Planning Multitechnology Access Networks with Performance Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberland, Steven

Considering the number of access network technologies and the investment needed for the “last mile” of a solution, in today’s highly competitive markets, planning tools are crucial for the service providers to optimize the network costs and accelerate the planning process. In this paper, we propose to tackle the problem of planning access networks composed of four technologies/architectures: the digital subscriber line (xDSL) technologies deployed directly from the central office (CO), the fiber-to-the-node (FTTN), the fiber-to-the-micro-node (FTTn) and the fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). A mathematical programming model is proposed for this planning problem that is solved using a commercial implementation of the branch-and-bound algorithm. Next, a detailed access network planning example is presented followed by a systematic set of experiments designed to assess the performance of the proposed approach.

A Planning Guide for Instructional Networks, Part I.

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Kevin F.

1994-01-01

Discusses three phases in implementing a master plan for a school-based local area network (LAN): (1) network software selection; (2) hardware selection, network topology, and site preparation; and (3) implementation time table. Sample planning and specification worksheets and a list of planning guides are included. (Contains six references.) (KRN)

NASDA knowledge-based network planning system

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaya, K.; Fujiwara, M.; Kosugi, S.; Yambe, M.; Ohmori, M.

1993-01-01

One of the SODS (space operation and data system) sub-systems, NP (network planning) was the first expert system used by NASDA (national space development agency of Japan) for tracking and control of satellite. The major responsibilities of the NP system are: first, the allocation of network and satellite control resources and, second, the generation of the network operation plan data (NOP) used in automated control of the stations and control center facilities. Up to now, the first task of network resource scheduling was done by network operators. NP system automatically generates schedules using its knowledge base, which contains information on satellite orbits, station availability, which computer is dedicated to which satellite, and how many stations must be available for a particular satellite pass or a certain time period. The NP system is introduced.

12-month blood pressure results of catheter-based renal artery denervation for resistant hypertension: the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakris, George L; Townsend, Raymond R; Flack, John M; Brar, Sandeep; Cohen, Sidney A; D'Agostino, Ralph; Kandzari, David E; Katzen, Barry T; Leon, Martin B; Mauri, Laura; Negoita, Manuela; O'Neill, William W; Oparil, Suzanne; Rocha-Singh, Krishna; Bhatt, Deepak L

2015-04-07

Results of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension) trial confirmed the safety but not the efficacy of renal denervation for treatment-resistant hypertension at 6 months post procedure. This study sought to analyze the 12-month SYMPLICITY HTN-3 results for the original denervation group, the sham subjects who underwent denervation after the 6-month endpoint (crossover group), and the sham subjects who did not undergo denervation after 6 months (non-crossover group). Eligible subjects were randomized 2:1 to denervation or sham procedure. Subjects were unblinded to their treatment group after the 6-month primary endpoint was ascertained; subjects in the sham group meeting eligibility requirements could undergo denervation. Change in blood pressure (BP) at 12 months post randomization (6 months for crossover subjects) was analyzed. The 12-month follow-up was available for 319 of 361 denervation subjects and 48 of 101 non-crossover subjects; 6-month denervation follow-up was available for 93 of 101 crossover subjects. In denervation subjects, the 12-month office systolic BP (SBP) change was greater than that observed at 6 months (-15.5 ± 24.1 mm Hg vs. -18.9 ± 25.4 mm Hg, respectively; p = 0.025), but the 24-h SBP change was not significantly different at 12 months (p = 0.229). The non-crossover group office SBP decreased by -32.9 ± 28.1 mm Hg at 6 months, but this response regressed to -21.4 ± 19.9 mm Hg (p = 0.01) at 12 months, increasing to 11.5 ± 29.8 mm Hg. These data support no further reduction in office or ambulatory BP after 1-year follow-up. Loss of BP reduction in the non-crossover group may reflect decreased medication adherence or other related factors. (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension [SYMPLICITY HTN-3]; NCT01418261). Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Catheter-based renal denervation for resistant hypertension: 12-month results of the EnligHTN I first-in-human study using a multielectrode ablation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Papademetriou, Vasilios; Tsioufis, Costas P; Sinhal, Ajay; Chew, Derek P; Meredith, Ian T; Malaiapan, Yuvi; Worthley, Matthew I; Worthley, Stephen G

2014-09-01

Renal denervation has emerged as a novel approach for the treatment of patients with drug-resistant hypertension. To date, only limited data have been published using multielectrode radiofrequency ablation systems. In this article, we present the 12-month data of EnligHTN I, a first-in-human study using a multielectrode ablation catheter. EnligHTN I enrolled 46 patients (average age, 60±10 years; on average 4.7±1.0 medications) with drug-resistant hypertension. Eligible patients were on ≥3 antihypertensive medications and had a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥160 mm Hg (≥150 mm Hg for diabetics). Bilateral renal artery ablation was performed using a percutaneous femoral approach and standardized techniques. The average baseline office BP was 176/96 mm Hg, average 24-hour ambulatory BP was 150/83 mm Hg, and average home BP was 158/90 mm Hg. The average reductions (mm Hg) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were as follows: office: -28/-10, -27/-10, -26/-10, and -27/-11 mm Hg (Prenal function and no new serious or life-threatening adverse events. One patient with baseline nonocclusive renal artery stenosis progressed to 75% diameter stenosis, requiring renal artery stenting. The 12-month data continue to demonstrate safety and efficacy of the EnligHTN ablation system in patients with drug-resistant hypertension. Home BP measurements parallel measurements obtained with 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Access management in Safer Transportation Network Planning : safety principles, planning framework, and library information.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hummel, T.

2001-01-01

This report is one in a series of publications, used in the development of the network planning tool ‘Safer Transportation Network Planning’ (Safer-TNP). The publications were used to guide the development of planning structures, diagnostic tools, planning recommendations, and research information

Route management in Safer Transportation Network Planning : safety principles, planning framework, and library information.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hummel, T.

2001-01-01

This report is one in a series of publications, used in the development of the network planning tool ‘Safer Transportation Network Planning’ (Safer-TNP). The publications were used to guide the development of planning structures, diagnostic tools, planning recommendations, and research information

Planning and Scheduling for Environmental Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, J. D.

2005-12-01

Environmental Sensor Networks are a new way of monitoring the environment. They comprise autonomous sensor nodes in the environment that record real-time data, which is retrieved, analyzed, integrated with other data sets (e.g. satellite images, GIS, process models) and ultimately lead to scientific discoveries. Sensor networks must operate within time and resource constraints. Sensors have limited onboard memory, energy, computational power, communications windows and communications bandwidth. The value of data will depend on when, where and how it was collected, how detailed the data is, how long it takes to integrate the data, and how important the data was to the original scientific question. Planning and scheduling of sensor networks is necessary for effective, safe operations in the face of these constraints. For example, power bus limitations may preclude sensors from simultaneously collecting data and communicating without damaging the sensor; planners and schedulers can ensure these operations are ordered so that they do not happen simultaneously. Planning and scheduling can also ensure best use of the sensor network to maximize the value of collected science data. For example, if data is best recorded using a particular camera angle but it is costly in time and energy to achieve this, planners and schedulers can search for times when time and energy are available to achieve the optimal camera angle. Planning and scheduling can handle uncertainty in the problem specification; planners can be re-run when new information is made available, or can generate plans that include contingencies. For example, if bad weather may prevent the collection of data, a contingent plan can check lighting conditions and turn off data collection to save resources if lighting is not ideal. Both mobile and immobile sensors can benefit from planning and scheduling. For example, data collection on otherwise passive sensors can be halted to preserve limited power and memory

Settlement Networks in Polish Spatial Development Regional Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Sołtys, Jacek

2017-10-01

In 1999, ten years after the great political changes in Poland, 16 self-governed regions (in Polish: voivodeship) were created. According to Polish law, voivodeship spatial development plans, or regional plans in short, determine basic elements of the settlement network. No detailed regulations indicate the specific elements of the settlement network or what features of these elements should be determined. For this reason, centres as elements of the settlement network are variously named in different regions and take the form of various models. The purposes of the research described in this article are: (1) recognition and systematization of settlement network models determined in regional plans; and (2) assessment of the readability of determination in planning and its usefulness in the practice of regional policy. Six models of settlement networks in regional plans have been identified and classified into types and sub-types. Names of specific levels of centres indicate that they were classified according to two criteria: (1) level of services, which concerns only 5 voivodships; and (2) importance in development, which concerns the 11 other voivodships. The hierarchical model referring to the importance of development is less understandable than the one related to services. In the text of most plans, centres of services and centres of development are treated independently from their names. In some plans the functional types of towns and cities are indicated. In some voivodships, specifications in the plan text are too general and seem to be rather useless in the practice of regional policy. The author suggests that regional plans should determine two kinds of centres: hierarchical service centres and non-hierarchical centres of development. These centres should be further distinguished according to: (1) their role in the activation of surroundings; (2) their level of development and the necessity of action for their development; and (3) the types of actions

Computer network environment planning and analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dalphin, John F.

1989-01-01

The GSFC Computer Network Environment provides a broadband RF cable between campus buildings and ethernet spines in buildings for the interlinking of Local Area Networks (LANs). This system provides terminal and computer linkage among host and user systems thereby providing E-mail services, file exchange capability, and certain distributed computing opportunities. The Environment is designed to be transparent and supports multiple protocols. Networking at Goddard has a short history and has been under coordinated control of a Network Steering Committee for slightly more than two years; network growth has been rapid with more than 1500 nodes currently addressed and greater expansion expected. A new RF cable system with a different topology is being installed during summer 1989; consideration of a fiber optics system for the future will begin soon. Summmer study was directed toward Network Steering Committee operation and planning plus consideration of Center Network Environment analysis and modeling. Biweekly Steering Committee meetings were attended to learn the background of the network and the concerns of those managing it. Suggestions for historical data gathering have been made to support future planning and modeling. Data Systems Dynamic Simulator, a simulation package developed at NASA and maintained at GSFC was studied as a possible modeling tool for the network environment. A modeling concept based on a hierarchical model was hypothesized for further development. Such a model would allow input of newly updated parameters and would provide an estimation of the behavior of the network.

Designing of network planning system for small-scale manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Kapulin, D. V.; Russkikh, P. A.; Vinnichenko, M. V.

2018-05-01

The paper presents features of network planning in small-scale discrete production. The procedure of explosion of the production order, considering multilevel representation, is developed. The software architecture is offered. Approbation of the network planning system is carried out. This system allows carrying out dynamic updating of the production plan.

Urban Green Network Design: Defining green network from an urban planning perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Tulisi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available From the theoretical context of Smart City various studies have emerged that adopt an analytical approach and description of urban phenomena based on the principles of “network design”; this line of research uses the network systems theory to define the principles that regulate the relationships among the various elements of urban sub-systems in order to optimize their functionality. From the same theoretical basis, urban greenspaces have also been studied as networks, by means of the creation of models capable of measuring the performance of the system in its entirety, posing the basis of a new multy-disciplinary research field called green network. This paper presents the results of research aimed at clarifying the meaning of green network from an urban planning perspective through a lexical analysis applied to a textual corpus of more than 300 abstracts of research papers that have dealt with this topic over the last twenty years. The results show that the concept of green network appears still fuzzy and unclear, due to the different meaning given to the term “green” and to an incorrect use of the term “network”, often referred to as a generic set of natural areas present in a city, without any reference to the network system theory or to the basic rules linking these elements together. For this reason, the paper proposes a unique definition of green network from an urban planning perspective that takes into account the contribution of other research areas to effective green infrastructure planning. This is the concept of “urban green network design” defined as “an urban planning practice, supported by decision support tools able to model green infrastructure as network, composed by natural and semi-natural areas, whose connections are modelled according to specific variables, in order to deliver an equal distribution of public services for enhancing the quality of life as well as a wide range of ecosystem services”.

Network location theory and contingency planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hakimi, S L

1983-08-01

A brief survey of results in network location theory is first presented. Then, a systems view of contingency planning is described. Finally, some results in location theory are re-examined and it is shown that they are motivated by contingency planning considerations. Some new issues and problems in location theory are described, which, if properly tackled, will have a substantial impact on contingency planning in transportation.

An overview of trends in distribution network planning: A movement towards smart planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

You, Shi; Bindner, Henrik W.; Hu, Junjie

2014-01-01

Distribution network planning, historically known as a ‘predict and provide’ process, seeks to determine a set of optimal network solutions for supplying electric demands spatially distributed over a geographic area. Today, the rapid development and deployment of distributed generation and smart...... grid products (e.g., control, communication, and new economic measures) call for urgent improvements in distribution network planning to allow the utilities to proactively modernize their existing distribution grids. This paper reviews the current practices in this area and the emerging trends towards...

A Method for Automated Planning of FTTH Access Network Infrastructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riaz, Muhammad Tahir; Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Madsen, Ole Brun

2005-01-01

In this paper a method for automated planning of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) access networks is proposed. We introduced a systematic approach for planning access network infrastructure. The GIS data and a set of algorithms were employed to make the planning process more automatic. The method explains...... method. The method, however, does not fully automate the planning but make the planning process significantly fast. The results and discussion are presented and conclusion is given in the end....

Green Network Planning Model for Optical Backbones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gutierrez Lopez, Jose Manuel; Riaz, M. Tahir; Jensen, Michael

2010-01-01

on the environment in general. In network planning there are existing planning models focused on QoS provisioning, investment minimization or combinations of both and other parameters. But there is a lack of a model for designing green optical backbones. This paper presents novel ideas to be able to define......Communication networks are becoming more essential for our daily lives and critically important for industry and governments. The intense growth in the backbone traffic implies an increment of the power demands of the transmission systems. This power usage might have a significant negative effect...

An Improved Harmony Search Algorithm for Power Distribution Network Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Sun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Distribution network planning because of involving many variables and constraints is a multiobjective, discrete, nonlinear, and large-scale optimization problem. Harmony search (HS algorithm is a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the improvisation process of music players. HS algorithm has several impressive advantages, such as easy implementation, less adjustable parameters, and quick convergence. But HS algorithm still has some defects such as premature convergence and slow convergence speed. According to the defects of the standard algorithm and characteristics of distribution network planning, an improved harmony search (IHS algorithm is proposed in this paper. We set up a mathematical model of distribution network structure planning, whose optimal objective function is to get the minimum annual cost and constraint conditions are overload and radial network. IHS algorithm is applied to solve the complex optimization mathematical model. The empirical results strongly indicate that IHS algorithm can effectively provide better results for solving the distribution network planning problem compared to other optimization algorithms.

WiMax network planning and optimization

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Yan

2009-01-01

This book offers a comprehensive explanation on how to dimension, plan, and optimize WiMAX networks. The first part of the text introduces WiMAX networks architecture, physical layer, standard, protocols, security mechanisms, and highly related radio access technologies. It covers system framework, topology, capacity, mobility management, handoff management, congestion control, medium access control (MAC), scheduling, Quality of Service (QoS), and WiMAX mesh networks and security. Enabling easy understanding of key concepts and technologies, the second part presents practical examples and illu

Renal denervation after Symplicity HTN-3: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Persu, Alexandre; Jin, Yu; Fadl Elmula, Fadl Elmula Mohamed; Jacobs, Lotte; Renkin, Jean; Kjeldsen, Sverre

2014-08-01

After three years of excessive confidence, overoptimistic expectations and performance of 15 to 20,000 renal denervation procedures in Europe, the failure of a single well-designed US trial--Symplicity HTN-3--to meet its primary efficacy endpoint has cast doubt on renal denervation as a whole. The use of a sound methodology, including randomisation and blinded endpoint assessment was enough to see the typical 25-30 mmHg systolic blood pressure decrease observed after renal denervation melt down to less than 3 mmHg, the rest being likely explained by Hawthorne and placebo effects, attenuation of white coat effect, regression to the mean and other physician and patient-related biases. The modest blood pressure benefit directly assignable to renal denervation should be balanced with unresolved safety issues, such as potentially increased risk of renal artery stenosis after the procedure (more than ten cases reported up to now, most of them in 2014), unclear long-term impact on renal function and lack of morbidity-mortality data. Accordingly, there is no doubt that renal denervation is not ready for clinical use. Still, renal denervation is supported by a strong rationale and is occasionally followed by major blood pressure responses in at-risk patients who may otherwise have remained uncontrolled. Upcoming research programmes should focus on identification of those few patients with truly resistant hypertension who may derive a substantial benefit from the technique, within the context of well-designed randomised trials and independent registries. While electrical stimulation of baroreceptors and other interventional treatments of hypertension are already "knocking at the door", the premature and uncontrolled dissemination of renal denervation should remain an example of what should not be done, and trigger radical changes in evaluation processes of new devices by national and European health authorities.

Bayesian network models for error detection in radiotherapy plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalet, Alan M; Ford, Eric C; Phillips, Mark H; Gennari, John H

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to design and develop a probabilistic network for detecting errors in radiotherapy plans for use at the time of initial plan verification. Our group has initiated a multi-pronged approach to reduce these errors. We report on our development of Bayesian models of radiotherapy plans. Bayesian networks consist of joint probability distributions that define the probability of one event, given some set of other known information. Using the networks, we find the probability of obtaining certain radiotherapy parameters, given a set of initial clinical information. A low probability in a propagated network then corresponds to potential errors to be flagged for investigation. To build our networks we first interviewed medical physicists and other domain experts to identify the relevant radiotherapy concepts and their associated interdependencies and to construct a network topology. Next, to populate the network’s conditional probability tables, we used the Hugin Expert software to learn parameter distributions from a subset of de-identified data derived from a radiation oncology based clinical information database system. These data represent 4990 unique prescription cases over a 5 year period. Under test case scenarios with approximately 1.5% introduced error rates, network performance produced areas under the ROC curve of 0.88, 0.98, and 0.89 for the lung, brain and female breast cancer error detection networks, respectively. Comparison of the brain network to human experts performance (AUC of 0.90 ± 0.01) shows the Bayes network model performs better than domain experts under the same test conditions. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of comprehensive probabilistic models as part of decision support systems for improved detection of errors in initial radiotherapy plan verification procedures. (paper)

Network-Based Material Requirements Planning (NBMRP) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Network-Based Material Requirements Planning (NBMRP) in Product Development Project. ... International Journal of Development and Management Review ... To address the problems, this study evaluated the existing material planning practice, and formulated a NBMRP model out of the variables of the existing MRP and ...

Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and P...

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — These public use files contain formulary, pharmacy network, and pricing data for Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans...

Planning contract and networks of home services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Eudoro Narváez Viteri

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This article highlights the worrying increase in public investment in infrastructure works due to deficiencies at the stage of study and design, particularly in public utility services networks. Some cities lack real technical drawings and updated underground networks, especially in the former. Hence, no reliable information is difficult to require contractors, consultants about study designs appropriate public service networks in evident contradiction with the principle of contractual planning.

Enhancement of a model for Large-scale Airline Network Planning Problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kölker, K.; Lopes dos Santos, Bruno F.; Lütjens, K.

2016-01-01

The main focus of this study is to solve the network planning problem based on passenger decision criteria including the preferred departure time and travel time for a real-sized airline network. For this purpose, a model of the integrated network planning problem is formulated including scheduling

Communication, knowledge, social network and family planning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Family planning utilization in Tanzania is low. This study was cross sectional. It examined family planning use and socio demographic variables, social networks, knowledge and communication among the couples, whereby a stratified sample of 440 women of reproductive age (18-49), married or cohabiting was studied in ...

UMTS network planning, optimization, and inter-operation with GSM

CERN Document Server

Rahnema, Moe

2008-01-01

UMTS Network Planning, Optimization, and Inter-Operation with GSM is an accessible, one-stop reference to help engineers effectively reduce the time and costs involved in UMTS deployment and optimization. Rahnema includes detailed coverage from both a theoretical and practical perspective on the planning and optimization aspects of UMTS, and a number of other new techniques to help operators get the most out of their networks. Provides an end-to-end perspective, from network design to optimizationIncorporates the hands-on experiences of numerous researchersSingle

Distribution network planning method considering distributed generation for peak cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang Wu; Cheng Haozhong; Zhang Xiubin; Yao Liangzhong

2010-01-01

Conventional distribution planning method based on peak load brings about large investment, high risk and low utilization efficiency. A distribution network planning method considering distributed generation (DG) for peak cutting is proposed in this paper. The new integrated distribution network planning method with DG implementation aims to minimize the sum of feeder investments, DG investments, energy loss cost and the additional cost of DG for peak cutting. Using the solution techniques combining genetic algorithm (GA) with the heuristic approach, the proposed model determines the optimal planning scheme including the feeder network and the siting and sizing of DG. The strategy for the site and size of DG, which is based on the radial structure characteristics of distribution network, reduces the complexity degree of solving the optimization model and eases the computational burden substantially. Furthermore, the operation schedule of DG at the different load level is also provided.

Multi-Objective Planning Techniques in Distribution Networks: A Composite Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Distribution networks (DNWs are facing numerous challenges, notably growing load demands, environmental concerns, operational constraints and expansion limitations with the current infrastructure. These challenges serve as a motivation factor for various distribution network planning (DP strategies, such as timely addressing load growth aiming at prominent objectives such as reliability, power quality, economic viability, system stability and deferring costly reinforcements. The continuous transformation of passive to active distribution networks (ADN needs to consider choices, primarily distributed generation (DG, network topology change, installation of new protection devices and key enablers as planning options in addition to traditional grid reinforcements. Since modern DP (MDP in deregulated market environments includes multiple stakeholders, primarily owners, regulators, operators and consumers, one solution fit for all planning scenarios may not satisfy all these stakeholders. Hence, this paper presents a review of several planning techniques (PTs based on mult-objective optimizations (MOOs in DNWs, aiming at better trade-off solutions among conflicting objectives and satisfying multiple stakeholders. The PTs in the paper spread across four distinct planning classifications including DG units as an alternative to costly reinforcements, capacitors and power electronic devices for ensuring power quality aspects, grid reinforcements, expansions, and upgrades as a separate category and network topology alteration and reconfiguration as a viable planning option. Several research works associated with multi-objective planning techniques (MOPT have been reviewed with relevant models, methods and achieved objectives, abiding with system constraints. The paper also provides a composite review of current research accounts and interdependence of associated components in the respective classifications. The potential future planning areas, aiming at

Scalable and practical multi-objective distribution network expansion planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luong, N.H.; Grond, M.O.W.; Poutré, La J.A.; Bosman, P.A.N.

2015-01-01

We formulate the distribution network expansion planning (DNEP) problem as a multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem with different objectives that distribution network operators (DNOs) would typically like to consider during decision making processes for expanding their networks. Objectives are

PLANNING TRIPOLI METRO NETWORK BY THE USE OF REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Alhusain

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Tripoli, the capital city of Libya is going through significant and integrated development process, this development is expected to continue in the next few decades. The Libyan authorities have put it as their goal to develop Tripoli to an important metropolis in North Africa. To achieve this goal, they identified goals for the city's future development in all human, economic, cultural, touristic, and nonetheless infrastructure levels. On the infrastructure development level, among other things, they have identified the development of public transportation as one of the important development priorities. At present, public transportation in Tripoli is carried out by a limited capacity bus network alongside of individual transportation. However, movement in the city is characterized mainly by individual transportation with all its disadvantages such as traffic jams, significant air pollution with both carbon monoxide and dust, and lack of parking space. The Libyan authorities wisely opted for an efficient, modern, and environment friendly solution for public transportation, this was to plan a complex Metro Network as the backbone of public transportation in the city, and to develop and integrate the bus network and other means of transportation to be in harmony with the planned Metro network. The Metro network is planned to provide convenient connections to Tripoli International Airport and to the planned Railway station. They plan to build a system of Park and Ride (P+R facilities at suitable locations along the Metro lines. This paper will present in details the planned Metro Network, some of the applied technological solutions, the importance of applying remote sensing and GIS technologies in different planning phases, and problems and benefits associated with the use of multi-temporal-, multi-format spatial data in the whole network planning phase.

Planning Tripoli Metro Network by the Use of Remote Sensing Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Alhusain, O.; Engedy, Gy.; Milady, A.; Paulini, L.; Soos, G.

2012-08-01

Tripoli, the capital city of Libya is going through significant and integrated development process, this development is expected to continue in the next few decades. The Libyan authorities have put it as their goal to develop Tripoli to an important metropolis in North Africa. To achieve this goal, they identified goals for the city's future development in all human, economic, cultural, touristic, and nonetheless infrastructure levels. On the infrastructure development level, among other things, they have identified the development of public transportation as one of the important development priorities. At present, public transportation in Tripoli is carried out by a limited capacity bus network alongside of individual transportation. However, movement in the city is characterized mainly by individual transportation with all its disadvantages such as traffic jams, significant air pollution with both carbon monoxide and dust, and lack of parking space. The Libyan authorities wisely opted for an efficient, modern, and environment friendly solution for public transportation, this was to plan a complex Metro Network as the backbone of public transportation in the city, and to develop and integrate the bus network and other means of transportation to be in harmony with the planned Metro network. The Metro network is planned to provide convenient connections to Tripoli International Airport and to the planned Railway station. They plan to build a system of Park and Ride (P+R) facilities at suitable locations along the Metro lines. This paper will present in details the planned Metro Network, some of the applied technological solutions, the importance of applying remote sensing and GIS technologies in different planning phases, and problems and benefits associated with the use of multi-temporal-, multi-format spatial data in the whole network planning phase.

An Automated Planning Model for RoF Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shawky, Ahmed; Bergheim, Hans; Ragnarsson, Ólafur

2010-01-01

The number of users in wireless WANs is increasing like never before, at the same time as the bandwidth demands by users increase.The structure of the third generation Wireless WANs makes it expensive for Wireless ISPs to meet these demands.The FUTON architecture is a RoF heterogeneous wireless...... network architecture under development,that will be cheaper to deploy and operate.This paper shows a method to plan an implementation of this architecture.The planning is done as automatic as possible,covering radio planning, fiber planning and network dimensioning. The out come of the paper is a planning...

Ten-Year Network Development Plan - 2015 edition, executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Complying with the European and French laws, each year, RTE prepares and publicizes a Ten-Year Network Development Plan (NDP) to meet the expectations of its stakeholders and customers. The NDP lists the network development projects that RTE plans to complete and commission over a 3-year period and presents the main power transmission infrastructure work envisaged for the next Ten-years. Beyond, it outlines the possible network adaptation needs for a variety of energy transition scenarios. Over the next 10 years, the network investments will make it possible to: - Meet the goals of the Regional Climate Air Energy Plans, - Create 4 GW of extra offshore wind generation integration capacity and 10 GW of additional interconnection capacity, 2/3 more than the current capacity, - Enable the development of economically and demographically dynamic areas, with safe and high-standard electricity supply. In the coming decade, RTE plans: - 1,200 km of new underground and sub-sea DC links, along with their associated converter stations; - 600 km of existing equipment upgrades or new overhead 400 kV AC circuits substituting existing power lines. - and, at the same time, nearly 900 km of underground lines and just over 400 km of overhead 225 kV AC lines should be built. 400 projects are listed in this NDP: - 21% of the operations are on overhead lines (for 3/4 new lines or upgrade and for 1/4 dismantling of existing assets) - 27% concern new underground lines; - 52% on substation adaptations (about 20 new RTE substations and 100 new customer substations connected). Globally, nearly 80% of the network is developed underground or sub-sea. This edition of the Network Development plan is further enriched. In particular, it explains more thoroughly the link between the integration of renewable energy and the entailed development of the transmission network. It also provides a focus on smart grids. This edition relies on mid and long term scenarios describing the evolution of the

Multi-year expansion planning of large transmission networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binato, S; Oliveira, G C [Centro de Pesquisas de Energia Eletrica (CEPEL), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

1994-12-31

This paper describes a model for multi-year transmission network expansion to be used in long-term system planning. The network is represented by a linearized (DC) power flow and, for each year, operation costs are evaluated by a linear programming (LP) based algorithm that provides sensitivity indices for circuit reinforcements. A Backward/Forward approaches is proposed to devise an expansion plan over the study period. A case study with the southeastern Brazilian system is presented and discussed. (author) 18 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Impact of renal denervation on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure: results from SYMPLICITY HTN-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakris, George L; Townsend, Raymond R; Liu, Minglei; Cohen, Sidney A; D'Agostino, Ralph; Flack, John M; Kandzari, David E; Katzen, Barry T; Leon, Martin B; Mauri, Laura; Negoita, Manuela; O'Neill, William W; Oparil, Suzanne; Rocha-Singh, Krishna; Bhatt, Deepak L

2014-09-16

Prior studies of catheter-based renal artery denervation have not systematically performed ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) to assess the efficacy of the procedure. SYMPLICITY HTN-3 (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension) was a prospective, blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial. The current analysis details the effect of renal denervation or a sham procedure on ABPM measurements 6 months post-randomization. Patients with resistant hypertension were randomized 2:1 to renal denervation or sham control. Patients were on a stable antihypertensive regimen including maximally tolerated doses of at least 3 drugs including a diuretic before randomization. The powered secondary efficacy endpoint was a change in mean 24-h ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP). Nondipper to dipper (nighttime blood pressure [BP] 10% to 20% lower than daytime BP) conversion was calculated at 6 months. The 24-h ambulatory SBP changed -6.8 ± 15.1 mm Hg in the denervation group and -4.8 ± 17.3 mm Hg in the sham group: difference of -2.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.0 to 1.1; p = 0.98 with a 2 mm Hg superiority margin). The daytime ambulatory SBP change difference between groups was -1.1 (95% CI: -4.3 to 2.2; p = 0.52). The nocturnal ambulatory SBP change difference between groups was -3.3 (95 CI: -6.7 to 0.1; p = 0.06). The percent of nondippers converted to dippers was 21.2% in the denervation group and 15.0% in the sham group (95% CI: -3.8% to 16.2%; p = 0.30). Change in 24-h heart rate was -1.4 ± 7.4 in the denervation group and -1.3 ± 7.3 in the sham group; (95% CI: -1.5 to 1.4; p = 0.94). This trial did not demonstrate a benefit of renal artery denervation on reduction in ambulatory BP in either the 24-h or day and night periods compared with sham (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension [SYMPLICITY HTN-3]; NCT01418261). Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by

Safety and performance of the next generation EnligHTN™ renal denervation system in patients with drug-resistant, uncontrolled hypertension: The EnligHTN III first-in-human multicentre study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen G. Worthley

2015-08-01

Conclusions: Renal sympathetic denervation using the next generation EnligHTN renal denervation system resulted in safe, rapid, and significant mean office blood pressure reduction that was sustained through 6 months. Future studies will need to address the utility of this system against an appropriate placebo based comparator.

Decennial development plan of the GRTgaz's transmission network 2012-2021

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-09-01

The GRTgaz network is the longest high pressure natural gas transmission network in Europe, and one of the best interconnected. It comprises a main network and a regional network. After an indication of some key figures of the GRTgaz network (duct length, transported volume, exchanged power, clients, turnover, investments), this report proposes a synthetic overview of the decennial development plan framework, of European and French energy policies, of the French geographical position in relationship with Europe, and of the energetic objectives of the decennial plan. In its other parts, this report reviews the gas transmission demand and supply, analyses the evolution of the gas market in Europe and in France (consumption and supplies, issue of secure supply), describes the development of the GRTgaz transmission network (developments in the northern and southern areas, merger of North and South market areas, connection of Corsica), presents the provisional timetable for the planned works (projects put into service within 3 years or after 2014, provisional development of capacities during the 2012-2021 period)

Opportunities and Challenges of AC/DC Transmission Network Planning Considering High Proportion Renewable Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arslan Habib

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The time and space distribution characteristics of future high proportion of renewable energy sources will bring unprecedented challenges to the electric power system’s processing and planning, the basic form of electric power system and operating characteristics will have fundamental changes. Based on the research status quo at home and abroad, this paper expounds the four scientific problems of the transmission network planning with high proportion of renewable energy. Respectively, from the network source collaborative planning, transmission network flexible planning. With the distribution network in conjunction with the transmission network planning, transmission planning program comprehensive evaluation and decision-making methods. This paper puts forward the research ideas and framework of transmission network planning considering the high proportion of renewable energy. At the end, the future high proportion of (renewable energy grid-connected transmission network’s opportunities and challenges are presented.

Integrating smart grid solution into distribution network planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grond, M.O.W.; Morren, J.; Slootweg, J.G.

2013-01-01

The planning of medium voltage (MV) distribution networks is a challenging optimization problem due to its scale, its inherent uncertainty, and non-linear nature. In the international technical literature, there are many different optimization models and methods available to approach this planning

Artificial Neural Network Based Mission Planning Mechanism for Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhaoyu; Xu, Rui; Cui, Pingyuan; Zhu, Shengying

2018-04-01

The ability to plan and react fast in dynamic space environments is central to intelligent behavior of spacecraft. For space and robotic applications, many planners have been used. But it is difficult to encode the domain knowledge and directly use existing techniques such as heuristic to improve the performance of the application systems. Therefore, regarding planning as an advanced control problem, this paper first proposes an autonomous mission planning and action selection mechanism through a multiple layer perceptron neural network approach to select actions in planning process and improve efficiency. To prove the availability and effectiveness, we use autonomous mission planning problems of the spacecraft, which is a sophisticated system with complex subsystems and constraints as an example. Simulation results have shown that artificial neural networks (ANNs) are usable for planning problems. Compared with the existing planning method in EUROPA, the mechanism using ANNs is more efficient and can guarantee stable performance. Therefore, the mechanism proposed in this paper is more suitable for planning problems of spacecraft that require real time and stability.

Social networks, big data and transport planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz Sanchez, T.; Lidon Mars Aicart, M. del; Arroyo Lopez, M.R.; Serna Nocedal, A.

2016-07-01

The characteristics of people who are related or tied to each individual affects her activitytravel behavior. That influence is especially associated to social and recreational activities, which are increasingly important. Collecting high quality data from those social networks is very difficult, because respondents are asked about their general social life, which is most demanding to remember that specific facts. On the other hand, currently there are different potential sources of transport data, which is characterized by the huge amount of information available, the velocity with it is obtained and the variety of format in which is presented. This sort of information is commonly known as Big Data. In this paper we identify potential sources of social network related big data that can be used in Transport Planning. Then, a review of current applications in Transport Planning is presented. Finally, some future prospects of using social network related big data are highlighted. (Author)

Transmission network expansion planning based on hybridization model of neural networks and harmony search algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Taghi Ameli

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Transmission Network Expansion Planning (TNEP is a basic part of power network planning that determines where, when and how many new transmission lines should be added to the network. So, the TNEP is an optimization problem in which the expansion purposes are optimized. Artificial Intelligence (AI tools such as Genetic Algorithm (GA, Simulated Annealing (SA, Tabu Search (TS and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs are methods used for solving the TNEP problem. Today, by using the hybridization models of AI tools, we can solve the TNEP problem for large-scale systems, which shows the effectiveness of utilizing such models. In this paper, a new approach to the hybridization model of Probabilistic Neural Networks (PNNs and Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA was used to solve the TNEP problem. Finally, by considering the uncertain role of the load based on a scenario technique, this proposed model was tested on the Garver’s 6-bus network.

Evaluation and scoring of radiotherapy treatment plans using an artificial neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willoughby, Twyla R.; Starkschall, George; Janjan, Nora A.; Rosen, Isaac I.

1996-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of using an artificial neural network to predict the clinical evaluation of radiotherapy treatment plans. Methods and Materials: Approximately 150 treatment plans were developed for 16 patients who received external-beam radiotherapy for soft-tissue sarcomas of the lower extremity. Plans were assigned a figure of merit by a radiation oncologist using a five-point rating scale. Plan scoring was performed by a single physician to ensure consistency in rating. Dose-volume information extracted from a training set of 511 treatment plans on 14 patients was correlated to the physician-generated figure of merit using an artificial neural network. The neural network was tested with a test set of 19 treatment plans on two patients whose plans were not used in the training of the neural net. Results: Physician scoring of treatment plans was consistent to within one point on the rating scale 88% of the time. The neural net reproduced the physician scores in the training set to within one point approximately 90% of the time. It reproduced the physician scores in the test set to within one point approximately 83% of the time. Conclusions: An artificial neural network can be trained to generate a score for a treatment plan that can be correlated to a clinically-based figure of merit. The accuracy of the neural net in scoring plans compares well with the reproducibility of the clinical scoring. The system of radiotherapy treatment plan evaluation using an artificial neural network demonstrates promise as a method for generating a clinically relevant figure of merit

Integration of Neural Networks and Cellular Automata for Urban Planning

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Anthony Gar-on Yeh; LI Xia

2004-01-01

This paper presents a new type of cellular automata (CA) model for the simulation of alternative land development using neural networks for urban planning. CA models can be regarded as a planning tool because they can generate alternative urban growth. Alternative development patterns can be formed by using different sets of parameter values in CA simulation. A critical issue is how to define parameter values for realistic and idealized simulation. This paper demonstrates that neural networks can simplify CA models but generate more plausible results. The simulation is based on a simple three-layer network with an output neuron to generate conversion probability. No transition rules are required for the simulation. Parameter values are automatically obtained from the training of network by using satellite remote sensing data. Original training data can be assessed and modified according to planning objectives. Alternative urban patterns can be easily formulated by using the modified training data sets rather than changing the model.

Network evolution of body plans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koichi Fujimoto

Full Text Available One of the major goals in evolutionary developmental biology is to understand the relationship between gene regulatory networks and the diverse morphologies and their functionalities. Are the diversities solely triggered by random events, or are they inevitable outcomes of an interplay between evolving gene networks and natural selection? Segmentation in arthropod embryogenesis represents a well-known example of body plan diversity. Striped patterns of gene expression that lead to the future body segments appear simultaneously or sequentially in long and short germ-band development, respectively. Moreover, a combination of both is found in intermediate germ-band development. Regulatory genes relevant for stripe formation are evolutionarily conserved among arthropods, therefore the differences in the observed traits are thought to have originated from how the genes are wired. To reveal the basic differences in the network structure, we have numerically evolved hundreds of gene regulatory networks that produce striped patterns of gene expression. By analyzing the topologies of the generated networks, we show that the characteristics of stripe formation in long and short germ-band development are determined by Feed-Forward Loops (FFLs and negative Feed-Back Loops (FBLs respectively, and those of intermediate germ-band development are determined by the interconnections between FFL and negative FBL. Network architectures, gene expression patterns and knockout responses exhibited by the artificially evolved networks agree with those reported in the fly Drosophila melanogaster and the beetle Tribolium castaneum. For other arthropod species, principal network architectures that remain largely unknown are predicted. Our results suggest that the emergence of the three modes of body segmentation in arthropods is an inherent property of the evolving networks.

Hypertensive crisis: an update on clinical approach and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Ipek, Emrah; Oktay, Ahmet Afşin; Krim, Selim R

2017-07-01

Here, we review current concepts on hypertensive crisis (HTN-C) with a focus on epidemiology, causes, pathophysiology and prognosis. We also offer a practical approach to the management of HTN-C. HTN-C is characterized by a severe and abrupt increase in blood pressure (BP) with impending or progressive acute end-organ damage (EOD). HTN-C can be divided into hypertensive emergency (HTN-E) and hypertensive urgency (HTN-U) based on the presence or absence of acute EOD, respectively. Recent retrospective studies have demonstrated that emergency department (ED) referrals from an outpatient clinic or rapid BP-lowering strategies in the ED do not lead to improved outcomes in patients with HTN-U. HTN-C can be a de-novo manifestation or a complication of essential or secondary HTN. The presence of acute EOD is a major poor prognostic indicator in HTN-C. The main objectives of the management of HTN-C are distinction of HTN-E from HTN-U and appropriate risk stratification, prevention or regression of acute EOD due to severely elevated BP, prevention of recurrence of HTN-C with an effective long-term management plan and avoidance of rapid lowering of BP except in some special circumstances. The majority of patients with asymptomatic HTN-U can be safely managed in the outpatient setting without exposing them to the risks of aggressive BP lowering. However, patients with HTN-E require hospitalization, prompt treatment and close monitoring.

Plan Generation and Evaluation Using Action Networks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Peot, Mark

2003-01-01

... from potential actions of the plan. Methods used to accomplish these results included the use of Action Networks, and development of a suite of analysis tools in support of the AFRL Campaign Assessment Tool...

Operations plan for the Regional Seismic Test Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

The Regional Seismic Test Network program was established to provide a capability for detection of extremely sensitive earth movements. Seismic signals from both natural and man-made earth motions will be analyzed with the ultimate objective of accurately locating underground nuclear explosions. The Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, has designed an unattended seismic station capable of recording seismic information received at the location of the seismometers installed as part of that specific station. A network of stations is required to increase the capability of determining the source of the seismic signal and the location of the source. Current plans are to establish a five-station seismic network in the United States and Canada. The Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, has been assigned the responsibility for deploying, installing, and operating these remote stations. This Operation Plan provides the basic information and tasking to accomplish this assignment

Planning of optimal electricity and gas distribution networks; Planung von optimalen Strom- und Gasverteilungsnetzen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, Andreas; Hinueber, Gerd; Moser, Albert [RWTH Aachen (DE). Inst. fuer Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft (IAEW)

2009-12-15

Framework conditions for the planning of energy networks are changing under the influence of European energy policy, incentive regulation and the politically motivated promotion of new technologies such as electromobility or intelligent metering. The future use of information and communication technologies in energy networks will create new degrees of freedom. This will necessitate changes in the way in which gas and electricity networks have been planned in the past. Especially computer-assisted methods for objectifying planning decisions are moving into the focus of network operators as a valuable network development tool.

NASA deep space network operations planning and preparation

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, W. N.

1982-01-01

The responsibilities and structural organization of the Operations Planning Group of NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) Operations are outlined. The Operations Planning group establishes an early interface with a user's planning organization to educate the user on DSN capabilities and limitations for deep space tracking support. A team of one or two individuals works through all phases of the spacecraft launch and also provides planning and preparation for specific events such as planetary encounters. Coordinating interface is also provided for nonflight projects such as radio astronomy and VLBI experiments. The group is divided into a Long Range Support Planning element and a Near Term Operations Coordination element.

Linking Climate Risk, Policy Networks and Adaptation Planning in Public Lands

Science.gov (United States)

Lubell, M.; Schwartz, M.; Peters, C.

2014-12-01

Federal public land management agencies in the United States have engaged a variety of planning efforts to address climate adaptation. A major goal of these efforts is to build policy networks that enable land managers to access information and expertise needed for responding to local climate risks. This paper investigates whether the perceived and modeled climate risk faced by different land managers is leading to larger networks or more participating in climate adaptation. In theory, the benefits of climate planning networks are larger when land managers are facing more potential changes. The basic hypothesis is tested with a survey of public land managers from hundreds of local and regional public lands management units in the Southwestern United States, as well as other stakeholders involved with climate adaptation planning. All survey respondents report their perceptions of climate risk along a variety of dimensions, as well as their participation in climate adaptation planning and information sharing networks. For a subset of respondents, we have spatially explicity GIS data about their location, which will be linked with downscaled climate model data. With the focus on climate change, the analysis is a subset of the overall idea of linking social and ecological systems.

Integrated production-distribution planning optimization models: A review in collaborative networks context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Andres

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Researchers in the area of collaborative networks are more and more aware of proposing collaborative approaches to address planning processes, due to the advantages associated when enterprises perform integrated planning models. Collaborative production-distribution planning, among the supply network actors, is considered a proper mechanism to support enterprises on dealing with uncertainties and dynamicity associated to the current markets. Enterprises, and especially SMEs, should be able to overcome the continuous changes of the market by increasing their agility. Carrying out collaborative planning allows enterprises to enhance their readiness and agility for facing the market turbulences. However, SMEs have limited access when incorporating optimization tools to deal with collaborative planning, reducing their ability to respond to the competition. The problem to solve is to provide SMEs affordable solutions to support collaborative planning. In this regard, new optimisation algorithms are required in order to improve the collaboration within the supply network partners. As part of the H2020 Cloud Collaborative Manufacturing Networks (C2NET research project, this paper presents a study on integrated production and distribution plans. The main objective of the research is to identify gaps in current optimization models, proposed to address integrated planning, taking into account the requirements and needs of the industry. Thus, the needs of the companies belonging to the industrial pilots, defined in the C2NET project, are identified; analysing how these needs are covered by the optimization models proposed in the literature, to deal with the integrated production-distribution planning.

Network planning study of the metro-optical-network-oriented 3G application

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Qian; Xu, Rong; Lin, Jin Tong

2005-02-01

To compare with the 2G mobile communication, 3G technologies can supply the perfect service scope and performance. 3G is the trend of the mobile communication. So now to build the transmission network, it is needed to consider how the transmission network to support the 3G applications. For the 3G network architecture, it include the 2 part: Utran access network and core network. So the metro optical network should consider how to build the network to adapt the 3G applications. Include the metro core and access layer. In the metro core, we should consider the network should evolved towards the Mesh architecture with ASON function to realize the fast protection and restoration, quick end-to-end service provision, and high capacity cross-connect matrix etc. In the access layer, the network should have the ability to access the 3G services such as ATM interface with IMA function. In addition, the traffic grooming should be provided to improve the bandwidth utility. In this paper, first we present the MCC network situation, the network planning model will be introduced. Then we present the topology architecture, node capacity and traffic forecast. At last, based on our analysis, we will give a total solution to MCC to build their metro optical network toward to the mesh network with the consideration of 3G services.

A continuous-time control model on production planning network ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A continuous-time control model on production planning network. DEA Omorogbe, MIU Okunsebor. Abstract. In this paper, we give a slightly detailed review of Graves and Hollywood model on constant inventory tactical planning model for a job shop. The limitations of this model are pointed out and a continuous time ...

On Planning of FTTH Access Networks with and without Redundancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riaz, M. Tahir; Haraldsson, Gustav; Gutierrez Lopez, Jose Manuel

2010-01-01

This paper presents a planning analysis of FTTH access network with and without redundancy. Traditionally, access networks are planned only without redundancy, which is mainly due to lowering the cost of deployment. As fiber optics provide a huge amount of capacity, more and more services are being...... offered on a single fiber connection. As a single point of failure in fiber connection can cause multiple service deprivation therefore redundancy is very crucial. In this work, an automated planning model was used to test different scenarios of implementation. A cost estimation is presented in terms...... of digging and amount of fiber used. Three topologies, including the traditional one “tree topology”, were test with combination of various passive optical technologies....

Pricing and Capacity Planning Problems in Energy Transmission Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villumsen, Jonas Christoffer

strategy. In the Nordic electricity system a market with zonal prices is adopted. We consider the problem of designing zones in an optimal way explicitly considering uncertainty. Finally, we formulate the integrated problem of pipeline capacity expansion planning and transmission pricing in natural gas...... necessitates a radical change in the way we plan and operate energy systems. Another paradigm change which began in the 1990’s for electricity systems is that of deregulation. This has led to a variety of different market structures implemented across the world. In this thesis we discuss capacity planning...... and transmission pricing problems in energy transmission networks. Although the modelling framework applies to energy networks in general, most of the applications discussed concern the transmission of electricity. A number of the problems presented involves transmission switching, which allows the operator...

