Planning Objectives Research Articles

Stereotactic Breast Radiotherapy Delivered via External Beam Daily Online Adaptive Replanning

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Linear accelerator based accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in early-stage breast cancer necessitates a reduction in non-target breast tissue to decrease long term toxicity and adverse cosmetic outcome. In particular, lumpectomy cavity seromas may decrease in size and deform in shape during short course APBI. We present the first recorded treatments of stereotactic partial breast radiotherapy utilizing linear accelerator based kv-CBCT online daily adaptive replanning. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> Two patients (left sided, right sided) with early-stage breast cancer underwent SBRT to a dose of 600 cGy x 5=3000cGy in non-consecutive fractions. The CTV consisted of the seroma cavity+ 5-10mm with a PTV margin of 3mm. Both were planned in a treatment management system with 10 IMRT fields with a laterally localized hemi spherical field distribution. Plans were optimized using the Ethos Intelligent Optimization Engine with primary planning objectives for the V3000cGy_CTV and V3000cGy_PTV of >= 99% and 95% respectively. Additionally, organ at risk (OAR) evaluation parameters for the heart, ipsilateral and contralateral lung, ipsilateral and contralateral breast, and skin were planned and verified daily. <h3>Results</h3> The table describes metrics of each delivered plan. The means of each adaptively replanned and delivered fraction (±1 SD) demonstrated reduced target volumes and improved metrics to the heart, lungs, and ipsilateral breast compared to the reference plan from the simulation dataset. Conformity and gradient indices were similar between reference and adaptive plans. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Daily adaptive replanning for stereotactic body breast APBI allowed for reduced PTV margins and real time plan modification for changing seroma volumes and variable breast setups with excellent DVH parameters.

Verification Studies Confirm Reproducibility of Post-Hysterectomy Pelvic Proton Radiotherapy

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Post-hysterectomy radiotherapy (RT) is associated with urinary, gastrointestinal, and hematologic toxicity. Concern for organ and target motion has limited exploration of proton RT as a tool to reduce toxicity. Attention to planning and treatment delivery is paramount given sensitivity of protons to small changes in soft tissue in the beam path. We sought to evaluate the consistency of target coverage and organ at risk (OAR) sparing in post-hysterectomy proton RT. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> The first 10 patients treated with proton RT on an institutional prospective non-randomized trial of proton post-hysterectomy RT for endometrial cancer were included. CT simulation was performed with pelvic immobilization and a rectal balloon, which was also used for treatment. Full and empty bladder and IV contrast scans were obtained. Clinical target volumes (CTV) included the vaginal cuff, proximal 3 cm of vagina, and pelvic lymph nodes to the level of L4/L5. Prescription was 45 Gy (relative biological effectiveness (RBE) 1.1) in 25 fractions. Planning was multi-field optimization with two posterior oblique beams and a posterior beam. Plans were evaluated for robustness to ensure CTV coverage in worst case scenarios of ±5 mm isocenter shifts in x, y, and z directions and ±5% range uncertainty. A variable RBE calculation assuming a linear relationship between RBE and linear energy transfer was used to evaluate for target coverage and increased RBE within OARs. If needed, the plan was modified to limit hot spots without compromising coverage in the calculation with uniform 1.1 RBE. Patients underwent weekly CT-on-rails verification scans. Target coverage and dose to OARs were assessed at each verification and replanning was done if target coverage or OAR constraints did not meet original planning objectives. <h3>Results</h3> The first patient on the study required replan after first verification due to excess air in the rectum at simulation and verification, resulting in rectum V30Gy 90% and V40Gy 81%. After replan, subsequent verifications met objectives. Subsequent patients were planned with air in the rectum or bowel accounted for by evaluation of plans with air overridden to HU = -300 to -450 and HU = 0. Target coverage met acceptable planning parameters in all cases (Table 1). There was no statistical difference in bladder mean, V30Gy, and V45Gy; sigmoid V45Gy; rectum mean, V30Gy, and V40Gy; and small bowel V40% and V45Gy. All patients were successfully treated with protons for all planned fractions. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Proton post-hysterectomy pelvic RT with robust optimization is feasible, reproducible, and associated with appropriate target coverage and acceptable dose to organs at risk as assessed with weekly verification scans.

