Optimization of investment portfolio weight of stocks affected by market index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizah, E.; Rusyaman, E.; Supian, S.

2017-01-01

Stock price assessment, selection of optimum combination, and measure the risk of a portfolio investment is one important issue for investors. In this paper single index model used for the assessment of the stock price, and formulation optimization model developed using Lagrange multiplier technique to determine the proportion of assets to be invested. The level of risk is estimated by using variance. These models are used to analyse the stock price data Lippo Bank and Bumi Putera.

[Efficacy, safety and comfort of compression therapy models in the immediate post-operative period after a greater saphenectomy. A prospective randomised study].

PubMed

Collazo Chao, Eliseo; Luque, María Antonia; González-Ripoll, Carmen

2010-10-01

There is still controversy on the best compression therapy after performing a greater saphenectomy. The purpose of this study is to establish whether the use of a controlled compression stocking has the same level of safety and efficacy as a compression bandage in the immediate post-operative period after a greater saphenectomy. A prospective, randomised, open-labelled study, comparing three groups: a) a conventional compression bandage for one week, b) a conventional compression bandage replaced by a controlled tubular compression stocking at 5h of its putting in place, c) immediate direct use of the controlled tubular compression stocking, was conducted on fifty-five consecutive outpatients with a greater saphenectomy in one of their legs, and who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The working hypothesis was that the controlled tubular compression stocking could replace, in terms of efficacy, safety and comfort, the usual controlled compression in the immediate post-operative period after saphenous vein stripping. The analysis variables were pain, control of bleeding, analgesics in the post-operative period, bruising, incapacity during the first week after the operation and comfort level. There were no statistically significant differences found between the three types of compressions studied as regards, safety, efficacy, comfort level, pain and analgesic consumption, but there was as regards the level of convenience in favour of the use of the stocking. The controlled tubular compression stocking can replace the compression bandage with more advantages after greater saphenous vein stripping in outpatients, having the same safety and efficacy. Copyright © 2009 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

41 CFR 101-27.101 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... FEDERAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT 27-INVENTORY MANAGEMENT 27.1-Stock... inventory which is that portion carried to satisfy average expected demand, and safety stock which is that portion carried for protection against stock depletion occurring when demand exceeds average expected...

Optimal harvesting of fish stocks under a time-varying discount rate.

PubMed

Duncan, Stephen; Hepburn, Cameron; Papachristodoulou, Antonis

2011-01-21

Optimal control theory has been extensively used to determine the optimal harvesting policy for renewable resources such as fish stocks. In such optimisations, it is common to maximise the discounted utility of harvesting over time, employing a constant time discount rate. However, evidence from human and animal behaviour suggests that we have evolved to employ discount rates which fall over time, often referred to as "hyperbolic discounting". This increases the weight on benefits in the distant future, which may appear to provide greater protection of resources for future generations, but also creates challenges of time-inconsistent plans. This paper examines harvesting plans when the discount rate declines over time. With a declining discount rate, the planner reduces stock levels in the early stages (when the discount rate is high) and intends to compensate by allowing the stock level to recover later (when the discount rate will be lower). Such a plan may be feasible and optimal, provided that the planner remains committed throughout. However, in practice there is a danger that such plans will be re-optimized and adjusted in the future. It is shown that repeatedly restarting the optimization can drive the stock level down to the point where the optimal policy is to harvest the stock to extinction. In short, a key contribution of this paper is to identify the surprising severity of the consequences flowing from incorporating a rather trivial, and widely prevalent, "non-rational" aspect of human behaviour into renewable resource management models. These ideas are related to the collapse of the Peruvian anchovy fishery in the 1970's. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil Carbon Cycling - More than Changes in Soil Organic Carbon Stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, K.

2015-12-01

Discussions about soil carbon (C) sequestration generally focus on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Global SOC mass in the top 1 m was estimated at about 1325 Pg C, and at about 3000 Pg C when deeper soil layers were included. However, both inorganically and organically bound carbon forms are found in soil but estimates on global soil inorganic carbon (SIC) mass are even more uncertain than those for SOC. Globally, about 947 Pg SIC may be stored in the top 1 m, and especially in arid and semi-arid regions SIC stocks can be many times great than SOC stocks. Both SIC and SOC stocks are vulnerable to management practices, and stocks may be enhanced, for example, by optimizing net primary production (NPP) by fertilization and irrigation (especially optimizing belowground NPP for enhancing SOC stocks), adding organic matter (including black C for enhancing SOC stocks), and reducing soil disturbance. Thus, studies on soil C stocks, fluxes, and vulnerability must look at both SIC and SOC stocks in soil profiles to address large scale soil C cycling.

Hybrid machine learning technique for forecasting Dhaka stock market timing decisions.

PubMed

Banik, Shipra; Khodadad Khan, A F M; Anwer, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Forecasting stock market has been a difficult job for applied researchers owing to nature of facts which is very noisy and time varying. However, this hypothesis has been featured by several empirical experiential studies and a number of researchers have efficiently applied machine learning techniques to forecast stock market. This paper studied stock prediction for the use of investors. It is always true that investors typically obtain loss because of uncertain investment purposes and unsighted assets. This paper proposes a rough set model, a neural network model, and a hybrid neural network and rough set model to find optimal buy and sell of a share on Dhaka stock exchange. Investigational findings demonstrate that our proposed hybrid model has higher precision than the single rough set model and the neural network model. We believe this paper findings will help stock investors to decide about optimal buy and/or sell time on Dhaka stock exchange.

Hybrid Machine Learning Technique for Forecasting Dhaka Stock Market Timing Decisions

PubMed Central

Banik, Shipra; Khodadad Khan, A. F. M.; Anwer, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Forecasting stock market has been a difficult job for applied researchers owing to nature of facts which is very noisy and time varying. However, this hypothesis has been featured by several empirical experiential studies and a number of researchers have efficiently applied machine learning techniques to forecast stock market. This paper studied stock prediction for the use of investors. It is always true that investors typically obtain loss because of uncertain investment purposes and unsighted assets. This paper proposes a rough set model, a neural network model, and a hybrid neural network and rough set model to find optimal buy and sell of a share on Dhaka stock exchange. Investigational findings demonstrate that our proposed hybrid model has higher precision than the single rough set model and the neural network model. We believe this paper findings will help stock investors to decide about optimal buy and/or sell time on Dhaka stock exchange. PMID:24701205

Optimal Demand Execution Strategy for the Defense Logistics Agency

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

PLT Production Lead-Time PTO Paid Time Off FSC Federal Stock /Supply Class NIIN National Item Identification Number S&OP Sales and Operations...new software sets a recommended inventory level that balances the risk of stock out with holding cost expenses and buys to the optimal level instead...when a PR should be generated. A Time Phased Inventory Plan (TPIP) is computed daily that accounts for the lead-time and current stock on the shelf

Analysis of stock investment selection based on CAPM using covariance and genetic algorithm approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukono; Susanti, D.; Najmia, M.; Lesmana, E.; Napitupulu, H.; Supian, S.; Putra, A. S.

2018-03-01

Investment is one of the economic growth factors of countries, especially in Indonesia. Stocks is a form of investment, which is liquid. In determining the stock investment decisions which need to be considered by investors is to choose stocks that can generate maximum returns with a minimum risk level. Therefore, we need to know how to allocate the capital which may give the optimal benefit. This study discusses the issue of stock investment based on CAPM which is estimated using covariance and Genetic Algorithm approach. It is assumed that the stocks analyzed follow the CAPM model. To do the estimation of beta parameter on CAPM equation is done by two approach, first is to be represented by covariance approach, and second with genetic algorithm optimization. As a numerical illustration, in this paper analyzed ten stocks traded on the capital market in Indonesia. The results of the analysis show that estimation of beta parameters using covariance and genetic algorithm approach, give the same decision, that is, six underpriced stocks with buying decision, and four overpriced stocks with a sales decision. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the results can be used as a consideration for investors buying six under-priced stocks, and selling four overpriced stocks.

The Effect of Subjective Risk Attitudes and Overconfidence on Risk Taking Behaviors: A Experimental Study Based on Traders of the Chinese Stock Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qi-An; Xiao, Yinghong; Chen, Hui; Chen, Liang

Our research analyzes the effect of the traders’ subjective risk attitude, optimism and overconfidence on their risk taking behaviors on the Chinese Stock Market by experimental study method. We find that investors’ risk taking behavior is significantly affected by their subjective risk attitude, optimism and overconfidence. Our results also argue that the objective return and volatility of stock are not as good predictors of risk taking behavior as subjective risk and return measures. Moreover, we illustrate that overconfidence and optimism have an significant impact on risk taking behavior In line with theoretical models.

Enhanced index tracking modelling in portfolio optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, W. S.; Hj. Jaaman, Saiful Hafizah; Ismail, Hamizun bin

2013-09-01

Enhanced index tracking is a popular form of passive fund management in stock market. It is a dual-objective optimization problem, a trade-off between maximizing the mean return and minimizing the risk. Enhanced index tracking aims to generate excess return over the return achieved by the index without purchasing all of the stocks that make up the index by establishing an optimal portfolio. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal portfolio composition and performance by using weighted model in enhanced index tracking. Weighted model focuses on the trade-off between the excess return and the risk. The results of this study show that the optimal portfolio for the weighted model is able to outperform the Malaysia market index which is Kuala Lumpur Composite Index because of higher mean return and lower risk without purchasing all the stocks in the market index.

Biologics, Pharmacovigilance, and Patient Safety: It's All in the Name.

PubMed

Stevenson, James G; Green, Larry

2016-08-01

The most appropriate naming convention for biologics and biosimilars has been an area of significant debate. The ultimate decision will have an impact on patient safety, pharmacovigilance program effectiveness, and, potentially, the overall adoption of biosimilars in the United States. This article reviews some of the advantages and disadvantages of various naming approaches. For clarity in communication, optimal pharmacovigilance, and patient safety, it is recommended that biosimilars be named with a common USAN (United States Adopted Name) with the reference product, along with a suffix that is memorable, such as one associated with the original manufacturer of the product. This approach supports the FDA's mission of protecting patient safety and public health, while minimizing the possibility of inadvertent switching of products and facilitating effective pharmacovigilance. No funding supported the writing of this article. Stevenson reports consulting fees from Amgen, Inc., AbbVie, and Pfizer and is employed by Visante. Green is employed by and owns stock in Amgen, Inc. Article concept was contributed primarily by Stevenson, along with Green. The manuscript was written and revised primarily by Stevenson, along with Green. Both authors contributed equally to data interpretation.

2010 Defense Logistics Agency Enterprise Supplier Conference and Exhibition

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-25

into safety stock and if unfilled will cause safety stock depletion and UFOs . NOT CUSTOMER FOCUSED Processing/Reporting against Required Delivery...Date allows for full ALT and PLT, resulting in UFOs . WARFIGHTER FOCUSED, GLOBALLY RESPONSIVE SUPPLY CHAIN LEADERSHIP 5 ATP Overview • Definition of...Need Arrival Date – Limits impact to UFOs and SS depletion ATP Goal = Materiel receipt by the “Need Arrival Date” … period ADMINISTRATIVE LEAD TIME

ℓ(p)-Norm multikernel learning approach for stock market price forecasting.

PubMed

Shao, Xigao; Wu, Kun; Liao, Bifeng

2012-01-01

Linear multiple kernel learning model has been used for predicting financial time series. However, ℓ(1)-norm multiple support vector regression is rarely observed to outperform trivial baselines in practical applications. To allow for robust kernel mixtures that generalize well, we adopt ℓ(p)-norm multiple kernel support vector regression (1 ≤ p < ∞) as a stock price prediction model. The optimization problem is decomposed into smaller subproblems, and the interleaved optimization strategy is employed to solve the regression model. The model is evaluated on forecasting the daily stock closing prices of Shanghai Stock Index in China. Experimental results show that our proposed model performs better than ℓ(1)-norm multiple support vector regression model.

A heterogeneous artificial stock market model can benefit people against another financial crisis

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This paper presents results of an artificial stock market and tries to make it more consistent with the statistical features of real stock data. Based on the SFI-ASM, a novel model is proposed to make agents more close to the real world. Agents are divided into four kinds in terms of different learning speeds, strategy-sizes, utility functions, and level of intelligence; and a crucial parameter has been found to ensure system stability. So, some parameters are appended to make the model which contains zero-intelligent and less-intelligent agents run steadily. Moreover, considering real stock markets change violently due to the financial crisis; the real stock markets are divided into two segments, before the financial crisis and after it. The optimal modified model before the financial crisis fails to replicate the statistical features of the real market after the financial crisis. Then, the optimal model after the financial crisis is shown. The experiments indicate that the optimal model after the financial crisis is able to replicate several of real market phenomena, including the first-order autocorrelation, kurtosis, standard deviation of yield series and first-order autocorrelation of yield square. We point out that there is a structural change in stock markets after the financial crisis, which can benefit people forecast the financial crisis. PMID:29912893

A heterogeneous artificial stock market model can benefit people against another financial crisis.

PubMed

Yang, Haijun; Chen, Shuheng

2018-01-01

This paper presents results of an artificial stock market and tries to make it more consistent with the statistical features of real stock data. Based on the SFI-ASM, a novel model is proposed to make agents more close to the real world. Agents are divided into four kinds in terms of different learning speeds, strategy-sizes, utility functions, and level of intelligence; and a crucial parameter has been found to ensure system stability. So, some parameters are appended to make the model which contains zero-intelligent and less-intelligent agents run steadily. Moreover, considering real stock markets change violently due to the financial crisis; the real stock markets are divided into two segments, before the financial crisis and after it. The optimal modified model before the financial crisis fails to replicate the statistical features of the real market after the financial crisis. Then, the optimal model after the financial crisis is shown. The experiments indicate that the optimal model after the financial crisis is able to replicate several of real market phenomena, including the first-order autocorrelation, kurtosis, standard deviation of yield series and first-order autocorrelation of yield square. We point out that there is a structural change in stock markets after the financial crisis, which can benefit people forecast the financial crisis.

Warehouse stocking optimization based on dynamic ant colony genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Xiaoxu

2018-04-01

In view of the various orders of FAW (First Automotive Works) International Logistics Co., Ltd., the SLP method is used to optimize the layout of the warehousing units in the enterprise, thus the warehouse logistics is optimized and the external processing speed of the order is improved. In addition, the relevant intelligent algorithms for optimizing the stocking route problem are analyzed. The ant colony algorithm and genetic algorithm which have good applicability are emphatically studied. The parameters of ant colony algorithm are optimized by genetic algorithm, which improves the performance of ant colony algorithm. A typical path optimization problem model is taken as an example to prove the effectiveness of parameter optimization.

Black-Litterman model on non-normal stock return (Case study four banks at LQ-45 stock index)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahrivandi, Rizki; Noviyanti, Lienda; Setyanto, Gatot Riwi

2017-03-01

The formation of the optimal portfolio is a method that can help investors to minimize risks and optimize profitability. One model for the optimal portfolio is a Black-Litterman (BL) model. BL model can incorporate an element of historical data and the views of investors to form a new prediction about the return of the portfolio as a basis for preparing the asset weighting models. BL model has two fundamental problems, the assumption of normality and estimation parameters on the market Bayesian prior framework that does not from a normal distribution. This study provides an alternative solution where the modelling of the BL model stock returns and investor views from non-normal distribution.

ℓ p-Norm Multikernel Learning Approach for Stock Market Price Forecasting

PubMed Central

Shao, Xigao; Wu, Kun; Liao, Bifeng

2012-01-01

Linear multiple kernel learning model has been used for predicting financial time series. However, ℓ 1-norm multiple support vector regression is rarely observed to outperform trivial baselines in practical applications. To allow for robust kernel mixtures that generalize well, we adopt ℓ p-norm multiple kernel support vector regression (1 ≤ p < ∞) as a stock price prediction model. The optimization problem is decomposed into smaller subproblems, and the interleaved optimization strategy is employed to solve the regression model. The model is evaluated on forecasting the daily stock closing prices of Shanghai Stock Index in China. Experimental results show that our proposed model performs better than ℓ 1-norm multiple support vector regression model. PMID:23365561

The meaning of death: some simulations of a model of healthy and unhealthy consumption.

PubMed

Forster, M

2001-07-01

Simulations of a model of healthy and unhealthy consumption are used to investigate the impact of various terminal conditions on life-span, pathways of health-related consumption and health. A model in which life-span and the 'death' stock of health are fixed is compared to versions in which (i) the 'death' stock of health is freely chosen; (ii) life-span is freely chosen; (iii) both the 'death' stock of health and life-span are freely chosen. The choice of terminal conditions has a striking impact on optimal plans. Results are discussed with reference to the existing demand for health literature and illustrate the application of iterative processes to determine optimal life-span, the role played by the marginal value of health capital in determining optimal plans, and the importance of checking the second-order conditions for the optimal choice of life-span.

The link between workforce health and safety and the health of the bottom line: tracking market performance of companies that nurture a "culture of health".

PubMed

Fabius, Raymond; Thayer, R Dixon; Konicki, Doris L; Yarborough, Charles M; Peterson, Kent W; Isaac, Fikry; Loeppke, Ronald R; Eisenberg, Barry S; Dreger, Marianne

2013-09-01

To test the hypothesis that comprehensive efforts to reduce a workforce's health and safety risks can be associated with a company's stock market performance. Stock market performance of Corporate Health Achievement Award winners was tracked under four different scenarios using simulation and past market performance. A portfolio of companies recognized as award winning for their approach to the health and safety of their workforce outperformed the market. Evidence seems to support that building cultures of health and safety provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This research may have also identified an association between companies that focus on health and safety and companies that manage other aspects of their business equally well. Companies that build a culture of health by focusing on the well-being and safety of their workforce yield greater value for their investors.

Joint Optimization of Distribution Network Design and Two-Echelon Inventory Control with Stochastic Demand and CO2 Emission Tax Charges.

PubMed

Li, Shuangyan; Li, Xialian; Zhang, Dezhi; Zhou, Lingyun

2017-01-01

This study develops an optimization model to integrate facility location and inventory control for a three-level distribution network consisting of a supplier, multiple distribution centers (DCs), and multiple retailers. The integrated model addressed in this study simultaneously determines three types of decisions: (1) facility location (optimal number, location, and size of DCs); (2) allocation (assignment of suppliers to located DCs and retailers to located DCs, and corresponding optimal transport mode choices); and (3) inventory control decisions on order quantities, reorder points, and amount of safety stock at each retailer and opened DC. A mixed-integer programming model is presented, which considers the carbon emission taxes, multiple transport modes, stochastic demand, and replenishment lead time. The goal is to minimize the total cost, which covers the fixed costs of logistics facilities, inventory, transportation, and CO2 emission tax charges. The aforementioned optimal model was solved using commercial software LINGO 11. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the applications of the proposed model. The findings show that carbon emission taxes can significantly affect the supply chain structure, inventory level, and carbon emission reduction levels. The delay rate directly affects the replenishment decision of a retailer.

Implementation of pattern generation algorithm in forming Gilmore and Gomory model for two dimensional cutting stock problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Octarina, Sisca; Radiana, Mutia; Bangun, Putra B. J.

2018-01-01

Two dimensional cutting stock problem (CSP) is a problem in determining the cutting pattern from a set of stock with standard length and width to fulfill the demand of items. Cutting patterns were determined in order to minimize the usage of stock. This research implemented pattern generation algorithm to formulate Gilmore and Gomory model of two dimensional CSP. The constraints of Gilmore and Gomory model was performed to assure the strips which cut in the first stage will be used in the second stage. Branch and Cut method was used to obtain the optimal solution. Based on the results, it found many patterns combination, if the optimal cutting patterns which correspond to the first stage were combined with the second stage.

A Simulation of Readiness-Based Sparing Policies

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

variant of a greedy heuristic algorithm to set stock levels and estimate overall WS availability. Our discrete event simulation is then used to test the...available in the optimization tools. 14. SUBJECT TERMS readiness-based sparing, discrete event simulation, optimization, multi-indenture...variant of a greedy heuristic algorithm to set stock levels and estimate overall WS availability. Our discrete event simulation is then used to test the

Population dynamics and potential of fisheries stock enhancement: practical theory for assessment and policy analysis.

PubMed

Lorenzen, Kai

2005-01-29

The population dynamics of fisheries stock enhancement, and its potential for generating benefits over and above those obtainable from optimal exploitation of wild stocks alone are poorly understood and highly controversial. I review pertinent knowledge of fish population biology, and extend the dynamic pool theory of fishing to stock enhancement by unpacking recruitment, incorporating regulation in the recruited stock, and accounting for biological differences between wild and hatchery fish. I then analyse the dynamics of stock enhancement and its potential role in fisheries management, using the candidate stock of North Sea sole as an example and considering economic as well as biological criteria. Enhancement through release of recruits or advanced juveniles is predicted to increase total yield and stock abundance, but reduce abundance of the naturally recruited stock component through compensatory responses or overfishing. Economic feasibility of enhancement is subject to strong constraints, including trade-offs between the costs of fishing and hatchery releases. Costs of hatchery fish strongly influence optimal policy, which may range from no enhancement at high cost to high levels of stocking and fishing effort at low cost. Release of genetically maladapted fish reduces the effectiveness of enhancement, and is most detrimental overall if fitness of hatchery fish is only moderately compromised. As a temporary measure for the rebuilding of depleted stocks, enhancement cannot substitute for effort limitation, and is advantageous as an auxiliary measure only if the population has been reduced to a very low proportion of its unexploited biomass. Quantitative analysis of population dynamics is central to the responsible use of stock enhancement in fisheries management, and the necessary tools are available.

Fractal profit landscape of the stock market.

PubMed

Grönlund, Andreas; Yi, Il Gu; Kim, Beom Jun

2012-01-01

We investigate the structure of the profit landscape obtained from the most basic, fluctuation based, trading strategy applied for the daily stock price data. The strategy is parameterized by only two variables, p and q Stocks are sold and bought if the log return is bigger than p and less than -q, respectively. Repetition of this simple strategy for a long time gives the profit defined in the underlying two-dimensional parameter space of p and q. It is revealed that the local maxima in the profit landscape are spread in the form of a fractal structure. The fractal structure implies that successful strategies are not localized to any region of the profit landscape and are neither spaced evenly throughout the profit landscape, which makes the optimization notoriously hard and hypersensitive for partial or limited information. The concrete implication of this property is demonstrated by showing that optimization of one stock for future values or other stocks renders worse profit than a strategy that ignores fluctuations, i.e., a long-term buy-and-hold strategy.

The risks and returns of stock investment in a financial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiang-Cheng; Mei, Dong-Cheng

2013-03-01

The risks and returns of stock investment are discussed via numerically simulating the mean escape time and the probability density function of stock price returns in the modified Heston model with time delay. Through analyzing the effects of delay time and initial position on the risks and returns of stock investment, the results indicate that: (i) There is an optimal delay time matching minimal risks of stock investment, maximal average stock price returns and strongest stability of stock price returns for strong elasticity of demand of stocks (EDS), but the opposite results for weak EDS; (ii) The increment of initial position recedes the risks of stock investment, strengthens the average stock price returns and enhances stability of stock price returns. Finally, the probability density function of stock price returns and the probability density function of volatility and the correlation function of stock price returns are compared with other literatures. In addition, good agreements are found between them.

Design of disturbances control model at automotive company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marie, I. A.; Sari, D. K.; Astuti, P.; Teorema, M.

2017-12-01

The discussion was conducted at PT. XYZ which produces automotive components and motorcycle products. The company produced X123 type cylinder head which is a motor vehicle forming component. The disturbances in the production system has affected the company performance in achieving the target of Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Currently, the determination of the percentage of safety stock of cylinder head products is not in accordance to the control limits set by the company (60% - 80%), and tends to exceed the control limits that cause increasing the inventory wastage in the company. This study aims to identify the production system disturbances that occurs in the production process of manufacturing components of X123 type cylinder head products and design the control model of disturbance to obtain control action and determine the safety stock policy in accordance with the needs of the company. The design stage has been done based on the Disturbance Control Model which already existing and customized with the company need in controlling the production system disturbances at the company. The design of the disturbances control model consists of sub-model of the risk level of the disturbance, sub-model of action status, sub-model action control of the disturbance, and sub-model of determining the safety stock. The model can assist the automotive company in taking the decision to perform the disturbances control action in production system cylinder head while controlling the percentage of the safety stock.

Intelligent Ensemble Forecasting System of Stock Market Fluctuations Based on Symetric and Asymetric Wavelet Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahmiri, Salim; Boukadoum, Mounir

2015-08-01

We present a new ensemble system for stock market returns prediction where continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is used to analyze return series and backpropagation neural networks (BPNNs) for processing CWT-based coefficients, determining the optimal ensemble weights, and providing final forecasts. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used for finding optimal weights and biases for each BPNN. To capture symmetry/asymmetry in the underlying data, three wavelet functions with different shapes are adopted. The proposed ensemble system was tested on three Asian stock markets: The Hang Seng, KOSPI, and Taiwan stock market data. Three statistical metrics were used to evaluate the forecasting accuracy; including, mean of absolute errors (MAE), root mean of squared errors (RMSE), and mean of absolute deviations (MADs). Experimental results showed that our proposed ensemble system outperformed the individual CWT-ANN models each with different wavelet function. In addition, the proposed ensemble system outperformed the conventional autoregressive moving average process. As a result, the proposed ensemble system is suitable to capture symmetry/asymmetry in financial data fluctuations for better prediction accuracy.

Portfolio optimization in enhanced index tracking with goal programming approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siew, Lam Weng; Jaaman, Saiful Hafizah Hj.; Ismail, Hamizun bin

2014-09-01

Enhanced index tracking is a popular form of passive fund management in stock market. Enhanced index tracking aims to generate excess return over the return achieved by the market index without purchasing all of the stocks that make up the index. This can be done by establishing an optimal portfolio to maximize the mean return and minimize the risk. The objective of this paper is to determine the portfolio composition and performance using goal programming approach in enhanced index tracking and comparing it to the market index. Goal programming is a branch of multi-objective optimization which can handle decision problems that involve two different goals in enhanced index tracking, a trade-off between maximizing the mean return and minimizing the risk. The results of this study show that the optimal portfolio with goal programming approach is able to outperform the Malaysia market index which is FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index because of higher mean return and lower risk without purchasing all the stocks in the market index.

Optimality problem of network topology in stocks market analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djauhari, Maman Abdurachman; Gan, Siew Lee

2015-02-01

Since its introduction fifteen years ago, minimal spanning tree has become an indispensible tool in econophysics. It is to filter the important economic information contained in a complex system of financial markets' commodities. Here we show that, in general, that tool is not optimal in terms of topological properties. Consequently, the economic interpretation of the filtered information might be misleading. To overcome that non-optimality problem, a set of criteria and a selection procedure of an optimal minimal spanning tree will be developed. By using New York Stock Exchange data, the advantages of the proposed method will be illustrated in terms of the power-law of degree distribution.

Big Data Challenges of High-Dimensional Continuous-Time Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection and a Remedy.

PubMed

Chiu, Mei Choi; Pun, Chi Seng; Wong, Hoi Ying

2017-08-01

Investors interested in the global financial market must analyze financial securities internationally. Making an optimal global investment decision involves processing a huge amount of data for a high-dimensional portfolio. This article investigates the big data challenges of two mean-variance optimal portfolios: continuous-time precommitment and constant-rebalancing strategies. We show that both optimized portfolios implemented with the traditional sample estimates converge to the worst performing portfolio when the portfolio size becomes large. The crux of the problem is the estimation error accumulated from the huge dimension of stock data. We then propose a linear programming optimal (LPO) portfolio framework, which applies a constrained ℓ 1 minimization to the theoretical optimal control to mitigate the risk associated with the dimensionality issue. The resulting portfolio becomes a sparse portfolio that selects stocks with a data-driven procedure and hence offers a stable mean-variance portfolio in practice. When the number of observations becomes large, the LPO portfolio converges to the oracle optimal portfolio, which is free of estimation error, even though the number of stocks grows faster than the number of observations. Our numerical and empirical studies demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Stocking Density Optimization for Enhanced Bioconversion of Fly Ash Enriched Vermicompost.

PubMed

Mupambwa, Hupenyu A; Mnkeni, Pearson N S

2016-05-01

Although it is widely agreed that stocking density critically affects the rate of vermicomposting, there is no established stocking density for mixtures of fly ash and other waste materials. This study sought to optimize (Savigny, 1826) stocking density for effective biodegradation and nutrient release in a fly ash-cow dung-waste paper (FCP) mixture. Four stocking densities of 0, 12.5, 25, and 37.5 g worms kg were evaluated. Although the 12.5, 25, and 37.5 g worms kg treatments all resulted in a mature vermicompost, stocking densities of 25 and 37.5 g worms kg resulted in faster maturity, higher humification parameters, and a significantly lower final C/N ratio (range 11.1-10.4). The activity of β-glucosidase and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis enzymes showed faster stabilization at stocking densities of 25 and 37.5 g worms kg, indicating compost stability and maturity. Similarly, a stocking density of 25 g worms kg resulted in the highest release of Olsen-extractable P and (NO + NO)-N contents. The 0-, 12.5-, 25-, and 37.5-g treatments resulted in net Olsen P increases of 16.3, 38.9, 61.0, and 53.0%, respectively, after 10 wk. Although compost maturity could be attained at stocking densities of 12.5 g worms kg, for faster production of humified and nutrient-rich FCP vermicompost, a stocking density of 25 g worms kg seems most appropriate. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Accounting for escape mortality in fisheries: implications for stock productivity and optimal management.

PubMed

Baker, Matthew R; Schindler, Daniel E; Essington, Timothy E; Hilborn, Ray

2014-01-01

Few studies have considered the management implications of mortality to target fish stocks caused by non-retention in commercial harvest gear (escape mortality). We demonstrate the magnitude of this previously unquantified source of mortality and its implications for the population dynamics of exploited stocks, biological metrics, stock productivity, and optimal management. Non-retention in commercial gillnet fisheries for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) is common and often leads to delayed mortality in spawning populations. This represents losses, not only to fishery harvest, but also in future recruitment to exploited stocks. We estimated incidence of non-retention in Alaskan gillnet fisheries for sockeye salmon (O. nerka) and found disentanglement injuries to be extensive and highly variable between years. Injuries related to non-retention were noted in all spawning populations, and incidence of injury ranged from 6% to 44% of escaped salmon across nine river systems over five years. We also demonstrate that non-retention rates strongly correlate with fishing effort. We applied maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches to stock-recruitment analyses, discounting estimates of spawning salmon to account for fishery-related mortality in escaped fish. Discounting spawning stock estimates as a function of annual fishing effort improved model fits to historical stock-recruitment data in most modeled systems. This suggests the productivity of exploited stocks has been systematically underestimated. It also suggests that indices of fishing effort may be used to predict escape mortality and correct for losses. Our results illustrate how explicitly accounting for collateral effects of fishery extraction may improve estimates of productivity and better inform management metrics derived from estimates of stock-recruitment analyses.

Can investor sentiment be used to predict the stock price? Dynamic analysis based on China stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kun; Sun, Yi; Qian, Xin

2017-03-01

With the development of the social network, the interaction between investors in stock market became more fast and convenient. Thus, investor sentiment which can influence their investment decisions may be quickly spread and magnified through the network, and to a certain extent the stock market can be affected. This paper collected the user comments data from a popular professional social networking site of China stock market called Xueqiu, then the investor sentiment data can be obtained through semantic analysis. The dynamic analysis on relationship between investor sentiment and stock market is proposed based on Thermal Optimal Path (TOP) method. The results show that the sentiment data was not always leading over stock market price, and it can be used to predict the stock price only when the stock has high investor attention.

Harvesting Atlantic Cod under Climate Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oremus, K. L.

2016-12-01

Previous literature links the growth of a fishery to climate variability. This study uses an age-structured bioeconomic model to compare optimal harvest in the Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod fishery under a variable climate versus a static climate. The optimal harvest path depends on the relationship between fishery growth and the interest rate, with higher interest rates dictating greater harvests now at the cost of long-term stock sustainability. Given the time horizon of a single generation of fishermen under assumptions of a static climate, the model finds that the economically optimal management strategy is to harvest the entire stock in the short term and allow the fishery to collapse. However, if the biological growth of the fishery is assumed to vary with climate conditions, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, there will always be pulses of high growth in the stock. During some of these high-growth years, the growth of the stock and its economic yield can exceed the growth rate of the economy even under high interest rates. This implies that it is not economically optimal to exhaust the New England cod fishery if NAO is included in the biological growth function. This finding may have theoretical implications for the management of other renewable yet exhaustible resources whose growth rates are subject to climate variability.

Optimization of Eisenia fetida stocking density for the bioconversion of rock phosphate enriched cow dung-waste paper mixtures.

PubMed

Unuofin, F O; Mnkeni, P N S

2014-11-01

Vermitechnology is gaining recognition as an environmental friendly waste management strategy. Its successful implementation requires that the key operational parameters like earthworm stocking density be established for each target waste/waste mixture. One target waste mixture in South Africa is waste paper mixed with cow dung and rock phosphate (RP) for P enrichment. This study sought to establish optimal Eisenia fetida stocking density for maximum P release and rapid bioconversion of RP enriched cow dung-paper waste mixtures. E. fetida stocking densities of 0, 7.5, 12.5, 17.5 and 22.5 g-worms kg(-1) dry weight of cow dung-waste paper mixtures were evaluated. The stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg(-1) resulted in the highest earthworm growth rate and humification of the RP enriched waste mixture as reflected by a C:N ratio of <12 and a humic acid/fulvic acid ratio of >1.9 in final vermicomposts. A germination test revealed that the resultant vermicompost had no inhibitory effect on the germination of tomato, carrot, and radish. Extractable P increased with stocking density up to 22.5 g-worm kg(-1) feedstock suggesting that for maximum P release from RP enriched wastes a high stocking density should be considered. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Trade-offs between forest carbon stocks and harvests in a steady state - A multi-criteria analysis.

PubMed

Pingoud, Kim; Ekholm, Tommi; Sievänen, Risto; Huuskonen, Saija; Hynynen, Jari

2018-03-15

This paper provides a perspective for comparing trade-offs between harvested wood flows and forest carbon stocks with different forest management regimes. A constant management regime applied to a forest area with an even age-class distribution leads to a steady state, in which the annual harvest and carbon stocks remain constant over time. As both are desirable - carbon stocks for mitigating climate change and harvests for the economic use of wood and displacing fossil fuels - an ideal strategy should be chosen from a set of management regimes that are Pareto-optimal in the sense of multi-criteria decision-making. When choosing between Pareto-optimal alternatives, the trade-off between carbon stock and harvests is unavoidable. This trade-off can be described e.g. in terms of carbon payback times or carbon returns. As numerical examples, we present steady-state harvest levels and carbon stocks in a Finnish boreal forest region for different rotation periods, thinning intensities and collection patterns for harvest residues. In the set of simulated management practices, harvest residue collection presents the most favorable trade-off with payback times around 30-40 years; while Pareto-optimal changes in rotation or thinnings exhibited payback times over 100 years, or alternatively carbon returns below 1%. By extending the rotation period and using less-intensive thinnings compared to current practices, the steady-state carbon stocks could be increased by half while maintaining current harvest levels. Additional cases with longer rotation periods should be also considered, but were here excluded due to the lack of reliable data on older forest stands. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of stand and inter-specific stocking on maximizing standing tree carbon stocks in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Christopher W. Woodall; Anthony W. D' Amato; John B. Bradford; Andrew O. Finley

2011-01-01

There is expanding interest in management strategies that maximize forest carbon (C) storage to mitigate increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. The tremendous tree species diversity and range of stand stocking found across the eastern United States presents a challenge for determining optimal combinations for the maximization of standing tree C storage. Using a...

Random matrix theory and portfolio optimization in Moroccan stock exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Alaoui, Marwane

2015-09-01

In this work, we use random matrix theory to analyze eigenvalues and see if there is a presence of pertinent information by using Marčenko-Pastur distribution. Thus, we study cross-correlation among stocks of Casablanca Stock Exchange. Moreover, we clean correlation matrix from noisy elements to see if the gap between predicted risk and realized risk would be reduced. We also analyze eigenvectors components distributions and their degree of deviations by computing the inverse participation ratio. This analysis is a way to understand the correlation structure among stocks of Casablanca Stock Exchange portfolio.

Effects of cooking temperatures on the physicochemical properties and consumer acceptance of chicken stock.

PubMed

Krasnow, Mark; Bunch, Tucker; Shoemaker, Charles; Loss, Christopher R

2012-01-01

As a base for sauces, soups, and cooking liquids for meats, grains, and vegetables, stocks can be integral to the overall quality of restaurant menu items, however, science-based studies on the effects of cooking methods on the physiochemical and sensory properties of stock are lacking. The effects of starting (22 °C, 85 °C, and 99 °C) and cooking temperatures (85 °C and 99 °C) of chicken stock on clarity, color, viscosity, protein content, amino acid content, mineral content, and overall liking were measured. Protein content and viscosity were significantly higher for stocks cooked at 99 °C, but no effect on amino acid content, color, or clarity was observed. Calcium concentration in stocks cooked at 99 °C was significantly (P < 0.0001) lower (9.3 and 10.1 mg/mL, for stocks started at temperatures of 22 and 99 °C, respectively) than stock cooked at 85 °C (16.6 and 17.5 mg/mL for stocks started at temperatures of 22 and 85 °C, respectively). Stocks prepared at 99 °C scored higher on overall liking compared to commercial samples and those cooked at 85 °C (P= 0.0101). These data can be used by culinary scientists and professionals to develop more efficient techniques in the kitchen, and by product developers to optimize the overall quality and acceptance of stock. This work documents the effects of preparation method on the physical and chemical properties, and consumer acceptance of chicken stock. This information can be used by product developers, culinary scientists, and professional chefs to optimize stock-based products. Culinary educators can use this information to provide students with objective evidence-based rationale for the techniques underlying a celebrated culinary tradition. This is also an example of how research can facilitate collaboration between culinary and food science professionals. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

The q-dependent detrended cross-correlation analysis of stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Longfeng; Li, Wei; Fenu, Andrea; Podobnik, Boris; Wang, Yougui; Stanley, H. Eugene

2018-02-01

Properties of the q-dependent cross-correlation matrices of the stock market have been analyzed by using random matrix theory and complex networks. The correlation structures of the fluctuations at different magnitudes have unique properties. The cross-correlations among small fluctuations are much stronger than those among large fluctuations. The large and small fluctuations are dominated by different groups of stocks. We use complex network representation to study these q-dependent matrices and discover some new identities. By utilizing those q-dependent correlation-based networks, we are able to construct some portfolios of those more independent stocks which consistently perform better. The optimal multifractal order for portfolio optimization is around q  =  2 under the mean-variance portfolio framework, and q\\in[2, 6] under the expected shortfall criterion. These results have deepened our understanding regarding the collective behavior of the complex financial system.

Clustering of financial time series with application to index and enhanced index tracking portfolio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dose, Christian; Cincotti, Silvano

2005-09-01

A stochastic-optimization technique based on time series cluster analysis is described for index tracking and enhanced index tracking problems. Our methodology solves the problem in two steps, i.e., by first selecting a subset of stocks and then setting the weight of each stock as a result of an optimization process (asset allocation). Present formulation takes into account constraints on the number of stocks and on the fraction of capital invested in each of them, whilst not including transaction costs. Computational results based on clustering selection are compared to those of random techniques and show the importance of clustering in noise reduction and robust forecasting applications, in particular for enhanced index tracking.

Optimization of Eisenia fetida stocking density for the bioconversion of rock phosphate enriched cow dung–waste paper mixtures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Unuofin, F.O., E-mail: funmifrank2009@gmail.com; Mnkeni, P.N.S., E-mail: pmnkeni@ufh.ac.za

2014-11-15

Highlights: • Vermidegradation of RP-enriched waste mixtures is dependent on E. fetida stocking density. • A stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg{sup -1} resulted in highly humified vermicomposts. • P release from RP-enriched waste vermicomposts increases with E. fetida stocking density. • RP-enriched waste vermicomposts had no inhibitory effect on seed germination. - Abstract: Vermitechnology is gaining recognition as an environmental friendly waste management strategy. Its successful implementation requires that the key operational parameters like earthworm stocking density be established for each target waste/waste mixture. One target waste mixture in South Africa is waste paper mixed with cow dung andmore » rock phosphate (RP) for P enrichment. This study sought to establish optimal Eisenia fetida stocking density for maximum P release and rapid bioconversion of RP enriched cow dung–paper waste mixtures. E. fetida stocking densities of 0, 7.5, 12.5, 17.5 and 22.5 g-worms kg{sup −1} dry weight of cow dung–waste paper mixtures were evaluated. The stocking density of 12.5 g-worms kg{sup −1} resulted in the highest earthworm growth rate and humification of the RP enriched waste mixture as reflected by a C:N ratio of <12 and a humic acid/fulvic acid ratio of >1.9 in final vermicomposts. A germination test revealed that the resultant vermicompost had no inhibitory effect on the germination of tomato, carrot, and radish. Extractable P increased with stocking density up to 22.5 g-worm kg{sup −1} feedstock suggesting that for maximum P release from RP enriched wastes a high stocking density should be considered.« less

A Tool for Investigating Asthma and COPD Exacerbations: A Newly Manufactured and Well Characterised GMP Wild-Type Human Rhinovirus for Use in the Human Viral Challenge Model

PubMed Central

Fullen, Daniel J.; Murray, Bryan; Mori, Julie; Catchpole, Andrew; Borley, Daryl W.; Murray, Edward J.; Balaratnam, Ganesh; Gilbert, Anthony; Mann, Alex; Hughes, Fiona; Lambkin-Williams, Rob

2016-01-01

Background Human Rhinovirus infection is an important precursor to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and the Human Viral Challenge model may provide a powerful tool in studying these and other chronic respiratory diseases. In this study we have reported the production and human characterisation of a new Wild-Type HRV-16 challenge virus produced specifically for this purpose. Methods and Stock Development A HRV-16 isolate from an 18 year old experimentally infected healthy female volunteer (University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, USA) was obtained with appropriate medical history and consent. We manufactured a new HRV-16 stock by minimal passage in a WI-38 cell line under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions. Having first subjected the stock to rigorous adventitious agent testing and determining the virus suitability for human use, we conducted an initial safety and pathogenicity clinical study in adult volunteers in our dedicated clinical quarantine facility in London. Human Challenge and Conclusions In this study we have demonstrated the new Wild-Type HRV-16 Challenge Virus to be both safe and pathogenic, causing an appropriate level of disease in experimentally inoculated healthy adult volunteers. Furthermore, by inoculating volunteers with a range of different inoculum titres, we have established the minimum inoculum titre required to achieve reproducible disease. We have demonstrated that although inoculation titres as low as 1 TCID50 can produce relatively high infection rates, the optimal titre for progression with future HRV challenge model development with this virus stock was 10 TCID50. Studies currently underway are evaluating the use of this virus as a challenge agent in asthmatics. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02522832 PMID:27936016

Management of paediatric illnesses by patent and proprietary medicine vendors in Nigeria.

PubMed

Treleaven, Emily; Liu, Jenny; Prach, Lisa M; Isiguzo, Chinwoke

2015-06-04

In Nigeria and elsewhere, informal drug sellers, or patent and proprietary medicine vendors (PPMVs), are a common source of care for children with malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia. However, their knowledge and stocking of recommended treatments for these common childhood illnesses are not well understood. A census of PPMV shops was conducted in Kogi and Kwara states. A shop survey was conducted on a subset of 250 shops. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess associations between shop worker characteristics and (1) knowledge of optimal treatments for malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia, and (2) stocking of essential medicines to treat these illnesses. From the census, 89.9% of shops stocked oral rehydration solution (ORS), while 61.1% of shops stocked artemisinin-based combination therapies and 72.2% of shops stocked amoxicillin. Stocking patterns varied by state, urban/rural location, and according to whether or not the shop was headed by someone with formal health training (e.g. having a professional health education degree). In multivariate analyses, selling drugs wholesale and participating in any training in the past year was associated with a higher likelihood of naming the correct treatment for malaria, and having formal health training was associated with stocking ORS. However, few other PPMV characteristics were predictive of correct knowledge of optimal treatments and stocking behaviour. Many PPMVs lack the knowledge and tools to properly treat common childhood illnesses. PPMV knowledge and selling of essential medicines for these illnesses should be strengthened to improve child health in Nigeria.

Joint Optimization of Distribution Network Design and Two-Echelon Inventory Control with Stochastic Demand and CO2 Emission Tax Charges

PubMed Central

Li, Shuangyan; Li, Xialian; Zhang, Dezhi; Zhou, Lingyun

2017-01-01

This study develops an optimization model to integrate facility location and inventory control for a three-level distribution network consisting of a supplier, multiple distribution centers (DCs), and multiple retailers. The integrated model addressed in this study simultaneously determines three types of decisions: (1) facility location (optimal number, location, and size of DCs); (2) allocation (assignment of suppliers to located DCs and retailers to located DCs, and corresponding optimal transport mode choices); and (3) inventory control decisions on order quantities, reorder points, and amount of safety stock at each retailer and opened DC. A mixed-integer programming model is presented, which considers the carbon emission taxes, multiple transport modes, stochastic demand, and replenishment lead time. The goal is to minimize the total cost, which covers the fixed costs of logistics facilities, inventory, transportation, and CO2 emission tax charges. The aforementioned optimal model was solved using commercial software LINGO 11. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the applications of the proposed model. The findings show that carbon emission taxes can significantly affect the supply chain structure, inventory level, and carbon emission reduction levels. The delay rate directly affects the replenishment decision of a retailer. PMID:28103246

The roles of the trading time risks on stock investment return and risks in stock price crashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiang-Cheng; Dong, Zhi-Wei; Yang, Guo-Hui; Long, Chao

2017-03-01

The roles of the trading time risks (TTRs) on stock investment return and risks are investigated in the condition of stock price crashes with Hushen300 data (CSI300) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (ˆDJI), respectively. In order to describe the TTR, we employ the escape time that the stock price drops from the maximum to minimum value in a data window length (DWL). After theoretical and empirical research on probability density function of return, the results in both ˆDJI and CSI300 indicate that: (i) As increasing DWL, the expectation of returns and its stability are weakened. (ii) An optimal TTR is related to a maximum return and minimum risk of stock investment in stock price crashes.

Fractal Profit Landscape of the Stock Market

PubMed Central

Grönlund, Andreas; Yi, Il Gu; Kim, Beom Jun

2012-01-01

We investigate the structure of the profit landscape obtained from the most basic, fluctuation based, trading strategy applied for the daily stock price data. The strategy is parameterized by only two variables, p and q Stocks are sold and bought if the log return is bigger than p and less than –q, respectively. Repetition of this simple strategy for a long time gives the profit defined in the underlying two-dimensional parameter space of p and q. It is revealed that the local maxima in the profit landscape are spread in the form of a fractal structure. The fractal structure implies that successful strategies are not localized to any region of the profit landscape and are neither spaced evenly throughout the profit landscape, which makes the optimization notoriously hard and hypersensitive for partial or limited information. The concrete implication of this property is demonstrated by showing that optimization of one stock for future values or other stocks renders worse profit than a strategy that ignores fluctuations, i.e., a long-term buy-and-hold strategy. PMID:22558079

Portfolio optimization with mean-variance model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoe, Lam Weng; Siew, Lam Weng

2016-06-01

Investors wish to achieve the target rate of return at the minimum level of risk in their investment. Portfolio optimization is an investment strategy that can be used to minimize the portfolio risk and can achieve the target rate of return. The mean-variance model has been proposed in portfolio optimization. The mean-variance model is an optimization model that aims to minimize the portfolio risk which is the portfolio variance. The objective of this study is to construct the optimal portfolio using the mean-variance model. The data of this study consists of weekly returns of 20 component stocks of FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBMKLCI). The results of this study show that the portfolio composition of the stocks is different. Moreover, investors can get the return at minimum level of risk with the constructed optimal mean-variance portfolio.

C-Bag Consolidation: An Inventory and Safety Stock Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

required to inventory, maintain, and issue C-1 bags. C-1 bags are stocked with shelf life items, defined by AFI 23-110 Material Management as “an...chemical protective overgarment, two pair of footwear covers or one Green/Black Vinyle Overshoe, two pair of glove sets and two protective hoods

The mean time-limited crash rate of stock price

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yun-Xian; Li, Jiang-Cheng; Yang, Ai-Jun; Tang, Nian-Sheng

2017-05-01

In this article we investigate the occurrence of stock market crash in an economy cycle. Bayesian approach, Heston model and statistical-physical method are considered. Specifically, Heston model and an effective potential are employed to address the dynamic changes of stock price. Bayesian approach has been utilized to estimate the Heston model's unknown parameters. Statistical physical method is used to investigate the occurrence of stock market crash by calculating the mean time-limited crash rate. The real financial data from the Shanghai Composite Index is analyzed with the proposed methods. The mean time-limited crash rate of stock price is used to describe the occurrence of stock market crash in an economy cycle. The monotonous and nonmonotonous behaviors are observed in the behavior of the mean time-limited crash rate versus volatility of stock for various cross correlation coefficient between volatility and price. Also a minimum occurrence of stock market crash matching an optimal volatility is discovered.

Downside Risk Optimization of the Thrift Savings Plan Lifecycle Fund Portfolios

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

ETF funds follow indices like the TSP individual funds but are valued by investors due to their “ stock -like” features and low administrative costs...investors worldwide. According to US News and World Report, actively managed stock funds lost nearly 41% on average in 2008 (Mardquardt, 2009...TSP funds: the Government Securities Investment (G) Fund, Fixed Income Index Investment (F) Fund, Common Stock Index Investment (C) Fund, Small

The lead-lag relationship between stock index and stock index futures: A thermal optimal path method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Chen-Chen; Ji, Shen-Dan; Su, Li-Ling; Li, Sai-Ping; Ren, Fei

2016-02-01

The study of lead-lag relationship between stock index and stock index futures is of great importance for its wide application in hedging and portfolio investments. Previous works mainly use conventional methods like Granger causality test, GARCH model and error correction model, and focus on the causality relation between the index and futures in a certain period. By using a non-parametric approach-thermal optimal path (TOP) method, we study the lead-lag relationship between China Securities Index 300 (CSI 300), Hang Seng Index (HSI), Standard and Poor 500 (S&P 500) Index and their associated futures to reveal the variance of their relationship over time. Our finding shows evidence of pronounced futures leadership for well established index futures, namely HSI and S&P 500 index futures, while index of developing market like CSI 300 has pronounced leadership. We offer an explanation based on the measure of an indicator which quantifies the differences between spot and futures prices for the surge of lead-lag function. Our results provide new perspectives for the understanding of the dynamical evolution of lead-lag relationship between stock index and stock index futures, which is valuable for the study of market efficiency and its applications.

An integrated production-inventory model for the singlevendor two-buyer problem with partial backorder, stochastic demand, and service level constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arfawi Kurdhi, Nughthoh; Adi Diwiryo, Toray; Sutanto

2016-02-01

This paper presents an integrated single-vendor two-buyer production-inventory model with stochastic demand and service level constraints. Shortage is permitted in the model, and partial backordered partial lost sale. The lead time demand is assumed follows a normal distribution and the lead time can be reduced by adding crashing cost. The lead time and ordering cost reductions are interdependent with logaritmic function relationship. A service level constraint policy corresponding to each buyer is considered in the model in order to limit the level of inventory shortages. The purpose of this research is to minimize joint total cost inventory model by finding the optimal order quantity, safety stock, lead time, and the number of lots delivered in one production run. The optimal production-inventory policy gained by the Lagrange method is shaped to account for the service level restrictions. Finally, a numerical example and effects of the key parameters are performed to illustrate the results of the proposed model.

Optimal policy for profit maximising in an EOQ model under non-linear holding cost and stock-dependent demand rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pando, V.; García-Laguna, J.; San-José, L. A.

2012-11-01

In this article, we integrate a non-linear holding cost with a stock-dependent demand rate in a maximising profit per unit time model, extending several inventory models studied by other authors. After giving the mathematical formulation of the inventory system, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the optimal policy. Relying on this result, we can obtain the optimal solution using different numerical algorithms. Moreover, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition to determine whether a system is profitable, and we establish a rule to check when a given order quantity is the optimal lot size of the inventory model. The results are illustrated through numerical examples and the sensitivity of the optimal solution with respect to changes in some values of the parameters is assessed.

Analysis of portfolio optimization with lot of stocks amount constraint: case study index LQ45

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Liem; Chendra, Erwinna; Sukmana, Agus

2018-01-01

To form an optimum portfolio (in the sense of minimizing risk and / or maximizing return), the commonly used model is the mean-variance model of Markowitz. However, there is no amount of lots of stocks constraint. And, retail investors in Indonesia cannot do short selling. So, in this study we will develop an existing model by adding an amount of lot of stocks and short-selling constraints to get the minimum risk of portfolio with and without any target return. We will analyse the stocks listed in the LQ45 index based on the stock market capitalization. To perform this analysis, we will use Solver that available in Microsoft Excel.

Inverse Statistics and Asset Allocation Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolgorian, Meysam

In this paper using inverse statistics analysis, the effect of investment horizon on the efficiency of portfolio selection is examined. Inverse statistics analysis is a general tool also known as probability distribution of exit time that is used for detecting the distribution of the time in which a stochastic process exits from a zone. This analysis was used in Refs. 1 and 2 for studying the financial returns time series. This distribution provides an optimal investment horizon which determines the most likely horizon for gaining a specific return. Using samples of stocks from Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) as an emerging market and S&P 500 as a developed market, effect of optimal investment horizon in asset allocation is assessed. It is found that taking into account the optimal investment horizon in TSE leads to more efficiency for large size portfolios while for stocks selected from S&P 500, regardless of portfolio size, this strategy does not only not produce more efficient portfolios, but also longer investment horizons provides more efficiency.

The safety aspects of chopper motorcycles : a literature survey in response to HJR #90.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-01-01

This study was initiated to examine certain safety characteristics of modified motorcycles. Are motorcycles which can be classified as "choppers" less safe than standard, retail, stock machines? Do personal modifications differ from professional modi...

Modeling the Components of an Economy as a Complex Adaptive System

DTIC Science & Technology

principles of constrained optimization and fails to see economic variables as part of an interconnected network. While tools for forecasting economic...data sets such as the stock market . This research portrays the stock market as one component of a networked system of economic variables, with the

Calculating foraging area using gloal navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adjusting stocking rate to changing forage conditions is a critical part of pro-active range management. In general stocking rate approaches tend to assume more optimal landscape use patterns than will actually occur. Today we can monitor spatio-temporal landscape use on a 24/7 basis using animals...

Modeling and optimization of the multiobjective stochastic joint replenishment and delivery problem under supply chain environment.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Qu, Hui; Liu, Shan; Dun, Cai-xia

2013-01-01

As a practical inventory and transportation problem, it is important to synthesize several objectives for the joint replenishment and delivery (JRD) decision. In this paper, a new multiobjective stochastic JRD (MSJRD) of the one-warehouse and n-retailer systems considering the balance of service level and total cost simultaneously is proposed. The goal of this problem is to decide the reasonable replenishment interval, safety stock factor, and traveling routing. Secondly, two approaches are designed to handle this complex multi-objective optimization problem. Linear programming (LP) approach converts the multi-objective to single objective, while a multi-objective evolution algorithm (MOEA) solves a multi-objective problem directly. Thirdly, three intelligent optimization algorithms, differential evolution algorithm (DE), hybrid DE (HDE), and genetic algorithm (GA), are utilized in LP-based and MOEA-based approaches. Results of the MSJRD with LP-based and MOEA-based approaches are compared by a contrastive numerical example. To analyses the nondominated solution of MOEA, a metric is also used to measure the distribution of the last generation solution. Results show that HDE outperforms DE and GA whenever LP or MOEA is adopted.

Modeling and Optimization of the Multiobjective Stochastic Joint Replenishment and Delivery Problem under Supply Chain Environment

PubMed Central

Dun, Cai-xia

2013-01-01

As a practical inventory and transportation problem, it is important to synthesize several objectives for the joint replenishment and delivery (JRD) decision. In this paper, a new multiobjective stochastic JRD (MSJRD) of the one-warehouse and n-retailer systems considering the balance of service level and total cost simultaneously is proposed. The goal of this problem is to decide the reasonable replenishment interval, safety stock factor, and traveling routing. Secondly, two approaches are designed to handle this complex multi-objective optimization problem. Linear programming (LP) approach converts the multi-objective to single objective, while a multi-objective evolution algorithm (MOEA) solves a multi-objective problem directly. Thirdly, three intelligent optimization algorithms, differential evolution algorithm (DE), hybrid DE (HDE), and genetic algorithm (GA), are utilized in LP-based and MOEA-based approaches. Results of the MSJRD with LP-based and MOEA-based approaches are compared by a contrastive numerical example. To analyses the nondominated solution of MOEA, a metric is also used to measure the distribution of the last generation solution. Results show that HDE outperforms DE and GA whenever LP or MOEA is adopted. PMID:24302880

In search of optimal compression therapy for venous leg ulcers: a meta-analysis of studies comparing diverse [corrected] bandages with specifically designed stockings.

