"You have to get wet to learn how to swim" applied to bridging the gap between research into personnel scheduling and its implementation in practice

Personnel scheduling problems have attracted research interests for several decades. They have been considerably changed over time, accommodating a variety of constraints related to legal and organisation requirements, part-time staff, flexible hours of staff, staff preferences, etc. This led to a myriad of approaches developed for solving personnel scheduling problems including optimisation, meta-heuristics, artificial intelligence, decision-support, and also hybrids of these approaches. However, this still does not imply that this research has a large impact on practice and that state-of-the art models and algorithms are widely in use in organisations. One can find a reasonably large number of software packages that aim to assist in personnel scheduling. A classification of this software based on its purpose will be proposed, accompanied with a discussion about the level of support that this software offers to schedulers. A general conclusion is that the available software, with some exceptions, does not benefit from the wealth of developed models and methods. The remaining of the paper will provide insights into some characteristics of real-world scheduling problems that, in the author’s opinion, have not been given a due attention in the personnel scheduling research community yet and which could contribute to the enhancement of the implementation of research results in practice. Concluding remarks are that in order to bridge the gap that still exists between research into personnel scheduling and practice, we need to engage more with schedulers in practice and also with software developers; one may say we need to get wet if we want to learn how to swim

Shift rostering using decomposition: assign weekend shifts first

This paper introduces a shift rostering problem that surprisingly has not been studied in literature: the weekend shift rostering problem. It is motivated by our experience that employees’ shift preferences predominantly focus on the weekends, since many social activities happen during weekends. The Weekend Rostering Problem (WRP) addresses the rostering of weekend shifts, for which we design a problem specific heuristic. We consider the WRP as the first phase of the shift rostering problem. To complete the shift roster, the second phase assigns the weekday shifts using an existing algorithm. We discuss effects of this two-phase approach both on the weekend shift roster and on the roster as a whole. We demonstrate that our first-phase heuristic is effective both on generated instances and real-life instances. For situations where the weekend shift roster is one of the key determinants of the quality of the complete roster, our two-phase approach shows to be effective when incorporated in a commercially implemented algorithm

Passenger Air Service in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Overview and Analysis

[Excerpt] Rural America needs safe, efficient, reliable, and accessible passenger air service. Federal government subsidies have long been necessary to assure that residents in smaller, less profitable markets have access to the nation’s transportation network. That access is necessary for a community’s economic health, is arguably a right of all taxpayers and residents, and is in public interest. But market forces within the aviation industry are today driving a restructuring that may curtail or eliminate service to many communities in the nation. And the present political climate raises a serious question about the federal government’s continued commitment to the nation’s rural air transportation system. This report focuses on the state of passenger air service in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula [U.P.]. The U.P. is among the most geographically remote areas in the eastern half of the United States. The region’s economic, social, and cultural institutions are increasingly related to a global marketplace. These depend, in varying degrees, on access to the national and global transportation network. Scheduled, commercial passenger air service is especially critical for this area too distant from passenger rail, without adequate commercial bus service, with few four-lane highways and very limited connection to the Interstate Highway system

Next-Generation Librarianship: The Revolution Begins

This article describes the distinctive traits, workplace habits, professional needs, and career goals of librarians from Generation X (born 1965-1979) and the Millennial generation (born 1980-1994). The authors discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the entry of “next-generation” librarians into the workplace; they also offer practical advice for current library managers who wish to maximize the leadership potential of next-generation librarians

Evolution of KSC EGS Post Space Shuttle - Success Factors and Lessons Learned

The Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Knowledge Capture & Transfer (KCT) team conducted video interviews with element managers in the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program Office at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The immediate goal was to capture a point-in-time profile of challenges, solutions, and lessons learned derived from EGS element development activity from the end of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to the present time

