6,463 research outputs found
Extending the use of plateau-escaping macro-actions in planning
Many fully automated planning systems use a single, domain independent heuristic to guide search and no other problem specific guidance. While these systems exhibit excellent performance, they are often out-performed by systems which are either given extra human-encoded search information, or spend time learning additional search control information offline. The benefit of systems which do not require human intervention is that they are much closer to the ideal of autonomy. This document discusses a system which learns additional control knowledge, in the form of macro-actions, during planning, without the additional time required for an online learning step. The results of various techniques for managing the collection of macro-actions generated are also discussed. Finally, an explanation of the extension of the techniques to other planning systems is presented
Marvin : macro-actions from reduced versions of the instance
Marvin is a forward-chaining heuristic-search planner. The basic search strategy used is similar to FF's enforced hill-climbing with helpful actions (Hoffmann and Nebel 2001); Marvin extends this strategy, adding extra features to the search and preprocessing steps to infer information from the domain
On the inference and management of macro-actions in forward-chaining planning
In this paper we discuss techniques for online generation of macro-actions as part of the planning process and demonstrate their use in a forward chaining search planning framework. The macroactions learnt are specifically created at places in the search space where the heuristic is not informative. We present results to show that using macro-actions generated during planning can improve planning performance
The Transition Town Network: a review of current evolutions and renaissance
The Transition Network started as a movement with Transition Totnes (Devon, UK) in late 2005, with Rob Hopkins as its founder. To date it has grown to encompass 313 official Transition Network initiatives spread across the world from the UK (with roughly 50% of all initiatives) to the USA, Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Chile, the Netherlands, Brazil and so on (Transition Network, 2010a). For any social movement, this could most certainly be described as something of a success and warrants a closer examination. Indeed, the aim of this profile is to explore the movement's aims and modus operandi, the problematics it has faced and how it is now evolving. The profile draws on my auto-ethnographic encounters with the movement in Transition Nottingham and at the recent Transition Network Conference 2010, whilst also being grounded in the material made publically available on the Transition Network and Transition Culture websites (see Transition Network, 2010b and Transition Culture, 2010a)
The Tone of Life on Social Networking Sites
Presents survey findings about American adults' views of the social and emotional climate of social networking sites, including experiences of kind or unkind behavior, those that boosted or ended a friendship, and reactions to problems
Baseline Assessment: Alaska's Capacity and Infrastructure for Prescription Opioid Misuse Prevention
The State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Behavioral Health (DBH)
was awarded the Partnerships for Success (PFS) grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAHMSA) in 2015. DBH contracted with the Center for Behavioral Health
Research and Services (CBHRS) at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) to conduct a comprehensive
project evaluation. As part of the evaluation, CBHRS performed a baseline assessment of the stateās
capacity and infrastructure related to prescription opioid misuse prevention.
Researchers conducted interviews with key stakeholders representing state government, healthcare
agencies, law enforcement, substance abuse research, and service agencies. Interviews were semistructured,
with questions addressing five domains of interest: (1) state climate and prevention efforts;
(2) partnerships and coordinated efforts; (3) policies, practices, and laws; (4) data and data monitoring;
and (5) knowledge and readiness. Thirteen interviews were conducted and analyzed using a qualitative
template analysis technique combined with a SWOT analysis (i.e. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats). Emergent themes are displayed in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Emergent themes from SWOT analysis
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
(1) New and revised
policies and
guidelines
(2) Activities and
partnerships
between state
agencies and
communities
(3) Knowledge and
awareness of state
leadership
(1) State policy
limitations
(2) Insufficient detox,
treatment, and
recovery support
resources
(3) Lack of full
coordination within
state agencies and
with communities
(1) Education enrichment
(2) Policy improvements
(3) Expansion of
treatment, recovery,
and mental health
support
(1) State fiscal crisis
(2) Prescribing practices
(3) Complexity and
stigma of addiction
(4) Legislative support
Despite limitations in sample representativeness and interview timing, participants agreed that
agencies, communities, and organizations across Alaska have demonstrated great concern about the
opioid epidemic and that this concern has translated into considerable efforts to address and prevent
opioid misuse. Participants also noted a variety of opportunities as targets for future work, many of
