Flexible Scheduling Research Articles

Gender asymmetry in the economy: Comparative country-level analysis

Subject. The article addresses gender inequality in different countries and its causes. Objectives. The purpose is to analyze the reasons for annual differentiation of countries by the value of the main indices assessing the gender inequality. Methods. The study employs general scientific research methods. Results. The paper presents the main indices used to assess gender inequality in countries around the world. It shows that the calculation of the indices does not take into account many factors significantly affecting the presence or absence of gender parity (for example, the amount of unpaid domestic work). Conclusions. The results of the study can be used by heads of enterprises in allocating quotas for women, establishing flexible work schedules for them, and eliminating the "glass ceiling" on wages.

Flexible resource demand response scheduling strategy under 5G-V2X

Electric vehicles (EV) and 5 G base stations, functioning as flexible load resources, contribute significantly to the provision of ample reserve capacity for the power grid. The emergence of 5 G Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology has fostered a coupling between EV and base stations, further enhancing their roles within the power grid. Building upon this foundation, this paper proposes a scheduling strategy for demand response in flexibility resources under the 5 G-V2X framework. Initially, the dispatchable load of EV is examined in conjunction with the traffic network. Subsequently, we consider the communication power consumption resulting from the connected vehicle model, enabling us to devise path planning and charging navigation strategies for EV. Lastly, we establish a scheduling decision model that aims to minimize both the operation costs of base stations and the variance in grid load. The simulation is validated using real-world road conditions in the primary urban area of a city. The findings illustrate that the proposed dispatching strategy not only achieves a mutually beneficial outcome for EV users and aggregators, without disrupting EV charging and discharging processes, but also enhances the capability of demand response, thereby ensuring reliable grid operation.

THE CONCEPT OF PERSONNEL ADAPTATION AT ENTERPRISES: ONBORDING AND E-LEARNING

It is substantiated that the basis of the successful activity of any enterprise today is its personnel potential. From the qualification level of personnel, his general experience and motivation depends on the effectiveness of the enterprise. It is proved that possessing specific operational and strategic functions, the staff provides a leading role in the development of any enterprise. Until recently, such concepts as "personnel adaptation system" and "personnel management" were completely absent in the practice of management at enterprises.It is analysed that modern conditions of management require HR management to improve the system of adaptation of personnel at enterprises. This is the most important factor in the system of ensuring the efficiency of staff.It is substantiated that the adaptation of personnel is a complex process of familiarizing new employees with the conditions and rules of work in the enterprise, as well as assistance in integrating a new colleague into the team. This adaptation is necessary for both new employees and those who change positions, but remain to work in the enterprise. The article notes that in addition to the individual selection of personnel, the general system of personnel adaptation at enterprises is aimed at creating a favourable microclimate in the team, establishing partnerships, securing new employees at the enterprise. As a result of the functioning of this system, the enterprise receives economic stability, increasing labour productivity and the level of individual responsibility, increasing staff motivation, creating a positive image of a company or enterprise, improving competitive positions in the labour market. It is investigated that despite the fact that each individual enterprise carried out adaptation and management of personnel directly through the top management, it had an established system of personnel management. In connection with the processes of decentralization, all talent management systems needed a thorough review and updating. Change of these systems began with the introduction of social packages, flexible work schedules, moral and material incentives for staff

Real-time stochastic flexible flow shop scheduling in a credit factory with model-based reinforcement learning

There has been a significant increase in consumer credit worldwide in recent years. The scheduling of jobs in credit factories is essential for speeding up the loan application process, which can improve the efficiency of credit factories. In this study, we propose a reinforcement learning approach for addressing the scheduling problem in credit factories, which is a stochastic flexible flow shop scheduling problem (SFFSP). First, we propose a mathematical model for the credit factory stochastic flexible flow shop scheduling problem, which abstracts the decision-making process as a semi-Markov process. Then, a reinforcement learning reward mechanism is designed based on the proposed mathematical model. After that, a self-attention neural network is used to extract state information from global and local multidimensional data, enabling each decision to consider the state of the entire process and make a decision that aligns with the global goal. Meanwhile, Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is utilised to enhance the training effect and sample utilisation of reinforcement learning. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments and demonstrate that our method achieves better performance for SFFSP in credit factories compared to other approaches.

