Strategic Group Analysis of U.S. Food Businesses Using the Two-step Clustering Method

strategic group, planning, strategy, performance, Agribusiness, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, M0, M14, M2, M30,

Thermal expansion of liquid Ti–6Al–4V measured by electrostatic levitation

The liquid density of Ti–6Al–4V was measured over a temperature range from 1661 to 1997 K that included undercooling by as much as 280 K. The sample was levitated in an electrostatic levitator and video imaging technique was used to capture the volume changes as a function of temperature. Over the temperature range the liquid density can be expressed by rholiq(T)=4123–0.254 (T–Tm) kg/m^3, where the melting temperature Tm is 1943 K. The corresponding volume expansion coefficient is alphaliq=6.05×10^–5 K^–1 near Tm

What is the Value of Public Goods Generated by a National Football League Team: A CVM Approach

Using the Contingent Valuation Method, this paper estimates the value of public goods the National Football League’s Jaguars produce for Jacksonville, Florida, including the value of elevating Jacksonville to major league status. It also estimates the incremental value of public goods potentially produced by a National Basketball Association team in Jacksonville. The present value of public goods created by the Jaguars is $25 million or less, far below subsidies provided to attract the Jaguars. For a basketball team, the figure is less than$12.7 million. Sports public goods probably cannot justify the large public expenditures on stadiums and arenas.

Frequency-dependent attenuation and elasticity in unconsolidated earth materials: effect of damping

We use the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to understand the underlying attenuation mechanism in granular media, with special applicability to the measurements of the so-called effective mass developed earlier. We consider that the particles interact via Hertz-Mindlin elastic contact forces and that the damping is describable as a force proportional to the velocity difference of contacting grains. We determine the behavior of the complex-valued normal mode frequencies using 1) DEM, 2) direct diagonalization of the relevant matrix, and 3) a numerical search for the zeros of the relevant determinant. All three methods are in strong agreement with each other. The real and the imaginary parts of each normal mode frequency characterize the elastic and the dissipative properties, respectively, of the granular medium. We demonstrate that, as the interparticle damping, $\xi$, increases, the normal modes exhibit nearly circular trajectories in the complex frequency plane and that for a given value of $\xi$ they all lie on or near a circle of radius $R$ centered on the point $-iR$ in the complex plane, where $R\propto 1/\xi$. We show that each normal mode becomes critically damped at a value of the damping parameter $\xi \approx 1/\omega_n^0$, where $\omega_n^0$ is the (real-valued) frequency when there is no damping. The strong indication is that these conclusions carry over to the properties of real granular media whose dissipation is dominated by the relative motion of contacting grains. For example, compressional or shear waves in unconsolidated dry sediments can be expected to become overdamped beyond a critical frequency, depending upon the strength of the intergranular damping constant.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure

Tolerability, safety, and efficacy of adjunctive brivaracetam for focal seizures in older patients: A pooled analysis from three phase III studies

Introduction: This analysis was conducted to assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of brivaracetam (BRV) for adjunctive treatment of focal (partial-onset) seizures in patients aged ≥65 years. Methods: Safety/tolerability and efficacy data for patients aged ≥65 years were pooled from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose Phase III studies (NCT00490035, NCT00464269, and NCT01261325). Data were pooled by treatment group: placebo or the proposed therapeutic dose range of 50–200 mg/day: BRV 50, 100, 200 mg/day. Results: Thirty-two patients aged ≥65 years were randomized to placebo or BRV 50–200 mg/day. Of these, 30 patients (93.8%) completed their respective study. In the safety population (n = 32), 87.5% placebo- vs 73.3% BRV-treated patients reported treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) during the treatment period; most commonly, headache (25.0% vs 12.5%), paresthesia (0% vs 12.5%), and somnolence (50.0% vs 12.5%) for placebo- vs BRV-treated patients, respectively. During the treatment period, drug-related TEAEs were reported by 62.5% of placebo- vs 53.3% of BRV-treated patients, and serious TEAEs (SAEs) were reported by 0% of placebo- and 4.2% of BRV-treated patients; there were no drug-related SAEs and no deaths. Three SAEs (placebo 1/8; BRV 2/24) and two deaths (placebo 1/8; BRV 1/24) occurred in the post-treatment period. In the efficacy population (n = 31), median percent reduction from baseline in focal seizure frequency/28 days was 14.0% for placebo vs 25.5%, 49.6%, and 74.9% for BRV 50, 100, and 200 mg/day, respectively. The ≥50% responder rate was 14.3% for placebo vs 25.0%, 50.0%, and 66.7% for BRV 50, 100, and 200 mg/day, respectively. Conclusions: Safety/tolerability and efficacy findings in this small subgroup of older patients treated with adjunctive BRV are consistent with those observed in the much larger overall pooled population. BRV may be a suitable adjunctive treatment for older patients with uncontrolled focal seizures. Further larger studies in this population are warranted

