Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Planning and problem solving'
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Patel, Niranjani H. "A new approach to solving a multilocation distribution problem." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/24550.
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Weppenaar, D. V. I., and H. J. Vermaak. "Solving planning problems with Drools Planner a tutorial." Interim : Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol 10 , Issue 1: Central University of Technology Free State Bloemfontein, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/338.
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Published ArticlePlanning problems are frequently encountered in everyday situations. The brute force approach of evaluating every possible solution for any medium size planning problem is just not feasible. Drools Planner is an open source Java library developed to help solve planning problems by using meta-heuristic algorithms. Drools Planner uses the Drools Expert (rule engine) for score calculation to greatly reduce the complexity and effort required to write scalable constraints in a declarative manner. This paper presents an introduction to Drools Planner, how it can be used to solve problems and concludes with an example scenario.
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Håård, Fredrik. "Multi-Agent Diplomacy : Tactical Planning using Cooperative Distributed Problem Solving." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Avdelningen för för interaktion och systemdesign, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-5118.
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While there is a broad theoretic foundation for creating artificial intelligence based solutions for two-player games, such as Chess, the multi-player domain is not as well explored and artificial intelligence solutions for multi-player games is often flawed. This report is an attempt to apply a multi-agent approach to a multi-player game, and use distributed problem solving to create viable plans in an environment of huge search spaces and multiple adversaries. An automated player (bot) for the game Diplomacy was created using distributed methodologies, and tested against other existing bots. The tests show that the bot developed can outperform opposition in score while being competetive in speed.
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Hoffmann, Jörg. "Utilizing problem structure in planning : a local search approach /." Berlin [u.a.] : Springer, 2003. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0818/2003065658-d.html.
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Cole, Bjorn Forstrom. "An evolutionary method for synthesizing technological planning and architectural advance." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29758.
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Thesis (Ph.D)--Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.Committee Chair: Mavris, Dimitri; Committee Member: Costello, Mark; Committee Member: German, Brian. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.
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Adelman, Allen. "Solving Boston Harbor's combined sewer overflow problem : is there room for innovation?" Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71073.
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Ruh, Nina [Verfasser], and Markus [Akademischer Betreuer] Heinrichs. "Dissociable stages of planning and problem solving = Dissoziierbare Phasen im Planungs- und Problemlöseprozess." Freiburg : Universität, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1123478740/34.
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Davidson, Duncan. "Social problem solving, cognitive defusion and social identification in wellness recovery action planning." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33141.
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Objective: The concept of recovery has become an integral part of modern mental health care. Understanding the outcomes and underlying mechanisms of key recovery interventions, such as Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), is essential in order to expand the theoretical understanding of recovery and inform how to target recovery in treatment. Therefore a systematic review of the literature was conducted to evaluate the mental health outcomes of WRAP for adults. The empirical study then explored three constructs in relation to WRAP and recovery. These were social problem solving, cognitive defusion and social identification. Method: The systematic review of the mental health outcomes of WRAP was conducted by searching four databases, contacting the authors of WRAP research and seeking evaluative information from organisations that deliver WRAP. Fourteen relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. Whereas, the empirical study recruited participants on a trans-diagnostic basis from across Scotland. Using a quantitative cross sectional design, 109 participant's completed 5 self-report questionnaires. These were the Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs about WRAP Questionnaire (WRAP beliefs), the Recovery Assessment Scale - Short (RAS-S), the Social Problem Solving Inventory - Revised - Short (SPSI-R-S), the Four Item Measure of Social Identification (FISI) and the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ). Correlation, regression and mediation analysis were used to explore relationships, and in particular, the predictors and mediators of recovery. Results: The systematic review provided strong evidence that WRAP has a significant positive impact on hope and also reduces the symptoms of mental illness. However, whether WRAP improves personal levels of recovery was unclear and a possible risk of disempowerment was found. Promising preliminary mental health outcomes in the areas of confidence in managing mental health, quality of life, service use, self-advocacy and knowledge attitudes and beliefs about recovery were highlighted. Only studies that did not use peer facilitators failed to find significant increases in hope compared to treatment as usual control groups. In the empirical study, the results indicated that all the constructs examined were correlated to recovery. In the regression analysis, WRAP beliefs, social problem solving and cognitive defusion also demonstrated a predictive relationship with recovery. Mediation analysis indicated that, social problem solving mediated two distinct relationships. One between WRAP beliefs and recovery, and another between cognitive defusion and recovery. The social problem solving subscales also showed how the two predictors relate to recovery through social problem solving in different ways. Social identification with the WRAP group did not significantly predict or mediate recovery. Conclusions: The systematic review indicated having peer facilitators delivering WRAP is key to helping participants foster hope and that a further randomised control trial could help clarify if improved personal recovery is an outcome of WRAP. It additionally suggested how the relationship between WRAP beliefs and recovery could be explored, as per the design of the empirical study. Findings from the empirical study implied that improving participants' social problem solving and cognitive defusion should be specifically targeted in WRAP delivery. The studies combined indicate that to achieve the best recovery results interventions, like WRAP, should target inspiring hope through peer support, improving knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about recovery and cognitive defusion from unhelpful thoughts.
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Li, Huaming. "Reasoning about actions and plans in artificial intelligence and engineering." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.385690.
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Elliott-Ortega, Kara. "Urban design as problem solving : design thinking in the rebuild by design resiliency competition." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98931.
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Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2015.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 124-129).
Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, federal, state, and local governments initiated a series of disaster relief and recovery programs. These efforts were criticized for their lack of coordination, and fueled the public opinion that not only were coastal cities increasingly at risk for storm events due to climate change, but also that the government is not equipped to adequately respond to or prevent future disasters. The Rebuild by Design urban design competition was the first implemented recommendation of the cabinet-level Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and the main goal for the competition was the procurement of innovative resiliency projects for the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the competition is an unprecedented use of urban design by the federal government, leading to the question of why HUD would turn to an urban design process in the midst of other recovery efforts. Through interviews with designers from the winning design teams, this thesis finds that design thinking, under-examined by the participants, management, and evaluations of the competition, is the underlying theory that explains the benefits of an urban design process in the context of responding to climate change. Design thinking theorizes design as an alternative decision making process that can address complex problems for which there is no correct solution. This leads to the use of design as a method of creative problem solving as well as a catalyst for organizational change. This thesis finds that the competition design teams practice characteristics of design thinking. The resulting design ideas synthesize across regional, social, and economic systems, and offer an improved approach to the current infrastructure practices of flood protection and water mitigation. At the same time, the ability of the design process to fulfill the organizational goals of the competition, such as capacity building for local governments, remains mixed. Finally, this thesis generates recommendations for future iterations of Rebuild by Design as well as cautionary lessons for designers in light of the politics of relying on design as a form of innovation.
by Kara Elliott-Ortega.
M.C.P.
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Zhang, Luping, and 张路平. "Solving integrated process planning and scheduling problems with metaheuristics." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/208626.
