A Pedagogical Exercise in Concept Integration: Or Relaxing Assumptions and Moving Toward the Real World

This article suggests to the educator an example of combining conceptual notions that should be familiar to students of business. In addition the example, which combines the notions of economic lot size and the learning curve, serves as a means for dealing with those critical of the many assumptions that often precede model building. This exercise or ones similar to it should give critics and/or students some appreciation of the complexities which are unveiled as we attempt to model closer to real-world applications

Combining the Learning Curve Concept with Economic Lot Sizing

Simple concepts familiar to most operations management students are frequently not integrated as a result of the complexity generated by their combination. This expository note demonstrates a method for combining the economic lot size concept with the learning curve and using a simple computer algorithm for solution purposes. It avoids the traditional trade-off of reality and accuracy for expediency

Instant Business Professors: The Case Against Retooling

After a period of exploding growth, business schools are now experiencing a slowdown in the pace of enrollment. This may be the pause that refreshes for many schools that have been coping with crowded classes, insufficient equipment and reliance on part-time faculty. It is generally accepted that any school is only as strong as its faculty, and this key requirement is the subject of this article. In recent years, in attempts to remedy an alleged shortage of faculty, we have experienced the phenomenon of retooling, a process whereby faculty are recruited from the liberal arts and sciences, or education, and given accelerated courses so that they can function in business schools. It is a development which appears to have the blessing of administrators and is actively promoted by some spokespersons of the accrediting body, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It seems strange that the body charged with the job of setting and maintaining standards should appear to be weakening them. But the AACSB apparently wants more doctorates (Ph.D.s) in business schools and retooling is a short-run method of getting them. The authors con tend that the real issue is the shortage of resources available for business schools and that retooling is a way to avoid tackling the real problem

Design and operating criteria for rural water systems

Rural homesites in the United States require the availability of high quality water. One means of meeting this need is with the rural water district, a system composed of tank storage and a pipe network serving a number of homes. The tanks are filled by pumping during periods of minimal water use and serve as the immediate water source for homes. Optimum design requires consideration of not only immediate needs and economic factors but also the possibility of expansion at some future date. Accurate prediction of monthly usage rates is sometimes necessary to set contractural needs. Daily water use per person must be known to appropriately choose the size of the storage tank. Peak use rates are important for proper selection of pipe sizes. The temporal distribution of demand is important in determining available pump operation periods for filling of storage with a minimum of interference and has a bearing on pump and pipe selection. This paper presents the results of a study (Goodwin, 1975) describing design criteria for projects serving dairies and domiciles. Homes are divided into two different economic groups and design recommendations are made for each group

Walter Miles and His 1920 Grand Tour of European Physiology and Psychology Laboratories: A Reproduction of the Original Typescript

Walter R. Miles (1885-1978) was an American experimental psychologist very much interested in laboratory apparatus and procedures and their applications to human behavior. Early in his career, Miles received an appointment as a research scientist at the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory in Boston, Massachusetts. When Miles arrived at the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory in 1914, work was well underway on the physiological effects of various nutrients on the human body. Miles began studies on the effects of alcohol on physiological and psychological functioning. The First World War severed many of the relationships that the Carnegie Laboratory had with research counterparts in Europe. After the war, efforts were made to reestablish these ties. From April through August of 1920, Miles visited 57 laboratories and institutes in 9 different countries throughout Europe. A fastidious observer and note taker, Miles documented his journey in exquisite detail. At every stop, he observed, recorded, and interacted with key figures in European physiology and psychology. He gathered all this information together into a highly-detailed report of more than 300 pages. The report, part of the Walter Miles Papers available at the Archives of the History of American Psychology at the University of Akron, was never formally published. Now available in print, this title provides unique information about the workings of major centers of physiological and psychological research in early 20th century Europe. The book is introduced by C. James Goodwin, a renowned Miles\u27 scholar.https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/uapress_publications/1137/thumbnail.jp

Stable isotope values in modern bryozoan carbonate from New Zealand and implications for paleoenvironmental interpretation

Bryozoan carbonate contains useful geochemical evidence of temperate shelf paleoenvironments. Stable isotope values were determined for 103 modern marine bryozoan skeletons representing 30 species from New Zealand. δ18O values range from -1.4 to 2.8 VPDB, while δ13C range from -4.5 to 2.8 VPDB (values uncorrected for mineralogical variation). These values are distinct from those of both tropical marine skeletons and New Zealand Tertiary fossils. Most bryozoans secrete carbonate in or near isotopic equilibrium with sea water, except for Celleporina and Steginoporella. The complex and variable mineralogies of the bryozoans reported here make correction for mineralogical effects problematic. Nevertheless, mainly aragonitic forms display higher isotope values, as anticipated. Both temperature and salinity constrain δ18O and δ13C values, and vary with latitude and water depth. Ten samples from a single branch of Cinctipora elegans from the Otago shelf cover a narrow range, although the striking difference in carbon isotope values between the endozone and exozone probably reflects different mineralisation histories. Our stable isotope results from three different laboratories on a single population from a single location are encouragingly consistent. Monomineralic bryozoans, when carefully chosen to avoid species suspected of vital fractionation, have considerable potential as geochemical paleoenvironmental indicators, particularly in temperate marine environments where bryozoans are dominant sediment producers

AAPM medical physics practice guideline 10.a.: Scope of practice for clinical medical physics.

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a nonprofit professional society whose primary purposes are to advance the science, education, and professional practice of medical physics. The AAPM has more than 8000 members and is the principal organization of medical physicists in the United States. The AAPM will periodically define new practice guidelines for medical physics practice to help advance the science of medical physics and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the United States. Existing medical physics practice guidelines will be reviewed for the purpose of revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner. Each medical physics practice guideline (MPPG) represents a policy statement by the AAPM, has undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review, and requires the approval of the Professional Council. The medical physics practice guidelines recognize that the safe and effective use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiation requires specific training, skills, and techniques as described in each document. As the review of the previous version of AAPM Professional Policy (PP)-17 (Scope of Practice) progressed, the writing group focused on one of the main goals: to have this document accepted by regulatory and accrediting bodies. After much discussion, it was decided that this goal would be better served through a MPPG. To further advance this goal, the text was updated to reflect the rationale and processes by which the activities in the scope of practice were identified and categorized. Lastly, the AAPM Professional Council believes that this document has benefitted from public comment which is part of the MPPG process but not the AAPM Professional Policy approval process. The following terms are used in the AAPM's MPPGs: Must and Must Not: Used to indicate that adherence to the recommendation is considered necessary to conform to this practice guideline. Should and Should Not: Used to indicate a prudent practice to which exceptions may occasionally be made in appropriate circumstances