water transfer capability as proportion of demand), and the proportion of the target demand that can be drafted from climate-independent supply sources (such as plentiful groundwater supplies or desalination). The reservoir capacities are then adjusted such that all systems are perfectly and equally balanced under current design standards (Deployable Output equals demand) before being subjected to comprehensive reliability, resilience, vulnerability analysis using stochastically-derived replicates of the inflow sequences. Results indicate significant discrepancies in performance, highlighting major deficiencies with the currently-accepted planning metrics as a means to measuring and comparing water shortage risk across supply systems. These discrepancies are evident in both regions examined. The work highlights a need for a reassessment of the prescribed planning methodology to better reflect aspects of water shortage risk, particularly resilience and vulnerability.

Who plans for health improvement? SEA, HIA and the separation of spatial planning and health planning

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

Bond, Alan, E-mail: alan.bond@uea.ac.uk; Cave, Ben, E-mail: ben.cave@bcahealth.co.uk; Ballantyne, Rob, E-mail: robdballantyne@gmail.com

This study examines whether there is active planning for health improvement in the English spatial planning system and how this varies across two regions using a combination of telephone surveys and focus group interviews in 2005 and 2010. The spatial planning profession was found to be ill-equipped to consider the health and well-being implications of its actions, whilst health professionals are rarely engaged and have limited understanding and aspirations when it comes to influencing spatial planning. Strategic Environmental Assessment was not considered to be successful in integrating health into spatial plans, given it was the responsibility of planners lacking themore » capacity to do so. For their part, health professionals have insufficient knowledge and understanding of planning and how to engage with it to be able to plan for health gains rather than simply respond to health impacts. HIA practice is patchy and generally undertaken by health professionals outside the statutory planning framework. Thus, whilst appropriate assessment tools exist, they currently lack a coherent context within which they can function effectively and the implementation of the Kiev protocol requiring the engagement of health professionals in SEA is not to likely improve the consideration of health in planning while there continues to be separation of functions between professions and lack of understanding of the other profession. -- Highlights: ► Health professionals have limited aspirations for health improvement through the planning system. ► Spatial planners are ill-equipped to understand the health and well-being implications of their activities. ► SEA and HIA currently do not embed health consideration in planning decisions. ► The separation of health and planning functions is problematic for the effective conduct of SEA and/or HIA.« less

2005 Tri-Service Infrastructure Systems Conference and Exhibition. Volume 13, Tracks 20, 21 and Workshop

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-08-04

Dennis Mekkers and Daniel M. Katz Current Research in Fate Current Research in Fate & Transport of Chemical and Biological Contaminants in Water... Grafenwoehr Health/Dental Clinic 33U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency • $58M in Construction, $86M in Design • 23 Projects in Pipeline • HFPA...Troop Medical Clinic Grafenwoehr Health/Dental Clinic 38U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency Army “Medical BRAC” Projects Afghanistan -- CPT

Situational analysis and future directions of AYUSH: An assessment through 5-year plans of India

PubMed Central

Samal, Janmejaya

2015-01-01

AYUSH is an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. These are the six indigenous systems of medicine practiced in India. A department called Department of Indian System of medicine was created in March 1995 and renamed to AYUSH in November 2003 with a focus to provide increased attention for the development of these systems. Very recently, in 2014, a separate ministry was created under the union Government of India, which is headed by a minister of state. Planning regarding these systems of medicine was a part of 5-year planning process since 1951. Since then many developments have happened in this sector albeit the system was struggling with a great degree of uncertainty at the time of 1st5-year plan. A progressive path of development could be observed since the first to the 12th5-year plan. It was up to the 7thplan the growth was little sluggish and from 8thplan onward the growth took its pace and several innovative development processes could be observed thereafter. The system is gradually progressing ahead with a vision to be a globally accepted system, as envisaged in 11th5-year plan. Currently, AYUSH system is a part of mainstream health system implemented under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). NRHM came into play in 2005 but implemented at ground level in 2006 and introduced the scheme of “Mainstreaming of AYUSH and revitalization of local health traditions” to strengthen public health services. This scheme is currently in operation in its second phase, since 1stApril 2012, with the 12th5-year plan. The scheme was primarily brought in to operation with three important objectives; choice of treatment system to the patients, strengthen facility functionally and strengthen the implementation of national health programmes, however, in some places it seems to be a forced medical pluralism owing to a top-down approach by the union government without considerable involvement of the concerned community. In this study, the 5-year planning documents have been reviewed, from the 1stplan to 12thplan, to enable reflection and throw some light into the future directions of AYUSH system. PMID:26649240

76 FR 8843 - Departmental Offices; Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... administrative function in connection with such plans; (4) An executor of the estate of a current or former... government in connection with the following activities involving a current or former employee: hiring..., 1801 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20036. Categories of individuals covered by the system: Current and...

76 FR 42536 - Real-Time System Management Information Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-19

...-Time System Management Information Program AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION... Real-Time System Management Information Program and general information about current and planned... establishing requirements for the Real-Time System Management Information Program on November 8, 2010, at 75 FR...

Evaluation of Integrated Planning Systems in California Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckley, Jerry L.; Piland, William E.

2012-01-01

California community colleges are experiencing unprecedented levels of sanctions from their accrediting agency. A survey of planners in these colleges reveals a wide gap between current practice and perceived importance of integrated planning practices, as well as misalignment in budgeting methods. Statistically significant gaps were identified…

Extending NASA's SPICE ancillary information system to meet future mission needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acton, C.; Bachman, N.; Elson, L.; Semenov, B.; Turner, F.; Wright, E.

2002-01-01

This paper summarizes the architecture, capabilities, characteristics and uses of the current SPICE ancillary information system, and then outlines plans and ideas for how this system can be extended to meet future space mission requirements.

OAST system technology planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadin, S. R.

1978-01-01

The NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology developed a planning model for space technology consisting of a space systems technology model, technology forecasts and technology surveys. The technology model describes candidate space missions through the year 2000 and identifies their technology requirements. The technology surveys and technology forecasts provide, respectively, data on the current status and estimates of the projected status of relevant technologies. These tools are used to further the understanding of the activities and resources required to ensure the timely development of technological capabilities. Technology forecasting in the areas of information systems, spacecraft systems, transportation systems, and power systems are discussed.

Factors associated with preparedness of the US healthcare system to respond to a pediatric surge during an infectious disease pandemic: Is our nation prepared?

PubMed

Anthony, Christy; Thomas, Tito Joe; Berg, Bridget M; Burke, Rita V; Upperman, Jeffrey S

2017-01-01

Recent incidents have demonstrated that the US health system is unprepared for infectious pandemics resulting in a pediatric surge. Development of efficient plans and a structured and coordinated regional response to pediatric pandemic surge remains an opportunity. To address this gap, we conducted a literature review to assess current efforts, propose a response plan structure, and recommend policy actions. A literature review, utilizing MEDLINE and PubMed, through March 2017 identified articles regarding infectious disease pandemics affecting the US pediatric population. After review of current literature, a proposed response plan structure for a pediatric pandemic surge was designed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria reduced an initial screening of 1,787 articles to 162 articles. Articles ranged in their discussion of pediatric pandemic surge. Review of the articles led to the proposal of organizing the results according to 4 S's; (1) Structure, (2) Staff, (3) Stuff (Resources), and (4) Space. The review has supported the concern that the US health system is unprepared for a pediatric surge induced by infectious disease pandemics. Common themes suggest that response plans should reflect the 4Ss and national guidelines must be translated into regional response systems that account for local nuances.

Automated Data Assimilation and Flight Planning for Multi-Platform Observation Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oza, Nikunj; Morris, Robert A.; Strawa, Anthony; Kurklu, Elif; Keely, Leslie

2008-01-01

This is a progress report on an effort in which our goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of automated data mining and planning for the daily management of Earth Science missions. Currently, data mining and machine learning technologies are being used by scientists at research labs for validating Earth science models. However, few if any of these advanced techniques are currently being integrated into daily mission operations. Consequently, there are significant gaps in the knowledge that can be derived from the models and data that are used each day for guiding mission activities. The result can be sub-optimal observation plans, lack of useful data, and wasteful use of resources. Recent advances in data mining, machine learning, and planning make it feasible to migrate these technologies into the daily mission planning cycle. We describe the design of a closed loop system for data acquisition, processing, and flight planning that integrates the results of machine learning into the flight planning process.

National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) and Planned Research

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

Peng, Yueng Kay Martin; Ono, M.; Kaye, S.

1998-01-01

The U.S. fusion energy sciences program began in 1996 to increase emphasis on confinement concept innovation. The NSTX is being built at PPPL as a national fusion science research facility in response to this emphasis. NSTX is to test fusion science principles of the Spherical Torus (ST) plasmas, which include: (1) High plasma pressure in low magnetic field for high fusion power density, (2) Good energy confinement is a small-size plasma, (3) Nearly fully self-driven (bootstrap) plasma current, (4) Dispersed heat and particle fluxes, and (5) Plasma startup without complicated in board solenoid magnet. These properties of the ST plasma,more » if verified, would lead to possible future fusion devices of high fusion performance, small size, feasible power handling, and improved economy. The design of NSTX is depicted in a figure. The vessel will be covered fully with graphite tiles and can be baked to 350 C. Other wall condition techniques are also planned. The NSTX facilty extensively utilizes the equipment at PPPL and other reasearch institutions in collaboration. These include 6-MW High Harmonic Fast Wave (HHFW) power at {approx}30 MHz for 5 s, which will be the primary heating and current drive system following the first plasma planned for April 1999, and small ECH systems to assist breakdown for initiation. A plethora of diagnostics from TFTR and collaborators are planned. A NBI system from TFTR capable of delivering 5 MW at 80 keV for 5 s, and more powerful ECH systems are also planned for installation in 2000. The baseline plan for diagnostics systems are laid out in a figure and include: (1) Rogowski coils to measure total plasma and halo curents.« less

Mission Operations Planning and Scheduling System (MOPSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Terri; Hempel, Paul

2011-01-01

MOPSS is a generic framework that can be configured on the fly to support a wide range of planning and scheduling applications. It is currently used to support seven missions at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in roles that include science planning, mission planning, and real-time control. Prior to MOPSS, each spacecraft project built its own planning and scheduling capability to plan satellite activities and communications and to create the commands to be uplinked to the spacecraft. This approach required creating a data repository for storing planning and scheduling information, building user interfaces to display data, generating needed scheduling algorithms, and implementing customized external interfaces. Complex scheduling problems that involved reacting to multiple variable situations were analyzed manually. Operators then used the results to add commands to the schedule. Each architecture was unique to specific satellite requirements. MOPSS is an expert system that automates mission operations and frees the flight operations team to concentrate on critical activities. It is easily reconfigured by the flight operations team as the mission evolves. The heart of the system is a custom object-oriented data layer mapped onto an Oracle relational database. The combination of these two technologies allows a user or system engineer to capture any type of scheduling or planning data in the system's generic data storage via a GUI.

Conversations: with Carl Pilcher [interview by Johan Benson].

PubMed

Pilcher, C

1998-11-01

An interview with Carl Pilcher, science program director for solar system exploration at NASA, examines NASA's past, present, and planned missions to explore the solar system. Specific questions relate to the status of current and planned missions, science results of the Pathfinder mission to Mars, cooperation with the Japanese space agency, the status of the search for extraterrestrial life in solar system meteoroids and asteroids, mission size for more in-depth exploration, reports of water on the moon, and the exploration of near-Earth objects.

An Evaluation on Medical Education, Research and Development of AYUSH Systems of Medicine through Five Year Plans of India.

PubMed

Samal, Janmejaya; Dehury, Ranjit Kumar

2016-05-01

Indian system of medicine has its origin in India. The system is currently renamed as AYUSH, an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Sidha and Homeopathy. These are the six Indian systems of medicine prevalent and practiced in India and in few neighboring Asian countries. The primary objective of this review was to gain insight in to the prior and existing initiatives which would enable reflection and assist in the identification of future change. A review was carried out based on the five year plan documents, obtained from the planning commission web portal of Govt. of India, on medical education, research and development of AYUSH systems of medicine. Post independence, the process of five year planning took its birth with the initiation of long term planning in India. The planning process embraced all the social and technology sectors in it. Since the beginning of five year planning, health and family welfare planning became imperative as a social sector planning. Planning regarding Indian Systems of Medicine became a part of health and family welfare planning since then. During the entire planning process a progressive path of development could be observed as per this evaluation. A relatively sluggish process of development was observed up to seventh plan however post eighth plan the growth took its pace. Eighth plan onwards several innovative development processes could be noticed. Despite the relative developments and growth of Indian systems of medicine these systems have to face lot of criticism and appraisal owing to their various characteristic features. In the beginning the system thrived with great degree of uncertainty, as described in 1(st) five year plan, however progressed ahead with a vision to be a globally accepted system, as envisaged in 11(th) five year plan. A very strong optimistic approach in spreading India's own medical heritage is the need of the hour. The efforts are neither completely insufficient nor sufficient enough; hence a continuous endeavor for the revival and dissemination of India's own medical inheritance for the welfare of the society at large is highly desirable.

An Evaluation on Medical Education, Research and Development of AYUSH Systems of Medicine through Five Year Plans of India

PubMed Central

Dehury, Ranjit Kumar

2016-01-01

Introduction Indian system of medicine has its origin in India. The system is currently renamed as AYUSH, an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Sidha and Homeopathy. These are the six Indian systems of medicine prevalent and practiced in India and in few neighboring Asian countries. Objective The primary objective of this review was to gain insight in to the prior and existing initiatives which would enable reflection and assist in the identification of future change. Materials and Methods A review was carried out based on the five year plan documents, obtained from the planning commission web portal of Govt. of India, on medical education, research and development of AYUSH systems of medicine. Results Post independence, the process of five year planning took its birth with the initiation of long term planning in India. The planning process embraced all the social and technology sectors in it. Since the beginning of five year planning, health and family welfare planning became imperative as a social sector planning. Planning regarding Indian Systems of Medicine became a part of health and family welfare planning since then. During the entire planning process a progressive path of development could be observed as per this evaluation. A relatively sluggish process of development was observed up to seventh plan however post eighth plan the growth took its pace. Eighth plan onwards several innovative development processes could be noticed. Despite the relative developments and growth of Indian systems of medicine these systems have to face lot of criticism and appraisal owing to their various characteristic features. In the beginning the system thrived with great degree of uncertainty, as described in 1st five year plan, however progressed ahead with a vision to be a globally accepted system, as envisaged in 11th five year plan. Conclusion A very strong optimistic approach in spreading India’s own medical heritage is the need of the hour. The efforts are neither completely insufficient nor sufficient enough; hence a continuous endeavor for the revival and dissemination of India’s own medical inheritance for the welfare of the society at large is highly desirable. PMID:27437245

Research on large equipment maintenance system in life cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaowei; Wang, Hongxia; Liu, Zhenxing; Zhang, Nan

2017-06-01

In order to change the current disadvantages of traditional large equipment maintenance concept, this article plans to apply the technical method of prognostics and health management to optimize equipment maintenance strategy and develop large equipment maintenance system. Combined with the maintenance procedures of various phases in life cycle, it concluded the formulation methods of maintenance program and implement plans of maintenance work. In the meantime, it takes account into the example of the dredger power system of the Waterway Bureau to establish the auxiliary platform of ship maintenance system in life cycle.

From home, to market, to headquarters, to home. Relocating health services planning and purchasing in New Zealand.

PubMed

Gauld, Robin

2002-01-01

Health sector restructuring has been in vogue, but no country has engaged in as much health sector restructuring as New Zealand where, in a decade, there have been four different public health sector structures. This article discusses New Zealand's four structures with an emphasis on relocating the critical functions of health care planning and purchasing, and on the development of the present district health board system. The four structures include: an area health board system (1989-1991) with planning and purchasing located at "home" in local areas and closely aligned with service provision; a competitive internal market system (1993-1996) which separated planning and purchasing from service provision; a centralised system with a "headquarters" controlling planning and purchasing (1997-1999) while maintaining the distance from provision; and the district health board system currently under development (1999-) which sees purchasing and planning sent home again to regions and linked closely with service provision. The present system entails the devolution of considerable responsibility to the local level, within a framework of strong central government control. Based on New Zealand's experience, the article notes that all but the market structure appear to have provided an adequate environment for effective health care planning and purchasing.

Quality assurance of intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

PubMed

Palta, Jatinder R; Liu, Chihray; Li, Jonathan G

2008-01-01

The current paradigm for the quality assurance (QA) program for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) includes QA of the treatment planning system, QA of the delivery system, and patient-specific QA. Although the IMRT treatment planning and delivery system is the same as for conventional three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, it has more parameters to coordinate and verify. Because of complex beam intensity modulation, each IMRT field often includes many small irregular off-axis fields, resulting in isodose distributions for each IMRT plan that are more conformal than those from conventional treatment plans. Therefore, these features impose a new and more stringent set of QA requirements for IMRT planning and delivery. The generic test procedures to validate dose calculation and delivery accuracy for both treatment planning and IMRT delivery have to be customized for each type of IMRT planning and delivery strategy. The rationale for such an approach is that the overall accuracy of IMRT delivery is incumbent on the piecewise uncertainties in both the planning and delivery processes. The end user must have well-defined evaluation criteria for each element of the planning and delivery process. Such information can potentially be used to determine a priori the accuracy of IMRT planning and delivery.

Robustness via Run-Time Adaptation of Contingent Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bresina, John L.; Washington, Richard; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

In this paper, we discuss our approach to making the behavior of planetary rovers more robust for the purpose of increased productivity. Due to the inherent uncertainty in rover exploration, the traditional approach to rover control is conservative, limiting the autonomous operation of the rover and sacrificing performance for safety. Our objective is to increase the science productivity possible within a single uplink by allowing the rover's behavior to be specified with flexible, contingent plans and by employing dynamic plan adaptation during execution. We have deployed a system exhibiting flexible, contingent execution; this paper concentrates on our ongoing efforts on plan adaptation, Plans can be revised in two ways: plan steps may be deleted, with execution continuing with the plan suffix; and the current plan may be merged with an "alternate plan" from an on-board library. The plan revision action is chosen to maximize the expected utility of the plan. Plan merging and action deletion constitute a more conservative general-purpose planning system; in return, our approach is more efficient and more easily verified, two important criteria for deployed rovers.

Teacher Pension Plans in Canada: A Force to Be Reckoned With.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Stephen B.

1999-01-01

Summarizes the status of teacher pension plans in Canada's 10 provinces and considers their current role in renewing and downsizing educational systems in some provinces. Discusses pensions' use as economic instruments for provincial and national development and questions assumptions underlying the rhetoric celebrating their contribution to the…

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.

Software Testbed for Developing and Evaluating Integrated Autonomous Subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ong, James; Remolina, Emilio; Prompt, Axel; Robinson, Peter; Sweet, Adam; Nishikawa, David

2015-01-01

To implement fault tolerant autonomy in future space systems, it will be necessary to integrate planning, adaptive control, and state estimation subsystems. However, integrating these subsystems is difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. This paper describes Intelliface/ADAPT, a software testbed that helps researchers develop and test alternative strategies for integrating planning, execution, and diagnosis subsystems more quickly and easily. The testbed's architecture, graphical data displays, and implementations of the integrated subsystems support easy plug and play of alternate components to support research and development in fault-tolerant control of autonomous vehicles and operations support systems. Intelliface/ADAPT controls NASA's Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT), which comprises batteries, electrical loads (fans, pumps, and lights), relays, circuit breakers, invertors, and sensors. During plan execution, an experimentor can inject faults into the ADAPT testbed by tripping circuit breakers, changing fan speed settings, and closing valves to restrict fluid flow. The diagnostic subsystem, based on NASA's Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE), detects and isolates these faults to determine the new state of the plant, ADAPT. Intelliface/ADAPT then updates its model of the ADAPT system's resources and determines whether the current plan can be executed using the reduced resources. If not, the planning subsystem generates a new plan that reschedules tasks, reconfigures ADAPT, and reassigns the use of ADAPT resources as needed to work around the fault. The resource model, planning domain model, and planning goals are expressed using NASA's Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML). Parts of the ANML model are generated automatically, and other parts are constructed by hand using the Planning Model Integrated Development Environment, a visual Eclipse-based IDE that accelerates ANML model development. Because native ANML planners are currently under development and not yet sufficiently capable, the ANML model is translated into the New Domain Definition Language (NDDL) and sent to NASA's EUROPA planning system for plan generation. The adaptive controller executes the new plan, using augmented, hierarchical finite state machines to select and sequence actions based on the state of the ADAPT system. Real-time sensor data, commands, and plans are displayed in information-dense arrays of timelines and graphs that zoom and scroll in unison. A dynamic schematic display uses color to show the real-time fault state and utilization of the system components and resources. An execution manager coordinates the activities of the other subsystems. The subsystems are integrated using the Internet Communications Engine (ICE). an object-oriented toolkit for building distributed applications.

A fast optimization approach for treatment planning of volumetric modulated arc therapy.

PubMed

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.

GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) Working Group on Cirrus Cloud Systems (WG2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starr, David

2002-01-01

Status, progress and plans will be given for current GCSS (GEWEX Cloud System Study) WG2 (Working Group on Cirrus Cloud Systems) projects, including: (a) the Idealized Cirrus Model Comparison Project, (b) the Cirrus Parcel Model Comparison Project (Phase 2), and (c) the developing Hurricane Nora extended outflow model case study project. Past results will be summarized and plans for the upcoming year described. Issues and strategies will be discussed. Prospects for developing improved cloud parameterizations derived from results of GCSS WG2 projects will be assessed. Plans for NASA's CRYSTAL-FACE (Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment) potential opportunities for use of those data for WG2 model simulations (future projects) will be briefly described.

Ubiquitous geospatial concept in evolution of the macro and micro spatial planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri, S.; Ludin, A. N. M.; Majid, M. R.

2014-02-01

There are many examples of GIS application in planning such as urban land-use planning, cultural heritage conservation, coastal zone management, and the design of structure plans for sustainable economic development. All these applications are dealing with systems in which natural and human factors are interconnected. But an issue that should be addressed is to what extent the current information technology is able to connect all these parts together? Contemporary improvement in information technology made the computer so imbedded in our everyday practices that we use it without having to think about it. Thus, computing is becoming truly ubiquitous and is available anywhere anytime. Advances in the internet facilities and devices, such as high speed wireless networks, mobile middleware, and smart technologies, has pushed the concept of ubiquitous computing to the forefront of GIS research and development. There are developments in this regards, these are such as GeoWeb 2.0, voluntarily geographic Information (VGI), and Mashups, whereby the application of cloud computing was possible in visualizing urban air pollution and emergency responses to ensure the safety and security. These advancements therefore, have changed the conventional facet of macro and micro spatial planning. Every possible information system such as residential, medical, business, environmental, governmental, and the like can be linked through ubiquitous computing technologies and acts as a virtually one system which works for society. However, the journey to achieve a true ubiquitous GIS is not without challenges. Despite the current potentials there are many issues and obstacles need to be addressed before GIS can to be truly ubiquitous in planning context. Perhaps four criteria as explained by Goodchild et al (1997) can be applied to ubiquitous GIS in planning very well: the system must be distributed (data storage, processing and user interaction can occur at locations that are potentially widely scattered), disaggregated (the monolithic systems are replaced by 'plug and play' components designed to interoperate through conformance with industry-wide standards), decoupled (system must be able to access a number of components over many networks required to complete a specific task) and, interoperable (system is based on an "open" system).

The NASA/DOE/DOD nuclear rocket propulsion project - FY 1991 status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, John S.; Miller, Thomas J.

1991-01-01

NASA has initiated planning and critical technology development for nuclear rocket propulsion systems for Space Exploration Initiative missions to the moon and to Mars. Interagency agreements are being negotiated between NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense for joint technology development activities. This paper summarizes the activities of the NASA project planning team in FY 1990 that led to the draft Nuclear Propulsion Project Plan, outlines the FY 1991 Interagency activities, and describes the current status of the project plan.

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

Shen, Sui, E-mail: sshen@uabmc.edu; Jacob, Rojymon; Bender, Luvenia W.

Radiotherapy or stereotactic body radiosurgery (SBRT) requires a sufficient functional liver volume to tolerate the treatment. The current study extended the work of de Graaf et al. (2010) [3] on the use of {sup 99m}Tc-mebrofenin imaging for presurgery planning to radiotherapy planning for liver cancer or metastases. Patient was immobilized and imaged in an identical position on a single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT-CT) system and a radiotherapy simulation CT system. {sup 99m}Tc-mebrofenin SPECT was registered to the planning CT through image registration of noncontrast CT from SPECT-CT system to the radiotherapy planning CT. The voxels with higher uptake ofmore » {sup 99m}Tc-mebrofenin were transferred to the planning CT as an avoidance structure in optimizing a 2-arc RapidArc plan for SBRT delivery. Excellent dose coverage to the target and sparing of the healthy remnant liver volume was achieved. This report illustrated a procedure for the use of {sup 99m}Tc-mebrofenin SPECT for optimizing radiotherapy for liver cancers and metastases.« less

Earth Orientation Effects on Mobile VLBI Baselines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, S. L.

1984-01-01

Improvements in data quality for the mobile VLBI systems have placed higher accuracy requirements on Earth orientation calibrations. Errors in these calibrations may give rise to systematic effects in the nonlength components of the baselines. Various sources of Earth orientation data were investigated for calibration of Mobile VLBI baselines. Significant differences in quality between the several available sources of UT1-UTC were found. It was shown that the JPL Kalman filtered space technology data were at least as good as any other and adequate to the needs of current Mobile VLBI systems and observing plans. For polar motion, the values from all service suffice. The effect of Earth orientation errors on the accuracy of differenced baselines was also investigated. It is shown that the effect is negligible for the current mobile systems and observing plan.

Test and Evaluation for Enhanced Security: A Quantitative Method to Incorporate Expert Knowledge into Test Planning Decisions.

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

Rizzo, Davinia; Blackburn, Mark

Complex systems are comprised of technical, social, political and environmental factors as well as the programmatic factors of cost, schedule and risk. Testing these systems for enhanced security requires expert knowledge in many different fields. It is important to test these systems to ensure effectiveness, but testing is limited to due cost, schedule, safety, feasibility and a myriad of other reasons. Without an effective decision framework for Test and Evaluation (T&E) planning that can take into consideration technical as well as programmatic factors and leverage expert knowledge, security in complex systems may not be assessed effectively. Therefore, this paper coversmore » the identification of the current T&E planning problem and an approach to include the full variety of factors and leverage expert knowledge in T&E planning through the use of Bayesian Networks (BN).« less

300 Area waste acid treatment system closure plan

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

LUKE, S.N.

1999-05-17

The Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application is considered to be a single application organized into a General Information Portion (document number DOERL-91-28) and a Unit-Specific Portion. The scope of the Unit-Specific Portion includes closure plan documentation submitted for individual, treatment, storage, and/or disposal units undergoing closure, such as the 300 Area Waste Acid Treatment System. Documentation contained in the General Information Portion is broader in nature and could be used by multiple treatment, storage, and/or disposal units (e.g., the glossary provided in the General Information Portion). Whenever appropriate, 300 Area Waste Acid Treatment System documentation makes cross-reference to themore » General Information Portion, rather than duplicating text. This 300 Area Waste Acid Treatment System Closure Plan (Revision 2) includes a Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application, Part A, Form 3. Information provided in this closure plan is current as of April 1999.« less

Space transportation systems within ESA programmes: Current status and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delahais, Maurice

1993-03-01

An overview of the space transportation aspects of the ESA (European Space Agency) programs as they result from history, present status, and decisions taken at the ministerial level conference in Granada, Spain is presented. The new factors taken into consideration for the long term plan proposed in Munich, Germany, the three strategic options for the reorientation of the ESA long term plan, and the essential elements of space transportation in the Granada long term plan in three areas of space activities, scientific, and commercial launches with expendable launch vehicles, manned flight and in-orbit infrastructure, and future transportation systems are outlined. The new ESA long term plan, in the field of space transportation systems, constitutes a reorientation of the initial program contemplated in previous councils at ministerial level. It aims at balancing the new economic situation with the new avenues of cooperation, and the outcome will be a new implementation of the space transportation systems policy.

Water management in Egypt for facing the future challenges

PubMed Central

Omar, Mohie El Din M.; Moussa, Ahmed M.A.

2016-01-01

The current water shortage in Egypt is 13.5 Billion cubic meter per year (BCM/yr) and is expected to continuously increase. Currently, this water shortage is compensated by drainage reuse which consequently deteriorates the water quality. Therefore, this research was commenced with the objective of assessing different scenarios for 2025 using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model and by implementing different water sufficiency measures. Field data were assembled and analyzed, and different planning alternatives were proposed and tested in order to design three future scenarios. The findings indicated that water shortage in 2025 would be 26 BCM/yr in case of continuation of current policies. Planning alternatives were proposed to the irrigation canals, land irrigation timing, aquatic weeds in waterways and sugarcane areas in old agricultural lands. Other measures were suggested to pumping rates of deep groundwater, sprinkler and drip irrigation systems in new agricultural lands. Further measures were also suggested to automatic daily surveying for distribution leak and managing the pressure effectively in the domestic and industrial water distribution systems. Finally, extra measures for water supply were proposed including raising the permitted withdrawal limit from deep groundwater and the Nubian aquifer and developing the desalination resource. The proposed planning alternatives would completely eliminate the water shortage in 2025. PMID:27222745

Water management in Egypt for facing the future challenges.

PubMed

Omar, Mohie El Din M; Moussa, Ahmed M A

2016-05-01

The current water shortage in Egypt is 13.5 Billion cubic meter per year (BCM/yr) and is expected to continuously increase. Currently, this water shortage is compensated by drainage reuse which consequently deteriorates the water quality. Therefore, this research was commenced with the objective of assessing different scenarios for 2025 using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model and by implementing different water sufficiency measures. Field data were assembled and analyzed, and different planning alternatives were proposed and tested in order to design three future scenarios. The findings indicated that water shortage in 2025 would be 26 BCM/yr in case of continuation of current policies. Planning alternatives were proposed to the irrigation canals, land irrigation timing, aquatic weeds in waterways and sugarcane areas in old agricultural lands. Other measures were suggested to pumping rates of deep groundwater, sprinkler and drip irrigation systems in new agricultural lands. Further measures were also suggested to automatic daily surveying for distribution leak and managing the pressure effectively in the domestic and industrial water distribution systems. Finally, extra measures for water supply were proposed including raising the permitted withdrawal limit from deep groundwater and the Nubian aquifer and developing the desalination resource. The proposed planning alternatives would completely eliminate the water shortage in 2025.

Inventory & analysis of Advanced Public Transportation Systems in Florida

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-09-01

Through its National Center for Transit Research, and under contract with the Florida Department of Transportation, the Center for Urban Transportation Research has conducted an inventory of current and planned Advanced Public Transportation Systems ...

Regional economic impacts of current and proposed management alternatives for Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richardson, Leslie; Huber, Chris; Koontz, Lynne

2012-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes. The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of California's San Francisco Bay and one of seven refuges in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. For Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan planning, a regional economic analysis provides a means of estimating how current management (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: (1) it illustrates the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge's contribution to the local community, and (2) it can help in determining whether economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. This report first presents a description of the local community and economy near the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Next, the methods used to conduct a regional economic impact analysis are described. An analysis of the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan management strategies that could affect stakeholders, residents, and the local economy is then presented. The management activities of economic concern in this analysis are: * Spending in the local community by Refuge visitors; * Refuge personnel salary spending; and * Refuge purchases of goods and services within the local community.

Information System for Educational Policy and Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, J. C., Jr.

Educational Information System (EIS) is a proposed computer-based data processing system to help schools solve current educational problems more efficiently. The system would allow for more effective administrative operations in student scheduling, financial accounting, and long range planning. It would also assist school trustees and others in…

Silvicultural systems for managing ponderosa pine

Treesearch

Andrew Youngblood

2005-01-01

Silviculturists have primarily relied on classical even-aged silvicultural systems (the planned series of treatments for tending, harvesting, and re-establishing a stand) for ponderosa pine, with uneven-aged systems used to a lesser degree. Current management practices involve greater innovation because of conflicting management objectives. Silvicultural systems used...

Innovations for ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Kevin D.

2013-01-01

Limited resources and increasing requirements will continue to influence decisions on ISS. The ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) supports power and data for utilization, systems, and daily operations through the Electrical Power System (EPS) Secondary Power/Data Subsystem. Given the fluid launch schedule, the focus of the Plug-In Plan has evolved to anticipate future requirements by judicious development and delivery of power supplies, power strips, Alternating Current (AC) power inverters, along with innovative deployment strategies. A partnership of ISS Program Office, Engineering Directorate, Mission Operations, and International Partners poses unique solutions with existing on-board equipment and resources.

Interactive access and management for four-dimensional environmental data sets using McIDAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hibbard, William L.; Tripoli, Gregory J.

1993-01-01

Significant accomplishments in the past year are presented and include the following: (1) enhancements to VIS-5D; (2) Implementation of the VIS AD System; and (3) numerical modeling applications. Focus of current research and plans for next year in the following areas are briefly discussed: (1) continued development and application of the VIS-AD system; (2) further enhancements to VIS-5D; and (3) plans for modeling applications.

It's Indisputable: Five Facts About Planning and Operating Modern Power Systems

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

Bloom, Aaron; Helman, Udi; Holttinen, Hannele

An indisputable fact cannot be rebutted. It is supported by theory and experience. Over the past 25 years, wind and solar generation has undergone dramatic growth, resulting in a variety of experiences that model the integration of wind and solar into the planning and operation of modern electric power systems. In this article, we bring together examples from Europe, North America, and Australia to identify five indisputable facts about planning and operating modern power systems. Taken together, we hope these experiences can help build consensus among the engineering and public policy communities about the current state of wind and solarmore » integration and also facilitate conversations about evolving future challenges.« less

Servicer system demonstration plan and capability development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

An orbital maneuvering vehicle (OMV) front end kit is defined which is capable of performing in-situ fluid resupply and modular maintenance of free flying spacecraft based on the integrated orbital servicing system (IOSS) concept. The compatibility of the IOSS to perform gas and fluid umbilical connect and disconnect functions utilizing connect systems currently available or in development is addressed. A series of tasks involving on-orbit servicing and the engineering test unit (ETU) of the on-orbit service were studied. The objective is the advancement of orbital servicing by expanding the Spacecraft Servicing Demonstration Plan (SSDP) to include detail demonstration planning using the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) and upgrading the ETU control.

Current Capabilities and Planned Enhancements of SUSTAIN

EPA Science Inventory

Efforts have been under way by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 2003 to develop a decision-support system for placement of BMPs at strategic locations in urban watersheds. This system is call the System for Urban Stormwater Treatment and Analysis INtergration...

Susceptibility of SCADA systems and the energy sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goike, Lindsay

The research in this paper focused on analyzing SCADA systems in the energy sector for susceptibility to cyber attacks, in furtherance of providing suggestions to mitigate current and future cyber attacks. The research will be addressing the questions: how are SCADA systems susceptible to cyber attacks, and what are the suggested ways to mitigate both current and future cyber attacks. The five main categories of security vulnerabilities facing current SCADA systems were found to be: connectivity to the Internet, failure to plan, interdependency of sectors, numerous different types of threats, and outdated software. Some of the recommendations mentioned to mitigate current and future risks were: virtual private networks, risk assessments, increased physical security, updating of software, and firewalls.