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Process planning and scheduling are two important manufacturing planning functions which are closely related to each other. Usually, process planning and scheduling have to be performed sequentially, whereby the process plans are the input for scheduling. Many investigations have shown that the separate conduction of the two functions is much likely to ruin the effectiveness and feasibility of the process plans and schedules, and it is also difficult to cater for the occurrence of uncertainties in the dynamic manufacturing environment. The purpose of integrated process planning and scheduling (IPPS) is to perform the two functions concurrently. IPPS is a typical combinatorial optimization problem which belongs to the category of NP-hard problems. Research on IPPS has intensified in recent years. Researchers have reported various IPPS systems and solution approaches which are able to generate good solutions for specific IPPS problems. However, there is in general an absence of theoretical models for the IPPS problem representation, and research on the theoretical aspects of the IPPS is limited.
The objective of this research is to establish a metaheuristic-based solution approach for the IPPS problem in flexible jobshop type of manufacturing systems. To begin with, a graph-based modeling approach for formulating the IPPS problem domain is proposed. This approach defines a way to use a category of AND/OR graphs to construct IPPS models. The graph-based IPPS model can be formulated using mathematical programming tools including polynomial mixed integer programming (PMIP) and mixed integer linear programming (MILP). The analytical mathematical programming approaches can be used to solve simple IPPS instances but they are not capable for large-scale IPPS problems. This research proposes a new IPPS modelling approach to incorporate metaheuristics in the solution strategy. Actually, the solution strategy comprises the metaheuristics and a mapping function. The metaheuristic is responsible for generating the operation sequences; a mapping function is then used to assign the operations to appropriate time slots on a schedule.
General studies of applying constructive and improvement metaheuristics to solve the IPPS problem are conducted in this research. The ant colony optimization (ACO) is applied as a representative constructive metaheuristic, and a nonstandard genetic algorithm approach object-coding genetic algorithm (OCGA) is implemented as an improvement metaheuristic. The OCGA contains dedicated genetic operations to support the object-based genetic representation, and three particular mechanisms for population evolution.
The metaheuristic-based solution approaches are implemented in a multi-agent system (MAS) platform. The hybrid MAS and metaheuristics based IPPS solution methodology is able to carry out dynamic rescheduling to cope with occurrence of uncertainties in practical manufacturing environments. Experiments have been carried out to test the IPPS solution approach proposed in this thesis. It is shown that both metaheuristics, ACO and OCGA, are having good performance in terms of solution quality and computational efficiency. In particular, due to the special genetic operations and population evolutionary mechanisms, the OCGA shows great advantages in experiments on benchmark problems. Finally, it is shown that the hybrid approach of MSA and metaheuristics is able to support real-time rescheduling in dynamic manufacturing systems.published_or_final_version
Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
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ASSIS, FERNANDO APARECIDO DE. "CONSTRUCTIVE METAHEURISTIC ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING TRANSMISSION EXPANSION PLANNING PROBLEMS." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2018. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=35771@1.
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PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIROCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO
PROGRAMA DE EXCELENCIA ACADEMICA
O planejamento da expansão da transmissão (PET) visa identificar reforços para a rede a fim de permitir uma adequada interligação entre a demanda e a geração de energia elétrica, ambas previstas para um determinado horizonte futuro de planejamento. Um bom plano de expansão deve garantir o adequado equilíbrio entre o custo de investimento e o custo de operação, mantendo ainda um nível satisfatório de confiabilidade no fornecimento da energia. Entretanto, a identificação de bons planos de expansão para a rede de transmissão tem se tornado uma tarefa cada vez mais difícil. Isso se deve, principalmente, às características e dimensões dos sistemas atuais e, ainda, às incertezas inerentes ao problema. Dessa forma, torna-se necessário o desenvolvimento de ferramentas cada vez mais ela-boradas para auxílio dos planejadores. Neste sentido, é proposto nesta tese de dou-torado um algoritmo metaheurístico construtivo, denominado AMC-PET, o qual realiza um processo gradual e concomitante de construção de soluções viáveis (planos de expansão). Por meio de mecanismos baseados principalmente em índices de sensibilidade para avaliação dos reforços candidatos e na troca de informações entre as soluções correntes, o processo construtivo proposto é conduzido, parcimoniosamente, na direção de planos de excelente qualidade. Para validação da metodologia proposta, é utilizado o problema PET estático de longo prazo, considerando o critério de segurança N-1 para a rede de transmissão. Um mode-lo linearizado de rede com a inclusão de perdas ôhmicas é utilizado para análise das configurações obtidas. Dois sistemas teste, comumente utilizados neste tópico de pesquisa e, também, um sistema real de grande porte, que corresponde à rede elétrica do sul do Brasil, são empregados na validação.
The transmission expansion planning (TEP) aims to identify reinforcements for the network in order to allow an adequate interconnection between load and electric power generation, both foreseen for a given future planning horizon. A good expansion plan must ensure the proper balance between investment and operating costs, while preserving a satisfactory reliability level in the energy supply. However, identifying good expansion plans for the transmission network has become an increasingly difficult task. This is mainly due to the characteristics and dimensions of current power systems and also to the uncertainties inherent to the problem. Thus, it becomes necessary to develop even more elaborate tools to assist system planners. This doctoral thesis proposes a new optimization tool named constructive metaheuristic algorithm (CMA-TEP). The proposed CMA-TEP tool performs a gradual and parallel process of building feasible solutions (expansion plans). By means of mechanisms mainly based on sensitivity indices for the evaluation of candidate reinforcements and on the information exchange among current solutions, the proposed constructive process is parsimoniously conducted towards high quality plans. To verify the performance of the proposed methodology, the long-term static PET problem considering the N-1 security criterion for the transmission network is solved. A linearized network model with the inclusion of ohmic losses is used to analyze the obtained configurations. Two test systems, commonly utilized in this research area, and also a real large network, which corresponds to the electric grid of Southern Brazil, are used to validate the proposed method.
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Steinkraus, Kurt Alan 1978. "Solving large stochastic planning problems using multiple dynamic abstractions." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33928.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-172).
One of the goals of AI is to produce a computer system that can plan and act intelligently in the real world. It is difficult to do so, in part because real-world domains are very large. Existing research generally deals with the large domain size using a static representation and exploiting a single type of domain structure. This leads either to an inability to complete planning on larger domains or to poor solution quality because pertinent information is discarded. This thesis creates a framework that encapsulates existing and new abstraction and approximation methods into modules and combines arbitrary modules into a 'hierarchy that allows for dynamic representation changes. The combination of different abstraction methods allows many qualitatively different types of structure in the domain to be exploited simultaneously. The ability to change the representation dynamically allows the framework to take advantage of how different domain subparts are relevant in different ways at different times. Since the current plan tracks the current representation, choosing to simplify (or omit) distant or improbable areas of the domain sacrifices little in the way of solution quality while making the planning problem considerably easier.
(cont.) The module hierarchy approach leads to greater abstraction that is tailored to the domain and therefore need not give up hope of creating reasonable solutions. While there are no optimality guarantees, experimental results show that suitable module choices gain computational tractability at little cost to behavioral optimality and allow the module hierarchy to solve larger and more interesting domains than previously possible.
by Kurt Alan Steinkraus.
Ph.D.
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Mathai, Mary. "A study of the knowledge and problem solving ability of the family planning nurse in Mdantsane." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26933.
