Ada Linear-Algebra Program

Science.gov (United States)

Klumpp, A. R.; Lawson, C. L.

1988-01-01

Routines provided for common scalar, vector, matrix, and quaternion operations. Computer program extends Ada programming language to include linear-algebra capabilities similar to HAS/S programming language. Designed for such avionics applications as software for Space Station.

A linear programming manual

Science.gov (United States)

Tuey, R. C.

1972-01-01

Computer solutions of linear programming problems are outlined. Information covers vector spaces, convex sets, and matrix algebra elements for solving simultaneous linear equations. Dual problems, reduced cost analysis, ranges, and error analysis are illustrated.

Linear genetic programming

CERN Document Server

Brameier, Markus

2007-01-01

Presents a variant of Genetic Programming that evolves imperative computer programs as linear sequences of instructions, in contrast to the more traditional functional expressions or syntax trees. This book serves as a reference for researchers, but also contains sufficient introduction for students and those who are new to the field

Student Perceptions of an Online Medical Dosimetry Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenards, Nishele

2011-01-01

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers the first online medical dosimetry program in the nation. There is no data to research a program of this type. This research consisted of the evaluation of other distance education programs including health profession programs in addition to face-to-face medical dosimetry programs. There was a need to collect and analyze student perceptions of online learning in medical dosimetry. This research provided a guide for future implementation by other programs as well as validated the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse program. Methodology used consisted of an electronic survey sent to all previous and currently enrolled students in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse medical dosimetry program. The survey was both quantitative and qualitative in demonstrating attitudinal perceptions of students in the program. Quantitative data was collected and analyzed using a 5-point Likert scale. Qualitative data was gathered based on the open-ended responses and the identifying themes from the responses. The results demonstrated an overall satisfaction with this program, the instructor, and the online courses. Students felt a sense of belonging to the courses and the program. Considering that a majority of the students had never taken an online course previously, the students felt there were no technology issues. Future research should include an evaluation of board exam statistics for students enrolled in the online and face-to-face medical dosimetry programs.

The linear programming bound for binary linear codes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, A.E.

1993-01-01

Combining Delsarte's (1973) linear programming bound with the information that certain weights cannot occur, new upper bounds for dmin (n,k), the maximum possible minimum distance of a binary linear code with given word length n and dimension k, are derived.

Linear Programming across the Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Yoder, S. Elizabeth; Kurz, M. Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Linear programming (LP) is taught in different departments across college campuses with engineering and management curricula. Modeling an LP problem is taught in every linear programming class. As faculty teaching in Engineering and Management departments, the depth to which teachers should expect students to master this particular type of…

Linear programming

CERN Document Server

Karloff, Howard

1991-01-01

To this reviewer’s knowledge, this is the first book accessible to the upper division undergraduate or beginning graduate student that surveys linear programming from the Simplex Method…via the Ellipsoid algorithm to Karmarkar’s algorithm. Moreover, its point of view is algorithmic and thus it provides both a history and a case history of work in complexity theory. The presentation is admirable; Karloff's style is informal (even humorous at times) without sacrificing anything necessary for understanding. Diagrams (including horizontal brackets that group terms) aid in providing clarity. The end-of-chapter notes are helpful...Recommended highly for acquisition, since it is not only a textbook, but can also be used for independent reading and study. —Choice Reviews The reader will be well served by reading the monograph from cover to cover. The author succeeds in providing a concise, readable, understandable introduction to modern linear programming. —Mathematics of Computing This is a textbook intend...

Fuzzy Multi-objective Linear Programming Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amna Rehmat

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Traveling salesman problem (TSP is one of the challenging real-life problems, attracting researchers of many fields including Artificial Intelligence, Operations Research, and Algorithm Design and Analysis. The problem has been well studied till now under different headings and has been solved with different approaches including genetic algorithms and linear programming. Conventional linear programming is designed to deal with crisp parameters, but information about real life systems is often available in the form of vague descriptions. Fuzzy methods are designed to handle vague terms, and are most suited to finding optimal solutions to problems with vague parameters. Fuzzy multi-objective linear programming, an amalgamation of fuzzy logic and multi-objective linear programming, deals with flexible aspiration levels or goals and fuzzy constraints with acceptable deviations. In this paper, a methodology, for solving a TSP with imprecise parameters, is deployed using fuzzy multi-objective linear programming. An example of TSP with multiple objectives and vague parameters is discussed.

Investigating Integer Restrictions in Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Thomas G.; Chelst, Kenneth R.; Principato, Angela M.; Wilhelm, Thad L.

2015-01-01

Linear programming (LP) is an application of graphing linear systems that appears in many Algebra 2 textbooks. Although not explicitly mentioned in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, linear programming blends seamlessly into modeling with mathematics, the fourth Standard for Mathematical Practice (CCSSI 2010, p. 7). In solving a…

Robust Adaptive Dynamic Programming of Two-Player Zero-Sum Games for Continuous-Time Linear Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Yue; Fu, Jun; Chai, Tianyou

2015-12-01

In this brief, an online robust adaptive dynamic programming algorithm is proposed for two-player zero-sum games of continuous-time unknown linear systems with matched uncertainties, which are functions of system outputs and states of a completely unknown exosystem. The online algorithm is developed using the policy iteration (PI) scheme with only one iteration loop. A new analytical method is proposed for convergence proof of the PI scheme. The sufficient conditions are given to guarantee globally asymptotic stability and suboptimal property of the closed-loop system. Simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Linear and integer programming made easy

CERN Document Server

Hu, T C

2016-01-01

Linear and integer programming are fundamental toolkits for data and information science and technology, particularly in the context of today’s megatrends toward statistical optimization, machine learning, and big data analytics. Drawn from over 30 years of classroom teaching and applied research experience, this textbook provides a crisp and practical introduction to the basics of linear and integer programming. The authors’ approach is accessible to students from all fields of engineering, including operations research, statistics, machine learning, control system design, scheduling, formal verification, and computer vision. Readers will learn to cast hard combinatorial problems as mathematical programming optimizations, understand how to achieve formulations where the objective and constraints are linear, choose appropriate solution methods, and interpret results appropriately. •Provides a concise introduction to linear and integer programming, appropriate for undergraduates, graduates, a short cours...

Developing an online certification program for nutrition education assistants.

Science.gov (United States)

Christofferson, Debra; Christensen, Nedra; LeBlanc, Heidi; Bunch, Megan

2012-01-01

To develop an online certification program for nutrition education paraprofessionals to increase knowledge and confidence and to overcome training barriers of programming time and travel expenses. An online interactive certification course based on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program core competencies was delivered to employees of both programs. Traditional vs online training was compared. Course content validity was determined through expert review by registered dietitians. Parameters studied included increase of nutrition knowledge and teaching technique/ability, educator satisfaction, and programming costs related to training. Utah State University Extension. Twenty-two Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program educators in Utah. Knowledge and skills were measured using pre/posttest statistics. Participant satisfaction was measured with a survey. Paired t test; satisfaction survey. The change in paraprofessional knowledge score was statistically significant (P educators because of the training. An estimated $16,000 was saved by providing the training online as compared to a face-to-face training. This interactive online program is a cost-effective way to increase paraprofessional knowledge and job satisfaction. Copyright © 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PCX, Interior-Point Linear Programming Solver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czyzyk, J.

2004-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: PCX solves linear programming problems using the Mehrota predictor-corrector interior-point algorithm. PCX can be called as a subroutine or used in stand-alone mode, with data supplied from an MPS file. The software incorporates modules that can be used separately from the linear programming solver, including a pre-solve routine and data structure definitions. 2 - Methods: The Mehrota predictor-corrector method is a primal-dual interior-point method for linear programming. The starting point is determined from a modified least squares heuristic. Linear systems of equations are solved at each interior-point iteration via a sparse Cholesky algorithm native to the code. A pre-solver is incorporated in the code to eliminate inefficiencies in the user's formulation of the problem. 3 - Restriction on the complexity of the problem: There are no size limitations built into the program. The size of problem solved is limited by RAM and swap space on the user's computer

Management and Operations of Online Programs: Ensuring Quality and Accountability. Promising Practices in Online Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, John; Gemin, Butch

2009-01-01

Online learning is growing rapidly as states and districts are creating new online schools, and existing programs are adding new courses and students. The growth reflects the spreading understanding that online courses and programs can serve a wide variety of students and needs. These include: (1) Creating opportunities for small and rural school…

Program Online Learning Sebagai Faktor Penunjang Keunggulan Kompetitif Binus University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Muliadi Kerta

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Online learning has become a way to improve efficiency in the learning process without reducing the quality of learning itself. Colleges that run it hope that the program becomes an attraction for prospective students, especially those with limitation to follow the regular program. The goal of this research was to find out whether Binus Online Learning Program has any influence to the competitive advantage of Binus University. Data were compiled by distributing questionnaires to 100 respondents consist of the students and lecturers on Binus Online Learning Program. This thesis is based on a quantitative methodology to gather and analyze the data to find out if they were any correlation between Online Learning Program and the competitive advantage of Binus University. It can be concluded that there are some positive and significant influences of Online Learning Program to the competitive advantage of Binus University. Therefore, promoting and developing Online Learning Program will increase the competitive advantage of Binus University, and cover the target market which regular programs do not. 

Mentoring and Student Support in Online Doctoral Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Swapna; Coe, Catherine

2017-01-01

The increase in online graduate programs and the online mentoring of student research have led to the need to identify challenges faced by online mentees and successful strategies used by online mentors during the dissertation process. Based on semistructured interviews with ten graduates, strategies for online mentoring and areas of support…

Principles for Promoting the Financial Sustainability of Online Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Katrina A.; Bruwelheide, Janis; Poulin, Russell

2009-01-01

The project described in this article was an attempt to uncover the principles of financial sustainability for online programs and to align these with a guide to managing online programs. An initial team of experienced online educators developed draft principles, which were then reviewed by an external consultant and revised; the revised…

Linear programming using Matlab

CERN Document Server

Ploskas, Nikolaos

2017-01-01

This book offers a theoretical and computational presentation of a variety of linear programming algorithms and methods with an emphasis on the revised simplex method and its components. A theoretical background and mathematical formulation is included for each algorithm as well as comprehensive numerical examples and corresponding MATLAB® code. The MATLAB® implementations presented in this book  are sophisticated and allow users to find solutions to large-scale benchmark linear programs. Each algorithm is followed by a computational study on benchmark problems that analyze the computational behavior of the presented algorithms. As a solid companion to existing algorithmic-specific literature, this book will be useful to researchers, scientists, mathematical programmers, and students with a basic knowledge of linear algebra and calculus.  The clear presentation enables the reader to understand and utilize all components of simplex-type methods, such as presolve techniques, scaling techniques, pivoting ru...

Developing an Online Certification Program for Nutrition Education Assistants

Science.gov (United States)

Christofferson, Debra; Christensen, Nedra; LeBlanc, Heidi; Bunch, Megan

2012-01-01

Objective: To develop an online certification program for nutrition education paraprofessionals to increase knowledge and confidence and to overcome training barriers of programming time and travel expenses. Design: An online interactive certification course based on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and…

Analysis of the efficiency of the linearization techniques for solving multi-objective linear fractional programming problems by goal programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tunjo Perić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents and analyzes the applicability of three linearization techniques used for solving multi-objective linear fractional programming problems using the goal programming method. The three linearization techniques are: (1 Taylor’s polynomial linearization approximation, (2 the method of variable change, and (3 a modification of the method of variable change proposed in [20]. All three linearization techniques are presented and analyzed in two variants: (a using the optimal value of the objective functions as the decision makers’ aspirations, and (b the decision makers’ aspirations are given by the decision makers. As the criteria for the analysis we use the efficiency of the obtained solutions and the difficulties the analyst comes upon in preparing the linearization models. To analyze the applicability of the linearization techniques incorporated in the linear goal programming method we use an example of a financial structure optimization problem.

Ranking Forestry Investments With Parametric Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Paul A. Murphy

1976-01-01

Parametric linear programming is introduced as a technique for ranking forestry investments under multiple constraints; it combines the advantages of simple tanking and linear programming as capital budgeting tools.

E-Basics: Online Basic Training in Program Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Silliman, Ben

2016-01-01

E-Basics is an online training in program evaluation concepts and skills designed for youth development professionals, especially those working in nonformal science education. Ten hours of online training in seven modules is designed to prepare participants for mentoring and applied practice, mastery, and/or team leadership in program evaluation.…

Marketing Online Degree Programs: How Do Traditional-Residential Programs Compete?

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Jonathan; Eveland, Vicki

2007-01-01

A total of 150 university Web sites were segregated into one of three groups: accredited residential, regionally accredited online, and nonaccredited online institutions. The promotional imagery, marketing messages and marketing themes found on the landing pages of each university program Web sites were analyzed for similarities and differences. A…

Factors Influencing Part-time Faculty Engagement With Online Nursing Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Reneau, Margaret; Wallace, Cara; Claywell, Lora; Price, Jill; Burdi, Melissa; Trybulski, Joanne

2018-03-28

This research investigated factors that influenced the engagement of part-time faculty teaching in online nursing programs with their institutions. Of the 257 part-time faculty surveyed, the most significant factor was being supported in decisions regarding student issues, followed by institutional commitment to quality online education. Compensation was moderately influential; a negative factor was requiring too frequent meetings. Understanding factors that influence the engagement of part-time faculty teaching in online nursing programs can help leaders of online programs attract and retain experienced, highly skilled faculty.

ALPS - A LINEAR PROGRAM SOLVER

Science.gov (United States)

Viterna, L. A.

1994-01-01

Linear programming is a widely-used engineering and management tool. Scheduling, resource allocation, and production planning are all well-known applications of linear programs (LP's). Most LP's are too large to be solved by hand, so over the decades many computer codes for solving LP's have been developed. ALPS, A Linear Program Solver, is a full-featured LP analysis program. ALPS can solve plain linear programs as well as more complicated mixed integer and pure integer programs. ALPS also contains an efficient solution technique for pure binary (0-1 integer) programs. One of the many weaknesses of LP solvers is the lack of interaction with the user. ALPS is a menu-driven program with no special commands or keywords to learn. In addition, ALPS contains a full-screen editor to enter and maintain the LP formulation. These formulations can be written to and read from plain ASCII files for portability. For those less experienced in LP formulation, ALPS contains a problem "parser" which checks the formulation for errors. ALPS creates fully formatted, readable reports that can be sent to a printer or output file. ALPS is written entirely in IBM's APL2/PC product, Version 1.01. The APL2 workspace containing all the ALPS code can be run on any APL2/PC system (AT or 386). On a 32-bit system, this configuration can take advantage of all extended memory. The user can also examine and modify the ALPS code. The APL2 workspace has also been "packed" to be run on any DOS system (without APL2) as a stand-alone "EXE" file, but has limited memory capacity on a 640K system. A numeric coprocessor (80X87) is optional but recommended. The standard distribution medium for ALPS is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. IBM, IBM PC and IBM APL2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Linear programming mathematics, theory and algorithms

CERN Document Server

1996-01-01

Linear Programming provides an in-depth look at simplex based as well as the more recent interior point techniques for solving linear programming problems. Starting with a review of the mathematical underpinnings of these approaches, the text provides details of the primal and dual simplex methods with the primal-dual, composite, and steepest edge simplex algorithms. This then is followed by a discussion of interior point techniques, including projective and affine potential reduction, primal and dual affine scaling, and path following algorithms. Also covered is the theory and solution of the linear complementarity problem using both the complementary pivot algorithm and interior point routines. A feature of the book is its early and extensive development and use of duality theory. Audience: The book is written for students in the areas of mathematics, economics, engineering and management science, and professionals who need a sound foundation in the important and dynamic discipline of linear programming.

An online re-linearization scheme suited for Model Predictive and Linear Quadratic Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Lars Christian; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

This technical note documents the equations for primal-dual interior-point quadratic programming problem solver used for MPC. The algorithm exploits the special structure of the MPC problem and is able to reduce the computational burden such that the computational burden scales with prediction...... horizon length in a linear way rather than cubic, which would be the case if the structure was not exploited. It is also shown how models used for design of model-based controllers, e.g. linear quadratic and model predictive, can be linearized both at equilibrium and non-equilibrium points, making...

A New Finite Continuation Algorithm for Linear Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Kaj; Nielsen, Hans Bruun; Pinar, Mustafa

1996-01-01

We describe a new finite continuation algorithm for linear programming. The dual of the linear programming problem with unit lower and upper bounds is formulated as an $\\ell_1$ minimization problem augmented with the addition of a linear term. This nondifferentiable problem is approximated...... by a smooth problem. It is shown that the minimizers of the smooth problem define a family of piecewise-linear paths as a function of a smoothing parameter. Based on this property, a finite algorithm that traces these paths to arrive at an optimal solution of the linear program is developed. The smooth...

Interior Point Method for Solving Fuzzy Number Linear Programming Problems Using Linear Ranking Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-hua Zhong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, various methods have been developed for solving linear programming problems with fuzzy number, such as simplex method and dual simplex method. But their computational complexities are exponential, which is not satisfactory for solving large-scale fuzzy linear programming problems, especially in the engineering field. A new method which can solve large-scale fuzzy number linear programming problems is presented in this paper, which is named a revised interior point method. Its idea is similar to that of interior point method used for solving linear programming problems in crisp environment before, but its feasible direction and step size are chosen by using trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, linear ranking function, fuzzy vector, and their operations, and its end condition is involved in linear ranking function. Their correctness and rationality are proved. Moreover, choice of the initial interior point and some factors influencing the results of this method are also discussed and analyzed. The result of algorithm analysis and example study that shows proper safety factor parameter, accuracy parameter, and initial interior point of this method may reduce iterations and they can be selected easily according to the actual needs. Finally, the method proposed in this paper is an alternative method for solving fuzzy number linear programming problems.

A program package for solving linear optimization problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horikami, Kunihiko; Fujimura, Toichiro; Nakahara, Yasuaki

1980-09-01

Seven computer programs for the solution of linear, integer and quadratic programming (four programs for linear programming, one for integer programming and two for quadratic programming) have been prepared and tested on FACOM M200 computer, and auxiliary programs have been written to make it easy to use the optimization program package. The characteristics of each program are explained and the detailed input/output descriptions are given in order to let users know how to use them. (author)

ASSESSMENT OF A MULTINATIONAL ONLINE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON ONLINE TEACHING: REFLECTIONS OF CANDIDATE E-TUTORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muge ADNAN

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Teaching online requires different skills, roles and competencies for online instructors compared to teaching in traditional learning environments. Universities should offer ongoing support in various forms to help academic staff through their online journey. This paper provides insights into a multinational faculty development program for teaching online, elaborating on results of expectancy and satisfaction surveys. From a local program to a subproject within the Swiss National Science Foundation Project Scopes, e-Tutor aimed at expanding competencies in online lecturing and providing OER material for training colleagues. Designed in the form of a descriptive case study, this research was conducted with 34 attendees of e-Tutor. Data was collected using an e-learning readiness and expectancy questionnaire, and open-ended questions after the program to measure satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data and content analysis for open-ended data. Participants considered e-Tutor a well-planned and targeted program with good theoretical and practical balance. Duration of such courses, opportunities for adaptation to real-life situations, and localization of the content are areas to be explored further. For future studies, it would also be interesting to see whether participants can apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to create efficient online learning environments.

EZLP: An Interactive Computer Program for Solving Linear Programming Problems. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, John J.; And Others

Designed for student use in solving linear programming problems, the interactive computer program described (EZLP) permits the student to input the linear programming model in exactly the same manner in which it would be written on paper. This report includes a brief review of the development of EZLP; narrative descriptions of program features,…

Sparsity Prevention Pivoting Method for Linear Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Peiqiang; Li, Qiyuan; Li, Canbing

2018-01-01

When the simplex algorithm is used to calculate a linear programming problem, if the matrix is a sparse matrix, it will be possible to lead to many zero-length calculation steps, and even iterative cycle will appear. To deal with the problem, a new pivoting method is proposed in this paper....... The principle of this method is avoided choosing the row which the value of the element in the b vector is zero as the row of the pivot element to make the matrix in linear programming density and ensure that most subsequent steps will improve the value of the objective function. One step following...... this principle is inserted to reselect the pivot element in the existing linear programming algorithm. Both the conditions for inserting this step and the maximum number of allowed insertion steps are determined. In the case study, taking several numbers of linear programming problems as examples, the results...

Sparsity Prevention Pivoting Method for Linear Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Peiqiang; Li, Qiyuan; Li, Canbing

2018-01-01

. The principle of this method is avoided choosing the row which the value of the element in the b vector is zero as the row of the pivot element to make the matrix in linear programming density and ensure that most subsequent steps will improve the value of the objective function. One step following......When the simplex algorithm is used to calculate a linear programming problem, if the matrix is a sparse matrix, it will be possible to lead to many zero-length calculation steps, and even iterative cycle will appear. To deal with the problem, a new pivoting method is proposed in this paper...... this principle is inserted to reselect the pivot element in the existing linear programming algorithm. Both the conditions for inserting this step and the maximum number of allowed insertion steps are determined. In the case study, taking several numbers of linear programming problems as examples, the results...

A Reduced Dantzig-Wolfe Decomposition for a Suboptimal Linear MPC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Standardi, Laura; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

2014-01-01

Linear Model Predictive Control (MPC) is an efficient control technique that repeatedly solves online constrained linear programs. In this work we propose an economic linear MPC strategy for operation of energy systems consisting of multiple and independent power units. These systems cooperate...

Timetabling an Academic Department with Linear Programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezeau, Lawrence M.

This paper describes an approach to faculty timetabling and course scheduling that uses computerized linear programming. After reviewing the literature on linear programming, the paper discusses the process whereby a timetable was created for a department at the University of New Brunswick. Faculty were surveyed with respect to course offerings…

Using student satisfaction data to evaluate a new online accelerated nursing education program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gazza, Elizabeth A; Matthias, April

2016-10-01

As increasing numbers of students enroll in online education, institutions of higher education are responsible for delivering quality online courses and programs. Agencies that accredit institutions and programs require evidence of program quality, including student satisfaction. A large state university in the Southeastern United States transitioned an online nursing education degree completion, or Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing, program to an online accelerated format in order to meet the needs of working nurses and ultimately, increase the number of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level. This article describes a descriptive, cross-sectional study that evaluated the effectiveness of the new online accelerated program using the quality indicator of student satisfaction. Ninety-one (32%) of the 284 students who were enrolled or had been enrolled in a course within the online accelerated degree completion program between fall 2013 session 1 and summer 2014 session participated in the study. The electronic Noel-Levitz Priorities Survey for Online Learners™ was used to measure student satisfaction with the program and associated services. Results provided insight into the students' satisfaction with the new program format and served as the basis for an interdepartmental program enhancement plan aimed at maintaining and enhancing student satisfaction and overall program quality. Findings indicated that measuring and evaluating student satisfaction can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of an online program. Recommendations for using the measurement tool in online program planning and studying student satisfaction in relation to retention and program completion were identified. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Approach for Solving Linear Fractional Programming Problems

OpenAIRE

Andrew Oyakhobo Odior

2012-01-01

Linear fractional programming problems are useful tools in production planning, financial and corporate planning, health care and hospital planning and as such have attracted considerable research interest. The paper presents a new approach for solving a fractional linear programming problem in which the objective function is a linear fractional function, while the constraint functions are in the form of linear inequalities. The approach adopted is based mainly upon solving the problem algebr...

Aether: leveraging linear programming for optimal cloud computing in genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Luber, Jacob M; Tierney, Braden T; Cofer, Evan M; Patel, Chirag J; Kostic, Aleksandar D

2018-05-01

Across biology, we are seeing rapid developments in scale of data production without a corresponding increase in data analysis capabilities. Here, we present Aether (http://aether.kosticlab.org), an intuitive, easy-to-use, cost-effective and scalable framework that uses linear programming to optimally bid on and deploy combinations of underutilized cloud computing resources. Our approach simultaneously minimizes the cost of data analysis and provides an easy transition from users' existing HPC pipelines. Data utilized are available at https://pubs.broadinstitute.org/diabimmune and with EBI SRA accession ERP005989. Source code is available at (https://github.com/kosticlab/aether). Examples, documentation and a tutorial are available at http://aether.kosticlab.org. chirag_patel@hms.harvard.edu or aleksandar.kostic@joslin.harvard.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

An Online Method for Interpolating Linear Parametric Reduced-Order Models

KAUST Repository

Amsallem, David; Farhat, Charbel

2011-01-01

A two-step online method is proposed for interpolating projection-based linear parametric reduced-order models (ROMs) in order to construct a new ROM for a new set of parameter values. The first step of this method transforms each precomputed ROM into a consistent set of generalized coordinates. The second step interpolates the associated linear operators on their appropriate matrix manifold. Real-time performance is achieved by precomputing inner products between the reduced-order bases underlying the precomputed ROMs. The proposed method is illustrated by applications in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. In particular, its robustness is demonstrated by its ability to handle the case where the sampled parameter set values exhibit a mode veering phenomenon. © 2011 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

An Instructional Note on Linear Programming--A Pedagogically Sound Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Richard

1998-01-01

Discusses the place of linear programming in college curricula and the advantages of using linear-programming software. Lists important characteristics of computer software used in linear programming for more effective teaching and learning. (ASK)

Portfolio optimization using fuzzy linear programming

Science.gov (United States)

Pandit, Purnima K.

2013-09-01

Portfolio Optimization (PO) is a problem in Finance, in which investor tries to maximize return and minimize risk by carefully choosing different assets. Expected return and risk are the most important parameters with regard to optimal portfolios. In the simple form PO can be modeled as quadratic programming problem which can be put into equivalent linear form. PO problems with the fuzzy parameters can be solved as multi-objective fuzzy linear programming problem. In this paper we give the solution to such problems with an illustrative example.

Solutions to estimation problems for scalar hamilton-jacobi equations using linear programming

KAUST Repository

Claudel, Christian G.; Chamoin, Timothee; Bayen, Alexandre M.

2014-01-01

This brief presents new convex formulations for solving estimation problems in systems modeled by scalar Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) equations. Using a semi-analytic formula, we show that the constraints resulting from a HJ equation are convex, and can be written as a set of linear inequalities. We use this fact to pose various (and seemingly unrelated) estimation problems related to traffic flow-engineering as a set of linear programs. In particular, we solve data assimilation and data reconciliation problems for estimating the state of a system when the model and measurement constraints are incompatible. We also solve traffic estimation problems, such as travel time estimation or density estimation. For all these problems, a numerical implementation is performed using experimental data from the Mobile Century experiment. In the context of reproducible research, the code and data used to compute the results presented in this brief have been posted online and are accessible to regenerate the results. © 2013 IEEE.

Learning styles of registered nurses enrolled in an online nursing program.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Anita

2010-01-01

Technological advances assist in the proliferation of online nursing programs which meet the needs of the working nurse. Understanding online learning styles permits universities to adequately address the educational needs of the professional nurse returning for an advanced degree. The purpose of this study was to describe the learning styles of registered nurses (RNs) enrolled in an online master's nursing program or RN-bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. Kolb's learning style inventory (Version 3.1) was completed by 217 RNs enrolled in online courses at a Southeastern university. Descriptive statistical procedures were used for analysis. Thirty-one percent of the nurses were accommodators, 20% were assimilators, 19% were convergers, and 20% were divergers. Accommodators desire hand-on experiences, carrying out plans and tasks and using an intuitive trial-and-error approach to problem solving. The learning styles of the RNs were similar to the BSN students in traditional classroom settings. Despite their learning style, nurses felt that the online program met their needs. Implementing the technological innovations in nursing education requires the understanding of the hands-on learning of the RN so that the development of the online courses will satisfactorily meet the needs of the nurses who have chosen an online program. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teacher Perceptions of an Online Tutoring Program for Elementary Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Whetstone, Patti; Clark, Amy; Flake, Mari Wheeler

2014-01-01

This study explores elementary teacher perceptions related to the implementation of an online tutoring program. Teachers were surveyed regarding factors that affected use of the online tutoring program as a supplement to mathematics instruction. Results indicated that teachers overwhelmingly reported positive views of the training and support…

Joint shape segmentation with linear programming

KAUST Repository

Huang, Qixing; Koltun, Vladlen; Guibas, Leonidas

2011-01-01

program is solved via a linear programming relaxation, using a block coordinate descent procedure that makes the optimization feasible for large databases. We evaluate the presented approach on the Princeton segmentation benchmark and show that joint shape

A Primal-Dual Interior Point-Linear Programming Algorithm for MPC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edlund, Kristian; Sokoler, Leo Emil; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

2009-01-01

Constrained optimal control problems for linear systems with linear constraints and an objective function consisting of linear and l1-norm terms can be expressed as linear programs. We develop an efficient primal-dual interior point algorithm for solution of such linear programs. The algorithm...

Human Service Administrator Perceptions of Online MSW Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, Laura; Sanchez Mayers, Ray; Fulghum, Fontaine

2017-01-01

Online programs have proliferated rapidly in higher education, and this reality holds true for social work education as well. Employing a mixed methods design, this study looked at employer perceptions of online degrees compared to traditional degrees. Data was collected through an online survey that included Likert type and open-ended questions…

Online beam energy measurement of Beijing electron positron collider II linear accelerator

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, S.; Iqbal, M.; Liu, R.; Chi, Y.

2016-02-01

This paper describes online beam energy measurement of Beijing Electron Positron Collider upgraded version II linear accelerator (linac) adequately. It presents the calculation formula, gives the error analysis in detail, discusses the realization in practice, and makes some verification. The method mentioned here measures the beam energy by acquiring the horizontal beam position with three beam position monitors (BPMs), which eliminates the effect of orbit fluctuation, and is much better than the one using the single BPM. The error analysis indicates that this online measurement has further potential usage such as a part of beam energy feedback system. The reliability of this method is also discussed and demonstrated in this paper.

A Fuzzy Linear Programming Approach for Aggregate Production Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iris, Cagatay; Cevikcan, Emre

2014-01-01

a mathematical programming framework for aggregate production planning problem under imprecise data environment. After providing background information about APP problem, together with fuzzy linear programming, the fuzzy linear programming model of APP is solved on an illustrative example for different a...

A systematic review of online learning programs for nurse preceptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xi Vivien; Chan, Yah Shih; Tan, Kimberlyn Hui Shing; Wang, Wenru

2018-01-01

Nurse preceptors guide students to integrate theory into practice, teach clinical skills, assess clinical competency, and enhance problem solving skills. Managing the dual roles of a registered nurse and preceptor poses tremendous challenges to many preceptors. Online learning is recognized as an effective learning approach for enhancing nursing knowledge and skills. The systematic review aims to review and synthesise the online learning programs for preceptors. A systematic review was designed based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Programs. Articles published between January 2000 and June 2016 were sought from six electronic databases: CINAHL, Medline OVID, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science. All papers were reviewed and quality assessment was performed. Nine studies were finally selected. Data were extracted, organized and analysed using a narrative synthesis. The review identified five overarching themes: development of the online learning programs for nurse preceptors, major contents of the programs, uniqueness of each program, modes of delivery, and outcomes of the programs. The systematic review provides insightful information on educational programs for preceptors. At this information age, online learning offers accessibility, convenience, flexibility, which could of great advantage for the working adults. In addition, the online platform provides an alternative for preceptors who face challenges of workload, time, and support system. Therefore, it is paramount that continuing education courses need to be integrated with technology, increase the flexibility and responsiveness of the nursing workforce, and offer alternative means to take up courses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Programming for physicians: A free online course.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubben, Pieter L

2016-01-01

This article is an introduction for clinical readers into programming and computational thinking using the programming language Python. Exercises can be done completely online without any need for installation of software. Participants will be taught the fundamentals of programming, which are necessarily independent of the sort of application (stand-alone, web, mobile, engineering, and statistical/machine learning) that is to be developed afterward.

Linear Parametric Sensitivity Analysis of the Constraint Coefficient Matrix in Linear Programs

OpenAIRE

Zuidwijk, Rob

2005-01-01

textabstractSensitivity analysis is used to quantify the impact of changes in the initial data of linear programs on the optimal value. In particular, parametric sensitivity analysis involves a perturbation analysis in which the effects of small changes of some or all of the initial data on an optimal solution are investigated, and the optimal solution is studied on a so-called critical range of the initial data, in which certain properties such as the optimal basis in linear programming are ...

Review and evaluation of online tobacco dependence treatment training programs for health care practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Selby, Peter; Goncharenko, Karina; Barker, Megan; Fahim, Myra; Timothy, Valerie; Dragonetti, Rosa; Kemper, Katherine; Herie, Marilyn; Hays, J Taylor

2015-04-17

Training health care professionals is associated with increased capacity to deliver evidence-based smoking cessation interventions and increased quit rates among their patients. Online training programs hold promise to provide training but questions remain regarding the quality and usability of available programs. The aim was to assess the quality of English-language online courses in tobacco dependence treatment using a validated instrument. An environmental scan was conducted using the Google search engine to identify available online tobacco dependence treatment courses. The identified courses were then evaluated using the Peer Review Rubric for Online Learning, which was selected based on its ability to evaluate instructional design. It also has clear and concise criteria descriptions to ensure uniformity of evaluations by trained experts. A total of 39 courses were identified, of which 24 unique courses were assessed based on their accessibility and functionality during the period of evaluation. Overall, the course ratings indicated that 17 of 24 courses evaluated failed to meet minimal quality standards and none of the courses evaluated could be ranked as superior. However, many excelled in providing effective navigation, course rationale, and content. Many were weak in the use of instructional design elements, such as teaching effectiveness, learning strategies, instructor's role, and assessment and evaluation. Evaluation results and suggestions for improvement were shared with course administrators. Based on the courses evaluated in this review, course developers are encouraged to employ best practices in instructional design, such as cohesiveness of material, linearity of design, practice exercises, problem solving, and ongoing evaluation to improve existing courses and in the design of new online learning opportunities.

A goal programming procedure for solving fuzzy multiobjective fractional linear programming problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tunjo Perić

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a modification of Pal, Moitra and Maulik's goal programming procedure for fuzzy multiobjective linear fractional programming problem solving. The proposed modification of the method allows simpler solving of economic multiple objective fractional linear programming (MOFLP problems, enabling the obtained solutions to express the preferences of the decision maker defined by the objective function weights. The proposed method is tested on the production planning example.

Quality Assurance--Best Practices for Assessing Online Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qi

2006-01-01

Educators have long sought to define quality in education. With the proliferation of distance education and online learning powered by the Internet, the tasks required to assess the quality of online programs become even more challenging. To assist educators and institutions in search of quality assurance methods to continuously improve their…

On-line control models for the Stanford Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheppard, J.C.; Helm, R.H.; Lee, M.J.; Woodley, M.D.

1983-03-01

Models for computer control of the SLAC three-kilometer linear accelerator and damping rings have been developed as part of the control system for the Stanford Linear Collider. Some of these models have been tested experimentally and implemented in the control program for routine linac operations. This paper will describe the development and implementation of these models, as well as some of the operational results

A Recommender System for Programming Online Judges Using Fuzzy Information Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raciel Yera Toledo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Programming online judges (POJs are an emerging application scenario in e-learning recommendation areas. Specifically, they are e-learning tools usually used in programming practices for the automatic evaluation of source code developed by students when they are solving programming problems. Usually, they contain a large collection of such problems, to be solved by students at their own personalized pace. The more problems in the POJ the harder the selection of the right problem to solve according to previous users performance, causing information overload and a widespread discouragement. This paper presents a recommendation framework to mitigate this issue by suggesting problems to solve in programming online judges, through the use of fuzzy tools which manage the uncertainty related to this scenario. The evaluation of the proposal uses real data obtained from a programming online judge, and shows that the new approach improves previous recommendation strategies which do not consider uncertainty management in the programming online judge scenarios. Specifically, the best results were obtained for short recommendation lists.

A Qualitative Examination of Challenges Influencing Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

Science.gov (United States)

Deshpande, Anant

2016-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by students in completion of an online doctoral program at the University of Liverpool, Online Doctoral Business Administration program. We analyse the responses of 91 doctoral students in an online DBA program. Based on the exploratory qualitative study themes were developed…

Fast online Monte Carlo-based IMRT planning for the MRI linear accelerator

Science.gov (United States)

Bol, G. H.; Hissoiny, S.; Lagendijk, J. J. W.; Raaymakers, B. W.

2012-03-01

The MRI accelerator, a combination of a 6 MV linear accelerator with a 1.5 T MRI, facilitates continuous patient anatomy updates regarding translations, rotations and deformations of targets and organs at risk. Accounting for these demands high speed, online intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) re-optimization. In this paper, a fast IMRT optimization system is described which combines a GPU-based Monte Carlo dose calculation engine for online beamlet generation and a fast inverse dose optimization algorithm. Tightly conformal IMRT plans are generated for four phantom cases and two clinical cases (cervix and kidney) in the presence of the magnetic fields of 0 and 1.5 T. We show that for the presented cases the beamlet generation and optimization routines are fast enough for online IMRT planning. Furthermore, there is no influence of the magnetic field on plan quality and complexity, and equal optimization constraints at 0 and 1.5 T lead to almost identical dose distributions.

Linearized Programming of Memristors for Artificial Neuro-Sensor Signal Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Changju; Kim, Hyongsuk

2016-08-19

A linearized programming method of memristor-based neural weights is proposed. Memristor is known as an ideal element to implement a neural synapse due to its embedded functions of analog memory and analog multiplication. Its resistance variation with a voltage input is generally a nonlinear function of time. Linearization of memristance variation about time is very important for the easiness of memristor programming. In this paper, a method utilizing an anti-serial architecture for linear programming is proposed. The anti-serial architecture is composed of two memristors with opposite polarities. It linearizes the variation of memristance due to complimentary actions of two memristors. For programming a memristor, additional memristor with opposite polarity is employed. The linearization effect of weight programming of an anti-serial architecture is investigated and memristor bridge synapse which is built with two sets of anti-serial memristor architecture is taken as an application example of the proposed method. Simulations are performed with memristors of both linear drift model and nonlinear model.