Integrated Workforce Modeling System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moynihan, Gary P.

2000-01-01

There are several computer-based systems, currently in various phases of development at KSC, which encompass some component, aspect, or function of workforce modeling. These systems may offer redundant capabilities and/or incompatible interfaces. A systems approach to workforce modeling is necessary in order to identify and better address user requirements. This research has consisted of two primary tasks. Task 1 provided an assessment of existing and proposed KSC workforce modeling systems for their functionality and applicability to the workforce planning function. Task 2 resulted in the development of a proof-of-concept design for a systems approach to workforce modeling. The model incorporates critical aspects of workforce planning, including hires, attrition, and employee development.

Curriculum Development System for Navy Technical Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Lucius

Documentation for the U.S. Navy's curriculum development system is brought together in this paper, beginning with a description of the Naval Technical Training System. This description includes the Navy Training Plan (NTP) process, which is the current mechanism for introducing new courses; the organization and administration of the system; the…

Online Patent Searching: Guided by an Expert System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardis, Susan B.

1990-01-01

Describes the development of an expert system for online patent searching that uses menu driven software to interpret the user's knowledge level and the general nature of the search problem. The discussion covers the rationale for developing such a system, current system functions, cost effectiveness, user reactions, and plans for future…

Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from Optimizing Urban Transit Networks

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-01

Public transit systems with efficient designs and operating plans can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to low-occupancy transportation modes, but many current transit systems have not been designed to reduce environmental impacts. This ...

Advanced software development workstation: Object-oriented methodologies and applications for flight planning and mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Izygon, Michel

1993-01-01

The work accomplished during the past nine months in order to help three different organizations involved in Flight Planning and in Mission Operations systems, to transition to Object-Oriented Technology, by adopting one of the currently most widely used Object-Oriented analysis and Design Methodology is summarized.

Space physics missions handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Robert A. (Compiler); Burks, David H. (Compiler); Hayne, Julie A. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The purpose of this handbook is to provide background data on current, approved, and planned missions, including a summary of the recommended candidate future missions. Topics include the space physics mission plan, operational spacecraft, and details of such approved missions as the Tethered Satellite System, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science.

Rewarding Teachers: Issues and Incentives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcombe, Ellen

This paper discusses some of the issues behind the current debate on merit pay for teachers. A brief history is presented of performance-based compensation systems. The difficulties in arriving at a consensus on a valid definition of merit pay are pointed out, and examples are presented of various merit plans, such as master teaching plans, career…

Accessibility-based evaluation of transportation and land-use planning : from laboratory to practice : USDOT Region V Regional University Transportation Center final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-16

The concept of accessibility has made inroads into planning practice, largely at the system level. That is, accessibility is measured or modeled for current or future regional transportation and land-use scenarios for evaluation or broad policy guida...

Family Interaction Patterns, Career Planning Attitudes, and Vocational Identity of High School Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargrove, Byron K.; Inman, Arpana G.; Crane, Randy L.

2005-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine how perceptions of family interaction patterns as defined along three dimensions of family environment (quality of family relationships, family goal-orientations, and degree of organization and control within the family system) predict vocational identity and career planning attitudes among male and…

Anatomy of health care reform proposals.

PubMed Central

Soffel, D; Luft, H S

1993-01-01

The current proliferation of proposals for health care reform makes it difficult to sort out the differences among plans and the likely outcome of different approaches to reform. The current health care system has two basic features. The first, enrollment and eligibility functions, includes how people get into the system and gain coverage for health care services. We describe 4 models, ranging from an individual, voluntary approach to a universal, tax-based model. The second, the provision of health care, includes how physician services are organized, how they are paid for, what mechanisms are in place for quality assurance, and the degree of organization and oversight of the health care system. We describe 7 models of the organization component, including the current fee-for-service system with no national health budget, managed care, salaried providers under a budget, and managed competition with and without a national health budget. These 2 components provide the building blocks for health care plans, presented as a matrix. We also evaluate several reform proposals by how they combine these 2 elements. PMID:8273344

System Support/Sustainment Plan Platform for the Defense Enterprise Accounting Management System (DEAMS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

warfighters requirements and identifies system performance short-comings over its life cycle. 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 89 14. SUBJECT TERMS Information...the system performs to warfighters requirements and identifies system performance short-comings over its life cycle. vi...3 II. DEFENSE ACQUISITION LIFE CYCLE CURRENT STAGE ANALYSIS.......5 A. INTRODUCTION

The Proposal of the Model for Developing Dispatch System for Nationwide One-Day Integrative Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyun Soo; Choi, Hyung Rim; Park, Byung Kwon; Jung, Jae Un; Lee, Jin Wook

The problems of dispatch planning for container truck are classified as the pickup and delivery problems, which are highly complex issues that consider various constraints in the real world. However, in case of the current situation, it is developed by the control system so that it requires the automated planning system under the view of nationwide integrative planning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to suggest model to develop the automated dispatch system through the constraint satisfaction problem and meta-heuristic technique-based algorithm. In the further study, the practical system is developed and evaluation is performed in aspect of various results. This study suggests model to undergo the study which promoted the complexity of the problems by considering the various constraints which were not considered in the early study. However, it is suggested that it is necessary to add the study which includes the real-time monitoring function for vehicles and cargos based on the information technology.

Future Seabasing Technology Analysis: Logistics Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

tech- nologies in the MPF(F) and, thus, the sea base will be through back- fit. The lack of backfit plans and engineering-level designs has created...the challenge of backfitting, there are no current plans for funding the backfitting of logistics technologies on the MPF(F) ships. In the absence of...Because of the overlap between the near-term technology develop- ment and the shipbuilding schedule, ONR and the Navy need to plan for incorporating

Task path planning, scheduling and learning for free-ranging robot systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakefield, G. Steve

1987-01-01

The development of robotics applications for space operations is often restricted by the limited movement available to guided robots. Free ranging robots can offer greater flexibility than physically guided robots in these applications. Presented here is an object oriented approach to path planning and task scheduling for free-ranging robots that allows the dynamic determination of paths based on the current environment. The system also provides task learning for repetitive jobs. This approach provides a basis for the design of free-ranging robot systems which are adaptable to various environments and tasks.

Intelligent Planning and Scheduling for Controlled Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leon, V. Jorge

1996-01-01

Planning in Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) requires special look ahead capabilities due to the complex and long-term dynamic behavior of biological systems. This project characterizes the behavior of CELSS, identifies the requirements of intelligent planning systems for CELSS, proposes the decomposition of the planning task into short-term and long-term planning, and studies the crop scheduling problem as an initial approach to long-term planning. CELSS is studied in the realm of Chaos. The amount of biomass in the system is modeled using a bounded quadratic iterator. The results suggests that closed ecological systems can exhibit periodic behavior when imposed external or artificial control. The main characteristics of CELSS from the planning and scheduling perspective are discussed and requirements for planning systems are given. Crop scheduling problem is identified as an important component of the required long-term lookahead capabilities of a CELSS planner. The main characteristics of crop scheduling are described and a model is proposed to represent the problem. A surrogate measure of the probability of survival is developed. The measure reflects the absolute deviation of the vital reservoir levels from their nominal values. The solution space is generated using a probability distribution which captures both knowledge about the system and the current state of affairs at each decision epoch. This probability distribution is used in the context of an evolution paradigm. The concepts developed serve as the basis for the development of a simple crop scheduling tool which is used to demonstrate its usefulness in the design and operation of CELSS.

State of the practice for traffic data quality : traffic data quality workshop : white paper.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-12-31

This White Paper documents the current state of the practice in the quality of traffic data generated by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The current state of the practice is viewed from the perspectives of both Operations and Planning perso...

Space Medicine Issues and Healthcare Systems for Space Exploration Medicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheuring, Richard A.; Jones, Jeff

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews issues of health care in space. Some of the issues reviewed are: (1) Physiological adaptation to microgravity, partial gravity, (2) Medical events during spaceflight, (3) Space Vehicle and Environmental and Surface Health Risks, (4) Medical Concept of Operations (CONOPS), (4a) Current CONOPS & Medical Hardware for Shuttle (STS) and ISS, (4b) Planned Exploration Medical CONOPS & Hardware needs, (5) Exploration Plans for Lunar Return Mission & Mars, and (6) Developing Medical Support Systems.

Planning of distributed generation in distribution network based on improved particle swarm optimization algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jinze; Qu, Zhi; He, Xiaoyang; Jin, Xiaoming; Li, Tie; Wang, Mingkai; Han, Qiu; Gao, Ziji; Jiang, Feng

2018-02-01

Large-scale access of distributed power can improve the current environmental pressure, at the same time, increasing the complexity and uncertainty of overall distribution system. Rational planning of distributed power can effectively improve the system voltage level. To this point, the specific impact on distribution network power quality caused by the access of typical distributed power was analyzed and from the point of improving the learning factor and the inertia weight, an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IPSO) was proposed which could solve distributed generation planning for distribution network to improve the local and global search performance of the algorithm. Results show that the proposed method can well reduce the system network loss and improve the economic performance of system operation with distributed generation.

TU-D-201-06: HDR Plan Prechecks Using Eclipse Scripting API

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

Palaniswaamy, G; Morrow, A; Kim, S

Purpose: Automate brachytherapy treatment plan quality check using Eclipse v13.6 scripting API based on pre-configured rules to minimize human error and maximize efficiency. Methods: The HDR Precheck system is developed based on a rules-driven approach using Eclipse scripting API. This system checks for critical plan parameters like channel length, first source position, source step size and channel mapping. The planned treatment time is verified independently based on analytical methods. For interstitial or SAVI APBI treatment plans, a Patterson-Parker system calculation is performed to verify the planned treatment time. For endobronchial treatments, an analytical formula from TG-59 is used. Acceptable tolerancesmore » were defined based on clinical experiences in our department. The system was designed to show PASS/FAIL status levels. Additional information, if necessary, is indicated appropriately in a separate comments field in the user interface. Results: The HDR Precheck system has been developed and tested to verify the treatment plan parameters that are routinely checked by the clinical physicist. The report also serves as a reminder or checklist for the planner to perform any additional critical checks such as applicator digitization or scenarios where the channel mapping was intentionally changed. It is expected to reduce the current manual plan check time from 15 minutes to <1 minute. Conclusion: Automating brachytherapy plan prechecks significantly reduces treatment plan precheck time and reduces human errors. When fully developed, this system will be able to perform TG-43 based second check of the treatment planning system’s dose calculation using random points in the target and critical structures. A histogram will be generated along with tabulated mean and standard deviation values for each structure. A knowledge database will also be developed for Brachyvision plans which will then be used for knowledge-based plan quality checks to further reduce treatment planning errors and increase confidence in the planned treatment.« less

Effects-based strategy development through center of gravity and target system analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Christopher M.; Prendergast, Michael; Pioch, Nicholas; Jones, Eric K.; Graham, Stephen

2003-09-01

This paper describes an approach to effects-based planning in which a strategic-theater-level mission is refined into operational-level and ultimately tactical-level tasks and desired effects, informed by models of the expected enemy response at each level of abstraction. We describe a strategy development system that implements this approach and supports human-in-the-loop development of an effects-based plan. This system consists of plan authoring tools tightly integrated with a suite of center of gravity (COG) and target system analysis tools. A human planner employs the plan authoring tools to develop a hierarchy of tasks and desired effects. Upon invocation, the target system analysis tools use reduced-order models of enemy centers of gravity to select appropriate target set options for the achievement of desired effects, together with associated indicators for each option. The COG analysis tools also provide explicit models of the causal mechanisms linking tasks and desired effects to one another, and suggest appropriate observable indicators to guide ISR planning, execution monitoring, and campaign assessment. We are currently implementing the system described here as part of the AFRL-sponsored Effects Based Operations program.

The Physical/Chemical Closed-Loop Life Support Research Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilardo, Vincent J., Jr.

1990-01-01

The various elements of the Physical/Chemical Closed-Loop Life Support Research Project (P/C CLLS) are described including both those currently funded and those planned for implementation at ARC and other participating NASA field centers. The plan addresses the entire range of regenerative life support for Space Exploration Initiative mission needs, and focuses initially on achieving technology readiness for the Initial Lunar Outpost by 1995-97. Project elements include water reclamation, air revitalization, solid waste management, thermal and systems control, and systems integration. Current analysis estimates that each occupant of a space habitat will require a total of 32 kg/day of supplies to live and operate comfortably, while an ideal P/C CLLS system capable of 100 percent reclamation of air and water, but excluding recycling of solid wastes or foods, will reduce this requirement to 3.4 kg/day.

Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System Market Analysis Plans

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

Ruth, Mark

2016-06-09

This presentation describes nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems (N-R HESs), states their potential benefits, provides figures for the four tightly coupled N-R HESs that NREL is currently analyzing, and outlines the analysis process that is underway.

Expert mission planning and replanning scheduling system for NASA KSC payload operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, Roger

1987-01-01

EMPRESS (Expert Mission Planning and REplanning Scheduling System) is an expert system created to assist payload mission planners at Kennedy in the long range planning and scheduling of horizontal payloads for space shuttle flights. Using the current flight manifest, these planners develop mission and payload schedules detailing all processing to be performed in the Operations and Checkout building at Kennedy. With the EMPRESS system, schedules are generated quickly using standard flows that represent the tasks and resources required to process a specific horizontal carrier. Resources can be tracked and resource conflicts can be determined and resolved interactively. Constraint relationships between tasks are maintained and can be enforced when a task is moved or rescheduled. The domain, structure, and functionality of the EMPRESS system is briefly designed. The limitations of the EMPRESS system are described as well as improvements expected with the EMPRESS-2 development.

75 FR 13091 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-18

... automated, near real-time readiness reporting system that provides resource standards and current readiness... the Department of Defense to establish a capabilities-based, adaptive, near real-time readiness... capability to assess plans using real unit data. Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including...

An analysis of the ArcCHECK-MR diode array's performance for ViewRay quality assurance.

PubMed

Ellefson, Steven T; Culberson, Wesley S; Bednarz, Bryan P; DeWerd, Larry A; Bayouth, John E

2017-07-01

The ArcCHECK-MR diode array utilizes a correction system with a virtual inclinometer to correct the angular response dependencies of the diodes. However, this correction system cannot be applied to measurements on the ViewRay MR-IGRT system due to the virtual inclinometer's incompatibility with the ViewRay's multiple simultaneous beams. Additionally, the ArcCHECK's current correction factors were determined without magnetic field effects taken into account. In the course of performing ViewRay IMRT quality assurance with the ArcCHECK, measurements were observed to be consistently higher than the ViewRay TPS predictions. The goals of this study were to quantify the observed discrepancies and test whether applying the current factors improves the ArcCHECK's accuracy for measurements on the ViewRay. Gamma and frequency analysis were performed on 19 ViewRay patient plans. Ion chamber measurements were performed at a subset of diode locations using a PMMA phantom with the same dimensions as the ArcCHECK. A new method for applying directionally dependent factors utilizing beam information from the ViewRay TPS was developed in order to analyze the current ArcCHECK correction factors. To test the current factors, nine ViewRay plans were altered to be delivered with only a single simultaneous beam and were measured with the ArcCHECK. The current correction factors were applied using both the new and current methods. The new method was also used to apply corrections to the original 19 ViewRay plans. It was found the ArcCHECK systematically reports doses higher than those actually delivered by the ViewRay. Application of the current correction factors by either method did not consistently improve measurement accuracy. As dose deposition and diode response have both been shown to change under the influence of a magnetic field, it can be concluded the current ArcCHECK correction factors are invalid and/or inadequate to correct measurements on the ViewRay system. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

[Concept for Planning the Nurse-Patient Ratio and Nursing Fee Payment Linkage System].

PubMed

Lu, Meei-Shiow; Tseng, Hsiu-Yi; Liang, Shu-Yuan; Lin, Chiou-Fen

2017-02-01

This article describes the current situation in Taiwan with regard to the nurse-patient ratio and nursing fee payments, reviews the related policies and results in developed countries, and then proposes a plan for improving the domestic situation. Direct relationships exist between patient nursing quality and patient safety and the nurse-patient ratio as well as between nursing fee payments and the nurse-patient ratio. Therefore, in order to enhance the quality and safety of nursing care, it will be necessary to develop and institute a payment linkage system that links nursing fee payments to the nurse-patient ratio. This process requires public consensus and planning in order to institute an equitable and effective payment linkage system in the future.

Dynamic Routing of Aircraft in the Presence of Adverse Weather Using a POMDP Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balaban, Edward; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Spirkovska, Lilly; Sankararaman, Shankar; Kulkarni, Chetan; Arnon, Tomer

2017-01-01

Each year weather-related airline delays result in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional fuel burn, maintenance, and lost revenue, not to mention passenger inconvenience. The current approaches for aircraft route planning in the presence of adverse weather still mainly rely on deterministic methods. In contrast, this work aims to deal with the problem using a Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) framework, which allows for reasoning over uncertainty (including uncertainty in weather evolution over time) and results in solutions that are more robust to disruptions. The POMDP-based decision support system is demonstrated on several scenarios involving convective weather cells and is benchmarked against a deterministic planning system with functionality similar to those currently in use or under development.

Juvenile Justice in Rural America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jankovic, Joanne, Ed.; And Others

Producing a much-needed organized body of literature about rural juvenile justice, 14 papers (largely from the 1979 National Symposium on Rural Justice) are organized to identify current issues, identify forces causing changes in current systems, review programs responding to rural juvenile justice problems, and provide planning models to aid…

A Simulation Based Approach for Contingency Planning for Aircraft Turnaround Operation System Activities in Airline Hubs

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.

Foresight for commanders: a methodology to assist planning for effects-based operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Paul K.; Kahan, James P.

2006-05-01

Looking at the battlespace as a system of systems is a cornerstone of Effects-Based Operations and a key element in the planning of such operations, and in developing the Commander's Predictive Environment. Instead of a physical battleground to be approached with weapons of force, the battlespace is an interrelated super-system of political, military, economic, social, information and infrastructure systems to be approached with diplomatic, informational, military and economic actions. A concept that has proved useful in policy arenas other than defense, such as research and development for information technology, addressing cybercrime, and providing appropriate and cost-effective health care, is foresight. In this paper, we provide an overview of how the foresight approach addresses the inherent uncertainties in planning courses of action, present a set of steps in the conduct of foresight, and then illustrate the application of foresight to a commander's decision problem. We conclude that foresight approach that we describe is consistent with current doctrinal intelligence preparation of the battlespace and operational planning, but represents an advance in that it explicitly addresses the uncertainties in the environment and planning in a way that identifies strategies that are robust over different possible ground truths. It should supplement other planning methods.

Background of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) Policy in Some Countries: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkahtani, Mohammed Ali; Kheirallah, Sahar Abdelfattah

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to provide a cogent outline of the current policies that six separate countries have on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), identifying the key features in each system. The chosen countries are Australia (Queen Island), Canada (British Columbia), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Saudi Arabia. The…

Social Media as a Practical Approach in Engaging Key Stakeholders in School Crisis Communication Plans: A Qualitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agozzino, Alisa; Kaiser, Candace

2014-01-01

The current study examined how public relations specialists within school systems are developing, implementing, and revising their communication crisis plans in an effort to fully engage all key stakeholders. Four research questions and two hypotheses were posed. Members from a state public relations association for schools were asked to…

AIS ASM Operational Integration Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

al. | Public August 2013 This page intentionally left blank. AIS ASM Operational Integration Plan v ...that supply AIS Routers as part of their AIS shoreside network software : Kongsberg C-Scope, Gatehouse AIS, Transas AIS Network, and CNS DataSwitch...commercial systems would be suitable for the current USCG traffic conditions. The ASM Manager is software that adds the required queuing and

IP Infrastructure Geolocation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

unlimited 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Physical network maps are important to critical infrastructure defense and planning. Current state-of...the-art network infrastructure geolocation relies on Domain Name System (DNS) inferences. However, not only is using the DNS relatively inaccurate for...INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Physical network maps are important to critical infrastructure defense and planning. Cur- rent state-of-the-art

Implementation of green infrastructure concept in Citarum Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maryati, Sri; Humaira, An Nisaa'Siti

2017-03-01

Green infrastructure has several benefits compared to grey infrastructure in term of environmental services and sustainability, such as reducing energy consumption, improving air quality, providing carbon sequestration, and increasing property values. Nevertheless in practice, the implementation of the concept in Indonesia is still limited. Implementation of the certain concept has to be guided in planning document. In this paper, green infrastructure concept in the current spatial plan and other planning documents is assessed. The purpose of this research is to figure out how far the green infrastructure concept is integrated into planning system, based on the analysis of planning documents in Citarum Watershed and expert interviews with local stakeholders. Content analysis method is used to analyze the documents and result of interview. The result shows that green infrastructure concept has not been accommodated in spatial plan or other planning documents widely. There are some challenges in implementing the concept including reward and punishment system (incentive and disincentive), coordination, and lack of human resources.

A patient-centered longitudinal care plan: vision versus reality

PubMed Central

Dykes, Patricia C; Samal, Lipika; Donahue, Moreen; Greenberg, Jeffrey O; Hurley, Ann C; Hasan, Omar; O'Malley, Terrance A; Venkatesh, Arjun K; Volk, Lynn A; Bates, David W

2014-01-01

Objective As healthcare systems and providers move toward meaningful use of electronic health records, longitudinal care plans (LCPs) may provide a means to improve communication and coordination as patients transition across settings. The objective of this study was to determine the current state of communication of LCPs across settings and levels of care. Materials and methods We conducted surveys and interviews with professionals from emergency departments, acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agency settings in six regions in the USA. We coded the transcripts according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ‘Broad Approaches’ to care coordination to understand the degree to which current practice meets the definition of an LCP. Results Participants (n=22) from all settings reported that LCPs do not exist in their current state. We found LCPs in practice, and none of these were shared or reconciled across settings. Moreover, we found wide variation in the types and formats of care plan information that was communicated as patients transitioned. The most common formats, even when care plan information was communicated within the same healthcare system, were paper and fax. Discussion These findings have implications for data reuse, interoperability, and achieving widespread adoption of LCPs. Conclusions The use of LCPs to support care transitions is suboptimal. Strategies are needed to transform the LCP from vision to reality. PMID:24996874

OSD CALS Architecture Master Plan Study. Concept Paper. Configuration Management. Volume 28

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-10-01

The mission of CALS is to enhance operational readiness of DoD weapon systems through application of information technology to the management of technical information. CALS will automate the current paper-intensive processes involved in weapon system...

A City Parking Integration System Combined with Cloud Computing Technologies and Smart Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Her-Tyan; Chen, Bing-Chang; Wang, Bo-Xun

2016-01-01

The current study applied cloud computing technology and smart mobile devices combined with a streaming server for parking lots to plan a city parking integration system. It is also equipped with a parking search system, parking navigation system, parking reservation service, and car retrieval service. With this system, users can quickly find…

The Real World of Technological Evolution in Broadband Communications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlafly, Hubert J.

The current state (in 1970) of cable television systems is discussed under headings of head end, distribution, home terminals, system performance and standards with close attention paid to the technology involved. In summing up new system planning, the review considers channel expansion, channel reuse, two way cable, local distribution services…

Virtual reality system for planning minimally invasive neurosurgery. Technical note.

PubMed

Stadie, Axel Thomas; Kockro, Ralf Alfons; Reisch, Robert; Tropine, Andrei; Boor, Stephan; Stoeter, Peter; Perneczky, Axel

2008-02-01

The authors report on their experience with a 3D virtual reality system for planning minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures. Between October 2002 and April 2006, the authors used the Dextroscope (Volume Interactions, Ltd.) to plan neurosurgical procedures in 106 patients, including 100 with intracranial and 6 with spinal lesions. The planning was performed 1 to 3 days preoperatively, and in 12 cases, 3D prints of the planning procedure were taken into the operating room. A questionnaire was completed by the neurosurgeon after the planning procedure. After a short period of acclimatization, the system proved easy to operate and is currently used routinely for preoperative planning of difficult cases at the authors' institution. It was felt that working with a virtual reality multimodal model of the patient significantly improved surgical planning. The pathoanatomy in individual patients could easily be understood in great detail, enabling the authors to determine the surgical trajectory precisely and in the most minimally invasive way. The authors found the preoperative 3D model to be in high concordance with intraoperative conditions; the resulting intraoperative "déjà-vu" feeling enhanced surgical confidence. In all procedures planned with the Dextroscope, the chosen surgical strategy proved to be the correct choice. Three-dimensional virtual reality models of a patient allow quick and easy understanding of complex intracranial lesions.

Research and applications: Artificial intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raphael, B.; Duda, R. O.; Fikes, R. E.; Hart, P. E.; Nilsson, N. J.; Thorndyke, P. W.; Wilber, B. M.

1971-01-01

Research in the field of artificial intelligence is discussed. The focus of recent work has been the design, implementation, and integration of a completely new system for the control of a robot that plans, learns, and carries out tasks autonomously in a real laboratory environment. The computer implementation of low-level and intermediate-level actions; routines for automated vision; and the planning, generalization, and execution mechanisms are reported. A scenario that demonstrates the approximate capabilities of the current version of the entire robot system is presented.

EG&G Florida, Inc., KSC base operations contractor Launch Readiness Assessment System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geaslen, W. D.

1988-01-01

A computerized Launch Readiness Assessment System (LRAS) which compares 'current status' of readiness against the 'required status' of readiness for the Space Shuttle. The five subsystems of the LRAS are examined in detail. The LRAS Plan specifies the overall system requirements, procedures, and reports. The LRAS Manager drives the operation of the LRAS system. The Responding Units (RU) maintain support plans and procedures which specify the detail requirements for each mission or milestone. The Master Data Tables contain the milestone, responsible RU relationships, and requirements assessment categories. The LRAS Status System serves as the launch readiness assessment reporting system. The relationships between these subsystems are displayed in diagrams.

Development of 3-D Ice Accretion Measurement Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sam; Broeren, Andy P.; Addy, Harold E., Jr.; Sills, Robert; Pifer, Ellen M.

2012-01-01

A research plan is currently being implemented by NASA to develop and validate the use of a commercial laser scanner to record and archive fully three-dimensional (3-D) ice shapes from an icing wind tunnel. The plan focused specifically upon measuring ice accreted in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The plan was divided into two phases. The first phase was the identification and selection of the laser scanning system and the post-processing software to purchase and develop further. The second phase was the implementation and validation of the selected system through a series of icing and aerodynamic tests. Phase I of the research plan has been completed. It consisted of evaluating several scanning hardware and software systems against an established selection criteria through demonstrations in the IRT. The results of Phase I showed that all of the scanning systems that were evaluated were equally capable of scanning ice shapes. The factors that differentiated the scanners were ease of use and the ability to operate in a wide range of IRT environmental conditions.

Integrating management tools and concepts to develop an estuarine planning support system: A case study of the Humber Estuary, Eastern England.

PubMed

Lonsdale, Jemma-Anne; Weston, Keith; Barnard, Steve; Boyes, Suzanne J; Elliott, Michael

2015-11-15

Estuaries are important because of their multiple uses and users which often makes them challenging to manage since management must strike a balance between the needs of users, the estuaries' ecological and economic value and the context of multiple legislative drivers. To facilitate management we have therefore developed an Estuarine Planning Support System (EPSS) framework using the Humber Estuary, Eastern England, as a case study which integrates the current legislation tools and concepts. This integrated EPSS framework is an improvement on previous approaches for assessing cumulative impacts as it takes into account legislative drivers, management tools and other mechanisms for controlling plans/projects specific to the estuary. It therefore enables managers and users to assess and address both the current state and the way in which a new industrial, port or urban development could impact an estuary in an accessible and understandable framework. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientific planning for the VLT and VLTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leibundgut, B.; Berger, J.-P.

2016-07-01

An observatory system like the VLT/I requires careful scientific planning for operations and future instruments. Currently the ESO optical/near-infrared facilities include four 8m telescopes, four (movable) 1.8m telescopes used exclusively for interferometry, two 4m telescopes and two survey telescopes. This system offers a large range of scientific capabilities and setting the corresponding priorities depends good community interactions. Coordinating the existing and planned instrumentation is an important aspect for strong scientific return. The current scientific priorities for the VLT and VLTI are pushing for the development of the highest angular resolution imaging and astrometry, integral field spectroscopy and multi-object spectroscopy. The ESO 4m telescopes on La Silla will be dedicated to time domain spectroscopy and exo-planet searches with highly specialized instruments. The next decade will also see a significant rise in the scientific importance of massive ground and space-based surveys. We discuss how future developments in astronomical research could shape the VLT/I evolution.

Evolutionistic or revolutionary paths? A PACS maturity model for strategic situational planning.

PubMed

van de Wetering, Rogier; Batenburg, Ronald; Lederman, Reeva

2010-07-01

While many hospitals are re-evaluating their current Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), few have a mature strategy for PACS deployment. Furthermore, strategies for implementation, strategic and situational planning methods for the evolution of PACS maturity are scarce in the scientific literature. Consequently, in this paper we propose a strategic planning method for PACS deployment. This method builds upon a PACS maturity model (PMM), based on the elaboration of the strategic alignment concept and the maturity growth path concept previously developed in the PACS domain. First, we review the literature on strategic planning for information systems and information technology and PACS maturity. Secondly, the PMM is extended by applying four different strategic perspectives of the Strategic Alignment Framework whereupon two types of growth paths (evolutionistic and revolutionary) are applied that focus on a roadmap for PMM. This roadmap builds a path to get from one level of maturity and evolve to the next. An extended method for PACS strategic planning is developed. This method defines eight distinctive strategies for PACS strategic situational planning that allow decision-makers in hospitals to decide which approach best suits their hospitals' current situation and future ambition and what in principle is needed to evolve through the different maturity levels. The proposed method allows hospitals to strategically plan for PACS maturation. It is situational in that the required investments and activities depend on the alignment between the hospital strategy and the selected growth path. The inclusion of both strategic alignment and maturity growth path concepts make the planning method rigorous, and provide a framework for further empirical research and clinical practice.

Design considerations of a power supply system for fast cycling superconducting accelerator magnets of 2 Tesla b-field generated by a conductor of 100 kA current

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

Hays, Steve; Piekarz, Henryk; Pfeffer, Howie

2007-06-01

Recently proposed fast cycling accelerators for proton drivers (SF-SPS, CERN and SF-MR, SF-BOOSTER, FNAL) neutrino sources require development of new magnet technology. In support of this magnet development a power supply system will need to be developed that can support the high current and high rate of power swing required by the fast cycling (1 sec rise and fall in the SF-MR, 5Hz in Booster). This paper will outline a design concept for a +/- 2000 V and 100,000 A fast ramping power supply system. This power supply design is in support of a 6.44 km magnet system at 0.020more » H and 330 m 5 Hz, 0.00534 H superconducting loads. The design description will include the layout and plan for extending the present FNAL Main Injector style ramping power supply to the higher currents needed for this operation. This will also include the design for a harmonic filter and power factor corrector that will be needed to control the large power swings caused by the fast cycle time. A conceptual design for the current regulation system and control will also be outlined. The power circuit design will include the bridge, filter and transformer plan based on existing designs.« less

FoCa: a modular treatment planning system for proton radiotherapy with research and educational purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Parcerisa, D.; Kondrla, M.; Shaindlin, A.; Carabe, A.

2014-12-01

FoCa is an in-house modular treatment planning system, developed entirely in MATLAB, which includes forward dose calculation of proton radiotherapy plans in both active and passive modalities as well as a generic optimization suite for inverse treatment planning. The software has a dual education and research purpose. From the educational point of view, it can be an invaluable teaching tool for educating medical physicists, showing the insights of a treatment planning system from a well-known and widely accessible software platform. From the research point of view, its current and potential uses range from the fast calculation of any physical, radiobiological or clinical quantity in a patient CT geometry, to the development of new treatment modalities not yet available in commercial treatment planning systems. The physical models in FoCa were compared with the commissioning data from our institution and show an excellent agreement in depth dose distributions and longitudinal and transversal fluence profiles for both passive scattering and active scanning modalities. 3D dose distributions in phantom and patient geometries were compared with a commercial treatment planning system, yielding a gamma-index pass rate of above 94% (using FoCa’s most accurate algorithm) for all cases considered. Finally, the inverse treatment planning suite was used to produce the first prototype of intensity-modulated, passive-scattered proton therapy, using 13 passive scattering proton fields and multi-leaf modulation to produce a concave dose distribution on a cylindrical solid water phantom without any field-specific compensator.

Resource Allocation Planning Helper (RALPH): Lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durham, Ralph; Reilly, Norman B.; Springer, Joe B.

1990-01-01

The current task of Resource Allocation Process includes the planning and apportionment of JPL's Ground Data System composed of the Deep Space Network and Mission Control and Computing Center facilities. The addition of the data driven, rule based planning system, RALPH, has expanded the planning horizon from 8 weeks to 10 years and has resulted in large labor savings. Use of the system has also resulted in important improvements in science return through enhanced resource utilization. In addition, RALPH has been instrumental in supporting rapid turn around for an increased volume of special what if studies. The status of RALPH is briefly reviewed and important lessons learned from the creation of an highly functional design team are focused on through an evolutionary design and implementation period in which an AI shell was selected, prototyped, and ultimately abandoned, and through the fundamental changes to the very process that spawned the tool kit. Principal topics include proper integration of software tools within the planning environment, transition from prototype to delivered to delivered software, changes in the planning methodology as a result of evolving software capabilities and creation of the ability to develop and process generic requirements to allow planning flexibility.

33 CFR 154.1020 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... identifying response systems and equipment in a response plan for the applicable operating environment... visibility, and currents within the COTP zone in which the systems or equipment are intended to function... the vessel or aircraft outfitted with the dispersant-application equipment acting as the delivery...

33 CFR 154.1020 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... identifying response systems and equipment in a response plan for the applicable operating environment... visibility, and currents within the COTP zone in which the systems or equipment are intended to function... the vessel or aircraft outfitted with the dispersant-application equipment acting as the delivery...

33 CFR 154.1020 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... identifying response systems and equipment in a response plan for the applicable operating environment... visibility, and currents within the COTP zone in which the systems or equipment are intended to function... the vessel or aircraft outfitted with the dispersant-application equipment acting as the delivery...

Scoreboards for Schools: ASCD Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, Frank

1997-01-01

A program developed by the Association for Curriculum and Supervision Development and Group Decisions Support Systems, Inc., aims to enhance accountability and improve school district/community communication. Scoreboards for Schools addresses inadequacies of current financial reporting systems by providing tightly linked planning strategies for…

Procedures for prioritizing road improvements under the statewide highway plan : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-01-01

The road improvement prioritizing system currently utilized by the Virginia Department of Transportation is similar to the method utilized by many states: it is a sufficiency rating system that evaluates proposed projects on the basis of points assig...

