Managing Self-Scheduling Capacity

Gig-economy platform like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, and Instacart have created markets in which independent service providers provide on-demand service to consumers. A hallmark of this arrangement is that providers decide for themselves when, where, and how much to work. In other words, the platform does not set its capacity\u27s schedule; instead its capacity self-schedules. This decentralization of decision making can create value for providers. The platform\u27s challenge is then to devise a contract with its capacity that allows it to capture some of this value. I study the platform\u27s contracting problem in three chapters. In the first, I show that the platform can benefit from allowing its providers to self-schedule. In the second, I study the platform\u27s strategy when coordinating supply and demand across multiple states of the world. I show that the resulting dynamic pricing policy can be beneficial to consumers, despite widespread dislike of the real-world practice. I also show that, in many cases, the platform need not independently vary payments to providers to achieve near-optimal profit. Instead the platform may pay its providers a fixed percent commission on the price paid by consumers per completed service. In the final chapter, I argue that the findings above are distinct from the traditional two-sided markets literature. Though a classic two-sided market model experiences near-optimal performance of the fixed commission in many cases, the market conditions that produce poor fixed commission performance differ between the gig-economy model and the two-sided markets model. Because the two-sided market model does not accurately predict poor gig-economy fixed commission performance, it is important to study a model tailored the gig-economy to understand gig-economy specific applications

Thermal Performance Analysis Of The Liquid Cooling And Ventilation Garment (LCVG) With Respect To Tubing Geometry

The technology of a liquid-cooled garment allows astronauts to complete extravehicular activities while maintaining a degree of thermal comfort. The garment has gone largely unchanged despite advancements in technology, materials, and knowledge. This research examines possible advancements in thermal efficiency with an alternate tubing geometry through heat transfer rate calculations. A semi-circle cross-section was selected and compared against the current circular cross-section tubing. Each tubing cross-section was 3-D printed and integrated into forearm sleeves. For comparison, the assembly of each sleeve resembled the current Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment used with the Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Subjects wore the forearm sleeves while water at 25 °C, 18 °C, and 10 °C flowed through the tubing. Skin surface temperatures from the four test subjects were recorded with thermocouples before and during the experiments. The data collected from this research supported the conclusion that semi-circle cross-section tubing provides an average 24.5% greater heat transfer compared to circular cross-section tubing. The ANOVA analysis suggests there is some statistical significance in the heat transfer rates between the two tubing cross-sections. Further data analysis implies that the semi-circle cross-section tubing could provide increased thermal regulation based on a decrease in skin temperature

Sex Differences in the Drinking Response to Angiotensin II (AngII): Effect of Body Weight

Sex differences in fluid intake stimulated by angiotensin II (AngII) have been reported, but the direction of the differences is inconsistent. To resolve these discrepancies, we measured water intake by male and female rats given AngII. Males drank more than females, but when intake was normalized to body weight, the sex difference was reversed. Weight-matched males and females, however, had no difference in intake. Using a linear mixed model analysis, we found that intake was influenced by weight, sex, and AngII dose. We used linear regression to disentangle these effects further. Comparison of regression coefficients revealed sex and weight differences at high doses of AngII. Specifically, after 100ng AngII, weight was a predictor of intake in males, but not in females. Next, we tested for differences in AngII-induced intake in male and females allowed to drink both water and saline. Again, males drank more water than females, but females showed a stronger preference for saline. Drinking microstructure analysis suggested that these differences were mediated by postingestive signals and more bottle switches by the females. Finally, we probed for differences in the expression of components of the renin-angiotensin system in the brains of males and females and found sex differences in several genes in discrete brain regions. These results provide new information to help understand key sex differences in ingestive behaviors, and highlight the need for additional research to understand baseline sex differences, particularly in light of the new NIH initiative to balance sex in biomedical research

Students’ experiences of the Case-Based Teaching and Learning Approach at a school of nursing in the Western Cape, South Africa

With the increase in nursing students’ enrolments in the first year of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) from 150 in 2003 to 300 in 2005, case-based education (CBE) was introduced as one of the innovative teaching strategies and methods more relevant for teaching and learning in large student classes. The CBE was identified and selected as an overarching teaching strategy as it was believed that it would ensure that students were adequately prepared for nursing practice. After more than six years of CBE being implemented at the School of Nursing (SoN) at UWC, its inherent value to teaching and learning had not been established. Answers to whether nursing students, as users, value the CBE approach and whether or not CBE meets the purpose for which it was adopted were sought. This study describes the views of nursing students with regard to implementation of the case-based teaching and learning methodology in large classes to establish whether or not CBE is viewed as beneficial. Qualitative document analysis and a case study design were used. Inclusion criteria were nursing module evaluations and learning portfolios of students registered in first and second year of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at the SoN. The sample consisted of purposefully selected students’ documents. Data were analysed using Tesch’s thematic analysis method. The students had mixed views about their learning experiences, and it was noted that with time they started appreciating CBE.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Nurse educators’ experiences of case-based education in a South African nursing programme

BACKGROUND: A school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape experienced an increase in student enrolments from an intake of 150 students to 300 students in the space of one year. This required a review of the teaching and learning approach to ensure that it was appropriate for effective facilitation of large classes. The case-based education (CBE) approach was adopted for the delivery of the Bachelor of Nursing programme in 2005. AIM: The aim of the study was to explore nurse educators’ experiences, current practices and possible improvements to inform best practice of CBE at the nursing school in the Western Cape. METHODS: A participatory action research method was applied in a two day workshop conducted with nurse educators in the undergraduate nursing programme. The nominal group technique was used to collect the data. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the final synthesis of the findings, namely: teaching and learning related issues, student issues and teacher issues. Amongst other aspects, theory and practice integration, as well as the need for peer support in facilitation of CBE, were identified as requiring strengthening. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that case-based education should continue to be used in the school, however, more workshops should be arranged to keep educators updated and new staff orientated in respect of this teaching and learning approach.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Är anonyma tentamina objektiva och rättvisa?

"Anonyma tentor är just nu en av de hetaste trenderna i högskole-Sverige" skrev Svenska Dagbladet i mars 2008 (http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/artikel_964731.svd ) Frågan har under några år drivits av studentkårerna, men verkar i de flesta fall ha införts av universitetens och högskolornas ledning utan diskussion och förankring i lärarkåren och utan analys av relationen mellan fördelar och nackdelar eller plan för utvärdering. Vi saknar djupare analys av omfattningen av de problem systemet förväntas lösa i relation till de kostnader och nackdelar det skapar. Inte någonstans har vi sett en diskussion om huruvida de föreslagna åtgärderna är den bästa resursanvändningen för att mildra problemen. I ett försök att fördjupa diskussionen skrev vi en debattartikel i Universitetsläraren (Daniels och Pendrill 2008). Vi bad vi att få genomföra en spontansession under konferensen om högre utbildning i maj 2008. Som förberedelse för sessionen fick vi också möjlighet att genomföra en enkät bland deltagarna som delades ut i anslutning till en av plenarsessionerna. Vi presenterar här resultaten av denna enkät, diskussionerna och en kort analys