On a foundation for Cournot equilibrium

We show in the context of a bilateral oligopoly where all agents are allowed to behave strategically the unexpected result that when the number of buyers becomes large the outcomes in a strategic market game do not converge to those at the Cournot equilibrium. However, convergence to Cournot outcomes is restored if the game is sequential: sellers move simultaneously as do buyers, but the former always move before the latter. This suggests that the ability to commit to supply decisions is an essential feature of Cournot equilibrium

The assessment of the rheumatoid hand : "the assessment of the function of the hand undergoing corrective surgery for rheumatoid disease using specially designed biomechanical instruments and the Colour Television Image Analyser"

Present methods of assessing the function of the hand are reviewed and found to be inadequate. Two new concepts are introduced; the concept of assessing the function of the hand at the digital level, and the concept that hand function and bone density are closely related in both the hypodynamic state of disuse and the hyperdynamic state of improved function following corrective surgery.To investigate hands in this manner, the design and use of two biomechanical instruments, the 'Cybernometer' and the 'Torquemeter', invented by the author, are described. The use of Colour Television Image Analysis as a new method of measuring bone density, developed by the author, is also described.With this equipment a biomechanical study has been performed on normal hands and a positive relationship has been shown between function and bone density in both normal and rheumatoid hands.A statistical analysis has been performed on 51 rheumatoid patients before and after a variety of types of corrective hand surgery in terms of function and bone density. Not only is disuse osteoporosis accompanied by a reduction in hand function but also by surgically improving function osteoporosis in the rheumatoid hand is reversed

Equity of Inpatient Health Care in Rural Tanzania:\ud A Population- and Facility-Based Survey

To explore the equity of utilization of inpatient health care at rural Tanzanian health centers through the use of a short wealth questionnaire.Methods: Patients admitted to four rural health centers in the Kigoma Region of Tanzania from May 2008 to May 2009 were surveyed about their illness, asset ownership and demographics. Principal component analysis was used to compare the wealth of the inpatients to the wealth of the region’s general population, using data from a previous population-based survey. Among inpatients, 15.3% were characterized as the most poor, 19.6% were characterized as very poor, 16.5% were characterized as poor, 18.9% were characterized as less poor, and 29.7% were characterized as the least poor. The wealth distribution of all inpatients (p < 0.0001), obstetric inpatients (p < 0.0001), other inpatients (p < 0.0001), and fee-exempt inpatients (p < 0.001) were significantly different than the wealth distribution in the community population, with poorer patients underrepresented among inpatients. The wealth distribution of pediatric inpatients (p = 0.2242) did not significantly differ from the population at large. The findings indicated that while current Tanzanian health financing policies may have improved access to health care for children under five, additional policies are needed to further close the equity gap, especially for obstetric inpatients.\u

Modeling human and organizational behavior using a relation-centric multi-agent system design paradigm

Today's modeling and simulation communities are being challenged to create rich, detailed models incorporating human decision-making and organizational behavior. Recent advances in distributed artificial intelligence and complex systems theory have demonstrated that such ill-defined problems can be effectively modeled with agent-based simulation techniques using multiple, autonomoous, adaptive entities. RELATE, a relation-centric design paradigm for multi-agent systems (MAS), is presented to assist developers incorporate MAS solutions into their simulations. RELATe focuses the designer on six key concepts of MAS simulations: relationships, environment, laws, agents, things, and effectors. A library of Java classes is presented which enables the user to rapidly prototype an agent-based simulation. This library utilizes the Java programming language to support cross-platform and web based designs. All Java classes and interfaces are fully documented using HTML Javadoc format. Two reference cases are provided that allow for easy code reuse and modification. Finally, an existing metworked DIS-Java-VRML simulation was modified to demonstrate the ability to utilize the RELATE library to add agents to existing applications. LCDR Kim Roddy focused on the development and refinement of the RELATE design paradigm, while LT Mike Dickson focused on the actual Java implementation. Joint work was conducted on all research and reference caseshttp://www.archive.org/details/modelinghumanorg00roddU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Study of perturbed periodic systems of differential equations - The Stroboscopic method

