To ensure uninterrupted service, telecommunication networks contain excess (spare) capacity for rerouting traffic in the event of a link failure. We study the NP-hard capacity planning problem of economically installing spare capacity on a network with steady-state working flows to permit link restoration. We present a spare capacity planning model that incorporates multiple facility types, and...

PROBLEM Drug procurement and distribution practices are weak in many resource-poor countries, and are a major reason for lack of access to medicines. With many countries scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART), it is vital to avoid interrupted drug supplies, which would lead to drug resistance and treatment failure. APPROACH Malawi has adapted a model, based on that adopted by the country's T...

References 1 Chen Y, Zhu Y, Chen C, Chen X, Pan H, Chen S, Tan X. Relationship between noninvasive and invasive blood pressure values in end-stage renal disease patients on dialysis. Blood Press Monit 2014; 19:72–75. 2 Pickering TG, Hall JE, Appel LJ, Falkner BE, Graves J, Hill MN, et al. Recommendations for blood pressure measurements in humans and experimental animals: part 1: blood pressure ...

The computation of P over elliptic curves is the dominant operation. It depends on the representation of the scalar . The binary method is the standard unsigned method that is used to compute the elliptic curve point . Researchers found that it is not the most efficient way for implementing elliptic curve computations. Other recoding methods such as CR, NAF, and MOF were presented in order to e...

INTRODUCTION Pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity in most low and middle income countries can be reduced through early recognition of complications, prompt access to care and appropriate medical interventions following obstetric emergencies. We used the three delays framework to explore barriers to emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services by women who experienced life threatening obstetric...

The multi-target tracking problem is challenging when there exist occlusions, tracking failures of the detector and severe interferences between detections. In this paper, we propose a novel detection based tracking method that links detections into tracklets and further forms long trajectories. Unlike many previous hierarchical frameworks which split the data association into two separate opti...

The practice of crisis-probing in proactive organisations involves meticulous and sustained investigation into operational processes and management structures for potential weaknesses and flaws before they become difficult to resolve. In health organisations, crisis probing is a necessary part of preparing to manage emerging health threats. This study examined the degree of pre-emptive probing ...

OBJECTIVES Most women who use emergency contraception (EC) do so because of unprotected sexual intercourse or condom failure and so remain at risk of pregnancy unless they commence an effective method of contraception. In Great Britain, increasingly women now choose to obtain EC from a pharmacy; however, pharmacists do not currently provide effective ongoing contraception. We sought to determin...

OBJECTIVE This study examined the potential impact of a proposed change to the official federal definition of chronic homelessness. METHODS Using administrative data from the emergency shelters in a large U.S. city, this study estimated the number of persons identified as chronically homeless under the current definition of chronic homelessness, a proposed new federal definition, and two alte...

OBJECTIVE This case study article examines a formal risk assessment as part of the decision making process for design solutions in high risk areas. The overview of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool with examples of its application in hospital building projects will demonstrate the benefit of those structured conversations. BACKGROUND This article illustrates how two hospitals...