Different Types Of Plans Research Articles

The Archetype and Shifting Morphology of Sri Lankan Mosque Architecture

Sri Lanka is home to a number of historic mosques that date back over a thousand years and were built during various eras. In an attempt to fill the knowledge gap on such topic, particularly in regard to the built context of historic mosques in Sri Lanka, this paper illustrates the plan typology of mosques and compares them with the known Muslims architectural typologies. Is the design of the historical mosques in Sri Lanka related to a particular Islamic architectural style? Was the primary inquiry driving the study? The research's goal is to examine mosque plan arrangement typologies and determine how closely these typologies resemble well-known Muslims design elements. The approach includes providing examples of well-known Islamic architectural styles from around the globe and choosing historical mosques to graphically analyze and compare with Muslims architectural styles. A typological trend in Sri Lanka's historic mosques was identified through research. The discussion in this article emphasizes the similarity between the known Muslims architectural mosque typologies and the typology of historical mosques in Sri Lanka. As a consequence, the architectural floor plan typologies of Sri Lanka's historic mosques were identified. Numerous kinds of plans, including Ottoman, Umayyad, and Mughal were found to be effective. The results of the recent study showed that Sri Lanka's ancient mosques have different types of plans. This paper will discuss the history of the development of structures and the origins of their various components.

A Comprehensive SSA Report Current Status of Cancer Control in Belize

Background: Belizeans have been severely affected by cancer, noted by the rising mortality rates. Health disparities, health inequities and issues with systemic health access are some of the pre-existing problems. One of the significant issues in small countries is often the downplay of cancer control and the lack of a cancer continuum of care through a national cancer control plan. It has been estimated that over 80% of countries have developed national cancer control plans. However, the central issue that presented a significant barrier was the successful launch of implementing the plan. There is a great need to assess and evaluate those implementation barriers to overcome this impediment. Objective: 1. To determine what critical government plans and policies are in place to gear towards the country’s specific barriers to reducing cancer incidence. An assessment of the latter was conducted. 2. To determine whether the multisectoral approach was present within Belize’s governance structure for cancer control. Methodology: With the use of 2 approaches that were complementary to each other. 1st Approach: Questionnaire-grid: ‘snap-shot’ of the government responses to cancer in Belize. 2nd Approach: EOH’S APPROACH TO STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Detailed Case Study: Policy response to cancer explored via in-depth, semi-structured interviews EOH’S approach includes: 1. An inclusive approach 2. Materiality 3. Responding Interviews were conducted with key informants from a range of backgrounds: 1. Representatives of the private sectors 2. Specialists 3. Public sectors 3rd Approach: Archival Research to identify prior and current policy documents throughout the years within the MOHW. Together these approaches were cross-linked to enable a detailed analysis of formulated policy and mechanism of assessment of what type of cancer control/surveillance is being used in the delivery of health care for cancer in Belize. In addition, to evaluate if all policies were implemented and successfully launched. This will help to avoid redundancies in cancer control planning and to accelerate the process of launching respective cancer control mechanisms in Belize. Results: This article finds that twenty different types of plans and policies were found in efforts to contribute toward NCD control. Nevertheless, very few policies directly target cancer mortality and morbidity in Belize. There seem to have been issued in implementing these policies(failure to launch successfully) and some procedures that were not explicitly addressing the root issues of the prevalence of cancer. No cancer surveillance system was activated to measure the progress of all Belizeans with cancer. Thus, this is because no national cancer registry was functionally started to capture the various modalities, variables and risk factors of cancer. Conclusion: This stakeholder and situational analysis highlight the disparities in Belize’s healthcare system that disproportionately impacts Belizeans once diagnosed with cancer. This article elucidates the perspective of Belize’s national response to cancer. It highlights the deficiencies or barriers that inhibit successful cancer mitigation—recognizing a great need for cancer control mitigation in Belize through NCCP that provides a continuum of care. To address the country-specific cancer burden, reliable, evidence-based data is needed. Cancer surveillance is the most efficient way of achieving optimum cancer management in the delivery of the cancer healthcare system in Belize