Situationally driven local navigation for mobile robots. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slack, Marc Glenn

1990-01-01

For mobile robots to autonomously accommodate dynamically changing navigation tasks in a goal-directed fashion, they must employ navigation plans. Any such plan must provide for the robot's immediate and continuous need for guidance while remaining highly flexible in order to avoid costly computation each time the robot's perception of the world changes. Due to the world's uncertainties, creation and maintenance of navigation plans cannot involve arbitrarily complex processes, as the robot's perception of the world will be in constant flux, requiring modifications to be made quickly if they are to be of any use. This work introduces navigation templates (NaT's) which are building blocks for the construction and maintenance of rough navigation plans which capture the relationship that objects in the world have to the current navigation task. By encoding only the critical relationship between the objects in the world and the navigation task, a NaT-based navigation plan is highly flexible; allowing new constraints to be quickly incorporated into the plan and existing constraints to be updated or deleted from the plan. To satisfy the robot's need for immediate local guidance, the NaT's forming the current navigation plan are passed to a transformation function. The transformation function analyzes the plan with respect to the robot's current location to quickly determine (a few times a second) the locally preferred direction of travel. This dissertation presents NaT's and the transformation function as well as the needed support systems to demonstrate the usefulness of the technique for controlling the actions of a mobile robot operating in an uncertain world.

Geographic information system development in the CARETS project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mitchell, William B.; Fegeas, Robin G.; Fitzpatrick, Katherine A.; Hallam, Cheryl A.

1977-01-01

Experience in the development of a geographic information system to support the CARETS project has confirmed the considerable advantages that may accrue by paralleling the system development with a rational and balanced system production effort which permits the integration of the education and training of users with interim deliverable products to them. Those advantages include support for a long-term staff plan that recognizes substantial staff changes through system development and implementation, a fiscal plan that provides continuity in resources necessary for total system development, and a feedback system which allows the user to communicate his experiences in using the system. Thus far balance between system development and system production has not been achieved because of continuing large-scale spatial data processing requirements coupled with strong and insistent demands from users for immediately deliverable products from the system. That imbalance has refocussed staffing and fiscal plans from long-term system development to short- and near-term production requirements, continuously extends total system development time, and increases the possibility that later system development may reduce the usefulness of current interim products.

Remotely Operated Aircraft (ROA) Impact on the National Airspace System (NAS) Work Package: Automation Impacts of ROA's in the NAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The purpose of this document is to analyze the impact of Remotely Operated Aircraft (ROA) operations on current and planned Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation systems in the En Route, Terminal, and Traffic Flow Management domains. The operational aspects of ROA flight, while similar, are not entirely identical to their manned counterparts and may not have been considered within the time-horizons of the automation tools. This analysis was performed to determine if flight characteristics of ROAs would be compatible with current and future NAS automation tools. Improvements to existing systems / processes are recommended that would give Air Traffic Controllers an indication that a particular aircraft is an ROA and modifications to IFR flight plan processing algorithms and / or designation of airspace where an ROA will be operating for long periods of time.

A user need study and system plan for an Arizona Natural Resources Information System report to the Arizona state legislature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A survey instrument was developed and implemented in order to evaluate the current needs for natural resource information in Arizona and to determine which state agencies have information systems capable of coordinating, accessing and analyzing the data. Data and format requirements were determined for the following categories: air quality, animals, cultural resources, geology, land use, soils, water, vegetation, ownership, and social and economic aspects. Hardware and software capabilities were assessed and a data processing plan was developed. Possible future applications with the next generation LANDSAT were also identified.

Underground storage tank management plan

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

NONE

1994-09-01

The Underground Storage Tank (UST) Management Program at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant was established to locate UST systems in operation at the facility, to ensure that all operating UST systems are free of leaks, and to establish a program for the removal of unnecessary UST systems and upgrade of UST systems that continue to be needed. The program implements an integrated approach to the management of UST systems, with each system evaluated against the same requirements and regulations. A common approach is employed, in accordance with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) regulations and guidance, when corrective actionmore » is mandated. This Management Plan outlines the compliance issues that must be addressed by the UST Management Program, reviews the current UST inventory and compliance approach, and presents the status and planned activities associated with each UST system. The UST Management Plan provides guidance for implementing TDEC regulations and guidelines for petroleum UST systems. (There are no underground radioactive waste UST systems located at Y-12.) The plan is divided into four major sections: (1) regulatory requirements, (2) implementation requirements, (3) Y-12 Plant UST Program inventory sites, and (4) UST waste management practices. These sections describe in detail the applicable regulatory drivers, the UST sites addressed under the Management Program, and the procedures and guidance used for compliance with applicable regulations.« less

[Planning by service organisation priorities. The process of preparing strategic service-organisation plans].

PubMed

Sampietro-Colom, Laura; Costa, Dolors; Busqué, Anna; Lacasa, Carme

2008-12-01

Strategic planning designs the general setting and the strategic principles of a healthcare system, as well as the general guidelines that govern the development of a health system. Strategic service-organisation plans deal with translating healthcare policies into service policies and respond, principally, to the need for services; these give rise to problems that require a solution. They are developed in line with advances in scientific knowledge, the implementation and current characteristics of the healthcare services and the evolution in the competences of professional teams. There are five stages for their development: identification of health/service requirements; prioritisation of needs in health/services; definition of and agreement on service organisation models (care model and service portfolio); the preparation of and agreement on territorial action plans; introduction and evaluation. A conceptual framework is presented along with practical applications carried out in Catalonia.

[Health workforce planning: brief historic route of Chilean policies].

PubMed

Villarroel González, Sebastián Raúl

2016-11-18

Healthcare workers have been widely recognized as the mainstay of healthcare systems. Mostly incorporated as human resources into healthcare planning, their expression in the public policies of Chile and Latin America has undergone changes in compliance with the socio-economic and economic development of the countries in the region as well as changes in their healthcare systems. This article offers a historical review of healthcare human resources planning in Chile from a government-level standpoint; thus, enabling the characterization of a path that has added tools from the economic sciences to the healthcare workers’ own diagnosis, promoting policy actions to improve planning and management at national level, although the results have been inconsistent. Today, the great interest by national and international entities in healthcare human resources constitutes a growing concern about current problems, asymmetries, and expected results-- all of which increase the complexity of healthcare staffing and human resources planning.

FY 1987 current fiscal year work plan

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

Not Available

This Current Year Work Plan presents a detailed description of the activities to be performed by the Joint Integration Office during FY87. It breaks down the activities into two major work areas: Program Management and Program Analysis. Program Management is performed by the JIO by providing technical planning and guidance for the development of advanced TRU waste management capabilities. This includes equipment/facility design, engineering, construction, and operations. These functions are integrated to allow transition from interim storage to final disposition. JIO tasks include program requirements identification, long-range technical planning, budget development, program planning document preparation, task guidance, task monitoring, informationmore » gathering and task reporting to DOE, interfacing with other agencies and DOE lead programs, integrating public involvement with program efforts, and preparation of program status reports for DOE. Program Analysis is performed by the JIO to support identification and assessment of alternatives, and development of long-term TRU waste program capabilities. This work plan includes: system analyses, requirements analyses, interim and procedure development, legislative and regulatory analyses, dispatch and traffic analyses, and data bases.« less

Socio-Environmental Resilience and Complex Urban Systems Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deal, Brian; Petri, Aaron; Pan, Haozhi; Goldenberg, Romain; Kalantari, Zahra; Cvetkovic, Vladimir

2017-04-01

The increasing pressure of climate change has inspired two normative agendas; socio-technical transitions and socio-ecological resilience, both sharing a complex-systems epistemology (Gillard et al. 2016). Socio-technical solutions include a continuous, massive data gathering exercise now underway in urban places under the guise of developing a 'smart'(er) city. This has led to the creation of data-rich environments where large data sets have become central to monitoring and forming a response to anomalies. Some have argued that these kinds of data sets can help in planning for resilient cities (Norberg and Cumming 2008; Batty 2013). In this paper, we focus on a more nuanced, ecologically based, socio-environmental perspective of resilience planning that is often given less consideration. Here, we broadly discuss (and model) the tightly linked, mutually influenced, social and biophysical subsystems that are critical for understanding urban resilience. We argue for the need to incorporate these sub system linkages into the resilience planning lexicon through the integration of systems models and planning support systems. We make our case by first providing a context for urban resilience from a socio-ecological and planning perspective. We highlight the data needs for this type of resilient planning and compare it to currently collected data streams in various smart city efforts. This helps to define an approach for operationalizing socio-environmental resilience planning using robust systems models and planning support systems. For this, we draw from our experiences in coupling a spatio-temporal land use model (the Landuse Evolution and impact Assessment Model (LEAM)) with water quality and quantity models in Stockholm Sweden. We describe the coupling of these systems models using a robust Planning Support System (PSS) structural framework. We use the coupled model simulations and PSS to analyze the connection between urban land use transformation (social) and water (environmental) systems within the context of planning for a more resilient Stockholm. This work shows that complex urban systems models can help bridge the divide between socio-technological and socio-environmental systems knowledge and achieving resilient urban areas.

NASA earth science and applications division: The program and plans for FY 1988-1989-1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Described here are the Division's research goals, priorities and emphases for the next several years and an outline of longer term plans. Included are highlights of recent accomplishments, current activities in FY 1988, research emphases in FY 1989, and longer term future plans. Data and information systems, the Geodynamics Program, the Land Processes Program, the Oceanic Processes Program, the Atmospheric Dynamics and Radiation Program, the Atmospheric Chemistry Program, and space flight programs are among the topic covered.

Planning a Dental Workforce for the Future for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom: What Factors Should Be Accounted for?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brocklehurst, Paul; Tickle, Martin

2012-01-01

Background: The two most common models of workforce planning are the "stock and flow" and the demographic approach. The former balances future losses from a system against recruitment and retention, whilst the latter simply "grosses up" current provision based on changes to population demographics. However, such approaches…

Cell culture experiments planned for the space bioreactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R.; Cross, John H.

1987-01-01

Culturing of cells in a pilot-scale bioreactor remains to be done in microgravity. An approach is presented based on several studies of cell culture systems. Previous and current cell culture research in microgravity which is specifically directed towards development of a space bioprocess is described. Cell culture experiments planned for a microgravity sciences mission are described in abstract form.

77 FR 21663 - Air Quality Implementation Plans; Kentucky; Attainment Plan for the Kentucky Portion of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... available, but not yet certified, in the Air Quality System (AQS) database for 2011 show that this Area.... Moreover, there is no support for the Commenter's contention, based on the flawed premise that allowance... strong legal basis. To the extent that the current status of CAIR and the Transport Rule affect any of...

Candidate Materials Evaluated for a High-Temperature Stirling Convertor Heater Head

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, Randy R.; Ritzert, Frank J.

2005-01-01

The Department of Energy and NASA have identified Stirling Radioisotope Generators (SRGs) as a candidate power system for use on long-duration, deep-space science missions and Mars rovers. One of the developments planned for an upgraded version of the current SRG design is to achieve higher efficiency by increasing the overall operating temperature of the system. Currently, the SRG operates with a heater head temperature of 650 C and is fabricated from the nickel-base superalloy 718. The current operating temperature is at the limit of alloy 718 s capability, and any planned increase in temperature will be contingent on identifying a more capable material from which to fabricate the heater head. To this end, personnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center are evaluating advanced materials for a high-temperature heater head to allow a higher convertor temperature ratio and, thus, increase the system efficiency. A generic list of properties that were used to screen the candidate materials follows: (1) creep, (2) fabricability, (3) helium gas containment, (4) long-term stability and compatibility, (5) ability to form a hermetical closeout seal, and (6) ductility and toughness.

Dosimetric feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging-guided tri-cobalt 60 preoperative intensity modulated radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity.

PubMed

Kishan, Amar U; Cao, Minsong; Mikaeilian, Argin G; Low, Daniel A; Kupelian, Patrick A; Steinberg, Michael L; Kamrava, Mitchell

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dosimetric differences of delivering preoperative intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity (ESTS) with a teletherapy system equipped with 3 rotating (60)Co sources and a built-in magnetic resonance imaging and with standard linear accelerator (LINAC)-based IMRT. The primary study population consisted of 9 patients treated with preoperative radiation for ESTS between 2008 and 2014 with LINAC-based static field IMRT. LINAC plans were designed to deliver 50 Gy in 25 fractions to 95% of the planning target volume (PTV). Tri-(60)Co system IMRT plans were designed with ViewRay system software. Tri-(60)Co-based IMRT plans achieved equivalent target coverage and dosimetry for organs at risk (long bone, skin, and skin corridor) compared with LINAC-based IMRT plans. The maximum and minimum PTV doses, heterogeneity indices, and ratio of the dose to 50% of the volume were equivalent for both planning systems. One LINAC plan violated the maximum bone dose constraint, whereas none of the tri-(60)Co plans did. Using a tri-(60)Co system, we were able to achieve equivalent dosimetry to the PTV and organs at risk for patients with ESTS compared with LINAC-based IMRT plans. The tri-(60)Co system may be advantageous over current treatment platforms by allowing PTV reduction and by elimination of the additional radiation dose associated with daily image guidance, but this needs to be evaluated prospectively. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Foundational Report Series: Advanced Distribution Management Systems for Grid Modernization, DMS Industry Survey

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

Singh, Ravindra; Uluski, Robert; Reilly, James T.

The objective of this survey is to benchmark current practices for DMS implementation to serve as a guide for future system implementations. The survey sought information on current plans to implement DMS, DMS functions of interest, implementation challenges, functional benefits achieved, and other relevant information. These survey results were combined (where possible) with results of similar surveys conducted in the previous four years to observe trends over time.

Advanced Launch System advanced development oxidizer turbopump program: Technical implementation plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferlita, F.

1989-01-01

The Advanced Launch Systems (ALS) Advanced Development Oxidizer Turbopump Program has designed, fabricated and demonstrated a low cost, highly reliable oxidizer turbopump for the Space Transportation Engine that minimizes the recurring cost for the ALS engines. Pratt and Whitney's (P and W's) plan for integrating the analyses, testing, fabrication, and other program efforts is addressed. This plan offers a comprehensive description of the total effort required to design, fabricate, and test the ALS oxidizer turbopump. The proposed ALS oxidizer turbopump reduces turbopump costs over current designs by taking advantage of design simplicity and state-of-the-art materials and producibility features without compromising system reliability. This is accomplished by selecting turbopump operating conditions that are within known successful operating regions and by using proven manufacturing techniques.

23 CFR Appendix B to Subpart A of... - Designation of Segments of Section 332(a)(2) Corridors as Parts of the Interstate System

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... as Parts of the Interstate System B Appendix B to Subpart A of Part 470 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND RESEARCH HIGHWAY SYSTEMS Federal-aid Highway Systems Pt...) Corridors as Parts of the Interstate System The following guidance is comparable to current procedures for...

Intelligent Systems For Aerospace Engineering: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

KrishnaKumar, K.

2003-01-01

Intelligent systems are nature-inspired, mathematically sound, computationally intensive problem solving tools and methodologies that have become extremely important for advancing the current trends in information technology. Artificially intelligent systems currently utilize computers to emulate various faculties of human intelligence and biological metaphors. They use a combination of symbolic and sub-symbolic systems capable of evolving human cognitive skills and intelligence, not just systems capable of doing things humans do not do well. Intelligent systems are ideally suited for tasks such as search and optimization, pattern recognition and matching, planning, uncertainty management, control, and adaptation. In this paper, the intelligent system technologies and their application potential are highlighted via several examples.

Intelligent Systems for Aerospace Engineering: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishnakumar, Kalmanje

2002-01-01

Intelligent systems are nature-inspired, mathematically sound, computationally intensive problem solving tools and methodologies that have become extremely important for advancing the current trends in information technology. Artificially intelligent systems currently utilize computers to emulate various faculties of human intelligence and biological metaphors. They use a combination of symbolic and sub-symbolic systems capable of evolving human cognitive skills and intelligence, not just systems capable of doing things humans do not do well. Intelligent systems are ideally suited for tasks such as search and optimization, pattern recognition and matching, planning, uncertainty management, control, and adaptation. In this paper, the intelligent system technologies and their application potential are highlighted via several examples.

Radiological monitoring plan for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant: Surface Water

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

NONE

1997-10-01

The Y-12 Plant conducts a surface water monitoring program in response to DOE Orders and state of Tennessee requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The anticipated codification of DOE Order 5400.5 for radiation protection of the public and the environment (10 CFR Part 834) will require an environmental radiation protection plan (ERPP). The NPDES permit issued by the state of Tennessee requires a radiological monitoring plan (RMP) for Y-12 Plant surface waters. In a May 4, 1995 memo, the state of Tennessee, Division of Water Pollution Control, stated their desired needs and goals regarding the content ofmore » RMPs, associated documentation, and data resulting from the RMPs required under the NPDES permitting system (L. Bunting, General Discussion, Radiological Monitoring Plans, Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control, May 4,1995). Appendix A provides an overview of how the Y-12 Plant will begin to address these needs and goals. It provides a more complete, documented basis for the current Y-12 Plant surface water monitoring program and is intended to supplement documentation provided in the Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs), NPDES reports, Groundwater Quality Assessment Reports, and studies conducted under the Y-12 Plant Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. The purpose of this update to the Y-12 Plant RMP is to satisfy the requirements of the current NPDES permit, DOE Order 5400.5, and 10 CFR Part 834, as current proposed, by defining the radiological monitoring plan for surface water for the Y-12 Plant. This plan includes initial storm water monitoring and data analysis. Related activities such as sanitary sewer and sediment monitoring are also summarized. The plan discusses monitoring goals necessary to determine background concentrations of radionuclides, to quantify releases, determine trends, satisfy regulatory requirements, support consequence assessments, and meet requirements that releases be ``as low as reasonably achievable`` (ALARA).« less

General Aviation in Nebraska: Nebraska SATS Project Background Paper No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Russell; Wachal, Jocelyn

2000-01-01

The Nebraska SATS project is a state-level component of NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). During the next several years the project will examine several different factors affecting SATS implementation in Nebraska. These include economic and taxation issues, public policy issues, airport planning processes, information dissemination strategies, and systemic change factors. This background paper profiles the general aviation system in Nebraska. It is written to provide information about the "context" within which SATS will be pursued. The primary focus is thus on describing and providing background information about the current situation. A secondary focus is on drawing general conclusions about the ability of the current system to incorporate the types of changes implied by SATS. First, some brief information on the U.S. aviation system is provided. The next two sections profile the current general aviation aircraft and pilot base. Nebraska's system of general aviation airports is then described. Within this section of the paper, information is provided on the different types of general aviation airports in Nebraska, airport activity levels and current infrastructure. The fourth major section of the background paper looks at Nebraska's local airport authorities. These special purpose local governments oversee the majority of the general aviation airports in the state. Among the items examined are total expenditures, capital expenditures and planning activities. Next, the paper provides background information on the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics (NDA) and recent Federal funding for general aviation in Nebraska. The final section presents summary conclusions.

Enhanced Damage-Resistant Optics for Spaceflight Laser Systems: Workshop findings and recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulze, Norman; Cimolino, Marc; Guenther, Arthur; Mcminn, Ted; Rainer, Frank; Schmid, Ansgar; Seitel, Steven C.; Soileau, M. J.; Theon, John S.; Walz, William

1991-01-01

NASA has defined a program to address critical laser-induced damage issues peculiar to its remote sensing systems. The Langley Research Center (LaRC), with input from the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has developed a program plan focusing on the certification of optical materials for spaceflight applications and the development of techniques to determine the reliability of such materials under extended laser exposures. This plan involves cooperative efforts between NASA and optics manufacturers to quantify the performance of optical materials for NASA systems and to ensure NASA's continued application of the highest quality optics possible for enhanced system reliability. A review panel was organized to assess NASA's optical damage concerns and to evaluate the effectiveness of the LaRC proposed program plan. This panel consisted of experts in the areas of laser-induced damage, optical coating manufacture, and the design and development of laser systems for space. The panel was presented information on NASA's current and planned laser remote sensing programs, laser-induced damage problems already encountered in NASA systems, and the proposed program plan to address these issues. Additionally, technical presentations were made on the state of the art in damage mechanisms, optical materials testing, and issues of coating manufacture germane to laser damage.

Planning for the semiconductor manufacturer of the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fargher, Hugh E.; Smith, Richard A.

1992-01-01

Texas Instruments (TI) is currently contracted by the Air Force Wright Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the next generation flexible semiconductor wafer fabrication system called Microelectronics Manufacturing Science & Technology (MMST). Several revolutionary concepts are being pioneered on MMST, including the following: new single-wafer rapid thermal processes, in-situ sensors, cluster equipment, and advanced Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) software. The objective of the project is to develop a manufacturing system capable of achieving an order of magnitude improvement in almost all aspects of wafer fabrication. TI was awarded the contract in Oct., 1988, and will complete development with a fabrication facility demonstration in April, 1993. An important part of MMST is development of the CIM environment responsible for coordinating all parts of the system. The CIM architecture being developed is based on a distributed object oriented framework made of several cooperating subsystems. The software subsystems include the following: process control for dynamic control of factory processes; modular processing system for controlling the processing equipment; generic equipment model which provides an interface between processing equipment and the rest of the factory; specification system which maintains factory documents and product specifications; simulator for modelling the factory for analysis purposes; scheduler for scheduling work on the factory floor; and the planner for planning and monitoring of orders within the factory. This paper first outlines the division of responsibility between the planner, scheduler, and simulator subsystems. It then describes the approach to incremental planning and the way in which uncertainty is modelled within the plan representation. Finally, current status and initial results are described.

How healthcare systems evaluate their advance care planning initiatives: Results from a systematic review.

PubMed

Biondo, Patricia D; Lee, Lydia D; Davison, Sara N; Simon, Jessica E

2016-09-01

Advance care planning initiatives are being implemented across healthcare systems around the world, but how best to evaluate their implementation is unknown. To identify gaps and/or redundancies in current evaluative strategies to help healthcare systems develop future evaluative frameworks for ACP. Systematic review. Peer-reviewed and gray literature searches were conducted till February 2015 to answer: "What methods have healthcare systems used to evaluate implementation of advance care planning initiatives?" A PICOS framework was developed to identify articles describing the implementation and evaluation of a health system-level advance care planning initiative. Outcome measures were mapped onto a conceptual quality indicator framework based on the Institute of Medicine and Donabedian models of healthcare quality. A total of 46 studies met inclusion criteria for analysis. Most articles reported on single parts of a healthcare system (e.g. continuing care). The most common outcome measures pertained to document completion, followed by healthcare resource use. Patient-, family-, or healthcare provider-reported outcomes were less commonly measured. Concordance measures (e.g. dying in place of choice) were reported by only 26% of studies. The conceptual quality indicator framework identified gaps and redundancies in measurement and is presented as a potential foundation from which to develop a comprehensive advance care planning evaluation framework. Document completion is frequently used to evaluate advance care planning program implementation; capturing the quality of care appears to be more difficult. This systematic review provides health system administrators with a comprehensive summary of measures used to evaluate advance care planning and may identify gaps in evaluation within their local context. © The Author(s) 2016.

It's Time for Serious Reform of the Student-Aid System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baum, Sandy

2007-01-01

This article discusses the current student-aid system in American higher education and the policy issues surrounding it. The author asserts that it is time to consider serious reform of the complex system of federal, state, and institutional subsidies that has evolved to support postsecondary students. A rational long-term planning process never…

77 FR 20840 - Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, LA and MS; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-06

... Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge... of historical regimes, soil types and elevation, and the current hydrological system. Management... published under the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105...

Evaluation of advanced propulsion options for the next manned transportation system: Propulsion evolution study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spears, L. T.; Kramer, R. D.

1990-01-01

The objectives were to examine launch vehicle applications and propulsion requirements for potential future manned space transportation systems and to support planning toward the evolution of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) and Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) engines beyond their current or initial launch vehicle applications. As a basis for examinations of potential future manned launch vehicle applications, we used three classes of manned space transportation concepts currently under study: Space Transportation System Evolution, Personal Launch System (PLS), and Advanced Manned Launch System (AMLS). Tasks included studies of launch vehicle applications and requirements for hydrogen-oxygen rocket engines; the development of suggestions for STME engine evolution beyond the mid-1990's; the development of suggestions for STME evolution beyond the Advanced Launch System (ALS) application; the study of booster propulsion options, including LOX-Hydrocarbon options; the analysis of the prospects and requirements for utilization of a single engine configuration over the full range of vehicle applications, including manned vehicles plus ALS and Shuttle C; and a brief review of on-going and planned LOX-Hydrogen propulsion technology activities.

75 FR 32555 - Consolidated Audit Trail

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-08

... act jointly in developing a national market system (``NMS'') plan to develop, implement, and maintain... markets, there is a heightened need for regulators to have efficient access to a more robust and effective cross-market order and execution tracking system. Currently, many of the national securities exchanges...

ADEPT - A Mechanically Deployable Entry System Technology in Development at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Wercinski, Paul; Cassell, Alan; Smith, Brandon; Yount, Bryan

2016-01-01

The proposed presentation will give an overview of a mechanically deployable entry system concept development with a comprehensive summary of the ground tests and design development completed to-date, and current plans for a small-scale flight test in the near future.

Technical assessment of Mir-1 life support hardware for the international space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, K. L.; Bagdigian, R. M.; Carrasquillo, R. L.; Carter, D. L.; Franks, G. D.; Holder, D. W., Jr.; Hutchens, C. F.; Ogle, K. Y.; Perry, J. L.; Ray, C. D.

1994-01-01

NASA has been progressively learning the design and performance of the Russian life support systems utilized in their Mir space station. In 1992, a plan was implemented to assess the benefits of the Mir-1 life support systems to the Freedom program. Three primary tasks focused on: evaluating the operational Mir-1 support technologies and understanding if specific Russian systems could be directly utilized on the American space station and if Russian technology design information could prove useful in improving the current design of the planned American life support equipment; evaluating the ongoing Russian life support technology development activities to determine areas of potential long-term application to the U.S. space station; and utilizing the expertise of their space station life support systems to evaluate the benefits to the current U.S. space station program which included the integration of the Russian Mir-1 designs with the U.S. designs to support a crew of six.

Development and pilot testing of a mobile health solution for asthma self-management: asthma action plan smartphone application pilot study.

PubMed

Licskai, Christopher; Sands, Todd W; Ferrone, Madonna

2013-01-01

Collaborative self-management is a core recommendation of national asthma guidelines; the written action plan is the knowledge tool that supports this objective. Mobile health technologies have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the action plan as a knowledge translation tool. To design, develop and pilot a mobile health system to support asthma self-management. The present study was a prospective, single-centre, nonrandomized, pilot preintervention-postintervention analysis. System design and development were guided by an expert steering committee. The network included an agnostic web browser-based asthma action plan smartphone application (SPA). Subjects securely transmitted symptoms and peak flow data daily, and received automated control assessment, treatment advice and environmental alerts. Twenty-two adult subjects (mean age 47 years, 82% women) completed the study. Biophysical data were received on 84% of subject days (subject day = 1 subject × 1 day). Subjects viewed their action plan current zone of control on 54% and current air quality on 61% of subject days, 86% followed self-management advice and 50% acted to reduce exposure risks. A large majority affirmed ease of use, clarity and timeliness, and 95% desired SPA use after the study. At baseline, 91% had at least one symptom criterion for uncontrolled asthma and 64% had ≥2, compared with 45% (P=0.006) and 27% (P=0.022) at study close. Mean Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score improved from 4.3 to 4.8 (P=0.047). A dynamic, real-time, interactive, mobile health system with an integrated asthma action plan SPA can support knowledge translation at the patient and provider levels.

The UAS control segment architecture: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregory, Douglas A.; Batavia, Parag; Coats, Mark; Allport, Chris; Jennings, Ann; Ernst, Richard

2013-05-01

The Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) directed the Services in 2009 to jointly develop and demonstrate a common architecture for command and control of Department of Defense (DoD) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Groups 2 through 5. The UAS Control Segment (UCS) Architecture is an architecture framework for specifying and designing the softwareintensive capabilities of current and emerging UCS systems in the DoD inventory. The UCS Architecture is based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles that will be adopted by each of the Services as a common basis for acquiring, integrating, and extending the capabilities of the UAS Control Segment. The UAS Task Force established the UCS Working Group to develop and support the UCS Architecture. The Working Group currently has over three hundred members, and is open to qualified representatives from DoD-approved defense contractors, academia, and the Government. The UCS Architecture is currently at Release 2.2, with Release 3.0 planned for July 2013. This paper discusses the current and planned elements of the UCS Architecture, and related activities of the UCS Community of Interest.

NASA's Integrated Space Transportation Plan — 3 rd generation reusable launch vehicle technology update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Stephen; Hueter, Uwe

2003-08-01

NASA's Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP) calls for investments in Space Shuttle safety upgrades, second generation Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) advanced development and third generation RLV and in-space research and technology. NASA's third generation launch systems are to be fully reusable and operation by 2025. The goals for third generation launch systems are to reduce cost by a factor of 100 and improve safety by a factor of 10,000 over current systems. The Advanced Space Transportation Program Office (ASTP) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL has the agency lead to develop third generation space transportation technologies. The Hypersonics Investment Area, part of ASTP, is developing the third generation launch vehicle technologies in two main areas, propulsion and airframes. The program's major investment is in hypersonic airbreathing propulsion since it offers the greatest potential for meeting the third generation launch vehicles. The program will mature the technologies in three key propulsion areas, scramjets, rocket-based combined cycle and turbine-based combination cycle. Ground and flight propulsion tests are being planned for the propulsion technologies. Airframe technologies will be matured primarily through ground testing. This paper describes NASA's activities in hypersonics. Current programs, accomplishments, future plans and technologies that are being pursued by the Hypersonics Investment Area under the Advanced Space Transportation Program Office will be discussed.

Recommendation of a More Effective Alternative to the NASA Launch Services Program Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS) and Implementation of Updates to the Mission Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, Michael R.

2014-01-01

Over the course of my internship in the Flight Projects Office of NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), I worked on two major projects, both of which dealt with updating current systems to make them more accurate and to allow them to operate more efficiently. The first project dealt with the Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS), a web-accessible database application used to manage and provide mission status reporting for the LSP portfolio of awarded missions. MIRS had not gone through any major updates since its implementation in 2005, and it was my job to formulate a recommendation for the improvement of the system. The second project I worked on dealt with the Mission Plan, a document that contains an overview of the general life cycle that is followed by every LSP mission. My job on this project was to update the information currently in the mission plan and to add certain features in order to increase the accuracy and thoroughness of the document. The outcomes of these projects have implications in the orderly and efficient operation of the Flight Projects Office, and the process of Mission Management in the Launch Services Program as a whole.

Army Personnel Management System Study (PMS2). Volume II. Appendices.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-06

demonstrated desirability, some functions would be facilitated, costs need further study, and mobilization capabilities should be emphasized. PMS2 is basis for current reorganization planning within ODCSPER.

SU-F-T-231: Improving the Efficiency of a Radiotherapy Peer-Review System for Quality Assurance

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

Hsu, S; Basavatia, A; Garg, M

Purpose: To improve the efficiency of a radiotherapy peer-review system using a commercially available software application for plan quality evaluation and documentation. Methods: A commercial application, FullAccess (Radialogica LLC, Version 1.4.4), was implemented in a Citrix platform for peer-review process and patient documentation. This application can display images, isodose lines, and dose-volume histograms and create plan reports for peer-review process. Dose metrics in the report can also be benchmarked for plan quality evaluation. Site-specific templates were generated based on departmental treatment planning policies and procedures for each disease site, which generally follow RTOG protocols as well as published prospective clinicalmore » trial data, including both conventional fractionation and hypo-fractionation schema. Once a plan is ready for review, the planner exports the plan to FullAccess, applies the site-specific template, and presents the report for plan review. The plan is still reviewed in the treatment planning system, as that is the legal record. Upon physician’s approval of a plan, the plan is packaged for peer review with the plan report and dose metrics are saved to the database. Results: The reports show dose metrics of PTVs and critical organs for the plans and also indicate whether or not the metrics are within tolerance. Graphical results with green, yellow, and red lights are displayed of whether planning objectives have been met. In addition, benchmarking statistics are collected to see where the current plan falls compared to all historical plans on each metric. All physicians in peer review can easily verify constraints by these reports. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the improvement in a radiotherapy peer-review system, which allows physicians to easily verify planning constraints for different disease sites and fractionation schema, allows for standardization in the clinic to ensure that departmental policies are maintained, and builds a comprehensive database for potential clinical outcome evaluation.« less

The ILLIAC IV memory system: Current status and future possibilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, D. K.

1978-01-01

The future needs of researchers who will use the Illiac were examined and the requirements they will place on the memory system were evaluated. Various alternatives to replacing critical memory components were considered with regard to cost, risk, system impact, software requirements, and implementation schedules. The current system, its performance and status, and the limitations it places on possible enhancements are discussed as well as the planned enhancements to the Illiac processor. After a brief technology survey, different implementations are presented for each system memory component. Three different memory systems are proposed to meet the identified needs of the Illiac user community. These three alternatives differ considerably with respect to storage capacity and accessing capabilities, but they all offer significant improvements over the current system. The proposed systems and their relative merits are analyzed.

The DEEP-South: Scheduling and Data Reduction Software System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yim, Hong-Suh; Kim, Myung-Jin; Bae, Youngho; Moon, Hong-Kyu; Choi, Young-Jun; Roh, Dong-Goo; the DEEP-South Team

2015-08-01

The DEep Ecliptic Patrol of the Southern sky (DEEP-South), started in October 2012, is currently in test runs with the first Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) 1.6 m wide-field telescope located at CTIO in Chile. While the primary objective for the DEEP-South is physical characterization of small bodies in the Solar System, it is expected to discover a large number of such bodies, many of them previously unknown.An automatic observation planning and data reduction software subsystem called "The DEEP-South Scheduling and Data reduction System" (the DEEP-South SDS) is currently being designed and implemented for observation planning, data reduction and analysis of huge amount of data with minimum human interaction. The DEEP-South SDS consists of three software subsystems: the DEEP-South Scheduling System (DSS), the Local Data Reduction System (LDR), and the Main Data Reduction System (MDR). The DSS manages observation targets, makes decision on target priority and observation methods, schedules nightly observations, and archive data using the Database Management System (DBMS). The LDR is designed to detect moving objects from CCD images, while the MDR conducts photometry and reconstructs lightcurves. Based on analysis made at the LDR and the MDR, the DSS schedules follow-up observation to be conducted at other KMTNet stations. In the end of 2015, we expect the DEEP-South SDS to achieve a stable operation. We also have a plan to improve the SDS to accomplish finely tuned observation strategy and more efficient data reduction in 2016.

Pandemic influenza and critical infrastructure dependencies: possible impact on hospitals.

PubMed

Itzwerth, Ralf L; Macintyre, C Raina; Shah, Smita; Plant, Aileen J

2006-11-20

Hospitals will be particularly challenged when pandemic influenza spreads. Within the health sector in general, existing pandemic plans focus on health interventions to control outbreaks. The critical relationship between the health sector and other sectors is not well understood and addressed. Hospitals depend on critical infrastructure external to the organisation itself. Existing plans do not adequately consider the complexity and interdependency of systems upon which hospitals rely. The failure of one such system can trigger a failure of another, causing cascading breakdowns. Health is only one of the many systems that struggle at maximum capacity during "normal" times, as current business models operate with no or minimal "excess" staff and have become irreducible operations. This makes interconnected systems highly vulnerable to acute disruptions, such as a pandemic. Companies use continuity plans and highly regulated business continuity management to overcome process interruptions. This methodology can be applied to hospitals to minimise the impact of a pandemic.