Capacity planning for Carrier Ethernet LTE backhaul networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Checko, Aleksandra; Ellegaard, Lars; Berger, Michael Stübert

2012-01-01

With the introduction of LTE networks operators need to plan a new, IP-based mobile backhaul. In this paper, we provide recommendation on dimensioning LTE backhaul networks links using three methods: delay-, dimensioning formula- and overbooking factor-based. Results are obtained from OPNET simul...... and verified. Simulation in this work proves that Carrier Ethernet, one of the candidate technologies for mobile backhaul, protects the network from users that want to flood the network with their data and manages to keep the delay experienced by other users low....... simulations with traffic model based on traffic forecast for 2015. A delay-based approach gives recommended bandwidth for expected number of users. A dimensioning formula is proposed to calculate link bandwidth when mean value of aggregated traffic in the network is known. An overbooking factor is calculated...

Arizona TeleMedicine Network: Engineering Master Plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Atlantic Research Corp., Alexandria, VA.

As the planning document for establishing a statewide health communications system initially servicing the Papago, San Carlos and White Mountain Apache, Navajo, and Hopi reservations, this document prescribes the communications services to be provided by the Arizona TeleMedicine Network. Specifications include: (1) communications services for each…

An optimization planning technique for Suez Canal Network in Egypt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou El-Ela, A.A.; El-Zeftawy, A.A.; Allam, S.M.; Atta, Gasir M. [Electrical Engineering Dept., Faculty of Eng., Shebin El-Kom (Egypt)

2010-02-15

This paper introduces a proposed optimization technique POT for predicting the peak load demand and planning of transmission line systems. Many of traditional methods have been presented for long-term load forecasting of electrical power systems. But, the results of these methods are approximated. Therefore, the artificial neural network (ANN) technique for long-term peak load forecasting is modified and discussed as a modern technique in long-term load forecasting. The modified technique is applied on the Egyptian electrical network dependent on its historical data to predict the electrical peak load demand forecasting up to year 2017. This technique is compared with extrapolation of trend curves as a traditional method. The POT is applied also to obtain the optimal planning of transmission lines for the 220 kV of Suez Canal Network (SCN) using the ANN technique. The minimization of the transmission network costs are considered as an objective function, while the transmission lines (TL) planning constraints are satisfied. Zafarana site on the Red Sea coast is considered as an optimal site for installing big wind farm (WF) units in Egypt. So, the POT is applied to plan both the peak load and the electrical transmission of SCN with and without considering WF to develop the impact of WF units on the electrical transmission system of Egypt, considering the reliability constraints which were taken as a separate model in the previous techniques. The application on SCN shows the capability and the efficiently of the proposed techniques to obtain the predicting peak load demand and the optimal planning of transmission lines of SCN up to year 2017. (author)

Bechtel Hanford, Inc. network security plan for the environmental restoration contract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCaffrey, M.B.

1997-01-01

As part of the Computer Protection Program, this Network Security Plan identifies the specific security measures used to protect the Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI) enterprise network. The network consists of the communication infrastructure and information systems used by BHI to perform work related to the Environmental Restoration Contract (ERC) at the Hanford Site. It provides electronic communication between the ERC-leased facilities in Richland, Washington and other facilities located on the Hanford Site. Network gateways to other site and offsite networks provide electronic communication with the rest of the Hanford community. The enterprise network is comprised of several individual networks that operate under different conditions and perform different functions. The principal network used by BHI is the Bechtel Local Area Network (BLAN). This document identifies specific security issues surrounding the BLAN and the measures BHI takes to protect it. The other BHI-operated networks are discussed from the perspective of the security impact they have on the BLAN. This plan addresses security for individual and shared computer systems connected to the BHI networks as well as the gateways between other site and external networks. It specifically does not address computer-based information systems that store or process particularly sensitive data, computer systems connected to other site networks (e.g., Hanford Local Area Network), or standalone computers located in ERC facilities

Evolution of networks for body plan patterning; interplay of modularity, robustness and evolvability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirsten H Ten Tusscher

2011-10-01

Full Text Available A major goal of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo is to understand how multicellular body plans of increasing complexity have evolved, and how the corresponding developmental programs are genetically encoded. It has been repeatedly argued that key to the evolution of increased body plan complexity is the modularity of the underlying developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs. This modularity is considered essential for network robustness and evolvability. In our opinion, these ideas, appealing as they may sound, have not been sufficiently tested. Here we use computer simulations to study the evolution of GRNs' underlying body plan patterning. We select for body plan segmentation and differentiation, as these are considered to be major innovations in metazoan evolution. To allow modular networks to evolve, we independently select for segmentation and differentiation. We study both the occurrence and relation of robustness, evolvability and modularity of evolved networks. Interestingly, we observed two distinct evolutionary strategies to evolve a segmented, differentiated body plan. In the first strategy, first segments and then differentiation domains evolve (SF strategy. In the second scenario segments and domains evolve simultaneously (SS strategy. We demonstrate that under indirect selection for robustness the SF strategy becomes dominant. In addition, as a byproduct of this larger robustness, the SF strategy is also more evolvable. Finally, using a combined functional and architectural approach, we determine network modularity. We find that while SS networks generate segments and domains in an integrated manner, SF networks use largely independent modules to produce segments and domains. Surprisingly, we find that widely used, purely architectural methods for determining network modularity completely fail to establish this higher modularity of SF networks. Finally, we observe that, as a free side effect of evolving segmentation

Technical and economic evaluation of voltage level in transmission network expansion planning using GA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalilzadeh, S.; Kazemi, A.; Shayeghi, H.; Madavi, M.

2008-01-01

Transmission network expansion planning is an important part of power system planning. Its task is to determine an optimal network configuration according to load growth. It determines where, when and how many new transmission lines should be installed. Up to now, various methods have been presented to solve the static transmission network expansion planning (STNEP) problem, but in all of these methods, the STNEP problem has been solved regardless of voltage level of the lines. In this paper, due to different voltage levels in the transmission network, which cause different annual losses, STNEP has been studied considering the voltage level of the transmission lines and the network loss using the genetic algorithm (GA). Finally, the proposed idea has been examined on Garvers 6 bus network. The results show that considering the loss in a network with different voltage levels decreases the operational costs considerably, and the network satisfies the requirement of delivering electric power more safely and reliably to load centers

Optimal dimensioning of low-energy district heating networks with operational planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tol, Hakan; Svendsen, Svend

2012-01-01

in design stage resulted in satisfaction of heat demand of the house in low temperature operation. In this paper the operational planning of the low-energy DH systems was investigated to reduce the dimensions of the distribution network with consideration given both to current high-heat and future low......-heat demand situations. The operational planning was based on boosting (increasing) the supply temperature at peak-demand situations which occur rarely over a year period. Hence optimal pipe dimensions of low-energy DH systems were investigated based on the dynamic response of in-house heating systems...... of operational planning in comparison to DH network dimensioned according to high heat demand situation....

A complex systems approach to planning, optimization and decision making for energy networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, Jessica; Kempener, Ruud; Cohen, Brett; Petrie, Jim

2008-01-01

This paper explores a new approach to planning and optimization of energy networks, using a mix of global optimization and agent-based modeling tools. This approach takes account of techno-economic, environmental and social criteria, and engages explicitly with inherent network complexity in terms of the autonomous decision-making capability of individual agents within the network, who may choose not to act as economic rationalists. This is an important consideration from the standpoint of meeting sustainable development goals. The approach attempts to set targets for energy planning, by determining preferred network development pathways through multi-objective optimization. The viability of such plans is then explored through agent-based models. The combined approach is demonstrated for a case study of regional electricity generation in South Africa, with biomass as feedstock

Studying influence of two effective parameters on network losses in transmission expansion planning using DCGA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shayeghi, H.; Jalilzadeh, S.; Mahdavi, M.; Hadadian, H.

2008-01-01

Transmission network expansion planning (TNEP) is a basic part of power network planning that determines where, when and how many new transmission lines should be added to the network. Its task is to minimize the network construction and operational cost, while meeting imposed technical, economic and reliability constraints. Up till now, various methods have been proposed for solution of the static transmission network expansion planning (STNEP) problem. But, in all of them, the effect of two important parameters i.e., inflation rate and load growth factor on network losses has not been investigated. Thus, in this paper, STNEP is being studied considering the effect of inflation rate and load growth factor on the network losses in a transmission network with different voltage levels using a decimal codification genetic algorithm (DCGA). The effectiveness of the proposed idea is tested on the Garver's six-bus network. The results evaluation reveals that the inflation rate and load growth factor have important effect on the network losses and subsequent network arrangement. In addition, considering the effect of two above-mentioned parameters (inflation rate and load growth factor) in expansion planning of transmission networks with various line voltage levels is caused that the total expansion cost of the network (expansion costs and the operational cost) is calculated more exactly and therefore the network satisfies the requirements of delivering electric power more safely and reliably to load centers

The Evolution of Gene Regulatory Networks that Define Arthropod Body Plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Auman, Tzach; Chipman, Ariel D

2017-09-01

Our understanding of the genetics of arthropod body plan development originally stems from work on Drosophila melanogaster from the late 1970s and onward. In Drosophila, there is a relatively detailed model for the network of gene interactions that proceeds in a sequential-hierarchical fashion to define the main features of the body plan. Over the years, we have a growing understanding of the networks involved in defining the body plan in an increasing number of arthropod species. It is now becoming possible to tease out the conserved aspects of these networks and to try to reconstruct their evolution. In this contribution, we focus on several key nodes of these networks, starting from early patterning in which the main axes are determined and the broad morphological domains of the embryo are defined, and on to later stage wherein the growth zone network is active in sequential addition of posterior segments. The pattern of conservation of networks is very patchy, with some key aspects being highly conserved in all arthropods and others being very labile. Many aspects of early axis patterning are highly conserved, as are some aspects of sequential segment generation. In contrast, regional patterning varies among different taxa, and some networks, such as the terminal patterning network, are only found in a limited range of taxa. The growth zone segmentation network is ancient and is probably plesiomorphic to all arthropods. In some insects, it has undergone significant modification to give rise to a more hardwired network that generates individual segments separately. In other insects and in most arthropods, the sequential segmentation network has undergone a significant amount of systems drift, wherein many of the genes have changed. However, it maintains a conserved underlying logic and function. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please

Planning of Green Space Ecological Network in Urban Areas: An Example of Nanchang, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Haifeng; Chen, Wenbo; He, Wei

2015-10-15

Green space plays an important role in sustainable urban development and ecology by virtue of multiple environmental, recreational, and economic benefits. Constructing an effective and harmonious urban ecological network and maintaining a sustainable living environment in response to rapid urbanization are the key issues required to be resolved by landscape planners. In this paper, Nanchang City, China was selected as a study area. Based on a series of landscape metrics, the landscape pattern analysis of the current (in 2005) and planned (in 2020) green space system were, respectively, conducted by using FRAGSTATS 3.3 software. Considering the actual situation of the Nanchang urban area, a "one river and two banks, north and south twin cities" ecological network was constructed by using network analysis. Moreover, the ecological network was assessed by using corridor structure analysis, and the improvement of an ecological network on the urban landscape was quantitatively assessed through a comparison between the ecological network and green space system planning. The results indicated that: (1) compared to the green space system in 2005, the planned green space system in 2020 of the Nanchang urban area will decline in both districts (Changnan and Changbei districts). Meanwhile, an increase in patch density and a decrease in mean patch size of green space patches at the landscape level implies the fragmentation of the urban green space landscape. In other words, the planned green space system does not necessarily improve the present green space system; (2) the ecological network of two districts has high corridor density, while Changnan's ecological network has higher connectivity, but Changbei's ecological network is more viable from an economic point of view, since it has relatively higher cost efficiency; (3) decrease in patch density, Euclidean nearest neighbor distance, and an increase in mean patch size and connectivity implied that the ecological network

Requirements for advanced decision support tools in future distribution network planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grond, M.O.W.; Morren, J.; Slootweg, J.G.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the need and requirements for advanced decision support tools in future network planning from a distribution network operator perspective. The existing tools will no longer be satisfactory for future application due to present developments in the electricity sector that increase

Application of computer graphics to regional trunk road network planning

OpenAIRE

M Odani

1992-01-01

The author attempts to demonstrate the use of computer graphics to provide an efficient and effective visual presentation method for tranbsprtation planning. First, the basic concept of the visual presentation method of planning is explained and the required hardware is introduced. The information presented graphically by the proposed method is then shown for each step in the process of regional trunk road network planning in the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area of Japan: analysis of the traffic-...

Is Access to Outpatient Neurosurgery Affected by Narrow Insurance Networks? Results From Statewide Analysis of Marketplace Plans in Louisiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Dossani, Rimal H; Kalakoti, Piyush; Nanda, Anil; Guthikonda, Bharat; Tumialán, Luis M

2018-02-06

The main objective of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to make health insurance affordable to all Americans while addressing the lack of coverage for 48 million people. In the face of rapidly increasing enrollment and rising demand for inexpensive plans, insurance providers are limiting in-network physicians. Provider networks offering plans with limited in-network physicians have become known as "narrow networks." To assesses the adequacy of ACA marketplace plans for outpatient neurosurgery in Louisiana. The Marketplace Public Use Files were searched for all "silver" plans. A total of 7 silver plans were identified in Louisiana. Using the plans' online directories, a search of in-network neurosurgeons in Louisiana parishes with >100 000 population was performed. The primary outcome was lack of in-network neurosurgeon(s) in silver plans within 50 miles of selected zip code for each parish with >100 000 population. Plans without in-network neurosurgeon(s) are labeled as neurosurgeon-deficient plans. Several plans in Louisiana are neurosurgeon deficient, ie no in-network neurosurgeon within 50 miles of the designated parish zip code. Company A's plan 3 is deficient in all 5 parishes, while company C and company D silver plans are deficient in 4 out of 14 (29%). Combined results from all counties and plans demonstrate that 43% (3 out of 7) of all silver plans in Louisiana are neurosurgeon deficient in at least 4 parishes with population >100 000. In Louisiana, narrow networks have limited access to neurosurgical care for those patients with ACA silver plans. Copyright © 2018 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Converged Optical Network and Data Center Virtual Infrastructure Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgakilas, Konstantinos; Tzanakaki, Anna; Anastasopoulos, Markos

2012-01-01

This paper presents a detailed study of planning virtual infrastructures (VIs) over a physical infrastructure comprising integrated optical network and data center resources with the aim of enabling sharing of physical resources among several virtual operators and services. Through the planning...... process, the VI topology and virtual resources are identified and mapped to the physical resources. Our study assumes a practical VI demand model without any in advance global knowledge of the VI requests that are handled sequentially. Through detailed integer linear program modeling, two objective...... functions—one that minimizes the overall power consumption of the infrastructure and one that minimizes the wavelength utilization—are compared. Both are evaluated for the virtual wavelength path and wavelength path optical network architectures. The first objective results in power consumption savings...

Transmission Network Expansion Planning Considering Phase-Shifter Transformers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celso T. Miasaki

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel mathematical model for the transmission network expansion planning problem. Main idea is to consider phase-shifter (PS transformers as a new element of the transmission system expansion together with other traditional components such as transmission lines and conventional transformers. In this way, PS are added in order to redistribute active power flows in the system and, consequently, to diminish the total investment costs due to new transmission lines. Proposed mathematical model presents the structure of a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP problem and is based on the standard DC model. In this paper, there is also applied a specialized genetic algorithm aimed at optimizing the allocation of candidate components in the network. Results obtained from computational simulations carried out with IEEE-24 bus system show an outstanding performance of the proposed methodology and model, indicating the technical viability of using these nonconventional devices during the planning process.

Research on key technology of planning and design for AC/DC hybrid distribution network

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yu; Wu, Guilian; Zheng, Huan; Deng, Junpeng; Shi, Pengjia

2018-04-01

With the increasing demand of DC generation and DC load, the development of DC technology, AC and DC distribution network integrating will become an important form of future distribution network. In this paper, the key technology of planning and design for AC/DC hybrid distribution network is proposed, including the selection of AC and DC voltage series, the design of typical grid structure and the comprehensive evaluation method of planning scheme. The research results provide some ideas and directions for the future development of AC/DC hybrid distribution network.

2: Local area networks as a multiprocessor treatment planning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neblett, D.L.; Hogan, S.E.

1987-01-01

The creation of a local area network (LAN) of interconnected computers provides an environment of multi computer processors that adds a new dimension to treatment planning. A LAN system provides the opportunity to have two or more computers working on the plan in parallel. With high speed interprocessor transfer, events such as the time consuming task of correcting several individual beams for contours and inhomogeneities can be performed simultaneously; thus, effectively creating a parallel multiprocessor treatment planning system

Quality of Context Enhancements and Cost Effective Radio over Fiber Network Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shawky, Ahmed Sherif Mahmoud

In Communication networks today there is an endless quest for increased capacity and improved quality. With wireless systems being now popular worldwide for allowing users and devices to communicate and share information with each other irrespective of their location, the development of sustainable...... into dynamic context information reliability by developing models and online algorithms that ensure increased reliability for context information exchange. Eventually, the PhD looks into improving network planning by implementing an automated network planning model that takes advantage of both Radio over Fiber...... services. The increased number of mobile users puts a demand on today's networks in terms of application sensitivity, mobility and reliability. Mobile operators are offering various context-aware services and applications to the user. Today, mobile users are demanding access to dynamic context information...

A hybrid Planning Method for Transmission Network in a Deregulated Enviroment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Zhao; Dong, Zhaoyang; Poulsen, Kit

2006-01-01

The reconstruction of power industries has brought fundamental changes to both power system operation and planning. This paper presents a new planning method using a multi-objective optimization (MOOP) technique, as well as human knowledge, to expand the transmission network in open-access scheme...

The university library in social networks: planning a quality presence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estela Carmen Andrade Andrade

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Talks about the feasibility of participation of university libraries in social networking. We present the benefits and opportunities of Web 2.0 and online communities. Poses a set of guidelines aimed at developing a work plan that enables the implementation of site information in a social network. It highlights the capabilities of librarians to optimize this type of service.

Developing a Framework for Effective Network Capacity Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Yaprak, Ece

2005-01-01

As Internet traffic continues to grow exponentially, developing a clearer understanding of, and appropriately measuring, network's performance is becoming ever more critical. An important challenge faced by the Information Resources Directorate (IRD) at the Johnson Space Center in this context remains not only monitoring and maintaining a secure network, but also better understanding the capacity and future growth potential boundaries of its network. This requires capacity planning which involves modeling and simulating different network alternatives, and incorporating changes in design as technologies, components, configurations, and applications change, to determine optimal solutions in light of IRD's goals, objectives and strategies. My primary task this summer was to address this need. I evaluated network-modeling tools from OPNET Technologies Inc. and Compuware Corporation. I generated a baseline model for Building 45 using both tools by importing "real" topology/traffic information using IRD's various network management tools. I compared each tool against the other in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of both tools to accomplish IRD's goals. I also prepared step-by-step "how to design a baseline model" tutorial for both OPNET and Compuware products.

A Power Planning Algorithm Based on RPL for AMI Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Miguel, Marcio L F; Jamhour, Edgard; Pellenz, Marcelo E; Penna, Manoel C

2017-03-25

The advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is an architecture for two-way communication between electric, gas and water meters and city utilities. The AMI network is a wireless sensor network that provides communication for metering devices in the neighborhood area of the smart grid. Recently, the applicability of a routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks (RPL) has been considered in AMI networks. Some studies in the literature have pointed out problems with RPL, including sub-optimal path selection and instability. In this paper, we defend the viewpoint that careful planning of the transmission power in wireless RPL networks can significantly reduce the pointed problems. This paper presents a method for planning the transmission power in order to assure that, after convergence, the size of the parent set of the RPL nodes is as close as possible to a predefined size. Another important feature is that all nodes in the parent set offer connectivity through links of similar quality.

Project plan for PACS networking construction and cabling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Min; Wang Xiaolin; Luo Song; Lei Wenyong; Wang Xuejian; Wen Hongyue; Wu Hongxing

2002-01-01

Objective: To meet the networking requirement of the heave data flow, load balance, and potential networking storm during expanding the application of PACS. Methods: Intel Net Structure 480T Giga Switch was used as main switch and connected to each building by optical channel at 1 Giga speed to archive 100 MB/s to each port. At the same time, the in dependence of the original networking construction was physically kept. The layer 3 and 4 switchers was used as load balance to reduce the heavy load of the networking, and all the cabling for PACS used the super CAT5 along with the Intel Net Structure 1520 to prepare for the potential networking storm. Results: An advanced intranet was set up to fully meet the high standard requirement of PACS. The good foundation for upgrading the whole networking system to 1 Giga application was built for realized share and transmission of image, information, and patient data within the hospital. The base was established for the standardized management of the hospital. Conclusion: Good planning is the 1 st step in setting up PACS and the equipment are the platform to run PACS and all kinds of HIS. The networking construction is the foundation of e-hospitals

A Critical Look at Critics in HTN Planning

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Erol, Kutluhan; Hendler, James A; Nau, Dana S; Tsuneto, Reiko

1995-01-01

.... As a result, little work is available on the correctness or efficiency of critics. This paper describes a principled approach to handling conflicts, as implemented in Universal Method-Composition Planner (UMCP...

Application of Network Planning to Teaching Wind-Surfing

Science.gov (United States)

Zybko, Przemyslaw; Jaczynowski, Lech

2008-01-01

Study aim: To determine the effects of network planning on teaching untrained subjects windsurfing. Material and methods: Untrained physical education students (n = 390), aged 19-23 years, took part in the study while staying on a summer camp. They were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (n = 216) and control (n = 174). Two methods of…

Do Director Networks Help Manager Plan and Forecast Better?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schabus, M.

I examine whether directors' superior access to information and resources through their board network improves the quality of firms' planning and forecasting. Managers may benefit from well-connected directors as, even though managers have firm specific knowledge, they may have only limited insight

Association of Aldosterone and Cortisol with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Prehypertension Stage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadiqa Badar Syed

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The Pakistani population has higher incidence of cardiovascular (CV diseases at younger ages, due to undiagnosed, uncontrolled hypertension (HTN. A variety of associated HTN stressors is also reported. The study plans to understand the variables associated with initiation of HTN in this population. Objective. To find plasma aldosterone and cortisol relationship with some CV risk factors (obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, sodium and potassium in different stages of HTN particularly prehypertension. Subjects and Methods. The study conducted on 276 subjects (25–60 years, classified into prehypertensive (=55, HTN stage-1 (=70 and II (=76 according to 7th JNC report and compared with normotensive controls (=75. The anthropometric profiles (height, weight, waist circumference, Body Mass index and BP recorded. Serum cortisol, aldosterone, total cholesterol, Low density lipoproteins, blood glucose, Na+ and K+, using standard laboratory techniques, were determined in fasting blood samples. Results. Subjects were mostly overweight and obese (80%, 90%, and 76% in pre-HTN, stage-I and II versus 69% in controls. The aldosterone level (ng/dl was in higher normal range (9.17–12.41 and significantly correlated to BMI (0.587 in controls, and to TC (0.726 and LDL (0.620 in pre-HTN stage-I. The cortisol level was positively correlated (25. Conclusion. Pre-HTN stage among Pakistani population with successive increase in various risk factors of HTN in relation to aldosterone and cortisol has been identified. Interaction of the risk factors with endogenous levels of these hormones may initiate stages of HTN.

A decision support system for pre-earthquake planning of lifeline networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liang, J.W. [Tianjin Univ. (China). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1996-12-01

This paper describes the frame of a decision support system for pre-earthquake planning of gas and water networks. The system is mainly based on the earthquake experiences and lessons from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. The objective of the system is to offer countermeasures and help make decisions for seismic strengthening, remaking, and upgrading of gas and water networks.

A multinational clinical approach to assessing the effectiveness of catheter-based ultrasound renal denervation: The RADIANCE-HTN and REQUIRE clinical study designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauri, Laura; Kario, Kazuomi; Basile, Jan; Daemen, Joost; Davies, Justin; Kirtane, Ajay J; Mahfoud, Felix; Schmieder, Roland E; Weber, Michael; Nanto, Shinsuke; Azizi, Michel

2018-01-01

Catheter-based renal denervation is a new approach to treat hypertension via modulation of the renal sympathetic nerves. Although nonrandomized and small, open-label randomized studies resulted in significant reductions in office blood pressure 6months after renal denervation with monopolar radiofrequency catheters, the first prospective, randomized, sham-controlled study (Symplicity HTN-3) failed to meet its blood pressure efficacy end point. New clinical trials with new catheters have since been designed to address the limitations of earlier studies. Accordingly, the RADIANCE-HTN and REQUIRE studies are multicenter, blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trials designed to assess the blood pressure-lowering efficacy of the ultrasound-based renal denervation system (Paradise) in patients with established hypertension either on or off antihypertensive medications, is designed to evaluate patients in 2 cohorts-SOLO and TRIO, in the United States and Europe. The SOLO cohort includes patients with essential hypertension, at low cardiovascular risk, and either controlled on 1 to 2 antihypertensive medications or uncontrolled on 0 to 2 antihypertensive medications. Patients undergo a 4-week medication washout period before randomization to renal denervation (treatment) or renal angiogram (sham). The TRIO cohort includes patients with hypertension resistant to at least 3 antihypertensive drugs including a diuretic. Patients will be stabilized on a single-pill, triple-antihypertensive-drug combination for 4weeks before randomization to treatment or sham. Reduction in daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure (primary end point) will be assessed at 2months in both cohorts. A predefined medication escalation protocol, as needed for blood pressure control, is implemented between 2 and 6months in both cohorts by a study staff member blinded to the randomization process. At 6months, daytime ambulatory blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment score will be assessed. REQUIRE

SQoS based Planning using 4-regular Grid for Optical Fiber Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riaz, Muhammad Tahir; Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Madsen, Ole Brun

2005-01-01

optical fiber based network infrastructures. In the first step of SQoS based planning, this paper describes how 4-regular Grid structures can be implemented in the physical level of optical fiber network infrastructures. A systematic approach for implementing the Grid structure is presented. We used...

Satellites vs. fiber optics based networks and services - Road map to strategic planning

Science.gov (United States)

Marandi, James H. R.

An overview of a generic telecommunications network and its components is presented, and the current developments in satellite and fiber optics technologies are discussed with an eye on the trends in industry. A baseline model is proposed, and a cost comparison of fiber- vs satellite-based networks is made. A step-by-step 'road map' to the successful strategic planning of telecommunications services and facilities is presented. This road map provides for optimization of the current and future networks and services through effective utilization of both satellites and fiber optics. The road map is then applied to different segments of the telecommunications industry and market place, to show its effectiveness for the strategic planning of executives of three types: (1) those heading telecommunications manufacturing concerns, (2) those leading communication service companies, and (3) managers of telecommunication/MIS departments of major corporations. Future networking issues, such as developments in integrated-services digital network standards and technologies, are addressed.

Controlling networking multimedia appliances: with an open environment - a plan-based approach

OpenAIRE

Jantz, D.; Heider, T.

2000-01-01

The need for a better user assistance in technical environments led to the birth of a planning assistant. The principal problems in representing real world tasks in this environment of multimedia home devices are explained. A special issue is the developed EMBASSI Generic Architecture to integrate networked multimedia appliances. The planning assistant engages planning algorithms to fullfill user desires without handling traditional technical control interfaces.

The thematic plant life assessment network (PLAN)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurst, R C; McGarry, D [EC/JRC Institute for Advanced Materials, Petten (Netherlands); Pedersen, H H [Brite Euram DG XII, Brussels (Belgium)

1999-12-31

The Plant Life Assessment Network (PLAN) is a Brite Euram Type II Thematic Network, initiated by the European Commission to facilitate structured co-operation between all cost shared action projects already funded by the Commission which fall under this common technical theme. The projects involved address a multiplicity of problems associated with plant life assessment and are drawn from Brite-Euram, Standards, Measurement and Testing, Nuclear Fission Safety and Esprit EC programmes. The main aim of the Network is to initiate, maintain and monitor a fruitful co-operation process between completed, ongoing and future EC R and D projects, thereby promoting improved cross fertilization and enhanced industrial exploitation of R and D results. As the project is in its infancy, this presentation covers the background to the initiative in some detail. In particular two key aspects are highlighted, namely, the requirement of the EC to launch such a network in the area of plant life assessment including its evolution from two small Thematic Research Actions and, secondly, the mechanism for structuring the Network in an ordered and proven way along the lines of the EC/JRC European Networks, PISC, NESC, AMES, ENIQ, ENAIS and EPERC. The operating and financial structure of the Network is detailed with reference made to the role of the executive Steering Committee, The Network Project Leader and the Network Financial Co-ordinator. Each of the 58 projects involved in the Network, representing a wide range of industrial sectors and disciplines, is distributed in terms of their efforts between 4 disciplinary Clusters covering Inspection, Instrumentation and Monitoring, Structural Mechanics and Maintenance. For each of these Clusters, an expert has been appointed as a Project Technical Auditor to support the elected Cluster Co-ordinator to define Cluster Tasks, which contribute to the overall objectives of the project. From the Project Representatives, Cluster Task Leaders and

The thematic plant life assessment network (PLAN)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurst, R.C.; McGarry, D. [EC/JRC Institute for Advanced Materials, Petten (Netherlands); Pedersen, H.H. [Brite Euram DG XII, Brussels (Belgium)

1998-12-31

The Plant Life Assessment Network (PLAN) is a Brite Euram Type II Thematic Network, initiated by the European Commission to facilitate structured co-operation between all cost shared action projects already funded by the Commission which fall under this common technical theme. The projects involved address a multiplicity of problems associated with plant life assessment and are drawn from Brite-Euram, Standards, Measurement and Testing, Nuclear Fission Safety and Esprit EC programmes. The main aim of the Network is to initiate, maintain and monitor a fruitful co-operation process between completed, ongoing and future EC R and D projects, thereby promoting improved cross fertilization and enhanced industrial exploitation of R and D results. As the project is in its infancy, this presentation covers the background to the initiative in some detail. In particular two key aspects are highlighted, namely, the requirement of the EC to launch such a network in the area of plant life assessment including its evolution from two small Thematic Research Actions and, secondly, the mechanism for structuring the Network in an ordered and proven way along the lines of the EC/JRC European Networks, PISC, NESC, AMES, ENIQ, ENAIS and EPERC. The operating and financial structure of the Network is detailed with reference made to the role of the executive Steering Committee, The Network Project Leader and the Network Financial Co-ordinator. Each of the 58 projects involved in the Network, representing a wide range of industrial sectors and disciplines, is distributed in terms of their efforts between 4 disciplinary Clusters covering Inspection, Instrumentation and Monitoring, Structural Mechanics and Maintenance. For each of these Clusters, an expert has been appointed as a Project Technical Auditor to support the elected Cluster Co-ordinator to define Cluster Tasks, which contribute to the overall objectives of the project. From the Project Representatives, Cluster Task Leaders and

Capacity planning of a wide-sense nonblocking generalized survivable network

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Kwok Shing; Cheung, Kwok Wai

2006-06-01

Generalized survivable networks (GSNs) have two interesting properties that are essential attributes for future backbone networks--full survivability against link failures and support for dynamic traffic demands. GSNs incorporate the nonblocking network concept into the survivable network models. Given a set of nodes and a topology that is at least two-edge connected, a certain minimum capacity is required for each edge to form a GSN. The edge capacity is bounded because each node has an input-output capacity limit that serves as a constraint for any allowable traffic demand matrix. The GSN capacity planning problem is nondeterministic polynomial time (NP) hard. We first give a rigorous mathematical framework; then we offer two different solution approaches. The two-phase approach is fast, but the joint optimization approach yields a better bound. We carried out numerical computations for eight networks with different topologies and found that the cost of a GSN is only a fraction (from 52% to 89%) more than that of a static survivable network.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Welton Ellsworth J.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available 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.

Proposal of Constraints Analysis Method Based on Network Model for Task Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Tomiyama, Tomoe; Sato, Tatsuhiro; Morita, Toyohisa; Sasaki, Toshiro

Deregulation has been accelerating several activities toward reengineering business processes, such as railway through service and modal shift in logistics. Making those activities successful, business entities have to regulate new business rules or know-how (we call them ‘constraints’). According to the new constraints, they need to manage business resources such as instruments, materials, workers and so on. In this paper, we propose a constraint analysis method to define constraints for task planning of the new business processes. To visualize each constraint's influence on planning, we propose a network model which represents allocation relations between tasks and resources. The network can also represent task ordering relations and resource grouping relations. The proposed method formalizes the way of defining constraints manually as repeatedly checking the network structure and finding conflicts between constraints. Being applied to crew scheduling problems shows that the method can adequately represent and define constraints of some task planning problems with the following fundamental features, (1) specifying work pattern to some resources, (2) restricting the number of resources for some works, (3) requiring multiple resources for some works, (4) prior allocation of some resources to some works and (5) considering the workload balance between resources.

Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of the Power Distribution Network Planning Project Based on Improved IAHP and Multi-Level Extension Assessment Method

OpenAIRE

Qunli Wu; Chenyang Peng

2016-01-01

Reasonable distribution network planning is an essential prerequisite of the economics and security of the future power grid. The comprehensive benefit evaluation of a distribution network planning project can make significant contributions towards guiding decisions during the planning scheme, the optimization of the distribution network structure, and the rational use of resources. In this paper, in light of the characteristics of the power distribution network, the comprehensive benefit eva...

Planning a regional palliative care services network.

Science.gov (United States)

Zalot, G N

1989-03-01

Table 1 summarizes the role of task force members and staff for each of the main tasks of the process of planning. The number of meetings required for each stage of the process is estimated in the last column. Planning for a regional palliative care services network is a process involving "hard" and "soft" elements. Hard elements involve the organizational structure, task force meetings, information/statistical data bases and the discrete tasks summarized in Table 1. These elements are well known, if nokt always well organized in practice. It is the "softer" elements that usually mean the difference between a dull bureaucratic exercise and a creative exchange of ideas and concepts with a vision for the future. Not to be underestimated is the critical role of group development in this process. The Task Force, supported by professional staff expertise and judgment, hopes to achieve a level of group development termed "synergy," that is, where the group outperforms (in terms of quality and quantity of work) its best individual member. Not a small feat, but critical to a successful planning exercise! Any regional planning implies a commitment to change. After all, new services will be added, some phased out, others revised, and others enhanced, resulting in changes in roles and responsibilities of providers. Change should not be greeted with disdain but viewed as a natural part of the environment in which we plan and provide services. A major advantage to the process of planning is that the level of support for change is already mobilized through the various stages of the process highlighted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Resilience of Self-Organised and Top-Down Planned Cities--A Case Study on London and Beijing Street Networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaqiu Wang

Full Text Available The success or failure of the street network depends on its reliability. In this article, using resilience analysis, the author studies how the shape and appearance of street networks in self-organised and top-down planned cities influences urban transport. Considering London and Beijing as proxies for self-organised and top-down planned cities, the structural properties of London and Beijing networks first are investigated based on their primal and dual representations of planar graphs. The robustness of street networks then is evaluated in primal space and dual space by deactivating road links under random and intentional attack scenarios. The results show that the reliability of London street network differs from that of Beijing, which seems to rely more on its architecture and connectivity. It is found that top-down planned Beijing with its higher average degree in the dual space and assortativity in the primal space is more robust than self-organised London using the measures of maximum and second largest cluster size and network efficiency. The article offers an insight, from a network perspective, into the reliability of street patterns in self-organised and top-down planned city systems.

Access to In-Network Emergency Physicians and Emergency Departments Within Federally Qualified Health Plans in 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen C. Dorner, MSc

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Under regulations established by the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must meet minimum standards in order to be sold through the federal Marketplace. These standards to become a qualified health plan (QHP include maintaining a provider network sufficient to assure access to services. However, the complexity of emergency physician (EP employment practices – in which the EPs frequently serve as independent contractors of emergency departments, independently establish insurance contracts, etc... – and regulations governing insurance repayment may hinder the application of network adequacy standards to emergency medicine. As such, we hypothesized the existence of QHPs without in-network access to EPs. The objective is to identify whether there are QHPs without in-network access to EPs using information available through the federal Marketplace and publicly available provider directories. Results: In a national sample of Marketplace plans, we found that one in five provider networks lacks identifiable in-network EPs. QHPs lacking EPs spanned nearly half (44% of the 34 states using the federal Marketplace. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the present regulatory framework governing network adequacy is not generalizable to emergency care, representing a missed opportunity to protect patient access to in-network physicians. These findings and the current regulations governing insurance payment to EPs dis-incentivize the creation of adequate physician networks, incentivize the practice of balance billing, and shift the cost burden to patients.

System analysis and planning of a gas distribution network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salas, Edwin F.M.; Farias, Helio Monteiro [AUTOMIND, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Costa, Carla V.R. [Universidade Salvador (UNIFACS), BA (Brazil)

2009-07-01

The increase in demand by gas consumers require that projects or improvements in gas distribution networks be made carefully and safely to ensure a continuous, efficient and economical supply. Gas distribution companies must ensure that the networks and equipment involved are defined and designed at the appropriate time to attend to the demands of the market. To do that a gas distribution network analysis and planning tool should use distribution networks and transmission models for the current situation and the future changes to be implemented. These models are used to evaluate project options and help in making appropriate decisions in order to minimize the capital investment in new components or simple changes in operational procedures. Gas demands are increasing and it is important that gas distribute design new distribution systems to ensure this growth, considering financial constraints of the company, as well as local legislation and regulation. In this study some steps of developing a flexible system that attends to those needs will be described. The analysis of distribution requires geographically referenced data for the models as well as an accurate connectivity and the attributes of the equipment. GIS systems are often used as a deposit center that holds the majority of this information. GIS systems are constantly updated as distribution network equipment is modified. The distribution network modeling gathered from this system ensures that the model represents the current network condition. The benefits of this architecture drastically reduce the creation and maintenance cost of the network models, because network components data are conveniently made available to populate the distribution network. This architecture ensures that the models are continually reflecting the reality of the distribution network. (author)

Pre-optimization of radiotherapy treatment planning: an artificial neural network classification aided technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseini-Ashrafi, M.E.; Bagherebadian, H.; Yahaqi, E.

1999-01-01

A method has been developed which, by using the geometric information from treatment sample cases, selects from a given data set an initial treatment plan as a step for treatment plan optimization. The method uses an artificial neural network (ANN) classification technique to select a best matching plan from the 'optimized' ANN database. Separate back-propagation ANN classifiers were trained using 50, 60 and 77 examples for three groups of treatment case classes (up to 21 examples from each class were used). The performance of the classifiers in selecting the correct treatment class was tested using the leave-one-out method; the networks were optimized with respect their architecture. For the three groups used in this study, successful classification fractions of 0.83, 0.98 and 0.93 were achieved by the optimized ANN classifiers. The automated response of the ANN may be used to arrive at a pre-plan where many treatment parameters may be identified and therefore a significant reduction in the steps required to arrive at the optimum plan may be achieved. Treatment planning 'experience' and also results from lengthy calculations may be used for training the ANN. (author)

Distribution Network Expansion Planning Based on Multi-objective PSO Algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Chunyu; Ding, Yi; Wu, Qiuwei

2013-01-01

This paper presents a novel approach for electrical distribution network expansion planning using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (PSO). The optimization objectives are: investment and operation cost, energy losses cost, and power congestion cost. A two-phase multi-objective PSO...... algorithm was proposed to solve this optimization problem, which can accelerate the convergence and guarantee the diversity of Pareto-optimal front set as well. The feasibility and effectiveness of both the proposed multi-objective planning approach and the improved multi-objective PSO have been verified...

Smart Distribution Networks: A Review of Modern Distribution Concepts from a Planning Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Smart grids (SGs, as an emerging grid modernization concept, is spreading across diverse research areas for revolutionizing power systems. SGs realize new key concepts with intelligent technologies, maximizing achieved objectives and addressing critical issues that are limited in conventional grids. The SG modernization is more noticeable at the distribution grid level. Thus, the transformation of the traditional distribution network (DN into an intelligent one, is a vital dimension of SG research. Since future DNs are expected to be interconnected in nature and operation, hence traditional planning methods and tools may no longer be applicable. In this paper, the smart distribution network (SDN concept under the SG paradigm, has presented and reviewed from the planning perspective. Also, developments in the SDN planning process have been surveyed on the basis of SG package (SGP. The package presents a SDN planning foundation via major SG-enabling technologies (SGTF, anticipated functionalities (SGAF, new consumption models (MDC as potential SDN candidates, associated policies and pilot projects and multi-objective planning (MOP as a real-world optimization problem. In addition, the need for an aggregated SDN planning model has also been highlighted. The paper discusses recent notable related works, implementation activities, various issues/challenges and potential future research directions; all aiming at SDN planning.

Dengue research networks: building evidence for policy and planning in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

de Paula Fonseca E Fonseca, Bruna; Zicker, Fabio

2016-11-08

The analysis of scientific networks has been applied in health research to map and measure relationships between researchers and institutions, describing collaboration structures, individual roles, and research outputs, and helping the identification of knowledge gaps and cooperation opportunities. Driven by dengue continued expansion in Brazil, we explore the contribution, dynamics and consolidation of dengue scientific networks that could ultimately inform the prioritisation of research, financial investments and health policy. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to produce a 20-year (1995-2014) retrospective longitudinal evaluation of dengue research networks within Brazil and with its partners abroad, with special interest in describing institutional collaboration and their research outputs. The analysis of institutional co-authorship showed a significant expansion of collaboration over the years, increased international involvement, and ensured a shift from public health research toward vector control and basic biomedical research, probably as a reflection of the expansion of transmission, high burden and increasing research funds from the Brazilian government. The analysis identified leading national organisations that maintained the research network connectivity, facilitated knowledge exchange and reduced network vulnerability. SNA proved to be a valuable tool that, along with other indicators, can strengthen a knowledge platform to inform future policy, planning and funding decisions. The paper provides relevant information to policy and planning for dengue research as it reveals: (1) the effectiveness of the research network in knowledge generation, sharing and diffusion; (2) the near-absence of collaboration with the private sector; and (3) the key central organisations that can support strategic decisions on investments, development and implementation of innovations. In addition, the increase in research activities and collaboration has not yet

Network Operations Support Plan for the Spot 2 mission (revision 1)

Science.gov (United States)

Werbitzky, Victor

1989-01-01

The purpose of this Network Operations Support Plan (NOSP) is to indicate operational procedures and ground equipment configurations for the SPOT 2 mission. The provisions in this document take precedence over procedures or configurations in other documents.

Self-Organizing Networks (SON) Self-Planning, Self-Optimization and Self-Healing for GSM, UMTS and LTE

CERN Document Server

Ramiro, Juan

2011-01-01

With the current explosion in network traffic, and mounting pressure on operators' business case, Self-Organizing Networks (SON) play a crucial role. They are conceived to minimize human intervention in engineering processes and at the same time improve system performance to maximize Return-on-Investment (ROI) and secure customer loyalty. Written by leading experts in the planning and optimization of Multi-Technology and Multi-Vendor wireless networks, this book describes the architecture of Multi-Technology SON for GSM, UMTS and LTE, along with the enabling technologies for SON planning, opti

The Security Plan for the Joint Euratom/IAEA Remote Monitoring Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stronkhorst, J.; Schoop, K.; Ruuska, K.; Kurek, S.; Levert, J.F.

2015-01-01

The European Commission and the IAEA have installed surveillance systems in all larger civil European nuclear facilities. The monitoring data is gathered by optical surveillance systems, electronic sealing systems and numerous measuring devices. The on-site joint Euratom/IAEA monitoring networks operate in general completely isolated from the operator's IT systems. To largely improve data security and reliability, remote data transmission (RDT) is installed on a growing number of sites, and the inspection data is daily transferred to the Data Collect Servers in Luxembourg and Vienna. A growing number of RDT connections and a growing number of security threats require an IT security policy that is pro-active as well as reactive in an efficient way. The risk based approach used in setting up the security plans assesses all elements of the monitoring network, from the implemented technical solution and the assessment of the security needs and threats, up to the incident handling and lessons learned. The results of the assessments are, for each individual RDT connection, described in the technical paragraphs and annexes, including system descriptions, network plans and contact information. The principles of secure data handling as implemented in the shared Euratom /IAEA monitoring network can apply to a broad range of industrial monitoring systems, where human interaction is in general the largest security risk. (author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Study on the correlation between the hierarchical urban system and high-speed railway network planning in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Sun

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study examines the interrelatedness between the hierarchical structure of China׳s urban system and high-speed railway (HSR network planning at the national level. As a multi-layered system, the Chinese HSR can be categorized into three sub-networks, namely, the national HSR trunk network, the national HSR extensional network, and the intercity HSR network. By examining the direct HSR network connection, HSR nodal connection, and HSR operational frequency of 287 prefecture-level cities, this study demonstrates that the hierarchies of China׳s administrative, demographic, and economic urban systems strongly influence HSR network planning. The national HSR trunk network prioritizes the connection of top-level central cities, whereas the extensional network prioritizes cities at the lower level of the urban system. Moreover, the national HSR system forms the backbone of the HSR network structure based on a national scale, whereas the intercity HSR system satisfies the travel needs within urban agglomerations based on the regional level.

Linear programming based on neural networks for radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xingen Wu; Limin Luo

2000-01-01

In this paper, we propose a neural network model for linear programming that is designed to optimize radiotherapy treatment planning (RTP). This kind of neural network can be easily implemented by using a kind of 'neural' electronic system in order to obtain an optimization solution in real time. We first give an introduction to the RTP problem and construct a non-constraint objective function for the neural network model. We adopt a gradient algorithm to minimize the objective function and design the structure of the neural network for RTP. Compared to traditional linear programming methods, this neural network model can reduce the time needed for convergence, the size of problems (i.e., the number of variables to be searched) and the number of extra slack and surplus variables needed. We obtained a set of optimized beam weights that result in a better dose distribution as compared to that obtained using the simplex algorithm under the same initial condition. The example presented in this paper shows that this model is feasible in three-dimensional RTP. (author)

Planning Optimization of the Distributed Antenna System in High-Speed Railway Communication Network Based on Improved Cuckoo Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaoyu Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The network planning is a key factor that directly affects the performance of the wireless networks. Distributed antenna system (DAS is an effective strategy for the network planning. This paper investigates the antenna deployment in a DAS for the high-speed railway communication networks and formulates an optimization problem which is NP-hard for achieving the optimal deployment of the antennas in the DAS. To solve this problem, a scheme based on an improved cuckoo search based on dimension cells (ICSDC algorithm is proposed. ICSDC introduces the dimension cell mechanism to avoid the internal dimension interferences in order to improve the performance of the algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed ICSDC-based scheme obtains a lower network cost compared with the uniform network planning method. Moreover, ICSDC algorithm has better performance in terms of the convergence rate and accuracy compared with the conventional cuckoo search algorithm, the particle swarm optimization, and the firefly algorithm.

Analytic network process (ANP approach for product mix planning in railway industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hadi Pazoki Toroudi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Given the competitive environment in the global market in recent years, organizations need to plan for increased profitability and optimize their performance. Planning for an appropriate product mix plays essential role for the success of most production units. This paper applies analytical network process (ANP approach for product mix planning for a part supplier in Iran. The proposed method uses four criteria including cost of production, sales figures, supply of raw materials and quality of products. In addition, the study proposes different set of products as alternatives for production planning. The preliminary results have indicated that that the proposed study of this paper could increase productivity, significantly.