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Women's control over their fertility is vital for both their health and that of their children. Although family planning methods are available at most health facilities in the country, the service does not enable many Black South African women to control their fertility successfully. This inadequacy of the present service is demonstrated, by a high rate of teenage pregnancy and abortion. Based on anecdotal reports, one of the barriers to effective use of contraceptive methods seemed to be the competence and abilities of the providers. This qualitative study was done in clinics in a peri-urban township to explore the knowledge and problem-solving abilities of the nurses providing family planning services. The aim was to use the information so gained to improve family planning services in the area by preparing a set of guidelines for the management of specific clinical problems and making recommendations to service organisers. The study tape-recorded 18 actual nurse-patient interactions to get an idea of the clinical problems faced by the nurses. A consensus panel was used to derive a set of "ideal" answers to the clinical scenarios the nurses faced in the consultations and the nurses' and panels' responses were compared. A focus group discussion with the nurses was then conducted and their opinions and reasons for the differences explored. The results revealed a general malaise affecting the services in this area. There were significant differences in the nurses and panels' handling of the problems especially in the areas of counselling and advice. In addition, the nurses were found to be inappropriate providers of family planning as their scope of practice prevented them from examining patients. They were also unable to rule out pregnancy because there were no pregnancy test kits available in the clinics. The focus group discussions indicated that many of the nurses knew how to handle the problems and what advice to give. They claimed that work and time pressures prevented them from doing this. They also alleged that patients were the problem and never told the truth. Poor communication skills and attitudes towards patients were other barriers identified. Nurses spoke to their patients like children and were often rude. In addition, nurses counselled patients infrequently on the use of methods and the side effects to be expected. Patients were offered a choice of method rarely and health education when given, focused on morality and did not mention issues like safe sex and HIV/ AIDS. The manual of guidelines will only address the problem solving of the nurses. The study therefore concludes by making recommendations to the Directorate of Maternal, Child and Women' s Health to carefully evaluate the use of enrolled nurses as providers with full consideration given to the quality of care that can be provided by them. The resources available and the practices related to supervision and in-service training also need to be reviewed and prioritised. A recommendation is also made to the Provincial Human Resources Directorate to develop policies for improving staff attitudes towards service users and disciplinary procedures for staff who are rude to service users. Recommendations are also made to supervisors to review the present training course and introduce the problem-solving approach and respect for patient autonomy into it. The supervision is also recommended to be facilitative and on-site and the providers must be involved in the solving of problems. The emphasis of the service must change from patient turnover to effective contraceptive use to enable women in this area to have any meaningful control over their fertility.
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Herak, Patrick James. "Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Problem-Solving Skills of Suburban High School Physical Science Students." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1291233672.
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Schneider, Christopher. "Public Participation: A Crucial Component in Solving Ohio’s Combined Sewer Overflow Problem." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1250191069.
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Şahin, Güvenç. "New combinatorial approaches for solving railroad planning and scheduling problems." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0015585.
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Wessen, Randii. "Market-based systems for solving space exploration resource allocation problems." Thesis, University of South Wales, 2002. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/marketbased-systems-for-solving-space-exploration-resource-allocation-problems(074a1185-dcb1-4e7d-b771-988b34529722).html.
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The very nature of space exploration implies "doing that which has never been done before." As such, the resources needed to meet the objectives of such a grand endeavor, if available, are extremely scarce. Every mission since the birth of the space programme has been resource limited. To overcome these scarcity or resource issues, natural laws developed in economics can be used. Such economic systems, which are referred to as market-based systems, are based on the laws of supply and demand. Supply and demand knowledge reveals true information about users needs for resources. This information removes the need to appeal to a higher authority or multiple meetings to resolve over subscription issues. The nature of this research programme was to apply a market-based system to a varied set of planetary exploration resource allocation problems. In the past, resource constrained problems were solved through the use of many engineers and a large number of "working" meetings. The approach was successful but was exceedingly time-consuming, labor-intensive, and very expensive. The questions addressed in this work were, 1. Could a market-based approach solve space exploration allocation problems, and 2. What were the limits of the type of problems that could be solved? Prior to this research, only one attempt had been made to apply a market-based system to a space exploration problem. The work was performed in 1991 to solve the over subscription of mission requests for Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas. [1] The work was never approved to move from the experimental phase into an operational environment. The research described in this overview was based on the DSN attempt and then extended to many different types of problems. This overview will discuss the application of this technique to the following four projects: 1. Development of the instrument payload for the Cassini mission to Saturn; 2. Manifest of Space Shuttle Secondary payloads; 3. Allocation of spacecraft time for RADAR observations during Earth orbital operations; and, 4. Manifest of Space Shuttles, which are destined for the International Space Station. Results from this research prove that market-based systems can solve resource over-subscription issues faced during development and operations of planetary spacecraft missions. In addition, the application of economic principles represents a unique and innovative approach to solving spacecraft resource issues and has been incorporated into the set of management tools available to solve issues in a quicker, cheaper and faster environment.
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Streetman, Collin Edward. "The Acquisition and Usage of the SODAS Problem Solving Method Among Adults At-Risk for Homelessness." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4950.
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Individuals experiencing extended homelessness face multifaceted risks in physical health, nutrition, substance use, mental health, continuing unemployment, and incarceration. Some of these adults may benefit from learning a problem-solving decision-making method to assist them in dealing with everyday problems they encounter. This study taught three men with extensive histories of homelessness, but who were currently housed, the SODAS problem-solving decision-making method, and assessed their ability to learn it and guide another adult in the use of the method in simulated role-play problem situations. The acquisition of SODAS from behavioral rehearsal training was evaluated using a multiple-baseline design across participants' role plays during the baseline, and post-training SODAS conditions. After demonstrating their ability to successfully guide another adult through the SODAS process when role-playing problem situations relevant to this population, the participants were instructed and provided SODAS forms for applying this method to their own every day lives' social and non-social problem situations. Social validity follow-up meetings were conducted weekly with each participant, and assessed the extent to which he reported the use and helpfulness of the SODAS method in addressing everyday life issues.
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Ponsignon, Thomas [Verfasser]. "Modeling and Solving Master Planning Problems in Semiconductor Manufacturing / Thomas Ponsignon." Hagen : Fernuniversität Hagen, 2013. http://d-nb.info/1030172633/34.
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Kotnour, Timothy G. "Design, development, and testing of an automated knowledge-acquisition tool to aid problem solving, decision making, and planning." Thesis, This resource online, 1992. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12302008-063800/.
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Johnson, Alison Virginia. "A comparison of block-stacking heuristics used by preschool children and classic artificial intelligence planning paradigms." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45918.
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Despite the large body of research in Psychology concerning human planning and problem-solving both by adults and children, the study of planning and problem-solving in the field of Artificial Intelligence has proceeded along its own development with very little concurrent exploration of the methods people use to plan and solve problems. Some of the classic planning programs are unable to solve problems which are trivial for children, and it may be that by exploration of the methods children use we will discover certain heuristics which can be incorporated into AI planning paradigms. This thesis explores this possibility. Children aged 3 to 5 years were recorded performing a block-stacking task which simulates the type of problem given to planners to test their efficiency. The data were analyzed in order to determine those heuristics which are common to planners and children as well as those which are unique to the children. Based on this analysis, the psychological validity of the planning programs are evaluated.
Master of Arts
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Jimoh, Falilat. "A synthesis of automated planning and model predictive control techniques and its use in solving urban traffic control problem." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2015. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/30343/.