Incorporated Maritime Policy Concept: Adopting ESRS Principles to Support Maritime Sector’s Sustainable Growth

The international maritime sector plays an important part in contributing to the global sustainable economy and plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development goals. A variety of regulations and standards power the sustainability management of the global maritime sector, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the European Union’s new draft European Sustainability Reporting Standard. Limited research on the potential contribution of maritime policy-making to support sustainable development has led the sector to face multiple challenges. In this study, we analyzed how local policy-making can impact international goals and global sustainable development based on comprehensive datasets of 143 maritime companies. The study recommends the incorporation of sustainability dimensions of the maritime sector into all levels of policy-making and supporting the policy implementation with the local maritime governance structure. A maritime country should have strategic planning objectives that embrace maritime affairs and use the interactions identified between local development and the maritime sector. We propose a framework for maritime policy-making that supports sustainable development. A maturity model for sustainable development in the maritime sector was developed. The results can be used as guidelines for policymakers in planning sustainable development in a maritime country.

Rosatom State Corporation: Assessment of strategic choice in the context of the results of activities

Decisions on the establishment of all companies in the organizational and legal form of "state corporation" (hereinafter — GC, State Corporation) in the "zero years" and GC "Rosatom" in particular were taken in extremely heated discussions, including the official denial of the legality of such a foundation. In connection with the fifteenth anniversary since the establishment of the Rosatom State Corporation, it is advisable to evaluate the results obtained, promising opportunities for further application, development, as well as the legality of extending this legal form to other areas of production.&#x0D; These tasks require consideration — the features of this organizational and legal form of the state corporation, its structural and economic organization, management system, the results of production, economic and innovation activities, including participation in the processes of global energy transition, and finally — the goals and objectives of strategic planning and its implementation.&#x0D; Research objectives — to substantiate the high and enduring systemic potential, on the one hand, of the managerial and legal organization imputed to Rosatom State Corporation by federal law on the scale of sectoral management, and on the other hand, of the structural and economic organization within the entire nuclear energy industry. In the analysis of the reporting and planning documents of Rosatom State Corporation, a system-structural approach was used, including the aspect of system synergy, methods of analogies and comparisons.

Pola Sebaran dan Keterpusatan Fasilitas Pendidikan sebagai Pelayanan Publik di Kota Pontianak

In accordance with the objectives of the Pontianak City Spatial Plan, the development orientation is emphasized in the trade and services sector. In terms of essential services, Educational facilities are means to develop human resources. Along with population growth, Educational facilities and their distribution need to be improved. This article aims to examine the distribution and centralization of Educational facilities as an evaluation for the arrangement of the distribution of services. Besides, it can be a case study for other cities in managing the distribution of facilities. The distribution of access and Educational facilities is assessed through network analysis consisting of calculations of degree, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector. From the results obtained, South Pontianak District and East Pontianak District are the areas with the highest or largest scores, especially in measuring closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector. It is indicated that the two districts tend to be the most central areas. Meanwhile, for the superimposition between access and distribution of facilities, it is found that Higher Education facilities tend to be facilities with a "centralized" position in the network configuration. In addition, elementary schools were also foundto be the most accessible in each area or district.

Three Product Implementations for Improving “Just-In-Time” Delivery of Library Resources

ABSTRACT The academic library plays a pivotal role within the organizational framework of higher education, supporting teaching, learning, and research with robust collections of materials in an array of formats. The value and ease of access to academic library collections within the higher education organizational framework cannot be understated. Accordingly, neither can the importance of interlibrary loan services from which users may gain access to materials beyond the local collection. In an effort to enhance access and discovery of materials, promote interlibrary loan services, and meet the goals and objectives of a new strategic plan. The University of Alabama Libraries implemented three new tools over the course of a few short months: Lean Library, Article Galaxy Scholar, and EBSCO custom linking. This article presents a case study detailing the implementation of these tools at a major research library.