Flemish critical care nurses’ experiences regarding the influence of work-related demands on their health: a descriptive interpretive qualitative study

BackgroundCritical care nurses (CCNs) around the globe face other health challenges compared to their peers in general hospital nursing. Moreover, the nursing workforce grapples with persistent staffing shortages. In light of these circumstances, developing a sustainable work environment is imperative to retain the current nursing workforce. Consequently, this study aimed to gain insight into the recalled experiences of CCNs in dealing with the physical and psychosocial influences of work-related demands on their health while examining the environments in which they operate. The second aim was to explore the complex social and psychological processes through which CCNs navigate these work-related demands across various CCN wards.MethodsA qualitative study following Thorne’s interpretive descriptive approach was conducted. From October 2022 to April 2023, six focus groups were organised. Data from a diverse sample of 27 Flemish CCNs engaged in physically demanding roles from three CCN wards were collected. The Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven was applied to support the constant comparison process.ResultsParticipants reported being exposed to occupational physical activity, emotional, quantitative, and cognitive work-related demands, adverse patient behaviour, and poor working time quality. Exposure to these work-related demands was perceived as harmful, potentially resulting in physical, mental, and psychosomatic strain, as well as an increased turnover intention. In response to these demands, participants employed various strategies for mitigation, including seeking social support, exerting control over their work, utilising appropriate equipment, recognising rewards, and engaging in leisure-time physical activity.ConclusionsCCNs’ health is challenged by work-related demands that are not entirely covered by the traditional quantitative frameworks used in research on psychologically healthy work. Therefore, future studies should focus on improving such frameworks by exploring the role of psychosocial and organisational factors in more detail. This study has important implications for workplace health promotion with a view on preventing work absenteeism and drop-out in the long run, as it offers strong arguments to promote sufficient risk management strategies, schedule flexibility, uninterrupted off-job recovery time, and positive management, which can prolong the well-being and sustainable careers of the CCN workforce.

Letrozole ovulation regimen for frozen-thawed embryo transfer in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundWomen with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are usually selected to undergo an ovulation induction regimen or a programmed regimen for endometrial preparation in the frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) during their IVF/ICSI treatment. The programmed regimen permits flexible scheduling of embryo transfer but requires long-term usage of exogenous estrogen and higher dosages of luteal support while the letrozole ovulation regimen needs lower dosages of luteal support only. Recently, multiple studies have shown that the letrozole ovulation regimen can improve pregnancy outcomes of FET in women with PCOS compared with the programmed regimen. However, most of these studies are retrospective, and prospective studies are urgently needed the evidence from the perspective study is insufficient.Methods/designWe are undertaking a multicentre, randomized, controlled clinical trial of an endometrial preparation regimen for FET in women with PCOS. The eligible women are randomly assigned to either the letrozole ovulation regimen or the programmed regimen for endometrial preparation. The primary outcome is the clinical pregnancy rate.DiscussionThe results of this study will provide evidence for whether the letrozole ovulation regimen for endometrial preparation could improve pregnancy outcomes in PCOS women undergoing FET.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200062244. Registered on 31 July 2022.

Work engagement among nurses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

Despite nurses receiving education on how to respond during crises, the stress and demands arising from unprecedented situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may affect their work engagement. To appraise and synthesize studies examining work engagement among nurses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a systematic review in which three databases were searched. Critical appraisal tools and PRISMA guidelines were used. Content analysis was performed. Ethical approval was not required for this systematic review. A total of 21 studies were included. The results were classified into three categories: (1) levels and meanings of work engagement, (2) the relationship of work engagement with various factors, and (3) measures to enhance work engagement. The review revealed that nurses' work engagement varied from moderate to high. Factors such as education level and work schedule flexibility influenced their engagement. Positive associations were found between work engagement and job satisfaction, intention to stay, and organizational support, while stress and workload showed negative relationships. The crucial role of health policymakers, hospital administrators, and nurse managers in acting ethically, creating favorable working conditions and fostering nurses' work engagement was emphasized.