Motion planning for autonomous vehicle based on radial basis function neural network in unstructured environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiajia; Zhao, Pan; Liang, Huawei; Mei, Tao

2014-09-18

The autonomous vehicle is an automated system equipped with features like environment perception, decision-making, motion planning, and control and execution technology. Navigating in an unstructured and complex environment is a huge challenge for autonomous vehicles, due to the irregular shape of road, the requirement of real-time planning, and the nonholonomic constraints of vehicle. This paper presents a motion planning method, based on the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network, to guide the autonomous vehicle in unstructured environments. The proposed algorithm extracts the drivable region from the perception grid map based on the global path, which is available in the road network. The sample points are randomly selected in the drivable region, and a gradient descent method is used to train the RBF network. The parameters of the motion-planning algorithm are verified through the simulation and experiment. It is observed that the proposed approach produces a flexible, smooth, and safe path that can fit any road shape. The method is implemented on autonomous vehicle and verified against many outdoor scenes; furthermore, a comparison of proposed method with the existing well-known Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) method is presented. The experimental results show that the proposed method is highly effective in planning the vehicle path and offers better motion quality.

Renal denervation in the era of HTN-3. Comprehensive review and glimpse into the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Joana Delgado; Costa, Marco; Gersh, Bernard J; Gonçalves, Lino

2016-08-01

The pathophysiological role of sympathetic overactivity in conditions such as hypertension has been well documented. Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) is a minimally invasive percutaneous procedure which aims to disrupt sympathetic nerve afferent and efferent activity through the application of radiofrequency energy directly within the renal artery wall. This technique has emerged as a very promising treatment with dramatic effects on refractory hypertension but also in other conditions in which a sympathetic influence is present. Several studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of this procedure, presently surrounded by controversy since the recent outcome of Symplicity HTN-3, the first randomized, sham-control trial, which failed to confirm RDN previous reported benefits on BP and cardiovascular risk lowering. Consequently, although some centers halted their RDN programs, research continues and both the concept of denervation and treatment strategies are being redefined to identify patients who can drive the most benefit from this technology. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has appropriately mandated that RDN remains an investigative procedure and a new generation of sham-controlled trials are ongoing and aimed to assess not only its efficacy against pharmacotherapy but also trials in drug free patients with the objective of demonstrating once and for all whether the procedure actually does lower BP in comparison to a placebo arm. In this article, we present an overview of the sympathetic nervous system and its role in hypertension, examine the current data on RDN, and share some insights and future expectations. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Hypertension. All rights reserved.

Plans & Policies for Technology in Education: A Compendium. A Technology Leadership Network Special Report.

Science.gov (United States)

National School Boards Association, Alexandria, VA. Inst. for the Transfer of Technology to Education.

This document shows how education leaders nationwide--many of them part of the National School Boards Association's 345-district Technology Leadership Network--have addressed technology-related policy issues such as copyright, purchasing, network/Internet use, and ethics as well as technology planning topics including staff development, classroom…

Integration opportunities for HIV and family planning services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: an organizational network analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, James C; Reynolds, Heidi; Bevc, Christine; Tsegaye, Ademe

2014-01-18

Public health resources are often deployed in developing countries by foreign governments, national governments, civil society and the private health clinics, but seldom in ways that are coordinated within a particular community or population. The lack of coordination results in inefficiencies and suboptimal results. Organizational network analysis can reveal how organizations interact with each other and provide insights into means of realizing better public health results from the resources already deployed. Our objective in this study was to identify the missed opportunities for the integration of HIV care and family planning services and to inform future network strengthening. In two sub-cities of Addis Ababa, we identified each organization providing either HIV care or family planning services. We interviewed representatives of each of them about exchanges of clients with each of the others. With network analysis, we identified network characteristics in each sub-city network, such as referral density and centrality; and gaps in the referral patterns. The results were shared with representatives from the organizations. The two networks were of similar size (25 and 26 organizations) and had referral densities of 0.115 and 0.155 out of a possible range from 0 (none) to 1.0 (all possible connections). Two organizations in one sub-city did not refer HIV clients to a family planning organization. One organization in one sub-city and seven in the other offered few HIV services and did not refer clients to any other HIV service provider. Representatives from the networks confirmed the results reflected their experience and expressed an interest in establishing more links between organizations. Because of organizations not working together, women in the two sub-cities were at risk of not receiving needed family planning or HIV care services. Facilitating referrals among a few organizations that are most often working in isolation could remediate the problem, but the

Contextual factors influencing strategic information systems planning in a network: Evaluation of two inter-municipality projects in Finland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Den Broek, T.; Spil, T.; Kestilä, T.; Ehrenhard, M.; Salmela, H.

2008-01-01

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is mostly studied within organizations. Recently, preliminary attempts are made to study SISP on network level. As network studies up to now focus on the planning process and its outcome, we choose to study contextual factors that give input to the

Trade-off of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional networks for planning in 6-year-old children.

Science.gov (United States)

Kipping, Judy A; Margulies, Daniel S; Eickhoff, Simon B; Lee, Annie; Qiu, Anqi

2018-05-03

Childhood is a critical period for the development of cognitive planning. There is a lack of knowledge on its neural mechanisms in children. This study aimed to examine cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity in association with planning skills in 6-year-olds (n = 76). We identified the cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional networks related to cognitive planning using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on existing functional imaging studies on spatial planning, and data-driven independent component analysis (ICA) of children's resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). We investigated associations of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity with planning ability in 6-year-olds, as assessed using the Stockings of Cambridge task. Long-range functional connectivity of two cerebellar networks (lobules VI and lateral VIIa) with the prefrontal and premotor cortex were greater in children with poorer planning ability. In contrast, cortico-cortical association networks were not associated with the performance of planning in children. These results highlighted the key contribution of the lateral cerebello-frontal functional connectivity, but not cortico-cortical association functional connectivity, for planning ability in 6-year-olds. Our results suggested that brain adaptation to the acquisition of planning ability during childhood is partially achieved through the engagement of the cerebello-cortical functional connectivity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What is the energy policy-planning network and who dominates it?: A network and QCA analysis of leading energy firms and organizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, Seth

2012-01-01

This study examines the structure of the energy industry and the energy policy-planning network (EPPN). I use cross-sectional director interlocks from 2002 to examine the social networks amongst a sample of the largest energy firms, between these firms and the EPPN, and to calculate relative network centrality measures for the firms. I then use qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to isolate specific combinations of energy firm attributes that are associated with network position. I find that the energy industry has several key intra-firm interlocks that link dominant companies to each other and that the industry is well represented on the boards of EPPN organizations. Additionally, several dominant energy firms provide links between ultra-conservative and moderate policy development organizations. Finally, QCA models suggest that firms with many employees, high revenue, and who produce oil are most likely to hold prominent positions in the EPPN—though above average political campaign contributions offer an alternative path into the network. - Highlights: ► Identifies organizations in the Energy Policy-Planning Network (EPPN). ► Examines measures of network association between EPPN organizations and energy firms. ► Isolates key attributes of energy firms who are highly embedded within the EPPN. ► Large, oil producing firms hold key positions in the network. ► EPPN organizations act as a bridge between many firms, linking them indirectly.

Airline network development in Europe and its implications for airport planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burghouwt, G.

2007-01-01

Order by Fax Printer Friendly PDF Brochure Send to Friend Enquire before Buying Hard Copy Airline Network Development in Europe and its Implications for Airport Planning Ashgate Publishing, March 2007, Pages: 300 Description Table of Contents Enquire before Buying Send to a Friend The ongoing

An expert-based approach to forest road network planning by combining Delphi and spatial multi-criteria evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayati, Elyas; Majnounian, Baris; Abdi, Ehsan; Sessions, John; Makhdoum, Majid

2013-02-01

Changes in forest landscapes resulting from road construction have increased remarkably in the last few years. On the other hand, the sustainable management of forest resources can only be achieved through a well-organized road network. In order to minimize the environmental impacts of forest roads, forest road managers must design the road network efficiently and environmentally as well. Efficient planning methodologies can assist forest road managers in considering the technical, economic, and environmental factors that affect forest road planning. This paper describes a three-stage methodology using the Delphi method for selecting the important criteria, the Analytic Hierarchy Process for obtaining the relative importance of the criteria, and finally, a spatial multi-criteria evaluation in a geographic information system (GIS) environment for identifying the lowest-impact road network alternative. Results of the Delphi method revealed that ground slope, lithology, distance from stream network, distance from faults, landslide susceptibility, erosion susceptibility, geology, and soil texture are the most important criteria for forest road planning in the study area. The suitability map for road planning was then obtained by combining the fuzzy map layers of these criteria with respect to their weights. Nine road network alternatives were designed using PEGGER, an ArcView GIS extension, and finally, their values were extracted from the suitability map. Results showed that the methodology was useful for identifying road that met environmental and cost considerations. Based on this work, we suggest future work in forest road planning using multi-criteria evaluation and decision making be considered in other regions and that the road planning criteria identified in this study may be useful.

Planning and management of cloud computing networks

Science.gov (United States)

Larumbe, Federico

The evolution of the Internet has a great impact on a big part of the population. People use it to communicate, query information, receive news, work, and as entertainment. Its extraordinary usefulness as a communication media made the number of applications and technological resources explode. However, that network expansion comes at the cost of an important power consumption. If the power consumption of telecommunication networks and data centers is considered as the power consumption of a country, it would rank at the 5 th place in the world. Furthermore, the number of servers in the world is expected to grow by a factor of 10 between 2013 and 2020. This context motivates us to study techniques and methods to allocate cloud computing resources in an optimal way with respect to cost, quality of service (QoS), power consumption, and environmental impact. The results we obtained from our test cases show that besides minimizing capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX), the response time can be reduced up to 6 times, power consumption by 30%, and CO2 emissions by a factor of 60. Cloud computing provides dynamic access to IT resources as a service. In this paradigm, programs are executed in servers connected to the Internet that users access from their computers and mobile devices. The first advantage of this architecture is to reduce the time of application deployment and interoperability, because a new user only needs a web browser and does not need to install software on local computers with specific operating systems. Second, applications and information are available from everywhere and with any device with an Internet access. Also, servers and IT resources can be dynamically allocated depending on the number of users and workload, a feature called elasticity. This thesis studies the resource management of cloud computing networks and is divided in three main stages. We start by analyzing the planning of cloud computing networks to get a

Advanced Planning Concepts in the Closed-Loop Container Network of ARN

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Le Blanc, H.M.; van Krieken, M.G.C.; Krikke, H.R.; Fleuren, H.A.

2004-01-01

In this paper we discuss a real-life case study in the optimization of the logistics network for the collection of containers from end-of-life vehicle dismantlers in the Netherlands.Advanced planning concepts like dynamic assignment of dismantlers to logistic service providers are analyzed by a

Path planning in GPS-denied environments via collective intelligence of distributed sensor networks

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Devesh K.; Chattopadhyay, Pritthi; Sarkar, Soumik; Ray, Asok

2016-05-01

This paper proposes a framework for reactive goal-directed navigation without global positioning facilities in unknown dynamic environments. A mobile sensor network is used for localising regions of interest for path planning of an autonomous mobile robot. The underlying theory is an extension of a generalised gossip algorithm that has been recently developed in a language-measure-theoretic setting. The algorithm has been used to propagate local decisions of target detection over a mobile sensor network and thus, it generates a belief map for the detected target over the network. In this setting, an autonomous mobile robot may communicate only with a few mobile sensing nodes in its own neighbourhood and localise itself relative to the communicating nodes with bounded uncertainties. The robot makes use of the knowledge based on the belief of the mobile sensors to generate a sequence of way-points, leading to a possible goal. The estimated way-points are used by a sampling-based motion planning algorithm to generate feasible trajectories for the robot. The proposed concept has been validated by numerical simulation on a mobile sensor network test-bed and a Dubin's car-like robot.

Artificial neural network analysis applied to simplifying bioeffect radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purnomo, A.B.

2001-01-01

Full text: A bioeffect planning system has been developed by Wigg and Nicholls in the Departments of Clinical Radiobiology and Medical Physics, at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The system has been developed to be an experimental tool by means of which bioeffect plans may be compared with conventional isodose plans in radiotherapy. Limitations of isodose planning, in many common clinical circumstances, have been apparent for sometime (Wigg and Wilson, Australasian Radiology, 1981, 25: 205-212). There are many reasons why bioeffect planning has been slow in developing. These include concerns about the clinical application of theoretical radiobiology models, the uncertainty of normal tissue and tumour parameter values, and the non-availability of suitable computer systems capable of performing bioeffect planning. These concerns are fully justified and isodose planning must remain, for the foreseeable future, the gold standard for clinical treatment. However, these concerns must be judged against the certainty that isodose planning, in which the only variable usually considered is the total dose, can be substantially misleading. Unfortunately, a typical Tumour Control Probability (TCP) equation for bioeffect planning is complex with 12 parameters. Consequently, the equation is difficult to implement in practice. Can the equation be simplified by ignoring the variability of some of the parameters? To test this possibility, we have attempted a neural network analysis of the problem. The capability of artificial neural network (ANN) analysis to solve classification problems was explored in which a weight space analysis was conducted. It led to the reduction of the number of parameters. The training data for the ANN analysis was generated using the above equation and practical data from many publications. The performance of the optimized ANN and the reduced-parameter ANN were tested using other treatment data. The optimized ANN results closely matched with those of the

An industrial robot singular trajectories planning based on graphs and neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Łęgowski, Adrian; Niezabitowski, Michał

2016-06-01

Singular trajectories are rarely used because of issues during realization. A method of planning trajectories for given set of points in task space with use of graphs and neural networks is presented. In every desired point the inverse kinematics problem is solved in order to derive all possible solutions. A graph of solutions is made. The shortest path is determined to define required nodes in joint space. Neural networks are used to define the path between these nodes.

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Przednowek, Krzysztof; Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-12-01

This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes' training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

Planning Training Loads for The 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles Using Artificial Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Przednowek Krzysztof

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes’ training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

A local area network for medical research; planning, realization and experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Schosser, R; Weiss, C; Messmer, K

1991-01-01

This report focuses on the planning and realization of an interdisciplinary local area network (LAN) for medical research at the University of Heidelberg. After a detailed requirements analysis, several networks were evaluated by means of a test installation, and a cost-performance analysis was carried out. At present, the LAN connects 45 (IBM-compatible) PCs, several heterogeneous mainframes (IBM, DEC and Siemens) and provides access to the public X.25 network and to wide-area networks for research (EARN, BITNET). The network supports application software that is frequently needed in medical research (word processing, statistics, graphics, literature databases and services, etc.). Compliance with existing "official" (e.g., IEEE 802.3) and "de facto" standards (e.g., PostScript) was considered to be extremely important for the selection of both hardware and software. Customized programs were developed to improve access control, user interface and on-line help. Wide acceptance of the LAN was achieved through extensive education and maintenance facilities, e.g., teaching courses, customized manuals and a hotline service. Since requirements of clinical routine differ substantially from medical research needs, two separate networks (with a gateway in between) are proposed as a solution to optimally satisfy the users' demands.

International Assistance for Low-Emission Development Planning: Coordinated Low Emissions Assistance Network (CLEAN) Inventory of Activities and Tools--Preliminary Trends

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cox, S.; Benioff, R.

2011-05-01

The Coordinated Low Emissions Assistance Network (CLEAN) is a voluntary network of international practitioners supporting low-emission planning in developing countries. The network seeks to improve quality of support through sharing project information, tools, best practices and lessons, and by fostering harmonized assistance. CLEAN has developed an inventory to track and analyze international technical support and tools for low-carbon planning activities in developing countries. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the inventory to help identify trends in assistance activities and tools available to support developing countries with low-emission planning.

A new evolutionary solution method for dynamic expansion planning of DG-integrated primary distribution networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadigorji, Masoud; Amjady, Nima

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A new dynamic distribution network expansion planning model is presented. • A Binary Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (BEPSO) algorithm is proposed. • A Modified Differential Evolution (MDE) algorithm is proposed. • A new bi-level optimization approach composed of BEPSO and MDE is presented. • The effectiveness of the proposed optimization approach is extensively illustrated. - Abstract: Reconstruction in the power system and appearing of new technologies for generation capacity of electrical energy has led to significant innovation in Distribution Network Expansion Planning (DNEP). Distributed Generation (DG) includes the application of small/medium generation units located in power distribution networks and/or near the load centers. Appropriate utilization of DG can affect the various technical and operational indices of the distribution network such as the feeder loading, energy losses and voltage profile. In addition, application of DG in proper size is an essential tool to achieve the DG maximum potential benefits. In this paper, a time-based (dynamic) model for DNEP is proposed to determine the optimal size, location and installation year of DG in distribution system. Also, in this model, the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) is exerted to determine the optimal generation of DGs for every potential solution in order to minimize the investment and operation costs following the load growth in a specified planning period. Besides, the reinforcement requirements of existing distribution feeders are considered, simultaneously. The proposed optimization problem is solved by the combination of evolutionary methods of a new Binary Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (BEPSO) and Modified Differential Evolution (MDE) to find the optimal expansion strategy and solve OPF, respectively. The proposed planning approach is applied to two typical primary distribution networks and compared with several other methods. These comparisons illustrate the

Serving our communities better. Guidelines for planning and developing integrated delivery networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Prybil, L; Golden, P; Ballance, X

1995-04-01

In 1994 the Daughters of Charity National Health System-East Central (DCNHS-East Central) adopted 11 guidelines to help corporate staff and local leaders plan and develop integrated networks. Guideline 1 emphasizes needs-based strategic planning. Guideline 2 focuses on the community-based network planning process, recommending a team approach and ongoing communication with the local ordinary. In guidelines 3 through 5, the DCNHS-East Central Board of Directors spells out key issues that must be covered in proposals ultimately presented for governance action. Guideline 6 presents three core elements that should characterize all CBNs in which DCNHS-East Central institutions participate. Guideline 7 emphasizes that all CBN proposals and agreements must be clear with respect to the Catholic identity of DCNHS-East Central institutions. Guidelines 8 and 9 require that proposed changes to traditional policies and management practices be explicit in CBN proposals. The tenth guideline requires that all CBN proposals indicate an explicit evaluation function. The final guideline underscores that regardless of the strategic fit or how well a CBN is designed, it is unlikely to succeed unless both internal and external relationships are based on a solid foundation of honesty, mutual respect, and trust.

Location and Size Planning of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation in Distribution network System Based on K-means Clustering Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Siqi; Wang, Xiaorong; Wu, Junyong

2018-01-01

The paper presents a method to generate the planning scenarios, which is based on K-means clustering analysis algorithm driven by data, for the location and size planning of distributed photovoltaic (PV) units in the network. Taken the power losses of the network, the installation and maintenance costs of distributed PV, the profit of distributed PV and the voltage offset as objectives and the locations and sizes of distributed PV as decision variables, Pareto optimal front is obtained through the self-adaptive genetic algorithm (GA) and solutions are ranked by a method called technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). Finally, select the planning schemes at the top of the ranking list based on different planning emphasis after the analysis in detail. The proposed method is applied to a 10-kV distribution network in Gansu Province, China and the results are discussed.

Landscape Planning and Ecological Networks. Part A. A Rural System in Nuoro, Sardinia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea De Montis

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Urban-rural landscape planning research is nowadays focusing on strategies and tools that support practitioners in designing integrated spaces starting from the analysis of local areas, where human and natural pressures interfere. A prominent framework is provided by the ecological networks, whose design regards the combination of a set of green areas or patches (the nodes interconnected through environmental corridors (the edges. Ecological networks are useful for biodiversity protection and enhancement, as they are able to counteract fragmentation, and to create or strengthen relations and exchanges among otherwise isolated elements. Biodiversity evolution, indeed, depends on the quantity and quality of spatial cohesion of natural areas.  In this paper, we aim at designing an ecological network for the periurban area on the town of Nuoro in central Sardinia. The narrative unfolds in two parts. Part A is presented in this paper and includes its methodological premises, i.e. biodiversity conservation and ecological network analysis and design, and the introductory elements of a spatial analysis on a pilot ecological network of one hundred patches. We locate patches by focusing on the ecosystems supported by the target vegetal species holm oak (Quercus ilex and cultivated or wild olive (Olea europaea var. sativa, O. europaea var. sylverstis. These are very common plants species in the municipality and some animal species are active as seed dispersal. The reminder, i.e. Part B, of the essay is presented in an homonymous paper that focuses on the illustration of the network analysis conceived as a monitoring system and, in future perspective, as a planning support system.

An Efficient, Hierarchical Viewpoint Planning Strategy for Terrestrial Laser Scanner Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, F.; Lichti, D. D.

2018-05-01

Terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) techniques have been widely adopted in a variety of applications. However, unlike in geodesy or photogrammetry, insufficient attention has been paid to the optimal TLS network design. It is valuable to develop a complete design system that can automatically provide an optimal plan, especially for high-accuracy, large-volume scanning networks. To achieve this goal, one should look at the "optimality" of the solution as well as the computational complexity in reaching it. In this paper, a hierarchical TLS viewpoint planning strategy is developed to solve the optimal scanner placement problems. If one targeted object to be scanned is simplified as discretized wall segments, any possible viewpoint can be evaluated by a score table representing its visible segments under certain scanning geometry constraints. Thus, the design goal is to find a minimum number of viewpoints that achieves complete coverage of all wall segments. The efficiency is improved by densifying viewpoints hierarchically, instead of a "brute force" search within the entire workspace. The experiment environments in this paper were simulated from two buildings located on University of Calgary campus. Compared with the "brute force" strategy in terms of the quality of the solutions and the runtime, it is shown that the proposed strategy can provide a scanning network with a compatible quality but with more than a 70 % time saving.

Planning chemical syntheses with deep neural networks and symbolic AI

Science.gov (United States)

Segler, Marwin H. S.; Preuss, Mike; Waller, Mark P.

2018-03-01

To plan the syntheses of small organic molecules, chemists use retrosynthesis, a problem-solving technique in which target molecules are recursively transformed into increasingly simpler precursors. Computer-aided retrosynthesis would be a valuable tool but at present it is slow and provides results of unsatisfactory quality. Here we use Monte Carlo tree search and symbolic artificial intelligence (AI) to discover retrosynthetic routes. We combined Monte Carlo tree search with an expansion policy network that guides the search, and a filter network to pre-select the most promising retrosynthetic steps. These deep neural networks were trained on essentially all reactions ever published in organic chemistry. Our system solves for almost twice as many molecules, thirty times faster than the traditional computer-aided search method, which is based on extracted rules and hand-designed heuristics. In a double-blind AB test, chemists on average considered our computer-generated routes to be equivalent to reported literature routes.

Dynamic supply chain network design with capacity planning and multi-period pricing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fattahi, Mohammad; Mahootchi, Masoud; Govindan, Kannan

2015-01-01

This paper addresses a new problem in designing and planning a multi-echelon and multi-product supply chain network over a multi-period horizon in which customer zones have price-sensitive demands. Based on price-demand relationships, a generic method is presented to obtain price levels...... for products and then, a mixed-integer linear programming model is developed. Due to the problem intractability, a simulated annealing algorithm that uses some developed linear relaxation-based heuristics for capacity planning and pricing is presented. Numerical results demonstrate the significance...

Route planning with transportation network maps: an eye-tracking study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grison, Elise; Gyselinck, Valérie; Burkhardt, Jean-Marie; Wiener, Jan Malte

2017-09-01

Planning routes using transportation network maps is a common task that has received little attention in the literature. Here, we present a novel eye-tracking paradigm to investigate psychological processes and mechanisms involved in such a route planning. In the experiment, participants were first presented with an origin and destination pair before we presented them with fictitious public transportation maps. Their task was to find the connecting route that required the minimum number of transfers. Based on participants' gaze behaviour, each trial was split into two phases: (1) the search for origin and destination phase, i.e., the initial phase of the trial until participants gazed at both origin and destination at least once and (2) the route planning and selection phase. Comparisons of other eye-tracking measures between these phases and the time to complete them, which depended on the complexity of the planning task, suggest that these two phases are indeed distinct and supported by different cognitive processes. For example, participants spent more time attending the centre of the map during the initial search phase, before directing their attention to connecting stations, where transitions between lines were possible. Our results provide novel insights into the psychological processes involved in route planning from maps. The findings are discussed in relation to the current theories of route planning.

Empowering health personnel for decentralized health planning in India: The Public Health Resource Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasad Vandana

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract The Public Health Resource Network is an innovative distance-learning course in training, motivating, empowering and building a network of health personnel from government and civil society groups. Its aim is to build human resource capacity for strengthening decentralized health planning, especially at the district level, to improve accountability of health systems, elicit community participation for health, ensure equitable and accessible health facilities and to bring about convergence in programmes and services. The question confronting health systems in India is how best to reform, revitalize and resource primary health systems to deliver different levels of service aligned to local realities, ensuring universal coverage, equitable access, efficiency and effectiveness, through an empowered cadre of health personnel. To achieve these outcomes it is essential that health planning be decentralized. Districts vary widely according to the specific needs of their population, and even more so in terms of existing interventions and available resources. Strategies, therefore, have to be district-specific, not only because health needs vary, but also because people's perceptions and capacities to intervene and implement programmes vary. In centrally designed plans there is little scope for such adaptation and contextualization, and hence decentralized planning becomes crucial. To undertake these initiatives, there is a strong need for trained, motivated, empowered and networked health personnel. It is precisely at this level that a lack of technical knowledge and skills and the absence of a supportive network or adequate educational opportunities impede personnel from making improvements. The absence of in-service training and of training curricula that reflect field realities also adds to this, discouraging health workers from pursuing effective strategies. The Public Health Resource Network is thus an attempt to reach out to motivated

Empowering health personnel for decentralized health planning in India: The Public Health Resource Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalita, Anuska; Zaidi, Sarover; Prasad, Vandana; Raman, V R

2009-07-20

The Public Health Resource Network is an innovative distance-learning course in training, motivating, empowering and building a network of health personnel from government and civil society groups. Its aim is to build human resource capacity for strengthening decentralized health planning, especially at the district level, to improve accountability of health systems, elicit community participation for health, ensure equitable and accessible health facilities and to bring about convergence in programmes and services. The question confronting health systems in India is how best to reform, revitalize and resource primary health systems to deliver different levels of service aligned to local realities, ensuring universal coverage, equitable access, efficiency and effectiveness, through an empowered cadre of health personnel. To achieve these outcomes it is essential that health planning be decentralized. Districts vary widely according to the specific needs of their population, and even more so in terms of existing interventions and available resources. Strategies, therefore, have to be district-specific, not only because health needs vary, but also because people's perceptions and capacities to intervene and implement programmes vary. In centrally designed plans there is little scope for such adaptation and contextualization, and hence decentralized planning becomes crucial. To undertake these initiatives, there is a strong need for trained, motivated, empowered and networked health personnel. It is precisely at this level that a lack of technical knowledge and skills and the absence of a supportive network or adequate educational opportunities impede personnel from making improvements. The absence of in-service training and of training curricula that reflect field realities also adds to this, discouraging health workers from pursuing effective strategies. The Public Health Resource Network is thus an attempt to reach out to motivated though often isolated health

Communicative Planning As Institutional Capacity Building: From Discourse/Network To Opportunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delik Hudalah

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The paper redefines the ideas about communicative planning as not only participatory and democratic practice but also capacity building oriented toward the improvement of governance styles and consciousness. So far capacity building has focused on the exploitation of social resources internal to actors. These internal resources include knowledge (argumentation, debate, discourse formation etc and relational (network, coalition, alliance etc building. The paper argues that in dealing with very complex planning problems characterized by fragmented and uncertain institutional systems, the internal resources need to be coupled with the exploration of resources external to actors, namely the political opportunity structure and moment of opportunity. The analysis implies that the performance of communicative decision-making process as capacity building can be assessed in three aspects: strategic and inclusive actors’ involvement, the building of actors’ awareness on neglected but important planning issues and agendas, and consistency and deliberation in realizing and delivering agreed planning ideas, frameworks and decisions.

Default network modulation and large-scale network interactivity in healthy young and old adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Spreng, R Nathan; Schacter, Daniel L

2012-11-01

We investigated age-related changes in default, attention, and control network activity and their interactions in young and old adults. Brain activity during autobiographical and visuospatial planning was assessed using multivariate analysis and with intrinsic connectivity networks as regions of interest. In both groups, autobiographical planning engaged the default network while visuospatial planning engaged the attention network, consistent with a competition between the domains of internalized and externalized cognition. The control network was engaged for both planning tasks. In young subjects, the control network coupled with the default network during autobiographical planning and with the attention network during visuospatial planning. In old subjects, default-to-control network coupling was observed during both planning tasks, and old adults failed to deactivate the default network during visuospatial planning. This failure is not indicative of default network dysfunction per se, evidenced by default network engagement during autobiographical planning. Rather, a failure to modulate the default network in old adults is indicative of a lower degree of flexible network interactivity and reduced dynamic range of network modulation to changing task demands.

Task Allocation and Path Planning for Collaborative Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Operating through an Underwater Acoustic Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yueyue Deng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Dynamic and unstructured multiple cooperative autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV missions are highly complex operations, and task allocation and path planning are made significantly more challenging under realistic underwater acoustic communication constraints. This paper presents a solution for the task allocation and path planning for multiple AUVs under marginal acoustic communication conditions: a location-aided task allocation framework (LAAF algorithm for multitarget task assignment and the grid-based multiobjective optimal programming (GMOOP mathematical model for finding an optimal vehicle command decision given a set of objectives and constraints. Both the LAAF and GMOOP algorithms are well suited in poor acoustic network condition and dynamic environment. Our research is based on an existing mobile ad hoc network underwater acoustic simulator and blind flooding routing protocol. Simulation results demonstrate that the location-aided auction strategy performs significantly better than the well-accepted auction algorithm developed by Bertsekas in terms of task-allocation time and network bandwidth consumption. We also demonstrate that the GMOOP path-planning technique provides an efficient method for executing multiobjective tasks by cooperative agents with limited communication capabilities. This is in contrast to existing multiobjective action selection methods that are limited to networks where constant, reliable communication is assumed to be available.

AmeriFlux Network Data Activities: updates, progress and plans

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, B.; Boden, T.; Krassovski, M.; Song, X.

2013-12-01

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory serves as the long-term data repository for the AmeriFlux network. Datasets currently available include hourly or half-hourly meteorological and flux observations, biological measurement records, and synthesis data products. In this presentation, we provide an update of this network database including a comprehensive review and evaluation of the biological data from about 70 sites, development of a new product for flux uncertainty estimates, and re-formatting of Level-2 standard files. In 2013, we also provided data support to two synthesis studies --- 2012 drought synthesis and FACE synthesis. Issues related to data quality and solutions in compiling datasets for these synthesis studies will be discussed. We will also present our work plans in developing and producing other high-level products, such as derivation of phenology from the available measurements at flux sites.

Marine Spatial Planning in a Transboundary Context: Linking Baja California with California's Network of Marine Protected Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Arafeh-Dalmau

2017-05-01

Full Text Available It is acknowledged that an effective path to globally protect marine ecosystems is through the establishment of eco-regional scale networks of MPAs spanning across national frontiers. In this work we aimed to plan for regionally feasible networks of MPAs that can be ecologically linked with an existing one in a transboundary context. We illustrate our exercise in the Ensenadian eco-region, a shared marine ecosystem between the south of California, United States of America (USA, and the north of Baja California, Mexico; where conservation actions differ across the border. In the USA, California recently established a network of MPAs through the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA, while in Mexico: Baja California lacks a network of MPAs or a marine spatial planning effort to establish it. We generated four different scenarios with Marxan by integrating different ecological, social, and management considerations (habitat representation, opportunity costs, habitat condition, and enforcement costs. To do so, we characterized and collected biophysical and socio-economic information for Baja California and developed novel approaches to quantify and incorporate some of these considerations. We were able to design feasible networks of MPAs in Baja California that are ecologically linked with California's network (met between 78.5 and 84.4% of the MLPA guidelines and that would represent a low cost for fishers and aquaculture investors. We found that when multiple considerations are integrated more priority areas for conservation emerge. For our region, human distribution presents a strong gradient from north to south and resulted to be an important factor for the spatial arrangement of the priority areas. This work shows how, despite the constraints of a data-poor area, the available conservation principles, mapping, and planning tools can still be used to generate spatial conservation plans in a transboundary context.

Intention Recognition for Partial-Order Plans Using Dynamic Bayesian Networks

OpenAIRE

Krauthausen, Peter; Hanebeck, Uwe D.

2009-01-01

In this paper, a novel probabilistic approach to intention recognition for partial-order plans is proposed. The key idea is to exploit independences between subplans to substantially reduce the state space sizes in the compiled Dynamic Bayesian Networks. This makes inference more efficient. The main con- tributions are the computationally exploitable definition of subplan structures, the introduction of a novel Lay- ered Intention Model and a Dynamic Bayesian Net- work representation with an ...

Partnership capacity for community health improvement plan implementation: findings from a social network analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

McCullough, J Mac; Eisen-Cohen, Eileen; Salas, S Bianca

2016-07-13

Many health departments collaborate with community organizations on community health improvement processes. While a number of resources exist to plan and implement a community health improvement plan (CHIP), little empirical evidence exists on how to leverage and expand partnerships when implementing a CHIP. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of the network involved in implementing the CHIP in one large community. The aims of this analysis are to: 1) identify essential network partners (and thereby highlight potential network gaps), 2) gauge current levels of partner involvement, 3) understand and effectively leverage network resources, and 4) enable a data-driven approach for future collaborative network improvements. We collected primary data via survey from n = 41 organizations involved in the Health Improvement Partnership of Maricopa County (HIPMC), in Arizona. Using the previously validated Program to Analyze, Record, and Track Networks to Enhance Relationships (PARTNER) tool, organizations provided information on existing ties with other coalition members, including frequency and depth of partnership and eight categories of perceived value/trust of each current partner organization. The coalition's overall network had a density score of 30 %, degree centralization score of 73 %, and trust score of 81 %. Network maps are presented to identify existing relationships between HIPMC members according to partnership frequency and intensity, duration of involvement in the coalition, and self-reported contributions to the coalition. Overall, number of ties and other partnership measures were positively correlated with an organization's perceived value and trustworthiness as rated by other coalition members. Our study presents a novel use of social network analysis methods to evaluate the coalition of organizations involved in implementing a CHIP in an urban community. The large coalition had relatively low network density but high

It takes two to tango: the fit between network context and inter-organizational strategic information systems planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spil, Antonius A.M.; van den Broek, Tijs; Salmela, Hannu T.T.

2010-01-01

The view of evaluating Strategic Information Systems Planning (Grover & Segars, 2005) process and effectiveness has matured. However, the inter-organizational view or network view is understudied. The introduction of information strategy in networks seems more reactive than proactive; many

Optical network design and planning

CERN Document Server

Simmons, Jane M

2014-01-01

This book takes a pragmatic approach to designing state-of-the-art optical networks for backbone, regional, and metro-core networks.   Algorithms and methodologies related to routing, regeneration, wavelength assignment, subrate-traffic grooming, and protection are presented, with an emphasis on optical-bypass-enabled (or all-optical) networks. There are numerous case studies throughout the text to illustrate the concepts, using realistic networks and traffic sets. A full chapter of economic studies offers guidelines as to when and how optical-bypass technology should be deployed. There is also extensive coverage of recent research to provide insight into how optical networks are likely to evolve. The second edition includes new chapters on dynamic optical networking and flexible/elastic optical networks. There is expanded coverage of new physical-layer technology and its impact on network design, along with enhanced coverage of ROADM architectures, including the colorless, directionless, contentionless, a...

Ten Year Development Plan for the GRTgaz Network 2012-2021

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-09-01

GRTgaz is a European leader in natural gas transmission, a world expert in gas transmission networks and systems, and an operator firmly committed to the energy transition. It owns and operates the gas transmission network throughout most of France and it manages the transmission network in Germany, thereby helping to ensure correct operation of the French and European gas market. It contributes to the energy security of regional supply systems and performs a public service mission to ensure the continuity of consumer supply. In accordance with the French Energy Code, GRTgaz publishes a 10-year development plan for its gas distribution network in France every year. This document is produced in line with European and French energy policies. It identifies the transport infrastructure that will need to be built over the next three years, and presents the main infrastructure that is likely to be developed within the next ten years. It incorporates the supply security obligations that TSOs are required to fulfil. It takes account of interested parties' needs and projects at the national, supranational and European levels. It is based on existing gas supply and demand and reasonable medium-term development forecasts for gas infrastructure, consumption and international trade

Protecting drinkable water: an analysis of action plans and stakeholders' networks

Science.gov (United States)

Gascuel-Odoux, Chantal; Menard, Marjorie

2015-04-01

Since WFD the policy for protecting drinkable water has been enhanced in France. This policy establish the main components and the different steps for protecting drinkable water, and ask for defining and implementing an action plan for each contributing catchment. Despite ambitious objectives, the local implementation is difficult. Firstly there is a high diversity of stakeholders involved with local authorities, which are mainly: water agencies, agricultural chambers and consultants, authorities at regional and departmental levels. Most of the local authorities do not feel qualified enough for carrying out such a policy, as they are not really used to deal with technical and political issues related to agricultural diffuse pollutions. As a consequence assessed action plans are based on regulation and/or agri-environmental measures. More ambitious and complementary measures can be included, but without any support measure nor accurate objectives for their implementation. In the end, action plans reflect more a formal implementation of protection approaches than a search for efficiency by defining ambitious measures and the setting-up a consistent support scheme. The way stakeholders' networks mobilize knowledge have been analyzed based on ten case studies located in three different regions. Three local authorities profiles are defined: (1) the "passive" ones, not really convinced of the necessity to undertake actions against diffuse pollutions and/or having low level of knowledge to support local reflexion, that delegate project management; (2) the local authorities that support local protection approach but that, for different reasons, do not search for an effective action plan, and that only consider an improvement approach; (3) the local authorities that more rarely, aim at efficient actions, motivated by the urgent need of action for preserving threatened resources. According to these profiles, local authorities and their project coordinators will be looking

Landscape Planning and Ecological Networks. Part B. A Rural System in Nuoro, Sardinia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea De Montis

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper represents the continuation, i.e. Part B, of an homonymous paper aiming at designing an ecological network for the periurban area on the town of Nuoro in central Sardinia. While in Part A we illustrate the methodological premises and introduce a spatial network analysis-based study of a pilot ecological network, in this paper we apply a complex network analysis approach to the construction and characterization of the dynamics of the ecological network of Nuoro.  We are interested in monitoring the performance of the ecological network evolving from a real to a hypothetical scenario, where the two target vegetal species (holm oak and cultivated or wild olive are present in each patch. We focus on global network properties and on three different centrality measures: degree, clustering coefficient, and betweenness centrality. We also take into account the influence of the intensity of the connection (i.e. the weight by introducing the corresponding weighted centrality measures. Through thematic mapping we illustrate the pattern of each centrality indicator throughout the entire pilot set of patches. In this way, we demonstrate how spatial network analysis is useful to monitor the performance of the network and to support decision-making, management, and planning.

Developing a culturally competent health network: a planning framework and guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Gertner, Eric J; Sabino, Judith N; Mahady, Erica; Deitrich, Lynn M; Patton, Jarret R; Grim, Mary Kay; Geiger, James F; Salas-Lopez, Debbie

2010-01-01

The number of cultural competency initiatives in healthcare is increasing due to many factors, including changing demographics, quality improvement and regulatory requirements, equitable care missions, and accreditation standards. To facilitate organization-wide transformation, a hospital or healthcare system must establish strategic goals, objectives, and implementation tasks for culturally competent provision of care. This article reports the largely successful results of a cultural competency program instituted at a large system in eastern Pennsylvania. Prior to the development of its cultural competency initiative, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania, saw isolated activities producing innovative solutions to diversity and culture issues in the provision of equitable care. But it took a transformational event to support an organization-wide program in cultural competency by strengthening leadership buy-in and providing a sense of urgency, excitement, and shared vision among multiple stakeholders. A multidisciplinary task force, including senior leaders and a diverse group of employees, was created with the authority and responsibility to enact changes. Through a well-organized strategic planning process, existing patient and community demographic data were reviewed to describe existing disparities, a baseline assessment was completed, a mission statement was created, and clear metrics were developed. The strategic plan, which focused on five key areas (demographics, language-appropriate services, employees, training, and education/communication), was approved by the network's chief executive officer and senior managers to demonstrate commitment prior to implementation. Strategic plan implementation proceeded through a project structure consisting of subproject teams charged with achieving the following specific objectives: develop a cultural material repository, enhance employee recruitment/retention, establish a baseline assessment

Hydropower systems planning in distribution networks based on GIS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez-Rosado, I.J.; Zorzano-Santamaria, P.; Fernandez-Jiminez, L.A.; Garcia-Garrido, E.; Zorzano-Alba, E.; Lara-Santillan, P.M.; Mendoza-Villena, M. [La Rioja Univ., La Rioja (Spain). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

2005-07-01

Planning models for hydraulic energy systems developed with a new computational geographic information system (GIS) tool were presented. The GIS tool was used to identify sections of rivers that are suitable for small-scale run-of-river hydropower generation in the La Rioja region of Spain. The tool was also used to evaluate economic data related to financing grants, technological costs, installation costs, and forecast demands for various consumption scenarios. Case studies of 2 hydropower systems were used to test the tool. The planning models were based on levelized electric costs (LEC) of run-of-river hydropower systems, and enabled the systems to be analyzed in isolation as well as when connected to an existing electricity network. Results of the modelling studies showed that the tool is capable of analyzing the LEC of potential hydropower systems in a range of different scenarios while maintaining the geographic characteristics and requirements of individual regions. 7 refs., 4 figs.

Secret Shoppers Find Access To Providers And Network Accuracy Lacking For Those In Marketplace And Commercial Plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Haeder, Simon F; Weimer, David L; Mukamel, Dana B

2016-07-01

The adequacy of provider networks for plans sold through insurance Marketplaces established under the Affordable Care Act has received much scrutiny recently. Various studies have established that networks are generally narrow. To learn more about network adequacy and access to care, we investigated two questions. First, no matter the nominal size of a network, can patients gain access to primary care services from providers of their choice in a timely manner? Second, how does access compare to plans sold outside insurance Marketplaces? We conducted a "secret shopper" survey of 743 primary care providers from five of California's nineteen insurance Marketplace pricing regions in the summer of 2015. Our findings indicate that obtaining access to primary care providers was generally equally challenging both inside and outside insurance Marketplaces. In less than 30 percent of cases were consumers able to schedule an appointment with an initially selected physician provider. Information about provider networks was often inaccurate. Problems accessing services for patients with acute conditions were particularly troubling. Effectively addressing issues of network adequacy requires more accurate provider information. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Corporate Data Network (CDN). Data Requirements Task. Preliminary Strategic Data Plan. Volume 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-11-01

The NRC has initiated a multi-year program to centralize its information processing in a Corporate Data Network (CDN). The new information processing environment will include shared databases, telecommunications, office automation tools, and state-of-the-art software. Touche Ross and Company was contracted with to perform a general data requirements analysis for shared databases and to develop a preliminary plan for implementation of the CDN concept. The Enterprise Model (Vol. 1) provided the NRC with agency-wide information requirements in the form of data entities and organizational demand patterns as the basis for clustering the entities into logical groups. The Data Dictionary (Vol.2) provided the NRC with definitions and example attributes and properties for each entity. The Data Model (Vol.3) defined logical databases and entity relationships within and between databases. The Preliminary Strategic Data Plan (Vol. 4) prioritized the development of databases and included a workplan and approach for implementation of the shared database component of the Corporate Data Network

Multiobjective planning of distribution networks incorporating switches and protective devices using a memetic optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pombo, A. Vieira; Murta-Pina, João; Pires, V. Fernão

2015-01-01

A multi-objective planning approach for the reliability of electric distribution networks using a memetic optimization is presented. In this reliability optimization, the type of the equipment (switches or reclosers) and their location are optimized. The multiple objectives considered to find the optimal values for these planning variables are the minimization of the total equipment cost and at the same time the minimization of two distribution network reliability indexes. The reliability indexes are the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) and system average interruption duration index (SAIDI). To solve this problem a memetic evolutionary algorithm is proposed, which combines the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) with a local search algorithm. The obtained Pareto-optimal front contains solutions of different trade-offs with respect to the three objectives. A real distribution network is used to test the proposed algorithm. The obtained results show that this approach allows the utility to obtain the optimal type and location of the equipments to achieve the best reliability with the lower cost. - Highlights: • Reliability indexes SAIFI and SAIDI and Equipment Cost are optimized. • Optimization of equipment type, number and location on a MV network. • Memetic evolutionary algorithm with a local search algorithm is proposed. • Pareto optimal front solutions with respect to the three objective functions

Internet plan and planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kahriman Emina

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Paper discuss specific features of internet plan as well as planning as management process in general in the contemporary environment. No need to stress out that marketing plan and marketing planning is core activity in approaching to market. At the same time, there are a lot specific c request in preparing marketing plan comparing to business planning due to marketing plan is an essential part. The importance of internet plan and planning rely on specific features of the internet network but as a part of general corporate as well as marketing strategy.

A multiyear DG-incorporated framework for expansion planning of distribution networks using binary chaotic shark smell optimization algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadigorji, Masoud; Amjady, Nima

2016-01-01

In this paper, a new model for MEPDN (multiyear expansion planning of distribution networks) is proposed. By solving this model, the optimal expansion scheme of primary (i.e. medium voltage) distribution network including the reinforcement pattern of primary feeders as well as location and size of DG (distributed generators) during an ascertained planning period is determined. Furthermore, the time-based feature of proposed model allows it to specify the investments/reinforcements time (i.e. year). Moreover, a minimum load shedding-based analytical approach for optimizing the network's reliability is introduced. The associated objective function of proposed model is minimizing the total investment and operation costs. To solve the formulated MEPDN model as a complex multi-dimensional optimization problem, a new evolutionary algorithm-based solution method called BCSSO (Binary Chaotic Shark Smell Optimization) is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed MEPDN model and solution approach is illustrated by applying them on two widely-used test cases including 12-bus and 33-bus distribution network and comparing the acquired results with the results of other solution methods. - Highlights: • A multiyear expansion planning model for distribution network is presented. • A new evolutionary algorithm-based solution approach is proposed. • A minimum load shedding-based analytical method for EENS minimization is suggested. • The efficacy of the proposed solution approach is broadly investigated.

A Selfish Constraint Satisfaction Genetic Algorithms for Planning a Long-Distance Transportation Network

Science.gov (United States)

Onoyama, Takashi; Maekawa, Takuya; Kubota, Sen; Tsuruta, Setuso; Komoda, Norihisa

To build a cooperative logistics network covering multiple enterprises, a planning method that can build a long-distance transportation network is required. Many strict constraints are imposed on this type of problem. To solve these strict-constraint problems, a selfish constraint satisfaction genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed. In this GA, each gene of an individual satisfies only its constraint selfishly, disregarding the constraints of other genes in the same individuals. Moreover, a constraint pre-checking method is also applied to improve the GA convergence speed. The experimental result shows the proposed method can obtain an accurate solution in a practical response time.