PubMed

Amsler, Felix; Willenberg, Torsten; Blättler, Werner

2009-09-01

In search of an optimal compression therapy for venous leg ulcers, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing compression systems based on stockings (MCS) with divers bandages. RCT were retrieved from six sources and reviewed independently. The primary endpoint, completion of healing within a defined time frame, and the secondary endpoints, time to healing, and pain were entered into a meta-analysis using the tools of the Cochrane Collaboration. Additional subjective endpoints were summarized. Eight RCT (published 1985-2008) fulfilled the predefined criteria. Data presentation was adequate and showed moderate heterogeneity. The studies included 692 patients (21-178/study, mean age 61 years, 56% women). Analyzed were 688 ulcerated legs, present for 1 week to 9 years, sizing 1 to 210 cm(2). The observation period ranged from 12 to 78 weeks. Patient and ulcer characteristics were evenly distributed in three studies, favored the stocking groups in four, and the bandage group in one. Data on the pressure exerted by stockings and bandages were reported in seven and two studies, amounting to 31-56 and 27-49 mm Hg, respectively. The proportion of ulcers healed was greater with stockings than with bandages (62.7% vs 46.6%; P < .00001). The average time to healing (seven studies, 535 patients) was 3 weeks shorter with stockings (P = .0002). In no study performed bandages better than MCS. Pain was assessed in three studies (219 patients) revealing an important advantage of stockings (P < .0001). Other subjective parameters and issues of nursing revealed an advantage of MCS as well. Leg compression with stockings is clearly better than compression with bandages, has a positive impact on pain, and is easier to use.

Optimizing bi-objective, multi-echelon supply chain model using particle swarm intelligence algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathish Kumar, V. R.; Anbuudayasankar, S. P.; Rameshkumar, K.

2018-02-01

In the current globalized scenario, business organizations are more dependent on cost effective supply chain to enhance profitability and better handle competition. Demand uncertainty is an important factor in success or failure of a supply chain. An efficient supply chain limits the stock held at all echelons to the extent of avoiding a stock-out situation. In this paper, a three echelon supply chain model consisting of supplier, manufacturing plant and market is developed and the same is optimized using particle swarm intelligence algorithm.

Efficacy of graduated compression stockings for an additional 3 weeks after sclerotherapy treatment of reticular and telangiectatic leg veins.

PubMed

Nootheti, Pavan K; Cadag, Kristian M; Magpantay, Angela; Goldman, Mitchel P

2009-01-01

Sclerotherapy with post-treatment graduated compression remains the criterion standard for treating lower leg telangiectatic, reticular, and varicose veins, but the optimal duration for that postsclerotherapy compression is unknown. To determine whether 3 weeks of additional graduated compression with Class I compression stockings (20-30 mmHg) improves efficacy when used immediately after 1 week of Class II (30-40 mmHg) graduated compression stockings. Twenty-nine patients with reticular or telangiectatic leg veins were treated with sclerotherapy; one leg was assigned to wear Class II compression stocking for 1 week only, and the contralateral leg was assigned an additional 3 weeks of Class I graduated compression stocking. Postsclerotherapy pigmentation and bruising was significantly less with the addition of 3 weeks of Class I graduated compression stockings.

Hybrid Clustering-GWO-NARX neural network technique in predicting stock price

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Debashish; Safa Sadiq, Ali; Mirjalili, Seyedali; Noraziah, A.

2017-09-01

Prediction of stock price is one of the most challenging tasks due to nonlinear nature of the stock data. Though numerous attempts have been made to predict the stock price by applying various techniques, yet the predicted price is not always accurate and even the error rate is high to some extent. Consequently, this paper endeavours to determine an efficient stock prediction strategy by implementing a combinatorial method of Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Clustering and Non Linear Autoregressive Exogenous (NARX) Technique. The study uses stock data from prominent stock market i.e. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ and emerging stock market i.e. Malaysian Stock Market (Bursa Malaysia), Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). It applies K-means clustering algorithm to determine the most promising cluster, then MGWO is used to determine the classification rate and finally the stock price is predicted by applying NARX neural network algorithm. The prediction performance gained through experimentation is compared and assessed to guide the investors in making investment decision. The result through this technique is indeed promising as it has shown almost precise prediction and improved error rate. We have applied the hybrid Clustering-GWO-NARX neural network technique in predicting stock price. We intend to work with the effect of various factors in stock price movement and selection of parameters. We will further investigate the influence of company news either positive or negative in stock price movement. We would be also interested to predict the Stock indices.

Optimal stocking of species by diameter class for even-aged mid-to-late rotation Appalachian hardwoods

Treesearch

Joseph B. Roise; Joosang Chung; Chris B. LeDoux

1988-01-01

Nonlinear programming (NP) is applied to the problem of finding optimal thinning and harvest regimes simultaneously with species mix and diameter class distribution. Optimal results for given cases are reported. Results of the NP optimization are compared with prescriptions developed by Appalachian hardwood silviculturists.

Stock price change rate prediction by utilizing social network activities.

PubMed

Deng, Shangkun; Mitsubuchi, Takashi; Sakurai, Akito

2014-01-01

Predicting stock price change rates for providing valuable information to investors is a challenging task. Individual participants may express their opinions in social network service (SNS) before or after their transactions in the market; we hypothesize that stock price change rate is better predicted by a function of social network service activities and technical indicators than by a function of just stock market activities. The hypothesis is tested by accuracy of predictions as well as performance of simulated trading because success or failure of prediction is better measured by profits or losses the investors gain or suffer. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model that combines multiple kernel learning (MKL) and genetic algorithm (GA). MKL is adopted to optimize the stock price change rate prediction models that are expressed in a multiple kernel linear function of different types of features extracted from different sources. GA is used to optimize the trading rules used in the simulated trading by fusing the return predictions and values of three well-known overbought and oversold technical indicators. Accumulated return and Sharpe ratio were used to test the goodness of performance of the simulated trading. Experimental results show that our proposed model performed better than other models including ones using state of the art techniques.

Stock Price Change Rate Prediction by Utilizing Social Network Activities

PubMed Central

Mitsubuchi, Takashi; Sakurai, Akito

2014-01-01

Predicting stock price change rates for providing valuable information to investors is a challenging task. Individual participants may express their opinions in social network service (SNS) before or after their transactions in the market; we hypothesize that stock price change rate is better predicted by a function of social network service activities and technical indicators than by a function of just stock market activities. The hypothesis is tested by accuracy of predictions as well as performance of simulated trading because success or failure of prediction is better measured by profits or losses the investors gain or suffer. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model that combines multiple kernel learning (MKL) and genetic algorithm (GA). MKL is adopted to optimize the stock price change rate prediction models that are expressed in a multiple kernel linear function of different types of features extracted from different sources. GA is used to optimize the trading rules used in the simulated trading by fusing the return predictions and values of three well-known overbought and oversold technical indicators. Accumulated return and Sharpe ratio were used to test the goodness of performance of the simulated trading. Experimental results show that our proposed model performed better than other models including ones using state of the art techniques. PMID:24790586

Base stock system for patient vs impatient customers with varying demand distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathima, Dowlath; Uduman, P. Sheik

2013-09-01

An optimal Base-Stock inventory policy for Patient and Impatient Customers using finite-horizon models is examined. The Base stock system for Patient and Impatient customers is a different type of inventory policy. In case of the model I, Base stock for Patient customer case is evaluated using the Truncated Exponential Distribution. The model II involves the study of Base-stock inventory policies for Impatient customer. A study on these systems reveals that the Customers wait until the arrival of the next order or the customers leaves the system which leads to lost sale. In both the models demand during the period [0, t] is taken to be a random variable. In this paper, Truncated Exponential Distribution satisfies the Base stock policy for the patient customer as a continuous model. So far the Base stock for Impatient Customers leaded to a discrete case but, in this paper we have modeled this condition into a continuous case. We justify this approach mathematically and also numerically.

Tracking the Market Performance of Companies That Integrate a Culture of Health and Safety: An Assessment of Corporate Health Achievement Award Applicants.

PubMed

Fabius, Raymond; Loeppke, Ronald R; Hohn, Todd; Fabius, Dan; Eisenberg, Barry; Konicki, Doris L; Larson, Paul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the hypothesis that stock market performance of companies achieving high scores on either health or safety in the Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA) process will be superior to average index performance. The stock market performance of portfolios of CHAA winners was examined under six different scenarios using simulation and past market performance in tests of association framed to inform the investor community. CHAA portfolios out-performed the S&P average on all tests. This study adds to the growing evidence that a healthy and safe workforce correlates with a company's performance and its ability to provide positive returns to shareholders. It advances the idea that a proven set of health and safety metrics based on the CHAA evaluation process merits inclusion with existing measures for market valuation.

The Blood Stocks Management Scheme, a partnership venture between the National Blood Service of England and North Wales and participating hospitals for maximizing blood supply chain management.

PubMed

Chapman, J F; Cook, R

2002-10-01

The Blood Stocks Management Scheme (BSMS) has been established as a joint venture between the National Blood Service (NBS) in England and North Wales and participating hospitals to monitor the blood supply chain. Stock and wastage data are submitted to a web-based data-management system, facilitating continuous and complete red cell data collection and 'real time' data extraction. The data-management system enables peer review of performance in respect of stock holding levels and red cell wastage. The BSMS has developed an innovative web-based data-management system that enables data collection and benchmarking of practice, which should drive changes in stock management practice, therefore optimizing the use of donated blood.

Noise sensitivity of portfolio selection in constant conditional correlation GARCH models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varga-Haszonits, I.; Kondor, I.

2007-11-01

This paper investigates the efficiency of minimum variance portfolio optimization for stock price movements following the Constant Conditional Correlation GARCH process proposed by Bollerslev. Simulations show that the quality of portfolio selection can be improved substantially by computing optimal portfolio weights from conditional covariances instead of unconditional ones. Measurement noise can be further reduced by applying some filtering method on the conditional correlation matrix (such as Random Matrix Theory based filtering). As an empirical support for the simulation results, the analysis is also carried out for a time series of S&P500 stock prices.

Comparison between goal programming and cointegration approaches in enhanced index tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Weng Siew; Jamaan, Saiful Hafizah Hj.

2013-04-01

Index tracking is a popular form of passive fund management in stock market. Passive management is a buy-and-hold strategy that aims to achieve rate of return similar to the market return. Index tracking problem is a problem of reproducing the performance of a stock market index, without purchasing all of the stocks that make up the index. This can be done by establishing an optimal portfolio that minimizes risk or tracking error. An improved index tracking (enhanced index tracking) is a dual-objective optimization problem, a trade-off between maximizing the mean return and minimizing the tracking error. Enhanced index tracking aims to generate excess return over the return achieved by the index. The objective of this study is to compare the portfolio compositions and performances by using two different approaches in enhanced index tracking problem, which are goal programming and cointegration. The result of this study shows that the optimal portfolios for both approaches are able to outperform the Malaysia market index which is Kuala Lumpur Composite Index. Both approaches give different optimal portfolio compositions. Besides, the cointegration approach outperforms the goal programming approach because the cointegration approach gives higher mean return and lower risk or tracking error. Therefore, the cointegration approach is more appropriate for the investors in Malaysia.

Supply chain optimization at an academic medical center.

PubMed

Labuhn, Jonathan; Almeter, Philip; McLaughlin, Christopher; Fields, Philip; Turner, Benjamin

2017-08-01

A successful supply chain optimization project that leveraged technology, engineering principles, and a technician workflow redesign in the setting of a growing health system is described. With continued rises in medication costs, medication inventory management is increasingly important. Proper management of central pharmacy inventory and floor-stock inventory in automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) can be challenging. In an effort to improve control of inventory costs in the central pharmacy of a large academic medical center, the pharmacy department implemented a supply chain optimization project in collaboration with the medical center's inhouse team of experts on process improvement and industrial engineering. The project had 2 main components: (1) upgrading and reconfiguring carousel technology within an expanded central pharmacy footprint to generate accurate floor-stock inventory replenishment reports, which resulted in efficiencies within the medication-use system, and (2) implementing a technician workflow redesign and algorithm to right-size the ADC inventory, which decreased inventory stockouts (i.e., incidents of depletion of medication stock) and improved ADC user satisfaction. Through a multifaceted approach to inventory management, the number of stockouts per month was decreased and ADC inventory was optimized, resulting in a one-time inventory cost savings of $220,500. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Interactions between suspension characteristics and physicochemical properties of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles: a case study for optimizing nanoparticle stock suspensions using a central composite design.

PubMed

Son, Jino; Vavra, Janna; Li, Yusong; Seymour, Megan; Forbes, Valery

2015-04-01

The preparation of a stable nanoparticle stock suspension is the first step in nanotoxicological studies, but how different preparation methods influence the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles in a solution, even in Milli-Q water, is often under-appreciated. In this study, a systematic approach using a central composite design (CCD) was employed to investigate the effects of sonication time and suspension concentration on the physicochemical properties (i.e. hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential and ion dissolution) of silver (Ag) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) and to identify optimal conditions for suspension preparation in Milli-Q water; defined as giving the smallest particle sizes, highest suspension stability and lowest ion dissolution. Indeed, all the physicochemical properties of AgNPs and CuONPs varied dramatically depending on how the stock suspensions were prepared and differed profoundly between nanoparticle types, indicating the importance of suspension preparation. Moreover, the physicochemical properties of AgNPs and CuONPs, at least in simple media (Milli-Q water), behaved in predictable ways as a function of sonication time and suspension concentration, confirming the validity of our models. Overall, the approach allows systematic assessment of the influence of various factors on key properties of nanoparticle suspensions, which will facilitate optimization of the preparation of nanoparticle stock suspensions and improve the reproducibility of nanotoxicological results. We recommend that further attention be given to details of stock suspension preparation before conducting nanotoxicological studies as these can have an important influence on the behavior and subsequent toxicity of nanoparticles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imbedding HACCP principles in dairy herd health and production management: case report on calf rearing

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Driven by consumer demands, European legislation has suggested the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the quality risk management programme for the whole dairy chain. Until now, an exception has been made for primary producers, but as regulations evolve, on-farm HACCP-like programmes should be ready to assure food safety as well as animal health and animal welfare. In our field experiment, the HACCP-concept was used to combine both optimal farm management and formalisation of quality assurance in an on-farm situation in the Netherlands. The process of young stock rearing was chosen, since its importance for the future of the farm is often underestimated. Hazards and their associated risk factors can be controlled within the farm-specific standards and tolerances, as targets can be controlled by corrective measures and by implementation of farm-specific worksheets. The veterinarian is pivotal for the facility-based HACCP team, since he/she has knowledge about on-farm risk assessment and relations between clinical pathology, feed and farm management. The HACCP concept in combination with veterinary herd health and production management programmes offers a promising approach to optimise on-farm production processes (i.e., young stock rearing) in addition to a structural approach for quality risk management on dairy farms. PMID:21851722

Imbedding HACCP principles in dairy herd health and production management: case report on calf rearing.

PubMed

Boersema, Jsc; Noordhuizen, Jptm; Vieira, A; Lievaart, Jj; Baumgartner, W

2008-09-01

Driven by consumer demands, European legislation has suggested the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the quality risk management programme for the whole dairy chain. Until now, an exception has been made for primary producers, but as regulations evolve, on-farm HACCP-like programmes should be ready to assure food safety as well as animal health and animal welfare. In our field experiment, the HACCP-concept was used to combine both optimal farm management and formalisation of quality assurance in an on-farm situation in the Netherlands. The process of young stock rearing was chosen, since its importance for the future of the farm is often underestimated. Hazards and their associated risk factors can be controlled within the farm-specific standards and tolerances, as targets can be controlled by corrective measures and by implementation of farm-specific worksheets. The veterinarian is pivotal for the facility-based HACCP team, since he/she has knowledge about on-farm risk assessment and relations between clinical pathology, feed and farm management. The HACCP concept in combination with veterinary herd health and production management programmes offers a promising approach to optimise on-farm production processes (i.e., young stock rearing) in addition to a structural approach for quality risk management on dairy farms.

Semi-analytic valuation of stock loans with finite maturity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaoping; Putri, Endah R. M.

2015-10-01

In this paper we study stock loans of finite maturity with different dividend distributions semi-analytically using the analytical approximation method in Zhu (2006). Stock loan partial differential equations (PDEs) are established under Black-Scholes framework. Laplace transform method is used to solve the PDEs. Optimal exit price and stock loan value are obtained in Laplace space. Values in the original time space are recovered by numerical Laplace inversion. To demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of our semi-analytic method several examples are presented, the results are compared with those calculated using existing methods. We also present a calculation of fair service fee charged by the lender for different loan parameters.

A viability analysis for a stock/price model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jerry, Chakib; Raissi, Nadia

2012-09-01

We examine the conditions for the sustainability of a stock/price system based on the use of a marine renewable resource. Instead of studying the environmental and economic interactions in terms of optimal control, we focus on the viability of the system. These viability/crisis situations are defined by a set of economic state constraints. This constraints combine a guaranteed consumption and a minimum income for fishermen. Using the mathematical concept of viability kernel, we reveal that with only economics constraints we guarantee a perennial stock/price system.

Peculiarities of solving the problems of modern logistics in high-rise construction and industrial production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubtsov, Anatoliy E.; Ushakova, Elena V.; Chirkova, Tamara V.

2018-03-01

Basing on the analysis of the enterprise (construction organization) structure and infrastructure of the entire logistics system in which this enterprise (construction organization) operates, this article proposes an approach to solve the problems of structural optimization and a set of calculation tasks, based on customer orders as well as on the required levels of insurance stocks, transit stocks and other types of stocks in the distribution network, modes of operation of the in-company transport and storage complex and a number of other factors.

76 FR 10086 - Petition for Waiver of Compliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-23

... Railroad Freight Car Safety Standards, i.e. Sec. Sec. 215.303 and 215.305, which require stenciling of restricted cars; as well as that of the Reflectorization of Rail Freight Rolling Stock, i.e. Sec. Sec. 224.3... requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is described below, including the party seeking...

Can joint carbon and biodiversity management in tropical agroforestry landscapes be optimized?

PubMed

Kessler, Michael; Hertel, Dietrich; Jungkunst, Hermann F; Kluge, Jürgen; Abrahamczyk, Stefan; Bos, Merijn; Buchori, Damayanti; Gerold, Gerhard; Gradstein, S Robbert; Köhler, Stefan; Leuschner, Christoph; Moser, Gerald; Pitopang, Ramadhanil; Saleh, Shahabuddin; Schulze, Christian H; Sporn, Simone G; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Tjitrosoedirdjo, Sri S; Tscharntke, Teja

2012-01-01

Managing ecosystems for carbon storage may also benefit biodiversity conservation, but such a potential 'win-win' scenario has not yet been assessed for tropical agroforestry landscapes. We measured above- and below-ground carbon stocks as well as the species richness of four groups of plants and eight of animals on 14 representative plots in Sulawesi, Indonesia, ranging from natural rainforest to cacao agroforests that have replaced former natural forest. The conversion of natural forests with carbon stocks of 227-362 Mg C ha(-1) to agroforests with 82-211 Mg C ha(-1) showed no relationships to overall biodiversity but led to a significant loss of forest-related species richness. We conclude that the conservation of the forest-related biodiversity, and to a lesser degree of carbon stocks, mainly depends on the preservation of natural forest habitats. In the three most carbon-rich agroforestry systems, carbon stocks were about 60% of those of natural forest, suggesting that 1.6 ha of optimally managed agroforest can contribute to the conservation of carbon stocks as much as 1 ha of natural forest. However, agroforestry systems had comparatively low biodiversity, and we found no evidence for a tight link between carbon storage and biodiversity. Yet, potential win-win agroforestry management solutions include combining high shade-tree quality which favours biodiversity with cacao-yield adapted shade levels.

Can Joint Carbon and Biodiversity Management in Tropical Agroforestry Landscapes Be Optimized?

PubMed Central

Kessler, Michael; Hertel, Dietrich; Jungkunst, Hermann F.; Kluge, Jürgen; Abrahamczyk, Stefan; Bos, Merijn; Buchori, Damayanti; Gerold, Gerhard; Gradstein, S. Robbert; Köhler, Stefan; Leuschner, Christoph; Moser, Gerald; Pitopang, Ramadhanil; Saleh, Shahabuddin; Schulze, Christian H.; Sporn, Simone G.; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Tjitrosoedirdjo, Sri S.; Tscharntke, Teja

2012-01-01

Managing ecosystems for carbon storage may also benefit biodiversity conservation, but such a potential ‘win-win’ scenario has not yet been assessed for tropical agroforestry landscapes. We measured above- and below-ground carbon stocks as well as the species richness of four groups of plants and eight of animals on 14 representative plots in Sulawesi, Indonesia, ranging from natural rainforest to cacao agroforests that have replaced former natural forest. The conversion of natural forests with carbon stocks of 227–362 Mg C ha−1 to agroforests with 82–211 Mg C ha−1 showed no relationships to overall biodiversity but led to a significant loss of forest-related species richness. We conclude that the conservation of the forest-related biodiversity, and to a lesser degree of carbon stocks, mainly depends on the preservation of natural forest habitats. In the three most carbon-rich agroforestry systems, carbon stocks were about 60% of those of natural forest, suggesting that 1.6 ha of optimally managed agroforest can contribute to the conservation of carbon stocks as much as 1 ha of natural forest. However, agroforestry systems had comparatively low biodiversity, and we found no evidence for a tight link between carbon storage and biodiversity. Yet, potential win-win agroforestry management solutions include combining high shade-tree quality which favours biodiversity with cacao-yield adapted shade levels. PMID:23077569

Impact of treatment heterogeneity on drug resistance and supply chain costs☆

PubMed Central

Spiliotopoulou, Eirini; Boni, Maciej F.; Yadav, Prashant

2013-01-01

The efficacy of scarce drugs for many infectious diseases is threatened by the emergence and spread of resistance. Multiple studies show that available drugs should be used in a socially optimal way to contain drug resistance. This paper studies the tradeoff between risk of drug resistance and operational costs when using multiple drugs for a specific disease. Using a model for disease transmission and resistance spread, we show that treatment with multiple drugs, on a population level, results in better resistance-related health outcomes, but more interestingly, the marginal benefit decreases as the number of drugs used increases. We compare this benefit with the corresponding change in procurement and safety stock holding costs that result from higher drug variety in the supply chain. Using a large-scale simulation based on malaria transmission dynamics, we show that disease prevalence seems to be a less important factor when deciding the optimal width of drug assortment, compared to the duration of one episode of the disease and the price of the drug(s) used. Our analysis shows that under a wide variety of scenarios for disease prevalence and drug cost, it is optimal to simultaneously deploy multiple drugs in the population. If the drug price is high, large volume purchasing discounts are available, and disease prevalence is high, it may be optimal to use only one drug. Our model lends insights to policy makers into the socially optimal size of drug assortment for a given context. PMID:25843982

Impact of treatment heterogeneity on drug resistance and supply chain costs.

PubMed

Spiliotopoulou, Eirini; Boni, Maciej F; Yadav, Prashant

2013-09-01

The efficacy of scarce drugs for many infectious diseases is threatened by the emergence and spread of resistance. Multiple studies show that available drugs should be used in a socially optimal way to contain drug resistance. This paper studies the tradeoff between risk of drug resistance and operational costs when using multiple drugs for a specific disease. Using a model for disease transmission and resistance spread, we show that treatment with multiple drugs, on a population level, results in better resistance-related health outcomes, but more interestingly, the marginal benefit decreases as the number of drugs used increases. We compare this benefit with the corresponding change in procurement and safety stock holding costs that result from higher drug variety in the supply chain. Using a large-scale simulation based on malaria transmission dynamics, we show that disease prevalence seems to be a less important factor when deciding the optimal width of drug assortment, compared to the duration of one episode of the disease and the price of the drug(s) used. Our analysis shows that under a wide variety of scenarios for disease prevalence and drug cost, it is optimal to simultaneously deploy multiple drugs in the population. If the drug price is high, large volume purchasing discounts are available, and disease prevalence is high, it may be optimal to use only one drug. Our model lends insights to policy makers into the socially optimal size of drug assortment for a given context.

Portfolio Optimization with Stochastic Dividends and Stochastic Volatility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varga, Katherine Yvonne

2015-01-01

We consider an optimal investment-consumption portfolio optimization model in which an investor receives stochastic dividends. As a first problem, we allow the drift of stock price to be a bounded function. Next, we consider a stochastic volatility model. In each problem, we use the dynamic programming method to derive the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman…

Improved recovery of cryotherapy-treated shoot tips following thermotherapy of in vitro-grown stock shoots of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.).

PubMed

Wang, Qiaochun; Valkonen, Jari P T

2009-01-01

Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) can be efficiently eradicated from raspberry plants (Rubus idaeus) by a procedure combining thermotherapy and cryotherapy. However, the bottleneck of this procedure is that, following thermotherapy, cryopreserved shoot tips become chlorotic during regrowth and eventually die after several subcultures. In addition, survival of heat-treated stock shoots and recovery of cryopreserved shoot tips following thermotherapy are low. The present study focused towards improving regrowth of cryopreserved raspberry shoot tips following thermotherapy. Results showed that preconditioning stock shoots with salicylic acid (SA; 0.01-0.1 mM) markedly increased survival of stock shoots after 4 weeks of thermotherapy. Regrowth of cryopreserved shoot tips following thermotherapy was also significantly enhanced when SA (0.05-0.1 mM) was used for preconditioning stock shoots. Addition of either Fe-ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (Fe-EDTA, 50 mg per L) or Fe-ethylenediaminedi(o)hydroxyphenylacetic acid (Fe-EDDHA, 50 mg per L) to post-culture medium strongly promoted regrowth and totally prevented chlorosis of shoots regenerated from cryopreserved shoot tips following thermotherapy. Using the parameters optimized in the present study, about 80 percent survival of heat-treated stock shoots and about 33 percent regrowth of cryopreserved shoot tips following thermotherapy were obtained. Morphology of plants regenerated from cryopreserved shoot tips following thermotherapy was identical to that of control plants, based on observations of leaf shape and size, internode length and plant height. Optimization of the thermotherapy procedure followed by cryotherapy will facilitate the wider application of this technique to eliminate viruses which can invade meristems.

Collective Behavior of Market Participants during Abrupt Stock Price Changes

PubMed Central

Maskawa, Jun-ichi

2016-01-01

Under uncertainty, human and animal collectives often respond stochastically to events they encounter. Human or animal individuals behave depending on others’ actions, and sometimes follow choices that are sub-optimal for individuals. Such mimetic behaviors are enhanced during emergencies, creating collective behavior of a group. A stock market that is about to crash, as markets did immediately after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, provides illustrative examples of such behaviors. We provide empirical evidence proving the existence of collective behavior among stock market participants in emergent situations. We investigated the resolution of extreme supply-and-demand order imbalances by increased balancing counter orders: buy and sell orders for excess supply and demand respectively, during times of price adjustment, so-called special quotes on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Counter orders increase positively depending on the quantity of revealed counter orders: the accumulated orders in the book until then. Statistics of the coming counter order are well described using a logistic regression model with the ratio of revealed orders until then to the finally revealed orders as the explanatory variable. Results given here show that the market participants make Bayesian estimations of optimal choices to ascertain whether to order using information about orders of other participants. PMID:27513335

Collective Behavior of Market Participants during Abrupt Stock Price Changes.

PubMed

Maskawa, Jun-Ichi

2016-01-01

Under uncertainty, human and animal collectives often respond stochastically to events they encounter. Human or animal individuals behave depending on others' actions, and sometimes follow choices that are sub-optimal for individuals. Such mimetic behaviors are enhanced during emergencies, creating collective behavior of a group. A stock market that is about to crash, as markets did immediately after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, provides illustrative examples of such behaviors. We provide empirical evidence proving the existence of collective behavior among stock market participants in emergent situations. We investigated the resolution of extreme supply-and-demand order imbalances by increased balancing counter orders: buy and sell orders for excess supply and demand respectively, during times of price adjustment, so-called special quotes on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Counter orders increase positively depending on the quantity of revealed counter orders: the accumulated orders in the book until then. Statistics of the coming counter order are well described using a logistic regression model with the ratio of revealed orders until then to the finally revealed orders as the explanatory variable. Results given here show that the market participants make Bayesian estimations of optimal choices to ascertain whether to order using information about orders of other participants.

A Technical Analysis Information Fusion Approach for Stock Price Analysis and Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahmiri, Salim

In this paper, we address the problem of technical analysis information fusion in improving stock market index-level prediction. We present an approach for analyzing stock market price behavior based on different categories of technical analysis metrics and a multiple predictive system. Each category of technical analysis measures is used to characterize stock market price movements. The presented predictive system is based on an ensemble of neural networks (NN) coupled with particle swarm intelligence for parameter optimization where each single neural network is trained with a specific category of technical analysis measures. The experimental evaluation on three international stock market indices and three individual stocks show that the presented ensemble-based technical indicators fusion system significantly improves forecasting accuracy in comparison with single NN. Also, it outperforms the classical neural network trained with index-level lagged values and NN trained with stationary wavelet transform details and approximation coefficients. As a result, technical information fusion in NN ensemble architecture helps improving prediction accuracy.

Ecologically sound management: aspects of modern sustainable deer farming systems.

PubMed

Pearse, A J; Drew, K R

1998-01-01

Modern deer farming systems have become increasingly intensive allowing strategic feeding for production and genetic improvement programmes. Meeting feeding standards that account for changing nutritional demands related to seasonality and reproductive state is critical. As the industry matures there is a growing awareness of the balance between retaining natural behaviour in producing breeding stock on larger extensive holdings and intensification systems for performance in young stock. Stocking rates are critical determinants of success as land use and capability needs are matched with an increasing stratification of stock type and purpose. Food product safety and welfare considerations of farmed deer are being driven by consumer demands. Farm quality assurance and codes of practice are developing to ensure that deer farming meets and exceeds international expectations of land use and deer welfare in modern deer farming systems.

Stock price estimation using ensemble Kalman Filter square root method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karya, D. F.; Katias, P.; Herlambang, T.

2018-04-01

Shares are securities as the possession or equity evidence of an individual or corporation over an enterprise, especially public companies whose activity is stock trading. Investment in stocks trading is most likely to be the option of investors as stocks trading offers attractive profits. In determining a choice of safe investment in the stocks, the investors require a way of assessing the stock prices to buy so as to help optimize their profits. An effective method of analysis which will reduce the risk the investors may bear is by predicting or estimating the stock price. Estimation is carried out as a problem sometimes can be solved by using previous information or data related or relevant to the problem. The contribution of this paper is that the estimates of stock prices in high, low, and close categorycan be utilized as investors’ consideration for decision making in investment. In this paper, stock price estimation was made by using the Ensemble Kalman Filter Square Root method (EnKF-SR) and Ensemble Kalman Filter method (EnKF). The simulation results showed that the resulted estimation by applying EnKF method was more accurate than that by the EnKF-SR, with an estimation error of about 0.2 % by EnKF and an estimation error of 2.6 % by EnKF-SR.

Economic repercussions of fisheries-induced evolution

PubMed Central

Eikeset, Anne Maria; Richter, Andries; Dunlop, Erin S.; Dieckmann, Ulf; Stenseth, Nils Chr.

2013-01-01

Fish stocks experiencing high fishing mortality show a tendency to mature earlier and at a smaller size, which may have a genetic component and therefore long-lasting economic and biological effects. To date, the economic effects of such ecoevolutionary dynamics have not been empirically investigated. Using 70 y of data, we develop a bioeconomic model for Northeast Arctic cod to compare the economic yield in a model in which life-history traits can vary only through phenotypic plasticity with a model in which, in addition, genetic changes can occur. We find that evolutionary changes toward faster growth and earlier maturation occur consistently even if a stock is optimally managed. However, if a stock is managed optimally, the evolutionary changes actually increase economic yield because faster growth and earlier maturation raise the stock’s productivity. The optimal fishing mortality is almost identical for the evolutionary and nonevolutionary model and substantially lower than what it has been historically. Therefore, the costs of ignoring evolution under optimal management regimes are negligible. However, if fishing mortality is as high as it has been historically, evolutionary changes may result in economic losses, but only if the fishery is selecting for medium-sized individuals. Because evolution facilitates growth, the fish are younger and still immature when they are susceptible to getting caught, which outweighs the increase in productivity due to fish spawning at an earlier age. PMID:23836660

Volatility measurement with directional change in Chinese stock market: Statistical property and investment strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Junjun; Xiong, Xiong; He, Feng; Zhang, Wei

2017-04-01

The stock price fluctuation is studied in this paper with intrinsic time perspective. The event, directional change (DC) or overshoot, are considered as time scale of price time series. With this directional change law, its corresponding statistical properties and parameter estimation is tested in Chinese stock market. Furthermore, a directional change trading strategy is proposed for invest in the market portfolio in Chinese stock market, and both in-sample and out-of-sample performance are compared among the different method of model parameter estimation. We conclude that DC method can capture important fluctuations in Chinese stock market and gain profit due to the statistical property that average upturn overshoot size is bigger than average downturn directional change size. The optimal parameter of DC method is not fixed and we obtained 1.8% annual excess return with this DC-based trading strategy.

Nitrogen in the Baltic Sea--policy implications of stock effects.

PubMed

Hart, Rob; Brady, Mark

2002-09-01

We develop an optimal control model for cost-effective management of pollution, including two state variables, pollution stock and ecosystem quality. We apply it to Baltic Sea pollution by nitrogen leachates from agriculture. We present a sophisticated, non-linear model of leaching abatement costs, and a simple model of nitrogen stocks. We find that significant abatement is achievable at reasonable cost, despite the countervailing effects of existing agricultural policies such as price supports. Successful abatement should lead to lower nitrogen stocks in the sea in 5 years or less. However, the rate of ecosystem recovery is less certain. The results are highly dependent on the rate of self-cleaning of the Baltic Sea, and less so on the discount rate. Choice of target has a radical effect on the abatement path chosen. Cost-effectiveness demands such a choice, and should therefore be used with care when stock effects are present.

The influences of delay time on the stability of a market model with stochastic volatility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiang-Cheng; Mei, Dong-Cheng

2013-02-01

The effects of the delay time on the stability of a market model are investigated, by using a modified Heston model with a cubic nonlinearity and cross-correlated noise sources. These results indicate that: (i) There is an optimal delay time τo which maximally enhances the stability of the stock price under strong demand elasticity of stock price, and maximally reduces the stability of the stock price under weak demand elasticity of stock price; (ii) The cross correlation coefficient of noises and the delay time play an opposite role on the stability for the case of the delay time <τo and the same role for the case of the delay time >τo. Moreover, the probability density function of the escape time of stock price returns, the probability density function of the returns and the correlation function of the returns are compared with other literatures.

Calibrated Blade-Element/Momentum Theory Aerodynamic Model of the MARIN Stock Wind Turbine: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goupee, A.; Kimball, R.; de Ridder, E. J.

2015-04-02

In this paper, a calibrated blade-element/momentum theory aerodynamic model of the MARIN stock wind turbine is developed and documented. The model is created using open-source software and calibrated to closely emulate experimental data obtained by the DeepCwind Consortium using a genetic algorithm optimization routine. The provided model will be useful for those interested in validating interested in validating floating wind turbine numerical simulators that rely on experiments utilizing the MARIN stock wind turbine—for example, the International Energy Agency Wind Task 30’s Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continued, with Correlation project.

Toxic Substances Registry System: Index of Material Safety Data Sheets. Revised

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The January 1998 revision of the Index of Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) is presented. The MSDS lists toxic substances by manufacturer, trade name, stock number, and distributor. The index provides information on hazards, use, and chemical composition of materials stored at KSC.

Toxic Substances Registry System: Index of Material Safety Data Sheets. Volume 1; Manufacturer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The April 1998 revision of the Index of Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) is presented. The MSDS lists toxic substances by manufacturer, trade name, stock number, and distributor. The index provides information on hazards, use, and chemical composition of materials stored at KSC.

Toxic Substances Registry System Index of Material Safety Data Sheets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The July 1997 revision of the Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) is presented. The MSDS lists toxic substances by manufacturer, trade name, stock number, and distributor. The index provides information on hazards, use, and chemical composition of materials stored at KSC.

Dollars for lives: the effect of highway capital investments on traffic fatalities.

PubMed

Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong; Yeung, Ryan

2014-12-01

This study examines the effect of highway capital investments on highway fatalities. We used state-level data from the 48 contiguous states in the United States from 1968 through 2010 to estimate the effects on highway fatalities of capital expenditures and highway capital stock. We estimated these effects by controlling for a set of control variables together with state and year dummy variables and state-specific linear time trends. We found that capital expenditures and capital stock had significant and negative effects on highway fatalities. States faced with declines in gas tax revenues have already cut back drastically on spending on roads including on maintenance and capital outlay. If this trend continues, it may undermine traffic safety. While states and local governments are currently fiscally strained, it is important for them to continue investments in roadways to enhance traffic safety and, more significantly, to save lives. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Outdoor stocking density in free-range laying hens: effects on behaviour and welfare.

PubMed

Campbell, D L M; Hinch, G N; Downing, J A; Lee, C

2017-06-01

Free-range laying hen systems are increasing within Australia and research is needed to determine optimal outdoor stocking densities. Six small (n=150 hens) experimental flocks of ISA Brown laying hens were housed with access to ranges simulating one of three outdoor stocking densities with two pen replicates per density: 2000 hens/ha, 10 000 hens/ha or 20 000 hens/ha. Birds were provided daily range access from 21 to 36 weeks of age and the range usage of 50% of hens was tracked using radio-frequency identification technology. Throughout the study, basic external health assessments following a modified version of the Welfare Quality® protocol showed most birds were in visibly good condition (although keel damage was increasingly present with age) with few differences between stocking densities. Toenail length at 36 weeks of age was negatively correlated with hours spent ranging for all pens of birds (all r⩾-0.23, P⩽0.04). At 23 weeks of age, there were no differences between outdoor stocking densities in albumen corticosterone concentrations (P=0.44). At 35 weeks of age, density effects were significant (P<0.001) where the eggs from hens in the highest outdoor stocking density showed the highest albumen corticosterone concentrations, although eggs from hens in the 10 000 hens/ha density showed the lowest concentrations (P<0.017). Behavioural observations of hens both on the range and indoors showed more dust bathing and foraging (scratching followed by ground-pecking) was performed outdoors, but more resting indoors (all P<0.001). Hens from the 2000 hens/ha densities showed the least foraging on the range but the most resting outdoors, with hens from the 20 000 hens/ha densities showing the least amount of resting outdoors (all P<0.017). Proportions of dust bathing outdoors tended to differ between the stocking densities (P=0.08). For each of the health and behavioural measures there were differences between pen replicates within stocking densities. These data show outdoor stocking density has some effects on hen welfare, and it appears that consideration of both individual and group-level behaviour is necessary when developing optimal stocking density guidelines and free-range system management practices.

The alarming decline of Mediterranean fish stocks.

PubMed

Vasilakopoulos, Paraskevas; Maravelias, Christos D; Tserpes, George

2014-07-21

In recent years, fisheries management has succeeded in stabilizing and even improving the state of many global fisheries resources [1-5]. This is particularly evident in areas where stocks are exploited in compliance with scientific advice and strong institutional structures are in place [1, 5]. In Europe, the well-managed northeast (NE) Atlantic fish stocks have been recovering in response to decreasing fishing pressure over the past decade [3-6], albeit with a long way to go for a universal stock rebuild [3, 7]. Meanwhile, little is known about the temporal development of the European Mediterranean stocks, whose management relies on input controls that are often poorly enforced. Here, we perform a meta-analysis of 42 European Mediterranean stocks of nine species in 1990-2010, showing that exploitation rate has been steadily increasing, selectivity (proportional exploitation of juveniles) has been deteriorating, and stocks have been shrinking. We implement species-specific simulation models to quantify changes in exploitation rate and selectivity that would maximize long-term yields and halt stock depletion. We show that stocks would be more resilient to fishing and produce higher long-term yields if harvested a few years after maturation because current selectivity is far from optimal, especially for demersal stocks. The European Common Fisheries Policy that has assisted in improving the state of NE Atlantic fish stocks in the past 10 years has failed to deliver similar results for Mediterranean stocks managed under the same policy. Limiting juvenile exploitation, advancing management plans, and strengthening compliance, control, and enforcement could promote fisheries sustainability in the Mediterranean. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Finite element analysis on a medical implant.

PubMed

Semenescu, Augustin; Radu-Ioniță, Florentina; Mateș, Ileana Mariana; Bădică, Petre; Batalu, Nicolae Dan; Negoita, Olivia Doina; Purcarea, Victor Lorin

2016-01-01

Several studies have shown a tight connection between several ocular pathologies and an increased risk of hip fractures due to falling, especially among elderly patients. The total replacement of the hip joint is a major surgical intervention that aims to restore the function of the affected hip by various factors, such as arthritis, injures, and others. A corkscrew-like femoral stem was designed in order to preserve the bone stock and to prevent the occurrence of iatrogenic fractures during the hammering of the implant. In this paper, the finite element analysis for the proposed design was applied, considering different loads and three types of materials. A finite element analysis is a powerful tool to simulate, optimize, design, and select suitable materials for new medical implants. The results showed that the best scenario was for Ti6Al4V alloy, although Ti and 316L stainless steel had a reasonable high safety factor.

Toxic Substances Registry System: Index of Material Safety Data Sheets. Revised

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The October 1997 revision of the Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) is presented. The MSDS lists toxic substances by manufacturer, trade name, stock number, and distributor. The index provides information on the hazards, use, and chemical composition of materials stored and used at KSC.

Ordering policy for stock-dependent demand rate under progressive payment scheme: a comment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glock, Christoph H.; Ries, Jörg M.; Schwindl, Kurt

2015-04-01

In a recent paper, Soni and Shah developed a model for finding the optimal ordering policy for a retailer facing stock-dependent demand and a supplier offering a progressive payment scheme. In this comment, we correct several errors in the formulation of the models of Soni and Shah and modify some assumptions to increase the model's applicability. Numerical examples illustrate the benefits of our modifications.

Natural mortality estimation and rational exploitation of purpleback flying squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis in the southern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuehui; Qiu, Yongsong; Zhang, Peng; Du, Feiyan

2017-07-01

Based on the biological data of purpleback flying squid ( Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) collected by light falling-net in the southern South China Sea (SCS) during September to October 2012 and March to April 2013, growth and mortality of `Medium' and `Dwarf' forms of squid are derived using the Powell-Wetherall, ELEFAN methods and length-converted catch curves (FiSAT package). Given a lack of commercial exploitation, we assume total mortality to be due entirely to natural mortality. We estimate these squid have fast growth, with growth coefficients ( k) ranging from 1.42 to 2.39, and high natural mortality ( M), with estimates ranging from 1.61 to 2.92. To sustainably exploit these squid stocks, yield per recruitment based on growth and natural mortality was determined using the Beverton-Holt dynamic pool model. We demonstrate squid stocks could sustain high fishing mortality and low ages at first capture, with an optimal fishing mortality >3.0, with the optimal age at first capture increased to 0.4-0.6 years when fishing mortality approached optimal levels. On the basis of our analyses and estimates of stock biomass, we believe considerable potential exists to expand the squid fishery into the open SCS, relieving fishing pressure on coastal waters.

A bio-economic analysis of harvest control rules for the Northeast Arctic cod fishery.

PubMed

Eikeset, Anne Maria; Richter, Andries P; Dankel, Dorothy J; Dunlop, Erin S; Heino, Mikko; Dieckmann, Ulf; Stenseth, Nils Chr

2013-05-01

Harvest control rules (HCRs) have been implemented for many fisheries worldwide. However, in most instances, those HCRs are not based on the explicit feedbacks between stock properties and economic considerations. This paper develops a bio-economic model that evaluates the HCR adopted in 2004 by the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fishery Commission to manage the world's largest cod stock, Northeast Arctic cod (NEA). The model considered here is biologically and economically detailed, and is the first to compare the performance of the stock's current HCR with that of alternative HCRs derived with optimality criteria. In particular, HCRs are optimized for economic objectives including fleet profits, economic welfare, and total yield and the emerging properties are analyzed. The performance of these optimal HCRs was compared with the currently used HCR. This paper show that the current HCR does in fact comes very close to maximizing profits. Furthermore, the results reveal that the HCR that maximizes profits is the most precautionary one among the considered HCRs. Finally, the HCR that maximizes yield leads to un-precautionary low levels of biomass. In these ways, the implementation of the HCR for NEA cod can be viewed as a success story that may provide valuable lessons for other fisheries.

A bio-economic analysis of harvest control rules for the Northeast Arctic cod fishery

PubMed Central

Eikeset, Anne Maria; Richter, Andries P.; Dankel, Dorothy J.; Dunlop, Erin S.; Heino, Mikko; Dieckmann, Ulf; Stenseth, Nils Chr.

2013-01-01

Harvest control rules (HCRs) have been implemented for many fisheries worldwide. However, in most instances, those HCRs are not based on the explicit feedbacks between stock properties and economic considerations. This paper develops a bio-economic model that evaluates the HCR adopted in 2004 by the Joint Norwegian–Russian Fishery Commission to manage the world's largest cod stock, Northeast Arctic cod (NEA). The model considered here is biologically and economically detailed, and is the first to compare the performance of the stock's current HCR with that of alternative HCRs derived with optimality criteria. In particular, HCRs are optimized for economic objectives including fleet profits, economic welfare, and total yield and the emerging properties are analyzed. The performance of these optimal HCRs was compared with the currently used HCR. This paper show that the current HCR does in fact comes very close to maximizing profits. Furthermore, the results reveal that the HCR that maximizes profits is the most precautionary one among the considered HCRs. Finally, the HCR that maximizes yield leads to un-precautionary low levels of biomass. In these ways, the implementation of the HCR for NEA cod can be viewed as a success story that may provide valuable lessons for other fisheries. PMID:26525860

Fuzzy forecasting based on two-factors second-order fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups and particle swarm optimization techniques.

PubMed

Chen, Shyi-Ming; Manalu, Gandhi Maruli Tua; Pan, Jeng-Shyang; Liu, Hsiang-Chuan

2013-06-01

In this paper, we present a new method for fuzzy forecasting based on two-factors second-order fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups and particle swarm optimization (PSO) techniques. First, we fuzzify the historical training data of the main factor and the secondary factor, respectively, to form two-factors second-order fuzzy logical relationships. Then, we group the two-factors second-order fuzzy logical relationships into two-factors second-order fuzzy-trend logical relationship groups. Then, we obtain the optimal weighting vector for each fuzzy-trend logical relationship group by using PSO techniques to perform the forecasting. We also apply the proposed method to forecast the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index and the NTD/USD exchange rates. The experimental results show that the proposed method gets better forecasting performance than the existing methods.

Clustering stock market companies via chaotic map synchronization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basalto, N.; Bellotti, R.; De Carlo, F.; Facchi, P.; Pascazio, S.

2005-01-01

A pairwise clustering approach is applied to the analysis of the Dow Jones index companies, in order to identify similar temporal behavior of the traded stock prices. To this end, the chaotic map clustering algorithm is used, where a map is associated to each company and the correlation coefficients of the financial time series to the coupling strengths between maps. The simulation of a chaotic map dynamics gives rise to a natural partition of the data, as companies belonging to the same industrial branch are often grouped together. The identification of clusters of companies of a given stock market index can be exploited in the portfolio optimization strategies.

Comparison of particular logistic models' adoption in the Czech Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrbová, Petra; Cempírek, Václav

2016-12-01

Managing inventory is considered as one of the most challenging tasks facing supply chain managers and specialists. Decisions related to inventory locations along with level of inventory kept throughout the supply chain have a fundamental impact on the response time, service level, delivery lead-time and the total cost of the supply chain. The main objective of this paper is to identify and analyse the share of a particular logistic model adopted in the Czech Republic (Consignment stock, Buffer stock, Safety stock) and also compare their usage and adoption according to different industries. This paper also aims to specify possible reasons of particular logistic model preferences in comparison to the others. The analysis is based on quantitative survey held in the Czech Republic.

Spatial optimization of carbon-stocking projects across Africa integrating stocking potential with co-benefits and feasibility.

PubMed

Greve, Michelle; Reyers, Belinda; Mette Lykke, Anne; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2013-01-01

Carbon offset projects through forestation are employed within the emissions trading framework to store carbon. Yet, information about the potential of landscapes to stock carbon, essential to the design of offset projects, is often lacking. Here, based on data on vegetation carbon, climate and soil, we quantify the potential for carbon storage in woody vegetation across tropical Africa. The ability of offset projects to produce co-benefits for ecosystems and people is then quantified. When co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation are considered, the top-ranked sites are sometimes different to sites selected purely for their carbon-stocking potential, although they still possess up to 92% of the latter carbon-stocking potential. This work provides the first continental-scale assessment of which areas may provide the greatest direct and indirect benefits from carbon storage reforestation projects at the smallest costs and risks, providing crucial information for prioritization of investments in carbon storage projects.

Lipase pre-hydrolysis enhance anaerobic biodigestion of soap stock from an oil refining industry.

PubMed

Cherif, Slim; Aloui, Fathi; Carrière, Frédéric; Sayadi, Sami

2014-01-01

A novel alcalophilic Staphylococcus haemolyticus strain with the lipolytic activity was used to perform enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatment of soap stock: a lipid rich solid waste from an oil refining industry. The culture liquid of the selected bacteria and an enzymatic preparation obtained by precipitation with ammonium sulphate from a filtrate of the same culture liquid were used for enzymatic pretreatment. The hydrolysis was carried with different incubation concentrations (10, 20 and 30%) of soap stock and the pretreatment efficiency was verified by running comparative biodegradability tests (crude and treated lipid waste). All pretreated assays showed higher reaction rate compared to crude lipid waste, which was confirmed by the increased levels of biogas production. The pretreatment of solutions containing 10% emulsified soap stock was optimized for 24 h hydrolysis time, enabling high-biogaz formation (800 ml). The use of enzymatic pre-treatment seemed to be a very promising alternative for treating soap stock having high fat contents.

Optimized Determination of Deployable Consumable Spares Packages

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

also called deployable bench stock) • CRSP = Consumable Readiness Spares Package • COLT = Customer -Oriented Leveling Technique • ASM = Aircraft...changed please list both.) Original title on 712 A/B: Optimized Determination of Deployable Consumable Spares Packages If the title was revised...number. 1. REPORT DATE 01 JUN 2007 2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Optimized Determination of Deployable Consumable

Drop-in Jet and Diesel Fuels from Renewable Oils

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-11

Feed Stock Availability • Commercialization Approach 3 Current Alternate Fuel Technologies • Fischer-Tropsch (FT) and Syngas Fuels • First used in...FL • CH Crude oil production • > 24-hour continuous operation • Steady-state performance • 90-93% FA conversion • 5+ gal/hr • Camelina oil feed ...byproduct recovery/value • Demonstrate water management • Optimization hydrotreating • Evaluate additional feed stocks • Algal oil, Camelina oil, other

[Safety culture: definition, models and design].

PubMed

Pfaff, Holger; Hammer, Antje; Ernstmann, Nicole; Kowalski, Christoph; Ommen, Oliver

2009-01-01

Safety culture is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Safety culture of a healthcare organization is high if it has a common stock in knowledge, values and symbols in regard to patients' safety. The article intends to define safety culture in the first step and, in the second step, demonstrate the effects of safety culture. We present the model of safety behaviour and show how safety culture can affect behaviour and produce safe behaviour. In the third step we will look at the causes of safety culture and present the safety-culture-model. The main hypothesis of this model is that the safety culture of a healthcare organization strongly depends on its communication culture and its social capital. Finally, we will investigate how the safety culture of a healthcare organization can be improved. Based on the safety culture model six measures to improve safety culture will be presented.

Optimal-rearing density for head-starting green turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758).

PubMed

Kanghae, Hirun; Thongprajukaew, Karun; Jatupornpitukchat, Sasiporn; Kittiwattanawong, Kongkiat

2016-09-01

While ex situ conservation programs of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758), before release to natural habitats, have been conducted in several countries, the optimal-stocking density for husbandry has not yet been reported. The optimization of stocking density was the main purpose of this study. The 15-day-old post-hatching turtles (29.30 ± 0.05 g body weight) were reared in round fiberglass tanks at various stocking densities including 20 turtles/m 3 (20TM), 40 turtles/m 3 (40TM), 60 turtles/m 3 (60TM), and 80 turtles/m 3 (80TM), over an 8-week trial. Water quality, survival, growth performance, feed utilization, aggressive behavior, fecal digestive enzymes, and hematological parameters were compared between the treatments, and were used as indicators of a successful captive rearing program. The water quality across the four treatments was in the standard range, but a high-stocking density reduced the quality significantly. No mortality was observed in any treatment group. Superior growth and feed utilization were only observed with the 40TM treatment, relative to the others (P < 0.05). The turtles in this group had no aggressive behavior, as indicated by observing hind limb biting. This treatment manipulated the level of proteolytic activity of pepsin and trypsin in response to density stressor, but not amylase, lipase, and chymotrypsin. The 40TM treatment also maintained the hematological characteristics, indicating no negative effects on health status. Overall, the findings indicate that the captivity program of post-hatching turtles at 40 turtles/m 3 is the preferred option in their head-started propagation, as well as in public displays in zoos or aquaria. Zoo Biol. 35:454-461, 2016. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Modelling the effects of trade-offs between long and short-term objectives in fisheries management.

PubMed

Mardle, Simon; Pascoe, Sean

2002-05-01

Fisheries management is typically a complex problem, from both an environmental and political perspective. The main source of conflict occurs between the need for stock conservation and the need for fishing community well-being, which is typically measured by employment and income levels. For most fisheries, overexploitation of the stock requires a reduction in the level of fishing activity. While this may lead to long-term benefits (both conservation and economic), it also leads to a short-term reduction in employment and regional incomes. In regions which are heavily dependent on fisheries, short-term consequences of conservation efforts may be considerable. The relatively high degree of scientific uncertainty with respect to the status of the stocks and the relatively short lengths of political terms of office, generally give rise to the short-run view taking the highest priority when defining policy objectives. In this paper, a multi-objective model of the North Sea is developed that incorporates both long-term and short-term objectives. Optimal fleet sizes are estimated taking into consideration different preferences between the defined short-term and long-term objectives. The subsequent results from the model give the short-term and long-term equilibrium status of the fishery incorporating the effects of the short-term objectives. As would be expected, an optimal fleet from a short-term perspective is considerably larger than an optimal fleet from a long-run perspective. Conversely, stock sizes and sustainable yields are considerably lower in the long-term if a short-term perspective is used in setting management policies. The model results highlight what is essentially a principal-agent problem, with the objectives of the policy makers not necessarily reflecting the objectives of society as a whole.

[Expertise level of occupational health physician, implementation of occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) and occupational safety and health activity level in Japan in the companies listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange first section].

PubMed

Ikeda, Yukiko; Kameda, Takashi; Shirakawa, Chie; Nagata, Tomohisa; Zama, Satoko; Kayashima, Koutarou; Kobayashi, Yuuichi; Mori, Koji

2007-12-01

By enforcement of the revised Japanese Industrial Safety and Health Law on April, 2006, the implementation of OSHMS seems to be expanding and encouraged. In OSHMS of Japan, however, the occupational health aspects have not been put into operated, while only occupational safety aspects have been prioritized. To clarify the issues to deploy OSHMS with occupational health aspects, we conducted a mail survey of 1,581 companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Market First Section in December, 2004. The effective responses were 267 (16.9%). The number of companies which had installed OSHMS, those that planned to install OSHMS and those had no plan for OSHMS were 62 (23.2%), 82 (30.7%) and 123 (46.1%), respectively. Only 12 companies include the complete OH activities in the installed OSHMS. A significant relationship was observed among expertise of OH physicians, actual role and responsibility of OH physicians, installation of OSHMS and OH services quality level. To deploy OSHMS well-balanced for health and safety aspects in present Japan, it was suggested that the education regarding OH operation in OSHMS was necessary to the person in charge of OSHMS in each company, and the participation by OH physicians to operate OSHMS, especially OH physicians with expertise, was essential.

Navy Supply: Economic Order Quantity and Item Essentiality Need More Consideration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-06

O-R19S 609 NAVY SUPPLY: ECONOMIC ORDER QURNT ITY AND ITEM / ESSENTIALITY NEED NONE CONSIDERATION(U) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE MASHINOTON DC NATIONAL...Itemv1- Essentiality Need More Consideration 5*..-.5.: DTIC ELECTE uS7’vl? JAN 2 0 1988 S U I. w . SIPS- APprOved for Publj ic 4ib5.t On GAO/NSIAI48...acceptable risk of running out of stock and on mission essentiality enable almost every inventory item to have a safety level of stock. The Navy could also

HealthLines: 7 Steps to Food Safety

MedlinePlus

... Woman eating Strawberries Photo iStock to Keep Your Food — and Family — Safe in Every Season 1. Check ... it look and smell clean? 2. Separate Certain Foods — Put raw meat, poultry, and seafood in separate ...

49 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... Petroleum means crude oil, condensate, natural gasoline, natural gas liquids, and liquefied petroleum gas... crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, blend stocks and other miscellaneous hydrocarbon... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY...

49 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... representative thereof. Petroleum means crude oil, condensate, natural gasoline, natural gas liquids, and... distilling and processing of crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, blend stocks and other... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY...

49 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... representative thereof. Petroleum means crude oil, condensate, natural gasoline, natural gas liquids, and... distilling and processing of crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, blend stocks and other... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY...

49 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... Petroleum means crude oil, condensate, natural gasoline, natural gas liquids, and liquefied petroleum gas... crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, blend stocks and other miscellaneous hydrocarbon... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY...

49 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... Petroleum means crude oil, condensate, natural gasoline, natural gas liquids, and liquefied petroleum gas... crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, blend stocks and other miscellaneous hydrocarbon... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY...

49 CFR 224.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK General § 224.5 Definitions. Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration or the Administrator's delegate. Associate Administrator means the Associate Administrator for Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, or the Associate...

49 CFR 224.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK General § 224.5 Definitions. Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration or the Administrator's delegate. Associate Administrator means the Associate Administrator for Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, or the Associate...

49 CFR 224.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK General § 224.5 Definitions. Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration or the Administrator's delegate. Associate Administrator means the Associate Administrator for Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, or the Associate...

Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Clones of Viruses Comprising the Towne Cytomegalovirus Vaccine

PubMed Central

Cui, Xiaohong; Adler, Stuart P.; Davison, Andrew J.; Smith, Larry; Habib, EL-Sayed E.; McVoy, Michael A.

