On Automated Generation of Keyboard Layout to Reduce Finger-Travel Distance

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-43
Author(s):  
Amol D. Mali ◽  
Nan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Annealing ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Weighted Sum ◽  
Automated Generation ◽  
English Alphabet ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Automated Methods ◽  
Keyboard Layout ◽  
Travel Distances

The QWERTY keyboard layout can be very inefficient for one-finger typing on virtual keyboards since the letters in many common digrams are placed on opposite sides of the keyboard, resulting in a long finger travel. This paper reports on use of simulated annealing for finding alternate arrangements of the letters of the English alphabet on keyboards with different number of rows, to reduce finger-travel distance for entering text. The use of simulated annealing led to arrangements of the letters on 3 × 10, 4 × 7, and 5 × 6 layouts with a lower weighted sum of finger-travel distances for all digrams (denoted by d) compared to the QWERTY layout (lower by about 40%). The layout with the least value of d among those found in this work is a 5 × 6 layout for which the value of d is only 1.78 key widths compared to 3.31 key widths (the value of d for QWERTY). Alternate automated methods to solve this problem, connections between keyboard layouts and facility layouts, and many new applications of the ideas in this work are discussed.

scholarly journals Examining dispatching practices for Interagency Hotshot Crews to reduce seasonal travel distance and manage fatigue

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin J. Belval ◽  
David E. Calkin ◽  
Yu Wei ◽  
Crystal S. Stonesifer ◽  
Matthew P. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Simulation Process ◽  
Fatigue Management ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Optimisation Model ◽  
Fatigue Mitigation ◽  
Travel Distances

Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHCs) are a crucial firefighting suppression resource in the United States. These crews travel substantial distances each year and work long and arduous assignments that can cause accumulated fatigue. Current dispatching practices for these crews are supposed to send the closest resource while adhering to existing fatigue-management policies. In this research, we designed a simulation process that repeatedly implements an optimisation model to assign crews to suppression requests. This study examines the potential effects of using an optimisation approach to shorten seasonal crew travel distances and mitigate fatigue. We also examine the potential benefits of coordinating crew-dispatch decisions to meet multiple requests. Results indicate there is substantial room for improvement in reducing travel distances while still balancing crew fatigue; coordinating crew dispatching for multiple requests can increase the assignment efficiency, particularly when both fatigue mitigation and travel distances are jointly optimised. This research indicates implementing an optimisation model for dispatching IHCs is promising.

scholarly journals TWO-GRAPH BUILDING INTERIOR REPRESENTATION FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE APPLICATIONS

2016 ◽  
Vol III-2 ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
P. Boguslawski ◽  
L. Mahdjoubi ◽  
V. Zverovich ◽  
F. Fadli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Variable Density ◽  
Quick Response ◽  
Automated Generation ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Automated Methods

Nowadays, in a rapidly developing urban environment with bigger and higher public buildings, disasters causing emergency situations and casualties are unavoidable. Preparedness and quick response are crucial issues saving human lives. Available information about an emergency scene, such as a building structure, helps for decision making and organizing rescue operations. Models supporting decision-making should be available in real, or near-real, time. Thus, good quality models that allow implementation of automated methods are highly desirable. This paper presents details of the recently developed method for automated generation of variable density navigable networks in a 3D indoor environment, including a full 3D topological model, which may be used not only for standard navigation but also for finding safe routes and simulating hazard and phenomena associated with disasters such as fire spread and heat transfer.

Weather Conditions, Travel Distance, Rest, and Running Performance: The 2014 FIFA World Cup and Implications for the Future

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Watanabe ◽  
Pamela Wicker ◽  
Grace Yan
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Heat Index ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Running Performance ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Travel Distances

The awarding of the hosting of the Football World Cup to Russia and Qatar initiated discussions about temperature and travel distances related to the game. This study examines the effect of weather conditions, travel distances, and rest days—three factors potentially causing fatigue—on running performance using player-level and teamlevel data from the 2014 World Cup. The results show that the heat index (combining temperature and humidity) significantly decreased running performance (number of sprints, high-intensity running), while a clear sky was positively associated with distance covered at high intensity. Travel distance and rest were insignificant. When these models are used to predict running performance at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the projections show that the combination of heat and wind could hinder the performance of both players and teams and create potentially dangerous conditions. The present study has implications for policy makers regarding the choice of future host countries.