Towards a Formal Semantics of Flight Plans and Trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagen, George E.; Butler, Ricky W.

2014-01-01

In the National Airspace System, ight plans are often used only as a planning tool by air trac controllers and aircraft operators. These plans are implicitly translated into trajectories by the pilot or by the ight management system, and subsequently own by the aircraft. This translation process inevitably introduces di erences between the plan and the trajectory. However, given the current intended usage, exact correspondence between the plan and the trajectory is not needed. To achieve greater capacity and eciency, future air trac management concepts are being designed around the use of trajectories where predictability is extremely important. In this paper, a mathematical relationship between ight plans and trajectories is explored with the goal of making feasible, highly accurate predictions of future positions and velocities of aircraft. The goal here is to describe, in mathematically precise detail, a formal language of trajectories, whereby all receivers of the trajectory information will be able to arrive at precisely the same trajectory predication and to do this without having aircraft broadcast a large amount of data. Although even a four-dimensional ight plan is simple in structure, this paper will show that it is inherently ambiguous and will explore these issues in detail. In e ect, we propose that a rigorous semantics for ight plans can be developed and this will serve as an important stepping stone towards trajectory-based operations in the National Airspace System.

Army Personnel Management System Study (PMS2). Volume I. Main Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-06

demonstrated desirability, some functions would be facilitated, costs need further study, and mobilization capabilities should be emphasized. PMS2 is basis for current reorganization planning within ODCSPER.

A DICOM based radiotherapy plan database for research collaboration and reporting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westberg, J.; Krogh, S.; Brink, C.; Vogelius, I. R.

2014-03-01

Purpose: To create a central radiotherapy (RT) plan database for dose analysis and reporting, capable of calculating and presenting statistics on user defined patient groups. The goal is to facilitate multi-center research studies with easy and secure access to RT plans and statistics on protocol compliance. Methods: RT institutions are able to send data to the central database using DICOM communications on a secure computer network. The central system is composed of a number of DICOM servers, an SQL database and in-house developed software services to process the incoming data. A web site within the secure network allows the user to manage their submitted data. Results: The RT plan database has been developed in Microsoft .NET and users are able to send DICOM data between RT centers in Denmark. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) calculations performed by the system are comparable to those of conventional RT software. A permission system was implemented to ensure access control and easy, yet secure, data sharing across centers. The reports contain DVH statistics for structures in user defined patient groups. The system currently contains over 2200 patients in 14 collaborations. Conclusions: A central RT plan repository for use in multi-center trials and quality assurance was created. The system provides an attractive alternative to dummy runs by enabling continuous monitoring of protocol conformity and plan metrics in a trial.

Coping with Computing Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breslin, Richard D.

Elements of computing success of Iona College, the challenges it currently faces, and the strategies conceived to cope with future computing needs are discussed. The college has mandated computer literacy for students and offers nine degrees in the computerized information system/management information system areas. Since planning is needed in…

Preparing for the Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scaglione, Chris

1998-01-01

In 2000, any automated system that processes dates may stop working completely or produce unexpected or unwanted results. School administrators should obtain a complete listing of all currently used systems, prioritize them, contact hardware and software providers to verify Y2K compliance, develop resolution plans with vendors, develop assessment…

Drinking Water Management and Governance in Canada: An Innovative Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Framework for a Safe Drinking Water Supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bereskie, Ty; Rodriguez, Manuel J.; Sadiq, Rehan

2017-08-01

Drinking water management in Canada is complex, with a decentralized, three-tiered governance structure responsible for safe drinking water throughout the country. The current approach has been described as fragmented, leading to governance gaps, duplication of efforts, and an absence of accountability and enforcement. Although there have been no major waterborne disease outbreaks in Canada since 2001, a lack of performance improvement, especially in small drinking water systems, is evident. The World Health Organization water safety plan approach for drinking water management represents an alternative preventative management framework to the current conventional, reactive drinking water management strategies. This approach has seen successful implementation throughout the world and has the potential to address many of the issues with drinking water management in Canada. This paper presents a review and strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats analysis of drinking water management and governance in Canada at the federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels. Based on this analysis, a modified water safety plan (defined as the plan-do-check-act (PDCA)-WSP framework) is proposed, established from water safety plan recommendations and the principles of PDCA for continuous performance improvement. This proposed framework is designed to strengthen current drinking water management in Canada and is designed to fit within and incorporate the existing governance structure.

Drinking Water Management and Governance in Canada: An Innovative Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Framework for a Safe Drinking Water Supply.

PubMed

Bereskie, Ty; Rodriguez, Manuel J; Sadiq, Rehan

2017-08-01

Drinking water management in Canada is complex, with a decentralized, three-tiered governance structure responsible for safe drinking water throughout the country. The current approach has been described as fragmented, leading to governance gaps, duplication of efforts, and an absence of accountability and enforcement. Although there have been no major waterborne disease outbreaks in Canada since 2001, a lack of performance improvement, especially in small drinking water systems, is evident. The World Health Organization water safety plan approach for drinking water management represents an alternative preventative management framework to the current conventional, reactive drinking water management strategies. This approach has seen successful implementation throughout the world and has the potential to address many of the issues with drinking water management in Canada. This paper presents a review and strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats analysis of drinking water management and governance in Canada at the federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels. Based on this analysis, a modified water safety plan (defined as the plan-do-check-act (PDCA)-WSP framework) is proposed, established from water safety plan recommendations and the principles of PDCA for continuous performance improvement. This proposed framework is designed to strengthen current drinking water management in Canada and is designed to fit within and incorporate the existing governance structure.

New Earth Observation Capabilities For The Commercial Sector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stefanov, William L.

2017-01-01

Earth observation data collected from orbital remote sensing systems are becoming increasingly critical to the short- and long-term operations of many commercial industries including agriculture, energy exploration, environmental management, transportation, and urban planning and operations. In this panel, I will present an overview of current and planned NASA remote sensing systems for Earth observation with relevance to commercial and industrial applications. Special emphasis will be given to the International Space Station (ISS) as a platform for both commercial technology demonstration/development and operational data collection through the ISS National Laboratory.

Demonstrations of Alternative Delivery Systems Under Medicare and Medicaid

PubMed Central

Galblum, Trudi W.; Trieger, Sidney

1982-01-01

The current Administration supports competition as one method of helping to contain escalating costs. Proponents of competition claim many advantages to its implementation, but their claims have yet to be widely tested. Over the past several years, however, the Health Care Financing Administration has supported a number of Medicare and Medicaid demonstrations to yield information on plan participation, marketing, and reimbursement under alternative delivery systems. Much of these data are applicable to the competitive plans being considered by the Administration and Congress. This paper discusses recent findings from these projects. PMID:10309599

Space transportation and destination considerations for extraterrestrial disposal of radioactive waste

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, A. V.; Thompson, R. L.; Lubick, R. J.

1973-01-01

A feasibility study is summarized of extraterrestrial (space) disposal of radioactive waste. The initial work on the evaluation and comparison of possible space destinations and launch vehicles is reported. Only current or planned space transportation systems were considered. The currently planned space shuttle was found to be more cost effective than current expendable launch vehicles, by about a factor of two. The space shuttle will require a third stage to perform the disposal missions. Depending on the particular mission this could be either a reusable space tug or an expendable stage such as a Centaur. Of the destinations considered, high earth orbits (between geostationary and lunar orbit altitudes), solar orbits (such as a 0.90 AU circular solar orbit) or a direct injection to solar system escape appear to be the best candidates. Both earth orbits and solar orbits have uncertainties regarding orbit stability and waste package integrity for times on the order of a million years.

Recent experimental results of KSTAR RF heating and current drive

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

Wang, S. J., E-mail: sjwang@nfri.re.kr; Kim, J.; Jeong, J. H.

2015-12-10

The overview of KSTAR activities on ICRH, LHCD and ECH/CD including the last experimental results and future plan aiming for long-pulse high-beta plasma will be presented. Recently we achieved reasonable coupling of ICRF power to H-mode plasma through several efforts to increase system reliability. Power balance will be discussed on this experiment. LHCD is still struggling in the low power regime. Review of antenna spectrum for the higher coupling in H-mode plasma will be tried. ECH/CD provides 41 sec, 0.8 MW of heating power to support high-performance long-pulse discharge. Also, 170 GHz ECH system is integrated with the Plasma Control Systemmore » (PCS) for the feedback controlling of NTM. Status and plan of ECH/CD will be discussed. Finally, helicon current drive is being prepared for the next stage of KSTAR operation. The hardware preparation and the calculation results of helicon current drive in KSTAR plasma will be discussed.« less

Nutrition and Physical Activity Strategies for Cancer Prevention in Current National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Plans

PubMed Central

Puckett, Mary; Neri, Antonio; Underwood, J. Michael; Stewart, Sherri L.

2016-01-01

Obesity, diet and physical inactivity are risk factors for some cancers. Grantees of the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) in US states, tribes, and territories develop plans to coordinate funding and activities for cancer prevention and control. Including information and goals related to nutrition and physical activity (NPA) is a key opportunity for primary cancer prevention, but it is currently unclear to what extent NCCCP plans address these issues. We reviewed 69 NCCCP plans and searched for terms related to NPA. Plans were coded as (1) knowledge of NPA and cancer link; (2) goals to improve NPA behaviors; and (3) strategies to increase healthy NPA activities, environments, or systems changes. NPA content was consistently included in all cancer plans examined across all years. Only 4 (6 %) outlined only the relationship between NPA and cancer without goals or strategies. Fifty-nine plans (89 %) contained goals or strategies related to NPA, with 53 (82 %) including both. However, numbers of goals, strategies, and detail provided varied widely. All programs recognized the importance of NPA in cancer prevention. Most plans included NPA goals and strategies. Increasing the presence of NPA strategies that can be modified or adapted appropriately locally could help with more widespread implementation and measurement of NPA interventions. PMID:26994988

Development of the Defense Documentation Center Remote On-Line Retrieval System - Past, Present and Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennertz, Richard K.

The document highlights in nontechnical language the development of the Defense Documentation Center (DDC) Remote On-Line Retrieval System from its inception in 1967 to what is planned. It describes in detail the current operating system, equipment configuration and associated costs, user training and system evaluation and may be of value to other…

United States Air and Space Power in the 21st Century: Strategic Appraisal

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

changes in current U.S. nuclear operational practice. It would require at the very least • suitable planning systems (e.g., near- real - time target...to increase real - time visibility into demands, inventories, and flows will likely be very valuable in this regard. Robust, well-stocked FSLs will...of the type of wholesale shift required. The current system is designed for heavy deployments with fairly long lead times . To sup- port Air

Improving the Operations of the Earth Observing One Mission via Automated Mission Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve A.; Tran, Daniel; Rabideau, Gregg; Schaffer, Steve; Mandl, Daniel; Frye, Stuart

2010-01-01

We describe the modeling and reasoning about operations constraints in an automated mission planning system for an earth observing satellite - EO-1. We first discuss the large number of elements that can be naturally represented in an expressive planning and scheduling framework. We then describe a number of constraints that challenge the current state of the art in automated planning systems and discuss how we modeled these constraints as well as discuss tradeoffs in representation versus efficiency. Finally we describe the challenges in efficiently generating operations plans for this mission. These discussions involve lessons learned from an operations model that has been in use since Fall 2004 (called R4) as well as a newer more accurate operations model operational since June 2009 (called R5). We present analysis of the R5 software documenting a significant (greater than 50%) increase in the number of weekly observations scheduled by the EO-1 mission. We also show that the R5 mission planning system produces schedules within 15% of an upper bound on optimal schedules. This operational enhancement has created value of millions of dollars US over the projected remaining lifetime of the EO-1 mission.

ADS pilot program Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clauson, J.; Heuser, J.

1981-01-01

The Applications Data Service (ADS) is a system based on an electronic data communications network which will permit scientists to share the data stored in data bases at universities and at government and private installations. It is designed to allow users to readily locate and access high quality, timely data from multiple sources. The ADS Pilot program objectives and the current plans for accomplishing those objectives are described.

Visitor experience and resource protection framework in the National Park System: rationale, current status, and future direction

Treesearch

Marilyn Hof; David W. Lime

1997-01-01

The Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) framework was developed by the National Park Service to address carrying capacity questions associated with visitation-related resource impacts and impacts to the quality of visitor experiences. The framework can be applied as part of a park’s general management planning process (general management plans, GMPs), to...

Solar Technology Information Transfer in South Carolina: Report of a Planning Conference (Columbia, South Carolina, August 1-2, 1978).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gissendanner, Cassandra S., Ed.

The deliberations of the planning conference to discuss and outline a statewide functioning solar energy technology network and a set of recommendations for future action are presented in this report. Topic areas include background information on both the project and the current energy information system in South Carolina, along with a summary of…

Comparing SUV values of images at PET-CT console and the RT planning console using identical dataset of a study phantom.

PubMed

Munshi, Anusheel; Paul, Sayan; Sarkar, Biplab; Bala, Pinkey; Ganesh, Tharmar; Sen, Ishita B; Pant, Vineet; Mohanti, Bidhu K

2016-01-01

The use of positron emission tomography (PET) for radiotherapy planning purposes has become increasingly important in the last few years.In the current study, we compared the SUV values of images at the PET CT console to the SUV values obtained at the RT planning workstation. The PET-CT cylindrical body phantom was filled with a uniform 18F solution of 5.3. ± 0.27 kBq/mL radioactivity concentration. PET-CT scans were performed on a16 slice Time of Flight system. On a single day, the three consecutive scans were done at three time points 15 minutes apart to generate time points image data sets titled T1, T2, and T3. SUV calculations were performed by drawing region of interest. (ROI) encompassing the entire hot spot on each slice on the PET-CT console and the iPlan workstation. Minimum SUV, Maximum SUV and the Mean SUV were recorded. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS software. (SPSS Inc.) (Version 18). The absolute difference in average max SUV values i.e. Max (PET-CT) - Max (iPlan) for the time points T1, T2 and T3 were -0.168 (SD 0.175), -0.172 (SD 0.172) and -0.178 (SD 0.169). The difference in the minimum SUV values were -0.513 (SD 0.428), -0.311 (SD 0.358) and -0.303 (SD 0.322), respectively. Finally, the difference in the mean SUV values were -0.107 (SD 0.040), -0.096 (SD 0.067) and -0.072 (SD 0.044), respectively. Our study found out that the average difference in the two systems for maximum SUV values was < 0.2 absolute units.Our study suggests good reproducibility of SUV between the two systems. The relevance of these findings would be of seminal importance in current and future SUV-based PET-CT-based contouring in treatment planning systems.

The Use of Satellite Delivery Systems in Education in Canada: The Costing of Two Networks and a Preliminary Needs Survey. Volume 1: The Costing of Two Networks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, John S.; And Others

This study examines the methodologies and costs of establishing educational delivery systems using satellites currently in orbit or planned. It identifies two operational system scenarios and their predicted costs. One system, the Canadian Universities Satellite System (CUSS), is hypothesized to provide the means of transmitting audio and video…

EVA Systems Technology Gaps and Priorities 2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Brian J.; Buffington, Jesse A.

2017-01-01

Performance of Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) has been and will continue to be a critical capability for human space flight. Human exploration missions beyond LEO will require EVA capability for either contingency or nominal activities to support mission objectives and reduce mission risk. EVA systems encompass a wide array of products across pressure suits, life support systems, EVA tools and unique spacecraft interface hardware (i.e. EVA Translation Paths and EVA Worksites). In a fiscally limited environment with evolving transportation and habitation options, it is paramount that the EVA community's strategic planning and architecture integration products be reviewed and vetted for traceability between the mission needs far into the future to the known technology and knowledge gaps to the current investments across EVA systems. To ascertain EVA technology and knowledge gaps many things need to be brought together, assessed and analyzed. This includes an understanding of the destination environments, various mission concept of operations, current state of the art of EVA systems, EVA operational lessons learned, and reference advanced capabilities. A combined assessment of these inputs should result in well-defined list of gaps. This list can then be prioritized depending on the mission need dates and time scale of the technology or knowledge gap closure plan. This paper will summarize the current state of EVA related technology and knowledge gaps derived from NASA's Exploration EVA Reference Architecture and Operations Concept products. By linking these products and articulating NASA's approach to strategic development for EVA across all credible destinations an EVA could be done in, the identification of these gaps is then used to illustrate the tactical and strategic planning for the EVA technology development portfolio. Finally, this paper illustrates the various "touch points" with other human exploration risk identification areas including human health and performance.

Challenges in Patient Discharge Planning in the Health System of Iran: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Gholizadeh, Masumeh; Delgoshaei, Bahram; Gorji, Hasan Abulghasem; Torani, Sogand; Janati, Ali

2016-01-01

Background: One of the main factors relating to quality of hospitals is effective discharge planning. Discharge planning promotes the quality of inpatient care and reduces unplanned hospital readmission. The current study investigated the challenges of discharge planning observed in the health system of Iran. Methods: This qualitative research was conducted using a thematic and framework analyses to identify the challenges under each themes defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), to understand barriers in developing an effective discharge planning system in Iran health system. The data was collected from detailed semi-structured interviews and sessions of focus group discussions. This study involved 51 participants including health policy makers, hospital and health managers, faculty members, nurses, practitioners, community medicine specialists and other professionals of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME). To reduce the bias and to increase the credibility of the study, evaluation criteria from Lincoln and Guba were used. All interviews and FGDs were recorded and transcribed, then analyzed by the software MAXQDA-11 and also manually. Results: According to the WHO health systems framework, challenges of effective hospital discharge planning were divided into six areas, leadership/governance, service delivery, information, financing, health workforce, and medical production(themes), in which there were 5,3,2,2,3,1 subthemes respectively. Conclusion: It is evident from the findings of this study that changes in the perspective of policy makers, health staff and managers, strengthening of systematic approach, and establishment of required infrastructures are essential for successful implementation of effective discharge planning in health systems in Iran. PMID:26755460

Risk Assessment in Relation to the Effect of Climate Change on Water Shortage in the Taichung Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsiao, J.; Chang, L.; Ho, C.; Niu, M.

2010-12-01

Rapid economic development has stimulated a worldwide greenhouse effect and induced global climate change. Global climate change has increased the range of variation in the quantity of regional river flows between wet and dry seasons, which effects the management of regional water resources. Consequently, the influence of climate change has become an important issue in the management of regional water resources. In this study, the Monte Carlo simulation method was applied to risk analysis of shortage of water supply in the Taichung area. This study proposed a simulation model that integrated three models: weather generator model, surface runoff model, and water distribution model. The proposed model was used to evaluate the efficiency of the current water supply system and the potential effectiveness of two additional plans for water supply: the “artificial lakes” plan and the “cross-basin water transport” plan. A first-order Markov Chain method and two probability distribution models, exponential distribution and normal distribution, were used in the weather generator model. In the surface runoff model, researchers selected the Generalized Watershed Loading Function model (GWLF) to simulate the relationship between quantity of rainfall and basin outflow. A system dynamics model (SD) was applied to the water distribution model. Results of the simulation indicated that climate change could increase the annual quantity of river flow in the Dachia River and Daan River basins. However, climate change could also increase the difference in the quantity of river flow between wet and dry seasons. Simulation results showed that in current system case or in the additional plan cases, shortage status of water for both public and agricultural uses with conditions of climate change will be mostly worse than that without conditions of climate change except for the shortage status for the public use in the current system case. With or without considering the effect of climate change, the additional plans, especially the “cross-basin water transport” plan, for water supply could significantly increase the supply of water for public use. The proposed simulation model and results of analysis in this study could provide valuable reference for decision-makers in regards to risk analysis of regional water supply.

Enroute flight planning: Evaluating design concepts for the development of cooperative problem-solving systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Philip J.

1995-01-01

There are many problem-solving tasks that are too complex to fully automate given the current state of technology. Nevertheless, significant improvements in overall system performance could result from the introduction of well-designed computer aids. We have been studying the development of cognitive tools for one such problem-solving task, enroute flight path planning for commercial airlines. Our goal has been two-fold. First, we have been developing specific system designs to help with this important practical problem. Second, we have been using this context to explore general design concepts to guide in the development of cooperative problem-solving systems. These design concepts are described below, along with illustrations of their application.

Critiquing: A Different Approach to Expert Computer Advice in Medicine

PubMed Central

Miller, Perry L.

1984-01-01

The traditional approach to computer-based advice in medicine has been to design systems which simulate a physician's decision process. This paper describes a different approach to computer advice in medicine: a critiquing approach. A critiquing system first asks how the physician is planning to manage his patient and then critiques that plan, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed approach, compared to other approaches which might be reasonable or preferred. Several critiquing systems are currently in different stages of implementation. The paper describes these systems and discusses the characteristics which make each domain suitable for critiquing. The critiquing approach may prove especially well-suited in domains where decisions involve a great deal of subjective judgement.

Systematic Conservation Planning in the Face of Climate Change: Bet-Hedging on the Columbia Plateau

PubMed Central

Schloss, Carrie A.; Lawler, Joshua J.; Larson, Eric R.; Papendick, Hilary L.; Case, Michael J.; Evans, Daniel M.; DeLap, Jack H.; Langdon, Jesse G. R.; Hall, Sonia A.; McRae, Brad H.

2011-01-01

Systematic conservation planning efforts typically focus on protecting current patterns of biodiversity. Climate change is poised to shift species distributions, reshuffle communities, and alter ecosystem functioning. In such a dynamic environment, lands selected to protect today's biodiversity may fail to do so in the future. One proposed approach to designing reserve networks that are robust to climate change involves protecting the diversity of abiotic conditions that in part determine species distributions and ecological processes. A set of abiotically diverse areas will likely support a diversity of ecological systems both today and into the future, although those two sets of systems might be dramatically different. Here, we demonstrate a conservation planning approach based on representing unique combinations of abiotic factors. We prioritize sites that represent the diversity of soils, topographies, and current climates of the Columbia Plateau. We then compare these sites to sites prioritized to protect current biodiversity. This comparison highlights places that are important for protecting both today's biodiversity and the diversity of abiotic factors that will likely determine biodiversity patterns in the future. It also highlights places where a reserve network designed solely to protect today's biodiversity would fail to capture the diversity of abiotic conditions and where such a network could be augmented to be more robust to climate-change impacts. PMID:22174897

Improving Navigation information for the Rotterdam Harbour access through a 3D Model and HF radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroevers, Marinus

2015-04-01

The Port of Rotterdam is one of the largest harbours in the world and a gateway to Europe. For the access to Rotterdam harbour, information on hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions is of vital importance for safe and swift navigation. This information focuses on the deep navigation channel in the shallow foreshore, which accommodates large seagoing vessels. Due to a large seaward extension of the Port of Rotterdam area in 2011, current patterns have changed. A re-evaluation of the information needed, showed a need for an improved accuracy of the cross channel currents and swell, and an extended forecast horizon. To obtain this, new information system was designed based on a three dimensional hydrodynamic model which produces a 72 hour forecast. Furthermore, the system will assimilate HF radars surface current to optimize the short term forecast. The project has started in 2013 by specifying data needed from the HF radar. At the same time (temporary) buoys were deployed to monitor vertical current profiles. The HF radar will be operational in July 2015, while the model development starts beginning 2015. A pre operational version of the system is presently planned for the end of 2016. A full operational version which assimilates the HF radar data is planned for 2017.

Current status and future needs of the BehavePlus Fire Modeling System

Treesearch

Patricia L. Andrews

2014-01-01

The BehavePlus Fire Modeling System is among the most widely used systems for wildland fire prediction. It is designed for use in a range of tasks including wildfire behaviour prediction, prescribed fire planning, fire investigation, fuel hazard assessment, fire model understanding, communication and research. BehavePlus is based on mathematical models for fire...

A National Plan for a Use-Oriented Foreign Language System. NFLC Position Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Richard D.

The significant progress made in the United States' foreign language education system in recent decades is not enough. If the current system is to expand adult foreign language competency and use, both a change of perspective and a new organizational superstructure are necessary to serve those needs more directly, which in turn demands a…

A Position and Rate Control System: An Ingredient for Budget Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Linda L.

A position and rate control system was undertaken at Florida State University in 1974 to alleviate the problems of the manual budgeting system. The budget master file was created biweekly by combining a subset of the current payroll/personnel data base with the updated budget information from the previous budget master file, keying on positional…

NASDA's view of ground control in mission operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tateno, Satoshi

1993-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the present status and future plans of the National Space Development Agency of Japan 's (NASDA's) ground segment and related space missions. The described ground segment consists of the tracking and data acquisition (T&DA) system and the Earth Observation Center (EOC) system. In addition to these systems, the current plan of the Engineering Support Center (ESC) for the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) attached to Space Station Freedom is introduced. Then, NASDA's fundamental point of view on the future trend of operations and technologies in the coming new space era is discussed. Within the discussion, the increasing importance of international cooperation is also mentioned.

Technology Development Plan for the Baseline Detector System of the X-Ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) of the International X-Ray Observatory (IXO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilbourne, C. A.; Boriese, W. B.

2010-01-01

The primary purpose of this document is to present the technology development plan for the XMS detector system. It covers the current status (including assessment of the Technology Readiness Level, TRL, and a justification of the level assigned), the roadmap to progress to a level between TRL 5 and TRL 6 by the middle of 2012, and an assessment of the associated cost. A secondary purpose of this document is to address the Action Items raised at the XMS Phase-A Study Mid-Term Review that pertain to the detector system (AI #4, #8, and #9).

Executing CLIPS expert systems in a distributed environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, James; Myers, Leonard

1990-01-01

This paper describes a framework for running cooperating agents in a distributed environment to support the Intelligent Computer Aided Design System (ICADS), a project in progress at the CAD Research Unit of the Design Institute at the California Polytechnic State University. Currently, the systems aids an architectural designer in creating a floor plan that satisfies some general architectural constraints and project specific requirements. At the core of ICADS is the Blackboard Control System. Connected to the blackboard are any number of domain experts called Intelligent Design Tools (IDT). The Blackboard Control System monitors the evolving design as it is being drawn and helps resolve conflicts from the domain experts. The user serves as a partner in this system by manipulating the floor plan in the CAD system and validating recommendations made by the domain experts. The primary components of the Blackboard Control System are two expert systems executed by a modified CLIPS shell. The first is the Message Handler. The second is the Conflict Resolver. The Conflict Resolver synthesizes the suggestions made by the domain experts, which can be either CLIPS expert systems, or compiled C programs. In DEMO1, the current ICADS prototype, the CLIPS domain expert systems are Acoustics, Lighting, Structural, and Thermal; the compiled C domain experts are the CAD system and the User Interface.

ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems can streamline healthcare business functions.

PubMed

Jenkins, E K; Christenson, E

2001-05-01

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software applications are designed to facilitate the systemwide integration of complex processes and functions across a large enterprise consisting of many internal and external constituents. Although most currently available ERP applications generally are tailored to the needs of the manufacturing industry, many large healthcare systems are investigating these applications. Due to the significant differences between manufacturing and patient care, ERP-based systems do not easily translate to the healthcare setting. In particular, the lack of clinical standardization impedes the use of ERP systems for clinical integration. Nonetheless, an ERP-based system can help a healthcare organization integrate many functions, including patient scheduling, human resources management, workload forecasting, and management of workflow, that are not directly dependent on clinical decision making.

A Plan For a Publication Network For Rapid Dissemination of Technical Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLachlan, James

This paper describes an alternative to current information dissemination systems (letter journals), computerized information systems, and clearinghouse operations) that would establish a network of depositories at universities and research organizations. The essence of the approach is to provide convenient access to working papers and technical…

Data Element Dictionary: Staff. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those staff-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)…

Data Element Dictionary: Facilities. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those facilities-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)…

Data Element Dictionary: Course. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those course-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)…

Data Element Dictionary: Finance. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those finance-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)…

Data Element Dictionary: Student. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those student-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Systems (NCHEMS) products; (2)…

The Implications of Real Options on ERP-Enabled Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwankpa, Joseph K.

2012-01-01

Current research on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and real options focuses on valuation and justification issues that manager's face prior to project approval with existing literature attempting to demonstrate that ERP systems as technology positioning investments have option-like characteristics thus making such ERP systems…

Effects of Dynamically Weighting Autonomous Rules in an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Flocking Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-18

methods of flight plan optimization, and yielded such techniques as: parallel A* (Gudaitis, 1994), Multi-Objective Traveling Salesman algorithms...1 Problem Statement...currently their utilization comes with a price: Problem Statement “Today’s unmanned systems require significant human interaction to operate. As

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE EPA

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA GIS-QA Team was created to fill the gap between the EPA Quality Assurance (QA) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) communities. All EPA Offices and Regions were invited to participate. Currently, the EPA GIS-QA Team consists of members from the EPA Regional Offices...

Solar Power Satellite Development: Advances in Modularity and Mechanical Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belvin, W. Keith; Dorsey, John T.; Watson, Judith J.

2010-01-01

Space solar power satellites require innovative concepts in order to achieve economically and technically feasible designs. The mass and volume constraints of current and planned launch vehicles necessitate highly efficient structural systems be developed. In addition, modularity and in-space deployment will be enabling design attributes. This paper reviews the current challenges of launching and building very large space systems. A building block approach is proposed in order to achieve near-term solar power satellite risk reduction while promoting the necessary long-term technology advances. Promising mechanical systems technologies anticipated in the coming decades including modularity, material systems, structural concepts, and in-space operations are described

A systems approach for the development of a sustainable community--the application of the sensitivity model (SM).

PubMed

Chan, Shih-Liang; Huang, Shu-Li

2004-09-01

Corresponding to the concept of 'Think globally, act locally and plan regionally' of sustainable development, this paper discusses the approach of planning a sustainable community in terms of systems thinking. We apply a systems tool, the sensitivity model (SM), to build a model of the development of the community of Ping-Ding, located adjacent to the Yang-Ming-Shan National Park, Taiwan. The major issue in the development of Ping-Ding is the conflict between environmental conservation and the development of a local tourism industry. With the involvement of local residents, planners, and interest groups, a system model of 26 variables was defined to identify characteristics of Ping-Ding through pattern recognition. Two scenarios concerning the sustainable development of Ping-Ding are simulated with interlinked feedbacks from variables. The results of the analysis indicate that the development of Ping-Ding would be better served by the planning of agriculture and the tourism industry. The advantages and shortfalls of applying SM in the current planning environment of Taiwan are also discussed to conclude this paper.

Model and algorithmic framework for detection and correction of cognitive errors.

PubMed

Feki, Mohamed Ali; Biswas, Jit; Tolstikov, Andrei

2009-01-01

This paper outlines an approach that we are taking for elder-care applications in the smart home, involving cognitive errors and their compensation. Our approach involves high level modeling of daily activities of the elderly by breaking down these activities into smaller units, which can then be automatically recognized at a low level by collections of sensors placed in the homes of the elderly. This separation allows us to employ plan recognition algorithms and systems at a high level, while developing stand-alone activity recognition algorithms and systems at a low level. It also allows the mixing and matching of multi-modality sensors of various kinds that go to support the same high level requirement. Currently our plan recognition algorithms are still at a conceptual stage, whereas a number of low level activity recognition algorithms and systems have been developed. Herein we present our model for plan recognition, providing a brief survey of the background literature. We also present some concrete results that we have achieved for activity recognition, emphasizing how these results are incorporated into the overall plan recognition system.

Planning ATES systems under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaxa-Rozen, Marc; Kwakkel, Jan; Bloemendal, Martin

2015-04-01

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) can contribute to significant reductions in energy use within the built environment, by providing seasonal energy storage in aquifers for the heating and cooling of buildings. ATES systems have experienced a rapid uptake over the last two decades; however, despite successful experiments at the individual level, the overall performance of ATES systems remains below expectations - largely due to suboptimal practices for the planning and operation of systems in urban areas. The interaction between ATES systems and underground aquifers can be interpreted as a common-pool resource problem, in which thermal imbalances or interference could eventually degrade the storage potential of the subsurface. Current planning approaches for ATES systems thus typically follow the precautionary principle. For instance, the permitting process in the Netherlands is intended to minimize thermal interference between ATES systems. However, as shown in recent studies (Sommer et al., 2015; Bakr et al., 2013), a controlled amount of interference may benefit the collective performance of ATES systems. An overly restrictive approach to permitting is instead likely to create an artificial scarcity of available space, limiting the potential of the technology in urban areas. In response, master plans - which take into account the collective arrangement of multiple systems - have emerged as an increasingly popular alternative. However, permits and master plans both take a static, ex ante view of ATES governance, making it difficult to predict the effect of evolving ATES use or climactic conditions on overall performance. In particular, the adoption of new systems by building operators is likely to be driven by the available subsurface space and by the performance of existing systems; these outcomes are themselves a function of planning parameters. From this perspective, the interactions between planning authorities, ATES operators, and subsurface conditions form a complex adaptive system, for which agent-based modelling provides a useful analysis framework. This study therefore explores the interactions between endogenous ATES adoption processes and the relative performance of different planning schemes, using an agent-based adoption model coupled with a hydrologic model of the subsurface. The models are parameterized to simulate typical operating conditions for ATES systems in a dense urban area. Furthermore, uncertainties relating to planning parameters, adoption processes, and climactic conditions are explicitly considered using exploratory modelling techniques. Results are therefore presented for the performance of different planning policies over a broad range of plausible scenarios.

Information management, today and tomorrow. [acquisition, manipulation, transfer, and display of information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pryor, H. E.

1975-01-01

Current problems and future trends in information management are briefly summarized in relation to scientific and technical information management systems and management of management information (planning, marketing, and operations).

APPLYING DATA MINING APPROACHES TO FURTHER UNDERSTANDING CHEMICAL EFFECTS ON BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS.

EPA Science Inventory

Correlations of bioassays and toxicity cannot be assessed at the compound level with the current toxicity database. Further work is planned for gaining molecular level knoweldge from these experiments.

30 CFR 75.370 - Mine ventilation plan; submission and approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... copy to the representative of miners at the time of notification. In the event of a situation requiring... district manager. Any intentional change to the ventilation system that alters the main air current or any split of the main air current in a manner that could materially affect the safety and health of the...

Crystal Growth Furnace System Configuration and Planned Experiments on the Second United States Microgravity Laboratory Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srinivas, R.; Hambright, G.; Ainsworth, M.; Fiske, M.; Schaefer, D.

1995-01-01

The Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) is currently undergoing modifications and refurbishment and is currently undergoing modifications and refurbishment and is manifested to refly on the Second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission scheduled for launch in September 1995. The CGF was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) programs at NASA Headquarters. The refurbishment and reflight program is being managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Funding and program support for the CGF project is provided to MSFC by the office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications at NASA Headquarters. This paper presents an overview of the CGF system configuration for the USML-2 mission, and provides a brief description of the planned on-orbit experiment operation.