An Online Bystander Intervention Program for the Prevention of Sexual Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinsasser, Anne; Jouriles, Ernest N; McDonald, Renee; Rosenfield, David

2015-07-01

Because of its high prevalence and serious consequences for victims, sexual violence is a significant problem on college campuses. Sexual assault prevention programs based on the bystander intervention model have been shown to be effective; however, current programs are limited in terms of ease of distribution. To address this issue, we developed and evaluated "Take Care," an online bystander intervention program. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evaluation of an online bystander intervention program designed to prevent sexual violence. Ninety-three participants (80.6% female, 19.4% male) recruited from social psychology classes at a mid-size university were randomly assigned to view one of two online programs: Take Care or a control program on study skills. Before viewing the programs, participants completed measures of bystander behaviors and feelings of efficacy for performing such behaviors. Measures were administered again post-intervention and at a two-month follow-up assessment. Participants who viewed Take Care reported greater efficacy for engaging in bystander behaviors at post-treatment and two months following treatment, compared to those who viewed the control program. In addition, participants who viewed Take Care reported performing relatively more bystander behaviors for friends at the two-month follow-up assessment, compared to participants who viewed the control program. These results suggest that sexual violence prevention programs may be effectively adapted to an online format.

Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott L. WALKER

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program Asst. Professor. Dr. Scott L. WALKER Texas State University-San Marcos San Marcos, Texas, USA ABSTRACT Departmental decisions regarding distance education programs can be subject to subjective decision-making processes influenced by external factors such as strong faculty opinions or pressure to increase student enrolment. This paper outlines an evaluation of a departmental distance-education program. The evaluation utilized several methods that strived to inject objectivity in evaluation and subsequent decision-making. A rapid multi-modal approach included evaluation methods of (1 considering the online psychosocial learning environment, (2 content analyses comparing the online version of classes to face-to-face versions, (3 cost comparisons in online vs. face-to-face classes, (4 student outcomes, (5 student retention, and (6 benchmarking. These approaches offer opportunities for departmental administrators and decision-making committees to make judgments informed by facts rather than being influenced by the emotions, beliefs, or opinions of organizational dynamics.

Evaluation of film dosemeters by linear programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kragh, P.; Nitschke, J.

1992-01-01

An evaluation method for multi-component dosemeters is described which uses linear programming in order to decrease the dependence on energy and direction. The results of this method are more accurate than those obtained with the evaluation methods so far applied in film dosimetry. In addition, systematic errors can be given when evaluating individual measurements. Combined linear programming, as a special case of the presented method, is described taking a film dosemeter of particular type as an example. (orig.) [de

Evaluation of an Online Youth Ambassador Program to Promote Mental Health

Science.gov (United States)

Beamish, Nicola; Cannan, Philippa; Fujiyama, Hakuei; Matthews, Allison; Spiranovic, Caroline; Briggs, Kate; Kirkby, Kenneth; Mobsby, Caroline; Daniels, Brett

2011-01-01

This article presents results of an evaluation of an online Youth Ambassador (YA) program designed to promote internet resources for mental health in an adolescent population. Results suggest that an online YA program delivered in school is useful in improving mental health awareness for workshop participants. (Contains 1 table.)

Online Semiparametric Identification of Lithium-Ion Batteries Using the Wavelet-Based Partially Linear Battery Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caiping Zhang

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Battery model identification is very important for reliable battery management as well as for battery system design process. The common problem in identifying battery models is how to determine the most appropriate mathematical model structure and parameterized coefficients based on the measured terminal voltage and current. This paper proposes a novel semiparametric approach using the wavelet-based partially linear battery model (PLBM and a recursive penalized wavelet estimator for online battery model identification. Three main contributions are presented. First, the semiparametric PLBM is proposed to simulate the battery dynamics. Compared with conventional electrical models of a battery, the proposed PLBM is equipped with a semiparametric partially linear structure, which includes a parametric part (involving the linear equivalent circuit parameters and a nonparametric part [involving the open-circuit voltage (OCV]. Thus, even with little prior knowledge about the OCV, the PLBM can be identified using a semiparametric identification framework. Second, we model the nonparametric part of the PLBM using the truncated wavelet multiresolution analysis (MRA expansion, which leads to a parsimonious model structure that is highly desirable for model identification; using this model, the PLBM could be represented in a linear-in-parameter manner. Finally, to exploit the sparsity of the wavelet MRA representation and allow for online implementation, a penalized wavelet estimator that uses a modified online cyclic coordinate descent algorithm is proposed to identify the PLBM in a recursive fashion. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed PLBM with the corresponding identification algorithm can accurately simulate the dynamic behavior of a lithium-ion battery in the Federal Urban Driving Schedule tests.

Important Characteristics in an MBA Program: The Perceptions of Online MBA Students

Science.gov (United States)

Rydzewski, Danielle N.; Eastman, Jacqueline K.; Bocchi, Joseph

2010-01-01

This study examines characteristics important to online MBA students and alumni. The study looks at what characteristics are important in an online MBA Program and if the level of importance of these characteristics varies by demographic variables. The study focuses on availability, program quality, program length, cost, and courses in the…

How Does Early Feedback in an Online Programming Course Change Problem Solving?

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimi, Alireza

2012-01-01

How does early feedback change the programming problem solving in an online environment and help students choose correct approaches? This study was conducted in a sample of students learning programming in an online course entitled Introduction to C++ and OOP (Object Oriented Programming) using the ANGEL learning management system platform. My…

Optimization Research of Generation Investment Based on Linear Programming Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Juan; Ge, Xueqian

Linear programming is an important branch of operational research and it is a mathematical method to assist the people to carry out scientific management. GAMS is an advanced simulation and optimization modeling language and it will combine a large number of complex mathematical programming, such as linear programming LP, nonlinear programming NLP, MIP and other mixed-integer programming with the system simulation. In this paper, based on the linear programming model, the optimized investment decision-making of generation is simulated and analyzed. At last, the optimal installed capacity of power plants and the final total cost are got, which provides the rational decision-making basis for optimized investments.

175 Years of Linear Programming

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

polynomial-time solvability of linear programming, that is, testing if a polyhedron Q E ~ ... Q is rational, i.e. all extreme points and rays of Q are ra- tional vectors or ..... rithrll terminates with an interior solution, a post-processing step is usually ...

Predicting Dropout Student: An Application of Data Mining Methods in an Online Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

Yukselturk, Erman; Ozekes, Serhat; Turel, Yalin Kilic

2014-01-01

This study examined the prediction of dropouts through data mining approaches in an online program. The subject of the study was selected from a total of 189 students who registered to the online Information Technologies Certificate Program in 2007-2009. The data was collected through online questionnaires (Demographic Survey, Online Technologies…

Linear System of Equations, Matrix Inversion, and Linear Programming Using MS Excel

Science.gov (United States)

El-Gebeily, M.; Yushau, B.

2008-01-01

In this note, we demonstrate with illustrations two different ways that MS Excel can be used to solve Linear Systems of Equation, Linear Programming Problems, and Matrix Inversion Problems. The advantage of using MS Excel is its availability and transparency (the user is responsible for most of the details of how a problem is solved). Further, we…

A Sawmill Manager Adapts To Change With Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

George F. Dutrow; James E. Granskog

1973-01-01

Linear programming provides guidelines for increasing sawmill capacity and flexibility and for determining stumpagepurchasing strategy. The operator of a medium-sized sawmill implemented improvements suggested by linear programming analysis; results indicate a 45 percent increase in revenue and a 36 percent hike in volume processed.

Closing the Distance: Bringing a Personal Librarian Program to Online Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Ziegler, Amanda

2017-01-01

In an effort to bridge the gap between the one-on-one attention that students receive when they come into the library and the attention given to online learners, the University of West Florida Libraries added an online learner component to its Personal Librarian Program. Personal librarian programs provide an opportunity for individualized…

Relational conflict and outcomes from an online divorce education program.

Science.gov (United States)

Cronin, Sarah; Becher, Emily H; McCann, Ellie; McGuire, Jenifer; Powell, Sharon

2017-06-01

The impact of conflict on co-parenting outcomes of divorce education programs is not widely explored in the literature despite the prevalence of conflict in divorce. This study used outcome data from a sample of participants (N=272) who took the online Parents Forever™ course between 2012 and 2014. Participants were asked questions about positive and negative co-parenting behaviors as well their levels of conflict before and after the divorce or separation. There was on average a slight increase in conflict from post to follow-up (M=-0.397, SD=1.54). Simple linear regression analyses indicated that change in conflict explained a significant proportion of the variance in positive co-parenting scores, R 2 =0.07, F(1, 270)=19.98, pimpacts co-parenting behaviors targeted in the Parents Forever ™ course. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

175 Years of Linear Programming

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 4; Issue 10. 175 Years of Linear Programming - Max Flow = Min Cut. Vijay Chandru M R Rao. Series Article Volume 4 Issue 10 October 1999 pp 22-39. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

175 Years of Linear Programming

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 4; Issue 5. 175 Years of Linear Programming - Pune's Gift. Vijay Chandru M R Rao. Series Article Volume 4 Issue 5 May ... Computer Science and Automation, IISc Bangalore 560012, India. Director, Indian Institute of Management, Bannerghatta Road, ...

An approach for solving linear fractional programming problems ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper presents a new approach for solving a fractional linear programming problem in which the objective function is a linear fractional function, while the constraint functions are in the form of linear inequalities. The approach adopted is based mainly upon solving the problem algebraically using the concept of duality ...

Non-linear programming method in optimization of fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavelesku, M.; Dumitresku, Kh.; Adam, S.

1975-01-01

Application of the non-linear programming methods on optimization of nuclear materials distribution in fast reactor is discussed. The programming task composition is made on the basis of the reactor calculation dependent on the fuel distribution strategy. As an illustration of this method application the solution of simple example is given. Solution of the non-linear program is done on the basis of the numerical method SUMT. (I.T.)

Analytic central path, sensitivity analysis and parametric linear programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.G. Holder; J.F. Sturm; S. Zhang (Shuzhong)

1998-01-01

textabstractIn this paper we consider properties of the central path and the analytic center of the optimal face in the context of parametric linear programming. We first show that if the right-hand side vector of a standard linear program is perturbed, then the analytic center of the optimal face

Linear program differentiation for single-channel speech separation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pearlmutter, Barak A.; Olsson, Rasmus Kongsgaard

2006-01-01

Many apparently difficult problems can be solved by reduction to linear programming. Such problems are often subproblems within larger systems. When gradient optimisation of the entire larger system is desired, it is necessary to propagate gradients through the internally-invoked LP solver....... For instance, when an intermediate quantity z is the solution to a linear program involving constraint matrix A, a vector of sensitivities dE/dz will induce sensitivities dE/dA. Here we show how these can be efficiently calculated, when they exist. This allows algorithmic differentiation to be applied...... to algorithms that invoke linear programming solvers as subroutines, as is common when using sparse representations in signal processing. Here we apply it to gradient optimisation of over complete dictionaries for maximally sparse representations of a speech corpus. The dictionaries are employed in a single...

Linear combination of forecasts with numerical adjustment via MINIMAX non-linear programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jairo Marlon Corrêa

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a linear combination of forecasts obtained from three forecasting methods (namely, ARIMA, Exponential Smoothing and Artificial Neural Networks whose adaptive weights are determined via a multi-objective non-linear programming problem, which seeks to minimize, simultaneously, the statistics: MAE, MAPE and MSE. The results achieved by the proposed combination are compared with the traditional approach of linear combinations of forecasts, where the optimum adaptive weights are determined only by minimizing the MSE; with the combination method by arithmetic mean; and with individual methods

Very Low-Cost Nutritious Diet Plans Designed by Linear Programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Foytik, Jerry

1981-01-01

Provides procedural details of Linear Programing, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to devise a dietary guide for consumers that minimizes food costs without sacrificing nutritional quality. Compares Linear Programming with the Thrifty Food Plan, which has been a basis for allocating coupons under the Food Stamp Program. (CS)

Development and validation of an online interactive, multimedia wound care algorithms program.

Science.gov (United States)

Beitz, Janice M; van Rijswijk, Lia

2012-01-01

To provide education based on evidence-based and validated wound care algorithms we designed and implemented an interactive, Web-based learning program for teaching wound care. A mixed methods quantitative pilot study design with qualitative components was used to test and ascertain the ease of use, validity, and reliability of the online program. A convenience sample of 56 RN wound experts (formally educated, certified in wound care, or both) participated. The interactive, online program consists of a user introduction, interactive assessment of 15 acute and chronic wound photos, user feedback about the percentage correct, partially correct, or incorrect algorithm and dressing choices and a user survey. After giving consent, participants accessed the online program, provided answers to the demographic survey, and completed the assessment module and photographic test, along with a posttest survey. The construct validity of the online interactive program was strong. Eighty-five percent (85%) of algorithm and 87% of dressing choices were fully correct even though some programming design issues were identified. Online study results were consistently better than previously conducted comparable paper-pencil study results. Using a 5-point Likert-type scale, participants rated the program's value and ease of use as 3.88 (valuable to very valuable) and 3.97 (easy to very easy), respectively. Similarly the research process was described qualitatively as "enjoyable" and "exciting." This digital program was well received indicating its "perceived benefits" for nonexpert users, which may help reduce barriers to implementing safe, evidence-based care. Ongoing research using larger sample sizes may help refine the program or algorithms while identifying clinician educational needs. Initial design imperfections and programming problems identified also underscored the importance of testing all paper and Web-based programs designed to educate health care professionals or guide

Building online learning communities in a graduate dental hygiene program.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogo, Ellen J; Portillo, Karen M

2014-08-01

The literature abounds with research related to building online communities in a single course; however, limited evidence is available on this phenomenon from a program perspective. The intent of this qualitative case study inquiry was to explore student experiences in a graduate dental hygiene program contributing or impeding the development and sustainability of online learning communities. Approval from the IRB was received. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants from a stratification of students and graduates. A total of 17 participants completed semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was completed through 2 rounds - 1 for coding responses and 1 to construct categories of experiences. The participants' collective definition of an online learning community was a complex synergistic network of interconnected people who create positive energy. The findings indicated the development of this network began during the program orientation and was beneficial for building a foundation for the community. Students felt socially connected and supported by the network. Course design was another important category for participation in weekly discussions and group activities. Instructors were viewed as active participants in the community, offering helpful feedback and being a facilitator in discussions. Experiences impeding the development of online learning communities related to the poor performance of peers and instructors. Specific categories of experiences supported and impeded the development of online learning communities related to the program itself, course design, students and faculty. These factors are important to consider in order to maximize student learning potential in this environment. Copyright © 2014 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Portfolio optimization by using linear programing models based on genetic algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sukono; Hidayat, Y.; Lesmana, E.; Putra, A. S.; Napitupulu, H.; Supian, S.

2018-01-01

In this paper, we discussed the investment portfolio optimization using linear programming model based on genetic algorithms. It is assumed that the portfolio risk is measured by absolute standard deviation, and each investor has a risk tolerance on the investment portfolio. To complete the investment portfolio optimization problem, the issue is arranged into a linear programming model. Furthermore, determination of the optimum solution for linear programming is done by using a genetic algorithm. As a numerical illustration, we analyze some of the stocks traded on the capital market in Indonesia. Based on the analysis, it is shown that the portfolio optimization performed by genetic algorithm approach produces more optimal efficient portfolio, compared to the portfolio optimization performed by a linear programming algorithm approach. Therefore, genetic algorithms can be considered as an alternative on determining the investment portfolio optimization, particularly using linear programming models.

Evaluating the effectiveness of an online medical laboratory technician program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen-Suchy, Kara

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of an online medical laboratory technician program in the academic preparation and development of laboratory professionals. A semi-quantitative comparative research design was used. Several factors were considered in this evaluation. Academic outcomes between online and campus medical laboratory technician (MLT) students was determined by comparing overall and categorical scores on certification exams as well as first time pass rate. Certification exam scores and first time pass rates were also compared to national norms when possible to do so. Demographic data, including age and experience were compared. Additionally, learning styles were assessed to determine if there was a correlation to overall GPA and MLT GPA and if learning styles could be used to predict successful completion of an online Associates of Applied Science. The research was conducted at an academic university located in the mountain west United States. Participants consisted of online and campus students enrolled in a Medical Laboratory Technician program that graduated with their Associate of Applied Science degree between the years 2007-2009. Results of these years were also compared to graduates from 2004-2006 in the same program. Certification performance and first time pass rates were the major outcomes measured. Age and experience were correlated. Online learning styles and GPA were also compared to successful degree completion. The researcher found no significant difference in certification performance with regard to total and categorical scores, and first time pass rates between campus and online MLT students. Online students were slightly older and had more experience working in a laboratory in some capacity. Correlation studies showed significant positive correlation between learning styles, GPA, and successful completion of an Associate of Applied Science degree. When registry scores were compared to the prior cohort of online

Online Doctor of Pharmacy Program for Pharmacy Practitioners: Development and Evaluation of Six Pilot Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neil, Christine K.; Poirier, Therese I.

2000-01-01

The first six courses of this online program successfully increased participants' knowledge and perceived preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care. This success provided the stimulus for the development of the entire online Doctor of Pharmacy program. Participants felt that the online program facilitated more active and enhanced learning and…

MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN ONLINE SOCIAL PROGRAMS: OHANIAN MODEL OF SOURCE CREDIBILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serban Corina

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The development of the Internet as a medium for interaction with customers has resulted in many changes regarding the promotion of organizations. Online marketing is nowadays used not only to sell a product on the market, but also requires ideas and behavioral change. Non-profit organizations active in online communication are based on the quality of their provided information. Crediblity, attractiveness and usefullness are the key elements that provide effective online social programs. This paper aims to extend the scope of research in the field of social marketing by studying the Ohanian model in the online environment. The goal is to highlight the important theories and social models intrinsic to the online non-profit organizations’ communication. The results show that the efficiency of social programs depends on the level of incorporated elements of social theories in the design, content and structure of the website.

An easy way to obtain strong duality results in linear, linear semidefinite and linear semi-infinite programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pop, P.C.; Still, Georg J.

1999-01-01

In linear programming it is known that an appropriate non-homogeneous Farkas Lemma leads to a short proof of the strong duality results for a pair of primal and dual programs. By using a corresponding generalized Farkas lemma we give a similar proof of the strong duality results for semidefinite

The simplex method of linear programming

CERN Document Server

Ficken, Frederick A

1961-01-01

This concise but detailed and thorough treatment discusses the rudiments of the well-known simplex method for solving optimization problems in linear programming. Geared toward undergraduate students, the approach offers sufficient material for readers without a strong background in linear algebra. Many different kinds of problems further enrich the presentation. The text begins with examinations of the allocation problem, matrix notation for dual problems, feasibility, and theorems on duality and existence. Subsequent chapters address convex sets and boundedness, the prepared problem and boun

Some Properties of Multiple Parameters Linear Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maoqin Li

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We consider a linear programming problem in which the right-hand side vector depends on multiple parameters. We study the characters of the optimal value function and the critical regions based on the concept of the optimal partition. We show that the domain of the optimal value function f can be decomposed into finitely many subsets with disjoint relative interiors, which is different from the result based on the concept of the optimal basis. And any directional derivative of f at any point can be computed by solving a linear programming problem when only an optimal solution is available at the point.

Some Properties of Multiple Parameters Linear Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Hong

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We consider a linear programming problem in which the right-hand side vector depends on multiple parameters. We study the characters of the optimal value function and the critical regions based on the concept of the optimal partition. We show that the domain of the optimal value function can be decomposed into finitely many subsets with disjoint relative interiors, which is different from the result based on the concept of the optimal basis. And any directional derivative of at any point can be computed by solving a linear programming problem when only an optimal solution is available at the point.

Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin; Li Tong; Ma Qinghai

2011-01-01

This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin [Theory of Lubrication and Bearing Institute, Xi' an Jiaotong University Xi' an, 710049 (China); Li Tong; Ma Qinghai, E-mail: heroyoyu.2009@stu.xjtu.edu.cn [Xi' an Rail Bureau, Xi' an, 710054 (China)

2011-07-19

This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

Persistence of Women in Online Degree-Completion Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry Müller

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Although online courses at postsecondary institutions promise adults access, flexibility, and convenience, many barriers to online learning remain. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study, which explored the phenomenon of undergraduate and graduate women learners’ persistence in online degree-completion programs at a college in the Northeast of the United States. Research questions asked why women learners persisted or failed to persist, and how factors supporting or hindering persistence influenced learners. Interviews with a purposeful sample of 20 participants revealed the complexity of variables affecting learners’ persistence to graduation. Findings suggested that multiple responsibilities, insufficient interaction with faculty, technology, and coursework ranked highest as barriers to women’s persistence. Strong motivation to complete degrees, engagement in the learning community, and appreciation for the convenience of an online degree-completion option facilitated persistence.

Facilitating student retention in online graduate nursing education programs: a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Gazza, Elizabeth A; Hunker, Diane F

2014-07-01

Online education, a form of distance education, provides students with opportunities to engage in lifelong learning without the restrictions of time and space. However, while this approach meets the needs of employed nursing professionals, it poses some challenges for educators. Student retention is one such challenge. Student retention rates serve as measures of program quality and are reported to accrediting bodies. Therefore, it is imperative that administrators and program faculty implement comprehensive programs to ensure student retention. This review of the literature was designed to identify strategies to improve student retention in online graduate nursing education programs. The review includes 23 articles that address models, research, and best practices supported in nursing and higher education. The findings indicate that student retention in online programs is a multidimensional problem requiring a multifaceted approach. Recommendations for facilitating retention in online nursing programs include ensuring social presence and program and course quality, and attentiveness to individual student characteristics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HOPI: on-line injection optimization program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LeMaire, J.L.

1977-01-01

A method of matching the beam from the 200 MeV linac to the AGS without the necessity of making emittance measurements is presented. An on-line computer program written on the PDP10 computer performs the matching by modifying independently the horizontal and vertical emittance. Experimental results show success with this method, which can be applied to any matching section

A LINEAR PROGRAMMING ALGORITHM FOR LEAST-COST SCHEDULING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AYMAN H AL-MOMANI

1999-12-01

Full Text Available In this research, some concepts of linear programming and critical path method are reviewed to describe recent modeling structures that have been of great value in analyzing extended planning horizon project time-cost trade-offs problems. A simplified representation of a small project and a linear programming model is formulated to represent this system. Procedures to solve these various problems formulations were cited and the final solution is obtained using LINDO program. The model developed represents many restrictions and management considerations of the project. It could be used by construction managers in a planning stage to explore numerous possible opportunities to the contractor and predict the effect of a decision on the construction to facilitate a preferred operating policy given different management objectives. An implementation using this method is shown to outperform several other techniques and a large class of test problems. Linear programming show that the algorithm is very promising in practice on a wide variety of time-cost trade-offs problems. This method is simple, applicable to a large network, and generates a shorter computational time at low cost, along with an increase in robustness.

Applied Research of Enterprise Cost Control Based on Linear Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Shuo

2015-01-01

This paper researches the enterprise cost control through the linear programming model, and analyzes the restriction factors of the labor of enterprise production, raw materials, processing equipment, sales price, and other factors affecting the enterprise income, so as to obtain an enterprise cost control model based on the linear programming. This model can calculate rational production mode in the case of limited resources, and acquire optimal enterprise income. The production guiding program and scheduling arrangement of the enterprise can be obtained through calculation results, so as to provide scientific and effective guidance for the enterprise production. This paper adds the sensitivity analysis in the linear programming model, so as to learn about the stability of the enterprise cost control model based on linear programming through the sensitivity analysis, and verify the rationality of the model, and indicate the direction for the enterprise cost control. The calculation results of the model can provide a certain reference for the enterprise planning in the market economy environment, which have strong reference and practical significance in terms of the enterprise cost control.

Evaluation of an online continuing education program from the perspective of new graduate nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Karaman, Selcuk; Kucuk, Sevda; Aydemir, Melike

2014-05-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the online continuing education program from the perspectives of new graduate nurses. An evaluation framework includes five factors (program and course structure, course materials, technology, support services and assessment). In this study, descriptive research methods were used. Participants of the study included 2.365 registered nurses enrolled in the first online nursing bachelor completion degree program in the country. Data were collected by survey. The findings indicated that students were mostly satisfied with this program. The results of this study suggest that well designed asynchronous online education methods can be effective and appropriate for registered nurses. However, the provision of effective support and technological infrastructure is as vital as the quality of teaching for online learners. © 2013.

Joint shape segmentation with linear programming

KAUST Repository

Huang, Qixing

2011-01-01

We present an approach to segmenting shapes in a heterogenous shape database. Our approach segments the shapes jointly, utilizing features from multiple shapes to improve the segmentation of each. The approach is entirely unsupervised and is based on an integer quadratic programming formulation of the joint segmentation problem. The program optimizes over possible segmentations of individual shapes as well as over possible correspondences between segments from multiple shapes. The integer quadratic program is solved via a linear programming relaxation, using a block coordinate descent procedure that makes the optimization feasible for large databases. We evaluate the presented approach on the Princeton segmentation benchmark and show that joint shape segmentation significantly outperforms single-shape segmentation techniques. © 2011 ACM.

One University's Experience Partnering with an Online Program Management (OPM) Provider: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Springer, Scott

2018-01-01

University and college administrators frequently choose to develop and implement online programs with the help of for-profit companies known as online program management (OPM) providers that specialize in the development and implementation of online programs. This paper reports on the partnership of a private university in the Western United…

Arc-Search Infeasible Interior-Point Algorithm for Linear Programming

OpenAIRE

Yang, Yaguang

2014-01-01

Mehrotra's algorithm has been the most successful infeasible interior-point algorithm for linear programming since 1990. Most popular interior-point software packages for linear programming are based on Mehrotra's algorithm. This paper proposes an alternative algorithm, arc-search infeasible interior-point algorithm. We will demonstrate, by testing Netlib problems and comparing the test results obtained by arc-search infeasible interior-point algorithm and Mehrotra's algorithm, that the propo...

Linear Programming and Its Application to Pattern Recognition Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Omalley, M. J.

1973-01-01

Linear programming and linear programming like techniques as applied to pattern recognition problems are discussed. Three relatively recent research articles on such applications are summarized. The main results of each paper are described, indicating the theoretical tools needed to obtain them. A synopsis of the author's comments is presented with regard to the applicability or non-applicability of his methods to particular problems, including computational results wherever given.

Object matching using a locally affine invariant and linear programming techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hongsheng; Huang, Xiaolei; He, Lei

2013-02-01

In this paper, we introduce a new matching method based on a novel locally affine-invariant geometric constraint and linear programming techniques. To model and solve the matching problem in a linear programming formulation, all geometric constraints should be able to be exactly or approximately reformulated into a linear form. This is a major difficulty for this kind of matching algorithm. We propose a novel locally affine-invariant constraint which can be exactly linearized and requires a lot fewer auxiliary variables than other linear programming-based methods do. The key idea behind it is that each point in the template point set can be exactly represented by an affine combination of its neighboring points, whose weights can be solved easily by least squares. Errors of reconstructing each matched point using such weights are used to penalize the disagreement of geometric relationships between the template points and the matched points. The resulting overall objective function can be solved efficiently by linear programming techniques. Our experimental results on both rigid and nonrigid object matching show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

A Quality Scorecard for the Administration of Online Education Programs: A Delphi Study

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Kaye

2010-01-01

As the demands for public accountability increase for the higher education industry, institutions are seeking methods for continuous improvement in order to demonstrate quality within programs and processes, including those provided through online education. Because of the rapid growth of online education programs, institutions are further called…

Online Programs as Tools to Improve Parenting: A meta-analytic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prof. Dr. Jo J.M.A Hermanns; Prof. Dr. Ruben R.G. Fukkink; dr. Christa C.C. Nieuwboer

2013-01-01

Background. A number of parenting programs, aimed at improving parenting competencies,have recently been adapted or designed with the use of online technologies. Although webbased services have been claimed to hold promise for parent support, a meta-analytic review of online parenting interventions

Online programs as tools to improve parenting: A meta-analytic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nieuwboer, C.C.; Fukkink, R.G.; Hermanns, J.M.A.

2013-01-01

Background: A number of parenting programs, aimed at improving parenting competencies, have recently been adapted or designed with the use of online technologies. Although web-based services have been claimed to hold promise for parent support, a meta-analytic review of online parenting

Exploring Teaching Programming Online through Web Conferencing System: The Lens of Activity Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Çakiroglu, Ünal; Kokoç, Mehmet; Kol, Elvan; Turan, Ebru

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand activities and behaviors of learners and instructor in an online programming course. Adobe Connect web conferencing system was used as a delivery platform. A total of fifty-six sophomore students attending a computer education and instructional technology program (online) participated in this…

Canadian Innovation: A Brief History of Canada's First Online School Psychology Graduate Program

Science.gov (United States)

Drefs, Michelle A.; Schroeder, Meadow; Hiebert, Bryan; Panayotidis, E. Lisa; Winters, Katherine; Kerr, Jamie

2015-01-01

This article presents a brief historical review and survey of the current landscape of online graduate psychology programs within the Canadian context. Specific focus is given to outlining the establishment and evolution of the first Canadian online professional specialization program in school psychology. The article argues that given the virtual…

Application of the simplex method of linear programming model to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This work discussed how the simplex method of linear programming could be used to maximize the profit of any business firm using Saclux Paint Company as a case study. It equally elucidated the effect variation in the optimal result obtained from linear programming model, will have on any given firm. It was demonstrated ...

The Impact of an Online Tutoring Program on Mathematics Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Amy K.; Whetstone, Patti

2014-01-01

The authors explored the impact of an online tutoring program, Math Whizz (Whizz Education, 2014), on student mathematics achievement at 15 elementary schools. Students participated in the use of the Math Whizz program for the duration of the school year as a supplement to mathematics instruction. The Math Whizz program recorded such information…

An introduction to fuzzy linear programming problems theory, methods and applications

CERN Document Server

Kaur, Jagdeep

2016-01-01

The book presents a snapshot of the state of the art in the field of fully fuzzy linear programming. The main focus is on showing current methods for finding the fuzzy optimal solution of fully fuzzy linear programming problems in which all the parameters and decision variables are represented by non-negative fuzzy numbers. It presents new methods developed by the authors, as well as existing methods developed by others, and their application to real-world problems, including fuzzy transportation problems. Moreover, it compares the outcomes of the different methods and discusses their advantages/disadvantages. As the first work to collect at one place the most important methods for solving fuzzy linear programming problems, the book represents a useful reference guide for students and researchers, providing them with the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to deal with linear programming problems under uncertainty.

Program Konseling Restrukturisasi Kognitif Untuk Mereduksi Kecenderungan Adiksi Game Online Pada Remaja

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Gita Adi Persada

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Adolescent who got some addiction of online game has negative cognition. The research goal is to know the tendency profile of online game and to describe counseling hypothetic program of restructuration to reduce tendency of online game. This research used descriptive method where the population and sample is students of SMP Negeri 45 Bandung year 2015/2016 that consist of 323 students and the sample is 137 students. Deciding sample used non probability sampling with purposive sampling. The research instrument used questionnaire that point to addiction tendency aspects of online game. The result showed that: 1 generally, the addiction tendency of online game is categorized very low; 2 the result of data processing showed that addiction tendency aspects on mood modification aspect has 10 students is categorized average with percentage of 7,3%; 3 the counseling program plan of cognition restructuration is to reduce addiction tendency of online game on student that focused to reduce some indicator that is categorized low. The recommendation of research is proposed to BK teachers at school and researchers further.

Usage and users of online self-management programs for adult patients with atopic dermatitis and food allergy: an explorative study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Os-Medendorp, Harmieke; van Leent-de Wit, Ilse; de Bruin-Weller, Marjolein; Knulst, André

2015-05-23

Two online self-management programs for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) or food allergy (FA) were developed with the aim of helping patients cope with their condition, follow the prescribed treatment regimen, and deal with the consequences of their illness in daily life. Both programs consist of several modules containing information, personal stories by fellow patients, videos, and exercises with feedback. Health care professionals can refer their patients to the programs. However, the use of the program in daily practice is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the use and characteristics of users of the online self-management programs "Living with eczema," and "Living with food allergy," and to investigate factors related to the use of the trainings. A cross-sectional design was carried out in which the outcome parameters were the number of log-ins by patients, the number of hits on the system's core features, disease severity, quality of life, and domains of self-management. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sample characteristics and to describe number of log-ins and hits per module and per functionality. Correlation and regression analyses were used to explore the relation between the number of log-ins and patient characteristics. Since the start, 299 adult patients have been referred to the online AD program; 173 logged in for at least one occasion. Data from 75 AD patients were available for analyses. Mean number of log-ins was 3.1 (range 1-11). Linear regression with the number of log-ins as dependent variable showed that age and quality of life contributed most to the model, with betas of .35 ( P=.002) and .26 (P=.05), respectively, and an R(2) of .23. Two hundred fourteen adult FA patients were referred to the online FA training, 124 logged in for at least one occasion and data from 45 patients were available for analysis. Mean number of log-ins was 3.0 (range 1-11). Linear regression with the number of log-ins as dependent

An efficient method for generalized linear multiplicative programming problem with multiplicative constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yingfeng; Liu, Sanyang

2016-01-01

We present a practical branch and bound algorithm for globally solving generalized linear multiplicative programming problem with multiplicative constraints. To solve the problem, a relaxation programming problem which is equivalent to a linear programming is proposed by utilizing a new two-phase relaxation technique. In the algorithm, lower and upper bounds are simultaneously obtained by solving some linear relaxation programming problems. Global convergence has been proved and results of some sample examples and a small random experiment show that the proposed algorithm is feasible and efficient.

Examining Sense of Community among Medical Professionals in an Online Graduate Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadriye O. Lewis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As the number of online degree programs continues to grow, one of the greatest challenges is developing a sense of community among learners who do not convene at the same time and place. This study examined the sense of community among medical professionals in an online graduate program for healthcare professionals. We took the sample from a fully online program delivered jointly by a state university and a local children's hospital in the Midwest. We administered Rovai's Classroom Community Survey with 11 additional demographic questions. We also utilized online interviews to further explore students’ understanding of sense of community. A bi-factor model was fitted to the online sense of community survey data. Using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA we identified potential group differences. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically in a recursive and iterative process. Study results suggested that a dominant factor existed: sense of community with two sub-domain factors including sense of learning and sense of connectedness. No significant differences in sense of community with regard to gender, native language, or area of medical practice were detected. However, results showed a difference in sense of community between the three courses examined. This study is the first to examine the sense of community among online medical professionals. Since our findings are in contrast to those of previous studies, this opens the door to additional studies around the possible differences between the community characteristics and needs of medical professionals as online students.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN ONLINE SOCIAL PROGRAMS: OHANIAN MODEL OF SOURCE CREDIBILITY

OpenAIRE

Serban Corina

2010-01-01

The development of the Internet as a medium for interaction with customers has resulted in many changes regarding the promotion of organizations. Online marketing is nowadays used not only to sell a product on the market, but also requires ideas and behavioral change. Non-profit organizations active in online communication are based on the quality of their provided information. Crediblity, attractiveness and usefullness are the key elements that provide effective online social programs. This ...

A Direct Heuristic Algorithm for Linear Programming

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. An (3) mathematically non-iterative heuristic procedure that needs no artificial variable is presented for solving linear programming problems. An optimality test is included. Numerical experiments depict the utility/scope of such a procedure.

Train Repathing in Emergencies Based on Fuzzy Linear Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuelei Meng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Train pathing is a typical problem which is to assign the train trips on the sets of rail segments, such as rail tracks and links. This paper focuses on the train pathing problem, determining the paths of the train trips in emergencies. We analyze the influencing factors of train pathing, such as transferring cost, running cost, and social adverse effect cost. With the overall consideration of the segment and station capability constraints, we build the fuzzy linear programming model to solve the train pathing problem. We design the fuzzy membership function to describe the fuzzy coefficients. Furthermore, the contraction-expansion factors are introduced to contract or expand the value ranges of the fuzzy coefficients, coping with the uncertainty of the value range of the fuzzy coefficients. We propose a method based on triangular fuzzy coefficient and transfer the train pathing (fuzzy linear programming model to a determinate linear model to solve the fuzzy linear programming problem. An emergency is supposed based on the real data of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. The model in this paper was solved and the computation results prove the availability of the model and efficiency of the algorithm.

Train repathing in emergencies based on fuzzy linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Xuelei; Cui, Bingmou

2014-01-01

Train pathing is a typical problem which is to assign the train trips on the sets of rail segments, such as rail tracks and links. This paper focuses on the train pathing problem, determining the paths of the train trips in emergencies. We analyze the influencing factors of train pathing, such as transferring cost, running cost, and social adverse effect cost. With the overall consideration of the segment and station capability constraints, we build the fuzzy linear programming model to solve the train pathing problem. We design the fuzzy membership function to describe the fuzzy coefficients. Furthermore, the contraction-expansion factors are introduced to contract or expand the value ranges of the fuzzy coefficients, coping with the uncertainty of the value range of the fuzzy coefficients. We propose a method based on triangular fuzzy coefficient and transfer the train pathing (fuzzy linear programming model) to a determinate linear model to solve the fuzzy linear programming problem. An emergency is supposed based on the real data of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. The model in this paper was solved and the computation results prove the availability of the model and efficiency of the algorithm.