which would address some of the current weaknesses that exist. Results yielded clear recommendations
for increasing awareness and providing education to a variety of groups, further improving relevant
policies to promote prevention, and expanding services for prevention and treatment.State of Alaska, Division of Behavioral Health
Grant #SP020783Executive Summary / Introduction / Methodology / Results / Discussion / Reference
New perspectives - approaches to medical education at four new UK Medical Schools
To create more UK doctors, the government has funded an increase in medical student numbers of 57% (from 3749 to 5894)1 between 1998 and 2005. This has been done by increasing student places at existing medical schools; creating shortened programmes open to science graduates; ātwinningā arrangements, which host an existing curriculum at a new site; and four entirely new schools (table 1). Through reflection on our experiences and the literature evidence, we examine to what extent these new schools have a common vision and approach to undergraduate medical education, and we discuss the rationale for and likely outcomes of these new ventures
Phase Lags in the Optical-Infrared Light Curves of AGB Stars
To search for phase lags in the optical-infrared light curves of asymptotic
giant branch stars, we have compared infrared data from the COBE DIRBE
satellite with optical light curves from the AAVSO and other sources. We found
17 examples of phase lags in the time of maximum in the infrared vs. that in
the optical, and 4 stars with no observed lags. There is a clear difference
between the Mira variables and the semi-regulars in the sample, with the
maximum in the optical preceding that in the near-infrared in the Miras, while
in most of the semi-regulars no lags are observed. Comparison to published
theoretical models indicates that the phase lags in the Miras are due to strong
titanium oxide absorption in the visual at stellar maximum, and suggests that
Miras pulsate in the fundamental mode, while at least some semi-regulars are
first overtone pulsators. There is a clear optical-near-infrared phase lag in
the carbon-rich Mira V CrB; this is likely due to C2 and CN absorption
variations in the optical.Comment: AJ, in pres
Racial Injustice in Writing Instruction
In Spring 2018, I took āThe Teaching of Writingā and during that course, we discussed student identity in regards to the way students experience writing instruction. For my research, I choose to focus on racial identities with students and educators. From personal experience, I didnāt feel as if my writing, as a white female, was under the same scrutiny as the minority classmates I had. There were certain assumptions that educators had pertaining to their studentsā writings because of their race. I began to research why exactly this was and how to establish racial equality in writing instruction. In my research, I have found that white privilege and subliminal racism are being left unchecked and unaddressed in the instruction of writing. The main claim in my research is that the current practiced writing pedagogies, the āAnti-racistā and the āDiversityā approach are not effective in eliminating educational racism. I am pushing back on the way the education system handles the ideologies educators have regarding their own and their studentsā racial identities. These disregarded racial identities are promoting an exclusive environment in writing instruction, thus creating an othering effect that results in studentsā devaluting their personal voice and not pursuing writing further. Writing pedagogies have to strive to combat the institutionalized racism thatās present within the writing classroom. An educator must acknowledge their own racial identity and any internal racism they may have in order to actively fight for racial equality for their students. The approach that Iāve adapted to aid the systematic injustice is a multidimensional pedagogy that continuously evolves to accommodate studentsā racial identity. It allows room for change and allows students to receive a personalized education with writing and in return cultivate students who not only value their voice but their racial identity
Social Media Networking Strategies for the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response (YNH-CEPDR)/ Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions (YNHHS-CHS)
This paper investigates the uses and gratification of social media for both personal and organizational usage among employees at the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response/Center for Healthcare Solutions in New Haven, Connecticut. The purpose of this thesis is to assess and evaluate the relationship between YNH-CEPDR/CHS\u27 usage of social media tools and the organization\u27s employees\u27 personal attitudes, beliefs and usage of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Employees of CEPDR/CHS were surveyed regarding the function of social media for emergency management communication and the promotion of products and services. Results suggest that while employees generally agree that social media is a valuable tool for both personal use and professional purposes, there is no current social media strategy being employed by the organization. Future research should investigate and measure the effects of specific social media strategies employed by emergency preparedness and disaster response organizations
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