Adaptation, Commissioning, and Evaluation of a 3D Treatment Planning System for High-Resolution Small-Animal Irradiation

PubMed Central

Jeong, Jeho; Chen, Qing; Febo, Robert; Yang, Jie; Pham, Hai; Xiong, Jian-Ping; Zanzonico, Pat B.; Deasy, Joseph O.; Humm, John L.; Mageras, Gig S.

2016-01-01

Although spatially precise systems are now available for small-animal irradiations, there are currently limited software tools available for treatment planning for such irradiations. We report on the adaptation, commissioning, and evaluation of a 3-dimensional treatment planning system for use with a small-animal irradiation system. The 225-kV X-ray beam of the X-RAD 225Cx microirradiator (Precision X-Ray) was commissioned using both ion-chamber and radiochromic film for 10 different collimators ranging in field size from 1 mm in diameter to 40 × 40 mm2. A clinical 3-dimensional treatment planning system (Metropolis) developed at our institution was adapted to small-animal irradiation by making it compatible with the dimensions of mice and rats, modeling the microirradiator beam orientations and collimators, and incorporating the measured beam data for dose calculation. Dose calculations in Metropolis were verified by comparison with measurements in phantoms. Treatment plans for irradiation of a tumor-bearing mouse were generated with both the Metropolis and the vendor-supplied software. The calculated beam-on times and the plan evaluation tools were compared. The dose rate at the central axis ranges from 74 to 365 cGy/min depending on the collimator size. Doses calculated with Metropolis agreed with phantom measurements within 3% for all collimators. The beam-on times calculated by Metropolis and the vendor-supplied software agreed within 1% at the isocenter. The modified 3-dimensional treatment planning system provides better visualization of the relationship between the X-ray beams and the small-animal anatomy as well as more complete dosimetric information on target tissues and organs at risk. It thereby enhances the potential of image-guided microirradiator systems for evaluation of dose–response relationships and for preclinical experimentation generally. PMID:25948321

ReaCog, a Minimal Cognitive Controller Based on Recruitment of Reactive Systems.

PubMed

Schilling, Malte; Cruse, Holk

2017-01-01

It has often been stated that for a neuronal system to become a cognitive one, it has to be large enough. In contrast, we argue that a basic property of a cognitive system, namely the ability to plan ahead, can already be fulfilled by small neuronal systems. As a proof of concept, we propose an artificial neural network, termed reaCog, that, first, is able to deal with a specific domain of behavior (six-legged-walking). Second, we show how a minor expansion of this system enables the system to plan ahead and deploy existing behavioral elements in novel contexts in order to solve current problems. To this end, the system invents new solutions that are not possible for the reactive network. Rather these solutions result from new combinations of given memory elements. This faculty does not rely on a dedicated system being more or less independent of the reactive basis, but results from exploitation of the reactive basis by recruiting the lower-level control structures in a way that motor planning becomes possible as an internal simulation relying on internal representation being grounded in embodied experiences.

Description of data base management systems activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

One of the major responsibilities of the JPL Computing and Information Services Office is to develop and maintain a JPL plan for providing computing services to the JPL management and administrative community that will lead to improved productivity. The CISO plan to accomplish this objective has been titled 'Management and Administrative Support Systems' (MASS). The MASS plan is based on the continued use of JPL's IBM 3032 Computer system for administrative computing and for the MASS functions. The current candidate administrative Data Base Management Systems required to support the MASS include ADABASE, Cullinane IDMS and TOTAL. Previous uses of administrative Data Base Systems have been applied to specific local functions rather than in a centralized manner with elements common to the many user groups. Limited capacity data base systems have been installed in microprocessor based office automation systems in a few Project and Management Offices using Ashton-Tate dBASE II. These experiences plus some other localized in house DBMS uses have provided an excellent background for developing user and system requirements for a single DBMS to support the MASS program.

WE-D-BRB-03: Current State of Volumetric Image Guidance for Proton Therapy

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

Hua, C.

The goal of this session is to review the physics of proton therapy, treatment planning techniques, and the use of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. The course material covers the physics of proton interaction with matter and physical characteristics of clinical proton beams. It will provide information on proton delivery systems and beam delivery techniques for double scattering (DS), uniform scanning (US), and pencil beam scanning (PBS). The session covers the treatment planning strategies used in DS, US, and PBS for various anatomical sites, methods to address uncertainties in proton therapy and uncertainty mitigation to generate robust treatment plans. Itmore » introduces the audience to the current status of image guided proton therapy and clinical applications of CBCT for proton therapy. It outlines the importance of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. Learning Objectives: Gain knowledge in proton therapy physics, and treatment planning for proton therapy including intensity modulated proton therapy. The current state of volumetric image guidance equipment in proton therapy. Clinical applications of CBCT and its advantage over orthogonal imaging for proton therapy. B. Teo, B.K Teo had received travel funds from IBA in 2015.« less

Autoplan: A self-processing network model for an extended blocks world planning environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dautrechy, C. Lynne; Reggia, James A.; Mcfadden, Frank

1990-01-01

Self-processing network models (neural/connectionist models, marker passing/message passing networks, etc.) are currently undergoing intense investigation for a variety of information processing applications. These models are potentially very powerful in that they support a large amount of explicit parallel processing, and they cleanly integrate high level and low level information processing. However they are currently limited by a lack of understanding of how to apply them effectively in many application areas. The formulation of self-processing network methods for dynamic, reactive planning is studied. The long-term goal is to formulate robust, computationally effective information processing methods for the distributed control of semiautonomous exploration systems, e.g., the Mars Rover. The current research effort is focusing on hierarchical plan generation, execution and revision through local operations in an extended blocks world environment. This scenario involves many challenging features that would be encountered in a real planning and control environment: multiple simultaneous goals, parallel as well as sequential action execution, action sequencing determined not only by goals and their interactions but also by limited resources (e.g., three tasks, two acting agents), need to interpret unanticipated events and react appropriately through replanning, etc.

SU-F-T-310: Does a Head-Mounted Ionization Chamber Detect IMRT Errors?

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

Wegener, S; Herzog, B; Sauer, O

2016-06-15

Purpose: The conventional plan verification strategy is delivering a plan to a QA-phantom before the first treatment. Monitoring each fraction of the patient treatment in real-time would improve patient safety. We evaluated how well a new detector, the IQM (iRT Systems, Germany), is capable of detecting errors we induced into IMRT plans of three different treatment regions. Results were compared to an established phantom. Methods: Clinical plans of a brain, prostate and head-and-neck patient were modified in the Pinnacle planning system, such that they resulted in either several percent lower prescribed doses to the target volume or several percent highermore » doses to relevant organs at risk. Unaltered plans were measured on three days, modified plans once, each with the IQM at an Elekta Synergy with an Agility MLC. All plans were also measured with the ArcCHECK with the cavity plug and a PTW semiflex 31010 ionization chamber inserted. Measurements were evaluated with SNC patient software. Results: Repeated IQM measurements of the original plans were reproducible, such that a 1% deviation from the mean as warning and 3% as action level as suggested by the manufacturer seemed reasonable. The IQM detected most of the simulated errors including wrong energy, a faulty leaf, wrong trial exported and a 2 mm shift of one leaf bank. Detection limits were reached for two plans - a 2 mm field position error and a leaf bank offset combined with an MU change. ArcCHECK evaluation according to our current standards also left undetected errors. Ionization chamber evaluation alone would leave most errors undetected. Conclusion: The IQM detected most errors and performed as well as currently established phantoms with the advantage that it can be used throughout the whole treatment. Drawback is that it does not indicate the source of the error.« less

VGOS Observing Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrachenko, Bill; Behrend, Dirk; Gipson, John; Hase, Hayo; Ma, Chopo; MacMillan, Dan; Niell, Arthur; Nothnagel, Axel; Zhang, Xiuzhong

2014-12-01

Over the past several years, the VGOS broadband system has been under development; it is currently undergoing advanced testing. At the same time, commitments were made for a number of antenna projects with as many as 30 stations expected for VGOS observing by 2019. In order to focus activities into the future, a proposal was made by the VPEG for an observing plan with the long term goal of guiding the transition from S/X operations to VGOS operations. The plan anticipates that by the end of 2014 as many as eight antennas will be capable of broadband observing. These antennas will participate in a series of test campaigns during 2015 followed by a VGOS pilot project throughout 2016. Full operations with as many as 16 stations are expected to begin in 2017. The observing plan places a priority on early improvement in the quality of daily products. As a result, the pilot project involves a single weekly 24-hour session with reduced duty cycle sessions on each of the remaining days of the week. Correlator and data transmission requirements for the plan are currently being assessed.

Heavy hydrocarbon main injector technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, S. C.; Arbit, H. A.

1988-01-01

One of the key components of the Advanced Launch System (ALS) is a large liquid rocket, booster engine. To keep the overall vehicle size and cost down, this engine will probably use liquid oxygen (LOX) and a heavy hydrocarbon, such as RP-1, as propellants and operate at relatively high chamber pressures to increase overall performance. A technology program (Heavy Hydrocarbon Main Injector Technology) is being studied. The main objective of this effort is to develop a logic plan and supporting experimental data base to reduce the risk of developing a large scale (approximately 750,000 lb thrust), high performance main injector system. The overall approach and program plan, from initial analyses to large scale, two dimensional combustor design and test, and the current status of the program are discussed. Progress includes performance and stability analyses, cold flow tests of injector model, design and fabrication of subscale injectors and calorimeter combustors for performance, heat transfer, and dynamic stability tests, and preparation of hot fire test plans. Related, current, high pressure, LOX/RP-1 injector technology efforts are also briefly discussed.

Panel to review EOSDIS plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Formed in Jan. 1992, the Panel to Review EOSDIS Plans was charged with advising NASA on its plans for developing the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Specifically, the panel was asked to do the following: assess the validity of the engineering and technical underpinnings of the EOSDIS; assess its potential value to scientific users; suggest how technical risk can be minimized; and assess whether current plans are sufficiently resilient to be adaptable to changing technology and requirements such as budget environments, data volumes, new users, and new databases. The panel completed an interim report (Addendum A) and transmitted it to NASA and other interested parties in the government on 9 Apr. 1992. Because of a delay in NASA's plans to select the contractor for EOSDIS, the panel was not able to complete its review of the program according to the original government request. With the issuance of a letter report (Addendum B) on 28 Sep. 1992, the panel became inactive until such time as NASA could release the details of the contractor's proposed architecture, schedule, and costs for developing EOSDIS. In early 1993, NASA awarded the contract for the EOSDIS Core System (ECS). On 20 Apr. 1993, NASA asked the panel to reconvene to do the following: ( 1) complete its review of NASA's approach to the EOSDIS architecture and implementation; (2) appraise NASA's responses to the panel's previous recommendations; and (3) review the planning for EOSDIS in the context of NASA's role in the Global Change Data and Information System (GCDIS) implementation plan. To respond to the NASA charge, the panel met three times in 1993 including sessions with NASA officials and the EOSDIS contractor. In addition, several of the panel members visited individual Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAAC's) to obtain additional views of EOSDIS. The panel has now obtained substantial information on the EOSDIS budget, contractor work program, and current baseline architecture that was not previously available, due to procurement restrictions. This report presents the panel's findings and recommendations based on this additional information.

Employment-based health insurance: a look at tax issues and public opinion.

PubMed

Fronstin, P

1999-07-01

This Issue Brief provides background information on the employment-based health insurance system and its alternatives. The report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the current employment-based health insurance system, the current tax treatment of health insurance, and the strength and weaknesses of recent proposals to introduce tax credits. It presents findings from the public opinion survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute on public attitudes toward health insurance and summarizes recent research on the effects of tax changes on employment-based health benefits and the uninsured. Employment-based health plans are the most common source of health insurance among nonelderly individuals in the United States, providing coverage to nearly two-thirds of this population in 1997. Health insurance is probably the benefit most used and valued by workers and their families. Sixty-four percent of respondents to a recent survey rated employment-based health insurance benefits as the most important benefit. Despite essentially five years of very low health care cost increases and the recent increase in the percentage of Americans with employment-based health insurance coverage, the uninsured population has continued to rise. This has resulted in a new interest among policymakers in finding ways to reverse this trend. One question that continues to be asked is whether the employment-based health insurance system is the appropriate mechanism for expanding health insurance to the uninsured. Employment-based health plans are popular because they offer many advantages over other forms of health insurance and types of delivery systems. However, there are also potential drawbacks to the employment-based system. The advantages include reduced risk of adverse selection, group-purchasing efficiencies, employers acting as a workers' advocate, delivery innovation, and health care quality. The disadvantages include an unfair tax treatment, lack of portability and job lock, little choice of health plans, and lack of universal coverage. The tax credit proposals for health insurance, which come in all shapes and sizes, would either enhance the current employment-based health insurance system or put it at risk. This has potentially enormous public policy implications, since the vast majority of Americans get their health insurance coverage through employers. Such a change may also have political implications, as public opinion currently may not support such a fundamental change in the U.S. health insurance system. A recent public opinion survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 68 percent of Americans with employment-based health insurance were satisfied with the current mix of benefits and wages. The EBRI survey found that under a changing tax code scenario, there is still strong support for the employment-based system. Strong support for the employment-based system may be the result of respondents' lack of confidence in their ability to choose the best health plan if their employer stopped offering health insurance.

The generic task toolset: High level languages for the construction of planning and problem solving systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandrasekaran, B.; Josephson, J.; Herman, D.

1987-01-01

The current generation of languages for the construction of knowledge-based systems as being at too low a level of abstraction is criticized, and the need for higher level languages for building problem solving systems is advanced. A notion of generic information processing tasks in knowledge-based problem solving is introduced. A toolset which can be used to build expert systems in a way that enhances intelligibility and productivity in knowledge acquistion and system construction is described. The power of these ideas is illustrated by paying special attention to a high level language called DSPL. A description is given of how it was used in the construction of a system called MPA, which assists with planning in the domain of offensive counter air missions.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Institutional Plan, FY 1993--1998

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

Not Available

1992-10-01

The FY 1993--1998 Institutional Plan provides an overview of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory mission, strategic plan, scientific initiatives, research programs, environment and safety program plans, educational and technology transfer efforts, human resources, and facilities needs. The Strategic Plan section identifies long-range conditions that can influence the Laboratory, potential research trends, and several management implications. The Initiatives section identifies potential new research programs that represent major long-term opportunities for the Laboratory and the resources required for their implementation. The Scientific and Technical Programs section summarizes current programs and potential changes in research program activity. The Environment, Safety, and Health section describesmore » the management systems and programs underway at the Laboratory to protect the environment, the public, and the employees. The Technology Transfer and Education programs section describes current and planned programs to enhance the nation's scientific literacy and human infrastructure and to improve economic competitiveness. The Human Resources section identifies LBL staff composition and development programs. The section on Site and Facilities discusses resources required to sustain and improve the physical plant and its equipment. The Resource Projections are estimates of required budgetary authority for the Laboratory's ongoing research programs. The plan is an institutional management report for integration with the Department of Energy's strategic planning activities that is developed through an annual planning process. The plan identifies technical and administrative directions in the context of the National Energy Strategy and the Department of Energy's program planning initiatives. Preparation of the plan is coordinated by the Office for Planning and Development from information contributed by the Laboratory's scientific and support divisions.« less

SU-G-TeP4-06: An Integrated Application for Radiation Therapy Treatment Plan Directives, Management, and Reporting

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

Matuszak, M; Anderson, C; Lee, C

Purpose: With electronic medical records, patient information for the treatment planning process has become disseminated across multiple applications with limited quality control and many associated failure modes. We present the development of a single application with a centralized database to manage the planning process. Methods: The system was designed to replace current functionalities of (i) static directives representing the physician intent for the prescription and planning goals, localization information for delivery, and other information, (ii) planning objective reports, (iii) localization and image guidance documents and (iv) the official radiation therapy prescription in the medical record. Using the Eclipse Scripting Applicationmore » Programming Interface, a plug-in script with an associated domain-specific SQL Server database was created to manage the information in (i)–(iv). The system’s user interface and database were designed by a team of physicians, clinical physicists, database experts, and software engineers to ensure usability and robustness for clinical use. Results: The resulting system has been fully integrated within the TPS via a custom script and database. Planning scenario templates, version control, approvals, and logic-based quality control allow this system to fully track and document the planning process as well as physician approval of tradeoffs while improving the consistency of the data. Multiple plans and prescriptions are supported along with non-traditional dose objectives and evaluation such as biologically corrected models, composite dose limits, and management of localization goals. User-specific custom views were developed for the attending physician review, physicist plan checks, treating therapists, and peer review in chart rounds. Conclusion: A method was developed to maintain cohesive information throughout the planning process within one integrated system by using a custom treatment planning management application that interfaces directly with the TPS. Future work includes quantifying the improvements in quality, safety and efficiency that are possible with the routine clinical use of this system. Supported in part by NIH-P01-CA-059827.« less

Electrical Power System Architectures for In-House NASA/GSFC Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yun, Diane D.

2006-01-01

This power point presentation reviews the electrical power system (EPS) architecture used for a few NASA GSFC's missions both current and planned. Included in the presentation are reviews of electric power systems for the Space Technology 5 (ST5) mission, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Mission, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). There is a slide that compares the three missions' electrical supply systems.

A Proposed Modified Technical Order System and Its Impact on Maintenance, Personnel and Training. Final Report for Period December 1974-September 1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, John P., Jr.

The document presents immediate and long range plans for the systematic injection of Symbolic Integrated Maintenance Systems (SIMS) and Fully Proceduralized Job Performance Aids (FPJPA) materials into the current technical order system and the inclusion of job-oriented training matched to FPJPA into the training system of the Air Force. The text…

Implementing Advanced Technologies in the Republic of China Air Force Officer Training System

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

Strategy Political Radar Systems Emergency Education Medicine Maneuvers Entertainment & Systems Design Primary Care Welfare Telegraph Systems I1 The...Planning area includes the career fields of Organization, Aircraft, Weapons, Air Strategy , and Maneuvers. In the Political area of occupational...materials to be considered. The current strategy is to maintain massive inventories of written testing materials for use in officer evaluations

Hydrologic effects of ground- and surface-water withdrawals in the Milford area, Elkhart and Kosciusko counties, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindgren, H.A.; Peters, J.G.; Cohen, D.A.; Crompton, E.J.

1985-01-01

Results of plans 1, 2, 3, and 4 indicate that the outwash system provides adequate water for current (1982) needs and substantial growth for irrigation. However, maximum irrigational development might cause temporary, local competition for water in several parts of the area. Plan 5 indicates .that water use could increase substantially before effects of pumping would prevail year-round.

Intelligent and Adaptive Interface (IAI) for Cognitive Cockpit (CC)

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-31

goals3 and plans and generating system plans would be incorporated as task knowledge. The Dialogue Model, which is currently undeveloped in LOCATE...pieces of software. Modularity can also serve to improve the organisational effectiveness of software, whereby a suitable division of labour among...a sophisticated tool in support of future combat aircraft acquisition. While CA can monitor similar activities in countries like the UK and USA we

Rotorcraft Master Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

its new format , presents a picture of a healthy industry with potential for major growth. As traffic in the airway system grows faster than the...certification criteria. Civil tiltrotor certification is highlighted. In addition, work on health and usage monitoring technology and on small, short...Offim 34 major commercial airports will be congested by CAYt 3D . , ^mrmI 1997-even if we do all that is currently planned to expand NAS capacity (see

Ebeye 2023: Comprehensive Capacity Development Master Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

the Marshall Islands, is facing a number of challenges to include overpopulation , collapsing infrastructure, a weak school system as well as a very...several islands on Kwajalein Atoll. The atoll consists of approximately 90 islets around the largest lagoon in the world . The original agreement...of the world . With this high population density the need for proper long term planning is critical. The current conditions of the city require a

Team table: a framework and tool for continuous factory planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sihn, Wilfried; Bischoff, Juergen; von Briel, Ralf; Josten, Marcus

2000-10-01

Growing market turbulences and shorter product life cycles require a continuous adaptation of factory structures resulting in a continuous factory planning process. Therefore a new framework is developed which focuses on configuration and data management process integration. This enable an online system performance evaluation based on continuous availability of current data. The use of this framework is especially helpful and will guarantee high cost and time savings, when used in the early stages of the planning, called the concept or rough planning phase. The new framework is supported by a planning round table as a tool for team-based configuration processes integrating the knowledge of all persons involved in planning processes. A case study conducted at a German company shows the advantages which can be achieved by implementing the new framework and methods.

Lesson Plan on Comparative Political Systems: Compare and Contrast the Presidential Election System of the USA to the Parliamentary Election System of Hungary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Daniel W.

This lesson describes the current government of Hungary and its underlying political and electoral systems. The lesson is structured with: (1) background on the parliamentary model of government, political parties, and Hungary's unique electoral system; (2) a summary of the six major political parties in Hungary and voter information for the 1990…

Conceptual definition of a technology development mission for advanced solar dynamic power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Migra, R. P.

1986-01-01

An initial conceptual definition of a technology development mission for advanced solar dynamic power systems is provided, utilizing a space station to provide a dedicated test facility. The advanced power systems considered included Brayton, Stirling, and liquid metal Rankine systems operating in the temperature range of 1040 to 1400 K. The critical technologies for advanced systems were identified by reviewing the current state of the art of solar dynamic power systems. The experimental requirements were determined by planning a system test of a 20 kWe solar dynamic power system on the space station test facility. These requirements were documented via the Mission Requirements Working Group (MRWG) and Technology Development Advocacy Group (TDAG) forms. Various concepts or considerations of advanced concepts are discussed. A preliminary evolutionary plan for this technology development mission was prepared.

Effectively marketing prepaid medical care with decision support systems.

PubMed

Forgionne, G A

1991-01-01

The paper reports a decision support system (DSS) that enables health plan administrators to quickly and easily: (1) manage relevant medical care market (consumer preference and competitors' program) information and (2) convert the information into appropriate medical care delivery and/or payment policies. As the paper demonstrates, the DSS enables providers to design cost efficient and market effective medical care programs. The DSS provides knowledge about subscriber preferences, customer desires, and the program offerings of the competition. It then helps administrators structure a medical care plan in a way that best meets consumer needs in view of the competition. This market effective plan has the potential to generate substantial amounts of additional revenue for the program. Since the system's data base consists mainly of the provider's records, routine transactions, and other readily available documents, the DSS can be implemented at a nominal incremental cost. The paper also evaluates the impact of the information system on the general financial performance of existing dental and mental health plans. In addition, the paper examines how the system can help contain the cost of providing medical care while providing better services to more potential beneficiaries than current approaches.

Developing health care workforces for uncertain futures.

PubMed

Gorman, Des

2015-04-01

Conventional approaches to health care workforce planning are notoriously unreliable. In part, this is due to the uncertainty of the future health milieu. An approach to health care workforce planning that accommodates this uncertainty is not only possible but can also generate intelligence on which planning and consequent development can be reliably based. Drawing on the experience of Health Workforce New Zealand, the author outlines some of the approaches being used in New Zealand. Instead of relying simply on health care data, which provides a picture of current circumstances in health systems, the author argues that workforce planning should rely on health care intelligence--looking beyond the numbers to build understanding of how to achieve desired outcomes. As health care systems throughout the world respond to challenges such as reform efforts, aging populations of patients and providers, and maldistribution of physicians (to name a few), New Zealand's experience may offer a model for rethinking workforce planning to truly meet health care needs.

Combining qualitative and quantitative spatial and temporal information in a hierarchical structure: Approximate reasoning for plan execution monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoebel, Louis J.

1993-01-01

The problem of plan generation (PG) and the problem of plan execution monitoring (PEM), including updating, queries, and resource-bounded replanning, have different reasoning and representation requirements. PEM requires the integration of qualitative and quantitative information. PEM is the receiving of data about the world in which a plan or agent is executing. The problem is to quickly determine the relevance of the data, the consistency of the data with respect to the expected effects, and if execution should continue. Only spatial and temporal aspects of the plan are addressed for relevance in this work. Current temporal reasoning systems are deficient in computational aspects or expressiveness. This work presents a hybrid qualitative and quantitative system that is fully expressive in its assertion language while offering certain computational efficiencies. In order to proceed, methods incorporating approximate reasoning using hierarchies, notions of locality, constraint expansion, and absolute parameters need be used and are shown to be useful for the anytime nature of PEM.

A Review of National-Level Adaptation Planning with Regards to the Risks Posed by Climate Change on Infectious Diseases in 14 OECD Nations

PubMed Central

Panic, Mirna; Ford, James D.

2013-01-01

Climate change is likely to have significant implications for human health, particularly through alterations of the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of infectious diseases. In the context of these risks, governments in high income nations have begun developing strategies to reduce potential climate change impacts and increase health system resilience (i.e., adaptation). In this paper, we review and evaluate national-level adaptation planning in relation to infectious disease risks in 14 OECD countries with respect to “best practices” for adaptation identified in peer-reviewed literature. We find a number of limitations to current planning, including negligible consideration of the needs of vulnerable population groups, limited emphasis on local risks, and inadequate attention to implementation logistics, such as available funding and timelines for evaluation. The nature of planning documents varies widely between nations, four of which currently lack adaptation plans. In those countries where planning documents were available, adaptations were mainstreamed into existing public health programs, and prioritized a sectoral, rather than multidisciplinary, approach. The findings are consistent with other scholarship examining adaptation planning indicating an ad hoc and fragmented process, and support the need for enhanced attention to adaptation to infectious disease risks in public health policy at a national level. PMID:24351735

IVHS Denver Metro Area, Master Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-02-01

THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA CURRENTLY FACES A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES IN PROVIDING AN ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. THE AREA IS EXPERIENCING NEAR-RECORD POPULATION GROWTH, BUT THE AVAILABLE FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT KEEPING PACE. DENVER IS A ...

The SIRTF Science Center enters the home stretch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, W.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the top level architecture of the SOS, the current status of the evolution of the SSC systems and capabilities, and an overview of plans for remaining development and testing prior to launch.

Human-Automation Integration: Principle and Method for Design and Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Billman, Dorrit; Feary, Michael

2012-01-01

Future space missions will increasingly depend on integration of complex engineered systems with their human operators. It is important to ensure that the systems that are designed and developed do a good job of supporting the needs of the work domain. Our research investigates methods for needs analysis. We included analysis of work products (plans for regulation of the space station) as well as work processes (tasks using current software), in a case study of Attitude Determination and Control Officers (ADCO) planning work. This allows comparing how well different designs match the structure of the work to be supported. Redesigned planning software that better matches the structure of work was developed and experimentally assessed. The new prototype enabled substantially faster and more accurate performance in plan revision tasks. This success suggests the approach to needs assessment and use in design and evaluation is promising, and merits investigatation in future research.

Overview of the Altair Lunar Lander Thermal Control System Design and the Impacts of Global Access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephan, Ryan A.

2011-01-01

NASA's Constellation Program (CxP) was developed to successfully return humans to the Lunar surface prior to 2020. The CxP included several different project offices including Altair, which was planned to be the next generation Lunar Lander. The Altair missions were architected to be quite different than the Lunar missions accomplished during the Apollo era. These differences resulted in a significantly dissimilar Thermal Control System (TCS) design. The current paper will summarize the Altair mission architecture and the various operational phases associated with the planned mission. In addition, the derived thermal requirements and the TCS designed to meet these unique and challenging thermal requirements will be presented. During the past year, the design team has focused on developing a vehicle architecture capable of accessing the entire Lunar surface. Due to the widely varying Lunar thermal environment, this global access requirement resulted in major changes to the thermal control system architecture. These changes, and the rationale behind the changes, will be detailed throughout the current paper.

Evaluation of Candidate Materials for a High-Temperature Stirling Convertor Heater Head

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, Randy; Ritzert, Frank; Freedman, Marc

2003-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA have identified Stirling Radioisotope Generators (SRG) as a candidate power system for use on long-duration, deep-space science missions and Mars rovers. One of the developments planned for an upgraded version of the current SRG design is to achieve higher efficiency by increasing the overall operating temperature of the system. Currently, the SRG operates with a heater head temperature of 650 C and is fabricated from the nickel base superalloy 718. This temperature is at the limit of Alloy 718's capability, and any planned increase in temperature will be contingent on identifying a more capable material from which to fabricate the heater head. To this end, an assessment of material candidates was performed assuming a range of heater head temperatures. The chosen alternative material candidates will be discussed, along with the development efforts needed to ensure that these materials can meet the demanding system requirements of long-duration operation in hostile environments.

Current Status and Future Plan of Arctic Sea Ice monitoring in South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, J.; Park, J.

2016-12-01

Arctic sea ice is one of the most important parameters in climate. For monitoring of sea ice changes, the National Meteorological Satellite Center (NMSC) of Korea Metrological Administration has developed the "Arctic sea ice monitoring system" to retrieve the sea ice extent and surface roughness using microwave sensor data, and statistical prediction model for Arctic sea ice extent. This system has been implemented to the web site for real-time public service. The sea ice information can be retrieved using the spaceborne microwave sensor-Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMI/S). The sea ice information like sea ice extent, sea ice surface roughness, and predictive sea ice extent are produced weekly base since 2007. We also publish the "Analysis report of the Arctic sea ice" twice a year. We are trying to add more sea ice information into this system. Details of current status and future plan of Arctic sea ice monitoring and the methodology of the sea ice information retrievals will be presented in the meeting.

Comparing the performance of expert user heuristics and an integer linear program in aircraft carrier deck operations.

PubMed

Ryan, Jason C; Banerjee, Ashis Gopal; Cummings, Mary L; Roy, Nicholas

2014-06-01

Planning operations across a number of domains can be considered as resource allocation problems with timing constraints. An unexplored instance of such a problem domain is the aircraft carrier flight deck, where, in current operations, replanning is done without the aid of any computerized decision support. Rather, veteran operators employ a set of experience-based heuristics to quickly generate new operating schedules. These expert user heuristics are neither codified nor evaluated by the United States Navy; they have grown solely from the convergent experiences of supervisory staff. As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are introduced in the aircraft carrier domain, these heuristics may require alterations due to differing capabilities. The inclusion of UAVs also allows for new opportunities for on-line planning and control, providing an alternative to the current heuristic-based replanning methodology. To investigate these issues formally, we have developed a decision support system for flight deck operations that utilizes a conventional integer linear program-based planning algorithm. In this system, a human operator sets both the goals and constraints for the algorithm, which then returns a proposed schedule for operator approval. As a part of validating this system, the performance of this collaborative human-automation planner was compared with that of the expert user heuristics over a set of test scenarios. The resulting analysis shows that human heuristics often outperform the plans produced by an optimization algorithm, but are also often more conservative.

Implementation of Motivational Tactics in Tutoring Systems: 20 Years On

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Boulay, Benedict; del Soldato, Teresa

2016-01-01

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a system called MORE (Motivational Reactive Plan) in the 1990s, designed with an explicit strategy to manage the learner's motivation on a minute-by-minute basis. Progress since the system was evaluated is outlined and our current thinking on the larger issues of the role that the learner's…

Financial modeling/case-mix analysis.

PubMed

Heck, S; Esmond, T

1983-06-01

The authors describe a case mix system developed by users which goes beyond DRG requirements to respond to management's clinical/financial data needs for marketing, planning, budgeting and financial analysis as well as reimbursement. Lessons learned in development of the system and the clinical/financial base will be helpful to those currently contemplating the implementation of such a system or evaluating available software.

Physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa: current initiatives and opportunities

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Physician tracking systems are critical for health workforce planning as well as for activities to ensure quality health care - such as physician regulation, education, and emergency response. However, information on current systems for physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. The objective of this study is to provide information on the current state of physician tracking systems in the region, highlighting emerging themes and innovative practices. Methods This study included a review of the literature, an online search for physician licensing systems, and a document review of publicly available physician registration forms for sub-Saharan African countries. Primary data on physician tracking activities was collected as part of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) - through two rounds over two years of annual surveys to 13 medical schools in 12 sub-Saharan countries. Two innovations were identified during two MEPI school site visits in Uganda and Ghana. Results Out of twelve countries, nine had existing frameworks for physician tracking through licensing requirements. Most countries collected basic demographic information: name, address, date of birth, nationality/citizenship, and training institution. Practice information was less frequently collected. The most frequently collected practice fields were specialty/degree and current title/position. Location of employment and name and sector of current employer were less frequently collected. Many medical schools are taking steps to implement graduate tracking systems. We also highlight two innovative practices: mobile technology access to physician registries in Uganda and MDNet, a public-private partnership providing free mobile-to-mobile voice and text messages to all doctors registered with the Ghana Medical Association. Conclusion While physician tracking systems vary widely between countries and a number of challenges remain, there appears to be increasing interest in developing these systems and many innovative developments in the area. Opportunities exist to expand these systems in a more coordinated manner that will ultimately lead to better workforce planning, implementation of the workforce, and better health. PMID:24754965

Physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa: current initiatives and opportunities.

PubMed

Chen, Candice; Baird, Sarah; Ssentongo, Katumba; Mehtsun, Sinit; Olapade-Olaopa, Emiola Oluwabunmi; Scott, Jim; Sewankambo, Nelson; Talib, Zohray; Ward-Peterson, Melissa; Mariam, Damen Haile; Rugarabamu, Paschalis

2014-04-23

Physician tracking systems are critical for health workforce planning as well as for activities to ensure quality health care - such as physician regulation, education, and emergency response. However, information on current systems for physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. The objective of this study is to provide information on the current state of physician tracking systems in the region, highlighting emerging themes and innovative practices. This study included a review of the literature, an online search for physician licensing systems, and a document review of publicly available physician registration forms for sub-Saharan African countries. Primary data on physician tracking activities was collected as part of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) - through two rounds over two years of annual surveys to 13 medical schools in 12 sub-Saharan countries. Two innovations were identified during two MEPI school site visits in Uganda and Ghana. Out of twelve countries, nine had existing frameworks for physician tracking through licensing requirements. Most countries collected basic demographic information: name, address, date of birth, nationality/citizenship, and training institution. Practice information was less frequently collected. The most frequently collected practice fields were specialty/degree and current title/position. Location of employment and name and sector of current employer were less frequently collected. Many medical schools are taking steps to implement graduate tracking systems. We also highlight two innovative practices: mobile technology access to physician registries in Uganda and MDNet, a public-private partnership providing free mobile-to-mobile voice and text messages to all doctors registered with the Ghana Medical Association. While physician tracking systems vary widely between countries and a number of challenges remain, there appears to be increasing interest in developing these systems and many innovative developments in the area. Opportunities exist to expand these systems in a more coordinated manner that will ultimately lead to better workforce planning, implementation of the workforce, and better health.

Transportation technology program: Strategic plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1991-09-01

The purpose of this report is to define the technology program required to meet the transportation technology needs for current and future civil space missions. It is a part of an integrated plan, prepared by NASA in part in response to the Augustine Committee recommendations, to describe and advocate expanded and more aggressive efforts in the development of advanced space technologies. This expanded program will provide a technology basis for future space missions to which the U.S. aspires, and will help to regain technology leadership for the U.S. on a broader front. The six aspects of this integrated program/plan deal with focused technologies to support space sciences, exploration, transportation, platforms, and operations as well as provide a Research and Technology Base Program. This volume describes the technologies needed to support transportation systems, e.g., technologies needed for upgrades to current transportation systems and to provide reliable and efficient transportation for future space missions. The Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology (OAET) solicited technology needs from the major agency technology users and the aerospace industry community and formed a transportation technology team (appendix A) to develop a technology program to respond to those needs related to transportation technologies. This report addresses the results of that team activity. It is a strategic plan intended for use as a planning document rather than as a project management tool. It is anticipated that this document will be primarily utilized by research & technology (R&T) management at the various NASA Centers as well as by officials at NASA Headquarters and by industry in planning their corporate Independent Research and Development (IR&D) investments.