Macroplastic Debris Transfer in Rivers: A Travel Distance Approach 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Newbould ◽  
Mark Powell ◽  
Mick Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Average Distance ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
River System ◽  
Tracer Experiment ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Distance Distributions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Meander Bends ◽  
Distance Approach ◽  
Travel Distances

<p>Plastic accumulation in the marine environment is a major concern given the harmful effects and longevity of plastics at sea. Although rivers significantly contribute to flux of plastic to marine systems, plastic transport in rivers remains poorly understood and estimates of riverine plastic flux derived from field measurements and modelling efforts are highly uncertain. In this study, a new probabilistic model of plastic transport in rivers is presented which describes the main processes controlling displacement to predict the statistical distribution of travel distances for individual items of buoyant macroplastic debris. Macroplastic transport is controlled by retention in temporary stores (or traps) created by vegetation, bank roughness elements and other obstacles. The behaviour of these traps is represented in the model via a series of Bernoulli trials conducted in a Monte Carlo simulation framework. The probability of retention or release from traps is described using physical characteristics such as the type of vegetation, channel width or channel sinuosity index. The model was calibrated using a tracer experiment with six replicates, conducted in a small 1.1 km river reach. For each replicate, 90 closed air-filled plastic bottles were injected at the upstream end of the reach and the location of each bottle was recorded several times over a 24-hour period. Bottles were chosen as ‘model’ macroplastic litter items given their high usage and littering volume. Travel distances were low (the average distance travelled over 24 hours was 231 m and no bottles travelled more than 1.1 km, the length of the study reach) and variable (the coefficient of variation for the replicates ranged between 0.54 and 1.41). The travel distance distributions were controlled by the location and characteristics of discrete traps. The numerical model described the observed travel distance distributions reasonably well (particularly the trapping effect of overhanging trees and flow separation at meander bends), which suggests that modelling plastic transport for longer reaches and even whole catchments using a stochastic travel distance approach is feasible. The approach has the potential to improve estimates of total river plastic flux to the oceans, although significant knowledge gaps remain (e.g. the rate and location of plastic supply to river systems, the transport behaviours of different types of plastic debris in rivers and the effectiveness of different traps in different types of river system).</p>

scholarly journals TPA: A Two-Phase Approach Using Simulated Annealing for the Optimization of Census Taker Routes in Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Silvia Gaona ◽  
David Romero
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Annealing ◽  
Shortest Path ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Visibility Graph ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Phase Approach ◽  
Dijkstra's Algorithm ◽  
Average Improvement ◽  
Parameter Values

Censuses in Mexico are taken by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). In this paper a Two-Phase Approach (TPA) to optimize the routes of INEGI’s census takers is presented. For each pollster, in the first phase, a route is produced by means of the Simulated Annealing (SA) heuristic, which attempts to minimize the travel distance subject to particular constraints. Whenever the route is unrealizable, it is made realizable in the second phase by constructing a visibility graph for each obstacle and applying Dijkstra’s algorithm to determine the shortest path in this graph. A tuning methodology based on theiracepackage was used to determine the parameter values for TPA on a subset of 150 instances provided by INEGI. The practical effectiveness of TPA was assessed on another subset of 1962 instances, comparing its performance with that of the in-use heuristic (INEGIH). The results show that TPA clearly outperformsINEGIH. The average improvement is of 47.11%.

scholarly journals Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from travel – a GIS-based study

2015 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kuonen
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Return Trip ◽  
Scientific World ◽  
Annual Congress ◽  
Travel Distances

Abstract. Conferences, meetings and congresses are an important part of today's economic and scientific world. But the environmental impact, especially from greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel, can be extensive. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions account for the warming of the atmosphere and oceans. This study draws on the need to quantify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel activities and aims to give suggestions for organizers and participants on possible ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrated on the example of the European Geography Association (EGEA) Annual Congress 2013 in Wasilkow, Poland. The lack of a comprehensive methodology for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from travel led to an outline of a methodology that uses geographic information systems (GIS) to calculate travel distances. The calculation of travel distances in GIS is adapted from actual transportation infrastructure, derived from the open-source platform OpenStreetMap. The methodology also aims to assess the possibilities to reduce GHG emissions by choosing different means of transportation and a more central conference location. The results of the participants of the EGEA congress, who shared their travel data for this study, show that the total travel distance adds up to 238 000 km, with average travel distance of 2429 km per participant. The travel activities of the participants in the study result in total GHG emissions of 39 300 kg CO2-eq including both outward and return trip. On average a participant caused GHG emissions of 401 kg CO2-eq. In addition, the analysis of the travel data showed differences in travel behaviour depending on the distance between conference site and point of origin. The findings on travel behaviour have then been used to give an estimation of total greenhouse gas emissions from travel for all participants of the conference, which result in a total amount of 79 711 kg CO2-eq. The potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substituting short flights with train rides and car rides with bus and train rides is limited. Only 6 % of greenhouse gas emissions could be saved by applying these measures. Further considerable savings could only be made by substituting longer flights (32.6 %) or choosing a more central conference location (26.3 %).

Going the Extra Mile? How Provider Network Design Increases Consumer Travel Distance, Particularly for Rural Consumers

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1107-1136
Author(s):  
Simon F. Haeder ◽  
David L. Weimer ◽  
Dana B. Mukamel
Keyword(s):  
Network Design ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Open Networks ◽  
Provider Network ◽  
Network Adequacy ◽  
Cardiac Surgeons ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Travel Distances

Abstract Context: The practical accessibility to medical care facilitated by health insurance plans depends not just on the number of providers within their networks but also on distances consumers must travel to reach the providers. Long travel distances inconvenience almost all consumers and may substantially reduce choice and access to providers for some. Methods: The authors assess mean and median travel distances to cardiac surgeons and pediatricians for participants in (1) plans offered through Covered California, (2) comparable commercial plans, and (3) unrestricted open-network plans. The authors repeat the analysis for higher-quality providers. Findings: The authors find that in all areas, but especially in rural areas, Covered California plan subscribers must travel longer than subscribers in the comparable commercial plan; subscribers to either plan must travel substantially longer than consumers in open networks. Analysis of access to higher-quality providers show somewhat larger travel distances. Differences between ACA and commercial plans are generally substantively small. Conclusions: While network design adds travel distance for all consumers, this may be particularly challenging for transportation-disadvantaged populations. As distance is relevant to both health outcomes and the cost of obtaining care, this analysis provides the basis for more appropriate measures of network adequacy than those currently in use.