2012-01-01

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones have proven invaluable for genetic manipulation of herpesvirus genomes. BAC cloning can also be useful for capturing representative genomes that comprise a viral stock or mixture. The Towne live attenuated cytomegalovirus vaccine was developed in the 1970s by serial passage in cultured fibroblasts. Although its safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy have been evaluated in nearly a thousand human subjects, the vaccine itself has been little studied. Instead, genetic composition and in vitro growth properties have been inferred from studies of laboratory stocks that may not always accurately represent the viruses that comprise the vaccine. Here we describe the use of BAC cloning to define the genotypic and phenotypic properties of viruses from the Towne vaccine. Given the extensive safety history of the Towne vaccine, these BACs provide a logical starting point for the development of next-generation rationally engineered cytomegalovirus vaccines. PMID:22187535

Bacterial artificial chromosome clones of viruses comprising the towne cytomegalovirus vaccine.

PubMed

Cui, Xiaohong; Adler, Stuart P; Davison, Andrew J; Smith, Larry; Habib, El-Sayed E; McVoy, Michael A

2012-01-01

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones have proven invaluable for genetic manipulation of herpesvirus genomes. BAC cloning can also be useful for capturing representative genomes that comprise a viral stock or mixture. The Towne live attenuated cytomegalovirus vaccine was developed in the 1970s by serial passage in cultured fibroblasts. Although its safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy have been evaluated in nearly a thousand human subjects, the vaccine itself has been little studied. Instead, genetic composition and in vitro growth properties have been inferred from studies of laboratory stocks that may not always accurately represent the viruses that comprise the vaccine. Here we describe the use of BAC cloning to define the genotypic and phenotypic properties of viruses from the Towne vaccine. Given the extensive safety history of the Towne vaccine, these BACs provide a logical starting point for the development of next-generation rationally engineered cytomegalovirus vaccines.

A first application of independent component analysis to extracting structure from stock returns.

PubMed

Back, A D; Weigend, A S

1997-08-01

This paper explores the application of a signal processing technique known as independent component analysis (ICA) or blind source separation to multivariate financial time series such as a portfolio of stocks. The key idea of ICA is to linearly map the observed multivariate time series into a new space of statistically independent components (ICs). We apply ICA to three years of daily returns of the 28 largest Japanese stocks and compare the results with those obtained using principal component analysis. The results indicate that the estimated ICs fall into two categories, (i) infrequent large shocks (responsible for the major changes in the stock prices), and (ii) frequent smaller fluctuations (contributing little to the overall level of the stocks). We show that the overall stock price can be reconstructed surprisingly well by using a small number of thresholded weighted ICs. In contrast, when using shocks derived from principal components instead of independent components, the reconstructed price is less similar to the original one. ICA is shown to be a potentially powerful method of analyzing and understanding driving mechanisms in financial time series. The application to portfolio optimization is described in Chin and Weigend (1998).

A medium-term, stochastic forecast model to support sustainable, mixed fisheries management in the Mediterranean Sea.

PubMed

Rätz, H-J; Charef, A; Abella, A J; Colloca, F; Ligas, A; Mannini, A; Lloret, J

2013-10-01

A medium-term (10 year) stochastic forecast model is developed and presented for mixed fisheries that can provide estimations of age-specific parameters for a maximum of 10 stocks and 10 fisheries. Designed to support fishery managers dealing with complex, multi-annual management plans, the model can be used to quantitatively test the consequences of various stock-specific and fishery-specific decisions, using non-equilibrium stock dynamics. Such decisions include fishing restrictions and other strategies aimed at achieving sustainable mixed fisheries consistent with the concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY). In order to test the model, recently gathered data on seven stocks and four fisheries operating in the Ligurian and North Tyrrhenian Seas are used to generate quantitative, 10 year predictions of biomass and catch trends under four different management scenarios. The results show that using the fishing mortality at MSY as the biological reference point for the management of all stocks would be a strong incentive to reduce the technical interactions among concurrent fishing strategies. This would optimize the stock-specific exploitation and be consistent with sustainability criteria. © 2013 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Eric Wilson | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, developing an analysis framework and data visualization for national residential building stock models, and include developing multifamily modeling capabilities for the BEopt building energy optimization software

Microbial status and product labelling of 58 original tattoo inks.

PubMed

Høgsberg, T; Saunte, D M; Frimodt-Møller, N; Serup, J

2013-01-01

European Council resolutions on tattoo ink introduce sterility and preservation of inks to protect customers. Inks used in Denmark are typically purchased over the internet from international suppliers and manufacturers from the US and the UK. In Denmark tattoo inks are regulated and labelled according to REACH as if they were plain chemicals. The objective of this study was to check the microbial product safety of unopened and opened tattoo ink stock bottles. Packaging, labelling, preservation, sterility and contamination with micro-organisms were studied. Physical inspection and culture of bacteria and fungi. Six of 58 unopened stock bottles (10%) were contaminated with bacteria and one of six samples (17%) of previously used stock bottles was contaminated. The bacterial species represented bacteria considered pathogenic in humans as well as non-pathogenic environmental bacteria. Yeast or moulds were detected in none of the samples. A total of 31% of the manufacturers informed only about the brand name. No information about content, sterility, risks or expiry date was indicated on the label. A total of 42% claimed sterility of their inks. A total of 54% labelled a maximum period of durability of typically 2-3 years. The physical sealing was leaking in 28% of the products. The European Council resolutions regarding safety of tattoo inks are not effective. Stock bottles of tattoo ink may contain bacteria pathogenic to humans and environmental bacteria, and packaging, labelling and preservation of inks are of inadequate quality. Claim of sterility can be erroneous. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2011 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Scale-free network provides an optimal pattern for knowledge transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Min; Li, Nan

2010-02-01

We study numerically the knowledge innovation and diffusion process on four representative network models, such as regular networks, small-world networks, random networks and scale-free networks. The average knowledge stock level as a function of time is measured and the corresponding growth diffusion time, τ is defined and computed. On the four types of networks, the growth diffusion times all depend linearly on the network size N as τ∼N, while the slope for scale-free network is minimal indicating the fastest growth and diffusion of knowledge. The calculated variance and spatial distribution of knowledge stock illustrate that optimal knowledge transfer performance is obtained on scale-free networks. We also investigate the transient pattern of knowledge diffusion on the four networks, and a qualitative explanation of this finding is proposed.

Scaling in the distribution of intertrade durations of Chinese stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Zhou, Wei-Xing

2008-10-01

The distribution of intertrade durations, defined as the waiting times between two consecutive transactions, is investigated based upon the limit order book data of 23 liquid Chinese stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the whole year 2003. A scaling pattern is observed in the distributions of intertrade durations, where the empirical density functions of the normalized intertrade durations of all 23 stocks collapse onto a single curve. The scaling pattern is also observed in the intertrade duration distributions for filled and partially filled trades and in the conditional distributions. The ensemble distributions for all stocks are modeled by the Weibull and the Tsallis q-exponential distributions. Maximum likelihood estimation shows that the Weibull distribution outperforms the q-exponential for not-too-large intertrade durations which account for more than 98.5% of the data. Alternatively, nonlinear least-squares estimation selects the q-exponential as a better model, in which the optimization is conducted on the distance between empirical and theoretical values of the logarithmic probability densities. The distribution of intertrade durations is Weibull followed by a power-law tail with an asymptotic tail exponent close to 3.

Identification of areas in Brazil that optimize conservation of forest carbon, jaguars, and biodiversity.

PubMed

De Barros, Alan E; MacDonald, Ewan A; Matsumoto, Marcelo H; Paula, Rogério C; Nijhawan, Sahil; Malhi, Y; MacDonald, David W

2014-04-01

A major question in global environmental policy is whether schemes to reduce carbon pollution through forest management, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), can also benefit biodiversity conservation in tropical countries. We identified municipalities in Brazil that are priorities for reducing rates of deforestation and thus preserving carbon stocks that are also conservation targets for the endangered jaguar (Panthera onca) and biodiversity in general. Preliminary statistical analysis showed that municipalities with high biodiversity were positively associated with high forest carbon stocks. We used a multicriteria decision analysis to identify municipalities that offered the best opportunities for the conservation of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity conservation under a range of scenarios with different rates of deforestation and carbon values. We further categorized these areas by their representativeness of the entire country (through measures such as percent forest cover) and an indirect measure of cost (number of municipalities). The municipalities that offered optimal co-benefits for forest carbon stocks and conservation were termed REDDspots (n = 159), and their spatial distribution was compared with the distribution of current and proposed REDD projects (n = 135). We defined REDDspots as the municipalities that offer the best opportunities for co-benefits between the conservation of forest carbon stocks, jaguars, and other wildlife. These areas coincided in 25% (n = 40) of municipalities. We identified a further 95 municipalities that may have the greatest potential to develop additional REDD+ projects while also targeting biodiversity conservation. We concluded that REDD+ strategies could be an efficient tool for biodiversity conservation in key locations, especially in Amazonian and Atlantic Forest biomes. ©2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

A periodic review integrated inventory model with controllable safety stock and setup cost under service level constraint and distribution-free demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurdhi, N. A.; Jamaluddin, A.; Jauhari, W. A.; Saputro, D. R. S.

2017-06-01

In this study, we consider a stochastic integrated manufacturer-retailer inventory model with service level constraint. The model analyzed in this article considers the situation in which the vendor and the buyer establish a long-term contract and strategic partnership to jointly determine the best strategy. The lead time and setup cost are assumed can be controlled by an additional crashing cost and an investment, respectively. It is assumed that shortages are allowed and partially backlogged on the buyer’s side, and that the protection interval (i.e., review period plus lead time) demand distribution is unknown but has given finite first and second moments. The objective is to apply the minmax distribution free approach to simultaneously optimize the review period, the lead time, the setup cost, the safety factor, and the number of deliveries in order to minimize the joint total expected annual cost. The service level constraint guarantees that the service level requirement can be satisfied at the worst case. By constructing Lagrange function, the analysis regarding the solution procedure is conducted, and a solution algorithm is then developed. Moreover, a numerical example and sensitivity analysis are given to illustrate the proposed model and to provide some observations and managerial implications.

Developments in new aircraft tire tread materials. [fatigue life of elastomeric materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; Mccarty, J. L.; Riccitiello, S. R.; Golub, M. A.

1976-01-01

Comparative laboratory and field tests were conducted on experimental and state-of-the-art aircraft tire tread materials in a program aimed at seeking new elastomeric materials which would provide improved aircraft tire tread wear, traction, and blowout resistance in the interests of operational safety and economy. The experimental stock was formulated of natural rubber and amorphous vinyl polybutadiene to provide high thermal-oxidative resistance, a characteristic pursued on the premise that thermal oxidation is involved both in the normal abrasion or wear of tire treads and probably in the chain of events leading to blowout failures. Results from the tests demonstrate that the experimental stock provided better heat buildup (hysteresis) and fatigue properties, at least equal wet and dry traction, and greater wear resistance than the state-of-the-art stock.

Modeling of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization by risk tolerance when the utility function is quadratic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukono, Sidi, Pramono; Bon, Abdul Talib bin; Supian, Sudradjat

2017-03-01

The problems of investing in financial assets are to choose a combination of weighting a portfolio can be maximized return expectations and minimizing the risk. This paper discusses the modeling of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization by risk tolerance, when square-shaped utility functions. It is assumed that the asset return has a certain distribution, and the risk of the portfolio is measured using the Value-at-Risk (VaR). So, the process of optimization of the portfolio is done based on the model of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization model for the Mean-VaR done using matrix algebra approach, and the Lagrange multiplier method, as well as Khun-Tucker. The results of the modeling portfolio optimization is in the form of a weighting vector equations depends on the vector mean return vector assets, identities, and matrix covariance between return of assets, as well as a factor in risk tolerance. As an illustration of numeric, analyzed five shares traded on the stock market in Indonesia. Based on analysis of five stocks return data gained the vector of weight composition and graphics of efficient surface of portfolio. Vector composition weighting weights and efficient surface charts can be used as a guide for investors in decisions to invest.

Linear and nonlinear market correlations: Characterizing financial crises and portfolio optimization.

PubMed

Haluszczynski, Alexander; Laut, Ingo; Modest, Heike; Räth, Christoph

2017-12-01

Pearson correlation and mutual information-based complex networks of the day-to-day returns of U.S. S&P500 stocks between 1985 and 2015 have been constructed to investigate the mutual dependencies of the stocks and their nature. We show that both networks detect qualitative differences especially during (recent) turbulent market periods, thus indicating strongly fluctuating interconnections between the stocks of different companies in changing economic environments. A measure for the strength of nonlinear dependencies is derived using surrogate data and leads to interesting observations during periods of financial market crises. In contrast to the expectation that dependencies reduce mainly to linear correlations during crises, we show that (at least in the 2008 crisis) nonlinear effects are significantly increasing. It turns out that the concept of centrality within a network could potentially be used as some kind of an early warning indicator for abnormal market behavior as we demonstrate with the example of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Finally, we apply a Markowitz mean variance portfolio optimization and integrate the measure of nonlinear dependencies to scale the investment exposure. This leads to significant outperformance as compared to a fully invested portfolio.

Linear and nonlinear market correlations: Characterizing financial crises and portfolio optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haluszczynski, Alexander; Laut, Ingo; Modest, Heike; Räth, Christoph

2017-12-01

Pearson correlation and mutual information-based complex networks of the day-to-day returns of U.S. S&P500 stocks between 1985 and 2015 have been constructed to investigate the mutual dependencies of the stocks and their nature. We show that both networks detect qualitative differences especially during (recent) turbulent market periods, thus indicating strongly fluctuating interconnections between the stocks of different companies in changing economic environments. A measure for the strength of nonlinear dependencies is derived using surrogate data and leads to interesting observations during periods of financial market crises. In contrast to the expectation that dependencies reduce mainly to linear correlations during crises, we show that (at least in the 2008 crisis) nonlinear effects are significantly increasing. It turns out that the concept of centrality within a network could potentially be used as some kind of an early warning indicator for abnormal market behavior as we demonstrate with the example of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Finally, we apply a Markowitz mean variance portfolio optimization and integrate the measure of nonlinear dependencies to scale the investment exposure. This leads to significant outperformance as compared to a fully invested portfolio.

Optimal investment strategies and hedging of derivatives in the presence of transaction costs (Invited Paper)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muratore-Ginanneschi, Paolo

2005-05-01

Investment strategies in multiplicative Markovian market models with transaction costs are defined using growth optimal criteria. The optimal strategy is shown to consist in holding the amount of capital invested in stocks within an interval around an ideal optimal investment. The size of the holding interval is determined by the intensity of the transaction costs and the time horizon. The inclusion of financial derivatives in the models is also considered. All the results presented in this contributions were previously derived in collaboration with E. Aurell.

The US Stock Market Leads the Federal Funds Rate and Treasury Bond Yields

PubMed Central

Guo, Kun; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Cheng, Si-Wei; Sornette, Didier

2011-01-01

Using a recently introduced method to quantify the time-varying lead-lag dependencies between pairs of economic time series (the thermal optimal path method), we test two fundamental tenets of the theory of fixed income: (i) the stock market variations and the yield changes should be anti-correlated; (ii) the change in central bank rates, as a proxy of the monetary policy of the central bank, should be a predictor of the future stock market direction. Using both monthly and weekly data, we found very similar lead-lag dependence between the S&P 500 stock market index and the yields of bonds inside two groups: bond yields of short-term maturities (Federal funds rate (FFR), 3M, 6M, 1Y, 2Y, and 3Y) and bond yields of long-term maturities (5Y, 7Y, 10Y, and 20Y). In all cases, we observe the opposite of (i) and (ii). First, the stock market and yields move in the same direction. Second, the stock market leads the yields, including especially the FFR. Moreover, we find that the short-term yields in the first group lead the long-term yields in the second group before the financial crisis that started in mid-2007 and the inverse relationship holds afterwards. These results suggest that the Federal Reserve is increasingly mindful of the stock market behavior, seen as key to the recovery and health of the economy. Long-term investors seem also to have been more reactive and mindful of the signals provided by the financial stock markets than the Federal Reserve itself after the start of the financial crisis. The lead of the S&P 500 stock market index over the bond yields of all maturities is confirmed by the traditional lagged cross-correlation analysis. PMID:21857954

The US stock market leads the federal funds rate and treasury bond yields.

PubMed

Guo, Kun; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Cheng, Si-Wei; Sornette, Didier

2011-01-01

Using a recently introduced method to quantify the time-varying lead-lag dependencies between pairs of economic time series (the thermal optimal path method), we test two fundamental tenets of the theory of fixed income: (i) the stock market variations and the yield changes should be anti-correlated; (ii) the change in central bank rates, as a proxy of the monetary policy of the central bank, should be a predictor of the future stock market direction. Using both monthly and weekly data, we found very similar lead-lag dependence between the S&P 500 stock market index and the yields of bonds inside two groups: bond yields of short-term maturities (Federal funds rate (FFR), 3M, 6M, 1Y, 2Y, and 3Y) and bond yields of long-term maturities (5Y, 7Y, 10Y, and 20Y). In all cases, we observe the opposite of (i) and (ii). First, the stock market and yields move in the same direction. Second, the stock market leads the yields, including especially the FFR. Moreover, we find that the short-term yields in the first group lead the long-term yields in the second group before the financial crisis that started in mid-2007 and the inverse relationship holds afterwards. These results suggest that the Federal Reserve is increasingly mindful of the stock market behavior, seen as key to the recovery and health of the economy. Long-term investors seem also to have been more reactive and mindful of the signals provided by the financial stock markets than the Federal Reserve itself after the start of the financial crisis. The lead of the S&P 500 stock market index over the bond yields of all maturities is confirmed by the traditional lagged cross-correlation analysis.

46 CFR 50.25-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... subchapter. (b) Plate, bar stock, pipe, tube, pipe joining fittings (tees, elbows, reducers, etc.), bolting... or the cognizant Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection. (e) Components designed for hydraulic service... tested hydraulic components is granted by the Marine Safety Center or the cognizant Officer in Charge...

16 CFR 1034.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., walks, parking lots, rolling stock or other conveyances, or other real or personal property. Handicapped... OF HANDICAP IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION § 1034.103... impairment. Qualified handicapped person means— (1) With respect to any agency program or activity under...

Results of Bayesian methods depend on details of implementation: An example of estimating salmon escapement goals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adkison, Milo D.; Peterman, R.M.

1996-01-01

Bayesian methods have been proposed to estimate optimal escapement goals, using both knowledge about physical determinants of salmon productivity and stock-recruitment data. The Bayesian approach has several advantages over many traditional methods for estimating stock productivity: it allows integration of information from diverse sources and provides a framework for decision-making that takes into account uncertainty reflected in the data. However, results can be critically dependent on details of implementation of this approach. For instance, unintended and unwarranted confidence about stock-recruitment relationships can arise if the range of relationships examined is too narrow, if too few discrete alternatives are considered, or if data are contradictory. This unfounded confidence can result in a suboptimal choice of a spawning escapement goal.

Parts Specialist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuqua, Lou; Fuqua, Debbie

Designed to address the skills that an auto parts specialist must master in order to be effective in the market place, this manual consists of 13 units of instruction. Covered in the units are orientation; human relations; communications; safety; parts and systems identification; stocking, shipping, and receiving; inventory control; cataloging and…

[To the issue on the optimization and regulation of microclimate in the subway trains and stations].

PubMed

Leksin, A G; Beresneva, T G; Kaptsov, V A; Korotich, L P; Evlampieva, M N; Timoshenkova, E V

2014-01-01

There is presented an overview of currently existing regulatory framework governing the parameters of the microclimate in the salons of subway passenger cars and stations. Analysis of the normative documents indicated that they contain very incomplete, contradictory, often unfounded information about the parameters of microclimate parameters in salons of subway rolling stock. Also, there are no clear cut hygienically-sound requirements for the work of imposed on the rolling stock subway systems provide microclimate, including new systems for air conditioning and disinfection.

An impact analysis of forecasting methods and forecasting parameters on bullwhip effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silitonga, R. Y. H.; Jelly, N.

2018-04-01

Bullwhip effect is an increase of variance of demand fluctuation from downstream to upstream of supply chain. Forecasting methods and forecasting parameters were recognized as some factors that affect bullwhip phenomena. To study these factors, we can develop simulations. There are several ways to simulate bullwhip effect in previous studies, such as mathematical equation modelling, information control modelling, computer program, and many more. In this study a spreadsheet program named Bullwhip Explorer was used to simulate bullwhip effect. Several scenarios were developed to show the change in bullwhip effect ratio because of the difference in forecasting methods and forecasting parameters. Forecasting methods used were mean demand, moving average, exponential smoothing, demand signalling, and minimum expected mean squared error. Forecasting parameters were moving average period, smoothing parameter, signalling factor, and safety stock factor. It showed that decreasing moving average period, increasing smoothing parameter, increasing signalling factor can create bigger bullwhip effect ratio. Meanwhile, safety stock factor had no impact to bullwhip effect.

Improving striping operations through system optimization.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

Striping operations generate a significant workload for Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) maintenance : operations. The requirement for each striping crew to replenish its stock of paint and other consumable items from a bulk storage : fa...

BSE situation and establishment of Food Safety Commission in Japan

PubMed Central

Kim, Chi-Kyeong

2006-01-01

Eight major policies were implemented by Japanese Government since Oct. 2001, to deal with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). These are; 1) Surveillance in farm by veterinarian, 2) Prion test at healthy 1.3mi cows/yr, by veterinarian, 3) Elimination of specified risk material (SRM), 4) Ban of MBM for production, sale use, 5) Prion test for fallen stocks, 6) Transparent information and traceability, 7) New Measures such as Food Safety Basic Law, and 8) Establish of Food Safety Commission in the Cabinet Office. At this moment, the extent of SRM risk has only been indicated by several reports employing tests with a limited sensitivity. There is still a possibility that the items in the SRM list will increase in the future, and this indiscriminately applies to Japanese cattle as well. Although current practices of SRM elimination partially guarantee total food safety, additional latent problems and imminent issues remain as potential headaches to be addressed. If the index of SRM elimination cannot guarantee reliable food safety, we have but to resort to total elimination of tissues from high risk-bearing and BSE-infected animals. However, current BSE tests have their limitations and can not yet completely detect high-risk and/or infected animals. Under such circumstances, tissues/wastes and remains of diseased, affected fallen stocks and cohort animals have to be eliminated to prevent BSE invading the human food chain systems. The failure to detect any cohort should never be allowed to occur, and with regular and persistent updating of available stringent records, we are at least adopting the correct and useful approach as a reawakening strategy to securing food safety. In this perspective, traceability based on a National Identification System is required. PMID:16434842

Impact of stock market structure on intertrade time and price dynamics.

PubMed

Ivanov, Plamen Ch; Yuen, Ainslie; Perakakis, Pandelis

2014-01-01

We analyse times between consecutive transactions for a diverse group of stocks registered on the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, and we relate the dynamical properties of the intertrade times with those of the corresponding price fluctuations. We report that market structure strongly impacts the scale-invariant temporal organisation in the transaction timing of stocks, which we have observed to have long-range power-law correlations. Specifically, we find that, compared to NYSE stocks, stocks registered on the NASDAQ exhibit significantly stronger correlations in their transaction timing on scales within a trading day. Further, we find that companies that transfer from the NASDAQ to the NYSE show a reduction in the correlation strength of transaction timing on scales within a trading day, indicating influences of market structure. We also report a persistent decrease in correlation strength of intertrade times with increasing average intertrade time and with corresponding decrease in companies' market capitalization-a trend which is less pronounced for NASDAQ stocks. Surprisingly, we observe that stronger power-law correlations in intertrade times are coupled with stronger power-law correlations in absolute price returns and higher price volatility, suggesting a strong link between the dynamical properties of intertrade times and the corresponding price fluctuations over a broad range of time scales. Comparing the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, we demonstrate that the stronger correlations we find in intertrade times for NASDAQ stocks are associated with stronger correlations in absolute price returns and with higher volatility, suggesting that market structure may affect price behavior through information contained in transaction timing. These findings do not support the hypothesis of universal scaling behavior in stock dynamics that is independent of company characteristics and stock market structure. Further, our results have implications for utilising transaction timing patterns in price prediction and risk management optimization on different stock markets.

Impact of Stock Market Structure on Intertrade Time and Price Dynamics

PubMed Central

Ivanov, Plamen Ch.; Yuen, Ainslie; Perakakis, Pandelis

2014-01-01

We analyse times between consecutive transactions for a diverse group of stocks registered on the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, and we relate the dynamical properties of the intertrade times with those of the corresponding price fluctuations. We report that market structure strongly impacts the scale-invariant temporal organisation in the transaction timing of stocks, which we have observed to have long-range power-law correlations. Specifically, we find that, compared to NYSE stocks, stocks registered on the NASDAQ exhibit significantly stronger correlations in their transaction timing on scales within a trading day. Further, we find that companies that transfer from the NASDAQ to the NYSE show a reduction in the correlation strength of transaction timing on scales within a trading day, indicating influences of market structure. We also report a persistent decrease in correlation strength of intertrade times with increasing average intertrade time and with corresponding decrease in companies' market capitalization–a trend which is less pronounced for NASDAQ stocks. Surprisingly, we observe that stronger power-law correlations in intertrade times are coupled with stronger power-law correlations in absolute price returns and higher price volatility, suggesting a strong link between the dynamical properties of intertrade times and the corresponding price fluctuations over a broad range of time scales. Comparing the NYSE and NASDAQ markets, we demonstrate that the stronger correlations we find in intertrade times for NASDAQ stocks are associated with stronger correlations in absolute price returns and with higher volatility, suggesting that market structure may affect price behavior through information contained in transaction timing. These findings do not support the hypothesis of universal scaling behavior in stock dynamics that is independent of company characteristics and stock market structure. Further, our results have implications for utilising transaction timing patterns in price prediction and risk management optimization on different stock markets. PMID:24699376

Toxic Substances Registry System. Index of Material Safety Data Sheets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The October 1994 revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Material Safety Data Sheets (MSD's) is presented. The listed MSD's which were submitted to the TSRS are maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

An automatic method for detecting sliding railway wheels and hot bearings using thermal imagery.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-03

One of the most important safety-related tasks in the rail industry is early detection of defective rolling : stock components. Railway wheels and wheel bearings are two components prone to damage due to : their interactions with brakes and railway t...

Type A behavior pattern, accident optimism and fatalism: an investigation into non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses.

PubMed

Ugwu, Fabian O; Onyishi, Ike E; Ugwu, Chidi; Onyishi, Charity N

2015-01-01

Safety work behavior has continued to attract the interest of organizational researchers and practitioners especially in the health sector. The goal of the study was to investigate whether personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism could predict non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses. One hundred and fifty-nine nursing staff sampled from three government-owned hospitals in a state in southeast Nigeria, participated in the study. Data were collected through Type A Behavior Scale (TABS), Accident Optimism, Fatalism and Compliance with Safety Behavior (CSB) Scales. Our results showed that personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism were all related to non-compliance with safety work behaviors. Personality type A individuals tend to comply less with safety work behaviors than personality type B individuals. In addition, optimistic and fatalistic views about accidents and existing safety rules also have implications for compliance with safety work behaviors.

Taking Stock of Unrealistic Optimism.

PubMed

Shepperd, James A; Klein, William M P; Waters, Erika A; Weinstein, Neil D

2013-07-01

Researchers have used terms such as unrealistic optimism and optimistic bias to refer to concepts that are similar but not synonymous. Drawing from three decades of research, we critically discuss how researchers define unrealistic optimism and we identify four types that reflect different measurement approaches: unrealistic absolute optimism at the individual and group level and unrealistic comparative optimism at the individual and group level. In addition, we discuss methodological criticisms leveled against research on unrealistic optimism and note that the criticisms are primarily relevant to only one type-the group form of unrealistic comparative optimism. We further clarify how the criticisms are not nearly as problematic even for unrealistic comparative optimism as they might seem. Finally, we note boundary conditions on the different types of unrealistic optimism and reflect on five broad questions that deserve further attention.

Inconsistent Investment and Consumption Problems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kronborg, Morten Tolver, E-mail: mtk@atp.dk; Steffensen, Mogens, E-mail: mogens@math.ku.dk

In a traditional Black–Scholes market we develop a verification theorem for a general class of investment and consumption problems where the standard dynamic programming principle does not hold. The theorem is an extension of the standard Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation in the form of a system of non-linear differential equations. We derive the optimal investment and consumption strategy for a mean-variance investor without pre-commitment endowed with labor income. In the case of constant risk aversion it turns out that the optimal amount of money to invest in stocks is independent of wealth. The optimal consumption strategy is given as a deterministic bang-bangmore » strategy. In order to have a more realistic model we allow the risk aversion to be time and state dependent. Of special interest is the case were the risk aversion is inversely proportional to present wealth plus the financial value of future labor income net of consumption. Using the verification theorem we give a detailed analysis of this problem. It turns out that the optimal amount of money to invest in stocks is given by a linear function of wealth plus the financial value of future labor income net of consumption. The optimal consumption strategy is again given as a deterministic bang-bang strategy. We also calculate, for a general time and state dependent risk aversion function, the optimal investment and consumption strategy for a mean-standard deviation investor without pre-commitment. In that case, it turns out that it is optimal to take no risk at all.« less

Implementation and optimization of automated dispensing cabinet technology.

PubMed

McCarthy, Bryan C; Ferker, Michael

2016-10-01

A multifaceted automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) optimization initiative at a large hospital is described. The ADC optimization project, which was launched approximately six weeks after activation of ADCs in 30 patient care unit medication rooms of a newly established adult hospital, included (1) adjustment of par inventory levels (desired on-hand quantities of medications) and par reorder quantities to reduce the risk of ADC supply exhaustion and improve restocking efficiency, (2) expansion of ADC "common stock" (medications assigned to ADC inventories) to increase medication availability at the point of care, and (3) removal of some infrequently prescribed medications from ADCs to reduce the likelihood of product expiration. The purpose of the project was to address organizational concerns regarding widespread ADC medication stockouts, growing reliance on cart-fill medication delivery systems, and suboptimal medication order turnaround times. Leveraging of the ADC technology platform's reporting functionalities for enhanced inventory control yielded a number of benefits, including cost savings resulting from reduced pharmacy technician labor requirements (estimated at $2,728 annually), a substantial reduction in the overall weekly stockout percentage (from 3.2% before optimization to 0.5% eight months after optimization), an improvement in the average medication turnaround time, and estimated cost avoidance of $19,660 attributed to the reduced potential for product expiration. Efforts to optimize ADCs through par level optimization, expansion of common stock, and removal of infrequently used medications reduced pharmacy technician labor, decreased stockout percentages, generated opportunities for cost avoidance, and improved medication turnaround times. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 213.135 - Switches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Switches. 213.135 Section 213.135 Transportation... TRANSPORTATION TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS Track Structure § 213.135 Switches. (a) Each stock rail must be securely seated in switch plates, but care shall be used to avoid canting the rail by overtightening the rail...

49 CFR 213.135 - Switches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Switches. 213.135 Section 213.135 Transportation... TRANSPORTATION TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS Track Structure § 213.135 Switches. (a) Each stock rail must be securely seated in switch plates, but care shall be used to avoid canting the rail by overtightening the rail...

49 CFR 213.135 - Switches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Switches. 213.135 Section 213.135 Transportation... TRANSPORTATION TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS Track Structure § 213.135 Switches. (a) Each stock rail must be securely seated in switch plates, but care shall be used to avoid canting the rail by overtightening the rail...

An Inventory and Safety Stock Analysis of Air Force Medical Service Pharmaceuticals

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Adam D. Reiman , PhD Member AFIT-ENS-MS-15-M-133 iv Abstract A significant challenge facing the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS...sincere gratitude to my research committee, Dr. William Cunningham and Lt Col Adam Reiman for their guidance and support throughout the research

Relating Expected Inventory Backorders to Safety Stock Investment Levels.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

Theory," RM-4185-PR. The Rand Corporation, Santa Monica CA, September 1964. 105 11. Haeussler, Ernest F. Jr., and Richard S. Paul. Introduc- tory...14. Lewis, Colin D. Demand Analysis and Inventor4 Control. Westmead, England: Saxon House D.C. Heath Ltd., 1975. 15. Lippert , Keith Wayne. "An

The Analytic Methods of Operations Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-01-01

stock market behavior (Fama, 1970), but few other applications . A 2*1 - --- 41 12. QUEUEING THEORY The study of congestion in service...Behavior," by T. von Neumann and 0. MHrgenstern, and an esoteric j - 2 paperbrtk by Charnes. Cooper, and Henderson on the optimal mixing of peanuKs and...2nd-order conditions, then i X is also globally optimal . This enables one to use local exploration to lead to the global

A comparison of automated dispensing cabinet optimization methods.

PubMed

O'Neil, Daniel P; Miller, Adam; Cronin, Daniel; Hatfield, Chad J

2016-07-01

Results of a study comparing two methods of optimizing automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are reported. Eight nonprofiled ADCs were optimized over six months. Optimization of each cabinet involved three steps: (1) removal of medications that had not been dispensed for at least 180 days, (2) movement of ADC stock to better suit end-user needs and available space, and (3) adjustment of par levels (desired on-hand inventory levels). The par levels of four ADCs (the Day Supply group) were adjusted according to average daily usage; the par levels of the other four ADCs (the Formula group) were adjusted using a standard inventory formula. The primary outcome was the vend:fill ratio, while secondary outcomes included total inventory, inventory cost, quantity of expired medications, and ADC stockout percentage. The total number of medications stocked in the eight machines was reduced from 1,273 in a designated two-month preoptimization period to 1,182 in a designated two-month postoptimization period, yielding a carrying cost savings of $44,981. The mean vend:fill ratios before and after optimization were 4.43 and 4.46, respectively. The vend:fill ratio for ADCs in the Formula group increased from 4.33 before optimization to 5.2 after optimization; in the Day Supply group, the ratio declined (from 4.52 to 3.90). The postoptimization interaction difference between the Formula and Day Supply groups was found to be significant (p = 0.0477). ADC optimization via a standard inventory formula had a positive impact on inventory costs, refills, vend:fill ratios, and stockout percentages. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Investment strategy due to the minimization of portfolio noise level by observations of coarse-grained entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbanowicz, Krzysztof; Hołyst, Janusz A.

2004-12-01

Using a recently developed method of noise level estimation that makes use of properties of the coarse-grained entropy, we have analyzed the noise level for the Dow Jones index and a few stocks from the New York Stock Exchange. We have found that the noise level ranges from 40% to 80% of the signal variance. The condition of a minimal noise level has been applied to construct optimal portfolios from selected shares. We show that the implementation of a corresponding threshold investment strategy leads to positive returns for historical data.

An integrated portfolio optimisation procedure based on data envelopment analysis, artificial bee colony algorithm and genetic programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chih-Ming

2014-12-01

Portfolio optimisation is an important issue in the field of investment/financial decision-making and has received considerable attention from both researchers and practitioners. However, besides portfolio optimisation, a complete investment procedure should also include the selection of profitable investment targets and determine the optimal timing for buying/selling the investment targets. In this study, an integrated procedure using data envelopment analysis (DEA), artificial bee colony (ABC) and genetic programming (GP) is proposed to resolve a portfolio optimisation problem. The proposed procedure is evaluated through a case study on investing in stocks in the semiconductor sub-section of the Taiwan stock market for 4 years. The potential average 6-month return on investment of 9.31% from 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2011 indicates that the proposed procedure can be considered a feasible and effective tool for making outstanding investment plans, and thus making profits in the Taiwan stock market. Moreover, it is a strategy that can help investors to make profits even when the overall stock market suffers a loss.

Coherence and incoherence collective behavior in financial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shangmei; Xie, Qiuchao; Lu, Qing; Jiang, Xin; Chen, Wei

2015-10-01

Financial markets have been extensively studied as highly complex evolving systems. In this paper, we quantify financial price fluctuations through a coupled dynamical system composed of phase oscillators. We find that a Financial Coherence and Incoherence (FCI) coexistence collective behavior emerges as the system evolves into the stable state, in which the stocks split into two groups: one is represented by coherent, phase-locked oscillators, the other is composed of incoherent, drifting oscillators. It is demonstrated that the size of the coherent stock groups fluctuates during the economic periods according to real-world financial instabilities or shocks. Further, we introduce the coherent characteristic matrix to characterize the involvement dynamics of stocks in the coherent groups. Clustering results on the matrix provides a novel manifestation of the correlations among stocks in the economic periods. Our analysis for components of the groups is consistent with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) classification and can also figure out features for newly developed industries. These results can provide potentially implications on characterizing the inner dynamical structure of financial markets and making optimal investment into tragedies.

Stochastic Frontier Model Approach for Measuring Stock Market Efficiency with Different Distributions

PubMed Central

Hasan, Md. Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md. Azizul

2012-01-01

The stock market is considered essential for economic growth and expected to contribute to improved productivity. An efficient pricing mechanism of the stock market can be a driving force for channeling savings into profitable investments and thus facilitating optimal allocation of capital. This study investigated the technical efficiency of selected groups of companies of Bangladesh Stock Market that is the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) market, using the stochastic frontier production function approach. For this, the authors considered the Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier in which the technical inefficiency effects are defined by a model with two distributional assumptions. Truncated normal and half-normal distributions were used in the model and both time-variant and time-invariant inefficiency effects were estimated. The results reveal that technical efficiency decreased gradually over the reference period and that truncated normal distribution is preferable to half-normal distribution for technical inefficiency effects. The value of technical efficiency was high for the investment group and low for the bank group, as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time- varying environment whereas it was high for the investment group but low for the ceramic group as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-invariant situation. PMID:22629352

Implementation of genetic conservation practices in a muskellunge propagation and stocking program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennings, Martin J.; Sloss, Brian L.; Hatzenbeler, Gene R.; Kampa, Jeffrey M.; Simonson, Timothy D.; Avelallemant, Steven P.; Lindenberger, Gary A.; Underwood, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

Conservation of genetic resources is a challenging issue for agencies managing popular sport fishes. To address the ongoing potential for genetic risks, we developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to conserve genetic diversity of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in Wisconsin, and evaluated the extent to which the recommendations can be implemented. Although some details are specific to Wisconsin's muskellunge propagation program, many of the practical issues affecting implementation are applicable to other species and production systems. We developed guidelines to restrict future brood stock collection operations to lakes with natural reproduction and to develop a set of brood lakes to use on a rotational basis within regional stock boundaries, but implementation will require considering lakes with variable stocking histories. Maintaining an effective population size sufficient to minimize the risk of losing alleles requires limiting brood stock collection to large lakes. Recommendations to better approximate the temporal distribution of spawning in hatchery operations and randomize selection of brood fish are feasible. Guidelines to modify rearing and distribution procedures face some logistic constraints. An evaluation of genetic diversity of hatchery-produced fish during 2008 demonstrated variable success representing genetic variation of the source population. Continued evaluation of hatchery operations will optimize operational efficiency while moving toward genetic conservation goals.

Stochastic frontier model approach for measuring stock market efficiency with different distributions.

PubMed

Hasan, Md Zobaer; Kamil, Anton Abdulbasah; Mustafa, Adli; Baten, Md Azizul

2012-01-01

The stock market is considered essential for economic growth and expected to contribute to improved productivity. An efficient pricing mechanism of the stock market can be a driving force for channeling savings into profitable investments and thus facilitating optimal allocation of capital. This study investigated the technical efficiency of selected groups of companies of Bangladesh Stock Market that is the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) market, using the stochastic frontier production function approach. For this, the authors considered the Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier in which the technical inefficiency effects are defined by a model with two distributional assumptions. Truncated normal and half-normal distributions were used in the model and both time-variant and time-invariant inefficiency effects were estimated. The results reveal that technical efficiency decreased gradually over the reference period and that truncated normal distribution is preferable to half-normal distribution for technical inefficiency effects. The value of technical efficiency was high for the investment group and low for the bank group, as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-varying environment whereas it was high for the investment group but low for the ceramic group as compared with other groups in the DSE market for both distributions in time-invariant situation.

Improving striping operations through system optimization - phase 2 : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

Striping operations generate a significant workload for MoDOT maintenance operations. The requirement for each striping crew : to replenish its stock of paint and other consumable items from a bulk storage facility, along with the necessity to make s...

Taking Stock of Unrealistic Optimism

PubMed Central

Shepperd, James A.; Klein, William M. P.; Waters, Erika A.; Weinstein, Neil D.

2015-01-01

Researchers have used terms such as unrealistic optimism and optimistic bias to refer to concepts that are similar but not synonymous. Drawing from three decades of research, we critically discuss how researchers define unrealistic optimism and we identify four types that reflect different measurement approaches: unrealistic absolute optimism at the individual and group level and unrealistic comparative optimism at the individual and group level. In addition, we discuss methodological criticisms leveled against research on unrealistic optimism and note that the criticisms are primarily relevant to only one type—the group form of unrealistic comparative optimism. We further clarify how the criticisms are not nearly as problematic even for unrealistic comparative optimism as they might seem. Finally, we note boundary conditions on the different types of unrealistic optimism and reflect on five broad questions that deserve further attention. PMID:26045714

Effect of a road safety training program on drivers' comparative optimism.

PubMed

Perrissol, Stéphane; Smeding, Annique; Laumond, Francis; Le Floch, Valérie

2011-01-01

Reducing comparative optimism regarding risk perceptions in traffic accidents has been proven to be particularly difficult (Delhomme, 2000). This is unfortunate because comparative optimism is assumed to impede preventive action. The present study tested whether a road safety training course could reduce drivers' comparative optimism in high control situations. Results show that the training course efficiently reduced comparative optimism in high control, but not in low control situations. Mechanisms underlying this finding and implications for the design of road safety training courses are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Random matrix theory analysis of cross-correlations in the US stock market: Evidence from Pearson’s correlation coefficient and detrended cross-correlation coefficient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Gang-Jin; Xie, Chi; Chen, Shou; Yang, Jiao-Jiao; Yang, Ming-Yan

2013-09-01

In this study, we first build two empirical cross-correlation matrices in the US stock market by two different methods, namely the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the detrended cross-correlation coefficient (DCCA coefficient). Then, combining the two matrices with the method of random matrix theory (RMT), we mainly investigate the statistical properties of cross-correlations in the US stock market. We choose the daily closing prices of 462 constituent stocks of S&P 500 index as the research objects and select the sample data from January 3, 2005 to August 31, 2012. In the empirical analysis, we examine the statistical properties of cross-correlation coefficients, the distribution of eigenvalues, the distribution of eigenvector components, and the inverse participation ratio. From the two methods, we find some new results of the cross-correlations in the US stock market in our study, which are different from the conclusions reached by previous studies. The empirical cross-correlation matrices constructed by the DCCA coefficient show several interesting properties at different time scales in the US stock market, which are useful to the risk management and optimal portfolio selection, especially to the diversity of the asset portfolio. It will be an interesting and meaningful work to find the theoretical eigenvalue distribution of a completely random matrix R for the DCCA coefficient because it does not obey the Marčenko-Pastur distribution.

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The Jul. 1992 Revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) is presented. The listed MSDS's reflect product inventories and associated MSDS's which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry Data Base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Optimal Control Considering Selling Price and Salesman Initiative Cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertini, Elis; Anggriani, Nursanti; Mianna, Winda; Supriatna, Asep K.

2018-03-01

Retailers usually offer several types of similar products. A larger number of available stock products in display space will lead consumer to buy more, as well as giving a negative impression on other types of less available products. However, the amount of display space is limited so capacity of carrying the products is limited. Competition among products to increase demand rate is influenced by stock levels available in display space, price and salesmen’s initiative in promoting the products. The Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) to replenish the stock of the product is dependent on the on-hand inventory. Salesman’s initiative also affects maximum profit obtained by the seller. In this paper, Potryagin’s Maximal Principle is used to determine the state of the inventory levels response to control prices of products. Sensitivity analysis of capacity allocation display space is also presented numerically.

Winter Safety Tips for Older Adults

MedlinePlus

... smaller roads. • Stock your car with basic emergency supplies such as: – First aid kid – Blankets – Extra warm clothes – Booster cables – Windshield scraper – Shovel – Rock salt or a bag of sand or cat litter (in case your wheels get stuck) – Water and dried food or canned food (with can ...

A Standardization Evaluation Potential Study of the Common Multi-Mode Radar Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-01

Radar, the RX (RF-16 etc.), Enhanced Tactical Fighter ( ETF ), and A-7. Candidate radar systems applicable to the Common Multi-Mode Radar Program...RSTC R Resupply Time to Overseas Located Bases (hours) RSTO R Depot Stock Safety Factor (standard deviations) DLY R Shipping Time to Depot from CONUS

Growing reforestation conifer stock: Utilizing peat/sawdust medium

Treesearch

Janice K. Schaefer

2009-01-01

Western Forest Systems, Incorporated (WFS) (Lewiston, ID) has been utilizing a peat/sawdust blended mix as our growing medium for the past 10 years. Our decision to change from a peat/vermiculite blend to a peat/Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) sawdust blend involved worker health and safety issues, seedling culture, seedling production, and...

Assessing Social – Ecological Trade-Offs to Advance Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

PubMed Central

Voss, Rudi; Quaas, Martin F.; Schmidt, Jörn O.; Tahvonen, Olli; Lindegren, Martin; Möllmann, Christian

2014-01-01

Modern resource management faces trade-offs in the provision of various ecosystem goods and services to humanity. For fisheries management to develop into an ecosystem-based approach, the goal is not only to maximize economic profits, but to consider equally important conservation and social equity goals. We introduce such a triple-bottom line approach to the management of multi-species fisheries using the Baltic Sea as a case study. We apply a coupled ecological-economic optimization model to address the actual fisheries management challenge of trading-off the recovery of collapsed cod stocks versus the health of ecologically important forage fish populations. Management strategies based on profit maximization would rebuild the cod stock to high levels but may cause the risk of stock collapse for forage species with low market value, such as Baltic sprat (Fig. 1A). Economically efficient conservation efforts to protect sprat would be borne almost exclusively by the forage fishery as sprat fishing effort and profits would strongly be reduced. Unless compensation is paid, this would challenge equity between fishing sectors (Fig. 1B). Optimizing equity while respecting sprat biomass precautionary levels would reduce potential profits of the overall Baltic fishery, but may offer an acceptable balance between overall profits, species conservation and social equity (Fig. 1C). Our case study shows a practical example of how an ecosystem-based fisheries management will be able to offer society options to solve common conflicts between different resource uses. Adding equity considerations to the traditional trade-off between economy and ecology will greatly enhance credibility and hence compliance to management decisions, a further footstep towards healthy fish stocks and sustainable fisheries in the world ocean. PMID:25268117

Correlation of genetic variability with safety of mumps vaccine Urabe AM9 strain.

PubMed

Amexis, G; Fineschi, N; Chumakov, K

2001-08-15

The Urabe AM9 strain of mumps vaccine live is known for its genetic instability and some vaccines derived from this strain were withdrawn from the market due to an excessive number of vaccine-associated parotitis and meningitis cases. To identify the molecular basis of this instability, we determined complete nucleotide sequences of several stocks of the Urabe strain used for vaccine production by different manufacturers and of two clinical isolates from cases of vaccine-associated meningitis. In contrast to previously published studies relating the Lys335 --> Glu mutation in the viral HN gene with neurovirulence of mumps virus, we could not confirm any association of this mutation with the safety of mumps vaccine. Each of the three vaccine stocks studied had its own characteristic profile of mutations that was identified by cDNA sequencing and quantitated by mutant analysis by PCR and restriction enzyme cleavage. Determination of the mutational profile of mumps vaccine lots could allow vaccine manufacturers to characterize seed viruses and monitor the consistency of vaccine production to prevent emergence of virulent revertants.

An Extended EPQ-Based Problem with a Discontinuous Delivery Policy, Scrap Rate, and Random Breakdown

PubMed Central

Song, Ming-Syuan; Chen, Hsin-Mei; Chiu, Yuan-Shyi P.

2015-01-01

In real supply chain environments, the discontinuous multidelivery policy is often used when finished products need to be transported to retailers or customers outside the production units. To address this real-life production-shipment situation, this study extends recent work using an economic production quantity- (EPQ-) based inventory model with a continuous inventory issuing policy, defective items, and machine breakdown by incorporating a multiple delivery policy into the model to replace the continuous policy and investigates the effect on the optimal run time decision for this specific EPQ model. Next, we further expand the scope of the problem to combine the retailer's stock holding cost into our study. This enhanced EPQ-based model can be used to reflect the situation found in contemporary manufacturing firms in which finished products are delivered to the producer's own retail stores and stocked there for sale. A second model is developed and studied. With the help of mathematical modeling and optimization techniques, the optimal run times that minimize the expected total system costs comprising costs incurred in production units, transportation, and retail stores are derived, for both models. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the applicability of our research results. PMID:25821853

An extended EPQ-based problem with a discontinuous delivery policy, scrap rate, and random breakdown.

PubMed

Chiu, Singa Wang; Lin, Hong-Dar; Song, Ming-Syuan; Chen, Hsin-Mei; Chiu, Yuan-Shyi P

2015-01-01

In real supply chain environments, the discontinuous multidelivery policy is often used when finished products need to be transported to retailers or customers outside the production units. To address this real-life production-shipment situation, this study extends recent work using an economic production quantity- (EPQ-) based inventory model with a continuous inventory issuing policy, defective items, and machine breakdown by incorporating a multiple delivery policy into the model to replace the continuous policy and investigates the effect on the optimal run time decision for this specific EPQ model. Next, we further expand the scope of the problem to combine the retailer's stock holding cost into our study. This enhanced EPQ-based model can be used to reflect the situation found in contemporary manufacturing firms in which finished products are delivered to the producer's own retail stores and stocked there for sale. A second model is developed and studied. With the help of mathematical modeling and optimization techniques, the optimal run times that minimize the expected total system costs comprising costs incurred in production units, transportation, and retail stores are derived, for both models. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the applicability of our research results.

Sampling for Soil Carbon Stock Assessment in Rocky Agricultural Soils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beem-Miller, Jeffrey P.; Kong, Angela Y. Y.; Ogle, Stephen; Wolfe, David

2016-01-01

Coring methods commonly employed in soil organic C (SOC) stock assessment may not accurately capture soil rock fragment (RF) content or soil bulk density (rho (sub b)) in rocky agricultural soils, potentially biasing SOC stock estimates. Quantitative pits are considered less biased than coring methods but are invasive and often cost-prohibitive. We compared fixed-depth and mass-based estimates of SOC stocks (0.3-meters depth) for hammer, hydraulic push, and rotary coring methods relative to quantitative pits at four agricultural sites ranging in RF content from less than 0.01 to 0.24 cubic meters per cubic meter. Sampling costs were also compared. Coring methods significantly underestimated RF content at all rocky sites, but significant differences (p is less than 0.05) in SOC stocks between pits and corers were only found with the hammer method using the fixed-depth approach at the less than 0.01 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 5.80 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 4.74 kilograms C per square meter) and at the 0.14 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 8.81 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 6.71 kilograms C per square meter). The hammer corer also underestimated rho (sub b) at all sites as did the hydraulic push corer at the 0.21 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site. No significant differences in mass-based SOC stock estimates were observed between pits and corers. Our results indicate that (i) calculating SOC stocks on a mass basis can overcome biases in RF and rho (sub b) estimates introduced by sampling equipment and (ii) a quantitative pit is the optimal sampling method for establishing reference soil masses, followed by rotary and then hydraulic push corers.

It is the economy, stupid! Projecting the fate of fish populations using ecological-economic modeling.

PubMed

Quaas, Martin F; Reusch, Thorsten B H; Schmidt, Jörn O; Tahvonen, Olli; Voss, Rudi

2016-01-01

Four marine fish species are among the most important on the world market: cod, salmon, tuna, and sea bass. While the supply of North American and European markets for two of these species - Atlantic salmon and European sea bass - mainly comes from fish farming, Atlantic cod and tunas are mainly caught from wild stocks. We address the question what will be the status of these wild stocks in the midterm future, in the year 2048, to be specific. Whereas the effects of climate change and ecological driving forces on fish stocks have already gained much attention, our prime interest is in studying the effects of changing economic drivers, as well as the impact of variable management effectiveness. Using a process-based ecological-economic multispecies optimization model, we assess the future stock status under different scenarios of change. We simulate (i) technological progress in fishing, (ii) increasing demand for fish, and (iii) increasing supply of farmed fish, as well as the interplay of these driving forces under different scenarios of (limited) fishery management effectiveness. We find that economic change has a substantial effect on fish populations. Increasing aquaculture production can dampen the fishing pressure on wild stocks, but this effect is likely to be overwhelmed by increasing demand and technological progress, both increasing fishing pressure. The only solution to avoid collapse of the majority of stocks is institutional change to improve management effectiveness significantly above the current state. We conclude that full recognition of economic drivers of change will be needed to successfully develop an integrated ecosystem management and to sustain the wild fish stocks until 2048 and beyond. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Alpine Grassland Soil Organic Carbon Stock and Its Uncertainty in the Three Rivers Source Region of the Tibetan Plateau

PubMed Central

Chang, Xiaofeng; Wang, Shiping; Cui, Shujuan; Zhu, Xiaoxue; Luo, Caiyun; Zhang, Zhenhua; Wilkes, Andreas

2014-01-01

Alpine grassland of the Tibetan Plateau is an important component of global soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, but insufficient field observations and large spatial heterogeneity leads to great uncertainty in their estimation. In the Three Rivers Source Region (TRSR), alpine grasslands account for more than 75% of the total area. However, the regional carbon (C) stock estimate and their uncertainty have seldom been tested. Here we quantified the regional SOC stock and its uncertainty using 298 soil profiles surveyed from 35 sites across the TRSR during 2006–2008. We showed that the upper soil (0–30 cm depth) in alpine grasslands of the TRSR stores 2.03 Pg C, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.25 to 2.81 Pg C. Alpine meadow soils comprised 73% (i.e. 1.48 Pg C) of the regional SOC estimate, but had the greatest uncertainty at 51%. The statistical power to detect a deviation of 10% uncertainty in grassland C stock was less than 0.50. The required sample size to detect this deviation at a power of 90% was about 6–7 times more than the number of sample sites surveyed. Comparison of our observed SOC density with the corresponding values from the dataset of Yang et al. indicates that these two datasets are comparable. The combined dataset did not reduce the uncertainty in the estimate of the regional grassland soil C stock. This result could be mainly explained by the underrepresentation of sampling sites in large areas with poor accessibility. Further research to improve the regional SOC stock estimate should optimize sampling strategy by considering the number of samples and their spatial distribution. PMID:24819054

Optimal Placement Method of RFID Readers in Industrial Rail Transport for Uneven Rail Traflc Volume Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakhmangulov, Aleksandr; Muravev, Dmitri; Mishkurov, Pavel

2016-11-01

The issue of operative data reception on location and movement of railcars is significant the constantly growing requirements of the provision of timely and safe transportation. The technical solution for efficiency improvement of data collection on rail rolling stock is the implementation of an identification system. Nowadays, there are several such systems, distinguished in working principle. In the authors' opinion, the most promising for rail transportation is the RFID technology, proposing the equipping of the railway tracks by the stationary points of data reading (RFID readers) from the onboard sensors on the railcars. However, regardless of a specific type and manufacturer of these systems, their implementation is affiliated with the significant financing costs for large, industrial, rail transport systems, owning the extensive network of special railway tracks with a large number of stations and loading areas. To reduce the investment costs for creation, the identification system of rolling stock on the special railway tracks of industrial enterprises has developed the method based on the idea of priority installation of the RFID readers on railway hauls, where rail traffic volumes are uneven in structure and power, parameters of which is difficult or impossible to predict on the basis of existing data in an information system. To select the optimal locations of RFID readers, the mathematical model of the staged installation of such readers has developed depending on the non-uniformity value of rail traffic volumes, passing through the specific railway hauls. As a result of that approach, installation of the numerous RFID readers at all station tracks and loading areas of industrial railway stations might be not necessary,which reduces the total cost of the rolling stock identification and the implementation of the method for optimal management of transportation process.

ZIKA-001: Safety and Immunogenicity of an Engineered DNA Vaccine Against ZIKA virus infection

PubMed Central

Tebas, Pablo; Roberts, Christine C; Muthumani, Kar; Reuschel, Emma; White, Scott; Khan, Amir S; Racine, Trina; Choi, Hyeree; Zaidi, Faraz; Boyer, Jean; Kudchodkar, Sagar; Park, Young K; Trottier, Sylvie; Remigio, Celine; Krieger, Diane; Kobinger, Gary P; Weiner, David; Maslow, Joel

2017-01-01

Abstract Background While Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is typically self-limited, congenital birth defects and Guillain-Barré syndrome are well-described. There are no therapies or vaccines against ZIKV infection. Methods ZIKA-001 is a phase I, open label, clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, side effect profile, and immunogenicity of a synthetic, DNA vaccine (GLS-5700) targeting the pre-membrane+envelope proteins (prME) of the virus. Two groups of 20 participants received GLS-5700 at one of two dose levels: 1 mg or 2 mg DNA/dose at 0, 4, and 12 weeks. Vaccine was administered as 0.1 or 0.2 ml (1 or 2 mg) intradermal (ID) injection followed by electroporation (EP) with the CELLECTRA®-3P device Results The median age of the 40 participants was 38 (IQR 30–54) years; 60% were female 30% Latino and 78% white. No SAEs have been reported to date. Local minor AEs were injection site pain, redness, swelling and itching that occurred in half of the participants. Systemic adverse events were rare and included headache, myalgias, upper respiratory infections, fatigue/malaise and nausea. Four weeks after the first dose 25% vs. 60% of the participants in the 1 mg and 2 mg dose seroconverted. By week 6, 2 weeks after the second dose, the response was 65 and 84% respectively and 2 weeks after the third dose all participants in both dosing groups developed antibodies. At the end of the vaccination period over 60% of vaccinated person neutralized Zika virus in a vero cell assay and greater than 80% on neuronal cell targets. The protective efficacy of the antibodies generated by the vaccine was evaluated in the lethal IFNAR−/− mouse model. After the intraperitoneal administration of 0.1 ml of either baseline, week 14 serum or PBS the animals were challenged with 106 PFUs of ZIKV PR209 isolate. Whereas animals administered PBS (control) or baseline serum succumbed after a median of 5 days, those pretreated with week 14 serum from study participants survived suggesting that the humoral response generated by the vaccine is protective in this model. Conclusion Our trial shows for the first time in humans the safety and immunogenicity of an engineered DNA encoding consensus viral protein against ZIKV. Future studies will evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine. Disclosures C. C. Roberts, GeneOne: Member, Salary. S. White, GeneOne: Member, Salary. A. S. Khan, Inovio: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock. J. Boyer, Inovio: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock. Y. K. Park, GeneOne: Board Member, CEO and Employee, Salary and Stock. S. Trottier, Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Investigator, Research grant. C. Remigio, GeneOne: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock. G. P. Kobinger, GeneOne: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient and Research support. D. Weiner, GeneOne: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient, Licensing agreement or royalty and Stock. J. Maslow, GeneOne: Employee, Salary and Stock.