Supervision as a form of inclusive education retraining and school community professional advancement

Using the example of Kryvyi Rih, we present the supervision model used to promote the education reform in Ukraine and the retraining of the school's major players. Through a sociopolitical and educational description of the current situation in Kryvyi Rih, empirical study has introduced a model of retraining. Due to this, 124 key stakeholders from 20 inclusive schools underwent testing to help plan the implementation of the monitoring model (teachers, tutors, staff, psychologists and parents from 7 districts of Kryvyi Rih were invited to participate). In this study, we provide an alternative strategy for interagency supervisory groups and communication, with an emphasis on the model supervision retraining of inclusive education specialists. Four stages make up the supervision process: case report, exchange, conceptualization, and summary. In the paper, we suggest a modification of an unstructured interview by a specialist who specifies the context of training supervision in order to facilitate successful work. The psycho-educational support team in inclusive education was able to propose the supervision program thanks to the analysis of the organizational, methodological, and information retraining system and the execution of the pilot project of supervisory groups: I. Providing team members with the necessary training to work with the objectives of each child development plan; II. Using case preparation tools; III. Analyzing environmental elements; and IV. Managing team support.

“We are the Green Capital”: Navigating the political and sustainability fix narratives of urban greening

With increasing attention on green(ing) cities, urban nature is used to increase liveability, to create new sectors such as tourism, and to boost international investment. What counts as desirable green intervention generally follows internationally accepted practices as cities aim for international recognition. Here, we examine the historic production of a green identity and the ways in which urban leaders have navigated local politics to enact greening. We focus on the mid-sized city Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain), the 2012 European Green Capital. Based on a critical discourse analysis of archival data and in-depth interviews, we explore the production of a green city-identity over a period of forty years and determine four key processes: (i) early good leadership with a social city being core objective of urban planning, (ii) the need for building shared goals in a context of a violent political conflict in the Basque Country, (iii) policy mobilities and thriving for becoming a green pioneer internationally, and (iv) de-politization of green and sustainability discourses. We argue that the initially perceived social green amenity - an outcome of early progressive urban democratic experimentation - that served as a unifying project across polarized political fractions turned into an economic cultural asset for economic growth, shifting from a political to a sustainability fix.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Introduction: Preparedness in emergency and disaster management is crucial. In the last decades, community engagement and participation have been playing a key role in disaster preparedness, and during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this strategy has been encouraged. This systematic review aims at assessing the role of community engagement in disaster preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A systematic review of English articles was performed on PubMed and Embase, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and guidelines. Studies were included if reporting on the community engagement and participation in disaster preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exclusion criteria included titles with not available full text, not in English, or not related to humans. Results: Eleven papers were examined. All studies were conducted in three continents (Asia, Africa, and North America). In 63.6% of studies, the objective of the emergency preparedness plans for fighting against COVID-19 pandemic included implementing prevention measures against the spread of the pandemic. Only in 36.3% of the studies, specific vulnerable groups were the final target of the preparedness plan. The implementation of the community engagement was reached through the use of social media (45.4%), face-to-face talks (36.3%), and electronic surveys and questionnaires (27.2%).Conclusion: This systematic review wants to emphasize that the involvement of the communities and their leaders in the decision making processes and in the promotion of prevention of health could help the population in building its resilience and afford the humans and economic losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of a Hospital Library Service at a Regional Health Service in Australia

ABSTRACT Being able to advocate for health library value and impact with local data is crucial to provide important indicators of service viability, staff engagement, as well as impact so these can be communicated effectively to management within organizations. As a part of its advocacy, continuous improvement and quality program, Ballarat Health Services Library, undertook a project, to understand its local impact on clinical decision-making, patient care, organizational governance, and staff education. Survey data demonstrated direct impact on modified clinical practice (65.57%); advice given to patients (43.44%); choice of medications (27.87%); diagnosis (22.13%); choice of tests (13.11%); and length of patient stay (12.30%). Perceptions of library impact were also high with 95.28% of respondents indicating impact on effective patient care. While service gaps were identified across advocacy and promotion of library services, the data from this study will inform strategic planning objectives and improve advocating the Library’s impact to management.

