Stochastic master surgery scheduling

The aim of the Master Surgery Scheduling Problem (MSSP) is to schedule the medical specialties to the different operating rooms available, such that surgeries may be performed efficiently. We consider a MSSP where elective and emergency patients can be treated in the same operating rooms. In addition to elective-dedicated operating room slots, flexible operating room slots are introduced to handle the fluctuating demand of emergency patients. To solve the MSSP, we propose a simulation-optimization approach consisting of a two-stage stochastic optimization model and a discrete-event simulation model. For the two-stage stochastic optimization model, uncertain arrivals of emergency patients are represented by discrete scenarios. The discrete-event simulation model is developed to address uncertainty related to the surgery duration and the length of stay at the hospital, and to test the Master Surgery Schedule (MSS) developed by the optimization model in a stochastic operational-level environment. In addition, the simulation model is used to generate scenarios for the optimization model. We present some general advice for surgery scheduling based on testing the optimization model in a numerical study. The simulation-optimization approach is applied to a case study from a hospital department that treats both elective and emergency patients. The optimized MSS outperforms the manually generated MSS, both in terms of emergency waiting time for surgery, and emergency interruptions to the flow of electives.acceptedVersio

Effekten av kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling på smerte hos pasienter med langvarige, uspesifikke korsryggsmerter: en kvantitativ litteraturstudie

Sammendrag Tema: Kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling for langvarige, uspesifikke korsryggsmerter. Hensikt: Å vurdere effekten av kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling på smerte hos pasienter med langvarige, uspesifikke korsryggsmerter. Problemstilling: “Hva er effekten av kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling på smerte hos pasienter med langvarige, uspesifikke korsryggsmerter?” Metode: En kvantitativ litteraturstudie ble gjennomført ved systematisk søk i tre databaser: PEDro, MEDLINE (OVID) og CINAHL (EBSCO). De systematiske søkene ga 154 treff, der tre randomiserte kontrollerte studier ble inkludert etter gjennomgang av inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriterier. Det ble benyttet sjekkliste fra Helsebiblioteket for å vurdere studienes metodiske kvalitet (1). Resultater: En studie viste statistisk signifikant forskjell der gruppen som mottok kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling, opplevde større reduksjon av smerteintensitet. Konklusjon: Kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling viste ikke en bedre effekt på smerte enn intervensjonene den ble sammenlignet med. De inkluderte studiene ga ikke tilstrekkelig data på hva effekten av kognitiv funksjonsrettet behandling var på smerte til å besvare problemstillingen. På bakgrunn av dette bør problemstillingen utdypes med mer forskning.Abstract Theme: Cognitive functional therapy for chronic non-specific low back pain. Aim: To assess the effect of cognitive functional therapy on pain for patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. Research question: “What is the effect of cognitive functional therapy on pain for patients with chronic non-specific low back pain?” Method: A quantitative literature study was conducted after a systematic search in three databases: PEDro, MEDLINE (OVID) and CINAHL (EBSCO). The systematic searches resulted in 154 articles. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, three randomized controlled trials were included in the literature study. The studies were assessed for their methodological quality with the help of the critical appraisal checklist (1). Results: One study found a statistically significant difference, where the group receiving cognitive functional therapy experienced a superior reduction in pain intensity. Conclusion: Cognitive functional therapy did not show a superior effect on pain reduction than the interventions it was compared to. The studies included were insufficient to display what the effect of cognitive functional therapy is on pain. Due to this, the research question should be elaborated on with more research to be answered

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo

Hvordan sikre samfunnsminnet i en digital tid? Tillit og teknologi i frivillig virksomhet

Organisasjonsarkiver, som for eksempel fra politiske partier, er sentrale kilder til samfunnshukommelse og historie- forståelse. Overgangen mellom analoge og digitale arkiv har vist seg å være utfordrende. Hva har endret seg med denne overgangen? Har endringen påvirket aktørene i avleveringsprosessen? Artikkelen tar utgangspunkt i en undersøkelse utført av Arbeiderbevegelsens arkiv og bibliotek, Museene i Akershus og Norsk industriarbeider- museum. Den tar for seg den digitale arkivdanningen i politiske partier på venstresiden. Arkivdanning og arkivav- levering forutsetter en samhandlingsprosess mellom mange aktører der tillit er en forutsetning. Artikkelen ser på hvordan tillitsdimensjonene kontroll, kunnskap, usikkerhet, sårbarhet og pålitelighet kan gi arkivarer og arkivdepotinstitusjoner viktig forståelse av digitalt skapt arkiv. Det gjelder på mikroplan mellom mennesker internt i arkivdanningen og mellom giver og arkivar, og på makroplan der systemtillit kommer frem i organisasjoner og i arkivdepotinstitusjoner. Økt kompetanse på arkivdanning i en frivillig organisasjon vil gjøre arkivarene og arkivde- potinstitusjonene bedre i stand til å bistå med teknologiske hjelpemidler og systemer, men også til å bygge tillit mel- lom aktørene. Analysen viser behov for veiledning av arkivskapere/-givere og synliggjøring av arkivarens kompe- tanse.publishedVersio