Study and program implementation of transient curves' piecewise linearization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Yang; Zu Hongbiao

2014-01-01

Background: Transient curves are essential for the stress analysis of related equipment in nuclear power plant (NPP). The actually operating data or the design transient data of a NPP usually consist of a large number of data points with very short time intervals. To simplify the analysis, transient curves are generally piecewise linearized in advance. Up to now, the piecewise linearization of transient curves is accomplished manually, Purpose: The aim is to develop a method for the piecewise linearization of transient curves, and to implement it by programming. Methods: First of all, the fitting line of a number of data points was obtained by the least square method. The segment of the fitting line is set while the accumulation error of linearization exceeds the preset limit with the increasing number of points. Then the linearization of subsequent data points was begun from the last point of the preceding curve segment to get the next segment in the same way, and continue until the final data point involved. Finally, averaging of junction points is taken for the segment connection. Results: A computer program named PLTC (Piecewise Linearization for Transient Curves) was implemented and verified by the linearization of the standard sine curve and typical transient curves of a NPP. Conclusion: The method and the PLTC program can be well used to the piecewise linearization of transient curves, with improving efficiency and precision. (authors)

Linear Programming for Vocational Education Planning. Interim Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Robert C.; And Others

The purpose of the paper is to define for potential users of vocational education management information systems a quantitative analysis technique and its utilization to facilitate more effective planning of vocational education programs. Defining linear programming (LP) as a management technique used to solve complex resource allocation problems…

The Computer Program LIAR for Beam Dynamics Calculations in Linear Accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assmann, R.W.; Adolphsen, C.; Bane, K.; Raubenheimer, T.O.; Siemann, R.H.; Thompson, K.

2011-01-01

Linear accelerators are the central components of the proposed next generation of linear colliders. They need to provide acceleration of up to 750 GeV per beam while maintaining very small normalized emittances. Standard simulation programs, mainly developed for storage rings, do not meet the specific requirements for high energy linear accelerators. We present a new program LIAR ('LInear Accelerator Research code') that includes wakefield effects, a 6D coupled beam description, specific optimization algorithms and other advanced features. Its modular structure allows to use and to extend it easily for different purposes. The program is available for UNIX workstations and Windows PC's. It can be applied to a broad range of accelerators. We present examples of simulations for SLC and NLC.

The Evolution of an Online Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate Program

Science.gov (United States)

Crozier, Mary K.

2012-01-01

In the field of rehabilitation services, substance abuse counseling requires unique skills. Post-baccalaureate academic certificate programs offer professionals an opportunity to retool or expand their skills and meet licensure needs in this evolving field. East Carolina University's online Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate Program was…

The Use of Linear Programming for Prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnittjer, Carl J.

The purpose of the study was to develop a linear programming model to be used for prediction, test the accuracy of the predictions, and compare the accuracy with that produced by curvilinear multiple regression analysis. (Author)

The RANDOM computer program: A linear congruential random number generator

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, R. F., Jr.

1986-01-01

The RANDOM Computer Program is a FORTRAN program for generating random number sequences and testing linear congruential random number generators (LCGs). The linear congruential form of random number generator is discussed, and the selection of parameters of an LCG for a microcomputer described. This document describes the following: (1) The RANDOM Computer Program; (2) RANDOM.MOD, the computer code needed to implement an LCG in a FORTRAN program; and (3) The RANCYCLE and the ARITH Computer Programs that provide computational assistance in the selection of parameters for an LCG. The RANDOM, RANCYCLE, and ARITH Computer Programs are written in Microsoft FORTRAN for the IBM PC microcomputer and its compatibles. With only minor modifications, the RANDOM Computer Program and its LCG can be run on most micromputers or mainframe computers.

A successful online mentoring program for nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keefe, Trish; Forrester, David Anthony Tony

2009-01-01

This article describes the successful implementation of An Online Mentoring Program for Nurses at a Magnet-designated acute care medical center, Morristown Memorial Hospital (MMH/Atlantic Health). A comprehensive approach to incorporating mentor-protégée teams into professional nurse role development has been demonstrated to (1) improve nurse employee satisfaction, retention, and recruitment outcomes; (2) change the ways nurses and others perceive nurses; (3) augment support by managers and coworkers; and (4) improve patient care outcomes. Nurses are partnered in mentor-protégée relationships and continually engage one another by evaluating the protégée's unique contributions and identifying specific strategic actions to move the protégée toward accomplishing their professional objectives. Building an online mentor-protégée collaboration: (1) maximizing potential, (2) identifying the protégée's unique contributions, and (3) strategic planning. The online mentoring process is a success and has delivered measurable results that have benefited the nurse participants and contributed to our institution's culture of nursing engagement. The online mentoring process has potential to benefit nurses and their organizations by (1) providing real-time communication, (2) facilitating strategic thinking, (3) monitoring progress, (4) "going green," and (5) improving organizational knowledge.

Using linear programming to analyze and optimize stochastic flow lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helber, Stefan; Schimmelpfeng, Katja; Stolletz, Raik

2011-01-01

This paper presents a linear programming approach to analyze and optimize flow lines with limited buffer capacities and stochastic processing times. The basic idea is to solve a huge but simple linear program that models an entire simulation run of a multi-stage production process in discrete time...... programming and hence allows us to solve buffer allocation problems. We show under which conditions our method works well by comparing its results to exact values for two-machine models and approximate simulation results for longer lines....

Applying Theories of Adult Learning in Developing Online Programs in Gerontology

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Christy S.; Solberg, Lauren B.; Solberg, Laurence M.

2017-01-01

The Department of Aging and Geriatric Research at the University of Florida College of Medicine has established online education programs to provide healthcare professionals with advanced training in the field of gerontology to establish proficiency in providing quality care to older individuals. A major barrier to creating our online education…

Online public health preparedness training programs: an evaluation of user experience with the technological environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambisan, Priya

2010-01-01

Several public health education programs and government agencies across the country have started offering virtual or online training programs in emergency preparedness for people who are likely to be involved in managing or responding to different types of emergency situations such as natural disasters, epidemics, bioterrorism, etc. While such online training programs are more convenient and cost-effective than traditional classroom-based programs, their success depends to a great extent on the underlying technological environment. Specifically, in an online technological environment, different types of user experiences come in to play-users' utilitarian or pragmatic experience, their fun or hedonic experience, their social experience, and most importantly, their usability experience-and these different user experiences critically shape the program outcomes, including course completion rates. This study adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and draws on theories in human computer interaction, distance learning theories, usability research, and online consumer behavior to evaluate users' experience with the technological environment of an online emergency preparedness training program and discusses its implications for the design of effective online training programs. . Data was collected using a questionnaire from 377 subjects who had registered for and participated in online public health preparedness training courses offered by a large public university in the Northeast. Analysis of the data indicates that as predicted, participants had higher levels of pragmatic and usability experiences compared to their hedonic and sociability experiences. Results also indicate that people who experienced higher levels of pragmatic, hedonic, sociability and usability experiences were more likely to complete the course(s) they registered for compared to those who reported lower levels. The study findings hold important implications for the design of effective online emergency

OJPOT: Online Judge & Practice Oriented Teaching Idea in Programming Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gui Ping; Chen, Shu Yu; Yang, Xin; Feng, Rui

2016-01-01

Practical abilities are important for students from majors including Computer Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Along with the popularity of ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) and other programming contests, online judge (OJ) websites achieve rapid development, thus providing a new kind of programming…

The Impact of an Online Collaborative Learning Program on Students' Attitude towards Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Magen-Nagar, Noga; Shonfeld, Miri

2018-01-01

This quantitative research examined the contribution of an Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) program on attitudes towards technology in terms of technological anxiety, self-confidence and technology orientation among M.Ed. students. The advanced online collaborative program was implemented at two teacher training colleges in Israel for a period…

Engagement in health and wellness: An online incentive-based program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Teresa B; Maclean, J Ross; Carls, Ginger S; Moore, Brian J; Ehrlich, Emily D; Fener, Victoria; Goldberg, Jordan; Mechanic, Elaine; Baigel, Colin

2017-09-01

Increasingly, corporate health promotion programs are implementing wellness programs integrating principles of behavioral economics. Employees of a large firm were provided a customized online incentive program to design their own commitments to meet health goals. This study examines patterns of program participation and engagement in health promotion activities. Subjects were US-based employees of a large, nondurable goods manufacturing firm who were enrolled in corporate health benefits in 2010 and 2011. We assessed measures of engagement with the workplace health promotion program (e.g., incentive points earned, weight loss). To further examine behaviors indicating engagement in health promotion activities, we constructed an aggregate, employee-level engagement index. Regression models were employed to assess the association between employee characteristics and the engagement index, and the engagement index and spending. 4220 employees utilized the online program and made 25,716 commitments. Male employees age 18-34 had the highest level of engagement, and male employees age 55-64 had the lowest level of engagement overall. Prior year health status and prior year spending did not show a significant association with the level of engagement with the program ( p  > 0.05). Flexible, incentive-based behavioral health and lifestyle programs may reach the broader workforce including those with chronic conditions and higher levels of health spending.

An e-Learning Collaborative Filtering Approach to Suggest Problems to Solve in Programming Online Judges

Science.gov (United States)

Toledo, Raciel Yera; Mota, Yailé Caballero

2014-01-01

The paper proposes a recommender system approach to cover online judge's domains. Online judges are e-learning tools that support the automatic evaluation of programming tasks done by individual users, and for this reason they are usually used for training students in programming contest and for supporting basic programming teachings. The…

Computer Literacy and Online Learning Attitude toward GSOE Students in Distance Education Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lung-Yu; Lee, Long-Yuan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore graduate students' competencies in computer use and their attitudes toward online learning in asynchronous online courses of distance learning programs in a Graduate School of Education (GSOE) in Taiwan. The research examined the relationship between computer literacy and the online learning attitudes of…

Communication Barriers: A Study of Eastern Mediterranean University Students' and Teachers' of Online Program and Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Isman, Aytekin; Altinay, Fahriye

2005-01-01

This research study defines communication barriers in online programs and courses by determining the perceptions of students and teachers at Eastern Mediterranean University. It aims to get the answers to the questions of what sorts of problems students and teachers face while being involved in online courses and online programs. Distance…

Near-Regular Structure Discovery Using Linear Programming

KAUST Repository

Huang, Qixing; Guibas, Leonidas J.; Mitra, Niloy J.

2014-01-01

as an optimization and efficiently solve it using linear programming techniques. Our optimization has a discrete aspect, that is, the connectivity relationships among the elements, as well as a continuous aspect, namely the locations of the elements of interest. Both

NP-Hardness of optimizing the sum of Rational Linear Functions over an Asymptotic-Linear-Program

OpenAIRE

Chermakani, Deepak Ponvel

2012-01-01

We convert, within polynomial-time and sequential processing, an NP-Complete Problem into a real-variable problem of minimizing a sum of Rational Linear Functions constrained by an Asymptotic-Linear-Program. The coefficients and constants in the real-variable problem are 0, 1, -1, K, or -K, where K is the time parameter that tends to positive infinity. The number of variables, constraints, and rational linear functions in the objective, of the real-variable problem is bounded by a polynomial ...

Linear Parametric Sensitivity Analysis of the Constraint Coefficient Matrix in Linear Programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.A. Zuidwijk (Rob)

2005-01-01

textabstractSensitivity analysis is used to quantify the impact of changes in the initial data of linear programs on the optimal value. In particular, parametric sensitivity analysis involves a perturbation analysis in which the effects of small changes of some or all of the initial data on an

Synthesizing Dynamic Programming Algorithms from Linear Temporal Logic Formulae

Science.gov (United States)

Rosu, Grigore; Havelund, Klaus

2001-01-01

The problem of testing a linear temporal logic (LTL) formula on a finite execution trace of events, generated by an executing program, occurs naturally in runtime analysis of software. We present an algorithm which takes an LTL formula and generates an efficient dynamic programming algorithm. The generated algorithm tests whether the LTL formula is satisfied by a finite trace of events given as input. The generated algorithm runs in linear time, its constant depending on the size of the LTL formula. The memory needed is constant, also depending on the size of the formula.

Does gamification increase engagement with online programs? A systematic review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jemma Looyestyn

Full Text Available Engagement in online programs is difficult to maintain. Gamification is the recent trend that offers to increase engagement through the inclusion of game-like features like points and badges, in non-game contexts. This review will answer the following question, 'Are gamification strategies effective in increasing engagement in online programs?'Eight databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Medline, INSPEC, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete and ACM Digital Library were searched from 2010 to the 28th of October 2015 using a comprehensive search strategy. Eligibility criteria was based on the PICOS format, where "population" included adults, "intervention" involved an online program or smart phone application that included at least one gamification feature. "Comparator" was a control group, "outcomes" included engagement and "downstream" outcomes which occurred as a result of engagement; and "study design" included experimental studies from peer-reviewed sources. Effect sizes (Cohens d and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated.1017 studies were identified from database searches following the removal of duplicates, of which 15 met the inclusion criteria. The studies involved a total of 10,499 participants, and were commonly undertaken in tertiary education contexts. Engagement metrics included time spent (n = 5, volume of contributions (n = 11 and occasions visited to the software (n = 4; as well as downstream behaviours such as performance (n = 4 and healthy behaviours (n = 1. Effect sizes typically ranged from medium to large in direct engagement and downstream behaviours, with 12 out of 15 studies finding positive significant effects in favour of gamification.Gamification is effective in increasing engagement in online programs. Key recommendations for future research into gamification are provided. In particular, rigorous study designs are required to fully examine gamification's effects and determine how to best achieve

Does gamification increase engagement with online programs? A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Looyestyn, Jemma; Kernot, Jocelyn; Boshoff, Kobie; Ryan, Jillian; Edney, Sarah; Maher, Carol

2017-01-01

Engagement in online programs is difficult to maintain. Gamification is the recent trend that offers to increase engagement through the inclusion of game-like features like points and badges, in non-game contexts. This review will answer the following question, 'Are gamification strategies effective in increasing engagement in online programs?' Eight databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Medline, INSPEC, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete and ACM Digital Library) were searched from 2010 to the 28th of October 2015 using a comprehensive search strategy. Eligibility criteria was based on the PICOS format, where "population" included adults, "intervention" involved an online program or smart phone application that included at least one gamification feature. "Comparator" was a control group, "outcomes" included engagement and "downstream" outcomes which occurred as a result of engagement; and "study design" included experimental studies from peer-reviewed sources. Effect sizes (Cohens d and 95% confidence intervals) were also calculated. 1017 studies were identified from database searches following the removal of duplicates, of which 15 met the inclusion criteria. The studies involved a total of 10,499 participants, and were commonly undertaken in tertiary education contexts. Engagement metrics included time spent (n = 5), volume of contributions (n = 11) and occasions visited to the software (n = 4); as well as downstream behaviours such as performance (n = 4) and healthy behaviours (n = 1). Effect sizes typically ranged from medium to large in direct engagement and downstream behaviours, with 12 out of 15 studies finding positive significant effects in favour of gamification. Gamification is effective in increasing engagement in online programs. Key recommendations for future research into gamification are provided. In particular, rigorous study designs are required to fully examine gamification's effects and determine how to best achieve sustained

Program LINEAR (version 79-1): linearize data in the evaluated nuclear data file/version B (ENDF/B) format

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, D.E.

1979-01-01

Program LINEAR converts evaluated cross sections in the ENDF/B format into a tabular form that is subject to linear-linear interpolation in energy and cross section. The code also thins tables of cross sections already in that form (i.e., removes points not needed for linear interpolability). The main advantage of the code is that it allows subsequent codes to consider only linear-linear data. A listing of the source deck is available on request

Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program

OpenAIRE

Scott L. WALKER

2005-01-01

Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program Asst. Professor. Dr. Scott L. WALKER Texas State University-San Marcos San Marcos, Texas, USA ABSTRACT Departmental decisions regarding distance education programs can be subject to subjective decision-making processes influenced by external factors such as strong faculty opinions or pressure to increase student enrolment. This paper outlines an evaluation of a departmental distance-education program....

PENGEMBANGAN PROGRAM LAYANAN BEBAS PUSTAKA ONLINE UNTUK MENINGKATKAN EFEKTIFITAS DAN EFISIENSILAYANAN PERPUSTAKAAN (STUDI KASUS: UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN GANESHA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Made Pendra Mahardika

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk merancang bangun program layanan bebas pustaka online dan mengetahui implementasi program layanan bebas pustaka online dalam rangka meningkatkan efektifitas dan efisiensi layanan perpustakaan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian dan pengembangan (research and development yang menghasilkan produk berupa software berikut pengujian terhadap keefektifan produk tersebut. Objek penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa yang mencari bebas pustaka. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan metode angket/kuisioner, observasi dan wawancara tidak terstruktur. Hasil pengumpulan data kemudian dianalisis secara deskriptif dengan memaknai hasil hitungan data kuantitatif maupun hasil data kualitatif. Hasil penelitian yang telah dicapai adalah (1 programlayanan bebas pustaka online ini sudah sesuai dengan standar mutu suatu program karena telah memenuhi kreteria seperti reliability, correctness, useability, maintainability, testability, interoperationability, flexibility dan overall satisfaction. (2 Program ini memperoleh tanggapan positif dari pustakawan (ahli perpustakaan yang menyatakan bahwa program layanan bebas pustaka online sangat urgent untuk diterapkan pada perpustakaan UNDIKSHA, hal ini merujuk pada paradigma teknologi informasi online yang mampu memberikan layanan secara efektif, efesien dan akurat tanpa batasan ruang maupun waktu. (3 implementasi program ini mendapatkan respon sangat positif dari pengguna berdasarkan hasil ujicoba program dan respon pengguna. Hal ini ditunjukkan dari 98% pengguna setuju penerapan program ini dengan indikator relevansi (100%, efesiensi (99,33%, keakuratan (97%, Kepuasan(99%.Program layanan bebas pustaka online sudah sesuai dengan harapan dan kebutuhan pengguna.

General guidelines solution for linear programming with fuzzy coefficients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Gerardo de los Cobos Silva

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This work introduce to the Possibilistic Programming and the Fuzzy Programming as paradigms that allow to resolve problems of linear programming when the coefficients of the model or the restrictions on the same are presented as fuzzy numbers, rather than exact numbers (crisp. This work presents some examples based on [1].

A linear programming approach for placement of applicants to academic programs

OpenAIRE

Kassa, Biniyam Asmare

2013-01-01

This paper reports a linear programming approach for placement of applicants to study programs developed and implemented at the college of Business & Economics, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The approach is estimated to significantly streamline the placement decision process at the college by reducing required man hour as well as the time it takes to announce placement decisions. Compared to the previous manual system where only one or two placement criteria were considered, the ...

A Review of Paradigms for Evaluating the Quality of Online Education Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Kaye

2011-01-01

As the demands for public accountability increase for higher education, institutions must demonstrate quality within programs and processes, including those provided through online education. While quality may be elusive to specifically quantify, there have been several recommendations for identifying and defining quality online education that…

Comparison of On-line and F2F Education Methods in Teaching Computer Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sevinç Gülseçen

2013-08-01

Full Text Available lthough online education provides opportunities to people who traditionally do not have access to universities, there is a need for more empirical studies to gain better understanding on how to deliver quality online education, especially when the subject of the course is related with IT. Learning to program is a complicated process. This study aims to find out the difference between students’ performance in online and face-to-face (F2F settings during a computer programming in the fall semester of the year 2010. The study was conducted at the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University. This online course is one of the required courses for students majoring in Mathematics. It is delivered in a learning management system developed in house through a project funded by Istanbul University. The goal is to introduce students with structured programming using the programming language C. Two topics -“Functions in C Programming” and “Loops in C Programming” - were presented to students online and F2F. The total of 62 students formed two groups: the online and F2F groups. The content analysis statistical technique is used, as well as a questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions, which performed as a data collection tool to find out the views of the students in context to the process. While some results concluded that the performance of online students was satisfactory, but that their aggregate final grade was significantly lower than that of students who took an equivalent F2F class, others arrived at a conclusion reporting that there were no significant differences in overall outcomes. In case of making transition from F2F to online mode of teaching, prepossession about a new way of teaching is always an important barrier in students’ perceptions. One of the further researches is investigation of strategies for incorporating blended learning opportunities in programming courses.

Non-linear nuclear engineering models as genetic programming application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domingos, Roberto P.; Schirru, Roberto; Martinez, Aquilino S.

1997-01-01

This work presents a Genetic Programming paradigm and a nuclear application. A field of Artificial Intelligence, based on the concepts of Species Evolution and Natural Selection, can be understood as a self-programming process where the computer is the main agent responsible for the discovery of a program able to solve a given problem. In the present case, the problem was to find a mathematical expression in symbolic form, able to express the existent relation between equivalent ratio of a fuel cell, the enrichment of fuel elements and the multiplication factor. Such expression would avoid repeatedly reactor physics codes execution for core optimization. The results were compared with those obtained by different techniques such as Neural Networks and Linear Multiple Regression. Genetic Programming has shown to present a performance as good as, and under some features superior to Neural Network and Linear Multiple Regression. (author). 10 refs., 8 figs., 1 tabs

Sensitivity analysis of linear programming problem through a recurrent neural network

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Raja

2017-11-01

In this paper we study the recurrent neural network for solving linear programming problems. To achieve optimality in accuracy and also in computational effort, an algorithm is presented. We investigate the sensitivity analysis of linear programming problem through the neural network. A detailed example is also presented to demonstrate the performance of the recurrent neural network.

Climate schools plus: An online, combined student and parent, universal drug prevention program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise K. Thornton

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Early initiation of substance use significantly increases one's risk of developing substance use dependence and mental disorders later in life. To interrupt this trajectory, effective prevention during the adolescent period is critical. Parents play a key role in preventing substance use and related harms among adolescents and parenting interventions have been identified as critical components of effective prevention programs. Despite this, there is currently no substance use prevention program targeting both students and parents that adopts online delivery to overcome barriers to implementation and sustainability. The Climate Schools Plus (CSP program was developed to meet this need. CSP is an online substance use prevention program for students and parents, based on the effective Climate Schools prevention program for students. This paper describes the development of the parent component of CSP including a literature review and results of a large scoping survey of parents of Australian high school students (n = 242. This paper also includes results of beta-testing of the developed program with relevant experts (n = 10, and parents of Australian high school students (n = 15. The CSP parent component consists of 1 a webinar which introduces shared rule ranking, 2 online modules and 3 summaries of student lessons. The parent program targets evidence-based modifiable factors associated with a delay in the onset of adolescent substance use and/or lower levels of adolescent substance use in the future; namely, rule-setting, monitoring, and modelling. To date, this is the first combined parent-student substance use prevention program to adopt an online delivery method. Keywords: Development, Prevention, Adolescent, Alcohol, Parent

Engagement in health and wellness: An online incentive-based program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa B. Gibson

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, corporate health promotion programs are implementing wellness programs integrating principles of behavioral economics. Employees of a large firm were provided a customized online incentive program to design their own commitments to meet health goals. This study examines patterns of program participation and engagement in health promotion activities. Subjects were US-based employees of a large, nondurable goods manufacturing firm who were enrolled in corporate health benefits in 2010 and 2011. We assessed measures of engagement with the workplace health promotion program (e.g., incentive points earned, weight loss. To further examine behaviors indicating engagement in health promotion activities, we constructed an aggregate, employee-level engagement index. Regression models were employed to assess the association between employee characteristics and the engagement index, and the engagement index and spending. 4220 employees utilized the online program and made 25,716 commitments. Male employees age 18–34 had the highest level of engagement, and male employees age 55–64 had the lowest level of engagement overall. Prior year health status and prior year spending did not show a significant association with the level of engagement with the program (p > 0.05. Flexible, incentive-based behavioral health and lifestyle programs may reach the broader workforce including those with chronic conditions and higher levels of health spending.

Evaluation in STEM Online Graduate Degree Programs in Agricultural Sciences and Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, Holly A.

2014-01-01

Demands for online graduate degrees have increased pressure on universities to launch web degrees quickly and, at times, without attending to their quality. Scarce research exists identifying what evaluation activities are being done by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) online graduate degree programs that are accustomed to…

FSILP: fuzzy-stochastic-interval linear programming for supporting municipal solid waste management.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Pu; Chen, Bing

2011-04-01

Although many studies on municipal solid waste management (MSW management) were conducted under uncertain conditions of fuzzy, stochastic, and interval coexistence, the solution to the conventional linear programming problems of integrating fuzzy method with the other two was inefficient. In this study, a fuzzy-stochastic-interval linear programming (FSILP) method is developed by integrating Nguyen's method with conventional linear programming for supporting municipal solid waste management. The Nguyen's method was used to convert the fuzzy and fuzzy-stochastic linear programming problems into the conventional linear programs, by measuring the attainment values of fuzzy numbers and/or fuzzy random variables, as well as superiority and inferiority between triangular fuzzy numbers/triangular fuzzy-stochastic variables. The developed method can effectively tackle uncertainties described in terms of probability density functions, fuzzy membership functions, and discrete intervals. Moreover, the method can also improve upon the conventional interval fuzzy programming and two-stage stochastic programming approaches, with advantageous capabilities that are easily achieved with fewer constraints and significantly reduces consumption time. The developed model was applied to a case study of municipal solid waste management system in a city. The results indicated that reasonable solutions had been generated. The solution can help quantify the relationship between the change of system cost and the uncertainties, which could support further analysis of tradeoffs between the waste management cost and the system failure risk. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multifaceted Approach to Designing an Online Masters Program.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeil, Sara G.; Chernish, William N.; DeFranco, Agnes L.

At the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston (Texas), the faculty and administrators made a conscious effort to take a broad, extensive approach to designing and implementing a fully online masters program. This approach was entered in a comprehensive needs assessment model and sought input from…

Generalised Assignment Matrix Methodology in Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Jerome, Lawrence

2012-01-01

Discrete Mathematics instructors and students have long been struggling with various labelling and scanning algorithms for solving many important problems. This paper shows how to solve a wide variety of Discrete Mathematics and OR problems using assignment matrices and linear programming, specifically using Excel Solvers although the same…

Teaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, G.; Crall, A.; Laituri, M.; Graham, J.; Stohlgren, T.; Moore, J.C.; Kodrich, K.; Holfelder, K.A.

2010-01-01

Citizen science programs are emerging as an efficient way to increase data collection and help monitor invasive species. Effective invasive species monitoring requires rigid data quality assurances if expensive control efforts are to be guided by volunteer data. To achieve data quality, effective online training is needed to improve field skills and reach large numbers of remote sentinel volunteers critical to early detection and rapid response. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of online static and multimedia tutorials to teach citizen science volunteers (n = 54) how to identify invasive plants; establish monitoring plots; measure percent cover; and use Global Positioning System (GPS) units. Participants trained using static and multimedia tutorials provided less (p plant cover estimates between static (??10%) and multimedia (??13%) participants did not differ (p =.86 and.08, respectively) from those of professionals (??9%). Trained volunteers struggled with plot setup and GPS skills. Overall, the online approach used did not influence conferred field skills and abilities. Traditional or multimedia online training augmented with more rigorous, repeated, and hands-on, in-person training in specialized skills required for more difficult tasks will likely improve volunteer abilities, data quality, and overall program effectiveness. ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

How accurately do instructors judge students' attitudes online? A measurement of expectations and level of satisfaction with an Online Information Systems masters program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren-Nicole Macht

2002-12-01

Full Text Available In order to run a successful educational program, instructors as well as staff members must constantly review and adapt to the expectations, concerns, demographics and satisfaction level of their student consumers. This study was conducted in order to examine these issues in an online educational setting. First, interviews were given to the program instructors in order to determine their opinions about the students' expectations and satisfaction levels. This information was then used to create a student survey that assessed the students' expectations and level of satisfaction. These two sets of results were then compared This comparison revealed that the online instructors did have a good grasp of the online students' expectations, concerns, demographics and satisfaction level. The only areas where the instructors' concepts of student views were slightly less accurate was student concerns and student feelings about the program administration, where the instructors overestimated the level of concern the students had about successfully returning to the learning environment and underestimated the students' satisfaction with the program's administration. This leads us to conclude that, even with the added online factor, instructors strongly understand student expectations, satisfaction levels, demographics and concerns.

Opinion Mining in Online Reviews About Distance Education Programs

OpenAIRE

Jaskolski, Janik; Siegberg, Fabian; Tibroni, Thomas; Cimiano, Philipp; Klinger, Roman

2016-01-01

The popularity of distance education programs is increasing at a fast pace. En par with this development, online communication in fora, social media and reviewing platforms between students is increasing as well. Exploiting this information to support fellow students or institutions requires to extract the relevant opinions in order to automatically generate reports providing an overview of pros and cons of different distance education programs. We report on an experiment involving distance e...

Optimizing gradient conditions in online comprehensive two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography by use of the linear solvent strength model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Græsbøll, Rune; Janssen, Hans-Gerd; Christensen, Jan H.

2017-01-01

The linear solvent strength model was used to predict coverage in online comprehensive two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The prediction model uses a parallelogram to describe the separation space covered with peaks in a system with limited orthogonality. The corners of the par......The linear solvent strength model was used to predict coverage in online comprehensive two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The prediction model uses a parallelogram to describe the separation space covered with peaks in a system with limited orthogonality. The corners...... of the parallelogram are assumed to behave like chromatographic peaks and the position of these pseudo-compounds was predicted. A mix of 25 polycyclic aromatic compounds were used as a test. The precision of the prediction, span 0-25, was tested by varying input parameters, and was found to be acceptable with root...... factors were low, or when gradient conditions affected parameters not included in the model, e.g. second dimension gradient time affects the second dimension equilibration time. The concept shows promise as a tool for gradient optimization in online comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography...

The development of a TED-Ed online resident research training program.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreau, Katherine A; Pound, Catherine M; Peddle, Beth; Tokarewicz, Jaclyn; Eady, Kaylee

2014-01-01

Pediatric health research is important for improving the health and well-being of children and their families. To foster the development of physicians' research competencies, it is vital to integrate practical and context-specific research training into residency programs. To describe the development of a resident research training program at one tertiary care pediatric academic health sciences center in Ontario, Canada. We surveyed residents and pediatricians/research staff to establish the need and content for a resident research training program. Residents and resident research supervisors agreed or strongly agreed that research training is important for residents. However, few residents and supervisors believed that their academic health sciences center provided adequate training and resources to support resident research. As such, an online resident research training program was established. Residents and supervisors agreed that the program should focus on the following topics: 1) critically evaluating research literature, 2) writing a research proposal, 3) submitting an application for research funding, and 4) writing a manuscript. This highly accessible, context-specific, and inexpensive online program model may be of interest and benefit to other residency programs as a means to enhance residents' scholarly roles. A formal evaluation of the research training program is now underway.

The development of a TED-Ed online resident research training program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine A. Moreau

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Pediatric health research is important for improving the health and well-being of children and their families. To foster the development of physicians’ research competencies, it is vital to integrate practical and context-specific research training into residency programs. Purpose: To describe the development of a resident research training program at one tertiary care pediatric academic health sciences center in Ontario, Canada. Methods: We surveyed residents and pediatricians/research staff to establish the need and content for a resident research training program. Results: Residents and resident research supervisors agreed or strongly agreed that research training is important for residents. However, few residents and supervisors believed that their academic health sciences center provided adequate training and resources to support resident research. As such, an online resident research training program was established. Residents and supervisors agreed that the program should focus on the following topics: 1 critically evaluating research literature, 2 writing a research proposal, 3 submitting an application for research funding, and 4 writing a manuscript. Discussion: This highly accessible, context-specific, and inexpensive online program model may be of interest and benefit to other residency programs as a means to enhance residents’ scholarly roles. A formal evaluation of the research training program is now underway.

Students' Perceptions of an Online Graduate Program in Special Education for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Leader-Janssen, Elizabeth M.; Nordness, Philip D.; Swain, Kristine D.; Hagaman, Jessica L.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate graduate students' perceptions of a completely online master's degree program in special education for emotional and behavioral disorders. The Community of Inquiry survey was used to examine graduate students' perceptions of the online program in the areas of teaching, cognitive, and social presences. The…

Fuzzy linear programming approach for solving transportation

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Transportation problem (TP) is an important network structured linear programming problem that arises in several contexts and has deservedly received a great deal of attention in the literature. The central concept in this problem is to find the least total transportation cost of a commodity in order to satisfy demands at ...

Large-scale linear programs in planning and prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

Large-scale linear programs are at the core of many traffic-related optimization problems in both planning and prediction. Moreover, many of these involve significant uncertainty, and hence are modeled using either chance constraints, or robust optim...

Linear decomposition approach for a class of nonconvex programming problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Peiping; Wang, Chunfeng

2017-01-01

This paper presents a linear decomposition approach for a class of nonconvex programming problems by dividing the input space into polynomially many grids. It shows that under certain assumptions the original problem can be transformed and decomposed into a polynomial number of equivalent linear programming subproblems. Based on solving a series of liner programming subproblems corresponding to those grid points we can obtain the near-optimal solution of the original problem. Compared to existing results in the literature, the proposed algorithm does not require the assumptions of quasi-concavity and differentiability of the objective function, and it differs significantly giving an interesting approach to solving the problem with a reduced running time.

A linear programming model for protein inference problem in shotgun proteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ting; He, Zengyou

2012-11-15

Assembling peptides identified from tandem mass spectra into a list of proteins, referred to as protein inference, is an important issue in shotgun proteomics. The objective of protein inference is to find a subset of proteins that are truly present in the sample. Although many methods have been proposed for protein inference, several issues such as peptide degeneracy still remain unsolved. In this article, we present a linear programming model for protein inference. In this model, we use a transformation of the joint probability that each peptide/protein pair is present in the sample as the variable. Then, both the peptide probability and protein probability can be expressed as a formula in terms of the linear combination of these variables. Based on this simple fact, the protein inference problem is formulated as an optimization problem: minimize the number of proteins with non-zero probabilities under the constraint that the difference between the calculated peptide probability and the peptide probability generated from peptide identification algorithms should be less than some threshold. This model addresses the peptide degeneracy issue by forcing some joint probability variables involving degenerate peptides to be zero in a rigorous manner. The corresponding inference algorithm is named as ProteinLP. We test the performance of ProteinLP on six datasets. Experimental results show that our method is competitive with the state-of-the-art protein inference algorithms. The source code of our algorithm is available at: https://sourceforge.net/projects/prolp/. zyhe@dlut.edu.cn. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Online.

International program on linear electric motors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dawson, G.E.; Eastham, A.R.; Parker, J.H.

1992-05-01

The International Program on Linear Electric Motors (LEM) was initiated for the purposes of commumication and coordination between various centers of expertise in LEM technology in Germany, Japan and Canada. Furthermore, it was intended to provide assessment and support of the planning of technological developments and for dissemination of information to researchers, service operators and policy makers, and to ensure that full advantage can be taken if opportunities for technology transfer occur. In the process, the program was able to provide closer contacts between researchers, to enhance and encourage collaborative research and development, and to facilitate joint ventures in advanced transportation technologies. Work done under the program is documented, and seminar materials presented by Canadian researchers in Italy, and by Italian researchers at Queen's University in Canada are presented. Five separate abstracts have been prepared for the main body of the report and the seminar materials.

Evaluating forest management policies by parametric linear programing

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel I. Navon; Richard J. McConnen

1967-01-01

An analytical and simulation technique, parametric linear programing explores alternative conditions and devises an optimal management plan for each condition. Its application in solving policy-decision problems in the management of forest lands is illustrated in an example.

C-program LINOP for the evaluation of film dosemeters by linear optimization. User manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kragh, P.

1995-11-01

Linear programming results in an optimal measuring value for film dosemeters. The Linop program was developed to be used for linear programming. The program permits the evaluation and control of film dosemeters and of all other multi-component dosemeters. This user manual for the Linop program contains the source program, a description of the program and installation and use instructions. The data sets with programs and examples are available upon request. (orig.) [de

Student performance in computing education: an empirical analysis of online learning in programming education environments

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Belle Selene; Liitiäinen, Elia

2017-11-01

The benefits of using online exercises have been analysed in terms of distance learning, automatic assessment and self-regulated learning. In this study, we have not found a direct proportional relationship between student performance in the course exercises that use online technologies and the exam grades. We see that the average submission rate to these online exercises is not positively correlated with the exercise points. Yet, our results confirm that doing exercises along supports student learning and skill accumulation equipping them with the knowledge of programming. While the student performance in programming courses is affected by factors such as prior background in programming, cognitive skills and the quality of teaching, completing the course exercises via learning-by-doing is an indispensable part of teaching. Based on the student feedback from the course survey, the students are highly satisfied with using online technologies as part of learning.

A property of assignment type mixed integer linear programming problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benders, J.F.; van Nunen, J.A.E.E.

1982-01-01

In this paper we will proof that rather tight upper bounds can be given for the number of non-unique assignments that are achieved after solving the linear programming relaxation of some types of mixed integer linear assignment problems. Since in these cases the number of splitted assignments is

Evaluation of an Online Educational Program for Parents and Caregivers of Children With Food Allergies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Baqués, A; Contreras-Porta, J; Marques-Mejías, M; Cárdenas Rebollo, J M; Capel Torres, F; Ariño Pla, M N; Zorrozua Santisteban, A; Chivato, T

2018-01-01

The increasing prevalence of food allergy affects both patients and their families. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an online educational program designed for parents and caregivers of children with food allergies. The program was developed by a multidisciplinary group comprising health care professionals, researchers, and expert patients under the participatory medicine model. Participants took a 2-week online educational program covering major topics in food allergy management. General knowledge about the disease, symptoms, treatment, and topics relevant to families' daily lives were evaluated. The contents included educational videos, online forums, and live video chats. A pretest/posttest questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the impact of the program. A total of 207 participants enrolled in the educational program, which was completed by 130 (62.8%). Knowledge acquisition improved significantly following participation in the program in 15 out of 30 items (50%), reaching P<.001 for 8 items (26.7%). Of the 207 participants who started the program, 139 (67.1%) visited online forums, and 27.5% attended video chats. Average overall satisfaction with the educational program was 8.78 (on a scale of 0 to 10). The results obtained show that parents improved their knowledge in all areas of food allergy. The high level of satisfaction among participants suggests that digital learning tools are effective and motivational, enabling patients to acquire appropriate knowledge and thus increasing their quality of life.