Meta‐analysis of the corporate planning–organizational performance relationship: A research note

AbstractResearch SummaryDespite a plethora of studies, the moderating effects of contingency factors regarding the relationship between corporate planning (CP) and organizational performance (OP) remain open to discussion. Our meta‐analysis analyzes 183 independent study samples, 84 of which are examined for the first time. We expand on previous meta‐analyses by correcting for measurement error and dichotomization, and we use moderation analyses and meta‐analytical regressions to explain heterogeneity in these studies. We find evidence for the moderating effects of task interdependence and uncertainty avoidance as contingency factors. Unexpectedly, we identify an interaction of the measurements of OP and CP with uncertainty avoidance. Our results provide new insights into the relationship between CP and OP.Management SummaryManagers who may doubt whether planning is still fruitful in turbulent times obtain a clear answer from our study: Yes, it is. CP is definitely correlated with OP. The effect sizes are stable over time and for different types of planning. However, the effect of CP on performance depends on the organizational context. Manufacturing firms benefit more than nonmanufacturing firms, and larger firms benefit more than smaller firms. Organizations in countries with high uncertainty avoidance show larger effects in relation to those in countries with low uncertainty avoidance. Finally, organizations facing high environmental uncertainty show higher effects of CP than organizations in more stable environments. However, the identified effects are conditional on the type of measurement of performance and CP.

A Dosimetric Analysis of Modified Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Bone Marrow Sparing Radiotherapy in Cervical Cancer-An alternative Approach to Conventional VMAT

External beam radiotherapy remains the primary treatment modality in cervical cancer. Nowadays Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are increasingly being used to reduce normal tissue toxicity. The drawback of conventional VMAT is that a considerable volume of pelvic bone marrow receives a low dose. We analyzed whether there was a way to reduce the volume of the low dose regions of bone marrow, and assessed the potential benefit of conventional-4Arc (C-4Arc VMAT), and Modified-4Arc (M-4Arc VMAT) over the conventional 2 ARC VMAT. Twelve clinically proven locally advanced cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy by Conventional VMAT (RapidArc) in dual rotation mode (C-2Arc VMAT) were selected for this study.C-4Arc VMAT and M-4Arc VMAT dose plans were generated for these twelve patients and these three different types of plans were evaluated for the quality and compared dosimetrically. M-4Arc VMAT designs exhibited a greater bone marrow sparing when compared with conventional VMATs with respect to volume receiving 5Gy to 35Gy without compromising PTV dose coverage. M-4Arc VMAT plans, the bone marrow volume receiving 30 Gy (V30Gy),40Gy (V40Gy), and mean doses were lower than the C- 4 Arc plan and a similar result was observed for V50(Gy) also when comparing with the standard 2 Arc plan. In modified VMAT plans, the rectum and bladder dose volumes were lower than standard VMAT. Similarly, the bowel bag V35(Gy), V40(Gy), V50(Gy), mean doses. The right and left femoral head doses were reduced significantly when compared to conventional VMAT plans. The M-4Arc VMAT plans are better than the C-2Arc and C-4Arc VMAT plans for reducing the dose to bone marrow by limiting the MLC field width travel.

The Role of Spatial Plans Adopted at the Local Level in the Spatial Planning Systems of Central and Eastern European Countries

The article deals with the issue of spatial plans at the local level. The aims of this paper are (1) extracting the characteristics of local spatial plans that can be compared more broadly (2) identifying, on this basis, the role of spatial plans at the local level in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In achieving these aims, the authors have critically examined spatial plans and their performance, as well as the planning systems they belong to. Hence, they have investigated the types of local plans in each country, their legal features, and the layout of their content. This examination has revealed a host of problems in the workings of the CEE planning systems. The article highlights those spatial planning issues that could be the subject of more in-depth international comparisons. The study provides additional evidence that in countries where spatial plans are legislated, there are more (mutually differentiated) legal problems in their application. Such problems have been analyzed. Besides procedural problems, discrepancies between the contents of different types of plans (e.g., general plans and detailed plans) are very often a problem. The paper also proposes a novel method for detailed comparisons of selected aspects of spatial plans. It can be applied to a large number of countries and also to other aspects of spatial planning. Last but not least, the paper emphasizes the need for a detailed multi-stage consultation of each aspect to be compared.