Towards efficient energy networks: the role of territorial planning. ADeus' Notes Nr 231, May 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pons, Anne; Berlet, Jessica; Masse, Camille; Gaugler, Karin; Prachazal, Nicolas; Commessie, Fabienne; Isenmann, Jean; Michaut, Chloe

2017-05-01

This publication states that things are evolving towards a common view of development by town planners and energy operators as they now share common stakes (a safe and optimised energy supply with anticipation of energy demand and of costs and investments) and are in a situation of mutual support (consistency between planning and energy networks, optimisation of investment programs, energy solidarity between territories). The need of a dialogue between local actors prior to the start of town planning projects is outlined and discussed, as well as the introduction of energy supply planning into town planning documents

VISUAL UAV TRAJECTORY PLAN SYSTEM BASED ON NETWORK MAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. L. Li

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The base map of the current software UP-30 using in trajectory plan for Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle is vector diagram. UP-30 draws navigation points manually. But in the field of operation process, the efficiency and the quality of work is influenced because of insufficient information, screen reflection, calculate inconveniently and other factors. If we do this work in indoor, the effect of external factors on the results would be eliminated, the network earth users can browse the free world high definition satellite images through downloading a client software, and can export the high resolution image by standard file format. This brings unprecedented convenient of trajectory plan. But the images must be disposed by coordinate transformation, geometric correction. In addition, according to the requirement of mapping scale ,camera parameters and overlap degree we can calculate exposure hole interval and trajectory distance between the adjacent trajectory automatically . This will improve the degree of automation of data collection. Software will judge the position of next point according to the intersection of the trajectory and the survey area and ensure the position of point according to trajectory distance. We can undertake the points artificially. So the trajectory plan is automatic and flexible. Considering safety, the date can be used in flying after simulating flight. Finally we can export all of the date using a key

Visual Uav Trajectory Plan System Based on Network Map

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X. L.; Lin, Z. J.; Su, G. Z.; Wu, B. Y.

2012-07-01

The base map of the current software UP-30 using in trajectory plan for Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle is vector diagram. UP-30 draws navigation points manually. But in the field of operation process, the efficiency and the quality of work is influenced because of insufficient information, screen reflection, calculate inconveniently and other factors. If we do this work in indoor, the effect of external factors on the results would be eliminated, the network earth users can browse the free world high definition satellite images through downloading a client software, and can export the high resolution image by standard file format. This brings unprecedented convenient of trajectory plan. But the images must be disposed by coordinate transformation, geometric correction. In addition, according to the requirement of mapping scale ,camera parameters and overlap degree we can calculate exposure hole interval and trajectory distance between the adjacent trajectory automatically . This will improve the degree of automation of data collection. Software will judge the position of next point according to the intersection of the trajectory and the survey area and ensure the position of point according to trajectory distance. We can undertake the points artificially. So the trajectory plan is automatic and flexible. Considering safety, the date can be used in flying after simulating flight. Finally we can export all of the date using a key

Improving referrals and integrating family planning and HIV services through organizational network strengthening.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, James C; Reynolds, Heidi W; Alterescu, Xavier; Bevc, Christine; Tsegaye, Ademe

2016-04-01

The service needs of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in low-income settings are wide-ranging. Service provision in a community is often disjointed among a variety of providers. We sought to reduce unmet patient needs by increasing referral coordination for HIV and family planning, measured as network density, with an organizational network approach. We conducted organizational network analysis on two networks in sub-cities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There were 25 organizations in one sub-city network and 26 in the other. In one of them we sought to increase referrals through three network strengthening meetings. We then conducted the network analysis again in both sub-cities to measure any changes since baseline. We also quantitatively measured reported client service needs in both sub-cities before and after the intervention with two cross-sectional samples of face-to-face interviews with clients (459 at baseline and 587 at follow-up). In the sub-city with the intervention, the number of referral connections between organizations, measured as network density, increased 55%. In the control community, the density decreased over the same period. Reported unmet client service needs declined more consistently across services in the intervention community. This quasi experiment demonstrated that (1) an organizational network analysis can inform an intervention, (2) a modest network strengthening intervention can enhance client referrals in the network, (3) improvement in client referrals was accompanied by a decrease in atient-reported unmet needs and (4) a series of network analyses can be a useful evaluation tool. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Optical Networks Solutions planning - performances - management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fenger, Christian

2002-01-01

It has been a decisive goal in the compilation of this thesis to make us capable of realizing the future national and regional telecommunication networks in an efficient and resource optimal way. By future telecommunication network is assumed an all optical network where the information in transit...... are kept optical and not converted into the optical domain. The focus is on the scientific results achieved throughout the Ph.D. period. Five subjects – all increasing the understanding of optical networks – are studied. Static wavelength routed optical networks are studied. Management on terms...... of lightpath allocation and design is considered. By using statistical models (simultaneous analysis of many networks) the correspondence between parameters determining the network topology and the performance of the optical network is found. These dependencies are important knowledge in the process...

Capacity planning of link restorable optical networks under dynamic change of traffic

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Kwok Shing; Cheung, Kwok Wai

2005-11-01

Future backbone networks shall require full-survivability and support dynamic changes of traffic demands. The Generalized Survivable Networks (GSN) was proposed to meet these challenges. GSN is fully-survivable under dynamic traffic demand changes, so it offers a practical and guaranteed characterization framework for ASTN / ASON survivable network planning and bandwidth-on-demand resource allocation 4. The basic idea of GSN is to incorporate the non-blocking network concept into the survivable network models. In GSN, each network node must specify its I/O capacity bound which is taken as constraints for any allowable traffic demand matrix. In this paper, we consider the following generic GSN network design problem: Given the I/O bounds of each network node, find a routing scheme (and the corresponding rerouting scheme under failure) and the link capacity assignment (both working and spare) which minimize the cost, such that any traffic matrix consistent with the given I/O bounds can be feasibly routed and it is single-fault tolerant under the link restoration scheme. We first show how the initial, infeasible formal mixed integer programming formulation can be transformed into a more feasible problem using the duality transformation of the linear program. Then we show how the problem can be simplified using the Lagrangian Relaxation approach. Previous work has outlined a two-phase approach for solving this problem where the first phase optimizes the working capacity assignment and the second phase optimizes the spare capacity assignment. In this paper, we present a jointly optimized framework for dimensioning the survivable optical network with the GSN model. Experiment results show that the jointly optimized GSN can bring about on average of 3.8% cost savings when compared with the separate, two-phase approach. Finally, we perform a cost comparison and show that GSN can be deployed with a reasonable cost.

A SCHEMA FOR EXTRACTION OF INDOOR PEDESTRIAN NAVIGATION GRID NETWORK FROM FLOOR PLANS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Niu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The requirement of the indoor navigation related tasks such emergency evacuation calls for efficient solutions for handling data sources. Therefore, the navigation grid extraction from existing floor plans draws attentions. To this, we have to thoroughly analyse the source data, such as Autocad dxf files. Then, we could establish a sounding navigation solution, which firstly complements the basic navigation rectangle boundaries, secondly subdivides these rectangles and finally generates accessible networks with these refined rectangles. Test files are introduced to validate the whole workflow and evaluate the solution performance. In conclusion, we have achieved the preliminary step of forming up accessible network from the navigation grids.

a Schema for Extraction of Indoor Pedestrian Navigation Grid Network from Floor Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Lei; Song, Yiquan

2016-06-01

The requirement of the indoor navigation related tasks such emergency evacuation calls for efficient solutions for handling data sources. Therefore, the navigation grid extraction from existing floor plans draws attentions. To this, we have to thoroughly analyse the source data, such as Autocad dxf files. Then, we could establish a sounding navigation solution, which firstly complements the basic navigation rectangle boundaries, secondly subdivides these rectangles and finally generates accessible networks with these refined rectangles. Test files are introduced to validate the whole workflow and evaluate the solution performance. In conclusion, we have achieved the preliminary step of forming up accessible network from the navigation grids.

PROBLEMS OF ROUTE NETWORK AND AIRCRAFT FLEET OPTIMIZATION AS A SPECIFIC TASK OF AIRLINE STRATEGIC PLANNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Karakuts

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The basic problems of route network and aircraft fleet optimization and its role in airline strategic planning are considered. Measures to improve the methods of its implementation are proposed.

EDCTP regional networks of excellence: initial merits for planned clinical trials in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Miiro, George M; Oukem-Boyer, Odile Ouwe Missi; Sarr, Ousmane; Rahmani, Maerangis; Ntoumi, Francine; Dheda, Keertan; Pym, Alexander; Mboup, Souleymane; Kaleebu, Pontiano

2013-03-22

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and combating hotspots with escalating but preventable communicable diseases remain major challenges in Africa. The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) intervened to combat poverty-related diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and to conduct multi-centre clinical trials and multi-disciplinary health research through an innovative model of regional Networks of Excellence (NoEs). We participated in a quasi-formative evaluation between October and December 2011 on the 4 regional-led research networks. These included the: Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM); East African Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR); West African Network of Excellence for TB, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM), and the Trials of Excellence for Southern Africa (TESA) launched between 2009 and 2010. We shared a participatory appraisal of field reports, progress reports and presentations from each network to jointly outline the initial experiences of the merits, outputs and lessons learnt. The self-regulating democratic networks, with 64 institutions in 21 African countries, have trained over 1, 000 African scientists, upgraded 36 sites for clinical trials, leveraged additional € 24 million and generated 38 peer-reviewed publications through networking and partnerships. The shared initial merits and lessons learnt portray in part the strengthened capacity of these networks for improved research coordination and conduct of planned multi-center clinical trials in Africa. Increased funding by African agencies, governments and international health partners will ensure sustainability of these networks for research capacity development and demonstrate their commitment to achieving the MDGs in Africa.

FOREST HARVEST SCHEDULING PLAN INTEGRATED TO THE ROAD NETWORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Henrique Belavenutti Martins da Silva

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In industrial forest plantations, the spatial distribution of management units for harvest scheduling influences the timber production cost and the non-renewable resources consumption, due to issues related to transport logistic. In this context, this research aimed to formulate Integer Linear Programming (ILP by means of the application of Floyd-Warshall network optimization algorithm to generate timber production routes, minimizing the production costs resulting from harvest activities and forest road maintenance. Then, scenarios were simulated considering different minimal harvest ages for Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. stands. The planning horizon was five years with annual periodicity. The study area was 23,330 hectares of forests, located in Paraná state (southern Brazil. We compared the simulated scenarios according to the following parameter indicators: harvest income, building road network and the production unit cost. The decreasing of the minimal harvest age reduces the mean production of management units scheduled to be harvested, in other hand, it requires fewer roads to be built, and consequently increases the production unit cost. The solutions obtained by using ILP models presented an optimality gap lower than 0.1%.

European and national network development plan; Europaeischer und nationaler Netzentwicklungsplan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ringel, Uwe [ONTRAS - VNG Gastransport GmbH, Leipzig (Germany)

2011-11-15

Even today, in the energy mix natural gas makes a significant contribution in order to achieve the climate policy goals. Thus, natural gas transmission grids will play a key role in Europe's energy supply. With the possibility of transforming excess wind power to hydrogen or synthetic methane and feeding syngas into the natural gas transmission grid, the natural gas transmission grid receive another challenging role in the future energy mix. However, this requires new approaches to all parties. In particular, consideration on the development of electricity networks in the planning of the future natural gas infrastructure have to be included.

Accuracy of Blood Pressure-to-Height Ratio to Define Elevated Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelishadi, Roya; Bahreynian, Maryam; Heshmat, Ramin; Motlagh, Mohammad Esmail; Djalalinia, Shirin; Naji, Fatemeh; Ardalan, Gelayol; Asayesh, Hamid; Qorbani, Mostafa

2016-02-01

The aim of this study was to propose a simple practical diagnostic criterion for pre-hypertension (pre-HTN) and hypertension (HTN) in the pediatric age group. This study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 14,880 students, aged 6-18 years. HTN and pre-HTN were defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 95 and 90-95th percentile for age, gender, and height, respectively. By using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic curves, we estimated the diagnostic accuracy of two indexes of SBP-to-height ratio (SBPHR) and DBP-to-height (DBPHR) to define pre-HTN and HTN. Overall, SBPHR performed relatively well in classifying subjects to HTN (AUC 0.80-0.85) and pre-HTN (AUC 0.84-0.90). Likewise, DBPHR performed relatively well in classifying subjects to HTN (AUC 0.90-0.97) and pre-HTN (AUC 0.70-0.83). Two indexes of SBPHR and DBPHR are considered as valid, simple, inexpensive, and accurate tools to diagnose pre-HTN and HTN in pediatric age group.

Probabilistic prosumer node modeling for estimating planning parameters in distribution networks with renewable energy sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Millar, Robert John; Ekstrom, Jussi; Lehtonen, Matti

With the increase in distributed generation, the demand-only nature of many secondary substation nodes in medium voltage networks is becoming a mix of temporally varying consumption and generation with significant stochastic components. Traditional planning, however, has often assumed that the ma...

ELIMINATION OF THE DISADVANTAGES OF SCHEDULING-NETWORK PLANNING BY APPLYING THE MATRIX OF KEY PROJECT EVENTS

OpenAIRE

Morozenko Andrey Aleksandrovich; Krasovskiy Dmitriy Viktorovich

2017-01-01

The article discusses the current disadvantages of the scheduling-network planning in the management of the terms of investment-construction project. Problems associated with the construction of the schedule and the definitions of the duration of the construction project are being studied. The problems of project management for the management apparatus are shown, which consists in the absence of mechanisms for prompt response to deviations in the parameters of the scheduling-network diagram. ...

Optimizing digital elevation models (DEMs) accuracy for planning and design of mobile communication networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Mahmoud A.

2004-02-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are important tools in the planning, design and maintenance of mobile communication networks. This research paper proposes a method for generating high accuracy DEMs based on SPOT satellite 1A stereo pair images, ground control points (GCP) and Erdas OrthoBASE Pro image processing software. DEMs with 0.2911 m mean error were achieved for the hilly and heavily populated city of Amman. The generated DEM was used to design a mobile communication network resulted in a minimum number of radio base transceiver stations, maximum number of covered regions and less than 2% of dead zones.

Topological clustering as a tool for planning water quality monitoring in water distribution networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirstein, Jonas Kjeld; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen; Rygaard, Martin

2015-01-01

) identify steady clusters for a part of the network where an actual contamination has occurred; (2) analyze this event by the use of mesh diagrams; and (3) analyze the use of mesh diagrams as a decision support tool for planning water quality monitoring. Initially, the network model was divided...... into strongly and weakly connected clusters for selected time periods and mesh diagrams were used for analysing cluster connections in the Nørrebro district. Here, areas of particular interest for water quality monitoring were identified by including user-information about consumption rates and consumers...... particular sensitive towards water quality deterioration. The analysis revealed sampling locations within steady clusters, which increased samples' comparability over time. Furthermore, the method provided a simplified overview of water movement in complex distribution networks, and could assist...

Building oceanographic and atmospheric observation networks by composition: unmanned vehicles, communication networks, and planning and execution control frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa, J. T.; Pinto, J.; Martins, R.; Costa, M.; Ferreira, F.; Gomes, R.

2014-12-01

The problem of developing mobile oceanographic and atmospheric observation networks (MOAO) with coordinated air and ocean vehicles is discussed in the framework of the communications and control software tool chain developed at Underwater Systems and Technologies Laboratory (LSTS) from Porto University. This is done with reference to field experiments to illustrate key capabilities and to assess future MOAO operations. First, the motivation for building MOAO by "composition" of air and ocean vehicles, communication networks, and planning and execution control frameworks is discussed - in networked vehicle systems information and commands are exchanged among multiple vehicles and operators, and the roles, relative positions, and dependencies of these vehicles and operators change during operations. Second, the planning and execution control framework developed at LSTS for multi-vehicle systems is discussed with reference to key concepts such as autonomy, mixed-initiative interactions, and layered organization. Third, the LSTS tool software tool chain is presented to show how to develop MOAO by composition. The tool chain comprises the Neptus command and control framework for mixed initiative interactions, the underlying IMC messaging protocol, and the DUNE on-board software. Fourth, selected LSTS operational deployments illustrate MOAO capability building. In 2012 we demonstrated the use of UAS to "ferry" data from UUVs located beyond line of sight (BLOS). In 2013 we demonstrated coordinated observations of coastal fronts with small UAS and UUVs, "bent" BLOS through the use of UAS as communication relays, and UAS tracking of juvenile hammer-head sharks. In 2014 we demonstrated UUV adaptive sampling with the closed loop controller of the UUV residing on a UAS; this was done with the help of a Wave Glider ASV with a communications gateway. The results from these experiments provide a background for assessing potential future UAS operations in a compositional MOAO.

AC transmission network expansion planning considering circuits repowering and location of capacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime A. López-López

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the Transmission Network Expansion Planning (TNEP problem. The TNEP consists of finding a set of new circuits on a power system, which is needed to attend a future demand. In its classical version, the TNEP only considers as solution candidates the addition of new lines and transformers. The main contribution of this paper consists in the inclusion of nonconventional solution candidates, namely the repowering of existing circuits and the location of capacitor banks. To take into account these last ones an AC model of the transmission network is considered. The solution of the proposed model is carried out using a Hybrid Genetic Algorithm. Results are compared and validated with previous works in the technical literature. The test systems used are the Garver system and IEEE 24 bus system. The results obtained in both systems showed that the inclusion of the non-conventional candidates, proposed in this paper, allows to reduce the cost of network expansion. This fact may be useful as an indicator for the system planner to consider new possibilities in the expansion studies.

Ten-year development plan for the GRTgaz transmission network 2015-2024 period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-11-01

GRTgaz is a European leader in natural gas transmission, a world expert in gas transmission networks and systems, and an operator firmly committed to the energy transition. It owns and operates the gas transmission network throughout most of France and it manages the transmission network in Germany, thereby helping to ensure correct operation of the French and European gas market. It contributes to the energy security of regional supply systems and performs a public service mission to ensure the continuity of consumer supply. In accordance with the French Energy Code, GRTgaz publishes a 10-year development plan for its gas distribution network in France every year. This document is produced in line with European and French energy policies. It identifies the transport infrastructure that will need to be built over the next three years, and presents the main infrastructure that is likely to be developed within the next ten years. It incorporates the supply security obligations that TSOs are required to fulfil. It takes account of interested parties' needs and projects at the national, supranational and European levels. It is based on existing gas supply and demand and reasonable medium-term development forecasts for gas infrastructure, consumption and international trade

Ten-year development plan for the GRTgaz transmission network 2016-2025 period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-11-01

GRTgaz is a European leader in natural gas transmission, a world expert in gas transmission networks and systems, and an operator firmly committed to the energy transition. It owns and operates the gas transmission network throughout most of France and it manages the transmission network in Germany, thereby helping to ensure correct operation of the French and European gas market. It contributes to the energy security of regional supply systems and performs a public service mission to ensure the continuity of consumer supply. In accordance with the French Energy Code, GRTgaz publishes a 10-year development plan for its gas distribution network in France every year. This document is produced in line with European and French energy policies. It identifies the transport infrastructure that will need to be built over the next three years, and presents the main infrastructure that is likely to be developed within the next ten years. It incorporates the supply security obligations that TSOs are required to fulfil. It takes account of interested parties' needs and projects at the national, supranational and European levels. It is based on existing gas supply and demand and reasonable medium-term development forecasts for gas infrastructure, consumption and international trade

Ten-Year Development Plan for the GRTgaz Transmission Network 2011-2020 Period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-10-01

GRTgaz is a European leader in natural gas transmission, a world expert in gas transmission networks and systems, and an operator firmly committed to the energy transition. It owns and operates the gas transmission network throughout most of France and it manages the transmission network in Germany, thereby helping to ensure correct operation of the French and European gas market. It contributes to the energy security of regional supply systems and performs a public service mission to ensure the continuity of consumer supply. In accordance with the French Energy Code, GRTgaz publishes a 10-year development plan for its gas distribution network in France every year. This document is produced in line with European and French energy policies. It identifies the transport infrastructure that will need to be built over the next three years, and presents the main infrastructure that is likely to be developed within the next ten years. It incorporates the supply security obligations that TSOs are required to fulfil. It takes account of interested parties' needs and projects at the national, supranational and European levels. It is based on existing gas supply and demand and reasonable medium-term development forecasts for gas infrastructure, consumption and international trade

Geometric moments and artificial neural network in per optimization of radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahaqi, E.; Movafeghi, A.; Hosseini- Ashrafi, M.E.

2004-01-01

Given the number of possible combinations of different setting in radiotherapy such as the number of fields etc., arriving at an optimum treatment plan with a completely conventional solution would require an unacceptable number of interaction. Using a priori information whether of a qualitative or quantitative nature has the potential of greatly reducing amount of calculation required in any optimization procedure. Having extracted the outline of the body counter line the treatment area, the sensitive organ and any in- homogeneity present in the given cross section quantitative information in the form of moments is calculated for each treatment case. An artificial neural network classifier is then developed using group of sample treatment case and applied to arrive at initial treatment plan for any new case. The approach has been shown to have strong potential for greatly reducing the number of choices in selecting the optimum answer in treatment planning

AC transmission network expansion planning considering circuits repowering and location of capacitors

OpenAIRE

Jaime A. López-López; Diego A. Tejada-Arango; Jesús M. López-Lezama

2016-01-01

This paper deals with the Transmission Network Expansion Planning (TNEP) problem. The TNEP consists of finding a set of new circuits on a power system, which is needed to attend a future demand. In its classical version, the TNEP only considers as solution candidates the addition of new lines and transformers. The main contribution of this paper consists in the inclusion of nonconventional solution candidates, namely the repowering of existing circuits and the location of capacitor banks. To ...

NWTS waste package program plan. Volume II. Program logic networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-10-01

This document describes the work planned for developing the technology to design, test and produce packages used for the long-term isolation of nuclear waste in deep geologic repositories. Waste forms considered include spent fuel and high-level waste. The testing and selection effort for barrier materials for radionuclide containment is described. The NWTS waste package program is a design-driven effort; waste package conceptual designs are used as input for preliminary designs, which are upgraded to a final design as materials and testing data become available. Performance assessment models are developed and validated. Milestones and a detailed schedule are given for the waste package development effort. Program logic networks defining work flow, interfaces among the NWTS Projects, and interrelationships of specific activities are presented. Detailed work elements are provided for the Waste Package Program Plan subtasks - design and development, waste form, barrier materials, and performance evaluation - for salt and basalt, host rocks for which the state of waste package knowledge and the corresponding data base are advanced

A New Path-Constrained Rendezvous Planning Approach for Large-Scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmadreza Vajdi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We study the problem of employing a mobile-sink into a large-scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks (EWSNs for the purpose of data harvesting from sensor-nodes. Generally, this employment improves the main weakness of WSNs that is about energy-consumption in battery-driven sensor-nodes. The main motivation of our work is to address challenges which are related to a network’s topology by adopting a mobile-sink that moves in a predefined trajectory in the environment. Since, in this fashion, it is not possible to gather data from sensor-nodes individually, we adopt the approach of defining some of the sensor-nodes as Rendezvous Points (RPs in the network. We argue that RP-planning in this case is a tradeoff between minimizing the number of RPs while decreasing the number of hops for a sensor-node that needs data transformation to the related RP which leads to minimizing average energy consumption in the network. We address the problem by formulating the challenges and expectations as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP. Henceforth, by proving the NP-hardness of the problem, we propose three effective and distributed heuristics for RP-planning, identifying sojourn locations, and constructing routing trees. Finally, experimental results prove the effectiveness of our approach.

A New Path-Constrained Rendezvous Planning Approach for Large-Scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Vajdi, Ahmadreza; Zhang, Gongxuan; Zhou, Junlong; Wei, Tongquan; Wang, Yongli; Wang, Tianshu

2018-05-04

We study the problem of employing a mobile-sink into a large-scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks (EWSNs) for the purpose of data harvesting from sensor-nodes. Generally, this employment improves the main weakness of WSNs that is about energy-consumption in battery-driven sensor-nodes. The main motivation of our work is to address challenges which are related to a network’s topology by adopting a mobile-sink that moves in a predefined trajectory in the environment. Since, in this fashion, it is not possible to gather data from sensor-nodes individually, we adopt the approach of defining some of the sensor-nodes as Rendezvous Points (RPs) in the network. We argue that RP-planning in this case is a tradeoff between minimizing the number of RPs while decreasing the number of hops for a sensor-node that needs data transformation to the related RP which leads to minimizing average energy consumption in the network. We address the problem by formulating the challenges and expectations as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). Henceforth, by proving the NP-hardness of the problem, we propose three effective and distributed heuristics for RP-planning, identifying sojourn locations, and constructing routing trees. Finally, experimental results prove the effectiveness of our approach.

A New Path-Constrained Rendezvous Planning Approach for Large-Scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Gongxuan; Wang, Yongli; Wang, Tianshu

2018-01-01

We study the problem of employing a mobile-sink into a large-scale Event-Driven Wireless Sensor Networks (EWSNs) for the purpose of data harvesting from sensor-nodes. Generally, this employment improves the main weakness of WSNs that is about energy-consumption in battery-driven sensor-nodes. The main motivation of our work is to address challenges which are related to a network’s topology by adopting a mobile-sink that moves in a predefined trajectory in the environment. Since, in this fashion, it is not possible to gather data from sensor-nodes individually, we adopt the approach of defining some of the sensor-nodes as Rendezvous Points (RPs) in the network. We argue that RP-planning in this case is a tradeoff between minimizing the number of RPs while decreasing the number of hops for a sensor-node that needs data transformation to the related RP which leads to minimizing average energy consumption in the network. We address the problem by formulating the challenges and expectations as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). Henceforth, by proving the NP-hardness of the problem, we propose three effective and distributed heuristics for RP-planning, identifying sojourn locations, and constructing routing trees. Finally, experimental results prove the effectiveness of our approach. PMID:29734718

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension and albuminuria in rural Zambia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jon B; Thomsen, Jakúp A; Rossing, Peter

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess albuminuria in rural Zambia among patients with diabetes mellitus only (DM group), hypertension only (HTN group) and patients with combined DM and HTN (DM/HTN group). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at St. Francis Hospital in the Eastern province of Zambia...... of DM or HTN. RESULTS: A total of 193 participants were included (DM group: n = 33; HTN group: n = 92; DM/HTN group: n = 68). The participants in the DM group used insulin more frequently as diabetes medication than the DM/HTN group (P

Cardiovascular dysfunctions and sympathovagal imbalance in hypertension and prehypertension: physiological perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Gopal Krushna; Pal, Pravati; Nanda, Nivedita; Amudharaj, Dharmalingam; Adithan, Chandrasekaran

2013-01-01

Hypertension (HTN) and prehypertension (pre-HTN) have been identified as independent risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events. Recently, increased psychosocial stress and work stress have contributed to the increased prevalence of HTN and pre-HTN, in addition to the contribution of obesity, diabetes, poor food habits and physical inactivity. Irrespective of the etiology, sympathetic overactivity has been recognized as the main pathophysiologic mechanism in the genesis of HTN and pre-HTN. Sympathovagal imbalance owing to sympathetic overactivity and vagal withdrawal is reported to be the basis of many clinical disorders. However, the role played by vagal withdrawal has been under-reported. In this review, we have analyzed the pathophysiologic involvement of sympathovagal imbalance in the development of HTN and pre-HTN, and the link of sympathovagal imbalance to cardiovascular dysfunctions. We have emphasized that adaptation to a healthier lifestyle will help improve sympathovagal homeostasis and prevent the occurrence of HTN and pre-HTN.

Application of Hybrid Meta-Heuristic Techniques for Optimal Load Shedding Planning and Operation in an Islanded Distribution Network Integrated with Distributed Generation

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Jafar Jallad

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In a radial distribution network integrated with distributed generation (DG, frequency and voltage instability could occur due to grid disconnection, which would result in an islanded network. This paper proposes an optimal load shedding scheme to balance the electricity demand and the generated power of DGs. The integration of the Firefly Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization (FAPSO is proposed for the application of the planned load shedding and under frequency load shedding (UFLS scheme. In planning mode, the hybrid optimization maximizes the amount of load remaining and improves the voltage profile of load buses within allowable limits. Moreover, the hybrid optimization can be used in UFLS scheme to identify the optimal combination of loads that need to be shed from a network in operation mode. In order to assess the capabilities of the hybrid optimization, the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system and part of the Malaysian distribution network with different types of DGs were used. The response of the proposed optimization method in planning and operation were compared with other optimization techniques. The simulation results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid optimization in planning mode and demonstrated that the proposed UFLS scheme is quick enough to restore the system frequency without overshooting in less execution time.

Optimization of observation plan based on the stochastic characteristics of the geodetic network

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Pachelski Wojciech

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Optimal design of geodetic network is a basic subject of many engineering projects. An observation plan is a concluding part of the process. Any particular observation within the network has through adjustment a different contribution and impact on values and accuracy characteristics of unknowns. The problem of optimal design can be solved by means of computer simulation. This paper presents a new method of simulation based on sequential estimation of individual observations in a step-by-step manner, by means of the so-called filtering equations. The algorithm aims at satisfying different criteria of accuracy according to various interpretations of the covariance matrix. Apart of them, the optimization criterion is also amount of effort, defined as the minimum number of observations required.

Narrow Networks On The Health Insurance Marketplaces: Prevalence, Pricing, And The Cost Of Network Breadth.

Science.gov (United States)

Dafny, Leemore S; Hendel, Igal; Marone, Victoria; Ody, Christopher

2017-09-01

Anecdotal reports and systematic research highlight the prevalence of narrow-network plans on the Affordable Care Act's health insurance Marketplaces. At the same time, Marketplace premiums in the period 2014-16 were much lower than projected by the Congressional Budget Office in 2009. Using detailed data on the breadth of both hospital and physician networks, we studied the prevalence of narrow networks and quantified the association between network breadth and premiums. Controlling for many potentially confounding factors, we found that a plan with narrow physician and hospital networks was 16 percent cheaper than a plan with broad networks for both, and that narrowing the breadth of just one type of network was associated with a 6-9 percent decrease in premiums. Narrow-network plans also have a sizable impact on federal outlays, as they depress the premium of the second-lowest-price silver plan, to which subsidy amounts are linked. Holding all else constant, we estimate that federal subsidies would have been 10.8 percent higher in 2014 had Marketplaces required all plans to offer broad provider networks. Narrow networks are a promising source of potential savings for other segments of the commercial insurance market. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Statistical evaluation of the dose-distribution charts of the National Computerized Irradiation Planning Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varjas, Geza; Jozsef, Gabor; Gyenes, Gyoergy; Petranyi, Julia; Bozoky, Laszlo; Pataki, Gezane

1985-01-01

The establishment of the National Computerized Irradiation Planning Network allowed to perform the statistical evaluation presented in this report. During the first 5 years 13389 dose-distribution charts were calculated for the treatment of 5320 patients, i.e. in average, 2,5 dose-distribution chart-variants per patient. This number practically did not change in the last 4 years. The irradiation plan of certain tumour localizations was performed on the basis of the calculation of, in average, 1.6-3.0 dose-distribution charts. Recently, radiation procedures assuring optimal dose-distribution, such as the use of moving fields, and two- or three-irradiation fields, are gaining grounds. (author)

Co-authorship Network Analysis: A Powerful Tool for Strategic Planning of Research, Development and Capacity Building Programs on Neglected Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Morel, Carlos Medicis; Serruya, Suzanne Jacob; Penna, Gerson Oliveira; Guimarães, Reinaldo

2009-01-01

Background New approaches and tools were needed to support the strategic planning, implementation and management of a Program launched by the Brazilian Government to fund research, development and capacity building on neglected tropical diseases with strong focus on the North, Northeast and Center-West regions of the country where these diseases are prevalent. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on demographic, epidemiological and burden of disease data, seven diseases were selected by the Ministry of Health as targets of the initiative. Publications on these diseases by Brazilian researchers were retrieved from international databases, analyzed and processed with text-mining tools in order to standardize author- and institution's names and addresses. Co-authorship networks based on these publications were assembled, visualized and analyzed with social network analysis software packages. Network visualization and analysis generated new information, allowing better design and strategic planning of the Program, enabling decision makers to characterize network components by area of work, identify institutions as well as authors playing major roles as central hubs or located at critical network cut-points and readily detect authors or institutions participating in large international scientific collaborating networks. Conclusions/Significance Traditional criteria used to monitor and evaluate research proposals or R&D Programs, such as researchers' productivity and impact factor of scientific publications, are of limited value when addressing research areas of low productivity or involving institutions from endemic regions where human resources are limited. Network analysis was found to generate new and valuable information relevant to the strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of the Program. It afforded a more proactive role of the funding agencies in relation to public health and equity goals, to scientific capacity building objectives and a more

Co-authorship network analysis: a powerful tool for strategic planning of research, development and capacity building programs on neglected diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Medicis Morel

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: New approaches and tools were needed to support the strategic planning, implementation and management of a Program launched by the Brazilian Government to fund research, development and capacity building on neglected tropical diseases with strong focus on the North, Northeast and Center-West regions of the country where these diseases are prevalent. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Based on demographic, epidemiological and burden of disease data, seven diseases were selected by the Ministry of Health as targets of the initiative. Publications on these diseases by Brazilian researchers were retrieved from international databases, analyzed and processed with text-mining tools in order to standardize author- and institution's names and addresses. Co-authorship networks based on these publications were assembled, visualized and analyzed with social network analysis software packages. Network visualization and analysis generated new information, allowing better design and strategic planning of the Program, enabling decision makers to characterize network components by area of work, identify institutions as well as authors playing major roles as central hubs or located at critical network cut-points and readily detect authors or institutions participating in large international scientific collaborating networks. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Traditional criteria used to monitor and evaluate research proposals or R&D Programs, such as researchers' productivity and impact factor of scientific publications, are of limited value when addressing research areas of low productivity or involving institutions from endemic regions where human resources are limited. Network analysis was found to generate new and valuable information relevant to the strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of the Program. It afforded a more proactive role of the funding agencies in relation to public health and equity goals, to scientific capacity building

Case Study: Does training of private networks of Family Planning clinicians in urban Pakistan affect service utilization?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background To determine whether training of providers participating in franchise clinic networks is associated with increased Family Planning service use among low-income urban families in Pakistan. Methods The study uses 2001 survey data consisting of interviews with 1113 clinical and non-clinical providers working in public and private hospitals/clinics. Data analysis excludes non-clinical providers reducing sample size to 822. Variables for the analysis are divided into client volume, and training in family planning. Regression models are used to compute the association between training and service use in franchise versus private non-franchise clinics. Results In franchise clinic networks, staff are 6.5 times more likely to receive family planning training (P = 0.00) relative to private non-franchises. Service use was significantly associated with training (P = 0.00), franchise affiliation (P = 0.01), providers' years of family planning experience (P = 0.02) and the number of trained staff working at government owned clinics (P = 0.00). In this setting, nurses are significantly less likely to receive training compared to doctors (P = 0.00). Conclusions These findings suggest that franchises recruit and train various cadres of health workers and training maybe associated with increased service use through improvement in quality of services. PMID:21062460

Case Study: Does training of private networks of Family Planning clinicians in urban Pakistan affect service utilization?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qureshi Asma M

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To determine whether training of providers participating in franchise clinic networks is associated with increased Family Planning service use among low-income urban families in Pakistan. Methods The study uses 2001 survey data consisting of interviews with 1113 clinical and non-clinical providers working in public and private hospitals/clinics. Data analysis excludes non-clinical providers reducing sample size to 822. Variables for the analysis are divided into client volume, and training in family planning. Regression models are used to compute the association between training and service use in franchise versus private non-franchise clinics. Results In franchise clinic networks, staff are 6.5 times more likely to receive family planning training (P = 0.00 relative to private non-franchises. Service use was significantly associated with training (P = 0.00, franchise affiliation (P = 0.01, providers' years of family planning experience (P = 0.02 and the number of trained staff working at government owned clinics (P = 0.00. In this setting, nurses are significantly less likely to receive training compared to doctors (P = 0.00. Conclusions These findings suggest that franchises recruit and train various cadres of health workers and training maybe associated with increased service use through improvement in quality of services.

Case Study: Does training of private networks of Family Planning clinicians in urban Pakistan affect service utilization?

Science.gov (United States)

Qureshi, Asma M

2010-11-09

To determine whether training of providers participating in franchise clinic networks is associated with increased Family Planning service use among low-income urban families in Pakistan. The study uses 2001 survey data consisting of interviews with 1113 clinical and non-clinical providers working in public and private hospitals/clinics. Data analysis excludes non-clinical providers reducing sample size to 822. Variables for the analysis are divided into client volume, and training in family planning. Regression models are used to compute the association between training and service use in franchise versus private non-franchise clinics. In franchise clinic networks, staff are 6.5 times more likely to receive family planning training (P = 0.00) relative to private non-franchises. Service use was significantly associated with training (P = 0.00), franchise affiliation (P = 0.01), providers' years of family planning experience (P = 0.02) and the number of trained staff working at government owned clinics (P = 0.00). In this setting, nurses are significantly less likely to receive training compared to doctors (P = 0.00). These findings suggest that franchises recruit and train various cadres of health workers and training maybe associated with increased service use through improvement in quality of services.

Tuchola County Broadband Network (TCBN)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zabludowski, Antoni; Dubalski, B.; Zabludowski, Lukasz

2012-01-01

In the paper the designing project (plan) of Tuchola City broadband IP optical network has been presented. The extended version of network plan constitute technical part of network Feasibility Study, that it is expected to be implemented in Tuchola and be financed from European Regional Development...... Funds. The network plan presented in the paper contains both topological structure of fiber optic network as well as the active equipment for the network. In the project described in the paper it has been suggested to use Modular Cable System - MCS for passive infrastructure and Metro Ethernet...

Burning through organizational boundaries? Examining inter-organizational communication networks in policy-mandated collaborative bushfire planning groups

Science.gov (United States)

Rachel F. Brummel; Kristen C. Nelson; Pamela J. Jakes

2012-01-01

Collaboration can enhance cooperation across geographic and organizational scales, effectively "burning through" those boundaries. Using structured social network analysis (SNA) and qualitative in-depth interviews, this study examined three collaborative bushfire planning groups in New South Wales, Australia and asked: How does participation in policy-...

Future planning: default network activity couples with frontoparietal control network and reward-processing regions during process and outcome simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlach, Kathy D; Spreng, R Nathan; Madore, Kevin P; Schacter, Daniel L

2014-12-01

We spend much of our daily lives imagining how we can reach future goals and what will happen when we attain them. Despite the prevalence of such goal-directed simulations, neuroimaging studies on planning have mainly focused on executive processes in the frontal lobe. This experiment examined the neural basis of process simulations, during which participants imagined themselves going through steps toward attaining a goal, and outcome simulations, during which participants imagined events they associated with achieving a goal. In the scanner, participants engaged in these simulation tasks and an odd/even control task. We hypothesized that process simulations would recruit default and frontoparietal control network regions, and that outcome simulations, which allow us to anticipate the affective consequences of achieving goals, would recruit default and reward-processing regions. Our analysis of brain activity that covaried with process and outcome simulations confirmed these hypotheses. A functional connectivity analysis with posterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior inferior parietal lobule seeds showed that their activity was correlated during process simulations and associated with a distributed network of default and frontoparietal control network regions. During outcome simulations, medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala seeds covaried together and formed a functional network with default and reward-processing regions. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Scenario Based Network Infrastructure Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Thomas Phillip; Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Madsen, Ole Brun

2005-01-01

The paper presents a method for IT infrastructure planning that take into account very long term developments in usages. The method creates a scenario for a final, time independent stage in the planning process. The method abstracts relevant modelling factors from available information...

Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of High Blood Pressure: A Population-Based Survey in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duc Anh Ha

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease (CVD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Vietnam and hypertension (HTN is an important and prevalent risk factor for CVD in the adult Vietnamese population. Despite an increasing prevalence of HTN in this country, information about the awareness, treatment, and control of HTN is limited. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of HTN, and factors associated with these endpoints, in residents of a mountainous province in Vietnam.Data from 2,368 adults (age≥25 years participating in a population-based survey conducted in 2011 in Thai Nguyen province were analyzed. All eligible participants completed a structured questionnaire and were examined by community health workers using a standardized protocol.The overall prevalence of HTN in this population was 23%. Older age, male sex, and being overweight were associated with a higher odds of having HTN, while higher educational level was associated with a lower odds of having HTN. Among those with HTN, only 34% were aware of their condition, 43% of those who were aware they had HTN received treatment and, of these, 39% had their HTN controlled.Nearly one in four adults in Thai Nguyen is hypertensive, but far fewer are aware of this condition and even fewer have their blood pressure adequately controlled. Public health strategies increasing awareness of HTN in the community, as well as improvements in the treatment and control of HTN, remain needed to reduce the prevalence of HTN and related morbidity and mortality.

African Americans’ Perceptions of Adherence to Medications and Lifestyle Changes Prescribed to Treat Hypertension

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Christina M. Pettey

2016-01-01

Full Text Available More than 80 million Americans have hypertension (HTN, and African Americans (AAs are disproportionately affected. AAs also have lower rates of adherence to HTN treatment. It is important to understand AAs’ perceptions of adherence to develop effective interventions. The aim of this study is to examine AAs’ perceptions of adherence to medications and lifestyle changes prescribed to treat HTN. In this qualitative study, we used purposive sampling to recruit Southern AAs with HTN aged 21 and older from a free, faith-based clinic. We recorded individual, in-person interviews about perceptions related to adherence to treatment of HTN and analyzed verbatim transcripts using content analysis and constant comparison. We also conducted medical record audits. Twenty-nine AAs participated (52% female, 38% were <50 years of age, 52% had taken anti-HTN medications for ≥5 years. Audits indicated that 65% had uncontrolled HTN during the previous year. Two main themes included causes of HTN and ways to improve blood pressure. Perceived causes of HTN included diet, stress, unhealthy actions, genes, and obesity. Ways to improve HTN included using cultural treatments “passed down,” increasing exercise, reducing stress, and losing weight. Many reported using home remedies to control HTN, including drinking pickle juice. More than half of this sample had uncontrolled HTN. They identified influences of culture on perceptions of adherence including causes and treatment of HTN, and possibly detrimental home remedies. It is imperative that clinicians identify culturally appropriate interventions for this high-risk group.

ELIMINATION OF THE DISADVANTAGES OF SCHEDULING-NETWORK PLANNING BY APPLYING THE MATRIX OF KEY PROJECT EVENTS

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Morozenko Andrey Aleksandrovich

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the current disadvantages of the scheduling-network planning in the management of the terms of investment-construction project. Problems associated with the construction of the schedule and the definitions of the duration of the construction project are being studied. The problems of project management for the management apparatus are shown, which consists in the absence of mechanisms for prompt response to deviations in the parameters of the scheduling-network diagram. A new approach to planning the implementation of an investment-construction project based on a matrix of key events and a rejection of the current practice of determining the duration based on inauthentic regulatory data. An algorithm for determining the key events of the project is presented. For increase the reliability of the organizational structure, the load factor of the functional block in the process of achieving the key event is proposed. Recommendations for improving the interaction of the participants in the investment-construction project are given.

The influence of social networks in visiting, planning and living in cities. Alexplore: A pilot project in Alexandria

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Dina Sameh Taha

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The presented work aims at identifying the potentials of mobile social networking and geo-coding to promote cities, as well as to test their usefulness as decision support systems for planners. Alexplore is an application that was developed by planners rather than IT specialists using emerging web 2.0 technologies. Penetration rates of mobile internet access, as well as smartphone usage ensure a solid base for such applications worldwide as well as in Egypt. This paper traces the influence of social networks on tourism and city planning through the past decade and pinpoints its contributions and constraints. It highlights the potentials of social networks for tourists, planners, and citizens. Through the paper, the concept, technology, functionality, and limitations of Alexplore are thoroughly explained. In spite of current shortcomings, Alexplore provides solid benefits for its different stakeholders. Few concerns occur due to the proper application of ethical rules to social networking as well as due to fear of over dependency on such techniques. It is believed that with the development of the technology, many currently functional issues will be alleviated. Last, Alexplore should not be regarded as a replacement for traditional planning methods, but rather a useful augmentation to it.

Catheter-based renal denervation in patients with uncontrolled hypertension in the absence of antihypertensive medications (SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED): a randomised, sham-controlled, proof-of-concept trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Raymond R; Mahfoud, Felix; Kandzari, David E; Kario, Kazuomi; Pocock, Stuart; Weber, Michael A; Ewen, Sebastian; Tsioufis, Konstantinos; Tousoulis, Dimitrios; Sharp, Andrew S P; Watkinson, Anthony F; Schmieder, Roland E; Schmid, Axel; Choi, James W; East, Cara; Walton, Anthony; Hopper, Ingrid; Cohen, Debbie L; Wilensky, Robert; Lee, David P; Ma, Adrian; Devireddy, Chandan M; Lea, Janice P; Lurz, Philipp C; Fengler, Karl; Davies, Justin; Chapman, Neil; Cohen, Sidney A; DeBruin, Vanessa; Fahy, Martin; Jones, Denise E; Rothman, Martin; Böhm, Michael

2017-11-11

Previous randomised renal denervation studies did not show consistent efficacy in reducing blood pressure. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of renal denervation on blood pressure in the absence of antihypertensive medications. SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED was a multicentre, international, single-blind, randomised, sham-controlled, proof-of-concept trial. Patients were enrolled at 21 centres in the USA, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Eligible patients were drug-naive or discontinued their antihypertensive medications. Patients with an office systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 150 mm Hg or greater and less than 180 mm Hg, office diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mm Hg or greater, and a mean 24-h ambulatory SBP of 140 mm Hg or greater and less than 170 mm Hg at second screening underwent renal angiography and were randomly assigned to renal denervation or sham control. Patients, caregivers, and those assessing blood pressure were blinded to randomisation assignments. The primary endpoint, change in 24-h blood pressure at 3 months, was compared between groups. Drug surveillance was done to ensure patient compliance with absence of antihypertensive medication. The primary analysis was done in the intention-to-treat population. Safety events were assessed at 3 months. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02439749. Between June 25, 2015, and Jan 30, 2017, 353 patients were screened. 80 patients were randomly assigned to renal denervation (n=38) or sham control (n=42) and followed up for 3 months. Office and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure decreased significantly from baseline to 3 months in the renal denervation group: 24-h SBP -5·5 mm Hg (95% CI -9·1 to -2·0; p=0·0031), 24-h DBP -4·8 mm Hg (-7·0 to -2·6; prenal denervation for 3-month change in both office and 24-h blood pressure from baseline: 24-h SBP -5·0 mm Hg (95% CI -9·9 to -0·2; p=0·0414), 24-h DBP -4·4 mm Hg (-7·2 to -1·6; p=0·0024), office SBP -7·7 mm Hg (-14·0

Practical application of game theory based production flow planning method in virtual manufacturing networks

Science.gov (United States)

Olender, M.; Krenczyk, D.