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Most desired applications for planning and scheduling typically have the characteristics of a continuous changing world. Unfortunately, traditional classical planning does not possess this characteristic. This drawback is because most real-world situations involve quantities and numeric values, which cannot be adequately represented in classical planning. Continuous planning in domains that are represented with rich notations is still a great challenge for AI. For instance, changes occurring due to fuel consumption, continuous movement, or environmental conditions may not be adequately modelled through instantaneous or even durative actions; rather these require modelling as continuously changing processes. The development of planning tools that can reason with domains involving continuous and complex numeric fluents would facilitate the integration of automated planning in the design and development of complex application models to solve real world problems. Traditional urban traffic control (UTC) approaches are still not very efficient during unforeseen situations such as road incidents when changes in traffic are requested in a short time interval. For such anomalies, we need systems that can plan and act effectively in order to restore an unexpected road traffic situation into a normal order. In the quest to improve reasoning with continuous process within the UTC domain, we investigate the role of Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach to planning in the presence of mixed discrete and continuous state variables within a UTC problem. We explore this control approach and show how it can be embedded into existing, modern AI Planning technology. This approach preserves the many advantages of the AI Planning approach, to do with domain independence through declarative modelling, and explicit reasoning while leveraging the capability of MPC to deal with continuous processes. We evaluate the possibility of reasoning with the knowledge of UTC structures to optimise traffic flow in situations where a given road within a network of roads becomes unavailable due to unexpected situations such as road accidents. We specify how to augment the standard AI planning engine with the incorporation of MPC techniques into the central reasoning process of a continuous domain. This approach effectively utilises the strengths of search-based and model-simulation-based methods. We create a representation that can be used to capture declaratively, the definitions of processes, actions, events, resources resumption and the structure of the environment in a UTC scenario. This representation is founded on world states modelled by mixed discrete and continuous state variables. We create a planner with a hybrid algorithm, called UTCPLAN that combines both AI planning and MPC approach to reason with traffic network and control traffic signal at junctions within the network. The experimental objective of minimising the number of vehicles in a queue is implemented to validate the applicability and effectiveness of the algorithm. We present an experimental evaluation showing that our approach can provide UTC plans in a reasonable time. The result also shows that the UTCPLAN approach can perform well in dealing with heavy traffic congestion problems, which might result from heavy traffic flow during rush hours.
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Glossenger, John Kenneth. "The role of planning in two artificial intelligence architectures." Instructions for remote access. Click here to access this electronic resource. Access available to Kutztown University faculty, staff, and students only, 1991. http://www.kutztown.edu/library/services/remote_access.asp.
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Mosskull, Albin, and Arfvidsson Kaj Munhoz. "Solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Equation for Route Planning Problems Using Tensor Decomposition." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-289326.
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Optimizing routes for multiple autonomous vehiclesin complex traffic situations can lead to improved efficiency intraffic. Attempting to solve these optimization problems centrally,i.e. for all vehicles involved, often lead to algorithms that exhibitthe curse of dimensionality: that is, the computation time andmemory needed scale exponentially with the number of vehiclesresulting in infeasible calculations for moderate number ofvehicles. However, using a numerical framework called tensordecomposition one can calculate and store solutions for theseproblems in a more manageable way. In this project, we investi-gate different tensor decomposition methods and correspondingalgorithms for solving optimal control problems, by evaluatingtheir accuracy for a known solution. We also formulate complextraffic situations as optimal control problems and solve them.We do this by using the best tensor decomposition and carefullyadjusting different cost parameters. From these results it canbe concluded that the Sequential Alternating Least Squaresalgorithm used with canonical tensor decomposition performedthe best. By asserting a smooth cost function one can solve certainscenarios and acquire satisfactory solutions, but it requiresextensive testing to achieve such results, since numerical errorsoften can occur as a result of an ill-formed problem.Att optimera färdvägen för flertalet au-tonoma fordon i komplexa trafiksituationer kan leda till effekti-vare trafik. Om man försöker lösa dessa optimeringsproblemcentralt, för alla fordon samtidigt, leder det ofta till algorit-mer som uppvisar The curse of dimensionality, vilket är då beräkningstiden och minnes-användandet växer exponentielltmed antalet fordon. Detta gör många problem olösbara för endasten måttlig mängd fordon. Däremot kan sådana problem hanterasgenom numeriska verktyg så som tensornedbrytning. I det här projektet undersöker vi olika metoder för tensornedbrytningoch motsvarandes algoritmer för att lösa optimala styrproblem,genom att jämföra dessa för ett problem med en känd lösning.Dessutom formulerar vi komplexa trafiksituationer som optimalastyrproblem för att sedan lösa dem. Detta gör vi genom attanvända den bästa tensornedbrytningen och genom att noggrantanpassa kostnadsparametrar. Från dessa resultat framgår det att Sequential Alternating Least Squaresalgoritmen, tillsammans medkanonisk tensornedbrytning, överträffade de andra algoritmersom testades. De komplexa trafiksituationerna kan lösas genomatt ansätta släta kostnadsfunktioner, men det kräver omfattandetestning för att uppnå sådana resultat då numeriska fel lätt kan uppstå som ett resultat av dålig problemformulering.
Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2020, KTH, Stockholm
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Newman, Nellis Leah M. "The effects of peer interaction and cognitive ability on the planning skills of preschool children." Virtual Press, 1995. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/952812.
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The ability related differences and the role of peer interaction in preschool children's planning skill on a sociocultural task was investigated. Shopping routes through a model grocery store were planned by 50 children ranging in age from 3 years, 2 months to 5 years, 11 months. There were 30 children with average ability (Differential Ability Scales GCA score 85-115) and 20 children with high ability (DAS scores above 120). All subjects planned a total of five shopping trips. The first and last trips were completed alone, while the three middle trips were either completed alone, with a same-ability peer, or with a mixed-ability peer.Data were analyzed with a series of multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) with a within-subjects factor representing the measures of planning skill across Lists 2, 3, and 4. Preschool-aged children did not differ in planning skill on the basis of cognitive ability at the onset of the task. Dyads planned more efficient routes than individuals and also employed a more mature item location strategy. Children of average ability improved in planning performance from List One to List Five regardless of the ability level of their partner during Lists 2, 3, and 4. High ability preschoolers performed equally well when working alone, with a peer of same ability, or with a peer of less ability.Dyads of average children working together engaged in arguments and disagreements concerning the task but planned less efficient routes than did dyads of high-ability children. Mixed-ability dyads and those of high ability peers planned more efficient routes but engaged in little discussion. Thus, average children working together may have experienced growth in social competence as a result of social conflict concerning the social problem solving task. Such advances were most likely minimal for children in mixed-ability and high ability dyads. Advances in social competence may be of primary importance for preschool aged children. Future research should seek to clarify the relationship between ability and peer interaction in an effort to identify the features of social interaction which are necessary for cognitive growth.Department of Educational Psychology
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Jacobson, Jay Alan. "State space partitioning methods for solving a class of stochastic network problems." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/24928.
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Hirsch, Paul Devin. "Making space for environmental problem solving : a study of the role of "place" in boundary choices using Georgia's statewide planning process as a case /." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/26587.
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Thesis (Ph.D)--Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.Committee Chair: Bryan Norton; Committee Member: Christopher Weible; Committee Member: Gail Cowie; Committee Member: Michael Chang; Committee Member: Michael Hoffmann. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.