Transportation technology program: Strategic plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The purpose of this report is to define the technology program required to meet the transportation technology needs for current and future civil space missions. It is a part of an integrated plan, prepared by NASA in part in response to the Augustine Committee recommendations, to describe and advocate expanded and more aggressive efforts in the development of advanced space technologies. This expanded program will provide a technology basis for future space missions to which the U.S. aspires, and will help to regain technology leadership for the U.S. on a broader front. The six aspects of this integrated program/plan deal with focused technologies to support space sciences, exploration, transportation, platforms, and operations as well as provide a Research and Technology Base Program. This volume describes the technologies needed to support transportation systems, e.g., technologies needed for upgrades to current transportation systems and to provide reliable and efficient transportation for future space missions. The Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology (OAET) solicited technology needs from the major agency technology users and the aerospace industry community and formed a transportation technology team (appendix A) to develop a technology program to respond to those needs related to transportation technologies. This report addresses the results of that team activity. It is a strategic plan intended for use as a planning document rather than as a project management tool. It is anticipated that this document will be primarily utilized by research & technology (R&T) management at the various NASA Centers as well as by officials at NASA Headquarters and by industry in planning their corporate Independent Research and Development (IR&D) investments.

The 2009 Health Confidence Survey: public opinion on health reform varies; strong support for insurance market reform and public plan option, mixed response to tax cap.

PubMed

Fronstin, Paul; Helman, Ruth

2009-07-01

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR HEALTH REFORM: Findings from the 2009 Health Confidence Survey--the 12th annual HCS--indicate that Americans have already formed strong opinions regarding various aspects of health reform, even before details have been released regarding various key factors. These issues include health insurance market reform, the availability of a public plan option, mandates on employers and individuals, subsidized coverage for the low-income population, changes to the tax treatment of job-based health benefits, and regulatory oversight of health care. These opinions may change as details surface, especially as they concern financing options. In the absence of such details, the 2009 HCS finds generally strong support for the concepts of health reform options that are currently on the table. U.S. HEALTH SYSTEM GETS POOR MARKS, BUT SO DOES A MAJOR OVERHAUL: A majority rate the nation's health care system as fair (30 percent) or poor (29 percent). Only a small minority rate it excellent (6 percent) or very good (10 percent). While 14 percent of Americans think the health care system needs a major overhaul, 51 percent agree with the statement "there are some good things about our health care system, but major changes are needed." NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN ELEMENTS RATED HIGHLY: Between 68 percent and 88 percent of Americans either strongly or somewhat support health reform ideas such as national health plans, a public plan option, guaranteed issue, expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, and employer and individual mandates. MIXED REACTION TO HEALTH BENEFITS TAX CAP: Reaction to capping the current tax exclusion of employment-based health benefits is mixed. Nearly one-half of Americans (47 percent) would switch to a lower-cost plan if the tax exclusion were capped, 38 percent would stay on their current plan and pay the additional taxes, and 9 percent don't know. CONTINUED FAITH IN EMPLOYMENT-BASED BENEFITS, BUT DOUBTS ON AFFORDABILITY: Individuals with employment-based health benefits are confident that employers will continue to offer such benefits. They are much less confident that they would be able to afford coverage on their own, even if employers gave them the money they currently spend on health benefits. However, were employers to stop offering coverage, respondents report that they are likely to purchase it on their own. RISING HEALTH COSTS HURTING FAMILY FINANCES: Those experiencing health cost increases tend to say these increases have negatively affected their household finances. In particular, they indicate that increased health care costs have resulted in a decrease in contributions to a retirement plan (32 percent) and other savings (53 percent) and in difficulty paying for basic necessities (29 percent) and other bills (37 percent). COSTS ALSO AFFECTING HEALTH CARE USE: Many consumers report they are changing the way they use the health care system in response to rising health care costs. Roughly 80 percent of those with higher out-of-pocket expenses say these increased costs have led them to try to take better care of themselves and choose generic drugs more often. One-quarter also say they did not fill or skipped does of their prescribed medications in response to increased costs.

Commissioning of intensity modulated neutron radiotherapy (IMNRT).

PubMed

Burmeister, Jay; Spink, Robyn; Liang, Liang; Bossenberger, Todd; Halford, Robert; Brandon, John; Delauter, Jonathan; Snyder, Michael

2013-02-01

Intensity modulated neutron radiotherapy (IMNRT) has been developed using inhouse treatment planning and delivery systems at the Karmanos Cancer Center∕Wayne State University Fast Neutron Therapy facility. The process of commissioning IMNRT for clinical use is presented here. Results of commissioning tests are provided including validation measurements using representative patient plans as well as those from the TG-119 test suite. IMNRT plans were created using the Varian Eclipse optimization algorithm and an inhouse planning system for calculation of neutron dose distributions. Tissue equivalent ionization chambers and an ionization chamber array were used for point dose and planar dose distribution comparisons with calculated values. Validation plans were delivered to water and virtual water phantoms using TG-119 measurement points and evaluation techniques. Photon and neutron doses were evaluated both inside and outside the target volume for a typical IMNRT plan to determine effects of intensity modulation on the photon dose component. Monitor unit linearity and effects of beam current and gantry angle on output were investigated, and an independent validation of neutron dosimetry was obtained. While IMNRT plan quality is superior to conventional fast neutron therapy plans for clinical sites such as prostate and head and neck, it is inferior to photon IMRT for most TG-119 planning goals, particularly for complex cases. This results significantly from current limitations on the number of segments. Measured and calculated doses for 11 representative plans (six prostate∕five head and neck) agreed to within -0.8 ± 1.4% and 5.0 ± 6.0% within and outside the target, respectively. Nearly all (22∕24) ion chamber point measurements in the two phantom arrangements were within the respective confidence intervals for the quantity [(measured-planned)∕prescription dose] derived in TG-119. Mean differences for all measurements were 0.5% (max = 7.0%) and 1.4% (max = 4.1%) in water and virtual water, respectively. The mean gamma pass rate for all cases was 92.8% (min = 88.6%). These pass rates are lower than typically achieved with photon IMRT, warranting development of a planar dosimetry system designed specifically for IMNRT and∕or the improvement of neutron beam modeling in the penumbral region. The fractional photon dose component did not change significantly in a typical IMNRT plan versus a conventional fast neutron therapy plan, and IMNRT delivery is not expected to significantly alter the RBE. All other commissioning results were considered satisfactory for clinical implementation of IMNRT, including the external neutron dose validation, which agreed with the predicted neutron dose to within 1%. IMNRT has been successfully commissioned for clinical use. While current plan quality is inferior to photon IMRT, it is superior to conventional fast neutron therapy. Ion chamber validation results for IMNRT commissioning are also comparable to those typically achieved with photon IMRT. Gamma pass rates for planar dose distributions are lower than typically observed for photon IMRT but may be improved with improved planar dosimetry equipment and beam modeling techniques. In the meantime, patient-specific quality assurance measurements should rely more heavily on point dose measurements with tissue equivalent ionization chambers. No significant technical impediments are anticipated in the clinical implementation of IMNRT as described here.

Stability, structure and scale: improvements in multi-modal vessel extraction for SEEG trajectory planning.

PubMed

Zuluaga, Maria A; Rodionov, Roman; Nowell, Mark; Achhala, Sufyan; Zombori, Gergely; Mendelson, Alex F; Cardoso, M Jorge; Miserocchi, Anna; McEvoy, Andrew W; Duncan, John S; Ourselin, Sébastien

2015-08-01

Brain vessels are among the most critical landmarks that need to be assessed for mitigating surgical risks in stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) implantation. Intracranial haemorrhage is the most common complication associated with implantation, carrying significantly associated morbidity. SEEG planning is done pre-operatively to identify avascular trajectories for the electrodes. In current practice, neurosurgeons have no assistance in the planning of electrode trajectories. There is great interest in developing computer-assisted planning systems that can optimise the safety profile of electrode trajectories, maximising the distance to critical structures. This paper presents a method that integrates the concepts of scale, neighbourhood structure and feature stability with the aim of improving robustness and accuracy of vessel extraction within a SEEG planning system. The developed method accounts for scale and vicinity of a voxel by formulating the problem within a multi-scale tensor voting framework. Feature stability is achieved through a similarity measure that evaluates the multi-modal consistency in vesselness responses. The proposed measurement allows the combination of multiple images modalities into a single image that is used within the planning system to visualise critical vessels. Twelve paired data sets from two image modalities available within the planning system were used for evaluation. The mean Dice similarity coefficient was 0.89 ± 0.04, representing a statistically significantly improvement when compared to a semi-automated single human rater, single-modality segmentation protocol used in clinical practice (0.80 ± 0.03). Multi-modal vessel extraction is superior to semi-automated single-modality segmentation, indicating the possibility of safer SEEG planning, with reduced patient morbidity.

The first and second generation Aussat systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hope, W.

1988-12-01

The present three-spacecraft Aussat satellite communication system is described and illustrated with extensive drawings, diagrams, and photographs; and plans for the second-generation system (Aussat-B, to begin replacing the current spacecraft in 1992) are discussed. Consideration is given to the legal status, structure, and staff of the Aussat organization; the first-generation space segment; satellite launch and orbital transfer procedures; the Aussat communication payload; the ground segment; and the current market for satellite services in Australia. For the second-generation system, topics addressed include additional and improved services, the Aussat-B procurement program, mobile satellite services, and the impact on the Australian space industry.

Integrated Renewable Hydrogen Utility System (IRHUS) business plan

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

NONE

1999-03-01

This business plan is for a proposed legal entity named IRHUS, Inc. which is to be formed as a subsidiary of Energy Partners, L.C. (EP) of West Palm Beach, Florida. EP is a research and development company specializing in hydrogen proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and systems. A fuel cell is an engine with no moving parts that takes in hydrogen and produces electricity. The purpose of IRHUS, Inc. is to develop and manufacture a self-sufficient energy system based on the fuel cell and other new technology that produces hydrogen and electricity. The product is called the Integrated renewablemore » Hydrogen utility System (IRHUS). IRHUS, Inc. plans to start limited production of the IRHUS in 2002. The IRHUS is a unique product with an innovative concept in that it provides continuous electrical power in places with no electrical infrastructure, i.e., in remote and island locations. The IRHUS is a zero emissions, self-sufficient, hydrogen fuel generation system that produces electricity on a continuous basis by combining any renewable power source with hydrogen technology. Current plans are to produce a 10 kilowatt IRHUS MP (medium power). Future plans are to design and manufacture IRHUS models to provide power for a variety of power ranges for identified attractive market segments. The technological components of the IRHUS include an electrolyzer, hydrogen and oxygen storage subsystems, fuel cell system, and power control system. The IRHUS product is to be integrated with a variety of renewable energy technologies. 5 figs., 10 tabs.« less

Decision Support System for Reservoir Management and Operation in Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navar, D. A.

2016-12-01

Africa is currently experiencing a surge in dam construction for flood control, water supply and hydropower production, but ineffective reservoir management has caused problems in the region, such as water shortages, flooding and loss of potential hydropower generation. Our research aims to remedy ineffective reservoir management by developing a novel Decision Support System(DSS) to equip water managers with a technical planning tool based on the state of the art in hydrological sciences. The DSS incorporates a climate forecast model, a hydraulic model of the watershed, and an optimization model to effectively plan for the operation of a system of cascade large-scale reservoirs for hydropower production, while treating water supply and flood control as constraints. Our team will use the newly constructed hydropower plants in the Omo Gibe basin of Ethiopia as the test case. Using the basic HIDROTERM software developed in Brazil, the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) utilizes a combination of linear programing (LP) and non-linear programming (NLP) in conjunction with real time hydrologic and energy demand data to optimize the monthly and daily operations of the reservoir system. We compare the DSS model results with the current reservoir operating policy used by the water managers of that region. We also hope the DSS will eliminate the current dangers associated with the mismanagement of large scale water resources projects in Africa.

Integrated Care Planning for Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

PubMed Central

Arthurs, Erin; Gradin, Sharon; MacKinnon, Marnie; Sussman, Jonathan; Kukreti, Vishal

2017-01-01

Introduction: There has been a growing emphasis on the use of integrated care plans to deliver cancer care. However little is known about how integrated care plans for cancer patients are developed including featured core activities, facilitators for uptake and indicators for assessing impact. Methods: Given limited consensus around what constitutes an integrated care plan for cancer patients, a scoping review was conducted to explore the components of integrated care plans and contextual factors that influence design and uptake. Results: Five types of integrated care plans based on the stage of cancer care: surgical, systemic, survivorship, palliative and comprehensive (involving a transition between stages) are described in current literature. Breast, esophageal and colorectal cancers were common disease sites. Multi-disciplinary teams, patient needs assessment and transitional planning emerged as key features. Provider buy-in and training alongside informational technology support served as important facilitators for plan uptake. Provider-level measurement was considerably less robust compared to patient and system-level indicators. Conclusions: Similarities in design features, components and facilitators across the various types of integrated care plans indicates opportunities to leverage shared features and enable a management lens that spans the trajectory of a patient’s journey rather than a phase-specific silo approach to care. PMID:29588638

Timber sale planning and analysis system: A user`s guide to the TSPAS sale program. Forest Service general technical report

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

Schuster, E.G.; Jones, J.G.; Meacham, M.L.

1995-08-01

Presents a guide to operation and interpretation of TSPAS Sale Program (TSPAS SP), a menu-driven computer program that is one of two programs in the Timber Sale Planning and Analysis System. TSPAS SP is intended to help field teams design and evaluate timber sale alternatives. TSPAS SP evaluate current and long-term timber implications along with associated nontimber outputs. Features include multiple entries and products, real value change, and graphical input. Guide includes user instructions, a glossary, a listing of data needs, and an explanation of error messages.

Interactive access and management for four-dimensional environmental data sets using McIDAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hibbard, William L.; Tripoli, Gregory J.

1991-01-01

Significant accomplishments in the following areas are presented: (1) enhancements to the visualization of 5-D data sets (VIS-5D); (2) development of the visualization of global images (VIS-GI) application; (3) design of the Visualization for Algorithm Development (VIS-AD) System; and (4) numerical modeling applications. The focus of current research and future research plans is presented and the following topics are addressed: (1) further enhancements to VIS-5D; (2) generalization and enhancement of the VIS-GI application; (3) the implementation of the VIS-AD System; and (4) plans for modeling applications.

A proposal for continuation of support for the application of remotely sensed data to state and regional problems. Part 1: Technical proposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The objectives, procedures, accomplishments, plans, and ultimate uses of information from current projects at the Mississippi Remote Sensing Center are discussed for the following applications: (1) land use planning; (2) strip mine inventory and reclamation; (3) biological management for white tailed deer; (4) forest habitats in potential lignite areas; (5) change discrimination in gravel operations; (6) discrimination of freshwater wetlands for inventory and monitoring; and (7) remote sensing data analysis support systems. The initiation of a conceptual design for a LANDSAT based, state wide information system is proposed.

[Strategic planning: an important economic action for German hospitals].

PubMed

Wiese, Christoph H R; Zink, Wolfgang; Russo, Sebastian G

2011-11-01

In medical systems, economic issues and means of action are in the course of dwindling human (physicians and nurses) and financial resources are more important. For this reason, physicians must understand basic economic principles. Only in this way, there may be medical autonomy from social systems and hospital administrators. The current work is an approach to present a model for strategic planning of an anesthesia department. For this, a "strengths", "weaknesses", "opportunities", and "threats" (SWOT) analysis is used. This display is an example of an exemplary anaesthetic department. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

AN/UPX-41(C) IFF Interrogator Compatibility with the National Airspace System : Top-Level Test Plan Chesapeake Fixed-Base Experiment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-04

In 2012, the Navy requested spectrum certification for the shipboard AN/UPX-41(C) Digital Interrogator System, Software Version 5.5 with Mode 5. : Current operating conditions for the Navys AN/UPX-41(C) are the same as restrictions imposed on the ...

Virtual Simulation Capability for Deployable Force Protection Analysis (VSCDFP) FY 15 Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-30

Unmanned Aircraft Systems ( SUAS ) outfitted with a baseline two-axis steerable “Infini-spin” electro- optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor payload. The current...Payload (EPRP) enhanced sensor system to the Puma SUAS will be beneficial for Soldiers executing RCP mission sets. • Develop the RCP EPRP Concept of

NED-2: A decision support system for integrated forest ecosystem management

Treesearch

Mark J. Twery; Peter D. Knopp; Scott A. Thomasma; H. Michael Rauscher; Donald E. Nute; Walter D. Potter; Frederick Maier; Jin Wang; Mayukh Dass; Hajime Uchiyama; Astrid Glende; Robin E. Hoffman

2005-01-01

NED-2 is a Windows-based system designed to improve project-level planning and decision making by providing useful and scientifically sound information to natural resource managers. Resources currently addressed include visual quality, ecology, forest health, timber, water, and wildlife. NED-2 expands on previous versions of NED applications by integrating treatment...

NED-2: a decision support system for integrated forest ecosystem management

Treesearch

Mark J. Twery; Peter D. Knopp; Scott A. Thomasma; H. Michael Rauscher; Donald E. Nute; Walter D. Potter; Frederick Maier; Jin Wang; Mayukh Dass; Hajime Uchiyama; Astrid Glende; Robin E. Hoffman

2005-01-01

NED-2 is a Windows-based system designed to improve project-level planning and decision making by providing useful and scientifically sound information to natural resource managers. Resources currently addressed include visual quality, ecology, forest health, timber, water, and wildlife. NED-2 expands on previous versions of NED applications by integrating treatment...

75 FR 77919 - Carolina Power & Light Company Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1; Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-14

... involves important physical modifications to the HNP, Unit 1 security system. There are several issues... in which some important security modifications are planned. A direct outside access route to the... implementation deadline, the licensee currently maintains a security system acceptable to the NRC and that will...

Household Goods Shipments: Tender of Service for Unpacking. A Cost Savings Proposal

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

24] Types of HHG Carriers Domes tic HHG Interstate Carriers Intrastate Carrer Carriers Agency I nd penden t Systems Var Corporate Lines Agency...range plans to change the present system. [Ref. 25] The Program Manager of Relocation for IBM indicated that they are currently looking for ways to cut

Iterative Repair Planning for Spacecraft Operations Using the Aspen System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabideau, G.; Knight, R.; Chien, S.; Fukunaga, A.; Govindjee, A.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN). ASPEN encodes complex spacecraft knowledge of operability constraints, flight rules, spacecraft hardware, science experiments and operations procedures to allow for automated generation of low level spacecraft sequences. Using a technique called iterative repair, ASPEN classifies constraint violations (i.e., conflicts) and attempts to repair each by performing a planning or scheduling operation. It must reason about which conflict to resolve first and what repair method to try for the given conflict. ASPEN is currently being utilized in the development of automated planner/scheduler systems for several spacecraft, including the UFO-1 naval communications satellite and the Citizen Explorer (CX1) satellite, as well as for planetary rover operations and antenna ground systems automation. This paper focuses on the algorithm and search strategies employed by ASPEN to resolve spacecraft operations constraints, as well as the data structures for representing these constraints.

Visions of tomorrow: A focus on national space transportation issues; Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Goddard Memorial Symposium, Greenbelt, MD, Mar. 18-20, 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soffen, Gerald A. (Editor)

1987-01-01

The present conference on U.S. space transportation systems development discusses opportunities for aerospace students in prospective military, civil, industrial, and scientific programs, current strategic conceptualization and program planning for future U.S. space transportation, the DOD space transportation plan, NASA space transportation plans, medium launch vehicle and commercial space launch services, the capabilities and availability of foreign launch vehicles, and the role of commercial space launch systems. Also discussed are available upper stage systems, future space transportation needs for space science and applications, the trajectory analysis of a low lift/drag-aeroassisted orbit transfer vehicle, possible replacements for the Space Shuttle, LEO to GEO with combined electric/beamed-microwave power from earth, the National Aerospace Plane, laser propulsion to earth orbit, and a performance analysis for a laser-powered SSTO vehicle.

Physically Based Virtual Surgery Planning and Simulation Tools for Personal Health Care Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogan, Firat; Atilgan, Yasemin

The virtual surgery planning and simulation tools have gained a great deal of importance in the last decade in a consequence of increasing capacities at the information technology level. The modern hardware architectures, large scale database systems, grid based computer networks, agile development processes, better 3D visualization and all the other strong aspects of the information technology brings necessary instruments into almost every desk. The last decade’s special software and sophisticated super computer environments are now serving to individual needs inside “tiny smart boxes” for reasonable prices. However, resistance to learning new computerized environments, insufficient training and all the other old habits prevents effective utilization of IT resources by the specialists of the health sector. In this paper, all the aspects of the former and current developments in surgery planning and simulation related tools are presented, future directions and expectations are investigated for better electronic health care systems.

Central exclusive production at RHIC

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

Adamczyk, Leszek; Guryn, Włodek; Turnau, Jacek

The present status and future plans of the physics program of Central Exclusive Production (CEP) at RHIC are described. The measurements are based on the detection of the forward protons from the Double Pomeron Exchange (DPE) process in the Roman Pot system and of the recoil system of charged particles from the DPE process measured in the STAR experiment’s Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The data described here were taken using polarized proton-proton collisions at ps = 200 GeV. The preliminary spectra of two pion and four pion invariant mass reconstructed by STAR TPC in central region of pseudo-rapidity | |more » < 1, are presented. Near future plans to take data with the current system at center-of-mass energy ps = 200 GeV and plans to upgrade the forward proton tagging sys- tem are presented. Also a possible addition of the Roman Pots to the sPHENIX detector is discussed.« less

Proceedings of the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics, volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, Guillermo (Editor); Seraji, Homayoun (Editor)

1989-01-01

The theme of the Conference was man-machine collaboration in space. The Conference provided a forum for researchers and engineers to exchange ideas on the research and development required for application of telerobotics technology to the space systems planned for the 1990s and beyond. The Conference: (1) provided a view of current NASA telerobotic research and development; (2) stimulated technical exchange on man-machine systems, manipulator control, machine sensing, machine intelligence, concurrent computation, and system architectures; and (3) identified important unsolved problems of current interest which can be dealt with by future research.

Evaluation of National Adaptation Planning: A Case Study in Indonesia

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

Kawanishi, Masato; Ridwan, Nadia Amelia

2016-01-01

The present study aims to evaluate national adaptation planning, using the National Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAN-API) in Indonesia as a case. In doing so, the current study applies the methodology used in Preston et al. (2011), where a set of 57 adaptation plans from three developed countries was evaluated against 19 planning processes. The same criteria and scoring system were applied to the current study to evaluate RAN-API, both as identified in its document and as viewed by the stakeholders. A desktop review and questionnaires were undertaken to this end. It was found that discrepancies exist betweenmore » the status of RAN-API as documented and the stakeholders views of some criteria, suggesting that information or knowledge gaps may still exist despite the efforts made for stakeholder engagement. In some of the other criteria, the stakeholders views match the status as identified in the document. Most notably, they both agree that the weakness of RAN-API is related to limited consideration for non-climatic factors. While the development of RAN-API is a critical step taken in the country, the current study finds that there remains room for further improvement. The criteria or indicators to be used to assess the progress of RAN-API as a whole may need to be further elaborated.« less

NASA's NI-SAR Observing Strategy and Data Availability for Agricultural Monitoring and Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siqueira, P.; Dubayah, R.; Kellndorfer, J. M.; Saatchi, S. S.; Chapman, B. D.

2014-12-01

The monitoring and characterization of global crop development by remote sensing is a complex task, in part, because of the time varying nature of the target and the diversity of crop types and agricultural practices that vary worldwide. While some of these difficulties are overcome with the availability of national and market-derived resources (e.g. publication of crop statistics by the USDA and FAO), monitoring by remote sensing has the ability of augmenting those resources to better identify changes over time, and to provide timely assessments for the current year's production. Of the remote sensing techniques that are used for agricultural applications, optical observations of NDVI from Landsat, AVHRR, MODIS and similar sensors have historically provided the majority of data that is used by the community. In addition, radiometer and radar sensors, are often used for estimating soil moisture and structural information for these agricultural regions. The combination of these remote sensing datasets and national resources constitutes the state of the art for crop monitoring and yield forecasts. To help improve these crop monitoring efforts in the future, the joint NASA-ISRO SAR mission known as NI-SAR is being planned for launch in 2020, and will have L- and S-band fully polarimetric radar systems, a fourteen day repeat period, and a swath width on the order of several hundred kilometers. To address the needs of the science and applications communities that NI-SAR will support, the systems observing strategy is currently being planned such that data rate and the system configuration will address the needs of the community. In this presentation, a description of the NI-SAR system will be given along with the currently planned observing strategy and derived products that will be relevant to the overall GEOGLAM initiative.

Evaluation of components, subsystems, and networks for high rate, high frequency space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerczewski, Robert J.; Ivancic, William D.; Zuzek, John E.

1991-01-01

The development of new space communications technologies by NASA has included both commercial applications and space science requirements. NASA's Systems Integration, Test and Evaluation (SITE) Space Communication System Simulator is a hardware based laboratory simulator for evaluating space communications technologies at the component, subsystem, system, and network level, geared toward high frequency, high data rate systems. The SITE facility is well-suited for evaluation of the new technologies required for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and advanced commercial systems. Described here are the technology developments and evaluation requirements for current and planned commercial and space science programs. Also examined are the capabilities of SITE, the past, present and planned future configurations of the SITE facility, and applications of SITE to evaluation of SEI technology.

Artificial intelligence - New tools for aerospace project managers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moja, D. C.

1985-01-01

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently being used for business-oriented, money-making applications, such as medical diagnosis, computer system configuration, and geological exploration. The present paper has the objective to assess new AI tools and techniques which will be available to assist aerospace managers in the accomplishment of their tasks. A study conducted by Brown and Cheeseman (1983) indicates that AI will be employed in all traditional management areas, taking into account goal setting, decision making, policy formulation, evaluation, planning, budgeting, auditing, personnel management, training, legal affairs, and procurement. Artificial intelligence/expert systems are discussed, giving attention to the three primary areas concerned with intelligent robots, natural language interfaces, and expert systems. Aspects of information retrieval are also considered along with the decision support system, and expert systems for project planning and scheduling.

Advanced photovoltaic power system technology for lunar base applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinker, David J.; Flood, Dennis J.

1992-09-01

The development of an advanced photovoltaic power system that would have application for a manned lunar base is currently planned under the Surface Power element of Pathfinder. Significant mass savings over state-of-the-art photovoltaic/battery systems are possible with the use of advanced lightweight solar arrays coupled with regenerative fuel cell storage. The solar blanket, using either ultrathin GaAs or amorphous silicon solar cells, would be integrated with a reduced-g structure. Regenerative fuel cells with high-pressure gas storage in filament-wound tanks are planned for energy storage. An advanced PV/RFC power system is a leading candidate for a manned lunar base as it offers a tremendous weight advantage over state-of-the-art photovoltaic/battery systems and is comparable in mass to other advanced power generation technologies.

Metropolitan Transit Research Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1956-12-14

Presents an historical and current overview of public transit in Chicago and discusses the steps to be taken to integrate the planning and financing of a regional transportation system for Chicago. Details the economic impact of parking and traffic c...

Use of change detection in assessing development plans - A Philippine example. [aircraft/Landsat remote sensing information system for regional planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coiner, J. C.; Bruce, R. C.

1978-01-01

An aircraft/Landsat change-detection study conducted 1948-1972 on Marinduque Province, Republic of the Philippines, is discussed, and a procedure using both remote sensing and information systems for collection, spatial analysis, and display of periodic data is described. Each of the 4,008 25-hectare cells representing Marinduque were observed, and changes in and between variables were measured and tested using nonparametric statistics to determine the effect of specific land cover changes. Procedures using Landsat data to obtain a more continuous updating of the data base are considered. The system permits storage and comparison of historical and current data.

Project plan hydrogen energy systems technology. Phase 1: Hydrogen energy systems technology study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

An overview of the potential need for hydrogen as a source of energy in the future was presented in order to identify and define the technology requirements for the most promising approaches to meet that need. The following study objectives were discussed: (1) determination of the future demand for hydrogen, based on current trends and anticipated new uses, (2) identification of the critical research and technology advances required to meet this need considering, to the extent possible, raw material limitations, economics, and environmental effects, and (3) definition and recommendation of the scope and space of a National Hydrogen Energy Systems Technology Program and outline of a Program Development Plan.

Scientific investigations planned for the Lidar in-Space Technology Experiment (LITE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccormick, M. P.; Winker, D. M.; Browell, E. V.; Coakley, J. A.; Gardner, C. S.; Hoff, R. M.; Kent, G. S.; Melfi, S. H.; Menzies, R. T.; Platt, C. M. R.

1993-01-01

The Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) is being developed by NASA/Langley Research Center for a series of flights on the space shuttle beginning in 1994. Employing a three-wavelength Nd:YAG laser and a 1-m-diameter telescope, the system is a test-bed for the development of technology required for future operational spaceborne lidars. The system has been designed to observe clouds, tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols, characteristics of the planetary boundary layer, and stratospheric density and temperature perturbations with much greater resolution than is available from current orbiting sensors. In addition to providing unique datasets on these phenomena, the data obtained will be useful in improving retrieval algorithms currently in use. Observations of clouds and the planetary boundary layer will aid in the development of global climate model (GCM) parameterizations. This article briefly describes the LITE program and discusses the types of scientific investigations planned for the first flight.

High Misalignment Carbon Seals for the Fan Drive Gear System Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaughnessy, Dennis; Dobek, Lou

2006-01-01

Aircraft engines of the future will require capability bearing compartment seals than found in current engines. Geared systems driving the fan will be subjected to inertia and gyroscopic forces resulting in extremely high angular and radial misalignments. Because of the high misalignment levels, compartment seals capable of accommodating angularities and eccentricities are required. Pratt & Whitney and Stein Seal Company selected the segmented circumferential carbon seal as the best candidate to operate at highly misaligned conditions. Initial seal tests established the misalignment limits of the current technology circumferential seal. From these results a more compliant seal configuration was conceived, designed, fabricated, and tested. Further improvements to the design are underway and plans are to conduct a durability test of the next phase configuration. A technical approach is presented, including design modification to a "baseline"seal, carbon grade selection, test rig configuration, test plan and results of analysis of seal testing.

Probabilistic Reasoning for Robustness in Automated Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaffer, Steven; Clement, Bradley; Chien, Steve

2007-01-01

A general-purpose computer program for planning the actions of a spacecraft or other complex system has been augmented by incorporating a subprogram that reasons about uncertainties in such continuous variables as times taken to perform tasks and amounts of resources to be consumed. This subprogram computes parametric probability distributions for time and resource variables on the basis of user-supplied models of actions and resources that they consume. The current system accepts bounded Gaussian distributions over action duration and resource use. The distributions are then combined during planning to determine the net probability distribution of each resource at any time point. In addition to a full combinatoric approach, several approximations for arriving at these combined distributions are available, including maximum-likelihood and pessimistic algorithms. Each such probability distribution can then be integrated to obtain a probability that execution of the plan under consideration would violate any constraints on the resource. The key idea is to use these probabilities of conflict to score potential plans and drive a search toward planning low-risk actions. An output plan provides a balance between the user s specified averseness to risk and other measures of optimality.

Underground storage tank management plan, Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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

NONE

1997-09-01

The Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant was established to locate UST systems at the facility and to ensure that all operating UST systems are free of leaks. UST systems have been removed or upgraded in accordance with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) regulations and guidance. With the closure of a significant portion of the USTs, the continuing mission of the UST Management Program is to manage the remaining active UST systems and continue corrective actions in a safe regulatory compliant manner. This Program outlines the compliance issues that must be addressed, reviewsmore » the current UST inventory and compliance approach, and presents the status and planned activities associated with each UST system. The UST Program provides guidance for implementing TDEC regulations and guidelines for petroleum UST systems. The plan is divided into three major sections: (1) regulatory requirements, (2) active UST sites, and (3) out-of-service UST sites. These sections describe in detail the applicable regulatory drivers, the UST sites addressed under the Program, and the procedures and guidance for compliance.« less

Formal Methods Specification and Verification Guidebook for Software and Computer Systems. Volume 1; Planning and Technology Insertion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The Formal Methods Specification and Verification Guidebook for Software and Computer Systems describes a set of techniques called Formal Methods (FM), and outlines their use in the specification and verification of computer systems and software. Development of increasingly complex systems has created a need for improved specification and verification techniques. NASA's Safety and Mission Quality Office has supported the investigation of techniques such as FM, which are now an accepted method for enhancing the quality of aerospace applications. The guidebook provides information for managers and practitioners who are interested in integrating FM into an existing systems development process. Information includes technical and administrative considerations that must be addressed when establishing the use of FM on a specific project. The guidebook is intended to aid decision makers in the successful application of FM to the development of high-quality systems at reasonable cost. This is the first volume of a planned two-volume set. The current volume focuses on administrative and planning considerations for the successful application of FM.

HYDROSAT - An instrument platform for hydrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ormsby, J. P.; Engman, E. T.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses a multisensor satellite approach for the study of hydrological applications. Spectral as well as spatial and temporal characteristics of specific operational and planned instruments applicable to hydrology are presented. A hydrology specific series of sensors are proposed to fill the gaps not covered by the current and planned systems. We have called this hypothetical platform HYDROSAT. In addition, the trade-offs between a geostationary satellite and a polar orbiter are explored.

Ares First Stage "Systemology" - Combining Advanced Systems Engineering and Planning Tools to Assure Mission Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seiler, James; Brasfield, Fred; Cannon, Scott

2008-01-01

Ares is an integral part of NASA s Constellation architecture that will provide crew and cargo access to the International Space Station as well as low earth orbit support for lunar missions. Ares replaces the Space Shuttle in the post 2010 time frame. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket topped by the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. The Ares I first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program's reusable solid rocket motor. The Ares second or upper stage is propelled by a J-2X main engine fueled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This paper describes the advanced systems engineering and planning tools being utilized for the design, test, and qualification of the Ares I first stage element. Included are descriptions of the current first stage design, the milestone schedule requirements, and the marriage of systems engineering, detailed planning efforts, and roadmapping employed to achieve these goals.

Longer term consequences of the Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laporte, T. R.

1972-01-01

An assessment of the STOL aircraft and the various means of employing it are discussed in the light of a research study to evaluate the efficacy of such analyses. It was determined that current approaches to assessment are generally inadequate for investigating the full social consequences of implementing a new technology. It is stated that a meaningful methodology of technology assessment must reflect mechanisms underlying the relationship of technology to social change. Interrelated methods which are discussed are: (1) gaming and simulation as heurisitic approaches in analysis and inquiry, (2) long range planning and questions of the future, (3) planning theory as a background for critical analysis of policy planning, and (4) social theory, with particular emphasis on social change and systems theories.