Effect of Departmental and Physician-Selected Interventions on Point-of-Care Ultrasound Documentation Completion.

Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been disruptive to many experienced emergency physicians as it requires competence in a new physical skill, real-time image interpretation, and navigation of novel software for submission to the electronic health record (EHR). Incomplete documentation of a performed POCUS study used for clinical decision-making represents a potential medicolegal liability, may expose the patient to repetitive or potentially unnecessary imaging, and is a missed opportunity for reimbursement. Identifying effective facilitators of ED POCUS documentation completion requires additional investigation. Methods In the first part of this mixed-methods study, eligible attending physicians were stratified into levels of use ("high"/"low"/"never") based on recent POCUS documentation performance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with high and low utilizers to explore their perceptions of the POCUS submission workflow and their receptivity to various proposed interventions. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis that explored perceived usefulness and usability. The second part of the study consisted of two intervention phases. First, physicians achieving minimum POCUS documentation numbers were rewarded with additional shift scheduling flexibility. In the second phase, the intervention that garnered the most interview support, daily documentation reminder emails, was implemented. The primary outcome was the individual POCUS documentation rates calculated as all studies submitted divided by all studies performed (submitted plus unsubmitted) per month. Provider-level monthly data was aggregated into a departmental rate. Results Interviews were conducted with 12 physicians, six from the highest and six from the lowest documentation quartiles. Both groups supported the same two proposed interventions: reminder emails ranked first, then monetary rewards ranked second. High utilizers emphasized the clinical utility of POCUS, whereas low utilizers expressed concerns over "double billing" and exposure to medicolegal liability with uncertain scan interpretations. For low utilizers, a documentation decision could be dependent on the performing resident physician's displayed confidence. Both groups voiced frustration with the need to use a separate program, Qpath (Telexy Healthcare, Inc, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada), for POCUS documentation. During intervention phase one, the aggregate departmental documentation rate increased from 44.6% to 60.1% with the introduction of the schedule request incentive. This improvement was seen across all documentation quartiles. The departmental rate remained stable and did not improve further following the addition of the daily documentation reminder emails in intervention phase two. When reminder emails ceased yet the day-off request incentive continued, the departmental rate did not drop. Conclusions The implementation of a non-financial shift scheduling incentivecorrelated with the largest increase in departmental POCUS documentation rate. Interviewees incorrectly predicted that email reminders would be the most influential intervention highlighting a mismatch between physician perception and effective drivers of behavior change.Further investigation may focus on determining the size and longevity of the isolated impact of a schedule request incentive, as one might expect diminishing marginal utility.

Analyzing the impact of technology on higher education: challenges and opportunities within the Ecuadorian context

Introduction: Technology serves as the framework for tools and resources that enhance collaboration, participation, and quality in higher education. This study analyzes the technological impact on higher education, focusing on access and equity, quality and personalization of learning, and changes in educational models. Methods: A quantitative and descriptive research design was employed, involving 400 participants: 200 students and 200 teachers from the higher education system in Ecuador. Results: Both students and teachers highlighted improved access to educational resources, flexible scheduling, and recognized the significant impact of technology on higher education. However, challenges such as lack of connectivity, insufficient devices, inadequate training, and limited government support persist. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of addressing these challenges to maximize technology's positive impact on education. Future research should incorporate qualitative methods, expand geographic scope, and evaluate long-term effects to provide more comprehensive insights.