Generalized railway tank car safety design optimization for hazardous materials transport: addressing the trade-off between transportation efficiency and safety.

PubMed

Saat, Mohd Rapik; Barkan, Christopher P L

2011-05-15

North America railways offer safe and generally the most economical means of long distance transport of hazardous materials. Nevertheless, in the event of a train accident releases of these materials can pose substantial risk to human health, property or the environment. The majority of railway shipments of hazardous materials are in tank cars. Improving the safety design of these cars to make them more robust in accidents generally increases their weight thereby reducing their capacity and consequent transportation efficiency. This paper presents a generalized tank car safety design optimization model that addresses this tradeoff. The optimization model enables evaluation of each element of tank car safety design, independently and in combination with one another. We present the optimization model by identifying a set of Pareto-optimal solutions for a baseline tank car design in a bicriteria decision problem. This model provides a quantitative framework for a rational decision-making process involving tank car safety design enhancements to reduce the risk of transporting hazardous materials. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Budget impact analysis of insulin therapies and associated delivery systems.

PubMed

Lee, Lauren J; Smolen, Lee J; Klein, Timothy M; Foster, Shonda A; Whiteman, Doug; Jorgenson, James A; Hultgren, Steve

2012-06-01

A budget impact analysis of insulin therapies and associated delivery systems is presented. Based on inputted procurement totals, per-item costs (based on 2011 average wholesale price), insulin distribution system (floor stock or individual patient supply), waste, and treatment protocols for a specified time frame, the budget impact model approximated the number of patients treated with subcutaneous insulin, costs, utilization, waste, and injection mechanism (pen safety needle or syringe) costs. To calculate net changes, results of one-year 3-mL vial use were subtracted from one-year 10-mL vial or 3-mL pen use. Switching from a 10-mL vial to a 3-mL vial was associated with reductions in both costs and waste. The net reductions in costs and waste ranged from $15,482 and 120,000 IU, respectively, for floor-stock 10-mL vial to floor-stock 3-mL vial conversion to $871,548 and 6,750,000 IU, respectively, for individual patient supply 10-mL vial to floor-stock 3-mL vial conversion. Switching from floor-stock 10-mL vials to individual patient supply 3-mL vials increased costs and waste by $164,659 and 1,275,000 IU, respectively. Converting from individual patient supply 3-mL pens to individual patient supply 3-mL vials reduced costs by $117,236 but did not decrease waste. A budget impact analysis of the conversion of either 10-mL insulin vials or 3-mL insulin pens to 3-mL insulin vials found reductions in both cost and waste, except when converting from floor-stock 10-mL vials to individual patient supply 3-mL vials.

Harvesting and replenishment policies for renewable natural resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Douglas, Aaron J.; Johnson, Richard L.

1993-01-01

The current paper links the optimal intertemporal use of renewable natural resources to the harvesting activities of various economic agents. Previous contributions cite market forces as a causative factor inducing the extirpation of renewable natural resources. The analysis given here discusses investment in the stock of renewable resources and cites important examples of this activity. By introducing joint harvesting and replenishment strategies into a model of renewable resource use, the analysis adds descriptive reality and relevance to positive and normative discussions of renewable natural resource use. A high price for the yield or a high discount rate tend to diminish the size of the optimum stationary stock of the resource with a non-replenishment harvesting strategy. Optimal non-replenishment harvesting strategies for renewable natural resources will exhaustion or extirpation of the resource if the price of the yield or the discount rate are sufficiently large. However, the availability of a replenishment technology and the use of replenishment activities tends to buffer the resource against exhaustion or extirpation.

Taking stock of the occupational safety and health challenges of nanotechnology: 2000-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulte, P. A.; Roth, G.; Hodson, L. L.; Murashov, V.; Hoover, M. D.; Zumwalde, R.; Kuempel, E. D.; Geraci, C. L.; Stefaniak, A. B.; Castranova, V.; Howard, J.

2016-06-01

Engineered nanomaterials significantly entered commerce at the beginning of the 21st century. Concerns about serious potential health effects of nanomaterials were widespread. Now, approximately 15 years later, it is worthwhile to take stock of research and efforts to protect nanomaterial workers from potential risks of adverse health effects. This article provides and examines timelines for major functional areas (toxicology, metrology, exposure assessment, engineering controls and personal protective equipment, risk assessment, risk management, medical surveillance, and epidemiology) to identify significant contributions to worker safety and health. The occupational safety and health field has responded effectively to identify gaps in knowledge and practice, but further research is warranted and is described. There is now a greater, if imperfect, understanding of the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle toxicology, hazards to workers, and appropriate controls for nanomaterials, but unified analytical standards and exposure characterization methods are still lacking. The development of control-banding and similar strategies has compensated for incomplete data on exposure and risk, but it is unknown how widely such approaches are being adopted. Although the importance of epidemiologic studies and medical surveillance is recognized, implementation has been slowed by logistical issues. Responsible development of nanotechnology requires protection of workers at all stages of the technological life cycle. In each of the functional areas assessed, progress has been made, but more is required.

Taking stock of the occupational safety and health challenges of nanotechnology: 2000-2015.

PubMed

Schulte, P A; Roth, G; Hodson, L L; Murashov, V; Hoover, M D; Zumwalde, R; Kuempel, E D; Geraci, C L; Stefaniak, A B; Castranova, V; Howard, J

2016-06-01

Engineered nanomaterials significantly entered commerce at the beginning of the 21st century. Concerns about serious potential health effects of nanomaterials were widespread. Now, approximately 15 years later, it is worthwhile to take stock of research and efforts to protect nanomaterial workers from potential risks of adverse health effects. This article provides and examines timelines for major functional areas (toxicology, metrology, exposure assessment, engineering controls and personal protective equipment, risk assessment, risk management, medical surveillance, and epidemiology) to identify significant contributions to worker safety and health. The occupational safety and health field has responded effectively to identify gaps in knowledge and practice, but further research is warranted and is described. There is now a greater, if imperfect, understanding of the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle toxicology, hazards to workers, and appropriate controls for nanomaterials, but unified analytical standards and exposure characterization methods are still lacking. The development of control-banding and similar strategies has compensated for incomplete data on exposure and risk, but it is unknown how widely such approaches are being adopted. Although the importance of epidemiologic studies and medical surveillance is recognized, implementation has been slowed by logistical issues. Responsible development of nanotechnology requires protection of workers at all stages of the technological life cycle. In each of the functional areas assessed, progress has been made, but more is required.

Taking stock of the occupational safety and health challenges of nanotechnology: 2000–2015

PubMed Central

Roth, G.; Hodson, L. L.; Murashov, V.; Hoover, M. D.; Zumwalde, R.; Kuempel, E. D.; Geraci, C. L.; Stefaniak, A. B.; Castranova, V.; Howard, J.

2016-01-01

Engineered nanomaterials significantly entered commerce at the beginning of the 21st century. Concerns about serious potential health effects of nanomaterials were widespread. Now, approximately 15 years later, it is worthwhile to take stock of research and efforts to protect nanomaterial workers from potential risks of adverse health effects. This article provides and examines timelines for major functional areas (toxicology, metrology, exposure assessment, engineering controls and personal protective equipment, risk assessment, risk management, medical surveillance, and epidemiology) to identify significant contributions to worker safety and health. The occupational safety and health field has responded effectively to identify gaps in knowledge and practice, but further research is warranted and is described. There is now a greater, if imperfect, understanding of the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle toxicology, hazards to workers, and appropriate controls for nanomaterials, but unified analytical standards and exposure characterization methods are still lacking. The development of control-banding and similar strategies has compensated for incomplete data on exposure and risk, but it is unknown how widely such approaches are being adopted. Although the importance of epidemiologic studies and medical surveillance is recognized, implementation has been slowed by logistical issues. Responsible development of nanotechnology requires protection of workers at all stages of the technological life cycle. In each of the functional areas assessed, progress has been made, but more is required. PMID:27594804

Residential building codes, affordability, and health protection: a risk-tradeoff approach.

PubMed

Hammitt, J K; Belsky, E S; Levy, J I; Graham, J D

1999-12-01

Residential building codes intended to promote health and safety may produce unintended countervailing risks by adding to the cost of construction. Higher construction costs increase the price of new homes and may increase health and safety risks through "income" and "stock" effects. The income effect arises because households that purchase a new home have less income remaining for spending on other goods that contribute to health and safety. The stock effect arises because suppression of new-home construction leads to slower replacement of less safe housing units. These countervailing risks are not presently considered in code debates. We demonstrate the feasibility of estimating the approximate magnitude of countervailing risks by combining the income effect with three relatively well understood and significant home-health risks. We estimate that a code change that increases the nationwide cost of constructing and maintaining homes by $150 (0.1% of the average cost to build a single-family home) would induce offsetting risks yielding between 2 and 60 premature fatalities or, including morbidity effects, between 20 and 800 lost quality-adjusted life years (both discounted at 3%) each year the code provision remains in effect. To provide a net health benefit, the code change would need to reduce risk by at least this amount. Future research should refine these estimates, incorporate quantitative uncertainty analysis, and apply a full risk-tradeoff approach to real-world case studies of proposed code changes.

Ant colony algorithm for clustering in portfolio optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subekti, R.; Sari, E. R.; Kusumawati, R.

2018-03-01

This research aims to describe portfolio optimization using clustering methods with ant colony approach. Two stock portfolios of LQ45 Indonesia is proposed based on the cluster results obtained from ant colony optimization (ACO). The first portfolio consists of assets with ant colony displacement opportunities beyond the defined probability limits of the researcher, where the weight of each asset is determined by mean-variance method. The second portfolio consists of two assets with the assumption that each asset is a cluster formed from ACO. The first portfolio has a better performance compared to the second portfolio seen from the Sharpe index.

Biomass and carbon stock potential of Gliricidia Sepium as an alternative energy at Timor Tengah Utara Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prima, F. H.; Hariyadi; Hartono, A.

2018-03-01

The utilization of biomass from plants is one efforts for the fulfillment an availability of alternative energy in indonesia. Gliricidia sepium is a tolerant species that can grow in dry land. However its utilization as renewable energy source is non-optimized. This study aims to analyze the potential carbon stocks and biomass from Gliricidia sepium as a raw material for alternative energy in East Nusa Tenggara. This study was conducted in November 2015 and located in Humusu Sainiup, Timor Tengah Utara Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. The method used in collecting data was applied in three different land-use, namely monoculture Gliricidia sepium, polyculture between Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala, and polyculture between Gliricidia sepium and Zea mays. We used the allometric equation from Ketterings namely B = 0.11ρD2+0,62 and C = 0.5 x B. The results showed that the different land-use will give different value of carbon stocks which is in this study the biggest value of carbon stocks was found in monoculture of Gliricidia sp (35.35 tC ha-1) compared with Gliricidia sp + Leucaena sp (18.83 tC ha-1), and Gliricidia sp + Zea mays (13.79 tC ha-1). The value of biomass and carbon stocks was influenced by wood density, trees density, and diameter at breast height (dbh).

Depth Filters Containing Diatomite Achieve More Efficient Particle Retention than Filters Solely Containing Cellulose Fibers

PubMed Central

Buyel, Johannes F.; Gruchow, Hannah M.; Fischer, Rainer

2015-01-01

The clarification of biological feed stocks during the production of biopharmaceutical proteins is challenging when large quantities of particles must be removed, e.g., when processing crude plant extracts. Single-use depth filters are often preferred for clarification because they are simple to integrate and have a good safety profile. However, the combination of filter layers must be optimized in terms of nominal retention ratings to account for the unique particle size distribution in each feed stock. We have recently shown that predictive models can facilitate filter screening and the selection of appropriate filter layers. Here we expand our previous study by testing several filters with different retention ratings. The filters typically contain diatomite to facilitate the removal of fine particles. However, diatomite can interfere with the recovery of large biopharmaceutical molecules such as virus-like particles and aggregated proteins. Therefore, we also tested filtration devices composed solely of cellulose fibers and cohesive resin. The capacities of both filter types varied from 10 to 50 L m−2 when challenged with tobacco leaf extracts, but the filtrate turbidity was ~500-fold lower (~3.5 NTU) when diatomite filters were used. We also tested pre–coat filtration with dispersed diatomite, which achieved capacities of up to 120 L m−2 with turbidities of ~100 NTU using bulk plant extracts, and in contrast to the other depth filters did not require an upstream bag filter. Single pre-coat filtration devices can thus replace combinations of bag and depth filters to simplify the processing of plant extracts, potentially saving on time, labor and consumables. The protein concentrations of TSP, DsRed and antibody 2G12 were not affected by pre-coat filtration, indicating its general applicability during the manufacture of plant-derived biopharmaceutical proteins. PMID:26734037

Depth Filters Containing Diatomite Achieve More Efficient Particle Retention than Filters Solely Containing Cellulose Fibers.

PubMed

Buyel, Johannes F; Gruchow, Hannah M; Fischer, Rainer

2015-01-01

The clarification of biological feed stocks during the production of biopharmaceutical proteins is challenging when large quantities of particles must be removed, e.g., when processing crude plant extracts. Single-use depth filters are often preferred for clarification because they are simple to integrate and have a good safety profile. However, the combination of filter layers must be optimized in terms of nominal retention ratings to account for the unique particle size distribution in each feed stock. We have recently shown that predictive models can facilitate filter screening and the selection of appropriate filter layers. Here we expand our previous study by testing several filters with different retention ratings. The filters typically contain diatomite to facilitate the removal of fine particles. However, diatomite can interfere with the recovery of large biopharmaceutical molecules such as virus-like particles and aggregated proteins. Therefore, we also tested filtration devices composed solely of cellulose fibers and cohesive resin. The capacities of both filter types varied from 10 to 50 L m(-2) when challenged with tobacco leaf extracts, but the filtrate turbidity was ~500-fold lower (~3.5 NTU) when diatomite filters were used. We also tested pre-coat filtration with dispersed diatomite, which achieved capacities of up to 120 L m(-2) with turbidities of ~100 NTU using bulk plant extracts, and in contrast to the other depth filters did not require an upstream bag filter. Single pre-coat filtration devices can thus replace combinations of bag and depth filters to simplify the processing of plant extracts, potentially saving on time, labor and consumables. The protein concentrations of TSP, DsRed and antibody 2G12 were not affected by pre-coat filtration, indicating its general applicability during the manufacture of plant-derived biopharmaceutical proteins.

Optimal execution with price impact under Cumulative Prospect Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jingdong; Zhu, Hongliang; Li, Xindan

2018-01-01

Optimal execution of a stock (or portfolio) has been widely studied in academia and in practice over the past decade, and minimizing transaction costs is a critical point. However, few researchers consider the psychological factors for the traders. What are traders truly concerned with - buying low in the paper accounts or buying lower compared to others? We consider the optimal trading strategies in terms of the price impact and Cumulative Prospect Theory and identify some specific properties. Our analyses indicate that a large proportion of the execution volume is distributed at both ends of the transaction time. But the trader's optimal strategies may not be implemented at the same transaction size and speed in different market environments.

Scale-free avalanche dynamics in the stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartolozzi, M.; Leinweber, D. B.; Thomas, A. W.

2006-10-01

Self-organized criticality (SOC) has been claimed to play an important role in many natural and social systems. In the present work we empirically investigate the relevance of this theory to stock-market dynamics. Avalanches in stock-market indices are identified using a multi-scale wavelet-filtering analysis designed to remove Gaussian noise from the index. Here, new methods are developed to identify the optimal filtering parameters which maximize the noise removal. The filtered time series is reconstructed and compared with the original time series. A statistical analysis of both high-frequency Nasdaq E-mini Futures and daily Dow Jones data is performed. The results of this new analysis confirm earlier results revealing a robust power-law behaviour in the probability distribution function of the sizes, duration and laminar times between avalanches. This power-law behaviour holds the potential to be established as a stylized fact of stock market indices in general. While the memory process, implied by the power-law distribution of the laminar times, is not consistent with classical models for SOC, we note that a power-law distribution of the laminar times cannot be used to rule out self-organized critical behaviour.

Hybrid intelligent methodology to design translation invariant morphological operators for Brazilian stock market prediction.

PubMed

Araújo, Ricardo de A

2010-12-01

This paper presents a hybrid intelligent methodology to design increasing translation invariant morphological operators applied to Brazilian stock market prediction (overcoming the random walk dilemma). The proposed Translation Invariant Morphological Robust Automatic phase-Adjustment (TIMRAA) method consists of a hybrid intelligent model composed of a Modular Morphological Neural Network (MMNN) with a Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm (QIEA), which searches for the best time lags to reconstruct the phase space of the time series generator phenomenon and determines the initial (sub-optimal) parameters of the MMNN. Each individual of the QIEA population is further trained by the Back Propagation (BP) algorithm to improve the MMNN parameters supplied by the QIEA. Also, for each prediction model generated, it uses a behavioral statistical test and a phase fix procedure to adjust time phase distortions observed in stock market time series. Furthermore, an experimental analysis is conducted with the proposed method through four Brazilian stock market time series, and the achieved results are discussed and compared to results found with random walk models and the previously introduced Time-delay Added Evolutionary Forecasting (TAEF) and Morphological-Rank-Linear Time-lag Added Evolutionary Forecasting (MRLTAEF) methods. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions.

PubMed

Jarrar, Mu'taman; Abdul Rahman, Hamzah; Don, Mohammad Sobri

2015-10-20

Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety. The country health plan of Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and the MOH Malaysia Annual Reports were reviewed. The MOH has set four strategies for optimizing quality and sustaining quality of life. The 10th Malaysia Health Plan promotes the theme "1 Care for 1 Malaysia" in order to sustain the quality of care. Despite of these efforts, the total number of complaints received by the medico-legal section of the MOH Malaysia is increasing. The current global initiatives indicted that quality performance generally belong to three main categories: patient; staffing; and working environment related factors. There is no single intervention for optimizing quality of care to maintain patient safety. Multidimensional efforts and interventions are recommended in order to optimize the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia.

Optimizing Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Malaysia: The Current Global Initiatives, Gaps and Suggested Solutions

PubMed Central

Jarrar, Mu’taman; Rahman, Hamzah Abdul; Don, Mohammad Sobri

2016-01-01

Background and Objective: Demand for health care service has significantly increased, while the quality of healthcare and patient safety has become national and international priorities. This paper aims to identify the gaps and the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. Design: Review of the current literature. Highly cited articles were used as the basis to retrieve and review the current initiatives for optimizing the quality of care and patient safety. The country health plan of Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia and the MOH Malaysia Annual Reports were reviewed. Results: The MOH has set four strategies for optimizing quality and sustaining quality of life. The 10th Malaysia Health Plan promotes the theme “1 Care for 1 Malaysia” in order to sustain the quality of care. Despite of these efforts, the total number of complaints received by the medico-legal section of the MOH Malaysia is increasing. The current global initiatives indicted that quality performance generally belong to three main categories: patient; staffing; and working environment related factors. Conclusions: There is no single intervention for optimizing quality of care to maintain patient safety. Multidimensional efforts and interventions are recommended in order to optimize the quality of care and patient safety in Malaysia. PMID:26755459

Dynamic Portfolio Strategy Using Clustering Approach

PubMed Central

Lu, Ya-Nan; Li, Sai-Ping; Jiang, Xiong-Fei; Zhong, Li-Xin; Qiu, Tian

2017-01-01

The problem of portfolio optimization is one of the most important issues in asset management. We here propose a new dynamic portfolio strategy based on the time-varying structures of MST networks in Chinese stock markets, where the market condition is further considered when using the optimal portfolios for investment. A portfolio strategy comprises two stages: First, select the portfolios by choosing central and peripheral stocks in the selection horizon using five topological parameters, namely degree, betweenness centrality, distance on degree criterion, distance on correlation criterion and distance on distance criterion. Second, use the portfolios for investment in the investment horizon. The optimal portfolio is chosen by comparing central and peripheral portfolios under different combinations of market conditions in the selection and investment horizons. Market conditions in our paper are identified by the ratios of the number of trading days with rising index to the total number of trading days, or the sum of the amplitudes of the trading days with rising index to the sum of the amplitudes of the total trading days. We find that central portfolios outperform peripheral portfolios when the market is under a drawup condition, or when the market is stable or drawup in the selection horizon and is under a stable condition in the investment horizon. We also find that peripheral portfolios gain more than central portfolios when the market is stable in the selection horizon and is drawdown in the investment horizon. Empirical tests are carried out based on the optimal portfolio strategy. Among all possible optimal portfolio strategies based on different parameters to select portfolios and different criteria to identify market conditions, 65% of our optimal portfolio strategies outperform the random strategy for the Shanghai A-Share market while the proportion is 70% for the Shenzhen A-Share market. PMID:28129333

Dynamic Portfolio Strategy Using Clustering Approach.

PubMed

Ren, Fei; Lu, Ya-Nan; Li, Sai-Ping; Jiang, Xiong-Fei; Zhong, Li-Xin; Qiu, Tian

2017-01-01

The problem of portfolio optimization is one of the most important issues in asset management. We here propose a new dynamic portfolio strategy based on the time-varying structures of MST networks in Chinese stock markets, where the market condition is further considered when using the optimal portfolios for investment. A portfolio strategy comprises two stages: First, select the portfolios by choosing central and peripheral stocks in the selection horizon using five topological parameters, namely degree, betweenness centrality, distance on degree criterion, distance on correlation criterion and distance on distance criterion. Second, use the portfolios for investment in the investment horizon. The optimal portfolio is chosen by comparing central and peripheral portfolios under different combinations of market conditions in the selection and investment horizons. Market conditions in our paper are identified by the ratios of the number of trading days with rising index to the total number of trading days, or the sum of the amplitudes of the trading days with rising index to the sum of the amplitudes of the total trading days. We find that central portfolios outperform peripheral portfolios when the market is under a drawup condition, or when the market is stable or drawup in the selection horizon and is under a stable condition in the investment horizon. We also find that peripheral portfolios gain more than central portfolios when the market is stable in the selection horizon and is drawdown in the investment horizon. Empirical tests are carried out based on the optimal portfolio strategy. Among all possible optimal portfolio strategies based on different parameters to select portfolios and different criteria to identify market conditions, 65% of our optimal portfolio strategies outperform the random strategy for the Shanghai A-Share market while the proportion is 70% for the Shenzhen A-Share market.

Managing rangelands for multiple ecosystem services: Beyond Bement (1969)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many rangelands have traditionally been managed to optimize livestock production through the use of sustainable stocking rates. One of the seminal research papers on this subject was published by Robert (Bob) Bement in the Journal of Range Management in 1969 (volume 22, pages 83-86). This paper, ent...

Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity

PubMed Central

Huss, Michael; Duhan, Praveen; Gandhi, Preetam; Chen, Chien-Wei; Spannhuth, Carsten; Kumar, Vinod

2017-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by hyperactivity and/or inattention and is often associated with a substantial impact on psychosocial functioning. Methylphenidate (MPH), a central nervous system stimulant, is commonly used for pharmacological treatment of adults and children with ADHD. Current practice guidelines recommend optimizing MPH dosage to individual patient needs; however, the clinical benefits of individual dose optimization compared with fixed-dose regimens remain unclear. Here we review the available literature on MPH dose optimization from clinical trials and real-world experience on ADHD management. In addition, we report safety and efficacy data from the largest MPH modified-release long-acting Phase III clinical trial conducted to examine benefits of dose optimization in adults with ADHD. Overall, MPH is an effective ADHD treatment with a good safety profile; data suggest that dose optimization may enhance the safety and efficacy of treatment. Further research is required to establish the extent to which short-term clinical benefits of MPH dose optimization translate into improved long-term outcomes for patients with ADHD. PMID:28740389

Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.

PubMed

Huss, Michael; Duhan, Praveen; Gandhi, Preetam; Chen, Chien-Wei; Spannhuth, Carsten; Kumar, Vinod

2017-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by hyperactivity and/or inattention and is often associated with a substantial impact on psychosocial functioning. Methylphenidate (MPH), a central nervous system stimulant, is commonly used for pharmacological treatment of adults and children with ADHD. Current practice guidelines recommend optimizing MPH dosage to individual patient needs; however, the clinical benefits of individual dose optimization compared with fixed-dose regimens remain unclear. Here we review the available literature on MPH dose optimization from clinical trials and real-world experience on ADHD management. In addition, we report safety and efficacy data from the largest MPH modified-release long-acting Phase III clinical trial conducted to examine benefits of dose optimization in adults with ADHD. Overall, MPH is an effective ADHD treatment with a good safety profile; data suggest that dose optimization may enhance the safety and efficacy of treatment. Further research is required to establish the extent to which short-term clinical benefits of MPH dose optimization translate into improved long-term outcomes for patients with ADHD.

Portfolio optimization by using linear programing models based on genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukono; Hidayat, Y.; Lesmana, E.; Putra, A. S.; Napitupulu, H.; Supian, S.

2018-01-01

In this paper, we discussed the investment portfolio optimization using linear programming model based on genetic algorithms. It is assumed that the portfolio risk is measured by absolute standard deviation, and each investor has a risk tolerance on the investment portfolio. To complete the investment portfolio optimization problem, the issue is arranged into a linear programming model. Furthermore, determination of the optimum solution for linear programming is done by using a genetic algorithm. As a numerical illustration, we analyze some of the stocks traded on the capital market in Indonesia. Based on the analysis, it is shown that the portfolio optimization performed by genetic algorithm approach produces more optimal efficient portfolio, compared to the portfolio optimization performed by a linear programming algorithm approach. Therefore, genetic algorithms can be considered as an alternative on determining the investment portfolio optimization, particularly using linear programming models.

Portfolio optimization and the random magnet problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenow, B.; Plerou, V.; Gopikrishnan, P.; Stanley, H. E.

2002-08-01

Diversification of an investment into independently fluctuating assets reduces its risk. In reality, movements of assets are mutually correlated and therefore knowledge of cross-correlations among asset price movements are of great importance. Our results support the possibility that the problem of finding an investment in stocks which exposes invested funds to a minimum level of risk is analogous to the problem of finding the magnetization of a random magnet. The interactions for this "random magnet problem" are given by the cross-correlation matrix C of stock returns. We find that random matrix theory allows us to make an estimate for C which outperforms the standard estimate in terms of constructing an investment which carries a minimum level of risk.

Ototoxic occupational exposures for a stock car racing team: I. Noise surveys.

PubMed

Van Campen, Luann E; Morata, Thais; Kardous, Chucri A; Gwin, Kristin; Wallingford, Kenneth M; Dallaire, Jacques; Alvarez, Frank J

2005-08-01

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) surveyed noise exposure for a professional stock car team at their race shop and during two races at one racetrack. At the team's shop, area sound pressure levels (SPLs) were measured for various work tasks. Equivalent levels (Leqs) ranged from 58 to 104 decibels, A-weighted (dBA). Personal noise dosimetry was conducted for at least one employee for each job description in race car assembly (n = 9). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 90 dBA for an 8-hour, 5-dB exchange rate time-weighted average (TWA) was never exceeded, but in two instances values exceeded OSHA's action level of 85 dBA for hearing conservation implementation. The NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) of 85 dBA for a 3-dB exchange rate Leq was exceeded for five of the measured jobs. During the races, SPLs averaged above 100 dBA in the pit area where cars undergo adjustments/refueling, both before and during the race. Peak levels reached 140 dB SPL. NIOSH REL was exceeded for every personal noise dosimetry measurement. Recommendations for hearing protection and communication are presented.

[Optimal versus maximal safety of the blood transfusion chain in The Netherlands; results of a conference. College for Blood Transfusion of the Dutch Red Cross].

PubMed

van der Poel, C L; de Boer, J E; Reesink, H W; Sibinga, C T

1998-02-07

An invitational conference was held on September 11, 1996 by the Medical Advisory Commission to the Blood Transfusion Council of the Netherlands Red Cross, addressing the issues of 'maximal' versus 'optimal' safety measures for the blood supply. Invited were blood transfusion specialists, clinicians, representatives of patient interest groups, the Ministry and Inspectorate of Health and members of parliament. Transfusion experts and clinicians were found to advocate an optimal course, following strategies of evidence-based medicine, cost-benefit analyses and medical technology assessment. Patient groups depending on blood products, such as haemophilia patients would rather opt for maximal safety. Insurance companies would choose likewise, to exclude any risk if possible. Health care juridical advisers would advise to choose for optimal safety, but to reserve funds covering the differences with 'maximal safety' in case of litigation. Politicians and the general public would sooner choose for maximal rather than optimal security. The overall impression persists that however small the statistical risk may be, in the eyes of many it is unacceptable. This view is very stubborn.

Occupational safety and health aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Japanese companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) first section.

PubMed

Kawashita, Futoshi; Taniyama, Yukari; Hwi, Song You; Fujisaki, Takeshi; Kameda, Takashi; Mori, Koji

2005-11-01

Recently, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming widely recognized as an issue for Japanese companies. Corporate responsibility for employees is considered important by various stakeholders, and occupational safety and health is regarded as one of these responsibilities. The present authors examined this issue from the viewpoint of corporate management by analysis of statements found in CSR-related reports. For companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), we searched for CSR-related reports, and titles and contents, based on two established guidelines: the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2002 as the international reference and the Environmental Reporting Guidelines of the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, as the domestic reference. Corporations that published CSR reports were 26.3% (416/1,581) of the total, and large differences were recognized by type of industry. Comparing the numbers of pages for various contents, more concern was shown about the environment than about social activity, indicating the environment to be the main issue of CSR in Japan. In the items included in the guidelines, many matters about occupational accidents were mentioned, but it was found that statements regarding HIV/AIDS, which is not of such strong social concern in Japan, and statements regarding the costs of safety that are difficult to calculate were few. However, statements regarding mental health, which is of high interest socially, were many, even though this issue is not included in the two guidelines used. In revising the guidelines, these matters should be reviewed. In the future, continuance of analysis of CSR-related reports with regard to changes and comparisons with overseas reports will help improve occupational safety and health.

Some Results of Weak Anticipative Concept Applied in Simulation Based Decision Support in Enterprise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kljajić, Miroljub; Kofjač, Davorin; Kljajić Borštnar, Mirjana; Škraba, Andrej

2010-11-01

The simulation models are used as for decision support and learning in enterprises and in schools. Tree cases of successful applications demonstrate usefulness of weak anticipative information. Job shop scheduling production with makespan criterion presents a real case customized flexible furniture production optimization. The genetic algorithm for job shop scheduling optimization is presented. Simulation based inventory control for products with stochastic lead time and demand describes inventory optimization for products with stochastic lead time and demand. Dynamic programming and fuzzy control algorithms reduce the total cost without producing stock-outs in most cases. Values of decision making information based on simulation were discussed too. All two cases will be discussed from optimization, modeling and learning point of view.

Empirical behavior of a world stock index from intra-day to monthly time scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breymann, W.; Lüthi, D. R.; Platen, E.

2009-10-01

Most of the papers that study the distributional and fractal properties of financial instruments focus on stock prices or foreign exchange rates. This typically leads to mixed results concerning the distributions of log-returns and some multi-fractal properties of exchange rates, stock prices, and regional indices. This paper uses a well diversified world stock index as the central object of analysis. Such index approximates the growth optimal portfolio, which is demonstrated under the benchmark approach, it is the ideal reference unit for studying basic securities. When denominating this world index in units of a given currency, one measures the movements of the currency against the entire market. This provides a least disturbed observation of the currency dynamics. In this manner, one can expect to disentangle, e.g., the superposition of the two currencies involved in an exchange rate. This benchmark approach to the empirical analysis of financial data allows us to establish remarkable stylized facts. Most important is the observation that the repeatedly documented multi-fractal appearance of financial time series is very weak and much less pronounced than the deviation of the mono-scaling properties from Brownian-motion type scaling. The generalized Hurst exponent H(2) assumes typical values between 0.55 and 0.6. Accordingly, autocorrelations of log-returns decay according to a power law, and the quadratic variation vanishes when going to vanishing observation time step size. Furthermore, one can identify the Student t distribution as the log-return distribution of a well-diversified world stock index for long time horizons when a long enough data series is used for estimation. The study of dependence properties, finally, reveals that jumps at daily horizon originate primarily in the stock market while at 5min horizon they originate in the foreign exchange market. The principal message of the empirical analysis is that there is evidence that a diffusion model without multi-scaling could reasonably well model the dynamics of a broadly diversified world stock index. in here

[Improvement of sanitary and epidemiological safety of rail transport--a requirement of the new legislation of the Russian Federation].

PubMed

2012-01-01

Brief analysis of the legal framework in recent years, both in the sphere of technical regulation, and in the field of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population is presented in this article. The necessity of inclusion in the technical regulations for the safety of railway rolling stock and elements of railway infrastructure the requirements for sanitary-epidemiological safety and hygiene regulations has been proved. Fragments of technical regulations for railway equipment and infrastructure elements, including the basic requirements for the sanitary-epidemiological security are presented. The position of authors in the processing of the regulatory framework in the field of sanitary-epidemiological welfare of population in standardization documents in accordance with the requirements of federal law "On technical regulation" has been reflected.

Sensemaking and the co-production of safety: a qualitative study of primary medical care patients.

PubMed

Rhodes, Penny; McDonald, Ruth; Campbell, Stephen; Daker-White, Gavin; Sanders, Caroline

2016-02-01

This study explores the ways in which patients make sense of 'safety' in the context of primary medical care. Drawing on qualitative interviews with primary care patients, we reveal patients' conceptualisation of safety as fluid, contingent, multi-dimensional, and negotiated. Participant accounts drew attention to a largely invisible and inaccessible (but taken for granted) architecture of safety, the importance of psycho-social as well as physical dimensions and the interactions between them, informal strategies for negotiating safety, and the moral dimension of safety. Participants reported being proactive in taking action to protect themselves from potential harm. The somewhat routinised and predictable nature of the primary medical care consultation, which is very different from 'one off' inpatient spells, meant that patients were not passive recipients of care. Instead they had a stock of accumulated knowledge and experience to inform their actions. In addition to highlighting the differences and similarities between hospital and primary care settings, the study suggests that a broad conceptualisation of patient safety is required, which encompasses the safety concerns of patients in primary care settings. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for SHIL.

Social Capital by Design: Normative Systems and Social Structures in Six High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Helen M.

This paper focuses on investigating the purposive design of learning environments to counter the erosion of social capital in communities and schools in contemporary society. Can schools intentionally replenish stocks of social capital by creating normative systems conducive to the optimal academic and social development of students, and by…

Phomopsis and Sudden Oak Death: A Tale of Two Nursery Nuisances

Treesearch

Bruce D. Moltzan

2006-01-01

Tree nurseries, by their very nature, provide key components of the disease triangle (pathogen, host, and environment) simply by the widespread planting of susceptible host(s) grown under optimal conditions. Pathogens can severely impact the quality and quantity of seedling stock, making pest management a high priority in successful nursery practice. Careful...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vanderbei, Robert J., E-mail: rvdb@princeton.edu; P Latin-Small-Letter-Dotless-I nar, Mustafa C., E-mail: mustafap@bilkent.edu.tr; Bozkaya, Efe B.

An American option (or, warrant) is the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell an underlying equity at any time up to a predetermined expiration date for a predetermined amount. A perpetual American option differs from a plain American option in that it does not expire. In this study, we solve the optimal stopping problem of a perpetual American option (both call and put) in discrete time using linear programming duality. Under the assumption that the underlying stock price follows a discrete time and discrete state Markov process, namely a geometric random walk, we formulate the pricing problemmore » as an infinite dimensional linear programming (LP) problem using the excessive-majorant property of the value function. This formulation allows us to solve complementary slackness conditions in closed-form, revealing an optimal stopping strategy which highlights the set of stock-prices where the option should be exercised. The analysis for the call option reveals that such a critical value exists only in some cases, depending on a combination of state-transition probabilities and the economic discount factor (i.e., the prevailing interest rate) whereas it ceases to be an issue for the put.« less

Periodic inventory system in cafeteria using linear programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usop, Mohd Fais; Ishak, Ruzana; Hamdan, Ahmad Ridhuan

2017-11-01

Inventory management is an important factor in running a business. It plays a big role of managing the stock in cafeteria. If the inventories are failed to be managed wisely, it will affect the profit of the cafeteria. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find the solution of the inventory management in cafeteria. Most of the cafeteria in Malaysia did not manage their stock well. Therefore, this study is to propose a database system of inventory management and to develop the inventory model in cafeteria management. In this study, new database system to improve the management of the stock in a weekly basis will be provided using Linear Programming Model to get the optimal range of the inventory needed for selected categories. Data that were collected by using the Periodic Inventory System at the end of the week within three months period being analyzed by using the Food Stock-take Database. The inventory model was developed from the collected data according to the category of the inventory in the cafeteria. Results showed the effectiveness of using the Periodic Inventory System and will be very helpful to the cafeteria management in organizing the inventory. Moreover, the findings in this study can reduce the cost of operation and increased the profit.

Optimal execution in high-frequency trading with Bayesian learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Bian; Zhu, Hongliang; Zhao, Jingdong

2016-11-01

We consider optimal trading strategies in which traders submit bid and ask quotes to maximize the expected quadratic utility of total terminal wealth in a limit order book. The trader's bid and ask quotes will be changed by the Poisson arrival of market orders. Meanwhile, the trader may update his estimate of other traders' target sizes and directions by Bayesian learning. The solution of optimal execution in the limit order book is a two-step procedure. First, we model an inactive trading with no limit order in the market. The dealer simply holds dollars and shares of stocks until terminal time. Second, he calibrates his bid and ask quotes to the limit order book. The optimal solutions are given by dynamic programming and in fact they are globally optimal. We also give numerical simulation to the value function and optimal quotes at the last part of the article.

[Measurement of airborne asbestos fibers on railroad rolling stock].

PubMed

Camilucci, L; Catasta, P F; Chiappino, G; Governa, M; Munafò, E; Verduchi, P; Paba, G

2000-01-01

In February 1995 the Italian Railways Health Department set up a special study group in order to assess the effectiveness of the measures adopted against hazards due to the presence of asbestos in rolling stock currently in use on the rail network. The group set up specific procedures for sampling and analysis, on the basis of the criteria fixed for civil buildings in Ministerial Decree of 6/9/94, which was subsequently applied to rolling stock by Ministerial Decree of 26/10/95. In accordance with these procedures the study group carried out environmental studies via test runs programmed by the Railways Technical Departments, on trains made up of different types of vehicles. Insulated, completely or partially deinsulated and originally non-insulated vehicles were studied. Samples were analysed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elementary dispersion X spectroscopy (EDXS) carried out by highly qualified public laboratories (ISPESL--National Institute for Prevention and Work Safety, ARPA--Regional Environmental Protection Agency, CRA--Veneto Region, University Departments). Altogether, from the start of the programme up to September 1998, 1464 samples in 170 test runs on 619 rolling stock vehicles were examined. These involved 83 locomotives, 83 electric rail-cars and 453 carriages. The results showed that in over 99% of the samples the fibre concentrations were below 2 fibres/litre, which is the value fixed by law for buildings and rail vehicles in order to qualify for effective decontamination status. Values exceeding 2 fibres/litre were found in only 4 vehicles, which were withdrawn or blocked for further checks. As a precaution, 18 vehicles where concentrations over 1 but less than 2 fibres/litre were found, were also blocked and their return to service has been postponed for further checks and analyses until the results show concentrations below 1 fibre/litre. Environmental analyses carried out up to the present indicate an overall situation comparable to that usually found in the general environmental without any asbestos dispersion sources. Surveillance and investigations are still under way in order to achieve the aims of the safety programme set up by the Italian Railways to ensure health and environmental protection.

Carbon accretion in unthinned and thinned young-growth forest stands of the Alaskan perhumid coastal temperate rainforest.

PubMed

D'Amore, David V; Oken, Kiva L; Herendeen, Paul A; Steel, E Ashley; Hennon, Paul E

2015-12-01

Accounting for carbon gains and losses in young-growth forests is a key part of carbon assessments. A common silvicultural practice in young forests is thinning to increase the growth rate of residual trees. However, the effect of thinning on total stand carbon stock in these stands is uncertain. In this study we used data from 284 long-term growth and yield plots to quantify the carbon stock in unthinned and thinned young growth conifer stands in the Alaskan coastal temperate rainforest. We estimated carbon stocks and carbon accretion rates for three thinning treatments (basal area removal of 47, 60, and 73 %) and a no-thin treatment across a range of productivity classes and ages. We also accounted for the carbon content in dead trees to quantify the influence of both thinning and natural mortality in unthinned stands. The total tree carbon stock in naturally-regenerating unthinned young-growth forests estimated as the asymptote of the accretion curve was 484 (±26) Mg C ha -1 for live and dead trees and 398 (±20) Mg C ha -1 for live trees only. The total tree carbon stock was reduced by 16, 26, and 39 % at stand age 40 y across the increasing range of basal area removal. Modeled linear carbon accretion rates of stands 40 years after treatment were not markedly different with increasing intensity of basal area removal from reference stand values of 4.45 Mg C ha -1  year -1 to treatment stand values of 5.01, 4.83, and 4.68 Mg C ha -1  year -1 respectively. However, the carbon stock reduction in thinned stands compared to the stock of carbon in the unthinned plots was maintained over the entire 100 year period of observation. Thinning treatments in regenerating forest stands reduce forest carbon stocks, while carbon accretion rates recovered and were similar to unthinned stands. However, that the reduction of carbon stocks in thinned stands persisted for a century indicate that the unthinned treatment option is the optimal choice for short-term carbon sequestration. Other ecologically beneficial results of thinning may override the loss of carbon due to treatment. Our model estimates can be used to calculate regional carbon losses, alleviating uncertainty in calculating the carbon cost of the treatments.

Robust portfolio selection based on asymmetric measures of variability of stock returns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wei; Tan, Shaohua

2009-10-01

This paper addresses a new uncertainty set--interval random uncertainty set for robust optimization. The form of interval random uncertainty set makes it suitable for capturing the downside and upside deviations of real-world data. These deviation measures capture distributional asymmetry and lead to better optimization results. We also apply our interval random chance-constrained programming to robust mean-variance portfolio selection under interval random uncertainty sets in the elements of mean vector and covariance matrix. Numerical experiments with real market data indicate that our approach results in better portfolio performance.

A hybrid multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm and Monte Carlo method for robust safety design of a rail vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nejlaoui, Mohamed; Houidi, Ajmi; Affi, Zouhaier; Romdhane, Lotfi

2017-10-01

This paper deals with the robust safety design optimization of a rail vehicle system moving in short radius curved tracks. A combined multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm and Monte Carlo method is developed and used for the robust multi-objective optimization of the rail vehicle system. This robust optimization of rail vehicle safety considers simultaneously the derailment angle and its standard deviation where the design parameters uncertainties are considered. The obtained results showed that the robust design reduces significantly the sensitivity of the rail vehicle safety to the design parameters uncertainties compared to the determinist one and to the literature results.

Optimization of focality and direction in dense electrode array transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guler, Seyhmus; Dannhauer, Moritz; Erem, Burak; Macleod, Rob; Tucker, Don; Turovets, Sergei; Luu, Phan; Erdogmus, Deniz; Brooks, Dana H.

2016-06-01

Objective. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) aims to alter brain function non-invasively via electrodes placed on the scalp. Conventional tDCS uses two relatively large patch electrodes to deliver electrical current to the brain region of interest (ROI). Recent studies have shown that using dense arrays containing up to 512 smaller electrodes may increase the precision of targeting ROIs. However, this creates a need for methods to determine effective and safe stimulus patterns as the number of degrees of freedom is much higher with such arrays. Several approaches to this problem have appeared in the literature. In this paper, we describe a new method for calculating optimal electrode stimulus patterns for targeted and directional modulation in dense array tDCS which differs in some important aspects with methods reported to date. Approach. We optimize stimulus pattern of dense arrays with fixed electrode placement to maximize the current density in a particular direction in the ROI. We impose a flexible set of safety constraints on the current power in the brain, individual electrode currents, and total injected current, to protect subject safety. The proposed optimization problem is convex and thus efficiently solved using existing optimization software to find unique and globally optimal electrode stimulus patterns. Main results. Solutions for four anatomical ROIs based on a realistic head model are shown as exemplary results. To illustrate the differences between our approach and previously introduced methods, we compare our method with two of the other leading methods in the literature. We also report on extensive simulations that show the effect of the values chosen for each proposed safety constraint bound on the optimized stimulus patterns. Significance. The proposed optimization approach employs volume based ROIs, easily adapts to different sets of safety constraints, and takes negligible time to compute. An in-depth comparison study gives insight into the relationship between different objective criteria and optimized stimulus patterns. In addition, the analysis of the interaction between optimized stimulus patterns and safety constraint bounds suggests that more precise current localization in the ROI, with improved safety criterion, may be achieved by careful selection of the constraint bounds.

Exploring effective sampling design for monitoring soil organic carbon in degraded Tibetan grasslands.

PubMed

Chang, Xiaofeng; Bao, Xiaoying; Wang, Shiping; Zhu, Xiaoxue; Luo, Caiyun; Zhang, Zhenhua; Wilkes, Andreas

2016-05-15

The effects of climate change and human activities on grassland degradation and soil carbon stocks have become a focus of both research and policy. However, lack of research on appropriate sampling design prevents accurate assessment of soil carbon stocks and stock changes at community and regional scales. Here, we conducted an intensive survey with 1196 sampling sites over an area of 190 km(2) of degraded alpine meadow. Compared to lightly degraded meadow, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in moderately, heavily and extremely degraded meadow were reduced by 11.0%, 13.5% and 17.9%, respectively. Our field survey sampling design was overly intensive to estimate SOC status with a tolerable uncertainty of 10%. Power analysis showed that the optimal sampling density to achieve the desired accuracy would be 2, 3, 5 and 7 sites per 10 km(2) for lightly, moderately, heavily and extremely degraded meadows, respectively. If a subsequent paired sampling design with the optimum sample size were performed, assuming stock change rates predicted by experimental and modeling results, we estimate that about 5-10 years would be necessary to detect expected trends in SOC in the top 20 cm soil layer. Our results highlight the utility of conducting preliminary surveys to estimate the appropriate sampling density and avoid wasting resources due to over-sampling, and to estimate the sampling interval required to detect an expected sequestration rate. Future studies will be needed to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of SOC variability. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Optimizing lodgepole pine submerchantable log thermomechanical pulp

Treesearch

Gary C. Myers

2004-01-01

To restore and maintain ecosystem health and function in the western interior of the United States, many small-diameter stems need to be removed from densely stocked stands. These stems are considered nonusable or underutilized (good, economical uses need to be developed). As of now, the most logical use for the small-diameter resource is pulp. In this study,...

Bioeconomic Approaches to Sustainable Management of Natural Tropical Forests

Treesearch

Tom Holmes; Erin O. Sills

2016-01-01

Bioeconomic models are idealized representations of human-nature interactions used to describe how the decisions that people make regarding the harvest of biological resources affect the future condition of resource stocks and the flow of net economic benefits. This modeling approach posits an assumed goal or objective that a decision-maker seeks to optimize subject to...

Comparative Analysis of Rank Aggregation Techniques for Metasearch Using Genetic Algorithm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Parneet; Singh, Manpreet; Singh Josan, Gurpreet

2017-01-01

Rank Aggregation techniques have found wide applications for metasearch along with other streams such as Sports, Voting System, Stock Markets, and Reduction in Spam. This paper presents the optimization of rank lists for web queries put by the user on different MetaSearch engines. A metaheuristic approach such as Genetic algorithm based rank…

Elevated Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere: What Might It Mean for Loblolly Pine Plantation Forestry

Treesearch

John W. Groninger; Kurt H. Johnsen; John. R. Seiler; Rodney E. Will; David S. Ellsworth; Chris A. Maier

1999-01-01

Research with loblolly pine suggests that projected increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration will accelerate early growth and could result in shorter rotation length, reduced time until first commercial thinning, higher optimal planting density, and possibly higher maximum stocking level in managed stands. We discuss some of the physiological...

Optimization of feed rates and rearing densities for production of advanced juvenile red drum in recirculating aquaculture systems for stock enhancement

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Saltwater sportfishing for red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, is of immense importance to the recreational saltwater fishing industry from the Gulf of Mexico coastal states through Florida and along the Atlantic seaboard to Maryland and Delaware. Red drum are the second most sought after sportfish in th...

Taking stock: payments for forest ecosystem services in the United States

Treesearch

D Evan Mercer; David Cooley; Katherine Hamilton

2011-01-01

Forests provide a variety of critical services to human societies, including carbon sequestration, water purification, and habitat for millions of species. Because landowners have traditionally not been paid for the services their land provides to society, financial incentives are usually too low to sustain production of services at optimal levels. To remedy this, a...

[Antidotes: use guidelines and minimun stock in an emergency department].

PubMed

García-Martín, A; Torres Santos-Olmos, R

2012-01-01

To develop a guide for antidotes and other medications used to counteract poisoning, and define the stock in an emergency department, as a safety priority for the part-time pharmacist assigned to the unit. A search of specialist databases and web portals of the Spanish Society of Toxicology and the British National Poisons Information Service, as well as toxicology databases, TOXICONET, information from other hospitals, tertiary sources, Micromedex and Medline. The Guide contains 42 active ingredients and is accessible to the Pharmacy and Emergency departments in electronic format. A minimum emergency stock was agreed based on the daily treatment of a 100 kg patient. This information, including updated expiry dates, is available at the emergency department antidote stock facilities and in electronic format. On a monthly basis, the pharmacist reviews the need to replace any drugs, due to their expiry date or lack of use. The lack of evidence from high quality antidote studies, the variability due to the difficulties of updating sources and some geographical differences in their use means that decision-making can be difficult. It would be useful to have minimum quantity recommendations from societies of toxicology, regulatory agencies and organisations such as the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations. It would also be useful to have a suprahospital risk assessment to optimise management and ensure the availability of antidotes which are expensive, have a limited shelf life, or of which demand is difficult to forecast. Copyright © 2011 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Optimising stocking rate and grazing management to enhance environmental and production outcomes for native temperate grasslands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badgery, Warwick; Zhang, Yingjun; Huang, Ding; Broadfoot, Kim; Kemp, David; Mitchell, David

2015-04-01

Stocking rate and grazing management can be altered to enhance the sustainable production of grasslands but the relative influence of each has not often been determined for native temperate grasslands. Grazing management can range from seasonal rests through to intensive rotational grazing involving >30 paddocks. In large scale grazing, it can be difficult to segregate the influence of grazing pressure from the timing of utilisation. Moreover, relative grazing pressure can change between years as seasonal conditions influence grassland production compared to the relative constant requirements of animals. This paper reports on two studies in temperate native grasslands of northern China and south eastern Australia that examined stocking rate and regionally relevant grazing management strategies. In China, the grazing experiment involved combinations of a rest, moderate or heavy grazing pressure of sheep in spring, then moderate or heavy grazing in summer and autumn. Moderate grazing pressure at 50% of the current district average, resulted in the better balance between maintaining productive and diverse grasslands, a profitable livestock system, and mitigation of greenhouse gases through increased soil carbon, methane uptake by the soil, and efficient methane emissions per unit of weight gain. Spring rests best maintained a desirable grassland composition, but had few other benefits and reduced livestock productivity due to lower feed quality from grazing later in the season. In Australia, the grazing experiment compared continuous grazing to flexible 4- and 20-paddock rotational grazing systems with sheep. Stocking rates were adjusted between systems biannually based on the average herbage mass of the grassland. No treatment degraded the perennial pasture composition, but ground cover was maintained at higher levels in the 20-paddock system even though this treatment had a higher stocking rate. Overall there was little difference in livestock production (e.g. kg lamb/ha), because individual animal performance was greater for continuous grazing than higher intensity grazing systems (4-Paddock and 20-Paddock). Differences in SOC, CO2 flux and erosion were determined by landscape position rather than grazing treatment. To remove the confounding influences of stocking rate and grazing management, the Ausfarm biophysical model, calibrated to the experimental treatments, examined the interaction between grazing management and stocking rates. Ground cover and profitability were similar between grazing systems at lower stocking rates (3 ewes per ha), but continuous grazing had higher profitability and lower ground cover above the optimum stocking rate of 4 ewes per ha. The findings of these two studies suggest that optimising stocking rate is more important than grazing management for a sustainable and profitable grazing system. Grazing management can further enhance environmental outcomes for an optimal stocking rate, but the findings from the Chinese study particularly highlight the need to look at multiple ecosystem services, when optimising systems. The Australian study also suggests the optimum stocking rate is dependent on the intensity of grazing management. Further work is required to understand the influence of landscape on grassland production and how stocking rates and grazing management can be sustainably optimised for different landscape areas to utilise this variation more effectively.

Endogenous fertility, Ricardian equivalence, and debt management policy.

PubMed

Lapan, H E; Enders, W

1990-03-01

This paper develops a model in which dynastic families optimally determine fertility. Government debt represents a tax on future generations and on childbearing; the Ricardian Equivalence Hypothesis does not hold. Debt is welfare reducing in that it distorts the fertility decision. An increase in government debt induces a decline in fertility and an increase in the steady state capital/labor ratio. If a government inherits an existing stock of debt, the 1st-best policy is to eliminate the debt immediately. In other situations the optimal debt management policy will not, in general, entail a total elimination of the debt.

The returns and risks of investment portfolio in stock market crashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiang-Cheng; Long, Chao; Chen, Xiao-Dan

2015-06-01

The returns and risks of investment portfolio in stock market crashes are investigated by considering a theoretical model, based on a modified Heston model with a cubic nonlinearity, proposed by Spagnolo and Valenti. Through numerically simulating probability density function of returns and the mean escape time of the model, the results indicate that: (i) the maximum stability of returns is associated with the maximum dispersion of investment portfolio and an optimal stop-loss position; (ii) the maximum risks are related with a worst dispersion of investment portfolio and the risks of investment portfolio are enhanced by increasing stop-loss position. In addition, the good agreements between the theoretical result and real market data are found in the behaviors of the probability density function and the mean escape time.

Optimising the Encapsulation of an Aqueous Bitter Melon Extract by Spray-Drying

PubMed Central

Tan, Sing Pei; Kha, Tuyen Chan; Parks, Sophie; Stathopoulos, Costas; Roach, Paul D.

2015-01-01

Our aim was to optimise the encapsulation of an aqueous bitter melon extract by spray-drying with maltodextrin (MD) and gum Arabic (GA). The response surface methodology models accurately predicted the process yield and retentions of bioactive concentrations and activity (R2 > 0.87). The optimal formulation was predicted and validated as 35% (w/w) stock solution (MD:GA, 1:1) and a ratio of 1.5:1 g/g of the extract to the stock solution. The spray-dried powder had a high process yield (66.2% ± 9.4%) and high retention (>79.5% ± 8.4%) and the quality of the powder was high. Therefore, the bitter melon extract was well encapsulated into a powder using MD/GA and spray-drying. PMID:28231214

Comparison of methods for cultivation and isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis.

PubMed Central

Benes, S; McCormack, W M

1982-01-01

McCoy cells treated with cycloheximide, iododeoxyuridine, and DEAE-dextran and untreated McCoy cells were inoculated with two stock strains of Chlamydia trachomatis and with 231 urethral specimens from men, 53 (23%) of which contained C. trachomatis. Isolation rates, number and quality of inclusions, and quality of the cell monolayers were compared. There were no significant differences between the isolation rates in the four systems, although the most isolations were made in the untreated and cycloheximide-treated cells. Cycloheximide-treated cells produced, from both the clinical specimens and the two stock strains, significantly more inclusions than any of the other systems. The monolayer of the cycloheximide-treated cells and the inclusions that grew in these cells were optimal for examination and detection of C. trachomatis. PMID:6185530

Outdoor stocking density in free-range laying hens: radio-frequency identification of impacts on range use.

