this paper presents a strategy for using harmony search algorithm in facility layout optimization problems. in this paper an adapted harmony search algorithm is developed for solving facility layout optimization problems. this method finds an optimal facility arrangement in an existing layout. two real-world case studies are employed to demonstrate the efficiency of this model. a comparison is ...

This paper presents an integrated inventory model of a supplier and retailer for several but finite number of items. The supplier supplies all of the items instantaneously and simultaneously to the retailer by offering a total credit period for all items. Retailer receives the required quantity for each item at the starting point of the same business period and enjoys the facility of decision o...

background an effective emergency referral transport system is the link between the home of the pregnant woman and a health facility providing basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric care. this study attempts to explore the role of emergency transport associated with maternal deaths in unnao district, uttar pradesh (up).   methods a descriptive study was carried out to assess the causes of a...

The counterflow pipeline architecture [12] consists of two interacting pipelines in which data items flow in opposite directions. Interactions occur between two items when they meet in a stage. We present the design decisions for, and test measurements from, an asynchronous chip that explores the basic ideas of such an architecture. We built the chip in order to confirm proper operation of the ...

The purpose of this study was to utilize the disablement pathway model to examine the contribution of physical function, dyspnea, and pain to disability in activities-of-daily-living (ADL) in culturally diverse older adults. Participants were 51 older adults (age = 69.0 years ± 9.7; 76.5% African-American, 51.0% < high school education, 52.9% < $20,000 annual income) from an urban community cen...

Background An effective emergency referral transport system is the link between the home of the pregnant woman and a health facility providing basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric care. This study attempts to explore the role of emergency transport associated with maternal deaths in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh (UP).   Methods A descriptive study was carried out to assess the causes of a...

validation is an important enterprise especially when a test is a high stakes one. demographic variables like gender and field of study can affect test results and interpretations. differential item functioning (dif) is a way to make sure that a test does not favor one group of test takers over the others. this study investigated dif in terms of gender in the reading comprehension subtest (35 i...