Smart Education: An Emerging Teaching Pedagogy for Interactive and Adaptive Learning Methods

Smart education, which incorporates technology to enhance teaching and learning, offers several advantages that can benefit both students and educators. Personalization: Smart education can adapt to individual students' needs and learning styles. It offers personalized learning paths, allowing students to progress at their own pace and receive targeted support in areas where they need it most. Smart education can be accessed from virtually anywhere with an internet connection, making learning more accessible to students regardless of their location. This is especially valuable for remote or underserved communities. Technology-enhanced learning often includes interactive elements, multimedia, and gamification, which can increase student engagement and motivation. Interactive simulations and virtual labs can make complex concepts more approachable. Smart education platforms provide immediate feedback to students, helping them understand their mistakes and guiding them toward improvement. This immediate feedback loop can accelerate the learning process. Smart education allows for flexible learning schedules. Students can access materials and complete assignments at their convenience, making it easier to balance education with work or other responsibilities. Digital resources, including videos, animations, and interactive simulations, can provide a richer and more dynamic learning experience compared to traditional textbooks. Smart education systems collect and analyze data on student performance. Educators can use this data to identify struggling students, track progress, and adjust their teaching methods accordingly.

Preferences for Remote and Hybrid Work: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for many American workers to work from home. Did the rapid and widespread adoption of remote work arrangements influence workers’ preferences? This study analyzes the early pandemic work experiences of 52 participants (20 men and 32 women) in dual-earner households with children through in-depth interviews conducted in 2021 and 2022 via Zoom. The study explores respondents’ desire for remote and hybrid work, considering job satisfaction as well as job characteristics, family structure, and household organization. Unless their jobs were poorly suited to remote work, most workers with pandemic-era remote work opportunities—and even some who had not worked remotely—wished to keep remote access in their post-pandemic work arrangements. Respondents reported enhanced job satisfaction and productivity from remote work, as a result of greater schedule control and flexibility. We found that some workers were willing to change jobs to maintain their preferred work arrangement, while others acquiesced to employers’ return-to-work policies. The study highlights the need to understand workers’ preferences in supporting flexible work arrangements and contributes to the understanding of remote work on family dynamics during the pandemic and afterwards.

English Pre-Service Teachers' Decisions on Working as Bilingual Agents at Call Centers and Their Perspectives for Future Employment

Currently, there is a growing trend for pre-service language teachers to work as bilingual agents due to the increase in call centers as a means of customer service. This research investigates the reasons why pre-service language teachers, choose to work as bilingual agents in call centers instead of pursuing a career in education as teachers of foreign languages which is part of the essence of their professional training. The results indicate that the main reasons for their interest were related to payment, flexible schedules, opportunities to improve their communicative competencies in the target language and enhance their cultural awareness. When asked about their future employment prospects, they expressed a desire to become language teachers. However, a significant group is uncertain about their decision to become teachers, and some are more interested in continuing to work as call center agents. Following a mixed research design, the researcher developed the present study integrating qualitative and quantitative data for more reliable results. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus groups. Participants were 55 pre-service language teachers currently working as agents at a call center. The data was analysed using thematic analysis to identify categories that emerged. In addition, the research is comprehensively discussed, and the conclusions of the study are presented. The results obtained provide an opportunity for discussion and reflection on the conditions of teachers in educational contexts compared to other job offers.

Optimization and scheduling scheme of park-integrated energy system based on multi-objective Beluga Whale Algorithm

To improve the consumption rate of renewable energy and ensure the stability of power and heat supply within the industrial park, a park-integrated energy system (PIES), which incorporates electric heating equipment, energy storage devices, and multiple micro sources, is established. Based on the established PIES, a price-based demand response (PDR) mechanism is introduced to establish a multi-objective optimization and scheduling model with two time scales: day-ahead scheduling and intra-day scheduling, aiming to minimize the impact on the main grid and ensure the flexibility of system operation and real-time scheduling. With the objectives of minimizing operating costs and maximizing environmental benefits for PIES, a hybrid algorithm named Non-Dominated Sorting Beluga Whale Optimization (NSBWO), which combines the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and the Beluga Whale Optimization (BWO) algorithm is proposed to solve the optimization problem of the model. Simultaneously, an adaptive penalty function is introduced in the algorithm to handle constraint problems in optimization and additional penalty term for wind and solar curtailment is included within the constraints to improve the consumption rate of sustainable energy. The proposed NSBWO algorithm exhibits more robust search capabilities and faster convergence speed than the NSGA-II and MOPSO algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed NSBWO algorithm can achieve low-carbon economic scheduling of the system in both long-term and short-term time scales and improve renewable energy consumption. Due to its flexibility, intra-day scheduling has lower operating costs than day-ahead scheduling.