МОДЕЛЮВАННЯ ПРОЦЕСУ КЕРОВАНОЇ ЗАРЯДКИ ЕЛЕКТРОМОБІЛІВ В УМОВАХ ОБМЕЖЕНОГО ЕЛЕКТРОПОСТАЧАННЯ

Purpose. The purpose of this research is to increase the efficiency of the charging station, which is to meet the demand of energy for charging the batteries of electric vehicles without exceeding the limits of the grid restrictions. Methodology. The model of a controlled charging system was considered to study the efficiency of charging stations with the quantitative connection of electric vehicles to the charger under conditions of power limitation. Results. The load graph during the controlled charging method does not exceed the set limit voltage and power consumption settings, but with the uncontrolled method there is an overload of 16% during peak hours. The main disadvantage of the conventional method of charging with restrictions is that EVs that have been connected to the charging slots later than other EVs, were not charged in conditions of limited power supply. The charging stations require a charging system that does not have such a disadvantage – it is necessary that almost all connected electric vehicles fill their required level of charge and meet the limitations of the network at the same time. Investigating such a system is the task of future research. Originality. Every year the number of electric vehicles in Ukraine is growing rapidly. This also determines the development of a network of charging stations, both commercial and for domestic use. According to the Rules for the use of electricity, the contract for electricity consumption specifies the allowable capacity for the household or enterprise. Violation of this limit may cause the facility to become disconnected from the power supply with additional penalties. Practical value. The solutions to the problem of charging a large number of EVs are mainly based on different types of planning and creating a profile of their charging scenarios with technical limitations. These restrictions depend on the situation of the charging station (the number of connected EVs, their charging levels, the possibility of simultaneous charging for a few EVs, and the declared charging time). The charging period convenient for the EV owner and the network load schedule may conflict. The development of a realtime charging control system should provide each EV guaranteed charging even in conditions of limited power consumption. References 13, tables 4, figures 18.