2016-08-01

Modern enterprises have to react quickly to dynamic changes in the market, due to changing customer requirements and expectations. One of the key area of production management, that must continuously evolve by searching for new methods and tools for increasing the efficiency of manufacturing systems is the area of production flow planning and control. These aspects are closely connected with the ability to implement the concept of Virtual Enterprises (VE) and Virtual Manufacturing Network (VMN) in which integrated infrastructure of flexible resources are created. In the proposed approach, the players role perform the objects associated with the objective functions, allowing to solve the multiobjective production flow planning problems based on the game theory, which is based on the theory of the strategic situation. For defined production system and production order models ways of solving the problem of production route planning in VMN on computational examples for different variants of production flow is presented. Possible decision strategy to use together with an analysis of calculation results is shown.

Simulation of heat exchanger network (HEN) and planning the optimum cleaning schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanaye, Sepehr; Niroomand, Behzad

2007-01-01

Modeling and simulation of heat exchanger networks for estimating the amount of fouling, variations in overall heat transfer coefficient, and variations in outlet temperatures of hot and cold streams has a significant effect on production analysis. In this analysis, parameters such as the exchangers' types and arrangements, their heat transfer surface areas, mass flow rates of hot and cold streams, heat transfer coefficients and variations of fouling with time are required input data. The main goal is to find the variations of the outlet temperatures of the hot and cold streams with time to plan the optimum cleaning schedule of heat exchangers that provides the minimum operational cost or maximum amount of savings. In this paper, the simulation of heat exchanger networks is performed by choosing an asymptotic fouling function. Two main parameters in the asymptotic fouling formation model, i.e. the decay time of fouling formation (τ) and the asymptotic fouling resistance (R f ∼ ) were obtained from empirical data as input parameters to the simulation relations. These data were extracted from the technical history sheets of the Khorasan Petrochemical Plant to guaranty the consistency between our model outputs and the real operating conditions. The output results of the software program developed, including the variations with time of the outlet temperatures of the hot and cold streams, the heat transfer coefficient and the heat transfer rate in the exchangers, are presented for two case studies. Then, an objective function (operational cost) was defined, and the optimal cleaning schedule of the HEN (heat exchanger network) in the Urea and Ammonia units were found by minimizing the objective function using a numerical search method. Based on this minimization procedure, the decision was made whether a heat exchanger should be cleaned or continue to operate. The final result was the most cost effective plan for the HEN cleaning schedule. The corresponding savings by

Simulation of heat exchanger network (HEN) and planning the optimum cleaning schedule

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanaye, Sepehr [Energy Systems Improvement Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16488 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)]. E-mail: sepehr@iust.ac.ir; Niroomand, Behzad [Energy Systems Improvement Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16488 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2007-05-15

Modeling and simulation of heat exchanger networks for estimating the amount of fouling, variations in overall heat transfer coefficient, and variations in outlet temperatures of hot and cold streams has a significant effect on production analysis. In this analysis, parameters such as the exchangers' types and arrangements, their heat transfer surface areas, mass flow rates of hot and cold streams, heat transfer coefficients and variations of fouling with time are required input data. The main goal is to find the variations of the outlet temperatures of the hot and cold streams with time to plan the optimum cleaning schedule of heat exchangers that provides the minimum operational cost or maximum amount of savings. In this paper, the simulation of heat exchanger networks is performed by choosing an asymptotic fouling function. Two main parameters in the asymptotic fouling formation model, i.e. the decay time of fouling formation ({tau}) and the asymptotic fouling resistance (R{sub f}{sup {approx}}) were obtained from empirical data as input parameters to the simulation relations. These data were extracted from the technical history sheets of the Khorasan Petrochemical Plant to guaranty the consistency between our model outputs and the real operating conditions. The output results of the software program developed, including the variations with time of the outlet temperatures of the hot and cold streams, the heat transfer coefficient and the heat transfer rate in the exchangers, are presented for two case studies. Then, an objective function (operational cost) was defined, and the optimal cleaning schedule of the HEN (heat exchanger network) in the Urea and Ammonia units were found by minimizing the objective function using a numerical search method. Based on this minimization procedure, the decision was made whether a heat exchanger should be cleaned or continue to operate. The final result was the most cost effective plan for the HEN cleaning schedule. The

Narrow Networks on the Individual Marketplace in 2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Polski, Daniel; Weiner, Janet; Zhang, Yuehan

2017-09-01

This Issue Brief describes the breadth of physician networks on the ACA marketplaces in 2017. We find that the overall rate of narrow networks is 21%, which is a decline since 2014 (31%) and 2016 (25%). Narrow networks are concentrated in plans sold on state-based marketplaces, at 42%, compared to 10% of plans on federally-facilitated marketplaces. Issuers that have traditionally offered Medicaid coverage have the highest prevalence of narrow network plans at 36%, with regional/local plans and provider-based plans close behind at 27% and 30%. We also find large differences in narrow networks by state and by plan type.

Retrospective morphometric study of the suitability of renal arteries for renal denervation according to the Symplicity HTN2 trial criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Schönherr, Elisabeth; Rehwald, Rafael; Nasseri, Parinaz; Luger, Anna K; Grams, Astrid E; Kerschbaum, Julia; Rehder, Peter; Petersen, Johannes; Glodny, Bernhard

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to describe the renal arteries of humans in vivo, as precisely as possible, and to formulate an expected value for the exclusion of renal denervation due to the anatomical situation based on the criteria of the Symplicity HTN trials. Design and setting In a retrospective cohort study, the renal arteries of 126 patients (57 women, 69 men, mean age 60±17.2 years (CI 57.7 to 63.6)) were segmented semiautomatically from high-contrast CT angiographies. Results Among the 300 renal arteries, there were three arteries with fibromuscular dysplasia and one with ostial renal artery stenosis. The first left renal artery was shorter than the right (34±11.4 mm (CI 32 to 36) vs 45.9±15 mm (CI 43.2 to 48.6); p0.05). The first left renal arteries were 1.1±0.4 mm (CI 0.9 to 1.3), and the first right renal arteries were 0.3±0.6 mm (CI 0.1 to 0.5) thinner in women than in men (p4 mm. Some 46% of the patients, or 58.7% when variants and diseases were taken into consideration, were theoretically not suitable for denervation. Conclusions Based on these precise measurements, the anatomical situation as a reason for ruling out denervation appears to be significantly more common than previously suspected. Since this can be the cause of the failure of treatment in some cases, further development of catheters or direct percutaneous approaches may improve success rates. PMID:26729385

Planning protected areas network that are relevant today and under future climate change is possible: the case of Atlantic Forest endemic birds

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Mariana M. Vale

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background A key strategy in biodiversity conservation is the establishment of protected areas. In the future, however, the redistribution of species in response to ongoing climate change is likely to affect species’ representativeness in those areas. Here we quantify the effectiveness of planning protected areas network to represent 151 birds endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest hotspot, under current and future climate change conditions for 2050. Methods We combined environmental niche modeling and systematic conservation planning using both a county and a regional level planning strategy. We recognized the conflict between biodiversity conservation and economic development, including socio-economic targets (as opposed to biological only and using planning units that are meaningful for policy-makers. Results We estimated an average contraction of 29,500 km2 in environmentally suitable areas for birds, representing 52% of currently suitable areas. Still, the most cost-effective solution represented almost all target species, requiring only ca. 10% of the Atlantic Forest counties to achieve that representativeness, independent of strategy. More than 50% of these counties were selected both in the current and future planned networks, representing >83% of the species. Discussion Our results indicate that: (i planning protected areas network currently can be useful to represent species under climate change; (ii the overlapped planning units in the best solution for both current and future conditions can be considered as “no regret” areas; (iii priority counties are spread throughout the biome, providing specific guidance wherever the possibility of creating protected area arises; and (iv decisions can occur at different administrative spheres (Federal, State or County as we found quite similar numerical solutions using either county or regional level strategies.

Managing collaborative innovation networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stevens, Vidar; Agger, Annika

2017-01-01

Collaborative innovation networks are increasingly used as vehicles for fostering innovative policy solutions. However, scholars have noted that the extent to which collaborative networks can actually contribute to the development of innovative policy solutions depends on how they are managed...... a Flemish administrative network to develop a radical new Spatial Planning Policy Plan. This study shows that the best way to manage collaborative innovation networks is not to press directly for results, but take the time to invest in relationship-building and together agree on a planning and clear process...... steps. Such a management approach allows actors to get to know each other and from thereon expand, with more background and appreciation for the others’ goals, behaviors, and intentions, their group activities concerning the formulation of a radical and innovative policy plan....

Increase of Power System Survivability with the Decision Support Tool CRIPS Based on Network Planning and Simulation Program PSS®SINCAL

Science.gov (United States)

Schwaegerl, Christine; Seifert, Olaf; Buschmann, Robert; Dellwing, Hermann; Geretshuber, Stefan; Leick, Claus

The increased interconnection and automation of critical infrastructures enlarges the complexity of the dependency structures and - as consequence - the danger of cascading effects, e.g. causing area-wide blackouts in power supply networks that are currently after deregulation operated closer to their limits. New tools or an intelligent combination of existing approaches are required to increase the survivability of critical infrastructures. Within the IRRIIS project the expert system CRIPS was developed based on network simulations realised with PSS®SINCAL, an established tool to support the analysis and planning of electrical power, gas, water or heat networks. CRIPS assesses the current situation in power supply networks analysing the simulation results of the physical network behaviour and recommends corresponding decisions.

Optimized planning methodologies of ASON implementation

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Zhou, Michael M.; Tamil, Lakshman S.

2005-02-01

Advanced network planning concerns effective network-resource allocation for dynamic and open business environment. Planning methodologies of ASON implementation based on qualitative analysis and mathematical modeling are presented in this paper. The methodology includes method of rationalizing technology and architecture, building network and nodal models, and developing dynamic programming for multi-period deployment. The multi-layered nodal architecture proposed here can accommodate various nodal configurations for a multi-plane optical network and the network modeling presented here computes the required network elements for optimizing resource allocation.

Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness and Control Levels among Ghawarna: An African-Descendant Ethnic Minority in the Jordan Valley.

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Kheirallah, Khalid A; Liswi, Mohammed; Alazab, Rami; Bataineh, Zeyad; Alzyoud, Sukaina; Alsulaiman, Jomana; Jaddou, Hashem

2015-08-07

Treatment and control of hypertension (HTN) is a challenging issue as undiagnosed HTN prevalence seems to be high among certain ethnic groups, such as African-descendant populations. The current study attempted to measure HTN prevalence, awareness and control levels among Ghawarna, an African-descendant ethnic group living in the Jordan Valley (Al-Ghawr). A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community of Ghawarna between March and June 2013 in Ghawr Al-Mazraa Village in the southern part of the Jordan Valley. A total of 517 participants, aged >25 years, were randomly selected using cluster random sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administrated questionnaire and on-location measurement of blood pressure (BP), height, and weight. Prevalence rates were compared by sex and age groups using chi-square test while backward selection logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of HTN. We found 229 (44.3%) of the 517 participants had HTN. Of those 229 hypertensives, 146 (28.2%) participants were discovered to have HTN for the "first time." Only 23 of the 83 who were aware of their hypertension had their BP controlled. When we added the undiagnosed HTN (n=146) to the uncontrolled HTN (n=60), the prevalence of uncontrolled HTN became 90% (206/229). Older age, higher BMI, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were associated with having HTN. HTN prevalence, awareness and control levels are alarming among Ghawarna.

Controllability of Train Service Network

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Xuelei Meng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Train service network is a network form of train service plan. The controllability of the train service plan determines the recovery possibility of the train service plan in emergencies. We first build the small-world model for train service network and analyze the scale-free character of it. Then based on the linear network controllability theory, we discuss the LB model adaptability in train service network controllability analysis. The LB model is improved and we construct the train service network and define the connotation of the driver nodes based on the immune propagation and cascading failure in the train service network. An algorithm to search for the driver nodes, turning the train service network into a bipartite graph, is proposed and applied in the train service network. We analyze the controllability of the train service network of China with the method and the results of the computing case prove the feasibility of it.

American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and hypertension.

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Pescatello, Linda S; Franklin, Barry A; Fagard, Robert; Farquhar, William B; Kelley, George A; Ray, Chester A

2004-03-01

Hypertension (HTN), one of the most common medical disorders, is associated with an increased incidence of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Lifestyle modifications are advocated for the prevention, treatment, and control of HTN, with exercise being an integral component. Exercise programs that primarily involve endurance activities prevent the development of HTN and lower blood pressure (BP) in adults with normal BP and those with HTN. The BP lowering effects of exercise are most pronounced in people with HTN who engage in endurance exercise with BP decreasing approximately 5-7 mm HG after an isolated exercise session (acute) or following exercise training (chronic). Moreover, BP is reduced for up to 22 h after an endurance exercise bout (e.g.postexercise hypotension), with greatest decreases among those with highest baseline BP. The proposed mechanisms for the BP lowering effects of exercise include neurohumoral, vascular, and structural adaptations. Decreases in catecholamines and total peripheral resistance, improved insulin sensitivity, and alterations in vasodilators and vasoconstrictors are some of the postulated explanations for the antihypertensive effects of exercise. Emerging data suggest genetic links to the BP reductions associated with acute and chronic exercise. Nonetheless, definitive conclusions regarding the mechanisms for the BP reductions following endurance exercise cannot be made at this time. Individuals with controlled HTN and no CVD or renal complications may participated in an exercise program or competitive athletics, but should be evaluated, treated and monitored closely. Preliminary peak or symptom-limited exercise testing may be warranted, especially for men over 45 and women over 55 yr planning a vigorous exercise program (i.e. > or = 60% VO2R, oxygen uptake reserve). In the interim, while formal evaluation and management are taking place, it is reasonable for the majority of patients to begin moderate intensity

Case studies: Application of SEA in provincial level expressway infrastructure network planning in China - Current existing problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Kaiyi; Sheate, William R.

2011-01-01

Since the Law of the People's Republic of China on Environmental Impact Assessment was enacted in 2003 and Huanfa 2004 No. 98 was released in 2004, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been officially being implemented in the expressway infrastructure planning field in China. Through scrutinizing two SEA application cases of China's provincial level expressway infrastructure (PLEI) network plans, it is found that current SEA practice in expressway infrastructure planning field has a number of problems including: SEA practitioners do not fully understand the objective of SEA; its potential contributions to strategic planning and decision-making is extremely limited; the employed application procedure and prediction and assessment techniques are too simple to bring objective, unbiased and scientific results; and no alternative options are considered. All these problems directly lead to poor quality SEA and consequently weaken SEA's effectiveness.

Pvevalence of hypertension in people living in coastal areas of Bangladesh

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M. Abu Sayeed

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The prevalence of hypertension was reported higher in the coastal areas in different populations of the world. There was no study on the prevalence of hypertension among the coastal people in Bangladesh. This study addressed the prevalence and risk of hypertension among people living in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Total 32 different coastal communities were selected purposively in the six coastal districts (Barisal, Borguna, Vola, Pirojpur, Potuakhali and Jhalukathi of Bangladesh. All people over 18 years were considered eligible. Social, clinical and family histories were taken. Height, weight, waist- and hip-girths were measured including systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP. Fasting blood glucose and lipids were also estimated. The accepted cut offs for systolic hypertension (sHTN was ³135mmHg and diastolic hypertension (dHTN was ³85 mmHg. Overall, 7058 (m / f = 2631 / 4427 people volunteered to participate in the study. The crude prevalence of sHTN was 17.8% [95% CI, 17.39 – 18.21] and dHTN was 19.0% [95% CI 18.08 – 19.92]. Compared to female, the male participants had higher prevalence of both sHTN (16.4 v. 20.2 %, p<0.001 and dHTN (17.4 v. 21.5%, p<0.001. The prevalence rates of sHTN were 14.6, 18.5 and 24.6% in the poor, the middle and in the rich class, respectively (p<0.001. Similar trend was observed with dHTN. Both types of HTN increased with increasing age (p<0.001, BMI (p<0.001, WHR (p<0.001 and WHtR (p<0.001. Logistic regression analyses proved that the participants of higher social class, of advancing age and with higher obesity had excess risk of hypertension. Positive family history of HTN, DM and stroke had also increased risk for HTN. We found higher prevalence of HTN in Bangladeshi coastal population compared to people living in other areas of Bangladesh. Family history of DM, HTN and stroke were significantly related to sHTN and dHTN. Increasing age, higher obesity and higher social class had excess

Optimizing Transmission Network Expansion Planning With The Mean Of Chaotic Differential Evolution Algorithm

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Ahmed R. Abdelaziz

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an application of Chaotic differential evolution optimization approach meta-heuristics in solving transmission network expansion planning TNEP using an AC model associated with reactive power planning RPP. The reliabilityredundancy of network analysis optimization problems implicate selection of components with multiple choices and redundancy levels that produce maximum benefits can be subject to the cost weight and volume constraints is presented in this paper. Classical mathematical methods have failed in handling non-convexities and non-smoothness in optimization problems. As an alternative to the classical optimization approaches the meta-heuristics have attracted lot of attention due to their ability to find an almost global optimal solution in reliabilityredundancy optimization problems. Evolutionary algorithms EAs paradigms of evolutionary computation field are stochastic and robust meta-heuristics useful to solve reliabilityredundancy optimization problems. EAs such as genetic algorithm evolutionary programming evolution strategies and differential evolution are being used to find global or near global optimal solution. The Differential Evolution Algorithm DEA population-based algorithm is an optimal algorithm with powerful global searching capability but it is usually in low convergence speed and presents bad searching capability in the later evolution stage. A new Chaotic Differential Evolution algorithm CDE based on the cat map is recommended which combines DE and chaotic searching algorithm. Simulation results and comparisons show that the chaotic differential evolution algorithm using Cat map is competitive and stable in performance with other optimization approaches and other maps.

Should mean arterial pressure be included in the definition of ambulatory hypertension in children?

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Suláková, Terezie; Feber, Janusz

2013-07-01

The diagnosis of hypertension (HTN)/normotension (NT) on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is usually based on systolic (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The goal of this study was to analyze whether inclusion of mean arterial pressure (MAP) improves the detection of HTN on ABPM. We retrospectively studied ABPM records in 229 children (116 boys, median age = 15.3 years) who were referred for evaluation of HTN. A diagnosis of HTN was made if: (A) MAP or SBP or DBP was ≥ 1.65 SDS (95th percentile); (B) SBP or DBP was ≥ 1.65 SDS (95th percentile), during 24-h or daytime or night-time in both definitions. Using definition A, 46/229 patients had HTN compared to definition B by which only 37/229 patients had HTN (p = 0.001). The level of agreement between the two definitions was very good (kappa = 0.86 ± 0.04), however nine patients (19.5 %) were missed by not using MAP in the definition of HTN. These nine patients had only mild HTN with a median Z score of 1.69. The inclusion of MAP in the definition of ambulatory HTN significantly increased the number of hypertensive patients. MAP may be very helpful in detecting mild HTN in patients with normal/borderline SBP and DBP.

Hypertension risk and clinical care in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayerbe, Luis; Forgnone, Ivo; Addo, Juliet; Siguero, Ana; Gelati, Stefano; Ayis, Salma

2018-01-01

A higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been observed in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) or schizophrenia, partly due to an increased risk of hypertension (HTN), or a less effective care of it. This systematic review and meta-analysis, presents a critical appraisal and summary of the studies addressing the risk of HTN, or the differences in its care, for those with schizophrenia or BPD. Prospective studies were searched in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and the Web of Science, from database inception to June 2017. A meta-analysis was undertaken to obtain pooled estimates of the risk of HTN. Five studies reporting the risk of HTN, and five studies presenting differences in its clinical care, were identified. An increased risk of HTN was observed for BPD patients, with an overall Incidence Rate Ratio 1.27(1.15-1.40). The pooled Incidence Rate Ratio of HTN for those with schizophrenia was 0.94 (0.75 - 1.14). A poorer care of HTN (lower rates of screening, prescription, and adherence) was reported in four studies of schizophrenia, and two of BPD patients, compared to people without these conditions. reduced number of studies on risk and care of HTN on patients with BPD or schizophrenia. Limited evidence suggests that patients with BPD have a higher risk of HTN. Patients with schizophrenia and BPD receive poor care of HTN. Understanding the risk of HTN, and the differences in its care, is essential for clinicians to reduce the cardiovascular morbidity and overall mortality of these patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter-Organisational Systems, Strategy and Structure: the case for planning environments

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Pat Finnegan

1998-11-01

Full Text Available Electronic trade and commerce have brought inter organisational co-operation to the forefront of organisational strategies. However, inter-organisational systems (IOS planning lacks appropriate methodological guidelines, and tends to be practised in an insular manner. This paper examines the development of systems in three interorganisational networks in Ireland in order to ascertain the planning that went into them. The networks studied are representative of three types of structural interdependencies - pooled, reciprocal and sequential. Although it is difficult to identify an activity that can be clearly labelled IOS planning, planning is integral to the development of all networks. The interdependencies influence planning processes and outcomes. For the pooled and reciprocal networks, the planning process gives a focus. For the sequential network, the main planning is done by the hub organisation, and extended to the spokes. Planning interactions across all networks illustrate similarities that reveal that existence of planning environments within which IOS planning takes place. These planning environments are proposed as being an appropriate basis for the development of IOS planning guidelines.

Networking: a study in planning and developing cross-cultural collaboration

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Sanjeev Singh

2002-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on a collaboration between the authors at the University of Brighton (UK and the University of Delhi, South Campus. The collaboration came about as a result of the EU-India Cross-Cultural Innovation Network collaboration programme, a project involving several universities and organizations across Europe and India. The authors of this paper both lecture in the area of computer networking. Following meetings in Delhi, they agreed to work together to produce a Web-based networking resource to be generated by the students of both institutions. The first phase of development involved the mounting of Web-based tutorials and documents produced by the students. The second phase will centre on the development of a knowledge base generated by the interaction of the students within an asynchronous forum. Running alongside these phases will be a collaborative bookmarking system, a database in which the students will post URLs of Web-based resources that they find useful in their studies. This system incorporates a form of collaborative filtering, an evolutionary mechanism which seeks to embody the qualities that students value in resources to provide a dynamic set of ratings to assist in the selection of those of most use. The planning of such a system raises some unusual issues, not least in the process of collaboration itself, with concerns as diverse as technical compatibility, institutional and cultural differences, timezones and the reliability of email. Limited bandwidth between our institutions causes special problems with the interactive elements of the resource. We present the methods we are investigating to reduce the impact of this. The fact that the students share an intellectual discipline but are otherwise separated by a cultural and geographical divide is expected to lead to fruitful diversity in thinking and approaches to problem-solving.

Adiponectin gene polymorphism is selectively associated with the concomitant presence of metabolic syndrome and essential hypertension.

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Hsin-Bang Leu

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular risk increases with the presence of both metabolic syndrome (MetS and hypertension (HTN. Although the adiponectin (ADIPOQ gene has been reported to be involved in MetS, its association with HTN remained undetermined. This study aimed to investigate the association of ADIPOQ gene with the phenotypes of HTN and MetS. METHODS: A total of 962 participants from 302 families from the Taiwan young-onset hypertension genetic study were enrolled. Plasma adiponectin were measured, and association analysis was conducted by using GEE regression-based method. Another study, of 1448 unrelated participants, was conducted to replicate the association between ADIPOQ gene and variable phenotypes of MetS with or without HTN. RESULTS: Among 962 subjects from family samples, the lowest plasma adiponectin value was observed in MetS with HTN component (9.3±0.47 µg/ml compared with hypertensives (13.4±0.74 µg /ml or MetS without HTN (11.9±0.60 µg/ml, P<0.05. The SNP rs1501299 (G276T in ADIPOQ gene was found associated with the presence of HTN in MetS (odds ratio for GG+GT vs. TT = 2.46; 95% CI: 1.14-5.3, p = 0.02, but not rs2241766 (T45G. No association of ADIPOQ gene with HTN alone or MetS without HTN was observed. The significant association of the SNP rs1501299 (G276T with the phenotype of presence of HTN in MetS was confirmed (odds ratio for GG+GT vs. TT = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.1-4.3 in the replication study. CONCLUSIONS: ADIPOQ genetic variants were selectively and specifically associated with the concomitant presence of MetS and HTN, suggesting potential genetic linkage between MetS and HTN.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents with type-1 diabetes mellitus and its relation to diabetic control and microalbuminuria

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Mitra Basiratnia

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Diabetes mellitus (DM is now considered as the major cause of end-stage kidney failure, and hypertension (HTN is one of the main determinants of progression of renal disease. The aim of this study was to assess the role of blood pressure (BP by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM in children and adolescents with type-1 DM and its correlation with micro-albuminuria (MA and diabetic control. Eighty-one patients with type-1 DM (mean age 13 ± 4 years, whose duration of DM was at least two years, were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of HTN based on ABPM was 28.4%, while by casual method it was 32.1%. The pattern of HTN was as follows: mean systolic HTN 27.2%, mean diastolic HTN 11.2%, daytime systolic HTN 17.3%, daytime diastolic HTN 6.2%, night systolic HTN 30.9%, and night diastolic HTN 29.7%. The systolic and diastolic BP loads were 33.4 and 27.2%, respectively. About 70.4% of the patients were non-dippers, 12.4% had masked HTN, and 3.7% had white coat HTN. The pre-valence of MA was 34.6% and that of abnormal HbA 1 c was 82.7%. There was no correlation bet-ween HTN and both MA and HbA 1 c; also, no correlation was found between the duration of dia-betes and HbA 1 c. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the duration of diabetes and MA (P = 0.080. Despite the high prevalence of abnormal BP profile among diabetic children, prospective longitudinal studies considering the other major risk factors, particularly genetic factors, which have an impact on the progression to diabetic nephropathy, are recommended.

Supply chain planning classification

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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.

Integrating market share models with network optimizing models for strategic planning in an oil pipeline company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, L.D.; Moses, S.W.

1991-01-01

Mathematical models of market share are constructed to describe the distribution of petroleum products from pipeline terminals, water terminals and refineries in the midcontinental United States. Network distribution models are developed to analyse the constraints and economics of alternative distribution systems. This paper describes how the two types of models were integrated for strategic planning in an oil pipeline company

Is the failure of SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial to meet its efficacy endpoint the "end of the road" for renal denervation?

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Epstein, Murray; de Marchena, Eduardo

2015-02-01

Resistant hypertension is a common medical problem that is increasing with the advent of an increasingly older and heavier population. The etiology of resistant hypertension is almost always multifactorial, but the results of numerous studies indicate that renal sympathetic activation is a particularly common cause of resistance to antihypertensive treatment. Consistent with the belief in a pivotal role of renal sympathetic stimulation, there has been a growing interest in renal denervation (RDN) treatment strategies. The long-awaited results of SYMPLICITY HTN-3 study disclosed that the reduction in blood pressure by the SYMPLICITY device did not differ from that in the sham-procedure arm of the study. In the present article, we identify several factors that explain why the study failed to demonstrate any benefit from the intervention. The reasons are multifactorial and include inadequate screening at entry and frequent medication changes during the study. Additional problems include the lack of experience of many operators with the SYMPLICITY device and procedure variability, as attested to by a diminished number of ablation "quadrants." Also a factor was the inability of the first generation Medtronic device to allow four ablations to be performed simultaneously. We recommend that future RDN studies adhere to more rigorous screening procedures, and utilize newer multi-site denervation systems that facilitate four ablations simultaneously. Drug optimization should be achieved by monitoring adherence throughout the study. Nevertheless, we are optimistic about a future role of RDN. To optimize chances of success, increased efforts are necessary to identify the appropriate patients for RDN and investigators must use second and third generation denervation devices and techniques. Copyright © 2015 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Task shifting in the management of hypertension in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a cross-sectional study.

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Lulebo, Aimée M; Kaba, Didine K; Atake, Silvestre E-H; Mapatano, Mala A; Mafuta, Eric M; Mampunza, Julien M; Coppieters, Yves

2017-12-04

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is characterized by a high prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and a high proportion of uncontrolled HTN, which is indicative of poor HTN management. Effective management of HTN in the African region is challenging due to limited resources, particularly human resources for health. To address the shortage of health workers, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends task shifting for better disease management and treatment. Although task shifting from doctors to nurses is being implemented in the DRC, there are no studies, to the best of our knowledge, that document the association between task shifting and HTN control. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between task shifting and HTN control in Kinshasa, DRC. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Kinshasa from December 2015 to January 2016 in five general referral hospitals (GRHs) and nine health centers (HCs). A total of 260 hypertensive patients participated in the study. Sociodemographic, clinical, health care costs and perceived health care quality assessment data were collected using a structured questionnaire. To examine the association between task shifting and HTN control, we assessed differences between GRH and HC patients using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Almost half the patients were female (53.1%), patients' mean age was 59.5 ± 11.4 years. Over three-fourths of patients had uncontrolled HTN. There was no significant difference in the proportion of GRH and HC patients with uncontrolled HTN (76.2% vs 77.7%, p = 0.771). Uncontrolled HTN was associated with co-morbidity (OR = 10.3; 95% CI: 3.8-28.3) and the type of antihypertensive drug used (OR = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.3-16.1). The mean healthcare costs in the GRHs were significantly higher than costs in the HCs (US$ 34.2 ± US$3.34 versus US$ 7.7 ± US$ 0.6, respectively). Uncontrolled HTN was not associated with the type of health facility. This finding suggests that the

Increased extracellular volume and altered mechanics are associated with LVH in hypertensive heart disease, not hypertension alone.

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Kuruvilla, Sujith; Janardhanan, Rajesh; Antkowiak, Patrick; Keeley, Ellen C; Adenaw, Nebiyu; Brooks, Jeremy; Epstein, Frederick H; Kramer, Christopher M; Salerno, Michael

2015-02-01

The goal of this study was to assess the relationship among extracellular volume (ECV), native T1, and systolic strain in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (HTN LVH), hypertensive patients without LVH (HTN non-LVH), and normotensive controls. Diffuse myocardial fibrosis in HTN LVH patients, as reflected by increased ECV and native T1, may be an underlying mechanism contributing to increased cardiovascular risk compared with HTN non-LVH subjects and controls. Furthermore, increased diffuse fibrosis in HTN LVH subjects may be associated with reduced peak systolic and early diastolic strain rate compared with the other 2 groups. T1 mapping was performed in 20 HTN LVH (mean age, 55 ± 11 years), 23 HTN non-LVH (mean age, 61 ± 12 years), and 22 control subjects (mean age, 54 ± 7 years) on a Siemens 1.5-T Avanto (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) using a previously validated modified look-locker inversion-recovery pulse sequence. T1 was measured pre-contrast and 10, 15, and 20 min after injection of 0.15 mmol/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine, and the mean ECV and native T1 were determined for each subject. Measurement of circumferential strain parameters were performed using cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes. HTN LVH subjects had higher native T1 compared with controls (p < 0.05). HTN LVH subjects had higher ECV compared with HTN non-LVH subjects and controls (p < 0.05). Peak systolic circumferential strain and early diastolic strain rates were reduced in HTN LVH subjects compared with HTN non-LVH subjects and controls (p < 0.05). Increased levels of ECV and native T1 were associated with reduced peak systolic and early diastolic circumferential strain rate across all subjects. HTN LVH patients had higher ECV, longer native T1 and associated reduction in peak systolic circumferential strain, and early diastolic strain rate compared with HTN non-LVH and control subjects. Measurement of ECV and native T1 provide a noninvasive

The US Fire Learning Network: Springing a Rigidity Trap through Multiscalar Collaborative Networks

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William Hale. Butler

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Wildland fire management in the United States is caught in a rigidity trap, an inability to apply novelty and innovation in the midst of crisis. Despite wide recognition that public agencies should engage in ecological fire restoration, fire suppression still dominates planning and management, and restoration has failed to gain traction. The U.S. Fire Learning Network (FLN, a multiscalar collaborative endeavor established in 2002 by federal land management agencies and The Nature Conservancy, offers the potential to overcome barriers that inhibit restoration planning and management. By circulating people, planning products, and information among landscape- and regional-scale collaboratives, this network has facilitated the development and dissemination of innovative approaches to ecological fire restoration. Through experimentation and innovation generated in the network, the FLN has fostered change by influencing fire and land management plans as well as federal policy. We suggest that multiscalar collaborative planning networks such as the FLN can facilitate overcoming the rigidity traps that prevent resource management agencies from responding to complex cross-scalar problems.

How to evaluate network initiatives in urban planning - studying area based initiatives (Kvarterløft) in Denmark"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agger, Annika

This article presents a theoretical and empirical contribution to the discussions of more inclusive and participatory modes of governing that are taking place in many western countries. It develops a critical evaluation framework for assessing the qualities and outcomes of citizens participating ...... planning process in a urban environment in Denmark that focus on improving deprived urban neighbourhoods by mobilising networks....... in collaborative planning processes. This is done by introducing the concepts of institutional capacity and empowerment that derives from different fields of literature, but that covers different perspectives when assessing citizen participation. Some of the central questions raised in the article are: What...

SELF: expert system for supporting verification of network operating constraints in power transmission planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cicoria, R; Migliardi, P [Ente Nazionale per l` Energia Elettrica, Milan (Italy); Pogliano, P [Centro Informazioni Studi Esperienze (CISE), Milan (Italy)

1995-06-01

Performing planned studies into very large HV transmission systems is a very complex task which requires the use of simulation models and the application of the heuristic acquired by expert palnners during previous studies. The ENEL Electric Research Center and the CISE Artificial Intelligence Section have developed a knowledge-based system, named SELF, which is aimed at supporting the transmission system palnner. SELF is capable of assisting the engineer both in finding the convergence of the load flow calculation and determining solutions that respect active power, voltage and VAR operating constraints. This paper describes the overall architecture of the system and shows its integration in a larger planning environment called SPIRA, currently utilized at ENEL. More details are given on the least completed modules, the redispatching and network reinforcement subsystems which deal with active power constraint verification.

Global Optimization for Transport Network Expansion and Signal Setting

OpenAIRE

Liu, Haoxiang; Wang, David Z. W.; Yue, Hao

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a model to address an urban transport planning problem involving combined network design and signal setting in a saturated network. Conventional transport planning models usually deal with the network design problem and signal setting problem separately. However, the fact that network capacity design and capacity allocation determined by network signal setting combine to govern the transport network performance requires the optimal transport planning to consider the two pr...

A reliability-based approach of fastest routes planning in dynamic traffic network under emergency management situation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye Sun

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In order to establish an available emergency management system, it is important to conduct effective evacuation with reliable and real time optimal route plans. This paper aims at creating a route finding strategy by considering the time dependent factors as well as uncertainties that may be encountered during the emergency management system. To combine dynamic features with the level of reliability in the process of fastest route planning, the speed distribution of typical intercity roads is studied in depth, and the strategy of modifying real time speed to a more reliable value based on speed distribution is proposed. Two algorithms of route planning have been developed to find three optimal routes with the shortest travel time and the reliability of 0.9. In order to validate the new strategy, experimental implementation of the route planning method is conducted based on road speed information acquired by field study. The results show that the proposed strategy might provide more reliable routes in dynamic traffic networks by conservatively treating roads with large speed discretion or with relative extreme real speed value.

Enhancing Use of Learning Sciences Research in Planning for and Supporting Educational Change: Leveraging and Building Social Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Penuel, William R.; Bell, Philip; Bevan, Bronwyn; Buffington, Pam; Falk, Joni

2016-01-01

This paper explores practical ways to engage two areas of educational scholarship--research on science learning and research on social networks--to inform efforts to plan and support implementation of new standards. The standards, the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS; NGSS Lead States in Next generation science standards: For…

Optimizing decentralized production-distribution planning problem in a multi-period supply chain network under uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Nourifar, Raheleh; Mahdavi, Iraj; Mahdavi-Amiri, Nezam; Paydar, Mohammad Mahdi

2017-09-01

Decentralized supply chain management is found to be significantly relevant in today's competitive markets. Production and distribution planning is posed as an important optimization problem in supply chain networks. Here, we propose a multi-period decentralized supply chain network model with uncertainty. The imprecision related to uncertain parameters like demand and price of the final product is appropriated with stochastic and fuzzy numbers. We provide mathematical formulation of the problem as a bi-level mixed integer linear programming model. Due to problem's convolution, a structure to solve is developed that incorporates a novel heuristic algorithm based on Kth-best algorithm, fuzzy approach and chance constraint approach. Ultimately, a numerical example is constructed and worked through to demonstrate applicability of the optimization model. A sensitivity analysis is also made.

ESnet Program Plan 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merola, S.

1994-11-01

This Program Plan characterizes ESnet with respect to the current and future needs of Energy Research programs for network infrastructure, services, and development. In doing so, this document articulates the vision and recommendations of the ESnet Steering Committee regarding ESnet`s development and its support of computer networking facilities and associated user services. To afford the reader a perspective from which to evaluate the ever-increasing utility of networking to the Energy Research community, we have also provided a historical overview of Energy Research networking. Networking has become an integral part of the work of DOE principal investigators, and this document is intended to assist the Office of Scientific Computing in ESnet program planning and management, including prioritization and funding. In particular, we identify the new directions that ESnet`s development and implementation will take over the course of the next several years. Our basic goal is to ensure that the networking requirements of the respective scientific programs within Energy Research are addressed fairly. The proliferation of regional networks and additional network-related initiatives by other Federal agencies is changing the process by which we plan our own efforts to serve the DOE community. ESnet provides the Energy Research community with access to many other peer-level networks and to a multitude of other interconnected network facilities. ESnet`s connectivity and relationship to these other networks and facilities are also described in this document. Major Office of Energy Research programs are managed and coordinated by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, the Office of Magnetic Fusion Energy, the Office of Scientific Computing, and the Office of Health and Environmental Research. Summaries of these programs are presented, along with their functional and technical requirements for wide-area networking.

ESnet Program Plan 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merola, S.

1994-01-01

This Program Plan characterizes ESnet with respect to the current and future needs of Energy Research programs for network infrastructure, services, and development. In doing so, this document articulates the vision and recommendations of the ESnet Steering Committee regarding ESnet's development and its support of computer networking facilities and associated user services. To afford the reader a perspective from which to evaluate the ever-increasing utility of networking to the Energy Research community, we have also provided a historical overview of Energy Research networking. Networking has become an integral part of the work of DOE principal investigators, and this document is intended to assist the Office of Scientific Computing in ESnet program planning and management, including prioritization and funding. In particular, we identify the new directions that ESnet's development and implementation will take over the course of the next several years. Our basic goal is to ensure that the networking requirements of the respective scientific programs within Energy Research are addressed fairly. The proliferation of regional networks and additional network-related initiatives by other Federal agencies is changing the process by which we plan our own efforts to serve the DOE community. ESnet provides the Energy Research community with access to many other peer-level networks and to a multitude of other interconnected network facilities. ESnet's connectivity and relationship to these other networks and facilities are also described in this document. Major Office of Energy Research programs are managed and coordinated by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, the Office of Magnetic Fusion Energy, the Office of Scientific Computing, and the Office of Health and Environmental Research. Summaries of these programs are presented, along with their functional and technical requirements for wide-area networking

Integrated Optimization of Service-Oriented Train Plan and Schedule on Intercity Rail Network with Varying Demand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenliang Zhou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For a better service level of a train operating plan, we propose an integrated optimization method of train planning and train scheduling, which generally are optimized, respectively. Based on the cost analysis of both passengers travelling and enterprises operation, and the constraint analysis of trains operation, we construct a multiobjective function and build an integrated optimization model with the aim of reducing both passenger travel costs and enterprise operating costs. Then, a solving algorithm is established based on the simulated annealing algorithm. Finally, using as an example the Changzhutan intercity rail network, as an example we analyze the optimized results and the influence of the model parameters on the results.

LOAD FORECASTING FOR POWER SYSTEM PLANNING AND OPERATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK AT AL BATINAH REGION OMAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HUSSEIN A. ABDULQADER

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Load forecasting is essential part for the power system planning and operation. In this paper the modeling and design of artificial neural network for load forecasting is carried out in a particular region of Oman. Neural network approach helps to reduce the problem associated with conventional method and has the advantage of learning directly from the historical data. The neural network here uses data such as past load; weather information like humidity and temperatures. Once the neural network is trained for the past set of data it can give a prediction of future load. This reduces the capital investment reducing the equipments to be installed. The actual data are taken from the Mazoon Electrical Company, Oman. The data of load for the year 2007, 2008 and 2009 are collected for a particular region called Al Batinah in Oman and trained using neural networks to forecast the future. The main objective is to forecast the amount of electricity needed for better load distribution in the areas of this region in Oman. The load forecasting is done for the year 2010 and is validated for the accuracy.

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension and albuminuria in rural Zambia: a hospital-based survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Jon B; Thomsen, Jakúp A; Rossing, Peter; Parkinson, Shelagh; Christensen, Dirk L; Bygbjerg, Ib C

2013-09-01

To assess albuminuria in rural Zambia among patients with diabetes mellitus only (DM group), hypertension only (HTN group) and patients with combined DM and HTN (DM/HTN group). A cross-sectional survey was conducted at St. Francis Hospital in the Eastern province of Zambia. Albumin-creatinine ratio in one urine sample was used to assess albuminuria. Other information obtained included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c ), random capillary glucose, time since diagnosis, medication and family history of DM or HTN. A total of 193 participants were included (DM group: n = 33; HTN group: n = 92; DM/HTN group: n = 68). The participants in the DM group used insulin more frequently as diabetes medication than the DM/HTN group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the DM group was younger and had lower BMI, WC and BP than the two other groups. In the DM group, HTN group and DM/HTN group, microalbuminuria was found in 12.1%, 19.6% and 29.4% (P = 0.11), and macroalbuminuria was found in 0.0%, 3.3% and 13.2% (P = 0.014), respectively. The urine albumin (P = 0.014) and albumin-creatinine ratio (P = 0.0006) differed between the three groups. This hospital-based survey in rural Zambia found a lower frequency of albuminuria among the participants than in previous studies of patients with DM or HTN in urban sub-Saharan Africa. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genes and genetic variations involved in the development of hypertension: focusing on a Greek patient cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouremenos, Nikolaos; Zacharopoulou, Ioanna V; Triantafyllidi, Helen; Zacharopoulos, Georgios V; Mornos, Cristian; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Lekakis, John; Kremastinos, Dimitrios; Manolis, Athanasios I; Gavras, Haralambos

2014-01-01

Essential hypertension (HTN) is a multifactorial disease involving environmental, genetic and other factors. Over the past years, genetic studies of essential HTN have increased dramatically but the molecular mechanisms involved are still unknown. As part of a research program coordinated by Boston university (USA), we studied the role of various genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the inheritance or the onset of HTN in African-American, Caucasian-American and Greek families. Among 128 Greek families with a history of HTN, we studied 1474 people. Of the total examined, 273 men and 286 women were hypertensive. Based on 410 DNA samples from the hypertensive subjects, different SNPs were examined. An overall meta-analysis of the results from the Greek families, as well as a comparison with the 2 other groups (African-Americans and Caucasian-Americans), was performed. We report SNPs that are associated with the inheritance of HTN and are located either at the promoters of N-methyltransferase and catalase genes, or within the coding region of NEDD4L ubiquitin ligase gene, or SNPs in mitochondrial DNA of hypertensive probands. Furthermore, we clarified the role of hereditary predisposition in the development of HTN, showing that the presence of maternal HTN was significantly higher in African-Americans and Greeks compared to Caucasian-Americans (81.7%, 84.8%, and 65%), while the paternal HTN showed no such difference (50%, 48.3% and 44.9%), respectively. Although genetic factors that were correlated with HTN were identified, it was not possible to identify a single gene that should be targeted for the treatment of HTN. Nevertheless, the important role of the maternal hereditary predisposition to HTN in the Greek patients and the responsible genetic factors involved should be further examined.

Strategic rehabilitation planning of piped water networks using multi-criteria decision analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholten, Lisa; Scheidegger, Andreas; Reichert, Peter; Maurer, Max; Mauer, Max; Lienert, Judit

2014-02-01

To overcome the difficulties of strategic asset management of water distribution networks, a pipe failure and a rehabilitation model are combined to predict the long-term performance of rehabilitation strategies. Bayesian parameter estimation is performed to calibrate the failure and replacement model based on a prior distribution inferred from three large water utilities in Switzerland. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and scenario planning build the framework for evaluating 18 strategic rehabilitation alternatives under future uncertainty. Outcomes for three fundamental objectives (low costs, high reliability, and high intergenerational equity) are assessed. Exploitation of stochastic dominance concepts helps to identify twelve non-dominated alternatives and local sensitivity analysis of stakeholder preferences is used to rank them under four scenarios. Strategies with annual replacement of 1.5-2% of the network perform reasonably well under all scenarios. In contrast, the commonly used reactive replacement is not recommendable unless cost is the only relevant objective. Exemplified for a small Swiss water utility, this approach can readily be adapted to support strategic asset management for any utility size and based on objectives and preferences that matter to the respective decision makers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Urban Green Network Design: Defining green network from an urban planning perspective

OpenAIRE

Andrea Tulisi

2017-01-01

From the theoretical context of Smart City various studies have emerged that adopt an analytical approach and description of urban phenomena based on the principles of “network design”; this line of research uses the network systems theory to define the principles that regulate the relationships among the various elements of urban sub-systems in order to optimize their functionality. From the same theoretical basis, urban greenspaces have also been studied as networks, by means of the creatio...

A conservation planning approach to mitigate the impacts of leakage from protected area networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Bode, Michael; Tulloch, Ayesha I T; Mills, Morena; Venter, Oscar; Ando, Amy W

2015-06-01

Protected area networks are designed to restrict anthropogenic pressures in areas of high biodiversity. Resource users respond by seeking to replace some or all of the lost resources from locations elsewhere in the landscape. Protected area networks thereby perturb the pattern of human pressures by displacing extractive effort from within protected areas into the broader landscape, a process known as leakage. The negative effects of leakage on conservation outcomes have been empirically documented and modeled using homogeneous descriptions of conservation landscapes. Human resource use and biodiversity vary greatly in space, however, and a theory of leakage must describe how this heterogeneity affects the magnitude, pattern, and biodiversity impacts of leakage. We combined models of household utility, adaptive human foraging, and biodiversity conservation to provide a bioeconomic model of leakage that accounts for spatial heterogeneity. Leakage had strong and divergent impacts on the performance of protected area networks, undermining biodiversity benefits but mitigating the negative impacts on local resource users. When leakage was present, our model showed that poorly designed protected area networks resulted in a substantial net loss of biodiversity. However, the effects of leakage can be mitigated if they are incorporated ex-ante into the conservation planning process. If protected areas are coupled with nonreserve policy instruments such as market subsidies, our model shows that the trade-offs between biodiversity and human well-being can be further and more directly reduced. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Integrated Strategic Planning of Global Production Networks and Financial Hedging under Uncertain Demands and Exchange Rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achim Koberstein

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a multi-stage stochastic programming model that integrates financial hedging decisions into the planning of strategic production networks under uncertain exchange rates and product demands. This model considers the expenses of production plants and the revenues of markets in different currency areas. Financial portfolio planning decisions for two types of financial instruments, forward contracts and options, are represented explicitly by multi-period decision variables and a multi-stage scenario tree. Using an illustrative example, we analyze the impact of exchange-rate and demand volatility, the level of investment expenses and interest rate spreads on capacity location and dimensioning decisions. In particular, we show that, in the illustrative example, the exchange-rate uncertainty cannot be completely eliminated by financial hedging in the presence of demand uncertainty. In this situation, we find that the integrated model can result in better strategic planning decisions for a risk-averse decision maker compared to traditional modeling approaches.