Therapeutic Responses to Efgartigimod for Generalized Myasthenia Gravis in Japan.

Efgartigimod, which has been well tolerated and efficacious in individuals with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), is available in Japan not only for the treatment of anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) but also anti-muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK+) and seronegative generalized MG. We report details of the use of efgartigimod for generalized MG in clinical practice in Japan. We included patients with generalized MG in the 2021 survey of Japan Myasthenia Gravis Registry (JAMG-R) study group who received an initial cycle of efgartigimod between May and September 2022. We defined "responders" as patients who achieved a score ≥2 points for MG activities of daily living (MG-ADL) in the first treatment cycle. The MG composite and the Revised scale of the 15-item Myasthenia Gravis-Quality of Life scale (MG-QOL15-r) were also evaluated. Of 1,343 JAMG-R patients, 36 (2.7%) started efgartigimod (female 68%, age 53 years). Their serologic profiles were as follows: AChR+, n = 19 (53%); MuSK+, n = 6 (17%); and seronegative, n = 11 (31%). Twenty-six patients (72%) had refractory MG. There were 81 cycles of efgartigimod during the 26-week observation in 34 patients (average, 2.4 cycles). The mean interval between cycles was 5.9 weeks. A continuous 4-weekly infusion of efgartigimod was performed in 65 (80%) of 81 cycles. In the first cycle, the MG-ADL score of the 34 patients decreased significantly from 10.5 ± 4.3 to 6.9 ± 5.1 (p = 0.003). Similarly, the mean MG composite and MG-QOL15-r decreased from 18.4 ± 13.6 to 11.8 ± 9.6 (p = 0.004) and from 19.2 ± 6.3 to 14.2 ± 8.3 (p = 0.007), respectively. Twenty-one (62%) patients were responders. Therapeutic responses were observed in the subsequent cycles. The duration of effectiveness of efgartigimod was varied among the responders; 4 responders had only a single effective cycle. Significant improvement was observed in the MuSK+ patients. Prednisolone dose of 7 patients was reduced. Our examination of the patients' postintervention status revealed that 6 patients achieved minimal manifestations. COVID-19 occurred in 5 patients. We failed to detect clinical or laboratory findings associated with responders. Efgartigimod can be considered for the treatment of patients with generalized MG who do not achieve minimal manifestations, with a broad flexibility of patient selection and treatment schedules.

A first-in-human study of IK-595, an oral MEK/RAF molecular glue, in patients with RAS- or RAF-altered advanced solid tumors.

TPS3185 Background: Alterations in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway are the most common drivers of oncogenesis. MEK is a clinically validated cancer target and despite FDA approval of several MEK inhibitors, their clinical utility has been limited to BRAF V600 mutant cancers and NF1 mutant neurofibromas mostly due to early emergence of resistance and low therapeutic indices. IK-595, a potent novel MEK-RAF molecular glue, is being developed to overcome these limitations. IK-595 traps MEK in an inactive complex with all RAF isoforms and blocks RAF-dependent MEK phosphorylation, thereby alleviating CRAF-mediated MEK reactivation that hinders the efficacy of approved MEK inhibitors in RAS/RAF-driven tumors, in addition to kinase independent CRAF activity. IK-595 exhibits potent single agent activity in a wide range of in vivo cancer models harboring various RAS/RAF alterations, including, but not limited to, lung, pancreatic, colorectal cancer (CRC), melanoma, and AML. The preclinical pharmacokinetic profile of IK-595 also enables flexible dosing schedules resulting in a broader therapeutic window. Methods: This is a phase 1, first-in-human, open-label, multicenter study to evaluate IK-595 as monotherapy in patients with RAS- or RAF-altered advanced solid tumors for whom there are no other further treatment options known to confer clinical benefit. Dose escalation uses a Bayesian Optimal Interval Design (BOIN) in patients with advanced and unresectable, or metastatic solid tumors with confirmed RAS/RAF gene alterations. Backfilling of cleared dose levels with key target indications will initiate upon achievement of efficacious plasma exposures. Dose expansion will occur in genetically defined cohorts, for example NRAS-mutant CRC and malignant melanoma, as well as BRAF non-V600 and KRAS mutant tumors using a Simon 2-stage adaptive design. IK-595 will initially be administered on an intermittent dosing schedule in 30-day cycles. Additional dosing schedules may be explored. Primary objectives of the study are to evaluate safety and tolerability of IK-595 and to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and/or maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Secondary objectives include evaluation of preliminary antitumor activity by RECIST 1.1, pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters, and pharmacodynamic effects of IK-595 on pERK in paired tumor biopsies. Key exploratory endpoints include changes in pERK in peripheral blood cells, changes in pERK target genes in tumor biopsies, and assessment of candidate baseline response biomarkers. The study began in December 2023 and enrollment in Cohort 1 was completed with no DLTs; dose escalation continues to enroll. Clinical trial information: NCT.