ФОРМУВАННЯ НАБОРІВ ГЕОПРОСТОРОВИХ ДАНИХ ДЛЯ ГІС УПРАВЛІННЯ ІНЖЕНЕРНИМИ КОМУНІКАЦІЯМИ АЕРОПОРТУ

In accordance with the State Target Program for Airport Development for the period up to 2023, in order to increase the efficiency of state property management and meet the needs of the state in ensuring the stable development of the aviation industry, a number of theoretical studies and practical stages of creating a subsystem for managing engineering networks. According to the tasks and measures of this program, the development of a subsystem for the management of engineering networks at the airport is a relevant and promising area. Engineering networks to ensure the smooth operation of the airport complex may include units that perform the functions of operation of utility networks of different types of planning of current and future development. This is a complex territorial and technological complex, for the optimal functioning of which requires no less complex management information system, which in turn requires laying already at the stages of developing capabilities to perform two communicative functions: the first one - to unite all airport subsystems, the second one - to coordinate relations with other airport systems, management and its divisions. The paper analyzes and summarizes publications on methods of geospatial data generation, introduction of geoinformation technologies for administrative and economic management of airports, as well as publications on information systems of branched areas of public utilities as a system of economic work of the airport, in particular, water supply and sewerage, energy and heat supply, outdoor lighting of the airport and runways, sanitation, etc. Analysis of recent research and publications showed that the prospects for the introduction of geographic information technology for administrative and economic asset management of Ukrainian airports need further research, as these issues are very important and relevant, given the rapid growth of digital society, environment and infrastructure. The main purpose of the study is to develop models for the formation of geospatial data subsystem management utilities airport, their processing and visualization, application of geographic mapping systems and the formation of conceptual approaches to the creation, operation and application of geographic information systems and technologies to solve administrative problems. The structure of the subsystem was determined and the basic sets of geospatial data of the airport were established, which include a single cartographic basis for the location of profile sets of engineering infrastructure. The formation of geospatial data sets is in accordance with the international standards ISO 19100 «Geographic Information / Geomatics», which provides the use of data in various software, access to open data, services and programs that can be easily integrated without the need for refinement and based on common standards and concepts of modern information technologies. Using the classifier of topographic information of scales 1:500 - 1:5 000, the list of names of objects of classification of subsystem of management of engineering communications of GIS, classification groups and their code designations from a class of objects 51300000 «Communications» is formed. Digital representation of objects is performed in accordance with the set of standards «Topographic Database», which allows to unify the structure and composition of digital terrain models in topographic databases for compatibility of geospatial data of different manufacturers. On the basis of the conducted research, the theoretical bases of cartographic maintenance of functioning of GIS for successful management of operational services of various types of engineering networks of a complex of the airport are developed. This is done taking into account the specifics of the object of study (airport) and the capabilities of modern GIS, the main function of which is to conduct cartographic modeling based on geoinformation analysis of geospatial and attributive data of engineering communications of an airport.

Planning-based knowing how: A unified approach

Various logical notions of know-how have been recently proposed and studied in the literature based on different types of epistemic planning in different frameworks. This paper proposes a unified logical framework to incorporate the existing and some new notions of know-how. We define the semantics of the know-how operator using a unified notion of epistemic planning with parameters of different types of plans specified by a programming language. Surprisingly, via a highly unified completeness proof, we show that all the ten intuitive notions of plans discussed in this paper lead to exactly the same know-how logic, which is proven to be decidable. We also show that over finite models, the know-how logic based on knowledge-based plans requires an extension with an axiom capturing the compositionality of the plans.In the context of epistemic planning, our axiomatization results reveal the core principles behind the very idea of epistemic planning, independent of the particular notion of plans. Moreover, since epistemic planning can be expressed by the know-how modality in our object language, we can greatly generalize the planning problems that can be solved formally by model checking various formulas in our language.

Planning for Regional Food Equity

Problem, research strategy, and findings Scholars in planning and public health have increasingly called attention to inequities in the food system. To evaluate and address these challenges, local and regional governments have developed and implemented a variety of plans over the last 2 decades. The role of regional food planning, however, remains understudied. Most assessments of plans, vis-à-vis food systems, fall short in gauging how plans address structural problems that lead to poor access to food. We used 130 indicators to conduct a comparative plan evaluation of adopted regional plans (n = 47) that address key dimensions of food equity in the United States from 2008 to 2018. Specifically, we quantitatively and qualitatively investigate how these plans address the nutritional adequacy of food; affordability and cultural preferences of food for all people; and social equity, spatial equity, and people’s agency in the food system. Findings show regional plans have a relative lack of attention to the affordability of food and social equity in the food system. Across different types of plans, sustainability plans focused on food equity to the greatest extent. Within plans, language about food equity was lacking in particular sections, namely in the vision, goals, and objectives; in the factual basis of plans; and in sections pertaining to monitoring progress toward food equity. Takeaway for practice We uncover opportunities for planners to promote food equity through strategies such as improving affordability of healthy food; supporting social equity and people’s agency in the food system through improved governance; incorporating food equity into the vision, goals, and objectives of regional plans; leveraging different types of plans to advance food equity; strengthening empirical evidence on varied dimensions of food equity; and improving the monitoring of proposed actions and outcomes.