Software reuse in spacecraft planning and scheduling systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclean, David; Tuchman, Alan; Broseghini, Todd; Yen, Wen; Page, Brenda; Johnson, Jay; Bogovich, Lynn; Burkhardt, Chris; Mcintyre, James; Klein, Scott

1993-01-01

The use of a software toolkit and development methodology that supports software reuse is described. The toolkit includes source-code-level library modules and stand-alone tools which support such tasks as data reformatting and report generation, simple relational database applications, user interfaces, tactical planning, strategic planning and documentation. The current toolkit is written in C and supports applications that run on IBM-PC's under DOS and UNlX-based workstations under OpenLook and Motif. The toolkit is fully integrated for building scheduling systems that reuse AI knowledge base technology. A typical scheduling scenario and three examples of applications that utilize the reuse toolkit will be briefly described. In addition to the tools themselves, a description of the software evolution and reuse methodology that was used is presented.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Institutional Plan FY 1994--1999

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

Not Available

1993-09-01

The Institutional Plan provides an overview of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory mission, strategic plan, scientific initiatives, research programs, environment and safety program plans, educational and technology transfer efforts, human resources, and facilities needs. For FY 1994-1999 the Institutional Plan reflects significant revisions based on the Laboratory`s strategic planning process. The Strategic Plan section identifies long-range conditions that will influence the Laboratory, as well as potential research trends and management implications. The Initiatives section identifies potential new research programs that represent major long-term opportunities for the Laboratory, and the resources required for their implementation. The Scientific and Technical Programs section summarizesmore » current programs and potential changes in research program activity. The Environment, Safety, and Health section describes the management systems and programs underway at the Laboratory to protect the environment, the public, and the employees. The Technology Transfer and Education programs section describes current and planned programs to enhance the nation`s scientific literacy and human infrastructure and to improve economic competitiveness. The Human Resources section identifies LBL staff diversity and development program. The section on Site and Facilities discusses resources required to sustain and improve the physical plant and its equipment. The new section on Information Resources reflects the importance of computing and communication resources to the Laboratory. The Resource Projections are estimates of required budgetary authority for the Laboratory`s ongoing research programs. The Institutional Plan is a management report for integration with the Department of Energy`s strategic planning activities, developed through an annual planning process.« less

The Submillimeter Array – current status and future plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blundell, Raymond

2018-01-01

The current SMA receiver systems were designed in the mid-1990s and have been operating for more than fifteen years. With regular upgrades to receivers, deployment of the SWARM correlator, expansion of the IF signal transport bandwidth via improvements to the analog IF signal processing hardware, and many other enhancements, the SMA currently greatly outperforms its original specifications in terms of sensitivity, instantaneous bandwidth, and availability of observing modes such as full-Stokes polarization and dual frequency operation.We have recently started to implement a three-year instrument upgrade plan, which we are calling the wSMA. The wSMA will offer even wider bandwidth operation than the current SMA and improved sensitivity. The major subsystems that will form the wSMA include significantly improved, dual polarization receiver cartridges housed in a new cryostat; local oscillator units incorporating modern mm-wave technology; an upgraded signal transmission system; and a further expansion of the SWARM correlator. The cryostat will be cooled by a low-maintenance pulse-tube cryocooler. Two dual-polarization receiver cartridges will cover approximately the same sky frequencies as the current receiver sets; the low-band receiver will be fed by an LO unit covering 210-270 GHz, and the high-band receiver will be fed by an LO covering 280-360 GHz. With a receiver IF band of 4-20 GHz, this will enable continuous sky frequency coverage from 190 GHz to 380 GHz.Details of the upgrade plans will be presented together with a discussion of scientific opportunities afforded by this upgrade, which, once implemented, will enable the SMA to continue to produce the highest quality science throughout the next decade.

[Centralized immunization schedules and regional equity of access: an audit among Apulian healthcare workers].

PubMed

Tafuri, S; Martinelli, D; Caputi, G; Fortunato, F; Germinario, C; Prato, R

2009-01-01

The reform of the Vth Title of the Italian Constitution has given the Regions autonomous power over planning of their immunization programme and immunization calendar. This amendment has federalized Italy's vaccination system and, is justified by epidemiological evidence however casts doubt on its provision of equal rights to health care. The objective of this current study is to gain insight into the opinion of vaccine services officers in the Apulia region on federal immunization and the regional immunization programme. Research was conducted using an anonymous standardized questionnaire to which 302 vaccines services staff responded. 67.4% of respondents believe that the current federal vaccination programme should be maintained, whilst 20.2% believe that the current system should be eradicated and 12.4% believe it should be phased out gradually. The current apulian vaccination calendar provides free and active immunizations for all newborns for the pneumococcal, meningitis C, chickenpox and hepatitis A vaccines. The interviewees believe that the vaccinations provided in the regional immunization programme are very important (average importance out of 10 = 6.1/7). The positive response to the regional vaccination plan given by the health officers explains, at least in part, the conservative attitude tewards federal vaccination plans. It cannot be excluded that sacrificing regional autonomy over vaccination programmes might be considered by the vaccination officers as being responsible for the abandonment of the Region's long established immunization practices. The success of these practices is evident in the case of the Region's Hepatitis A immunization programme where the active provision of this vaccine has drastically reduced the endemicity of the illness in Apulia. These experiences of good practice should be adequately considered in before opting to phase out the current immunisation programme.

Space-based solar power conversion and delivery systems study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hazelrigg, G. A., Jr.

1976-01-01

The technical and economic aspects of satellite solar power systems are presented with a focus on the current configuration 5000 MW system. The technical studies include analyses of the orbital system structures, control and stationkeeping, and the formulation of program plans and costs for input to the economic analyses. The economic analyses centered about the development and use of a risk analysis model for a system cost assessment, identification of critical issues and technologies, and to provide information for programmatic decision making. A preliminary economic examination of some utility interface issues is included. Under the present state-of-knowledge, it is possible to formulate a program plan for the development of a satellite solar power system that can be economically justified. The key area of technological uncertainty is man's ability to fabricate and assemble large structures in space.

A new digital land mobile satellite system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Philip

A description is given of the different digital services planned to be carried over existing and planned mobile satellite systems. These systems are then compared with analog services in terms of bandwidth and power efficiency. This comparison provides the rationale for the establishment of a digital land mobile satellite service (DLMSS) to use frequencies that are currently available but not yet assigned to a domestic mobile satellite system in the United States. The focus here is on the expected advantages of digital transmission techniques in accommodating additional mobile satellite systems in this portion of the spectrum, and how such techniques can fully satisfy voice, data and facsimile mobile communications requirements in a cost effective manner. A description is given of the system architecture of the DMLSS service proposed by the Geostar Messaging Corporation (GMC) and the market potential of DLMSS.

A new digital land mobile satellite system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, Philip

1990-01-01

A description is given of the different digital services planned to be carried over existing and planned mobile satellite systems. These systems are then compared with analog services in terms of bandwidth and power efficiency. This comparison provides the rationale for the establishment of a digital land mobile satellite service (DLMSS) to use frequencies that are currently available but not yet assigned to a domestic mobile satellite system in the United States. The focus here is on the expected advantages of digital transmission techniques in accommodating additional mobile satellite systems in this portion of the spectrum, and how such techniques can fully satisfy voice, data and facsimile mobile communications requirements in a cost effective manner. A description is given of the system architecture of the DMLSS service proposed by the Geostar Messaging Corporation (GMC) and the market potential of DLMSS.

VERS: a virtual environment for reconstructive surgery planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montgomery, Kevin N.

1997-05-01

The virtual environment for reconstructive surgery (VERS) project at the NASA Ames Biocomputation Center is applying virtual reality technology to aid surgeons in planning surgeries. We are working with a craniofacial surgeon at Stanford to assemble and visualize the bone structure of patients requiring reconstructive surgery either through developmental abnormalities or trauma. This project is an extension of our previous work in 3D reconstruction, mesh generation, and immersive visualization. The current VR system, consisting of an SGI Onyx RE2, FakeSpace BOOM and ImmersiveWorkbench, Virtual Technologies CyberGlove and Ascension Technologies tracker, is currently in development and has already been used to visualize defects preoperatively. In the near future it will be used to more fully plan the surgery and compute the projected result to soft tissue structure. This paper presents the work in progress and details the production of a high-performance, collaborative, and networked virtual environment.

Embedding ecosystem services in coastal planning leads to better outcomes for people and nature

PubMed Central

Arkema, Katie K.; Verutes, Gregory M.; Wood, Spencer A.; Clarke-Samuels, Chantalle; Rosado, Samir; Canto, Maritza; Rosenthal, Amy; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Guannel, Gregory; Toft, Jodie; Faries, Joe; Silver, Jessica M.; Griffin, Robert; Guerry, Anne D.

2015-01-01

Recent calls for ocean planning envision informed management of social and ecological systems to sustain delivery of ecosystem services to people. However, until now, no coastal and marine planning process has applied an ecosystem-services framework to understand how human activities affect the flow of benefits, to create scenarios, and to design a management plan. We developed models that quantify services provided by corals, mangroves, and seagrasses. We used these models within an extensive engagement process to design a national spatial plan for Belize’s coastal zone. Through iteration of modeling and stakeholder engagement, we developed a preferred plan, currently under formal consideration by the Belizean government. Our results suggest that the preferred plan will lead to greater returns from coastal protection and tourism than outcomes from scenarios oriented toward achieving either conservation or development goals. The plan will also reduce impacts to coastal habitat and increase revenues from lobster fishing relative to current management. By accounting for spatial variation in the impacts of coastal and ocean activities on benefits that ecosystems provide to people, our models allowed stakeholders and policymakers to refine zones of human use. The final version of the preferred plan improved expected coastal protection by >25% and more than doubled the revenue from fishing, compared with earlier versions based on stakeholder preferences alone. Including outcomes in terms of ecosystem-service supply and value allowed for explicit consideration of multiple benefits from oceans and coasts that typically are evaluated separately in management decisions. PMID:26082545

Embedding ecosystem services in coastal planning leads to better outcomes for people and nature.

PubMed

Arkema, Katie K; Verutes, Gregory M; Wood, Spencer A; Clarke-Samuels, Chantalle; Rosado, Samir; Canto, Maritza; Rosenthal, Amy; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Guannel, Gregory; Toft, Jodie; Faries, Joe; Silver, Jessica M; Griffin, Robert; Guerry, Anne D

2015-06-16

Recent calls for ocean planning envision informed management of social and ecological systems to sustain delivery of ecosystem services to people. However, until now, no coastal and marine planning process has applied an ecosystem-services framework to understand how human activities affect the flow of benefits, to create scenarios, and to design a management plan. We developed models that quantify services provided by corals, mangroves, and seagrasses. We used these models within an extensive engagement process to design a national spatial plan for Belize's coastal zone. Through iteration of modeling and stakeholder engagement, we developed a preferred plan, currently under formal consideration by the Belizean government. Our results suggest that the preferred plan will lead to greater returns from coastal protection and tourism than outcomes from scenarios oriented toward achieving either conservation or development goals. The plan will also reduce impacts to coastal habitat and increase revenues from lobster fishing relative to current management. By accounting for spatial variation in the impacts of coastal and ocean activities on benefits that ecosystems provide to people, our models allowed stakeholders and policymakers to refine zones of human use. The final version of the preferred plan improved expected coastal protection by >25% and more than doubled the revenue from fishing, compared with earlier versions based on stakeholder preferences alone. Including outcomes in terms of ecosystem-service supply and value allowed for explicit consideration of multiple benefits from oceans and coasts that typically are evaluated separately in management decisions.

Autonomous navigation and control of a Mars rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, D. P.; Atkinson, D. J.; Wilcox, B. H.; Mishkin, A. H.

1990-01-01

A Mars rover will need to be able to navigate autonomously kilometers at a time. This paper outlines the sensing, perception, planning, and execution monitoring systems that are currently being designed for the rover. The sensing is based around stereo vision. The interpretation of the images use a registration of the depth map with a global height map provided by an orbiting spacecraft. Safe, low energy paths are then planned through the map, and expectations of what the rover's articulation sensors should sense are generated. These expectations are then used to ensure that the planned path is correctly being executed.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Institutional Plan, FY 1993--1998

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

Chew, Joseph T.; Stroh, Suzanne C.; Maio, Linda R.

1992-10-01

The FY 1993--1998 Institutional Plan provides an overview of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory mission, strategic plan, scientific initiatives, research programs, environment and safety program plans, educational and technology transfer efforts, human resources, and facilities needs. The Strategic Plan section identifies long-range conditions that can influence the Laboratory, potential research trends, and several management implications. The Initiatives section identifies potential new research programs that represent major long-term opportunities for the Laboratory and the resources required for their implementation. The Scientific and Technical Programs section summarizes current programs and potential changes in research program activity. The Environment, Safety, and Health section describesmore » the management systems and programs underway at the Laboratory to protect the environment, the public, and the employees. The Technology Transfer and Education programs section describes current and planned programs to enhance the nation`s scientific literacy and human infrastructure and to improve economic competitiveness. The Human Resources section identifies LBL staff composition and development programs. The section on Site and Facilities discusses resources required to sustain and improve the physical plant and its equipment. The Resource Projections are estimates of required budgetary authority for the Laboratory`s ongoing research programs. The plan is an institutional management report for integration with the Department of Energy`s strategic planning activities that is developed through an annual planning process. The plan identifies technical and administrative directions in the context of the National Energy Strategy and the Department of Energy`s program planning initiatives. Preparation of the plan is coordinated by the Office for Planning and Development from information contributed by the Laboratory`s scientific and support divisions.« less

Evaluation of an artificial intelligence guided inverse planning system: clinical case study.

PubMed

Yan, Hui; Yin, Fang-Fang; Willett, Christopher

2007-04-01

An artificial intelligence (AI) guided method for parameter adjustment of inverse planning was implemented on a commercial inverse treatment planning system. For evaluation purpose, four typical clinical cases were tested and the results from both plans achieved by automated and manual methods were compared. The procedure of parameter adjustment mainly consists of three major loops. Each loop is in charge of modifying parameters of one category, which is carried out by a specially customized fuzzy inference system. A physician prescribed multiple constraints for a selected volume were adopted to account for the tradeoff between prescription dose to the PTV and dose-volume constraints for critical organs. The searching process for an optimal parameter combination began with the first constraint, and proceeds to the next until a plan with acceptable dose was achieved. The initial setup of the plan parameters was the same for each case and was adjusted independently by both manual and automated methods. After the parameters of one category were updated, the intensity maps of all fields were re-optimized and the plan dose was subsequently re-calculated. When final plan arrived, the dose statistics were calculated from both plans and compared. For planned target volume (PTV), the dose for 95% volume is up to 10% higher in plans using the automated method than those using the manual method. For critical organs, an average decrease of the plan dose was achieved. However, the automated method cannot improve the plan dose for some critical organs due to limitations of the inference rules currently employed. For normal tissue, there was no significant difference between plan doses achieved by either automated or manual method. With the application of AI-guided method, the basic parameter adjustment task can be accomplished automatically and a comparable plan dose was achieved in comparison with that achieved by the manual method. Future improvements to incorporate case-specific inference rules are essential to fully automate the inverse planning process.

Collective Intelligence and Three Aspects of Planning in Organizations: A NASA Example

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Billman, Dorrit; Feary, Michael

2010-01-01

For many complex sociotechnical systems, planning seems to require explicit coordination; certainly, in executing a plan the activities of different actors must be tightly coupled. However, distributing the needed planning information can be very burdensome and error prone, because different groups need different collections of information, updated or kept current on different time cycles. Further, the information needed to form successful plans is often highly distributed, and while feedback about the success of prior plans may exist, it may not be available to those in a position of using this to improve plans or to detect and resolve other problems in the system (Weick, 1995). Tools to support various aspects of planning have been developed, and can provide a huge benefit to the individuals working on that aspect. To be tractable, most solutions address a quite bounded slice of work, isolating it from the larger context. Prospective planning takes place over multiple, nested cycles of decision making. This builds a plan that specifies activities of different granularity. "Subplans" may specify multiple parallel activities by different groups and individuals, as well as sequential, nested actions by a single actor. Planning produces valuable, sharable, external, representations: in addition to prospective use, plans support retrospective assessment and also action in the present. Viewing planning in a larger context - both temporal and organizational -- enables noticing what one does not know and generating more systemic and effective solutions. Viewing a problem as one of collective intelligence invites thinking about the larger organizational context. Many approaches to supporting collective intelligence do not support execution of highly contingent actions, distributed across many players, and hence provide incomplete support for planning. However, CI technology maybe helpful in managing the processes of gathering information for decision making in planning and of distributing plan information to various actors, needed on various time cycles.

Turbine Technology Team - An overview of current and planned activities relevant to the National Launch System (NLS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Lisa W.; Huber, Frank W.

1992-01-01

The current status of the activities and future plans of the Turbine Technology Team of the Consortium for Computational Fluid Dynamics is reviewed. The activities of the Turbine Team focus on developing and enhancing codes and models, obtaining data for code validation and general understanding of flows through turbines, and developing and analyzing the aerodynamic designs of turbines suitable for use in the Space Transportation Main Engine fuel and oxidizer turbopumps. Future work will include the experimental evaluation of the oxidizer turbine configuration, the development, analysis, and experimental verification of concepts to control secondary and tip losses, and the aerodynamic design, analysis, and experimental evaluation of turbine volutes.

Verification of intensity modulated radiation therapy beams using a tissue equivalent plastic scintillator dosimetry system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petric, Martin Peter

This thesis describes the development and implementation of a novel method for the dosimetric verification of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) fields with several advantages over current techniques. Through the use of a tissue equivalent plastic scintillator sheet viewed by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, this method provides a truly tissue equivalent dosimetry system capable of efficiently and accurately performing field-by-field verification of IMRT plans. This work was motivated by an initial study comparing two IMRT treatment planning systems. The clinical functionality of BrainLAB's BrainSCAN and Varian's Helios IMRT treatment planning systems were compared in terms of implementation and commissioning, dose optimization, and plan assessment. Implementation and commissioning revealed differences in the beam data required to characterize the beam prior to use with the BrainSCAN system requiring higher resolution data compared to Helios. This difference was found to impact on the ability of the systems to accurately calculate dose for highly modulated fields, with BrainSCAN being more successful than Helios. The dose optimization and plan assessment comparisons revealed that while both systems use considerably different optimization algorithms and user-control interfaces, they are both capable of producing substantially equivalent dose plans. The extensive use of dosimetric verification techniques in the IMRT treatment planning comparison study motivated the development and implementation of a novel IMRT dosimetric verification system. The system consists of a water-filled phantom with a tissue equivalent plastic scintillator sheet built into the top surface. Scintillation light is reflected by a plastic mirror within the phantom towards a viewing window where it is captured using a CCD camera. Optical photon spread is removed using a micro-louvre optical collimator and by deconvolving a glare kernel from the raw images. Characterization of this new dosimetric verification system indicates excellent dose response and spatial linearity, high spatial resolution, and good signal uniformity and reproducibility. Dosimetric results from square fields, dynamic wedged fields, and a 7-field head and neck IMRT treatment plan indicate good agreement with film dosimetry distributions. Efficiency analysis of the system reveals a 50% reduction in time requirements for field-by-field verification of a 7-field IMRT treatment plan compared to film dosimetry.

A Distributed User Information System

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

NOE08 Department of Computer Science NOVO 8 1990 University of Maryland S College Park, MD 20742 D Abstract Current user information database technology ...Transactions on Computer Systems, May 1988. [So189] K. Sollins. A plan for internet directory services. Technical report, DDN Network Information Center...2424 A Distributed User Information System DTiC Steven D. Miller, Scott Carson, and Leo Mark DELECTE Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and

Enterprise systems in Russia: 1992-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kataev, Michael Yu; Bulysheva, Larisa A.; Emelyanenko, Alexander A.; Emelyanenko, Vladimir A.

2013-05-01

This paper introduces the enterprise systems (ES) development and implementation in Russia in the past three decades. Historic analysis shows that, in terms of time frame, the development of ACS (Automated Control Systems) in the former Soviet Union and the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) in the West was almost parallel. In this paper, the current status and the major trend of ES in Russia is discussed.

IOLS '98. Proceedings of the National Conference on Integrated Online Library Systems (13th, New York, New York, May 13-14, 1998).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cibbarelli, Pamela R., Comp.; Nixon, Carol, Comp.

Integrated Online Library Systems (IOLS) focuses exclusively on the issues of planning and managing automated systems in libraries and information centers. The theme of the IOLS '98 annual meeting is "Embrace and Extend," and 18 papers were selected for presentation that provide insight into the current technologies being "embraced" in libraries.…

Environmental Assessment for Housing Demolition, Construction, Renovation, and Leasing Bethel Manor, Lighter-Than-Air, and Heavier-Than-Air Military Family Housing Areas

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

storm water system or connections would be designed and constructed to comply with current VDES regulations. The No Action discussion for a storm...3-11 3.5.6 Transportation System .............................................................................. 3...Waste Systems of Virginia CAA Clean Air Act CDP Community Development Plan CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental

A Survey of Dual-Use Issues,

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-03-01

positioning systems used for navigation, aircraft engines , and most medical and safety equipment used by DoD. Some modified commercial products are similar...supercomputers, commercial jet aircraft and aircraft engines , the global positioning system (GPS), and composite materials.13 In each of these...turbine engine technologies capable of delivering double the propulsion performance of current systems by the year 2000. The plan to reach this goal is

A Future with Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems: A NASA Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelRosario, Ruben

2014-01-01

The presentation highlights a NASA perspective on Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems for aeronautical applications. Discussed are results from NASA Advance Concepts Study for Aircraft Entering service in 2030 and beyond and the potential use of hybrid electric propulsion systems as a potential solution to the requirements for energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. Current progress and notional potential NASA research plans are presented.

Advancing the integration of hospital IT. Pitfalls and perspectives when replacing specialized software for high-risk environments with enterprise system extensions.

PubMed

Engelmann, Carsten; Ametowobla, Dzifa

2017-05-17

Planning and controlling surgical operations hugely impacts upon productivity, patient safety, and surgeons' careers. Established, specialized software for this task is being increasingly replaced by "Operating Room (OR)-modules" appended to enterprise-wide resource planning (ERP) systems. As a result, usability problems are re-emerging and require developers' attention. Systematic evaluation of the functionality and social repercussions of a global, market-leading IT business control system (SAP R3, Germany), adapted for real-time OR process steering. Field study involving document analyses, interviews, and a 73-item survey addressed to 77 qualified (> 1-year system experience) senior planning executives (end users; "planners") working in surgical departments of university hospitals. Planners reported that 57% of electronic operation requests contained contradictory information. Key screens contained clinically irrelevant areas (36 +/- 29%). Compared to the legacy system, users reported either no improvements or worse performance, in regard to co-ordination of OR stakeholders, intra-day program changes, and safety. Planners concluded that the ERP-planning module was "non-intuitive" (66%), increased planning work (56%, p=0.002), and did not impact upon either organizational mishap spectrum or frequency. Interviews evidenced intra-institutional power shifts due to increased system complexity. Planners resented e.g. a trend towards increased personal culpability for mishap. Highly complex enterprise system extensions may not be directly suited to specific process steering tasks in a high risk/low error-environment like the OR. In view of surgeons' high primary task load, the repeated call for simpler IT is an imperative for ERP extensions. System design should consider a) that current OR IT suffers from an input limitation regarding planning-relevant real-time data, and b) that there are social processes that strongly affect planning and particularly ERP use beyond algorithms. Real improvement of clinical IT tools requires their independent evaluation according to standards developed for pharmaceutical subjects.

An illustration of whole systems thinking.

PubMed

Kalim, Kanwal; Carson, Ewart; Cramp, Derek

2006-08-01

The complexity of policy-making in the NHS is such that systemic, holistic thinking is needed if the current government's plans are to be realized. This paper describes systems thinking and illustrates its value in understanding the complexity of the diabetes National Service Framework (NSF); its role in identifying problems and barriers previously not predicted; and in reaching conclusions as to how it should be implemented. The approach adopted makes use of soft systems methodology (SSM) devised by Peter Checkland. This analysis reveals issues relating to human communication, information provision and resource allocation needing to be addressed. From this, desirable and feasible changes are explored as means of achieving a more effective NSF, examining possible changes from technical, organizational, economic and cultural perspectives. As well as testing current health policies and plans, SSM can be used to test the feasibility of new health policies. This is achieved by providing a greater understanding and appreciation of what is happening in the real world and how people work. Soft systems thinking is the best approach, given the complexity of health care. It is a flexible, cost-effective solution, which should be a prerequisite before any new health policy is launched.

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

The Sun/Earth System and Space Weather

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poland, Arthur I.; Fox, Nicola; Lucid, Shannon

2003-01-01

Solar variability and solar activity are now seen as significant drivers with respect to the Earth and human technology systems. Observations over the last 10 years have significantly advanced our understanding of causes and effects in the Sun/Earth system. On a practical level the interactions between the Sun and Earth dictate how we build our systems in space (communications satellites, GPS, etc), and some of our ground systems (power grids). This talk will be about the Sun/Earth system: how it changes with time, its magnetic interactions, flares, the solar wind, and how the Sun effects human systems. Data will be presented from some current spacecraft which show, for example, how we are able to currently give warnings to the scientific community, the Government and industry about space storms and how this data has improved our physical understanding of processes on the Sun and in the magnetosphere. The scientific advances provided by our current spacecraft has led to a new program in NASA to develop a 'Space Weather' system called 'Living With a Star'. The current plan for the 'Living With a Star' program will also be presented.

Systemwide board assessment.

PubMed

Hafertepe, E C

1987-01-01

The Sisters of Charity Health Care System (SCHCS), Inc., Cincinnati, undertook a systemwide board evaluation project to support and enhance effective aspects of governance and to deal with obstacles that often arise due to differing beliefs and role confusion. A task force of chief executive officers developed the questionnaire, which was then administered to members of individual facilities' boards and the system's board. The documented highlighted value issues important to SCHCS's ministry and business activities: overall board responsibilities, financial responsibilities, strategic planning, the board's role, committee structures, the board's operating process, board education, and overall board effectiveness. The responses from each member were returned to the local boards, who analyzed them and developed an action plan. A summary of each facility's responses and action plans were forwarded to the system's corporate office. The CEO committee critiqued the process and reported on significant issues and action plans. In general, survey results revealed a strong influence of mission and philosophy in decision making, support for current processes, and effective interaction among board members. The system's corporate office will use the responses to respond to a dynamic environment and strengthen their role in the delivery of Catholic health care services.

Commissioning and initial acceptance tests for a commercial convolution dose calculation algorithm for radiotherapy treatment planning in comparison with Monte Carlo simulation and measurement

PubMed Central

Moradi, Farhad; Mahdavi, Seyed Rabi; Mostaar, Ahmad; Motamedi, Mohsen

2012-01-01

In this study the commissioning of a dose calculation algorithm in a currently used treatment planning system was performed and the calculation accuracy of two available methods in the treatment planning system i.e., collapsed cone convolution (CCC) and equivalent tissue air ratio (ETAR) was verified in tissue heterogeneities. For this purpose an inhomogeneous phantom (IMRT thorax phantom) was used and dose curves obtained by the TPS (treatment planning system) were compared with experimental measurements and Monte Carlo (MCNP code) simulation. Dose measurements were performed by using EDR2 radiographic films within the phantom. Dose difference (DD) between experimental results and two calculation methods was obtained. Results indicate maximum difference of 12% in the lung and 3% in the bone tissue of the phantom between two methods and the CCC algorithm shows more accurate depth dose curves in tissue heterogeneities. Simulation results show the accurate dose estimation by MCNP4C in soft tissue region of the phantom and also better results than ETAR method in bone and lung tissues. PMID:22973081

Shuttle/Agena study. Volume 2, part 3: Preliminary test plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Proposed testing for the Agena tug program is based upon best estimates of shuttle and Agena tug requirements and upon the Agena configuration currently envisioned to meet these requirements. The proposed tests are presented in development, qualification, system, and launch base test plans. These plans are based upon generalized requirements and assumed situations. The limitations of this study precluded all but minimal consideration of related shuttle orbiter and shuttle ground systems. The test plans include provisions for all testing from major component to systems level, identified as necessary to aid in confirmation of the modified Agena configuration for the space tug; considerations that crew safety requirements and new environmental conditions from shuttle interface effects do impose some new Agena testing requirements; considerations that many existing Agena flight-qualified components will be utilized and qualification testing will be minimal; testing not only for the Agena tug but also for new or modified items of handling or servicing equipment for supporting the Agena factory-to-launch sequence; and the assembly of required testing into a sequence-ordered series of events.

National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan: Five-Year Horizon

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

This white paper is a follow-up to the Volpe Center report for FHWA, Ridesharing Options Analysis and Practitioners Toolkit. The white paper provides an update to current ridesharing options and further explores technology and policy develop...

78 FR 50077 - Intent To Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: Pipeline...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-16

... maps, security plans, etc.); and Actual or suspected cyber-attacks that could impact pipeline... suspected attacks on pipeline systems, facilities, or assets; Bomb threats or weapons of mass destruction...

Kenya's Harambee Institutes of Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kintzer, Frederick C.

1989-01-01

Reviews the history and current status of the Harambee Institutes of Technology in Kenya. Offers a critique of the parallel vocationalized system. Discusses the vocational-technical/general education controversy, diversification among types of schools, financing, and the 8-4-4 Plan. (DMM)

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site transportation analysis report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

The Volpe Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is providing transportation support to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site's (NHS) first General Management Plan (GMP), which will be complete in 2010 or 2011. Currently, Martin Van Buren NHS...

77 FR 59095 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Mississippi: New Source Review-Prevention of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-26

... authority for use in the PSD permitting process. See 75 FR 64864 at 64899. \\18\\ EPA is currently developing... ethanol by natural fermentation under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes...

18 CFR 1304.201 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... application, TVA-owned shorelands designated in TVA's property forecast system as “reservoir operations... the following TVA-reservoir shoreland classifications: (1) TVA-owned shorelands over which the... in current TVA Reservoir Land Management Plans as open for consideration of residential development...

18 CFR 1304.201 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... application, TVA-owned shorelands designated in TVA's property forecast system as “reservoir operations... the following TVA-reservoir shoreland classifications: (1) TVA-owned shorelands over which the... in current TVA Reservoir Land Management Plans as open for consideration of residential development...

29 CFR 30.4 - Affirmative action plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., training, and motivation of present and potential minority and female (minority and nonminority... reasonably be expected to increase minority and female participation in apprenticeship by expanding the... current opportunities therein. (3) Cooperation with local school boards and vocational education systems...

29 CFR 30.4 - Affirmative action plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., training, and motivation of present and potential minority and female (minority and nonminority... reasonably be expected to increase minority and female participation in apprenticeship by expanding the... current opportunities therein. (3) Cooperation with local school boards and vocational education systems...

29 CFR 30.4 - Affirmative action plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., training, and motivation of present and potential minority and female (minority and nonminority... reasonably be expected to increase minority and female participation in apprenticeship by expanding the... current opportunities therein. (3) Cooperation with local school boards and vocational education systems...

29 CFR 30.4 - Affirmative action plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., training, and motivation of present and potential minority and female (minority and nonminority... reasonably be expected to increase minority and female participation in apprenticeship by expanding the... current opportunities therein. (3) Cooperation with local school boards and vocational education systems...

Mine-hunting dolphins of the Navy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Patrick W.

1997-07-01

Current counter-mine and obstacle avoidance technology is inadequate, and limits the Navy's capability to conduct shallow water (SW) and very shallow water (VSW) MCM in support of beach assaults by Marine Corps forces. Without information as to the location or density of mined beach areas, it must be assumed that if mines are present in one area then they are present in all areas. Marine mammal systems (MMS) are an unusual, effective and unique solution to current problems of mine and obstacle hunting. In the US Navy Mine Warfare Plan for 1994-1995 Marine Mammal Systems are explicitly identified as the Navy's only means of countering buried mines and the best means for dealing with close-tethered mines. The dolphins in these systems possess a biological sonar specifically adapted for their shallow and very shallow water habitat. Research has demonstrated that the dolphin biosonar outperforms any current hardware system available for SW and VSW applications. This presentation will cover current Fleet MCM systems and future technology application to the littoral region.

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.

ReaCog, a Minimal Cognitive Controller Based on Recruitment of Reactive Systems

PubMed Central

Schilling, Malte; Cruse, Holk

2017-01-01

It has often been stated that for a neuronal system to become a cognitive one, it has to be large enough. In contrast, we argue that a basic property of a cognitive system, namely the ability to plan ahead, can already be fulfilled by small neuronal systems. As a proof of concept, we propose an artificial neural network, termed reaCog, that, first, is able to deal with a specific domain of behavior (six-legged-walking). Second, we show how a minor expansion of this system enables the system to plan ahead and deploy existing behavioral elements in novel contexts in order to solve current problems. To this end, the system invents new solutions that are not possible for the reactive network. Rather these solutions result from new combinations of given memory elements. This faculty does not rely on a dedicated system being more or less independent of the reactive basis, but results from exploitation of the reactive basis by recruiting the lower-level control structures in a way that motor planning becomes possible as an internal simulation relying on internal representation being grounded in embodied experiences. PMID:28194106

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

Barbee, D; McCarthy, A; Galavis, P

Purpose: Errors found during initial physics plan checks frequently require replanning and reprinting, resulting decreased departmental efficiency. Additionally, errors may be missed during physics checks, resulting in potential treatment errors or interruption. This work presents a process control created using the Eclipse Scripting API (ESAPI) enabling dosimetrists and physicists to detect potential errors in the Eclipse treatment planning system prior to performing any plan approvals or printing. Methods: Potential failure modes for five categories were generated based on available ESAPI (v11) patient object properties: Images, Contours, Plans, Beams, and Dose. An Eclipse script plugin (PlanCheck) was written in C# tomore » check errors most frequently observed clinically in each of the categories. The PlanCheck algorithms were devised to check technical aspects of plans, such as deliverability (e.g. minimum EDW MUs), in addition to ensuring that policy and procedures relating to planning were being followed. The effect on clinical workflow efficiency was measured by tracking the plan document error rate and plan revision/retirement rates in the Aria database over monthly intervals. Results: The number of potential failure modes the PlanCheck script is currently capable of checking for in the following categories: Images (6), Contours (7), Plans (8), Beams (17), and Dose (4). Prior to implementation of the PlanCheck plugin, the observed error rates in errored plan documents and revised/retired plans in the Aria database was 20% and 22%, respectively. Error rates were seen to decrease gradually over time as adoption of the script improved. Conclusion: A process control created using the Eclipse scripting API enabled plan checks to occur within the planning system, resulting in reduction in error rates and improved efficiency. Future work includes: initiating full FMEA for planning workflow, extending categories to include additional checks outside of ESAPI via Aria database queries, and eventual automated plan checks.« less

Care plans and care planning in long-term conditions: a conceptual model.