Relationships between Food Production Experience and the Behavior, Attitude, and Knowledge of Dietary Recommendations among Japanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries proposed to educate more people in food production as one of the objectives of the Basic Plan for Food and Nutrition Education Promotion. This cross-sectional study aims to elucidate the relationship between food production experience (agricultural, forestry, and fishery experiences) and the behavior, attitude, and knowledge of dietary recommendations among Japanese adults. This study was conducted using data obtained from the “Survey on Dietary Habits and Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery Experiences (2019)”. This survey was conducted by mailing paper questionnaires to respondents aged 20–69 years living in 17 regions across Japan. The independent variable was food production experience. The dependent variables were each of the 13 goals of the dietary guidelines in Japan, the total score for adherence to the 13 items (low scores indicate good adherence), adherence to a Japanese-style diet, and four items on the attitude and knowledge of dietary recommendations. I also examined the association between the point in life the food production experience occurred and the above outcomes. The data obtained from 3461 participants aged 20 to 69 years were used for multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses. Food production experience was positively associated with an improved behavior, attitude, and knowledge of dietary recommendations among adults in Japan. The study found a strong relationship with food production experiences in adulthood.

Direct incorporation of patient-specific efficacy and toxicity estimates in radiation therapy plan optimization.

Current radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning relies mainly on pre-defined dose-based objectives and constraints to develop plans that aim to control disease while limiting damage to normal tissues during treatment. These objectives and constraints are generally population-based, in that they are developed from the aggregate response of a broad patient population to radiation. However, correlations of new biologic markers and patient-specific factors to treatment efficacy and toxicity provide the opportunity to further stratify patient populations and develop a more individualized approach to RT planning. We introduce a novel intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) optimization strategy that directly incorporates patient-specific dose response models into the planning process. In this strategy, we integrate the concept of utility-based planning where the optimization objective is to maximize the predicted value of overall treatment utility, defined by the probability of efficacy (e.g., local control) minus the weighted sum of toxicity probabilities. To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, we apply the strategy to treatment planning for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We developed a prioritized approach to patient-specific IMRT planning. Using a commercial treatment planning system (TPS), we calculate dose based on an influence matrix of beamlet-dose contributions to regions-of-interest. Then, outside of the TPS, we hierarchically solve two optimization problems to generate optimal beamlet weights that can then be imported back to the TPS. The first optimization problem maximizes a patient's overall plan utility subject to typical clinical dose constraints. In this process, we facilitate direct optimization of efficacy and toxicity trade-off based on individualized dose-response models. After optimal utility is determined, we solve a secondary optimization problem that minimizes a conventional dose-based objective subject to the same clinical dose constraints as the first stage but with the addition of a constraint to maintain the optimal utility from the first optimization solution. We tested this method by retrospectively generating plans for five previously treated NSCLC patients and comparing the prioritized utility plans to conventional plans optimized with only dose metric objectives. To define a plan utility function for each patient, we utilized previously published correlations of dose to local control and grade 3-5 toxicities that include patient age, stage, microRNA levels, and cytokine levels, among other clinical factors. The proposed optimization approach successfully generated RT plans for five NSCLC patients that improve overall plan utility based on personalized efficacy and toxicity models while accounting for clinical dose constraints. Prioritized utility plans demonstrated the largest average improvement in local control (16.6%) when compared to plans generated with conventional planning objectives. However, for some patients, the utility-based plans resulted in similar local control estimates with decreased estimated toxicity. The proposed optimization approach, where the maximization of a patient's RT plan utility is prioritized over the minimization of standardized dose metrics, has the potential to improve treatment outcomes by directly accounting for variability within a patient population. The implementation of the utility-based objective function offers an intuitive, humanized approach to biological optimization in which planning trade-offs are explicitly optimized.

Preface: SBE22Delft

Innovations for the Urban Energy Transition: Preparing for the European Renovation Wave October 11-13, 2022 | Delft, The NetherlandsWelcome to the SBE22Delft Conference, Innovations for the Urban Energy Transition!We are thrilled to share a dynamic program covering a range of perspectives that address the growing need to speed up the pace of energy efficiency renovations in existing buildings in the EU.To meet the objectives of the European Green Deal, the energy performance of buildings across Europe must be improved. It is estimated that 85-95% of the buildings that exist today will still be standing in 2050 and of those, 75% are not energy efficient. While renovations are occurring, only 1% of buildings are undergoing energy efficiency renovations per year. To meet the 2030 objectives of the EU Climate Target Plan 2030, which involves cutting net greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, the pace of energy renovations must increase.List of Acknowledgements, Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee, Co-Organizers, Supporting Partners, International SBE Co-Promoters, Disclaimer are available in this Pdf.