Stroboscopic method for solving perturbed periodic systems of differential equation

Photoproduction of the f(1)(1285) meson

The f(1)(1285) meson withmass 1281.0 +/- 0.8MeV/c(2) and width 18.4 +/- 1.4MeV (full width at half maximum) was measured for the first time in photoproduction from a proton target using CLAS at Jefferson Lab. Differential cross sections were obtained via the eta pi(+)pi(-), K+(K) over bar (0) pi(-), and (K-K0)pi(+) decay channels from threshold up to a center-of-mass energy of 2.8 GeV. The mass, width, and an amplitude analysis of the eta pi(+)pi(-) final-state Dalitz distribution are consistent with the axial-vector J(P) = 1(+) f(1)(1285) identity, rather than the pseudoscalar 0(-) eta(1295). The production mechanism is more consistent with s-channel decay of a high-mass N* state and not with t-channel meson exchange. Decays to eta pi pi go dominantly via the intermediate a(0)(+/-) (980)pi(-/+) states, with the branching ratio Gamma [a(0)pi (no (K) over barK)]/Gamma[eta pi pi (all)] = 0.74 +/- 0.09. The branching ratios Gamma (K (K) over bar pi)/Gamma(eta pi pi) = 0.216 +/- 0.033 and Gamma (gamma rho(0))/Gamma(eta pi pi) = 0.047 +/- 0.018 were also obtained. The first is in agreement with previous data for the f(1)(1285), while the latter is lower than the world average

A Proof of Concept Study on Utilising a Non-invasive Microwave Analysis Technique to Characterise Silver Based Materials in Aqueous Solution

This paper reports on the feasibility of using a novel and robust microwave sensing technique to analyse and detect silver materials in an aqueous solution. Two products are tested, namely: silver chloride and silver oxide. The study mainly focused on indicating the difference between them and also any change in the size/size distribution of the sample. A microwave sensor designed previously is utilised to identify the potential of the technique to carry out the analysis. The results are presented as microwave spectrums that are the material response to microwaves. The results have shown that the technique has reasonably indicated the change in material type as well as size distribution. The results also show that these curves are distinguishable and can be related to the material and the change in its size. It is concluded that there is a potential of extending this technique to determine various other properties of silver products. The study suggests a design and development of a bespoke unit as a dedicated analysis tool and to address any anomalies arising from the current feasibility. This will have a huge industrial benefit in terms of cost reduction and time associated with the industrial analysis of silver material

Design Details to Accommodate Fault Movement in a Dam Foundation

During planning for dam projects, good practice usually calls for appropriate investigations to help assure the development is not located on or immediately adjacent to active faults. There are examples of projects, however, where an active fault has been discovered in or close to a dam foundation and engineering solutions have been incorporated into design to enable satisfactory performance of the dam should fault displacement occur during project operation. In some cases, the existence of such hazards only becomes evident late in the design cycle when the dam site is considered fixed and hazard avoidance is not an easy option. The 960-MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project in Pakistan is being constructed within a geologically complex and seismo-tectonically active setting. During feasibility studies, a major thrust fault at the dam site was deemed inactive. However, during detailed design and after commitment to start construction with international contractors, the potentially active nature of the fault came to be understood. The dam is re-designed as a composite structure, with a zoned fill section overlying the fault and the remainder of the dam consisting of a concrete gravity feature with integral gated spillway. The fill section designed to accommodate the maximum amount of offset that could occur on the fault below. This concept has been adopted on other projects elsewhere, such as the approach dams leading to the new Pacific Locks Complex, which are intersected by segments of the active Pedro Miguel fault for the new Third Set of Locks of the Panama Canal. During construction of the Neelum-Jhelum dam, the actual fault trace was found unfortunately to be not entirely beneath the fill section and that some of the concrete super-structure would overlie the fault. Innovative subsurface foundation treatments have been developed to help direct any potential future fault movement into the fill and away from the concrete part of the dam. This paper describes these measures and the analytical methods used in design development