An examination of risk and resource sharing behavior between LTL trucking companies and warehouse providers

Increased demand for third-party logistics providers who can offer multiple services to their customers has encouraged many entities to explore innovative ways to expand service offerings. The current research examines Class I LTL motor carriers who have expanded their services to include warehousing. While there are several ways to achieve a service expansion into warehousing, the current research focuses on firms who have elected to expand by creating a strategic alliance type relationship with an external warehouse provider. The research examines carriers attitudes about risk and resource sharing in the alliance relationship. The results indicate that carriers are moderately receptive to sharing resources with their warehouse partner and relatively less interested in sharing risks with the warehouse partner

Influence of Sorghum Wax, Glycerin, and Sorbitol on Physical Properties of Soy Protein Isolate Films

Sorghum wax, sorbitol, glycerin, and soy protein isolate (SPI) composite films were prepared. Effects of sorghum wax, sorbitol, and glycerin concentrations on various films were evaluated using response surface methodology. All independent variables significantly (P \u3c 0.05) affected film water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), total color difference, and total soluble matter (TSM). Increasing the sorghum wax concentration decreased WVP and E. As sorbitol content increased in the composite films, WVP and TS increased. Sorbitol had a critical point of 2–5 g/5 g SPI for low values of TSM. The addition of sorbitol contributed more to the properties of the film than did glycerin

Parameterized Model-Checking for Timed-Systems with Conjunctive Guards (Extended Version)

In this work we extend the Emerson and Kahlon's cutoff theorems for process skeletons with conjunctive guards to Parameterized Networks of Timed Automata, i.e. systems obtained by an \emph{apriori} unknown number of Timed Automata instantiated from a finite set $U_1, \dots, U_n$ of Timed Automata templates. In this way we aim at giving a tool to universally verify software systems where an unknown number of software components (i.e. processes) interact with continuous time temporal constraints. It is often the case, indeed, that distributed algorithms show an heterogeneous nature, combining dynamic aspects with real-time aspects. In the paper we will also show how to model check a protocol that uses special variables storing identifiers of the participating processes (i.e. PIDs) in Timed Automata with conjunctive guards. This is non-trivial, since solutions to the parameterized verification problem often relies on the processes to be symmetric, i.e. indistinguishable. On the other side, many popular distributed algorithms make use of PIDs and thus cannot directly apply those solutions

Psychometric Evaluation and Design of Patient-Centered Communication Measures for Cancer Care Settings

Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of questions that assess patient perceptions of patient-provider communication and design measures of patient-centered communication (PCC). Methods Participants (adults with colon or rectal cancer living in North Carolina) completed a survey at 2 to 3 months post-diagnosis. The survey included 87 questions in six PCC Functions: Exchanging Information, Fostering Health Relationships, Making Decisions, Responding to Emotions, Enabling Patient Self-Management, and Managing Uncertainty. For each Function we conducted factor analyses, item response theory modeling, and tests for differential item functioning, and assessed reliability and construct validity. Results Participants included 501 respondents; 46% had a high school education or less. Reliability within each Function ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. The PCC-Ca-36 (36-question survey; reliability=0.94) and PCC-Ca-6 (6-question survey; reliability=0.92) measures differentiated between individuals with poor and good health (i.e., known-groups validity) and were highly correlated with the HINTS communication scale (i.e., convergent validity). Conclusion This study provides theory-grounded PCC measures found to be reliable and valid in colorectal cancer patients in North Carolina. Future work should evaluate measure validity over time and in other cancer populations. Practice implications The PCC-Ca-36 and PCC-Ca-6 measures may be used for surveillance, intervention research, and quality improvement initiatives