Athabasca University: Conversion from Traditional Distance Education to Online Courses, Programs and Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Davis

2001-01-01

Full Text Available In its 30 years of operation, Athabasca University has witnessed the full impact of the growth of online distance education. Its conversion from mixed media course production and telephone/ mail tutoring to a variety of electronic information and communication technologies has been heterogeneous across disciplines and programs. Undergraduate programs in business, computing, and some social science programs have largely led the conversion, and all graduate programs have, since their inception, employed various features of online delivery. The parallel conversion of student services has been equally important to the effectiveness of these processes. The implications of this approach for the quality of offerings, support systems, costing, and the primary mandate of the University (which is to remove barriers, not create them are discussed.

Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs That Offer Differentiated Learning Options. REL 2017-228

Science.gov (United States)

Brodersen, R. Marc; Melluzzo, Daniel

2017-01-01

This report summarizes the methodology, measures, and findings of research on the influence on student achievement outcomes of K-12 online and blended face-to-face and online learning programs that offer differentiated learning options. The report also describes the characteristics of the learning programs. Most of the examined programs used…

Sequential computation of elementary modes and minimal cut sets in genome-scale metabolic networks using alternate integer linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Hyun-Seob; Goldberg, Noam; Mahajan, Ashutosh; Ramkrishna, Doraiswami

2017-08-01

Elementary (flux) modes (EMs) have served as a valuable tool for investigating structural and functional properties of metabolic networks. Identification of the full set of EMs in genome-scale networks remains challenging due to combinatorial explosion of EMs in complex networks. It is often, however, that only a small subset of relevant EMs needs to be known, for which optimization-based sequential computation is a useful alternative. Most of the currently available methods along this line are based on the iterative use of mixed integer linear programming (MILP), the effectiveness of which significantly deteriorates as the number of iterations builds up. To alleviate the computational burden associated with the MILP implementation, we here present a novel optimization algorithm termed alternate integer linear programming (AILP). Our algorithm was designed to iteratively solve a pair of integer programming (IP) and linear programming (LP) to compute EMs in a sequential manner. In each step, the IP identifies a minimal subset of reactions, the deletion of which disables all previously identified EMs. Thus, a subsequent LP solution subject to this reaction deletion constraint becomes a distinct EM. In cases where no feasible LP solution is available, IP-derived reaction deletion sets represent minimal cut sets (MCSs). Despite the additional computation of MCSs, AILP achieved significant time reduction in computing EMs by orders of magnitude. The proposed AILP algorithm not only offers a computational advantage in the EM analysis of genome-scale networks, but also improves the understanding of the linkage between EMs and MCSs. The software is implemented in Matlab, and is provided as supplementary information . hyunseob.song@pnnl.gov. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. Published by Oxford University Press 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and are in the public domain in the US.

The From Survivor to Thriver program: RCT of an online therapist-facilitated program for rape-related PTSD.

Science.gov (United States)

Littleton, Heather; Grills, Amie E; Kline, Katherine D; Schoemann, Alexander M; Dodd, Julia C

2016-10-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of the From Survivor to Thriver program, an interactive, online therapist-facilitated cognitive-behavioral program for rape-related PTSD. Eighty-seven college women with rape-related PTSD were randomized to complete the interactive program (n=46) or a psycho-educational self-help website (n=41). Both programs led to large reductions in interview-assessed PTSD at post-treatment (interactive d=2.22, psycho-educational d=1.10), which were maintained at three month follow-up. Both also led to medium- to large-sized reductions in self-reported depressive and general anxiety symptoms. Follow-up analyses supported that the therapist-facilitated interactive program led to superior outcomes among those with higher pre-treatment PTSD whereas the psycho-educational self-help website led to superior outcomes for individuals with lower pre-treatment PTSD. Future research should examine the efficacy and effectiveness of online interventions for rape-related PTSD including whether treatment intensity matching could be utilized to maximize outcomes and therapist resource efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of linear, mixed integer and non-linear programming methods in energy system dispatch modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ommen, Torben Schmidt; Markussen, Wiebke Brix; Elmegaard, Brian

2014-01-01

In the paper, three frequently used operation optimisation methods are examined with respect to their impact on operation management of the combined utility technologies for electric power and DH (district heating) of eastern Denmark. The investigation focusses on individual plant operation...... differences and differences between the solution found by each optimisation method. One of the investigated approaches utilises LP (linear programming) for optimisation, one uses LP with binary operation constraints, while the third approach uses NLP (non-linear programming). The LP model is used...... as a benchmark, as this type is frequently used, and has the lowest amount of constraints of the three. A comparison of the optimised operation of a number of units shows significant differences between the three methods. Compared to the reference, the use of binary integer variables, increases operation...

Fundamental solution of the problem of linear programming and method of its determination

Science.gov (United States)

Petrunin, S. V.

1978-01-01

The idea of a fundamental solution to a problem in linear programming is introduced. A method of determining the fundamental solution and of applying this method to the solution of a problem in linear programming is proposed. Numerical examples are cited.

Development and evaluation of a training program for therapeutic radiographers as a basis for online adaptive radiation therapy for bladder carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foroudi, Farshad; Wong, Jacky; Kron, Tomas; Roxby, Paul; Haworth, Annette; Bailey, Alistair; Rolfo, Aldo; Paneghel, Andrea; Styles, Colin; Laferlita, Marcus; Tai, Keen Hun; Williams, Scott; Duchesne, Gillian

2010-01-01

Aims: Online adaptive radiotherapy requires a new level of soft tissue anatomy recognition and decision making by therapeutic radiographers at the linear accelerator. We have developed a therapeutic radiographer training workshop encompassing soft tissue matching for an online adaptive protocol for muscle invasive bladder cancer. Our aim is to present the training program, and its evaluation which compares pre and post training staff soft tissue matching and bladder contouring using Cone Beam Computer Tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Prior to commencement of an online adaptive bladder protocol, a staff training program for 33 therapeutic radiographers, with a separate ethics approved evaluation component was developed. A multidisciplinary training program over two days was carried out with a total of 11 h of training, covering imaging technology, pelvic anatomy and protocol specific decision making in both practical and theoretical sessions. The evaluation included both pre training and post training testing of staff. Results: Pre training and post training, the standard deviations in the contoured bladder between participants in left-right direction were 0.64 vs 0.59 cm, superior-inferior 0.89 vs 0.77 cm and anterior-posterior direction was 0.88 vs 0.52 cm respectively. Similarly the standard deviation in the volume contoured decreased from 40.7 cc pre training to 24.5 cc post training. Time taken in contouring was reduced by the training program (19.8 vs 17.2 min) as was the discrepancy in choice of adaptive radiotherapy plans. The greatest reduction in variations in contouring was seen in staff whose pre training had the largest deviations from the reference radiation oncologist contours. Conclusion: A formalized staff training program is feasible, well received by staff and reduces variation in organ matching and contouring. The improvement was particularly noticed in staff who pre training had larger deviations from the reference standard.

Physician Contribution to Developing an Online Master’s Degree in Education Program for Health Care Professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadriye O. Lewis, Ed.D.

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Online education is increasingly recognized by medical educators as a teaching and learning tool to support formal and continuing medical education. The faculty development team at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College of Education (UCCOE developed an Online Masters Degree in Education program designed to provide healthcare professionals with the educational pedagogy needed to teach more effectively and to conduct educational research. A qualitative case study describes the experiences of four physicians who completed the existing Master’s Degree in Education (Curriculum and Instruction major in a combined in-class/online format. These physicians then helped customize the curriculum for medical education and adapt the program to an all-online format. Each participant benefited from the program in different ways (e.g. improved educational research methods, teaching and technology skills, assessment techniques, performance-based learning. The program introduced new concepts in education that the physician participants were able to adapt to medical education. All participants became more aware of their role as educators, and demonstrated increased understanding of teaching and learning concepts, including the many benefits of online learning for physicians with full-time professional responsibilities.

Online Adaptive Optimal Control of Vehicle Active Suspension Systems Using Single-Network Approximate Dynamic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-Jun Fu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In view of the performance requirements (e.g., ride comfort, road holding, and suspension space limitation for vehicle suspension systems, this paper proposes an adaptive optimal control method for quarter-car active suspension system by using the approximate dynamic programming approach (ADP. Online optimal control law is obtained by using a single adaptive critic NN to approximate the solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB equation. Stability of the closed-loop system is proved by Lyapunov theory. Compared with the classic linear quadratic regulator (LQR approach, the proposed ADP-based adaptive optimal control method demonstrates improved performance in the presence of parametric uncertainties (e.g., sprung mass and unknown road displacement. Numerical simulation results of a sedan suspension system are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

A Spreadsheet-Based, Matrix Formulation Linear Programming Lesson

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harrod, Steven

2009-01-01

The article focuses on the spreadsheet-based, matrix formulation linear programming lesson. According to the article, it makes a higher level of theoretical mathematics approachable by a wide spectrum of students wherein many may not be decision sciences or quantitative methods majors. Moreover...

The Feasibility of an Online Health Program for Community College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Elizabeth; Chiauzzi, Emil; Floyd, Deborah L.; Bond, Kathleen; Wood, Mollie

2012-01-01

A comprehensive, four-phase approach was used to test the feasibility of an online, tailored health program for community college students. The prototype was perceived by students as relevant and useful; practitioners were favorable toward offering the program as part of orientation and in a credit-course format. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Controller design approach based on linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Ryo; Shibasaki, Hiroki; Ogawa, Hiromitsu; Murakami, Takahiro; Ishida, Yoshihisa

2013-11-01

This study explains and demonstrates the design method for a control system with a load disturbance observer. Observer gains are determined by linear programming (LP) in terms of the Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion and the final-value theorem. In addition, the control model has a feedback structure, and feedback gains are determined to be the linear quadratic regulator. The simulation results confirmed that compared with the conventional method, the output estimated by our proposed method converges to a reference input faster when a load disturbance is added to a control system. In addition, we also confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method by performing an experiment with a DC motor. © 2013 ISA. Published by ISA. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity Analysis of Linear Programming and Quadratic Programming Algorithms for Control Allocation

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Susan A.; Bodson, Marc; Acosta, Diana M.

2009-01-01

The Next Generation (NextGen) transport aircraft configurations being investigated as part of the NASA Aeronautics Subsonic Fixed Wing Project have more control surfaces, or control effectors, than existing transport aircraft configurations. Conventional flight control is achieved through two symmetric elevators, two antisymmetric ailerons, and a rudder. The five effectors, reduced to three command variables, produce moments along the three main axes of the aircraft and enable the pilot to control the attitude and flight path of the aircraft. The NextGen aircraft will have additional redundant control effectors to control the three moments, creating a situation where the aircraft is over-actuated and where a simple relationship does not exist anymore between the required effector deflections and the desired moments. NextGen flight controllers will incorporate control allocation algorithms to determine the optimal effector commands and attain the desired moments, taking into account the effector limits. Approaches to solving the problem using linear programming and quadratic programming algorithms have been proposed and tested. It is of great interest to understand their relative advantages and disadvantages and how design parameters may affect their properties. In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of the effector commands with respect to the desired moments and show on some examples that the solutions provided using the l2 norm of quadratic programming are less sensitive than those using the l1 norm of linear programming.

Teaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, G.; Crall, A.; Laituri, M.; Graham, J.; Stohlgren, T.; Moore, J.C.; Kodrich, K.; Holfelder, K.A.

2010-01-01

Citizen science programs are emerging as an efficient way to increase data collection and help monitor invasive species. Effective invasive species monitoring requires rigid data quality assurances if expensive control efforts are to be guided by volunteer data. To achieve data quality, effective online training is needed to improve field skills and reach large numbers of remote sentinel volunteers critical to early detection and rapid response. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of online static and multimedia tutorials to teach citizen science volunteers (n = 54) how to identify invasive plants; establish monitoring plots; measure percent cover; and use Global Positioning System (GPS) units. Participants trained using static and multimedia tutorials provided less (p quality, and overall program effectiveness. ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Spline smoothing of histograms by linear programming

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, J. O.

1972-01-01

An algorithm for an approximating function to the frequency distribution is obtained from a sample of size n. To obtain the approximating function a histogram is made from the data. Next, Euclidean space approximations to the graph of the histogram using central B-splines as basis elements are obtained by linear programming. The approximating function has area one and is nonnegative.

An algorithm for the solution of dynamic linear programs

Science.gov (United States)

Psiaki, Mark L.

1989-01-01

The algorithm's objective is to efficiently solve Dynamic Linear Programs (DLP) by taking advantage of their special staircase structure. This algorithm constitutes a stepping stone to an improved algorithm for solving Dynamic Quadratic Programs, which, in turn, would make the nonlinear programming method of Successive Quadratic Programs more practical for solving trajectory optimization problems. The ultimate goal is to being trajectory optimization solution speeds into the realm of real-time control. The algorithm exploits the staircase nature of the large constraint matrix of the equality-constrained DLPs encountered when solving inequality-constrained DLPs by an active set approach. A numerically-stable, staircase QL factorization of the staircase constraint matrix is carried out starting from its last rows and columns. The resulting recursion is like the time-varying Riccati equation from multi-stage LQR theory. The resulting factorization increases the efficiency of all of the typical LP solution operations over that of a dense matrix LP code. At the same time numerical stability is ensured. The algorithm also takes advantage of dynamic programming ideas about the cost-to-go by relaxing active pseudo constraints in a backwards sweeping process. This further decreases the cost per update of the LP rank-1 updating procedure, although it may result in more changes of the active set that if pseudo constraints were relaxed in a non-stagewise fashion. The usual stability of closed-loop Linear/Quadratic optimally-controlled systems, if it carries over to strictly linear cost functions, implies that the saving due to reduced factor update effort may outweigh the cost of an increased number of updates. An aerospace example is presented in which a ground-to-ground rocket's distance is maximized. This example demonstrates the applicability of this class of algorithms to aerospace guidance. It also sheds light on the efficacy of the proposed pseudo constraint relaxation

MAGDM linear-programming models with distinct uncertain preference structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zeshui S; Chen, Jian

2008-10-01

Group decision making with preference information on alternatives is an interesting and important research topic which has been receiving more and more attention in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to investigate multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems with distinct uncertain preference structures. We develop some linear-programming models for dealing with the MAGDM problems, where the information about attribute weights is incomplete, and the decision makers have their preferences on alternatives. The provided preference information can be represented in the following three distinct uncertain preference structures: 1) interval utility values; 2) interval fuzzy preference relations; and 3) interval multiplicative preference relations. We first establish some linear-programming models based on decision matrix and each of the distinct uncertain preference structures and, then, develop some linear-programming models to integrate all three structures of subjective uncertain preference information provided by the decision makers and the objective information depicted in the decision matrix. Furthermore, we propose a simple and straightforward approach in ranking and selecting the given alternatives. It is worth pointing out that the developed models can also be used to deal with the situations where the three distinct uncertain preference structures are reduced to the traditional ones, i.e., utility values, fuzzy preference relations, and multiplicative preference relations. Finally, we use a practical example to illustrate in detail the calculation process of the developed approach.

An overview of solution methods for multi-objective mixed integer linear programming programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Kim Allan; Stidsen, Thomas Riis

Multiple objective mixed integer linear programming (MOMIP) problems are notoriously hard to solve to optimality, i.e. finding the complete set of non-dominated solutions. We will give an overview of existing methods. Among those are interactive methods, the two phases method and enumeration...... methods. In particular we will discuss the existing branch and bound approaches for solving multiple objective integer programming problems. Despite the fact that branch and bound methods has been applied successfully to integer programming problems with one criterion only a few attempts has been made...

Boundary Control of Linear Uncertain 1-D Parabolic PDE Using Approximate Dynamic Programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Talaei, Behzad; Jagannathan, Sarangapani; Singler, John

2018-04-01

This paper develops a near optimal boundary control method for distributed parameter systems governed by uncertain linear 1-D parabolic partial differential equations (PDE) by using approximate dynamic programming. A quadratic surface integral is proposed to express the optimal cost functional for the infinite-dimensional state space. Accordingly, the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation is formulated in the infinite-dimensional domain without using any model reduction. Subsequently, a neural network identifier is developed to estimate the unknown spatially varying coefficient in PDE dynamics. Novel tuning law is proposed to guarantee the boundedness of identifier approximation error in the PDE domain. A radial basis network (RBN) is subsequently proposed to generate an approximate solution for the optimal surface kernel function online. The tuning law for near optimal RBN weights is created, such that the HJB equation error is minimized while the dynamics are identified and closed-loop system remains stable. Ultimate boundedness (UB) of the closed-loop system is verified by using the Lyapunov theory. The performance of the proposed controller is successfully confirmed by simulation on an unstable diffusion-reaction process.

Accommodation of practical constraints by a linear programming jet select. [for Space Shuttle

Science.gov (United States)

Bergmann, E.; Weiler, P.

1983-01-01

An experimental spacecraft control system will be incorporated into the Space Shuttle flight software and exercised during a forthcoming mission to evaluate its performance and handling qualities. The control system incorporates a 'phase space' control law to generate rate change requests and a linear programming jet select to compute jet firings. Posed as a linear programming problem, jet selection must represent the rate change request as a linear combination of jet acceleration vectors where the coefficients are the jet firing times, while minimizing the fuel expended in satisfying that request. This problem is solved in real time using a revised Simplex algorithm. In order to implement the jet selection algorithm in the Shuttle flight control computer, it was modified to accommodate certain practical features of the Shuttle such as limited computer throughput, lengthy firing times, and a large number of control jets. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first such application of linear programming. It was made possible by careful consideration of the jet selection problem in terms of the properties of linear programming and the Simplex algorithm. These modifications to the jet select algorithm may by useful for the design of reaction controlled spacecraft.

The Effects of an Online Mind-Body Training Program on Stress, Coping Strategies, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Psychological State.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Ye-Ha; Ha, Tae Min; Oh, Chang Young; Lee, Ui Soon; Jang, Joon Hwan; Kim, Jungwon; Park, Jae-Oh; Kang, Do-Hyung

2016-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of an online mind-body training (MBT) program on participants' stress, anger, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, resilience, and positive and negative affect. Forty-two healthy women participated in an online MBT program for approximately 8-10 minutes a day for 8 weeks; a control group of 45 healthy women did not participate in the program. Self-report psychological questionnaires were administered before the beginning of the program and at 4 and 8 weeks following its onset. Data from the MBT group and the control group were compared using repeated measures ANOVA and Student's t-tests. Significant time x group interaction effects were found with respect to stress, coping strategies, anger, emotional intelligence, negative affect and resilience. These results demonstrate beneficial effects of the online MBT program and significant improvements in the psychological capabilities of participants compared with the control group. The effects of online MBT program were similar with those of the previous offline MBT in psychological aspects, suggesting further studies for neuroscientific evidence related stress and emotion of online MBT effects.

Undergrad and Overweight: An Online Behavioral Weight Management Program for College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey-Berino, Jean; Pope, Lizzy; Gold, Beth Casey; Leonard, Heather; Belliveau, Cynthia

2012-01-01

Objective: Explore the feasibility of an online behavioral weight management program for college students. Methods: The program focused on behavioral strategies to modify eating and exercise behaviors of students interested in losing weight and/or developing a healthy lifestyle. Specific tools included weekly chat meetings with a facilitator,…

Online support and education for dementia caregivers: overview, utilization, and initial program evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Glueckauf, Robert L; Ketterson, Timothy U; Loomis, Jeffrey S; Dages, Pat

2004-01-01

Family caregivers of older adults with progressive dementia (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) are confronted with a variety of challenges in providing assistance to their loved ones, such as dealing with persistent, repetitive questions, managing episodes of agitation and aggressive responding, as well as monitoring hygiene and self-care activities. Although professional and governmental organizations have called for the creation of community-based education and support programs, a significant proportion of dementia caregivers in the United States continue to receive little or no formal instruction in responding effectively to these anxiety-provoking situations. This paper describes the development and implementation of Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online (also known as AlzOnline), an Internet- and telephone-based education and support network for caregivers of individuals with progressive dementia. An outcome analysis of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded strategic marketing initiative to promote the use of AlzOnline is reviewed, followed by a presentation of the findings of an initial program evaluation. Finally, future directions for online caregiver evaluation research are proposed.

DESIGN OF EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS ON LINEAR PROGRAMMING USING SYSTEMS OF COMPUTER MATHEMATICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr M. Mykhalevych

2013-11-01

Full Text Available From a perspective of the theory of educational problems a problem of substitution in the conditions of ICT use of one discipline by an educational problem of another discipline is represented. Through the example of mathematical problems of linear programming it is showed that a student’s method of operation in the course of an educational problem solving is determinant in the identification of an educational problem in relation to a specific discipline: linear programming, informatics, mathematical modeling, methods of optimization, automatic control theory, calculus etc. It is substantiated the necessity of linear programming educational problems renovation with the purpose of making students free of bulky similar arithmetic calculations and notes which often becomes a barrier to a deeper understanding of key ideas taken as a basis of algorithms used by them.

Online Advertising to Reach and Recruit Latino Smokers to an Internet Cessation Program: Impact and Costs

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Ye; Moreno, Jose L; Streiff, Shawn L; Villegas, Jorge; Muñoz, Ricardo F; Tercyak, Kenneth P; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S; Vallone, Donna M

2012-01-01

Background Tobacco cessation among Latinos is a public health priority in the United States, particularly given the relatively high growth of this population segment. Although a substantial percentage of American Latinos use the Internet, they have not engaged in Web-based cessation programs as readily as other racial/ethnic subgroups. A lack of culturally specific advertising efforts may partly explain this disparity. Objective Phase I of this study focused on the development of four Spanish-language online banner advertisements to promote a free Spanish-language smoking cessation website (es.BecomeAnEX.org). Phase II examined the relative effectiveness of the four banner ads in reaching and recruiting Latino smokers to the cessation website. Methods In Phase I, 200 Spanish-speaking Latino smokers completed an online survey to indicate their preference for Spanish-language banner ads that incorporated either the cultural value of family (familismo) or fatalism (fatalismo). Ads included variations on message framing (gain vs loss) and depth of cultural targeting (surface vs deep). In Phase II, a Latin square design evaluated the effectiveness of the four preferred ads from Phase I. Ads were systematically rotated across four popular Latino websites (MySpace Latino, MSN Latino, MiGente, and Yahoo! en Español) over four months from August to November 2009. Tracking software recorded ad clicks and registrants on the cessation website. Negative binomial regression and general linear modeling examined the main and interacting effects of message framing and depth of cultural targeting for four outcomes: number of clicks, click-through rate, number of registrants, and cost per registrant. Results In Phase I, smokers preferred the four ads featuring familismo. In Phase II, 24,829,007 impressions were placed, yielding 24,822 clicks, an overall click-through rate of 0.10%, and 500 registrants (2.77% conversion rate). Advertising costs totaled US $104,669.49, resulting in an

What Do Online MBA Professors Have to Say about Online Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shijuan; Kim, Kyong-Jee; Bonk, Curtis J.; Magjuka, Richard

2007-01-01

Online MBA programs have grown exponentially in recent years. Yet, the prevailing literature indicates that research on online MBA education remains extremely limited. This article summarizes 28 instructor interviews from those teaching online courses in an online MBA program at a Midwestern public university. Instructors were interviewed…

Tourist Affiliate Program while Using Online Booking System with Possibility of Entering B2B Code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slivar Iva

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Affiliate marketing programs are one of the most powerful tools for online marketing since the merchant presenting a product or a service decides on the commissioning model and the commission is granted only if the desired results have been reached. Affiliate marketing is based offline as much as tourism itself and it relies on the commission that tourist companies pay to their partners (affiliates who bring new guests. This paper will present the basics of how online affiliate programs work, benefits they bring and steps for their further implementation. It will explain in detail how to establish an affiliate program for dynamic web pages which use online booking system platforms that offer a possibility of entering a B2B code. Special attention will be paid to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation. It will also present results of a research on Croatian hotels web pages and the implementation of the online booking system and affiliate programs. Having in mind the insufficient deployment of online potentials, the aim of the paper is to stress the need for setting up an effective method of monitoring changes and updates in the online world as well as implementing new promotional possibilities, all aimed at increasing sales. The goal of the paper is to explore advantages and disadvantages of the affiliate program as a new sales channel and promote the possibility to implement it in one of the biggest Croatian hotel companies, Maistra d.d. Rovinj. Along with methods of data acquiring and different techniques of creative thinking, the following scientific research methods were also used: statistic, historic, descriptive, comparison, interview, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction.

International program on linear electric motors. CIGGT report No. 92-1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dawson, G.E.; Eastham, A.R.; Parker, J.H.

1992-12-31

The International Program for Linear Electric Motors (LEM) was begun in April 1989 to communicate and coordinate activities with centers of expertise in Germany, Canada, and Japan; to provide for the assessment and support of the planning of technological developments and for dissemination of information to researchers, service operators, and policy makers; and to ensure that full advantage can be taken if opportunities for technology transfer occur. This report documents the work done under the program, including standardizing linear induction motor (LIM) design characteristics; test procedures and measurement methods; rating; database for design data; criteria for evaluation of designs; computer programs for modelling performance; and a design study for an agreed application.

Indirect synthesis of multi-degree of freedom transient systems. [linear programming for a kinematically linear system

Science.gov (United States)

Pilkey, W. D.; Chen, Y. H.

1974-01-01

An indirect synthesis method is used in the efficient optimal design of multi-degree of freedom, multi-design element, nonlinear, transient systems. A limiting performance analysis which requires linear programming for a kinematically linear system is presented. The system is selected using system identification methods such that the designed system responds as closely as possible to the limiting performance. The efficiency is a result of the method avoiding the repetitive systems analyses accompanying other numerical optimization methods.

lpNet: a linear programming approach to reconstruct signal transduction networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, Marta R A; Knapp, Bettina; Kaderali, Lars

2015-10-01

With the widespread availability of high-throughput experimental technologies it has become possible to study hundreds to thousands of cellular factors simultaneously, such as coding- or non-coding mRNA or protein concentrations. Still, extracting information about the underlying regulatory or signaling interactions from these data remains a difficult challenge. We present a flexible approach towards network inference based on linear programming. Our method reconstructs the interactions of factors from a combination of perturbation/non-perturbation and steady-state/time-series data. We show both on simulated and real data that our methods are able to reconstruct the underlying networks fast and efficiently, thus shedding new light on biological processes and, in particular, into disease's mechanisms of action. We have implemented the approach as an R package available through bioconductor. This R package is freely available under the Gnu Public License (GPL-3) from bioconductor.org (http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/lpNet.html) and is compatible with most operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac OS) and hardware architectures. bettina.knapp@helmholtz-muenchen.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Application of online chemistry monitoring programs and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkins, D.; Choi, S.; Haas, C.

2010-01-01

To fully understand the impact of chemistry changes, several plant parameters must be considered and reviewed with actual chemistry analyses and compared to plant operating parameters. In some cases, this requires the ability to rapidly correlate plant operational data with laboratory and chemistry data. An effective online monitoring system should be able to: Integrate and extract online data from the plant laboratory and operating information from various plant data sources continuously; Interrogate and extract laboratory data from manually entered data on predefined frequencies; Interact with multiple laboratories in multiple locations; Evaluate data against plant limits (calculated or static) and provide personnel with action level or notification of plant exceeding limits; and, Provide the ability to evaluate against a standard and site specific set of calculations. The nuclear power industry continues to refine and apply new technologies in an effort to notify operators of changes in chemical conditions, calculate complex high temperature results, and monitor system performance. EPRI developed software specifically focused on plant chemistry program optimization using power operation and shutdown data applied with plant equipment. This software evolved into the family of software referred to as EPRI ChemWorks™ applications. As technology changed and improved, the application of online monitoring was essential for plant personnel working offsite. These changes in technology prompted EPRI to the development of SMART ChemWorks™ using the EPRI ChemWorks™ plant chemistry simulator and MULTEQ applications as the backbone for these simulations and calculations. SMART ChemWorks™ is an online monitoring system that queries plant databases and continuously monitors plant and chemistry parameters. The system uses a real-time intelligence engine to perform virtual sensing, identify normal and off-normal conditions and compare in-line instrument output to grab

LCPT: a program for finding linear canonical transformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Char, B.W.; McNamara, B.

1979-01-01

This article describes a MACSYMA program to compute symbolically a canonical linear transformation between coordinate systems. The difficulties in implementation of this canonical small physics problem are also discussed, along with the implications that may be drawn from such difficulties about widespread MACSYMA usage by the community of computational/theoretical physicists

Interior-Point Methods for Linear Programming: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, J. N.; Singh, D.

2002-01-01

The paper reviews some recent advances in interior-point methods for linear programming and indicates directions in which future progress can be made. Most of the interior-point methods belong to any of three categories: affine-scaling methods, potential reduction methods and central path methods. These methods are discussed together with…

Emittance calculations for the Stanford Linear Collider injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheppard, J.C.; Clendenin, J.E.; Helm, R.H.; Lee, M.J.; Miller, R.H.; Blocker, C.A.

1983-03-01

A series of measurements have been performed to determine the emittance of the high intensity, single bunch beam that is to be injected into the Stanford Linear Collider. On-line computer programs were used to control the Linac for the purpose of data acquisition and to fit the data to a model in order to deduce the beam emittance. This paper will describe the method of emittance calculation and present some of the measurement results

Using online program development to foster curricular change and innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwozdek, Anne E; Springfield, Emily C; Peet, Melissa R; Kerschbaum, Wendy E

2011-03-01

Distance education offers an opportunity to catalyze sweeping curricular change. Faculty members of the University of Michigan Dental Hygiene Program spent eighteen months researching best practices, planning outcomes and courses, and implementing an e-learning (online) dental hygiene degree completion program. The result is a collaborative and portfolio-integrated program that focuses on the development of reflective practitioners and leaders in the profession. A team-based, systems-oriented model for production, implementation, and evaluation has been critical to the program's success. The models and best practices on which this program was founded are described. Also provided is a framework of strategies for development, including the utilization of backward course design, which can be used in many areas of professional education.

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Digital Immigrants in a Fully Online Master's Degree Program

Science.gov (United States)

Kieschnick, Stuart

2012-01-01

This qualitative study was designed to investigate the challenges encountered and support systems needed by digital immigrants enrolled in an online master's degree program. Participants were digital immigrants who were born before 1980 and enrolled or recently graduated from an online master's degree program. Survey data and demographic data were…

An Online Adult-Learner Focused Program: An Assessment of Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Todd, Curtis L.; Ravi, Kokila; Akoh, Harry; Gray, Vance

2015-01-01

The landscape of higher education has significantly changed. Methods of instructional delivery, student profiles and degree offerings have transformed traditional brick and mortar institutions. Distance educational courses and programs, either fully online or hybrid, have been a major contributing factor in this shift. While a high percentage of…

The Effects of an Online Mind-Body Training Program on Stress, Coping Strategies, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Psychological State.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye-Ha Jung

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of an online mind-body training (MBT program on participants' stress, anger, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, resilience, and positive and negative affect. Forty-two healthy women participated in an online MBT program for approximately 8-10 minutes a day for 8 weeks; a control group of 45 healthy women did not participate in the program. Self-report psychological questionnaires were administered before the beginning of the program and at 4 and 8 weeks following its onset. Data from the MBT group and the control group were compared using repeated measures ANOVA and Student's t-tests. Significant time x group interaction effects were found with respect to stress, coping strategies, anger, emotional intelligence, negative affect and resilience. These results demonstrate beneficial effects of the online MBT program and significant improvements in the psychological capabilities of participants compared with the control group. The effects of online MBT program were similar with those of the previous offline MBT in psychological aspects, suggesting further studies for neuroscientific evidence related stress and emotion of online MBT effects.

A Linear Programming Model to Optimize Various Objective Functions of a Foundation Type State Support Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Matzke, Orville R.

The purpose of this study was to formulate a linear programming model to simulate a foundation type support program and to apply this model to a state support program for the public elementary and secondary school districts in the State of Iowa. The model was successful in producing optimal solutions to five objective functions proposed for…

Does stimulating various coping strategies alleviate loneliness? Results from an online friendship enrichment program.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouwman, Tamara E; Aartsen, Marja J; van Tilburg, Theo G; Stevens, Nan L

2017-09-01

Loneliness stems from a mismatch between the social relationships one has and those one desires. Loneliness often has severe consequences for individuals and society. Recently, an online adaptation of the friendship enrichment program (FEP) was developed and tested to gain insight in its contribution to the alleviation of loneliness. Three loneliness coping strategies are introduced during the program: network development, adapting relationship standards, and reducing the importance of the discrepancy between actual and desired relationships. Data were collected among 239 participants aged 50-86. Loneliness was measured four times using a multi-item scale, and on various days with a single, direct question. Loneliness assessed with the scale declined during and after the program. Scores on loneliness assessed for a specific day, however, are more ambiguous. Despite the immediate positive effect of conducting assignments, we did not observe a decline in the single loneliness item score over the course of the program. The online FEP seems to reduce loneliness in general, but these effects are not visible on today's loneliness. Nevertheless, the online intervention to reduce loneliness is a valuable new contribution to the collection of loneliness interventions.

An Improved Method for Solving Multiobjective Integer Linear Fractional Programming Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meriem Ait Mehdi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We describe an improvement of Chergui and Moulaï’s method (2008 that generates the whole efficient set of a multiobjective integer linear fractional program based on the branch and cut concept. The general step of this method consists in optimizing (maximizing without loss of generality one of the fractional objective functions over a subset of the original continuous feasible set; then if necessary, a branching process is carried out until obtaining an integer feasible solution. At this stage, an efficient cut is built from the criteria’s growth directions in order to discard a part of the feasible domain containing only nonefficient solutions. Our contribution concerns firstly the optimization process where a linear program that we define later will be solved at each step rather than a fractional linear program. Secondly, local ideal and nadir points will be used as bounds to prune some branches leading to nonefficient solutions. The computational experiments show that the new method outperforms the old one in all the treated instances.

Developing Leadership for Increasing Complexity: A Review of Online Graduate Leadership Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Winton, Steven L.; Palmer, Sarah; Hughes, Patrick J.

2018-01-01

Leadership education must evolve to keep pace with the growing recognition that effective leadership happens in a complex environment and is as much a systemic variable as a personal one. As part of a program review process, a graduate leadership program at a private Midwestern university conducted a qualitative review of 18 online graduate…

A Comparison of Traditional Worksheet and Linear Programming Methods for Teaching Manure Application Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, M. A.; And Others

1994-01-01

Compares traditional manure application planning techniques calculated to meet agronomic nutrient needs on a field-by-field basis with plans developed using computer-assisted linear programming optimization methods. Linear programming provided the most economical and environmentally sound manure application strategy. (Contains 15 references.) (MDH)

Development and outcomes of an online-onsite hybrid dental admissions enhancement pilot program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Carrie L; Van Ness, Chris; Gadbury-Amyot, Cynthia C; Crain, Geralyn

2014-10-01

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry has piloted two years of an Admissions Enhancement Program (AEP) with students from underrepresented minority groups and/or economically disadvantaged areas of Missouri interested in applying to dental school. The AEP utilizes an innovative online-onsite hybrid format to elevate students' foundational knowledge in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and quantitative reasoning. The online component includes interaction with UMKC instructors using tablet technology and Wimba virtual classroom sessions. The onsite component engages students in academic and professional development, enrichment activities targeting skills training, experience in dental labs and clinics, and mentoring in preparing the dental school application, essay writing, and interviewing. Results to date indicate overall program satisfaction among AEP participants and a dental school acceptance rate of 73.7 percent (14/19 students). Participants reported the mock interviews and essay-writing portions contributed to their becoming competitive candidates for the admission process, and the online material enhanced their preparation for the Dental Admission Test (DAT). Pre- and post-AEP data show participant DAT Academic Average scores increased by two points. The school will continue to monitor program participants in subsequent years.

Planning Student Flow with Linear Programming: A Tunisian Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezeau, Lawrence

A student flow model in linear programming format, designed to plan the movement of students into secondary and university programs in Tunisia, is described. The purpose of the plan is to determine a sufficient number of graduating students that would flow back into the system as teachers or move into the labor market to meet fixed manpower…

Planning for the next generation of public health advocates: evaluation of an online advocacy mentoring program.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connell, Emily; Stoneham, Melissa; Saunders, Julie

2016-04-01

Issue addressed Despite being viewed as a core competency for public health professionals, public health advocacy lacks a prominent place in the public health literature and receives minimal coverage in university curricula. The Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia (PHAIWA) sought to fill this gap by establishing an online e-mentoring program for public health professionals to gain knowledge through skill-based activities and engaging in a mentoring relationship with an experienced public health advocate. This study is a qualitative evaluation of the online e-mentoring program. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with program participants at the conclusion of the 12-month program to examine program benefits and determine the perceived contribution of individual program components to overall advocacy outcomes. Results Increased mentee knowledge, skills, level of confidence and experience, and expanded public health networks were reported. Outcomes were dependent on participants' level of commitment, time and location barriers, mentoring relationship quality, adaptability to the online format and the relevance of activities for application to participants' workplace context. Program facilitators had an important role through the provision of timely feedback and maintaining contact with participants. Conclusion An online program that combines public health advocacy content via skill-based activities with mentoring from an experienced public health advocate is a potential strategy to build advocacy capacity in the public health workforce. So what? Integrating advocacy as a core component of professional development programs will help counteract current issues surrounding hesitancy by public health professionals to proactively engage in advocacy, and ensure that high quality, innovative and effective advocacy leadership continues in the Australian public health workforce.

Application of linear programming and perturbation theory in optimization of fuel utilization in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavaljevski, N.

