This paper proposes a framework that enhances domain independent heuristic state-space planners with the ability to plan for multiple criteria simultaneously. A criteria hierarchy, together with preferences among them and boundaries over their values, is defined by the knowledge engineer. For the search process in the state-space, a weighted A* strategy is adopted. The heuristic function uses t...

M Godwin and colleagues are to be congratulated for their survey of the effect of an alternative funding plan on physician referrals; however, we have several concerns. First, the authors state that to interpret the “negative perceptions” of the respondents regarding the alternative funding plan one should “consider the confounding effect of other changes in the health care system in Ontario.” ...

The multiple state transition path sampling method allows sampling of rare transitions between many metastable states, but has the drawback that switching between qualitatively different pathways is difficult. Combination with replica exchange transition interface sampling can in principle alleviate this problem, but requires a large number of simultaneous replicas. Here we remove these drawbac...

In this paper, we introduce a new sampling plan based on the defective proportion of batch. The proposed sampling plan is based on the distribution function of the proportion defective. A continuous loss function is used to quantify deviations between the proportion defective and its acceptance quality level (AQL).  For practical purpose, a sensitivity analysis is carried out on the different v...

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are recommended for the diagnosis of N. gonorrhoeae infections because of their superior sensitivity. Increasing NAAT use causes a decline in crucial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance data, which rely on culture. We analyzed the suitability of the ESwab system for NAAT diagnostics and deferred targeted N. gonorrhoeae culture to allow selective ...