[Dynamics of interdisciplinary around a health care network: simultaneous programme design and evaluation planning].

Science.gov (United States)

Bocquet, H; Mantovani, J; Raffy, C; Cayla, F; Clément, S

2005-12-01

This article reports on the evaluation experience of a multiple sclerosis care network in the Midi-Pyrénées region (MIPSEP). It shows how an evaluation team composed of public health doctors and sociologists progressively and naturally evolved from having a purely external observation role towards having a collaborative role actively working with the network's members and partners. A qualitative method was chosen for the data collection through interviews with the network's actors, and the frameworks for reference were constituted from official texts which defined the networks and their missions. Coming from a curative and healing culture, the network's actors were concerned primarily about how to organise themselves in order to better respond to the needs expressed by the patients. The various professional backgrounds and cultures, faced with different perspectives from innovation and confronted with the related difficulties, participated in a collective expertise exercise and collaborated in the construction process. This example supports an open, qualitative, evolutionary evaluation approach which is done in close proximity to the field and work on the ground. The study is timely given the current explosion of debate on evaluation methods. With a great deal of exchange and reflection on suitable tools and indicators as well as the respective roles of researchers, care givers and decision-makers, the results of this study advocate to favour multidisciplinary approaches, including opening up this process to funders and planning authorities rather than over-theorising about it, which only serves to enclose and paralyse a process that, on the contrary, should aim to be more inclusive. This could be a useful way to decompartmentalise and break down existing barriers within the health system.

Grid planning in a competitive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quinto, J. de

2007-01-01

One principle that the electricity sector must fulfil is to simultaneously guarantee generation free entrance, new and old demand supply and a harmonic network development. This development is contained in the grid planning, a process assumed by a neutral institution apart from the grid or the interests of the market agents: In the case of Spain the ministry. The development of such planning, the investment to be built, are limited by the physical network and formal structure and by how the retribution is designed. In this article there is an evaluation of the problems related to develop the network planning in a competitive environment and also some proposals are suggested. (Author)

[Regional ecological planning and ecological network construction: a case study of "Ji Triangle" Region].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bo; Han, Zeng-Lin; Tong, Lian-Jun

2009-05-01

By the methods of in situ investigation and regional ecological planning, the present ecological environment, ecosystem vulnerability, and ecological environment sensitivity in "Ji Triangle" Region were analyzed, and the ecological network of the study area was constructed. According to the ecological resources abundance degree, ecological recovery, farmland windbreak system, environmental carrying capacity, forestry foundation, and ecosystem integrity, the study area was classified into three regional ecological function ecosystems, i. e., east low hill ecosystem, middle plain ecosystem, and west plain wetland ecosystem. On the basis of marking regional ecological nodes, the regional ecological corridor (Haerbin-Dalian regional axis, Changchun-Jilin, Changchun-Songyuan, Jilin-Songyuan, Jilin-Siping, and Songyuan-Siping transportation corridor) and regional ecological network (one ring, three links, and three belts) were constructed. Taking the requests of regional ecological security into consideration, the ecological environment security system of "Ji Triangle" Region, including regional ecological conservation district, regional ecological restored district, and regional ecological management district, was built.

Centenarians' End-of-Life Thoughts and Plans: Is Their Social Network on the Same Page?

Science.gov (United States)

Boerner, Kathrin; Kim, Kyungmin; Kim, Yijung; Rott, Christoph; Jopp, Daniela S

2018-05-22

To explore how centenarians think about and plan for the end of life (EOL) and to what extent their primary contacts (proxy informants) are aware of these thoughts. Population-based study with semistructured in-person interviews. Defined geographical region approximately 60 km around Heidelberg, Germany. Subsample drawn from the larger study of centenarians (N = 78) with data on centenarians' EOL thoughts from the centenarian and the proxy informant. Centenarians reported on their thoughts about the EOL, perception of the EOL as threatening, longing for death, engagement in any EOL planning, and type of EOL plan (will, living will, healthcare surrogate) in place. Proxy respondents answered the same set of questions based on what they thought the centenarians' perspective was. In nearly half of cases, proxies misjudged whether the centenarian thought about EOL. Although only few centenarians perceived the EOL as threatening, and approximately one-quarter reported longing for death, proxies overestimated centenarians' reports on the former and underestimated the latter. Proxies reported more centenarian EOL planning than centenarians themselves. Even though enrolled proxies were mostly persons very close to the centenarian, many of them did not seem to be well informed about the centenarians' thoughts and plans regarding the EOL, suggesting a lack of communication between centenarians and social network members in this respect. Healthcare professionals should be aware that, even for very old adults approaching the end of their lives, discussions about EOL and EOL planning may need to be actively encouraged and supported. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

Associations of rotational shift work and night shift status with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Manohar, Sandhya; Thongprayoon, Charat; Cheungpasitporn, Wisit; Mao, Michael A; Herrmann, Sandra M

2017-10-01

The reported risks of hypertension (HTN) in rotating shift and night shift workers are controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between shift work status and HTN. A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Database from inception through October 2016. Studies that reported odds ratios (OR) comparing the risk of HTN in shift workers were included. A prespecified subgroup analysis by rotating shift and night shift statuses were also performed. Pooled OR and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method. The protocol for this study is registered with International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; no. CRD42016051843. Twenty-seven observational studies (nine cohort and 18 cross-sectional studies) with a total of 394 793 individuals were enrolled. The pooled ORs of HTN in shift workers in cohort and cross-sectional studies were 1.31 (95% CI, 1.07-1.60) and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.00-1.20), respectively. When meta-analysis was restricted only to cohort studies in rotating shift, the pooled OR of HTN in rotating shift workers was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.08-1.67). The data regarding night shift and HTN in cohort studies was limited. The pooled OR of HTN in night shift workers in cross-sectional studies was 1.07 (95% CI, 0.85-1.35). Based on the findings of our meta-analysis, shiftwork status may play an important role in HTN, as there is a significant association between rotating shift work and HTN. However, there is no significant association between night shift status and risk of HTN.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitor therapy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes in a regional cohort: Auckland, New Zealand from 2006 to 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornung, Rosalie J; Reed, Peter W; Mouat, Fran; Jefferies, Craig; Gunn, Alistair J; Hofman, Paul L

2018-05-01

To review indications and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitor (ACEI) therapy for the treatment of persistent microalbuminuria (MA) and/or hypertension (HTN) in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Retrospective chart review of adolescent patients with T1DM seen within the paediatric diabetes service in Auckland, New Zealand, from 2006 to 2016. MA, HTN, patient demographic characteristics and ACEI prescribing and monitoring indices were examined. Five hundred adolescents with T1DM were included. There were 26 patients (5%) with MA and/or HTN. MA alone was present in 16, HTN alone in 3 and both HTN and MA in 7. The 5-year MA/HTN-free rate was 98%, and the 10-year MA/HTN-free rate was 93%. Longer disease duration and earlier diagnosis were predictors of MA/HTN. There was no significant difference in standard clinical indices between study patients and others. ACEI was prescribed for 17 of 26 patients for either HTN or MA. Within 6 weeks of ACEI commencement, less than half of the subjects had repeat serum creatinine and MA screens and no record of repeat blood pressure measurement. Despite this, all patients had 3-monthly reviews within outpatient clinics where adjustments of ACEI doses were made. In our regional adolescent population with T1DM, there were low rates of both MA and/or HTN. In those who required treatment with ACEI, clinical monitoring post-commencement of therapy was inconsistent. Local consensus guidelines for the management of persistent MA in children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus were developed in response to this study. © 2017 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

The peptidylglycine-α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) gene rs13175330 A>G polymorphism is associated with hypertension in a Korean population.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Hye Jin; Kim, Minjoo; Kim, Minkyung; Chae, Jey Sook; Lee, Sang-Hyun; Lee, Jong Ho

2017-11-21

Peptidylglycine-α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) may play a role in the secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is a hormone involved in the maintenance of blood pressure (BP). The objective of the present study was to determine whether PAM is a novel candidate gene for hypertension (HTN). A total of 2153 Korean participants with normotension and HTN were included. Genotype data were obtained using the Korean Chip. The rs13175330 polymorphism of the PAM gene was selected from the ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) most strongly associated with BP. The presence of the G allele of the PAM rs13175330 A>G SNP was associated with a higher risk of HTN after adjustments for age, sex, BMI, smoking, and drinking [OR 1.607 (95% CI 1.220-2.116), p = 0.001]. The rs13175330 G allele carriers in the HTN group treated without antihypertensive therapy (HTN w/o therapy) had significantly higher systolic and diastolic BP than the AA carriers, whereas the G allele carriers in the HTN group treated with antihypertensive therapy (HTN w/ therapy) showed significantly higher diastolic BP. Furthermore, rs13175330 G allele carriers in the HTN w/o therapy group had significantly increased levels of insulin, insulin resistance, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and significantly decreased LDL-cholesterol levels and LDL particle sizes compared to the AA carriers. These results suggest that the PAM rs13175330 A>G SNP is a novel candidate gene for HTN in the Korean population. Additionally, the PAM rs13175330 G allele might be associated with insulin resistance and LDL atherogenicity in patients with HTN.

A scenario planning approach for disasters on Swiss road network

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes, G. A.; Axhausen, K. W.; Andrade, J. S.; Herrmann, H. J.

2014-05-01

We study a vehicular traffic scenario on Swiss roads in an emergency situation, calculating how sequentially roads block due to excessive traffic load until global collapse (gridlock) occurs and in this way displays the fragilities of the system. We used a database from Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung which contains length and maximum allowed speed of all roads in Switzerland. The present work could be interesting for government agencies in planning and managing for emergency logistics for a country or a big city. The model used to generate the flux on the Swiss road network was proposed by Mendes et al. [Physica A 391, 362 (2012)]. It is based on the conservation of the number of vehicles and allows for an easy and fast way to follow the formation of traffic jams in large systems. We also analyze the difference between a nonlinear and a linear model and the distribution of fluxes on the Swiss road.

Renal denervation therapy for hypertension: Current and future perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Aslam Khan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hypertension (HTN is the most common chronic cardiovascular disease with increasing prevalence and morbidity in India as well as worldwide. Despite the availability of different effective subgroups of antihypertensive drugs, few patients may not respond and causes significant morbidity. Resistant HTN is defined as blood pressure above target goals in patients using three different antihypertensive drugs in maximum tolerated doses, including a diuretic. Prevalence of resistant HTN varies from 8% to 18% of all hypertensives. Increased sympathetic nervous system activity has been identified as one potential cause for resistant HTN. Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN has been studied in different subgroups of patients for the treatment of resistant HTN. Clinical data for usefulness of RDN till date show mixed results, and overall indications for procedure are unclear. Different observational studies and randomized, controlled trials (Symplicity HTN-2, Prague-15, RSD-LEIPZIG, and DENERHTN support both safety and efficacy of procedure, whereas some smaller studies and large Symplicity HTN-3 trial failed to show the superiority of RDN when compared to medical therapy alone. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of RDN therapy in the treatment of HTN and current status of this procedure in management of such patients.

Future pharmacological therapy in hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Merrill H; Lavie, Carl J; Ventura, Hector O

2018-04-26

Hypertension (HTN) is a widespread and growing disease, with medication intolerance and side-effect present among many. To address these obstacles novel pharmacotherapy is an active area of drug development. This review seeks to explore future drug therapy for HTN in the preclinical and clinical arenas. The future of pharmacological therapy in HTN consists of revisiting old pathways to find new targets and exploring wholly new approaches to provide additional avenues of treatment. In this review, we discuss the current status of the most recent drug therapy in HTN. New developments in well trod areas include novel mineralocorticoid antagonists, aldosterone synthase inhibitors, aminopeptidase-A inhibitors, natriuretic peptide receptor agonists, or the counter-regulatory angiotensin converting enzyme 2/angiotensin (Ang) (1-7)/Mas receptor axis. Neprilysin inhibitors popularized for heart failure may also still hold HTN potential. Finally, we examine unique systems in development never before used in HTN such as Na/H exchange inhibitors, vasoactive intestinal peptide agonists, and dopamine beta hydroxylase inhibitors. A concise review of future directions of HTN pharmacotherapy.

Catheter-based renal denervation for resistant hypertension: Twenty-four month results of the EnligHTN I first-in-human study using a multi-electrode ablation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsioufis, Costas P; Papademetriou, Vasilios; Dimitriadis, Kyriakos S; Kasiakogias, Alexandros; Tsiachris, Dimitrios; Worthley, Matthew I; Sinhal, Ajay R; Chew, Derek P; Meredith, Ian T; Malaiapan, Yuvi; Thomopoulos, Costas; Kallikazaros, Ioannis; Tousoulis, Dimitrios; Worthley, Stephen G

2015-12-15

Long term safety and efficacy data of multi-electrode ablation system for renal denervation (RDN) in patients with drug resistant hypertension (dRHT) are limited. We studied 46 patients (age: 60 ± 10 years, 4.7 ± 1.0 antihypertensive drugs) with drug resistant hypertension (dRHT). Reduction in office BP at 24 months from baseline was -29/-13 mmHg, while the reduction in 24-hour ambulatory BP and in home BP at 24 months were -13/-7 mmHg and -11/-6 mmHg respectively (p<0.05 for all). A correlation analysis revealed that baseline office and ambulatory BP were related to the extent of office and ambulatory BP drop. Apart from higher body mass index (33.3 ± 4.7 vs 29.5 ± 6.2 kg/m(2), p<0.05), there were no differences in patients that were RDN responders defined as ≥10 mmHg decrease (74%, n=34) compared to non-responders. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed no prognosticators of RDN response (p=NS for all). At 24 months there were no new serious device or procedure related adverse events. The EnligHTN I study shows that the multi-electrode ablation system provides a safe method of RDN in dRHT accompanied by a clinically relevant and sustained BP reduction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synchronous method and engineering tool for the strategic factory planning

OpenAIRE

Abdul Rahman, O.; Jaeger, J.; Constantinescu, C.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the approach to combine two reference methods and engineering tools, for "Factory Performance and Investment Planning«as well as "Value Added Ideal Production Network Planning". The resulted synchronous method aims to support factories in the strategic planning as well as in the network planning. The corresponding engineering tool is employed for assessment planning, sales planning, capacity planning and production costs planning under the consideration of dynamic and stoc...

Plan for a groundwater monitoring network in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Shiang-Kueen

In Taiwan, rapid economic growth, rising standards of living, and an altered societal structure have in recent years put severe demands on water supplies. Because of its stable quantity and quality, groundwater has long been a reliable source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial users, but the establishment of a management program that integrates groundwater and surface-water use has been hampered by the lack of groundwater data. In 1992, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) initiated a program entitled "Groundwater Monitoring Network Plan in Taiwan." Under this program, basic groundwater data, including water-level and water-quality data, are being collected, and a reliable database is being established for the purpose of managing total water resources. This paper introduces the goals, implementation stages, and scope of that plan. The plan calls for constructing 517 hydrogeologic survey stations and 990 groundwater monitoring wells within 17 years. Under this program, water-level fluctuations are continuously monitored, whereas water-quality samples are taken for analysis only at the initial drilling stage and, subsequently, at the time when a monitoring well is being serviced. In 1996, the DWR and the Water Resources Planning Commission were merged to form today's Water Resources Bureau. Résumé A Taïwan, l'expansion économique rapide, l'amélioration des conditions de vie et la transformation de la structure sociale ont provoqué, ces dernières années, une très forte demande en eau. Du fait de sa constance en qualité et en quantité, l'eau souterraine a longtemps été considérée comme une ressource en eau sûre pour les usages domestiques, agricoles et industriels. Mais la mise en place d'un programme de gestion intégrant les utilisations d'eaux souterraines et de surface a été gênée par l'absence de données sur les eaux souterraines. En 1992, le Département des Ressources en Eau a lancé le programme "Plan pour un réseau de

Wind Resource Assessment and Forecast Planning with Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolus K. Rotich

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we built three types of artificial neural networks, namely: Feed forward networks, Elman networks and Cascade forward networks, for forecasting wind speeds and directions. A similar network topology was used for all the forecast horizons, regardless of the model type. All the models were then trained with real data of collected wind speeds and directions over a period of two years in the municipal of Puumala, Finland. Up to 70th percentile of the data was used for training, validation and testing, while 71–85th percentile was presented to the trained models for validation. The model outputs were then compared to the last 15% of the original data, by measuring the statistical errors between them. The feed forward networks returned the lowest errors for wind speeds. Cascade forward networks gave the lowest errors for wind directions; Elman networks returned the lowest errors when used for short term forecasting.

Planning of Efficient Wireless Access with IEEE 802.16 for Connecting Home Network to the Internet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pichet Ritthisoonthorn

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The emergence of IEEE802.16 wireless standard technology (WiMAX has significantly increased the choice to operators for the provisioning of wireless broadband access network. WiMAX is being deployed to compliment with xDSL in underserved or lack of the broadband network area, in both developed and developing countries. Many incumbent operators in developing countries are considering the deployment of WiMAX as part of their broadband access strategy. This paper presents an efficient and simple method for planning of broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA with IEEE802.16 standard to support home connection to Internet. The study formulates the framework for planning both coverage and capacity designs. The relationship between coverage area and access rate from subscriber in each environment area is presented. The study also presents the throughput and channel capacity of IEEE802.16 in different access rates. An extensive analysis is performed and the results are applied to the real case study to demonstrate the practicality of using IEEE 802.16 for connecting home to Internet. Using empirical data and original subscriber traffic from measurement, it is shown that the BFWA with IEEE802.16 standard is a capacity limited system. The capacity of IEEE802.16 is related to different factors including frequency bandwidth, spectrum allocation, estimation of traffic per subscriber, and choice of adaptive modulation from subscriber terminal. The wireless access methods and procedures evolved in this research work and set out in this paper are shown to be well suited for planning BFWA system based on IEEE802.16 which supports broadband home to Internet connections.

Momentum: "Developing Masterful Marketing Plans."

Science.gov (United States)

Meservey, Lynne D.

1988-01-01

Describes how directors can plan and develop a written marketing plan which can increase enrollment at child care centers. Components of successful marketing plans include parent retention; program merchandising; staff and director training; sales promotions; networking; and enrichment programs/fundraising. (NH)

Network speech systems technology program

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, C. J.

1981-09-01

This report documents work performed during FY 1981 on the DCA-sponsored Network Speech Systems Technology Program. The two areas of work reported are: (1) communication system studies in support of the evolving Defense Switched Network (DSN) and (2) design and implementation of satellite/terrestrial interfaces for the Experimental Integrated Switched Network (EISN). The system studies focus on the development and evaluation of economical and endurable network routing procedures. Satellite/terrestrial interface development includes circuit-switched and packet-switched connections to the experimental wideband satellite network. Efforts in planning and coordination of EISN experiments are reported in detail in a separate EISN Experiment Plan.

The prevalence of hypertension in relation with the normal albuminuria range in type 2 diabetes mellitus within the South Korean population: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Koh-Eun; Roh, Yong-Kyun; Cho, Kyung-Hwan; Han, Kyung-Do; Park, Yong-Gyu; Kim, Do-Hoon; Kim, Yang-Hyun

2017-06-01

The coexistence of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In some studies, normal albuminuria has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and HTN. Therefore, we examined the relationships between albuminuria and the prevalence of HTN and its control rate in type 2 DM patients. We analyzed data from the 2011-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and 1188 subjects with type 2 DM were included in the study. We divided albuminuria into 3 albuminuria tertiles (T): T1: hypertension had more ACR T3 (odds ratio=2.018, 95% confidence interval=1.445-2.818) than subjects without HTN. Subjects with controlled HTN had less ACR T3 than subjects without controlled HTN (odds ratio=0.566, 95% confidence interval=0.384-0.836). When, we redivided albuminuria by Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GTRgaz: investment plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2007-01-01

GTRgaz company published on June 2007 its indicative development plan for the 10 years to come. This document serves as a communication vector between GTRgaz and the actors of the market and presents the projects of development of the gas transportation network as defined on the basis of the evolution of French and European markets, and on the knowledge of capacity needs directly or indirectly expressed by the suppliers community. This article summarizes the different points of this plan: reduction of the number of balancing points, development of interconnection capacities, development of output capacities, network free interplay improvement beyond 2013. (J.S.)

Muscular strength and incident hypertension in normotensive and prehypertensive men.

Science.gov (United States)

Maslow, Andréa L; Sui, Xuemei; Colabianchi, Natalie; Hussey, Jim; Blair, Steven N

2010-02-01

The protective effects of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on hypertension (HTN) are well known; however, the association between muscular strength and incidence of HTN has yet to be examined. This study evaluated the strength-HTN association with and without accounting for CRF. Participants were 4147 men (age = 20-82 yr) in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study for whom an age-specific composite muscular strength score was computed from measures of a one-repetition maximal leg and a one-repetition maximal bench press. CRF was quantified by maximal treadmill exercise test time in minutes. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals of incident HTN events according to exposure categories. During a mean follow-up of 19 yr, there were 503 incident HTN cases. Multivariable-adjusted (excluding CRF) HR of HTN in normotensive men comparing middle- and high-strength thirds to the lowest third were not significant at 1.17 and 0.84, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted (excluding CRF) HR of HTN in baseline prehypertensive men comparing middle- and high-strength thirds to the lowest third were significant at 0.73 and 0.72 (P = 0.01 each), respectively. The association between muscular strength and incidence of HTN in baseline prehypertensive men was no longer significant after control for CRF (P = 0.26). The study indicated that middle and high levels of muscular strength were associated with a reduced risk of HTN in prehypertensive men only. However, this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for CRF.

Resistant Hypertension after Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage Is Associated with More Medical Interventions and Longer Hospital Stays without Affecting Outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daojun Hong

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BackgroundHypertension (HTN is the most common cause of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of resistant HTN in patients with ICH.Methods and resultsWe conducted a retrospective study of all consecutive ICH admissions at our medical center from November 2013 to October 2015. The clinical features of patients with resistant HTN (requiring four or more antihypertensive agents to keep systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg were compared with those with responsive HTN (requiring three or fewer agents. Of the 152 patients with hypertensive ICH, 48 (31.6% had resistant HTN. Resistant HTN was independently associated with higher body mass index and proteinuria. Compared to the responsive group, patients with resistant HTN had higher initial blood pressures and greater requirement for ventilator support, hematoma evacuation, hypertonic saline therapy, and nicardipine infusion. Resistant HTN increases length of stay (LOS in the intensive care unit (ICU (4.2 vs 2.1 days; p = 0.007 and in the hospital (11.5 vs 7.0 days; p = 0.003. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the rate of systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg and duration of nicardipine infusion were independently associated with LOS in the ICU. There was no significant difference in hematoma expansion and functional outcome at hospital discharge between the two groups.ConclusionResistant HTN in patients with ICH is associated with more medical interventions and longer LOS without effecting outcome at hospital discharge.

Longitudinal relationship of parental hypertension with body mass index, blood pressure, and cardiovascular reactivity in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rongling; Alpert, Bruce S; Walker, Sammie S; Somes, Grant W

2007-05-01

To investigate whether parental hypertension (HTN) affects children's body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) over time. A longitudinal study of 315 students (black: 23 females, 19 males; white: 142 females, 131 males) was conducted in the public schools of Obion County, Tennessee, between 1987 and 1992. BMI and BMI z scores were calculated. The CVR task was a series of video games (taking approximately 10 minutes to play) given to the same students in their third-, fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade years. CVR was defined as the change in blood pressure (delta_BP) or heart rate (delta_HR) between before playing and while playing the video game. Positive parental history of HTN (27.6%) was defined as at least 1 parent with HTN. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to estimate the effects of parental HTN on children's BMI and CVR over time. Children with parental HTN had significant higher BMI, BMI z score, and R_BP than did children without parental HTN (BMI: 21.6 vs 19.9, P = .001; BMI z score: 1.6 vs 1.1, P = .003; R_SBP: 112.6 vs 110.4 mm Hg, P = .01; R_DBP 62.7 vs 60.6 mm Hg, P = .003) after adjustment for covariates. Increased CVR was observed in children with parental HTN compared with children without parental HTN but was statistically significant only for SBP (delta_SBP: 17.2 vs 14.9 mm Hg; P = .01) after adjustment for covariates. Parental HTN independently predicted children's BMI, BMI z score, resting BP, and BP reactivity.

Renal and cardiovascular risk predictive value of two different microalbuminuria screening methods in patients with hypertension with/without diabetes in Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Polónia, J; Carvalho, D; Nazaré, J; Martins, L; da Silva, P M; Aguiar, C; Manso, M C; Carqueja, T

2016-11-01

MicRoAlbuminuria sCreening survEy (RACE) was a multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study conducted in primary health-care settings of Portugal. Here, we present a post-hoc analysis from the RACE study, assessing the renal and cardiovascular (CV) risk predictive value of two different microalbuminuria (MA) screening methods, nephelometry with 24-h urine (MA-24 h) and Micral test with occasional urine (MicralA) in patients with hypertension (HTN) with/without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Out of 3065 patients, 1173 (38.3%) were in the HTN group without T2DM (HTN) and 1892 (61.7%) in the HTN group with T2DM (HTN+T2DM). The overall prevalence of MA was 50.6% determined by MicralA and 22.1% with MA-24 h. Urinary albumin excretion data obtained by both techniques correlated significantly (r s =0.586; Pvalue of 41% and negative predictive value of 97%. With both methods, the presence of MA was independently associated with a higher risk (1.5- to 2.9-fold) of CV and renal organ damage in both HTN and HTN+T2DM groups. MicralA, due to its high sensitivity and negative predictive value, can be considered as a valid and reliable method for MA screening in patients with HTN with/without T2DM.

A Dynamic Bioinspired Neural Network Based Real-Time Path Planning Method for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Jianjun; Wu, Liuying; Shi, Pengfei; Yang, Simon X

2017-01-01

Real-time path planning for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a very difficult and challenging task. Bioinspired neural network (BINN) has been used to deal with this problem for its many distinct advantages: that is, no learning process is needed and realization is also easy. However, there are some shortcomings when BINN is applied to AUV path planning in a three-dimensional (3D) unknown environment, including complex computing problem when the environment is very large and repeated path problem when the size of obstacles is bigger than the detection range of sensors. To deal with these problems, an improved dynamic BINN is proposed in this paper. In this proposed method, the AUV is regarded as the core of the BINN and the size of the BINN is based on the detection range of sensors. Then the BINN will move with the AUV and the computing could be reduced. A virtual target is proposed in the path planning method to ensure that the AUV can move to the real target effectively and avoid big-size obstacles automatically. Furthermore, a target attractor concept is introduced to improve the computing efficiency of neural activities. Finally, some experiments are conducted under various 3D underwater environments. The experimental results show that the proposed BINN based method can deal with the real-time path planning problem for AUV efficiently.

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Pediatric Hypertension: A Mini Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert P. Woroniecki

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Adults with arterial hypertension (HTN have stroke, myocardial infarction, end-stage renal disease (ESRD, or die at higher rates than those without. In children, HTN leads to target organ damage, which includes kidney, brain, eye, blood vessels, and heart, which precedes “hard outcomes” observed in adults. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH or an anatomic and pathologic increase in left ventricular mass (LVM in response to the HTN is a pediatric surrogate marker for HTN-induced morbidity and mortality in adults. This mini review discusses current definitions, clinically relevant methods of LVM measurements and normalization methods, its epidemiology, management, and issue of reversibility in children with HTN. Pediatric definition of LVH and abnormal LVM is not uniformed. With multiple definitions, prevalence of pediatric HTN-induced LVH is difficult to ascertain. In addition while in adults cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is considered “the gold standard” for LVM and LVH determination, pediatric data are limited to “special populations”: ESRD, transplant, and obese children. We summarize available data on pediatric LVH treatment and reversibility and offer future directions in addressing LVH in children with HTN.

Broadband network selection issues

Science.gov (United States)

Leimer, Michael E.

1996-01-01

Selecting the best network for a given cable or telephone company provider is not as obvious as it appears. The cost and performance trades between Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC), Fiber to the Curb (FTTC) and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line networks lead to very different choices based on the existing plant and the expected interactive subscriber usage model. This paper presents some of the issues and trades that drive network selection. The majority of the Interactive Television trials currently underway or planned are based on HFC networks. As a throw away market trial or a short term strategic incursion into a cable market, HFC may make sense. In the long run, if interactive services see high demand, HFC costs per node and an ever shrinking neighborhood node size to service large numbers of subscribers make FTTC appear attractive. For example, thirty-three 64-QAM modulators are required to fill the 550 MHz to 750 MHz spectrum with compressed video streams in 6 MHz channels. This large amount of hardware at each node drives not only initial build-out costs, but operations and maintenance costs as well. FTTC, with its potential for digitally switching large amounts of bandwidth to an given home, offers the potential to grow with the interactive subscriber base with less downstream cost. Integrated telephony on these networks is an issue that appears to be an afterthought for most of the networks being selected at the present time. The major players seem to be videocentric and include telephony as a simple add-on later. This may be a reasonable view point for the telephone companies that plan to leave their existing phone networks untouched. However, a phone company planning a network upgrade or a cable company jumping into the telephony business needs to carefully weigh the cost and performance issues of the various network choices. Each network type provides varying capability in both upstream and downstream bandwidth for voice channels. The noise characteristics

Network Performance Improvement under Epidemic Failures in Optical Transport Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fagertun, Anna Manolova; Ruepp, Sarah Renée

2013-01-01

In this paper we investigate epidemic failure spreading in large- scale GMPLS-controlled transport networks. By evaluating the effect of the epidemic failure spreading on the network, we design several strategies for cost-effective network performance improvement via differentiated repair times....... First we identify the most vulnerable and the most strategic nodes in the network. Then, via extensive simulations we show that strategic placement of resources for improved failure recovery has better performance than randomly assigning lower repair times among the network nodes. Our OPNET simulation...... model can be used during the network planning process for facilitating cost- effective network survivability design....

vhv supply networks, problems of network structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raimbault, J

1966-04-01

The present and future power requirements of the Paris area and the structure of the existing networks are discussed. The various limitations that will have to be allowed for to lay down the structure of a regional transmission network leading in the power of the large national transmission network to within the Paris built up area are described. The theoretical solution that has been adopted, and the features of its final achievement, which is planned for about the year 2000, and the intermediate stages are given. The problem of the structure of the National Power Transmission network which is to supply the regional network was studied. To solve this problem, a 730 kV voltage network will have to be introduced.

Composite reliability evaluation for transmission network planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiashen Teh

2018-01-01

Full Text Available As the penetration of wind power into the power system increases, the ability to assess the reliability impact of such interaction becomes more important. The composite reliability evaluations involving wind energy provide ample opportunities for assessing the benefits of different wind farm connection points. A connection to the weak area of the transmission network will require network reinforcement for absorbing the additional wind energy. Traditionally, the reinforcements are performed by constructing new transmission corridors. However, a new state-of-art technology such as the dynamic thermal rating (DTR system, provides new reinforcement strategy and this requires new reliability assessment method. This paper demonstrates a methodology for assessing the cost and the reliability of network reinforcement strategies by considering the DTR systems when large scale wind farms are connected to the existing power network. Sequential Monte Carlo simulations were performed and all DTRs and wind speed were simulated using the auto-regressive moving average (ARMA model. Various reinforcement strategies were assessed from their cost and reliability aspects. Practical industrial standards are used as guidelines when assessing costs. Due to this, the proposed methodology in this paper is able to determine the optimal reinforcement strategies when both the cost and reliability requirements are considered.

LAND USE PLANNING AND URBAN PLANS: TERRITORIAL BALANCE AS ETHICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunice Helena Sguizzardi Abascal

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The article suggests a necessary link between urban planning and territorial organization, in order to, through the synergistic relationship between planning tools and their application to planning, implementing a policy of urban and regional management. By linking the development plan for territorial development plans and categories of land use, this methodology helps to streamline operations at multiple scales. The establishment of this network of instruments and shapes the actions of government action against the rapid and intense increase of only economic forces that shape the territory today, suggesting that it is possible to regulate the action of the housing market through planned interventions, valuing the regional balance, social and environmental - ethical by definition. It is suggested that the possible effects predatory natural and built environment can be reversed or prevented by an action articulating these planning instruments are linked to the development and implementation of plans (and projects at multiple scales, approaching from the regional to the local and metropolitan, from regional policies to sectors, that are incidents in the municipal territory. However, the speed and magnitude of the occupation and transformation of soil occur mainly in periods of heating housing, often jeopardize the balance and environmental quality, natural heritage, urban and landscape. It assumes the argument that the overcoming of undesirable environmental effects, triggered by occupation of the ground guided by the real estate sector fast action can be successful with the articulation of levels of planning and intervention. It is proposed that the complexity of contemporary urban and metropolitan requires the articulation of different scales through the use of innovative urban instruments. By articulating these different scales, at the municipal and other levels supra, contributes to, through a network plan to overcome the undesirable dichotomy

Optimal planning of multiple distributed generation sources in distribution networks: A new approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

AlRashidi, M.R., E-mail: malrash2002@yahoo.com [Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Technological Studies, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) (Kuwait); AlHajri, M.F., E-mail: mfalhajri@yahoo.com [Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Technological Studies, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) (Kuwait)

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} A new hybrid PSO for optimal DGs placement and sizing. {yields} Statistical analysis to fine tune PSO parameters. {yields} Novel constraint handling mechanism to handle different constraints types. - Abstract: An improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) is presented for optimal planning of multiple distributed generation sources (DG). This problem can be divided into two sub-problems: the DG optimal size (continuous optimization) and location (discrete optimization) to minimize real power losses. The proposed approach addresses the two sub-problems simultaneously using an enhanced PSO algorithm capable of handling multiple DG planning in a single run. A design of experiment is used to fine tune the proposed approach via proper analysis of PSO parameters interaction. The proposed algorithm treats the problem constraints differently by adopting a radial power flow algorithm to satisfy the equality constraints, i.e. power flows in distribution networks, while the inequality constraints are handled by making use of some of the PSO features. The proposed algorithm was tested on the practical 69-bus power distribution system. Different test cases were considered to validate the proposed approach consistency in detecting optimal or near optimal solution. Results are compared with those of Sequential Quadratic Programming.

A neural network-based exploratory learning and motor planning system for co-robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byron V Galbraith

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Collaborative robots, or co-robots, are semi-autonomous robotic agents designed to work alongside humans in shared workspaces. To be effective, co-robots require the ability to respond and adapt to dynamic scenarios encountered in natural environments. One way to achieve this is through exploratory learning, or learning by doing, an unsupervised method in which co-robots are able to build an internal model for motor planning and coordination based on real-time sensory inputs. In this paper, we present an adaptive neural network-based system for co-robot control that employs exploratory learning to achieve the coordinated motor planning needed to navigate toward, reach for, and grasp distant objects. To validate this system we used the 11-degrees-of-freedom RoPro Calliope mobile robot. Through motor babbling of its wheels and arm, the Calliope learned how to relate visual and proprioceptive information to achieve hand-eye-body coordination. By continually evaluating sensory inputs and externally provided goal directives, the Calliope was then able to autonomously select the appropriate wheel and joint velocities needed to perform its assigned task, such as following a moving target or retrieving an indicated object.

Optimal planning of multiple distributed generation sources in distribution networks: A new approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AlRashidi, M.R.; AlHajri, M.F.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A new hybrid PSO for optimal DGs placement and sizing. → Statistical analysis to fine tune PSO parameters. → Novel constraint handling mechanism to handle different constraints types. - Abstract: An improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) is presented for optimal planning of multiple distributed generation sources (DG). This problem can be divided into two sub-problems: the DG optimal size (continuous optimization) and location (discrete optimization) to minimize real power losses. The proposed approach addresses the two sub-problems simultaneously using an enhanced PSO algorithm capable of handling multiple DG planning in a single run. A design of experiment is used to fine tune the proposed approach via proper analysis of PSO parameters interaction. The proposed algorithm treats the problem constraints differently by adopting a radial power flow algorithm to satisfy the equality constraints, i.e. power flows in distribution networks, while the inequality constraints are handled by making use of some of the PSO features. The proposed algorithm was tested on the practical 69-bus power distribution system. Different test cases were considered to validate the proposed approach consistency in detecting optimal or near optimal solution. Results are compared with those of Sequential Quadratic Programming.

A neural network-based exploratory learning and motor planning system for co-robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Galbraith, Byron V; Guenther, Frank H; Versace, Massimiliano

2015-01-01

Collaborative robots, or co-robots, are semi-autonomous robotic agents designed to work alongside humans in shared workspaces. To be effective, co-robots require the ability to respond and adapt to dynamic scenarios encountered in natural environments. One way to achieve this is through exploratory learning, or "learning by doing," an unsupervised method in which co-robots are able to build an internal model for motor planning and coordination based on real-time sensory inputs. In this paper, we present an adaptive neural network-based system for co-robot control that employs exploratory learning to achieve the coordinated motor planning needed to navigate toward, reach for, and grasp distant objects. To validate this system we used the 11-degrees-of-freedom RoPro Calliope mobile robot. Through motor babbling of its wheels and arm, the Calliope learned how to relate visual and proprioceptive information to achieve hand-eye-body coordination. By continually evaluating sensory inputs and externally provided goal directives, the Calliope was then able to autonomously select the appropriate wheel and joint velocities needed to perform its assigned task, such as following a moving target or retrieving an indicated object.

Hierarchical Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for RFID Network Planning Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lianbo Ma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel optimization algorithm, namely, hierarchical artificial bee colony optimization, called HABC, to tackle the radio frequency identification network planning (RNP problem. In the proposed multilevel model, the higher-level species can be aggregated by the subpopulations from lower level. In the bottom level, each subpopulation employing the canonical ABC method searches the part-dimensional optimum in parallel, which can be constructed into a complete solution for the upper level. At the same time, the comprehensive learning method with crossover and mutation operators is applied to enhance the global search ability between species. Experiments are conducted on a set of 10 benchmark optimization problems. The results demonstrate that the proposed HABC obtains remarkable performance on most chosen benchmark functions when compared to several successful swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms. Then HABC is used for solving the real-world RNP problem on two instances with different scales. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is superior for solving RNP, in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.

Hierarchical artificial bee colony algorithm for RFID network planning optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Lianbo; Chen, Hanning; Hu, Kunyuan; Zhu, Yunlong

2014-01-01

This paper presents a novel optimization algorithm, namely, hierarchical artificial bee colony optimization, called HABC, to tackle the radio frequency identification network planning (RNP) problem. In the proposed multilevel model, the higher-level species can be aggregated by the subpopulations from lower level. In the bottom level, each subpopulation employing the canonical ABC method searches the part-dimensional optimum in parallel, which can be constructed into a complete solution for the upper level. At the same time, the comprehensive learning method with crossover and mutation operators is applied to enhance the global search ability between species. Experiments are conducted on a set of 10 benchmark optimization problems. The results demonstrate that the proposed HABC obtains remarkable performance on most chosen benchmark functions when compared to several successful swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms. Then HABC is used for solving the real-world RNP problem on two instances with different scales. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is superior for solving RNP, in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.

Case Study: Does training of private networks of Family Planning clinicians in urban Pakistan affect service utilization?

OpenAIRE

Qureshi, Asma M

2010-01-01

Abstract Background To determine whether training of providers participating in franchise clinic networks is associated with increased Family Planning service use among low-income urban families in Pakistan. Methods The study uses 2001 survey data consisting of interviews with 1113 clinical and non-clinical providers working in public and private hospitals/clinics. Data analysis excludes non-clinical providers reducing sample size to 822. Variables for the analysis are divided into client vol...

Energy efficiency in elastic-bandwidth optical networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vizcaino, Jorge Lopez; Ye, Yabin; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

2011-01-01

of elastic bandwidth allocation, opens new horizons in the operation of optical networks. In this paper, we compare the network planning problem in an elastic bandwidth CO-OFDM-based network and a fixed-grid WDM network. We highlight the benefits that bandwidth elasticity and the selection of different......The forecasted growth in the Internet traffic has made the operators and industry to be concerned about the power consumption of the networks, and to become interested in alternatives to plan and operate the networks in a more energy efficient manner. The introduction of OFDM, and its property...

Long-range planning cost model for support of future space missions by the deep space network

Science.gov (United States)

Sherif, J. S.; Remer, D. S.; Buchanan, H. R.

1990-01-01

A simple model is suggested to do long-range planning cost estimates for Deep Space Network (DSP) support of future space missions. The model estimates total DSN preparation costs and the annual distribution of these costs for long-range budgetary planning. The cost model is based on actual DSN preparation costs from four space missions: Galileo, Voyager (Uranus), Voyager (Neptune), and Magellan. The model was tested against the four projects and gave cost estimates that range from 18 percent above the actual total preparation costs of the projects to 25 percent below. The model was also compared to two other independent projects: Viking and Mariner Jupiter/Saturn (MJS later became Voyager). The model gave cost estimates that range from 2 percent (for Viking) to 10 percent (for MJS) below the actual total preparation costs of these missions.

Update on Plans to Establish a National Phenology Network in the U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Betancourt, J.; Schwartz, M.; Breshears, D.; Cayan, D.; Dettinger, M.; Inouye, D.; Post, E.; Reed, B.; Gray, S.

2005-12-01

The passing of the seasons is the most pervasive source of climatic and biological variability on Earth, yet phenological monitoring has been spotty worldwide. Formal phenological networks were recently established in Europe and Canada, and we are now following their lead in organizing a National Phenology Network (NPN) for the U.S.A. With support from federal agencies (NSF, USGS, NPS, USDA-FS, EPA, NOAA, NASA), on Aug. 22-26 we organized a workshop in Tucson, Arizona to begin planning a national-scale, multi-tiered phenological network. A prototype for a web-based NPN and preliminary workshop results are available at http://www.npn.uwm.edu. The main goals of NPN will be to: (1) facilitate thorough understanding of phenological phenomena, including causes and effects; (2) provide ground truthing to make the most of heavy public investment in remote sensing data; (3) allow detection and prediction of environmental change for a wide of variety of applications; (4) harness the power of mass participation and engage tens of thousands of "citizen scientists" in meeting national needs in Education, Health, Commerce, Natural Resources and Agriculture; (5) develop a model system for substantive collaboration across different levels of government, academia and the private sector. Just as the national networks of weather stations and stream gauges are critical for providing weather, climate and water-related information, NPN will help safeguard and procure goods and services that ecosystems provide. We expect that NPN will consist of a four-tiered, expandable structure: 1) a backbone network linked to existing weather stations, run by recruited public observers; 2) A smaller, second tier of intensive observations, run by scientists at established research sites; 3) a much larger network of observations made by citizen scientists; and 4) remote sensing observations that can be validated with surface observations, thereby providing wall-to-wall coverage for the U.S.A. Key to

The effect of narrow provider networks on health care use.

Science.gov (United States)

Atwood, Alicia; Lo Sasso, Anthony T

2016-12-01

Network design is an often overlooked aspect of health insurance contracts. Recent policy factors have resulted in narrower provider networks. We provide plausibly causal evidence on the effect of narrow network plans offered by a large national health insurance carrier in a major metropolitan market. Our econometric design exploits the fact that some firms offer a narrow network plan to their employees and some do not. Our results show that narrow network health plans lead to reductions in health care utilization and spending. We find evidence that narrow networks save money by selecting lower cost providers into the network. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Renal sympathetic denervation in the treatment of resistant hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Álvarez, Catalina; González-Vélez, Miguel; Stilp, Erik; Ward, Charisse; Mena-Hurtado, Carlos

2014-12-01

Arterial hypertension (HTN) is a major health problem worldwide. Treatment-resistant hypertension (trHTN) is defined as the failure to achieve target blood pressure despite the concomitant use of maximally tolerated doses of three different antihypertensive medications, including a diuretic. trHTN is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Renal sympathetic denervation (RDn) is available and implemented abroad as a strategy for the treatment of trHTN and is currently under clinical investigation in the United States. Selective renal sympathectomy via an endovascular approach effectively decreases renal sympathetic nerve hyperactivity leading to a decrease in blood pressure. The Symplicity catheter, currently under investigation in the United States, is a 6-French compatible system advanced under fluoroscopic guidance via percutaneous access of the common femoral artery to the distal lumen of each of the main renal arteries. Radiofrequency (RF) energy is then applied to the endoluminal surface of the renal arteries via an electrode located at the tip of the catheter. Two clinical trials (Symplicity HTN 1 and Symplicity HTN 2) have shown the efficacy of RDn with a post-procedure decline of 27/17 mmHg at 12 months and 32/12 mmHg at 6 months, respectively, with few minor adverse events. Symplicity HTN-3 study is a, multi-center, prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled study currently under way and will provide further insights about the safety and efficacy of renal denervation in patients with trHTN.

Developing an Integrated Treatment Pathway for a Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grating (CABG) Geriatric Patient with Comorbid Hypertension and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus for Treating Acute Hypoglycemia and Electrolyte Imbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Naqvi, Atta Abbas; Shah, Amna; Ahmad, Rizwan; Ahmad, Niyaz

2017-01-01

The ailments afflicting the elderly population is a well-defined specialty of medicine. It calls for an immaculately designed health-care plan to treat diseases in geriatrics. For chronic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary heart disease, and hypertension (HTN), they require proper management throughout the rest of patient's life. An integrated treatment pathway helps in treatment decision-making and improving standards of health care for the patient. This case describes an exclusive clinical pharmacist-driven designing of an integrated treatment pathway for a post-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) geriatric male patient with DM type I and HTN for the treatment of hypoglycemia and electrolyte imbalance. The treatment begins addressing the chief complaints which were vomiting and unconsciousness. Biochemical screening is essential to establish a diagnosis of electrolyte imbalance along with blood glucose level after which the integrated pathway defines the treatment course. This individualized treatment pathway provides an outline of the course of treatment of acute hypoglycemia, electrolyte imbalance as well as some unconfirmed diagnosis, namely, acute coronary syndrome and respiratory tract infection for a post-CABG geriatric patient with HTN and type 1 DM. The eligibility criterion for patients to be treated according to treatment pathway is to fall in the defined category.

Federal Plan for Advanced Networking Research and Development

Data.gov (United States)

Networking and Information Technology Research and Development, Executive Office of the President — In the four decades since Federal research first enabled computers to send and receive data over networks, U.S. government research and development R and D in...

