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Purpose To propose a method of optimizing intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plans robust against dosimetric degradation caused by random anatomic variations during treatment. Methods and Materials Fifteen patients with prostate cancer treated with IMPT to the pelvic targets were nonrandomly selected. On the repeated quality assurance computed tomography (QACTs) for some patients, bowel density changes were observed and caused dose degradation because the treated plans were not robustly optimized (non-RO). To mitigate this effect, we developed a robust planning method based on 3 CT images, including the native planning CT and its 2 copies, with the bowel structures being assigned to air and tissue, respectively. The RO settings included 5 mm setup uncertainty and 3.5% range uncertainty on 3 CTs. This method is called pseudomultiple-CT RO (pMCT-RO). Plans were also generated using RO on the native CT only, with the same setup and range uncertainties. This method is referred to as single-CT RO (SCT-RO). Doses on the QACTs and the nominal planning CT were compared for the 3 planning methods. Results All 3 plan methods provided sufficient clinical target volumes D95% and V95% on the QACTs. For pMCT-RO plans, the normal tissue Dmax on QACTs of all patients was at maximum 109.1%, compared with 144.4% and 116.9% for non-RO and SCT-RO plans, respectively. On the nominal plans, the rectum and bladder doses were similar among all 3 plans; however, the volume of normal tissue (excluding the rectum and bladder) receiving the prescription dose or higher is substantially reduced in either pMCT-RO plans or SCT-RO plans, compared with the non-RO plans. Conclusions We developed a robust optimization method to further mitigate undesired dose heterogeneity caused by random anatomic changes in pelvic IMPT treatment. This method does not require additional patient CT scans. The pMCT-RO planning method has been implemented clinically since 2017 in our center.

Latest standards for transmission system planning require investigation of the performance during the simulta neous loss of two elements and an assessment of the risk of cascading outages. Consequently, transmission system expansion must also be supported by in-depth security analyses. In this study, we propose a risk-informed transmission expansion planning method. At the core of the method is an AC based cascading failure model that simulates the power system responses after contingencies. The method aims to provide an optimal expansion plan striking the balance between the cost of expansion and the risk of systemic failures. Addressing this chal lenge requires a simulation based multi-objective optimization, which we tackle using a meta-heuristic algo rithm. The tool developed for transmission expansion planning is applied to the IEEE 118-bus system and compared with state-of-the-art transmission expansion approaches. Remarkably, the proposed TEP procedure produces solutions that improve system security at comparable expansion costs., Electric Power Systems Research, 204, ISSN:0378-7796, ISSN:1873-2046

The use of retired batteries from electric vehicles as a second-life battery energy storage system has been recognized as a way to break the high investment cost limitation of battery energy storage systems with the associated cost reduction of a park-level integrated energy system. The battery degradation and replacements should be further considered in the planning period, especially compared with new battery energy storage systems. Additionally, there is a lack of discussion on utilizing thermal energy storage systems in coordination with second-life battery to reduce degradation. For this reason, an electric/thermal hybrid energy storage system planning method for park-level integrated energy systems with second-life battery utilization is proposed. A cumulative battery life loss calculation model is developed. A bi-level optimal planning model of electric/thermal hybrid energy storage system using second-life batteries, including an upper-level planning model and a lower-level operating model, is proposed. At the upper level, to maximize the net present value during the planning stage, the capacity of the hybrid energy storage system as well as when the second-life battery energy storage system needs to be replaced are optimized. At the lower level, the operation schemes are optimized to obtain the minimum annual operating cost, which are fed back to the upper level. The proposed method considers continuous capacity degradation of second-life batteries and mutually beneficial relationships between thermal energy storage and second-life batteries. Finally, a case study demonstrates the economic effectiveness and battery service life improvement of the proposed planning method.

The Blade Integrated Disk (Blisk) is one of the key components in the aero-engine, it is generally manufactured by the multi-axis milling and almost 90% raw materials are removed. To avoid the full immersion of a cutter in the rough machining of a blisk channel, the trochoidal milling is a promising strategy since it can keep a small immersion angle in the rough milling process while maintaining the high machining efficiency. However, while toolpaths are being planned for the trochoidal milling process, the conventional methods are mainly for the planar machining area with fixed tool orientations, which cannot be used for complex channels where the multi-axis machining should be employed. To this end, this paper presents a four-axis trochoidal toolpath planning method with a ball-end cutter, and thus the blisk channel can be machined efficiently. For this to happen, the trochoidal paths are planned in the parametric domain and then mapped into the physical domain, with tool orientations controlled by the quaternion interpolation method to have smooth tool movement along the toolpaths. Both geometric simulation and physical milling experiments of the proposed method have convincingly demonstrated the validation of the proposed method. Keywords: Aero-engine, Blisk, Machining, Toolpath planning, Trochoidal milling