1985-01-01

Proposed optimization procedure is fast due to application of linear programming. Non-linear constraints which demand iterative application of linear programming are slowing down the calculation. Linearization can be done by different procedures starting from simple empirical rules for fuel in-core management to complicated general perturbation theory with higher order of corrections. A mathematical model was formulated for optimization of improved fuel cycle. A detailed algorithm for determining minimum of fresh fuel at the beginning of each fuel cycle is shown and the problem is linearized by first order perturbation theory and it is optimized by linear programming. Numerical illustration of the proposed method was done for the experimental reactor mostly for saving computer time

Development and Validation of an Online Program for Promoting Self-Management among Korean Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinhyang Yang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The hepatitis B virus is second only to tobacco as a known human carcinogen. However, chronic hepatitis B usually does not produce symptoms and people feel healthy even in the early stages of live cancer. Therefore, chronically infected people should perceive it as a serious health problem and move on to appropriate health behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an online program for promoting self-management among Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B. The online program was developed using a prototyping approach and system developing life cycle method, evaluated by users for their satisfaction with the website and experts for the quality of the site. To evaluate the application of the online program, knowledge and self-management compliance of the subjects were measured and compared before and after the application of the online program. There were statistically significant increases in knowledge and self-management compliance in the user group. An online program with high accessibility and applicability including information, motivation, and behavior skill factors can promote self-management of the patient with chronic hepatitis B. Findings from this study allow Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B to engage in proactive and effective health management in the community or clinical practice.

A Nutritional Analysis of the Food Basket in BIH: A Linear Programming Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnaut-Berilo Almira

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents linear and goal programming optimization models for determining and analyzing the food basket in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH in terms of adequate nutritional needs according to World Health Organization (WHO standards and World Bank (WB recommendations. A linear programming (LP model and goal linear programming model (GLP are adequate since price and nutrient contents are linearly related to food weight. The LP model provides information about the minimal value and the structure of the food basket for an average person in BiH based on nutrient needs. GLP models are designed to give us information on minimal deviations from nutrient needs if the budget is fixed. Based on these results, poverty analysis can be performed. The data used for the models consisted of 158 food items from the general consumption of the population of BiH according to COICOP classifications, with average prices in 2015 for these products.

Planning under uncertainty solving large-scale stochastic linear programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Infanger, G. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Operations Research]|[Technische Univ., Vienna (Austria). Inst. fuer Energiewirtschaft

1992-12-01

For many practical problems, solutions obtained from deterministic models are unsatisfactory because they fail to hedge against certain contingencies that may occur in the future. Stochastic models address this shortcoming, but up to recently seemed to be intractable due to their size. Recent advances both in solution algorithms and in computer technology now allow us to solve important and general classes of practical stochastic problems. We show how large-scale stochastic linear programs can be efficiently solved by combining classical decomposition and Monte Carlo (importance) sampling techniques. We discuss the methodology for solving two-stage stochastic linear programs with recourse, present numerical results of large problems with numerous stochastic parameters, show how to efficiently implement the methodology on a parallel multi-computer and derive the theory for solving a general class of multi-stage problems with dependency of the stochastic parameters within a stage and between different stages.

No-signaling quantum key distribution: solution by linear programming

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Won-Young; Bae, Joonwoo; Killoran, Nathan

2015-02-01

We outline a straightforward approach for obtaining a secret key rate using only no-signaling constraints and linear programming. Assuming an individual attack, we consider all possible joint probabilities. Initially, we study only the case where Eve has binary outcomes, and we impose constraints due to the no-signaling principle and given measurement outcomes. Within the remaining space of joint probabilities, by using linear programming, we get bound on the probability of Eve correctly guessing Bob's bit. We then make use of an inequality that relates this guessing probability to the mutual information between Bob and a more general Eve, who is not binary-restricted. Putting our computed bound together with the Csiszár-Körner formula, we obtain a positive key generation rate. The optimal value of this rate agrees with known results, but was calculated in a more straightforward way, offering the potential of generalization to different scenarios.

Optimal selection for shielding materials by fuzzy linear programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanai, Y.; Miura, N.; Sugasawa, S.

1996-01-01

An application of fuzzy linear programming methods to optimization of a radiation shield is presented. The main purpose of the present study is the choice of materials and the search of the ratio of mixture-component as the first stage of the methodology on optimum shielding design according to individual requirements of nuclear reactor, reprocessing facility, shipping cask installing spent fuel, ect. The characteristic values for the shield optimization may be considered their cost, spatial space, weight and some shielding qualities such as activation rate and total dose rate for neutron and gamma ray (includes secondary gamma ray). This new approach can reduce huge combination calculations for conventional two-valued logic approaches to representative single shielding calculation by group-wised optimization parameters determined in advance. Using the fuzzy linear programming method, possibilities for reducing radiation effects attainable in optimal compositions hydrated, lead- and boron-contained materials are investigated

Florida Public Health Training Center: Evidence-Based Online Mentor Program

Science.gov (United States)

Frahm, Kathryn A.; Alsac-Seitz, Biray; Mescia, Nadine; Brown, Lisa M.; Hyer, Kathy; Liburd, Desiree; Rogoff, David P.; Troutman, Adewale

2013-01-01

This article describes an Online Mentor Program (OMP) designed to support and facilitate mentorships among and between Florida Department of Health (FDOH) employees and USF College of Public Health students using a Web-based portal. The Florida Public Health Training Center (FPHTC) at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Public Health…

A MICROCOMPUTER LINEAR PROGRAMMING PACKAGE: AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAINFRAMES

OpenAIRE

Laughlin, David H.

1984-01-01

This paper presents the capabilities and limitations of a microcomputer linear programming package. The solution algorithm is a version of the revised simplex. Rapid problem entry, user ease of operation, sensitivity analyses on objective function and right hand sides are advantages. A problem size of 150 activities and 64 constraints can be solved in present form. Due to problem size, limitations and lack of parametric and integer programming routines, this package is thought to have the mos...

Comparison of methods for recruiting and engaging parents in online interventions: study protocol for the Cry Baby infant sleep and settling program.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Fallon; Seymour, Monique; Giallo, Rebecca; Cann, Warren; Nicholson, Jan M; Green, Julie; Hiscock, Harriet

2015-11-10

Anticipatory guidance around the management of sleep and crying problems in early infancy has been shown to improve both infant behaviour and parent symptoms of postnatal depression. Digital technology offers platforms for making such programs widely available in a cost-efficient manner. However, it remains unclear who accesses online parenting advice and in particular, whether the parents who would most benefit are represented amongst users. It is also unknown whether the uptake of online programs can be improved by health professional recommendations, or whether parents require additional prompts and reminders to use the program. In this study we aim to: (1) determine whether weekly email prompts increase engagement with and use of a brief online program about infant sleeping and crying, (2) determine whether encouragement from a maternal and child health nurse promotes greater engagement with and use of the program, (3) examine who uses a brief online program about infant sleeping and crying; and, (4) examine the psychosocial characteristics of participants. This study is a randomised, parallel group, superiority trial, with all participating primary carers of infants aged 2 to 12 weeks, receiving access to the online program. Two modes of recruitment will be compared: recruitment via an online notice published on a non-commercial, highly credible and evidence-based website for parents and carers and via the parent's Maternal and Child Health nurse. After baseline assessment, parents will be randomised to one of two support conditions: online program alone or online program plus weekly email prompts. Follow up data will be collected at 4 months of infant age. Results from this trial will indicate whether involvement from a health professional, and/or ongoing email contact is necessary to engage parents in a brief online intervention, and promote parental use of strategies suggested within the program. Results of this trial will inform the development of

Building addiction recovery capital through online participation in a recovery community.

Science.gov (United States)

Bliuc, Ana-Maria; Best, David; Iqbal, Muhammad; Upton, Katie

2017-11-01

This study examines how online participation in a community of recovery contributes to personal journeys of recovery. It investigates whether recovery capital building - as indicated by increased levels and quality of online social interactions - and markers of positive identity development predict retention in a recovery program designed around fostering community involvement for early stage recovery addicts. It was predicted that online participation on the group's Facebook page and positive identity development are associated to retention in the program. To map how participants interact online, social network analysis (SNA) based on naturally occurring online data (N = 609) on the Facebook page of a recovery community was conducted. Computerised linguistic analyses evaluated sentiment of the textual data (capturing social identity markers). Linear regression analyses evaluated whether indicators of recovery capital predict program retention. To illustrate the findings in the context of the specific recovery community, presented are two case studies of key participants who moved from the periphery to the centre of the social network. By conducting in-depth interviews with these participants, personal experiences of engagement in the online community of group members who have undergone the most significant changes since joining the community are explored. Retention in the program was determined by a) the number of comment 'likes' and all 'likes' received on the Facebook page; b) position in the social network (degree of centrality); and c) linguistic content around group identity and achievement. Positive online interactions between members of recovery communities support the recovery process through helping participants to develop recovery capital that binds them to groups supportive of positive change. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Micosoft Excel Sensitivity Analysis for Linear and Stochastic Program Feed Formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sensitivity analysis is a part of mathematical programming solutions and is used in making nutritional and economic decisions for a given feed formulation problem. The terms, shadow price and reduced cost, are familiar linear program (LP) terms to feed formulators. Because of the nonlinear nature of...

Online sharing of physical activity: does it accelerate the impact of a health promotion program?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manzoor, A.; Mollee, J.S.; Fernandes de Mello Araujo, E.; Klein, M.C.A.; van Halteren, A.T.; Cai, Zhipeng; Angryk, Rafal; Song, Wenzhan; Li, Yingshu; Cao, Xiaojun; Bourgeois, Anu; Luo, Guangchun; Cheng, Liang; Krishnamachari, Bhaskar

2016-01-01

Influence on health behavior from peers is well known and it has been shown that participants in an online physical activity promotion program are generally more successful when they share their achievements through an online community. However, more detailed insights are needed into the mechanisms

Linear Programming, the Simplex Algorithm and Simple Polytopes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Das Bhusan

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In the first part of the paper we survey some far reaching applications of the basis facts of linear programming to the combinatorial theory of simple polytopes. In the second part we discuss some recent developments concurring the simplex algorithm. We describe sub-exponential randomized pivot roles and upper bounds on the diameter of graphs of polytopes.

Stability of multi-objective bi-level linear programming problems under fuzziness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abo-Sinna Mahmoud A.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with multi-objective bi-level linear programming problems under fuzzy environment. In the proposed method, tentative solutions are obtained and evaluated by using the partial information on preference of the decision-makers at each level. The existing results concerning the qualitative analysis of some basic notions in parametric linear programming problems are reformulated to study the stability of multi-objective bi-level linear programming problems. An algorithm for obtaining any subset of the parametric space, which has the same corresponding Pareto optimal solution, is presented. Also, this paper established the model for the supply-demand interaction in the age of electronic commerce (EC. First of all, the study uses the individual objectives of both parties as the foundation of the supply-demand interaction. Subsequently, it divides the interaction, in the age of electronic commerce, into the following two classifications: (i Market transactions, with the primary focus on the supply demand relationship in the marketplace; and (ii Information service, with the primary focus on the provider and the user of information service. By applying the bi-level programming technique of interaction process, the study will develop an analytical process to explain how supply-demand interaction achieves a compromise or why the process fails. Finally, a numerical example of information service is provided for the sake of illustration.

Evaluation of an online training program in eating disorders for health professionals in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Brownlow, Rachel S; Maguire, Sarah; O'Dell, Adrienne; Dias-da-Costa, Catia; Touyz, Stephen; Russell, Janice

2015-01-01

Early detection and treatment of eating disorders is instrumental in positive health outcomes for this serious public health concern. As such, workforce development in screening, diagnosis and early treatment of eating disorders is needed. Research has demonstrated both high rates of failure to accurately diagnose and treat cases early and low levels of perceived access to training in eating disorders by health professionals-representing an urgent need for clinician training in this area. However, significant barriers to the access of evidence-based training programs exist, including availability, cost and time, particularly when large geographic distances are involved. Online learning presents a solution to workforce challenges, as it can be delivered anywhere, at a fraction of the cost of traditional training, timing is user controlled, and a growing body of research is demonstrating it as effective as face-to-face training. The Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders in Australia has developed an Online Training Program In Eating Disorders, to educate health professionals in the nature, identification, assessment and management of eating disorders. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the ability of this online learning course to improve clinician levels of knowledge, skill and confidence to treat eating disorders. As well as its effect on stigmatised beliefs about eating disorders known to effect treatment delivery. One-hundred-eighty-seven health professionals participated in the program. A pre training questionnaire and a post training evaluation examined participants' levels of knowledge, skill and confidence to treat eating disorders, as well attitudes and beliefs about people with eating disorders. Significant improvements in knowledge, skill, and confidence to treat eating disorders was found between pre and post program assessment in health professionals who completed the course, along with a significant decrease in stigmatised beliefs about

175 Years of Linear Programming - Minimax and Cake Topography

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 4; Issue 7. 175 Years of Linear Programming - Minimax and Cake Topography. Vijay Chandru M R Rao. Series Article Volume 4 Issue 7 July 1999 pp 4-13. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

Administrators' Perceptions of Motives to Offer Online Academic Degree Programs in Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Özcan, Hakan; Yildirim, Soner

2018-01-01

Although the number of online academic degree programs offered by universities in Turkey has become increasingly significant in recent years, the current lack of understanding of administrators' motives that contribute to initiating these programs suggests there is much to be learned in this field. This study aimed to investigate administrators'…

Individual and Group-Based Engagement in an Online Physical Activity Monitoring Program in Georgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew Lee; Durrett, Nicholas K; Bowie, Maria; Berg, Alison; McCullick, Bryan A; LoPilato, Alexander C; Murray, Deborah

2018-06-07

Given the rising prevalence of obesity in the United States, innovative methods are needed to increase physical activity (PA) in community settings. Evidence suggests that individuals are more likely to engage in PA if they are given a choice of activities and have support from others (for encouragement, motivation, and accountability). The objective of this study was to describe the use of the online Walk Georgia PA tracking platform according to whether the user was an individual user or group user. Walk Georgia is a free, interactive online tracking platform that enables users to log PA by duration, activity, and perceived difficulty, and then converts these data into points based on metabolic equivalents. Users join individually or in groups and are encouraged to set weekly PA goals. Data were examined for 6,639 users (65.8% were group users) over 28 months. We used independent sample t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests to compare means between individual and group users. Two linear regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with activity logging. Users logged 218,766 activities (15,119,249 minutes of PA spanning 592,714 miles [41,858,446 points]). On average, group users had created accounts more recently than individual users (P < .001); however, group users logged more activities (P < .001). On average, group users logged more minutes of PA (P < .001) and earned more points (P < .001). Being in a group was associated with a larger proportion of weeks in which 150 minutes or more of weekly PA was logged (B = 20.47, P < .001). Use of Walk Georgia was significantly higher among group users than among individual users. To expand use and dissemination of online tracking of PA, programs should target naturally occurring groups (eg, workplaces, schools, faith-based groups).

Assembling networks of microbial genomes using linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Holloway, Catherine; Beiko, Robert G

2010-11-20

Microbial genomes exhibit complex sets of genetic affinities due to lateral genetic transfer. Assessing the relative contributions of parent-to-offspring inheritance and gene sharing is a vital step in understanding the evolutionary origins and modern-day function of an organism, but recovering and showing these relationships is a challenging problem. We have developed a new approach that uses linear programming to find between-genome relationships, by treating tables of genetic affinities (here, represented by transformed BLAST e-values) as an optimization problem. Validation trials on simulated data demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in recovering and representing vertical and lateral relationships among genomes. Application of the technique to a set comprising Aquifex aeolicus and 75 other thermophiles showed an important role for large genomes as 'hubs' in the gene sharing network, and suggested that genes are preferentially shared between organisms with similar optimal growth temperatures. We were also able to discover distinct and common genetic contributors to each sequenced representative of genus Pseudomonas. The linear programming approach we have developed can serve as an effective inference tool in its own right, and can be an efficient first step in a more-intensive phylogenomic analysis.

Algorithmic Trading with Developmental and Linear Genetic Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Garnett; Banzhaf, Wolfgang

A developmental co-evolutionary genetic programming approach (PAM DGP) and a standard linear genetic programming (LGP) stock trading systemare applied to a number of stocks across market sectors. Both GP techniques were found to be robust to market fluctuations and reactive to opportunities associated with stock price rise and fall, with PAMDGP generating notably greater profit in some stock trend scenarios. Both algorithms were very accurate at buying to achieve profit and selling to protect assets, while exhibiting bothmoderate trading activity and the ability to maximize or minimize investment as appropriate. The content of the trading rules produced by both algorithms are also examined in relation to stock price trend scenarios.

A novel recurrent neural network with finite-time convergence for linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qingshan; Cao, Jinde; Chen, Guanrong

2010-11-01

In this letter, a novel recurrent neural network based on the gradient method is proposed for solving linear programming problems. Finite-time convergence of the proposed neural network is proved by using the Lyapunov method. Compared with the existing neural networks for linear programming, the proposed neural network is globally convergent to exact optimal solutions in finite time, which is remarkable and rare in the literature of neural networks for optimization. Some numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness and excellent performance of the new recurrent neural network.

Development and adjustment of programs for solving systems of linear equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimura, Toichiro

1978-03-01

Programs for solving the systems of linear equations have been adjusted and developed in expanding the scientific subroutine library SSL. The principal programs adjusted are based on the congruent method, method of product form of the inverse, orthogonal method, Crout's method for sparse system, and acceleration of iterative methods. The programs developed are based on the escalator method, direct parallel residue method and block tridiagonal method for band system. Described are usage of the programs developed and their future improvement. FORTRAN lists with simple examples in tests of the programs are also given. (auth.)

Gene selection for the reconstruction of stem cell differentiation trees: a linear programming approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghadie, Mohamed A; Japkowicz, Nathalie; Perkins, Theodore J

2015-08-15

Stem cell differentiation is largely guided by master transcriptional regulators, but it also depends on the expression of other types of genes, such as cell cycle genes, signaling genes, metabolic genes, trafficking genes, etc. Traditional approaches to understanding gene expression patterns across multiple conditions, such as principal components analysis or K-means clustering, can group cell types based on gene expression, but they do so without knowledge of the differentiation hierarchy. Hierarchical clustering can organize cell types into a tree, but in general this tree is different from the differentiation hierarchy itself. Given the differentiation hierarchy and gene expression data at each node, we construct a weighted Euclidean distance metric such that the minimum spanning tree with respect to that metric is precisely the given differentiation hierarchy. We provide a set of linear constraints that are provably sufficient for the desired construction and a linear programming approach to identify sparse sets of weights, effectively identifying genes that are most relevant for discriminating different parts of the tree. We apply our method to microarray gene expression data describing 38 cell types in the hematopoiesis hierarchy, constructing a weighted Euclidean metric that uses just 175 genes. However, we find that there are many alternative sets of weights that satisfy the linear constraints. Thus, in the style of random-forest training, we also construct metrics based on random subsets of the genes and compare them to the metric of 175 genes. We then report on the selected genes and their biological functions. Our approach offers a new way to identify genes that may have important roles in stem cell differentiation. tperkins@ohri.ca Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Non-linear nuclear engineering models as genetic programming application; Modelos nao-lineares de engenharia nuclear como aplicacao de programacao genetica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domingos, Roberto P.; Schirru, Roberto; Martinez, Aquilino S. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia

1997-12-01

This work presents a Genetic Programming paradigm and a nuclear application. A field of Artificial Intelligence, based on the concepts of Species Evolution and Natural Selection, can be understood as a self-programming process where the computer is the main agent responsible for the discovery of a program able to solve a given problem. In the present case, the problem was to find a mathematical expression in symbolic form, able to express the existent relation between equivalent ratio of a fuel cell, the enrichment of fuel elements and the multiplication factor. Such expression would avoid repeatedly reactor physics codes execution for core optimization. The results were compared with those obtained by different techniques such as Neural Networks and Linear Multiple Regression. Genetic Programming has shown to present a performance as good as, and under some features superior to Neural Network and Linear Multiple Regression. (author). 10 refs., 8 figs., 1 tabs.

A non-linear programming approach to the computer-aided design of regulators using a linear-quadratic formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, P.

1985-01-01

A design technique is proposed for linear regulators in which a feedback controller of fixed structure is chosen to minimize an integral quadratic objective function subject to the satisfaction of integral quadratic constraint functions. Application of a non-linear programming algorithm to this mathematically tractable formulation results in an efficient and useful computer-aided design tool. Particular attention is paid to computational efficiency and various recommendations are made. Two design examples illustrate the flexibility of the approach and highlight the special insight afforded to the designer.

Genetic programming over context-free languages with linear constraints for the knapsack problem: first results.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruhn, Peter; Geyer-Schulz, Andreas

2002-01-01

In this paper, we introduce genetic programming over context-free languages with linear constraints for combinatorial optimization, apply this method to several variants of the multidimensional knapsack problem, and discuss its performance relative to Michalewicz's genetic algorithm with penalty functions. With respect to Michalewicz's approach, we demonstrate that genetic programming over context-free languages with linear constraints improves convergence. A final result is that genetic programming over context-free languages with linear constraints is ideally suited to modeling complementarities between items in a knapsack problem: The more complementarities in the problem, the stronger the performance in comparison to its competitors.

Organizational Learning to Implementation: Development of Post-Secondary Online Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Kirk Alan

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze organizational learning and the facilitating factors and critical elements for development of post-secondary distance education and online degree programs at three universities in Hawaii: University of Hawaii at Hilo (public), Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University (both private). The researcher…

Feasibility of an Online Professional Development Program for Early Intervention Practitioners

Science.gov (United States)

Kyzar, Kathleen B.; Chiu, Caya; Kemp, Peggy; Aldersey, Heather Michelle; Turnbull, Ann P.; Lindeman, David P.

2014-01-01

This article reports findings from 2 studies situated within a larger scope of design research on a professional development program, "Early Years," for Part C early intervention practitioners, working with families in home and community settings. Early Years includes online modules and onsite mentor coaching, and its development has…

A comparison of online versus workbook delivery of a self-help positive parenting program.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Matthew R; Dittman, Cassandra K; Farruggia, Susan P; Keown, Louise J

2014-06-01

A noninferiority randomized trial design compared the efficacy of two self-help variants of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: an online version and a self-help workbook. We randomly assigned families of 193 children displaying early onset disruptive behavior difficulties to the online (N = 97) or workbook (N = 96) interventions. Parents completed questionnaire measures of child behavior, parenting, child maltreatment risk, personal adjustment and relationship quality at pre- and post-intervention and again at 6-month follow up. The short-term intervention effects of the Triple P Online program were not inferior to the workbook on the primary outcomes of disruptive child behavior and dysfunctional parenting as reported by both mothers and fathers. Both interventions were associated with significant and clinically meaningful declines from pre- to post-intervention in levels of disruptive child behavior, dysfunctional parenting styles, risk of child maltreatment, and inter-parental conflict on both mother and father report measures. Intervention effects were largely maintained at 6-month follow up, thus supporting the use of self-help parenting programs within a comprehensive population-based system of parenting support to reduce child maltreatment and behavioral problems in children.

Stochastic linear programming models, theory, and computation

CERN Document Server

Kall, Peter

2011-01-01

This new edition of Stochastic Linear Programming: Models, Theory and Computation has been brought completely up to date, either dealing with or at least referring to new material on models and methods, including DEA with stochastic outputs modeled via constraints on special risk functions (generalizing chance constraints, ICC’s and CVaR constraints), material on Sharpe-ratio, and Asset Liability Management models involving CVaR in a multi-stage setup. To facilitate use as a text, exercises are included throughout the book, and web access is provided to a student version of the authors’ SLP-IOR software. Additionally, the authors have updated the Guide to Available Software, and they have included newer algorithms and modeling systems for SLP. The book is thus suitable as a text for advanced courses in stochastic optimization, and as a reference to the field. From Reviews of the First Edition: "The book presents a comprehensive study of stochastic linear optimization problems and their applications. … T...

SLFP: a stochastic linear fractional programming approach for sustainable waste management.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, H; Huang, G H

2011-12-01

A stochastic linear fractional programming (SLFP) approach is developed for supporting sustainable municipal solid waste management under uncertainty. The SLFP method can solve ratio optimization problems associated with random information, where chance-constrained programming is integrated into a linear fractional programming framework. It has advantages in: (1) comparing objectives of two aspects, (2) reflecting system efficiency, (3) dealing with uncertainty expressed as probability distributions, and (4) providing optimal-ratio solutions under different system-reliability conditions. The method is applied to a case study of waste flow allocation within a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system. The obtained solutions are useful for identifying sustainable MSW management schemes with maximized system efficiency under various constraint-violation risks. The results indicate that SLFP can support in-depth analysis of the interrelationships among system efficiency, system cost and system-failure risk. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fitting program for linear regressions according to Mahon (1996)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2018-01-09

This program takes the users' Input data and fits a linear regression to it using the prescription presented by Mahon (1996). Compared to the commonly used York fit, this method has the correct prescription for measurement error propagation. This software should facilitate the proper fitting of measurements with a simple Interface.

Analysis of Students' Errors on Linear Programming at Secondary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this study was to identify secondary school students' errors on linear programming at 'O' level. It is based on the fact that students' errors inform teaching hence an essential tool for any serious mathematics teacher who intends to improve mathematics teaching. The study was guided by a descriptive survey ...

Life cycle cost optimization of biofuel supply chains under uncertainties based on interval linear programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ren, Jingzheng; Dong, Liang; Sun, Lu

2015-01-01

in this model, and the price of the resources, the yield of grain and the market demands were regarded as interval numbers instead of constants. An interval linear programming was developed, and a method for solving interval linear programming was presented. An illustrative case was studied by the proposed...

Adaptive dynamic programming for discrete-time linear quadratic regulation based on multirate generalised policy iteration

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Tae Yoon; Lee, Jae Young; Park, Jin Bae; Choi, Yoon Ho

2018-06-01

In this paper, we propose two multirate generalised policy iteration (GPI) algorithms applied to discrete-time linear quadratic regulation problems. The proposed algorithms are extensions of the existing GPI algorithm that consists of the approximate policy evaluation and policy improvement steps. The two proposed schemes, named heuristic dynamic programming (HDP) and dual HDP (DHP), based on multirate GPI, use multi-step estimation (M-step Bellman equation) at the approximate policy evaluation step for estimating the value function and its gradient called costate, respectively. Then, we show that these two methods with the same update horizon can be considered equivalent in the iteration domain. Furthermore, monotonically increasing and decreasing convergences, so called value iteration (VI)-mode and policy iteration (PI)-mode convergences, are proved to hold for the proposed multirate GPIs. Further, general convergence properties in terms of eigenvalues are also studied. The data-driven online implementation methods for the proposed HDP and DHP are demonstrated and finally, we present the results of numerical simulations performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Discounted semi-Markov decision processes : linear programming and policy iteration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wessels, J.; van Nunen, J.A.E.E.

1975-01-01

For semi-Markov decision processes with discounted rewards we derive the well known results regarding the structure of optimal strategies (nonrandomized, stationary Markov strategies) and the standard algorithms (linear programming, policy iteration). Our analysis is completely based on a primal

Discounted semi-Markov decision processes : linear programming and policy iteration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wessels, J.; van Nunen, J.A.E.E.

1974-01-01

For semi-Markov decision processes with discounted rewards we derive the well known results regarding the structure of optimal strategies (nonrandomized, stationary Markov strategies) and the standard algorithms (linear programming, policy iteration). Our analysis is completely based on a primal

A qualitative study of physicians' experiences with online learning in a masters degree program: benefits, challenges, and proposed solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyrbye, Liselotte; Cumyn, Annabelle; Day, Hollis; Heflin, Mitchell

2009-02-01

In response to challenges to faculty development (e.g. time away from clinical, teaching, and other responsibilities; lack of mentors; and limited resources) online learning has become an important venue to provide education for physicians in curriculum development, instruction, assessment, evaluation, educational leadership, and education scholarship. Online learning however has its own unique challenges. Little is known about clinician-educators' experiences while participating in online programs and few studies have focused on their approaches to facilitate online learning. To explore the experiences of physicians pursuing a degree in higher education with online learning, including motivations for choosing this format, barriers encountered, and ideas for facilitating learning in the online environment. All students (n = 71) enrolled in online courses in the University of Illinois at Chicago Masters of Health Profession Education Program were surveyed in the spring of 2006. Responses were analysed using a qualitative approach. Of the 48 students who completed the survey (response rate 68%) 45 (94%) were physicians. The online format is convenient, flexible, and may be beneficial for learning. Students' responses raise issues inherent to online learning that must be addressed to optimize student-centered learning. These issues relate to: clarity of communication; difficulties in negotiating team work and in building relationships; technical demands; learning style preferences, and time commitment. Students provided recommendations for strategies to address these issues such as how to communicate clearly, facilitate teamwork, and optimize time management. Member checking supported the analysis. Online education programs meet the needs of physicians but have associated challenges. Further research is needed to explore the potential value of student suggested ways to optimize the online learning experience.

Students' Desired and Experienced Levels of Connectivity to an Asynchronous, Online, Distance Degree Program

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Shawnda; Baker, Mary; Terras, Katherine; Mahar, Patti; Chiasson, Kari

2016-01-01

This study examined graduate students' desired and experienced levels of connectivity in an online, asynchronous distance degree program. Connectivity was conceptualized as the students' feelings of community and involvement, not their level of access to the Internet. Graduate students enrolled in a distance degree program were surveyed on both…

BEAMPATH: a program library for beam dynamics simulation in linear accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batygin, Y.K.

1992-01-01

A structured programming technique was used to develop software for space charge dominated beams investigation in linear accelerators. The method includes hierarchical program design using program independent modules and a flexible combination of modules to provide a most effective version of structure for every specific case of simulation. A modular program BEAMPATH was developed for 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulation of beam dynamics in a structure containing RF gaps, radio-frequency quadrupoles (RFQ), multipole lenses, waveguides, bending magnets and solenoids. (author) 5 refs.; 2 figs

Learning Alone, Together: Closed-Cohort Structure in an Online Journalism and Mass Communication Graduate Program

Science.gov (United States)

Blankenship, Justin C.; Gibson, Rhonda

2016-01-01

In a closed-cohort educational program design, students enter a program together, take the same courses together, and, ideally, graduate together. In an effort to increase interaction and communication among students, it has been utilized more and more for online graduate programs. This article surveyed students in one of the few closed-cohort…

Relaxation Methods for Strictly Convex Regularizations of Piecewise Linear Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiwiel, K. C.

1998-01-01

We give an algorithm for minimizing the sum of a strictly convex function and a convex piecewise linear function. It extends several dual coordinate ascent methods for large-scale linearly constrained problems that occur in entropy maximization, quadratic programming, and network flows. In particular, it may solve exact penalty versions of such (possibly inconsistent) problems, and subproblems of bundle methods for nondifferentiable optimization. It is simple, can exploit sparsity, and in certain cases is highly parallelizable. Its global convergence is established in the recent framework of B -functions (generalized Bregman functions)

A Partitioning and Bounded Variable Algorithm for Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Sheskin, Theodore J.

2006-01-01

An interesting new partitioning and bounded variable algorithm (PBVA) is proposed for solving linear programming problems. The PBVA is a variant of the simplex algorithm which uses a modified form of the simplex method followed by the dual simplex method for bounded variables. In contrast to the two-phase method and the big M method, the PBVA does…

Out & Online; effectiveness of a tailored online multi-symptom mental health and wellbeing program for same-sex attracted young adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, Jo-Anne M; Klein, Britt; McLaren, Suzanne; Austin, David W; Molloy, Mari; Meyer, Denny; McLeod, Bronte

2014-12-23

Same-sex attracted young adults have been found to experience higher rates of mental health problems and greater difficulties in accessing specialist mental health care services compared to their heterosexual peers. Internet-based mental health interventions have the potential to be more engaging and accessible to young adults compared to those delivered face-to-face. However, they are rarely inclusive of lesbian women and gay men. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online mental health and wellbeing program, Out & Online (http://www.outandonline.org.au), in comparison to a wait-list control group, for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in same-sex attracted young adults aged between 18 and 25 years. We are recruiting, through media and community organisations, 200 same-sex attracted young adults with anxiety and/or depressive symptoms and mild to moderate psychological distress (Kessler-10 score between 16 to 21). Participants will be randomly allocated to the intervention (the online program) or the wait-list control group based on a permuted blocked randomisation method to allow for stratification by gender. Participants in the intervention group will receive a tailored program for up to three types of mental health difficulties simultaneously. The primary outcome of anxiety and/or depressive symptoms, and secondary outcomes related to psychological distress, wellbeing and health behaviour will be measured at pre-intervention (0 week), post-intervention (8 weeks) and at a 3-month follow-up (20 weeks). This online mental health and wellbeing program will be one of the first online interventions to be designed specifically to be relevant for same-sex attracted individuals. If the program is found to be effective it will improve access to specialist same-sex attracted-relevant mental health services for young adults and will facilitate wellbeing outcomes for these individuals. This program will also be a significant development

ePORT, NASA's Computer Database Program for System Safety Risk Management Oversight (Electronic Project Online Risk Tool)

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Paul W.

2008-01-01

ePORT (electronic Project Online Risk Tool) provides a systematic approach to using an electronic database program to manage a program/project risk management processes. This presentation will briefly cover the standard risk management procedures, then thoroughly cover NASA's Risk Management tool called ePORT. This electronic Project Online Risk Tool (ePORT) is a web-based risk management program that provides a common framework to capture and manage risks, independent of a programs/projects size and budget. It is used to thoroughly cover the risk management paradigm providing standardized evaluation criterion for common management reporting, ePORT improves Product Line, Center and Corporate Management insight, simplifies program/project manager reporting, and maintains an archive of data for historical reference.

Online advertising to reach and recruit Latino smokers to an internet cessation program: impact and costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Amanda L; Fang, Ye; Moreno, Jose L; Streiff, Shawn L; Villegas, Jorge; Muñoz, Ricardo F; Tercyak, Kenneth P; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S; Vallone, Donna M

2012-08-27

Tobacco cessation among Latinos is a public health priority in the United States, particularly given the relatively high growth of this population segment. Although a substantial percentage of American Latinos use the Internet, they have not engaged in Web-based cessation programs as readily as other racial/ethnic subgroups. A lack of culturally specific advertising efforts may partly explain this disparity. Phase I of this study focused on the development of four Spanish-language online banner advertisements to promote a free Spanish-language smoking cessation website (es.BecomeAnEX.org). Phase II examined the relative effectiveness of the four banner ads in reaching and recruiting Latino smokers to the cessation website. In Phase I, 200 Spanish-speaking Latino smokers completed an online survey to indicate their preference for Spanish-language banner ads that incorporated either the cultural value of family (familismo) or fatalism (fatalismo). Ads included variations on message framing (gain vs loss) and depth of cultural targeting (surface vs deep). In Phase II, a Latin square design evaluated the effectiveness of the four preferred ads from Phase I. Ads were systematically rotated across four popular Latino websites (MySpace Latino, MSN Latino, MiGente, and Yahoo! en Español) over four months from August to November 2009. Tracking software recorded ad clicks and registrants on the cessation website. Negative binomial regression and general linear modeling examined the main and interacting effects of message framing and depth of cultural targeting for four outcomes: number of clicks, click-through rate, number of registrants, and cost per registrant. In Phase I, smokers preferred the four ads featuring familismo. In Phase II, 24,829,007 impressions were placed, yielding 24,822 clicks, an overall click-through rate of 0.10%, and 500 registrants (2.77% conversion rate). Advertising costs totaled US $104,669.49, resulting in an overall cost per click of US $4

Is the Library's Online Orientation Program Effective with English Language Learners?

Science.gov (United States)

Albarillo, Frans

2017-01-01

In this paper, the author examines four years of assessment data (N = 4,786) from Brooklyn College's Library Online Orientation Program (LOOP; url: https://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu/resources/loop/loop.php), which is used to provide all English 1010 students with an orientation to the library, to see if English language learners (ELLs) are…

An Evaluation System for the Online Training Programs in Meteorology and Hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yong; Zhi, Xiefei

2009-01-01

This paper studies the current evaluation system for the online training program in meteorology and hydrology. CIPP model that includes context evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation and product evaluation differs from Kirkpatrick model including reactions evaluation, learning evaluation, transfer evaluation and results evaluation in…

An online community improves adherence in an internet-mediated walking program. Part 1: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Caroline R; Buis, Lorraine R; Janney, Adrienne W; Goodrich, David E; Sen, Ananda; Hess, Michael L; Mehari, Kathleen S; Fortlage, Laurie A; Resnick, Paul J; Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J; Strecher, Victor J; Piette, John D

2010-12-17

Approximately half of American adults do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines. Face-to-face lifestyle interventions improve health outcomes but are unlikely to yield population-level improvements because they can be difficult to disseminate, expensive to maintain, and inconvenient for the recipient. In contrast, Internet-based behavior change interventions can be disseminated widely at a lower cost. However, the impact of some Internet-mediated programs is limited by high attrition rates. Online communities that allow participants to communicate with each other by posting and reading messages may decrease participant attrition. Our objective was to measure the impact of adding online community features to an Internet-mediated walking program on participant attrition and average daily step counts. This randomized controlled trial included sedentary, ambulatory adults who used email regularly and had at least 1 of the following: overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25), type 2 diabetes, or coronary artery disease. All participants (n = 324) wore enhanced pedometers throughout the 16-week intervention and uploaded step-count data to the study server. Participants could log in to the study website to view graphs of their walking progress, individually-tailored motivational messages, and weekly calculated goals. Participants were randomized to 1 of 2 versions of a Web-based walking program. Those randomized to the "online community" arm could post and read messages with other participants while those randomized to the "no online community" arm could not read or post messages. The main outcome measures were participant attrition and average daily step counts over 16 weeks. Multiple regression analyses assessed the effect of the online community access controlling for age, sex, disease status, BMI, and baseline step counts. Both arms significantly increased their average daily steps between baseline and the end of the intervention period, but there were no

Optimal traffic control in highway transportation networks using linear programming

KAUST Repository

Li, Yanning; Canepa, Edward S.; Claudel, Christian G.

