A Process Modelling Framework Based on Point Interval Temporal Logic with an Application to Modelling Patient Flows

This thesis considers an application of a temporal theory to describe and model the patient journey in the hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department. The aim is to introduce a generic but dynamic method applied to any setting, including healthcare. Constructing a consistent process model can be instrumental in streamlining healthcare issues. Current process modelling techniques used in healthcare such as flowcharts, unified modelling language activity diagram (UML AD), and business process modelling notation (BPMN) are intuitive and imprecise. They cannot fully capture the complexities of the types of activities and the full extent of temporal constraints to an extent where one could reason about the flows. Formal approaches such as Petri have also been reviewed to investigate their applicability to the healthcare domain to model processes. Additionally, to schedule patient flows, current modelling standards do not offer any formal mechanism, so healthcare relies on critical path method (CPM) and program evaluation review technique (PERT), that also have limitations, i.e. finish-start barrier. It is imperative to specify the temporal constraints between the start and/or end of a process, e.g., the beginning of a process A precedes the start (or end) of a process B. However, these approaches failed to provide us with a mechanism for handling these temporal situations. If provided, a formal representation can assist in effective knowledge representation and quality enhancement concerning a process. Also, it would help in uncovering complexities of a system and assist in modelling it in a consistent way which is not possible with the existing modelling techniques. The above issues are addressed in this thesis by proposing a framework that would provide a knowledge base to model patient flows for accurate representation based on point interval temporal logic (PITL) that treats point and interval as primitives. These objects would constitute the knowledge base for the formal description of a system. With the aid of the inference mechanism of the temporal theory presented here, exhaustive temporal constraints derived from the proposed axiomatic system’ components serves as a knowledge base. The proposed methodological framework would adopt a model-theoretic approach in which a theory is developed and considered as a model while the corresponding instance is considered as its application. Using this approach would assist in identifying core components of the system and their precise operation representing a real-life domain deemed suitable to the process modelling issues specified in this thesis. Thus, I have evaluated the modelling standards for their most-used terminologies and constructs to identify their key components. It will also assist in the generalisation of the critical terms (of process modelling standards) based on their ontology. A set of generalised terms proposed would serve as an enumeration of the theory and subsume the core modelling elements of the process modelling standards. The catalogue presents a knowledge base for the business and healthcare domains, and its components are formally defined (semantics). Furthermore, a resolution theorem-proof is used to show the structural features of the theory (model) to establish it is sound and complete. After establishing that the theory is sound and complete, the next step is to provide the instantiation of the theory. This is achieved by mapping the core components of the theory to their corresponding instances. Additionally, a formal graphical tool termed as point graph (PG) is used to visualise the cases of the proposed axiomatic system. PG facilitates in modelling, and scheduling patient flows and enables analysing existing models for possible inaccuracies and inconsistencies supported by a reasoning mechanism based on PITL. Following that, a transformation is developed to map the core modelling components of the standards into the extended PG (PG*) based on the semantics presented by the axiomatic system. A real-life case (from the King’s College hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department’s trauma patient pathway) is considered to validate the framework. It is divided into three patient flows to depict the journey of a patient with significant trauma, arriving at A&E, undergoing a procedure and subsequently discharged. Their staff relied upon the UML-AD and BPMN to model the patient flows. An evaluation of their representation is presented to show the shortfalls of the modelling standards to model patient flows. The last step is to model these patient flows using the developed approach, which is supported by enhanced reasoning and scheduling

A traffic classification method using machine learning algorithm

Applying concepts of attack investigation in IT industry, this idea has been developed to design a Traffic Classification Method using Data Mining techniques at the intersection of Machine Learning Algorithm, Which will classify the normal and malicious traffic. This classification will help to learn about the unknown attacks faced by IT industry. The notion of traffic classification is not a new concept; plenty of work has been done to classify the network traffic for heterogeneous application nowadays. Existing techniques such as (payload based, port based and statistical based) have their own pros and cons which will be discussed in this literature later, but classification using Machine Learning techniques is still an open field to explore and has provided very promising results up till now

WTO’s Trade Liberalisation, Agricultural Growth, and Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan

Pakistan is an agrarian based developing country, and like many other developing countries, its agriculture sector is subjected to domestic forces of demand and supply and changes in prices at international level, as well. More specifically, in the late 1990s, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) emerged as one the major players affecting such market changes more vigorously at international arena. The WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture, which was established as a result of the 1986–94 Uraguay Round talks, requires, for both developed and developing countries, to initiate a process of reforms in their agrarian economies with the objective of establishing a fair and market oriented agricultural trading system through multilateral trade negotiations. This Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) specifically asks for major reductions in export subsidies, domestic support and import barriers on agricultural products to achieve this objective, the WTO’s Agreement of Agriculture [WTO (2001)] had set the following quantitative targets for cuts in each of the three specified area, namely import tariffs, domestic supports and export subsidies.

Gender-Based Violence: The Role of Guatemala’s Government in the Rate of Violence Against Women (2018)

This paper analyzes the role of the Guatemalan government in reducing the rates of violence against women and argues for the implementation and enforcement of prevention strategies by the government. Guatemala has some of the highest rates of femicide and general violence against women worldwide. As a result, the government has been heavily criticized both within Guatemala and internationally with regard to its efforts towards eliminating this issue. The United Nations states that “States have clear obligations under international law to enact, implement and monitor legislation addressing all forms of violence against women” (United Nations, 2010), and therefore the government of Guatemala has the responsibility of providing support and solutions for its female citizens. Government efforts have been prioritizing the creation of legislation and support programs to aid women after violence has already taken place. However, there is a need for the prevention of violence against women to be emphasized from the government, as this is what will educate society on the value of women and prevent further cases of violence against women from occurring in the first place

Statistical Analysis of Birth Control Counseling Recipients

Objectives: Birth control counseling and management are incredibly important for women’s health. However, women often report that they do not receive adequate birth control counseling. This study characterized demographic factors associated with receiving birth control counseling. Methods: The population for this study included women aged 18–50 in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2018, a nationally representative database. The predictors analyzed in this study were age, race, insurance status, and poverty status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the effect of these predictors on receiving birth control counseling in the last 12 months. Results: The study population included 5054 women aged 18–50, with 1175 women receiving recent birth control counseling. Factors associated with reduced odds of receiving birth control counseling were increased age (OR: 0.94 [95% CI: 0.93, 0.95], p \u3c 0.001), Black race (OR: 0.71 [95% CI: 0.55, 0.92], p = 0.010), Asian/Pacific American race (OR: 0.40 [95% CI: 0.28, 0.57], p \u3c 0.001), and being uninsured (OR: 0.40 [95% CI: 0.29, 0.58], p \u3c 0.001). High income status was associated with increased odds of receiving birth control (OR: 1.48 [95% CI: 1.12, 1.95], p = 0.007). Conclusions: Demographic factors were found to be significantly associated with rates of recent birth control counseling. This study may suggest that healthcare providers should ensure that they provide high-quality birth control counseling to interested women who are older, Black, Asian/Pacific American, or uninsured. This study may also suggest that these populations are less likely to seek birth control counseling

Grieving Climate Change: A Psychological and Personal Exploration of Emotionally Processing the Climate Crisis

The psychological concept of grief, although not typically associated with climate change, has strong applications to the emotional processing of climate change for human beings. Grief can be related to climate change in many ways, including the grief that individuals may feel over the anticipated loss of their future, losses that may be experienced due to climate-related disasters, and grief for the overall implications of anthropogenic climate change. A mixture of traditional literature analysis and creative nonfiction essays, which focus on personal narratives from interviews and the author’s experience, are used to outline the ways in which the psychology of climate grief can intersect with the many facets of life. Specific types of grief, expert analyses, and personal stories demonstrate the various manifestations of climate grief. Creative essays, an outline and analysis of climate-aware therapy, and an explanation of the relevance of mourning rituals across various cultures provide insight in how to manage climate grief. The personal narratives feature the perspectives of Professors in the Environmental Analysis and Environmental Science fields at the Claremont Colleges, as well as several students studying Environmental Analysis at Pitzer College. This project provides a foundation that describes the importance of climate grief, but it also uses creative nonfiction writing as a tool to connect with the readers and evoke an emotional reading experience, perhaps providing some comfort and guidance to those struggling with climate grief themselves