Background and purpose\ud \ud Current automated planning methods do not allow for the intuitive exploration of clinical trade-offs during calibration. Recently a novel automated planning solution, which is calibrated using Pareto navigation principles, has been developed to address this issue. The purpose of this work was to clinically validate the solution for prostate cancer patients with and without elective nodal irradiation.\ud \ud \ud Materials and methods\ud \ud For 40 randomly selected patients (20 prostate and seminal vesicles (PSV) and 20 prostate and pelvic nodes (PPN)) automatically generated volumetric modulated arc therapy plans (VMATAuto) were compared against plans created by expert dosimetrists under clinical conditions (VMATClinical) and no time pressures (VMATIdeal). Plans were compared through quantitative comparison of dosimetric parameters and blind review by an oncologist.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud Upon blind review 39/40 and 33/40 VMATAuto plans were considered preferable or equal to VMATClinical and VMATIdeal respectively, with all deemed clinically acceptable. Dosimetrically, VMATAuto, VMATClinical and VMATIdeal were similar, with observed differences generally of low clinical significance. Compared to VMATClinical, VMATAuto reduced hands-on planning time by 94% and 79% for PSV and PPN respectively. Total planning time was significantly reduced from 22.2 mins to 14.0 mins for PSV, with no significant reduction observed for PPN.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud \ud A novel automated planning solution has been evaluated, whose Pareto navigation based calibration enabled clinical decision-making on trade-off balancing to be intuitively incorporated into automated protocols. It was successfully applied to two sites of differing complexity and robustly generated high quality plans in an efficient manner.

We need the transmission network to be a backbone that provides support to increasing amounts of renewables, and to endure the long-distance cross-border flows that will be the basis for the future regional markets. For this, it is imperative to use all the means at our disposal, new technologies, as well as smart planning methods. We need better transmission networks for a smarter global system. This chapter presents the main drivers for transmission and the technologies that will be the most relevant for the improvement of transmission grids. Then, it presents a general formulation of the problem that can be adapted to most problem instances. It follows with the key modeling choices for transmission expansion planning, as well as the most relevant solution techniques. It concludes with an illustrative case study that demonstrates how optimization can currently tackle large-scale transmission expansion planning.

Production schedules that provide optimal operating strategies while meeting practical, technical, and environmental constraints are an inseparable part of mining operations. Relying only on manual planning methods or computer software based on heuristic algorithms will lead to mine schedules that are not the optimal global solution. Mathematical mine planning models have been proved to be very effective in supporting decisions on sequencing the extraction of material in mines. The objective of this paper is to develop a practical optimization framework for caving operations’ production scheduling. To overcome the size problem of mathematical programming models and to generate a robust practical near-optimal schedule, a multi-step method for long-term production scheduling of block caving is presented. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation is used for each step. The formulations are developed, implemented, and verified in the TOMLAB/CPLEX environment. The production scheduler aims to maximize the net present value of the mining operation while the mine planner has control over defined constraints. Application and comparison of the models for production scheduling using 298 drawpoints over 15 periods are presented. Keywords: Block caving, Aggregation, Production scheduling, MILP, CPLEX

This chapter first analyzes planning methods of library collections vis-a-vis those of a supply chain. It then further introduces the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model to library professionals, as a prerequisite to further develop the Collection Supply Chain strategies, processes, and metrics in later chapters, particularly those of the Plan process herein. The chapter recommends several new collection planning approaches. Collection Segmentation differentiates collection needs based on necessity, usage, and uniqueness; modes of Access determine service locations. Finally, the chapter suggests Plan activities and their measures for collections. The goal of the chapter is to leverage supply chain principles for collection planning to achieve a higher return on values from collection budgets, labor, and other resources.

In this chapter, the authors explain that most companies have done very little—if anything at all—to develop information governance policies to protect their business. While most understand the importance of information governance, few have taken the necessary steps to ensure implementation. If an organization is going to have a comprehensive and successful information governance plan, the first step will be to establish a committee to oversee the development and implementation of these policies. The persons on this committee, along with the person appointed to be in charge, will be critical to the outcome and the polices that are developed.