PubMed

Burt, Jenni; Rick, Jo; Blakeman, Thomas; Protheroe, Joanne; Roland, Martin; Bower, Pete

2014-10-01

The prevalence and impact of long-term conditions continues to rise. Care planning for people with long-term conditions has been a policy priority for chronic disease management in a number of health-care systems. However, patients and providers appear unclear about the formulation and implementation of care planning. Further work in this area is therefore required to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future care planning initiatives. We distinguish between 'care planning' (the process by which health-care professionals and patients discuss, agree and review an action plan to achieve the goals or behaviour change of most relevance and concern to the patient) and a 'care plan' (a written document recording the outcome of a care planning process). We propose a typology of care planning and care plans with three core dimensions: perspective (patient or professional), scope (a focus on goals or on behaviours) and networks (confined to the professional-patient dyad or extending to the entire care network). In addition, we draw on psychological models of mediation and moderation to outline potential mechanisms through which care planning and care plans may lead to improved outcomes for both patients and the wider health-care system. The proposed typology of care planning and care plans offered here, along with the model of the process by which care planning may influence outcomes, provide a useful framework for future policy developments and evaluations. Empirical work is required to explore the degree to which current care planning approaches and care plans can be described according to these dimensions, and the factors that determine which types of patients and professionals use which type of care plans.

From chart tracking to workflow management.

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, P.; Vignes, G.; Venable, C.; Hazelwood, A.; Cade, T.

1994-01-01

The current interest in system-wide integration appears to be based on the assumption that an organization, by digitizing information and accepting a common standard for the exchange of such information, will improve the accessibility of this information and automatically experience benefits resulting from its more productive use. We do not dispute this reasoning, but assert that an organization's capacity for effective change is proportional to the understanding of the current structure among its personnel. Our workflow manager is based on the use of a Parameterized Petri Net (PPN) model which can be configured to represent an arbitrarily detailed picture of an organization. The PPN model can be animated to observe the model organization in action, and the results of the animation analyzed. This simulation is a dynamic ongoing process which changes with the system and allows members of the organization to pose "what if" questions as a means of exploring opportunities for change. We present, the "workflow management system" as the natural successor to the tracking program, incorporating modeling, scheduling, reactive planning, performance evaluation, and simulation. This workflow management system is more than adequate for meeting the needs of a paper chart tracking system, and, as the patient record is computerized, will serve as a planning and evaluation tool in converting the paper-based health information system into a computer-based system. PMID:7950051

Design and implementation of land reservation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yurong; Gao, Qingqiang

2009-10-01

Land reservation is defined as a land management policy for insuring the government to control primary land market. It requires the government to obtain the land first, according to plan, by purchase, confiscation and exchanging, and then exploit and consolidate the land for reservation. Underlying this policy, it is possible for the government to satisfy and manipulate the needs of land for urban development. The author designs and develops "Land Reservation System for Eastern Lake Development District" (LRSELDD), which deals with the realistic land requirement problems in Wuhan Eastern Lake Development Districts. The LRSELDD utilizes modern technologies and solutions of computer science and GIS to process multiple source data related with land. Based on experiments on the system, this paper will first analyze workflow land reservation system and design the system structure based on its principles, then illustrate the approach of organization and management of spatial data, describe the system functions according to the characteristics of land reservation and consolidation finally. The system is running to serve for current work in Eastern Lake Development Districts. It is able to scientifically manage both current and planning land information, as well as the information about land supplying. We use the LRSELDD in our routine work, and with such information, decisions on land confiscation and allocation will be made wisely and scientifically.

Heating and current drive on NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, J. R.; Batchelor, D.; Carter, M.; Hosea, J.; Ignat, D.; LeBlanc, B.; Majeski, R.; Ono, M.; Phillips, C. K.; Rogers, J. H.; Schilling, G.

1997-04-01

Low aspect ratio tokamaks pose interesting new challenges for heating and current drive. The NSTX (National Spherical Tokamak Experiment) device to be built at Princeton is a low aspect ratio toroidal device that has the achievement of high toroidal beta (˜45%) and non-inductive operation as two of its main research goals. To achieve these goals significant auxiliary heating and current drive systems are required. Present plans include ECH (Electron cyclotron heating) for pre-ionization and start-up assist, HHFW (high harmonic fast wave) for heating and current drive and eventually NBI (neutral beam injection) for heating, current drive and plasma rotation.

School Partners in ILLINET. Automation Options for School Library Resource Sharing in Illinois. Final Report [and] Partners in ILLINET. Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howrey, Mary M.

This study was funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) to enable the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) to plan the automation of the state's school libraries. The research was intended to identify current national programs of interest to ISLMA, identify current automation programs within Illinois library systems,…

Status of Natural Gas Pipeline System Capacity Entering the 2000-2001 Heating Season

EIA Publications

2000-01-01

This special report looks at the capabilities of the national natural gas pipeline network in 2000 and provides an assessment of the current levels of available capacity to transport supplies from production areas to markets throughout the United States during the upcoming heating season. It also examines how completion of currently planned expansion projects and proposed new pipelines would affect the network.

Nursing home manager's knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about advance care planning for people with dementia in long-term care settings: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Beck, Esther-Ruth; McIlfatrick, Sonja; Hasson, Felicity; Leavey, Gerry

2017-09-01

To examine nursing home managers' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and current practice regarding advance care planning for people with dementia in long-term care settings informed by the theory of planned behaviour. Internationally, advance care planning is advocated for people with dementia. However, evidence suggests that discussions with people with dementia are rare, particularly in long-term care settings. Whilst nursing home managers can be considered central to implementation in this setting, there is a dearth of research that has examined their perspective. This study reports on their role with regard to advance care planning and the perceived factors which influence this. A cross-sectional postal survey was carried out as part of a larger scale sequential explanatory mixed-methods study between January-March 2015. Nursing home managers in a region in the UK (n = 178). A response rate of 66% (n = 116) was achieved. Nursing home managers demonstrated a lack of knowledge of advance care planning, with negative attitudes underpinned by concerns regarding the capacity and lack of perceived benefits to the person with dementia. Currently, they do not view advance care planning as part of their role, with lack of ownership impacting upon current practice behaviours. Whilst nursing home managers recognise the potential benefits of advance care planning, barriers and challenges create a reluctance to facilitate. Targeted training to address the knowledge deficit is required, with the wider components of advance care planning promoted. There is a need for greater role clarification to ensure nurses in long-term care settings identify with the process in the future. A gap between rhetoric and reality of implementation is evident; therefore, long-term care settings must critically examine system, organisational and individual factors for failure to implement advance care planning for people with dementia. Increased cognisance of the context in which advance care planning takes place is vital for improved implementation in this context. In addition strong nursing leadership is imperative to facilitate initiation, engagement and re-evaluation of the process of advance care planning. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integrating planning and reactive control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenschein, Stanley J.; Kaelbling, Leslie Pack

1989-01-01

Artificial intelligence research on planning is concerned with designing control systems that choose actions by manipulating explicit descriptions of the world state, the goal to be achieved, and the effects of elementary operations available to the system. Because planning shifts much of the burden of reasoning to the machine, it holds great appeal as a high-level programming method. Experience shows, however, that it cannot be used indiscriminately because even moderately rich languages for describing goals, states, and the elementary operators lead to computational inefficiencies that render the approach unsuitable for realistic applications. This inadequacy has spawned a recent wave of research on reactive control or situated activity in which control systems are modeled as reacting directly to the current situation rather than as reasoning about the future effects of alternative action sequences. While this research has confronted the issue of run-time tractability head on, in many cases it has done so by sacrificing the advantages of declarative planning techniques. Ways in which the two approaches can be unified are discussed. The authors begin by modeling reactive control systems as state machines that map a stream of sensory inputs to a stream of control outputs. These machines can be decomposed into two continuously active subsystems: the planner and the execution module. The planner computes a plan, which can be seen as a set of bits that control the behavior of the execution module. An important element of this work is the formulation of a precise semantic interpretation for the inputs and outputs of the planning system. They show that the distinction between planned and reactive behavior is largely in the eye of the beholder: systems that seem to compute explicit plans can be redescribed in situation-action terms and vice versa. They also discuss practical programming techniques that allow the advantages of declarative programming and guaranteed reactive response to be achieved simultaneously.

Diagnostic Tools for the Systemic Reform of Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amsler, Mary; Kirsch, Kayla

This paper presents three interrelated diagnostic tools that can be used by school staff as they begin to plan a systemic reform effort. These tools are designed to help educators reflect on their experiences in creating changes in their school and to examine the current barriers to and supports for the change process. The tools help school design…

Gaps and Barriers in Services for Children in State Mental Health Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gould, Sara R.; Beals-Erickson, Sarah E.; Roberts, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Significant gaps exist in children's mental healthcare, and barriers prevent access to existing services. Current federal initiatives call for state governmental agencies to recognize and resolve deficits in their systems of care. Previous work has acknowledged some of the problems in meeting the mental health needs of children within a system of…

Catalog of Wargaming and Military Simulation Models

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

and newly developed software models. This system currently (and will in the near term) supports battle force architecture design and evaluation...aborted air refuelings, or replacement aircraft. PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS: Completion of model. INPUT: Input fields are required to...vehicle mobility evaluation model). PROPONENT: Mobility Systems Division, Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station

Developing and Planning a Texas Based Homeschool Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Bobby K.

2011-01-01

Texas has some of the lowest SAT scores in the nation. They are ranked 36th nationwide in graduation rates and teacher salaries rank at number 33. The public school system in Texas has problems with overcrowding, violence, and poor performance on standardized testing. Currently 300,000 families have opted out of the public school system in order…

Finance and supply management project execution plan

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

BENNION, S.I.

As a subproject of the HANDI 2000 project, the Finance and Supply Management system is intended to serve FDH and Project Hanford major subcontractor with financial processes including general ledger, project costing, budgeting, and accounts payable, and supply management process including purchasing, inventory and contracts management. Currently these functions are performed with numerous legacy information systems and suboptimized processes.

Pros and Cons and Current Status of Merit Pay in the Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adkins, Gary A.

During the 1920's merit pay became the most preferred system of teacher compensation; however, today fewer than 4 percent of the school systems in the United States use merit pay plans. The National Education Association suggests that merit pay is a "bogus issue" obscuring more significant areas of education needing reform, and the…

Investigation Into The Effectiveness of The JLAB High Pressure Rinse System

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

John Mammosser; Timothy Rothgeb; Tong Wang

2003-05-01

As part of a study to reduce field emission in Superconducting radio frequency cavities, an investigation into the effectiveness of the Jefferson Lab's High Pressure Rinse (HPR) system is underway. This paper describes discoveries from this investigation, the procedural changes made during this investigation, current vertical test results and further plans for improvements and monitoring.

WE-D-BRB-02: Proton Treatment Planning and Beam Optimization

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

Pankuch, M.

2016-06-15

The goal of this session is to review the physics of proton therapy, treatment planning techniques, and the use of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. The course material covers the physics of proton interaction with matter and physical characteristics of clinical proton beams. It will provide information on proton delivery systems and beam delivery techniques for double scattering (DS), uniform scanning (US), and pencil beam scanning (PBS). The session covers the treatment planning strategies used in DS, US, and PBS for various anatomical sites, methods to address uncertainties in proton therapy and uncertainty mitigation to generate robust treatment plans. Itmore » introduces the audience to the current status of image guided proton therapy and clinical applications of CBCT for proton therapy. It outlines the importance of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. Learning Objectives: Gain knowledge in proton therapy physics, and treatment planning for proton therapy including intensity modulated proton therapy. The current state of volumetric image guidance equipment in proton therapy. Clinical applications of CBCT and its advantage over orthogonal imaging for proton therapy. B. Teo, B.K Teo had received travel funds from IBA in 2015.« less

Healthcare information systems: data mining methods in the creation of a clinical recommender system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, L.; Street, W. N.; Xu, E.

2011-05-01

Recommender systems have been extensively studied to present items, such as movies, music and books that are likely of interest to the user. Researchers have indicated that integrated medical information systems are becoming an essential part of the modern healthcare systems. Such systems have evolved to an integrated enterprise-wide system. In particular, such systems are considered as a type of enterprise information systems or ERP system addressing healthcare industry sector needs. As part of efforts, nursing care plan recommender systems can provide clinical decision support, nursing education, clinical quality control, and serve as a complement to existing practice guidelines. We propose to use correlations among nursing diagnoses, outcomes and interventions to create a recommender system for constructing nursing care plans. In the current study, we used nursing diagnosis data to develop the methodology. Our system utilises a prefix-tree structure common in itemset mining to construct a ranked list of suggested care plan items based on previously-entered items. Unlike common commercial systems, our system makes sequential recommendations based on user interaction, modifying a ranked list of suggested items at each step in care plan construction. We rank items based on traditional association-rule measures such as support and confidence, as well as a novel measure that anticipates which selections might improve the quality of future rankings. Since the multi-step nature of our recommendations presents problems for traditional evaluation measures, we also present a new evaluation method based on average ranking position and use it to test the effectiveness of different recommendation strategies.

Evaluating Primary Care Providers' Views on Survivorship Care Plans Generated by an Electronic Health Record System

PubMed Central

Donohue, SarahMaria; Sesto, Mary E.; Hahn, David L.; Buhr, Kevin A.; Jacobs, Elizabeth A.; Sosman, James M.; Andreason, Molly J.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.; Tevaarwerk, Amye J.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Survivorship care plans for cancer survivors may facilitate provider-to-provider communication. Primary care provider (PCP) perspectives on care plan provision and use are limited, especially when care plans are generated by an electronic health record (EHR) system. We sought to examine PCPs' perspectives regarding EHR-generated care plans. Methods: PCPs (N = 160) who were members of the Wisconsin Research and Education Network listserv received a sample 10-page plan (WREN cohort). PCPs (n = 81) who had or were currently seeing survivors enrolled onto one of our survivorship clinical trials received a copy of the survivor's personalized care plan (University of Wisconsin [UW] cohort). Both cohorts received a survey after reviewing the plan. All plans were generated within an EHR. Results: Forty-six and 26 PCPs participated in the WREN and UW cohorts, respectively. PCPs regarded EHR-generated plans as useful in coordinating care (88%), understanding treatments (94%), understanding treatment adverse effects (89%), and supporting clinical decisions (82%). Few felt using EHR-generated plans would disrupt clinic workflow (14%) or take too much time (11%). Most (89%) preferred receiving the plan via EHR. PCPs reported consistent provision (81%) and standard location in the medical record (89%) as key factors facilitating their use of survivorship care plans. Important facilitators of care plan use included a more abbreviated plan, ideally one to three pages (32%), and/or a plan specifically tailored to PCP use (57%). Conclusion: Plans were viewed as useful for coordinating care and making clinical decisions. However, PCPs desired shorter, clinician-oriented plans, accessible within an EHR and delivered and located in a standardized manner. PMID:25804989

MANPRINT Methods Monograph: Aiding the Development of Manned System Performance Criteria

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

the need for the new system. It may be necessary co derive these requirements from combat models. By modeling the capabilities of the current force ...FORMAT The O&O Plan describes how a system will be integrated into the force structure, deployed, operated, and supported in peacetime and wartime...for evaluation during OT I. 9. MANPOWER/ FORCE STRUCTURE ASSESSMENT. Estimate manpower require- ments per system, using unit, and total Army by

Broadcast control of air traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litchford, G. B.

1971-01-01

Concepts of increased pilot participation in air traffic control are presented. The design of an air traffic control system for pilot usage is considered. The operating and safety benefits of LF/VLF approaches in comparison to current nonprecision approach procedures and systems are discussed. With a good national system plan, flight testing and validation, and the use of local differential, or general diurnal, corrections, the LF/VLF system would provide service superior to that presently available.

Current NASA Plans for Mars In Situ Resource Utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Gerald

2018-01-01

The presentation is to provide relevant information to the NASA funded Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES) Institute. The presentation cover the following: 1) What is In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), 2) What are the resources of interest at the Moon and Mars, 3) ISRU-related mission requirements and ISRU economics, 4) Challenges and Risk for ISRU, 5) Concept of Operation for Mars ISRU Systems, 6) Current State of the Art (SOA) in ISRU, and 7) Current ISRU development and mission status.

Summary of Planned Implementation for the HTGR Lessons Learned Applicable to the NGNP

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

Ian Mckirdy

2011-09-01

This document presents a reconciliation of the lessons learned during a 2010 comprehensive evaluation of pertinent lessons learned from past and present high temperature gas-cooled reactors that apply to the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project along with current and planned activities. The data used are from the latest Idaho National Laboratory research and development plans, the conceptual design report from General Atomics, and the pebble bed reactor technology readiness study from AREVA. Only those lessons related to the structures, systems, and components of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), as documented in the recently updated lessons learned report are addressed.more » These reconciliations are ordered according to plant area, followed by the affected system, subsystem, or component; lesson learned; and finally an NGNP implementation statement. This report (1) provides cross references to the original lessons learned document, (2) describes the lesson learned, (3) provides the current NGNP implementation status with design data needs associated with the lesson learned, (4) identifies the research and development being performed related to the lesson learned, and (5) summarizes with a status of how the lesson learned has been addressed by the NGNP Project.« less

Speed scanning system based on solid-state microchip laser for architectural planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redka, Dmitriy; Grishkanich, Alexsandr S.; Kolmakov, Egor; Tsvetkov, Konstantin

2017-10-01

According to the current great interest concerning Large-Scale Metrology applications in many different fields of manufacturing industry, technologies and techniques for dimensional measurement have recently shown a substantial improvement. Ease-of-use, logistic and economic issues, as well as metrological performance, are assuming a more and more important role among system requirements. The project is planned to conduct experimental studies aimed at identifying the impact of the application of the basic laws of microlasers as radiators on the linear-angular characteristics of existing measurement systems. The project is planned to conduct experimental studies aimed at identifying the impact of the application of the basic laws of microlasers as radiators on the linear-angular characteristics of existing measurement systems. The system consists of a distributed network-based layout, whose modularity allows to fit differently sized and shaped working volumes by adequately increasing the number of sensing units. Differently from existing spatially distributed metrological instruments, the remote sensor devices are intended to provide embedded data elaboration capabilities, in order to share the overall computational load.

The Development of Relevant Indicators for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of Country Efforts for Promoting Youth's Role in Development. Report of the Expert Group Meeting (Manila, Philippines, December 13-20, 1980).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok (Thailand).

The report of a United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Expert Group meeting, involving 13 experts from 10 countries, discusses planning national efforts to promote youth's role in development. Current systems and indicators used to assess the situation of rural and urban youth and their contribution to…

Developing hydrological monitoring system based on HF radar for islands and reefs in the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Shi, P.; Chen, J.; Zhu, Y.; Li, B.

2016-12-01

There are many islands (or reefs) in the South China Sea. The hydrological properties (currents and waves) around the islands are highly spatially variable compared to those of coastal region of mainland, because the shorelines are more complex with much smaller scale, and the topographies are step-shape with a much sharper slope. The currents and waves with high spatial variations may destroy the buildings or engineering on shorelines, or even influence the structural stability of reefs. Therefore, it is necessary to establish monitoring systems to obtain the high-resolution hydrological information. This study propose a plan for developing a hydrological monitoring system based on HF radar on the shoreline of a typical island in the southern South China Sea: firstly, the HF radar are integrated with auxiliary equipment (such as dynamo, fuel tank, air conditioner, communication facilities) in a container to build a whole monitoring platform; synchronously, several buoys are set within the radar visibility for data calibration and validation; and finally, the current and wave observations collected by the HF radar are assimilated with numerical models to obtain long-term and high-precision reanalysis products. To test the feasibility of this plan, our research group has built two HF radar sites at the western coastal region of Guangdong Province. The collected data were used to extract surface current information and assimilated with an ocean model. The results show that the data assimilation can highly improve the surface current simulation, especially for typhoon periods. Continuous data with intervals between 6 and 12 hour are the most suitable for ideal assimilations. On the other hand, the test also reveal that developing similar monitoring system on island environments need advanced radars that have higher resolutions and a better performance for persistent work.

Advanced Free Flight Planner and Dispatcher's Workstation: Preliminary Design Specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J.; Wright, C.; Couluris, G. J.

1997-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has implemented the Advanced Air Transportation Technology (AATT) program to investigate future improvements to the national and international air traffic management systems. This research, as part of the AATT program, developed preliminary design requirements for an advanced Airline Operations Control (AOC) dispatcher's workstation, with emphasis on flight planning. This design will support the implementation of an experimental workstation in NASA laboratories that would emulate AOC dispatch operations. The work developed an airline flight plan data base and specified requirements for: a computer tool for generation and evaluation of free flight, user preferred trajectories (UPT); the kernel of an advanced flight planning system to be incorporated into the UPT-generation tool; and an AOC workstation to house the UPT-generation tool and to provide a real-time testing environment. A prototype for the advanced flight plan optimization kernel was developed and demonstrated. The flight planner uses dynamic programming to search a four-dimensional wind and temperature grid to identify the optimal route, altitude and speed for successive segments of a flight. An iterative process is employed in which a series of trajectories are successively refined until the LTPT is identified. The flight planner is designed to function in the current operational environment as well as in free flight. The free flight environment would enable greater flexibility in UPT selection based on alleviation of current procedural constraints. The prototype also takes advantage of advanced computer processing capabilities to implement more powerful optimization routines than would be possible with older computer systems.

The Impact of Redistricting Proposals on Health Care Expenditures for Liver Transplant Candidates and Recipients.

PubMed

Gentry, S E; Chow, E K H; Dzebisashvili, N; Schnitzler, M A; Lentine, K L; Wickliffe, C E; Shteyn, E; Pyke, J; Israni, A; Kasiske, B; Segev, D L; Axelrod, D A

2016-02-01

Redistricting, which means sharing organs in novel districts developed through mathematical optimization, has been proposed to reduce pervasive geographic disparities in access to liver transplantation. The economic impact of redistricting was evaluated with two distinct data sources, Medicare claims and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC). We estimated total Medicare payments under (i) the current allocation system (Share 35), (ii) full regional sharing, (iii) an eight-district plan, and (iv) a four-district plan for a simulated population of patients listed for liver transplant over 5 years, using the liver simulated allocation model. The model predicted 5-year transplant volumes (Share 35, 29,267; regional sharing, 29,005; eight districts, 29,034; four districts, 28,265) and a reduction in overall mortality, including listed and posttransplant patients, of up to 676 lives. Compared with current allocation, the eight-district plan was estimated to reduce payments for pretransplant care ($1638 million to $1506 million, p < 0.001), transplant episode ($5607 million to $5569 million, p < 0.03) and posttransplant care ($479 million to $488 million, p < 0.001). The eight-district plan was estimated to increase per-patient transportation costs for organs ($8988 to $11,874 per patient, p < 0.001) and UHC estimated hospital costs ($4699 per case). In summary, redistricting appears to be potentially cost saving for the health care system but will increase the cost of performing liver transplants for some transplant centers. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

MHD program plan, FY 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1990-10-01

The current magnetohydrodynamic MHD program being implemented is a result of a consensus established in public meetings held by the Department of Energy in 1984. The public meetings were followed by the formulation of a June 1984 Coal-Fired MHD Preliminary Transition and Program Plan. This plan focused on demonstrating the proof-of-concept (POC) of coal-fired MHD electric power plants by the early 1990s. MHD test data indicate that while there are no fundamental technical barriers impeding the development of MHD power plants, technical risk remains. To reduce the technical risk three key subsystems (topping cycle, bottoming cycle, and seed regeneration) are being assembled and tested separately. The program does not require fabrication of a complete superconducting magnet, but rather the development and testing of superconductor cables. The topping cycle system test objectives can be achieved using a conventional iron core magnet system already in place at a DOE facility. Systems engineering-derived requirements and analytical modeling to support scale-up and component design guide the program. In response to environmental, economic, engineering, and utility acceptance requirements, design choices and operating modes are tested and refined to provide technical specifications for meeting commercial criteria. These engineering activities are supported by comprehensive and continuing systems analyses to establish realistic technical requirements and cost data. Essential elements of the current program are to: develop technical and environmental data for the integrated MHD topping cycle and bottoming cycle systems through POC testing (1000 and 4000 hours, respectively); design, construct, and operate a POC seed regeneration system capable of processing spent seed materials from the MHD bottoming cycle; prepare conceptual designs for a site specific MHD retrofit plant; and continue supporting research necessary for system testing.

Reliability of hybrid photovoltaic DC micro-grid systems for emergency shelters and other applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhere, Neelkanth G.; Schleith, Susan

2014-10-01

Improvement of energy efficiency in the SunSmart Schools Emergency Shelters requires new methods for optimizing the energy consumption within the shelters. One major limitation in current systems is the requirement of converting direct current (DC) power generated from the PV array into alternating current (AC) power which is distributed throughout the shelters. Oftentimes, this AC power is then converted back to DC to run certain appliances throughout the shelters resulting in a significant waste of energy due to DC to AC and then again AC to DC conversion. This paper seeks to extract the maximum value out of PV systems by directly powering essential load components within the shelters that already run on DC power without the use of an inverter and above all to make the system reliable and durable. Furthermore, additional DC applications such as LED lighting, televisions, computers and fans operated with DC brushless motors will be installed as replacements to traditional devices in order to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Cost of energy storage technologies continue to decline as new technologies scale up and new incentives are put in place. This will provide a cost effective way to stabilize the energy generation of a PV system as well as to provide continuous energy during night hours. It is planned to develop a pilot program of an integrated system that can provide uninterrupted DC power to essential base load appliances (heating, cooling, lighting, etc.) at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) command center for disaster management. PV arrays are proposed to be installed on energy efficient test houses at FSEC as well as at private homes having PV arrays where the owners volunteer to participate in the program. It is also planned to monitor the performance of the PV arrays and functioning of the appliances with the aim to improve their reliability and durability. After a successful demonstration of the hybrid DC microgrid based emergency shelter together with the monitoring system, it is planned to replicate it at other schools in Florida and elsewhere to provide continuous power for essential applications, maximizing the value of PV generation systems.

Expert system verification concerns in an operations environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodwin, Mary Ann; Robertson, Charles C.

1987-01-01

The Space Shuttle community is currently developing a number of knowledge-based tools, primarily expert systems, to support Space Shuttle operations. It is proposed that anticipating and responding to the requirements of the operations environment will contribute to a rapid and smooth transition of expert systems from development to operations, and that the requirements for verification are critical to this transition. The paper identifies the requirements of expert systems to be used for flight planning and support and compares them to those of existing procedural software used for flight planning and support. It then explores software engineering concepts and methodology that can be used to satisfy these requirements, to aid the transition from development to operations and to support the operations environment during the lifetime of expert systems. Many of these are similar to those used for procedural hardware.

Highly miniaturized FEEP propulsion system (NanoFEEP) for attitude and orbit control of CubeSats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, Daniel; Tajmar, Martin

2018-03-01

A highly miniaturized Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) system is currently under development at TU Dresden, called NanoFEEP [1]. The highly miniaturized thruster heads are very compact and have a volume of less than 3 cm3 and a weight of less than 6 g each. One thruster is able to generate continuous thrust of up to 8 μN with short term peaks of up to 22 μN. The very compact design and low power consumption (heating power demand between 50 and 150 mW) are achieved by using Gallium as metal propellant with its low melting point of approximately 30 °C. This makes it possible to implement an electric propulsion system consisting of four thruster heads, two neutralizers and the necessary electronics on a 1U CubeSat with its strong limitation in space, weight and available power. Even formation flying of 1U CubeSats using an electric propulsion system is possible with this system, which is shown by the example of a currently planned cooperation project between Wuerzburg University, Zentrum fuer Telematik and TU Dresden. It is planned to use the NanoFEEP electric propulsion system on the UWE (University Wuerzburg Experimental) 1U CubeSat platform [2] to demonstrate orbit and two axis attitude control with our electric propulsion system NanoFEEP. We present the latest performance characteristics of the NanoFEEP thrusters and the highly miniaturized electronics. Additionally, the concept and the current status of a novel cold neutralizer chip using Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs) is presented.

Intelligent systems and advanced user interfaces for design, operation, and maintenance of command management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, William J.; Mitchell, Christine M.

1993-01-01

Historically, command management systems (CMS) have been large and expensive spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as to develop a more generic CMS system. New technologies, in addition to a core CMS common to a range of spacecraft, may facilitate the training and enhance the efficiency of CMS operations. Current mission operations center (MOC) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ programming languages, and an X window interface. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of these issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, human-machine systems design and analysis tools (e.g., operator and designer models), and human-computer interaction tools (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation) may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of the CMS for a specific spacecraft as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft. The first six months of this research saw a broad investigation by Georgia Tech researchers into the function, design, and operation of current and planned command management systems at Goddard Space Flight Center. As the first step, the researchers attempted to understand the current and anticipated horizons of command management systems at Goddard. Preliminary results are given on CMS commonalities and causes of low re-use, and methods are proposed to facilitate increased re-use.

Agile Port System Transition Support Transition Plan Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-29

Operational Needs addressed • Proposed Solutions • Current Status • Risk • A Business Case for transition • Appropriate Funding Sources • Transition...13  3.1.6  Risk  Table...18  3.2.6  Risk  Table

Educational Organization for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cote, Ron Roy

1977-01-01

Five basic components of the emerging educational system--forecasts and assessment, program planning, alternative environments, electronics and socialization, and differentiated faculty--summarize both current trends in educational practice and the implications for schools provided by analysts of the radically different society America is…

77 FR 21723 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... on actual operational planning, development of procedures, and implementation of programs to update... clearance. Geographic Support System Initiative (GSS-I)--The GSS-I is an integrated program designed to... of children's demographic characteristics currently available. Information is distributed through the...

Generation of Conflict Resolution Maneuvers for Air Traffic Management

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

We explore the use of distributed on-line motion planning algorithms for multiple mobile agents, in Air Traffic Management Systems (ATMS). The work is motivated by current trends in ATMS to move towards decentralized air traffic management, in which ...

Care plans and care planning in long term conditions: a conceptual model

PubMed Central

Burt, J; Rick, J; Blakeman, T; Protheroe, J; Roland, M; Bower, P

2013-01-01

The prevalence and impact of long term conditions continues to rise. Care planning for people with long term conditions has been a policy priority for chronic disease management in a number of health care systems. However, patients and providers appear unclear about the formulation and implementation of care planning. Further work in this area is therefore required to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future care planning initiatives. We distinguish between ‘care planning’ (the process by which health care professionals and patients discuss, agree and review an action plan to achieve the goals or behaviour change of most relevance and concern to the patient) and a ‘care plan’ (a written document recording the outcome of a care planning process). We propose a typology of care planning and care plans with three core dimensions: perspective (patient or professional), scope (a focus on goals or on behaviours) and networks (confined to the professional-patient dyad or extending to the entire care network). In addition, we draw on psychological models of mediation and moderation to outline potential mechanisms through which care planning and care plans may lead to improved outcomes for both patients and the wider health care system. The proposed typology of care planning and care plans offered here, along with the model of the process by which care planning may influence outcomes, provide a useful framework for future policy developments and evaluations. Empirical work is required to explore the degree to which current care planning approaches and care plans can be described according to these dimensions, and the factors that determine which types of patients and professionals use which type of care plans. PMID:23883621

SU-F-T-101: Insight into Dosimetry Workload and Planning Timelines: A 6 Year Review at One Institution

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

Cardan, R; Popple, R; Smith, H

Purpose: To elucidate realistic clinical treatment planning workload and timelines to improve understanding for patients, payers, and other institutions involved in radiotherapy processes. Methods: A web based tool was developed using Oracle Express (Oracle Corp, Redwood City, CA) which allowed communication between the physicians and staff about the current state of the patient plan. For 6 years, all patient courses were logged and time-stamped in 22 discreet steps which detailed start and stop times for simulation, contouring, and treatment planning tasks. This data was combined with the treatment planning database (TPDB) using the Eclipse Scripting API (Varian Medical Systems, Palomore » Alto, CA) to cross-identify plans between the two systems. This time data was analyzed across our dosimetry staff and treatment modality. Results: In 6 years, 110,477 patient statuses were time-logged for 9683 courses of treatment using our internal software. The courses contained 8305 unique patients who were binned into one of 11 diagnosis site categories. 8253 courses could be reconciled against the TPDB using timestamp data from patient statuses. The average planning volume per dosimetrist was 375.8 ± 142.4 plans per year with the average number of planning revisions per dosimetrist of 71.0 ± 27.1 plans per year. The median treatment planning times by modality ranged from to 48.3 hours for IMRT plans 5 fields or less to 119.6 hours for IMRT with 8 or more fields. Two arc VMAT, three arc VMAT, and 3D plans median times were 89.1 hours, 113.8 hours, and 50.9 hours respectively. Conclusion: Using our web based tool, we have demonstrated the ability to quantify treatment planning timelines and workloads which could help in setting appropriate expectations for patients, payers, and hospital administration. COI: Author received monies from Varian Medical Systems for research and teaching honorarium.« less

Navy Tactical Ocean Optical Products from the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, P. E.; Arnone, R.

2006-12-01

The Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center (NRLSSC) is preparing to produce optical products for Naval operations support from the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). This effort will leverage existing hardware and software systems in place at NRLSSC which are currently used to produce optical products from current sensors SeaWiFS and MODIS Aqua/Terra. This effort is part of an inter agency collaboration between NASA, NOAA, IPO, NRL and the prime contractor for NPOESS, Northrop Grumman / Raytheon. This poster presents an outline of the NRLSSC's plan for achieving the best possible optical products from NPOESS.

An operations management system for the Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, Terry R.

A description is provided of an Operations Management System (OMS) for the planned NASA Space Station. The OMS would be distributed both in space and on the ground, and provide a transparent interface to the communications and data processing facilities of the Space Station Program. The allocation of OMS responsibilities has, in the most current Space Station design, been fragmented among the Communications and Tracking Subsystem (CTS), the Data Management System (DMS), and a redefined OMS. In this current view, OMS is less of a participant in the real-time processing, and more an overseer of the health and management of the Space Station operations.

Development and Application of an Integrated Approach toward NASA Airspace Systems Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barhydt, Richard; Fong, Robert K.; Abramson, Paul D.; Koenke, Ed

2008-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Airspace Systems Program is contributing air traffic management research in support of the 2025 Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Contributions support research and development needs provided by the interagency Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). These needs generally call for integrated technical solutions that improve system-level performance and work effectively across multiple domains and planning time horizons. In response, the Airspace Systems Program is pursuing an integrated research approach and has adapted systems engineering best practices for application in a research environment. Systems engineering methods aim to enable researchers to methodically compare different technical approaches, consider system-level performance, and develop compatible solutions. Systems engineering activities are performed iteratively as the research matures. Products of this approach include a demand and needs analysis, system-level descriptions focusing on NASA research contributions, system assessment and design studies, and common systemlevel metrics, scenarios, and assumptions. Results from the first systems engineering iteration include a preliminary demand and needs analysis; a functional modeling tool; and initial system-level metrics, scenario characteristics, and assumptions. Demand and needs analysis results suggest that several advanced concepts can mitigate demand/capacity imbalances for NextGen, but fall short of enabling three-times current-day capacity at the nation s busiest airports and airspace. Current activities are focusing on standardizing metrics, scenarios, and assumptions, conducting system-level performance assessments of integrated research solutions, and exploring key system design interfaces.