12,544 research outputs found
An Evolutionary View of the Critical Functions of Slot Machine Technology
The U.S. gaming industry has grown from its infancy in the early 1930s to a maturing giant in the 1990s. With this growth has come an evolution in management functions associated with one of the major components of casino operations, the slot department. These functions; counting, analysis, security, maintenance, and marketing, have evolved through an iterative process of technology; applying science to enhance functionality. This paper traces the expanding applications of gaming technologies, and provides a framework for understanding the past, present and future uses of technology in casino slot operation
A diagnostic model for studying daytime urban air quality trends
A single cell Eulerian photochemical air quality simulation model was developed and validated for selected days of the 1976 St. Louis Regional Air Pollution Study (RAPS) data sets; parameterizations of variables in the model and validation studies using the model are discussed. Good agreement was obtained between measured and modeled concentrations of NO, CO, and NO2 for all days simulated. The maximum concentration of O3 was also predicted well. Predicted species concentrations were relatively insensitive to small variations in CO and NOx emissions and to the concentrations of species which are entrained as the mixed layer rises
Hypersonic cruise aircraft propulsion integration study, volume 1
A hypersonic cruise transport conceptual design is described. The integration of the subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic propulsion systems with the aerodynamic design of the airframe is emphasized. An evaluation of various configurations of aircraft and propulsion integration concepts, and selection and refinement of a final design are given. This configuration was used as a baseline to compare two propulsion concepts - one using a fixed geometry dual combustion mode scramjet and the other a variable geometry ramjet engine. Both concepts used turbojet engines for takeoff, landing and acceleration to supersonic speed
Minimum energy, liquid hydrogen supersonic cruise vehicle study
The potential was examined of hydrogen-fueled supersonic vehicles designed for cruise at Mach 2.7 and at Mach 2.2. The aerodynamic, weight, and propulsion characteristics of a previously established design of a LH2 fueled, Mach 2.7 supersonic cruise vehicle (SCV) were critically reviewed and updated. The design of a Mach 2.2 SCV was established on a corresponding basis. These baseline designs were then studied to determine the potential of minimizing energy expenditure in performing their design mission, and to explore the effect of fuel price and noise restriction on their design and operating performance. The baseline designs of LH2 fueled aircraft were than compared with equivalent designs of jet A (conventional hydrocarbon) fueled SCV's. Use of liquid hydrogen for fuel for the subject aircraft provides significant advantages in performance, cost, noise, pollution, sonic boom, and energy utilization
Study of active cooling for supersonic transports
The potential benefits of using the fuel heat sink of hydrogen fueled supersonic transports for cooling large portions of the aircraft wing and fuselage are examined. The heat transfer would be accomplished by using an intermediate fluid such as an ethylene glycol-water solution. Some of the advantages of the system are: (1) reduced costs by using aluminum in place of titanium, (2) reduced cabin heat loads, and (3) more favorable environmental conditions for the aircraft systems. A liquid hydrogen fueled, Mach 2.7 supersonic transport aircraft design was used for the reference uncooled vehicle. The cooled aircraft designs were analyzed to determine their heat sink capability, the extent and location of feasible cooled surfaces, and the coolant passage size and spacing
Study of LH2 fueled subsonic passenger transport aircraft
The potential of using liquid hydrogen as fuel in subsonic transport aircraft was investigated to explore an expanded matrix of passenger aircraft sizes. Aircraft capable of carrying 130 passengers 2,780 km (1500 n.mi.); 200 passengers 5,560 km (3000 n.mi.); and 400 passengers on a 9,265 km (5000 n.mi.) radius mission, were designed parametrically. Both liquid hydrogen and conventionally fueled versions were generated for each payload/range in order that comparisons could be made. Aircraft in each mission category were compared on the basis of weight, size, cost, energy utilization, and noise
Pressure and heat flux results from the space shuttle/external fuel tank interaction test at Mach numbers 16 and 19
Heat transfer rates and pressures were measured on a 0.0175-scale model of the space shuttle external tank (ET), model MCR0200. Tests were conducted with the ET model separately and while mated with a 0.0175-scale model of the orbiter, model 21-OT (Grumman). The tests were conducted in the AEDC-VKF Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel (F) at Mach numbers 16 and 19. The primary data consisted of the interaction heating rates experienced by the ET while mated with the orbiter in the flight configuration. Data were taken for a range of Reynolds numbers from 50,000 to 65,000 under laminar flow conditions
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of capecitabine and tegafur with uracil for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: systematic review and economic evaluation
Objectives:
To evaluate the clinical and costeffectiveness
of capecitabine and tegafur with uracil
(UFT/LV) as first-line treatments for patients with
metastatic colorectal cancer, as compared with 5-
fluorouracil/folinic acid (5-FU/FA) regimens.