The collection, analysis, and dissemination of the information needed to improve public and private decision making is one of the major justifications for urban planning. As a result, planning methods and technologies have played a central role in planning practice and education since the profession's inception over 100 years ago. This article reviews the evolution of planning methods and techniques, considers the most important technologies used in contemporary planning practice, and speculates on the future of planning methods and technologies.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is the foremost of the technical innovations in radiation oncology that have evolved in the decades bracketing the beginning of the twenty-first century. Arguably, IMRT has fundamentally changed the medical interventions for the management of cancer using ionizing radiation. This chapter surveys the foundations of the technology: computerized inverse treatment planning and computer-controlled delivery using multileaf collimators (MLC). Major issues of computerized inverse planning are reviewed, such as the formulation of IMRT as a mathematical optimization problem, the choice of objective functions, optimization algorithms, direct aperture optimization, and multicriteria planning methods. An overview is provided of the technology used for treatment delivery with medical linear accelerators equipped with MLCs. The mathematics of the step-and-shoot and dynamic leaf sequence composition are explored as well as practical dosimetry issues and examples of treatments.

A magnetic resonance imaging system is described for (MRi) navigation of microrobots for targeted therapy in cardiovascular systems. the software architecture of the robotic platform is presented, the MRi constraints are discussed, and a linear model of the microrobotic system is examined for navigating in vessels. A navigation path planning method is presented, which has ferromagnetic imaging recognition, and ferromagnetic tracking. Microrobot control is discussed and multiple simulation results are presented.

[EN] Rapid transit construction projects are major endeavours that require long-term planning by several players, including politicians, urban planners, engineers, management consultants, and citizen groups. Traditionally, operations research methods have not played a major role at the planning level but several tools developed in recent years can assist the decision process and help produce tentative network designs that can be submitted to the planners for further evaluation. This article reviews some indices for the quality of a rapid transit network, as well as mathematical models and heuristics that can be used to design networks. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd., This research was partly funded by the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council under grant no. 39682-10, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under grant no. MTM 2009-14243 and the Junta de Andalucía, Spain, under grant no. P09-TEP-5022. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Fig. 10 was kindly provided by Giuseppe Bruno. Thanks are due to a referee who provided several valuable comments on an earlier version of this paper.

This paper provides a systematized overview of patterns in the scenario planning literature published in the last decades. Recently, scenario planning has enjoyed a revival, apparent in the 'boom' in published research on the matter. Consequently, a major issue that needs to be addressed is how to organize the literature along precise lines. A number of reviews that describe the current status of the body of literature and knowledge on scenario planning have made attempts to respond to such requirements. These studies agree that systematizing the existing literature is a necessary step in developing the field. This paper aims to contribute to this purpose. The review of the academic literature here conducted is thought to be useful for both academics and practitioners. For researchers, this systematic overview will be constructive not only in providing an analysis of the directions of published research but also in setting up a research agenda for the future. For managers and practitioners, it provides a clear outline of firm-related articles and discusses their contribution from a managerial point of view. It also raises awareness with regard to future analytical methods, and in particular, to scenario planning and its potential contribution to the competitiveness of firms. The research was carried out under the research Project Enterprise of the Future of the University of Aveiro. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. Instituto de Investigação from University of Aveiro for the Project Enterprise of the Future

The oil supply chain is a complex system demanding for efficient management tools. The most common approach is to consider manageable chain subsystems where advanced scheduling and planning methods can bring major process improvements. This is the case of multiproduct pipelines that appeared has challenging equipments for new optimization tools. This paper addresses the multiproduct pipeline scheduling, and inventory management at destination, through a mathematical model where the development of an economical objective function was made. The proposed approach is implemented using the Portuguese case study of CLC - Companhia Logistica de Combustiveis.

A planning method for knotting/unknotting manipulation of deformable linear objects is proposed. Firstly, topological states of a linear object are represented as finite sequence of crossings and two attributes of each crossing. Secondly, transitions among the topological states are defined. Then, we can generate possible sequences of crossing state transitions, that is, possible manipulation processes from the initial state to the objective state. Thirdly, a method for determination of grasping points and their moving direction is proposed to realize derived manipulation processes. Finally, criteria for evaluation of manipulation plans are introduced to reduce the candidates of manipulation plans.

This chapter discusses the type of planning and optimization methods that enable a planner to determine which types of radio frequency propagation models are best suited to different and challenging environments. The chapter also elucidates the fundamental aspect of third-generation (3G) planning, which is represented by the Monte Carlo simulations and the various parameters required for it. It also illustrates the importance of mapping data and test measurements for calibration purposes. Static analysis (calculations), dynamic simulations, and static simulations are three types of planning methods for 3G. Various propagation models are discussed that enable the planner to select the required model for the specific environment to be planned.