2014-01-01

of the Hamilton-Jacobi PDE, the problem of controlling the state of the system on a network link in a finite horizon can be posed as a Linear Program. Assuming all intersections in the network are controllable, we show that the optimization approach can

Linear Programming Approaches for Power Savings in Software-defined Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moghaddam, F.A.; Grosso, P.

2016-01-01

Software-defined networks have been proposed as a viable solution to decrease the power consumption of the networking component in data center networks. Still the question remains on which scheduling algorithms are most suited to achieve this goal. We propose 4 different linear programming

The effectiveness and feasibility of an online educational program for improving evidence-based practice literacy: an exploratory randomized study of US chiropractors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Michael; Evans, Roni; Haas, Mitchell; Leach, Matthew; Delagran, Louise; Hawk, Cheryl; Long, Cynthia; Cramer, Gregory D; Walters, Oakland; Vihstadt, Corrie; Terhorst, Lauren

2016-01-01

Online education programs are becoming a popular means to disseminate knowledge about evidence-based practice (EBP) among healthcare practitioners. This mode of delivery also offers a viable and potentially sustainable solution for teaching consistent EBP content to learners over time and across multiple geographical locations. We conducted a study with 3 main aims: 1) develop an online distance-learning program about the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP) for chiropractic providers; 2) test the effectiveness of the online program on the attitudes, skills, and use of EBP in a sample of chiropractors; and 3) determine the feasibility of expanding the program for broader-scale implementation. This study was conducted from January 2013 to September 2014. This was an exploratory randomized trial in which 293 chiropractors were allocated to either an online EBP education intervention or a waitlist control. The online EBP program consisted of 3 courses and 4 booster lessons, and was developed using educational resources created in previous EBP educational programs at 4 chiropractic institutions. Participants were surveyed using a validated EBP instrument (EBASE) with 3 rescaled (0 to 100) subscores: Attitudes, Skills, and Use of EBP. Multiple regression was used to compare groups, adjusting for personal and practice characteristics. Satisfaction and compliance with the program was evaluated to assess feasibility. The Training Group showed modest improvement compared to the Waitlist Group in attitudes (Δ =6.2, p < .001) and skills (Δ =10.0, p < .001) subscores, but not the use subscore (Δ = -2.3, p = .470). The majority of participants agreed that the educational program was 'relevant to their profession' (84 %) and 'was worthwhile' (82 %). Overall, engagement in the online program was less than optimal, with 48 % of the Training Group, and 42 % of the Waitlist Group completing all 3 of the program courses. Online EBP training leads to

Method for solving fully fuzzy linear programming problems using deviation degree measure

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Haifang Cheng; Weilai Huang; Jianhu Cai

2013-01-01

A new ful y fuzzy linear programming (FFLP) prob-lem with fuzzy equality constraints is discussed. Using deviation degree measures, the FFLP problem is transformed into a crispδ-parametric linear programming (LP) problem. Giving the value of deviation degree in each constraint, the δ-fuzzy optimal so-lution of the FFLP problem can be obtained by solving this LP problem. An algorithm is also proposed to find a balance-fuzzy optimal solution between two goals in conflict: to improve the va-lues of the objective function and to decrease the values of the deviation degrees. A numerical example is solved to il ustrate the proposed method.

Nutrient density score of typical Indonesian foods and dietary formulation using linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Jati, Ignasius Radix A P; Vadivel, Vellingiri; Nöhr, Donatus; Biesalski, Hans Konrad

2012-12-01

The present research aimed to analyse the nutrient density (ND), nutrient adequacy score (NAS) and energy density (ED) of Indonesian foods and to formulate a balanced diet using linear programming. Data on typical Indonesian diets were obtained from the Indonesian Socio-Economic Survey 2008. ND was investigated for 122 Indonesian foods. NAS was calculated for single nutrients such as Fe, Zn and vitamin A. Correlation analysis was performed between ND and ED, as well as between monthly expenditure class and food consumption pattern in Indonesia. Linear programming calculations were performed using the software POM-QM for Windows version 3. Republic of Indonesia, 2008. Public households (n 68 800). Vegetables had the highest ND of the food groups, followed by animal-based foods, fruits and staple foods. Based on NAS, the top ten food items for each food group were identified. Most of the staple foods had high ED and contributed towards daily energy fulfillment, followed by animal-based foods, vegetables and fruits. Commodities with high ND tended to have low ED. Linear programming could be used to formulate a balanced diet. In contrast to staple foods, purchases of fruit, vegetables and animal-based foods increased with the rise of monthly expenditure. People should select food items based on ND and NAS to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies in Indonesia. Dietary formulation calculated using linear programming to achieve RDA levels for micronutrients could be recommended for different age groups of the Indonesian population.

Online benefits solutions--a new trend in managing employee benefits programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ala, Mohammad; Brunaczki, Bernadette

2003-01-01

This article focuses on the array of online benefits solutions offered by technology companies and reports the benefits to both employers and employees. Some of the benefits include reduced paperwork, reduced errors, and reduced administration costs. Companies that can deliver these benefits will be in great demand to help manage benefits programs and streamline the administrative processes.

Professional Values of RN-to-BSN Students in an Online Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Koomey, Cynthia L; Osteen, Kathryn; Gray, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Professional values are an important component of nursing education. This cross-sectional study assessed the professional values of 222 students in an online RN-to-BSN program. Higher scores were related to items reflecting direct patient care and accountability for nursing practice. Items focusing on nursing theory, cost of care, and professional nursing organization revealed lower scores.

Validation of the Positive Parenting Scale (PPS for evaluating face-to-face and online parenting support programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arminda Suárez

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Following the study presenting the Online Parental Support Scale, as part of the evaluation of the ‘Positive Parent’ online program (http://educarenpositivo.es, this article describes the validation of a new scale that evaluates the principles of positive parenting in users of face-to-face and online parenting support programs. To validate the Positive Parenting Scale (PPS, 323 Spanish and Latin American parents participated, who were enrolled in the online program. To obtain the factor structure, we used exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM with oblimin rotation, and for confirmatory purposes we used as the estimation method the Weighted Least Squares Mean and Variance Adjusted with moving measurement window (WLSMW. We also performed a ROC analysis of rating and continuous diagnostic test results by means of area under the curve (AUC, and tested it by multivariate analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA. The main results showed an optimal factorization of the construct involving a four-factor model with adequate reliability: family involvement, affection and recognition, communication and stress management, and shared activities. Furthermore, discriminative capacity of the scale was proved depending on the levels of Internet experience and educational use of the Internet. The scale shows adequate psychometric properties and its content includes the key aspects of the exercise of positive parenting, which is very useful to evaluate the effectiveness of programs based on this approach.

Online Kidney Position Verification Using Non-Contrast Radiographs on a Linear Accelerator with on Board KV X-Ray Imaging Capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, David J.; Kron, Tomas; Hubbard, Patricia; Haworth, Annette; Wheeler, Greg; Duchesne, Gillian M.

2009-01-01

The kidneys are dose-limiting organs in abdominal radiotherapy. Kilovoltage (kV) radiographs can be acquired using on-board imager (OBI)-equipped linear accelerators with better soft tissue contrast and lower radiation doses than conventional portal imaging. A feasibility study was conducted to test the suitability of anterior-posterior (AP) non-contrast kV radiographs acquired at treatment time for online kidney position verification. Anthropomorphic phantoms were used to evaluate image quality and radiation dose. Institutional Review Board approval was given for a pilot study that enrolled 5 adults and 5 children. Customized digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) were generated to provide a priori information on kidney shape and position. Radiotherapy treatment staff performed online evaluation of kidney visibility on OBI radiographs. Kidney dose measured in a pediatric anthropomorphic phantom was 0.1 cGy for kV imaging and 1.7 cGy for MV imaging. Kidneys were rated as well visualized in 60% of patients (90% confidence interval, 34-81%). The likelihood of visualization appears to be influenced by the relative AP separation of the abdomen and kidneys, the axial profile of the kidneys, and their relative contrast with surrounding structures. Online verification of kidney position using AP non-contrast kV radiographs on an OBI-equipped linear accelerator appears feasible for patients with suitable abdominal anatomy. Kidney position information provided is limited to 2-dimensional 'snapshots,' but this is adequate in some clinical situations and potentially advantageous in respiratory-correlated treatments. Successful clinical implementation requires customized partial DRRs, appropriate imaging parameters, and credentialing of treatment staff.

Linear programming algorithms and applications

CERN Document Server

Vajda, S

1981-01-01

This text is based on a course of about 16 hours lectures to students of mathematics, statistics, and/or operational research. It is intended to introduce readers to the very wide range of applicability of linear programming, covering problems of manage­ ment, administration, transportation and a number of other uses which are mentioned in their context. The emphasis is on numerical algorithms, which are illustrated by examples of such modest size that the solutions can be obtained using pen and paper. It is clear that these methods, if applied to larger problems, can also be carried out on automatic (electronic) computers. Commercially available computer packages are, in fact, mainly based on algorithms explained in this book. The author is convinced that the user of these algorithms ought to be knowledgeable about the underlying theory. Therefore this volume is not merely addressed to the practitioner, but also to the mathematician who is interested in relatively new developments in algebraic theory and in...

A mixed integer linear program for an integrated fishery | Hasan ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... and labour allocation of quota based integrated fisheries. We demonstrate the workability of our model with a numerical example and sensitivity analysis based on data obtained from one of the major fisheries in New Zealand. Keywords: mixed integer linear program, fishing, trawler scheduling, processing, quotas ORiON: ...

Competition as an Effective Tool in Developing Social Marketing Programs: Driving Behavior Change through Online Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corina ŞERBAN

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, social marketing practices represent an important part of people’s lives. Consumers’ understanding of the need for change has become the top priority for social organizations worldwide. As a result, the number of social marketing programs has increased, making people reflect more on their behaviors and on the need to take action. Competition in social marketing can bring many benefits. The more programs initiated, the more people will start to involve in society’s problems, hereby contributing to beneficial causes. However, social organizations are in the search for competitive advantages to differentiate them on the market. This paper aims to present the role of online communication in driving competitive advantage for social organizations. Using the structural equation model, the paper describes the relations between four characteristics of the online communication: credibility, attractiveness, persuasion and promotion and then presents the correlations between these variables and website competitiveness. The resulting model shows that owning a competitive advantage in social marketing can bring many advantages to both the non-profit organization and the consumer. Therefore, the online environment can be considered a good solution for better serving consumers’ social needs. Its contribution is significant especially in programs for children and adolescents, since teenagers spend more time on the Internet than adults and are more open to using the online channels of communication. In conclusion, this article opens new opportunities for social marketers to address society’s problems and supports the integration of the online communication tools in the competition strategy.

A linear programming approach for placement of applicants to academic programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassa, Biniyam Asmare

2013-01-01

This paper reports a linear programming approach for placement of applicants to study programs developed and implemented at the college of Business & Economics, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The approach is estimated to significantly streamline the placement decision process at the college by reducing required man hour as well as the time it takes to announce placement decisions. Compared to the previous manual system where only one or two placement criteria were considered, the new approach allows the college's management to easily incorporate additional placement criteria, if needed. Comparison of our approach against manually constructed placement decisions based on actual data for the 2012/13 academic year suggested that about 93 percent of the placements from our model concur with the actual placement decisions. For the remaining 7 percent of placements, however, the actual placements made by the manual system display inconsistencies of decisions judged against the very criteria intended to guide placement decisions by the college's program management office. Overall, the new approach proves to be a significant improvement over the manual system in terms of efficiency of the placement process and the quality of placement decisions.

The Making of an Online Masters Program in the North American Context

Science.gov (United States)

Correia, Ana-Paula; Hargrave, Connie; Leigh, Patricia; Michelini, Clyciane; Niederhauser, Dale; Schmidt, Denise; Thompson, Ann

The department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University, USA offers a leading residential program of information communication technology (ICT) in teacher education. Based on the success of this program, in 2003, faculty members and instructional developers at Iowa State University Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching (http://www.ctlt.iastate.edu) created an online masters program in “Curriculum and Instructional Technology.” This graduate degree program was designed for teachers of kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) who were widely spread across the large mainly rural state of Iowa. This graduate program is described in this presentation as a distance education exemplary case in the context of North America. This program uses a cohort approach to graduate education and employs innovative technologies for its design and delivery. Program features, requirements, timeline, courses and outcomes are discussed.

Using an intervention mapping framework to develop an online mental health continuing education program for pharmacy staff.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Amanda; Fowler, Jane; Hattingh, Laetitia

2013-01-01

Current mental health policy in Australia recognizes that ongoing mental health workforce development is crucial to mental health care reform. Community pharmacy staff are well placed to assist people with mental illness living in the community; however, staff require the knowledge and skills to do this competently and effectively. This article presents the systematic planning and development process and content of an education and training program for community pharmacy staff, using a program planning approach called intervention mapping. The intervention mapping framework was used to guide development of an online continuing education program. Interviews with mental health consumers and carers (n = 285) and key stakeholders (n = 15), and a survey of pharmacy staff (n = 504) informed the needs assessment. Program objectives were identified specifying required attitudes, knowledge, skills, and confidence. These objectives were aligned with an education technique and delivery strategy. This was followed by development of an education program and comprehensive evaluation plan. The program was piloted face to face with 24 participants and then translated into an online program comprising eight 30-minute modules for pharmacists, 4 of which were also used for support staff. The evaluation plan provided for online participants (n ≅ 500) to be randomized into intervention (immediate access) or control groups (delayed training access). It included pre- and posttraining questionnaires and a reflective learning questionnaire for pharmacy staff and telephone interviews post pharmacy visit for consumers and carers. An online education program was developed to address mental health knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and skills required by pharmacy staff to work effectively with mental health consumers and carers. Intervention mapping provides a systematic and rigorous approach that can be used to develop a quality continuing education program for the health workforce

adapta~k>n -11 of the surrogate memods for linear programming ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2005-08-02

Aug 2, 2005 ... inequality problem is made uj~ of the primal and dual optimal solutions for the given primal ... KEYWORDS: Linear Programming, Duality Theory, Surrogate Methods. ..... replaces x and the process IS repeated with the new x.

Experiential learning: using virtual simulation in an online RN-to-BSN program.

Science.gov (United States)

Breen, Henny; Jones, Melissa

2015-01-01

This article highlights the innovative experiential learning used by an online RN-to-BSN program through the use of simulation that takes place in an online classroom. Three experiential learning activities using a virtual community are described. These learning activities engage the students in thinking about social justice and health policy, as well as teaching concepts that include community, leadership, influence, advocacy, networking, collaboration, and vulnerable populations. These concepts are critical to the learning needs of diploma and associate degree-prepared nurses who wish to continue their education to be better prepared to meet the complex needs of today's health care environment. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

An Online Drug Abuse Prevention Program for Adolescent Girls: Posttest and 1-Year Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwinn, Traci M; Schinke, Steven P; Hopkins, Jessica; Keller, Bryan; Liu, Xiang

2018-03-01

Early adolescent girls' rates of drug use have matched, and in some instances, surpassed boys' rates. Though girls and boys share risk factors for drug use, girls also have gender-specific risks. Tailored interventions to prevent girls' drug use are warranted. This study developed and tested a web-based, drug abuse prevention program for adolescent girls. The nationwide sample of 13- and 14-year-old girls (N = 788) was recruited via Facebook ads. Enrolled girls were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. All girls completed pretest measures online. Following pretest, intervention girls interacted with the 9-session, gender-specific prevention program online. The program aimed to reduce girls' drug use and associated risk factors by improving their cognitive and behavioral skills around such areas as coping with stress, managing mood, maintaining a healthy body image, and refusing drug use offers. Girls in both conditions again completed measures at posttest and 1-year follow-up. At posttest, and compared to girls in the control condition, girls who received the intervention smoked fewer cigarettes and reported higher self-esteem, goal setting, media literacy, and self-efficacy. At 1-year follow-up, and compared to girls in the control condition, girls who received the intervention reported engaging in less binge drinking and cigarette smoking; girls assigned to the intervention condition also had higher alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana refusal skills, coping skills, and media literacy and lower rates of peer drug use. This study's findings support the use of tailored, online drug abuse prevention programming for early adolescent girls.

Development of new on-line statistical program for the Korean Society for Radiation Oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Si Yeol; Ahn, Seung Do; Chung, Weon Kuu; Shin, Kyung Hwan; Choi, Eun Kyung; Cho, Kwan Ho

2015-06-01

To develop new on-line statistical program for the Korean Society for Radiation Oncology (KOSRO) to collect and extract medical data in radiation oncology more efficiently. The statistical program is a web-based program. The directory was placed in a sub-folder of the homepage of KOSRO and its web address is http://www.kosro.or.kr/asda. The operating systems server is Linux and the webserver is the Apache HTTP server. For database (DB) server, MySQL is adopted and dedicated scripting language is the PHP. Each ID and password are controlled independently and all screen pages for data input or analysis are made to be friendly to users. Scroll-down menu is actively used for the convenience of user and the consistence of data analysis. Year of data is one of top categories and main topics include human resource, equipment, clinical statistics, specialized treatment and research achievement. Each topic or category has several subcategorized topics. Real-time on-line report of analysis is produced immediately after entering each data and the administrator is able to monitor status of data input of each hospital. Backup of data as spread sheets can be accessed by the administrator and be used for academic works by any members of the KOSRO. The new on-line statistical program was developed to collect data from nationwide departments of radiation oncology. Intuitive screen and consistent input structure are expected to promote entering data of member hospitals and annual statistics should be a cornerstone of advance in radiation oncology.

The use of linear programming in optimization of HDR implant dose distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jozsef, Gabor; Streeter, Oscar E.; Astrahan, Melvin A.

2003-01-01

The introduction of high dose rate brachytherapy enabled optimization of dose distributions to be used on a routine basis. The objective of optimization is to homogenize the dose distribution within the implant while simultaneously satisfying dose constraints on certain points. This is accomplished by varying the time the source dwells at different locations. As the dose at any point is a linear function of the dwell times, a linear programming approach seems to be a natural choice. The dose constraints are inherently linear inequalities. Homogeneity requirements are linearized by minimizing the maximum deviation of the doses at points inside the implant from a prescribed dose. The revised simplex method was applied for the solution of this linear programming problem. In the homogenization process the possible source locations were chosen as optimization points. To avoid the problem of the singular value of the dose at a source location from the source itself we define the 'self-contribution' as the dose at a small distance from the source. The effect of varying this distance is discussed. Test cases were optimized for planar, biplanar and cylindrical implants. A semi-irregular, fan-like implant with diverging needles was also investigated. Mean central dose calculation based on 3D Delaunay-triangulation of the source locations was used to evaluate the dose distributions. The optimization method resulted in homogeneous distributions (for brachytherapy). Additional dose constraints--when applied--were satisfied. The method is flexible enough to include other linear constraints such as the inclusion of the centroids of the Delaunay-triangulation for homogenization, or limiting the maximum allowable dwell time

Reduced-Size Integer Linear Programming Models for String Selection Problems: Application to the Farthest String Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Zörnig, Peter

2015-08-01

We present integer programming models for some variants of the farthest string problem. The number of variables and constraints is substantially less than that of the integer linear programming models known in the literature. Moreover, the solution of the linear programming-relaxation contains only a small proportion of noninteger values, which considerably simplifies the rounding process. Numerical tests have shown excellent results, especially when a small set of long sequences is given.

Effectiveness of an individual, online e-learning program about sexually transmitted infections: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bos-Bonnie, Linda H A; van Bergen, Jan E A M; Te Pas, Ellen; Kijser, Michael A; van Dijk, Nynke

2017-04-24

Primary health-care professionals play an important role in the treatment and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). Continuing Medical Education (CME)-courses can influence the knowledge and behavior of health-care professionals concerning STI. We performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate if the individual and online e-learning program "The STI-consultation", which uses the Commitment-to-Change (CtC)-method, is able to improve the knowledge, attitude and behavior of Dutch General Practitioners (GPs), concerning the STI-consultation. This e-learning program is an individual, accredited, online CME-program, which is freely available for all GPs and GP-trainees in the Netherlands. In total 2192 participants completed the questionnaire before completing the e-learning program and 249 participants completed the follow-up questionnaire after completing the e-learning program. The effect of the program on their knowledge, attitude and behavior concerning the STI-consultation was evaluated. In total 193 participants formulated 601 learning points that matched the learning objectives of the program. The knowledge and attitude of the participants improved, which persisted up to two years after completing the program. Another 179 participants formulated a total of 261 intended changes concerning the sexual history taking, additional investigation and treatment of STI, 97.2% of these changes was partially or fully implemented in daily practice. Also, 114 participants formulated a total of 180 "unintended" changes in daily practice. These changes concerned the attitude of participants towards STI and the working conditions concerning the STI-consultation. The individual, online e-learning program "The STI-consultation", which uses the CtC-method, has a small but lasting, positive effect on the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of GPs concerning the STI-consultation.

Basic Botany On-Line: A Training Tool for the Master Gardener Program.

Science.gov (United States)

VanDerZanden, Ann Marie; Rost, Bob; Eckel, Rick

2002-01-01

A noncredit, online training module on botany was offered to participants in the Oregon Master Gardener program. The 48 participants felt the module was a useful training tool. They also noted that the convenience of completing the material at their own pace and during a time that fit into their schedule. (SK)

User's Guide to the Weighted-Multiple-Linear Regression Program (WREG version 1.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Eng, Ken; Chen, Yin-Yu; Kiang, Julie.E.

2009-01-01

Streamflow is not measured at every location in a stream network. Yet hydrologists, State and local agencies, and the general public still seek to know streamflow characteristics, such as mean annual flow or flood flows with different exceedance probabilities, at ungaged basins. The goals of this guide are to introduce and familiarize the user with the weighted multiple-linear regression (WREG) program, and to also provide the theoretical background for program features. The program is intended to be used to develop a regional estimation equation for streamflow characteristics that can be applied at an ungaged basin, or to improve the corresponding estimate at continuous-record streamflow gages with short records. The regional estimation equation results from a multiple-linear regression that relates the observable basin characteristics, such as drainage area, to streamflow characteristics.

A Comparison of Linear and Systems Thinking Approaches for Program Evaluation Illustrated Using the Indiana Interdisciplinary GK-12

Science.gov (United States)

Dyehouse, Melissa; Bennett, Deborah; Harbor, Jon; Childress, Amy; Dark, Melissa

2009-01-01

Logic models are based on linear relationships between program resources, activities, and outcomes, and have been used widely to support both program development and evaluation. While useful in describing some programs, the linear nature of the logic model makes it difficult to capture the complex relationships within larger, multifaceted…

A Comparison of Student Academic Performance with Traditional, Online, and Flipped Instructional Approaches in a C# Programming Course

Science.gov (United States)

Sharp, Jason H.; Sharp, Laurie A.

2017-01-01

Aim/Purpose: Compared student academic performance on specific course requirements in a C# programming course across three instructional approaches: traditional, online, and flipped. Background: Addressed the following research question--When compared to the online and traditional instructional approaches, does the flipped instructional approach…

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)

Online Coaching of Emotion-Regulation Strategies for Parents: Efficacy of the Online Rational Positive Parenting Program and Attention Bias Modification Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Oana A; Capris, David; Jarda, Alexandra

2017-01-01

Parenting programs are currently treatment of choice for behavioral disorders in children and one of their main components is reducing the negativity bias in the child-parent dyad. The Rational Positive Parenting Program (rPPP) is a program with a special focus on parent emotion-regulation functional reappraisal strategies, which has recently received consistent support for reducing child externalizing and internalizing disorders. In the last years, online interventions were proliferated and the Attention Bias Modification (ABM) becoming a promising implicit therapeutic intervention based on attention deployment emotion-regulation strategy, or adjunctive module to usual treatments, with results in multiple domains, varying from pain to self-esteem and emotional disorders (e.g., anxiety). We conducted two studies to investigate (1) the efficacy of the ABM procedures applied to parents and (2) the efficacy of the online version of the rPPP augmented with an ABM module. A total of 42 parents of children aged 2-12 years old participated in the first study, being allocated either to the ABM training or wait-list. Positive results were reported by the parents participating in the ABM group for own distress, satisfaction, positive interactions with the child, and child's strengths. In the second study, 53 parents and their children were allocated either in the rPPP group or in the rPPP + ABM group. Results show that ABM training can boost the effects of the rPPP on the strengths of children reported by the parents after the intervention. Findings are discussed in the light of limited research on using online tools for coaching effective emotion-regulation strategies for parents.

Online Student Evaluation Improves Course Experience Questionnaire Results in a Physiotherapy Program

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Beatrice; Jones, Sue; Straker, Leon

2008-01-01

This paper reports the use of an online student evaluation system, Course Experience on the Web (CEW), in a physiotherapy program to improve their Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) results. CEW comprises a course survey instrument modeled on the CEQ and a tailored unit survey instrument. Closure of the feedback loop is integral in the CEW…

Effectiveness of an online knowledge training and assessment program for stop smoking practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Brose, Leonie S; West, Robert; Michie, Susan; Kenyon, Jennifer A M; McEwen, Andy

2012-07-01

In English National Health Service (NHS) stop smoking services, stop smoking practitioners (SSPs) provide behavioral support and medication to support smokers wanting to quit. This study aimed to evaluate an evidence-based national online knowledge training program for SSPs developed by the NHS Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT). Knowledge required to deliver effective stop smoking interventions was assessed using 25 multiple-choice questions drawn randomly from a common larger pool at baseline and after use of the training program in 778 consecutive users. Change in knowledge and association of this change with time spent on the training were assessed. Baseline and change in knowledge of SSPs with different amounts of experience, prior training, and time dedicated to smoking cessation were compared. Knowledge improved from 64.4% correct to 77.7% (p < .001). Time spent on the training predicted improvement. Pretraining knowledge scores differed with experience, prior training, and time practicing. Training improved even the highest performing SSPs and minimized differences between groups. Knowledge required to deliver effective stop smoking intervention is improved efficiently by using the NCSCT online training program for English smoking cessation practitioners. SSPs with all levels of prior knowledge benefit.

Robust Control Design via Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Keel, L. H.; Bhattacharyya, S. P.

1998-01-01

This paper deals with the problem of synthesizing or designing a feedback controller of fixed dynamic order. The closed loop specifications considered here are given in terms of a target performance vector representing a desired set of closed loop transfer functions connecting various signals. In general these point targets are unattainable with a fixed order controller. By enlarging the target from a fixed point set to an interval set the solvability conditions with a fixed order controller are relaxed and a solution is more easily enabled. Results from the parametric robust control literature can be used to design the interval target family so that the performance deterioration is acceptable, even when plant uncertainty is present. It is shown that it is possible to devise a computationally simple linear programming approach that attempts to meet the desired closed loop specifications.

A linear programming model of diet choice of free-living beavers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nolet, BA; VanderVeer, PJ; Evers, EGJ; Ottenheim, MM

1995-01-01

Linear programming has been remarkably successful in predicting the diet choice of generalist herbivores. We used this technique to test the diet choice of free-living beavers (Castor fiber) in the Biesbosch (The Netherlands) under different Foraging goals, i.e. maximization of intake of energy,

Food Commercials and Kids: Characterizing Advertising Content of Children's Online Television Programs

OpenAIRE

Penn, Jerrod; Staley, Daniel; Smith, Chaquenta; Saghaian, Sayed H.

2011-01-01

Internet marketing has gained attention as a new medium to advertise food products to children. This study examines the prevalence of food marketing during children's television programs that are available on the internet. While food is the largest product category advertised, commercials make up a smaller portion of episode time online compared to previous reports of television advertising.

The Feasibility and Acceptability of "Arise": An Online Substance Abuse Relapse Prevention Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Rebecca Polley; Bartel, Chelsea M

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel online adolescent substance abuse relapse prevention tool, "Arise" (3C Institute, Cary, NC). The program uses an innovative platform including interactive instructional segments and skill-building games to help adolescents learn and practice coping skills training strategies. We conducted a pilot test with nine adolescents in substance abuse treatment (44 percent female) and a feasibility test with treatment providers (n=8; 50 percent female). Adolescents interacted with the program via a secure Web site for approximately 30 minutes for each of two instructional units. Treatment providers reviewed the same material at their own pace. All participants completed a questionnaire with items assessing usability, acceptability, understanding, and subjective experience of the program. Regarding feasibility, recruitment of this population within the study constraints proved challenging, but participant retention in the trial was high (no attrition). Adolescents and treatment providers completed the program with no reported problems, and overall we were able to collect data as planned. Regarding acceptability, the program received strong ratings from both adolescents and providers, who found the prototype informative, engaging, and appealing. Both groups strongly recommended continuing development. We were able to deliver the intervention as intended, and acceptability ratings were high, demonstrating the feasibility and acceptability of online delivery of engaging interactive interventions. This study contributes to our understanding of how interactive technologies, including games, can be used to modify behavior in substance abuse treatment and other health areas.

The Relationships among Group Size, Participation, and Performance of Programming Language Learning Supported with Online Forums

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Ruey-Shiang

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationships among group size, participation, and learning performance factors when learning a programming language in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) context. An online forum was used as the CSCL environment for learning the Microsoft ASP.NET programming language. The collaborative-learning experiment…

Waste management under multiple complexities: Inexact piecewise-linearization-based fuzzy flexible programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Wei; Huang, Guo H.; Lv Ying; Li Gongchen

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Inexact piecewise-linearization-based fuzzy flexible programming is proposed. ► It’s the first application to waste management under multiple complexities. ► It tackles nonlinear economies-of-scale effects in interval-parameter constraints. ► It estimates costs more accurately than the linear-regression-based model. ► Uncertainties are decreased and more satisfactory interval solutions are obtained. - Abstract: To tackle nonlinear economies-of-scale (EOS) effects in interval-parameter constraints for a representative waste management problem, an inexact piecewise-linearization-based fuzzy flexible programming (IPFP) model is developed. In IPFP, interval parameters for waste amounts and transportation/operation costs can be quantified; aspiration levels for net system costs, as well as tolerance intervals for both capacities of waste treatment facilities and waste generation rates can be reflected; and the nonlinear EOS effects transformed from objective function to constraints can be approximated. An interactive algorithm is proposed for solving the IPFP model, which in nature is an interval-parameter mixed-integer quadratically constrained programming model. To demonstrate the IPFP’s advantages, two alternative models are developed to compare their performances. One is a conventional linear-regression-based inexact fuzzy programming model (IPFP2) and the other is an IPFP model with all right-hand-sides of fussy constraints being the corresponding interval numbers (IPFP3). The comparison results between IPFP and IPFP2 indicate that the optimized waste amounts would have the similar patterns in both models. However, when dealing with EOS effects in constraints, the IPFP2 may underestimate the net system costs while the IPFP can estimate the costs more accurately. The comparison results between IPFP and IPFP3 indicate that their solutions would be significantly different. The decreased system uncertainties in IPFP’s solutions demonstrate

Introduction to linear programming: Coalitional game experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucas, W.

1994-12-31

Many solution notions in the multiperson cooperative games (in characteristic function form) make use of linear programming (LP). The popular concept of the {open_quotes}core{close_quotes} of a coalitional game is a special type of LP. It can be introduced in a very simple and quite exciting manner by means of a group experiment. A total of fifty dollars will be given to three randomly selected attendees who will take part in an experiment during this talk, presuming they behave in a Pareto optimal manner. Furthermore, the dual of the particular LP for the core gives rise to the idea of {open_quotes}balanced sets{close_quotes} which is an interesting combinatorial structure in its own right.

A pilot project of an online cross-age tutoring program: crescent school virtual learning (vLearning).

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Ronald

2016-11-01

Traditional classroom teaching is the standard of education. However, there may be some students who feel uncomfortable approaching their teachers and may feel more at ease if they ask for assistance from their peers. There are two types of student-to-student tutoring methods that are supplements to classroom learning: peer tutoring between same-age students and cross-age tutoring between different-age children. Cross-age tutoring programs in which the tutor is 2-3 years older than the tutee have been reported to be more effective than those between same-age students in promoting student responsibility, empowerment and academic performance. A pilot online cross-age tutoring program was launched in September 2014 at Crescent School. A new website was designed, created and implemented with the permission and regular monitoring of the Student Services faculty for the online program - Crescent School Virtual Learning (vLearning). The program was well received and will undergo evaluation in the future.

Finnish Students’ Adoption of Smartphones and Tablets to Study Programming Online Using Technology Acceptance Model

OpenAIRE

Nguyen Thi Thien, An

2016-01-01

The use of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets has been applied into diverse domains. In the fast pace of technology, smartphones and tablets are supposed to be efficient tools for education, typical online learning or learning from the distance via the Internet. There is few re-search that investigates the factors affecting the use of smartphones and tablets by Finnish students for their online learning in programming. The conceptual framework of the research was adapted from the ...

The fastclime Package for Linear Programming and Large-Scale Precision Matrix Estimation in R.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Haotian; Liu, Han; Vanderbei, Robert

2014-02-01

We develop an R package fastclime for solving a family of regularized linear programming (LP) problems. Our package efficiently implements the parametric simplex algorithm, which provides a scalable and sophisticated tool for solving large-scale linear programs. As an illustrative example, one use of our LP solver is to implement an important sparse precision matrix estimation method called CLIME (Constrained L 1 Minimization Estimator). Compared with existing packages for this problem such as clime and flare, our package has three advantages: (1) it efficiently calculates the full piecewise-linear regularization path; (2) it provides an accurate dual certificate as stopping criterion; (3) it is completely coded in C and is highly portable. This package is designed to be useful to statisticians and machine learning researchers for solving a wide range of problems.

[Online gaming. Potential risk and prevention programs].

Science.gov (United States)

Malischnig, Doris

2014-12-01

Online gaming is more and more common and increasingly accessible. Due to a lack of social control the participation could be a potential risk for certain customers. The given article focuses on prevention measures that are provided by the Austrian online gaming operator, the Austrian Lotteries, provider of the online gaming platform win2day, in the light of the specifics of Internet gaming in order to avoid problems with gaming.

Program elaborated of combined regime for on-line and off-line problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanova, A.B.; Ioramashvili, Eh.Sh.; Polyakov, B.F.; Razdol'skaya, L.A.

1979-01-01

A description of the part of operational system designed for organization of packet treatment of algol tasks combined with the on-line system is provided. A block-scheme of the operational system functioning in the packet regime is presented. The ''Director'' program is the main part of the operational system which is responsible for the functioning of the algol programs. Its starting for the first time is carried out by the operator. All the subsequent process of the operation is automized. Problems connected with the organization of interruptions appearing in the cases of failures and as a reaction for the end of operation of any algol program or some of its links are considered

APA Reporting Standards in Quantitative Research Dissertations from an Online EdD Program

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado, Griselle

2013-01-01

This study was an investigation of the reporting practices in dissertations with quantitative research designs produced by students enrolled in an online Doctor of Education (EdD) program, one that follows the American Psychological Association (APA) standards for reporting research. Limited, empirical information exists about the competencies in…

A Grounded Theory of Professional Learning in an Authentic Online Professional Development Program

Science.gov (United States)

Teräs, Hanna; Kartoglu, Umit

2017-01-01

Online professional development (OPD) programs have become increasingly popular. However, participating in professional development does not always lead to profound professional learning. Previous research endeavours have often focussed on measuring user acceptance or on comparing the effectiveness of OPD with a face-to-face delivery, but there is…

Online Certificate Program Moves Participants to Advanced Stages of Concern for Social Marketing

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhary, Anil Kumar; Warner, Laura A.; Stofer, Kathryn A.

2017-01-01

Social marketing is an underused strategy that agricultural educators can employ to bring about behavior change. We designed an online certificate program for Extension professionals and other educators based on an identified need for social marketing professional development. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) served as the conceptual…

Computer Program For Linear Algebra

Science.gov (United States)

Krogh, F. T.; Hanson, R. J.

1987-01-01

Collection of routines provided for basic vector operations. Basic Linear Algebra Subprogram (BLAS) library is collection from FORTRAN-callable routines for employing standard techniques to perform basic operations of numerical linear algebra.

Linear programming to build food-based dietary guidelines: Romanian food baskets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parlesak, Alexandr; Robertson, Aileen; Hondru, Gabriela

approach using linear programming methodology to design national dietary recommendations which aim to prevent both NCDs and micronutrient deficiencies and still be affordable by low income groups. This new approach is applied within the context of food availability in Romania in 2014. Eating the same food...... every day is unrealistic and too monotonous to be maintained, so this novel approach is used to select a wide range of diverse foods that can be recommended for a period of up to, for example, one month. The following are the key findings of this report. • The simplest version of the Romanian food.......65 lei (~€ 4.46) for a day. • Key nutrients, primarily vitamin D, calcium, potassium and iron, were found to control the overall price. • The least expensive basket (one day’s rations) is monotonous and the linear programming approach is used to select a wide range of foods that can be recommended...

Fuzzy linear programming based optimal fuel scheduling incorporating blending/transloading facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djukanovic, M.; Babic, B.; Milosevic, B. [Electrical Engineering Inst. Nikola Tesla, Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Sobajic, D.J. [EPRI, Palo Alto, CA (United States). Power System Control; Pao, Y.H. [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)]|[AI WARE, Inc., Cleveland, OH (United States)

1996-05-01

In this paper the blending/transloading facilities are modeled using an interactive fuzzy linear programming (FLP), in order to allow the decision-maker to solve the problem of uncertainty of input information within the fuel scheduling optimization. An interactive decision-making process is formulated in which decision-maker can learn to recognize good solutions by considering all possibilities of fuzziness. The application of the fuzzy formulation is accompanied by a careful examination of the definition of fuzziness, appropriateness of the membership function and interpretation of results. The proposed concept provides a decision support system with integration-oriented features, whereby the decision-maker can learn to recognize the relative importance of factors in the specific domain of optimal fuel scheduling (OFS) problem. The formulation of a fuzzy linear programming problem to obtain a reasonable nonfuzzy solution under consideration of the ambiguity of parameters, represented by fuzzy numbers, is introduced. An additional advantage of the FLP formulation is its ability to deal with multi-objective problems.

