Combining constraint satisfaction and local improvement algorithms to construct anaesthetists' rotas

A system is described which was built to compile weekly rotas for the anaesthetists in a large hospital. The rota compilation problem is an optimization problem (the number of tasks which cannot be assigned to an anaesthetist must be minimized) and was formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). The forward checking algorithm is used to find a feasible rota, but because of the size of the problem, it cannot find an optimal (or even a good enough) solution in an acceptable time. Instead, an algorithm was devised which makes local improvements to a feasible solution. The algorithm makes use of the constraints as expressed in the CSP to ensure that feasibility is maintained, and produces very good rotas which are being used by the hospital involved in the project. It is argued that formulation as a constraint satisfaction problem may be a good approach to solving discrete optimization problems, even if the resulting CSP is too large to be solved exactly in an acceptable time. A CSP algorithm may be able to produce a feasible solution which can then be improved, giving a good, if not provably optimal, solution

The development of an inquiry form to be used in a survey of the speech and hearing handicapped in New England /

Thesis (Ed. M.)--Boston University, 1949. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Food Security Status and Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Two Economically Deprived Communities of Oakland, California, 2013-2014.

IntroductionFood security status may moderate how people perceive barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption. This study aimed to 1) describe the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and microbarriers and mezzobarriers to consumption, and 2) test whether these associations differ by food security status.MethodsWe surveyed adults (n = 531) living in 2 economically deprived communities in Oakland, California, in 2013 and 2014. Multivariate linear regression assessed associations between microbarriers (taste, cost, busyness) and mezzobarriers (produce selection, quality, and purchase ease) and fruit and vegetable consumption, derived from a 26-item dietary screener. Interactions were tested by food security status.ResultsRespondents consumed a mean 2.4 (standard deviation, 1.5) servings of fruits and vegetables daily; 39% of the sample was food insecure. Being too busy to prepare healthy foods was associated with reduced fruit and vegetable consumption (β(busyness) = -0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.52 to -0.28) among all respondents. Food security moderated the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and taste, cost, and perceived ease of purchase of healthy foods. Among the food secure, disliking healthy food taste (β(taste) = -0.38; 95% CI, -0.60 to -0.15) and cost (β(cost) = -0.29; 95% CI, -0.44 to -0.15) concerns were associated with lower consumptions of fruits and vegetables. Mezzobarriers were not significantly associated with consumption in either group.ConclusionPerceived time constraints influenced fruit and vegetable consumption. Taste and cost influenced fruit and vegetable consumption among the food secure and may need to be considered when interpreting analyses that describe dietary intake and designing diet-related interventions

Nasal Drug Delivery Systems: An Overview

Since ancient times, drugs have been administered via the nasal route for therapeutic and recreational purposes. The interest in, and importance, of the systemic effects of drugs administered through the nasal route, have expanded over recent decades. Intra-nasal administration of drugs offers an interesting alternative for achieving systemic therapeutic effects of drugs that are comparable to the parenteral route, which can be inconvenient at times or oral administration, which can result in unacceptably low drug bioavailability. So, it is important to understand the potential and limitations of various nasal drug delivery systems. Therefore, the aim of this review article is to discuss the various pharmaceutical dosage forms that have the potential to be utilised for local or systemic drug administration. It is intuitively expected that this review will help to understand and further to develop suitable intra-nasal formulations to achieve specific therapeutic objectives

Implementing Wellness into Mental Health and Addiction Recovery: The Addressing Wellness Through Organizational Change (AWTOC) Approach [English and Spanish versions]

A Spanish translation of this publication is available to download under Additional Files below. There are many opportunities for clinicians and leaders in mental health and addiction treatment programs to champion more discussion about wellness and integrate evidence-based treatments that can decrease patient morbidity and mortality. However, many clinicians and staff may not feel trained and prepared to help individuals adequately address wellness goals, to integrate wellness into their routine clinical practice, or to make appropriate referrals to community resources. To address this service and training gap, the UMass Department of Psychiatry developed the Addressing Wellness Through Organization Change (AWTOC) approach, based upon the Addressing Problems Through Organizational Change (APTOC) model developed by Douglas Ziedonis, M.D., M.P.H. which has been used previously to address tobacco cessation (Ziedonis et al., 2007)

The last mile:Using local knowledge to identify barriers to sustainable grain legume production

Grain legumes (or pulses–annual leguminous crops that are harvested solely for their dried seeds such as lentils or chickpeas) are essential for sustainable cropping systems. They positively contribute to soil fertility and agricultural biodiversity and are a highly nutritious food source, yet they remain under-exploited across the world. In India–soon to be the world's most populous country and the world's largest importer, producer and consumer of pulses–they are substantially under-utilized and are the only major food group not to have increased in output since independence in 1947. Existing efforts to address low grain legume production have focused on the scientific and agronomic barriers, with little impact on productivity. In contrast, this project, using Tripura in India as a case study, recognizes the limits of imposing top-down solutions and instead focuses on the barriers to production as identified by the growers themselves. Working with 440 farmers from 19 non-tribal and 11 tribal villages in Tripura, NE India, we used facilitated discussion to identify their key barriers to pulse production, and facilitated pile sorting to identify the commonly consumed, grown and available pulses. Twenty-eight barriers to legume production were identified by farmers. The eight principal barriers were: insufficient water; lack of technical knowledge; unreliable seed supply; lack of processing units; soil fertility; financial constraints; limited fertilizer supply; and insufficient fencing material. These barriers are complex and overlapping and originate from system level failures to sufficiently prioritise grain legumes compared to cereals. However, recognizing the length of time it takes to address system level problems, in this paper we identify five immediately applicable mitigating strategies to help overcome the principle barriers identified here. Importantly, these will also create an improved environment to apply the technologically sophisticated grain legume R&D that has been carried out over the last 20 years but has yet to have a measurable impact on pulse production. Therefore understanding the wider socio-economic pathways to sustainable pulse production is essential to facilitate change on the ground. Our results, relevant to policy makers in India and around the world, demonstrate the value of listening to farmers when attempting to improve production, and emphasize the necessity of including the socio-economic systems surrounding pulse production, to complement the current emphasis on biological barriers

Nutritional Concerns of Spaceflight

Nutrition has played a critical role throughout the history of exploration, and space exploration is no exception. While a one- to two-week flight aboard the Space Shuttle might be analogous to a camping trip, adequate nutrition is absolutely critical while spending several months on the International Space Station (Figure 1) or several years on a mission to another planet. To ensure adequate nutrition, space nutrition specialists must know how much of the individual nutrients astronauts need, and these nutrients must be available in the spaceflight food system. To complicate matters, these spaceflight nutritional requirements are influenced by many of the physiological changes that occur during spaceflight. In this chapter, we describe some of these changes, their impact on crew health, and ways NASA is investigating how to minimize these changes. We also review the space food systems, issues involved in setting up a cafeteria in a weightless environment, and information about dietary intake of nutrients during space mission