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Wikström, Peder. "Solving stand-level planning problems that involve multiple criteria and a single-tree growth model /." Umeå : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 2000. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/2000/91-576-6051-4.pdf.
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Tahvili, Sahar. "Solving complex maintenance planning optimization problems using stochastic simulation and multi-criteria fuzzy decision making." Thesis, SICS, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-24416.
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Focant, Jérôme. "Stratégies d'autorégulation d'élèves de cinquième primaire en situation de résolution de problèmes arithmétiques." Université catholique de Louvain, 2004. http://edoc.bib.ucl.ac.be:81/ETD-db/collection/available/BelnUcetd-09072004-210645/.
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Pourquoi tant d'élèves fréquentant l'enseignement primaire éprouvent-ils des difficultés à résoudre des problèmes mathématiques ? Même lorsqu'ils maîtrisent l'ensemble des connaissances disciplinaires requises, ils échouent fréquemment à la résolution. Selon nous, c'est le caractère complexe des résolutions, exprimé par la nécessité de sélectionner et combiner diverses connaissances disciplinaires, qui génère ces difficultés. Nous proposons dès lors que les stratégies d'autorégulation de détermination du but, de planification, de contrôle et de régulation, issues des paradigmes de la métacognition et de l'apprentissage autorégulé, permettent de remédier à ce caractère de complexité. Nous présentons ces diverses stratégies, et les cadres dans lesquels ils ont été développés. Nous argumentons l'action qu'ils opèrent en diminuant la charge cognitive de l'activité à tout moment de la résolution, et présentons l'état de la littérature quant à leur développement et à leur lien à la performance scolaire. Nous décrivons ensuite diverses études menées afin d'informer la structure, le fonctionnement, le développement, la méthodologie de récolte de données et les liens à la performance à ce type d'activités.
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Velásquez, Flores Jorge Rafael. "Hierarchical multi-criteria operating theatre scheduling solving the tactical, operational and online planning problems with mathematical programming." Tönning Lübeck Marburg Der Andere Verl, 2008. http://d-nb.info/995846022/04.
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Valais, Maël. "Traduction logique et résolution de problèmes : application à la planification." Thesis, Toulouse 3, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019TOU30079.
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Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la traduction logique et la résolution de problèmes en utilisant des solveurs. En particulier, nous nous intéressons à la résolution de problèmes de planification de tâches en Intelligence Artificielle. Nous présentons le traducteur automatique TouIST que nous avons développé et qui permet d'utiliser un langage simple pour générer des formules logiques à partir d'une description de problème. Notre outil permet de modéliser de nombreux problèmes combinatoires statiques ou dynamiques comme le Sudoku, le Takuzu ou le jeu de Nim, et de bénéficier des améliorations apportées régulièrement aux solveurs SAT, QBF ou SMT pour les résoudre efficacement. Nous présentons ensuite des codages de référence pour résoudre des problèmes de planification classique avec SAT et QBF ou des problèmes de planification temporelle avec SMT. Dans chaque cas, nous introduisons de nouveaux codages dans les espaces de plans basés sur une modélisation des conditions ouvertes pour représenter des liens causaux. Nous montrons enfin, grâce à une étude expérimentale, que nos codages sont plus efficaces que les codages existants sur les problèmes de référence des compétitions internationales de planification (IPC)This thesis deals with logical translation and solving of problem using solvers. In particular, we are interested in solving planning problems in Artificial Intelligence. We present the automatic translator TouIST that we developed and that allows us to use a simple language to generate logical formulas from a problem description. Our tool allows us to model many static or dynamic combinatorial problems as Sudoku, Takuzu or Nim game, and to benefit from the regular improvements to SAT, QBF or SMT solvers to solve them efficiently. We then present reference encodings to solve classical planning problems with SAT and QBF, or temporal planning problems with SMT. In each case, we introduce new encodings in plan-spaces based on open condition modeling to represent causal links. Finally, we show, thanks to an experimental study, that our encodings are more efficient than the existing ones on the reference problems of international planning competitions (IPC)
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Willamowski, Jutta. "Modélisation de tâches pour la résolution de problèmes en coopération système-utilisateur." Grenoble 1, 1994. http://www.theses.fr/1994GRE10056.
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Un systeme cooperatif d'aide a la resolution de problemes doit etre capable d'un cote de resoudre des problemes de la maniere la plus autonome et automatique possible et permettre de l'autre a son utilisateur d'intervenir ponctuellement dans le processus de resolution ou meme de le diriger completement. Pour permettre au systeme et a son utilisateur de cooperer, le raisonnement du systeme doit etre facilement comprehensible par l'utilisateur et, inversement, l'utilisateur doit pouvoir aisement communiquer son propre raisonnement au systeme. Pour cela, une modelisation des connaissances et du processus de resolution des problemes par planification hierarchique est proposee. Cette modelisation repose essentiellement sur le concept de tache. Une tache permet de representer un probleme a resoudre sur differents niveaux d'abstraction et de lui associer une strategie de resolution par decomposition recursive en sous-taches de plus en plus elementaires. Une telle modelisation permet en meme temps: - de faire gerer efficacement le processus de resolution par le systeme. La planification hierarchique permet d'alterner des phases de planification et d'execution. De cette facon, la strategie appliquee peut etre adaptee de facon opportuniste a l'etat de resolution courant. - d'etablir une cooperation entre le systeme et son utilisateur. Cette cooperation peut s'etablir sur chacun des niveaux d'abstraction et de decomposition introduit dans le raisonnement; l'utilisateur peut intervenir dans le processus de resolution, prendre ou rendre le controle au systeme. Le modele propose a donne lieu a un outil generique permettant de representer les connaissances de resolution de problemes et de les exploiter en cooperation avec l'utilisateur. Cet outil, baptise scarp, a ete experimente et valide par differentes applications. Deux exemples, en traitement du signal et en analyse de donnees, sont presentes dans ce document
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Gressani, Rosita. "Rehabilitation of problem-solving planning and reasoning after traumatic brain injury and assessment of capacity to take part in research in people with acquired brain injury." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7326/.
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This thesis consists of two volumes: a clinical and a research volume. The clinical volume contains five clinical practice reports; the research volume contains a systematic review and an empirical study. The systematic review explores the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation of problem-solving, planning and reasoning in people with traumatic brain injury. The findings suggest that Short-Term Executive Plus (STEP) can decrease executive dysfunction and improve problem-solving, however, more research would strengthen the findings. Evidence for the use of ‘gist reasoning’ training is growing. Training multitasking remains an approach with insufficient evidence to support it. Finally, although the findings in relation to telephone counselling seem promising, more research could help to clarify its effectiveness. The empirical study aimed to establish whether the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) adds to the predictive potential of three tests of executive function in the assessment of capacity to take part in research in people with acquired brain injury. Stroop errors on the inhibition task and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) total errors emerged as potential screening tools; the IGT was not among the predictors. Suggestions for future research are provided. Replication with a larger sample is needed to confirm the findings.
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Kucukkoc, Ibrahim. "Modelling and solving mixed-model parallel two-sided assembly line problems." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/18917.