PLANNING AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT IN MODERN CONDITIONS

The planning system as a tool for enterprise management in modern conditions has been analysed. Planning is an important function of managing any enterprise therefore success in business depends largely on the quality of planning in the organization. Without the use of a planning system, it is impossible to make the right managerial decisions, as well as to ensure their effectiveness in market conditions. In the course of the work, the relevance of the problem was identified, the publications of various authors regarding this issue were studied, different types of plans were considered. The concept and role of planning in the modern economy have been revealed, the reasons for the need for planning at the enterprise have been identified. The requirements for the planning system have been highlighted, and also the modern planning model as an effective tool for enterprise management has been presented.

Automated planning for robotic layup of composite prepreg

Hand layup is a commonly used process for making composite structures from several plies of carbon-fiber prepreg. The process involves multiple human operators manipulating and conforming layers of prepreg to a mold. The manual layup process is ergonomically challenging, tedious, and limits throughput. Moreover, different operators may perform the process differently, and hence introduce inconsistency. We have developed a multi-robot cell to automate the layup process. A human expert provides a sequence to conform to the ply and types of end-effectors to be used as input to the system. The system automatically generates trajectories for the robots that can achieve the specified layup. Using the cell requires the automated generation of different types of plans. This paper addresses two main planning problems: (a) generating plans to grasp and manipulate the ply and (b) generating feasible robot trajectories. We use a hybrid-physics based simulator coupled with a state space search to find grasp plans. The system employs a strategy that applies constraints successively in a non-linear optimization formulation to identify suitable placements of the robots around the mold so that feasible trajectories can be generated. Our system can generate plans in a computationally efficient manner, and it can handle a wide variety of complex parts. We demonstrate the automated layup by conducting physical experiments on an industry-inspired mold using the generated plans.

The Role of Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) in Medical Dosimetry Education

Medical dosimetry is an important component in training of radiation therapist, yet it is not easy for student to understand the principle of treatment planning and to be familiar with the relationship of the clinical target volume (CTV), planned target volume (PTV), and the nearby organs at risk (OARs) by just imagination. This study is conducted to evaluate whether using VERT in teaching medical dosimetry can help student to improve their learning experience. Students of cohort 2015 and 2016 were taught under TPS mode and TPS + VERT mode respectively. Direct comparison was conducted through self-evaluation survey, between two groups of students, in terms of their understanding of the concept of medical dosimetry and their level of confidence in completing different types of plans after the course. Both groups of students were able to understand the concept of medical dosimetry and able to complete 3D conformal plans after taking the course. Though, the students received TPS mode reported that they had lower level of confidence in completing the planning and required longer time for self-study and practice compared to the students who received the TPS + VERT mode. This study demonstrated that including VERT into medical dosimetry education can improve students’ learning experience, by improving their self-confidence, as well as reducing time required for their self-study and practice.

POST-GRADUATE STUDENT, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, KYIV

It is well-proven that within the framework of technological approach an innovation is examined as an universal method, as a specific set of tools of providing of optimal technological process by means of the planned administrative action. In addition, attention is accented on innovative activity as special social practice, as to the system of actions of social subjects. In this context innovative activity is examined as a complex of events on creation, acquisition, mastering and distribution of absolutely new or improved types of products, services, technologies, methods of organization of production and management. Reasonably, that the system of grant of administrative services must be examined as an object of innovative activity, then and as criteria of efficiency of organization of innovative processes in her organizationally-economic system organizationally-administrative parameters that allow to compare charges on creation of innovative case frame and an economic and social effect is got as a result of her introduction will come forward in modern terms also. Harmonization of administrative process and folds the basic having a special purpose task of forming of dataware of the innovative system of grant of administrative services, that forces tuned under a new, innovative case frame. Certainly, that the variety of tasks of planning in the dataware of the system of grant of administrative services predetermines the necessity of forming of the specialized structures of planning, that unite the different types of plans in an only complex. The types of plans differentiate after aims, object, levels, maintenance and planning periods. Realization of planned tasks requires creation of certain organizational structures, bringing in of performers, organization of them the concerted activity. It is well-proven that forming of dataware of the system of grant of administrative services must be examined as totality the determined amount of processes a few types of resources unite on the "entrance" of that, foremost, financial, organizational, human and informative, and on a "exit" a product - administrative service is created for a citizen or economic subject of economy. In modern administrative practice while yet технократичний approach prevails in the choice of directions of innovative development of the system of administrative services, and the category of innovations in the system of state administration is examined mainly from technical and technological positions of organizationally-administrative factors of their development. Certainly, that forming of dataware of the system of grant of administrative services on the base of principles of innovative management efficiency of functioning of all system of state administration will allow substantially to promote, that, in turn, will assist upgrading of life of population, creation of favourable terms for a region.

