scholarly journals Top-Quality Planning: Finding Practically Useful Sets of Best Plans

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (06) ◽  
pp. 9900-9907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Katz ◽  
Shirin Sohrabi ◽  
Octavian Udrea
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Plan Quality ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Quality Planning ◽  
New Family ◽  
Complete Procedure ◽  
The Difference

The need for finding a set of plans rather than one has been motivated by a variety of planning applications. The problem is studied in the context of both diverse and top-k planning: while diverse planning focuses on the difference between pairs of plans, the focus of top-k planning is on the quality of each individual plan. Recent work in diverse planning introduced additionally restrictions on solution quality. Naturally, there are application domains where diversity plays the major role and domains where quality is the predominant feature. In both cases, however, the amount of produced plans is often an artificial constraint, and therefore the actual number has little meaning. Inspired by the recent work in diverse planning, we propose a new family of computational problems called top-quality planning, where solution validity is defined through plan quality bound rather than an arbitrary number of plans. Switching to bounding plan quality allows us to implicitly represent sets of plans. In particular, it makes it possible to represent sets of plans that correspond to valid plan reorderings with a single plan. We formally define the unordered top-quality planning computational problem and present the first planner for that problem. We empirically demonstrate the superior performance of our approach compared to a top-k planner-based baseline, ranging from 41% increase in coverage for finding all optimal plans to 69% increase in coverage for finding all plans of quality up to 120% of optimal plan cost. Finally, complementing the new approach by a complete procedure for generating all valid reorderings of a given plan, we derive a top-quality planner. We show the planner to be competitive with a top-k planner based baseline.

scholarly journals Reshaping Diverse Planning

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (06) ◽  
pp. 9892-9899
Author(s):  
Michael Katz ◽  
Shirin Sohrabi
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Plan Quality ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Predominant Role ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
Optimization Criteria ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Planning Task ◽  
Diversity Metrics

The need for multiple plans has been established by various planning applications. In some, solution quality has the predominant role, while in others diversity is the key factor. Most recent work takes both plan quality and solution diversity into account under the generic umbrella of diverse planning. There is no common agreement, however, on a collection of computational problems that fall under that generic umbrella. This in particular might lead to a comparison between planners that have different solution guarantees or optimization criteria in mind. In this work we revisit diverse planning literature in search of such a collection of computational problems, classifying the existing planners to these problems. We formally define a taxonomy of computational problems with respect to both plan quality and solution diversity, extending the existing work. We propose a novel approach to diverse planning, exploiting existing classical planners via planning task reformulation and choosing a subset of plans of required size in post-processing. Based on that, we present planners for two computational problems, that most existing planners solve. Our experiments show that the proposed approach significantly improves over the best performing existing planners in terms of coverage, the overall solution quality, and the overall diversity according to various diversity metrics.

scholarly journals Investigation and Analysis of the Logistics Personnel’s Working Condition in the Post-COVID-19 Era — An Example of a Top Three Hospital in Shanghai

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Qian Mingping ◽  
Liu Rong ◽  
Hu Longjun ◽  
Gao Wenxue ◽  
Cai Guojun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Working Condition ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Working Pressure ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Brand Building ◽  
Security Personnel ◽  
Hospital Culture ◽  
The Difference

The aim of this work is to explore the working conditions of logistics personnel in hospital and provide a new approach for improving the service quality of them in the post-COVID-19 era. Eighty-four logistics personnel in an upper first-class hospital were included in the study, and their working conditions were investigated and analyzed via self-designed questionnaire. 73.8% of all respondents think their work is significantly important to the brand building of the hospital, and 67.9% of them think they are closely related to a harmonious doctor–patient relationship. The compliant rate is higher in security personnel when compared with other personnel and the difference was statistically significant ([Formula: see text]). 94% of the logistics personnel indicate a higher intensity in their work, 39.3% of them constantly face the working pressure and 57.1% come from the risk of infection which accounts for the largest. The largest demand comes for the protective equipment, which is from 69 workers. It would be better for us to pay attention to the hospital culture training and strengthen the sense of identity among logistics personnel of the hospital continuously. Meanwhile we need to enrich the connotation of professional style construction in hospital and promote the efficiency of logistics service. Targeted training is necessary to improve the service capabilities of the security personnel since they receive more complaints. Diversified and personalized support to the logistics personnel based on the grasp of their special demand is also important.