The Consequences of Stalinist Economic Policy in Hungary (1949-1953)

By 1948, with the eradication of private property ownership and multi-party-system, the institutional background of the Soviet-type dictatorship was created by the Hungarian Workers Party (HWP). In economic terms, forced industrialisation became buzzword, whereas both agricultural and infrastructural development were neglected by the communist leadership. The forced collectivisation in the agriculture, accompanied by the postponement of necessary investments led to a permanent shortage of goods. Compulsory deliveries coupled with the application of the principle of quantity further aggravated the situation of the agrarian sector. As a result of aggressive campaign against the wealthy peasants and forced collectivisation, 300 000 people ceased to work in the agriculture and were employed by industry. Within the centrally planned economy, profitability, cost of production, marketability and quality of products were neglected. Only one principle was taken into account, which was the fulfilment or overfulfilment of the global production plan index and all other criteria were ignored by decision-makers. Foreign trade relations were embedded within the framework of the command economy. Foreign trade corporations were set up and world market prices became hermetically isolated from domestic prices. Within Comecon, the endeavour of the USSR was to reduce any dependency of the socialist bloc on world markets and to achieve self-sufficiency. The introduction of fixed prices in 1950 led to serious price distortions, whilst Hungary depended on increasing import of raw material, which was essential for the development of heavy industry. Therefore, the targets of foreign trade were not fulfilled during the period 1949-53. The irrational economic objectives of the first Five-Year Plan produced lasting damages in the national economy of Hungary.

Perspective of Parental Satisfaction with Academia of Children with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability

Background: Down syndrome is the disorder in which physical, mental, and functional deformity is present due to trisomy twenty one, the existence of three chromosomes instead of two normal chromosomes in human genome. Children who have intellectual disability they have neurodevelopmental deficit regards to limited in intellectual operation and adaptive behaviors. One of the safeguards variables as a favorable adaptability to a challenging conditions, like managing a handicapped kid, is marital satisfaction. Higher levels of marital happiness are linked to reduce depression levels, less parenting stress, and better parental planning (Kersh, Hedvat, Hauser-Cram, &amp; Warfield, 2006) Objective(s): To find out parental satisfaction with academia of Down syndrome and Intellectual disability in Pakistan. Methodology: A standardized tool PSCDDI is used and data were collected from special education school of Lahore and Gujranwala city. Data were collected from 385 parents of down syndrome and intellectual disable child parents through questionnaire which were provided to parents and take their opinion. After data collected we analyze the data and concluded the results. Results: In this study we find out that parents are unsatisfied to academic performance of their child most of child and most of the parents are not sure and disagree. Down syndrome child are 38.9% and 60.9% child were intellectual disable and they are all in pre to 3rd grade. Most of the child were in the age range of 5- 8 years. The parents of DS and ID child have non-Consaginous marriage is 53.6% and 46.4% are Consaginous marriage. Conclusion(s): The overall study of parental satisfaction towards the developmental disability of their children shows unsatisfaction. . In Pakistan parents who have their children with disability faced many challenges in society. Keyword: Down syndrome, intellectual disability, parental satisfaction, academia

Scientific, technological and other bases of production processes digitalization

Relevance. “Digital transformation”, “digital twin” and similar terms are media phenomena. However, these and related terms hide meanings, goals, objectives, technologies, prospects and dangers inevitable at the present stage of an industrial society development and transformation into post-industrial and beyond. In literature, digital transformation is usually applied to business management and is not concerned with material production. Research objective is to consider "digitalization" in relation to technical and technological objects of industrial production by the example of a coal mine. Methods of research. In the context of industrial civilization and industrial production, using the methods of system analysis and mathematical modeling, the article considers the development and connection between the processes of automation, digitalization, informatization, and intellectualization. It has been shown that it is possible to preserve and develop industrial production based on its digital transformation, which is based on digital twins that transform the concept of automation. The digital twin, which operates in real time and is synchronized with the simulated production process, is considered as a simulation model of matter and energy transformation processes. The descriptions of a coal mine and its digital twin are considered in a general form. The objectives have been formulated for the optimal production control and its digital twin synchronization. Results. The necessary and critical technologies and possibilities for implementing a digital twin have been identified. The relationship has been shown between the digital transformation of the industry, the objectives of large-scale planning, and the emergence of social problems.

