This work deals with the problem of estimating performance measures for spatially distributed networks serviced by mobile servers. The demands are generated stochastically at the nodes and the service units, stationed in service centers when available, travel to the calls and service them according to a pre-selected policy. These types of networks are frequently encountered in the manufacturing industry, for example robotic repair systems found in textile plants and flexible auto manufacturing plants, as well as in public sector service industries like emergency services (police, ambulance and fire service). Another important manifestation is in the design of field support for products. In this work, we concentrate on developing models for obtaining the performance measures of interest, namely the fraction of time the machine are up and running in the case of manufacturing facilities, and the average response time to a random call for an emergency service facility or a product support facility. Whenever a call is placed, a service unit will travel (immediately, if available) to the call's location and will provide the service required. Otherwise, the call will enter a queue at that node that may have finite or infinite capacity. The service units travel from node to node serving the calls and return to the service center only when there are no more calls waiting. Thus, travel times play a major role in designing the system. The system can be modeled by using a semi-Markov chain but the technique is manageable only under certain special conditions, for example in the case of small or symmetric networks with only one server. For most practical cases, however, the exact models are too complicated to solve because they require considering exponentially large number of states of the system. Approximate methods seem to be the only promising way of modeling these complicated systems to obtain the desired performance measures which can then be used to make strategic (e.g. location) or operational (e.g. dispatching) decisions. This thesis presents several such methods based on relatively simple approximations which are tested using simulation and found to give good results.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Catastrophic disasters occurring in 2011 in the United States and worldwide-from the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, to the earthquake in New Zealand-have demonstrated that even prepared communities can be overwhelmed. In 2009, at the height of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a committee of experts to develop national guidance for use by state and local public health officials and health-sector agencies and institutions in establishing and implementing standards of care that should apply in disaster situations-both naturally occurring and man-made-under conditions of scarce resources. Building on the work of phase one (which is described in IOM's 2009 letter report, Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations), the committee developed detailed templates enumerating the functions and tasks of the key stakeholder groups involved in crisis standards of care (CSC) planning, implementation, and public engagement-state and local governments, emergency medical services (EMS), hospitals and acute care facilities, and out-of-hospital and alternate care systems. Crisis Standards of Care provides a framework for a systems approach to the development and implementation of CSC plans, and addresses the legal issues and the ethical, palliative care, and mental health issues that agencies and organizations at each level of a disaster response should address. Please note: this report is not intended to be a detailed guide to emergency preparedness or disaster response. What is described in this report is an extrapolation of existing incident management practices and principles. Crisis Standards of Care is a seven-volume set: Volume 1 provides an overview; Volume 2 pertains to state and local governments; Volume 3 pertains to emergency medical services; Volume 4 pertains to hospitals and acute care facilities; Volume 5 pertains to out-of-hospital care and alternate care systems; Volume 6 contains a public engagement toolkit; and Volume 7 contains appendixes with additional resources.