Polymorphic Uncertain Linear Programming for Generalized Production Planning Problems

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Xinbo Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A polymorphic uncertain linear programming (PULP model is constructed to formulate a class of generalized production planning problems. In accordance with the practical environment, some factors such as the consumption of raw material, the limitation of resource and the demand of product are incorporated into the model as parameters of interval and fuzzy subsets, respectively. Based on the theory of fuzzy interval program and the modified possibility degree for the order of interval numbers, a deterministic equivalent formulation for this model is derived such that a robust solution for the uncertain optimization problem is obtained. Case study indicates that the constructed model and the proposed solution are useful to search for an optimal production plan for the polymorphic uncertain generalized production planning problems.

APPLYING ROBUST RANKING METHOD IN TWO PHASE FUZZY OPTIMIZATION LINEAR PROGRAMMING PROBLEMS (FOLPP

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Monalisha Pattnaik

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This paper explores the solutions to the fuzzy optimization linear program problems (FOLPP where some parameters are fuzzy numbers. In practice, there are many problems in which all decision parameters are fuzzy numbers, and such problems are usually solved by either probabilistic programming or multi-objective programming methods. Methods: In this paper, using the concept of comparison of fuzzy numbers, a very effective method is introduced for solving these problems. This paper extends linear programming based problem in fuzzy environment. With the problem assumptions, the optimal solution can still be theoretically solved using the two phase simplex based method in fuzzy environment. To handle the fuzzy decision variables can be initially generated and then solved and improved sequentially using the fuzzy decision approach by introducing robust ranking technique. Results and conclusions: The model is illustrated with an application and a post optimal analysis approach is obtained. The proposed procedure was programmed with MATLAB (R2009a version software for plotting the four dimensional slice diagram to the application. Finally, numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results, and to gain additional managerial insights. 

Library Services Online: Introducing Library Services for Online MBA Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Slavin, Laura C.

2015-01-01

In this article, a librarian at Lincoln Memorial University creates library services for an MBA program offered entirely online that is in the early stages of development. The library services include a subject guide and 4 tutorials that will be added to the MBA online orientation. Other services include offering online office hours and…

Updating Linear Schedules with Lowest Cost: a Linear Programming Model

Science.gov (United States)

Biruk, Sławomir; Jaśkowski, Piotr; Czarnigowska, Agata

2017-10-01

Many civil engineering projects involve sets of tasks repeated in a predefined sequence in a number of work areas along a particular route. A useful graphical representation of schedules of such projects is time-distance diagrams that clearly show what process is conducted at a particular point of time and in particular location. With repetitive tasks, the quality of project performance is conditioned by the ability of the planner to optimize workflow by synchronizing the works and resources, which usually means that resources are planned to be continuously utilized. However, construction processes are prone to risks, and a fully synchronized schedule may expire if a disturbance (bad weather, machine failure etc.) affects even one task. In such cases, works need to be rescheduled, and another optimal schedule should be built for the changed circumstances. This typically means that, to meet the fixed completion date, durations of operations have to be reduced. A number of measures are possible to achieve such reduction: working overtime, employing more resources or relocating resources from less to more critical tasks, but they all come at a considerable cost and affect the whole project. The paper investigates the problem of selecting the measures that reduce durations of tasks of a linear project so that the cost of these measures is kept to the minimum and proposes an algorithm that could be applied to find optimal solutions as the need to reschedule arises. Considering that civil engineering projects, such as road building, usually involve less process types than construction projects, the complexity of scheduling problems is lower, and precise optimization algorithms can be applied. Therefore, the authors put forward a linear programming model of the problem and illustrate its principle of operation with an example.

A new methodological development for solving linear bilevel integer programming problems in hybrid fuzzy environment

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Animesh Biswas

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with fuzzy goal programming approach to solve fuzzy linear bilevel integer programming problems with fuzzy probabilistic constraints following Pareto distribution and Frechet distribution. In the proposed approach a new chance constrained programming methodology is developed from the view point of managing those probabilistic constraints in a hybrid fuzzy environment. A method of defuzzification of fuzzy numbers using ?-cut has been adopted to reduce the problem into a linear bilevel integer programming problem. The individual optimal value of the objective of each DM is found in isolation to construct the fuzzy membership goals. Finally, fuzzy goal programming approach is used to achieve maximum degree of each of the membership goals by minimizing under deviational variables in the decision making environment. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach, a numerical example is provided.

LINEAR2007, Linear-Linear Interpolation of ENDF Format Cross-Sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: LINEAR converts evaluated cross sections in the ENDF/B format into a tabular form that is subject to linear-linear interpolation in energy and cross section. The code also thins tables of cross sections already in that form. Codes used subsequently need thus to consider only linear-linear data. IAEA1311/15: This version include the updates up to January 30, 2007. Changes in ENDF/B-VII Format and procedures, as well as the evaluations themselves, make it impossible for versions of the ENDF/B pre-processing codes earlier than PREPRO 2007 (2007 Version) to accurately process current ENDF/B-VII evaluations. The present code can handle all existing ENDF/B-VI evaluations through release 8, which will be the last release of ENDF/B-VI. Modifications from previous versions: - Linear VERS. 2007-1 (JAN. 2007): checked against all ENDF/B-VII; increased page size from 60,000 to 600,000 points 2 - Method of solution: Each section of data is considered separately. Each section of File 3, 23, and 27 data consists of a table of cross section versus energy with any of five interpolation laws. LINEAR will replace each section with a new table of energy versus cross section data in which the interpolation law is always linear in energy and cross section. The histogram (constant cross section between two energies) interpolation law is converted to linear-linear by substituting two points for each initial point. The linear-linear is not altered. For the log-linear, linear-log and log- log laws, the cross section data are converted to linear by an interval halving algorithm. Each interval is divided in half until the value at the middle of the interval can be approximated by linear-linear interpolation to within a given accuracy. The LINEAR program uses a multipoint fractional error thinning algorithm to minimize the size of each cross section table

Secret Message Decryption: Group Consulting Projects Using Matrices and Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Gurski, Katharine F.

2009-01-01

We describe two short group projects for finite mathematics students that incorporate matrices and linear programming into fictional consulting requests presented as a letter to the students. The students are required to use mathematics to decrypt secret messages in one project involving matrix multiplication and inversion. The second project…

Optimal local dimming for LED-backlit LCD displays via linear programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shu, Xiao; Wu, Xiaolin; Forchhammer, Søren

2012-01-01

and the attenuations of LCD pixels. The objective is to minimize the distortion in luminance reproduction due to the leakage of LCD and the coarse granularity of the LED lights. The optimization problem is formulated as one of linear programming, and both exact and approximate algorithms are proposed. Simulation...

Optimization of production planning in Czech agricultural co-operative via linear programming

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Jitka Janová

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The production planning is one of the key managerial decisions in agricultural business, which must be done periodically every year. Correct decision must cover the agriculture demands of planting the crops such as crop rotation restrictions or water resource scarcity, while the decision maker aims to plan the crop design in most profitable way in sense of maximizing the total profit from the crop yield. This decision problem represents the optimization of crop design and can be treated by the me­thods of linear programming which begun to be extensively used in agriculture production planning in USA during 50’s. There is ongoing research of mathematical programming applications in agriculture worldwide, but the results are not easily transferable to other localities due to the specific local restrictions in each country. In Czech Republic the farmers use for production planning mainly their expert knowledge and past experience. However, the mathematical programming approach enables find the true optimal solution of the problem, which especially in the problems with a great number of constraints is not easy to find intuitively. One of the possible barriers for using the general decision support systems (which are based on mathematical programming methods for agriculture production planning in Czech Republic is its expensiveness. The small farmer can not afford to buy the expensive software or to employ a mathematical programming specialist. The aim of this paper is to present a user friendly linear programming model of the typical agricultural production planning problem in Czech Republic which can be solved via software tools commonly available in any farm (e.g. EXCEL. The linear programming model covering the restrictions on total costs, crop rotation, thresholds for the total area sowed by particular crops, total amount of manure and the need of feed crops is developed. The model is applied in real-world problem of Czech agriculture

The Linear Programming to evaluate the performance of Oral Health in Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Colussi, Claudia Flemming; Calvo, Maria Cristina Marino; Freitas, Sergio Fernando Torres de

2013-01-01

To show the use of Linear Programming to evaluate the performance of Oral Health in Primary Care. This study used data from 19 municipalities of Santa Catarina city that participated of the state evaluation in 2009 and have more than 50,000 habitants. A total of 40 indicators were evaluated, calculated using the Microsoft Excel 2007, and converted to the interval [0, 1] in ascending order (one indicating the best situation and zero indicating the worst situation). Applying the Linear Programming technique municipalities were assessed and compared among them according to performance curve named "quality estimated frontier". Municipalities included in the frontier were classified as excellent. Indicators were gathered, and became synthetic indicators. The majority of municipalities not included in the quality frontier (values different of 1.0) had lower values than 0.5, indicating poor performance. The model applied to the municipalities of Santa Catarina city assessed municipal management and local priorities rather than the goals imposed by pre-defined parameters. In the final analysis three municipalities were included in the "perceived quality frontier". The Linear Programming technique allowed to identify gaps that must be addressed by city managers to enhance actions taken. It also enabled to observe each municipal performance and compare results among similar municipalities.

AN APPLICATION FOR EFFICIENT TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS PROVISIONING USING LINEAR PROGRAMMING

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Maria Augusta Soares Machado

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a practical proposition for the application of the Linear Programming quantitative method in order to assist planning and control of customer circuit delivery activities in telecommunications companies working with the corporative market. Based upon data provided for by a telecom company operating in Brazil, the Linear Programming method was employed for one of the classical problems of determining the optimum mix of production quantities for a set of five products of that company: Private Telephone Network, Internet Network, Intranet Network, Low Speed Data Network, and High Speed Data Network, in face of several limitations of the productive resources, seeking to maximize the company’s monthly revenue. By fitting the production data available into a primary model, observation was made as to what number of monthly activations for each product would be mostly optimized in order to achieve maximum revenues in the company. The final delivery of a complete network was not observed but the delivery of the circuits that make it up, and this was a limiting factor for the study herein, which, however, brings an innovative proposition for the planning of private telecommunications network provisioning.

A Study of Joint Cost Inclusion in Linear Programming Optimization

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P. Armaos

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The concept of Structural Optimization has been a topic or research over the past century. Linear Programming Optimization has proved being the most reliable method of structural optimization. Global advances in linear programming optimization have been recently powered by University of Sheffield researchers, to include joint cost, self-weight and buckling considerations. A joint cost inclusion scopes to reduce the number of joints existing in an optimized structural solution, transforming it to a practically viable solution. The topic of the current paper is to investigate the effects of joint cost inclusion, as this is currently implemented in the optimization code. An extended literature review on this subject was conducted prior to familiarization with small scale optimization software. Using IntelliFORM software, a structured series of problems were set and analyzed. The joint cost tests examined benchmark problems and their consequent changes in the member topology, as the design domain was expanding. The findings of the analyses were remarkable and are being commented further on. The distinct topologies of solutions created by optimization processes are also recognized. Finally an alternative strategy of penalizing joints is presented.

Solving non-linear Horn clauses using a linear Horn clause solver

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kafle, Bishoksan; Gallagher, John Patrick; Ganty, Pierre

2016-01-01

In this paper we show that checking satisfiability of a set of non-linear Horn clauses (also called a non-linear Horn clause program) can be achieved using a solver for linear Horn clauses. We achieve this by interleaving a program transformation with a satisfiability checker for linear Horn...... clauses (also called a solver for linear Horn clauses). The program transformation is based on the notion of tree dimension, which we apply to a set of non-linear clauses, yielding a set whose derivation trees have bounded dimension. Such a set of clauses can be linearised. The main algorithm...... dimension. We constructed a prototype implementation of this approach and performed some experiments on a set of verification problems, which shows some promise....

Does stimulating various coping strategies alleviate loneliness? Results from an online friendship enrichment program

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwman, T.E.; Aartsen, M.J.; Tilburg, T.G. van; Stevens, N.L.

2017-01-01

Loneliness stems from a mismatch between the social relationships one has and those one desires. Loneliness often has severe consequences for individuals and society. Recently, an online adaptation of the friendship enrichment program (FEP) was developed and tested to gain insight in its

Preferred Methods of Learning for Nursing Students in an On-Line Degree Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hampton, Debra; Pearce, Patricia F; Moser, Debra K

Investigators have demonstrated that on-line courses result in effective learning outcomes, but limited information has been published related to preferred teaching strategies. Delivery of on-line courses requires various teaching methods to facilitate interaction between students, content, and technology. The purposes of this study were to understand student teaching/learning preferences in on-line courses to include (a) differences in preferred teaching/learning methods for on-line nursing students across generations and (b) which teaching strategies students found to be most engaging and effective. Participants were recruited from 2 accredited, private school nursing programs (N=944) that admit students from across the United States and deliver courses on-line. Participants provided implied consent, and 217 (23%) students completed the on-line survey. Thirty-two percent of the students were from the Baby Boomer generation (1946-1964), 48% from Generation X (1965-1980), and 20% from the Millennial Generation (born after 1980). The preferred teaching/learning methods for students were videos or narrated PowerPoint presentations, followed by synchronous Adobe Connect educations sessions, assigned journal article reading, and e-mail dialog with the instructor. The top 2 methods identified by participants as the most energizing/engaging and most effective for learning were videos or narrated PowerPoint presentations and case studies. The teaching/learning method least preferred by participants and that was the least energizing/engaging was group collaborative projects with other students; the method that was the least effective for learning was wikis. Baby Boomers and Generation X participants had a significantly greater preference for discussion board (PBaby Boomer and Generation X students and rated on-line games as significantly more energizing/engaging and more effective for learning (PBaby Boomer and Generation X students. In conclusion, the results of this

Visual, Algebraic and Mixed Strategies in Visually Presented Linear Programming Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Shama, Gilli; Dreyfus, Tommy

1994-01-01

Identified and classified solution strategies of (n=49) 10th-grade students who were presented with linear programming problems in a predominantly visual setting in the form of a computerized game. Visual strategies were developed more frequently than either algebraic or mixed strategies. Appendix includes questionnaires. (Contains 11 references.)…

Online Platform Support for Sustained, Collaborative and Self-directed Engagement of Teachers in a Blended Professional Development Program

Science.gov (United States)

Osburg, Thomas; Todorova, Albena

Professional development of teachers plays a significant role for the success of educational reforms and for student achievement. Programs for developing teachers’ skills to integrate digital media in the classroom have received increased attention, due to the role of technology in today’s world. Recent research and field experiences have identified elements which contribute to the effectiveness of such programs, among them opportunities for sustained, collaborative and self-directed learning. This paper explores how an online platform of a large scale blended program for professional development, Intel® Teach - Advanced Online, supports the implementation of such opportunities in practice and incorporates them in the structure of the program. The positive outcomes from the program as evidenced by its evaluation indicate that professional development based on the design principles identified as effective by recent research is a viable solution for addressing the limitations of traditional teacher training for technology integration.

Fuzzy Multi Objective Linear Programming Problem with Imprecise Aspiration Level and Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Shahraki

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the multi-objective linear programming problems with fuzzygoal for each of the objective functions and constraints. Most existing works deal withlinear membership functions for fuzzy goals. In this paper, exponential membershipfunction is used.

Broadband demonstrations of true-time delay using linear sideband chirped programming and optical coherent transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reibel, R.R.; Barber, Z.W.; Fischer, J.A.; Tian, M.; Babbitt, W.R.

2004-01-01

Linear sideband chirped (LSC) programming is introduced as a means of configuring spatial-spectral holographic gratings for optical coherent transient processors. Similar to linear frequency chirped programming, LSC programming allows the use of broadband integrated electro-optic phase modulators to produce chirps instead of using elaborate broadband chirped lasers. This approach has several advantages including the ability to use a stabilized laser for the optical carrier as well as stable, reproducible chirped optical signals when the modulator is driven digitally. Using LSC programming, we experimentally demonstrate broadband true-time delay as a proof of principle for the optical control of phased array radars. Here both cw phase modulated and binary phase shift keyed probe signals are true-time delayed with bandwidths of 1 GHz and delay resolutions better than 60 ps

Linear programming models and methods of matrix games with payoffs of triangular fuzzy numbers

CERN Document Server

Li, Deng-Feng

2016-01-01

This book addresses two-person zero-sum finite games in which the payoffs in any situation are expressed with fuzzy numbers. The purpose of this book is to develop a suite of effective and efficient linear programming models and methods for solving matrix games with payoffs in fuzzy numbers. Divided into six chapters, it discusses the concepts of solutions of matrix games with payoffs of intervals, along with their linear programming models and methods. Furthermore, it is directly relevant to the research field of matrix games under uncertain economic management. The book offers a valuable resource for readers involved in theoretical research and practical applications from a range of different fields including game theory, operational research, management science, fuzzy mathematical programming, fuzzy mathematics, industrial engineering, business and social economics. .

Determinants of Self-Reflective Learning and Its Consequences in Online Master Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Yoram; Neumann, Edith; Lewis, Shelia

2017-01-01

Based on recent studies of self-reflective learning and its effects on various learning outcomes, this study examined the concept of self-reflective learning in the context of the Robust Learning Model (RLM), which is a learning model designed for improving the educational effectiveness of online degree programs. Two models were introduced to…

Online Energy Management of City Cars with Multi-Objective Linear Parameter-Varying L2-Gain Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boe-Shong Hong

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This work aims at online regulating transient current out of the batteries of small-sized electric cars that transport people and goods around cities. In a city with heavy traffic, transient current dominates the energy economy and propulsion capability, which are in opposition to each other. In order to manage the trade-off between energy consumption per distance and propulsion capability in transience, the authors improve on previous work on multi-objective linear parameter-varying (LPV L2-gain control. The observer embedded into this multi-objective controller no longer assumes Kalman-filtering structure, and structural conservatism is thus removed. A full-spectrum set of experiments is performed. The results reveal that the feedback design significantly improves energy-motion management.

A versatile program for the calculation of linear accelerator room shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Zeinab El-Taher; Farag, Nehad M; Elshemey, Wael M

2018-03-22

This work aims at designing a computer program to calculate the necessary amount of shielding for a given or proposed linear accelerator room design in radiotherapy. The program (Shield Calculation in Radiotherapy, SCR) has been developed using Microsoft Visual Basic. It applies the treatment room shielding calculations of NCRP report no. 151 to calculate proper shielding thicknesses for a given linear accelerator treatment room design. The program is composed of six main user-friendly interfaces. The first enables the user to upload their choice of treatment room design and to measure the distances required for shielding calculations. The second interface enables the user to calculate the primary barrier thickness in case of three-dimensional conventional radiotherapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and total body irradiation (TBI). The third interface calculates the required secondary barrier thickness due to both scattered and leakage radiation. The fourth and fifth interfaces provide a means to calculate the photon dose equivalent for low and high energy radiation, respectively, in door and maze areas. The sixth interface enables the user to calculate the skyshine radiation for photons and neutrons. The SCR program has been successfully validated, precisely reproducing all of the calculated examples presented in NCRP report no. 151 in a simple and fast manner. Moreover, it easily performed the same calculations for a test design that was also calculated manually, and produced the same results. The program includes a new and important feature that is the ability to calculate required treatment room thickness in case of IMRT and TBI. It is characterised by simplicity, precision, data saving, printing and retrieval, in addition to providing a means for uploading and testing any proposed treatment room shielding design. The SCR program provides comprehensive, simple, fast and accurate room shielding calculations in radiotherapy.

Wavelet-linear genetic programming: A new approach for modeling monthly streamflow

Science.gov (United States)

Ravansalar, Masoud; Rajaee, Taher; Kisi, Ozgur

2017-06-01

The streamflows are important and effective factors in stream ecosystems and its accurate prediction is an essential and important issue in water resources and environmental engineering systems. A hybrid wavelet-linear genetic programming (WLGP) model, which includes a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and a linear genetic programming (LGP) to predict the monthly streamflow (Q) in two gauging stations, Pataveh and Shahmokhtar, on the Beshar River at the Yasuj, Iran were used in this study. In the proposed WLGP model, the wavelet analysis was linked to the LGP model where the original time series of streamflow were decomposed into the sub-time series comprising wavelet coefficients. The results were compared with the single LGP, artificial neural network (ANN), a hybrid wavelet-ANN (WANN) and Multi Linear Regression (MLR) models. The comparisons were done by some of the commonly utilized relevant physical statistics. The Nash coefficients (E) were found as 0.877 and 0.817 for the WLGP model, for the Pataveh and Shahmokhtar stations, respectively. The comparison of the results showed that the WLGP model could significantly increase the streamflow prediction accuracy in both stations. Since, the results demonstrate a closer approximation of the peak streamflow values by the WLGP model, this model could be utilized for the simulation of cumulative streamflow data prediction in one month ahead.

LOOM-P: a finite element mesh generation program with on-line graphic display

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ise, Takeharu; Yamazaki, Toshio.

1977-06-01

A description of the two-dimensional mesh generation program, LOOM-P, is given in detail. The program is developed newly to produce a mesh network for a reactor core geometry with the help of an automatic mesh generation routine built in it, under the control of the refresh-type graphic display. It is therefore similar to the edit program of the self-organizing mesh generator, QMESH-RENUM. Additional techniques are incorporated to improve the pattern of mesh elements by means of on-line conversational mode. The obtained mesh network is edited out as input data to the three-dimensional neutron diffusion theory code, FEM-BABEL. (auth.)

Feasibility of an online mindfulness-based program for patients with melanoma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Lahiru; Ugalde, Anna; Milne, Donna; Krishnasamy, Meinir; O Seung Chul, Eric; Austin, David W; Chambers, Richard; Orellana, Liliana; Livingston, Patricia M

2018-04-13

People with a melanoma diagnosis are at risk of recurrence, developing a new primary or experiencing disease progression. Previous studies have suggested that fear of a cancer recurrence is clinically relevant in this group of patients and, if not addressed, can lead to distress. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression among various groups of cancer patients. Online mindfulness-based interventions have the potential to reach people unable to attend face-to-face interventions due to limitations such as cancer-related illness, transportation or time constraints. This study aims to (1) examine whether individuals with a melanoma diagnosis are willing to participate and adhere to a 6-week online mindfulness-based intervention and (2) explore potential benefits of the program on fear of cancer recurrence, worries, rumination, perceived stress and trait mindfulness to inform the design of a clinical trial. This is a single-site randomised controlled trial of a feasibility study. Seventy-five participants with stage 2c or 3 melanoma will be recruited from a melanoma outpatient clinic and randomised (2:1) either to an online mindfulness-based program (intervention) or to usual care (control). The intervention is a 6-week program specifically developed for this study. It consists of videos describing the concept of mindfulness, short daily guided meditation practices (5-10 min), automated meditation reminders and instructions for applying mindfulness in daily life to enhance wellbeing. All participants will complete questionnaires at baseline and at 6-week post-randomisation. Participants in the control group will be given access to the online program at the end of the study. Primary outcomes are overall recruitment; retention; extent of questionnaire completion; and usability and acceptability of, and adherence to, the program. The secondary outcomes are fear of cancer recurrence, worries, rumination, perceived

Optimizing diffusion of an online computer tailored lifestyle program: a study protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schulz Daniela N

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although the Internet is a promising medium to offer lifestyle interventions to large amounts of people at relatively low costs and effort, actual exposure rates of these interventions fail to meet the high expectations. Since public health impact of interventions is determined by intervention efficacy and level of exposure to the intervention, it is imperative to put effort in optimal dissemination. The present project attempts to optimize the dissemination process of a new online computer tailored generic lifestyle program by carefully studying the adoption process and developing a strategy to achieve sustained use of the program. Methods/Design A prospective study will be conducted to yield relevant information concerning the adoption process by studying the level of adoption of the program, determinants involved in adoption and characteristics of adopters and non-adopters as well as satisfied and unsatisfied users. Furthermore, a randomized control trial will be conducted to the test the effectiveness of a proactive strategy using periodic e-mail prompts in optimizing sustained use of the new program. Discussion Closely mapping the adoption process will gain insight in characteristics of adopters and non-adopters and satisfied and unsatisfied users. This insight can be used to further optimize the program by making it more suitable for a wider range of users, or to develop adjusted interventions to attract subgroups of users that are not reached or satisfied with the initial intervention. Furthermore, by studying the effect of a proactive strategy using period prompts compared to a reactive strategy to stimulate sustained use of the intervention and, possibly, behaviour change, specific recommendations on the use and the application of prompts in online lifestyle interventions can be developed. Trial registration Dutch Trial Register NTR1786 and Medical Ethics Committee of Maastricht University and the University Hospital

Semi-online preemptive scheduling: one algorithm for all variants

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ebenlendr, Tomáš; Sgall, J.

2011-01-01

Roč. 48, č. 3 (2011), s. 577-613 ISSN 1432-4350. [26th International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science. Freiburg, 26.02.2009-28.02.2009] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100190902; GA MŠk(CZ) 1M0545 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : online algorithms * scheduling * preemption * linear program Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.442, year: 2011 http://www.springerlink.com/content/k66u6tv1l7731654/

Development of demand functions and their inclusion in linear programming forecasting models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamberlin, J.H.

1976-05-01

The purpose of the paper is to present a method for including demand directly within a linear programming model, and to use this method to analyze the effect of the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor upon the nuclear energy system

The application of the fall-vector method in decomposition schemes for the solution of integer linear programming problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sergienko, I.V.; Golodnikov, A.N.

1984-01-01

This article applies the methods of decompositions, which are used to solve continuous linear problems, to integer and partially integer problems. The fall-vector method is used to solve the obtained coordinate problems. An algorithm of the fall-vector is described. The Kornai-Liptak decomposition principle is used to reduce the integer linear programming problem to integer linear programming problems of a smaller dimension and to a discrete coordinate problem with simple constraints

Online Learning of Genetic Network Programming and its Application to Prisoner’s Dilemma Game

Science.gov (United States)

Mabu, Shingo; Hirasawa, Kotaro; Hu, Jinglu; Murata, Junichi

A new evolutionary model with the network structure named Genetic Network Programming (GNP) has been proposed recently. GNP, that is, an expansion of GA and GP, represents solutions as a network structure and evolves it by using “offline learning (selection, mutation, crossover)”. GNP can memorize the past action sequences in the network flow, so it can deal with Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) well. In this paper, in order to improve the ability of GNP, Q learning (an off-policy TD control algorithm) that is one of the famous online methods is introduced for online learning of GNP. Q learning is suitable for GNP because (1) in reinforcement learning, the rewards an agent will get in the future can be estimated, (2) TD control doesn’t need much memory and can learn quickly, and (3) off-policy is suitable in order to search for an optimal solution independently of the policy. Finally, in the simulations, online learning of GNP is applied to a player for “Prisoner’s dilemma game” and its ability for online adaptation is confirmed.

Tutoring Executives Online

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bignoux, Stephane; Sund, Kristian J.

2016-01-01

Studies of learning and student satisfaction in the context of online university programs have largely neglected programs catering specifically to business executives. Such executives have typically been away from higher education for a number of years, and have collected substantial practical...... experience in the subject matters they are taught. Their expectations in terms of both content and delivery may therefore be different from non-executive students. We explore perceptions of the quality of tutoring in the context of an online executive MBA program through participant interviews. We find...... that in addition to some of the tutor behaviors already discussed in the literature, executive students look specifically for practical industry knowledge and experience in tutors, when judging how effective a tutor is. This has implications for both the recruitment and training of online executive MBA tutors....

Research and evaluation of the effectiveness of e-learning in the case of linear programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljiljana Miletić

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The paper evaluates the effectiveness of the e-learning approach to linear programming. The goal was to investigate how proper use of information and communication technologies (ICT and interactive learning helps to improve high school students’ understanding, learning and retention of advanced non-curriculum material. The hypothesis was that ICT and e-learning is helpful in teaching linear programming methods. In the first phase of the research, a module of lessons for linear programming (LP was created using the software package Loomen Moodle and other interactive software packages such as Geogebra. In the second phase, the LP module was taught as a short course to two groups of high school students. These two groups of students were second-grade students in a Croatian high school. In Class 1, the module was taught using ICT and e-learning, while the module was taught using classical methods in Class 2. The action research methodology was an integral part in delivering the course to both student groups. The sample student groups were carefully selected to ensure that differences in background knowledge and learning potential were statistically negligible. Relevant data was collected while delivering the course. Statistical analysis of the collected data showed that the student group using the e-learning method produced better results than the group using a classical learning method. These findings support previous results on the effectiveness of e-learning, and also establish a specific approach to e-learning in linear programming.

The Development of On-Line Statistics Program for Radiation Oncology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yoon Jong; Lee, Dong Hoon; Ji, Young Hoon; Lee, Dong Han; Jo, Chul Ku; Kim, Mi Sook; Ru, Sung Rul; Hong, Seung Hong

2001-01-01

Purpose : By developing on-line statistics program to record the information of radiation oncology to share the information with internet. It is possible to supply basic reference data for administrative plans to improve radiation oncology. Materials and methods : The information of radiation oncology statistics had been collected by paper forms about 52 hospitals in the past. Now, we can input the data by internet web browsers. The statistics program used windows NT 4.0 operation system, Internet Information Server 4.0 (IIS4.0) as a web server and the Microsoft Access MDB. We used Structured Query Language (SQL), Visual Basic, VBScript and JAVAScript to display the statistics according to years and hospitals. Results : This program shows present conditions about man power, research, therapy machines, technic, brachytherapy, clinic statistics, radiation safety management, institution, quality assurance and radioisotopes in radiation oncology department. The database consists of 38 inputs and 6 outputs windows. Statistical output windows can be increased continuously according to user need. Conclusion : We have developed statistics program to process all of the data in department of radiation oncology for reference information. Users easily could input the data by internet web browsers and share the information

Self-Perception of Readiness to Learn and Self-Efficacy among Nursing Students in an Online Baccalaureate (BSN) Program

Science.gov (United States)

Cadet, Myriam Jean

2016-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between readiness to learn and self-efficacy among newly enrolled BSN students in an online program. A sample of 27 students completed the 45-item Test of Online Learning Success (ToOLS) and 10-item General Self Efficacy (GSE) scales via Survey Monkey. Knowles' (1980) adult learning theory and Bandura's…

LIAR -- A new program for the modeling and simulation of linear accelerators with high gradients and small emittances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assmann, R.; Adolphsen, C.; Bane, K.; Raubenheimer, T.O.; Siemann, R.; Thompson, K.

1996-09-01

Linear accelerators are the central components of the proposed next generation of linear colliders. They need to provide acceleration of up to 750 GeV per beam while maintaining very small normalized emittances. Standard simulation programs, mainly developed for storage rings, do not meet the specific requirements for high energy linear accelerators. The authors present a new program LIAR (LInear Accelerator Research code) that includes wakefield effects, a 4D coupled beam description, specific optimization algorithms and other advanced features. Its modular structure allows to use and to extend it easily for different purposes. They present examples of simulations for SLC and NLC

iPrincipals: Innovative Themes, Strategies, and Recommendations of Ten Online University Educational Leadership Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Marcos, Teri A.; Loose, William V.

2015-01-01

This report, the second in a series, provides comparative empirical data on current state and national university trends around the thematic strategies and constructs ten fully online Educational Leadership programs engage within their innovative designs. Our 2014 iPrincipals report provided information on how one California University…

Supercritical fluid extraction-capillary gas chromatography: on-line coupling with a programmed temperature vaporizer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houben, R.J.; Janssen, J.G.M.; Leclercq, P.A.; Rijks, J.A.; Cramers, C.A.M.G.

1990-01-01

A simple and versatile system is described for the on-line coupling of SFE to capillary GC. The interfacing consists of a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector. With this injector it is possible to combine solute trapping, elimination of a high flow of extraction fluid, and quantitative

Optimization of radioactive waste management system by application of multiobjective linear programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Yoshiaki

1981-01-01

A mathematical procedure is proposed to make a radioactive waste management plan comprehensively. Since such planning is relevant to some different goals in management, decision making has to be formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem. A mathematical programming method was introduced to make a decision through an interactive manner which enables us to assess the preference of decision maker step by step among the conflicting objectives. The reference system taken as an example is the radioactive waste management system at the Research Reactor Institute of Kyoto University (KUR). Its linear model was built based on the experience in the actual management at KUR. The best-compromise model was then formulated as a multiobjective linear programming by the aid of the computational analysis through a conventional optimization. It was shown from the numerical results that the proposed approach could provide some useful informations to make an actual management plan. (author)

Mixed integer linear programming model for dynamic supplier selection problem considering discounts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Wicaksono Purnawan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Supplier selection is one of the most important elements in supply chain management. This function involves evaluation of many factors such as, material costs, transportation costs, quality, delays, supplier capacity, storage capacity and others. Each of these factors varies with time, therefore, supplier identified for one period is not necessarily be same for the next period to supply the same product. So, mixed integer linear programming (MILP was developed to overcome the dynamic supplier selection problem (DSSP. In this paper, a mixed integer linear programming model is built to solve the lot-sizing problem with multiple suppliers, multiple periods, multiple products and quantity discounts. The buyer has to make a decision for some products which will be supplied by some suppliers for some periods cosidering by discount. To validate the MILP model with randomly generated data. The model is solved by Lingo 16.

Refining and end use study of coal liquids II - linear programming analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lowe, C.; Tam, S.

1995-12-31

A DOE-funded study is underway to determine the optimum refinery processing schemes for producing transportation fuels that will meet CAAA regulations from direct and indirect coal liquids. The study consists of three major parts: pilot plant testing of critical upgrading processes, linear programming analysis of different processing schemes, and engine emission testing of final products. Currently, fractions of a direct coal liquid produced form bituminous coal are being tested in sequence of pilot plant upgrading processes. This work is discussed in a separate paper. The linear programming model, which is the subject of this paper, has been completed for the petroleum refinery and is being modified to handle coal liquids based on the pilot plant test results. Preliminary coal liquid evaluation studies indicate that, if a refinery expansion scenario is adopted, then the marginal value of the coal liquid (over the base petroleum crude) is $3-4/bbl.

Mehar Methods for Fuzzy Optimal Solution and Sensitivity Analysis of Fuzzy Linear Programming with Symmetric Trapezoidal Fuzzy Numbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukhpreet Kaur Sidhu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The drawbacks of the existing methods to obtain the fuzzy optimal solution of such linear programming problems, in which coefficients of the constraints are represented by real numbers and all the other parameters as well as variables are represented by symmetric trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, are pointed out, and to resolve these drawbacks, a new method (named as Mehar method is proposed for the same linear programming problems. Also, with the help of proposed Mehar method, a new method, much easy as compared to the existing methods, is proposed to deal with the sensitivity analysis of the same type of linear programming problems.

Behavioral change of pharmacists by online evidence-based medicine-style education programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoshima, Syuichi; Kuwabara, Hidenori; Yamamoto, Masahiro

2017-12-01

Although e-learning evidence-based medicine (EBM) courses have proven useful in improving the knowledge and skills of residents, it was still unclear for pharmacists in non-English-speaking countries. Thus, we investigated the behavioral change of Japanese pharmacists who participated in an EBM-style e-learning educational program available online. This EBM-style e-learning program, the Japanese Journal Club for Clinical Pharmacists, was operated by three pharmacists through Skype. It comprised an online questionnaire administered to the program viewers. Two frequencies, the opportunity to be aware of EBM practices and that of reading an article, were compared before and after viewing the broadcast. Frequencies were classified into five categories: "almost every day," "1-2 times a week," "1-2 times a month," "1-2 times a year," and "not at all." The changes before and after viewing the broadcast were evaluated using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The announcement of the questionnaire survey on the web was conducted during the journal club on August 24 and September 7, 2014. The maximum number of simultaneous audiences at the time was 113 persons. Among them, we analyzed data from 36 people who answered the questionnaire. Among these, "1-2 times a week" and "almost every day" were increased, whereas "not at all" was greatly reduced. Indeed, a significant difference was observed in overall change of each frequency before and after viewing the broadcast ( P education of pharmacists.

Sub-regional linear programming models in land use analysis: a case study of the Neguev settlement, Costa Rica.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schipper, R.A.; Stoorvogel, J.J.; Jansen, D.M.

1995-01-01

The paper deals with linear programming as a tool for land use analysis at the sub-regional level. A linear programming model of a case study area, the Neguev settlement in the Atlantic zone of Costa Rica, is presented. The matrix of the model includes five submatrices each encompassing a different

Towards lexicographic multi-objective linear programming using grossone methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Cococcioni, Marco; Pappalardo, Massimo; Sergeyev, Yaroslav D.

2016-10-01

Lexicographic Multi-Objective Linear Programming (LMOLP) problems can be solved in two ways: preemptive and nonpreemptive. The preemptive approach requires the solution of a series of LP problems, with changing constraints (each time the next objective is added, a new constraint appears). The nonpreemptive approach is based on a scalarization of the multiple objectives into a single-objective linear function by a weighted combination of the given objectives. It requires the specification of a set of weights, which is not straightforward and can be time consuming. In this work we present both mathematical and software ingredients necessary to solve LMOLP problems using a recently introduced computational methodology (allowing one to work numerically with infinities and infinitesimals) based on the concept of grossone. The ultimate goal of such an attempt is an implementation of a simplex-like algorithm, able to solve the original LMOLP problem by solving only one single-objective problem and without the need to specify finite weights. The expected advantages are therefore obvious.

A Homogeneous and Self-Dual Interior-Point Linear Programming Algorithm for Economic Model Predictive Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sokoler, Leo Emil; Frison, Gianluca; Skajaa, Anders

2015-01-01

We develop an efficient homogeneous and self-dual interior-point method (IPM) for the linear programs arising in economic model predictive control of constrained linear systems with linear objective functions. The algorithm is based on a Riccati iteration procedure, which is adapted to the linear...... system of equations solved in homogeneous and self-dual IPMs. Fast convergence is further achieved using a warm-start strategy. We implement the algorithm in MATLAB and C. Its performance is tested using a conceptual power management case study. Closed loop simulations show that 1) the proposed algorithm...