PubMed

Campbell, D L M; Hinch, G N; Dyall, T R; Warin, L; Little, B A; Lee, C

2017-01-01

The number and size of free-range laying hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) production systems are increasing within Australia in response to consumer demand for perceived improvement in hen welfare. However, variation in outdoor stocking density has generated consumer dissatisfaction leading to the development of a national information standard on free-range egg labelling by the Australian Consumer Affairs Ministers. The current Australian Model Code of Practice for Domestic Poultry states a guideline of 1500 hens/ha, but no maximum density is set. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking technology was used to measure daily range usage by individual ISA Brown hens housed in six small flocks (150 hens/flock - 50% of hens tagged), each with access to one of three outdoor stocking density treatments (two replicates per treatment: 2000, 10 000, 20 000 hens/ha), from 22 to 26, 27 to 31 and 32 to 36 weeks of age. There was some variation in range usage across the sampling periods and by weeks 32 to 36 individual hens from the lowest stocking density on average used the range for longer each day (P<0.001), with fewer visits and longer maximum durations per visit (P<0.001). Individual hens within all stocking densities varied in the percentage of days they accessed the range with 2% of tagged hens in each treatment never venturing outdoors and a large proportion that accessed the range daily (2000 hens/ha: 80.5%; 10 000 hens/ha: 66.5%; 20 000 hens/ha: 71.4%). On average, 38% to 48% of hens were seen on the range simultaneously and used all available areas of all ranges. These results of experimental-sized flocks have implications for determining optimal outdoor stocking densities for commercial free-range laying hens but further research would be needed to determine the effects of increased range usage on hen welfare.

Control Coordination of Multiple Agents Through Decision Theoretic and Economic Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-02-01

instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information...investigated the design of test data for benchmarking such optimization algorithms. Our other research on combinatorial auctions included I...average combination rule. We exemplified these theoretical results with experiments on stock market data , demonstrating how ensembles of classifiers can

Maximizing carbon storage in the Appalachians: A method for considering the risk of disturbance events

Treesearch

Michael R. Vanderberg; Kevin Boston; John Bailey

2011-01-01

Accounting for the probability of loss due to disturbance events can influence the prediction of carbon flux over a planning horizon, and can affect the determination of optimal silvicultural regimes to maximize terrestrial carbon storage. A preliminary model that includes forest disturbance-related carbon loss was developed to maximize expected values of carbon stocks...

Optimal Investment Under Transaction Costs: A Threshold Rebalanced Portfolio Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tunc, Sait; Donmez, Mehmet Ali; Kozat, Suleyman Serdar

2013-06-01

We study optimal investment in a financial market having a finite number of assets from a signal processing perspective. We investigate how an investor should distribute capital over these assets and when he should reallocate the distribution of the funds over these assets to maximize the cumulative wealth over any investment period. In particular, we introduce a portfolio selection algorithm that maximizes the expected cumulative wealth in i.i.d. two-asset discrete-time markets where the market levies proportional transaction costs in buying and selling stocks. We achieve this using "threshold rebalanced portfolios", where trading occurs only if the portfolio breaches certain thresholds. Under the assumption that the relative price sequences have log-normal distribution from the Black-Scholes model, we evaluate the expected wealth under proportional transaction costs and find the threshold rebalanced portfolio that achieves the maximal expected cumulative wealth over any investment period. Our derivations can be readily extended to markets having more than two stocks, where these extensions are pointed out in the paper. As predicted from our derivations, we significantly improve the achieved wealth over portfolio selection algorithms from the literature on historical data sets.

Fine-Tuning ADAS Algorithm Parameters for Optimizing Traffic Safety and Mobility in Connected Vehicle Environment

EPA Science Inventory

With the development of Connected Vehicle Technology that facilitates wireless communication among vehicles and road-side infrastructure, the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can be adopted as an effective tool for accelerating traffic safety and mobility optimization at...

Novel strategies in immunotherapy for allergic diseases.

PubMed

Rajakulendran, Mohana; Tham, Elizabeth Huiwen; Soh, Jian Yi; Van Bever, H P

2018-04-01

Conventional immunotherapy (IT) for optimal control of respiratory and food allergies has been fraught with concerns of efficacy, safety, and tolerability. The development of adjuvants to conventional IT has potentially increased the effectiveness and safety of allergen IT, which may translate into improved clinical outcomes and sustained unresponsiveness even after cessation of therapy. Novel strategies incorporating the successful use of adjuvants such as allergoids, immunostimulatory DNA sequences, monoclonal antibodies, carriers, recombinant proteins, and probiotics have now been described in clinical and murine studies. Future approaches may include fungal compounds, parasitic molecules, vitamin D, and traditional Chinese herbs. More robust comparative clinical trials are needed to evaluate the safety, clinical efficacy, and cost effectiveness of various adjuvants in order to determine ideal candidates in disease-specific and allergen-specific models. Other suggested approaches to further optimize outcomes of IT include early introduction of IT during an optimal window period. Alternative routes of administration of IT to optimize delivery and yet minimize potential side effects require further evaluation for safety and efficacy before they can be recommended.

Frequency and Duration of Fecal Shedding of Salmonella Enteritidis by Experimentally Infected Laying Hens Housed in Enriched Colony Cages at Different Stocking Densities

PubMed Central

Gast, Richard K.; Guraya, Rupa; Jones, Deana R.; Anderson, Kenneth E.; Karcher, Darrin M.

2017-01-01

Human infections with Salmonella Enteritidis are often attributed to the consumption of contaminated eggs, so the prevalence of this pathogen in egg-laying poultry is an important public health risk factor. Numerous and complex environmental influences on Salmonella persistence and transmission are exerted by management practices and housing facilities used in commercial egg production. In recent years, the animal welfare implications of poultry housing systems have guided the development of alternatives to traditional cage-based housing, but their food safety consequences are not yet fully understood. The present study assessed the effects of different bird stocking densities on the frequency and duration of fecal shedding of S. Enteritidis in groups of experimentally infected laying hens housed in colony cages enriched with perching and nesting areas. In two trials, groups of laying hens were distributed at two stocking densities (648 and 973 cm2/bird) into enriched colony cages and (along with a group housed in conventional cages at 648 cm2/bird) orally inoculated with doses of 1.0 × 108 cfu of S. Enteritidis. At 10 weekly postinoculation intervals, samples of voided feces were collected from beneath each cage and cultured to detect S. Enteritidis. Fecal shedding of S. Enteritidis was detected for up to 10 weeks postinoculation by hens in all three housing treatment groups. The overall frequency of positive fecal cultures was significantly (P < 0.05) greater from conventional cages than from enriched colony cages (at the lower stocking density) for the total of all sampling dates (45.0 vs. 33.3%) and also for samples collected at 4–9 weeks postinfection. Likewise, the frequency of S. Enteritidis isolation from feces from conventional cages was significantly greater than from enriched colony cages (at the higher hen stocking density) for the sum of all samples (45.0 vs. 36.7%) and at 6 weeks postinoculation. Moreover, the frequency of S. Enteritidis fecal recovery from enriched colony cages at the higher hen stocking was significantly greater than from similar cages at the lower stocking density for all 10 sampling dates combined (39.4 vs. 33.3%). These results suggest that stocking density can affect S. Enteritidis intestinal colonization and fecal shedding in laying hens, but some other difference between conventional and enriched colony cage systems appears to exert an additional influence. PMID:28443289

Implications of sampling design and sample size for national carbon accounting systems.

PubMed

Köhl, Michael; Lister, Andrew; Scott, Charles T; Baldauf, Thomas; Plugge, Daniel

2011-11-08

Countries willing to adopt a REDD regime need to establish a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system that provides information on forest carbon stocks and carbon stock changes. Due to the extensive areas covered by forests the information is generally obtained by sample based surveys. Most operational sampling approaches utilize a combination of earth-observation data and in-situ field assessments as data sources. We compared the cost-efficiency of four different sampling design alternatives (simple random sampling, regression estimators, stratified sampling, 2-phase sampling with regression estimators) that have been proposed in the scope of REDD. Three of the design alternatives provide for a combination of in-situ and earth-observation data. Under different settings of remote sensing coverage, cost per field plot, cost of remote sensing imagery, correlation between attributes quantified in remote sensing and field data, as well as population variability and the percent standard error over total survey cost was calculated. The cost-efficiency of forest carbon stock assessments is driven by the sampling design chosen. Our results indicate that the cost of remote sensing imagery is decisive for the cost-efficiency of a sampling design. The variability of the sample population impairs cost-efficiency, but does not reverse the pattern of cost-efficiency of the individual design alternatives. Our results clearly indicate that it is important to consider cost-efficiency in the development of forest carbon stock assessments and the selection of remote sensing techniques. The development of MRV-systems for REDD need to be based on a sound optimization process that compares different data sources and sampling designs with respect to their cost-efficiency. This helps to reduce the uncertainties related with the quantification of carbon stocks and to increase the financial benefits from adopting a REDD regime.

Ocean acidification may aggravate social-ecological trade-offs in coastal fisheries.

PubMed

Voss, Rudi; Quaas, Martin F; Schmidt, Jörn O; Kapaun, Ute

2015-01-01

Ocean Acidification (OA) will influence marine ecosystems by changing species abundance and composition. Major effects are described for calcifying organisms, which are significantly impacted by decreasing pH values. Direct effects on commercially important fish are less well studied. The early life stages of fish populations often lack internal regulatory mechanisms to withstand the effects of abnormal pH. Negative effects can be expected on growth, survival, and recruitment success. Here we study Norwegian coastal cod, one of the few stocks where such a negative effect was experimentally quantified, and develop a framework for coupling experimental data on OA effects to ecological-economic fisheries models. In this paper, we scale the observed physiological responses to the population level by using the experimentally determined mortality rates as part of the stock-recruitment relationship. We then use an ecological-economic optimization model, to explore the potential effect of rising CO2 concentration on ecological (stock size), economic (profits), consumer-related (harvest) and social (employment) indicators, with scenarios ranging from present day conditions up to extreme acidification. Under the assumptions of our model, yields and profits could largely be maintained under moderate OA by adapting future fishing mortality (and related effort) to changes owing to altered pH. This adaptation comes at the costs of reduced stock size and employment, however. Explicitly visualizing these ecological, economic and social tradeoffs will help in defining realistic future objectives. Our results can be generalized to any stressor (or stressor combination), which is decreasing recruitment success. The main findings of an aggravation of trade-offs will remain valid. This seems to be of special relevance for coastal stocks with limited options for migration to avoid unfavorable future conditions and subsequently for coastal fisheries, which are often small scale local fisheries with limited operational ranges.

Benzocaine as a fish anesthetic: efficacy and safety for spawning-phase salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilderhus, P.A.

1990-01-01

The anesthetic benzocaine was tested for efficacy and safety for spawning-phase chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at federal fish hatcheries. Tests were conducted in the existing hatchery water supplies (soft water; temperatures, 10–13 °C. Crystalline benzocaine was dissolved in ethanol (1 g/30 mL), and aliquots of that stock solution were added to the water in test tanks. Benzocaine concentrations of 25–30 mg/L anesthetized most fish in less than 3.5 min, and most fish recovered in less than 10 min after 15 min of exposure. Safety margins were narrow; both species tolerated 30 mg/L for about 20 min, but 25 min of exposure caused deaths. For 15 min exposures, concentrations of 35 mg/L for chinook salmon and 40 mg/L for Atlantic salmon were lethal.

Method for selection of optimal road safety composite index with examples from DEA and TOPSIS method.

PubMed

Rosić, Miroslav; Pešić, Dalibor; Kukić, Dragoslav; Antić, Boris; Božović, Milan

2017-01-01

Concept of composite road safety index is a popular and relatively new concept among road safety experts around the world. As there is a constant need for comparison among different units (countries, municipalities, roads, etc.) there is need to choose an adequate method which will make comparison fair to all compared units. Usually comparisons using one specific indicator (parameter which describes safety or unsafety) can end up with totally different ranking of compared units which is quite complicated for decision maker to determine "real best performers". Need for composite road safety index is becoming dominant since road safety presents a complex system where more and more indicators are constantly being developed to describe it. Among wide variety of models and developed composite indexes, a decision maker can come to even bigger dilemma than choosing one adequate risk measure. As DEA and TOPSIS are well-known mathematical models and have recently been increasingly used for risk evaluation in road safety, we used efficiencies (composite indexes) obtained by different models, based on DEA and TOPSIS, to present PROMETHEE-RS model for selection of optimal method for composite index. Method for selection of optimal composite index is based on three parameters (average correlation, average rank variation and average cluster variation) inserted into a PROMETHEE MCDM method in order to choose the optimal one. The model is tested by comparing 27 police departments in Serbia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Piston Bowl Optimization for RCCI Combustion in a Light-Duty Multi-Cylinder Engine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanson, Reed M; Curran, Scott; Wagner, Robert M

2012-01-01

Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) is an engine combustion strategy that that produces low NO{sub x} and PM emissions with high thermal efficiency. Previous RCCI research has been investigated in single-cylinder heavy-duty engines. The current study investigates RCCI operation in a light-duty multi-cylinder engine at 3 operating points. These operating points were chosen to cover a range of conditions seen in the US EPA light-duty FTP test. The operating points were chosen by the Ad Hoc working group to simulate operation in the FTP test. The fueling strategy for the engine experiments consisted of in-cylinder fuel blending using port fuel-injectionmore » (PFI) of gasoline and early-cycle, direct-injection (DI) of diesel fuel. At these 3 points, the stock engine configuration is compared to operation with both the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and custom machined pistons designed for RCCI operation. The pistons were designed with assistance from the KIVA 3V computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. By using a genetic algorithm optimization, in conjunction with KIVA, the piston bowl profile was optimized for dedicated RCCI operation to reduce unburned fuel emissions and piston bowl surface area. By reducing these parameters, the thermal efficiency of the engine was improved while maintaining low NOx and PM emissions. Results show that with the new piston bowl profile and an optimized injection schedule, RCCI brake thermal efficiency was increased from 37%, with the stock EURO IV configuration, to 40% at the 2,600 rev/min, 6.9 bar BMEP condition, and NOx and PM emissions targets were met without the need for exhaust after-treatment.« less

Fuzzy Random λ-Mean SAD Portfolio Selection Problem: An Ant Colony Optimization Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakur, Gour Sundar Mitra; Bhattacharyya, Rupak; Mitra, Swapan Kumar

2010-10-01

To reach the investment goal, one has to select a combination of securities among different portfolios containing large number of securities. Only the past records of each security do not guarantee the future return. As there are many uncertain factors which directly or indirectly influence the stock market and there are also some newer stock markets which do not have enough historical data, experts' expectation and experience must be combined with the past records to generate an effective portfolio selection model. In this paper the return of security is assumed to be Fuzzy Random Variable Set (FRVS), where returns are set of random numbers which are in turn fuzzy numbers. A new λ-Mean Semi Absolute Deviation (λ-MSAD) portfolio selection model is developed. The subjective opinions of the investors to the rate of returns of each security are taken into consideration by introducing a pessimistic-optimistic parameter vector λ. λ-Mean Semi Absolute Deviation (λ-MSAD) model is preferred as it follows absolute deviation of the rate of returns of a portfolio instead of the variance as the measure of the risk. As this model can be reduced to Linear Programming Problem (LPP) it can be solved much faster than quadratic programming problems. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is used for solving the portfolio selection problem. ACO is a paradigm for designing meta-heuristic algorithms for combinatorial optimization problem. Data from BSE is used for illustration.

Colonization of internal organs by Salmonella Enteritidis in experimentally infected laying hens housed in enriched colony cages at different stocking densities.

PubMed

Gast, Richard K; Guraya, Rupa; Jones, Deana R; Anderson, Kenneth E; Karcher, Darrin M

2016-06-01

Epidemiologic analyses have linked the frequency of human infections with Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Enteritidis to the consumption of contaminated eggs and thus to the prevalence of this pathogen in commercial egg-laying flocks. Contamination of the edible contents of eggs by Salmonella Enteritidis is a consequence of the colonization of reproductive tissues in systemically infected hens. The animal welfare implications of laying hen housing systems have been widely debated, but no definitive consensus has yet emerged about the food safety significance of poultry housing options. The present study sought to determine the effects of two different bird stocking densities on the invasion of internal organs by Salmonella Enteritidis in groups of experimentally infected laying hens housed in colony cages enriched with perching and nesting areas. In two trials, groups of laying hens were distributed at two different stocking densities into colony cages and (along with a group housed in conventional cages) orally inoculated with doses of 1.0 × 10(7) cfu of Salmonella Enteritidis. At 5 to 6 d post-inoculation, hens were euthanized and samples of internal organs were removed for bacteriologic culturing. For both trials combined, Salmonella Enteritidis was recovered at a significantly (P < 0.05) greater frequency from hens in enriched colony cages at the higher stocking density than at the lower density from livers (75.0% vs. 51.4%) and ovaries (51.4% vs. 30.6%). However, spleens from hens in enriched colony cages at the higher stocking density were significantly less often positive for Salmonella Enteritidis than from hens in conventional cages at that same density (90.3% vs. 68.1%). These results suggest that stocking density can influence the susceptibility of hens to Salmonella Enteritidis, but other housing systems parameters may also contribute to the outcome of infections. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Portfolio Optimization of Nanomaterial Use in Clean Energy Technologies.

PubMed

Moore, Elizabeth A; Babbitt, Callie W; Gaustad, Gabrielle; Moore, Sean T

2018-04-03

While engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly incorporated in diverse applications, risks of ENM adoption remain difficult to predict and mitigate proactively. Current decision-making tools do not adequately account for ENM uncertainties including varying functional forms, unique environmental behavior, economic costs, unknown supply and demand, and upstream emissions. The complexity of the ENM system necessitates a novel approach: in this study, the adaptation of an investment portfolio optimization model is demonstrated for optimization of ENM use in renewable energy technologies. Where a traditional investment portfolio optimization model maximizes return on investment through optimal selection of stock, ENM portfolio optimization maximizes the performance of energy technology systems by optimizing selective use of ENMs. Cumulative impacts of multiple ENM material portfolios are evaluated in two case studies: organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) for renewable energy and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for electric vehicles. Results indicate ENM adoption is dependent on overall performance and variance of the material, resource use, environmental impact, and economic trade-offs. From a sustainability perspective, improved clean energy applications can help extend product lifespans, reduce fossil energy consumption, and substitute ENMs for scarce incumbent materials.

Optimal uneven-aged stocking guides: an application to spruce-fir stands in New England

Treesearch

Jeffrey H. Gove; Mark J. Ducey

2014-01-01

Management guides for uneven-aged forest stands periodically need to be revisited and updated based on new information and methods. The current silvicultural guide for uneven-aged spruce-fir management in Maine and the northeast (Frank, R.M. and Bjorkbom, J.C. 1973 A silvicultural guide for spruce-fir in the northeast. General Technical Report NE-6, Forest Service. U.S...

Tropical forest harvesting and taxation: a dynamic model of harvesting behavior under selective extraction systems

Treesearch

Robert F. Conrad; Malcolm Gillis; D. Evan Mercer

2005-01-01

A dynamic model of selective harvesting in multi-species,multi-age tropical forests is developed. Forests are predicted to exhibit different optimal harvesting profiles depending on the nature of their joint cost functions and own or cross-species stock effects. The model is applied to the controversy about incentives produced by various taxes. The impacts of specific...

Prosthetic Joint Infections

PubMed Central

Aslam, Saima; Darouiche, Rabih O.

2012-01-01

Prosthetic joint infections represent a major therapeutic challenge for both healthcare providers and patients. This paper reviews the predisposing factors, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of prosthetic joint infection. The most optimal management strategy should be identified based on a number of considerations including type and duration of infection, antimicrobial susceptibility of the infecting pathogen, condition of infected tissues and bone stock, patient wishes and functional status. PMID:22847032

USMC Logistics Resource Allocation Optimization Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Virtual Warehouse Concept ..........................................12  3.  New Models in Logistics Network Design and Implications for Third Party...is the smallest DD activity in terms of manpower , but due to its proximity to USMC units, stocks a much greater quantity of USMC-demanded materiel...salient conclusion to reference with respect to this thesis. 12 2. Inventory Management of Repairables in the U.S. Marine Corps— A Virtual Warehouse

Safety Goals at NASA: How Safe is Safe Enough and How to Get There

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stamatelatos, Michael

2010-01-01

NASA is developing and implementing safety improvements in all its activities including mission design, mission operations, and occupational safety. Decisions regarding where and how improvements are implemented to optimally enhance safety are discussed.

Validation of an automated system for aliquoting of HIV-1 Env-pseudotyped virus stocks.

PubMed

Schultz, Anke; Germann, Anja; Fuss, Martina; Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella; Ozaki, Daniel A; Montefiori, David C; Zimmermann, Heiko; von Briesen, Hagen

2018-01-01

The standardized assessments of HIV-specific immune responses are of main interest in the preclinical and clinical stage of HIV-1 vaccine development. In this regard, HIV-1 Env-pseudotyped viruses play a central role for the evaluation of neutralizing antibody profiles and are produced according to Good Clinical Laboratory Practice- (GCLP-) compliant manual and automated procedures. To further improve and complete the automated production cycle an automated system for aliquoting HIV-1 pseudovirus stocks has been implemented. The automation platform consists of a modified Tecan-based system including a robot platform for handling racks containing 48 cryovials, a Decapper, a tubing pump and a safety device consisting of ultrasound sensors for online liquid level detection of each individual cryovial. With the aim to aliquot the HIV-1 pseudoviruses in an automated manner under GCLP-compliant conditions a validation plan was developed where the acceptance criteria-accuracy, precision as well as the specificity and robustness-were defined and summarized. By passing the validation experiments described in this article the automated system for aliquoting has been successfully validated. This allows the standardized and operator independent distribution of small-scale and bulk amounts of HIV-1 pseudovirus stocks with a precise and reproducible outcome to support upcoming clinical vaccine trials.

Validation of an automated system for aliquoting of HIV-1 Env-pseudotyped virus stocks

PubMed Central

Schultz, Anke; Germann, Anja; Fuss, Martina; Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella; Ozaki, Daniel A.; Montefiori, David C.; Zimmermann, Heiko

2018-01-01

The standardized assessments of HIV-specific immune responses are of main interest in the preclinical and clinical stage of HIV-1 vaccine development. In this regard, HIV-1 Env-pseudotyped viruses play a central role for the evaluation of neutralizing antibody profiles and are produced according to Good Clinical Laboratory Practice- (GCLP-) compliant manual and automated procedures. To further improve and complete the automated production cycle an automated system for aliquoting HIV-1 pseudovirus stocks has been implemented. The automation platform consists of a modified Tecan-based system including a robot platform for handling racks containing 48 cryovials, a Decapper, a tubing pump and a safety device consisting of ultrasound sensors for online liquid level detection of each individual cryovial. With the aim to aliquot the HIV-1 pseudoviruses in an automated manner under GCLP-compliant conditions a validation plan was developed where the acceptance criteria—accuracy, precision as well as the specificity and robustness—were defined and summarized. By passing the validation experiments described in this article the automated system for aliquoting has been successfully validated. This allows the standardized and operator independent distribution of small-scale and bulk amounts of HIV-1 pseudovirus stocks with a precise and reproducible outcome to support upcoming clinical vaccine trials. PMID:29300769

WHO/INRUD patient care and facility-specific drug use indicators at primary health care centres in Eastern province, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

El Mahalli, A A; Akl, O A M; Al-Dawood, S F; Al-Nehab, A A; Al-Kubaish, H A; Al-Saeed, S; Elkahky, A A A; Salem, A M A A

2012-11-01

This study aimed to measure the performance of primary health care centres in Eastern province, Saudi Arabia, using the WHO/International Network of Rational Use of Drugs patient care and facility-specific drug use indicators. In a cross-sectional study, 10 health centres were selected using systematic random sampling. A total of 300 patients were interviewed while visiting the centre from January to March 2011 and 10 pharmacists from the same centres were interviewed. Average consultation time was 7.3 min (optimal > or = 30 min), percentage of drugs adequately labelled was 10% (optimal 100%) and patient's knowledge of correct dosage was 79.3% (optimal 100%). The percentage of key drugs in stock was only 59.2% (optimal 100%). An overall index of rational facility-specific drug use was calculated and applied to rank the health centres for benchmarking.

Continuous-time mean-variance portfolio selection with value-at-risk and no-shorting constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Wei

2012-01-01

An investment problem is considered with dynamic mean-variance(M-V) portfolio criterion under discontinuous prices which follow jump-diffusion processes according to the actual prices of stocks and the normality and stability of the financial market. The short-selling of stocks is prohibited in this mathematical model. Then, the corresponding stochastic Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman(HJB) equation of the problem is presented and the solution of the stochastic HJB equation based on the theory of stochastic LQ control and viscosity solution is obtained. The efficient frontier and optimal strategies of the original dynamic M-V portfolio selection problem are also provided. And then, the effects on efficient frontier under the value-at-risk constraint are illustrated. Finally, an example illustrating the discontinuous prices based on M-V portfolio selection is presented.

Improving Agent Bidding in Power Stock Markets through a Data Mining Enhanced Agent Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrysopoulos, Anthony C.; Symeonidis, Andreas L.; Mitkas, Pericles A.

Like in any other auctioning environment, entities participating in Power Stock Markets have to compete against other in order to maximize own revenue. Towards the satisfaction of their goal, these entities (agents - human or software ones) may adopt different types of strategies - from na?ve to extremely complex ones - in order to identify the most profitable goods compilation, the appropriate price to buy or sell etc, always under time pressure and auction environment constraints. Decisions become even more difficult to make in case one takes the vast volumes of historical data available into account: goods’ prices, market fluctuations, bidding habits and buying opportunities. Within the context of this paper we present Cassandra, a multi-agent platform that exploits data mining, in order to extract efficient models for predicting Power Settlement prices and Power Load values in typical Day-ahead Power markets. The functionality of Cassandra is discussed, while focus is given on the bidding mechanism of Cassandra’s agents, and the way data mining analysis is performed in order to generate the optimal forecasting models. Cassandra has been tested in a real-world scenario, with data derived from the Greek Energy Stock market.

Forecasting the portuguese stock market time series by using artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isfan, Monica; Menezes, Rui; Mendes, Diana A.

2010-04-01

In this paper, we show that neural networks can be used to uncover the non-linearity that exists in the financial data. First, we follow a traditional approach by analysing the deterministic/stochastic characteristics of the Portuguese stock market data and some typical features are studied, like the Hurst exponents, among others. We also simulate a BDS test to investigate nonlinearities and the results are as expected: the financial time series do not exhibit linear dependence. Secondly, we trained four types of neural networks for the stock markets and used the models to make forecasts. The artificial neural networks were obtained using a three-layer feed-forward topology and the back-propagation learning algorithm. The quite large number of parameters that must be selected to develop a neural network forecasting model involves some trial and as a consequence the error is not small enough. In order to improve this we use a nonlinear optimization algorithm to minimize the error. Finally, the output of the 4 models is quite similar, leading to a qualitative forecast that we compare with the results of the application of k-nearest-neighbor for the same time series.

Calculation of high-rise construction limitations for non-resident housing fund in megacities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iliashenko, Oksana; Krasnov, Sergey; Sergeev, Sergey

2018-03-01

The paper is devoted to topical issues of urban planning in terms of high-rise construction of a non-resident housing stock in relation to megacities. We consider this issue taking into account the limitations of natural, communal and social resources. The problem is especially acute for the overwhelming majority of the state capitals, as well as cities with historical heritage that are of great interest due to the rapid development of tourism and the high mobility of the population in the world. The growth of the population of many states capitals led to the use of high-rise buildings as a non-resident housing stock. However, there are a number of restrictions on the high-rise construction of non-resident housing stock in megacities. The authors formalize the problem of determining the optimal ratio of the volume of urban buildings belonging to the high-rise buildings types and intended for non-residents to a common housing fund. We conduct economic calculations to determine the quantitative indicators. It can be used as the basis for administrative measures aimed at limiting the people flow arriving with the intention of temporarily deploying in megacities.

Foraging under conditions of short-term exploitative competition: the case of stock traders.

PubMed

Saavedra, Serguei; Malmgren, R Dean; Switanek, Nicholas; Uzzi, Brian

2013-03-22

Theory purports that animal foraging choices evolve to maximize returns, such as net energy intake. Empirical research in both human and non-human animals reveals that individuals often attend to the foraging choices of their competitors while making their own foraging choices. Owing to the complications of gathering field data or constructing experiments, however, broad facts relating theoretically optimal and empirically realized foraging choices are only now emerging. Here, we analyse foraging choices of a cohort of professional day traders who must choose between trading the same stock multiple times in a row--patch exploitation--or switching to a different stock--patch exploration--with potentially higher returns. We measure the difference between a trader's resource intake and the competitors' expected intake within a short period of time--a difference we call short-term comparative returns. We find that traders' choices can be explained by foraging heuristics that maximize their daily short-term comparative returns. However, we find no one-best relationship between different trading choices and net income intake. This suggests that traders' choices can be short-term win oriented and, paradoxically, maybe maladaptive for absolute market returns.

Toward an Application Guide for Safety Integrity Level Allocation in Railway Systems.

PubMed

Ouedraogo, Kiswendsida Abel; Beugin, Julie; El-Koursi, El-Miloudi; Clarhaut, Joffrey; Renaux, Dominique; Lisiecki, Frederic

2018-02-02

The work in the article presents the development of an application guide based on feedback and comments stemming from various railway actors on their practices of SIL allocation to railway safety-related functions. The initial generic methodology for SIL allocation has been updated to be applied to railway rolling stock safety-related functions in order to solve the SIL concept application issues. Various actors dealing with railway SIL allocation problems are the intended target of the methodology; its principles will be summarized in this article with a focus on modifications and precisions made in order to establish a practical guide for railway safety authorities. The methodology is based on the flowchart formalism used in CSM (common safety method) European regulation. It starts with the use of quantitative safety requirements, particularly tolerable hazard rates (THR). THR apportioning rules are applied. On the one hand, the rules are related to classical logical combinations of safety-related functions preventing hazard occurrence. On the other hand, to take into account technical conditions (last safety weak link, functional dependencies, technological complexity, etc.), specific rules implicitly used in existing practices are defined for readjusting some THR values. SIL allocation process based on apportioned and validated THR values is finally illustrated through the example of "emergency brake" subsystems. Some specific SIL allocation rules are also defined and illustrated. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

Evolution in a centralized transfusion service.

PubMed

AuBuchon, James P; Linauts, Sandra; Vaughan, Mimi; Wagner, Jeffrey; Delaney, Meghan; Nester, Theresa

2011-12-01

The metropolitan Seattle area has utilized a centralized transfusion service model throughout the modern era of blood banking. This approach has used four laboratories to serve over 20 hospitals and clinics, providing greater capabilities for all at a lower consumption of resources than if each depended on its own laboratory and staff for these functions. In addition, this centralized model has facilitated wider use of the medical capabilities of the blood center's physicians, and a county-wide network of transfusion safety officers is now being developed to increase the impact of the blood center's transfusion expertise at the patient's bedside. Medical expectations and traffic have led the blood center to evolve the centralized model to include on-site laboratories at facilities with complex transfusion requirements (e.g., a children's hospital) and to implement in all the others a system of remote allocation. This new capability places a refrigerator stocked with uncrossmatched units in the hospital but retains control over the dispensing of these through the blood center's computer system; the correct unit can be electronically cross-matched and released on demand, obviating the need for transportation to the hospital and thus speeding transfusion. This centralized transfusion model has withstood the test of time and continues to evolve to meet new situations and ensure optimal patient care. © 2011 American Association of Blood Banks.

Low-molecular-weight heparin and mortality in acutely ill medical patients.

PubMed

Kakkar, Ajay K; Cimminiello, Claudio; Goldhaber, Samuel Z; Parakh, Rajiv; Wang, Chen; Bergmann, Jean-François

2011-12-29

Although thromboprophylaxis reduces the incidence of venous thromboembolism in acutely ill medical patients, an associated reduction in the rate of death from any cause has not been shown. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to assess the effect of subcutaneous enoxaparin (40 mg daily) as compared with placebo--both administered for 10±4 days in patients who were wearing elastic stockings with graduated compression--on the rate of death from any cause among hospitalized, acutely ill medical patients at participating sites in China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Tunisia. Inclusion criteria were an age of at least 40 years and hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure, severe systemic infection with at least one risk factor for venous thromboembolism, or active cancer. The primary efficacy outcome was the rate of death from any cause at 30 days after randomization. The primary safety outcome was the rate of major bleeding during and up to 48 hours after the treatment period. A total of 8307 patients were randomly assigned to receive enoxaparin plus elastic stockings with graduated compression (4171 patients) or placebo plus elastic stockings with graduated compression (4136 patients) and were included in the intention-to-treat population. The rate of death from any cause at day 30 was 4.9% in the enoxaparin group as compared with 4.8% in the placebo group (risk ratio, 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 1.2; P=0.83). The rate of major bleeding was 0.4% in the enoxaparin group and 0.3% in the placebo group (risk ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.7 to 3.1; P=0.35). The use of enoxaparin plus elastic stockings with graduated compression, as compared with elastic stockings with graduated compression alone, was not associated with a reduction in the rate of death from any cause among hospitalized, acutely ill medical patients. (Funded by Sanofi; LIFENOX ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00622648.).

Novel strategies in immunotherapy for allergic diseases

PubMed Central

Tham, Elizabeth Huiwen; Soh, Jian Yi; Van Bever, HP

2018-01-01

Conventional immunotherapy (IT) for optimal control of respiratory and food allergies has been fraught with concerns of efficacy, safety, and tolerability. The development of adjuvants to conventional IT has potentially increased the effectiveness and safety of allergen IT, which may translate into improved clinical outcomes and sustained unresponsiveness even after cessation of therapy. Novel strategies incorporating the successful use of adjuvants such as allergoids, immunostimulatory DNA sequences, monoclonal antibodies, carriers, recombinant proteins, and probiotics have now been described in clinical and murine studies. Future approaches may include fungal compounds, parasitic molecules, vitamin D, and traditional Chinese herbs. More robust comparative clinical trials are needed to evaluate the safety, clinical efficacy, and cost effectiveness of various adjuvants in order to determine ideal candidates in disease-specific and allergen-specific models. Other suggested approaches to further optimize outcomes of IT include early introduction of IT during an optimal window period. Alternative routes of administration of IT to optimize delivery and yet minimize potential side effects require further evaluation for safety and efficacy before they can be recommended. PMID:29732290

Intelligent Support System of Steel Technical Preparation in an Arc Furnace: Functional Scheme of Interactive Builder of the Multi Objective Optimization Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logunova, O. S.; Sibileva, N. S.

2017-12-01

The purpose of the study is to increase the efficiency of the steelmaking process in large capacity arc furnace on the basis of implementation a new decision-making system about the composition of charge materials. The authors proposed an interactive builder for the formation of the optimization problem, taking into account the requirements of the customer, normative documents and stocks of charge materials in the warehouse. To implement the interactive builder, the sets of deterministic and stochastic model components are developed, as well as a list of preferences of criteria and constraints.

An extended car-following model considering random safety distance with different probabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jufeng; Sun, Fengxin; Cheng, Rongjun; Ge, Hongxia; Wei, Qi

2018-02-01

Because of the difference in vehicle type or driving skill, the driving strategy is not exactly the same. The driving speeds of the different vehicles may be different for the same headway. Since the optimal velocity function is just determined by the safety distance besides the maximum velocity and headway, an extended car-following model accounting for random safety distance with different probabilities is proposed in this paper. The linear stable condition for this extended traffic model is obtained by using linear stability theory. Numerical simulations are carried out to explore the complex phenomenon resulting from multiple safety distance in the optimal velocity function. The cases of multiple types of safety distances selected with different probabilities are presented. Numerical results show that the traffic flow with multiple safety distances with different probabilities will be more unstable than that with single type of safety distance, and will result in more stop-and-go phenomena.

The cultivation of energy crops for biogas production and the application of digestates are characterized by high variability of CO2 exchange and soil organic C stock changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augustin, Juergen; Fiedler, Sebastian; Heintze, Gawan; Rohwer, Marcus; Prescher, Anne-Katrin; Pohl, Madlen; Jurisch, Nicole; Hagemann, Ulrike

2017-04-01

In Germany, agricultural production accounts for approx. 15% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The cultivation of energy crops is thus considered an important option to reduce the climate impact and maintain or increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. In particular, this applies to the continuously expanding cultivation of energy crops for biogas production and the associated use of residues from anaerobic digestion (digestates) as organic fertilizer. To date, there is only limited and contradicting evidence on the impacts of this management practice on the CO2 exchange as well as the change of SOC stocks. We will present results from a 4-year field study at 5 sites in Germany using identical methods to investigate the interacting effects of i) 3 N-fertilizer treatments including calcium ammonium nitrate and digestates and ii) a crop rotation of 7 energy crops like maize, sorghum, triticale, and wheat on net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and the change of SOC stocks. We used the manual chamber approach for measuring NEE as the difference between gross primary production and ecosystem respiration. The determination of SOC stock changes was based on a C budget approach, which includes the cumulated annual NEE, the C export by harvest, and the C import by application of anaerobic digestates. The CO2 exchange and the change of SOC stocks were influenced by multiple factors like crop, site, fertilization, and climate, as well as their complex interactions. A large proportion of the variability of the CO2 exchange can be attributed to interannual climatic variability. Productive crops like maize and sorghum generally feature the most intensive CO2 exchange, while less productive crops can compensate for this by means of longer cultivation times. Regardless of the extreme variability, pronounced and partly significant differences of NEE and C budgets between sites were observed. On average, SOC stocks declined over a full crop rotation, but with highly variable positive and negative C budgets. This indicates that, in most cases, neither the selected crops nor the application of anaerobic digestates were sufficient to compensate for SOC losses. Apparently, the potential of anaerobic digestates to maintain or increase SOC stocks is considerably smaller than expected. If continuous decreases of SOC stocks due to energy crop cultivation are to be avoided, additional studies on the optimization of crop rotations (selection of plants with high C input), and digestate fertilization (type of digestate, amount and application technique) are required. A continuously improved version of the methodology used in this study promises faster and more precise results than classic long-term field trials.

The impact of facility audits, evaluation reports and incentives on motivation and supply management among family planning service providers: an interventional study in two districts in Maputo Province, Mozambique.

PubMed

Vermandere, Heleen; Galle, Anna; Griffin, Sally; de Melo, Málica; Machaieie, Lino; Van Braeckel, Dirk; Degomme, Olivier

2017-05-02

Good progress is being made towards universal access to contraceptives, however stock-outs still jeopardize progress. A seldom considered but important building block in optimizing supply management is the degree to which health workers feel motivated and responsible for monitoring supply. We explored how and to what extent motivation can be improved, and the impact this can have on avoiding stock-outs. Fifteen health facilities in Maputo Province, Mozambique, were divided into 3 groups (2 intervention groups and 1 control), and 10 monthly audits were implemented in each of these 15 facilities to collect data through examination of stock cards and stock-counts of 6 contraceptives. Based on these audits, the 2 intervention groups received a monthly evaluation report reflecting the quality of their supply management. One of these 2 groups was also awarded material incentives conditional on their performance. A Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney test was used to detect differences between the groups in the average number of stocked-out centres, while changes over time were verified through applying a Friedman test. Additionally, staff motivation was measured through interviewing health care providers of all centres at baseline, and after 5 and 10 months. To detect differences between the groups and changes over time, a Kruskal Wallis and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test were applied, respectively. Motivation reported by providers (n = 55, n = 40 and n = 39 at baseline, 1st and 2nd follow-up respectively) was high in all groups, during all rounds, and did not change over time. Facilities in the intervention groups had better supply management results (including less stock-outs) during the entire intervention period compared with those in the control group, but the difference was only significant for the group receiving both material incentives and a monthly evaluation. However, our data also suggest that supply management also improved in control facilities, receiving only a monthly audit. During this study, more stock-outs occurred for family planning methods with lower demand, but the number of stock-outs per family planning method in the intervention groups was only significantly lower, compared with the control group, for female condoms. While a rise in motivation was not measurable, stock management was enhanced possibly as a result of the monthly audits. This activity was primarily for data collection, but was described as motivating and supportive, indicating the importance of feedback on health workers' accomplishments. More research is needed to quantify the additional impact of the interventions (distribution of evaluation reports and material incentives) on staff motivation and supply management. Special attention should be paid to supply management of less frequently used contraceptive methods.

Integrated optimisation technique based on computer-aided capacity and safety evaluation for managing downstream lane-drop merging area of signalised junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, CHAI; Yiik Diew, WONG

2017-02-01

This study provides an integrated strategy, encompassing microscopic simulation, safety assessment, and multi-attribute decision-making, to optimize traffic performance at downstream merging area of signalized intersections. A Fuzzy Cellular Automata (FCA) model is developed to replicate microscopic movement and merging behavior. Based on simulation experiment, the proposed FCA approach is able to provide capacity and safety evaluation of different traffic scenarios. The results are then evaluated through data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Optimized geometric layout and control strategies are then suggested for various traffic conditions. An optimal lane-drop distance that is dependent on traffic volume and speed limit can thus be established at the downstream merging area.

Loglines. July-August 2013

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

activities worldwide and industry customers of DLA. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S...100 million for three months straight June • MRAP Stock Optimization Team established to maintain industrial readiness between the joint program ...SUBTITLE Loglines. July-August 2013 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nadel, S.; Elliott, R.N.; Shepard, M.

This updated and revised book, based on the best-selling first edition, will address how motors and motor systems can achieve greater efficiency through efficient motors, motor management, optimized controls, improved component sizing and repair, better transmission hardware, and comprehensive monitoring and maintenance. In language understandable to non-engineers, this second edition will provide an overview of existing motor stock, chronicle experience with drive power programs and policies, and offer recommendations for future efforts to increase motor system efficiency.

Stock optimizing in choice when a token deposit is the operant.

PubMed

Widholm, J J; Silberberg, A; Hursh, S R; Imam, A A; Warren-Boulton, F R

2001-11-01

Each of 2 monkeys typically earned their daily food ration by depositing tokens in one of two slots. Tokens deposited in one slot dropped into a bin where they were kept (token kept). Deposits to a second slot dropped into a bin where they could be obtained again (token returned). In Experiment 1, a fixed-ratio (FR) 5 schedule that provided two food pellets was associated with each slot. Both monkeys preferred the token-returned slot. In Experiment 2, both subjects chose between unequal FR schedules with the token-returned slot always associated with the leaner schedule. When the FRs were 2 versus 3 and 2 versus 6, preferences were maintained for the token-returned slot; however, when the ratios were 2 versus 12, preference shifted to the token-kept slot. In Experiment 3, both monkeys chose between equal-valued concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedules. Both monkeys preferred the slot that returned tokens. In Experiment 4, both monkeys chose between FRs that typically differed in size by a factor of 10. Both monkeys preferred the FR schedule that provided more food per trial. These data show that monkeys will choose so as to increase the number of reinforcers earned (stock optimizing) even when this preference reduces the rate of reinforcement (all reinforcers divided by session time).

A novel microseeding method for the crystallization of membrane proteins in lipidic cubic phase.

PubMed

Kolek, Stefan Andrew; Bräuning, Bastian; Stewart, Patrick Douglas Shaw

2016-04-01

Random microseed matrix screening (rMMS), in which seed crystals are added to random crystallization screens, is an important breakthrough in soluble protein crystallization that increases the number of crystallization hits that are available for optimization. This greatly increases the number of soluble protein structures generated every year by typical structural biology laboratories. Inspired by this success, rMMS has been adapted to the crystallization of membrane proteins, making LCP seed stock by scaling up LCP crystallization conditions without changing the physical and chemical parameters that are critical for crystallization. Seed crystals are grown directly in LCP and, as with conventional rMMS, a seeding experiment is combined with an additive experiment. The new method was used with the bacterial integral membrane protein OmpF, and it was found that it increased the number of crystallization hits by almost an order of magnitude: without microseeding one new hit was found, whereas with LCP-rMMS eight new hits were found. It is anticipated that this new method will lead to better diffracting crystals of membrane proteins. A method of generating seed gradients, which allows the LCP seed stock to be diluted and the number of crystals in each LCP bolus to be reduced, if required for optimization, is also demonstrated.

Taking Stock of Retinal Gene Therapy: Looking Back and Moving Forward.

PubMed

Bennett, Jean

2017-05-03

Over the past 20 years, there has been tremendous progress in retinal gene therapy. The safety and efficacy results in one early-onset severe blinding disease may lead to the first gene therapy drug approval in the United States. Here, we review how far the field has come over the past two decades and speculate on the directions that the field will take in the future. Copyright © 2017 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimization of safety on pavement preservation projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

To achieve a goal of reducing highway crash fatalities by 4% each year to improve roadway safety, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is actively seeking opportunities to incorporate safety improvements into its current pavement preservat...

[The structural functional analysis of beds stock of curative preventive organizations of the state public health system of the Russian Federation].

PubMed

Schepin, V O

2014-01-01

The article presents the results of comprehensive scientific analysis of size and structure of beds stock of medical curative preventive organizations of state and municipal health care systems of the Russian Federation. The issues of beds support of population on national, federal okrugs and federation subjects' levels including differentiation on different medical specialties are considered. The main indicators of functioning of hospitals, per capita consumption of hospital medical care and territorial characteristics and differences of these indicators are analyzed In conditions of on-going decrease of size of beds stock and amount of medical care in hospitals and against the background of stability of main indicators of beds use the expressed but not always objectively conditioned differences continue to be present concerning both population support with beds stock and indicators of consumption of medical care in hospitals. All these occurrences undoubtedly impact accessibility of this type of medical care to population and its resource capacity for the government. In 2012, beds support of population decreased from 85.7 to 84.1 beds per 10 000 of population. The value of indicator in federal subjects differs up to 2.9 times. In the structure of beds stock are prevailing specialized beds or groups of beds on such medical specialties as psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and therapy. The per capita use of medical care in hospitals decreased up to 2.609 beds-per-day that is 6.2% lower than standard value from the program of state guarantees of free-of-charge medical care support of citizen. The end values of indicator in federal subjects differ in 2.7 times. In federal subjects indicators of mean number of work of bed per year differ up to 1.2 times, of mean duration of treatment--up to 1.6 times, turn-over of bed--up to 1.6 times, hospital lethality--up to 5.9 times. The results of study confirm necessity of structural functional optimization of national beds stock and development of interaction between hospitals and out-patient services.

Fine-Tuning ADAS Algorithm Parameters for Optimizing Traffic ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

With the development of the Connected Vehicle technology that facilitates wirelessly communication among vehicles and road-side infrastructure, the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can be adopted as an effective tool for accelerating traffic safety and mobility optimization at various highway facilities. To this end, the traffic management centers identify the optimal ADAS algorithm parameter set that enables the maximum improvement of the traffic safety and mobility performance, and broadcast the optimal parameter set wirelessly to individual ADAS-equipped vehicles. After adopting the optimal parameter set, the ADAS-equipped drivers become active agents in the traffic stream that work collectively and consistently to prevent traffic conflicts, lower the intensity of traffic disturbances, and suppress the development of traffic oscillations into heavy traffic jams. Successful implementation of this objective requires the analysis capability of capturing the impact of the ADAS on driving behaviors, and measuring traffic safety and mobility performance under the influence of the ADAS. To address this challenge, this research proposes a synthetic methodology that incorporates the ADAS-affected driving behavior modeling and state-of-the-art microscopic traffic flow modeling into a virtually simulated environment. Building on such an environment, the optimal ADAS algorithm parameter set is identified through an optimization programming framework to enable th

Fluctuation behaviors of financial return volatility duration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Hongli; Wang, Jun; Lu, Yunfan

2016-04-01

It is of significantly crucial to understand the return volatility of financial markets because it helps to quantify the investment risk, optimize the portfolio, and provide a key input of option pricing models. The characteristics of isolated high volatility events above certain threshold in price fluctuations and the distributions of return intervals between these events arouse great interest in financial research. In the present work, we introduce a new concept of daily return volatility duration, which is defined as the shortest passage time when the future volatility intensity is above or below the current volatility intensity (without predefining a threshold). The statistical properties of the daily return volatility durations for seven representative stock indices from the world financial markets are investigated. Some useful and interesting empirical results of these volatility duration series about the probability distributions, memory effects and multifractal properties are obtained. These results also show that the proposed stock volatility series analysis is a meaningful and beneficial trial.

Optimal dynamic pricing and replenishment policy for perishable items with inventory-level-dependent demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Lihao; Zhang, Jianxiong; Tang, Wansheng

2016-04-01

An inventory system for perishable items with limited replenishment capacity is introduced in this paper. The demand rate depends on the stock quantity displayed in the store as well as the sales price. With the goal to realise profit maximisation, an optimisation problem is addressed to seek for the optimal joint dynamic pricing and replenishment policy which is obtained by solving the optimisation problem with Pontryagin's maximum principle. A joint mixed policy, in which the sales price is a static decision variable and the replenishment rate remains to be a dynamic decision variable, is presented to compare with the joint dynamic policy. Numerical results demonstrate the advantages of the joint dynamic one, and further show the effects of different system parameters on the optimal joint dynamic policy and the maximal total profit.

Optimal multi-floor plant layout based on the mathematical programming and particle swarm optimization.

PubMed

Lee, Chang Jun

2015-01-01

In the fields of researches associated with plant layout optimization, the main goal is to minimize the costs of pipelines and pumping between connecting equipment under various constraints. However, what is the lacking of considerations in previous researches is to transform various heuristics or safety regulations into mathematical equations. For example, proper safety distances between equipments have to be complied for preventing dangerous accidents on a complex plant. Moreover, most researches have handled single-floor plant. However, many multi-floor plants have been constructed for the last decade. Therefore, the proper algorithm handling various regulations and multi-floor plant should be developed. In this study, the Mixed Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) problem including safety distances, maintenance spaces, etc. is suggested based on mathematical equations. The objective function is a summation of pipeline and pumping costs. Also, various safety and maintenance issues are transformed into inequality or equality constraints. However, it is really hard to solve this problem due to complex nonlinear constraints. Thus, it is impossible to use conventional MINLP solvers using derivatives of equations. In this study, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique is employed. The ethylene oxide plant is illustrated to verify the efficacy of this study.

Optimal Design of Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) Systems for improving safety in NASA's Exploration Vehicles: A Two-Level Multidisciplinary Design Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehr, Ali Farhang; Tumer, Irem; Barszcz, Eric

2005-01-01

Integrated Vehicle Health Management (ISHM) systems are used to detect, assess, and isolate functional failures in order to improve safety of space systems such as Orbital Space Planes (OSPs). An ISHM system, as a whole, consists of several subsystems that monitor different components of an OSP including: Spacecraft, Launch Vehicle, Ground Control, and the International Space Station. In this research, therefore, we propose a new methodology to design and optimize ISHM as a distributed system with multiple disciplines (that correspond to different subsystems of OSP safety). A paramount amount of interest has been given in the literature to the multidisciplinary design optimization of problems with such architecture (as will be reviewed in the full paper).

The SAFER guides: empowering organizations to improve the safety and effectiveness of electronic health records.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Ash, Joan S; Singh, Hardeep

2014-05-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) have potential to improve quality and safety of healthcare. However, EHR users have experienced safety concerns from EHR design and usability features that are not optimally adapted for the complex work flow of real-world practice. Few strategies exist to address unintended consequences from implementation of EHRs and other health information technologies. We propose that organizations equipped with EHRs should consider the strategy of "proactive risk assessment" of their EHR-enabled healthcare system to identify and address EHR-related safety concerns. In this paper, we describe the conceptual underpinning of an EHR-related self-assessment strategy to provide institutions a foundation upon which they could build their safety efforts. With support from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), we used a rigorous, iterative process to develop a set of 9 self-assessment tools to optimize the safety and safe use of EHRs. These tools, referred to as the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) guides, could be used to self-assess safety and effectiveness of EHR implementations, identify specific areas of vulnerability, and create solutions and culture change to mitigate risks. A variety of audiences could conduct these assessments, including frontline clinicians or care teams in different practices, or clinical, quality, or administrative leaders within larger institutions. The guides use a multifaceted systems-based approach to assess risk and empower organizations to work with internal or external stakeholders (eg, EHR developers) on optimizing EHR functionality and using EHRs to drive improvements in the quality and safety of healthcare.

On optimal dividends: From reflection to refraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerber, Hans U.; Shiu, Elias S. W.

2006-02-01

The problem goes back to a paper that Bruno de Finetti presented to the International Congress of Actuaries in New York (1957). In a stock company that is involved in risky business, what is the optimal dividend strategy, that is, what is the strategy that maximizes the expectation of the discounted dividends (until possible ruin) to the shareholders? Jeanblanc-Picque and Shiryaev [Russian Math. Surveys 20 (1995) 257-277] and Asmussen and Taksar [Insurance: Math. Econom. 20 (1997) 1-15] solved the problem by modeling the income process of the company by a Wiener process and imposing the condition of a bounded dividend rate. Here, we present some down-to-earth calculations in this context.

Vast Portfolio Selection with Gross-exposure Constraints*

PubMed Central

Fan, Jianqing; Zhang, Jingjin; Yu, Ke

2012-01-01

We introduce the large portfolio selection using gross-exposure constraints. We show that with gross-exposure constraint the empirically selected optimal portfolios based on estimated covariance matrices have similar performance to the theoretical optimal ones and there is no error accumulation effect from estimation of vast covariance matrices. This gives theoretical justification to the empirical results in Jagannathan and Ma (2003). We also show that the no-short-sale portfolio can be improved by allowing some short positions. The applications to portfolio selection, tracking, and improvements are also addressed. The utility of our new approach is illustrated by simulation and empirical studies on the 100 Fama-French industrial portfolios and the 600 stocks randomly selected from Russell 3000. PMID:23293404

Biodiesel production from multi feedstock as feed with direct ultrasound assisted

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Widayat, E-mail: yayat-99@yahoo.com; Center of Biomass and Renewable Energy; Satriadi, H.

The objective of this study was to optimize of ratio oil type, ratio oil to methanol and catalyst concentration. The optimization was used Central Composite Design (CCD). Biodiesel was produced with multi stock oil as feed and conducted in direct ultrasonic radiation. Biosonic equiped with ultrasonic generator with a frequency of 28 kHz. Biodiesel produced at a pressure of 1 atm, reaction time of 60 min and temperature 60 ° C. The optimum conditions of volume ratio for Palm and Coconut oil 4:1, KOH catalyst concentration 0.3% and methanol to oil mole ratio 7:1. Biodiesel yield was determined under thismore » condition and obtained 81.105%.« less

Biodiesel production from multi feedstock as feed with direct ultrasound assisted

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widayat, Satriadi, H.; Nafiega, N. Favian; Dipo, Rheza; Okvitarini, Alimin, A. J.; Ali, Mas Fawzi Mohd

2015-12-01

The objective of this study was to optimize of ratio oil type, ratio oil to methanol and catalyst concentration. The optimization was used Central Composite Design (CCD). Biodiesel was produced with multi stock oil as feed and conducted in direct ultrasonic radiation. Biosonic equiped with ultrasonic generator with a frequency of 28 kHz. Biodiesel produced at a pressure of 1 atm, reaction time of 60 min and temperature 60 ° C. The optimum conditions of volume ratio for Palm and Coconut oil 4:1, KOH catalyst concentration 0.3% and methanol to oil mole ratio 7:1. Biodiesel yield was determined under this condition and obtained 81.105%.

Feasibility of an implantable capsule for limiting lifespan of grass carp

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, R.M.; Miranda, L.E.; Kirk, J.P.

2006-01-01

The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is an herbivorous cyprinid stocked to control undesirable aquatic vegetation. However, stocking grass carp presents several problems including complete eradication of submersed aquatic vegetation, dispersal out of the target area, adverse effects on fish communities, and damage to waterfowl habitat and native vegetation. The purpose of this research was to consider the feasibility of an implantable capsule for limiting the lifespan of grass carp. Stainless steel dowel pins were inserted into 49 fish to identify the most appropriate site to implant the capsule. The throat region along the body's longitudinal axis was identified as the most suitable location because it resulted in minimal loss over an 8-month holding period. Rotenone solutions were injected into the ventral surface between the pelvic fins to determine the lethal dosage to 95% of the population (LD 95). The LD95 for grass carp increased curvilin-early with fish weight. Four polymers that merit further evaluation in constructing the capsule are poly[bis(p-carboxyphenoxy) propane anhydride], poly[bis(p- carboxyphenoxy) hexane anhydride], poly-1-lactide, and poly(??-caprolactone) . Implants are commonly used to deliver pharmaceutical products in medical and veterinarian applications, and have been used in fish. Developing a bioerodible capsule could increase the safety and flexibility of stocking grass carp for control of aquatic plants, and may also be applicable for management of other exotic species.

Problems of equipment creation for hygienic treatment of textiles (underwear, garments, hygienic towels and napkins) for long-term space missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumilina, I.

Impossibility of just in time stocks delivery to the International Space Station ISS because of Shuttle space flights absence has led to forced changing of standards of underwear garments and personal hygiene means using Therefore hygienic treatment of textiles underwear garments towels and napkins are necessary for long-term space flight missions Investigations into the ways of cosmonauts sanitary -- hygienic supply are prepared The resent equipment means and methods of cosmonauts sanitary -- hygienic supply were created for space flight conditions with an opportunity of stocks updating This investigations are confirm necessity of new generation system creation for cosmonauts sanitary -- hygienic supply and special designing of hygienic treatment laundry drying equipment and technologies for long-term space flights without an opportunity of stocks updating in particular for martian mission One from main requirements for equipment means and methods of cosmonauts sanitary -- hygienic supply is full safety for human organisms under systematic and long-term application in space flight conditions small energy consumption and combining with space Life-Support Systems Method and program of experimental investigations of textiles laundry with application of washing means for long-term space flight conditions are prepared It is necessary to estimate opportunity and efficiency of washing means application for textiles laundry for space flight missions also to estimate compatibility of washing means for textiles laundry and for washing

Carbon balance of an intensively grazed permanent grassland in southern Belgium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourlez de la Motte, Louis; Jérôme, Elisabeth; Mamadou, Ossénatou; Beckers, Yves; Bodson, Bernard; Heineisch, Bernard; Aubinet, Marc

2016-04-01

Grasslands are an important component of the global carbon balance but their carbon storage potential is still highly uncertain. Especially, the impact of weather variability and management practices on grassland carbon budgets need to be assessed. This study investigates the carbon balance of an intensively managed permanent grassland (Dorinne Terrestrial Observatory (DTO)) and its uncertainties by combining 5-years of eddy covariance measurements and other organic carbon exchanges estimates. The specificities of this study lie in: (i) the age of the pasture, which has probably been established since more than one century; (ii) the intensive character of the management with a mean grazing pressure larger than 2 livestock unit ha-1 and stocking cycle including stocking and rest periods, (iii) the livestock production system, typical of Wallonia, farming intensively Belgian Blue breed of cattle in order to produce meat. The results showed that, despite the high stocking rate and the old age of the pasture and the high stocking rate, the site acted as a relatively stable carbon sink from year to year with a 5-year average Net Biome Productivity of ‒173 [‒128 ‒203] g C m-2 yr-1. The carbon sink behavior of the pasture was directly increased by management practices through food complementation and organic fertilization and indirectly by mineral fertilization. The relatively low carbon budget inter-annual variability could be explained both by: (i) grazing management of the farmer that regulated Growth Primary Productivity by adapting the stocking rate to the Leaf Area Index which itself depends on weather conditions, (ii) carbon imports through food complements only when grass regrowth was not sufficient to feed the cattle. The results suggest that management practices that tend to optimize forage availability for meat production could contribute to maintaining a carbon sink. Keywords : grassland, carbon budget, carbon dioxide flux, management, eddy covariance

Asymmetric information and economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frieden, B. Roy; Hawkins, Raymond J.