Employer Matching Contributions to Section 529 College Savings Plans

The alarming increase of higher education and the resulting growth of student debt in recent years has resulted in a number of employers adopting programs to assist employees with 529 college savings plans. However, the design or adoption of such plans is complicated. They are 529 prepaid tuition plans, educational savings plans or Coverdell Educational Savings Accounts. Many states offer tax deductions, tax credits or grants. Fees and expenses vary significantly among the different types of plans and from state to state as does investment performance. This article examines these matters from the perspective of an employer considering the adoption of a 529 or other college savings plan as an employee benefit.

ОБУЧЕНИЕ ИНОСТРАННЫХ СТУДЕНТОВ КОМПРЕССИИ НАУЧНОГО ТЕКСТА


 
 
 The study was aimed to consider different ways and genres of the compression of scientific texts. Author notes the specificity of acquisition of the compression skills by foreign students, draws attention to the stages of work on the transformation of original texts into "derivative texts" according to the ultimate goal. Author calls for greater emphasis on training on drawing up different types of plans, taking notes for scientific literature and lectures, writing of annotations and reviews, compiling thesis on different subjects and etc. Author provides valuable recommendations in organization and work with students and masters on the development their skills at different degrees of original text compression. The article acknowledges that training classes in the compression of scientific texts are very important for the development of students' communication skills.
 
 

Vain foresight: Against the idea of implementation in planning

Why are many plans not implemented? Common explanations are planners have little power, they fail to account for political or environmental uncertainty in the plans or they failed to include enough voices during the planning process. The theoretical frameworks on which we base our understanding of plans focus on implementation as a key evaluative mechanism. I challenge the premise that plans realise their potential only when they are implemented. Monitoring implementation of plans presupposes that we know what plans there are to monitor. Such monitoring privileges published plans and ignores all the other plans that guide urban development. It assumes that the decision situations in which plans are used are observable. By jettisoning implementation as a key criterion by which to evaluate the effectiveness of plans, we can begin to focus on the myriad ways in which plan makers and others use plans. We can instead ask, ‘How are these plans used? Who uses them? When are they useful? How to make useful plans?’ With these questions, we can create different evaluative frameworks for different types of plans. Some unimplementable plans are worth making.

Tolerance limits and methodologies for IMRT measurement-based verification QA: Recommendations of AAPM Task Group No. 218.

Patient-specific IMRT QA measurements are important components of processes designed to identify discrepancies between calculated and delivered radiation doses. Discrepancy tolerance limits are neither well defined nor consistently applied across centers. The AAPM TG-218 report provides a comprehensive review aimed at improving the understanding and consistency of these processes as well as recommendations for methodologies and tolerance limits in patient-specific IMRT QA. The performance of the dose difference/distance-to-agreement (DTA) and γ dose distribution comparison metrics are investigated. Measurement methods are reviewed and followed by a discussion of the pros and cons of each. Methodologies for absolute dose verification are discussed and new IMRT QA verification tools are presented. Literature on the expected or achievable agreement between measurements and calculations for different types of planning and delivery systems are reviewed and analyzed. Tests of vendor implementations of the γ verification algorithm employing benchmark cases are presented. Operational shortcomings that can reduce the γ tool accuracy and subsequent effectiveness for IMRT QA are described. Practical considerations including spatial resolution, normalization, dose threshold, and data interpretation are discussed. Published data on IMRT QA and the clinical experience of the group members are used to develop guidelines and recommendations on tolerance and action limits for IMRT QA. Steps to check failed IMRT QA plans are outlined. Recommendations on delivery methods, data interpretation, dose normalization, the use of γ analysis routines and choice of tolerance limits for IMRT QA are made with focus on detecting differences between calculated and measured doses via the use of robust analysis methods and an in-depth understanding of IMRT verification metrics. The recommendations are intended to improve the IMRT QA process and establish consistent, and comparable IMRT QA criteria among institutions.