Methods of conducting a service audit at the regional level

Servis plus ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-15
Author(s):  
Наталья Платонова ◽  
Natalya Platonova ◽  
Ольга Вапнярская ◽  
Olga Vapnyarskaya
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
Regional Tourism ◽  
Tourist Infrastructure ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Tourism Service ◽  
Target Consumer

This article continues the series of publications of authors, in which they presented a description of the conceptual basis of auditing service, its methodological foundations, recommendations for the standardization and separate objects and processes. The article presents the description of a new approach to the application of the concept and methodology service audit. Previously the audit service was viewed solely as a method of monitoring the adequacy, service quality and its conformity with the needs of the target consumer groups, designed for individual enterprises and their associations. Developing the service audit issues, the authors propose opportunities in research at the mesolevel (at the regional level). Methodology service audit was used in the project to study service within the boundaries of one of the tourist destinations in Russia. The difference is in the fact that the method of service audits, including secret shopper method, was applied to a diverse set of objects constituting the regional tourism infrastructure. This methodological tool was the same for all objects, which required a determination common to a variety of enterprises of the conditions and elements of service of tourists. This approach allowed creating a unified database of the obtained primary information, and later conducting a comparative study. The article presents some results of using the service audit methods, data and conclusions regarding the completeness and quality of the tourism service destination, obtained with its help. The results of the service audit of the regional tourism infrastructure describe the quality of service in such elements of the tourist infrastructure, as hotels and other accommodation facilities, catering facilities, objects and means of entertainment, objects of cognitive, business, medical, sports and other purposes. The authors also presented a brief description of the methodology of used approach. Experience showed that such a project has all the advantages of using the method of mystery shopping, including relatively low cost, the shortening of studies, etc. the Conclusions resulting from the project were of interest to investors and regional tourism administrations.

scholarly journals A Multi Ant Colony Optimization Approach For The Traveling Salesman Problem

2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 34 - 2020 - Special... ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathurin SOH ◽  
Baudoin Nguimeya Tsofack ◽  
Clémentin Tayou Djamegni
Keyword(s):  
Traveling Salesman Problem ◽  
Execution Time ◽  
Exact Algorithm ◽  
Traveling Salesman ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
New Approach ◽  
International Audience ◽  
The Traveling Salesman Problem

International audience In this paper, we propose a new approach to solving the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), for which no exact algorithm is known that allows to find a solution in polynomial time. The proposed approach is based on optimization by ants. It puts several colonies in competition for improved solutions (in execution time and solution quality) to large TSP instances, and allows to efficiently explore the range of possible solutions. The results of our experiments show that the approach leads to better results compared to other heuristics from the literature, especially in terms of the quality of solutions obtained and execution time.

Letter to the Editor: The Continuing Challenge of Evaluating RSD Impairment and Disability

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Robert L. Knobler ◽  
Charles N. Brooks ◽  
Leon H. Ensalada ◽  
James B. Talmage ◽  
Christopher R. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Disability Evaluation ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Major Cardiac Event ◽  
Clinical Scenarios ◽  
Impairment Score ◽  
Occupational Activities ◽  
The Difference

Abstract The author of the two-part article about evaluating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) responds to criticisms that a percentage impairment score may not adequately reflect the disability of an individual with RSD. The author highlights the importance of recognizing the difference between impairment and disability in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides): impairment is the loss, loss of use, or derangement of any body part, system, or function; disability is a decrease in or the loss or absence of the capacity to meet personal, social, or occupational demands or to meet statutory or regulatory requirements because of an impairment. The disparity between impairment and disability can be encountered in diverse clinical scenarios. For example, a person's ability to resume occupational activities following a major cardiac event depends on medical, social, and psychological factors, but nonmedical factors appear to present the greatest impediment and many persons do not resume work despite significant improvements in functional capacity. A key requirement according to the AMA Guides is objective documentation, and the author agrees that when physicians consider the disability evaluation of people, more issues than those relating to the percentage loss of function should be considered. More study of the relationships among impairment, disability, and quality of life in patients with RSD are required.

Inter-country inequality as a dynamic process and the problem of post-industrial development

2018 ◽  
pp. 5-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Grigoryev ◽  
V. A. Pavlyushina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Modern World ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Development Level ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Post Industrial

The phenomenon of economic growth is studied by economists and statisticians in various aspects for a long time. Economic theory is devoted to assessing factors of growth in the tradition of R. Solow, R. Barrow, W. Easterly and others. During the last quarter of the century, however, the institutionalists, namely D. North, D. Wallis, B. Weingast as well as D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson, have shown the complexity of the problem of development on the part of socioeconomic and political institutions. As a result, solving the problem of how economic growth affects inequality between countries has proved extremely difficult. The modern world is very diverse in terms of development level, and the article offers a new approach to the formation of the idea of stylized facts using cluster analysis. The existing statistics allows to estimate on a unified basis the level of GDP production by 174 countries of the world for 1992—2016. The article presents a structured picture of the world: the distribution of countries in seven clusters, different in levels of development. During the period under review, there was a strong per capita GDP growth in PPP in the middle of the distribution, poverty in various countries declined markedly. At the same time, in 1992—2016, the difference increased not only between rich and poor groups of countries, but also between clusters.