Fundamentals of complex networks models, structures and dynamics

CERN Document Server

Chen, Guanrong; Li, Xiang

2014-01-01

Complex networks such as the Internet, WWW, transportationnetworks, power grids, biological neural networks, and scientificcooperation networks of all kinds provide challenges for futuretechnological development. In particular, advanced societies havebecome dependent on large infrastructural networks to an extentbeyond our capability to plan (modeling) and to operate (control).The recent spate of collapses in power grids and ongoing virusattacks on the Internet illustrate the need for knowledge aboutmodeling, analysis of behaviors, optimized planning and performancecontrol in such networks. F

Resistant Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akram Khan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Hypertension (HTN is a modifiable, highly prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and renal dysfunction worldwide. In the United States, HTN affects one in three adults, contributes to one out of every seven deaths and to nearly half of all cardiovascular disease-related deaths. HTN is considered resistant when the blood pressure remains above goal despite lifestyle modification and administration of three antihypertensive agents of different classes including a diuretic. Large population-based studies have suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA is a risk factor for resistant HTN. The mechanism proposed is a pattern of intermittent hypoxia associated with hyperaldosteronism, increased sympathetic tone, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation. In this review we discuss the association between OSA and resistant HTN, the physiologic mechanisms linking OSA with resistant HTN, and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP on blood pressure in patients with resistant HTN. While the reduction in blood pressure with CPAP is usually modest in patients with OSA, a decrease of only a few mmHg in blood pressure can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk. Patients presenting to a center specializing in management of hypertension should be screened and treated for OSA as a potentially modifiable risk factor.

Using Active Networking to Detect and Troubleshoot Issues in Tactical Data Networks

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

networking (SDN) paradigm, which has gained popularity in recent years, has its roots in the idea of programmable networks [6]. By extending the...278–289, Aug. 2011. 67 [13] M. Hicks, P. Kakkar, J. T. Moore, C. A. Gunter, and S. Nettles , “Plan: A programming language for active networks,” ACM

Operations Plan for Support Network Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2008-06-30

This report describes the operational processes and strategies that are building a support network for the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI) program. The NSTI program currently is under development as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), funded by Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Grant No. DE FG52-07NA28084. Although the NSTI program offers a wide array of in-house business services, there are a certain number of services that will be provided by entities outside of Arrowhead Center. This report identifies the steps needed to develop an appropriate support network. The Arrowhead Center is working with external service providers and key stakeholders to establish feasible referral and implementation mechanics offering NSTI program participants the most comprehensive incubation services possible.

Combined effects of type 2 diabetes and hypertension associated with cortical thinning and impaired cerebrovascular reactivity relative to hypertension alone in older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina Tchistiakova

2014-01-01

Conclusions: Individuals with T2DM and HTN showed decreased CVR and CThk compared to age-matched HTN controls. This study identifies brain regions that are impacted by the combined effects of comorbid T2DM and HTN conditions, with new evidence that the corresponding cortical thinning may contribute to cognitive decline.

Design considerations for energy efficient, resilient, multi-layer networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fagertun, Anna Manolova; Hansen, Line Pyndt; Ruepp, Sarah Renée

2016-01-01

measures. In this complex problem, considerations such as client traffic granularity, applied grooming policies and multi-layer resiliency add even more complexity. A commercially available network planning tool is used to investigate the interplay between different methods for resilient capacity planning......This work investigates different network design considerations with respect to energy-efficiency, under green-field resilient multi-layer network deployment. The problem of energy efficient, reliable multi-layer network design is known to result in different trade-offs between key performance....... Switching off low-utilized transport links has been investigated via a pro-active re-routing applied during the network planning. Our analysis shows that design factors such as the applied survivability strategy and the applied planning method have higher impact on the key performance indicators compared...

Exploring effective conservation networks based on multi-scale planning unit analysis. A case study of the Balsas sub-basin, Maranhao State, Brazil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barreto, L.; Ribeiro, M.C.; Veldkamp, A.; Eupen, van M.; Kok, K.; Pontes, E.

2010-01-01

Nature conservation and restoration activities require delineation of effective conservation networks. This paper presents a methodology which allows a quick evaluation of different planning options for extensive areas. We analyzed the spatial structure of remaining patches of the natural Cerrado

Integration of biological, economic and sociological knowledge by Bayesian belief networks: the interdisciplinary evaluation of potential management plans for Baltic salmon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levontin, Polina; Kulmala, Soile; Haapasaari, Päivi Elisabet

2011-01-01

There is a growing need to evaluate fisheries management plans in a comprehensive interdisciplinary context involving stakeholders. The use of a probabilistic management model to evaluate potential management plans for Baltic salmon fisheries is demonstrated. The analysis draws on several scientific...... studies: a biological stock assessment with integrated economic analysis of the commercial fisheries, an evaluation of recreational fisheries, and a sociological study aimed at understanding stakeholder perspectives and potential commitment to alternative management plans. A Bayesian belief network is used...... is highlighted by modelling the link between commitment and implementation success. Such analyses, relying on prior knowledge, can forewarn of the consequences of management choices before they are implemented...

From planning to practice: building the national network for the surveillance of severe maternal morbidity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahamondes Maria V

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Improving maternal health is one of the Millennium Development Goals for 2015. Recently some progress has been achieved in reducing mortality. On the other hand, in developed regions, maternal death is a relatively rare event compared to the number of cases of morbidity; hence studying maternal morbidity has become more relevant. Electronic surveillance systems may improve research by facilitating complete data reporting and reducing the time required for data collection and analysis. Therefore the purpose of this study was to describe the methods used in elaborating and implementing the National Network for the Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Brazil. Methods The project consisted of a multicenter, cross-sectional study for the surveillance of severe maternal morbidity including near-miss, in Brazil. Results Following the development of a conceptual framework, centers were selected for inclusion in the network, consensus meetings were held among the centers, an electronic data collection system was identified, specific software and hardware tools were developed, research material was prepared, and the implementation process was initiated and analyzed. Conclusion The conceptual framework developed for this network was based on the experience acquired in various studies carried out in the area over recent years and encompasses maternal and perinatal health. It is innovative especially in the context of a developing country. The implementation of the project represents the first step towards this planned management. The system online elaborated for this surveillance network may be used in further studies in reproductive and perinatal health.

Applicability of line outage distribution factors to evaluate distribution network expansion options

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grond, M.O.W.; Pouw, J.I.P.; Morren, J.; Slootweg, J.G.

2014-01-01

Distribution network operators require more advanced planning tools to deal with the challenges of future network planning. An appropriate planning and optimization tool can identify which option for network extension should be selected from available alternatives. However, the evaluation part in

Cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 Diabetes in Bangladesh: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies between 1995 and 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saquib Nazmus

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Belief is that chronic disease prevalence is rising in Bangladesh since death from them has increased. We reviewed published cardiovascular (CVD and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM studies between 1995 and 2010 and conducted a meta-analysis of disease prevalence. Methods A systematic search of CVD and T2DM studies yielded 29 eligible studies (outcome: CVD only = 12, T2DM only = 9, both = 8. Hypertension (HTN was the primary outcome of CVD studies. HTN and T2DM were defined with objective measures and standard cut-off values. We assessed the study quality based on sampling frame, sample size, and disease evaluation. Random effects models calculated pooled disease prevalence (95% confidence interval in studies with general population samples (n = 22. Results The pooled HTN and T2DM prevalence were 13.7% (12.1%–15.3% and 6.7% (4.9%–8.6%, respectively. Both diseases exhibited a secular trend by 5-year intervals between 1995 and 2010 (HTN = 11.0%, 12.8%, 15.3%, T2DM = 3.8%, 5.3%, 9.0%. HTN was higher in females (M vs. F: 12.8% vs.16.1% but T2DM was higher in males (M vs. F: 7.0% vs. 6.2% (non-significant. Both HTN and T2DM were higher in urban areas (urban vs. rural: 22.2% vs. 14.3% and 10.2% vs. 5.1% respectively (non-significant. HTN was higher among elderly and among working professionals. Both HTN and T2DM were higher in ‘high- quality’ studies. Conclusions There is evidence of a rising secular trend of HTN and T2DM prevalence in Bangladesh. Future research should focus on the evolving root causes, incidence, and prognosis of HTN and T2DM.

Exaggerated Exercise Blood Pressure Response During Treadmill Testing as a Predictor of Future Hypertension in Men: A Longitudinal Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jae, Sae Young; Franklin, Barry A; Choo, Jina; Choi, Yoon-Ho; Fernhall, Bo

2015-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate receiver operating characteristic curves to identify optimal cutoff values of exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) using both peak SBP and relative SBP (peak SBP minus resting SBP) as predictors of future hypertension (HTN). Participants were 3,742 healthy normotensive men who underwent symptom-limited treadmill testing at baseline. Incident HTN was defined as SBP/diastolic blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg and/or diagnosed HTN by a physician. During an average 5-year follow-up, 364 (9.7%) new cases of HTN were observed. The most discriminatory cutoff values for peak SBP and relative SBP for predicting incident HTN were 181 mm Hg (areas under the curve (AUC) = 0.644, sensitivity = 54%, and specificity = 69%) and 52 mm Hg (AUC = 0.549, sensitivity = 64.3%, and specificity = 44.6%), respectively. Participants with peak SBP greater than 181 mm Hg and relative SBP greater than 52 mm Hg had 1.54-fold (95% CI: 1.23-1.93) and 1.44-fold (95% CI: 1.16-1.80) risks of developing HTN after adjusting for potential confounding variables. When these 2 variables were entered simultaneously into the Cox proportional hazards regression model with adjustment for potential confounding variables, only peak SBP (relative risk: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02-1.89) was a predictor of the development of HTN. The most accurate discriminators for peak and relative SBP during treadmill exercise testing to predict incident HTN were greater than 181 and 52 mm Hg, respectively, in normotensive men. A peak SBP greater than 181 mm Hg during treadmill exercise testing may provide a useful predictor for the development of HTN in clinical practice. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2015. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

ENTSOE Role in Transmission Network Planning Following the Provisons of the EU's Third Energy Package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medjimorec, D.

2011-01-01

In the initial period of its operation the European network of transmission system operators for electricity (ENTSO-E) has prepared and published the first edition of its ten-year network development plan (TYNDP) for period 2010-2020, by which has fulfilled one of the ENTSO-E's tasks according to the new Directive 714/09/EZ on grid accessing conditions for cross-border electricity exchange. In this process, ENTSO-E has carried out a broad public debates, which provided, together with general reactions of a number of major European power industry stakeholders, expectations regarding new editions of this non-binding paper (TYNDP), which followed every two years. Following these experiences, and the experiences of individual transmission system operators as participants of making TYNDP ''pilot'' through ENTSO-E, a plan and a time schedule of activities were adopted until the publication of the next TYNDP in the spring of 2012. Important step in this represents parallel preparation and creation of six regional investment plans (RIP) in order to reduce the scope of activities at the pan-European TYNDP level and to ensure their consistency. Namely among this six regions agreed between transmission system operators, which are members of ENTSO-E, there are certain overlaps in the area which they include (and thus in included projects). One of the three main reasons for launching investment projects in new or reconstructed transmission facilities which are covered with TYNDP or RIP is the integration of electricity market. Therefore is, within the methodology improvement of making TYNDP or RIP, further expanded treatment of input data, especially in terms of market-relevant data and data needed for modeling electricity market and its impact on investment in the transmission system. Also, additional scenarios that are used by all RIP are defined, where the most important scenario is so called 20-20-20 which as the basic input parameters takes National investment plans whose

A new integrated planning model for gas compression and transmission through a complex pipeline network; Um novo modelo de planejamento integrado de compressao e escoamento de gas para uma rede complexa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iamashita, Edson K. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Galaxe, Frederico; Arica, Jose [Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (UENF), Campos dos Goytacases, RJ (Brazil)

2005-07-01

The aim of this paper is to show a new approach to solve integrated gas balance planning problems that defines the best compression and transmission strategy for a system with a large number of platforms or compression units that are interlinked with the delivery points through a complex gas pipeline network. For solving the proposed optimization problem is used a genetic meta-heuristic technique, where the fitness function of the algorithm is the Profit function of the gas balance, being considered the incomes and costs besides the pipeline network constraints, representing the compression system and transmission network near to the real operational condition. Newton Raphson's method is used to solve the nonlinear system that represents the calculation of the pressure drop in the gas pipeline network that can contain various cycles. This model could be used for design and optimization of gas pipeline networks, as well as for the gas balance planning of an existent network looking for the profit maximization. (author)

The Gauteng Conservation Plan: Planning for biodiversity in a rapidly urbanising province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michèle F. Pfab

2017-11-01

Conclusion: The existing protected area network is inadequate for the conservation of biodiversity in Gauteng. The Gauteng Conservation Plan identifies a set of areas that are required to achieve conservation targets. It is important that identified areas currently not in the protected area network are protected either formally or through legislated land use management processes.

Key Management Scheme Based on Route Planning of Mobile Sink in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In many wireless sensor network application scenarios the key management scheme with a Mobile Sink (MS should be fully investigated. This paper proposes a key management scheme based on dynamic clustering and optimal-routing choice of MS. The concept of Traveling Salesman Problem with Neighbor areas (TSPN in dynamic clustering for data exchange is proposed, and the selection probability is used in MS route planning. The proposed scheme extends static key management to dynamic key management by considering the dynamic clustering and mobility of MSs, which can effectively balance the total energy consumption during the activities. Considering the different resources available to the member nodes and sink node, the session key between cluster head and MS is established by modified an ECC encryption with Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH algorithm and the session key between member node and cluster head is built with a binary symmetric polynomial. By analyzing the security of data storage, data transfer and the mechanism of dynamic key management, the proposed scheme has more advantages to help improve the resilience of the key management system of the network on the premise of satisfying higher connectivity and storage efficiency.

Key Management Scheme Based on Route Planning of Mobile Sink in Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Liang, Jixing; Zheng, Bingxin; Jiang, Shengming; Chen, Wei

2016-01-29

In many wireless sensor network application scenarios the key management scheme with a Mobile Sink (MS) should be fully investigated. This paper proposes a key management scheme based on dynamic clustering and optimal-routing choice of MS. The concept of Traveling Salesman Problem with Neighbor areas (TSPN) in dynamic clustering for data exchange is proposed, and the selection probability is used in MS route planning. The proposed scheme extends static key management to dynamic key management by considering the dynamic clustering and mobility of MSs, which can effectively balance the total energy consumption during the activities. Considering the different resources available to the member nodes and sink node, the session key between cluster head and MS is established by modified an ECC encryption with Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH) algorithm and the session key between member node and cluster head is built with a binary symmetric polynomial. By analyzing the security of data storage, data transfer and the mechanism of dynamic key management, the proposed scheme has more advantages to help improve the resilience of the key management system of the network on the premise of satisfying higher connectivity and storage efficiency.

Moving from theory to practice: A participatory social network mapping approach to address unmet need for family planning in Benin.

Science.gov (United States)

Igras, Susan; Diakité, Mariam; Lundgren, Rebecka

2017-07-01

In West Africa, social factors influence whether couples with unmet need for family planning act on birth-spacing desires. Tékponon Jikuagou is testing a social network-based intervention to reduce social barriers by diffusing new ideas. Individuals and groups judged socially influential by their communities provide entrée to networks. A participatory social network mapping methodology was designed to identify these diffusion actors. Analysis of monitoring data, in-depth interviews, and evaluation reports assessed the methodology's acceptability to communities and staff and whether it produced valid, reliable data to identify influential individuals and groups who diffuse new ideas through their networks. Results indicated the methodology's acceptability. Communities were actively and equitably engaged. Staff appreciated its ability to yield timely, actionable information. The mapping methodology also provided valid and reliable information by enabling communities to identify highly connected and influential network actors. Consistent with social network theory, this methodology resulted in the selection of informal groups and individuals in both informal and formal positions. In-depth interview data suggest these actors were diffusing new ideas, further confirming their influence/connectivity. The participatory methodology generated insider knowledge of who has social influence, challenging commonly held assumptions. Collecting and displaying information fostered staff and community learning, laying groundwork for social change.

Multimodal Logistics Network Design over Planning Horizon through a Hybrid Meta-Heuristic Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Yoshiaki; Yamazaki, Yoshihiro; Wada, Takeshi

Logistics has been acknowledged increasingly as a key issue of supply chain management to improve business efficiency under global competition and diversified customer demands. This study aims at improving a quality of strategic decision making associated with dynamic natures in logistics network optimization. Especially, noticing an importance to concern with a multimodal logistics under multiterms, we have extended a previous approach termed hybrid tabu search (HybTS). The attempt intends to deploy a strategic planning more concretely so that the strategic plan can link to an operational decision making. The idea refers to a smart extension of the HybTS to solve a dynamic mixed integer programming problem. It is a two-level iterative method composed of a sophisticated tabu search for the location problem at the upper level and a graph algorithm for the route selection at the lower level. To keep efficiency while coping with the resulting extremely large-scale problem, we invented a systematic procedure to transform the original linear program at the lower-level into a minimum cost flow problem solvable by the graph algorithm. Through numerical experiments, we verified the proposed method outperformed the commercial software. The results indicate the proposed approach can make the conventional strategic decision much more practical and is promising for real world applications.

Interworking evolution of mobile satellite and terrestrial networks

Science.gov (United States)

Matyas, R.; Kelleher, P.; Moller, P.; Jones, T.

1993-01-01

There is considerable interest among mobile satellite service providers in interworking with terrestrial networks to provide a universal global network. With such interworking, subscribers may be provided a common set of services such as those planned for the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), and future Intelligent Networks (IN's). This paper first reviews issues in satellite interworking. Next the status and interworking plans of terrestrial mobile communications service providers are examined with early examples of mobile satellite interworking including a discussion of the anticipated evolution towards full interworking between mobile satellite and both fixed and mobile terrestrial networks.

Implementation of a Web-Based Collaborative Process Planning System

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huifen; Liu, Tingting; Qiao, Li; Huang, Shuangxi

Under the networked manufacturing environment, all phases of product manufacturing involving design, process planning, machining and assembling may be accomplished collaboratively by different enterprises, even different manufacturing stages of the same part may be finished collaboratively by different enterprises. Based on the self-developed networked manufacturing platform eCWS(e-Cooperative Work System), a multi-agent-based system framework for collaborative process planning is proposed. In accordance with requirements of collaborative process planning, share resources provided by cooperative enterprises in the course of collaboration are classified into seven classes. Then a reconfigurable and extendable resource object model is built. Decision-making strategy is also studied in this paper. Finally a collaborative process planning system e-CAPP is developed and applied. It provides strong support for distributed designers to collaboratively plan and optimize product process though network.

Smart City Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ekman, Ulrik

2018-01-01

This article reflects on the challenges for urban planning posed by the emergence of smart cities in network societies. In particular, it reflects on reductionist tendencies in existing smart city planning. Here the concern is with the implications of prior reductions of complexity which have been...... undertaken by placing primacy in planning on information technology, economical profit, and top-down political government. Rather than pointing urban planning towards a different ordering of these reductions, this article argues in favor of approaches to smart city planning via complexity theory....... Specifically, this article argues in favor of approaching smart city plans holistically as topologies of organized complexity. Here, smart city planning is seen as a theory and practice engaging with a complex adaptive urban system which continuously operates on its potential. The actualizations in the face...

Urban Plan and Water Infrastructures Planning: A Methodology Based on Spatial ANP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele Grimaldi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Cities are exploding, occupying rural territory in dispersed and fragmented ways. A consequence of this phenomenon is that the demand for utilities includes more and more extensive territories. Among them, fulfilling the demand for services related to integrated water service presents many difficulties. The economic costs needed to meet service demand and the environmental costs associated with its non-fulfilment are inversely proportional to the population needing service in rural areas, since that population is distributed across a low-density gradient. Infrastructure planning, within the area of competence, generally follows a policy of economic sustainability, fixing a service coverage threshold in terms of a “sufficient” concentration of population and economic activity (91/271/CEE. This threshold, homogenous within the territorial limits of a water infrastructure plan, creates uncertainty in the planning of investments, which are not sized on the actual, appropriately spatialized, demand for service. Careful prediction of the location of infrastructure investments would guarantee not only economic savings but also reduce the environmental costs generated by the lack of utilities. Therefore, is necessary to create a link between water infrastructure planning and urban planning, which is responsible for the future spatial distribution of service demand. In this study, the relationships between the instruments of regulation and planning are compared by a multi-criteria spatial analysis network (analytic network process (ANP. This method, tested on a sample of a city in southern Italy, allows us to optimize the design and location of the investment needed to meet the service criteria, looking at the actual efficiency of the networks. The result of this application is a suitability map that allows us to validate the criteria for defining urban transformations.

Designing Broadband Access Networks with Triple Redundancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Riaz, Muhammad Tahir; Knudsen, Thomas Phillip

2005-01-01

An architecture is proposed for designing broadband access networks, which offer triple redundancy to the end users, resulting in networks providing connectivity even in case of any two independent node or line failures. Two physically independent connections are offered by fiber, and the last...... provided by some wireless solution. Based on experience with planning Fiber To The Home, the architecture is designed to meet a number of demands, making it practicable and useful in realworld network planning. The proposed wired topology is planar, and suitable for being fitted onto the road network...

The Rising Burden of Diabetes and Hypertension in Southeast Asian and African Regions: Need for Effective Strategies for Prevention and Control in Primary Health Care Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viswanathan Mohan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To review the available literature on burden of diabetes mellitus (DM and hypertension (HTN and its coexistence in Southeast Asian (SEA and the African (AFR regions and to suggest strategies to improve DM and HTN prevention and control in primary health care (PHC in the two regions. Methods. A systematic review of the papers published on DM, HTN, and prevention/control of chronic diseases in SEA and AFR regions between 1980 and December 2012 was included. Results. In the year 2011, SEA region had the second largest number of people with DM (71.4 million, while the AFR region had the smallest number (14.7 million. Screening studies identified high proportions (>50% of individuals with previously undiagnosed HTN and DM in both of the SEA and AFR regions. Studies from both regions have shown that DM and HTN coexist in type 2 DM ranging from 20.6% in India to 78.4% in Thailand in the SEA region and ranging from 9.7% in Nigeria to 70.4% in Morocco in the AFR region. There is evidence that by lifestyle modification both DM and HTN can be prevented. Conclusion. To meet the twin challenge of DM and HTN in developing countries, PHCs will have to be strengthened with a concerted and multipronged effort to provide promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services.

Relative risk of hypertension and coronary artery disease in diabetes mellitus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhary, G.M.D.

2001-01-01

During the year 1996-1997, 3275 diabetic patients, registered in Diabetic Clinic of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, were studied to note the effect of various variables of diabetes mellitus (DM) on hypertension (HTN) and coronary artery diseases (CAD). Out of these 1402 (42.8%) were hypertensive patients. HTN was observed more frequently in obese, older age, longer duration of DM, poor glycemic control and dyslipidemia with p<0.0001. The relative risk (RR) of HTN was significantly increased (p<0.001) in obese (M2.53, F7.77 times), older age (M 3.69,F 9.64 times), longer duration of Dm (2.3 times for both sexes), poor glycemic control (M 2.89, F 4.75 times) and dyslipedemia (M 1.62-5.27, F2.56-9.53 times). While the RR of CAD due to HTN was 4.6 times (M5.4, F4.2 times) (p<0.0001) as compared to normotensive diabetic patients. The risk of developing HTN is more in female diabetics and of CAD in male hypertensive diabetic patients. It is concluded that obesity, older age, poor glycemic control, longer duration of DM and dyslipidemia increases the risk of HTN 2-9.5 times and HTN increases the risk of CAD by 4-5 times, hence requiring aggressive and comprehensive treatment of the diabetes mellitus syndrome. (author)

Relative risk of hypertension and coronary artery disease in diabetes mellitus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaudhary, G M.D. [Nishter Medical Coll., Multan (Pakistan). Dept. of Medicine

2001-03-01

During the year 1996-1997, 3275 diabetic patients, registered in Diabetic Clinic of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, were studied to note the effect of various variables of diabetes mellitus (DM) on hypertension (HTN) and coronary artery diseases (CAD). Out of these 1402 (42.8%) were hypertensive patients. HTN was observed more frequently in obese, older age, longer duration of DM, poor glycemic control and dyslipidemia with p<0.0001. The relative risk (RR) of HTN was significantly increased (p<0.001) in obese (M2.53, F7.77 times), older age (M 3.69,F 9.64 times), longer duration of Dm (2.3 times for both sexes), poor glycemic control (M 2.89, F 4.75 times) and dyslipedemia (M 1.62-5.27, F2.56-9.53 times). While the RR of CAD due to HTN was 4.6 times (M5.4, F4.2 times) (p<0.0001) as compared to normotensive diabetic patients. The risk of developing HTN is more in female diabetics and of CAD in male hypertensive diabetic patients. It is concluded that obesity, older age, poor glycemic control, longer duration of DM and dyslipidemia increases the risk of HTN 2-9.5 times and HTN increases the risk of CAD by 4-5 times, hence requiring aggressive and comprehensive treatment of the diabetes mellitus syndrome. (author)

Understanding telecommunications networks

CERN Document Server

Valdar, Andy

2017-01-01

A telecommunications network is an electronic system of links, nodes and the controls that govern their operations to allow voice and data transfer among users and devices. This fully revised, updated and expanded second edition covers all aspects of today's networks, including how they are planned, formed and operated.

Inflammation and oxidative stress markers in diabetes and hypertension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pouvreau C

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Chloé Pouvreau,1 Antoine Dayre,1 Eugene G Butkowski,2 Beverlie de Jong,2 Herbert F Jelinek2,3 1Faculty of Sciences, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France; 2School of Community Health, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia; 3Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress are important factors associated with chronic disease such as essential hypertension (HTN and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. However, the association of inflammation and oxidative stress in HTN with T2DM as a comorbidity is inconclusive due to the multifactorial nature of these cardiometabolic diseases. Methodology: The influence of pathophysiological factors include genetics, age of patient, and disease progression change throughout the lifespan and require further investigation. The study population included 256 participants attending a rural health screening program who were tested for markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and coagulation/fibrinolysis. Demographic and clinical variables included, age, gender, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and cholesterol profile. Data were tested for normality, and nonparametric statistics were applied to analyze the sample with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Of the inflammatory markers, interleukin-1β (IL-1β and IL-10 were significantly different between the control and hypertensive group (p<0.03 and between the HTN+T2DM compared to the HTN group (p<0.05. Significant results for oxidative stress were observed for urinary 8-iso-PGF2α and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1 between the control and the HTN+T2DM group (p<0.01. Glutathione (GSH was also significant between the HTN and HTN+T2DM group (p<0.05. Investigation of the progression of HTN also found significant changes in the inflammatory markers IGF-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1, and

Hyperthyroidism, but not hypertension, impairs PITX2 expression leading to Wnt-microRNA-ion channel remodeling.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estefanía Lozano-Velasco

Full Text Available PITX2 is a homeobox transcription factor involved in embryonic left/right signaling and more recently has been associated to cardiac arrhythmias. Genome wide association studies have pinpointed PITX2 as a major player underlying atrial fibrillation (AF. We have previously described that PITX2 expression is impaired in AF patients. Furthermore, distinct studies demonstrate that Pitx2 insufficiency leads to complex gene regulatory network remodeling, i.e. Wnt>microRNAs, leading to ion channel impairment and thus to arrhythmogenic events in mice. Whereas large body of evidences has been provided in recent years on PITX2 downstream signaling pathways, scarce information is available on upstream pathways influencing PITX2 in the context of AF. Multiple risk factors are associated to the onset of AF, such as e.g. hypertension (HTN, hyperthyroidism (HTD and redox homeostasis impairment. In this study we have analyzed whether HTN, HTD and/or redox homeostasis impact on PITX2 and its downstream signaling pathways. Using rat models for spontaneous HTN (SHR and experimentally-induced HTD we have observed that both cardiovascular risk factors lead to severe Pitx2 downregulation. Interesting HTD, but not SHR, leads to up-regulation of Wnt signaling as well as deregulation of multiple microRNAs and ion channels as previously described in Pitx2 insufficiency models. In addition, redox signaling is impaired in HTD but not SHR, in line with similar findings in atrial-specific Pitx2 deficient mice. In vitro cell culture analyses using gain- and loss-of-function strategies demonstrate that Pitx2, Zfhx3 and Wnt signaling influence redox homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. Thus, redox homeostasis seems to play a pivotal role in this setting, providing a regulatory feedback loop. Overall these data demonstrate that HTD, but not HTN, can impair Pitx2>>Wnt pathway providing thus a molecular link to AF.

The Closed-Loop Supply Chain Network Equilibrium with Products Lifetime and Carbon Emission Constraints in Multiperiod Planning Horizon

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Guitao Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies a closed-loop supply chain network equilibrium problem in multiperiod planning horizons with consideration of product lifetime and carbon emission constraints. The closed-loop supply chain network consists of suppliers tier, manufacturer tier, retailers tier, and demand markets tier, in which the manufacturers collect used products from the demand markets directly. Product lifetime is introduced to denote the maximum times of manufacturing and remanufacturing, and the relation between adjacent periods is described by inventory transfer. By variational inequalities and complementary theory, the optimal behaviors of all the players are modeled, and, in turn, the governing closed-loop supply chain network equilibrium model is established. The model is solved by modified project contraction algorithm with fixed step. Optimal equilibrium results are computed and analyzed through numerical examples. The impacts of collection rate, remanufacturing conversion rate, product lifetime, and carbon emission cap on equilibrium states are analyzed. Finally, several managerial insights are given to provide decision support for entrepreneurs and government official along with some inspirations for future research.

Path Planning and Navigation for Mobile Robots in a Hybrid Sensor Network without Prior Location Information

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Zheng Zhang

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In a hybrid wireless sensor network with mobile and static nodes, which have no prior geographical knowledge, successful navigation for mobile robots is one of the main challenges. In this paper, we propose two novel navigation algorithms for outdoor environments, which permit robots to travel from one static node to another along a planned path in the sensor field, namely the RAC and the IMAP algorithms. Using this, the robot can navigate without the help of a map, GPS or extra sensor modules, only using the received signal strength indication (RSSI and odometry. Therefore, our algorithms have the advantage of being cost-effective. In addition, a path planning algorithm to schedule mobile robots' travelling paths is presented, which focuses on shorter distances and robust paths for robots by considering the RSSI-Distance characteristics. The simulations and experiments conducted with an autonomous mobile robot show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in an outdoor environment.

Wind energy planning in England, Wales and Denmark: Factors influencing project success

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLaren Loring, Joyce

2007-01-01

Land-use planning poses a significant barrier to the further development of on-shore wind energy in many countries. There has been increasing discussion regarding the use of public participation in the planning process in order to address concerns of local residents and ease conflicts. This research explores the dynamics of the planning process for wind energy in England, Wales and Denmark in order to better understand the factors influencing project success. Through 18 in-depth case studies, it investigates the degree of local community participation in the planning process and the stability of the network of individuals and organisations involved in the project to determine their relationship to the public's acceptance of the project and the planning outcome. The study draws on the frameworks of public participation in planning and actor-network theories in order to develop indicators of the level of community involvement and network formation for each case. The analysis discusses predictions made by the theoretical approaches as to the importance of these variables to the success of new projects. The results indicate that projects with high levels of participatory planning are more likely to be publicly accepted and successful. In addition, stable supporting networks are more likely to form. The presence of a stable network of supporters is not found to be related to project acceptance and success; however, the absence of a stable network of opponents is found to be necessary for project acceptance and success in receiving planning permission

Unexpected finding of a high prevalence of perinatal hypertension in a rural Haitian village: An observational study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryce C Gagliano

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are associated with maternal mortality worldwide. In Haiti, the risk of perinatal maternal death is high with sparse data concerning the prevalence of gestational hypertension (HTN reported from remote regions. Maternal morbidity associated with HTN-related sequellae will place a strain on the family unit. Thus, it is vital to the health of mothers as well as the rural communities to gain a better understanding of HTN with the goal of decreasing perinatal morbidity and mortality in areas without access to advanced healthcare. Methods In this study, we measured the prevalence of HTN in perinatal women in the Thomazeau region of Haiti who presented to a regional clinic staffed by volunteer international providers. Retrospective pre- and postpartum data was analyzed from 436 women who presented between January 2013 and July 2015. Additionally, a subset of current (June-July 2015 prepartum (n=200 and postpartum (n=82 women had a urinalysis performed to access for proteinuria and other urine markers. Demographic data collected included blood pressure, age, weight, height, gravidity, and parity. The criteria for HTN was defined as two blood pressure readings taken at separate time points with systolic and diastolic pressures greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, respectively. Results In this cohort of 436 women, 57 (13.1% met the criteria of HTN before giving birth and 98 (22.5% afterwards. Of the women found to be hypertensive, 64 (65.3% of the hypertensive women after birth had not been hypertensive prepartum. Within the two-week current period assessing 282 women, 3 (1.5% prepartum and 13 (15.9% postpartum women with HTN had trace proteinuria. Conclusions In this cohort of rural women, we describe an unusually high prevalence of new onset postpartum HTN. As complications of gestational HTN including preeclampsia and eclampsia may contribute to perinatal morbidity and mortality for both mother and baby in

RISK OF OBESITY FOR HYPERTENSION DIFFERS BETWEEN DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC SUBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Sayeed

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, non-communicable diseases (NCD like obesity, hypertension (HTN and Type2 diabetes (T2DM are on the increase, specially in the developing nations. Body mass index (BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR and Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR are used as indices of obesity to relate T2DM, HTN and coronary artery disease (CAD. This study addresses whether the risk of obesity for HTN differs between T2DM and non-DM subjects. We investigated 693 diabetic patients from BIRDEM and 2384 from communities. We measured height, weight, waist-girth, hip-girth and blood pressure. All subjects underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT. BMI, WHR and WHtR were calculated. Systolic and diastolic hypertension (sHTN and dHTN were defined as SBP >=140 and DBP >= 90 mmHg, respectively. The prevalence of both sHTN and dHTN in T2DM was higher than the non-DM subjects (sHTN: 49.1 vs 14.3%, dHTN 19.6 vs. 9.5%. The comparison of characteristics between subjects with and without hypertension showed that the differences were significant for age, weight, waist-girth, BMI, WHR and WHtR for both T2DM and non-DM subjects (for all p<0.001. The increasing trend of hypertension with increasing obesity was observed more in the non-DM than in the T2DM subjects. The risk (OR of obesity for hypertension increased with increasing WHR and WHtR in the non-DM than the T2DM subjects. Compared with the non-DM the T2DM participants had two to three folds higher prevalence of HTN. In either group, BMI, WHR and WHtR were significantly higher in the hypertensive than the non-hypertensive subjects. The prevalence of hypertension increased with the increasing BMI, WHR and WHtR but significant only in the non-DM. Further studies may confirm these findings and determine whether there was any altered association between blood pressure and obesity in diabetes possibily, with or without autonomic neuropathy. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2007; 1(1: 1-6

Noticing climate change in electricity network design and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syri, S.; Martikeinen, A.; Lehtonen, M.

2007-01-01

The climate change is widely known to cause remarkable effects to electricity network systems on the whole. Some of the changes are good but the most of the changes cause disadvantages to electricity network. Consequence of climate change, blackouts can be long-standing which affect remarkable society and economic life. Most of electricity networks are coming to a renovation phase and the solutions, that are being made nowadays, affect still after decades. Taking account of climate change, now when networks are being developed and planned, it is possible to avoid possible large repair operation and increase reliability of distribution in the future. The aim of this project is to clarify how climate change should be noticed in planning and construction processes. According to the results of this project electricity network companies can be prepared for climate change by developing planning processes and network cost effectively. Also construction processes are being developed but emphasis is on planning process. The results and developed knowledge of VTT research project 'Impacts of climate change on electricity network business' are exploited in this project. In addition, impacts of climate change on cables and transformers are analyzed in collaboration with TKK in the project. (orig.)

Association between blood pressure and magnesium and uric acid levels in indigenous Argentinean children at high altitude.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschler, Valeria; González, Claudio; Maccallini, Gustavo; Molinari, Claudia; Castano, Luis

2017-07-08

To determine the association between nontraditional risk factors such as magnesium and uric acid with blood pressure (BP) in Indigenous children. A total of 263 school-aged indigenous children living at high altitude were enrolled in a cross-sectional study in November 2011. Prehypertension (preHTN) and hypertension (HTN) were defined by systolic and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90th to magnesium levels were identified in 21.7% (57/263): 28.1% (16/57) of the children with low magnesium levels had preHTN versus 9.7% (20/206) with normal magnesium values. Furthermore, 21.8% (12/57) of the children with low magnesium levels had HTN versus 4.5% (20/206) with normal magnesium values. There was a significant association between mean arterial pressure and magnesium (r = -026), uric acid (r = 0.20), phosphorus (r = -0.17), z-BMI (r = 0.22), potassium (r = -0.10), HOMA-IR (r = 0.17), calcium (r = -0.10), and sodium (r = -0.13). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that mean arterial pressure was associated significantly and directly with BMI, age, gender, and uric acid; and inversely with magnesium, adjusted for sodium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and HOMA-IR (R 2  = 0.43). Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that magnesium (OR = 0.015) and uric acid (OR = 2.95) were significantly associated with preHTN. Similar results were obtained when preHTN was replaced by HTN. Our results indicate that HTN was associated inversely with magnesium and positively with uric acid in indigenous school children. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Blood pressure variability in children with primary vs secondary hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Leisman, Daniel; Meyers, Melissa; Schnall, Jeremy; Chorny, Nataliya; Frank, Rachel; Infante, Lulette; Sethna, Christine B

2014-06-01

Increased blood pressure variability (BPV) is correlated with adverse cardiovascular (CV) events in adults. However, there has been limited research on its effect in the pediatric population. Additionally, BPV differences between primary and secondary hypertension (HTN) are not known. Children with primary and secondary HTN underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and echocardiography studies. BPV measures of standard deviation (SD), average real variability (ARV), and range were calculated for the 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime periods. Seventy-four patients (median age, 13.5 years; 74% boys) were examined, 40 of whom had primary HTN. Body mass index z score and age were independent predictors of systolic ARV (R(2) =0.14) and SD (R(2) =0.39). There were no statistically significant differences in overall or wake period BPV measures between secondary or primary HTN groups, but sleep period diastolic SD was significantly greater in the secondary HTN group (9.26±3.8 vs 7.1±2.8, P=.039). On multiple regression analysis, secondary HTN was associated with increased sleep period diastolic SD (P=.025). No metrics of BPV in the overall, wake, and sleep periods were found to be significantly associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The results of this study do not show a strong relationship between overall or wake BPV with primary vs secondary HTN, but the association of secondary HTN with sleep period diastolic BPV deserves further exploration. Contrary to expectation, the findings of this study failed to indicate a relationship between BPV and LVH for all patients as well for primary hypertensive and secondary hypertensive patients. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness and cerebrovascular pulsatility in adults with and without hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefferts, Wesley K; DeBlois, Jacob P; Receno, Candace N; Barreira, Tiago V; Brutsaert, Tom D; Carhart, Robert L; Heffernan, Kevin S

2018-04-19

Stiffer central arteries, as seen in hypertension (HTN), foster transmission of pulsatile hemodynamics into fragile cerebral vessels. Aerobic exercise is recommended for adults with HTN, but its effects on arterial stiffness and pulsatility in this group are unclear. This study sought to investigate the effect of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness and cerebrovascular pulsatility in 30 adults with treated HTN and 30 age, sex, and BMI-matched adults without HTN (56 ± 6 years, BMI 28.2 ± 2.9 kg/m; 28 women). Patients underwent hemodynamic measures before/after 30-min cycling (≈55% peak oxygen consumption). Aortic stiffness was measured using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and carotid artery stiffness was assessed with β-stiffness via ultrasound. Aortic/carotid pulse pressure (aortic via radial generalized transfer function) was measured by tonometry and calibrated to brachial mean pressure and diastolic pressure. Carotid/middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood velocity pulsatility indices were measured using Doppler. Carotid wave intensity analysis was used to derive forward wave intensity (W1). Exercise impacted hemodynamics similarly in HTN compared to no-HTN. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, MCA pulsatility index, carotid pulsatility index, and W1 increased similarly after exercise in both groups (P < 0.05). Carotid pulse pressure and β-stiffness were unaltered after exercise. Postexercise changes in W1 were positively associated with carotid pulsatility index, which was further associated with MCA pulsatility index. These data suggest adults with treated HTN experience similar increases in aortic stiffness and cerebrovascular hemodynamic pulsatility during early recovery from acute aerobic exercise as their counterparts without HTN.

Planning the network of gas pipelines through modeling tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sucupira, Marcos L.L.; Lutif Filho, Raimundo B. [Companhia de Gas do Ceara (CEGAS), Fortaleza, CE (Brazil)

2009-07-01

Natural gas is a source of non-renewable energy used by different sectors of the economy of Ceara. Its use may be industrial, residential, commercial, as a source of automotive fuel, as a co-generation of energy and as a source for generating electricity from heat. For its practicality this energy has a strong market acceptance and provides a broad list of clients to fit their use, which makes it possible to reach diverse parts of the city. Its distribution requires a complex network of pipelines that branches throughout the city to meet all potential clients interested in this source of energy. To facilitate the design, analysis, expansion and location of bottlenecks and breaks in the distribution network, a modeling software is used that allows the network manager of the net to manage the various information about the network. This paper presents the advantages of modeling the gas distribution network of natural gas companies in Ceara, showing the tool used, the steps necessary for the implementation of the models, the advantages of using the software and the findings obtained with its use. (author)

Toetsing van het gehalte duurzame veiligheid met Safer Transportation Network Planning : integratie van de ‘DV-gehaltemeter’ in het ontwerpprogramma ‘Safer-TNP’

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hummel, T.

2001-01-01

Testing the sustainable-safety contents with Safer Transportation Network Planning. In the publication entitled “Developing a sustainable-safety meter (DV-meter) for measuring the sustainable-safety contents” (Van der Kooi & Dijkstra, 2000), the development of and a pilot measurement with a

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension: a dual threat.

Science.gov (United States)

Oktay, Ahmet Afşin; Akturk, Halis Kaan; Jahangir, Eiman

2016-07-01

The following is a review of the current concepts on the relationship between hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus with a focus on the epidemiology and cardiovascular prognostic implications of coexistent HTN and diabetes mellitus, shared mechanisms underlying both conditions and pathophysiology of increased risk of cardiovascular disease, treatment of HTN in individuals with diabetes mellitus, and effects of anti-diabetic medications on blood pressure (BP). Diabetes mellitus and HTN often coexist in the same individual. They share numerous risk factors and underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, most important of which are insulin resistance and inappropriate activation of the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Recently updated guidelines recommend a BP goal of 140/90 mmHg in most individuals with diabetes mellitus. A new class of anti-diabetic medications, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, has shown favorable effects on BP. HTN affects the majority of individuals with diabetes mellitus. Coexistence of diabetes mellitus and HTN, especially if BP is not well controlled, dramatically increases the risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. BP control is an essential part of management of patients with diabetes mellitus, because it is one of the most effective ways to prevent vascular complications and death.

Synthesis of railway-signaling plans using reachability games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kasting, Patrick Frederik Soelmark; Hansen, Michael Reichhardt; Vester, Steen

2016-01-01

(the control system) controls signals and points and the universal player (the antagonistic environment) controls movement of trains. A winning strategy for the existential player provides a signaling plan that will safely guide trains through the network. The concepts from the railway network model......In this work, we show the feasibility of using functional programming (more specifically F#) in connection with gamebased methods for synthesis of correct-by-construction controllers (also called signaling plans) for railway networks. This is a massively resource-demanding application. A model...

Voice Quality Estimation in Combined Radio-VoIP Networks for Dispatching Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiri Vodrazka

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The voice quality modelling assessment and planning field is deeply and widely theoretically and practically mastered for common voice communication systems, especially for the public fixed and mobile telephone networks including Next Generation Networks (NGN - internet protocol based networks. This article seeks to contribute voice quality modelling assessment and planning for dispatching communication systems based on Internet Protocol (IP and private radio networks. The network plan, correction in E-model calculation and default values for the model are presented and discussed.

Sustainable wireless networks

CERN Document Server

Zheng, Zhongming; Xuemin

2013-01-01

This brief focuses on network planning and resource allocation by jointly considering cost and energy sustainability in wireless networks with sustainable energy. The characteristics of green energy and investigating existing energy-efficient green approaches for wireless networks with sustainable energy is covered in the first part of this brief. The book then addresses the random availability and capacity of the energy supply. The authors explore how to maximize the energy sustainability of the network and minimize the failure probability that the mesh access points (APs) could deplete their

Understanding the Collaborative Planning Process in Homeless Services: Networking, Advocacy, and Local Government Support May Reduce Service Gaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarpe, Meghan; Mosley, Jennifer E; Smith, Bikki Tran

2018-06-07

The Continuum of Care (CoC) process-a nationwide system of regional collaborative planning networks addressing homelessness-is the chief administrative method utilized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to prevent and reduce homelessness in the United States. The objective of this study is to provide a benchmark comprehensive picture of the structure and practices of CoC networks, as well as information about which of those factors are associated with lower service gaps, a key goal of the initiative. A national survey of the complete population of CoCs in the United States was conducted in 2014 (n = 312, 75% response rate). This survey is the first to gather information on all available CoC networks. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to determine the relationship between internal networking, advocacy frequency, government investment, and degree of service gaps for CoCs of different sizes. United States. Lead contacts for CoCs (n = 312) that responded to the 2014 survey. Severity of regional service gaps for people who are homeless. Descriptive statistics show that CoCs vary considerably in regard to size, leadership, membership, and other organizational characteristics. Several independent variables were associated with reduced regional service gaps: networking for small CoCs (β = -.39, P < .05) and local government support for midsized CoCs (β = -.10, P < .05). For large CoCs, local government support was again significantly associated with lower service gaps, but there was also a significant interaction effect between advocacy and networking (β = .04, P < .05). To reduce service gaps and better serve the homeless, CoCs should consider taking steps to improve networking, particularly when advocacy is out of reach, and cultivate local government investment and support.

Deep Deconvolutional Neural Network for Target Segmentation of Nasopharyngeal Cancer in Planning Computed Tomography Images.

Science.gov (United States)

Men, Kuo; Chen, Xinyuan; Zhang, Ye; Zhang, Tao; Dai, Jianrong; Yi, Junlin; Li, Yexiong

2017-01-01

Radiotherapy is one of the main treatment methods for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). It requires exact delineation of the nasopharynx gross tumor volume (GTVnx), the metastatic lymph node gross tumor volume (GTVnd), the clinical target volume (CTV), and organs at risk in the planning computed tomography images. However, this task is time-consuming and operator dependent. In the present study, we developed an end-to-end deep deconvolutional neural network (DDNN) for segmentation of these targets. The proposed DDNN is an end-to-end architecture enabling fast training and testing. It consists of two important components: an encoder network and a decoder network. The encoder network was used to extract the visual features of a medical image and the decoder network was used to recover the original resolution by deploying deconvolution. A total of 230 patients diagnosed with NPC stage I or stage II were included in this study. Data from 184 patients were chosen randomly as a training set to adjust the parameters of DDNN, and the remaining 46 patients were the test set to assess the performance of the model. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to quantify the segmentation results of the GTVnx, GTVnd, and CTV. In addition, the performance of DDNN was compared with the VGG-16 model. The proposed DDNN method outperformed the VGG-16 in all the segmentation. The mean DSC values of DDNN were 80.9% for GTVnx, 62.3% for the GTVnd, and 82.6% for CTV, whereas VGG-16 obtained 72.3, 33.7, and 73.7% for the DSC values, respectively. DDNN can be used to segment the GTVnx and CTV accurately. The accuracy for the GTVnd segmentation was relatively low due to the considerable differences in its shape, volume, and location among patients. The accuracy is expected to increase with more training data and combination of MR images. In conclusion, DDNN has the potential to improve the consistency of contouring and streamline radiotherapy workflows, but careful human review and a

Network master planning for a global manufacturing company

OpenAIRE

Heinz, Michael Pierre

2006-01-01

Production in global, intra-organisational networks is becoming more common. In this context, the allocation of production quantities to constrained manufacturing capacity is a challenging process. Due to a volatile environment it is argued to be impossible to achieve a ‘clean’ system design with dedicated resources which exactly meets future demand. Thus, recursive ‘Network Master Planning’ (NMP) becomes necessary. The aim of this research is to generate an understanding of th...