2010-01-01

We present an expression of the economic concept of asymmetric information with which it is possible to derive the dynamical laws of an economy. To illustrate the utility of this approach we show how the assumption of optimal information flow leads to a general class of investment strategies including the well-known Q theory of Tobin. Novel consequences of this formalism include a natural definition of market efficiency and an uncertainty principle relating capital stock and investment flow.

Implementation of genetic conservation practices in a muskellunge propagation and stocking program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennings, Martin J.; Sloss, Brian L.; Hatzenbeler, Gene R.; Kampa, Jeffrey M.; Simonson, Timothy D.; Avelallemant, Steven P.; Lindenberger, Gary A.; Underwood, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

Conservation of genetic resources is a challenging issue for agencies managing popular sport fishes. To address the ongoing potential for genetic risks, we developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to conserve genetic diversity of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in Wisconsin, and evaluated the extent to which the recommendations can be implemented. Although some details are specific to Wisconsin's muskellunge propagation program, many of the practical issues affecting implementation are applicable to other species and production systems. We developed guidelines to restrict future broodstock collection operations to lakes with natural reproduction and to develop a set of brood lakes to use on a rotational basis within regional stock boundaries, but implementation will require considering lakes with variable stocking histories. Maintaining an effective population size sufficient to minimize the risk of losing alleles requires limiting broodstock collection to large lakes. Recommendations to better approximate the temporal distribution of spawning in hatchery operations and randomize selection of brood fish are feasible. Guidelines to modify rearing and distribution procedures face some logistic constraints. An evaluation of genetic diversity of hatchery-produced fish during 2008 demonstrated variable success representing genetic variation of the source population. Continued evaluation of hatchery operations will optimize operational efficiency while moving toward genetic conservation goals.

Land-use and carbon cycle responses to moderate climate change: implications for land-based mitigation?

PubMed

Humpenöder, Florian; Popp, Alexander; Stevanovic, Miodrag; Müller, Christoph; Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon; Bonsch, Markus; Dietrich, Jan Philipp; Lotze-Campen, Hermann; Weindl, Isabelle; Biewald, Anne; Rolinski, Susanne

2015-06-02

Climate change has impacts on agricultural yields, which could alter cropland requirements and hence deforestation rates. Thus, land-use responses to climate change might influence terrestrial carbon stocks. Moreover, climate change could alter the carbon storage capacity of the terrestrial biosphere and hence the land-based mitigation potential. We use a global spatially explicit economic land-use optimization model to (a) estimate the mitigation potential of a climate policy that provides economic incentives for carbon stock conservation and enhancement, (b) simulate land-use and carbon cycle responses to moderate climate change (RCP2.6), and (c) investigate the combined effects throughout the 21st century. The climate policy immediately stops deforestation and strongly increases afforestation, resulting in a global mitigation potential of 191 GtC in 2100. Climate change increases terrestrial carbon stocks not only directly through enhanced carbon sequestration (62 GtC by 2100) but also indirectly through less deforestation due to higher crop yields (16 GtC by 2100). However, such beneficial climate impacts increase the potential of the climate policy only marginally, as the potential is already large under static climatic conditions. In the broader picture, this study highlights the importance of land-use dynamics for modeling carbon cycle responses to climate change in integrated assessment modeling.

Perceived driving safety and seatbelt usage.

PubMed

Svenson, O; Fischhoff, B; MacGregor, D

1985-04-01

Swedish and U.S. subjects judged their own driving skills and safety in relation to other drivers. As in earlier studies, most subjects showed an optimism bias: a tendency to judge oneself as safer and more skillful than the average driver, with a smaller risk of getting involved and injured in an accident. Different measures of the optimism effect were strongly correlated with one another, with driving experience and with the judged importance of human factors (as opposed to technical and chance factors) in causing accidents. Degree of optimism was positively, but weakly, correlated with reported seatbelt usage and worry about traffic accidents. Seatbelt usage was positively related to the extent to which belts are judged to be convenient and popular, and more modestly related to the belt's perceived contributions to safety. These results suggest that providing more information about the effectiveness of seatbelts may not be as efficient a way of increasing seatbelt usage as emphasizing other factors, such as comfort and social norms, which cannot be outweighed by optimism.

Practical utilization of recombinant AAV vector reference standards: focus on vector genomes titration by free ITR qPCR.

PubMed

D'Costa, Susan; Blouin, Veronique; Broucque, Frederic; Penaud-Budloo, Magalie; François, Achille; Perez, Irene C; Le Bec, Christine; Moullier, Philippe; Snyder, Richard O; Ayuso, Eduard

2016-01-01

Clinical trials using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have demonstrated efficacy and a good safety profile. Although the field is advancing quickly, vector analytics and harmonization of dosage units are still a limitation for commercialization. AAV reference standard materials (RSMs) can help ensure product safety by controlling the consistency of assays used to characterize rAAV stocks. The most widely utilized unit of vector dosing is based on the encapsidated vector genome. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is now the most common method to titer vector genomes (vg); however, significant inter- and intralaboratory variations have been documented using this technique. Here, RSMs and rAAV stocks were titered on the basis of an inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) sequence-specific qPCR and we found an artificial increase in vg titers using a widely utilized approach. The PCR error was introduced by using single-cut linearized plasmid as the standard curve. This bias was eliminated using plasmid standards linearized just outside the ITR region on each end to facilitate the melting of the palindromic ITR sequences during PCR. This new "Free-ITR" qPCR delivers vg titers that are consistent with titers obtained with transgene-specific qPCR and could be used to normalize in-house product-specific AAV vector standards and controls to the rAAV RSMs. The free-ITR method, including well-characterized controls, will help to calibrate doses to compare preclinical and clinical data in the field.

Parent perspectives on school food allergy policy.

PubMed

Mustafa, S Shahzad; Russell, Anne F; Kagan, Olga; Kao, Lauren M; Houdek, Diane V; Smith, Bridget M; Wang, Julie; Gupta, Ruchi S

2018-05-12

Food allergy affects up to 8% of children in the U.S. There is minimal research to date on food allergy policies that are currently in place in schools and the opinions of parents of children with food allergy on the effectiveness of or need for these policies. An electronic survey was disseminated to parents of children with food allergy. Frequencies were calculated to describe respondent characteristics and responses. Chi-square tests were performed to examine associations between school and child characteristics and outcomes. Of the 289 parent respondents, 27.4% were unsure or felt school was unsafe for their child with food allergy. While the majority felt that the polices in their child's school were helpful, most also believed that implementation of additional polices was necessary, including availability of stock epinephrine (94.2%), lunch menus with allergen information (86%), ingredient labels on food items (81%), and direct food allergy education for students (86%). There were significant differences in school food allergy policy depending on the age of the student body, private versus public school, and geographic location. While most schools reportedly have one or more food allergy policies in place, many parents have concerns over the safety of their child at school and feel that additional policies are necessary to improve the safety of the school environment for children with food allergy. The availability of stock epinephrine, improved allergen labeling of food and menus and increased food allergy education may be key policy areas on which to focus.

Ototoxic occupational exposures for a stock car racing team: II. chemical surveys.

PubMed

Gwin, Kristin K; Wallingford, Kenneth M; Morata, Thais C; Van Campen, Luann E; Dallaire, Jacques; Alvarez, Frank J

2005-08-01

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a series of surveys to evaluate occupational exposure to noise and potentially ototoxic chemical agents among members of a professional stock car racing team. Exposure assessments included site visits to the team's race shop and a worst-case scenario racetrack. During site visits to the race team's shop, area samples were collected to measure exposures to potentially ototoxic chemicals, including, organic compounds (typical of solvents), metals, and carbon monoxide (CO). Exposures to these chemicals were all below their corresponding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limits (PELs), NIOSH recommended exposure limits (RELs), and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLVs). During site visits to the racetrack, area and personal samples were collected for organic compounds, lead, and CO in and around the "pit" area where the cars undergo race preparation and service during the race. Exposures to organic compounds and lead were either nondetectable or too low to quantify. Twenty-five percent of the CO time-weighted average concentrations exceeded the OSHA PEL, NIOSH REL, and ACGIH TLV after being adjusted for a 10-hour workday. Peak CO measurements exceeded the NIOSH recommended ceiling limit of 200 ppm. Based on these data, exposures to potentially ototoxic chemicals are probably not high enough to produce an adverse effect greater than that produced by the high sound pressure levels alone. However, carbon monoxide levels occasionally exceeded all evaluation criteria at the racetrack.

Optimal ordering quantities for substitutable deteriorating items under joint replenishment with cost of substitution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Vinod Kumar

2017-09-01

In this paper we develop an inventory model, to determine the optimal ordering quantities, for a set of two substitutable deteriorating items. In this inventory model the inventory level of both items depleted due to demands and deterioration and when an item is out of stock, its demands are partially fulfilled by the other item and all unsatisfied demand is lost. Each substituted item incurs a cost of substitution and the demands and deterioration is considered to be deterministic and constant. Items are order jointly in each ordering cycle, to take the advantages of joint replenishment. The problem is formulated and a solution procedure is developed to determine the optimal ordering quantities that minimize the total inventory cost. We provide an extensive numerical and sensitivity analysis to illustrate the effect of different parameter on the model. The key observation on the basis of numerical analysis, there is substantial improvement in the optimal total cost of the inventory model with substitution over without substitution.

Optimizing preventive maintenance policy: A data-driven application for a light rail braking system.

PubMed

Corman, Francesco; Kraijema, Sander; Godjevac, Milinko; Lodewijks, Gabriel

2017-10-01

This article presents a case study determining the optimal preventive maintenance policy for a light rail rolling stock system in terms of reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. The maintenance policy defines one of the three predefined preventive maintenance actions at fixed time-based intervals for each of the subsystems of the braking system. Based on work, maintenance, and failure data, we model the reliability degradation of the system and its subsystems under the current maintenance policy by a Weibull distribution. We then analytically determine the relation between reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. We validate the model against recorded reliability and availability and get further insights by a dedicated sensitivity analysis. The model is then used in a sequential optimization framework determining preventive maintenance intervals to improve on the key performance indicators. We show the potential of data-driven modelling to determine optimal maintenance policy: same system availability and reliability can be achieved with 30% maintenance cost reduction, by prolonging the intervals and re-grouping maintenance actions.

Optimizing preventive maintenance policy: A data-driven application for a light rail braking system

PubMed Central

Corman, Francesco; Kraijema, Sander; Godjevac, Milinko; Lodewijks, Gabriel

2017-01-01

This article presents a case study determining the optimal preventive maintenance policy for a light rail rolling stock system in terms of reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. The maintenance policy defines one of the three predefined preventive maintenance actions at fixed time-based intervals for each of the subsystems of the braking system. Based on work, maintenance, and failure data, we model the reliability degradation of the system and its subsystems under the current maintenance policy by a Weibull distribution. We then analytically determine the relation between reliability, availability, and maintenance costs. We validate the model against recorded reliability and availability and get further insights by a dedicated sensitivity analysis. The model is then used in a sequential optimization framework determining preventive maintenance intervals to improve on the key performance indicators. We show the potential of data-driven modelling to determine optimal maintenance policy: same system availability and reliability can be achieved with 30% maintenance cost reduction, by prolonging the intervals and re-grouping maintenance actions. PMID:29278245

Volatile decision dynamics: experiments, stochastic description, intermittency control and traffic optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helbing, Dirk; Schönhof, Martin; Kern, Daniel

2002-06-01

The coordinated and efficient distribution of limited resources by individual decisions is a fundamental, unsolved problem. When individuals compete for road capacities, time, space, money, goods, etc, they normally make decisions based on aggregate rather than complete information, such as TV news or stock market indices. In related experiments, we have observed a volatile decision dynamics and far-from-optimal payoff distributions. We have also identified methods of information presentation that can considerably improve the overall performance of the system. In order to determine optimal strategies of decision guidance by means of user-specific recommendations, a stochastic behavioural description is developed. These strategies manage to increase the adaptibility to changing conditions and to reduce the deviation from the time-dependent user equilibrium, thereby enhancing the average and individual payoffs. Hence, our guidance strategies can increase the performance of all users by reducing overreaction and stabilizing the decision dynamics. These results are highly significant for predicting decision behaviour, for reaching optimal behavioural distributions by decision support systems and for information service providers. One of the promising fields of application is traffic optimization.

Theoretical model for design and analysis of protectional eyewear.

PubMed

Zelzer, B; Speck, A; Langenbucher, A; Eppig, T

2013-05-01

Protectional eyewear has to fulfill both mechanical and optical stress tests. To pass those optical tests the surfaces of safety spectacles have to be optimized to minimize optical aberrations. Starting with the surface data of three measured safety spectacles, a theoretical spectacle model (four spherical surfaces) is recalculated first and then optimized while keeping the front surface unchanged. Next to spherical power, astigmatic power and prism imbalance we used the wavefront error (five different viewing directions) to simulate the optical performance and to optimize the safety spectacle geometries. All surfaces were spherical (maximum global deviation 'peak-to-valley' between the measured surface and the best-fit sphere: 0.132mm). Except the spherical power of the model Axcont (-0.07m(-1)) all simulated optical performance before optimization was better than the limits defined by standards. The optimization reduced the wavefront error by 1% to 0.150 λ (Windor/Infield), by 63% to 0.194 λ (Axcont/Bolle) and by 55% to 0.199 λ (2720/3M) without dropping below the measured thickness. The simulated optical performance of spectacle designs could be improved when using a smart optimization. A good optical design counteracts degradation by parameter variation throughout the manufacturing process. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Mechanical behavior and shape optimization of lining structure for subsea tunnel excavated in weathered slot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Peng-fei; Zhou, Xiao-jun

2015-12-01

Subsea tunnel lining structures should be designed to sustain the loads transmitted from surrounding ground and groundwater during excavation. Extremely high pore-water pressure reduces the effective strength of the country rock that surrounds a tunnel, thereby lowering the arching effect and stratum stability of the structure. In this paper, the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure for the Xiang'an tunnel excavated in weathered slots are examined. Eight cross sections with different geometric parameters are adopted to study the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure. The hyperstatic reaction method is used through finite element analysis software ANSYS. The mechanical behavior of the lining structure is evidently affected by the geometric parameters of crosssectional shape. The minimum safety factor of the lining structure elements is set to be the objective function. The efficient tunnel shape to maximize the minimum safety factor is identified. The minimum safety factor increases significantly after optimization. The optimized cross section significantly improves the mechanical characteristics of the lining structure and effectively reduces its deformation. Force analyses of optimization process and program are conducted parametrically so that the method can be applied to the optimization design of other similar structures. The results obtained from this study enhance our understanding of the mechanical behavior of the lining structure for subsea tunnels. These results are also beneficial to the optimal design of lining structures in general.

Agrichemical safety practices on farms in the western Cape.

PubMed

London, L

1994-05-01

In order to study agrichemical safety practices in a rural farming area in the western Cape, an audit of 45 randomly sampled farms was performed over 3 months in 1992. A response rate of 87% was achieved, and the survey results suggest that approximately 9% of permanent and 14% of seasonal farm workers are employed in jobs with potential exposure to agrichemicals. While protective equipment was widely available, gloves and masks were seldom used, with little enforcement or commercial support from the suppliers of the equipment. Farm workers receive little training on pesticide safety, but interest in the possibility of further training for workers was high. In the absence of a system of pesticide disposal, the presence of residual, unwanted and outdated stocks of pesticides in farmers' stores, and to a lesser extent the presence of empty containers, are identified as important problems. Current pesticide storage practices require improvement by simple industrial hygiene measures. Health facilities available to workers on most farms are extremely limited, particularly in the light of statutory requirements for occupational safety and health under the Machinery and Occupational Safety Act. It is argued that collective solutions to problems of pesticide safety are possible within the ambit of a public health response, particularly given the willingness of the farming community to identify and address potential health problems. As a result, initiatives to meet these needs are currently under way in the region.

A simulation model for determining the optimal size of emergency teams on call in the operating room at night.

PubMed

van Oostrum, Jeroen M; Van Houdenhoven, Mark; Vrielink, Manon M J; Klein, Jan; Hans, Erwin W; Klimek, Markus; Wullink, Gerhard; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Kazemier, Geert

2008-11-01

Hospitals that perform emergency surgery during the night (e.g., from 11:00 pm to 7:30 am) face decisions on optimal operating room (OR) staffing. Emergency patients need to be operated on within a predefined safety window to decrease morbidity and improve their chances of full recovery. We developed a process to determine the optimal OR team composition during the night, such that staffing costs are minimized, while providing adequate resources to start surgery within the safety interval. A discrete event simulation in combination with modeling of safety intervals was applied. Emergency surgery was allowed to be postponed safely. The model was tested using data from the main OR of Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC). Two outcome measures were calculated: violation of safety intervals and frequency with which OR and anesthesia nurses were called in from home. We used the following input data from Erasmus MC to estimate distributions of all relevant parameters in our model: arrival times of emergency patients, durations of surgical cases, length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit, and transportation times. In addition, surgeons and OR staff of Erasmus MC specified safety intervals. Reducing in-house team members from 9 to 5 increased the fraction of patients treated too late by 2.5% as compared to the baseline scenario. Substantially more OR and anesthesia nurses were called in from home when needed. The use of safety intervals benefits OR management during nights. Modeling of safety intervals substantially influences the number of emergency patients treated on time. Our case study showed that by modeling safety intervals and applying computer simulation, an OR can reduce its staff on call without jeopardizing patient safety.

Optimal portfolio strategy with cross-correlation matrix composed by DCCA coefficients: Evidence from the Chinese stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xuelian; Liu, Zixian

2016-02-01

In this paper, a new estimator of correlation matrix is proposed, which is composed of the detrended cross-correlation coefficients (DCCA coefficients), to improve portfolio optimization. In contrast to Pearson's correlation coefficients (PCC), DCCA coefficients acquired by the detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) method can describe the nonlinear correlation between assets, and can be decomposed in different time scales. These properties of DCCA make it possible to improve the investment effect and more valuable to investigate the scale behaviors of portfolios. The minimum variance portfolio (MVP) model and the Mean-Variance (MV) model are used to evaluate the effectiveness of this improvement. Stability analysis shows the effect of two kinds of correlation matrices on the estimation error of portfolio weights. The observed scale behaviors are significant to risk management and could be used to optimize the portfolio selection.

Optimizing collection of adverse event data in cancer clinical trials supporting supplemental indications.

PubMed

Kaiser, Lee D; Melemed, Allen S; Preston, Alaknanda J; Chaudri Ross, Hilary A; Niedzwiecki, Donna; Fyfe, Gwendolyn A; Gough, Jacqueline M; Bushnell, William D; Stephens, Cynthia L; Mace, M Kelsey; Abrams, Jeffrey S; Schilsky, Richard L

2010-12-01

Although much is known about the safety of an anticancer agent at the time of initial marketing approval, sponsors customarily collect comprehensive safety data for studies that support supplemental indications. This adds significant cost and complexity to the study but may not provide useful new information. The main purpose of this analysis was to assess the amount of safety and concomitant medication data collected to determine a more optimal approach in the collection of these data when used in support of supplemental applications. Following a prospectively developed statistical analysis plan, we reanalyzed safety data from eight previously completed prospective randomized trials. A total of 107,884 adverse events and 136,608 concomitant medication records were reviewed for the analysis. Of these, four grade 1 to 2 and nine grade 3 and higher events were identified as drug effects that were not included in the previously established safety profiles and could potentially have been missed using subsampling. These events were frequently detected in subsamples of 400 patients or larger. Furthermore, none of the concomitant medication records contributed to labeling changes for the supplemental indications. Our study found that applying the optimized methodologic approach, described herein, has a high probability of detecting new drug safety signals. Focusing data collection on signals that cause physicians to modify or discontinue treatment ensures that safety issues of the highest concern for patients and regulators are captured and has significant potential to relieve strain on the clinical trials system.

Participatory design of a preliminary safety checklist for general practice

PubMed Central

Bowie, Paul; Ferguson, Julie; MacLeod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; de Wet, Carl; McNab, Duncan; Kelly, Moya; McKay, John; Atkinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

Background The use of checklists to minimise errors is well established in high reliability, safety-critical industries. In health care there is growing interest in checklists to standardise checking processes and ensure task completion, and so provide further systemic defences against error and patient harm. However, in UK general practice there is limited experience of safety checklist use. Aim To identify workplace hazards that impact on safety, health and wellbeing, and performance, and codesign a standardised checklist process. Design and setting Application of mixed methods to identify system hazards in Scottish general practices and develop a safety checklist based on human factors design principles. Method A multiprofessional ‘expert’ group (n = 7) and experienced front-line GPs, nurses, and practice managers (n = 18) identified system hazards and developed and validated a preliminary checklist using a combination of literature review, documentation review, consensus building workshops using a mini-Delphi process, and completion of content validity index exercise. Results A prototype safety checklist was developed and validated consisting of six safety domains (for example, medicines management), 22 sub-categories (for example, emergency drug supplies) and 78 related items (for example, stock balancing, secure drug storage, and cold chain temperature recording). Conclusion Hazards in the general practice work system were prioritised that can potentially impact on the safety, health and wellbeing of patients, GP team members, and practice performance, and a necessary safety checklist prototype was designed. However, checklist efficacy in improving safety processes and outcomes is dependent on user commitment, and support from leaders and promotional champions. Although further usability development and testing is necessary, the concept should be of interest in the UK and internationally. PMID:25918338

Optimization of Environmental Conditions to Maximize Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Through Algal Growth

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

this would complete the fossil fuel cycle, as algae are understood to be the progenitors of our current oil based fossil fuel stocks. As primary... oil . However, considering the scope of the world’s energy uses, these sources cannot possibly replace the fossil fuels currently in use. Some...122 Jatropha 1892 140 77 Coconut 2689 99 54 Oil Palm 5950 45 24 * For meeting 50% of transport fuel requirements in the United States

Optimizing the physical conditioning of the NASCAR sprint cup pit crew athlete.

PubMed

Ferguson, David P; Davis, Adam M; Lightfoot, J Timothy

2015-03-01

Stock car racing is the largest spectator sport in the United States. As a result, National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) Sprint Cup teams have begun to invest in strength and conditioning programs for their pit crew athletes. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the physical characteristics of elite NASCAR pit crew athletes, how the NASCAR Sprint Cup season affects basic physiological parameters such as body composition, and what is the most appropriate physical training program that meets the needs of a pit crew athlete. We conducted 3 experiments involving Sprint Cup motorsport athletes to determine predictors of success at the elite level, seasonal physiological changes, and appropriate physical training programs. Our results showed that hamstring flexibility (p = 0.015) and the score on the 2-tire front run test (p = 0.012) were significant predictors of NASCAR Sprint Cup Pit Crew athlete performance. Additionally, during the off season, pit crew athletes lost lean body mass, which did not return until the middle of the season. Therefore, a strength and conditioning program was developed to optimize pit crew athlete performance throughout the season. Implementation of this strength and conditioning program in 1 NASCAR Sprint Cup team demonstrated that pit crew athletes were able to prevent lean body mass loss and have increased muscle power output from the start of the season to the end of the season.

Efficient Algorithms for Segmentation of Item-Set Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chundi, Parvathi; Rosenkrantz, Daniel J.

We propose a special type of time series, which we call an item-set time series, to facilitate the temporal analysis of software version histories, email logs, stock market data, etc. In an item-set time series, each observed data value is a set of discrete items. We formalize the concept of an item-set time series and present efficient algorithms for segmenting a given item-set time series. Segmentation of a time series partitions the time series into a sequence of segments where each segment is constructed by combining consecutive time points of the time series. Each segment is associated with an item set that is computed from the item sets of the time points in that segment, using a function which we call a measure function. We then define a concept called the segment difference, which measures the difference between the item set of a segment and the item sets of the time points in that segment. The segment difference values are required to construct an optimal segmentation of the time series. We describe novel and efficient algorithms to compute segment difference values for each of the measure functions described in the paper. We outline a dynamic programming based scheme to construct an optimal segmentation of the given item-set time series. We use the item-set time series segmentation techniques to analyze the temporal content of three different data sets—Enron email, stock market data, and a synthetic data set. The experimental results show that an optimal segmentation of item-set time series data captures much more temporal content than a segmentation constructed based on the number of time points in each segment, without examining the item set data at the time points, and can be used to analyze different types of temporal data.

Stock optimizing: maximizing reinforcers per session on a variable-interval schedule.

PubMed Central

Silberberg, A; Bauman, R; Hursh, S

1993-01-01

In Experiment 1, 2 monkeys earned their daily food ration by pressing a key that delivered food according to a variable-interval 3-min schedule. In Phases 1 and 4, sessions ended after 3 hr. In Phases 2 and 3, sessions ended after a fixed number of responses that reduced food intake and body weights from levels during Phases 1 and 4. Monkeys responded at higher rates and emitted more responses per food delivery when the food earned in a session was reduced. In Experiment 2, monkeys earned their daily food ration by depositing tokens into the response panel. Deposits delivered food according to a variable-interval 3-min schedule. When the token supply was unlimited (Phases 1, 3, and 5), sessions ended after 3 hr. In Phases 2 and 4, sessions ended after 150 tokens were deposited, resulting in a decrease in food intake and body weight. Both monkeys responded at lower rates and emitted fewer responses per food delivery when the food earned in a session was reduced. Experiment 1's results are consistent with a strength account, according to which the phases that reduced body weights increased food's value and therefore increased subjects' response rates. The results of Experiment 2 are consistent with an optimizing strategy, because lowering response rates when food is restricted defends body weight on variable-interval schedules. These contrasting results may be attributed to the discriminability of the contingency between response number and the end of a session being greater in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1. In consequence, subjects lowered their response rates in order to increase the number of reinforcers per session (stock optimizing). PMID:8454960

Spectrophotometric determination of the total flavonoid content in Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) leaves

PubMed Central

da Silva, Layzon Antonio Lemos; Pezzini, Bianca Ramos; Soares, Luciano

2015-01-01

Background: The chemical characterization is essential to validate the pharmaceutical use of vegetable raw materials. Ultraviolet spectroscopy is an important technique to determine flavonoids, which are important active compounds from Ocimum basilicum. Objective: The objective of this work was to optimize a spectrophotometric method, based on flavonoid-aluminum chloride (AlCl3) complexation to determine the total flavonoid content (TFC) in leaves of O. basilicum (herbal material), using response surface methodology. Materials and Methods: The effects of (1) the herbal material: Solvent ratio (0.02, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.08 g/mL), (2) stock solution volume (0.8, 2.3, 4.4, 6.5, and 8.0 mL) and (3) AlCl3 volume (0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 mL) on the TFC were evaluated. The analytical performance parameters precision, linearity and robustness of the method were tested. Results: The herbal material: Solvent ratio and stock solution volume showed an important influence on the method response. After choosing the optimized conditions, the method exhibited a precision (RSD%) lower than 6% for repeatability (RSD%) and lower than 8% for intermediate precision (on the order of literature values for biotechnological methods), coefficient of correlation of 0.9984, and no important influence could be observed for variations of the time of complexation with AlCl3. However, the time and temperature of extraction were critical for TFC method and must be carefully controlled during the analysis. Conclusion: Thus, this study allowed the optimization of a simple, fast and precise method for the determination of the TFC in leaves of O. basilicum, which can be used to support the quality assessment of this herbal material. PMID:25709217

A fuzzy multi-objective linear programming approach for integrated sheep farming and wildlife in land management decisions: a case study in the Patagonian rangelands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metternicht, Graciela; Blanco, Paula; del Valle, Hector; Laterra, Pedro; Hardtke, Leonardo; Bouza, Pablo

2015-04-01

Wildlife is part of the Patagonian rangelands sheep farming environment, with the potential of providing extra revenue to livestock owners. As sheep farming became less profitable, farmers and ranchers could focus on sustainable wildlife harvesting. It has been argued that sustainable wildlife harvesting is ecologically one of the most rational forms of land use because of its potential to provide multiple products of high value, while reducing pressure on ecosystems. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is the most conspicuous wild ungulate of Patagonia. Guanaco ?bre, meat, pelts and hides are economically valuable and have the potential to be used within the present Patagonian context of production systems. Guanaco populations in South America, including Patagonia, have experienced a sustained decline. Causes for this decline are related to habitat alteration, competition for forage with sheep, and lack of reasonable management plans to develop livelihoods for ranchers. In this study we propose an approach to explicitly determinate optimal stocking rates based on trade-offs between guanaco density and livestock grazing intensity on rangelands. The focus of our research is on finding optimal sheep stocking rates at paddock level, to ensure the highest production outputs while: a) meeting requirements of sustainable conservation of guanacos over their minimum viable population; b) maximizing soil carbon sequestration, and c) minimizing soil erosion. In this way, determination of optimal stocking rate in rangelands becomes a multi-objective optimization problem that can be addressed using a Fuzzy Multi-Objective Linear Programming (MOLP) approach. Basically, this approach converts multi-objective problems into single-objective optimizations, by introducing a set of objective weights. Objectives are represented using fuzzy set theory and fuzzy memberships, enabling each objective function to adopt a value between 0 and 1. Each objective function indicates the satisfaction of the decision maker towards the respective objective. Fuzzy logic is closer to intuitive thinking used by decision makers, making it a user-friendly approach for them to select alternatives. The proposed approach was applied in a study area of approximately 40,000 hectares in semiarid Patagonian rangelands where extensive, continuous sheep grazing for wool production is the main land use. Multi- and hyper-spectral data were combined with ancillary data within a GIS environment, and used to derive maps of forage production, guanacos density, soil organic carbon and soil erosion. Different scenarios, with different objectives weights were evaluated. Results showed that under scenario 1, where livestock production is predicted to have the highest values, guanaco numbers decrease substantially as well as soil carbon sequestration, and soil erosion exhibit the highest values. On the other hand, when guanaco population is prioritized, livestock production has the lowest value. A compromise alternative resulted from a scenario where variables are assigned same weight; under this condition, high livestock production is predicted, while conservation of guanaco population is sustainable, carbon sequestration is maximized and soil erosion minimized.

A new approach for the laboratory culture of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas.

PubMed

Gordon, Denise A; Smith, Mark E; Wratschko, Melissa; Agard, David; Holden, Lisa; Wilcox, Steve; Lazorchak, James M

2014-01-01

Fathead minnows are routinely cultured for use in aquatic toxicology studies. A new mass culture system described in the present study consisted of 6 stainless steel tanks, each containing 68 fish and 20 spawning substrates. Spawning results are compared with a previous system of 22 individual glass aquaria, which contained 16 fish and 4 spawning substrates per tank. During a 19-mo period, the new system produced an average of 4105 eggs/d, compared with an average of 2465 eggs/d with the previous system. Labor and maintenance were reduced with the new system. The stainless steel tanks eliminated aquaria glass breakage, and daily water use was reduced by 45%. Analysis of reference toxicant data from fish cultured using both systems indicated no change in the sensitivity of the test animals. Analyses of 2009 egg production data determined that a 6:1 to 7:1 female to male ratio had a significantly positive impact on egg production levels and that 6-mo-old breeding stock should be introduced to the spawning tanks in mid-spring for optimal egg production during the rest of the year. Implementing a stainless steel mass culture system significantly increased efficiency of egg production; reduced turnaround delay of mature animal availability for toxicity and molecular testing; and reduced labor time, costs, and inherent safety hazards, compared with glass aquaria systems. © 2013 SETAC.

FMDP reactor alternative summary report. Volume 1 - existing LWR alternative

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greene, S.R.; Bevard, B.B.

1996-10-07

Significant quantities of weapons-usable fissile materials [primarily plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU)] are becoming surplus to national defense needs in both the United States and Russia. These stocks of fissile materials pose significant dangers to national and international security. The dangers exist not only in the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons but also in the potential for environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) consequences if surplus fissile materials are not properly managed. This document summarizes the results of analysis concerned with existing light water reactor plutonium disposition alternatives.

Hierarchical virtual screening of the dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors from natural products based on pharmacophore models and molecular docking.

PubMed

Wang, Yijun; Yang, Limei; Hou, Jiaying; Zou, Qing; Gao, Qi; Yao, Wenhui; Yao, Qizheng; Zhang, Ji

2018-02-12

The dual-target inhibitors tend to improve the response rate in treating tumors, comparing with the single-target inhibitors. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC-6) are attractive targets for cancer therapy. In this study, the hierarchical virtual screening of dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors from natural products is investigated. The pharmacophore model of MMP-2 inhibitors is built based on ligands, but the pharmacophore model of HDAC-6 inhibitors is built based on the experimental crystal structures of multiple receptor-ligand complexes. The reliability of these two pharmacophore models is validated subsequently. The hierarchical virtual screening, combining these two different pharmacophore models of MMP-2 and HDAC-6 inhibitors with molecular docking, is carried out to identify the dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors from a database of natural products. The four potential dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors of natural products, STOCK1 N-46177, STOCK1 N-52245, STOCK1 N-55477, and STOCK1 N-69706, are found. The studies of binding modes show that the screened four natural products can simultaneously well bind with the MMP-2 and HDAC-6 active sites by different kinds of interactions, to inhibit the MMP-2 and HDAC-6 activities. In addition, the ADMET properties of screened four natural products are assessed. These found dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors of natural products could serve as the lead compounds for designing the new dual MMP-2/HDAC-6 inhibitors having higher biological activities by carrying out structural modifications and optimizations in the future studies.

Demographics and practices of semi-intensive free-range farming systems in Australia with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare

PubMed Central

Ruhnke, Isabelle; de Koning, Carolyn; Drake, Kelly; Skerman, Alan G.; Hinch, Geoff N.; Glatz, Philip C.

2017-01-01

Baseline information on demographics and practices on semi-intensive free-range egg farms with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare in Australia is presented. Free-range egg production is changing the structure of the egg industry in Australia and a broad variety and tiers of free-range systems have emerged due to lack of concrete legislative standards on outdoor stocking densities in the past. Information was extracted from a pre-existing online free-range poultry survey dataset, consisting of a total of 79 questions related to nutrition, pasture management, welfare and health, animal housing, environmental impact and economics. Forty-one free-range egg farms, with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare, were identified in the dataset from all major Australian states. Two types of semi-intensive free-range housing systems were documented: mobile (modified caravan/trailer) housing (56%), and fixed sheds (44%). Seventy-two percent of respondents reported >75% of the hens in the flock used the outdoor range. All respondents reported ingestion of range components by hens in the form of vegetation, insects, stones and grit. Up to 10% mortality was reported by 40% respondents with predation (34%), cannibalism (29%), heat stress (24%) and grass impaction (19.5%) as major causes. Biosecurity on farms was sub-optimal with 8 of the 10 actions implemented by <50% respondents. Customer demand, consumer sentiment and welfare were the major factors for farmers moving into free-range egg production. This study resulted in identification of current practices and key challenges on semi-intensive free-range egg farms. Applied research and communication of results to farmers is highly recommended to ensure optimum health and welfare of free-range laying hens and sustained egg production. PMID:29065169

A degree-day model of sheep grazing influence on alfalfa weevil and crop characteristics.

PubMed

Goosey, Hayes B

2012-02-01

Domestic sheep (Ovis spp.) grazing is emerging as an integrated pest management tactic for alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), management and a degree-day model is needed as a decision and support tool. In response to this need, grazing exclosures with unique degree-days and stocking rates were established at weekly intervals in a central Montana alfalfa field during 2008 and 2009. Analyses indicate that increased stocking rates and grazing degree-days were associated with decreased crop levels of weevil larvae. Larval data collected from grazing treatments were regressed against on-site and near-site temperatures that produced the same accuracy. The near-site model was chosen to encourage producer acceptance. The regression slope differed from zero, had an r2 of 0.83, and a root mean square error of 0.2. Crop data were collected to achieve optimal weevil management with forage quality and yield. Differences were recorded in crude protein, acid and neutral detergent fibers, total digestible nutrients, and mean stage by weight. Stem heights differed with higher stocking rates and degree-days recording the shortest alfalfa canopy height at harvest. The degree-day model was validated at four sites during 2010 with a mean square prediction error of 0.74. The recommendation from this research is to stock alfalfa fields in the spring before 63 DD with rates between 251 and 583 sheep days per hectare (d/ha). Sheep should be allowed to graze to a minimum of 106 and maximum of 150 DD before removal. This model gives field entomologists a new method for implementing grazing in an integrated pest management program.

Large-scale Clinical-grade Retroviral Vector Production in a Fixed-Bed Bioreactor

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiuyan; Olszewska, Malgorzata; Qu, Jinrong; Wasielewska, Teresa; Bartido, Shirley; Hermetet, Gregory; Sadelain, Michel

2015-01-01

The successful genetic engineering of patient T cells with γ-retroviral vectors expressing chimeric antigen receptors or T-cell receptors for phase II clinical trials and beyond requires the large-scale manufacture of high-titer vector stocks. The production of retroviral vectors from stable packaging cell lines using roller bottles or 10- to 40-layer cell factories is limited by a narrow harvest window, labor intensity, open-system operations, and the requirement for significant incubator space. To circumvent these shortcomings, we optimized the production of vector stocks in a disposable fixed-bed bioreactor using good manufacturing practice–grade packaging cell lines. High-titer vector stocks were harvested over 10 days, representing a much broader harvest window than the 3-day harvest afforded by cell factories. For PG13 and 293Vec packaging cells, the average vector titer and the vector stocks’ yield in the bioreactor were higher by 3.2- to 7.3-fold, and 5.6- to 13.1-fold, respectively, than those obtained in cell factories. The vector production was 10.4 and 18.6 times more efficient than in cell factories for PG13 and 293Vec cells, respectively. Furthermore, the vectors produced from the fixed-bed bioreactors passed the release test assays for clinical applications. Therefore, a single vector lot derived from 293Vec is suitable to transduce up to 500 patients cell doses in the context of large clinical trials using chimeric antigen receptors or T-cell receptors. These findings demonstrate for the first time that a robust fixed-bed bioreactor process can be used to produce γ-retroviral vector stocks scalable up to the commercialization phase. PMID:25751502

Demographics and practices of semi-intensive free-range farming systems in Australia with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare.

PubMed

Singh, Mini; Ruhnke, Isabelle; de Koning, Carolyn; Drake, Kelly; Skerman, Alan G; Hinch, Geoff N; Glatz, Philip C

2017-01-01

Baseline information on demographics and practices on semi-intensive free-range egg farms with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare in Australia is presented. Free-range egg production is changing the structure of the egg industry in Australia and a broad variety and tiers of free-range systems have emerged due to lack of concrete legislative standards on outdoor stocking densities in the past. Information was extracted from a pre-existing online free-range poultry survey dataset, consisting of a total of 79 questions related to nutrition, pasture management, welfare and health, animal housing, environmental impact and economics. Forty-one free-range egg farms, with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare, were identified in the dataset from all major Australian states. Two types of semi-intensive free-range housing systems were documented: mobile (modified caravan/trailer) housing (56%), and fixed sheds (44%). Seventy-two percent of respondents reported >75% of the hens in the flock used the outdoor range. All respondents reported ingestion of range components by hens in the form of vegetation, insects, stones and grit. Up to 10% mortality was reported by 40% respondents with predation (34%), cannibalism (29%), heat stress (24%) and grass impaction (19.5%) as major causes. Biosecurity on farms was sub-optimal with 8 of the 10 actions implemented by <50% respondents. Customer demand, consumer sentiment and welfare were the major factors for farmers moving into free-range egg production. This study resulted in identification of current practices and key challenges on semi-intensive free-range egg farms. Applied research and communication of results to farmers is highly recommended to ensure optimum health and welfare of free-range laying hens and sustained egg production.

A simulation-optimization model for Stone column-supported embankment stability considering rainfall effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deb, Kousik, E-mail: kousik@civil.iitkgp.ernet.in; Dhar, Anirban, E-mail: anirban@civil.iitkgp.ernet.in; Purohit, Sandip, E-mail: sandip.purohit91@gmail.com

Landslide due to rainfall has been and continues to be one of the most important concerns of geotechnical engineering. The paper presents the variation of factor of safety of stone column-supported embankment constructed over soft soil due to change in water level for an incessant period of rainfall. A combined simulation-optimization based methodology has been proposed to predict the critical surface of failure of the embankment and to optimize the corresponding factor of safety under rainfall conditions using an evolutionary genetic algorithm NSGA-II (Non-Dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm-II). It has been observed that the position of water table can be reliablymore » estimated with varying periods of infiltration using developed numerical method. The parametric study is presented to study the optimum factor of safety of the embankment and its corresponding critical failure surface under the steady-state infiltration condition. Results show that in case of floating stone columns, period of infiltration has no effect on factor of safety. Even critical failure surfaces for a particular floating column length remain same irrespective of rainfall duration.« less

Forecasting of indirect consumables for a Job Shop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakeel, M.; Khan, S.; Khan, W. A.

2016-08-01

A job shop has an arrangement where similar machines (Direct consumables) are grouped together and use indirect consumables to produce a product. The indirect consumables include hack saw blades, emery paper, painting brush etc. The job shop is serving various orders at a particular time for the optimal operation of job shop. Forecasting is required to predict the demand of direct and indirect consumables in a job shop. Forecasting is also needed to manage lead time, optimize inventory cost and stock outs. The objective of this research is to obtain the forecast for indirect consumables. The paper shows how job shop can manage their indirect consumables more accurately by establishing a new technique of forecasting. This results in profitable use of job shop by multiple users.

Research on regularized mean-variance portfolio selection strategy with modified Roy safety-first principle.

PubMed

Atta Mills, Ebenezer Fiifi Emire; Yan, Dawen; Yu, Bo; Wei, Xinyuan

2016-01-01

We propose a consolidated risk measure based on variance and the safety-first principle in a mean-risk portfolio optimization framework. The safety-first principle to financial portfolio selection strategy is modified and improved. Our proposed models are subjected to norm regularization to seek near-optimal stable and sparse portfolios. We compare the cumulative wealth of our preferred proposed model to a benchmark, S&P 500 index for the same period. Our proposed portfolio strategies have better out-of-sample performance than the selected alternative portfolio rules in literature and control the downside risk of the portfolio returns.

Potential stocks and increments of woody biomass in the European Union under different management and climate scenarios.

PubMed

Kindermann, Georg E; Schörghuber, Stefan; Linkosalo, Tapio; Sanchez, Anabel; Rammer, Werner; Seidl, Rupert; Lexer, Manfred J

2013-02-01

Forests play an important role in the global carbon flow. They can store carbon and can also provide wood which can substitute other materials. In EU27 the standing biomass is steadily increasing. Increments and harvests seem to have reached a plateau between 2005 and 2010. One reason for reaching this plateau will be the circumstance that the forests are getting older. High ages have the advantage that they typical show high carbon concentration and the disadvantage that the increment rates are decreasing. It should be investigated how biomass stock, harvests and increments will develop under different climate scenarios and two management scenarios where one is forcing to store high biomass amounts in forests and the other tries to have high increment rates and much harvested wood. A management which is maximising standing biomass will raise the stem wood carbon stocks from 30 tC/ha to 50 tC/ha until 2100. A management which is maximising increments will lower the stock to 20 tC/ha until 2100. The estimates for the climate scenarios A1b, B1 and E1 are different but there is much more effect by the management target than by the climate scenario. By maximising increments the harvests are 0.4 tC/ha/year higher than in the management which maximises the standing biomass. The increments until 2040 are close together but around 2100 the increments when maximising standing biomass are approximately 50 % lower than those when maximising increments. Cold regions will benefit from the climate changes in the climate scenarios by showing higher increments. The results of this study suggest that forest management should maximise increments, not stocks to be more efficient in sense of climate change mitigation. This is true especially for regions which have already high carbon stocks in forests, what is the case in many regions in Europe. During the time span 2010-2100 the forests of EU27 will absorb additional 1750 million tC if they are managed to maximise increments compared if they are managed to maximise standing biomass. Incentives which will increase the standing biomass beyond the increment optimal biomass should therefore be avoided. Mechanisms which will maximise increments and sustainable harvests need to be developed to have substantial amounts of wood which can be used as substitution of non sustainable materials.

Role of effective nurse-patient relationships in enhancing patient safety.

PubMed

Conroy, Tiffany; Feo, Rebecca; Boucaut, Rose; Alderman, Jan; Kitson, Alison

2017-08-02

Ensuring and maintaining patient safety is an essential aspect of care provision. Safety is a multidimensional concept, which incorporates interrelated elements such as physical and psychosocial safety. An effective nurse-patient relationship should ensure that these elements are considered when planning and providing care. This article discusses the importance of an effective nurse-patient relationship, as well as healthcare environments and working practices that promote safety, thus ensuring optimal patient care.

Optimal Design of Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) Systems for improving safety in NASA's Exploration Vehicles: A Two-Level Multidisciplinary Design Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem; Mehr, Ali Farhang

2005-01-01

In this paper, a two-level multidisciplinary design approach is described to optimize the effectiveness of ISHM s. At the top level, the overall safety of the mission consists of system-level variables, parameters, objectives, and constraints that are shared throughout the system and by all subsystems. Each subsystem level will then comprise of these shared values in addition to subsystem-specific variables, parameters, objectives and constraints. A hierarchical structure will be established to pass up or down shared values between the two levels with system-level and subsystem-level optimization routines.

Methodology for safety optimization of highway cross-sections for horizontal curves with restricted sight distance.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Shewkar E; Sayed, Tarek; Ismail, Karim

2012-11-01

Several earlier studies have noted the shortcomings with existing geometric design guides which provide deterministic standards. In these standards the safety margin of the design output is generally unknown and there is little knowledge of the safety implications of deviating from the standards. To mitigate these shortcomings, probabilistic geometric design has been advocated where reliability analysis can be used to account for the uncertainty in the design parameters and to provide a mechanism for risk measurement to evaluate the safety impact of deviations from design standards. This paper applies reliability analysis for optimizing the safety of highway cross-sections. The paper presents an original methodology to select a suitable combination of cross-section elements with restricted sight distance to result in reduced collisions and consistent risk levels. The purpose of this optimization method is to provide designers with a proactive approach to the design of cross-section elements in order to (i) minimize the risk associated with restricted sight distance, (ii) balance the risk across the two carriageways of the highway, and (iii) reduce the expected collision frequency. A case study involving nine cross-sections that are parts of two major highway developments in British Columbia, Canada, was presented. The results showed that an additional reduction in collisions can be realized by incorporating the reliability component, P(nc) (denoting the probability of non-compliance), in the optimization process. The proposed approach results in reduced and consistent risk levels for both travel directions in addition to further collision reductions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Study on the optimization of monitoring indicators of drinking water quality during health supervision].

PubMed

Ye, Bixiong; E, Xueli; Zhang, Lan

2015-01-01

To optimize non-regular drinking water quality indices (except Giardia and Cryptosporidium) of urban drinking water. Several methods including drinking water quality exceed the standard, the risk of exceeding standard, the frequency of detecting concentrations below the detection limit, water quality comprehensive index evaluation method, and attribute reduction algorithm of rough set theory were applied, redundancy factor of water quality indicators were eliminated, control factors that play a leading role in drinking water safety were found. Optimization results showed in 62 unconventional water quality monitoring indicators of urban drinking water, 42 water quality indicators could be optimized reduction by comprehensively evaluation combined with attribute reduction of rough set. Optimization of the water quality monitoring indicators and reduction of monitoring indicators and monitoring frequency could ensure the safety of drinking water quality while lowering monitoring costs and reducing monitoring pressure of the sanitation supervision departments.

Relation between financial market structure and the real economy: comparison between clustering methods.

PubMed

Musmeci, Nicoló; Aste, Tomaso; Di Matteo, T

2015-01-01

We quantify the amount of information filtered by different hierarchical clustering methods on correlations between stock returns comparing the clustering structure with the underlying industrial activity classification. We apply, for the first time to financial data, a novel hierarchical clustering approach, the Directed Bubble Hierarchical Tree and we compare it with other methods including the Linkage and k-medoids. By taking the industrial sector classification of stocks as a benchmark partition, we evaluate how the different methods retrieve this classification. The results show that the Directed Bubble Hierarchical Tree can outperform other methods, being able to retrieve more information with fewer clusters. Moreover,we show that the economic information is hidden at different levels of the hierarchical structures depending on the clustering method. The dynamical analysis on a rolling window also reveals that the different methods show different degrees of sensitivity to events affecting financial markets, like crises. These results can be of interest for all the applications of clustering methods to portfolio optimization and risk hedging [corrected].

Reduced grazing pressure delivers production and environmental benefits for the typical steppe of north China.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingjun; Huang, Ding; Badgery, Warwick B; Kemp, David R; Chen, Wenqing; Wang, Xiaoya; Liu, Nan

2015-11-10

Degradation by overgrazing is common in many areas of the world and optimising grassland functions depends upon finding suitable grazing tactics. This four-year study on the northern China steppe investigated combinations of rest, moderate or heavy grazing pressure early in the summer growing season, then moderate or heavy grazing in the mid and late season. Results showed that moderate grazing pressure (~550 sheep equivalent (SE) grazing days ha(-1) year(-1)) gave the optimal balance between maintaining a productive and diverse grassland, a profitable livestock system, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Further analyses identified that more conservative stocking (~400 SE grazing days ha(-1) year(-1)) maintained a desirable Leymus chinensis composition and achieved a higher live weight gain of sheep. Early summer rest best maintained a desirable grassland composition, but had few other benefits and reduced incomes. These findings demonstrate that reducing grazing pressure to half the current district stocking rates can deliver improved ecosystem services (lower greenhouse gases and improved grassland composition) while sustaining herder incomes.

Optimal Cycle Time and Preservation Technology Investment for Deteriorating Items with Price-sensitive Stock-dependent Demand Under Inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Nita H.; Shah, Arpan D.

2014-04-01

The article analyzes economic order quantity for the retailer who has to handle imperfect quality of the product and the units are subject to deteriorate at a constant rate. To control deterioration of the units in inventory, the retailer has to deploy advanced preservation technology. Another challenge for the retailer is to have perfect quality product. This requires mandatory inspection during the production process. This model is developed with the condition of random fraction of defective items. It is assumed that after inspection, the screened defective items are sold at a discounted rate instantly. Demand is considered to be price-sensitive stock-dependent. The model is incorporating effect of inflation which is critical factor globally. The objective is to maximize profit of the retailer with respect to preservation technology investment, order quantity and cycle time. The numerical example is given to validate the proposed model. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to work out managerial issues.

Medical Treatment for Postthrombotic Syndrome

PubMed Central

Palacios, Federico Silva; Rathbun, Suman Wasan

2017-01-01

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a prevalent disease. About 20 to 30% of patients with DVT will develop postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) within months after the initial diagnosis of DVT. There is no gold standard for diagnosis of PTS, but clinical signs include pitting edema, hyperpigmentation, phlebectatic crown, venous eczema, and varicose veins. Several scoring systems have been developed for diagnostic evaluation. Conservative treatment includes compression therapy, medications, lifestyle modification, and exercise. Compression therapy, the mainstay and most proven noninvasive therapy for patients with PTS, can be prescribed as compression stockings, bandaging, adjustable compression wrap devices, and intermittent pneumatic compression. Medications may be used to both prevent and treat PTS and include anticoagulation, anti-inflammatories, vasoactive drugs, antibiotics, and diuretics. Exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation, and leg elevation are also recommended. Areas of further research include the duration, compliance, and strength of compression stockings in the prevention of PTS after DVT; the use of intermittent compression devices; the optimal medical anticoagulant regimen after endovascular therapy; and the role of newer anticoagulants as anti-inflammatory agents. PMID:28265131

LQ optimal and reaching law-based sliding modes for inventory management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignaciuk, Przemysław; Bartoszewicz, Andrzej

2012-01-01

In this article, the theory of discrete sliding-mode control is used to design new supply strategies for periodic-review inventory systems. In the considered systems, the stock used to fulfil an unknown, time-varying demand can be replenished from a single supply source or from multiple suppliers procuring orders with different delays. The proposed strategies guarantee that demand is always entirely satisfied from the on-hand stock (yielding the maximum service level), and the warehouse capacity is not exceeded (which eliminates the cost of emergency storage). In contrast to the classical, stochastic approaches, in this article, we focus on optimising the inventory system dynamics. The parameters of the first control strategy are selected by minimising a quadratic cost functional. Next, it is shown how the system dynamical performance can be improved by applying the concept of a reaching law with the appropriately adjusted reaching phase. The stable, nonoscillatory behaviour of the closed-loop system is demonstrated and the properties of the designed controllers are discussed and strictly proved.

Relation between Financial Market Structure and the Real Economy: Comparison between Clustering Methods

PubMed Central

Musmeci, Nicoló; Aste, Tomaso; Di Matteo, T.

2015-01-01

We quantify the amount of information filtered by different hierarchical clustering methods on correlations between stock returns comparing the clustering structure with the underlying industrial activity classification. We apply, for the first time to financial data, a novel hierarchical clustering approach, the Directed Bubble Hierarchical Tree and we compare it with other methods including the Linkage and k-medoids. By taking the industrial sector classification of stocks as a benchmark partition, we evaluate how the different methods retrieve this classification. The results show that the Directed Bubble Hierarchical Tree can outperform other methods, being able to retrieve more information with fewer clusters. Moreover, we show that the economic information is hidden at different levels of the hierarchical structures depending on the clustering method. The dynamical analysis on a rolling window also reveals that the different methods show different degrees of sensitivity to events affecting financial markets, like crises. These results can be of interest for all the applications of clustering methods to portfolio optimization and risk hedging. PMID:25786703

A hybrid neurogenetic approach for stock forecasting.

PubMed

Kwon, Yung-Keun; Moon, Byung-Ro

2007-05-01

In this paper, we propose a hybrid neurogenetic system for stock trading. A recurrent neural network (NN) having one hidden layer is used for the prediction model. The input features are generated from a number of technical indicators being used by financial experts. The genetic algorithm (GA) optimizes the NN's weights under a 2-D encoding and crossover. We devised a context-based ensemble method of NNs which dynamically changes on the basis of the test day's context. To reduce the time in processing mass data, we parallelized the GA on a Linux cluster system using message passing interface. We tested the proposed method with 36 companies in NYSE and NASDAQ for 13 years from 1992 to 2004. The neurogenetic hybrid showed notable improvement on the average over the buy-and-hold strategy and the context-based ensemble further improved the results. We also observed that some companies were more predictable than others, which implies that the proposed neurogenetic hybrid can be used for financial portfolio construction.

A study of correlations in the stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Chandradew; Banerjee, Kinjal

2015-08-01

We study the various sectors of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for a period of 8 years from April 2006 to March 2014. Using the data of daily returns of a period of eight years we make a direct model free analysis of the pattern of the sectorial indices movement and the correlations among them. Our analysis shows significant auto correlation among the individual sectors and also strong cross-correlation among sectors. We also find that auto correlations in some of the sectors persist in time. This is a very significant result and has not been reported so far in Indian context. These findings will be very useful in model building for prediction of price movement of equities, derivatives and portfolio management. We show that the Random Walk Hypothesis is not applicable in modeling the Indian market and mean-variance-skewness-kurtosis based portfolio optimization might be required. We also find that almost all sectors are highly correlated during large fluctuation periods and have only moderate correlation during normal periods.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pauli, Adam T; Robertson, Raymond E; Branthaver, Jan F

A system for determining parameters and compatibility of a substance such as an asphalt or other petroleum substance uses titration to highly accurately determine one or more flocculation occurrences and is especially applicable to the determination or use of Heithaus parameters and optimal mixing of various asphalt stocks. In a preferred embodiment, automated titration in an oxygen gas exclusive system and further using spectrophotometric analysis (2-8) of solution turbidity is presented. A reversible titration technique enabling in-situ titration measurement of various solution concentrations is also presented.

Advancing Forward-Looking Metrics: A Linear Program Optimization and Robust Variable Selection for Change in Stock Levels as a Result of Recurring MICAP Parts

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

Kobu, 2007) Gunasekaran and Kobu also presented six observations as they relate to these key performance indicators ( KPI ), as follows: 1...Internal business process (50% of the KPI ) and customers (50% of the KPI ) play a significant role in SC environments. This implies that internal business...process PMs have significant impact on the operational performance. 2. The most widely used PM is financial performance (38% of the KPI ). This

Knowledge service decision making in business incubators based on the supernetwork model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Liming; Zhang, Haihong; Wu, Wenqing

2017-08-01

As valuable resources for incubating firms, knowledge resources have received gradually increasing attention from all types of business incubators, and business incubators use a variety of knowledge services to stimulate rapid growth in incubating firms. Based on previous research, we generalize the knowledge transfer and knowledge networking services of two main forms of knowledge services and further divide knowledge transfer services into knowledge depth services and knowledge breadth services. Then, we construct the business incubators' knowledge supernetwork model, describe the evolution mechanism among heterogeneous agents and utilize a simulation to explore the performance variance of different business incubators' knowledge services. The simulation results show that knowledge stock increases faster when business incubators are able to provide knowledge services to more incubating firms and that the degree of discrepancy in the knowledge stock increases during the process of knowledge growth. Further, knowledge transfer services lead to greater differences in the knowledge structure, while knowledge networking services lead to smaller differences. Regarding the two types of knowledge transfer services, knowledge depth services are more conducive to knowledge growth than knowledge breadth services, but knowledge depth services lead to greater gaps in knowledge stocks and greater differences in knowledge structures. Overall, it is optimal for business incubators to select a single knowledge service or portfolio strategy based on the amount of time and energy expended on the two types of knowledge services.