Optimal configuration of hybrid hydrogen‐to‐power system for power systems with high wind energy penetration

AbstractHydrogen energy storage plays an important role in improving the operation efficiency and reliability of power systems with high wind energy penetration. Hydrogen to power (HtP) system is the key link of hydrogen applications. However, the single HtP equipment is limited in power output range and efficiency. Hybrid HtP system is an important scheme to realize the performance complementary. A wider power output range can enrich the application scenarios of hydrogen energy storage and provide flexible and reliable energy scheduling in larger and more complex energy systems. In this study, first, a power system including traditional units, wind power generation and hybrid HtP system is established. Second, a bi‐layer hybrid HtP system optimal configuration model considering planning and operation is constructed. Then, a bi‐layer optimal configuration method based on the improved PSO algorithm is proposed. Finally, the optimization model and its solution method are applied to IEEE RTS‐96. The discussions based on the optimization results show that the hybrid HtP system has significant contributions in optimizing the output cost of traditional units, improving the utilization of wind energy, and reducing load shedding losses.

Research on the scheduling of steel mesh production line based on the improved grey wolf algorithm

Abstract To solve the scheduling problem of a flexible production line of reinforced mesh, a mathematical model of flexible production line scheduling of reinforced mesh was established to minimize the maximum completion time. The Improved Gray Wolf Algorithm (IGWO) was designed, and the improvement measures of the Gray Wolf Algorithm (GWO) were proposed from the population initialization method, key parameter improvement, and search mechanism. Through the example verification, the Improved Grey Wolf Algorithm is applied to the scheduling problem of the flexible steel production line. The problem of the flexible production line of steel mesh and the results of the Improved Grey Wolf Algorithm, Grey Wolf Algorithm, Genetic Algorithm (GA), and artificial scheduling are compared. The results verify that the results of the enhanced Grey Wolf Algorithm have better quality and can better guide the production line to carry out efficient and energy-saving production.

Analysis of Workers’ Perception and Demographic Factors - An Insight Into the Slovenian Gig Economy

Abstract This study examines the gig economy in Slovenia, with a particular emphasis on the perceived benefits and challenges for gig workers within this emerging labour model. The research aims to capture the implications of flexible, project-based employment in a smaller European context, as this trend becomes increasingly prevalent globally. A quantitative approach was employed to survey 34 gig workers in Slovenia. The survey analysed their demographic characteristics, reasons for engaging in gig work, and the benefits and challenges they experience. In the findings, 64% of respondents specifically identified schedule flexibility as a predominant benefit of gig work. However, it also uncovers substantial challenges, including increased market competition and a lack of social benefits. Moreover, the research suggests that perceptions of the gig work benefits are widely acknowledged across various age groups and educational levels, with no significant variation. Nevertheless, the findings indicate a gender disparity in gig work perceptions, with males perceiving higher levels of financial freedom and professional development than women. This research suggests the need for policies aimed at ensuring equity and further research into harmonizing gig work with supportive labour market policies.