Transit Analysis Package (TAP and autoKep): IDL Graphical User Interfaces for Extrasolar Planet Transit Photometry

We present an IDL graphical user interface-driven software package designed for the analysis of extrasolar planet transit light curves. The Transit Analysis Package (TAP) software uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques to fit light curves using the analytic model of Mandel and Agol (2002). The package incorporates a wavelet based likelihood function developed by Carter and Winn (2009) which allows the MCMC to assess parameter uncertainties more robustly than classic chi-squared methods by parameterizing uncorrelated "white" and correlated "red" noise. The software is able to simultaneously analyze multiple transits observed in different conditions (instrument, filter, weather, etc). The graphical interface allows for the simple execution and interpretation of Bayesian MCMC analysis tailored to a user's specific data set and has been thoroughly tested on ground-based and Kepler photometry. AutoKep provides a similar GUI for the preparation of Kepler MAST archive data for analysis by TAP or any other analysis software. This paper describes the software release and provides instructions for its use.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Newly-Discovered Planets Orbiting HD~5319, HD~11506, HD~75784 and HD~10442 from the N2K Consortium

Initially designed to discover short-period planets, the N2K campaign has since evolved to discover new worlds at large separations from their host stars. Detecting such worlds will help determine the giant planet occurrence at semi-major axes beyond the ice line, where gas giants are thought to mostly form. Here we report four newly-discovered gas giant planets (with minimum masses ranging from 0.4 to 2.1 MJup) orbiting stars monitored as part of the N2K program. Two of these planets orbit stars already known to host planets: HD 5319 and HD 11506. The remaining discoveries reside in previously-unknown planetary systems: HD 10442 and HD 75784. The refined orbital period of the inner planet orbiting HD 5319 is 641 days. The newly-discovered outer planet orbits in 886 days. The large masses combined with the proximity to a 4:3 mean motion resonance make this system a challenge to explain with current formation and migration theories. HD 11506 has one confirmed planet, and here we confirm a second. The outer planet has an orbital period of 1627.5 days, and the newly-discovered inner planet orbits in 223.6 days. A planet has also been discovered orbiting HD 75784 with an orbital period of 341.7 days. There is evidence for a longer period signal; however, several more years of observations are needed to put tight constraints on the Keplerian parameters for the outer planet. Lastly, an additional planet has been detected orbiting HD 10442 with a period of 1043 days.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

The Impact of Disease-Modifying Therapy Access Barriers on People With Multiple Sclerosis: Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) can face difficulty accessing disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) because of insurance, pharmacy, or provider policies. These barriers have been associated with poor adherence and negative health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to describe the overall occurrence of difficulties and delays associated with gaining access to DMTs among people with RRMS, to assess DMT adherence during periods of reduced access, and to contextualize the patients\u27 journey from receipt of a prescription for DMT to obtaining and taking their medication when faced with access barriers. METHODS: We recruited US-based adults self-reporting RRMS from a Web-based health data-sharing social network, PatientsLikeMe. Individuals were invited to complete a Web-based survey if they reported a diagnosis of RRMS and were prescribed a DMT for MS. Follow-up phone interviews were conducted with 10 respondents who reported experiencing an MS-related relapse during the time they had experienced challenges accessing DMTs. RESULTS: Among 507 survey completers, nearly half were either currently experiencing an issue related to DMT assess or had difficulty accessing a DMT in the past (233/507, 46.0%). The most frequently reported reasons for access difficulty were authorization requirements by insurance companies (past issues: 78/182, 42.9%; current issues: 9/42, 21%) and high out-of-pocket costs (past issues: 54/182, 29.7%; current issues: 13/42, 31%). About half (20/39, 51%) of participants with current access issues and over a third (68/165, 41.2%) of those with past issues went without their medication until they could access their prescribed DMT. Relapses were reported during periods of reduced DMT access for almost half (56/118, 47.5%) of those with past issues and nearly half (22/45, 49%) of those with current issues. Resolving access issues involved multiple stakeholder agents often coordinated in a patient-led effort. Among those who had resolved issues, about half (57/119, 47.9%) reported that doctors or office staff were involved, under half (48/119, 40.3%) were involved themselves, and about a third (39/119, 32.8%) reported the drug manufacturer was involved in resolving the issue. Follow-up interviews revealed that the financial burden associated with obtaining a prescribed DMT led to nonadherence. Additionally, participants felt that DMT treatment delays and stress associated with obtaining the DMT triggered relapses or worsened their MS. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands current research by using a patient-centered, mixed-methods approach to describe barriers to MS treatment, the process to resolve barriers, and the perceived impact of treatment barriers on outcomes. Issues related to DMT access occur frequently, with individuals often serving as their own agents when navigating access difficulties to obtain their medication(s). Support for resolution of DMT access is needed to prevent undue stress and nonadherence