Benchmarking daily adaptation using fully automated radiotherapy treatment plan optimization for rectal cancer.

In daily plan adaptation the radiotherapy treatment plan is adjusted just prior to delivery. A simple approach is taking the planning objectives of the reference plan and directly applying these in re-optimization. Here we present a tested method to verify whether daily adaptation without tweaking of the objectives can maintain the plan quality throughout treatment. For fifteen rectal cancer patients, automated treatment planning was used to generate plans mimicking manual reference plans on the planning scans. For 74 fraction scans (4-5 per patient) an automated plan and a daily adapted plan were generated, where the latter re-optimizes the reference plan objectives without any tweaking. To evaluate the robustness of the daily adaptation, the adapted plans were compared to the autoplanning plans. Median differences between the autoplanning plans on the planning scans and the reference plans were between -1 and 0.2Gy. The largest interquartile range (1Gy) was seen for the Lumbar Skin D2%. For the daily scans the PTV D2% and D98% differences between autoplanning and adapted plans were within 0.7Gy, with mean differences within 0.3Gy. Positive differences indicate higher values were obtained using autoplanning. For the Bowelarea+Bladder and the Lumbar Skin the D2% and Dmean differences were all within 2.6Gy, with mean differences between -0.9 and 0.1Gy. Automated treatment planning can be used to benchmark daily adaptation techniques. The investigated adaptation workflow can robustly perform high quality adaptations without daily adjusting of the patient-specific planning objectives for rectal cancer radiotherapy.

Community Sports Facility Ant Colony Algorithm Collocation under the Environment of National Fitness

The construction of sports facilities is gradually gaining public attention in the national fitness environment. Community sports facilities make a great contribution in making up for the shortage of urban gymnasiums, but there are many similarities in the existing community sports facilities, and the collocation is only to meet the basic needs. Based on this, this paper investigates the study of an ant colony algorithm for the collocation of community sports facilities in a national fitness environment. Based on a brief analysis of the construction of community sports facilities and the study of ant colony algorithms, a model of community sports facility matching is constructed and an ant colony algorithm is introduced to optimize the design of the scheme. The multiobjective function model is combined with the demand for community sports settings collocation, and the optimal solution set for different planning objectives is proposed in the optimal design of sports facility collocation. The objective function is combined with the ant colony algorithm to continuously update the objective function value and obtain the optimal solution after stabilization, providing a more excellent configuration for sports facility collocation. The simulation results show that the performance of this algorithm is more stable than that of traditional algorithms, and it can provide more diverse solutions for sports facility matching with greater stability.

A depleted workforce

The decline of the nursing and health visiting workforce in the community appears to be in conflict with the aims and objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan, says Crystal Oldman. Where is the workforce plan to address the problem?

Effective Hybridization of Biogeography Based Optimization and Simulated Annealing

Since the optimization process constitutes a great step in solving complex real world problems, the development of novel optimization algorithms is one of the growing interest topics that attracted researchers in the recent decades. This paper presents the hybridization of bio-inspired Biogeography Based Optimization (BBO) algorithm and physics-inspired Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm, into a new variant called BBO-SA. The proposed algorithm uses the concepts of the SA to enhance the diversity of BBO solutions which in turn improves the obtained solution. For validating the performance of BBO-SA, it is compared to that of BBO algorithm in solving a set of thirteen complex benchmark functions. Validation results prove the superior performance of the proposed BBO-SA algorithm over the BBO algorithm in solving complex function in terms of escaping from local optima and reaching near optimal solution in lower execution times. Besides, the proposed algorithm is applied to solve a very challenging problem denoted as the RFID Reader Deployment Problem (RRDP). Such problem can be solved by finding the optimal distribution of the RFID readers which fulfils the set of RFID planning objectives. A comparison is held between the BBO-SA algorithm and other optimization algorithms on a large RFID model. Simulation results verified the superiority of the algorithm over the compared ones for solving the RRDP with satisfying the deployment objectives.