Rennestein: film noir i moderne tid

Skriftlig del av bacheloroppgave i DIGME, 2013Vi har laget vår egenproduserte film noir til den praktiske delen av Bacheloroppgaven. Denne filmen vil bli dratt inn som eksempel i løpet av oppgaven. Mesteparten av denne skriftlige oppgaven handler om film noir, og hvordan den har forandret seg frem til moderne tid. Vi vil se på disse tendensene ved å gå gjennom dens historie, og også trekke paralleller til vår egenproduserte film. I denne oppgaven vil det bli gått igjennom begreper som sjanger, stil, film noir, neo noir, og film noirens mise-en-scène. Det vil også bli forklart hvilken metode vi har tatt i bruk for å komme frem til våres konklusjon. Til slutt i oppgaven vil vi drøfte om vår egenproduserte film kan karakteriseres som en moderne film noir, og om den inneholder alle de kriteriene denne stilarten krever

Mechanical Design of the LSST Camera

The LSST camera is a tightly packaged, hermetically-sealed system that is cantilevered into the main beam of the LSST telescope. It is comprised of three refractive lenses, on-board storage for five large filters, a high-precision shutter, and a cryostat that houses the 3.2 giga-pixel CCD focal plane along with its support electronics. The physically large optics and focal plane demand large structural elements to support them, but the overall size of the camera and its components must be minimized to reduce impact on the image stability. Also, focal plane and optics motions must be minimized to reduce systematic errors in image reconstruction. Design and analysis for the camera body and cryostat will be detailed

Design of the button beam position monitor for PEP-II

The beam position monitor (BPM) was designed to provide a robust UHV feedthru and a reliable electromagnetic sensor. Stringent resolution requirements at low beam currents, bunch parameters, along with mechanical and chamber requirements produced challenges in the electrical, thermal, and structural design of the BPM`s. Numerical modeling and experimental analyses were used to optimize the design. The higher order modes (HOM`s) and beam impedance were modeled using MAFIA. Measurements agreed with the calculated 1 {Omega} transfer impedance at the 952 MHz signal processing frequency, and the first two HOM`s found in MAFIA. Tests and analysis both showed the button signal power approaching 40 W. Temperature and stress distributions were analyzed using this power loading with ANSYS. An electronic grade CuNi was selected for the BPM to reliably weld into the copper chambers. Pin seal and compressive joints were considered for the insulator vacuum seals. Both glassy ceramic-to-metal and ceramic-to-metal seals were evaluated

The LSST Camera Overview

The LSST camera is a wide-field optical (0.35-1um) imager designed to provide a 3.5 degree FOV with better than 0.2 arcsecond sampling. The detector format will be a circular mosaic providing approximately 3.2 Gigapixels per image. The camera includes a filter mechanism and, shuttering capability. It is positioned in the middle of the telescope where cross-sectional area is constrained by optical vignetting and heat dissipation must be controlled to limit thermal gradients in the optical beam. The fast, f/1.2 beam will require tight tolerances on the focal plane mechanical assembly. The focal plane array operates at a temperature of approximately -100 C to achieve desired detector performance. The focal plane array is contained within an evacuated cryostat, which incorporates detector front-end electronics and thermal control. The cryostat lens serves as an entrance window and vacuum seal for the cryostat. Similarly, the camera body lens serves as an entrance window and gas seal for the camera housing, which is filled with a suitable gas to provide the operating environment for the shutter and filter change mechanisms. The filter carousel can accommodate 5 filters, each 75 cm in diameter, for rapid exchange without external intervention

Do national resources have to be centrally managed? Vested interests and institutional reform in Norwegian fisheries governance

Corporatism -with its privileged access, restricted participation and centralized structures - has a long history in Norwegian fisheries governance. Co-management – understood as a decentralized, bottom-up and more inclusive form of fisheries governance - has not been considered a relevant alternative.. Why does corporatism still prevail in a context where stakeholder status in fisheries governance globally – both in principle and practice - has been awarded environmental organizations, municipal authorities and even consumer advocacy groups? Why then have alternatives to the corporatist system of centralized consultation and state governance never been seriously considered in Norway, in spite of the growing emphasis on fish as a public resource and fisheries management as human intervention in geographically confined and complex ecosystems? We suggest that thismay have to do with the fundamental assumptions behind Norwegian fisheries governance that since fish is a national resource, it must be centrally managed. We argue that this is an assumption that may be contested