Scheduling Multiple Sports Leagues with Travel Distance Fairness: An Application to Argentinean Youth Football

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo A. Durán ◽  
Mario Guajardo ◽  
Agustina F. López ◽  
Javier Marenco ◽  
Gonzalo A. Zamorano
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Programming ◽  
Round Robin ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Alternative Solution ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
Explicit Analysis ◽  
Sports Leagues ◽  
Travel Distances

The first division clubs in Argentinean professional football maintain teams in each of six youth leagues, classed by age as major divisions (Under-20, Under-18, Under-17) and minor divisions (Under-16, Under-15, Under-14). Regular season play in these leagues typically follows a single round-robin format; the minor divisions play the same schedule as the majors but with the home-away status of the matches reversed. This setup can give rise to very significant differences in travel distances between the major and minor division teams of a given club, which is a frustrating situation for club officials, coaches, and players alike but almost impossible to avoid with manual season scheduling techniques. Nor are these methods able to take into account any number of other criteria that go into the design of a satisfactory match calendar. This paper reports on models developed using mathematical programming to simultaneously schedule multiple leagues while also meeting a series of other desirable conditions. The central criterion is a better balance in the travel distances of the various teams, pursued through the application of two alternative solution approaches: one based on regional team clusters and the other on explicit analysis of actual distances between the teams’ home venues. The solutions generated by these approaches have been used by the organizers of the Argentinean youth leagues to draw up their season schedules since 2018, which has resulted in a series of benefits for all stakeholders.

Implementing some Evolutionary Computing Methods for Determining the Optimal Parameters in the Turning Process

2015 ◽  
Vol 809-810 ◽  
pp. 902-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Florea ◽  
Nicolae Cofaru
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Simulated Annealing ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Cutting Parameters ◽  
Optimization Methods ◽  
Computing Methods ◽  
Weighted Sum ◽  
Software Application ◽  
Automotive Components ◽  
Optimal Cutting Parameters

In this paper, we comparatively present two heuristics search methods – Simulated Annealing and Weighted Sum Genetic Algorithm, in order to find optimal cutting parameters in turning operation. We consider five different constraints aiming to achieve minimum total cost of machining. We developed a customizable software application in Microsoft Visual Studio with C# source code, flexible and extensible that implements the optimization methods. The experiments are based on real data gathered from S.C. “Compa” S.A Sibiu, a company that manufactures automotive components and targets improving of product quality and reducing cost and production time. The obtained results show that, although the Weighted Sum Genetic Algorithm does not guarantee the optimality of finals solution despite of a high probability to be, it is superior to that provided by Simulated Annealing.

scholarly journals Impact of obstetric unit closures, travel time and distance to obstetric services on maternal and neonatal outcomes in high-income countries: a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e036852
Author(s):  
Reem Saleem Malouf ◽  
Claire Tomlinson ◽  
Jane Henderson ◽  
Charles Opondo ◽  
Peter Brocklehurst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
High Income ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Neonatal Outcomes ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Maternal And Neonatal Outcomes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Travel Distances

ObjectivesTo systematically review (1) The effect of obstetric unit (OU) closures on maternal and neonatal outcomes and (2) The association between travel distance/time to an OU and maternal and neonatal outcomes.DesignSystematic review of any quantitative studies with a comparison group.Data sourcesEmbase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health and grey literature were searched.MethodsEligible studies explored the impact of closure of an OU or the effect of travel distance/time on prespecified maternal or neonatal outcomes. Only studies of women giving birth in high-income countries with universal health coverage of maternity services comparable to the UK were included. Identification of studies, extraction of data and risk of bias assessment were undertaken by at least two reviewers independently. The risk of bias checklist was based on the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care criteria and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Heterogeneity across studies precluded meta-analysis and synthesis was narrative, with key findings tabulated.Results31 studies met the inclusion criteria. There was some evidence to suggest an increase in babies born before arrival following OU closures and/or associated with longer travel distances or time. This may be associated with an increased risk of perinatal or neonatal mortality, but this finding was not consistent across studies. Evidence on other maternal and neonatal outcomes was limited but did not suggest worse outcomes after closures or with longer travel times/distances. Interpretation of findings for some studies was hampered by concerns around how accurately exposures were measured, and/or a lack of adjustment for confounders or temporal changes.ConclusionIt is not possible to conclude from this review whether OU closure, increased travel distances or times are associated with worse outcomes for the mother or the baby.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017078503.

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