Recruitment strategies in a lung cancer screening program for Asian women with no smoking history.

e22514 Background: The Female Asian Nonsmoker Screening Study (FANSS) is a pilot study for eligible Asian women with no smoking history to provide low-dose CT (LDCT) Chest scans for lung cancer screening annually for 3 years. To recruit for the study, we took into consideration several factors including potential language barriers, low awareness of lung cancer incidence in non-smoking populations, and participant (pt) availability. Here we describe the use of various recruitment strategies to support enrollment to the FANSS study. Methods: Multimodal recruitment strategies for enrollment into FANSS were used. A dedicated phone line answered by receptionists able to speak English and several Chinese dialects was created. Research staff are bilingual or utilized telephonic interpretation services in all pt interactions. Informational flyers available in both English and Chinese were mailed to primary care physicians serving primarily Asian communities and posted in pharmacies and storefronts in NYC Chinatown. A website was developed for interested individuals to submit their contact information for further information. Working with our institutional Epic EMR, a list of all pts with active MyChart accounts was created with criteria “Asian,” “female,” “OK to contact for Research recruitment,” “age 40-74,” and excluded anyone with a smoking history and “Cancer” in the past 5 years. From this list, pts then were sent an IRB-approved recruitment message through MyChart from 3/2023-6/2023. Interested pts who reached out through the above methods were contacted by research staff to determine eligibility. All eligible pts who agreed to participate were consented either in-person or virtually to allow for schedule flexibility to review the consent. Results: From 3/5/21 to 1/27/24, 1518 women inquired about FANSS through our website, dedicated phone line or MyChart messages and were directly contacted by our team. After determination of eligibility, 760 pts had an informed consent discussion either virtually or in-person. From 3/5/21 to 3/2023, 247 pts underwent the consent process and 229 pts had a baseline LDCT. Following the intervention of directed MyChart messaging in 3/2023, 568 pts responded to the MyChart message indicating interest, however 102 pts were not eligible due to inaccurate info in their Epic medical record (i.e. ethnicity or smoking history). Overall, from 3/2023 to 1/27/24, 513 pts underwent the consent process. Among these, 90 subjects (18%) were recruited via MyChart. Conclusions: Recruitment to a lung cancer screening program in non-smokers is feasible, and specific considerations tailored to engage minority populations can improve enrollment such as bilingual staff and translated materials. The use of directed messaging through the Epic EMR is an important tool to identify potential pts which may be applied to aid in recruitment to other clinical trials or lung cancer screening programs.

Dynamic flexible scheduling with transportation constraints by multi-agent reinforcement learning

Reinforcement learning-based methods have addressed production scheduling problems with flexible processing constraints. However, delayed rewards arise due to the dynamic arrival of jobs and transportation constraints between two successive operations. The flow time of operations can only be determined after processing due to the possibility that the solution for job sequencing may change if new operations are inserted in dynamic environments. Job sequencing is often overlooked in single-agent-based scheduling methods. The lack of information sharing between multiple agents necessitates that researchers manually design reward functions to fit the relationship between optimization objectives and rewards, thereby reducing the accuracy of the learned policies. Thus, this paper proposes a multi-agent-based scheduling optimization framework that facilitates collaboration between the agents of both machines and jobs to address dynamic flexible job-shop scheduling problems (DFJSP) with transportation time constraints. Then, this paper formulates the Partial Observation Markov Decision Process and constructs a reward-sharing mechanism to tackle the delayed reward issue and facilitate policy learning. Finally, we develop an improved multi-agent dueling double deep Q network algorithm to optimize scheduling policy during long-term training. The results show that, compared with the state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method efficiently shortens the weighted flow time under the trained and unseen scenarios. Additionally, the case study results demonstrate its efficiency and responsiveness. It indicates that the proposed method efficiently addresses production scheduling problems with complex constraints, including the insertion of jobs, transportation time constraints, and flexible processing routes.