Construction and production of oncotropic vectors, derived from MVM(p), that share reduced sequence homology with helper plasmids.

PubMed

Clément, Nathalie; Velu, Thierry; Brandenburger, Annick

2002-09-01

The production of currently available vectors derived from autonomous parvoviruses requires the expression of capsid proteins in trans, from helper sequences. Cotransfection of a helper plasmid always generates significant amounts of replication-competent virus (RCV) that can be reduced by the integration of helper sequences into a packaging cell line. Although stocks of minute virus of mice (MVM)-based vectors with no detectable RCV could be produced by transfection into packaging cells; the latter appear after one or two rounds of replication, precluding further amplification of the vector stock. Indeed, once RCVs become detectable, they are efficiently amplified and rapidly take over the culture. Theoretically RCV-free vector stocks could be produced if all homology between vector and helper DNA is eliminated, thus preventing homologous recombination. We constructed new vectors based on the structure of spontaneously occurring defective particles of MVM. Based on published observations related to the size of vectors and the sequence of the viral origin of replication, these vectors were modified by the insertion of foreign DNA sequences downstream of the transgene and by the introduction of a consensus NS-1 nick site near the origin of replication to optimize their production. In one of the vectors the inserted fragment of mouse genomic DNA had a synergistic effect with the modified origin of replication in increasing vector production.

Zeroing in on red blood cell unit expiry.

PubMed

Ayyalil, Fathima; Irwin, Greg; Ross, Bryony; Manolis, Michael; Enjeti, Anoop K

2017-12-01

Expiry of red blood cell (RBC) units is a significant contributor to wastage of precious voluntary donations. Effective strategies aimed at optimal resource utilization are required to minimize wastage. This retrospective study analyzed the strategic measures implemented to reduce expiry of RBC units in an Australian tertiary regional hospital. The measures, which included inventory rearrangement, effective stock rotation, and the number of emergency courier services required during a 24-month period, were evaluated. There was no wastage of RBC units due to expiry over the 12 months after policy changes. Before these changes, approximately half of RBC wastage (261/511) was due to expiry. The total number of transfusions remained constant in this period and there was no increase in the use of emergency couriers. Policy changes implemented were decreasing the RBC inventory level by one-third and effective stock rotation and using a computerized system to link the transfusion services across the area. Effective stock rotation resulted in a reduction in older blood (>28 days) received in the main laboratory rotated from peripheral hospitals, down from 6%-41% to 0%-2.5%. Age-related expiry of blood products is preventable and can be significantly reduced by improving practices in the pathology service. This study provides proof of principle for "zero tolerance for RBC unit expiry" across a large networked blood banking service. © 2017 The Authors Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AABB.

Bacterial reduction by cell salvage washing and leukocyte depletion filtration.

PubMed

Waters, Jonathan H; Tuohy, Marion J; Hobson, Donna F; Procop, Gary

2003-09-01

Blood conservation techniques are being increasingly used because of the increased cost and lack of availability of allogeneic blood. Cell salvage offers great blood savings opportunities but is thought to be contraindicated in a number of areas (e.g., blood contaminated with bacteria). Several outcome studies have suggested the safety of this technique in trauma and colorectal surgery, but many practitioners are still hesitant to apply cell salvage in the face of frank bacterial contamination. This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of bacterial removal when cell salvage was combined with leukocyte depletion filtration. Expired packed erythrocytes were obtained and inoculated with a fixed amount of a stock bacteria (Escherichia coli American Type Culture Collections [ATCC] 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, or Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 25285) in amounts ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 colony forming units/ml. The blood was processed via a cell salvage machine. The washed blood was then filtered using a leukocyte reduction filter. The results for blood taken during each step of processing were compared using a repeated-measures design. Fifteen units of blood were contaminated with each of the stock bacteria. From the prewash sample to the postfiltration sample, 99.0%, 99.6%, 100%, and 97.6% of E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and B. fragilis were removed, respectively. Significant but not complete removal of contaminating bacteria was seen. An increased level of patient safety may be added to cell salvage by including a leukocyte depletion filter when salvaging blood that might be grossly contaminated with bacteria.

Anti-Runaway Prevention System with Wireless Sensors for Intelligent Track Skates at Railway Stations.

PubMed

Jiang, Chaozhe; Xu, Yibo; Wen, Chao; Chen, Dilin

2017-12-19

Anti-runaway prevention of rolling stocks at a railway station is essential in railway safety management. The traditional track skates for anti-runaway prevention of rolling stocks have some disadvantages since they are operated and monitored completely manually. This paper describes an anti-runaway prevention system (ARPS) based on intelligent track skates equipped with sensors and real-time monitoring and management system. This system, which has been updated from the traditional track skates, comprises four parts: intelligent track skates, a signal reader, a database station, and a monitoring system. This system can monitor the real-time situation of track skates without changing their workflow for anti-runaway prevention, and thus realize the integration of anti-runaway prevention information management. This system was successfully tested and practiced at Sunjia station in Harbin Railway Bureau in 2014, and the results confirmed that the system showed 100% accuracy in reflecting the usage status of the track skates. The system could meet practical demands, as it is highly reliable and supports long-distance communication.

Inventory Control System by Using Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabila, Alzena Dona; Mustafid; Suryono

2018-02-01

The inventory control system has a strategic role for the business in managing inventory operations. Management of conventional inventory creates problems in the stock of goods that often runs into vacancies and excess goods at the retail level. This study aims to build inventory control system that can maintain the stability of goods availability at the retail level. The implementation of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) method on inventory control system provides transparency of sales data and inventory of goods at retailer level to supplier. Inventory control is performed by calculating safety stock and reorder point of goods based on sales data received by the system. Rule-based reasoning is provided on the system to facilitate the monitoring of inventory status information, thereby helping the process of inventory updates appropriately. Utilization of SMS technology is also considered as a medium of collecting sales data in real-time due to the ease of use. The results of this study indicate that inventory control using VMI ensures the availability of goods ± 70% and can reduce the accumulation of goods ± 30% at the retail level.

Anti-Runaway Prevention System with Wireless Sensors for Intelligent Track Skates at Railway Stations

PubMed Central

Jiang, Chaozhe; Xu, Yibo; Chen, Dilin

2017-01-01

Anti-runaway prevention of rolling stocks at a railway station is essential in railway safety management. The traditional track skates for anti-runaway prevention of rolling stocks have some disadvantages since they are operated and monitored completely manually. This paper describes an anti-runaway prevention system (ARPS) based on intelligent track skates equipped with sensors and real-time monitoring and management system. This system, which has been updated from the traditional track skates, comprises four parts: intelligent track skates, a signal reader, a database station, and a monitoring system. This system can monitor the real-time situation of track skates without changing their workflow for anti-runaway prevention, and thus realize the integration of anti-runaway prevention information management. This system was successfully tested and practiced at Sunjia station in Harbin Railway Bureau in 2014, and the results confirmed that the system showed 100% accuracy in reflecting the usage status of the track skates. The system could meet practical demands, as it is highly reliable and supports long-distance communication. PMID:29257108

[Labor management and the health and safety of thermoelectric plant workers: a study from the viewpoint of the activity].

PubMed

Guida, Hilka Flavia Saldanha; Brito, Jussara; Alvarez, Denise

2013-11-01

This article presents the labor management changes and the implications for occupational health and safety that occurred after two thermoelectric plants were acquired by a government-owned, joint stock with private investors, energy corporation. The changes led part of these workers to question their own professional abilities, as previously experienced workers were suddenly considered unqualified due to the new organizational model and restructuring implemented in their units. It was seen how lack of professional recognition in the workplace led to negative health and safety consequences for workers, as there were numerous cases of psychic anguish, emotional disorders, musculoskeletal problems, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. It was also seen that it is now possible to introduce a series of measures that can contribute to improve working conditions and, consequently, the lives of the workers. The benchmark used was Ergology, as well as aspects of the Psychodynamics of Work and the Ergonomics of the Activity. The methodology included a bibliographical survey of the theme, document analysis, semi-structured interviews, systematic activities observations and the validation of results with the research subjects.

Optimal dose selection accounting for patient subpopulations in a randomized Phase II trial to maximize the success probability of a subsequent Phase III trial.

PubMed

Takahashi, Fumihiro; Morita, Satoshi

2018-02-08

Phase II clinical trials are conducted to determine the optimal dose of the study drug for use in Phase III clinical trials while also balancing efficacy and safety. In conducting these trials, it may be important to consider subpopulations of patients grouped by background factors such as drug metabolism and kidney and liver function. Determining the optimal dose, as well as maximizing the effectiveness of the study drug by analyzing patient subpopulations, requires a complex decision-making process. In extreme cases, drug development has to be terminated due to inadequate efficacy or severe toxicity. Such a decision may be based on a particular subpopulation. We propose a Bayesian utility approach (BUART) to randomized Phase II clinical trials which uses a first-order bivariate normal dynamic linear model for efficacy and safety in order to determine the optimal dose and study population in a subsequent Phase III clinical trial. We carried out a simulation study under a wide range of clinical scenarios to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in comparison with a conventional method separately analyzing efficacy and safety in each patient population. The proposed method showed more favorable operating characteristics in determining the optimal population and dose.

Fuel consumption optimization for smart hybrid electric vehicle during a car-following process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liang; Wang, Xiangyu; Song, Jian

2017-03-01

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) provide large potential to save energy and reduce emission, and smart vehicles bring out great convenience and safety for drivers. By combining these two technologies, vehicles may achieve excellent performances in terms of dynamic, economy, environmental friendliness, safety, and comfort. Hence, a smart hybrid electric vehicle (s-HEV) is selected as a platform in this paper to study a car-following process with optimizing the fuel consumption. The whole process is a multi-objective optimal problem, whose optimal solution is not just adding an energy management strategy (EMS) to an adaptive cruise control (ACC), but a deep fusion of these two methods. The problem has more restricted conditions, optimal objectives, and system states, which may result in larger computing burden. Therefore, a novel fuel consumption optimization algorithm based on model predictive control (MPC) is proposed and some search skills are adopted in receding horizon optimization to reduce computing burden. Simulations are carried out and the results indicate that the fuel consumption of proposed method is lower than that of the ACC+EMS method on the condition of ensuring car-following performances.

Integrated Arrival and Departure Schedule Optimization Under Uncertainty

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xue, Min; Zelinski, Shannon

2014-01-01

In terminal airspace, integrating arrivals and departures with shared waypoints provides the potential of improving operational efficiency by allowing direct routes when possible. Incorporating stochastic evaluation as a post-analysis process of deterministic optimization, and imposing a safety buffer in deterministic optimization, are two ways to learn and alleviate the impact of uncertainty and to avoid unexpected outcomes. This work presents a third and direct way to take uncertainty into consideration during the optimization. The impact of uncertainty was incorporated into cost evaluations when searching for the optimal solutions. The controller intervention count was computed using a heuristic model and served as another stochastic cost besides total delay. Costs under uncertainty were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations. The Pareto fronts that contain a set of solutions were identified and the trade-off between delays and controller intervention count was shown. Solutions that shared similar delays but had different intervention counts were investigated. The results showed that optimization under uncertainty could identify compromise solutions on Pareto fonts, which is better than deterministic optimization with extra safety buffers. It helps decision-makers reduce controller intervention while achieving low delays.

Promoting Health and Safety in San Francisco's Chinatown Restaurants: Findings and Lessons Learned from a Pilot Observational Checklist

PubMed Central

Gaydos, Megan; Bhatia, Rajiv; Morales, Alvaro; Lee, Pam Tau; Liu, Shaw San; Chang, Charlotte; Salvatore, Alicia L.; Krause, Niklas; Minkler, Meredith

2011-01-01

Noncompliance with labor and occupational health and safety laws contributes to economic and health inequities. Environmental health agencies are well positioned to monitor workplace conditions in many industries and support enhanced enforcement by responsible regulatory agencies. In collaboration with university and community partners, the San Francisco Department of Public Health used an observational checklist to assess preventable occupational injury hazards and compliance with employee notification requirements in 106 restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown. Sixty-five percent of restaurants had not posted required minimum wage, paid sick leave, or workers' compensation notifications; 82% of restaurants lacked fully stocked first-aid kits; 52% lacked antislip mats; 37% lacked adequate ventilation; and 28% lacked adequate lighting. Supported by a larger community-based participatory research process, this pilot project helped to spur additional innovative health department collaborations to promote healthier workplaces. PMID:21836739

Safety-I, Safety-II and Resilience Engineering.

PubMed

Patterson, Mary; Deutsch, Ellen S

2015-12-01

In the quest to continually improve the health care delivered to patients, it is important to understand "what went wrong," also known as Safety-I, when there are undesired outcomes, but it is also important to understand, and optimize "what went right," also known as Safety-II. The difference between Safety-I and Safety-II are philosophical as well as pragmatic. Improving health care delivery involves understanding that health care delivery is a complex adaptive system; components of that system impact, and are impacted by, the actions of other components of the system. Challenges to optimal care include regular, irregular and unexampled threats. This article addresses the dangers of brittleness and miscalibration, as well as the value of adaptive capacity and margin. These qualities can, respectively, detract from or contribute to the emergence of organizational resilience. Resilience is characterized by the ability to monitor, react, anticipate, and learn. Finally, this article celebrates the importance of humans, who make use of system capabilities and proactively mitigate the effects of system limitations to contribute to successful outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Allometric Models for Predicting Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Stock of Tropical Perennial C 4 Grasses in Hawaii

DOE PAGES

Youkhana, Adel H.; Ogoshi, Richard M.; Kiniry, James R.; ...

2017-05-02

Biomass is a promising renewable energy option that provides a more environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil resources by reducing the net flux of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Yet, allometric models that allow the prediction of aboveground biomass (AGB), biomass carbon (C) stock non-destructively have not yet been developed for tropical perennial C 4 grasses currently under consideration as potential bioenergy feedstock in Hawaii and other subtropical and tropical locations. The objectives of this study were to develop optimal allometric relationships and site-specific models to predict AGB, biomass C stock of napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane under cultivation practices for renewablemore » energy and validate these site-specific models against independent data sets generated from sites with widely different environments. Several allometric models were developed for each species from data at a low elevation field on the island of Maui, Hawaii. A simple power model with stalk diameter (D) was best related to AGB and biomass C stock for napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane, (R 2 = 0.98, 0.96, and 0.97, respectively). The models were then tested against data collected from independent fields across an environmental gradient. For all crops, the models over-predicted AGB in plants with lower stalk D, but AGB was under-predicted in plants with higher stalk D. The models using stalk D were better for biomass prediction compared to dewlap H (Height from the base cut to most recently exposed leaf dewlap) models, which showed weak validation performance. Although stalk D model performed better, however, the mean square error (MSE)-systematic was ranged from 23 to 43 % of MSE for all crops. A strong relationship between model coefficient and rainfall was existed, although these were irrigated systems; suggesting a simple site-specific coefficient modulator for rainfall to reduce systematic errors in water-limited areas. These allometric equations provide a tool for farmers in the tropics to estimate perennial C4 grass biomass and C stock during decision-making for land management and as an environmental sustainability indicator within a renewable energy system.« less

Comparison of the capacity between public and private health facilities to manage under-five children with febrile illnesses in Uganda.

PubMed

Buregyeya, Esther; Rutebemberwa, Elizeus; LaRussa, Phillip; Lal, Sham; Clarke, Sîan E; Hansen, Kristian S; Magnussen, Pascal; Mbonye, Anthony K

2017-05-02

Public health facilities are usually the first to receive interventions compared to private facilities, yet majority of health seeking care is first done with the latter. This study compared the capacity to manage acute febrile illnesses in children below 5 years in private vs public health facilities in order to design interventions to improve quality of care. A survey was conducted within 57 geographical areas (parishes), from August to October 2014 in Mukono district, central Uganda. The survey comprised both facility and health worker assessment. Data were collected on drug stocks, availability of treatment guidelines, diagnostic equipment, and knowledge in management of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, using a structured questionnaire. A total of 53 public and 241 private health facilities participated in the study. While similar proportions of private and public health facilities stocked Coartem, the first-line anti-malarial drug, (98 vs 95%, p = 0.22), significantly more private than public health facilities stocked quinine (85 vs 53%, p < 0.01). Stocks of obsolete anti-malarial drugs, such as chloroquine, were reported in few public and private facilities (3.7 vs 12.5%, p = 0.06). Stocks of antibiotics-amoxycillin and gentamycin were similar in both sectors (≥90% for amoxicillin; ≥50 for gentamycin). Training in malaria was reported by 65% of public health facilities vs 56% in the private sector, p = 0.25), while, only 21% in the public facility and 12% in the private facilities, p = 0.11, reported receiving training in pneumonia. Only 55% of public facilities had microscopes. Malaria treatment guidelines were significantly lacking in the private sector, p = 0.01. Knowledge about first-line management of uncomplicated malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea was significantly better in the public facilities compared to the private ones, though still sub-optimal. Deficiencies of equipment, supplies and training exist even in public health facilities. In order to significantly improve the capacity to handle acute febrile illness among children under five, training in proper case management, availability of supplies and diagnostics need to be addressed in both sectors.

Optimism about safety and group-serving interpretations of safety among pedestrians and cyclists in relation to road use in general and under low light conditions.

PubMed

King, M J; Wood, J M; Lacherez, P F; Marszalek, R P

2012-01-01

Drivers are known to be optimistic about their risk of crash involvement, believing that they are less likely to be involved in a crash than other drivers. However, little comparative research has been conducted among other road users. In addition, optimism about crash risk is conceptualised as applying only to an individual's assessment of his or her personal risk of crash involvement. The possibility that the self-serving nature of optimism about safety might be generalised to the group-level as a cyclist or a pedestrian, i.e., becoming group-serving rather than self-serving, has been overlooked in relation to road safety. This study analysed a subset of data collected as part of a larger research project on the visibility of pedestrians, cyclists and road workers, focusing on a set of questionnaire items administered to 406 pedestrians, 838 cyclists and 622 drivers. The items related to safety in various scenarios involving drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, allowing predictions to be derived about group differences in agreement with items based on the assumption that the results would exhibit group-serving bias. Analysis of the responses indicated that specific hypotheses about group-serving interpretations of safety and responsibility were supported in 22 of the 26 comparisons. When the nine comparisons relevant to low lighting conditions were considered separately, seven were found to be supported. The findings of the research have implications for public education and for the likely acceptance of messages which are inconsistent with current assumptions and expectations of pedestrians and cyclists. They also suggest that research into group-serving interpretations of safety, even for temporary roles rather than enduring groups, could be fruitful. Further, there is an implication that gains in safety can be made by better educating road users about the limitations of their visibility and the ramifications of this for their own road safety, particularly in low light. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research on Taxiway Path Optimization Based on Conflict Detection

PubMed Central

Zhou, Hang; Jiang, Xinxin

2015-01-01

Taxiway path planning is one of the effective measures to make full use of the airport resources, and the optimized paths can ensure the safety of the aircraft during the sliding process. In this paper, the taxiway path planning based on conflict detection is considered. Specific steps are shown as follows: firstly, make an improvement on A * algorithm, the conflict detection strategy is added to search for the shortest and safe path in the static taxiway network. Then, according to the sliding speed of aircraft, a time table for each node is determined and the safety interval is treated as the constraint to judge whether there is a conflict or not. The intelligent initial path planning model is established based on the results. Finally, make an example in an airport simulation environment, detect and relieve the conflict to ensure the safety. The results indicate that the model established in this paper is effective and feasible. Meanwhile, make comparison with the improved A*algorithm and other intelligent algorithms, conclude that the improved A*algorithm has great advantages. It could not only optimize taxiway path, but also ensure the safety of the sliding process and improve the operational efficiency. PMID:26226485

Research on Taxiway Path Optimization Based on Conflict Detection.

PubMed

Zhou, Hang; Jiang, Xinxin

2015-01-01

Taxiway path planning is one of the effective measures to make full use of the airport resources, and the optimized paths can ensure the safety of the aircraft during the sliding process. In this paper, the taxiway path planning based on conflict detection is considered. Specific steps are shown as follows: firstly, make an improvement on A * algorithm, the conflict detection strategy is added to search for the shortest and safe path in the static taxiway network. Then, according to the sliding speed of aircraft, a time table for each node is determined and the safety interval is treated as the constraint to judge whether there is a conflict or not. The intelligent initial path planning model is established based on the results. Finally, make an example in an airport simulation environment, detect and relieve the conflict to ensure the safety. The results indicate that the model established in this paper is effective and feasible. Meanwhile, make comparison with the improved A*algorithm and other intelligent algorithms, conclude that the improved A*algorithm has great advantages. It could not only optimize taxiway path, but also ensure the safety of the sliding process and improve the operational efficiency.

Using an experimental manipulation to determine the effectiveness of a stock enhancement program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, David R.; Long, James M.

2015-01-01

We used an experimental manipulation to determine the impact of stocking 178 mm channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in six impoundments. The study design consisted of equal numbers (two) of control, ceased-stock, and stocked treatments that were sampled one year before and two years after stocking. Relative abundance, growth, size structure, and average weight significantly changed over time based on samples collected with hoop nets. Catch rates decreased at both ceased-stock lakes and increased for one stocked lake, while growth rates changed for at least one ceased-stock and stocked lake. The average weight of channel catfish in the ceased-stock treatment increased by 6% and 25%, whereas weight decreased by 28% and 78% in both stocked lakes. The variability in observed responses between lakes in both ceased-stock and stocked treatments indicates that a one-size-fits-all stocking agenda is impractical, suggesting lake specific and density-dependent mechanisms affect channel catfish population dynamics.

Market Confidence Predicts Stock Price: Beyond Supply and Demand.

PubMed

Sun, Xiao-Qian; Shen, Hua-Wei; Cheng, Xue-Qi; Zhang, Yuqing

2016-01-01

Stock price prediction is an important and challenging problem in stock market analysis. Existing prediction methods either exploit autocorrelation of stock price and its correlation with the supply and demand of stock, or explore predictive indictors exogenous to stock market. In this paper, using transaction record of stocks with identifier of traders, we introduce an index to characterize market confidence, i.e., the ratio of the number of traders who is active in two successive trading days to the number of active traders in a certain trading day. Strong Granger causality is found between the index of market confidence and stock price. We further predict stock price by incorporating the index of market confidence into a neural network based on time series of stock price. Experimental results on 50 stocks in two Chinese Stock Exchanges demonstrate that the accuracy of stock price prediction is significantly improved by the inclusion of the market confidence index. This study sheds light on using cross-day trading behavior to characterize market confidence and to predict stock price.

The power of collaboration with patient safety programs: building safe passage for patients, nurses, and clinical staff.

PubMed

Kerfoot, Karlene M; Rapala, Kathryn; Ebright, Patricia; Rogers, Suzanne M

2006-12-01

Patient safety is a relatively new field, with many opinions and few effectively proven approaches. One factor is clear: optimal patient safety outcomes cannot be achieved in isolation. Although it is well recognized that multidisciplinary collaboration in the healthcare setting is necessary to effect patient safety, collaboration with resources external to healthcare-academia and industry in particular-will not only aid but also quicken the patient safety efforts. The authors outline a healthcare system's use of all available resources to build a patient safety program.

Optimization Of Mean-Semivariance-Skewness Portfolio Selection Model In Fuzzy Random Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Amitava; Bhattacharyya, Rupak; Mukherjee, Supratim; Kar, Samarjit

2010-10-01

The purpose of the paper is to construct a mean-semivariance-skewness portfolio selection model in fuzzy random environment. The objective is to maximize the skewness with predefined maximum risk tolerance and minimum expected return. Here the security returns in the objectives and constraints are assumed to be fuzzy random variables in nature and then the vagueness of the fuzzy random variables in the objectives and constraints are transformed into fuzzy variables which are similar to trapezoidal numbers. The newly formed fuzzy model is then converted into a deterministic optimization model. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical example extracted from Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The exact parameters of fuzzy membership function and probability density function are obtained through fuzzy random simulating the past dates.

An ecosystem-based assessment of hairtail ( Trichiurus lepturus) harvested by multi-gears and management implications in Korean waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Hee Joong; Zhang, Chang Ik; Lee, Eun Ji; Seo, Young Il

2015-06-01

Hairtail ( Trichiurus lepturus) has been traditionally harvested by multi-gear types in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, except for the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in Korean waters. Six different fishery types such as offshore stownet fishery, offshore longline fishery, large pair-trawl fishery, large purse seine fishery, large otter trawl fishery and offshore angling fishery target to harvest the hairtail stock accounting for about 90% of the total annual catch. We attempted to develop an ecosystem-based fisheries assessment approach, which determines the optimal allocation of catch quotas and fishing efforts for major fisheries. We conducted standardization of fishing effort for six types of hairtail fisheries using a general linear model (GLM), and then estimated maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and maximum economic yield (MEY). Estimated MSY and MEY for the hairtail stock were estimated as 100,151 mt and 97,485 mt, respectively. In addition, we carried out an ecosystem-based risk analysis to obtain species risk index (SRI), which was applied to adjusting the optimal proportion of fishing effort for six hairtail fisheries as a penalty or an incentive. As a result, fishing effort ratios were adjusted by SRI for the six fisheries types. Also, the total allowable catch (TAC) was estimated as 97,485 mt and the maximum net profit at TAC by the hairtail fisheries was estimated as 778 billion won (USD 765 million).

Assessing the role of host traits as drivers of the abundance of long-lived parasites in fish-stock assessment studies.

PubMed

Braicovich, P E; Ieno, E N; Sáez, M; Despos, J; Timi, J T

2016-11-01

In order to identify the best tools for stock assessment studies using fish parasites as biological indicators, different host traits (size, mass and age and their interaction with sex) were evaluated as descriptors of cumulative patterns of both parasite abundance and infracommunity species richness. The effect of such variables was analysed for a sample of 265 specimens of Percophis brasiliensis caught in the Argentine Sea. The abundances and species richness were modelled using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) with negative binomial and Poisson distribution respectively. Due to collinearity, separate models were fitted for each of the three main explanatory variables (length, mass and age) to identify the optimal set of factors determining the parasite burdens. Optimal GLMMs were selected on the basis of the lowest Akaike information criteria, residual information and simulation studies based on 10 000 iterations. Results indicated that the covariates length and sex consistently appeared in the most parsimonious models suggesting that fish length seems to be a slightly better predictor than age or mass. The biological causes of these patterns are discussed. It is recommended to use fish length as a measure of growth and to restrict comparisons with fish of similar length or to incorporate length as covariate when comparing parasite burdens. Host sex should be also taken into account for those species sexually dimorphic in terms of morphology, behaviour or growth rates. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Eddy current system for inspection of train hollow axles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chady, Tomasz; Psuj, Grzegorz; Sikora, Ryszard

2014-02-18

The structural integrity of wheelsets used in rolling stock is of great importance to the safety. In this paper, electromagnetic system with an eddy current transducer suitable for the inspection of hollow axles have been presented. The transducer was developed to detect surface braking defects having depth not smaller than 0.5 mm. Ultrasound technique can be utilized to inspect the whole axle, but it is not sufficiently sensitive to shallow defects located close to the surface. Therefore, the electromagnetic technique is proposed to detect surface breaking cracks that cannot be detected by ultrasonic technique.

Balancing efficacy against safety in sublingual immunotherapy with inhalant allergens: what is the best approach?

PubMed

Caminati, Marco; Dama, Annarita; Schiappoli, Michele; Senna, Gianenrico

2013-10-01

Over the last 20 years, studies and clinical trials have demonstrated efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for respiratory allergic diseases. Nevertheless, it seems to be mostly used as a second-line therapeutic option, and adherence to treatment is not always optimal. Selective literature research was done in Medline and PubMed, including guidelines, position papers and Cochrane meta-analyses concerning SLIT in adult patients. The most recent reviews confirm SLIT as viable and efficacious treatment especially for allergic rhinitis, even if the optimal dosage, duration, schedule are not clearly established for most of the products. Despite an optimal safety profile, tolerability and patient-reported outcomes concerning SLIT have received poor attention until now. Recently, new tools have been specifically developed in order to investigate these aspects. Regular assessment of tolerability profile and SLIT-related patient-reported outcomes will allow balancing efficacy with tolerability and all the other patient-related variables that may affect treatment effectiveness beyond its efficacy.

Greed, fear and stock market dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerhoff, Frank H.

2004-11-01

We present a behavioral stock market model in which traders are driven by greed and fear. In general, the agents optimistically believe in rising markets and thus buy stocks. But if stock prices change too abruptly, they panic and sell stocks. Our model mimics some stylized facts of stock market dynamics: (1) stock prices increase over time, (2) stock markets sometimes crash, (3) stock prices show little pair correlation between successive daily changes, and (4) periods of low volatility alternate with periods of high volatility. A strong feature of the model is that stock prices completely evolve according to a deterministic low-dimensional nonlinear law of motion.

A safety rule approach to surveillance and eradication of biological invasions

Treesearch

Denys Yemshanov; Robert G. Haight; Frank H. Koch; Robert Venette; Kala Studens; Ronald E. Fournier; Tom Swystun; Jean J. Turgeon; Yulin Gao

2017-01-01

Uncertainty about future spread of invasive organisms hinders planning of effective response measures. We present a two-stage scenario optimization model that accounts for uncertainty about the spread of an invader, and determines survey and eradication strategies that minimize the expected program cost subject to a safety rule for eradication success. The safety rule...

Market Confidence Predicts Stock Price: Beyond Supply and Demand

PubMed Central

Sun, Xiao-Qian; Shen, Hua-Wei; Cheng, Xue-Qi; Zhang, Yuqing

2016-01-01

Stock price prediction is an important and challenging problem in stock market analysis. Existing prediction methods either exploit autocorrelation of stock price and its correlation with the supply and demand of stock, or explore predictive indictors exogenous to stock market. In this paper, using transaction record of stocks with identifier of traders, we introduce an index to characterize market confidence, i.e., the ratio of the number of traders who is active in two successive trading days to the number of active traders in a certain trading day. Strong Granger causality is found between the index of market confidence and stock price. We further predict stock price by incorporating the index of market confidence into a neural network based on time series of stock price. Experimental results on 50 stocks in two Chinese Stock Exchanges demonstrate that the accuracy of stock price prediction is significantly improved by the inclusion of the market confidence index. This study sheds light on using cross-day trading behavior to characterize market confidence and to predict stock price. PMID:27391816

The dependence of Islamic and conventional stocks: A copula approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razak, Ruzanna Ab; Ismail, Noriszura

2015-09-01

Recent studies have found that Islamic stocks are dependent on conventional stocks and they appear to be more risky. In Asia, particularly in Islamic countries, research on dependence involving Islamic and non-Islamic stock markets is limited. The objective of this study is to investigate the dependence between financial times stock exchange Hijrah Shariah index and conventional stocks (EMAS and KLCI indices). Using the copula approach and a time series model for each marginal distribution function, the copula parameters were estimated. The Elliptical copula was selected to present the dependence structure of each pairing of the Islamic stock and conventional stock. Specifically, the Islamic versus conventional stocks (Shariah-EMAS and Shariah-KLCI) had lower dependence compared to conventional versus conventional stocks (EMAS-KLCI). These findings suggest that the occurrence of shocks in a conventional stock will not have strong impact on the Islamic stock.

On jointly optimising the changes of seasonable goods and inventory replenishment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhaolin; Tao, Feng; Sun, Daewon

2012-06-01

Retailers often need to replace soon-to-be-unseasonable products with new seasonable goods when the season changes. The trade-off for such activities involves choosing between the salvage loss of the unseasonable product and the profit of selling the seasonable product early. This article develops a periodic-review inventory model for planning the changes of seasonable goods with state-dependent demand and cost parameters. We show that the single-period optimal policy for product changes is a threshold policy based on the initial inventory of the unseasonable goods. The corresponding optimal inventory policy follows a Purchase-Keep-Dispose policy if the incumbent product is kept or a base-stock policy if the incumbent product is replaced. Numerically, we find that the structure of the multi-period optimal policy resembles that of the single-period model. We propose a heuristic to solve the multi-period model and demonstrate its effectiveness. Our research provides insights into dynamically managing seasonable goods.

Evaluation of a new parallel numerical parameter optimization algorithm for a dynamical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duran, Ahmet; Tuncel, Mehmet

2016-10-01

It is important to have a scalable parallel numerical parameter optimization algorithm for a dynamical system used in financial applications where time limitation is crucial. We use Message Passing Interface parallel programming and present such a new parallel algorithm for parameter estimation. For example, we apply the algorithm to the asset flow differential equations that have been developed and analyzed since 1989 (see [3-6] and references contained therein). We achieved speed-up for some time series to run up to 512 cores (see [10]). Unlike [10], we consider more extensive financial market situations, for example, in presence of low volatility, high volatility and stock market price at a discount/premium to its net asset value with varying magnitude, in this work. Moreover, we evaluated the convergence of the model parameter vector, the nonlinear least squares error and maximum improvement factor to quantify the success of the optimization process depending on the number of initial parameter vectors.

Portfolio optimization using median-variance approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan Mohd, Wan Rosanisah; Mohamad, Daud; Mohamed, Zulkifli

2013-04-01

Optimization models have been applied in many decision-making problems particularly in portfolio selection. Since the introduction of Markowitz's theory of portfolio selection, various approaches based on mathematical programming have been introduced such as mean-variance, mean-absolute deviation, mean-variance-skewness and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) mainly to maximize return and minimize risk. However most of the approaches assume that the distribution of data is normal and this is not generally true. As an alternative, in this paper, we employ the median-variance approach to improve the portfolio optimization. This approach has successfully catered both types of normal and non-normal distribution of data. With this actual representation, we analyze and compare the rate of return and risk between the mean-variance and the median-variance based portfolio which consist of 30 stocks from Bursa Malaysia. The results in this study show that the median-variance approach is capable to produce a lower risk for each return earning as compared to the mean-variance approach.

Stochastic optimization model for order acceptance with multiple demand classes and uncertain demand/supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wen; Fung, Richard Y. K.

2014-06-01

This article considers an order acceptance problem in a make-to-stock manufacturing system with multiple demand classes in a finite time horizon. Demands in different periods are random variables and are independent of one another, and replenishments of inventory deviate from the scheduled quantities. The objective of this work is to maximize the expected net profit over the planning horizon by deciding the fraction of the demand that is going to be fulfilled. This article presents a stochastic order acceptance optimization model and analyses the existence of the optimal promising policies. An example of a discrete problem is used to illustrate the policies by applying the dynamic programming method. In order to solve the continuous problems, a heuristic algorithm based on stochastic approximation (HASA) is developed. Finally, the computational results of a case example illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the HASA approach, and make the application of the proposed model readily acceptable.

Expected value analysis for integrated supplier selection and inventory control of multi-product inventory system with fuzzy cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutrisno, Widowati, Tjahjana, R. Heru

2017-12-01

The future cost in many industrial problem is obviously uncertain. Then a mathematical analysis for a problem with uncertain cost is needed. In this article, we deals with the fuzzy expected value analysis to solve an integrated supplier selection and supplier selection problem with uncertain cost where the costs uncertainty is approached by a fuzzy variable. We formulate the mathematical model of the problems fuzzy expected value based quadratic optimization with total cost objective function and solve it by using expected value based fuzzy programming. From the numerical examples result performed by the authors, the supplier selection problem was solved i.e. the optimal supplier was selected for each time period where the optimal product volume of all product that should be purchased from each supplier for each time period was determined and the product stock level was controlled as decided by the authors i.e. it was followed the given reference level.

Optimal order policy in response to announced price increase for deteriorating items with limited special order quantity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Liang-Yuh; Wu, Kun-Shan; Yang, Chih-Te; Yen, Hsiu-Feng

2016-02-01

When a supplier announces an impending price increase due to take effect at a certain time in the future, it is important for each retailer to decide whether to purchase additional stock to take advantage of the present lower price. This study explores the possible effects of price increases on a retailer's replenishment policy when the special order quantity is limited and the rate of deterioration of the goods is assumed to be constant. The two situations discussed in this study are as follows: (1) when the special order time coincides with the retailer's replenishment time and (2) when the special order time occurs during the retailer's sales period. By analysing the total cost savings between special and regular orders during the depletion time of the special order quantity, the optimal order policy for each situation can be determined. We provide several numerical examples to illustrate the theories in practice. Additionally, we conduct a sensitivity analysis on the optimal solution with respect to the main parameters.

Enhanced biofuel production potential with nutritional stress amelioration through optimization of carbon source and light intensity in Scenedesmus sp. CCNM 1077.

PubMed

Pancha, Imran; Chokshi, Kaumeel; Mishra, Sandhya

2015-03-01

Microalgal mixotrophic cultivation is one of the most potential ways to enhance biomass and biofuel production. In the present study, first of all ability of microalgae Scenedesmus sp. CCNM 1077 to utilize various carbon sources under mixotrophic growth condition was evaluated followed by optimization of glucose concentration and light intensity to obtain higher biomass, lipid and carbohydrate contents. Under optimized condition i.e. 4 g/L glucose and 150 μmol m(-2) s(-1) light intensity, Scenedesmus sp. CCNM 1077 produced 1.2g/L dry cell weight containing 23.62% total lipid and 42.68% carbohydrate. Addition of glucose shown nutritional stress ameliorating effects and around 70% carbohydrate and 25% total lipid content was found with only 21% reduction in dry cell weight under nitrogen starved condition. This study shows potential application of mixotrophically grown Scenedesmus sp. CCNM 1077 for bioethanol and biodiesel production feed stock. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Interactive Influence of Perceived Ownership and Perceived Choosership of Stocks on Brain Response to Stock Outcomes

PubMed Central

Shang, Zhe; Wang, Lei; Wu, Han

2017-01-01

The present research examined the influence of perceived ownership (self/other) and perceived chooser (self/other) of stocks on brain activity, and investigated whether differential brain responses to stock outcomes as a result of perceived differences in ownership of stock would be modulated by perceived chooser of stock. We used a 2 (stock chooser: self, other) × 2 (stock owner: self, other) within-subject design to represent four types of chooser-owner relationships. Brain potentials were recorded while participants observed increasing and decreasing stock prices. Results showed that observations of stock outcomes among four types of chooser-owner relationships elicited differentiated feedback-related negativity (d-FRN: differences in FRN waves between losses and gains, reflecting violations of expectancy to stock outcomes): (1) Self-chosen-other-owned stocks evoked significantly larger d-FRN discrepancies than self-chosen-self-owned stocks, indicating a greater expectancy violation to others' losses than to one's own, demonstrating a reversed ownership effect. Moreover, people high in conscientiousness showed an increase in this trend, suggesting a stronger other-consideration; (2) Self-chosen-self-owned stocks and other-chosen-self-owned stocks revealed no significant d-FRN discrepancy, showing no choosership effect beyond the ownership effect; (3) Other-chosen-self-owned stocks evoked a significantly stronger d-FRN discrepancy than other-chosen-other-owned stocks, demonstrating an ownership effect; (4) Self-chosen-other-owned stocks evoked a significantly stronger d-FRN discrepancy than other-chosen-other-owned stocks, revealing a choosership effect. These findings suggest that the ownership effect could be reversed by conscientiousness induced by perceived choosership in the agency relationship, while the choosership effect is attenuated and even disappears under the influence of perceived ownership. PMID:28194118

Consolidated Bio-Processing of Cellulosic Biomass for Efficient Biofuel Production Using Yeast Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyal, Garima

Fossil fuels have been the major source for liquid transportation fuels for ages. However, decline in oil reserves and environmental concerns have raised a lot of interest in alternative and renewable energy sources. One promising alternative is the conversion of plant biomass into ethanol. The primary biomass feed stocks currently being used for the ethanol industry have been food based biomass (corn and sugar cane). However, interest has recently shifted to replace these traditional feed-stocks with more abundant, non-food based cellulosic biomass such as agriculture wastes (corn stover) or crops (switch grass). The use of cellulosic biomass as feed stock for the production of ethanol via bio-chemical routes presents many technical challenges not faced with the use of corn or sugar-cane as feed-stock. Recently, a new process called consolidated Bio-processing (CBP) has been proposed. This process combines simultaneous saccharification of lignocellulose with fermentation of the resulting sugars into a single process step mediated by a single microorganism or microbial consortium. Although there is no natural microorganism that possesses all properties of lignocellulose utilization and ethanol production desired for CBP, some bacteria and fungi exhibit some of the essential traits. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most attractive host organism for the usage of this strategy due to its high ethanol productivity at close to theoretical yields (0.51g ethanol/g glucose consumed), high osmo- and ethanol- tolerance, natural robustness in industrial processes, and ease of genetic manipulation. Introduction of the cellulosome, found naturally in microorganisms, has shown new directions to deal with recalcitrant biomass. In this case enzymes work in synergy in order to hydrolyze biomass more effectively than in case of free enzymes. A microbial consortium has been successfully developed, which ensures the functional assembly of minicellulosome on the yeast surface composed of four yeast populations. These yeast populations include: one displaying scaffoldin on its surface and three populations secreting three different cellulases in the medium to hydrolyze the cellulose. The modular nature of the consortium system allows for the fine-tuning of each population by changing their initial inoculum ratio, thereby optimizing the cellulose hydrolysis and hence ethanol production. When comparing the optimized consortium with equal ratio consortium, the optimized one produced almost double the amount of ethanol (1.87 g/l) with a yield of 0.475 g ethanol/g cellulose. To further evaluate the feasibility of using consortium for CBP, it was grown at very low optical density (OD) under anaerobic conditions. Under stressful conditions like low OD and no oxygen, the consortium system was proficient in assembling the cellulosome on its surface and growing on the PAS-avicel as sole carbon source and concomitantly producing ethanol with a yield of 87% of the theoretical value. For the dynamic study of yeast consortium system, quantitative real time PCR was used to enumerate the individual yeast population in the mixed culture. At the end of the cultivation, ratios of each population in this consortium maintained similar number as the initial inoculums ratios, which further confirms the consortium system is suitable for the application of CBP.

Development of stock correlation networks using mutual information and financial big data.

PubMed

Guo, Xue; Zhang, Hu; Tian, Tianhai

2018-01-01

Stock correlation networks use stock price data to explore the relationship between different stocks listed in the stock market. Currently this relationship is dominantly measured by the Pearson correlation coefficient. However, financial data suggest that nonlinear relationships may exist in the stock prices of different shares. To address this issue, this work uses mutual information to characterize the nonlinear relationship between stocks. Using 280 stocks traded at the Shanghai Stocks Exchange in China during the period of 2014-2016, we first compare the effectiveness of the correlation coefficient and mutual information for measuring stock relationships. Based on these two measures, we then develop two stock networks using the Minimum Spanning Tree method and study the topological properties of these networks, including degree, path length and the power-law distribution. The relationship network based on mutual information has a better distribution of the degree and larger value of the power-law distribution than those using the correlation coefficient. Numerical results show that mutual information is a more effective approach than the correlation coefficient to measure the stock relationship in a stock market that may undergo large fluctuations of stock prices.

The Index cohesive effect on stock market correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapira, Y.; Kenett, D. Y.; Ben-Jacob, E.

2009-12-01

We present empirical examination and reassessment of the functional role of the market Index, using datasets of stock returns for eight years, by analyzing and comparing the results for two very different markets: 1) the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), representing a large, mature market, and 2) the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), representing a small, young market. Our method includes special collective (holographic) analysis of stock-Index correlations, of nested stock correlations (including the Index as an additional ghost stock) and of bare stock correlations (after subtraction of the Index return from the stocks returns). Our findings verify and strongly substantiate the assumed functional role of the index in the financial system as a cohesive force between stocks, i.e., the correlations between stocks are largely due to the strong correlation between each stock and the Index (the adhesive effect), rather than inter-stock dependencies. The Index adhesive and cohesive effects on the market correlations in the two markets are presented and compared in a reduced 3-D principal component space of the correlation matrices (holographic presentation). The results provide new insights into the interplay between an index and its constituent stocks in TASE-like versus NYSE-like markets.

Development of stock correlation networks using mutual information and financial big data

PubMed Central

Guo, Xue; Zhang, Hu

2018-01-01

Stock correlation networks use stock price data to explore the relationship between different stocks listed in the stock market. Currently this relationship is dominantly measured by the Pearson correlation coefficient. However, financial data suggest that nonlinear relationships may exist in the stock prices of different shares. To address this issue, this work uses mutual information to characterize the nonlinear relationship between stocks. Using 280 stocks traded at the Shanghai Stocks Exchange in China during the period of 2014-2016, we first compare the effectiveness of the correlation coefficient and mutual information for measuring stock relationships. Based on these two measures, we then develop two stock networks using the Minimum Spanning Tree method and study the topological properties of these networks, including degree, path length and the power-law distribution. The relationship network based on mutual information has a better distribution of the degree and larger value of the power-law distribution than those using the correlation coefficient. Numerical results show that mutual information is a more effective approach than the correlation coefficient to measure the stock relationship in a stock market that may undergo large fluctuations of stock prices. PMID:29668715

Identification of Synthetic Fluids Utilizing Pyrolysis Gas Liquid Chromatographic Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

Base Stock No. 6327 Di-isodecyl Azelate II 7 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6318 Di-2-ethylhexyl Azelate I 8 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6323 l)i-2-ethylhexyl...Adipatc 13 9 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6321 Di-2-cthylhexyl Sebacattk 14 10 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6326 Di-tridecyl Azelate 15 11 Synthetic Base...Stock No. 6319 Di-tridecyl Adipate 16 12 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6320 Di-iso-octyl Azelate 17 13 Synthetic Base Stock No. 6516 TMP Triheptanoate 18 14

Productive responses of breeding Cashmere goats and their kids to different stocking rates on improved upland pastures.

PubMed

Celaya, R; Moreno-Gonzalo, J; López López, C; Ferreira, L M M; García, U; Ferre, I; Osoro, K

2016-03-01

Although goat meat production could be an option for diversification in improved upland pastures in northern Spain, precise information on the optimal grazing management to enhance goat performance and maximize production per unit land area is lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 3 stocking rates, high stocking rate (HSR; 20 goats/ha), medium stocking rate (MSR; 15 goats/ha), and low stocking rate (LSR; 10 goats/ha), on gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections and productive responses of Cashmere goats grazing such pastures. Treatments were replicated twice on 6 paddocks sown with and and with a high presence of the native grass . The experiment lasted 3 grazing seasons (from spring to autumn). Pastures were sampled for sward height and botanical and proximate composition. Body weight and BCS changes of goats were monitored and GI nematode infections were assessed by fecal egg counts (FEC). The established treatments resulted in lower mean sward height in the HSR than in the MSR and LSR (9.6, 11.5, and 14.4 cm, respectively; < 0.001). Pasture botanical composition and nutritive quality did not differ between treatments. The mean FEC of does across the 3 grazing seasons were greater ( < 0.05) in the HSR than in the LSR. spp., , and were the most prevalent nematode species identified in coprocultures. Does showed more favorable ( < 0.001) BW and BCS changes in the LSR than in the MSR and HSR (-14, -30, and -52 g/d and -0.1, -0.3, and -0.7 BCS units [scale 1 to 5], respectively). Greater ( < 0.001) kids' BW gains were observed in the LSR and MSR (average 94 g/d) compared with the HSR (70 g/d). Inversely, kid output per unit land area was greater in the HSR than in the MSR and LSR (320, 258, and 192 kg∙ha∙yr, respectively; < 0.001), whereas daily kids' BW gains per hectare were greater ( < 0.001) in the HSR and MSR (average 1.37 kg∙d∙ha) compared with the LSR (0.98 kg∙d∙ha). A medium stocking rate of 15 goats/ha could represent the best compromise between animal health, performance, and productivity per unit land area in this type of upland pastures, but stricter controls of parasite levels during the grazing season would be necessary to avoid production losses, unless alternative nutraceuticals are provided.

Effects of feeding strategy on milk production, reproduction, pasture utilization, and economics of autumn-calving dairy cows in eastern North Carolina.

PubMed

Vibart, R E; Washburn, S P; Green, J T; Benson, G A; Williams, C M; Pacheco, D; Lopez-Villalobos, N

2012-02-01

A balance among stocking rate (SR), pasture management, and supplementary feeding is required to optimize overall farm performance and profitability in pasture-based dairying. Beginning in September 2003, a seasonal, autumn-calving, pasture-based farming system was established to address the effects of feeding strategy (FS; i.e., a unique combination of stocking and supplementation rate) on productive, reproductive, and economic performance of lactating herds over 3 yr. Eighty lactating cows (1/3 Holsteins, 1/3 Jerseys, and 1/3 crosses of those breeds) were randomly assigned to either a lesser stocking, lesser supplementation group [LSR; 2.2 cows/ha, 6.3 kg of dry matter (DM) of a corn-based concentrate consumed daily, n=40] or a greater stocking, greater supplementation group (HSR; 3.3 cows/ha, 9.2 kg of DM of a corn-based concentrate consumed daily, n=40). Pasture/forage crop rotations included annual ryegrass and sorghum-Sudan (50%), annual ryegrass and bermudagrass (20%), and a tall fescue-white clover pasture (30%). Pre- and postgrazing herbage mass values and grazing intervals (3,347±255.8 kg of DM/ha, 1,861±160.6 kg of DM/ha, 23.6±1.9 d) did not differ between FS. The nutritive value of fresh and conserved forages was similar between feeding strategies, except for acid detergent fiber in freshly grazed bermudagrass (29.6 vs. 26.3% of DM for LSR and HSR, respectively). Cows on HSR tended to spend more time on an adjacent feeding area where conserved forages were offered (85 vs. 61 d/yr) as opposed to grazing paddocks (204 vs. 228 d/yr). Lactation performance was greater for HSR; cows on HSR produced 10.8% more milk fat and 6.3% more milk protein than cows on LSR. Holstein cows produced the greatest amounts of mature-equivalent milk, but did not differ from crossbred cows in terms of energy-corrected milk, and mature-equivalent fat and protein yields. Reproductive efficiency did not differ among feeding strategy, but breed differences were observed; conception rates at first and all services, as well as pregnancy rates, were greater for Jersey and crossbred cows compared with Holsteins. The greater stocking rate required additional supplemental concentrate and time away from grazing paddocks, but reproductive efficiency was similar and overall lactation performance was greater. The greater stocking rate resulted in increased productivity and greater income over feed costs per unit of land. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling stock prices in a portfolio using multidimensional geometric brownian motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruddani, Di Asih I.; Trimono

2018-05-01

Modeling and forecasting stock prices of public corporates are important studies in financial analysis, due to their stock price characteristics. Stocks investments give a wide variety of risks. Taking a portfolio of several stocks is one way to minimize risk. Stochastic process of single stock price movements model can be formulated in Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) model. But for a portfolio that consist more than one corporate stock, we need an expansion of GBM Model. In this paper, we use multidimensional Geometric Brownian Motion model. This paper aims to model and forecast two stock prices in a portfolio. These are PT. Matahari Department Store Tbk and PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk on period January 4, 2016 until April 21, 2017. The goodness of stock price forecast value is based on Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). As the results, we conclude that forecast two stock prices in a portfolio using multidimensional GBM give less MAPE than using GBM for single stock price respectively. We conclude that multidimensional GBM is more appropriate for modeling stock prices, because the price of each stock affects each other.

Marine reserves and reproductive biomass: a case study of a heavily targeted reef fish.

PubMed

Taylor, Brett M; McIlwain, Jennifer L; Kerr, Alexander M

2012-01-01

Recruitment overfishing (the reduction of a spawning stock past a point at which the stock can no longer replenish itself) is a common problem which can lead to a rapid and irreversible fishery collapse. Averting this disaster requires maintaining a sufficient spawning population to buffer stochastic fluctuations in recruitment of heavily harvested stocks. Optimal strategies for managing spawner biomass are well developed for temperate systems, yet remain uncertain for tropical fisheries, where the danger of collapse from recruitment overfishing looms largest. In this study, we explored empirically and through modeling, the role of marine reserves in maximizing spawner biomass of a heavily exploited reef fish, Lethrinus harak around Guam, Micronesia. On average, spawner biomass was 16 times higher inside the reserves compared with adjacent fished sites. Adult density and habitat-specific mean fish size were also significantly greater. We used these data in an age-structured population model to explore the effect of several management scenarios on L. harak demography. Under minimum-size limits, unlimited extraction and all rotational-closure scenarios, the model predicts that preferential mortality of larger and older fish prompt dramatic declines in spawner biomass and the proportion of male fish, as well as considerable declines in total abundance. For rotational closures this occurred because of the mismatch between the scales of recovery and extraction. Our results highlight how alternative management scenarios fall short in comparison to marine reserves in preserving reproductively viable fish populations on coral reefs.

Staff experiences of providing maternity services in rural southern Tanzania - a focus on equipment, drug and supply issues.

PubMed

Penfold, Suzanne; Shamba, Donat; Hanson, Claudia; Jaribu, Jennie; Manzi, Fatuma; Marchant, Tanya; Tanner, Marcel; Ramsey, Kate; Schellenberg, David; Schellenberg, Joanna Armstrong

2013-02-14

The poor maintenance of equipment and inadequate supplies of drugs and other items contribute to the low quality of maternity services often found in rural settings in low- and middle-income countries, and raise the risk of adverse patient outcomes through delaying care provision. We aim to describe staff experiences of providing maternal and neonatal care in rural health facilities in Southern Tanzania, focusing on issues related to equipment, drugs and supplies. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with different staff cadres from all facility levels in order to explore experiences and views of providing maternity care in the context of poorly maintained equipment, and insufficient drugs and other supplies. A facility survey quantified the availability of relevant items. The facility survey, which found many missing or broken items and frequent stock outs, corroborated staff reports of providing care in the context of missing or broken care items. Staff reported increased workloads, reduced morale, difficulties in providing optimal maternity care, and carrying out procedures with potential health risks to themselves as a result. Inadequately stocked and equipped facilities compromise the health system's ability to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity by affecting staff personally and professionally, which hinders the provision of timely and appropriate interventions. Improving stock control and maintaining equipment could benefit mothers and babies, not only through removing restrictions to the availability of care, but also through improving staff working conditions.

Staff experiences of providing maternity services in rural southern Tanzania – a focus on equipment, drug and supply issues

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The poor maintenance of equipment and inadequate supplies of drugs and other items contribute to the low quality of maternity services often found in rural settings in low- and middle-income countries, and raise the risk of adverse patient outcomes through delaying care provision. We aim to describe staff experiences of providing maternal and neonatal care in rural health facilities in Southern Tanzania, focusing on issues related to equipment, drugs and supplies. Methods Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with different staff cadres from all facility levels in order to explore experiences and views of providing maternity care in the context of poorly maintained equipment, and insufficient drugs and other supplies. A facility survey quantified the availability of relevant items. Results The facility survey, which found many missing or broken items and frequent stock outs, corroborated staff reports of providing care in the context of missing or broken care items. Staff reported increased workloads, reduced morale, difficulties in providing optimal maternity care, and carrying out procedures with potential health risks to themselves as a result. Conclusions Inadequately stocked and equipped facilities compromise the health system’s ability to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity by affecting staff personally and professionally, which hinders the provision of timely and appropriate interventions. Improving stock control and maintaining equipment could benefit mothers and babies, not only through removing restrictions to the availability of care, but also through improving staff working conditions. PMID:23410228

Effect of climate region and stocking density on ostrich (Struthio camelus) productive performances.

PubMed

Bouyeh, M; Seidavi, A; Mohammadi, H; Sahoo, A; Laudadio, V; Tufarelli, V

2017-02-01

The effects of three climates (hot and dry, mild and humid and Alpine) and three flock densities (<100, 100-300 and >300 m 2 ) on ostrich reproductive and productive traits were studied. Data were compared with the benchmark target sets by the World Ostrich Association (Ostrich benchmark Performance Targets. Version 2, May, 2008) for reproductive qualifications of ostrich. No significant difference was observed on egg production, weight, fertility, hatchability and day-old chicks weight among the three climate conditions; however, the Alpine climate had a lower performance trend. Mild and humid climates had a significant effect of age at sexual maturity for both males and females as well as on the duration of egg production season. Stocking density did not show significant difference on egg production, hatchability, age of male and female at sexual maturity and on duration of egg production season, while an area >300 m 2 showed a reduction in egg weight and day-old chick weight. Further, an area <100 m 2 led to a weaker ostrich fertility rate. Results showed that the ostrich would have a better performance under hot and dry and mild and humid climates as compared to Alpine climate with a stocking density of 100-300 m 2 area per breeder bird. Thus, climatic intervention strategies at Alpine regions may be carried out for maintaining optimal reproductive qualification of ostrich so as to improve the productivity in this sector. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Structural Statics Analysis and Optimization Design of Regulating Device for Air Conveyer Outlet in Coal Mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xiaoyan; Li, Ying; Zhang, Yongqiang

2018-06-01

In view of the enlargement of fully mechanized face excavation and long distance driving, gas emission and dust production increase greatly. However, the current ventilation device direction angle, caliber and front-back distance cannot change dynamically at any time, resulting in the serious accumulation in the dead zone. In this paper, a new device were proposed that can solve above problems. Finite element ANSYS software were used to simulate and optimize the structural safety of the control device' key components. The optimization results showed that the equivalent stress decreases by 49%; after the optimization of deformation and mass are 0.829mm and 0.548kg, which were 21% and 10% lower than before.The quality, safety, reliability and cost of the control device reach the expected standards perfectly, which can meet the requirements of safe ventilation and down-dusting of fully mechanized face.