Non-linear learning in online tutorial to enhance students’ knowledge on normal distribution application topic

Science.gov (United States)

Kartono; Suryadi, D.; Herman, T.

2018-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the enhancement of non-linear learning (NLL) in the online tutorial (OT) content to students’ knowledge of normal distribution application (KONDA). KONDA is a competence expected to be achieved after students studied the topic of normal distribution application in the course named Education Statistics. The analysis was performed by quasi-experiment study design. The subject of the study was divided into an experimental class that was given OT content in NLL model and a control class which was given OT content in conventional learning (CL) model. Data used in this study were the results of online objective tests to measure students’ statistical prior knowledge (SPK) and students’ pre- and post-test of KONDA. The statistical analysis test of a gain score of KONDA of students who had low and moderate SPK’s scores showed students’ KONDA who learn OT content with NLL model was better than students’ KONDA who learn OT content with CL model. Meanwhile, for students who had high SPK’s scores, the gain score of students who learn OT content with NLL model had relatively similar with the gain score of students who learn OT content with CL model. Based on those findings it could be concluded that the NLL model applied to OT content could enhance KONDA of students in low and moderate SPK’s levels. Extra and more challenging didactical situation was needed for students in high SPK’s level to achieve the significant gain score.

Topics in computational linear optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hultberg, Tim Helge

2000-01-01

Linear optimization has been an active area of research ever since the pioneering work of G. Dantzig more than 50 years ago. This research has produced a long sequence of practical as well as theoretical improvements of the solution techniques avilable for solving linear optimization problems...... of high quality solvers and the use of algebraic modelling systems to handle the communication between the modeller and the solver. This dissertation features four topics in computational linear optimization: A) automatic reformulation of mixed 0/1 linear programs, B) direct solution of sparse unsymmetric...... systems of linear equations, C) reduction of linear programs and D) integration of algebraic modelling of linear optimization problems in C++. Each of these topics is treated in a separate paper included in this dissertation. The efficiency of solving mixed 0-1 linear programs by linear programming based...

The effect of workload constraints in linear programming models for production planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, M.M.; Kok, de A.G.; Adan, I.J.B.F.

2011-01-01

Linear programming (LP) models for production planning incorporate a model of the manufacturing system that is necessarily deterministic. Although these deterministic models are the current state-of-the-art, it should be recognized that they are used in an environment that is inherently stochastic.

Assessment in Online Courses: How Are Counseling Skills Evaluated?

Science.gov (United States)

Cicco, Gina

2011-01-01

Online courses are a necessary addition to most graduate education programs. Offering students the option of completing program requirements online makes the program more competitive, convenient, and attractive. Responsible online instructors and program administrators must consider whether or not specific courses that are offered in the…

An online self-care education program to support patients after total laryngectomy : feasibility and satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cnossen, Ingrid C; van Uden-Kraan, Cornelia F; Eerenstein, Simone E J; Jansen, Femke; Witte, Birgit I; Lacko, Martin; Hardillo, José A; Honings, Jimmie; Halmos, Gyorgy B; Goedhart-Schwandt, Noortje L Q; de Bree, Remco; Leemans, C René; Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an online self-care education program supporting early rehabilitation of patients after total laryngectomy (TLPs) and factors associated with satisfaction. METHODS: Health care professionals (HCPs) were invited to participate

An online self-care education program to support patients after total laryngectomy: feasibility and satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cnossen, Ingrid C; van Uden-Kraan, Cornelia F.; Eerenstein, Simone E J; Jansen, Femke; Witte, Birgit I.; Lacko, Martin; Hardillo, José A U; Honings, Jimmie; Halmos, Gyorgy B; Goedhart-Schwandt, Noortje L Q; de Bree, Remco; Leemans, C René; Leeuw, Irma M Verdonck de

2015-01-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an online self-care education program supporting early rehabilitation of patients after total laryngectomy (TLPs) and factors associated with satisfaction. METHODS: Health care professionals (HCPs) were invited to participate

Visualizing measurement for 3D smooth density distributions by means of linear programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tayama, Norio; Yang, Xue-dong

1994-01-01

This paper is concerned with a theoretical possibility of a new visualizing measurement method based on an optimum 3D reconstruction from a few selected projections. A theory of optimum 3D reconstruction by a linear programming is discussed, utilizing a few projections for sampled 3D smooth-density-distribution model which satisfies the condition of the 3D sampling theorem. First by use of the sampling theorem, it is shown that we can set up simultaneous simple equations which corresponds to the case of the parallel beams. Then we solve the simultaneous simple equations by means of linear programming algorithm, and we can get an optimum 3D density distribution images with minimum error in the reconstruction. The results of computer simulation with the algorithm are presented. (author)

Social media and gamification: Engaging vulnerable parents in an online evidence-based parenting program.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Susan M; Sanders, Matthew R; Turner, Karen M T; Maurange, Marianne; Knott, Theresa; Prinz, Ronald; Metzler, Carol; Ainsworth, Andrew T

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility (accessibility, engagement and impact) of adding social media and gaming features (e.g., social sharing with anonymity, badges to incentivize skills practice, an accredited facilitator for support) and access via smartphones to an evidenced-based parenting program, Triple P Online. The highly vulnerable population included 155 disadvantaged, high-risk parents (e.g., 76% had a family annual income of less than $15,000; 41% had been incarcerated; 38% were in drug/alcohol treatment; and 24% had had a child removed due to maltreatment). The ethnic groups most commonly identified were African American (24%) and Hispanic (66%). Respondents were primarily mothers (86%) from five community programs in Los Angeles. The study used a single group repeated measures design (pre, post, 6-month follow-up). Data collected included standardized self-report measures, post-intervention focus groups and interviews, website usage reports, and Google Analytics. Significant multivariate ANOVA time effects were found, demonstrating reductions in child behavioral problems, reduced lax/permissive and over-reactive parenting, and decreased parental stress. No effects were found for parental confidence, attributions, or depression and anxiety (which were in the normal range at baseline). Positive effects were maintained or improved at 6-month follow-up. The participants engaged in the online community and valued its flexibility, anonymity, and shared learning. This foundational implementation trial provides support for future rigorous evaluation of social media and gaming features as a medium for increasing parental engagement in evidence-based parenting programs online--a public health approach to protect and improve the development of vulnerable children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A scalable parallel algorithm for multiple objective linear programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wiecek, Malgorzata M.; Zhang, Hong

1994-01-01

This paper presents an ADBASE-based parallel algorithm for solving multiple objective linear programs (MOLP's). Job balance, speedup and scalability are of primary interest in evaluating efficiency of the new algorithm. Implementation results on Intel iPSC/2 and Paragon multiprocessors show that the algorithm significantly speeds up the process of solving MOLP's, which is understood as generating all or some efficient extreme points and unbounded efficient edges. The algorithm gives specially good results for large and very large problems. Motivation and justification for solving such large MOLP's are also included.

IESIP - AN IMPROVED EXPLORATORY SEARCH TECHNIQUE FOR PURE INTEGER LINEAR PROGRAMMING PROBLEMS

Science.gov (United States)

Fogle, F. R.

1994-01-01

IESIP, an Improved Exploratory Search Technique for Pure Integer Linear Programming Problems, addresses the problem of optimizing an objective function of one or more variables subject to a set of confining functions or constraints by a method called discrete optimization or integer programming. Integer programming is based on a specific form of the general linear programming problem in which all variables in the objective function and all variables in the constraints are integers. While more difficult, integer programming is required for accuracy when modeling systems with small numbers of components such as the distribution of goods, machine scheduling, and production scheduling. IESIP establishes a new methodology for solving pure integer programming problems by utilizing a modified version of the univariate exploratory move developed by Robert Hooke and T.A. Jeeves. IESIP also takes some of its technique from the greedy procedure and the idea of unit neighborhoods. A rounding scheme uses the continuous solution found by traditional methods (simplex or other suitable technique) and creates a feasible integer starting point. The Hook and Jeeves exploratory search is modified to accommodate integers and constraints and is then employed to determine an optimal integer solution from the feasible starting solution. The user-friendly IESIP allows for rapid solution of problems up to 10 variables in size (limited by DOS allocation). Sample problems compare IESIP solutions with the traditional branch-and-bound approach. IESIP is written in Borland's TURBO Pascal for IBM PC series computers and compatibles running DOS. Source code and an executable are provided. The main memory requirement for execution is 25K. This program is available on a 5.25 inch 360K MS DOS format diskette. IESIP was developed in 1990. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines. TURBO Pascal is registered by Borland International.

Superintendents' Perceptions of Online Education for Principals

Science.gov (United States)

Rutledge, David

2017-01-01

The proliferation of online educational leadership programs has led many aspiring principal candidates to complete their entire degree or licensure program online. While the online education is convenient and flexible for the learner, there is sparse research to determine the acceptability of online degrees in educational leadership, especially…

Investigating predictors of visiting, using, and revisiting an online health-communication program: a longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van 't Riet, Jonathan; Crutzen, Rik; De Vries, Hein

2010-09-02

Online health communication has the potential to reach large audiences, with the additional advantages that it can be operational at all times and that the costs per visitor are low. Furthermore, research shows that Internet-delivered interventions can be effective in changing health behaviors. However, exposure to Internet-delivered health-communication programs is generally low. Research investigating predictors of exposure is needed to be able to effectively disseminate online interventions. In the present study, the authors used a longitudinal design with the aim of identifying demographic, psychological, and behavioral predictors of visiting, using, and revisiting an online program promoting physical activity in the general population. A webpage was created providing the public with information about health and healthy behavior. The website included a "physical activity check," which consisted of a physical activity computer-tailoring expert system where visitors could check whether their physical activity levels were in line with recommendations. Visitors who consented to participate in the present study (n = 489) filled in a questionnaire that assessed demographics, mode of recruitment, current physical activity levels, and health motivation. Immediately after, participants received tailored feedback concerning their current physical activity levels and completed a questionnaire assessing affective and cognitive user experience, attitude toward being sufficiently physically active, and intention to be sufficiently physically active. Three months later, participants received an email inviting them once more to check whether their physical activity level had changed. Analyses of visiting showed that more women (67.5%) than men (32.5%) visited the program. With regard to continued use, native Dutch participants (odds ratio [OR] = 2.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-6.81, P = .02) and participants with a strong motivation to be healthy (OR = 1.46, CI = 1

A Comparison of Student Academic Performance with Traditional, Online, And Flipped Instructional Approaches in a C# Programming Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason H. Sharp

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: Compared student academic performance on specific course requirements in a C# programming course across three instructional approaches: traditional, online, and flipped. Background: Addressed the following research question: When compared to the online and traditional instructional approaches, does the flipped instructional approach have a greater impact on student academic performance with specific course requirements in a C# programming course? Methodology: Quantitative research design conducted over eight 16-week semesters among a total of 271 participants who were undergraduate students en-rolled in a C# programming course. Data collected were grades earned from specific course requirements and were analyzed with the nonparametric Kruskal Wallis H-Test using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 23. Contribution: Provides empirical findings related to the impact that different instructional approaches have on student academic performance in a C# programming course. Also describes implications and recommendations for instructors of programming courses regarding instructional approaches that facilitate active learning, student engagement, and self-regulation. Findings: Resulted in four statistically significant findings, indicating that the online and flipped instructional approaches had a greater impact on student academic performance than the traditional approach. Recommendations for Practitioners: Implement instructional approaches such as online, flipped, or blended which foster active learning, student engagement, and self-regulation to increase student academic performance. Recommendation for Researchers: Build upon this study and others similar to it to include factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and previous academic history. Impact on Society: Acknowledge the growing influence of technology on society as a whole. Higher education coursework and programs are evolving to encompass more digitally-based learning contexts, thus

Stakeholder evaluation of an online program to promote physical activity and workplace safety for individuals with disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Nery-Hurwit, Mara; Kincl, Laurel; Driver, Simon; Heller, Brittany

2017-08-01

Individuals with disabilities face increasing health and employment disparities, including increased risk of morbidity and mortality and decreased earnings, occupational roles, and greater risk of injury at work. Thus, there is a need to improve workplace safety and health promotion efforts for people with disability. The purpose of this study was to obtain stakeholder feedback about an online program, Be Active, Work Safe, which was developed to increase the physical activity and workplace safety practices of individuals with disability. Eight stakeholders (content experts and individuals with disability) evaluated the 8-week online program and provided feedback on accessibility, usability, and content using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Stakeholders suggested changes to the organization, layout and accessibility, and content. This included making a stronger connection between the physical activity and workplace safety components of the program, broadening content to apply to individuals in different vocational fields, and reducing the number of participant assessments. Engaging stakeholders in the development of health promotion programs is critical to ensure the unique issues of the population are addressed and facilitate engagement in the program. Feedback provided by stakeholders improved the program and provided insight on barriers for adoption of the program. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences between Lab Completion and Non-Completion on Student Performance in an Online Undergraduate Environmental Science Program

Science.gov (United States)

Corsi, Gianluca

2011-12-01

Web-based technology has revolutionized the way education is delivered. Although the advantages of online learning appeal to large numbers of students, some concerns arise. One major concern in online science education is the value that participation in labs has on student performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between lab completion and student academic success as measured by test grades, scientific self-confidence, scientific skills, and concept mastery. A random sample of 114 volunteer undergraduate students, from an online Environmental Science program at the American Public University System, was tested. The study followed a quantitative, non-experimental research design. Paired sample t-tests were used for statistical comparison between pre-lab and post-lab test grades, two scientific skills quizzes, and two scientific self-confidence surveys administered at the beginning and at the end of the course. The results of the paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements on all post-lab test scores: Air Pollution lab, t(112) = 6.759, p virtual reality platforms and digital animations. Future research is encouraged to investigate possible correlations between socio-demographic attributes and academic success of students enrolled in online science programs in reference to lab completion.

An online self-care education program to support patients after total laryngectomy : feasibility and satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cnossen, Ingrid C; van Uden-Kraan, Cornelia F; Eerenstein, Simone E J; Jansen, Femke; Witte, Birgit I; Lacko, Martin; Hardillo, José A; Honings, Jimmie; Halmos, Gyorgy B; Goedhart-Schwandt, Noortje L Q; de Bree, Remco; Leemans, C René; Leeuw, Irma M Verdonck-de

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an online self-care education program supporting early rehabilitation of patients after total laryngectomy (TLPs) and factors associated with satisfaction. Health care professionals (HCPs) were invited to participate and to recruit

Factors Affecting Online Groupwork Interest: A Multilevel Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Jianxia; Xu, Jianzhong; Fan, Xitao

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to examine the personal and contextual factors that may affect students' online groupwork interest. Using the data obtained from graduate students in an online course, both student- and group-level predictors for online groupwork interest were analyzed within the framework of hierarchical linear modeling…

Interest in an online smoking cessation program and effective recruitment strategies: results from Project Quit.

Science.gov (United States)

McClure, Jennifer B; Greene, Sarah M; Wiese, Cheryl; Johnson, Karin E; Alexander, Gwen; Strecher, Victor

2006-08-22

The Internet is a promising venue for delivering smoking cessation treatment, either as a stand-alone program or as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. However, there is little data to indicate what percent of smokers are interested in receiving online smoking cessation services or how best to recruit smokers to Internet-based programs. Using a defined recruitment sample, this study aimed to identify the percentage of smokers who expressed interest in or enrolled in Project Quit, a tailored, online, cognitive-behavioral support program offered with adjunctive nicotine replacement therapy patches. In addition, we examined the effectiveness of several individual-level versus population-level recruitment strategies. Members from two large health care organizations in the United States were invited to participate in Project Quit. Recruitment efforts included proactive invitation letters mailed to 34533 likely smokers and reactive population-level study advertisements targeted to all health plan members (> 560000 adults, including an estimated 98000 smokers across both health care organizations). An estimated 1.6% and 2.5% of adult smokers from each health care organization enrolled in Project Quit. Among likely smokers who received proactive study invitations, 7% visited the Project Quit website (n = 2260) and 4% (n = 1273) were eligible and enrolled. Response rates were similar across sites, despite using different sources to assemble the invitation mailing list. Proactive individual-level recruitment was more effective than other forms of recruitment, accounting for 69% of website visitors and 68% of enrollees. Smokers were interested in receiving online smoking cessation support, even though they had access to other forms of treatment through their health insurance. Uptake rates for this program were comparable to those seen when smokers are advised to quit and are referred to other forms of smoking cessation treatment. In this sample, proactive mailings were the best

Innovation in Business Education: Developing a High Quality Online MBA

Science.gov (United States)

Roe, C. William; Toma, Alfred G.; Yallapragada, RamMohan R.

2015-01-01

Online degree programs were probably pioneered by for-profit universities such as University of Phoenix. Many online degree programs were initially considered low quality academic programs compared to traditional programs. Therefore, many public and private universities were slow to adopt the online programs. However, gradually more and more…

A study on switched linear system identification using game ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study on switched linear system identification using game-theoretic strategies and neural computing. ... This study deals with application of game-theoretic strategies and neural computing to switched linear ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Summary Report for Online Schools and Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Colorado Department of Education, 2014

2014-01-01

Pursuant to State Law, the Colorado Department of Education, Office of Blended and Online Learning is required to prepare an annual summary report for submission. The passage of a later State House Bill repealed the annual requirement for the Summary Report and also the annual reporting mandates that were required of all online schools and…

Multiobjective fuzzy stochastic linear programming problems with inexact probability distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamadameen, Abdulqader Othman [Optimization, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, UTM (Malaysia); Zainuddin, Zaitul Marlizawati [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, UTM (Malaysia)

2014-06-19

This study deals with multiobjective fuzzy stochastic linear programming problems with uncertainty probability distribution which are defined as fuzzy assertions by ambiguous experts. The problem formulation has been presented and the two solutions strategies are; the fuzzy transformation via ranking function and the stochastic transformation when α{sup –}. cut technique and linguistic hedges are used in the uncertainty probability distribution. The development of Sen’s method is employed to find a compromise solution, supported by illustrative numerical example.

Online Education in Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Cejda, Brent

2010-01-01

This chapter explores the tremendous growth in the use of the Internet to deliver distance education at community colleges. The author examines various definitions of online education, including the types of courses, programs, and degrees available and the types of community colleges that offer greater amounts of online programming. Considerations…

Chromosome structures: reduction of certain problems with unequal gene content and gene paralogs to integer linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyubetsky, Vassily; Gershgorin, Roman; Gorbunov, Konstantin

2017-12-06

Chromosome structure is a very limited model of the genome including the information about its chromosomes such as their linear or circular organization, the order of genes on them, and the DNA strand encoding a gene. Gene lengths, nucleotide composition, and intergenic regions are ignored. Although highly incomplete, such structure can be used in many cases, e.g., to reconstruct phylogeny and evolutionary events, to identify gene synteny, regulatory elements and promoters (considering highly conserved elements), etc. Three problems are considered; all assume unequal gene content and the presence of gene paralogs. The distance problem is to determine the minimum number of operations required to transform one chromosome structure into another and the corresponding transformation itself including the identification of paralogs in two structures. We use the DCJ model which is one of the most studied combinatorial rearrangement models. Double-, sesqui-, and single-operations as well as deletion and insertion of a chromosome region are considered in the model; the single ones comprise cut and join. In the reconstruction problem, a phylogenetic tree with chromosome structures in the leaves is given. It is necessary to assign the structures to inner nodes of the tree to minimize the sum of distances between terminal structures of each edge and to identify the mutual paralogs in a fairly large set of structures. A linear algorithm is known for the distance problem without paralogs, while the presence of paralogs makes it NP-hard. If paralogs are allowed but the insertion and deletion operations are missing (and special constraints are imposed), the reduction of the distance problem to integer linear programming is known. Apparently, the reconstruction problem is NP-hard even in the absence of paralogs. The problem of contigs is to find the optimal arrangements for each given set of contigs, which also includes the mutual identification of paralogs. We proved that these

Optimization of refinery product blending by using linear programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ristikj, Julija; Tripcheva-Trajkovska, Loreta; Rikaloski, Ice; Markovska, Liljana

1999-01-01

The product slate of a simple refinery consists mainly of liquefied petroleum gas, leaded and unleaded gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, extra light heating oil and fuel oil. The quality of the oil products (fuels) for sale has to comply with the adopted standards for liquid fuels, and the produced quantities have to be comply with the market needs. The oil products are manufactured by blending two or more different fractions which quantities and physical-chemical properties depend on the crude oil type, the way and conditions of processing, and at the same time the fractions are used to blend one or more products. It is in producer's interest to do the blending in an optimal way, namely, to satisfy the requirements for the oil products quality and quantity with a maximal usage of the available fractions and, of course, with a maximal profit out of the sold products. This could be accomplished by applying linear programming, that is by using a linear model for oil products blending optimization. (Author)

How to Use Linear Programming for Information System Performances Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hell Marko

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Organisations nowadays operate in a very dynamic environment, and therefore, their ability of continuously adjusting the strategic plan to the new conditions is a must for achieving their strategic objectives. BSC is a well-known methodology for measuring performances enabling organizations to learn how well they are doing. In this paper, “BSC for IS” will be proposed in order to measure the IS impact on the achievement of organizations’ business goals. Objectives: The objective of this paper is to present the original procedure which is used to enhance the BSC methodology in planning the optimal targets of IS performances value in order to maximize the organization's effectiveness. Methods/Approach: The method used in this paper is the quantitative methodology - linear programming. In the case study, linear programming is used for optimizing organization’s strategic performance. Results: Results are shown on the example of a case study national park. An optimal performance value for the strategic objective has been calculated, as well as an optimal performance value for each DO (derived objective. Results are calculated in Excel, using Solver Add-in. Conclusions: The presentation of methodology through the case study of a national park shows that this methodology, though it requires a high level of formalisation, provides a very transparent performance calculation.

Exploring the Written Dialogues of Two First-Year Secondary Science Teachers in an Online Mentoring Program

Science.gov (United States)

Bang, EunJin; Luft, Julie A.

2014-02-01

This study explored the yearlong learning processes of two first-year secondary science teachers participating in an online mentoring program, through examination of their written dialogues within the program and other data. Using a case study method, this study (a) explored the patterns of written dialogues between the two new teachers and their mentors over the course of a year, (b) documented pertinent topics of importance, and finally (c) illustrated the new realities created in the mentees' classrooms as a result of the online mentoring process. Penelope and Bradley, who taught at an urban school and at a suburban school respectively, were selected as subjects. Our analysis revealed that the two pairs of mentee-mentors showed different participation patterns that affected the intensity of the creation of new realities, and affected whether the mentees tried/vetted new teaching practices suggested by their mentors. Yet, analysis also revealed that certain elements in the written dialogues between pairs were found to be similar, in that construction of knowledge was evident between both pairs when friction developed and appropriate teamwork emerged to deal with it. The topics of greatest interest and importance within the dialogues were those related to the logistics of the school system and the processes and methodologies of teaching. These results suggest that online mentoring programs are an effective dialogical tool for transferring the knowledge of experts to novices, and for thus expediting the professional induction and growth of new science teachers.

Fault detection and initial state verification by linear programming for a class of Petri nets

Science.gov (United States)

Rachell, Traxon; Meyer, David G.

1992-01-01

The authors present an algorithmic approach to determining when the marking of a LSMG (live safe marked graph) or a LSFC (live safe free choice) net is in the set of live safe markings M. Hence, once the marking of a net is determined to be in M, then if at some time thereafter the marking of this net is determined not to be in M, this indicates a fault. It is shown how linear programming can be used to determine if m is an element of M. The worst-case computational complexity of each algorithm is bounded by the number of linear programs necessary to compute.

Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice: an online program to teach clinicians QI.

Science.gov (United States)

Bundy, David G; Morawski, Lori F; Lazorick, Suzanne; Bradbury, Scott; Kamachi, Karen; Suresh, Gautham K

2014-01-01

Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (EQIPP) is an online program designed to improve evidence-based care delivery by teaching front-line clinicians quality improvement (QI) skills. Our objective was to evaluate EQIPP data to characterize 1) participant enrollment, use patterns, and demographics; 2) changes in performance in clinical QI measures from baseline to follow-up measurement; and 3) participant experience. We conducted an observational study of EQIPP participants utilizing 1 of 3 modules (asthma, immunizations, gastroesophageal reflux disease) from 2009 to 2013. Enrollment and use, demographic, and quality measure data were extracted directly from the EQIPP system; participant experience was assessed via an optional online survey. Study participants (n = 3501) were diverse in their gender, age, and race; most were board certified. Significant quality gaps were observed across many of the quality measures at baseline; sizable improvements were observed across most quality measures at follow-up. Participants were generally satisfied with their experience. The most influential module elements were collecting and analyzing data, creating and implementing aim statements and improvement plans, and completing "QI Basics." Online educational programs, such as EQIPP, hold promise for front-line clinicians to learn QI. The sustainability of the observed improvements in care processes and their linkage to improvements in health outcomes are unknown and are an essential topic for future study. Copyright © 2014 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimal traffic control in highway transportation networks using linear programming

KAUST Repository

Li, Yanning

2014-06-01

This article presents a framework for the optimal control of boundary flows on transportation networks. The state of the system is modeled by a first order scalar conservation law (Lighthill-Whitham-Richards PDE). Based on an equivalent formulation of the Hamilton-Jacobi PDE, the problem of controlling the state of the system on a network link in a finite horizon can be posed as a Linear Program. Assuming all intersections in the network are controllable, we show that the optimization approach can be extended to an arbitrary transportation network, preserving linear constraints. Unlike previously investigated transportation network control schemes, this framework leverages the intrinsic properties of the Halmilton-Jacobi equation, and does not require any discretization or boolean variables on the link. Hence this framework is very computational efficient and provides the globally optimal solution. The feasibility of this framework is illustrated by an on-ramp metering control example.

Integrating a Web-Based Whole-Slide Imaging System and Online Questionnaires in a National Cytopathology Peer Comparison Educational Program in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hang, Jen-Fan; Liang, Wen-Yih; Hsu, Chih-Yi; Lai, Chiung-Ru

2015-01-01

In a peer comparison educational program, transferring glass slides between laboratories and collecting responses are time- and cost-consuming. Integrating a web-based whole-slide imaging (WSI) system and online questionnaires may serve as a promising solution. Five gynecologic Papanicolaou-stained smears and 5 nongynecologic slides were selected. The 10 whole-slide images were acquired by a Leica SCN-400 system and released via an Aperio eSlide Manager. Online questionnaires generated by Google Forms with access to the 10 whole-slide images were released to all the practitioners in Taiwan by e-mail. After closing the program, an online posttest feedback survey was conducted. A total of 302 participants joined the gynecologic test, and 291 joined the nongynecologic test. The correct interpretation rates were 81.8-93.7% in the former and 28.5-93.1% in the latter. In the posttest feedback survey, there were 63.2% of the participants reporting first-time WSI experience, and 97.9% of them said they would like to participate in a similar program again. Integrating a web-based WSI system and online questionnaires is an easy method to access nationwide practitioners. Participants can make interpretations using WSI even without prior experience. The model is valuable for those who want to initiate a large-scale cytopathology peer comparison educational program. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Solving the Fully Fuzzy Bilevel Linear Programming Problem through Deviation Degree Measures and a Ranking Function Method

OpenAIRE

Aihong Ren

2016-01-01

This paper is concerned with a class of fully fuzzy bilevel linear programming problems where all the coefficients and decision variables of both objective functions and the constraints are fuzzy numbers. A new approach based on deviation degree measures and a ranking function method is proposed to solve these problems. We first introduce concepts of the feasible region and the fuzzy optimal solution of a fully fuzzy bilevel linear programming problem. In order to obtain a fuzzy optimal solut...

Online driver's license renewal.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

The Kentucky Department of Vehicle Regulation is exploring the possibility of developing and implementing online : drivers license renewal. The objective of this project was to: 1) evaluate online drivers license and REAL ID renewal : programs ...

Solving a class of generalized fractional programming problems using the feasibility of linear programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Peiping; Zhang, Tongli; Wang, Chunfeng

2017-01-01

This article presents a new approximation algorithm for globally solving a class of generalized fractional programming problems (P) whose objective functions are defined as an appropriate composition of ratios of affine functions. To solve this problem, the algorithm solves an equivalent optimization problem (Q) via an exploration of a suitably defined nonuniform grid. The main work of the algorithm involves checking the feasibility of linear programs associated with the interesting grid points. It is proved that the proposed algorithm is a fully polynomial time approximation scheme as the ratio terms are fixed in the objective function to problem (P), based on the computational complexity result. In contrast to existing results in literature, the algorithm does not require the assumptions on quasi-concavity or low-rank of the objective function to problem (P). Numerical results are given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

A linear program for assessing the assignment and scheduling of radioactive wastes for disposal to sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutchinson, W.

1983-04-01

The report takes the form of a user guide to a computer program using linear programming techniques to aid the assignment and scheduling of radioactive wastes for disposal to sea. The program is aimed at the identification of 'optimum' amounts of each waste stream for disposal to sea without violating specific constraints values and/or fairness parameters. (author)

Organizational Support in Online Learning Environments: Examination of Support Factors in Corporate Online Learning Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Thomas L.; Correia, Ana-Paula

2015-01-01

This article explores the role of different types of support in corporate online learning programs. Most research has not specifically focused on all of the support factors required to provide a corporate online learning program, although many research studies address several in regards to the research outcome. An effort was made in this article…

An Interval-Parameter Fuzzy Linear Programming with Stochastic Vertices Model for Water Resources Management under Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Han

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An interval-parameter fuzzy linear programming with stochastic vertices (IFLPSV method is developed for water resources management under uncertainty by coupling interval-parameter fuzzy linear programming (IFLP with stochastic programming (SP. As an extension of existing interval parameter fuzzy linear programming, the developed IFLPSV approach has advantages in dealing with dual uncertainty optimization problems, which uncertainty presents as interval parameter with stochastic vertices in both of the objective functions and constraints. The developed IFLPSV method improves upon the IFLP method by allowing dual uncertainty parameters to be incorporated into the optimization processes. A hybrid intelligent algorithm based on genetic algorithm and artificial neural network is used to solve the developed model. The developed method is then applied to water resources allocation in Beijing city of China in 2020, where water resources shortage is a challenging issue. The results indicate that reasonable solutions have been obtained, which are helpful and useful for decision makers. Although the amount of water supply from Guanting and Miyun reservoirs is declining with rainfall reduction, water supply from the South-to-North Water Transfer project will have important impact on water supply structure of Beijing city, particularly in dry year and extraordinary dry year.

A Unique Technique to get Kaprekar Iteration in Linear Programming Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Sumathi, P.; Preethy, V.

2018-04-01

This paper explores about a frivolous number popularly known as Kaprekar constant and Kaprekar numbers. A large number of courses and the different classroom capacities with difference in study periods make the assignment between classrooms and courses complicated. An approach of getting the minimum value of number of iterations to reach the Kaprekar constant for four digit numbers and maximum value is also obtained through linear programming techniques.

Social Presence and Interactivity in Online Courses: Enhancing the Online Learning Environment through Discussion and Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Harrigan, Anne M.

2010-01-01

This study explored social presence and interactivity in an online undergraduate program designed for adult students. Although social presence and interactivity have been shown to be important contributors to student satisfaction, and therefore essential to student recruitment and retention in online programs, the ultimate goal for the examination…

Pengaruh Aida (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) Terhadap Efektifitas Iklan Online (Survei Pada Pembeli Di Toko Online Adorable Project)

OpenAIRE

Johar, Diah Syafita

2015-01-01

This research aims to describe the factors determining of models of AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action), to describe the influence of AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) toward online advertising, and to describe the most dominant AIDA factor toward online advertising. The result of this research based on 145 buyers of online shop Adorable Project With factor and mulitiple linear regression analysis the result of this research is formed four new factor named interest, desire, ac...

Evaluating the online platform of a blended-learning pharmacist continuing education degree program

OpenAIRE

Wilbur, Kerry

2016-01-01

Background: Distance-based continuing education opportunities are increasingly embraced by health professionals worldwide. Methods: To evaluate the online component of a blended-learning degree program for pharmacists, we conducted a structured self-assessment and peer review using an instrument systematically devised according to Moore’s principles of transactional distance. The web-based platform for 14 courses was reviewed by both local and external faculty, followed by shared reflecti...

LPmerge: an R package for merging genetic maps by linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Endelman, Jeffrey B; Plomion, Christophe

2014-06-01

Consensus genetic maps constructed from multiple populations are an important resource for both basic and applied research, including genome-wide association analysis, genome sequence assembly and studies of evolution. The LPmerge software uses linear programming to efficiently minimize the mean absolute error between the consensus map and the linkage maps from each population. This minimization is performed subject to linear inequality constraints that ensure the ordering of the markers in the linkage maps is preserved. When marker order is inconsistent between linkage maps, a minimum set of ordinal constraints is deleted to resolve the conflicts. LPmerge is on CRAN at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/LPmerge. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The MARX Modulator Development Program for the International Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leyh, G.E.

2006-01-01

The International Linear Collider (ILC) Marx Modulator Development Program at SLAC is working towards developing a full-scale ILC Marx ''Reference Design'' modulator prototype, with the goal of significantly reducing the size and cost of the ILC modulator while improving overall modulator efficiency and availability. The ILC Reference Design prototype will provide a proof-of-concept model to industry in advance of Phase II SBIR funding, and also allow operation of the new 10MW L-Band Klystron prototypes immediately upon their arrival at SLAC

Marginal cost of electricity conservation: an application of linear program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silveira, A.M. da; Hollanda, J.B. de

1987-01-01

This paper is addressed ti the planning of electricity industry when the use of energetically efficient appliances (conservation) is financed by the utilities. It is based on the Linear Programming Model proposed by Masse and Boiteaux for planning of conventional energy sources, where one unity of electricity (Kw/Kw h) saved is treated as if it were a generator of equivalent size. In spite of the formal simplicity of the models it can support interesting concessions on the subject of a electrical energy conservation policy. (author)

Gender-Based Barriers Experienced by Male Students in an Online RN-to-BSN Nursing Program

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, John R.

2012-01-01

This quantitative survey-based research study examined the experiences of 49 men through a comparative analysis of their traditional classroom-based Diploma or Associate Degree in Nursing program and their subsequent experiences in the University of Phoenix online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) degree completion…

Life cycle cost optimization of biofuel supply chains under uncertainties based on interval linear programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Jingzheng; Dong, Liang; Sun, Lu; Goodsite, Michael Evan; Tan, Shiyu; Dong, Lichun

2015-01-01

The aim of this work was to develop a model for optimizing the life cycle cost of biofuel supply chain under uncertainties. Multiple agriculture zones, multiple transportation modes for the transport of grain and biofuel, multiple biofuel plants, and multiple market centers were considered in this model, and the price of the resources, the yield of grain and the market demands were regarded as interval numbers instead of constants. An interval linear programming was developed, and a method for solving interval linear programming was presented. An illustrative case was studied by the proposed model, and the results showed that the proposed model is feasible for designing biofuel supply chain under uncertainties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A primal-dual exterior point algorithm for linear programming problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samaras Nikolaos

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present a new simplex type algorithm for the Linear Programming Problem. The Primal - Dual method is a Simplex - type pivoting algorithm that generates two paths in order to converge to the optimal solution. The first path is primal feasible while the second one is dual feasible for the original problem. Specifically, we use a three-phase-implementation. The first two phases construct the required primal and dual feasible solutions, using the Primal Simplex algorithm. Finally, in the third phase the Primal - Dual algorithm is applied. Moreover, a computational study has been carried out, using randomly generated sparse optimal linear problems, to compare its computational efficiency with the Primal Simplex algorithm and also with MATLAB's Interior Point Method implementation. The algorithm appears to be very promising since it clearly shows its superiority to the Primal Simplex algorithm as well as its robustness over the IPM algorithm.

Portfolio selection problem: a comparison of fuzzy goal programming and linear physical programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fusun Kucukbay

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Investors have limited budget and they try to maximize their return with minimum risk. Therefore this study aims to deal with the portfolio selection problem. In the study two criteria are considered which are expected return, and risk. In this respect, linear physical programming (LPP technique is applied on Bist 100 stocks to be able to find out the optimum portfolio. The analysis covers the period April 2009- March 2015. This period is divided into two; April 2009-March 2014 and April 2014 – March 2015. April 2009-March 2014 period is used as data to find an optimal solution. April 2014-March 2015 period is used to test the real performance of portfolios. The performance of the obtained portfolio is compared with that obtained from fuzzy goal programming (FGP. Then the performances of both method, LPP and FGP are compared with BIST 100 in terms of their Sharpe Indexes. The findings reveal that LPP for portfolio selection problem is a good alternative to FGP.

Optimal placement of capacitors in a radial network using conic and mixed integer linear programming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jabr, R.A. [Electrical, Computer and Communication Engineering Department, Notre Dame University, P.O. Box: 72, Zouk Mikhael, Zouk Mosbeh (Lebanon)

2008-06-15

This paper considers the problem of optimally placing fixed and switched type capacitors in a radial distribution network. The aim of this problem is to minimize the costs associated with capacitor banks, peak power, and energy losses whilst satisfying a pre-specified set of physical and technical constraints. The proposed solution is obtained using a two-phase approach. In phase-I, the problem is formulated as a conic program in which all nodes are candidates for placement of capacitor banks whose sizes are considered as continuous variables. A global solution of the phase-I problem is obtained using an interior-point based conic programming solver. Phase-II seeks a practical optimal solution by considering capacitor sizes as discrete variables. The problem in this phase is formulated as a mixed integer linear program based on minimizing the L1-norm of deviations from the phase-I state variable values. The solution to the phase-II problem is obtained using a mixed integer linear programming solver. The proposed method is validated via extensive comparisons with previously published results. (author)