Data sources: Electronic databases, reference lists of
relevant articles and sponsor submissions were also
consulted.
Review methods:
Systematic searches, selection
against criteria and quality assessment were performed
to obtain data from relevant studies. Costs were
estimated through resource-use data taken from the
published trials and the unpublished sponsor
submissions. Unit costs were taken from published
sources, where available. An economic evaluation was
undertaken to compare the cost-effectiveness of
capecitabine and UFT/LV with three intravenous 5-
FU/LV regimens widely used in the UK: the Mayo, the
modified de Gramont regimen and the inpatient de
Gramont regimens.
Results:
The evidence suggests that treatment with
capecitabine improves overall response rates and has
an improved adverse effect profile in comparison with
5-FU/LV treatment with the Mayo regimen, with the
exception of hand–foot syndrome. Time to disease
progression or death after treatment with UFT/LV in
one study appears to be shorter than after treatment
with 5-FU/LV with the Mayo regimen, although it also
had an improved adverse effect profile. Neither
capecitabine nor UFT/LV appeared to improve healthrelated
quality of life. Little information on patient
preference was available for UFT/LV, but there was
indicated a strong preference for this over 5-FU/LV.
The total cost of capecitabine and UFT/LV treatments
were estimated at £2111 and £3375, respectively,
compared with the total treatment cost for the Mayo
regimen of £3579. Cost estimates were also presented
for the modified de Gramont and inpatient de Gramont
regimens. These were £3684 and £6155, respectively.
No survival advantage was shown in the RCTs of the
oral drugs against the Mayo regimen. Cost savings of
capecitabine and UFT/LV over the Mayo regimen were
estimated to be £1461 and £209, respectively. Drug
acquisition costs were higher for the oral therapies
than for the Mayo regimen, but were offset by lower
administration costs. Adverse event treatment costs
were similar across the three regimens. It was inferred
that there was no survival difference between the oral
drugs and the de Gramont regimens. Cost savings of
capecitabine and UFT/LV over the modified de
Gramont regimen were estimated to be £1353 and
£101, respectively, and over the inpatient de Gramont
regimen were estimated to be £4123 and £2870,
respectively.
Conclusions:
The results show that there are cost
savings associated with the use of oral therapies. No
survival difference has been proven between the oral
drugs and the Mayo regimen. In addition, no evidence
of a survival difference between the Mayo regimen and
the de Gramont regimens has been identified.
However, improved progression-free survival and an
improved adverse event profile have been shown for
the de Gramont regimen over the Mayo regimen.
Further research is recommended into the following
areas: quality of life data should be included in trials of
colorectal cancer treatments; the place of effective oral
treatments in the treatment of colorectal cancer, the
safety mechanisms needed to ensure compliance and
the monitoring of adverse effects; the optimum
duration of treatment; the measurement of patient
preference; and a phase III comparative trial of
capecitabine and UFT/LV versus modified de Gramont
treatment to determine whether there was any survival
advantage and to collate the necessary economic data
The “risk-adjusted” price-concentration relationship in banking
Price-concentration studies in banking typically find a significant and negative relationship between consumer deposit rates (i.e., prices) and market concentration. This relationship implies that highly concentrated banking markets are “bad” for depositors. It also provides support for the Structure-Conduct-Performance hypothesis and rejects the Efficient-Structure hypothesis. However, these studies have focused almost exclusively on supply-side control variables and have neglected demand-side variables when estimating the reduced form price-concentration relationship. For example, previous studies have not included in their analysis bank-specific risk variables as measures of cross-sectional derived deposit demand. The authors find that when bank-specific risk variables are included in the analysis the magnitude of the relationship between deposit rates and market concentration decreases by over 50 percent. They offer an explanation for these results based on the correlation between a bank’s risk profile and the structure of the market in which it operates. These results suggest that it may be necessary to reconsider the well-established assumption that higher market concentration necessarily leads to anticompetitive deposit pricing behavior by commercial banks. This finding has direct implications for the antitrust evaluations of bank merger and acquisition proposals by regulatory agencies. And, in a more general sense, these results suggest that any Structure-Conduct-Performance-based study that does not explicitly consider the possibility of very different risk profiles of the firms analyzed may indeed miss a very important set of explanatory variables. And, thus, the results from those studies may be spurious.
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