COMBINATORIAL POLYNOMIALLY COMPUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTITUTIONS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR NIKONOV ◽  
◽  
ANTON ZOBOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Expectation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Computational Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bijective Function ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Element Base ◽  
Selection Of

The construction and selection of a suitable bijective function, that is, substitution, is now becoming an important applied task, particularly for building block encryption systems. Many articles have suggested using different approaches to determining the quality of substitution, but most of them are highly computationally complex. The solution of this problem will significantly expand the range of methods for constructing and analyzing scheme in information protection systems. The purpose of research is to find easily measurable characteristics of substitutions, allowing to evaluate their quality, and also measures of the proximity of a particular substitutions to a random one, or its distance from it. For this purpose, several characteristics were proposed in this work: difference and polynomial, and their mathematical expectation was found, as well as variance for the difference characteristic. This allows us to make a conclusion about its quality by comparing the result of calculating the characteristic for a particular substitution with the calculated mathematical expectation. From a computational point of view, the thesises of the article are of exceptional interest due to the simplicity of the algorithm for quantifying the quality of bijective function substitutions. By its nature, the operation of calculating the difference characteristic carries out a simple summation of integer terms in a fixed and small range. Such an operation, both in the modern and in the prospective element base, is embedded in the logic of a wide range of functional elements, especially when implementing computational actions in the optical range, or on other carriers related to the field of nanotechnology.

THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE SYSTEMS ON THE GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD OF LONG-FLAX

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dumych ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Development ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Flax Seeds

The purpose of research: to improve the technology of growing flax in the Western region of Ukraine on the basis of the introduction of systems for minimizing tillage, which will increase the yield of trusts and seeds. Research methods: field, laboratory, visual and comparative calculation method. Research results: Field experiments included the study of three tillage systems (traditional, canning and mulching) and determining their impact on growth and development and yields of trusts and flax seeds. The traditional tillage system included the following operations: plowing with a reversible plow to a depth of 27 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage. The conservation system is based on deep shelfless loosening of the soil and provided for chiseling to a depth of 40 cm, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing, pre-sowing tillage. During the implementation of the mulching system, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage with a combined unit was carried out. Tillage implements and machines were used to perform tillage operations: disc harrow BDVP-3,6, reversible plow PON-5/4, chisel PCh-3, cultivator KPSP-4, pre-sowing tillage unit LK-4. The SZ-3,6 ASTPA grain seeder was used for sowing long flax of the Kamenyar variety. Simultaneously with the sowing of flax seeds, local application of mineral fertilizers (nitroammophoska 2 c/ha) was carried out. The application of conservation tillage allows to obtain the yield of flax trust at the level of 3,5 t/ha, which is 0,4 t/ha (12.9 %) more than from the area of traditional tillage and 0,7 t/ha (25 %) in comparison with mulching. In the area with canning treatment, the seed yield was the highest and amounted to 0,64 t/ha. The difference between this option and traditional and mulching tillage reaches 0,06 t/ha (10,3 %) and 0.10 t/ha (18.5 %), respectively. Conclusions. Preservation tillage, which is based on shelf-free tillage to a depth of 40 cm and disking to a depth of 15 cm has a positive effect on plant growth and development, yield and quality of flax.

Pengaruh ovaprim, aromatase inhibitor, dan hipofisa terhadap kualitas telur ikan Lele Dumbo (Clarias gariepinus)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin A. Aziz ◽  
Ockstan Kalesaran
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Aromatase Inhibitor ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Clarias Gariepinus ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Completely Randomized Design ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Hatching Eggs

This study aimed to determine the effect of ovaprim hormone, aromatase inhibitor and pituitary on the quality of the catfish eggs (Clarias gariepinus). Experimental Design used was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four treatments, each with three replications. Treatment A: ovaprim; treatment B: Aromatase inhibitors, treatment C: hypophysis and treatment D: Control. The results showed that the difference in treatment gave highly significant effect on fertilization and hatching eggs but no significant effect on the survival rate of larvae. Aromatase inhibitor hormone was the best because it provided highly significant effect on fertilization (92.66%), hatchability of eggs (95%), and surviva rate (81.33%) of fish larvae.   Keywords : Clarias gariepinus. Ovaprim, Aromatase Inhibitor, Hypophysis, egg, larvae

Multivariate micropollutants analysis in marine waters

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 341-348
Author(s):  
V. Librando ◽  
G. Magazzù ◽  
A. Puglisi
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Data Analysis ◽  
Partial Least Squares Regression ◽  
Environmental Chemistry ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Organic Micropollutants ◽  
Suspended Material ◽  
The Difference

The monitoring of water quality today provides a great quantity of data consisting of the values of the parameters measured as a function of time. In the marine environment, and especially in the suspended material, increasing importance is being given to the presence of organic micropollutants, particularly since some are known to be carcinogenic. As the number of measured parameters increases examining the data and their consequent interpretation becomes more difficult. To overcome such difficulties, numerous chemometric techniques have been introduced in environmental chemistry, such as Multivariate Data Analysis (MVDA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). The use of the first technique in this work has been applied to the interpretation of the quality of Augusta bay, by measuring the concentration of numerous organic micropollutants, together with the classical water pollution parameters, in different sites and at different times. The MVDA has highlighted the difference between various sampling sites whose data were initially thought to be similar. Furthermore, it has allowed a choice of more significant parameters for future monitoring and more suitable sampling site locations.

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