야간 근무자의 수면 장애에 대한 비약물적 중재의 효과: 체계적 문헌고찰 및 메타분석

학위논문(박사)--서울대학교 대학원 :간호대학 간호학과,2019. 8. 최스미.야간 근무자는 일주기 불균형으로 인하여 일반 낮 근무자에 비해 수면 장애가 심한 것으로 보고되었으며, 이는 심혈관 질환, 비만, 암, 우울증 및 비만과 같은 신체적, 정신적 건강 문제와 연관성이 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 2007년 국제 암 연구 기관 (International Agency for Cancer)이 야간 근무를 포함하는 교대 근무가 발암 가능성이 있는 것으로 분류 한 이후, 많은 연구자들은 야간 근무자들을 대상으로 비약물적 수면 중재 효과를 조사하기 위한 임상 실험을 실시했다. 여러 비약물적 수면 중재 효과를 평가한 연구는 많음에도 불구하고 이러한 중재를 종합적으로 검토하고 효과의 크기를 분석한 연구가 부족한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구는 체계적 문헌고찰 및 메타분석을 통해 그 동안 축적된 야간 근무자를 대상으로 수면 장애를 해결하기 위한 비약물적 중재를 실시한 연구를 평가, 종합, 분석하여 과학적인 근거를 제시하고자 시도되었다. 본 연구의 설계, 수행, 보고의 전 단계는 중재연구에서의 메타분석 가이드라인인 PRISMA를 적용하여 확인하는 과정을 거쳤으며, 계획 단계에서 연구의 주요 질문 및 선택 기준은 PICOTS-SD를 기반으로 선정하였다. PICOTS-SD의 각 구성 요소를 나타내는 주요 개념어는 중심 주제어와 자연어를 사용하여 MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO 검색엔진, 수면 관련 국제 저널 및 회색 문헌을 검색하였다. 본 연구에서 문헌의 질과 잠재적 비뚤림 평가는 Cochrane Risk of Bias 도구를 활용하여 시행하였다. 선택배제 기분에 따라 총 28편의 문헌이 추출되었으며, 그 중 20 편의 문헌이 메타분석에 포함되었다. 랜덤효과모형을 이용하여 전반적인 수면 장애에 대한 비약물적 중재의 효과 크기, 수면 장애 종류에 따른 비약물적 중재의 효과 크기, 비약물적 중재 방법에 따른 효과 크기 및 직업 종류에 따른 효과 크기를 산출하였다. 메타분석 결과, 야간 근무자의 수면 장애에 대한 비약물적 중재의 효과 크기는 Hedges g -1.43 (95%CI: -2.34, -0.53)로 통계적으로 유의한 것으로 나타났다. 수면 장애 종류별로 분석한 결과, 근무 중 졸림 (Hedges g= -2.83, 95% CI: -4.55, -1.10), 수면의 양 (Hedges g= 0.76, 95% CI: 0.15, 1.37), 수면의 질 shift (Hedges g= -0.57, 95% CI: -0.81, -0.34)로 통계적으로 유의한 효과 크기를 나타냈다. 비약물적 중재 방법 중 빛 요법 (Hedges g= -1.62, 95% CI: -2.81, -0.43)은 통계적으로 유의한 효과 크기를 나타냈으나, 근무 중 낮잠과 행동 중재 프로그램은 통계적으로 유의한 효과를 나타내지 않았다. 직업 종류에 따른 분석 결과, 의료계에 종사하는 야근 근무자와 산업 및 제조업에 종사하는 야간 근무자에게서 비약물적 중재는 유의한 효과를 나타냈다. 본 연구의 결과는 야간 근무자의 수면 장애 완화에 비약물적 중재가 유의한 효과가 있음을 시사한다. 또한, 수면 장애 완화 효과는 의료계, 산업 및 제조업에 종사하는 야간 근무자에게 빛 요법을 적용했을 때 가장 큰 것으로 보인다. 본 연구 결과는 야간 근로자의 수면 장애 예방 및 완화에 다양한 비약물적 중재가 효과적임을 확인함으로써, 실무에서 야간 근로자를 위한 중재를 선택하고 실행하는 데 객관적은 증거를 제공할 수 있을 것이다.Sleep disturbances are notorious among night workers and remain as a popular target of research. Various adverse physiological and psychological problems in night workers are associated with sleep disturbances caused by chronic exposure to circadian misalignment. In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified shift work including night work as a probable human carcinogen. Since then, researchers have conducted trials to investigate effects of various interventions in mitigating sleep problems. Although many have evaluated different sleep-mediating methods, there is a lack of study that summarizes currently existing interventions applicable to night workers and provides a pooled effect size of the interventions. Therefore, the primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to critically review and synthesize exiting literature on the impact of non-pharmacological interventions implemented among night workers in mitigating and decreasing sleep disturbances. A systematic review was performed following the PRISMA reporting guideline. The leading study question and the selection criteria were developed using PICOTS-SD framework. MeSH terms, EMTREE terms, CINAHL headings and keywords representing each component of PICOTS-SD were selected to conduct a rigorous literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PsycINFO databases, internationally renowned journals and grey literature. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to evaluate study quality and to identify potential risk of biases. Of the 3,093 retrieved articles, 28 met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, 20 were included in the meta-analysis. We identified 6 non-pharmacological interventional methods: controlled light exposure, short-wavelength light protection, strategic naps, shift schedule modification, behavioral training and aromatherapy. Overall, non-pharmacological interventions had a significantly therapeutic effect on sleep disturbances in night workers compared to the control group who did not receive any treatment (Hedges g= -1.43, 95% CI: -2.34, -0.53). The interventions showed significant effects on reducing sleepiness on-shift (Hedges g= -2.83, 95% CI: -4.55, -1.10), increasing sleep length off-shift (Hedges g= 0.76, 95% CI: 0.15, 1.37) and sleep quality off-shift (Hedges g= -0.57, 95% CI: -0.81, -0.34) with medium to large effect sizes. Subgroup analysis based on the intervention types showed controlled light exposure to have a significant effect on reducing sleep disturbances (Hedges g= -1.62, 95% CI: -2.81, -0.43). However, the effects of strategic naps and behavioral training were not significant. Non-pharmacological interventions showed a significant effect in night workers engaged in healthcare industries (Hedges g= -1.28; 95% CI -2.48 to -0.07) and industrial or manufacturing industries (Hedges g= -2.74; 95% CI -4.65 to -0.83). The findings of the current study suggest non-pharmacological interventions to be favorable in mitigating sleep disturbances in night workers, with greatest impact apparent for sleepiness on-shift. The effect seems to be greatest when using the controlled light exposure intervention on night workers engaged in healthcare, industrial and manufacturing occupations. Our findings provide an objective and supporting evidence to incorporate various non-pharmacological interventions in improving sleep health among night workers. We also suggest further research to identify potential modifying factors and to establish optimal combination of strategies best suitable for real-world night work setting.ABSTRACT i CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 1. Background 1 2. Purpose 5 3. Terminology 6 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW 9 1. Night work and sleep physiology 9 2. Night work and health 10 3. Night work adaptation 12 CHAPTER III. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 14 CHAPTER IV. METHODOLOGY 15 1. Study design 15 2. Study question and selection criteria 15 3. Search sources and strategy 20 4. Study selection 22 5. Data extraction 23 6. Assessment of risk of bias 24 7. Statistical analysis 25 8. Ethical consideration 30 CHAPTER V. RESULTS 31 1. Study selection 31 2. General description of included studies 33 3. Non-pharmacological interventions 34 4. Risk of bias within the included studies 47 5. Quantitative synthesis results 49 CHAPTER VI. DISCUSSION 70 1. Effect of non-pharmacological interventions on sleep disturbances 71 2. Effect of controlled light exposure on sleep disturbances 72 3. Effect of strategic naps on sleep disturbances 73 4. Effect of behavioral training on sleep disturbances 75 5. Effect of non-pharmacological on occupation types 77 6. Limitations 78 7. Significance of research 79 CHAPTER VII. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 81 REFERENCES 82 APPENDIXES 109 국문 초록 209Docto

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018

(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class, wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than 80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure