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Service Systems (service + system)
Kinds of Service Systems Selected AbstractsDecision Making in a Standby Service System,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2000H. V. Ravinder A standby service option allows a firm to lower its risk of not having sufficient capacity to satisfy demand without investing in additional capacity. Standby service options currently exist in the natural gas, electric, and water utility industries. Firms seeking standby service are typically large industrial or institutional organizations that, due to unexpectedly high demand or interruptions in their own supply system, look to a public utility to supplement their requirements. Typically, the firm pays the utility a reservation fee based on a nominated volume and a consumption charge based on the volume actually taken. In this paper, a single-period model is developed and optimized with respect to the amount of standby capacity a firm should reserve. Expressions for the mean and variance of the supplier's aggregate standby demand distribution are developed. A procedure for computing the level of capacity needed to safely meet its standby obligations is presented. Numerical results suggest that the standby supplier can safely meet its standby demand with a capacity that is generally between 20 to 50% of the aggregate nominated volume. [source] Coping with Time-Varying Demand When Setting Staffing Requirements for a Service SystemPRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Linda V. Green We review queueing-theory methods for setting staffing requirements in service systems where customer demand varies in a predictable pattern over the day. Analyzing these systems is not straightforward, because standard queueing theory focuses on the long-run steady-state behavior of stationary models. We show how to adapt stationary queueing models for use in nonstationary environments so that time-dependent performance is captured and staffing requirements can be set. Relatively little modification of straightforward stationary analysis applies in systems where service times are short and the targeted quality of service is high. When service times are moderate and the targeted quality of service is still high, time-lag refinements can improve traditional stationary independent period-by-period and peak-hour approximations. Time-varying infinite-server models help develop refinements, because closed-form expressions exist for their time-dependent behavior. More difficult cases with very long service times and other complicated features, such as end-of-day effects, can often be treated by a modified-offered-load approximation, which is based on an associated infinite-server model. Numerical algorithms and deterministic fluid models are useful when the system is overloaded for an extensive period of time. Our discussion focuses on telephone call centers, but applications to police patrol, banking, and hospital emergency rooms are also mentioned. [source] A Design Theory Approach to Building Strategic Network-Based Customer Service Systems,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2009M. Kathryn Brohman ABSTRACT Customer service is a key component of a firm's value proposition and a fundamental driver of differentiation and competitive advantage in nearly every industry. Moreover, the relentless coevolution of service opportunities with novel and more powerful information technologies has made this area exciting for academic researchers who can contribute to shaping the design and management of future customer service systems. We engage in interdisciplinary research,across information systems, marketing, and computer science,in order to contribute to the service design and service management literature. Grounded in the design-science perspective, our study leverages marketing theory on the service-dominant logic and recent findings pertaining to the evolution of customer service systems. Our theorizing culminates with the articulation of four design principles. These design principles underlie the emerging class of customer service systems that, we believe, will enable firms to better compete in an environment characterized by an increase in customer centricity and in customers' ability to self-serve and dynamically assemble the components of solutions that fit their needs. In this environment, customers retain control over their transactional data, as well as the timing and mode of their interactions with firms, as they increasingly gravitate toward integrated complete customer solutions rather than single products or services. Guided by these design principles, we iterated through, and evaluated, two instantiations of the class of systems we propose, before outlining implications and directions for further cross-disciplinary scholarly research. [source] Factors enabling home death of the elderly in an institution specializing in home medical care: Analysis of apprehension of the bereaved familyGERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008Akiko Akiyama Aim: To determine the factors enabling home death despite caregiver apprehension about home medical care. Methods: This study was an anonymous mailed survey of bereaved family members (the caregiver) of patients who died in a home medical care setting provided by an institution specializing in home medical care in Japan (home death rate, ,80%). We analyzed the relationships between caregiver apprehension about home medical care, overall satisfaction with home medical care and the place of death. Results: Higher caregiver apprehension about home medical care and lower overall satisfaction with home medical care were significantly associated with dying in a hospital. In addition, the home death group with apprehension about home medical care significantly rated higher overall satisfaction with home medical care than the hospital death group. Meanwhile, there was no difference in the overall satisfaction with home medical care between those with or without apprehension about home medical care in the home death group. Factors influencing overall satisfaction with home medical care in the home death group with apprehension about home medical care were: (i) being free from pain or symptoms (partial regression coefficient: 0.83); and (ii) fulfilled medical care service system (partial regression coefficient: 0.40). Conclusion: These results suggest that caregiver satisfaction with home medical care is an essential factor to enable home death of the patient despite the caregiver apprehension about home medical care. [source] More than technology and access: primary care patients' views on the use and non-use of health information in the Internet ageHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2004Anne Rogers MSc(Econ) PhD Abstract Over the past decade, there has been considerable interest in the transmission of health information made available though the Internet with increasing confidence being placed in the potential power of the Internet to transform communication, clinical practice and relationships with patients. Subsequent to the failure of a primary-care-based initiative designed to provide free assistance and access to health information via the Internet, a survey was conducted. Findings from this survey suggested that facilitating access to e-information is necessary, but not in itself sufficient, to encourage current non-users to start exploring the Internet. The qualitative study reported here was aimed at exploring the way in which people use and perceive the utility of Internet information for managing health and illness and engaging with the health service system. Data was gathered from two sources. Interviews and observations of a sample who had used a free primary-care-based Internet service (n = 5) and interviews with a sample drawn from a survey of patient attitudes to using the Internet for health information (n = 12). The less-considered aspects of access and the use of e-information for health matters related to the varied existing relationships respondents had to computers, health information and health professionals. One of the main reasons why some respondents do not use the Internet to access health information is related to a lack of perceived utility and pertinence of such information for managing their healthcare. The optimal and equitable use of the Internet as a means of complimenting health-service utilisation will not emerge merely from increasing access to e-information. The potential for narrowing or increasing inequality between the information rich and poor needs to be viewed in a broader psychosocial context. The latter includes the nature of existing relationships which people have with the health service and the value that people place on their own capacity to make use of information in managing their healthcare. [source] The responsibility to care for single homeless peopleHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2001Maureen Crane RGN RMN MSc PhD Abstract This paper examines the reasons why in contemporary Britain many single homeless people with severe physical and mental health problems and welfare needs do not receive the treatment, care and financial support that they manifestly need, and in particular considers the interaction between their personal characteristics and the organisation and the obligations of services. Homelessness is a complex concept associated with problems of housing, health, social care and income. The greatest weaknesses of the service system are that no single agency has a statutory responsibility to ensure that vulnerable homeless people are served, and none of the generalist welfare agencies have a duty to seek out those who do not present. As a result, single homeless people fall between the housing, health and social services and amass exceptional unmet needs. The paper appraises the approaches to single homeless people's problems that have recently been introduced by the Rough Sleepers' Unit (RSU), and discusses the ways in which current reforms of the welfare services may impact on the situation of homeless people. With the possibility that the RSU's prime responsibility for commissioning single homeless people's services will transfer to local authorities in 2002, the paper concludes by specifying the implications for voluntary and statutory providers and makes recommendations about the attribution of the responsibility to care for this vulnerable group. [source] Assessment, intervention, and research with infants in out-of-home placementINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 5 2002Robert B. Clyman Infants constitute a large and increasing proportion of youth in out-of-home placement. These infants have very high rates of medical illnesses, developmental delays, and substantial risks for psychopathology. They receive varying amounts of services from a complex and poorly integrated service system that includes four principal service sectors: the child welfare, medical, early intervention, and mental health service sectors. These service systems are currently undergoing major changes in their policies, organization, and financing, such as the introduction of managed care into the child welfare system. In this article, we provide an overview of what is known about infants in out-of-home placement. We then summarize approaches to infant mental health assessment and intervention from a comprehensive perspective that addresses the infants' multiple problems and acknowledges that they need to receive services from multiple systems that are undergoing rapid change. We conclude by highlighting a number of critical areas in need of research. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] More than one Wavelength: Identifying, Understanding and Resolving Conflicts of Interest between People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Family CarersJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2001V. Williams The present paper describes conflicts of interest in families which include someone with intellectual disabilities. Data were taken from a study concerned with the 1995 Carers Act. The research examined the experiences and views of 51 families who had some kind of assessment by a social services department. Cases were analysed where it was found that carers, the people for whom they cared and the assessors did not agree about such conflicts. Assessors sometimes stereotyped families and spoke of conflicts of interest when the situation was more complex. In particular, the real conflict was often between the whole family and an inadequate service system that did not offer enough support or choices to the individual. Conflicts which had occurred were related to three major motives driving carers: (1) the need for a break from caring; (2) the need to speak for their disabled relative; and (3) their concern for standards of behaviour. The present authors report on how these situations were handled by assessors and conclude with some recommendations for good carer assessments which will help to resolve conflicts of interest. A greater degree of informed choice for individuals with intellectual disabilities will in itself resolve many potential conflicts of interest. [source] African-American Developmental Disability Discourses: Implications for Policy DevelopmentJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2005Peggy S. Terhune Abstract, Formal developmental disabilities services are often underutilized, especially by low-income African-American families. This study examined the basis for interactions and service use preferences of African-American woman who cared for an adult female child with a disability. Diverse African-American perspectives were observed by analyzing the discourse of 11 low-income African-American carers using a direct informant interview technique. Two distinct discourses were identified: a "secular professional" discourse and a "spiritual kin" discourse. Families using the secular professional discourse made use of formal developmental disabilities services in a manner similar to European-American heritage families. Families using the spiritual kin discourse tended to rely on natural or informal supports rather than the developmental disabilities service system, as the system did not exemplify the values that these families profess. It was observed that the discourses result in two distinct worldviews, and two distinct ways of accessing the developmental disabilities system. Recommendations are proffered for changes within the developmental disabilities service system to accommodate diverse cultures and families. A key recommendation involves modifying the system to accommodate worldviews of disability other than the currently used scientific biomedical view. [source] Differences in Services Utilization Between White and Mexican American DUI ArresteesALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2001Cheryl J. Cherpitel Background: Hispanics traditionally have been considered an underserved population in relation to medical care and related services utilization. Methods: Selected health and social services utilization (both alcohol-specific and non-alcohol-specific) during the last year was compared between a sample of 249 Mexican American (half of whom were born in Mexico) and 250 white participants interviewed in all five DUI (driving under the influence) treatment programs in one northern California county. Results: Among those who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence and/or alcohol abuse, 49% of the white subjects compared with 59% of the Mexican American subjects reported no utilization, 77% of whites and 82% of Mexican Americans reported no utilization in which drinking was a factor, and 70% of whites and 80% of Mexican Americans reported no contact with an alcohol program. Mexican Americans were also significantly less likely to report contact with more than one program, and among Mexican Americans, those born in Mexico were significantly less likely to report utilization than those born in the U.S. Conclusions: The data suggest that despite the higher rates of heavy drinking found among Mexican American DUI arrestees (especially those born in Mexico) in this sample, Mexican Americans with an alcohol use disorder are less likely to use health and social services than whites, and this may be related to country of birth and related variables that include health insurance. Significance: The data suggest that DUI programs may offer one of the few opportunities Me-ican American problem drinkers have of establishing contact with the health and social service system and, as such, would be well positioned to also offer other types of alcohol-related health and social services and referrals to this underserved population. These findings have implications for intervention efforts for problem drinking and prevention of DUI among Me-ican Americans, which are a rapidly growing ethnic minority in California. [source] Should We Have Faith in Faith-Based Social Services?NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 1 2002Rhetoric Versus Realistic Expectations Early in his administration, President George W. Bush set forth his Faith-Based Initiative, which would authorize and encourage religious groups to compete for and provide publicly funded social services. This article analyzes the arguments made by supporters of faith-based social services in regard to their underlying values and premises. This analysis forms the basis for examining the managerial track record of faith-based organizations in the delivery of social services. To identify issues and trends within this category of service providers, the authors analyzed press reports of instances of wrong doing in faith-based groups from 1995 to 2001. Findings reveal that faith-based groups appear to be as susceptible to managerial and accountability inadequacies, if not outright wrongdoing, as are nonsectarian service providers. The authors identify implications regarding the credibility of faith-based groups and public trust as they pertain to an enhanced role in the less regulated service system that the president envisions. [source] Using Internet services to generate a research sampling frameNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 1 2001Shu-Li Chen PhD Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe how the authors used Internet services to generate a sampling frame for their on-going pilot study, which evaluates the psychometric properties of Chen's Nursing Home Tool, a community needs assessment instrument for nursing homes. The proposed sampling frame may be used to survey nursing home residents and family members, nursing home providers and community leaders for any selected community in the USA. The availability of a user-friendly sampling frame can assist health-care professionals to determine required and desired services and further contribute to the development of a more comprehensive health-service system. [source] Introduction to the Special Issue on Comparative Chinese/American Public AdministrationPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2009Marc Holzer In the field of public administration practice, China has a history of several thousand years, whereas the United States has a much shorter history of hundreds of years of governance. In terms of the scholarly development of public administration in China, the roots of those intellectual resources can be traced far back, to Confucius's ideology of governance and the ancient development of a civil service system some 2,000 years ago. In terms of the systematic development of public administration as an independent subject of learning, however, the United States has been a leader worldwide. Public administration as a discipline in the United States dates back to the late nineteenth century, with extensive scholarly research and publications in the early twentieth century (Follett 1926; Goodnow 1900; Taylor 1912; Weber 1922; White 1926). In the Chinese context, although there were occasional studies of public administration in the first half of the twentieth century, systematic study was deferred until the middle of the 1980s. They were only truly continued following the official launch of master of public administration degree programs at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this respect, China was a latecomer, and Chinese scholars almost always date the study and scholarship in this field to about 1980. Over the past eighty years or so, the United States has established more than 200 MPA and related programs, while China has founded 100 MPA programs in just the past eight years. Recognizing the urgent need for MPA training, China is trying to catch up to the demand for social development and societal transition. Considering that China has a population of 1.3 billion, compared to a population of 300 million in the United States, it looks as if there is great potential for China to expand its MPA programs. [source] Analytical sensitivity of arsenobetaine on atomic spectrometric analysis and the purity of synthetic arsenobetaine,APPLIED ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2006T. Narukawa Abstract Arsenobetaine is one of the main organoarsenic compounds that exist in living organisms. Determination errors in total arsenic analyses for organoarsenic compounds occur because analytical sensitivities depend upon the chemical forms of the compounds. However, information on the analytical sensitivity of arsenobetaine by ICP-MS and ICP-AES and the purity of commercially available arsenobetaine standards is lacking. BCR CRM 626 (arsenobetaine solution) is a certified reference material from IRMM with a certified concentration of arsenobetaine. The sensitivity and behavior of arsenobetaine on ICP-MS and ICP-AES were investigated using the BCR arsenobetaine. The analytical sensitivity and behavior of arsenobetaine using ICP-MS and ICP-AES were also investigated using a commercially available synthetic arsenobetaine, and were compared with results for BCR-AB based on a Japan calibration service system (JCSS) arsenic standard solution. In the results, arsenic determined directly in arsenobetaine showed about 15% greater sensitivity in analysis by ICP-MS and ICP-AES than did inorganic (JCSS) arsenic. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] China,Australia,Hong Kong tripartite community mental health training programASIA-PACIFIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2009Chee Hong Ng MBBS MD FRANZCP Abstract The present paper describes the unique mental health training cooperation between two countries involving three training sites to facilitate the improvement of mental health care and service delivery in China. The priority is to build workforce capacity to deliver appropriate mental health care and rehabilitation in the community. In response to this challenge, a training program was collaboratively planned between partners in both countries to provide a comprehensive training program for multiskilled case workers for mainland China. The development and key activities of the training and exchange program correspond to a diverse range of training programs across multiple levels of staff and sectors. The tripartite training program represents a unique, large scale training program that has contributed significantly to developing one of the largest global national mental health program of reform and building a national community mental health service system for China. Over their many years of cooperation, the Australian and Chinese partners have developed a model for successful collaboration, one based on mutual respect, exchange of expertise and a deep appreciation of cultural difference and its influences on broad aspects of health system development. [source] Can services lead to radical eco-efficiency improvements?CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2003a review of the debate, evidence Eco-efficient services, or sustainable product,service systems, are a popular topic in discussions on sustainability and eco-efficiency. In these discussions, ,service' actually refers to many different things. It may refer to the role of the service sector in the economy, or to a new business strategy, or to the service (utility) provided by a product. Furthermore, the discussion on eco-efficient services has been linked to concepts such as the ,new', ,experience' or ,customized' economy. The article analyses the central arguments and evidence put forth in the discussion on eco-efficient services. The findings address questions occupying policy-makers, managers and researchers: how relevant are eco-efficient services in environmental management, and what might be the next steps in exploring their potential? Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] A Design Theory Approach to Building Strategic Network-Based Customer Service Systems,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2009M. Kathryn Brohman ABSTRACT Customer service is a key component of a firm's value proposition and a fundamental driver of differentiation and competitive advantage in nearly every industry. Moreover, the relentless coevolution of service opportunities with novel and more powerful information technologies has made this area exciting for academic researchers who can contribute to shaping the design and management of future customer service systems. We engage in interdisciplinary research,across information systems, marketing, and computer science,in order to contribute to the service design and service management literature. Grounded in the design-science perspective, our study leverages marketing theory on the service-dominant logic and recent findings pertaining to the evolution of customer service systems. Our theorizing culminates with the articulation of four design principles. These design principles underlie the emerging class of customer service systems that, we believe, will enable firms to better compete in an environment characterized by an increase in customer centricity and in customers' ability to self-serve and dynamically assemble the components of solutions that fit their needs. In this environment, customers retain control over their transactional data, as well as the timing and mode of their interactions with firms, as they increasingly gravitate toward integrated complete customer solutions rather than single products or services. Guided by these design principles, we iterated through, and evaluated, two instantiations of the class of systems we propose, before outlining implications and directions for further cross-disciplinary scholarly research. [source] Issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders,DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 2 2007Paul T. Shattuck Abstract This paper explores issues and implications for diagnosis and treatment, stemming from the growing number of children identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Recent developments and innovations in special education and Medicaid programs are emphasized. Eligibility determination policies, innovations in diagnostic practices, the cost and financing of assessment, variability among programs in diagnostic criteria, and racial/ethnic disparities in the timing of diagnosis all influence the capacity of service systems to provide diagnoses in a timely, coordinated, accurate, economical, and equitable manner. There are several barriers to the more widespread provision of intensive intervention for children with ASDs, including lack of strong evidence of effectiveness in scaled-up public programs, uncertainty about the extent of obligations to provide services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, high cost of intervention, and variability among states in their willingness to fund intensive intervention via Medicaid. Innovative policy experiments with respect to financing intensive intervention through schools and Medicaid are being conducted in a number of states. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2007;13:129,135. [source] The Australian experience of deinstitutionalization: interaction of Australian culture with the development and reform of its mental health servicesACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2006A. Rosen Objective:, To describe the Australian experience of deinstitutionalization of the Australian National Mental Health Strategy in the context of the history of mental health services in Australia, and of Australian culture. Method:, The development of Australian Mental Health Services is described with reference to developments in both psychiatric intervention research and Australian culture. The effects and achievements of national mental health reforms are described and critically examined. Results:, The relationship in Australia between the development of mental health services and the development of Australian society includes the stories of colonization, gold rushes, suppression of indigenous peoples' rights, incarceration of mentally ill people, and incompatible state service systems. Mental health services required reform to provide consistent services and support for full citizenship and rights for such individuals who are still on the margins of society. Recent national developments in service models and service system research have been driven by the Australian National Mental Health Strategy. The translation of national policy into state/territory mental health service systems has led to a ,natural' experiment between states. Differing funding and implementation strategies between states have developed services with particular strengths and limitations. Conclusion:, The effects of competition for limited resources between core mental health service delivery and the shift to a population-based public health approach (to prevention of mental illness and promotion of mental health), leaves our services vulnerable to doing neither particularly well. The recent loss of momentum of these reforms, due to failure of governments to continue to drive and fund them adequately, is causing the erosion of their considerable achievements. [source] The Public/Private Partnership behind the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation: Its Origins, Challenges, and Unresolved IssuesHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 1p2 2007James R. Knickman Objective. To discuss why and how the Cash and Counseling Demonstration came to be designed, implemented, and evaluated through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Principal Findings. This public/private partnership was created by two colleagues who were motivated by the need for funding to conduct a large-scale demonstration and evaluation, the prestige that both organizations brought to the project, the ability to draw on both organizations' experience and expertise, and the potential to maximize flexibility in the design and implementation of the demonstration. The partnership, which has lasted over a decade and has supported two generations of Cash and Counseling programs, overcame several challenges including getting approval for the project through their respective bureaucracies, managing the decision making process and the ongoing program across the two organizations, dealing with leadership and staff turnover, and reaching consensus on how to apportion credit for the success of the program. Several unresolved issues remain, including how the program gets operationalized within each state, how case management is addressed within the context of a consumer-directed model like Cash and Counseling, how quality is assured in this type of program, and how the Internal Revenue Service views and treats Cash and Counseling and other consumer-directed programs. Conclusion. This public/private partnership is an illustration of how public dollars can be leveraged effectively to examine a pressing policy issue and to produce information that can be translated into better policy and practice. The ASPE/RWJF collaboration made it possible to develop, test, and expand a policy-oriented demonstration project that has become a pivotal strategy in most states' efforts to build their home and community-based service systems. [source] Assessment, intervention, and research with infants in out-of-home placementINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 5 2002Robert B. Clyman Infants constitute a large and increasing proportion of youth in out-of-home placement. These infants have very high rates of medical illnesses, developmental delays, and substantial risks for psychopathology. They receive varying amounts of services from a complex and poorly integrated service system that includes four principal service sectors: the child welfare, medical, early intervention, and mental health service sectors. These service systems are currently undergoing major changes in their policies, organization, and financing, such as the introduction of managed care into the child welfare system. In this article, we provide an overview of what is known about infants in out-of-home placement. We then summarize approaches to infant mental health assessment and intervention from a comprehensive perspective that addresses the infants' multiple problems and acknowledges that they need to receive services from multiple systems that are undergoing rapid change. We conclude by highlighting a number of critical areas in need of research. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Service based CAC with QoS guarantee in mobile wireless cellular networksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 9 2005Robert G. Fry Abstract The increasing variety and complexity of traffic in today's mobile wireless networks means that there are more restrictions placed on a network in order to guarantee the individual requirements of the different traffic types and users. Call admission control (CAC) plays a vital role in achieving this. In this paper, we propose a CAC scheme for multiple service systems where the predicted call usage of each service is used to make the admission decision. Our scheme enables real-time traffic to be transmitted using shared bandwidth without quality of service (QoS) requirements being exceeded. This ensures that the utilization of the available wireless bandwidth is maximized. Information about the channel usage of each service is used to estimate the capacity of the cell in terms of the number of users that can achieve a certain bit error rate (BER). Priorities assigned to each service are used to allocate the network capacity. An expression for the handoff dropping probability is derived, and the maximum acceptance rate for each service that results in the estimated dropping probability not exceeding its QoS requirements is calculated. Each call is then accepted with equal probability throughout the duration of a control period. Achieved QoS during the previous control period is used to update the new call acceptance rates thus ensuring the dropping probability remains below the specified threshold. Simulations conducted in a wideband CDMA environment with conversational, streaming, interactive and background sources show that the proposed CAC can successfully meet the hard restraint on the dropping probability and guarantee the required BER for multiple services. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Emergency service systems: The use of the hypercube queueing model in the solution of probabilistic location problemsINTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2008Roberto D. Galvão Abstract Probabilistic location problems are surveyed from the perspective of their use in the design of emergency service systems, with special emphasis on emergency medical systems. Pioneering probabilistic models were defined in the 1980s, as a natural extension of deterministic covering models (first generation models) and backup models (second generation). These probabilistic models, however, adopted simplifying assumptions that in many cases do not correspond to real-world situations, where servers usually cooperate and have specific individual workloads. Thus the idea of embedding the hypercube queueing model into these formulations is to make them more adherent to the real world. The hypercube model and its extensions are initially presented in some detail, which is followed by a brief review of exact and approximate methods for its solution. Probabilistic models for the design of emergency service systems are then reviewed. The pioneering models of Daskin and ReVelle and Hogan are extended by embedding the hypercube model into them. Solution methods for these models are surveyed next, with comments on specialized models for the design of emergency medical systems for urban areas and highways. [source] Policy, populations, community living and service systemsJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 5 2010Article first published online: 16 AUG 2010 First page of article [source] Developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to serving women with co-occurring disorders and histories of traumaJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Nicholas Huntington The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study to generate empirical knowledge on how to improve services for women who are trauma survivors and have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. We first review the literature on the pervasiveness of trauma among women and the ways in which current service systems fail to address their needs. We then describe the four core principles of the model grantees developed to test in the project. Working through a project Steering Committee, grantees mandated that services be (a) integrated, (b) trauma-informed, (c) consumer-involved, and (d) comprehensive. For each of these principles, we describe the specifications adopted by the committee, the strategies the study sites used to implement the principle in their local settings, and the concrete lessons sites learned concerning how to implement the principle. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 395,410, 2005. [source] Development and Psychometric Properties of an Assessment for Persons With Intellectual Disability,The interRAI IDJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2007Lynn Martin Abstract, This paper describes the development of the interRAI-Intellectual Disability (interRAI ID), a comprehensive instrument that assesses all key domains of interest to service providers relative to a person with an intellectual disability (ID). The authors report on the reliability and validity of embedded scales for cognition, self-care, aggression, and depression. Four provider agencies volunteered to participate and assessed a total of 160 community-dwelling adults with ID using the interRAI ID, Dementia Questionnaire for Persons with Mental Retardation, and Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior. All scales had acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.74,0.93) and good relationships with the criterion measures (r = 0.50,0.93, p < 0.0001). The development of the interRAI ID represents an important and successful first step toward an integrated, comprehensive, and standardized assessment of adults with ID. Use of this instrument may lead to more appropriate support planning, enhanced communication between various professionals supporting persons with ID, and a more seamless approach to supports across the health and social service systems. [source] Comorbidity of mental health and substance misuse problems: a review of workers' reported attitudes and perceptionsJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2008M. W. ADAMS rmn bsc (hons) cert. ed (fe) A comorbidity of mental health and substance misuse problems has been associated with deleterious outcomes. In the United Kingdom it has been acknowledged that people with comorbidity have often received poor care, with gaps in service provision suggesting ambivalence towards this issue. Previous reviewing authors have concluded that health professionals hold stereotypical views towards people that misuse substances, but these findings may not be directly comparable to those who work within mental health services. There is however a growing body of evidence concerning this context. The author has reviewed the literature from 1996 to 2006 to ascertain mental health professionals and allied workers attitudes and perceptions towards comorbidity, perceptions on the effectiveness of service systems, and perceptions of personal knowledge and skill in providing effective interventions. The evidence presented mainly pertains to mental health nurses, which reflects their status as the largest discipline within the mental health workforce. Overall attitudes towards comorbidity are mixed, possibly being related to contextual issues of practice and are not necessarily negative. However, there is an almost universal negative perception of deficiencies in service provision and the adequacy of training. Implications for research, development and practice are explored. [source] What you should know about queueing models to set staffing requirements in service systemsNAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2007Ward Whitt Abstract One traditional application of queueing models is to help set staffing requirements in service systems, but the way to do so is not entirely straightforward, largely because demand in service systems typically varies greatly by the time of day. This article discusses ways,old and new,to cope with that time-varying demand. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007 [source] The hidden crisis in mental health and education: The gap between student needs and existing supportsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, Issue 120 2008Tina Malti The authors provide a selected review of mental health and educational concerns evident in U.S. middle schools and describes promising and important strategies to ameliorate the high rates of students with mental health and academic difficulties. Despite some promising and important strategies, service systems are fragmented, and comprehensive systems of supports are still in development. Furthermore, there remains a lack of integrated developmental considerations in practice. The RALLY approach systematically introduces development and caring adult relationships into preventive practice and combines mental health, education, and youth development to promote students' resiliency and academic potential. [source] Social Optimal Location of Facilities with Fixed Servers, Stochastic Demand, and CongestionPRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2009Ignacio Castillo We consider two capacity choice scenarios for the optimal location of facilities with fixed servers, stochastic demand, and congestion. Motivating applications include virtual call centers, consisting of geographically dispersed centers, walk-in health clinics, motor vehicle inspection stations, automobile emissions testing stations, and internal service systems. The choice of locations for such facilities influences both the travel cost and waiting times of users. In contrast to most previous research, we explicitly embed both customer travel/connection and delay costs in the objective function and solve the location,allocation problem and choose facility capacities simultaneously. The choice of capacity for a facility that is viewed as a queueing system with Poisson arrivals and exponential service times could mean choosing a service rate for the servers (Scenario 1) or choosing the number of servers (Scenario 2). We express the optimal service rate in closed form in Scenario 1 and the (asymptotically) optimal number of servers in closed form in Scenario 2. This allows us to eliminate both the number of servers and the service rates from the optimization problems, leading to tractable mixed-integer nonlinear programs. Our computational results show that both problems can be solved efficiently using a Lagrangian relaxation optimization procedure. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||