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The global competitive environment and the growing demand for personalised products have increased the interest of companies in producing similar product models on the same assembly line. Companies are forced to make significant structural changes to rapidly respond to diversified demands and convert their existing single-model lines into mixed-model lines in order to avoid unnecessary new line construction cost for each new product model. Mixed-model assembly lines play a key role in increasing productivity without compromising quality for manufacturing enterprises. The literature is extensive on assembling small-sized products in an intermixed sequence and assembling large-sized products in large volumes on single-model lines. However, a mixed-model parallel two-sided line system, where two or more similar products or similar models of a large-sized product are assembled on each of the parallel two-sided lines in an intermixed sequence, has not been of interest to academia so far. Moreover, taking model sequencing problem into consideration on a mixed-model parallel two-sided line system is a novel research topic in this domain. Within this context, the problem of simultaneous balancing and sequencing of mixed-model parallel two-sided lines is defined and described using illustrative examples for the first time in the literature. The mathematical model of the problem is also developed to exhibit the main characteristics of the problem and to explore the logic underlying the algorithms developed. The benefits of utilising multi-line stations between two adjacent lines are discussed and numerical examples are provided. An agent-based ant colony optimisation algorithm (called ABACO) is developed to obtain a generic solution that conforms to any model sequence and it is enhanced step-by-step to increase the quality of the solutions obtained. Then, the algorithm is modified with the integration of a model sequencing procedure (where the modified version is called ABACO/S) to balance lines by tracking the product model changes on each workstation in a complex production environment where each of the parallel lines may a have different cycle time. Finally, a genetic algorithm based model sequencing mechanism is integrated to the algorithm to increase the robustness of the obtained solutions. Computational tests are performed using test cases to observe the performances of the developed algorithms. Statistical tests are conducted through obtained results and test results establish that balancing mixed-model parallel two-sided lines together has a significant effect on the sought performance measures (a weighted summation of line length and the number of workstations) in comparison with balancing those lines separately. Another important finding of the research is that considering model sequencing problem along with the line balancing problem helps algorithm find better line balances with better performance measures. The results also indicate that the developed ABACO and ABACO/S algorithms outperform other test heuristics commonly used in the literature in solving various line balancing problems; and integrating a genetic algorithm based model sequencing mechanism into ABACO/S helps the algorithm find better solutions with less amount of computational effort.
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Ucar, Meltem. "Assessment Of User-ascribed Values For Cultural Properties In Relation With Planning Process Case Study: Tarsus." Phd thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12608685/index.pdf.
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Value is the reason to conserve places. It is necessary to assess all values and meanings of cultural properties to provide right conservation decisions. Today, all cultural products are recognized as a part of heritage. In this context, users became one of the main sources in identification and valuation of cultural places. However, there is no commonly accepted method to assess user-ascribed values and integrate them to planning process.
Hence, the aim of the study is to define a process to assess user-ascribed values in relation with conservation decision-making process. The study evaluates two indicators to define the process. In the first one, the study evaluates multi-criteria decision analysis methods to define a thinking approach to integrate values to decision-making process and in the second one, evaluates the nature of users’
valuations to identify data collection process. In this context, value assessment process is re-defined, by considering users valuations through problem solving thinking approach and a process is developed to assess user-ascribed values. The proposed process is examined with Tarsus case study. Conclusion of the study points out that, users are important sources in identification of cultural properties. In this context, problem solving thinking approach can provide a proper approach to integrate values to planning process and user-based data can be assessed through utilization of more than one method. The conclusion also clarifies the need for establishment of new definitions and tools to protect user-valued places.
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DeLeon, Adam James. "A curriculum of non-routine problems in the middle school." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2592.
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This project is a study to determine if a group of middle school students can improve their problem solving ability by means of curriculum of nonroutine problems that was presented over a six month period.
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Huisamen, Petronella. "'n Evaluasie van die tydsbestuur, doelwitbeplanning en probleemoplossing kapasiteitsbouprogramme van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens / deur Petronella Huisamen." Thesis, North-West University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/408.
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Background Due to the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996, as well as
other factors, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services to also include
pro-active, capacity building interventions. The result was the development of 15 personnel capacity
building programmes by 1999. The need arose for a comprehensive impact assessment of these
programmes and the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity Building Programmes (EPCBP) study was
subsequently launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Problem Solving, Planning of Goals and Time
Management Programmes formed part of this research.
Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the Problem solving , Planning
of Goals and Time Management Programmes on SAPS personnel's knowledge, attitude and behaviour.
Method: In the research, the comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used.
Fourteen measurement scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and utilized. It
involved 666 experimental group respondents, 132 comparison group members and 46 presenters.
Results: All three of the programmes had a significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude
and behaviour and changed their personal and professional life in a very positive manner. The research
proved without doubt that the programmes are effective capacity-building tools in the hands of Police
Social Work Services. However there are still certain steps to be taken to further improve the
programmes.Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.
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Altholz, Vitali. "Räumliche Handlungskonzepte: Ein Blick auf Probleme ihrer Erarbeitung und Umsetzung." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2011. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-75463.
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Die Dissertation untersucht auf der Basis der Inhaltsanalyse von 429 deutschsprachigen Konzepten der Raumplanung sowie mit Hilfe von 17 ExpertInneninterviews verschiedene Problemzustände der Planung und Umsetzung räumlicher Entwicklungsmaßnahmen sowie den Umgang mit diesen Problemzuständen seitens der raumplanerischen Praxis und der Raumpolitik in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Dabei wurde – neben allgemeinen Informationen über inhaltliche Schwerpunkte und Ausrichtungen der untersuchten Konzepte, ihre Planungszeiträume und Autoren sowie Entscheidungsverfahren und -methoden – ein differenzierter Katalog unterschiedlicher Problemzustände und kritischer Faktoren erstellt, welcher bei der konzeptionellen Ausrichtung zukünftiger Konzepte als Orientierungshilfe dienen kann. Der Autor diskutiert die heutige Rolle räumlicher Handlungskonzepte und weist eindringlich auf die Problematik der Verdrängung kritischer Zustände im Zusammenhang der Erarbeitung und Umsetzung räumlicher Handlungskonzepte hin.
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Mberi, Mary-Jane. "Strategic thinking during a period of turbulence : a case study of the BancABC Zimbabwe." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020603.
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A review of strategic thinking literature indicates that research has tended to focus on experiences contributing to strategic thinking, the strategic thinking perspectives that executives are likely to follow based on the environments in which they have developed their strategic competencies, and examining executives’ cognitive maps within the context of strategic management (O’ Shannassy 2003; Kutschera, and Ryan, 2009; Meyer, 2007). As an expansion of these principles and foundations of strategic thinking, this research was a study of the extent to which strategic thinking perspectives are utilised during macro environmental turbulence. According to Cravens et al. (2009: 31) volatility, reinvention, and fundamental changes in markets present unprecedented challenges to researchers and executives. “Unfortunately, too often traditional conceptual models and theories fail to provide adequate insight for coping with this new and rapidly changing business environment. Traditional market perspectives and conceptual logic may even blind researchers and strategic decision makers to the real threats present in the changing competitive landscape and new market space, and to opportunities for added value which can be uncovered and exploited” Cravens et al. (2009: 31). Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe was a major problem from 2003 to April 2009, when the country suspended its own currency and for the next five years the country continued to struggle with various macro environmental challenges. It is this backdrop that makes this research intriguing, where the soundness of any organisation is said to be crucially linked to the soundness of the macro environment, including macroeconomic policies as well as internal governance, market discipline; regulation and supervision (Louw and Venter, 2010). The research was a case study of BancABC Zimbabwe and focused on the period 2009 to 2013. BancABC Zimbabwe is a subsidiary of ABC Holdings Limited which is listed on the Botswana and Zimbabwe stock exchanges (BancABC, 2012). The aim of the study as the first key activity was to explore and describe how the BancABC executives responded to the critical macro environmental incidents identified, at a management or executive team perspective, and secondly, whether the rational reasoning or generative reasoning perspective was dominant during the period of turbulence. The goal is to gain insights of the strategic thinking process followed by executives during a period of macro-environmental turbulence. Literature defines strategic thinking concept as the cognitive process undertaken by executives in relation to problem solving in the business context. Two main perspectives are discussed: Strategic thinking as a science (rational thinking) is the prescriptive, structured nature of strategic thinking; arguments are that it is a less complex perspective for executives to adopt. Strategic thinking as an art (generative thinking) is the perspective that allows the strategist to think outside the box and be more creative about solving strategic problems. The discussion presents how the two perspectives can be used to complement each other and provide a more robust strategic thinking framework. The multi-perspective approach to strategic thinking recommends the right balance between analysis, intuition and creativity can be used to create new frameworks and innovative solutions. The ability to balance these strategic thinking perspectives enables executives to solve strategic problems (Linkov, 1999). The research findings highlighted the effect of time and availability of information on the strategic thinking perspective adopted by executives during times of uncertainty. It was noted that when time and information were available, executives appeared to use the rational strategic thinking perspective, while if there was limited time and information to solve problems the generative thinking perspective was dominantly used. Further the importance of integrative strategic thinking which facilitates the use of both intuition and analysis when solving strategic problems in a turbulent macro environment was also highlighted. The research thesis adopted the structure of a case study, relying on the critical incident technique to create the context of the study; and can be used to explore and discuss strategic thinking for teaching purposes. The results of the study can be recognised as a contribution towards the development of strategic thinking particularly in times of turbulence. It can also form the basis for future studies in the context of strategic thinking.
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Mitchell, Joanna. "Inter-professional case discussion : a systematic and sequential analysis of task-related and social/emotional interaction processes in problem solving and strategy planning for vulnerable children, young people and their families." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.546709.
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Knap, Steven Anthony. "Mathematics curriculum implementation for the sixth grade." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1995. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1018.
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McKinlay, Audrey. "An Investigation of the Cognitive and Psychiatric Profile for People with Parkinson's Disease Without Dementia." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4449.
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Introduction: Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterised by motor symptoms. However, there is increasing awareness that a range of neuropsychiatric and cognitive problems also accompanys PD. The objective of this thesis was to examine the profile of neuropsychiatric and cognitive problems for patients with PD without dementia. Parkinson's disease patients who could be identified at the time of this study were invited to participate. Each patient was individually matched to a healthy control in terms of age, premorbid intelligence, and years of education. Results: Neuropsychiatric symptoms were common for this patient group, over 40% self reported symptoms consistent with depression, 40% with physical fatigue, 38% with mental fatigue, 38% with apathy and 32% with sleep problems. More than 77% of patients with PD reported symptoms associated with at least one problem and over 46% with 3 or more problems. Increased symptoms consistent with depression and anxiety and the presence of hallucinations also predicted poorer quality of life after controlling for motor symptoms. However, the of level agreement between patient report and that of a person who know them well was low: 40.9% for apathy, 28% for hallucinations, 39% for depression, 25% for sleep problems and only 7.7% agreement for the presence of anxiety. To obtain an accurate profile of cognitive impairments patients were assessed on measures of higher order language ability and a broad range of commonly used cognitive tests. Overall, PD patients were impaired on aspects of higher-order language. However, results indicated that these deficits were not a primary effect of PD, but could be explained in terms of deficits in speed of information processing associated with the disease. Compared to healthy controls, PD patients also showed deficits on measures of executive function, working memory, problem solving, and visuospatial skills. However, they were unimpaired on measures of planning, attention and memory/learning. Deficits in problem solving were only evident for tasks with a high visuospatial content and were no longer significant when visuospatial skills were controlled for. Further investigation indicated that planning in PD patients was not impaired in general and was dependent on the sensitivity of tests used. To further examine cognitive deficits, patients were divided into groups according to their cognitive performance. Three sub-groups of patients were identified that formed a continuum of cognitive impairment from none/mild to severe. Compared to controls, one subgroup showed no or minimal impairment (PD-NCI), a second group showed a more variable pattern of severe and mild impairments (PD-UCI), and a third group had evidence of severe impairment across most of the cognitive domains tested. This latter group was labelled PD-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI). The PD-UCI and PD-MCI groups were also significantly different from their controls with respect to their ability to carry out functional activities of everyday living. The PD-MCI group had evidence of global cognitive decline, possibly reflecting a stage of pre-clinical dementia. The severity of cognitive deficits was not associated with other clinical and demographic characteristics such as motor impairments, age or disease duration. These results were confirmed when patients were retested one year later. Conclusions: Comorbid neuropsychiatric and cognitive problems are common for patients with PD prior to any overt signs of dementia. However, PD patients are heterogeneous with regard to their presentation and different subgroups of patients are identifiable based on cognitive performance. This information has both theoretical and clinical relevance.
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Tsai, Hui-Hsien. "Learning styles and online participation of practicing teachers in an online support group a mixed method study of the influence of learning styles on online participation, conceptual change, and perceptions of problem solving and support /." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/6094.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on June 22, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Moreno, Torres Mayilin. "La relation gestes-parole dans la planification de la résolution du problème de la Tour de Hanoï chez des enfants, adolescents et adultes colombiens." Thesis, Toulouse 2, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014TOU20111/document.