A large enterprise may consist of many factories with decision-making authority. The traditional centralized planning method is usually inefficient for this kind of enterprise. A distributed coordination algorithm based on internal-prices is presented in this paper. Within this algorithm, only the factory production planning model needs to be set up, which can be solved by its local information. Through updating the internal-prices in the coordination center, a near optimal solution of the multi-factory production planning is achieved. Numerical testing results show that the internal-prices converge.

Technology simply moves ahead based on dreams of creating better ways to do mundane tasks. Enterprise complexity and economic impact of applying available technology require understanding of the environment, analysis of the business needs, and taking the right steps to adopt the right technologies. Things do not always work out perfectly, regardless of the planning methods. Currently, the possible combinations of technologies seem endless, and this will only expand geometrically, as creative uses for technologies are refined. As enterprises move down the path toward increased technology applications and refinements, it is necessary to pay close attention to not only to the availability of the things stated, but also the way to fit it into the environment. The Information Technology (IT) decisions made today will affect the operational approach and position of the enterprise in the competitive marketplace. While moving forward, individuals and IT managers are increasingly looking for technical solutions that streamline operations and ensure the access needed to work within a technical world.

For establishment of customer-oriented production system in ventilator business,we have introduced CIM system at Iida Factory(a branch of Nakatsugawa Works). Our concept is to approach customers by linking production and sales. To realize CIM systematization,we carried out the following approaches. 1 change of production method → introduction of small-batch multi-cycle production and changeable volume production 2 improvement of production planning method → adoption of a step by step planning method to improve accuracy on production planning 3 reconstruction of computer aided production planning and control systems 4 improvement of line capacity which contains shortening of set-up time This paper presents the structure of our customer-oriented CIM system,by which we have achieved reduction of manufacturing lead time,reduction of final product inventory, and improvement of prompt delivery ratio.

A human motion planning method called posture planning is described that addresses how an agent controls and coordinates body parts to achieve a given task in the Cartesian task space.

A fruitful formulation of many different aspects of robot planning uses an analogic approach based on the simulation of vector fields instead of the classical methods of symbolic AI. We used force fields, among other things, for the inverse kinematics of redundant robots, for the avoidance of obstacles and joint limits, and for the representation of flexible objects. A natural formulation of these concepts in neural terms is obtained by means of generalised Hopfield networks whose units correspond to physical entities such as parts of the manipulator or of the environments and the connections among them propagate interaction forces and mutual displacements. An implementation with the Rochester connectionist simulator is shown.

This paper presents the basic results and ideas of dynamic programming as they relate most directly to the concerns of planning in AI. These form the theoretical basis for the incremental planning methods used in the integrated architecture Dyna. These incremental planning methods are based on continually updating an evaluation function and the situation-action mapping of a reactive system. Actions are generated by the reactive system and thus involve minimal delay, while the incremental planning process guarantees that the actions and evaluation function will eventually be optimal—no matter how extensive a search is required. These methods are well suited to stochastic tasks and to tasks in which a complete and accurate model is not available. For tasks too large to implement the situation-action mapping as a table, supervised-learning methods must be used, and their capabilities remain a significant limitation of the approach.

The diffusion of technology in medicine and skyrocketing of hospital costs have complicated the tasks of hospital administrations in the selection and purchase of sophisticated patient monitoring systems. This thesis, as a result of a one year clinical internship at the OSU hospitals and close observation of the acquisition of their computer based monitoring system, reviews the existing planning methods, criteria and guidelines for a cardiac care unit's monitoring system. Based on these, this thesis develops a comprehensive technical assistance document to aid decision makers such as clinical biomedical engineers, cardiologists and administrators to formulate their plans and review applications for cardiac care intensive services. The purpose of this thesis is also to aid prospective clinical-biomedical engineering students, as it clearly demarcates the responsibilities of engineers in hospital environments and identifies the interface between him and other health professionals in processes such as selection and purchase of patient monitoring systems for cardiac care units.

Basic propositions of the methods elaborated by the author on the basis of a unique application of experiment planning methods of solving the problems of large-scale electric power systems (EPS) dynamic behaviour are treated. Their benefist are being compared to the traditional, existing approaches for obtaining well grounded and quick answers as to the practical questions connected to finding the most rational location of elements within a large-scale EPS, such as: location of the compensating facilities, generators, emergency measure facilities, etc., with the view to achieving maximum damping of low frequency fluctuations within the EPS resulting from heavy distrubances. The method has been applied and illustrated by means of the results obtained in concrete EPS studies in Bulgaria.