Tolerance levels and methodologies for IMRT verification QA

Purpose Patient-specific IMRT QA measurement is a process designed to identify discrepancies between calculated and delivered doses. Error tolerance limits are not well-defined or consistently applied across centers. To improve the understanding and consistency of this process, the AAPM TG-218 report provides recommendations for tolerance limits and methodologies in patient-specific IMRT QA. Methods The performance of the dose difference/distance-to-agreement (DTA) and gamma verification metrics are investigated. Measurement methods are reviewed and followed by a discussion of the pros and cons of each. Methodologies for absolute dose verification are discussed and new IMRT QA verification tools are presented. Literature on the expected or achievable agreement between measurements and calculations for different types of planning and delivery systems was reviewed and analyzed. Different vendor implementations of verification algorithms were tested using benchmark cases. Results Operational shortcomings that can reduce the tool effectiveness and accuracy for IMRT QA are described. Practical considerations including spatial resolution, normalization, dose threshold, and data interpretation are discussed. Published data on IMRT QA and the clinical experience of the group members were used to develop guidelines and recommendations on tolerance and action limits for IMRT QA. Conclusion Recommendations on delivery methods, data interpretation, normalization, the use of gamma analysis routines and choice of tolerance limits for IMRT QA are made. The focus is on detecting differences between calculated and measured doses using robust analysis methods and an in-depth understanding of IMRT verification metrics. The recommendations are intended to improve the IMRT QA process and establish consistent and comparable criteria among institutions for IMRT QA.

Customer Engagement Plans for Peak Load Reduction in Residential Smart Grids

In this paper, we propose and study the effectiveness of customer engagement plans that clearly specify the amount of intervention in customer’s load settings by the grid operator for peak load reduction. We suggest two different types of plans, including constant deviation plans (CDPs) and proportional deviation plans (PDPs). We define an adjustable reference temperature for both CDPs and PDPs to limit the output temperature of each thermostat load and to control the number of devices eligible to participate in demand response program. We model thermostat loads as power throttling devices and design algorithms to evaluate the impact of power throttling states and plan parameters on peak load reduction. Based on the simulation results, we recommend PDPs to the customers of a residential community with variable thermostat set point preferences, while CDPs are suitable for customers with similar thermostat set point preferences. If thermostat loads have multiple power throttling states, customer engagement plans with less temperature deviations from thermostat set points are recommended. Contrary to classical ON/OFF control, higher temperature deviations are required to achieve similar amount of peak load reduction. Several other interesting tradeoffs and useful guidelines for designing mutually beneficial incentives for both the grid operator and customers can also be identified.

Types of planning and property rights

This research contributes to the debate concerning the nature of planning in complex systems, and particularly to the theory of teleocracy (the approach based on direct provisions aimed at specific ends) and nomocracy (the approach based on rules aimed at general rather than specific ends). It draws parallels with the theory of regulation and establishes a connection between rules, regulation and the nomocratic planning of social activities. It then suggests that a property rights analysis of the forms of social coordination/organisation can be instrumental in understanding the nature of social interactions. Based on the theory of property rights, the study concludes that the use of different types of planning, regulation or market mechanisms of social coordination is closely related to the concrete form of ownership over the resources employed in any given social activity.