Full textAbstract:
Lorsque nous parlons, nous bougeons nos mains, nous faisons des gestes. Les gestes aident à communiquer avec les autres mais aussi à mieux exprimer notre pensée. Les gestes et la parole sont donc deux dimensions qui s’intègrent dans un système de communication unifié, reposant sur des représentations cognitives communes : quand un locuteur produit un message, la plupart des informations qu’il veut partager est certes véhiculée par le discours, mais également par les gestes (McNeil, 1992). Parfois, cette information entre les gestes et la parole est non-concordante. Garbert et Goldin-Meadow (2002) ont montré que lorsque les participants expliquent leur résolution de la tâche de la Tour de Hanoï, ces non-concordances entre l’information transmise par les gestes et celle transmise par la parole, peuvent se produire soit aux moments incertains, preuve que les participants hésitent entre plusieurs stratégies de résolution soit aux moments-clés, indiquant la capacité à planifier deux stratégies de résolution, l’une par les gestes, l’autre par la parole. La planification à travers les « mismatches » gestes-parole n’a pas été étudié malgré les nombreuses recherches de Goldin-Meadow à ce sujet. Nous avons mené une étude en Colombie auprès de 144 participants issus de deux milieux socio-économiques contrastés. Nous avons tenté de combler cette lacune en étudiant les effets de l’âge, du milieu socio-économique et de la complexité de la tâche de la Tour de Hanoï sur les non-concordances gestes-paroles lors des explications anticipant sa résolution. Nos résultats suggèrent l’existence d’un effet de la complexité de la tâche et des effets limités de l’âge et du milieu socio-économiqueWhen we speak, we move our hands, we make gestures. Gestures help to communicate with others but also to better express our thoughts. Gestures and speech are two dimensions that are part of a unified system of communication based on shared cognitive representations: when a speaker produces a message, most of the information he wants to share is certainly conveyed by speech, but also by gestures (McNeil, 1992). Sometimes this information between gestures and speech is discordant. Goldin-Meadow and Garbert (2002) showed that when participants explain their resolution of the Tower of Hanoi task, the mismatch between the information conveyed by the gesture and the information transmitted orally, may occur either at key moments, indicating the ability to provide two problem-solving strategies, or at uncertain times, showing that participants are torn between several solving strategies. We conducted a study in Colombia among to 144 participants from two contrasting socio-economic backgrounds. The study of the development of planning through the gesture-speech "mismatch" remains understudied despite wide research conducted by Goldin-Meadow. We tried to fill this gap by examining the effects of age, socio-economic background and the complexity of the Tower of Hanoi task upon gesture-speech “mismatches” regarding explanations anticipating the resolution. Our results suggest the existence of an effect of the complexity of the task and limited age and socio-economic background effects
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Huisamen, Petronella. "Die effek van die besluitnemings- en lewensdoelkomponente van die SAPD se selfbestuur personeelkapasiteitsbouprogram / Petronella Huisamen." Thesis, North-West University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1518.
Full textAbstract:
Background: In 2003, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service gave instructions
that all the new student constables should undergo a personnel capacity-building programme as part of
their basic training. This led to the development of the Self-Management Programme by Police Social
Work Services. This programme IS, since July 2004, an integral part of the empowerment of more than
8000 recruits annually.
A comprehensive study into the short and long-term effects of the programme on recruits, as well as its
overall return on investment (ROI), was started in 2004. In this document, only the results that were
achieved with the measurement of the programme's decision-making and purpose-in-life components
will, however, be covered.
Objectives: The study had a twofold purpose. The first was to measure the short and long-term effect of
the Financial Management, Planning of Goals, Self-knowledge, Problem-solving and HIV/AIDS
Awareness modules on recruit's knowledge, attitude and behaviour. It, secondly, endeavoured to
measure the programme's return on investment coefficient.
Method: The study utilised an experimental research design, as well as focus groups and
triangulation. It involved an average of 400 experimental group respondents, 120 control group
members, 12 focus group participants and 14 presenters per module. A total of 23 questionnaires and a focus group schedule was designed and utilised in the generation of data.
Results: All five modules had a practical significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude and
behaviour and improved their personal and professional functioning considerably. The "decision-making"
and "purpose-in-life" components, as well as the programme as a whole, also produced a very
high return on investment. It, therefore, implies that the Self-Management Programme should be seen as
both a very effective capacity-building tool and a financial asset for the South African Police Service.Thesis (Ph.D. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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Torrent-Fontbona, Ferran. "Optimisation methods meet the smart grid. New methods for solving location and allocation problems under the smart grid paradigm." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Girona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/301440.
Full textAbstract:
The smart grid offers a new infrastructure for the management of energy demand and generation towards a sustainable future. Accordingly, there is the objective to provide consumers with a response capacity to stimuli of the electricity market, and at the same time, to efficiently manage the generation system which tends to a diversification of the generators and the energy sources.
For that purpose, this thesis is first focused on providing to consumers methods for managing their energy consumption and then reducing costs according to their production activities. Next, this thesis focuses on electricity generation, tackling the problem of how to share out energy production among a set of distributed generators using self-organisation. Finally, it tackles the problem of planning the placement of new generators suing meta-heuristics.La xarxa elèctrica intel·ligent ofereix una nova infraestructura per a la gestió de la demanda i generació d'electricitat cap a un futur més sostenible. En aquest sentit, hi ha l'objectiu de proveir els consumidors de capacitat de reacció davant d'estímuls del mercat elèctric i, al mateix temps, gestionar de forma eficient un sistema de generació que tendeix cap a una diversificació. Amb aquest objectiu, aquesta tesi primer es centra a desenvolupar mètodes perquè els consumidors puguin gestionar els seus consums i així també reduir-ne els costos d'acord amb les seves activitats de producció. Posteriorment, la tesi es centra en la generació elèctrica abordant el problema de com repartir la producció d'energia d'entre un conjunt de generadors distribuïts utilitzant mètodes auto-organitzatius. Finalment, s'aborda la planificació de nous generadors utilitzant mètodes metaheurístics.
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Arant, Charles. "Kinetic Problem Solving." Scholar Commons, 2017. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6997.
Full textAbstract:
Government leaders stand to benefit from improved program management capabilities within their organizations. Often, they are faced with crisis situations that require a rapid-fire, precise, effective problem solving process. Some of these programs are more severe or complex than others. With time and certainty of the solution as constraints, efficient program management supporting the Defense Acquisition Life Cycle remains an enigma for organizations at best and a hazard at worst.
Program management dealing with crisis problem solving, which is characterized by critical events and high cost, is a real-time process where requirements are identified and resolved to achieve a desired goal, with the path to the goal blocked by known or unknown obstacles. Program management that deals with crisis problem solving situations are plagued by several issues. The crisis situation is likely one not previously encountered; therefore, solutions from past experiences cannot be drawn upon to solve the problem (Heichal, 1992). An individual not experienced or trained often feels the situation is too complex, information is incomplete, time is short, and failure consequences are extreme (Hockey, 1986). Managers who face these dilemmas must have responsive, failure-proof processes in place.
This dissertation explores program management as it deals with problem solving processes in time-critical contexts, including task consolidation and resource selection, with the critical objective of improving crisis event management. The intent is to focus on processes that can be improved in crisis problem solving, specifically time needed to execute current problem solving processes, and introduce a kinetic problem solving approach to increase the momentum of implementing the solutions during crisis situations. This flexibility is facilitated by the researcher’s genuine desire to improve the organizational situation (rather than merely study it) and a client’s willingness to share the details of how they will use the technology and lessons learned.
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Ege, Ozalkan Bilgen. "The Effects Of Problem Solving On The Topic Of Functions On Problem Solving Performance, Attitude Toward Problem Solving And Mathematics." Master's thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12611945/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of Problem Solving Method on 9th grade students‟
problem solving performance and attitudes toward mathematics and problem solving. This study was done in 2007-2008 academic year, in a private high school in Ankara. In the present study the experimental-control group pre-test post-test research design was used. The study was done with 67 students of the private high school. Experimental group was instructed with Problem Solving Method and control group was instructed with Traditional Method. The treatment was given for seven weeks, 21 lesson hours. Problem Solving Performance Test, Problem Solving Attitude Scale and Mathematics Attitude Scale were administered as a pre test and a post test. Independent samples t-test was used to examine the hypotheses of the present study. The results revealed that there were no statistically significant mean differences between experimental group and control group related to gained scores of understanding the problem, making a plan and carrying out the plan steps in Problem Solving Performance Test and Mathematics Attitude Scale. However, there was a statistically mean difference between these groups with respect to gained scores of Problem Solving Attitude Scale.