Risk-based flood-planning strategy for Vermont's roadway network.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

In this project, the authors extend the use of a previously established measure of link-specific criticality, the Network Robustness Index (NRI), to address disruptions in Vermonts federal-aid road network caused by summertime flooding. The goal o...

COLLABORATIVE MULTI-LEVEL PLAN MONITORING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad K. ALLOUCHE

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The recent worldwide connectivity and the net-centricity of military operations (coalition-based operations are witnessing an increasing need for the monitoring of plan execution for enhanced resource management and decision making. Monitoring of ongoing operations is the process of continuous observation recording and reporting. In this process the plan becomes a resource that needs to be managed effi ciently. The centralized approach to plan monitoring soon reaches its limits when plan execution is distributed across different organizations/countries. We propose a new framework that would allow different monitoring nodes distributed across the network. An effi cient propagation mechanism that allows information exchange between the different nodes would also be needed. The main purpose of this mechanism is to present the right information, to the right person, at the right time. To cope with a rapid increase of information fl ow through the network, an effi cient alarm management mechanism allows the presentation of the information with an appropriate level of details.

Modeling, Simulation and Analysis of Complex Networked Systems: A Program Plan for DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, D L

2009-05-01

Many complex systems of importance to the U.S. Department of Energy consist of networks of discrete components. Examples are cyber networks, such as the internet and local area networks over which nearly all DOE scientific, technical and administrative data must travel, the electric power grid, social networks whose behavior can drive energy demand, and biological networks such as genetic regulatory networks and metabolic networks. In spite of the importance of these complex networked systems to all aspects of DOE's operations, the scientific basis for understanding these systems lags seriously behind the strong foundations that exist for the 'physically-based' systems usually associated with DOE research programs that focus on such areas as climate modeling, fusion energy, high-energy and nuclear physics, nano-science, combustion, and astrophysics. DOE has a clear opportunity to develop a similarly strong scientific basis for understanding the structure and dynamics of networked systems by supporting a strong basic research program in this area. Such knowledge will provide a broad basis for, e.g., understanding and quantifying the efficacy of new security approaches for computer networks, improving the design of computer or communication networks to be more robust against failures or attacks, detecting potential catastrophic failure on the power grid and preventing or mitigating its effects, understanding how populations will respond to the availability of new energy sources or changes in energy policy, and detecting subtle vulnerabilities in large software systems to intentional attack. This white paper outlines plans for an aggressive new research program designed to accelerate the advancement of the scientific basis for complex networked systems of importance to the DOE. It will focus principally on four research areas: (1) understanding network structure, (2) understanding network dynamics, (3) predictive modeling and simulation for complex

Modeling, Simulation and Analysis of Complex Networked Systems: A Program Plan for DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.L.

2009-01-01

Many complex systems of importance to the U.S. Department of Energy consist of networks of discrete components. Examples are cyber networks, such as the internet and local area networks over which nearly all DOE scientific, technical and administrative data must travel, the electric power grid, social networks whose behavior can drive energy demand, and biological networks such as genetic regulatory networks and metabolic networks. In spite of the importance of these complex networked systems to all aspects of DOE's operations, the scientific basis for understanding these systems lags seriously behind the strong foundations that exist for the 'physically-based' systems usually associated with DOE research programs that focus on such areas as climate modeling, fusion energy, high-energy and nuclear physics, nano-science, combustion, and astrophysics. DOE has a clear opportunity to develop a similarly strong scientific basis for understanding the structure and dynamics of networked systems by supporting a strong basic research program in this area. Such knowledge will provide a broad basis for, e.g., understanding and quantifying the efficacy of new security approaches for computer networks, improving the design of computer or communication networks to be more robust against failures or attacks, detecting potential catastrophic failure on the power grid and preventing or mitigating its effects, understanding how populations will respond to the availability of new energy sources or changes in energy policy, and detecting subtle vulnerabilities in large software systems to intentional attack. This white paper outlines plans for an aggressive new research program designed to accelerate the advancement of the scientific basis for complex networked systems of importance to the DOE. It will focus principally on four research areas: (1) understanding network structure, (2) understanding network dynamics, (3) predictive modeling and simulation for complex networked systems

MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION- INSIGHTS INTO REAL-WORLD CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR DIFFERENTIAL USAGE OF CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS (CCBS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arup Dasbiswas

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Calcium channel blockers (CCB like amlodipine, S (- amlodipine and cilnidipine, etc. have established place in the treatment of hypertension (HTN. As perceived by most of the physicians, they have comparative antihypertensive efficacy. However, available evidences suggest varied differences in incidence of pedal oedema. Aim- This survey was planned to understand real-world clinical practice pattern of Indian physicians for usage of various antihypertensive agents with emphasis on CCBs and whether differential incidence of oedema with CCBs is encountered in their clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Survey questionnaire consisting of 10 questions about preferred antihypertensive choice for different subsets of patients with HTN and efficacy and safety of S (- amlodipine was prepared and validated in small group of physicians. Overall, 494 general physicians and cardiologists practising in India were approached for seeking their opinion on usage of various CCBs. Statistical Analysis- Data were expressed in percentage. Design- Prospective, cross sectional, questionnaire-based survey. RESULTS Amongst various anti-hypertensive agents, majority of the physicians preferred CCB as their initial drug of choice for patients with HTN (53.8%, HTN with CKD (41.1%, elderly (55.3%, and young (30.8% patients. Though amlodipine was preferred by 75.7% physicians, pedal oedema was observed in >10% patients by 40.5% physicians. Most of the physicians rated S (- amlodipine to have better efficacy (79.4% and safety profile (88.3% with decreased incidence of pedal oedema than racemic Amlodipine. CONCLUSION Available evidences suggest comparative efficacy of S (- amlodipine and racemic amlodipine with varied differences in incidence of pedal oedema. However, our survey suggests better efficacy and safety of S (- amlodipine over racemic amlodipine as opined by most of the physicians of India. The survey findings need to be further evaluated in randomised

Adaptation of coordination mechanisms to network structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herwig Mittermayer

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The coordination efficiency of Supply Chain Management is determined by two opposite poles: benefit from improved planning results and associated coordination cost. The centralization grade, applied coordination mechanisms and IT support have influence on both categories. Therefore three reference types are developed and subsequently detailed in business process models for different network structures. In a simulation study the performance of these organization forms are compared in a process plant network. Coordination benefit is observed if the planning mode is altered by means of a demand planning IT tool. Coordination cost is divided into structural and activity-dependent cost. The activity level rises when reactive planning iterations become necessary as a consequence of inconsistencies among planning levels. Some characteristic influence factors are considered to be a reason for uninfeasible planning. In this study the effect of capacity availability and stochastic machine downtimes is investigated in an uncertain demand situation. Results that if the network runs with high overcapacity, central planning is less likely to increase benefit enough to outweigh associated cost. Otherwise, if capacity constraints are crucial, a central planning mode is recommendable. When also unforeseen machine downtimes are low, the use of sophisticated IT tools is most profitable.

Generation capacity expansion planning in deregulated electricity markets

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Deepak

With increasing demand of electric power in the context of deregulated electricity markets, a good strategic planning for the growth of the power system is critical for our tomorrow. There is a need to build new resources in the form of generation plants and transmission lines while considering the effects of these new resources on power system operations, market economics and the long-term dynamics of the economy. In deregulation, the exercise of generation planning has undergone a paradigm shift. The first stage of generation planning is now undertaken by the individual investors. These investors see investments in generation capacity as an increasing business opportunity because of the increasing market prices. Therefore, the main objective of such a planning exercise, carried out by individual investors, is typically that of long-term profit maximization. This thesis presents some modeling frameworks for generation capacity expansion planning applicable to independent investor firms in the context of power industry deregulation. These modeling frameworks include various technical and financing issues within the process of power system planning. The proposed modeling frameworks consider the long-term decision making process of investor firms, the discrete nature of generation capacity addition and incorporates transmission network modeling. Studies have been carried out to examine the impact of the optimal investment plans on transmission network loadings in the long-run by integrating the generation capacity expansion planning framework within a modified IEEE 30-bus transmission system network. The work assesses the importance of arriving at an optimal IRR at which the firm's profit maximization objective attains an extremum value. The mathematical model is further improved to incorporate binary variables while considering discrete unit sizes, and subsequently to include the detailed transmission network representation. The proposed models are novel in the

Collective Travel Planning in Spatial Networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo; Chen, Lisi; Wei, Zhewei; Jensen, Christian S.; Wen, Ji-Rong; Kalnis, Panos

2017-01-01

We propose and investigate a novel query, the Collective Travel Planning (CTP) query, that finds the lowest-cost route connecting multiple query sources and a destination via at most k meeting points. This type of query is useful in organizing large

Leader-Follower Approach to Gas-Electricity Expansion Planning Problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khaligh, Vahid; Oloomi Buygi, Majid; Anvari-Moghaddam, Amjad

2018-01-01

investment in capacity addition to the generation and transmission levels while considers the limitations on fuel consumption. On the other hand gas operator decides about investment in gas pipelines expansions considering the demanded gas by the electricity network. In this planning model for a joint gas......The main purpose of this paper is to develop a method for sequential gas and electricity networks expansion planning problem. A leader-follower approach performs the expansion planning of the joint gas and electricity networks. Electric system operator under adequacy incentive decides about......-electricity network, supply and demand are matched together while adequacy of fuel for gas consuming units is also guaranteed. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method Khorasan province of Iran is considered as a case study which has a high penetration level of gas-fired power plants (GFPP). Also...

System network planning expansion using mathematical programming, genetic algorithms and tabu search

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadegheih, A.; Drake, P.R.

2008-01-01

In this paper, system network planning expansion is formulated for mixed integer programming, a genetic algorithm (GA) and tabu search (TS). Compared with other optimization methods, GAs are suitable for traversing large search spaces, since they can do this relatively rapidly and because the use of mutation diverts the method away from local minima, which will tend to become more common as the search space increases in size. GA's give an excellent trade off between solution quality and computing time and flexibility for taking into account specific constraints in real situations. TS has emerged as a new, highly efficient, search paradigm for finding quality solutions to combinatorial problems. It is characterized by gathering knowledge during the search and subsequently profiting from this knowledge. The attractiveness of the technique comes from its ability to escape local optimality. The cost function of this problem consists of the capital investment cost in discrete form, the cost of transmission losses and the power generation costs. The DC load flow equations for the network are embedded in the constraints of the mathematical model to avoid sub-optimal solutions that can arise if the enforcement of such constraints is done in an indirect way. The solution of the model gives the best line additions and also provides information regarding the optimal generation at each generation point. This method of solution is demonstrated on the expansion of a 10 bus bar system to 18 bus bars. Finally, a steady-state genetic algorithm is employed rather than generational replacement, also uniform crossover is used

Learning Errors by Radial Basis Function Neural Networks and Regularization Networks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Neruda, Roman; Vidnerová, Petra

2009-01-01

Roč. 1, č. 2 (2009), s. 49-57 ISSN 2005-4262 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M0567 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : neural network * RBF networks * regularization * learning Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science http://www.sersc.org/journals/IJGDC/vol2_no1/5.pdf

Identification of Dobrava, Hantaan, Seoul, and Puumala viruses by one-step real-time RT-PCR.

Science.gov (United States)

Aitichou, Mohamed; Saleh, Sharron S; McElroy, Anita K; Schmaljohn, C; Ibrahim, M Sofi

2005-03-01

We developed four assays for specifically identifying Dobrava (DOB), Hantaan (HTN), Puumala (PUU), and Seoul (SEO) viruses. The assays are based on the real-time one-step reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with the small segment used as the target sequence. The detection limits of DOB, HTN, PUU, and SEO assays were 25, 25, 25, and 12.5 plaque-forming units, respectively. The assays were evaluated in blinded experiments, each with 100 samples that contained Andes, Black Creek Canal, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever and Sin Nombre viruses in addition to DOB, HTN, PUU and SEO viruses. The sensitivity levels of the DOB, HTN, PUU, and SEO assays were 98%, 96%, 92% and 94%, respectively. The specificity of DOB, HTN and SEO assays was 100% and the specificity of the PUU assay was 98%. Because of the high levels of sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, we believe that these assays can be useful for diagnosing and differentiating these four Old-World hantaviruses.

Use of Bayesian Networks to Analyze Port Variables in Order to Make Sustainable Planning and Management Decision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Molina Serrano

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the current economic, social and political environment, society demands a greater variety of outcomes from the public logistics sector, such as efficiency, efficiency of managed resources, greater transparency and business performance. All of them are an indispensable counterpart for its recognition and support. In case of port planning and management, many variables are included. Use of Bayesian Networks allows to classify, predict and diagnose these variables and even to estimate the subsequent probability of unknown variables, basing on the known ones. Research includes a data base with more than 40 variables, which have been classified as smart port studies in Spain. Then a network was generated using a non-cyclic conducted grafo, which shows port variable relationships. As conclusion, economic variables are cause of the rest of categories and they represent a parent role in the most of cases. Furthermore, if environmental variables are known, subsequent probability of social variables can be estimated.

Prevalence of Hypertension in HIV/AIDS Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART Compared with HAART-Naive Patients at the Limbe Regional Hospital, Cameroon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Akem Dimala

Full Text Available Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART has greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality of HIV/AIDS patients but has also been associated with increased metabolic complications and cardiovascular diseases. Data on the association between HAART and hypertension (HTN in Africa are scarce.Primarily to compare the prevalence of HTN in HIV/AIDS patients on HAART and HAART-naïve patients in Limbe, Cameroon; and secondarily to assess other socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with HTN in this population.A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Limbe Regional Hospital HIV treatment center between April and June 2013, involving 200 HIV/AIDS patients (100 on first-line HAART regimens for at least 12 months matched by age and sex to 100 HAART-naïve patients. HTN was defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg.The prevalence of HTN in patients on HAART was twice (38%; 95% CI: 28.5-48.3 that of the HAART-naïve patients (19%; 95% CI, 11.8-28.1, p = 0.003. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age, gender, smoking, family history of HTN, and BMI-defined overweight, HAART was associated with HTN, the adjusted odds ratio of the HAART-treated versus HAART-naïve group was 2.20 (95% CI: 1.07-4.52, p = 0.032. HTN was associated with older age and male gender, in the HAART group and with BMI-defined overweight in the HAART-naïve group.The prevalence of hypertension in HIV/AIDS patients in Limbe stands out to be elevated, higher in patients on HAART compared to those not on treatment. Blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors should be routinely monitored. Other factors such as diet, weight control and physical exercise should also be considered.

Quality of hypertension care in the family practice center, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yahia M Al-Khaldi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Hypertension (HTN is a common health problem in Saudi Arabia. Good control depends on the quality of care, which should be supervised and monitored regularly through clinical audit. Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the quality of HTN care at Al-Manhal Family Practice, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. Settings and Design: This study was conductedin 2009 at Al-Manhal Family Practice, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Medical records of all hypertensive patients were extracted and reviewed using master sheets. Assessment of processes and outcomes of HTN care were based on the standards of quality assurance manual issuedby the Ministry of Health. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered and analyzed by SPPS, version 15. Relevant statistical tests were used accordingly and the P-value was considered significant when it was less than 0.05. Results: A total of 295 medical records were reviewed and assessed. Most patients were Saudi, married, and about 50% were educated. Two-hundred and thirty-one records were assessed for processes and outcomes of HTN care. Weight measurement and physical examination were carried out for 99% and 97% of the patients, respectively. For 53% of the patients, blood was checked for glucose and kidney function and a lipid profile was done. More than two-thirds of the patients were overweight and obese while 46% had diabetes. Less than one half of the patients had good control of HTN. Conclusions: By most standards, quality of HTN care in Al-Manhal Family Practice was unsatisfactory. Most of the patients had comorbidities and poor HTN control. Essential facilities should be provided to the practice to optimize HTN care and to improve the degree of control.

Optimal transmission planning under the Mexican new electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zenón, Eric; Rosellón, Juan

2017-01-01

This paper addresses electricity transmission planning under the new industry and institutional structure of the Mexican electricity market, which has engaged in a deep reform process after decades of a state-owned-vertically-integrated-non-competitive-closed industry. Under this new structure, characterized by a nodal pricing system and an independent system operator (ISO), we analyze welfare-optimal network expansion with two modeling strategies. In a first model, we propose the use of an incentive price-cap mechanism to promote the expansion of Mexican networks. In a second model, we study centrally-planned grid expansion in Mexico by an ISO within a power-flow model. We carry out comparisons of these models which provide us with hints to evaluate the actual transmission planning process proposed by Mexican authorities (PRODESEN). We obtain that the PRODESEN plan appears to be a convergent welfare-optimal planning process. - Highlights: • We model transmission planning (PRODESEN) in the Mexican new electricity market. • We propose a first model with a price-cap mechanism to promote network expansion. • In a second power-flow model, we study centrally-planned grid expansions. • The PRODESEN appears to be a convergent welfare-optimal planning process. • Incentive regulation could further help to implement such an optimal process.

Information Networks in Biomedicine

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, William L.

1975-01-01

Describes current biomedical information networks, focusing on those with an educational function, and elaborates on the problems encountered in planning, implementing, utilizing and evaluating such networks. Journal of Biocommunication, T. Banks, Educ. TV-431N, U. of Calif., San Francisco 94143. Subscription Rates: individuals and libraries,…

Transforming network simulation data to semantic data for network attack planning

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chan, Ke Fai Peter

2017-03-01

Full Text Available study was performed, using the Common Open Research Emulator (CORE), to generate the necessary network simulation data. The simulation data was analysed, and then transformed into linked data. The result of the transformation is a data file that adheres...

75 FR 26180 - Effects on Broadband Communications Networks of Damage To or Failure of Network Equipment or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-11

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Chapter I [PS Docket No. 10-92; FCC 10-62] Effects on... the National Broadband Plan, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopted this... networks and to explore potential measures to reduce network vulnerability to failures in network equipment...

Understanding and planning ecological restoration of plant-pollinator networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Devoto, Mariano; Bailey, Sallie; Craze, Paul; Memmott, Jane

2012-04-01

Theory developed from studying changes in the structure and function of communities during natural or managed succession can guide the restoration of particular communities. We constructed 30 quantitative plant-flower visitor networks along a managed successional gradient to identify the main drivers of change in network structure. We then applied two alternative restoration strategies in silico (restoring for functional complementarity or redundancy) to data from our early successional plots to examine whether different strategies affected the restoration trajectories. Changes in network structure were explained by a combination of age, tree density and variation in tree diameter, even when variance explained by undergrowth structure was accounted for first. A combination of field data, a network approach and numerical simulations helped to identify which species should be given restoration priority in the context of different restoration targets. This combined approach provides a powerful tool for directing management decisions, particularly when management seeks to restore or conserve ecosystem function. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Rolling schedule approaches for supply chain operations planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spitter, J.M.

2005-01-01

Supply Chain Operations Planning (SCOP) involves the determination of an extensive production plan for a network of manufacturing and distribution entities within and across organizations. The production plan consist of order release decisions that allocate materials and resources in order to

Breastfeeding: Planning Ahead

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... your breastfeeding support network How to get your family on board with breastfeeding African-American celebrity moms ... health care Get health insurance Get help with family planning Get help with mental health Find girls' ...

Impact of hypertension severity on arterial stiffness, cerebral vasoreactivity, and cognitive performance

Science.gov (United States)

Muela, Henrique Cotchi Simbo; Costa-Hong, Valeria A.; Yassuda, Monica Sanches; Machado, Michel Ferreira; Nogueira, Ricardo de Carvalho; Moraes, Natalia C.; Memória, Claudia Maia; Macedo, Thiago A.; Bor-Seng-Shu, Edson; Massaro, Ayrton Roberto; Nitrini, Ricardo; Bortolotto, Luiz A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT. Aging, hypertension (HTN), and other cardiovascular risk factors contribute to structural and functional changes of the arterial wall. Objective: To evaluate whether arterial stiffness (AS) is related to cerebral blood flow changes and its association with cognitive function in patients with hypertension. Methods: 211 patients (69 normotensive and 142 hypertensive) were included. Patients with hypertension were divided into 2 stages: HTN stage-1 and HTN stage-2. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and a battery of neuropsychological (NPE) tests were used to determine cognitive function. Pulse wave velocity was measured using the Complior®. Carotid properties were assessed by radiofrequency ultrasound. Central arterial pressure and augmentation index were obtained using applanation tonometry. Middle cerebral artery flow velocity was measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Results: Both arterial stiffness parameters and cerebral vasoreactivity worsened in line with HTN severity. There was a negative correlation between breath holding index (BHI) and arterial stiffness parameters. Cognitive performance worsened in line with HTN severity, with statistical difference occurring mainly between the HTN-2 and normotension groups on both the MMSE and MoCA. The same tendency was observed on the NPE tests. Conclusion: Hypertension severity was associated with higher AS, worse BHI, and lower cognitive performance. PMID:29354219

Mitral annular systolic velocity as a marker of preclinical systolic dysfunction among patients with arterial hypertension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daskalov Ivaylo Rilkov

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate early changes in left ventricular longitudinal systolic function in patients with hypertension (HTN with and without concomitant diastolic dysfunction (DD and the clinical implications of these findings. Method We enrolled 299 patients with HTN and 297 age-matched patients with HTN and DD and compared both groups with an age-matched control group consisting of 100 healthy subjects. The long axis systolic function was investigated by determining the average peak systolic velocity of the septal and lateral mitral sites (Smavg using spectral pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging (TDI. Results We found a strong negative trend toward the reduction of velocity, which is dependent on the grade of HTN, on the magnitude of DD, and also on the gender and age of the subjects (r=−0.891/-0.580; p Conclusion The strength of the study is the analysis of incremental changes in longitudinal contraction in patients with different stage of HTN but not so many the classification of the degree of systolic dysfunction. The importance of our results lies in the fact that these initial changes in systolic contraction could be used as an early sign that should prompt optimization of the treatment of HTN.

Dynamic Mechanism Design for Efficient Planning under Uncertainty

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scharpff, J.C.D.; Spaan, M.T.J.; De Weerdt, M.M.

2012-01-01

We study the planning of maintenance activities on public infrastructural networks – road networks, Internet, power grids, etc. – in contingent environments such that the negative impact on the network user is minimised. Traditional efforts hereto are mainly of a regulatory nature, whereas we

Procedural issues in the development of a production plan in the petroleum transport computerized system of plan projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

German, V T; Karlikov, Y P; Papeev, V M; Samorodkin, V D; Vasil' ev, Y I

1980-01-01

The process of planning petroleum transportation must be described by a model that may be used to vary the distribution of the volumes of oil transported and to organize the oil flows so as to satisfy users requiring a particular volume of unprocessed petroleum. By means of the studies performed here, a number of conclusions may be drawn: 1. Available algorithms make it possible to compute the detailed network-wide indicators for petroleum transportation in the annual planning model; determine the capacities needed for individual members of the network; and create the necessary list of output documents for compliation of the tenative plan of production for oil transport; 2. An implementation of the oil transport plan using the specified route method should be based on an heuristic approach (a route is specified by a specialist or the routes of the current year are used), thereby allowing us to obtain the necessary production plans.

Dynamic Sensor Networks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Schott, Brian

2004-01-01

...: Declarative Languages and Execution Environment includes topographical soldier interface and a sensor network simulation environment for algorithm development, deployment planning, and operational support. Finally, Task 3...

NASA Networks: The Second Time Around.

Science.gov (United States)

Frate, A. Del

1988-01-01

Traces the development of a second generation library network consisting of 15 autonomous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) libraries. The discussion covers some comparisons between the first and second generation networks, types of computerized systems and communication systems used in the current network, and future plans.…

Complex Network Analysis of Guangzhou Metro

OpenAIRE

Yasir Tariq Mohmand; Fahad Mehmood; Fahd Amjad; Nedim Makarevic

2015-01-01

The structure and properties of public transportation networks can provide suggestions for urban planning and public policies. This study contributes a complex network analysis of the Guangzhou metro. The metro network has 236 kilometers of track and is the 6th busiest metro system of the world. In this paper topological properties of the network are explored. We observed that the network displays small world properties and is assortative in nature. The network possesses a high average degree...

Virtualized Network Control (VNC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehman, Thomas [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Guok, Chin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Ghani, Nasir [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2013-01-31

The focus of this project was on the development of a "Network Service Plane" as an abstraction model for the control and provisioning of multi-layer networks. The primary motivation for this work were the requirements of next generation networked applications which will need to access advanced networking as a first class resource at the same level as compute and storage resources. A new class of "Intelligent Network Services" were defined in order to facilitate the integration of advanced network services into application specific workflows. This new class of network services are intended to enable real-time interaction between the application co-scheduling algorithms and the network for the purposes of workflow planning, real-time resource availability identification, scheduling, and provisioning actions.

How democratic are Networks?- A framework for Assessing the Democratic Effects of Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agger, Annika; Löfgren, Karl

: How can we assess the democratic effects of formal network mobilisation?  The article will present a tentative framework deriving criteria from both traditional democratic theory, as well as new theories on democratic governance and collaborative planning, which can be deployed for empirical studies......There has, since the end of the 1980s, been a growing interest in western democracies for formally involving citizens in various local planning activities through network governance. The overarching goal has been to increase efficiency in local planning. Equally, it has also been accompanied...... by an underlying idea of enhancing public participation and mobilising the citizens, thereby strengthening local democracy. Even though much is written about these initiatives, the actual democratic effects of these activities have been notably overlooked in the literature. Both among scholars, as well...

City networks collaboration and planning for health and sustainability

CERN Document Server

Migdalas, Athanasios; Rassia, Stamatina; Pardalos, Panos

2017-01-01

Sustainable development within urban and rural areas, transportation systems, logistics, supply chain management, urban health, social services, and architectural design are taken into consideration in the cohesive network models provided in this book. The ideas, methods, and models presented consider city landscapes and quality of life conditions based on mathematical network models and optimization. Interdisciplinary Works from prominent researchers in mathematical modeling, optimization, architecture, engineering, and physics are featured in this volume to promote health and well-being through design.   Specific topics include: -          Current technology that form the basis of future living in smart cities -          Interdisciplinary design and networking of large-scale urban systems  -          Network communication and route traffic optimization -          Carbon dioxide emission reduction -          Closed-loop logistics chain management and operation ...

Aspects concerning power distribution networks planning using artificial intelligence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Georgescu, Gh.; Gavrilas, M.; Cartina, Gh. [Gh. Asachi Technical Univ. of Iasi, Iasi (Romania)

1997-12-31

This paper presents the application of AI tools for the on-line identification of load structure in distribution networks. The authors have considered Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) which are known as valuable and fast tools for pattern identification or completion. This approach to the load model allows a more detailed analysis directed towards the optimization of system structure and working conditions. Traditional methods produce good results but raise the processing time problem, especially when applied to large systems. For such cases another approach appeal to the Genetic Algorithms, which are frequently referenced in the literature concerned with PDS (reconfiguration of open loop radial networks, optimal var-sources distribution, optimal selection of transformer tap position). (author)

Friendly network robotics; Friendly network robotics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

This paper summarizes the research results on the friendly network robotics in fiscal 1996. This research assumes an android robot as an ultimate robot and the future robot system utilizing computer network technology. The robot aiming at human daily work activities in factories or under extreme environments is required to work under usual human work environments. The human robot with similar size, shape and functions to human being is desirable. Such robot having a head with two eyes, two ears and mouth can hold a conversation with human being, can walk with two legs by autonomous adaptive control, and has a behavior intelligence. Remote operation of such robot is also possible through high-speed computer network. As a key technology to use this robot under coexistence with human being, establishment of human coexistent robotics was studied. As network based robotics, use of robots connected with computer networks was also studied. In addition, the R-cube (R{sup 3}) plan (realtime remote control robot technology) was proposed. 82 refs., 86 figs., 12 tabs.

Using networking and communications software in business

CERN Document Server

McBride, PK

2014-01-01

Using Networking and Communications Software in Business covers the importance of networks in a business firm, the benefits of computer communications within a firm, and the cost-benefit in putting up networks in businesses. The book is divided into six parts. Part I looks into the nature and varieties of networks, networking standards, and network software. Part II discusses the planning of a networked system, which includes analyzing the requirements for the network system, the hardware for the network, and network management. The installation of the network system and the network managemen

Road network safety evaluation using Bayesian hierarchical joint model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jie; Huang, Helai

2016-05-01

Safety and efficiency are commonly regarded as two significant performance indicators of transportation systems. In practice, road network planning has focused on road capacity and transport efficiency whereas the safety level of a road network has received little attention in the planning stage. This study develops a Bayesian hierarchical joint model for road network safety evaluation to help planners take traffic safety into account when planning a road network. The proposed model establishes relationships between road network risk and micro-level variables related to road entities and traffic volume, as well as socioeconomic, trip generation and network density variables at macro level which are generally used for long term transportation plans. In addition, network spatial correlation between intersections and their connected road segments is also considered in the model. A road network is elaborately selected in order to compare the proposed hierarchical joint model with a previous joint model and a negative binomial model. According to the results of the model comparison, the hierarchical joint model outperforms the joint model and negative binomial model in terms of the goodness-of-fit and predictive performance, which indicates the reasonableness of considering the hierarchical data structure in crash prediction and analysis. Moreover, both random effects at the TAZ level and the spatial correlation between intersections and their adjacent segments are found to be significant, supporting the employment of the hierarchical joint model as an alternative in road-network-level safety modeling as well. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incentive-Compatible Robust Line Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Bessas, Apostolos; Kontogiannis, Spyros; Zaroliagis, Christos

The problem of robust line planning requests for a set of origin-destination paths (lines) along with their frequencies in an underlying railway network infrastructure, which are robust to fluctuations of real-time parameters of the solution. In this work, we investigate a variant of robust line planning stemming from recent regulations in the railway sector that introduce competition and free railway markets, and set up a new application scenario: there is a (potentially large) number of line operators that have their lines fixed and operate as competing entities issuing frequency requests, while the management of the infrastructure itself remains the responsibility of a single entity, the network operator. The line operators are typically unwilling to reveal their true incentives, while the network operator strives to ensure a fair (or socially optimal) usage of the infrastructure, e.g., by maximizing the (unknown to him) aggregate incentives of the line operators.

Deep Deconvolutional Neural Network for Target Segmentation of Nasopharyngeal Cancer in Planning Computed Tomography Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuo Men

2017-12-01

Full Text Available BackgroundRadiotherapy is one of the main treatment methods for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC. It requires exact delineation of the nasopharynx gross tumor volume (GTVnx, the metastatic lymph node gross tumor volume (GTVnd, the clinical target volume (CTV, and organs at risk in the planning computed tomography images. However, this task is time-consuming and operator dependent. In the present study, we developed an end-to-end deep deconvolutional neural network (DDNN for segmentation of these targets.MethodsThe proposed DDNN is an end-to-end architecture enabling fast training and testing. It consists of two important components: an encoder network and a decoder network. The encoder network was used to extract the visual features of a medical image and the decoder network was used to recover the original resolution by deploying deconvolution. A total of 230 patients diagnosed with NPC stage I or stage II were included in this study. Data from 184 patients were chosen randomly as a training set to adjust the parameters of DDNN, and the remaining 46 patients were the test set to assess the performance of the model. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC was used to quantify the segmentation results of the GTVnx, GTVnd, and CTV. In addition, the performance of DDNN was compared with the VGG-16 model.ResultsThe proposed DDNN method outperformed the VGG-16 in all the segmentation. The mean DSC values of DDNN were 80.9% for GTVnx, 62.3% for the GTVnd, and 82.6% for CTV, whereas VGG-16 obtained 72.3, 33.7, and 73.7% for the DSC values, respectively.ConclusionDDNN can be used to segment the GTVnx and CTV accurately. The accuracy for the GTVnd segmentation was relatively low due to the considerable differences in its shape, volume, and location among patients. The accuracy is expected to increase with more training data and combination of MR images. In conclusion, DDNN has the potential to improve the consistency of contouring and streamline radiotherapy

Review of and Updates on Hypertension in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masood Ahmad

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA is a prevalent sleep disorder as is hypertension (HTN in the 21st century with the rising incidence of obesity. Numerous studies have shown a strong association of OSA with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There is overwhelming evidence supporting the relationship between OSA and hypertension (HTN. The pathophysiology of HTN in OSA is complex and dependent on various factors such as sympathetic tone, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, endothelial dysfunction, and altered baroreceptor reflexes. The treatment of OSA is multifactorial ranging from CPAP to oral appliances to lifestyle modifications to antihypertensive drugs. OSA and HTN both need prompt diagnosis and treatment to help address the growing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality due to these two entities.

1B.08: USEFULNESS OF 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING IN PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuernberg, M; Lang, S; Curjol, A; Haddour, N; Ederhy, S; Asri, C El; Dufour-Soulat, L; Van Der Vynckt, C; Charbonnier, M; Cohen, A; Boccara, F

2015-06-01

This study aimed to determine the utility of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in a priori normotensive and known hypertensive people living with HIV by quantifying new hypertension (HTN), masked hypertension, uncontrolled BP, and white coat effect. Data analysed was from the Register of cardiovascular Complications among people living with HIV (RECOVIH), including 263 HIV+ individuals with 1 or more CV risk factors who underwent 24-h ABPM in our cardiac centre.Diagnostic criteria:Elevated clinic BP: at or above 140/90 mmHgElevated mean 24-h ABPM: at or above 130/80 mmHg, systolic and/or diastolicNew hypertension: elevated clinic BP and/or elevated mean 24-h ABPMMasked hypertension: normal clinic BP and elevated mean 24-h ABPMUncontrolled BP: elevated clinic BP and/or elevated mean 24 h ABPM, in known HTNWhite coat effect: elevated clinic BP and normal mean 24-h ABPM, in a priori normotensives. The cohort had a mean age of 50.3 ± 7.7 years, was predominantly male (91%), had a long median HIV duration (15.3 years), and included 150 (57%) known HTN.In RECOVIH the prevalence of new HTN was 22% (n = 25), of which 50% masked hypertension diagnosed by 24-h ABPM solely. Uncontrolled HTN prevalence was 45% using clinic BP alone and 32% using 24-h ABPM alone. 24-h ABPM revealed that this masked uncontrolled HTN was frequently due to poor nocturnal BP control. White coat effect prevalence was not significantly different between the 2 groups (6.3% a priori normotensives vs. 9.3% known HTN, p = 0.37).HTN subjects were older, had higher BMI, and more frequently had a history of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and heart failure as compared to normotensives. Masked hypertension prevalence is high in RECOVIH, particularly among a priori normotensives. Suboptimal BP control is frequent among patients with treated and well-controlled clinic BP. Clinic BP monitoring alone is inadequate to diagnose HTN and assess true BP control because elevated

A multi-objective multi-memetic algorithm for network-wide conflict-free 4D flight trajectories planning

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Su YAN; Kaiquan CAI

2017-01-01

Under the demand of strategic air traffic flow management and the concept of trajectory based operations (TBO),the network-wide 4D flight trajectories planning (N4DFTP) problem has been investigated with the purpose of safely and efficiently allocating 4D trajectories (4DTs) (3D position and time) for all the flights in the whole airway network.Considering that the introduction of large-scale 4DTs inevitably increases the problem complexity,an efficient model for strategic level conflict management is developed in this paper.Specifically,a bi-objective N4DFTP problem that aims to minimize both potential conflicts and the trajectory cost is formulated.In consideration of the large-scale,high-complexity,and multi-objective characteristics of the N4DFTP problem,a multi-objective multi-memetic algorithm (MOMMA) that incorporates an evolutionary global search framework together with three problem-specific local search operators is implemented.It is capable of rapidly and effectively allocating 4DTs via rerouting,target time controlling,and flight level changing.Additionally,to balance the ability of exploitation and exploration of the algorithm,a special hybridization scheme is adopted for the integration of local and global search.Empirical studies using real air traffic data in China with different network complexities show that the pro posed MOMMA is effective to solve the N4DFTP problem.The solutions achieved are competitive for elaborate decision support under a TBO environment.

A multi-objective multi-memetic algorithm for network-wide conflict-free 4D flight trajectories planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su YAN

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Under the demand of strategic air traffic flow management and the concept of trajectory based operations (TBO, the network-wide 4D flight trajectories planning (N4DFTP problem has been investigated with the purpose of safely and efficiently allocating 4D trajectories (4DTs (3D position and time for all the flights in the whole airway network. Considering that the introduction of large-scale 4DTs inevitably increases the problem complexity, an efficient model for strategic-level conflict management is developed in this paper. Specifically, a bi-objective N4DFTP problem that aims to minimize both potential conflicts and the trajectory cost is formulated. In consideration of the large-scale, high-complexity, and multi-objective characteristics of the N4DFTP problem, a multi-objective multi-memetic algorithm (MOMMA that incorporates an evolutionary global search framework together with three problem-specific local search operators is implemented. It is capable of rapidly and effectively allocating 4DTs via rerouting, target time controlling, and flight level changing. Additionally, to balance the ability of exploitation and exploration of the algorithm, a special hybridization scheme is adopted for the integration of local and global search. Empirical studies using real air traffic data in China with different network complexities show that the proposed MOMMA is effective to solve the N4DFTP problem. The solutions achieved are competitive for elaborate decision support under a TBO environment.

On the topology of optical transport networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardenas, J P; Santiago, A; Losada, J C; Benito, R M; Mouronte, M L

2010-01-01

Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) is the standard technology for information transmission in broadband optical networks. Unlike systems with unplanned growth, such as those of natural origin or the Internet network, the SDH systems are strictly planned as rings, meshes, stars or tree-branches structures designed to connect different equipments. In spite of that, we have found that the SDH network operated by Telefonica in Spain shares remarkable topological properties with other real complex networks as a product of its evolution since 1992. In fact, we have found power-law scaling in the degree distribution (N·P(k) = k -γ ) and small-world networks properties. The complexity found in SDH systems was reproduced by two models of complex networks, one of them considers real planning directives that take into account geographical and technological variables and the other one is based in the compatibility among SDH equipments.

Software network analyzer for computer network performance measurement planning over heterogeneous services in higher educational institutes

OpenAIRE

Ismail, Mohd Nazri

2009-01-01

In 21st century, convergences of technologies and services in heterogeneous environment have contributed multi-traffic. This scenario will affect computer network on learning system in higher educational Institutes. Implementation of various services can produce different types of content and quality. Higher educational institutes should have a good computer network infrastructure to support usage of various services. The ability of computer network should consist of i) higher bandwidth; ii) ...

Communication, knowledge, social network and family planning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AJRH Managing Editor

Tanzania; 2Centre for International Development Initiatives Nijmegen (CIDIN) and ... demographic variables, social networks, knowledge and communication among the couples, whereby a stratified sample of 440 ..... FP method varies with urban- rural and regional ...... Pile JM and Simbakalia C. Tanzania Case Study: A.

Logistics Mode and Network Planning for Recycle of Crop Straw Resources

OpenAIRE

Zhou, Lingyun; Gu, Weidong; Zhang, Qing

2013-01-01

To realize the straw biomass industrialized development, it should speed up building crop straw resource recycle logistics network, increasing straw recycle efficiency, and reducing straw utilization cost. On the basis of studying straw recycle process, this paper presents innovative concept and property of straw recycle logistics network, analyses design thinking of straw recycle logistics network, and works out straw recycle logistics mode and network topological structure. Finally, it come...

Common planning of operations of and extensions to a nuclear park and a high-voltage network of a service area with the aid of a modified optimization method of dynamic programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieselt, R.

1974-01-01

While making extensive use of the possibilities dynamic programming as an optimization method has to offer, a planning method for the common operation and the extension of a nuclear park and a high-voltage network for a service area of a large size is worked out in a system-analytical manner in this thesis. With the aid of the computer programmes developed, those decisions concerning construction and operation of power plant and network are looked for which result within appr. 10 years of planning in a minimum of overall generating and transmission costs. (orig./LN) [de

Ecological networks in urban landscapes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cook, E.A.

2000-01-01

This research focuses on the topic of ecological networks in urban landscapes. Analysis and planning of ecological networks is a relatively new phenomenon and is a response to fragmentation and deterioration of quality of natural systems. In agricultural areas and with existing nature

Cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive function in adults 30-59 years of age (NHANES III).

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlik, Valory N; Hyman, David J; Doody, Rachelle

2005-01-01

In the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), three measures of cognitive function [Simple Reaction Time Test (SRTT), Symbol Digit Substitution Test (SDST), and Serial Digit Learning Test (SDLT)] were administered to a half-sample of 3,385 adult men and nonpregnant women 30-59 years of age with no history of stroke. We used multiple linear regression analysis to determine whether there was an independent association between performance on each cognitive function measure and defined hypertension (HTN) alone, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) alone, and coexistent HTN and DM after adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic variables and selected health behaviors. After adjustment for the sociodemographic variables, the combination of HTN + DM, but not HTN alone or DM alone, was significantly associated with worse performance on the SRTT (p = 0.031) and the SDST (p = 0.011). A similar pattern was observed for SDLT performance, but the relationship did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.101). We conclude that HTN in combination with DM is associated with detectable cognitive decrements in persons under age 60.

Planning the City Logistics Terminal Location by Applying the Green p-Median Model and Type-2 Neurofuzzy Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Pamučar, Dragan; Vasin, Ljubislav; Atanasković, Predrag; Miličić, Milica

2016-01-01

The paper herein presents green p-median problem (GMP) which uses the adaptive type-2 neural network for the processing of environmental and sociological parameters including costs of logistics operators and demonstrates the influence of these parameters on planning the location for the city logistics terminal (CLT) within the discrete network. CLT shows direct effects on increment of traffic volume especially in urban areas, which further results in negative environmental effects such as air pollution and noise as well as increased number of urban populations suffering from bronchitis, asthma, and similar respiratory infections. By applying the green p-median model (GMM), negative effects on environment and health in urban areas caused by delivery vehicles may be reduced to minimum. This model creates real possibilities for making the proper investment decisions so as profitable investments may be realized in the field of transport infrastructure. The paper herein also includes testing of GMM in real conditions on four CLT locations in Belgrade City zone.

Planning the City Logistics Terminal Location by Applying the Green p-Median Model and Type-2 Neurofuzzy Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragan Pamučar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper herein presents green p-median problem (GMP which uses the adaptive type-2 neural network for the processing of environmental and sociological parameters including costs of logistics operators and demonstrates the influence of these parameters on planning the location for the city logistics terminal (CLT within the discrete network. CLT shows direct effects on increment of traffic volume especially in urban areas, which further results in negative environmental effects such as air pollution and noise as well as increased number of urban populations suffering from bronchitis, asthma, and similar respiratory infections. By applying the green p-median model (GMM, negative effects on environment and health in urban areas caused by delivery vehicles may be reduced to minimum. This model creates real possibilities for making the proper investment decisions so as profitable investments may be realized in the field of transport infrastructure. The paper herein also includes testing of GMM in real conditions on four CLT locations in Belgrade City zone.

Targeting climate diversity in conservation planning to build resilience to climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Nicole E.; Kreitler, Jason R.; Ackerly, David; Weiss, Stuart; Recinos, Amanda; Branciforte, Ryan; Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.; Micheli, Elisabeth

2015-01-01

Climate change is raising challenging concerns for systematic conservation planning. Are methods based on the current spatial patterns of biodiversity effective given long-term climate change? Some conservation scientists argue that planning should focus on protecting the abiotic diversity in the landscape, which drives patterns of biological diversity, rather than focusing on the distribution of focal species, which shift in response to climate change. Climate is one important abiotic driver of biodiversity patterns, as different climates host different biological communities and genetic pools. We propose conservation networks that capture the full range of climatic diversity in a region will improve the resilience of biotic communities to climate change compared to networks that do not. In this study we used historical and future hydro-climate projections from the high resolution Basin Characterization Model to explore the utility of directly targeting climatic diversity in planning. Using the spatial planning tool, Marxan, we designed conservation networks to capture the diversity of climate types, at the regional and sub-regional scale, and compared them to networks we designed to capture the diversity of vegetation types. By focusing on the Conservation Lands Network (CLN) of the San Francisco Bay Area as a real-world case study, we compared the potential resilience of networks by examining two factors: the range of climate space captured, and climatic stability to 18 future climates, reflecting different emission scenarios and global climate models. We found that the climate-based network planned at the sub-regional scale captured a greater range of climate space and showed higher climatic stability than the vegetation and regional based-networks. At the same time, differences among network scenarios are small relative to the variance in climate stability across global climate models. Across different projected futures, topographically heterogeneous areas

IMPACT OF A SERIOUS GAME FOR HEALTH ON CHRONIC DISEASE SELF-MANAGEMENT: PRELIMINARY EFFICACY AMONG COMMUNITY DWELLING ADULTS WITH HYPERTENSION.

Science.gov (United States)

Hickman, Ronald L; Clochesy, John M; Pinto, Melissa D; Burant, Christopher; Pignatiello, Grant

2015-01-01

Most Americans will acquire a chronic disease during their lifetime. One of the most prevalent chronic diseases that affect Americans is hypertension (HTN). Despite the known comorbidities and increased mortality rate associated with uncontrolled HTN, most community dwelling adults with HTN do not have sufficient blood pressure control Therefore, the aim of this article is to report the preliminary efficacy of a serious game for health to enhance blood pressure control among community dwelling adults with HTN. A nonprobability sample of 116 community dwelling adults with HTN participated in this nonblinded, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to: (1) an intervention arm that consisted of four exposures to a serious game for health known as eSMART-HD; or (2) an attentional control arm that compromised of four exposures to screen-based HTN education. The primary outcome measure for this trial was blood pressure reduction over a four month observational period. In this study, baseline characteristics and blood pressure measurements were similar between participants in each study arm. There was no significant between-group difference in blood pressure reduction over time. However, there were significant within-group reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures across time among favoring participants exposed to eSMART-HD. This study establishes the preliminary efficacy of eSMART-HD that can be easily administered to community dwelling adults and facilitate clinically significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Future studies should assess the influential components of this promising serious game for health (eSMART-HD) combined with medication management in larger and more diverse samples of community dwelling adults with HTN.

Network effects in railways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Landex, Alex

2012-01-01

Railway operation is often affected by network effects as a change in one part of the network can influence other parts of the network. Network effects occur because the train runs may be quite long and since the railway system has a high degree of interdependencies as trains cannot cross....../overtake each other everywhere in the network. First this paper describes network effects in general (section 1). In section 2 the network effects for trains and how they can be measured by scheduled waiting time is described. When the trains are affected by network effects the passengers are also affected....... Therefore, sections 3 and 4 describe the network effects for passengers and how they can be measured using passenger delay models. Before the concluding remarks in section 6, section 5 discusses how the operation can be improved by examining network effects in the planning process. © 2012 WIT Press....