Validated semiquantitative/quantitative screening of 51 drugs in whole blood as silylated derivatives by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring mass spectrometry and gas chromatography electron capture detection.

PubMed

Gunnar, Teemu; Mykkänen, Sirpa; Ariniemi, Kari; Lillsunde, Pirjo

2004-07-05

A comprehensively validated procedure is presented for simultaneous semiquantitative/quantitative screening of 51 drugs of abuse or drugs potentially hazardous for traffic safety in serum, plasma or whole blood. Benzodiazepines (12), cannabinoids (3), opioids (8), cocaine, antidepressants (13), antipsychotics (5) and antiepileptics (2) as well as zolpidem, zaleplon, zopiclone, meprobamate, carisoprodol, tizanidine and orphenadrine and internal standard flurazepam, were isolated by high-yield liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The dried extracts were derivatized by two-step silylation and analyzed by the combination of two different gas chromatographic (GC) separations with both electron capture detection (ECD) and mass spectrometry (MS) operating in a selected ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. Quantitative or semiquantitative results were obtained for each substance based on four-point calibration. In the validation tests, accuracy, reproducibility, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ), selectivity, as well as extraction efficiency and stability of standard stock solutions were tested, and derivatization was optimized in detail. Intra- and inter-day precisions were within 2.5-21.8 and 6.0-22.5%, and square of correlation coefficients of linearity ranged from 0.9896 to 0.9999. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) varied from 2 to 2000 ng/ml due to a variety of the relevant concentrations of the analyzed substances in blood. The method is feasible for highly sensitive, reliable and possibly routinely performed clinical and forensic toxicological analyses.

A joint inventory policy under permissible delay in payment and stochastic demand (Case study: Pharmacy Department of Pariaman Hospital)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonrinaldi, Primadi, M. Yugo; Hadiguna, Rika Ampuh

2017-11-01

Inventory cannot be avoided by organizations. One of them is a hospital which has a functional unit to manage the drugs and other medical supplies such as disposable and laboratory material. The unit is called Pharmacy Department which is responsible to do all of pharmacy services in the hospital. The current problem in Pharmacy Department is that the level of drugs and medical supplies inventory is too high. Inventory is needed to keep the service level to customers but at the same time it increases the cost of holding the items, so there should be a policy to keep the inventory on an optimal condition. To solve such problem, this paper proposes an inventory policy in Pharmacy Department of Pariaman Hospital. The inventory policy is determined by using Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model under condition of permissible delay in payment for multiple products considering safety stock to anticipate stochastic demand. This policy is developed based on the actual condition of the system studied where suppliers provided a certain period to Pharmacy Department to complete the payment of the order. Based on implementation using software Lingo 13.0, total inventory cost of proposed policy of IDR 137,334,815.34 is 37.4% lower than the total inventory cost of current policy of IDR 219,511,519.45. Therefore, the proposed inventory policy is applicable to the system to minimize the total inventory cost.

Unrealistic optimism in advice taking: A computational account.

PubMed

Leong, Yuan Chang; Zaki, Jamil

2018-02-01

Expert advisors often make surprisingly inaccurate predictions about the future, yet people heed their suggestions nonetheless. Here we provide a novel, computational account of this unrealistic optimism in advice taking. Across 3 studies, participants observed as advisors predicted the performance of a stock. Advisors varied in their accuracy, performing reliably above, at, or below chance. Despite repeated feedback, participants exhibited inflated perceptions of advisors' accuracy, and reliably "bet" on advisors' predictions more than their performance warranted. Participants' decisions tightly tracked a computational model that makes 2 assumptions: (a) people hold optimistic initial expectations about advisors, and (b) people preferentially incorporate information that adheres to their expectations when learning about advisors. Consistent with model predictions, explicitly manipulating participants' initial expectations altered their optimism bias and subsequent advice-taking. With well-calibrated initial expectations, participants no longer exhibited an optimism bias. We then explored crowdsourced ratings as a strategy to curb unrealistic optimism in advisors. Star ratings for each advisor were collected from an initial group of participants, which were then shown to a second group of participants. Instead of calibrating expectations, these ratings propagated and exaggerated the unrealistic optimism. Our results provide a computational account of the cognitive processes underlying inflated perceptions of expertise, and explore the boundary conditions under which they occur. We discuss the adaptive value of this optimism bias, and how our account can be extended to explain unrealistic optimism in other domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Surgeon Training in Telerobotic Surgery via a Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator

PubMed Central

Alemzadeh, Homa; Chen, Daniel; Kalbarczyk, Zbigniew; Iyer, Ravishankar K.; Kesavadas, Thenkurussi

2017-01-01

This work presents a software and hardware framework for a telerobotic surgery safety and motor skill training simulator. The aims are at providing trainees a comprehensive simulator for acquiring essential skills to perform telerobotic surgery. Existing commercial robotic surgery simulators lack features for safety training and optimal motion planning, which are critical factors in ensuring patient safety and efficiency in operation. In this work, we propose a hardware-in-the-loop simulator directly introducing these two features. The proposed simulator is built upon the Raven-II™ open source surgical robot, integrated with a physics engine and a safety hazard injection engine. Also, a Fast Marching Tree-based motion planning algorithm is used to help trainee learn the optimal instrument motion patterns. The main contributions of this work are (1) reproducing safety hazards events, related to da Vinci™ system, reported to the FDA MAUDE database, with a novel haptic feedback strategy to provide feedback to the operator when the underlying dynamics differ from the real robot's states so that the operator will be aware and can mitigate the negative impact of the safety-critical events, and (2) using motion planner to generate semioptimal path in an interactive robotic surgery training environment. PMID:29065635

Identification of granite varieties from colour spectrum data.

PubMed

Araújo, María; Martínez, Javier; Ordóñez, Celestino; Vilán, José Antonio

2010-01-01

The granite processing sector of the northwest of Spain handles many varieties of granite with specific technical and aesthetic properties that command different prices in the natural stone market. Hence, correct granite identification and classification from the outset of processing to the end-product stage optimizes the management and control of stocks of granite slabs and tiles and facilitates the operation of traceability systems. We describe a methodology for automatically identifying granite varieties by processing spectral information captured by a spectrophotometer at various stages of processing using functional machine learning techniques.

Identification of Granite Varieties from Colour Spectrum Data

PubMed Central

Araújo, María; Martínez, Javier; Ordóñez, Celestino; Vilán, José Antonio

2010-01-01

The granite processing sector of the northwest of Spain handles many varieties of granite with specific technical and aesthetic properties that command different prices in the natural stone market. Hence, correct granite identification and classification from the outset of processing to the end-product stage optimizes the management and control of stocks of granite slabs and tiles and facilitates the operation of traceability systems. We describe a methodology for automatically identifying granite varieties by processing spectral information captured by a spectrophotometer at various stages of processing using functional machine learning techniques. PMID:22163673

GC-MS quantitation of fragrance compounds suspected to cause skin reactions. 1.

PubMed

Chaintreau, Alain; Joulain, Daniel; Marin, Christophe; Schmidt, Claus-Oliver; Vey, Matthias

2003-10-22

Recent changes in European legislation require monitoring of 24 volatile compounds in perfumes as they might elicit skin sensitization. This paper reports a GC-MS quantitation procedure for their determination in fragrance concentrates. GC and MS conditions were optimized for a routine use: analysis within 30 min, solvent and internal standard selection, and stock solution stability. Calibration curves were linear in the range of 2-100 mg/L with coefficients of determination in excess of 0.99. The method was tested using real perfumes spiked with known amounts of reference compounds.

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic): Summer and Winter Flounder

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

winter compared to prevalence in the Gulf of flounder eggs was optimal at 3 dC and Maine. Lymphocystis (a viral disease ) 15-25 ppt (Rogers 1976... Disease River, North Carolina. J.S. Natl. in commercially valuable fish stocks Mar. F i sh. Serv. F i sh. Bull. in the northwest Atlantic. Mar. 77:339-357...Biological Report 82 (11.112) TR EL-82-4 August 1989 SpeiesProfilies: Life Histories and r Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes C NOV 1 41989

Distribution characteristics of stock market liquidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jiawen; Chen, Langnan; Liu, Hao

2013-12-01

We examine the distribution characteristics of stock market liquidity by employing the generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) model and three-minute frequency data from Chinese stock markets. We find that the BCPE distribution within the GAMLSS framework fits the distributions of stock market liquidity well with the diagnosis test. We also find that the stock market index exhibits a significant impact on the distributions of stock market liquidity. The stock market liquidity usually exhibits a positive skewness, but a normal distribution at a low level of stock market index and a high-peak and fat-tail shape at a high level of stock market index.

Experimental optimization of the FireFly 600 photovoltaic off-grid system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyson, William Earl; Orozco, Ron; Ralph, Mark E.

2003-10-01

A comprehensive evaluation and experimental optimization of the FireFly{trademark} 600 off-grid photovoltaic system manufactured by Energia Total, Ltd. was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories in May and June of 2001. This evaluation was conducted at the request of the manufacturer and addressed performance of individual system components, overall system functionality and performance, safety concerns, and compliance with applicable codes and standards. A primary goal of the effort was to identify areas for improvement in performance, reliability, and safety. New system test procedures were developed during the effort.

Study on the frame body structure of micro-electric vehicle based on frontal crash safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yaoquan; Zhang, Sanchuan

2017-08-01

In order to research the safety of skeleton type body of micro-electric vehicles in the frontal collision, the method of finite element modeling and simulation are used to analyze frame body that is fitted with the energy absorption structure, the simulation results show that On the basis of absorbing the most energy and the least of body acceleration, the absorbent structure parameters can be optimized, the optimized parameters are length 180 mm, wall thickness 3 mm and materials Q460.

Trading Network Predicts Stock Price

PubMed Central

Sun, Xiao-Qian; Shen, Hua-Wei; Cheng, Xue-Qi

2014-01-01

Stock price prediction is an important and challenging problem for studying financial markets. Existing studies are mainly based on the time series of stock price or the operation performance of listed company. In this paper, we propose to predict stock price based on investors' trading behavior. For each stock, we characterize the daily trading relationship among its investors using a trading network. We then classify the nodes of trading network into three roles according to their connectivity pattern. Strong Granger causality is found between stock price and trading relationship indices, i.e., the fraction of trading relationship among nodes with different roles. We further predict stock price by incorporating these trading relationship indices into a neural network based on time series of stock price. Experimental results on 51 stocks in two Chinese Stock Exchanges demonstrate the accuracy of stock price prediction is significantly improved by the inclusion of trading relationship indices. PMID:24429767

Trading network predicts stock price.

PubMed

Sun, Xiao-Qian; Shen, Hua-Wei; Cheng, Xue-Qi

2014-01-16

Stock price prediction is an important and challenging problem for studying financial markets. Existing studies are mainly based on the time series of stock price or the operation performance of listed company. In this paper, we propose to predict stock price based on investors' trading behavior. For each stock, we characterize the daily trading relationship among its investors using a trading network. We then classify the nodes of trading network into three roles according to their connectivity pattern. Strong Granger causality is found between stock price and trading relationship indices, i.e., the fraction of trading relationship among nodes with different roles. We further predict stock price by incorporating these trading relationship indices into a neural network based on time series of stock price. Experimental results on 51 stocks in two Chinese Stock Exchanges demonstrate the accuracy of stock price prediction is significantly improved by the inclusion of trading relationship indices.

26 CFR 1.1092(d)-2 - Personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Wash Sales of Stock Or Securities § 1.1092(d)-2 Personal property. (a... principal holdings mimic the performance of the stocks included in the stock index (or alternatively a portfolio of stocks whose performance mimics the performance of the stocks included in the stock index). [T...

12 CFR 925.20 - Stock purchase.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Stock purchase. 925.20 Section 925.20 Banks and... BANKS Stock Requirements § 925.20 Stock purchase. (a) Minimum stock purchase. Each member shall purchase... outstanding advances. (b) Timing of minimum stock purchase. (1) Within 60 calendar days after an institution...

24 CFR 1000.314 - What is formula current assisted stock?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... recipient and are under management as indicated in the Formula Response Form. Formula current assisted stock... stock? 1000.314 Section 1000.314 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... current assisted stock? Formula current assisted stock is current assisted stock as described in § 1000...

41 CFR 109-27.5003 - Stock control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Stock control. 109-27... control. (a) Stock control shall be maintained on the basis of stock record accounts of inventories on... property under stock control for greater than 90 days shall be maintained in stock record accounts. ...

41 CFR 109-27.5003 - Stock control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Stock control. 109-27... control. (a) Stock control shall be maintained on the basis of stock record accounts of inventories on... property under stock control for greater than 90 days shall be maintained in stock record accounts. ...

41 CFR 109-27.5003 - Stock control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Stock control. 109-27... control. (a) Stock control shall be maintained on the basis of stock record accounts of inventories on... property under stock control for greater than 90 days shall be maintained in stock record accounts. ...

41 CFR 109-27.5003 - Stock control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Stock control. 109-27... control. (a) Stock control shall be maintained on the basis of stock record accounts of inventories on... property under stock control for greater than 90 days shall be maintained in stock record accounts. ...

Providing plastic zone extrusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manchiraju, Venkata Kiran; Feng, Zhili; David, Stan A.

Plastic zone extrusion may be provided. First, a compressor may generate frictional heat in stock to place the stock in a plastic zone of the stock. Then, a conveyer may receive the stock in its plastic zone from the compressor and transport the stock in its plastic zone from the compressor. Next, a die may receive the stock in its plastic zone from the conveyer and extrude the stock to form a wire.

C-Lines of Stocking for Southern Bottomland Hardwoods: A Guide to Identifying Insuffiecient Stocking

Treesearch

J.C.G. Goelz

1997-01-01

A B-line on a stocking chart represents suggested residual stocking after thinning, or minimum full stocking. A stand at the C-line on a stocking chart will achieve the B-line after a period of growth usually specified as 10 years. Four C-lines that reflect insufficient stocking of southern bottomland hardwoods are presented. These C-lines represent 10,15,20, and 25...

Geography and distance effect on financial dynamics in the Chinese stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xing; Qiu, Tian; Chen, Guang; Zhong, Li-Xin; Jiang, Xiong-Fei

2016-09-01

Geography effect is investigated for the Chinese stock market including the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, based on the daily data of individual stocks. The stocks in the Shanghai city and the Guangdong province are found to greatly contribute to the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets in the geographical sector, respectively. By investigating a geographical correlation on a geographical parameter, the stock location is found to have an impact on the financial dynamics, except for the financial crisis time of the Shenzhen market. Stock distance effect is further studied, with the probability of the short distance observed to be much greater than that of the long distance. The distance is found to only affect the stock correlation of the Shanghai stock market, but has no effect on the Shenzhen stock market.

Stock structure of sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gorbics, C.S.; Bodkin, James L.

2001-01-01

Sea otters in Alaska are recognized as a single subspecies (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) and currently managed as a single, interbreeding population. However, geographic and behavioral mechanisms undoubtably constrain sea otter movements on much smaller scales. This paper applies the phylogeographic method (Dizon et al. 1992) and considers distribution, population response, phenotype and genotype data to identify stocks of sea otters within Alaska. The evidence for separate stock identity is genotypic (all stocks), phenotypic (Southcentral and Southwest stocks), and geographic distribution (Southeast stock), whereas population response data are equivocal (all stocks). Differences in genotype frequencies and the presence of unique genotypes among areas indicate restricted gene flow. Genetic exchange may be limited by little or no movement across proposed stock boundaries and discontinuities in distribution at proposed stock boundaries. Skull size differences (phenotypic) between Southwest and Southcentral Alaska populations further support stock separation. Population response information was equivocal in either supporting or refuting stock identity. On the basis of this review, we suggest the following: (1) a Southeast stock extending from Dixon Entrance to Cape Yakataga; (2) a Southcentral stock extending from Cape Yakataga to Cape Douglas including Prince William Sound and Kenai peninsula coast; and (3) a Southwest stock including Alaska Peninsula coast, the Aleutians to Attu Island, Barren, Kodiak, Pribilof Islands, and Bristol Bay.

Impact of Pharmacy Practice Model Expansion on Pharmacokinetic Services: Optimization of Vancomycin Dosing and Improved Patient Safety.

PubMed

Han, Zhe; Pettit, Natasha N; Landon, Emily M; Brielmaier, Benjamin D

2017-04-01

Background: The impact of pharmacy interventions on optimizing vancomycin therapy has been described, however interventions vary among studies and the most optimal pharmacy practice model (PPM) for pharmacokinetic (PK) services has not been established. Objective: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the value of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) PK services. Methods: New PK services were implemented in 2 phases with institutional PPM expansion. Phase 1 included universal monitoring by pharmacists with recommendations made to prescribers during business hours. Phase 2 expanded clinical pharmacists' coverage to 24/7 and provided an optional 24/7 pharmacist-managed PK consult service. We compared vancomycin therapeutic trough attainment, dosing, and clinical and safety outcomes between phases 1 and 2 in adult inpatients receiving therapeutic intravenous vancomycin. Results. One hundred and fifty patients were included in each phase. Phase 2 had a greater proportion of vancomycin courses with therapeutic initial trough concentrations (27.5% vs 46.1%; p = 0.002), higher initial trough concentrations (10.9 mcg/mL vs 16.4 mcg/mL; p < 0.001), and optimized initial vancomycin dosing (13.5 mg/kg vs 16.2 mg/kg; p < 0.001). Phase 2 also saw significant reduction in the incidence of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity (21.1% vs 11.7%; p = 0.038). Dose optimization and improvement in initial target trough attainment were most notable among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Conclusions. Our study demonstrated that 24/7 PK services implemented with institutional PPM expansion optimized vancomycin target trough attainment and improved patient safety.

Ensuring the optimal safety of licensed vaccines: a perspective of the vaccine research, development, and manufacturing companies.

PubMed

Kanesa-thasan, Niranjan; Shaw, Alan; Stoddard, Jeffrey J; Vernon, Thomas M

2011-05-01

Vaccine safety is increasingly a focus for the general public, health care providers, and vaccine manufacturers, because the efficacy of licensed vaccines is accepted as a given. Commitment to ensuring safety of all vaccines, including childhood vaccines, is addressed by the federal government, academia, and industry. Safety activities conducted by the vaccine research, development, and manufacturing companies occur at all stages of product development, from selection and formulation of candidate vaccines through postlicensure studies and surveillance of adverse-event reports. The contributions of multiple interacting functional groups are required to execute these tasks through the life cycle of a product. We describe here the safeguards used by vaccine manufacturers, including specific examples drawn from recent experience, and highlight some of the current challenges. Vaccine-risk communication becomes a critical area for partnership of vaccine companies with government, professional associations, and nonprofit advocacy groups to provide information on both benefits and risks of vaccines. The crucial role of the vaccine companies in ensuring the optimal vaccine-safety profile, often overlooked, will continue to grow with this dynamic arena.

Design of a Conceptual Bumper Energy Absorber Coupling Pedestrian Safety and Low-Speed Impact Requirements

PubMed Central

Mo, Fuhao; Zhao, Siqi; Yu, Chuanhui; Duan, Shuyong

2018-01-01

The car front bumper system needs to meet the requirements of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact which are somewhat contradicting. This study aims to design a new kind of modular self-adaptive energy absorber of the front bumper system which can balance the two performances. The X-shaped energy-absorbing structure was proposed which can enhance the energy absorption capacity during impact by changing its deformation mode based on the amount of external collision energy. Then, finite element simulations with a realistic vehicle bumper system are performed to demonstrate its crashworthiness in comparison with the traditional foam energy absorber, which presents a significant improvement of the two performances. Furthermore, the structural parameters of the X-shaped energy-absorbing structure including thickness (t u), side arc radius (R), and clamping boost beam thickness (t b) are analyzed using a full factorial method, and a multiobjective optimization is implemented regarding evaluation indexes of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact. The optimal parameters are then verified, and the feasibility of the optimal results is confirmed. In conclusion, the new X-shaped energy absorber can meet both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements well by altering the main deformation modes according to different impact energy levels. PMID:29581728

Design of a Conceptual Bumper Energy Absorber Coupling Pedestrian Safety and Low-Speed Impact Requirements.

PubMed

Mo, Fuhao; Zhao, Siqi; Yu, Chuanhui; Xiao, Zhi; Duan, Shuyong

2018-01-01

The car front bumper system needs to meet the requirements of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact which are somewhat contradicting. This study aims to design a new kind of modular self-adaptive energy absorber of the front bumper system which can balance the two performances. The X-shaped energy-absorbing structure was proposed which can enhance the energy absorption capacity during impact by changing its deformation mode based on the amount of external collision energy. Then, finite element simulations with a realistic vehicle bumper system are performed to demonstrate its crashworthiness in comparison with the traditional foam energy absorber, which presents a significant improvement of the two performances. Furthermore, the structural parameters of the X-shaped energy-absorbing structure including thickness ( t u ), side arc radius ( R ), and clamping boost beam thickness ( t b ) are analyzed using a full factorial method, and a multiobjective optimization is implemented regarding evaluation indexes of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact. The optimal parameters are then verified, and the feasibility of the optimal results is confirmed. In conclusion, the new X-shaped energy absorber can meet both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements well by altering the main deformation modes according to different impact energy levels.

Body-Cooling Paradigm in Sport: Maximizing Safety and Performance During Competition.

PubMed

Adams, William M; Hosokawa, Yuri; Casa, Douglas J

2016-12-01

Although body cooling has both performance and safety benefits, knowledge on optimizing cooling during specific sport competition is limited. To identify when, during sport competition, it is optimal for body cooling and to identify optimal body-cooling modalities to enhance safety and maximize sport performance. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify articles with specific context regarding body cooling, sport performance, and cooling modalities used during sport competition. A search of scientific peer-reviewed literature examining the effects of body cooling on exercise performance was done to examine the influence of body cooling on exercise performance. Subsequently, a literature search was done to identify effective cooling modalities that have been shown to improve exercise performance. The cooling modalities that are most effective in cooling the body during sport competition depend on the sport, timing of cooling, and feasibility based on the constraints of the sports rules and regulations. Factoring in the length of breaks (halftime substitutions, etc), the equipment worn during competition, and the cooling modalities that offer the greatest potential to cool must be considered in each individual sport. Scientific evidence supports using body cooling as a method of improving performance during sport competition. Developing a strategy to use cooling modalities that are scientifically evidence-based to improve performance while maximizing athlete's safety warrants further investigation.

A research model--forecasting incident rates from optimized safety program intervention strategies.

PubMed

Iyer, P S; Haight, J M; Del Castillo, E; Tink, B W; Hawkins, P W

2005-01-01

INTRODUCTION/PROBLEM: Property damage incidents, workplace injuries, and safety programs designed to prevent them, are expensive aspects of doing business in contemporary industry. The National Safety Council (2002) estimated that workplace injuries cost $146.6 billion per year. Because companies are resource limited, optimizing intervention strategies to decrease incidents with less costly programs can contribute to improved productivity. Systematic data collection methods were employed and the forecasting ability of a time-lag relationship between interventions and incident rates was studied using various statistical methods (an intervention is not expected to have an immediate nor infinitely lasting effect on the incident rate). As a follow up to the initial work, researchers developed two models designed to forecast incident rates. One is based on past incident rate performance and the other on the configuration and level of effort applied to the safety and health program. Researchers compared actual incident performance to the prediction capability of each model over 18 months in the forestry operations at an electricity distribution company and found the models to allow accurate prediction of incident rates. These models potentially have powerful implications as a business-planning tool for human resource allocation and for designing an optimized safety and health intervention program to minimize incidents. Depending on the mathematical relationship, one can determine what interventions, where and how much to apply them, and when to increase or reduce human resource input as determined by the forecasted performance.

Which stocks are profitable? A network method to investigate the effects of network structure on stock returns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kun; Luo, Peng; Sun, Bianxia; Wang, Huaiqing

2015-10-01

According to asset pricing theory, a stock's expected returns are determined by its exposure to systematic risk. In this paper, we propose a new method for analyzing the interaction effects among industries and stocks on stock returns. We construct a complex network based on correlations of abnormal stock returns and use centrality and modularity, two popular measures in social science, to determine the effect of interconnections on industry and stock returns. Supported by previous studies, our findings indicate that a relationship exists between inter-industry closeness and industry returns and between stock centrality and stock returns. The theoretical and practical contributions of these findings are discussed.

Legacy effects of grassland management on soil carbon to depth.

PubMed

Ward, Susan E; Smart, Simon M; Quirk, Helen; Tallowin, Jerry R B; Mortimer, Simon R; Shiel, Robert S; Wilby, Andrew; Bardgett, Richard D

2016-08-01

The importance of managing land to optimize carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation is widely recognized, with grasslands being identified as having the potential to sequester additional carbon. However, most soil carbon inventories only consider surface soils, and most large-scale surveys group ecosystems into broad habitats without considering management intensity. Consequently, little is known about the quantity of deep soil carbon and its sensitivity to management. From a nationwide survey of grassland soils to 1 m depth, we show that carbon in grassland soils is vulnerable to management and that these management effects can be detected to considerable depth down the soil profile, albeit at decreasing significance with depth. Carbon concentrations in soil decreased as management intensity increased, but greatest soil carbon stocks (accounting for bulk density differences), were at intermediate levels of management. Our study also highlights the considerable amounts of carbon in subsurface soil below 30 cm, which is missed by standard carbon inventories. We estimate grassland soil carbon in Great Britain to be 2097 Tg C to a depth of 1 m, with ~60% of this carbon being below 30 cm. Total stocks of soil carbon (t ha(-1) ) to 1 m depth were 10.7% greater at intermediate relative to intensive management, which equates to 10.1 t ha(-1) in surface soils (0-30 cm), and 13.7 t ha(-1) in soils from 30 to 100 cm depth. Our findings highlight the existence of substantial carbon stocks at depth in grassland soils that are sensitive to management. This is of high relevance globally, given the extent of land cover and large stocks of carbon held in temperate managed grasslands. Our findings have implications for the future management of grasslands for carbon storage and climate mitigation, and for global carbon models which do not currently account for changes in soil carbon to depth with management. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Youkhana, Adel H.; Ogoshi, Richard M.; Kiniry, James R.

Biomass is a promising renewable energy option that provides a more environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil resources by reducing the net flux of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Yet, allometric models that allow the prediction of aboveground biomass (AGB), biomass carbon (C) stock non-destructively have not yet been developed for tropical perennial C 4 grasses currently under consideration as potential bioenergy feedstock in Hawaii and other subtropical and tropical locations. The objectives of this study were to develop optimal allometric relationships and site-specific models to predict AGB, biomass C stock of napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane under cultivation practices for renewablemore » energy and validate these site-specific models against independent data sets generated from sites with widely different environments. Several allometric models were developed for each species from data at a low elevation field on the island of Maui, Hawaii. A simple power model with stalk diameter (D) was best related to AGB and biomass C stock for napiergrass, energycane, and sugarcane, (R 2 = 0.98, 0.96, and 0.97, respectively). The models were then tested against data collected from independent fields across an environmental gradient. For all crops, the models over-predicted AGB in plants with lower stalk D, but AGB was under-predicted in plants with higher stalk D. The models using stalk D were better for biomass prediction compared to dewlap H (Height from the base cut to most recently exposed leaf dewlap) models, which showed weak validation performance. Although stalk D model performed better, however, the mean square error (MSE)-systematic was ranged from 23 to 43 % of MSE for all crops. A strong relationship between model coefficient and rainfall was existed, although these were irrigated systems; suggesting a simple site-specific coefficient modulator for rainfall to reduce systematic errors in water-limited areas. These allometric equations provide a tool for farmers in the tropics to estimate perennial C4 grass biomass and C stock during decision-making for land management and as an environmental sustainability indicator within a renewable energy system.« less

Global socioeconomic material stocks rise 23-fold over the 20th century and require half of annual resource use

PubMed Central

Wiedenhofer, Dominik; Lauk, Christian; Haas, Willi; Tanikawa, Hiroki; Miatto, Alessio; Haberl, Helmut

2017-01-01

Human-made material stocks accumulating in buildings, infrastructure, and machinery play a crucial but underappreciated role in shaping the use of material and energy resources. Building, maintaining, and in particular operating in-use stocks of materials require raw materials and energy. Material stocks create long-term path-dependencies because of their longevity. Fostering a transition toward environmentally sustainable patterns of resource use requires a more complete understanding of stock-flow relations. Here we show that about half of all materials extracted globally by humans each year are used to build up or renew in-use stocks of materials. Based on a dynamic stock-flow model, we analyze stocks, inflows, and outflows of all materials and their relation to economic growth, energy use, and CO2 emissions from 1900 to 2010. Over this period, global material stocks increased 23-fold, reaching 792 Pg (±5%) in 2010. Despite efforts to improve recycling rates, continuous stock growth precludes closing material loops; recycling still only contributes 12% of inflows to stocks. Stocks are likely to continue to grow, driven by large infrastructure and building requirements in emerging economies. A convergence of material stocks at the level of industrial countries would lead to a fourfold increase in global stocks, and CO2 emissions exceeding climate change goals. Reducing expected future increases of material and energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions will require decoupling of services from the stocks and flows of materials through, for example, more intensive utilization of existing stocks, longer service lifetimes, and more efficient design. PMID:28167761

26 CFR 1.422-2 - Incentive stock options defined.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Incentive stock options defined. 1.422-2 Section... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Certain Stock Options § 1.422-2 Incentive stock options defined. (a) Incentive stock option defined—(1) In general. The term incentive stock option means an option that meets the...

12 CFR 221.119 - Applicability of plan-lender provisions to financing of stock options and stock purchase rights...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... experience that in some nonqualified plans, particularly stock purchase plans, the credit arrangement is... financing of stock options and stock purchase rights qualified or restricted under Internal Revenue Code... PURCHASING OR CARRYING MARGIN STOCK (REGULATION U) Interpretations § 221.119 Applicability of plan-lender...

Research on CPFR pattern of the Internet of things based on B2C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ling; Yang, Jie

2013-03-01

The CPFR pattern proposed by this article is based on the internet of things platform, using frontier technology of internet of things to realize real-time monitoring and the feedback in logistics, information stream in B2C mode, and simultaneously construct an e-business mode which takes the customer guidance as the center to be possible to meet the customers' need and realize the service made by customer. This new pattern uses the coordination, plan, prediction and replenishment of CPFR to realize custom-made stock based on B2C for terminal customer and specialized service for commodity stock. Moreover, it can bring suppliers real-time monitoring of terminal logistics, storage and users' notes for use, and feed back users' bugs, adjustment of orders and plan of replenishment. Furthermore, based on new pattern, we can data min users' interests and undertake a study in increment modeling, process reengineering in enterprise, optimizing enterprise's interior resources and conformity industry of supply chain. Above all it provides a new mentality and the operation pattern for the electronic commerce marketing.

Optimized protocols for Mycobacterium leprae strain management: frozen stock preservation and maintenance in athymic nude mice.

PubMed

Trombone, Ana Paula Fávaro; Pedrini, Sílvia Cristina Barbosa; Diório, Suzana Madeira; Belone, Andréa de Faria Fernandes; Fachin, Luciana Raquel Vicenzi; do Nascimento, Dejair Caitano; Rosa, Patricia Sammarco

2014-03-23

Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is an important infectious disease that is still endemic in many countries around the world, including Brazil. There are currently no known methods for growing M. leprae in vitro, presenting a major obstacle in the study of this pathogen in the laboratory. Therefore, the maintenance and growth of M. leprae strains are preferably performed in athymic nude mice (NU-Foxn1(nu)). The laboratory conditions for using mice are readily available, easy to perform, and allow standardization and development of protocols for achieving reproducible results. In the present report, we describe a simple protocol for purification of bacilli from nude mouse footpads using trypsin, which yields a suspension with minimum cell debris and with high bacterial viability index, as determined by fluorescent microscopy. A modification to the standard method for bacillary counting by Ziehl-Neelsen staining and light microscopy is also demonstrated. Additionally, we describe a protocol for freezing and thawing bacillary stocks as an alternative protocol for maintenance and storage of M. leprae strains.

Reduced grazing pressure delivers production and environmental benefits for the typical steppe of north China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yingjun; Huang, Ding; Badgery, Warwick B.; Kemp, David R.; Chen, Wenqing; Wang, Xiaoya; Liu, Nan

2015-01-01

Degradation by overgrazing is common in many areas of the world and optimising grassland functions depends upon finding suitable grazing tactics. This four-year study on the northern China steppe investigated combinations of rest, moderate or heavy grazing pressure early in the summer growing season, then moderate or heavy grazing in the mid and late season. Results showed that moderate grazing pressure (~550 sheep equivalent (SE) grazing days ha−1 year−1) gave the optimal balance between maintaining a productive and diverse grassland, a profitable livestock system, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Further analyses identified that more conservative stocking (~400 SE grazing days ha−1 year−1) maintained a desirable Leymus chinensis composition and achieved a higher live weight gain of sheep. Early summer rest best maintained a desirable grassland composition, but had few other benefits and reduced incomes. These findings demonstrate that reducing grazing pressure to half the current district stocking rates can deliver improved ecosystem services (lower greenhouse gases and improved grassland composition) while sustaining herder incomes. PMID:26553566

Integrated microfluidic systems for sample preparation and detection of respiratory pathogen Bordetella pertussis.

PubMed

de la Rosa, Carlos; Prakash, Ranjit; Tilley, Peter A; Fox, Julie D; Kaler, Karan V i S

2007-01-01

An integrated microfluidic system for combined manipulation, pre-concentration, and lysis of samples containing Bordetella pertussis by dielectrophoresis and electroporation has been developed and implemented. The microfluidic device was able to pre-concentrate the amount of B. pertussis cells present in 200 microl of a B. pertussis suspension stock into a 20 microl volume. The device exhibited optimal sample pre-concentration of 6.7x at a stock value of 10(3) cfu/ml and at a flow rate of 250 microl/h. Electro-disruption experiments showed that on-chip-based electroporation is an effective solution for lysis of B. pertussis cells that is easily integrated with dielectrophoresis assisted pre-concentration procedures. Pulsed voltage applied, number of pulses, and presence of potassium chloride in a B. pertussis suspension showed a reduction in B. pertussis cell viability by electroporation; and transmission electron microscopy confirmed B. pertussis cell disruption by electroporation. Genetic amplification and detection of the pre-concentrated sample employing an integrated chip-based system demonstrated a complete chip approach for pathogen detection.

Minimization of the energy loss of nuclear power plants in case of partial in-core monitoring system failure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagrebaev, A. M.; Ramazanov, R. N.; Lunegova, E. A.

2017-01-01

In this paper we consider the optimization problem minimize of the energy loss of nuclear power plants in case of partial in-core monitoring system failure. It is possible to continuation of reactor operation at reduced power or total replacement of the channel neutron measurements, requiring shutdown of the reactor and the stock of detectors. This article examines the reconstruction of the energy release in the core of a nuclear reactor on the basis of the indications of height sensors. The missing measurement information can be reconstructed by mathematical methods, and replacement of the failed sensors can be avoided. It is suggested that a set of ‘natural’ functions determined by means of statistical estimates obtained from archival data be constructed. The procedure proposed makes it possible to reconstruct the field even with a significant loss of measurement information. Improving the accuracy of the restoration of the neutron flux density in partial loss of measurement information to minimize the stock of necessary components and the associated losses.

Keep it simple - A case study of model development in the context of the Dynamic Stocks and Flows (DSF) task

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halbrügge, Marc

2010-12-01

This paper describes the creation of a cognitive model submitted to the ‘Dynamic Stocks and Flows’ (DSF) modeling challenge. This challenge aims at comparing computational cognitive models for human behavior during an open ended control task. Participants in the modeling competition were provided with a simulation environment and training data for benchmarking their models while the actual specification of the competition task was withheld. To meet this challenge, the cognitive model described here was designed and optimized for generalizability. Only two simple assumptions about human problem solving were used to explain the empirical findings of the training data. In-depth analysis of the data set prior to the development of the model led to the dismissal of correlations or other parametric statistics as goodness-of-fit indicators. A new statistical measurement based on rank orders and sequence matching techniques is being proposed instead. This measurement, when being applied to the human sample, also identifies clusters of subjects that use different strategies for the task. The acceptability of the fits achieved by the model is verified using permutation tests.

Optimal Control of Micro Grid Operation Mode Seamless Switching Based on Radau Allocation Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaomin; Wang, Gang

2017-05-01

The seamless switching process of micro grid operation mode directly affects the safety and stability of its operation. According to the switching process from island mode to grid-connected mode of micro grid, we establish a dynamic optimization model based on two grid-connected inverters. We use Radau allocation method to discretize the model, and use Newton iteration method to obtain the optimal solution. Finally, we implement the optimization mode in MATLAB and get the optimal control trajectory of the inverters.

12 CFR 925.23 - Excess stock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the form of additional shares of Bank stock or otherwise issue any excess stock. A Bank shall not issue excess stock, as a dividend or otherwise, if after the issuance, the outstanding excess stock at...

26 CFR 1.1092(d)-2 - Personal property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... principal holdings mimic the performance of the stocks included in the stock index (or alternatively a portfolio of stocks whose performance mimics the performance of the stocks included in the stock index). [T...

In-use product stocks link manufactured capital to natural capital.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Qiang; Graedel, T E

2015-05-19

In-use stock of a product is the amount of the product in active use. In-use product stocks provide various functions or services on which we rely in our daily work and lives, and the concept of in-use product stock for industrial ecologists is similar to the concept of net manufactured capital stock for economists. This study estimates historical physical in-use stocks of 91 products and 9 product groups and uses monetary data on net capital stocks of 56 products to either approximate or compare with in-use stocks of the corresponding products in the United States. Findings include the following: (i) The development of new products and the buildup of their in-use stocks result in the increase in variety of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; (ii) substitution among products providing similar or identical functions reflects the improvement in quality of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; and (iii) the historical evolution of stocks of the 156 products or product groups in absolute, per capita, or per-household terms shows that stocks of most products have reached or are approaching an upper limit. Because the buildup, renewal, renovation, maintenance, and operation of in-use product stocks drive the anthropogenic cycles of materials that are used to produce products and that originate from natural capital, the determination of in-use product stocks together with modeling of anthropogenic material cycles provides an analytic perspective on the material linkage between manufactured capital and natural capital.

In-use product stocks link manufactured capital to natural capital

PubMed Central

Chen, Wei-Qiang; Graedel, T. E.

2015-01-01

In-use stock of a product is the amount of the product in active use. In-use product stocks provide various functions or services on which we rely in our daily work and lives, and the concept of in-use product stock for industrial ecologists is similar to the concept of net manufactured capital stock for economists. This study estimates historical physical in-use stocks of 91 products and 9 product groups and uses monetary data on net capital stocks of 56 products to either approximate or compare with in-use stocks of the corresponding products in the United States. Findings include the following: (i) The development of new products and the buildup of their in-use stocks result in the increase in variety of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; (ii) substitution among products providing similar or identical functions reflects the improvement in quality of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; and (iii) the historical evolution of stocks of the 156 products or product groups in absolute, per capita, or per-household terms shows that stocks of most products have reached or are approaching an upper limit. Because the buildup, renewal, renovation, maintenance, and operation of in-use product stocks drive the anthropogenic cycles of materials that are used to produce products and that originate from natural capital, the determination of in-use product stocks together with modeling of anthropogenic material cycles provides an analytic perspective on the material linkage between manufactured capital and natural capital. PMID:25733904

Parents and Campus Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sells, Debra

2002-01-01

Parents are demanding greater inclusion in issues relating to campus safety and security. This article examines the historical evolution of relations between parents, students, and universities, discussing two pieces of key legislation and describing strategies to optimize common interrelationships between parents and institutions. (Contains 14…

Sharing the road : optimizing pedestrian and bicycle safety and vehicle mobility.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

Reducing crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists continues to be a major concern in the design of Michigan roads. In seeking to improve the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists on Michigan roads, it is important to balance the needs ...

Optimizing the vermicomposting of organic wastes amended with inorganic materials for production of nutrient-rich organic fertilizers: a review.

PubMed

Mupambwa, Hupenyu Allan; Mnkeni, Pearson Nyari Stephano

2018-04-01

Vermicomposting is a bio-oxidative process that involves the action of mainly epigeic earthworm species and different micro-organisms to accelerate the biodegradation and stabilization of organic materials. There has been a growing realization that the process of vermicomposting can be used to greatly improve the fertilizer value of different organic materials, thus, creating an opportunity for their enhanced use as organic fertilizers in agriculture. The link between earthworms and micro-organisms creates a window of opportunity to optimize the vermi-degradation process for effective waste biodegradation, stabilization, and nutrient mineralization. In this review, we look at up-to-date research work that has been done on vermicomposting with the intention of highlighting research gaps on how further research can optimize vermi-degradation. Though several researchers have studied the vermicomposting process, critical parameters that drive this earthworm-microbe-driven process which are C/N and C/P ratios; substrate biodegradation fraction, earthworm species, and stocking density have yet to be adequately optimized. This review highlights that optimizing the vermicomposting process of composts amended with nutrient-rich inorganic materials such as fly ash and rock phosphate and inoculated with microbial inoculants can enable the development of commercially acceptable organic fertilizers, thus, improving their utilization in agriculture.

Cost-effective practices in the blood service sector.

PubMed

Katsaliaki, Korina

2008-05-01

The objective of this study is to recommend alternative policies, which are tested on a computer simulation model, towards a more cost-effective management of the blood supply chain in the UK. With the use of primary and secondary data from the National Blood Service (NBS) and the supplied hospitals, statistical analysis is conducted and a detailed discrete event simulation model of a vertical part of the UK supply chain of blood products is developed to test and identify good ordering, inventory and distribution practices. Fewer outdates, group substitutions, shortages and deliveries could be achieved by blood banks: holding stock of rare blood groups of red blood cells (RBC), having a second routine delivery per weekday, exercising a more insensitive ordering point for RBC, reducing the total crossmatch release period to less than 1.5 days, increasing the transfusion-to-crossmatch ratio to 70%, adhering to an age-based issuing of orders, holding RBC stock of a weighted average of approximately 4 days. The blood supply simulation model can offer useful pieces of advice to the stakeholders of the examined system which leads to cost reductions and increased safety. Moreover, it provides a great range of experimental capabilities in a risk-free environment.

Impact of the introduction of electronic prescribing on staff perceptions of patient safety and organizational culture.

PubMed

Davies, James; Pucher, Philip H; Ibrahim, Heba; Stubbs, Ben

2017-05-15

Electronic prescribing (EP) systems are online technology platforms by which medicines can be prescribed, administered, and stock controlled. The actual impact of EP on patient safety is not truly understood. This study seeks to assess the impact of the implementation of an EP system on safety culture, as well as assessing differences between clinical respondent groups and considering their implications. Staff completed a modified Safety Attitudes Questionnaire survey, 6 weeks following the introduction of EP across surgical services in a hospital in Dorset, England. Responses were assessed and differences between respondent groups compared. Rates of self-reported adverse events were compared before and after implementation. Overall response rate was 34.5%. There was no significant difference between usage patterns and previous experience with EP between user groups. Overall safety was felt to have been reduced by the introduction of EP. Significant differences between clinician and nonclinicians were seen in ability to discuss errors (3.23 ± 0.5 versus 2.8 ± 0.69, P = 0.004), drug chart access, and ease of medication prescribing. Regression analysis did not identify any confounding factors. Despite a significant reduction in the adverse event rate in other divisions of the hospital that did not implement EP at the same time, this same reduction was not seen in the surgical department. This is the first study to assess the impact of EP on safety culture using a validated assessment tool (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire). Overall safety culture deteriorated following introduction of EP. Problems with system usability/intuitiveness, nonstandardized implementation, and competence assessment strategies may have all contributed to this result. Centers seeking to implement EP in future must consider these factors to ensure a positive impact on patient safety and outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

12 CFR 225.103 - Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. 225.103 Section 225.103 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE... holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. (a) The Board of... bank stock splits without the Board's prior approval, and whether such a company may exercise, without...

12 CFR 225.103 - Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. 225.103 Section 225.103 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE... holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. (a) The Board of... bank stock splits without the Board's prior approval, and whether such a company may exercise, without...

Converting partially-stocked aspen stands to fully-stocked stands in the Lake States: an economic analysis.

Treesearch

Jeffrey T. Olson; Allen L. Lundgren

1978-01-01

The 1968 Wisconsin Forest Survey showed large areas of aspen type that are not considered fully stocked. The economic feasibility of converting partially-stocked stands to full stocking is examined, and a rule presented for determining when a partially-stocked stand should be harvested to maximize its present value.

12 CFR 225.103 - Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. 225.103 Section 225.103 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE... holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. (a) The Board of... bank stock splits without the Board's prior approval, and whether such a company may exercise, without...

12 CFR 221.7 - Supplement: Maximum loan value of margin stock and other collateral.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... value of margin stock and other collateral. (a) Maximum loan value of margin stock. The maximum loan... nonmargin stock and all other collateral. The maximum loan value of nonmargin stock and all other collateral... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Supplement: Maximum loan value of margin stock...

Stock Market Expectations of Dutch Households

PubMed Central

Hurd, Michael; van Rooij, Maarten; Winter, Joachim

2013-01-01

Despite its importance for the analysis of life-cycle behavior and, in particular, retirement planning, stock ownership by private households is poorly understood. Among other approaches to investigate this puzzle, recent research has started to elicit private households’ expectations of stock market returns. This paper reports findings from a study that collected data over a two-year period both on households’ stock market expectations (subjective probabilities of gains or losses) and on whether they own stocks. We document substantial heterogeneity in financial market expectations. Expectations are correlated with stock ownership. Over the two years of our data, stock market prices increased, and expectations of future stock market price changes also increased, lending support to the view that expectations are influenced by recent stock gains or losses. PMID:23997423

Quality and Safety as a Core Leadership Competency.

PubMed

Bleich, Michael R

2018-05-01

A leader's toolbox of competencies comprises knowledge, skills, and abilities in clinical care, finance, human resource management, and more. As essential as these are, a strong command of quality and safety competencies is sovereign in leading and managing, ensuring an optimal patient experience. Four core areas of quality and safety competencies are presented: systems science, knowledge workers, implementation science and big data, and quality safety tools and techniques. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(5):200-202. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Growth and contribution of stocked channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818): the importance of measuring post-stocking performance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, David R.; Long, James M.

2015-01-01

In this study it was sought to quantify post-stocking growth, survival, and contribution of advanced size (178 mm total length [TL]) channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus fingerlings, something rarely done. Channel catfish populations were evaluated before (May 2010) and after (May to August 2011 and 2012) stocking. Relative abundance, stocking contribution, and growth were different (P < 0.05) in the two study impoundments (lakes Lone Chimney and Greenleaf, Oklahoma). For fish stocked in Lake Lone Chimney, stocking contribution was lower (3–35%), and average length and weight of stocked fish by age-2 reached 230 mm TL and 85 g, whereas the stocking contribution (84–98%) and growth in length (340 mm TL) and weight (280 g) were higher by age-2 in Lake Greenleaf. Given these unambiguous differences of post-stocking performance, benchmark metrics that represent population-level information such as relative abundance and average length and weight of the sample masked these significant differences, highlighting the importance of marking hatchery-fish and then following them through time to determine the effectiveness of stocking. These results suggest that stock enhancement programmes would benefit from studies that quantify post-stocking performance of hatchery fish.

Dispersal, mortality, and predation on recently-stocked rainbow trout in Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ivasauskas, Tomas J.; Bettoli, Phillip William

2011-01-01

Forty-four hatchery-raised rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were implanted with ultrasonic tags and stocked into Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, and tracked at least once per week for eight weeks to describe post-stocking dispersal rates, movements, and habitat use. Dispersal followed a three-stage pattern characterized by rapid movement away from each stocking site during the first week, relatively little dispersal during the next three weeks, and further dispersion during the final four weeks that fish were tracked. Rainbow trout exhibited a strong affinity for coves and were rarely encountered in the main channel. Tagged fish stocked in March exhibited lower mortality (Zweekly = 0.027) than those stocked in January (Zweekly = 0.062) during the first eight weeks post-stocking. Diets of potential predators in Dale Hollow Lake were examined. Walleye (Sander vitreus), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), largemouth bass (M. salmoides), and holdover rainbow trout all preyed on recently stocked trout. Larger walleye were more likely to prey on stocked rainbow trout, and walleye of all sizes tended to prey on the smaller trout in each stocked cohort. Walleye were more likely to feed on rainbow trout during January than March. Effective stocking strategies should focus on reducing predation by stocking larger rainbow trout or by stocking when predation risk is minimized (i.e., March).

A new enhanced index tracking model in portfolio optimization with sum weighted approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siew, Lam Weng; Jaaman, Saiful Hafizah; Hoe, Lam Weng

2017-04-01

Index tracking is a portfolio management which aims to construct the optimal portfolio to achieve similar return with the benchmark index return at minimum tracking error without purchasing all the stocks that make up the index. Enhanced index tracking is an improved portfolio management which aims to generate higher portfolio return than the benchmark index return besides minimizing the tracking error. The objective of this paper is to propose a new enhanced index tracking model with sum weighted approach to improve the existing index tracking model for tracking the benchmark Technology Index in Malaysia. The optimal portfolio composition and performance of both models are determined and compared in terms of portfolio mean return, tracking error and information ratio. The results of this study show that the optimal portfolio of the proposed model is able to generate higher mean return than the benchmark index at minimum tracking error. Besides that, the proposed model is able to outperform the existing model in tracking the benchmark index. The significance of this study is to propose a new enhanced index tracking model with sum weighted apporach which contributes 67% improvement on the portfolio mean return as compared to the existing model.

Development of coordination system model on single-supplier multi-buyer for multi-item supply chain with probabilistic demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivia, G.; Santoso, A.; Prayogo, D. N.

2017-11-01

Nowadays, the level of competition between supply chains is getting tighter and a good coordination system between supply chains members is very crucial in solving the issue. This paper focused on a model development of coordination system between single supplier and buyers in a supply chain as a solution. Proposed optimization model was designed to determine the optimal number of deliveries from a supplier to buyers in order to minimize the total cost over a planning horizon. Components of the total supply chain cost consist of transportation costs, handling costs of supplier and buyers and also stock out costs. In the proposed optimization model, the supplier can supply various types of items to retailers whose item demand patterns are probabilistic. Sensitivity analysis of the proposed model was conducted to test the effect of changes in transport costs, handling costs and production capacities of the supplier. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed a significant influence on the changes in the transportation cost, handling costs and production capacity to the decisions of the optimal numbers of product delivery for each item to the buyers.

The Influence of the Number of Different Stocks on the Levy-Levy-Solomon Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohl, R.

The stock market model of Levy, Levy, Solomon is simulated for more than one stock to analyze the behavior for a large number of investors. Small markets can lead to realistic looking prices for one and more stocks. A large number of investors leads to a semi-regular fashion simulating one stock. For many stocks, three of the stocks are semi-regular and dominant, the rest is chaotic. Aside from that we changed the utility function and checked the results.

Research on Heat Dissipation of Electric Vehicle Based on Safety Architecture Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chao; Guo, Yajuan; Huang, Wei; Jiang, Haitao; Wu, Liwei

2017-10-01

In order to solve the problem of excessive temperature in the discharge process of lithium-ion battery and the temperature difference between batteries, a heat dissipation of electric vehicle based on safety architecture optimization is designed. The simulation is used to optimize the temperature field of the heat dissipation of the battery. A reasonable heat dissipation control scheme is formulated to achieve heat dissipation requirements. The results show that the ideal working temperature range of the lithium ion battery is 20?∼45?, and the temperature difference between the batteries should be controlled within 5?. A cooling fan is arranged at the original air outlet of the battery model, and the two cooling fans work in turn to realize the reciprocating flow. The temperature difference is controlled within 5? to ensure the good temperature uniformity between the batteries of the electric vehicle. Based on the above finding, it is concluded that the heat dissipation design for electric vehicle batteries is safe and effective, which is the most effective methods to ensure battery life and vehicle safety.

Risky play and children's safety: balancing priorities for optimal child development.

PubMed

Brussoni, Mariana; Olsen, Lise L; Pike, Ian; Sleet, David A

2012-08-30

Injury prevention plays a key role in keeping children safe, but emerging research suggests that imposing too many restrictions on children's outdoor risky play hinders their development. We explore the relationship between child development, play, and conceptions of risk taking with the aim of informing child injury prevention. Generational trends indicate children's diminishing engagement in outdoor play is influenced by parental and societal concerns. We outline the importance of play as a necessary ingredient for healthy child development and review the evidence for arguments supporting the need for outdoor risky play, including: (1) children have a natural propensity towards risky play; and, (2) keeping children safe involves letting them take and manage risks. Literature from many disciplines supports the notion that safety efforts should be balanced with opportunities for child development through outdoor risky play. New avenues for investigation and action are emerging seeking optimal strategies for keeping children "as safe as necessary," not "as safe as possible." This paradigm shift represents a potential for epistemological growth as well as cross-disciplinary collaboration to foster optimal child development while preserving children's safety.

Rational risk-based decision support for drinking water well managers by optimized monitoring designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enzenhöfer, R.; Geiges, A.; Nowak, W.

2011-12-01

Advection-based well-head protection zones are commonly used to manage the contamination risk of drinking water wells. Considering the insufficient knowledge about hazards and transport properties within the catchment, current Water Safety Plans recommend that catchment managers and stakeholders know, control and monitor all possible hazards within the catchments and perform rational risk-based decisions. Our goal is to supply catchment managers with the required probabilistic risk information, and to generate tools that allow for optimal and rational allocation of resources between improved monitoring versus extended safety margins and risk mitigation measures. To support risk managers with the indispensable information, we address the epistemic uncertainty of advective-dispersive solute transport and well vulnerability (Enzenhoefer et al., 2011) within a stochastic simulation framework. Our framework can separate between uncertainty of contaminant location and actual dilution of peak concentrations by resolving heterogeneity with high-resolution Monte-Carlo simulation. To keep computational costs low, we solve the reverse temporal moment transport equation. Only in post-processing, we recover the time-dependent solute breakthrough curves and the deduced well vulnerability criteria from temporal moments by non-linear optimization. Our first step towards optimal risk management is optimal positioning of sampling locations and optimal choice of data types to reduce best the epistemic prediction uncertainty for well-head delineation, using the cross-bred Likelihood Uncertainty Estimator (CLUE, Leube et al., 2011) for optimal sampling design. Better monitoring leads to more reliable and realistic protection zones and thus helps catchment managers to better justify smaller, yet conservative safety margins. In order to allow an optimal choice in sampling strategies, we compare the trade-off in monitoring versus the delineation costs by accounting for ill-delineated fractions of protection zones. Within an illustrative simplified 2D synthetic test case, we demonstrate our concept, involving synthetic transmissivity and head measurements for conditioning. We demonstrate the worth of optimally collected data in the context of protection zone delineation by assessing the reduced areal demand of delineated area at user-specified risk acceptance level. Results indicate that, thanks to optimally collected data, risk-aware delineation can be made at low to moderate additional costs compared to conventional delineation strategies.

Compression stockings

MedlinePlus

... medical supply store or online. Wash Your Stockings Every Day Keep the stockings clean: Wash the stockings each ... can, have two pairs. Wear one pair each day. Wash and dry the other pair. Replace your stockings every 3 to 6 months so that they maintain ...

12 CFR 225.103 - Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. 225.103 Section 225.103 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE... § 225.103 Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. (a) The... participate in bank stock splits without the Board's prior approval, and whether such a company may exercise...

12 CFR 225.103 - Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. 225.103 Section 225.103 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE... § 225.103 Bank holding company acquiring stock by dividends, stock splits or exercise of rights. (a) The... participate in bank stock splits without the Board's prior approval, and whether such a company may exercise...

26 CFR 1.305-4 - Distributions of common and preferred stock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... of common stock, class A and class B. Dividends may be paid in stock or in cash on either class of stock without regard to the medium of payment of dividends on the other class. A dividend is declared on the class A stock payable in additional shares of class A stock and a dividend is declared on class B...

26 CFR 1.1081-3 - Exchanges of stock or securities solely for stock or securities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Exchanges of stock or securities solely for stock or securities. 1.1081-3 Section 1.1081-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... § 1.1081-3 Exchanges of stock or securities solely for stock or securities. The exchange, without the...

The synchronicity between the stock and the stock index via information in market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hai-Ling; Li, Jiang-Cheng; Guo, Wei; Mei, Dong-Cheng

2018-02-01

The synchronicity between the stock and the stock-index in a market system is investigated. The results show that: (i) the synchronicity between the stock and the stock-index increases with the rising degree of market information capitalized into stock prices in certain range; (ii) the synchronicity decreases for large firm-specific information; (iii) the stock return synchronicity is small compared to the big noise trading, however the variance noise facilitates the synchronization within the tailored realms. These findings may be helpful in understanding the effect of market information on synchronicity, especially for the response of firm-specific information and noise trading to synchronicity.

Persistent collective trend in stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balogh, Emeric; Simonsen, Ingve; Nagy, Bálint Zs.; Néda, Zoltán

2010-12-01

Empirical evidence is given for a significant difference in the collective trend of the share prices during the stock index rising and falling periods. Data on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and its stock components are studied between 1991 and 2008. Pearson-type correlations are computed between the stocks and averaged over stock pairs and time. The results indicate a general trend: whenever the stock index is falling the stock prices are changing in a more correlated manner than in case the stock index is ascending. A thorough statistical analysis of the data shows that the observed difference is significant, suggesting a constant fear factor among stockholders.