Inventories and sales uncertainty

We investigate the empirical linkages between sales uncertainty and firms´ inventory investment behavior while controlling for firms´ financial strength. Using large panels of manufacturing firms from several European countries we find that higher sales uncertainty leads to larger stocks of inventories. We also identify an indirect effect of sales uncertainty on inventory accumulation through the financial strength of firms. Our results provide evidence that financial strength mitigates the adverse effects of uncertainty

Inventories and sales uncertainty

We investigate the empirical linkages between sales uncertainty and firms´ inventory investment behavior while controlling for firms´ financial strength. Using large panels of manufacturing firms from several European countries we find that higher sales uncertainty leads to larger stocks of inventories. We also identify an indirect effect of sales uncertainty on inventory accumulation through the financial strength of firms. Our results provide evidence that financial strength mitigates the adverse effects of uncertainty

Intense slow beams of bosonic potassium isotopes

We report on an experimental realization of a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) that allows the generation of cold atomic beams of 39K and 41K bosonic potassium isotopes. The high measured fluxes up to 1.0x10^11 atoms/s and low atomic velocities around 33 m/s are well suited for a fast and reliable 3D-MOT loading, a basilar feature for new generation experiments on Bose-Einstein condensation of dilute atomic samples. We also present a simple multilevel theoretical model for the calculation of the light-induced force acting on an atom moving in a MOT. The model gives a good agreement between predicted and measured flux and velocity values for our 2D-MOT.Comment: Updated references, 1 figure added, 10 pages, 9 figure

Collisional properties of sympathetically cooled 39^{39}K

We report the experimental evidence of the sympathetic cooling of $^{39}$K with $^{87}$Rb down to 1 $\mu$K, obtained in a novel tight confining magnetic trap. This allowed us to perform the first direct measurement of the elastic cross section of $^{39}$K below 50 $\mu$K. The result obtained for the triplet scattering length, $a_T = -51(7)$ Bohr radii, agrees with previous results derived from photoassociation spectra and from Feshbach spectroscopy of $^{40}$K.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Entanglement of a Mesoscopic Field with an Atom induced by Photon Graininess in a Cavity

We observe that a mesoscopic field made of several tens of microwave photons exhibits quantum features when interacting with a single Rydberg atom in a high-Q cavity. The field is split into two components whose phases differ by an angle inversely proportional to the square root of the average photon number. The field and the atomic dipole are phase-entangled. These manifestations of photon graininess vanish at the classical limit. This experiment opens the way to studies of large Schrodinger cat states at the quantum-classical boundary

Diverging effects of postextrasystolic potentiation on left ventricular segmental wall motion in coronary heart disease.

The effects of postextrasystolic potentiation (PESP) on regional left ventricular (LV) wall motion were evaluated in 40 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Of the 40 CAD patients, 20 had a prior myocardial infarction and 20 had a history of angina pectoris. PESP was obtained by applying programmed atrial stimulation during LV angiography, in a way that basal cycle length, premature beat, and postextrasystolic pause were almost identical in all patients. Segmental wall motion was evaluated by calculating regional ejection fraction (EF) of 5 different areas with a computerized method before and after the premature beat. The results were compared to those obtained in a group of 8 normal subjects. LV areas were classified as normokinetic, mildly hypokinetic, severely hypokinetic, and hyperkinetic, on the basis of their regional EF in respect to normals, and classified as "responder" (R) and "nonresponder" on the basis of the magnitude of the increase of regional EF with PESP. Of a total of 200 areas 129 were normokinetic (68% R), 45 were mildly hypokinetic (78% R), 17 severely hypokinetic (76% R), and 9 were hyperkinetic (78% R). Infarcted patients had a higher percentage of hypokinetic areas in basal conditions (p<0.001), however, the percentage of hypokinetic areas that responded to PESP was not significantly different from noninfarcted patients. In CAD patients, as a whole, a significant direct correlation was found between basal regional EF and regional EF after PESP (r=0.88, p<0.01). In conclusion, the results indicate: (1) normokinetic LV areas do not always respond to PESP; (2) while infarcted patients have a higher proportion of myocardial segments that are hypokinetic, the number of these areas that respond to PESP does not differ between infarcted and noninfarcted patients; (3) in CAD patients there is a direct relationship between the degree of basal regional function and the magnitude of the response to PESP

Changes in anthropometric, biochemical, hematological, hormonal and cardiac markers in a group of late-adult amateur cyclist, afet continuous and prolonged exercise on an uncontrolled diet

Abstract: Purpose: to describe and compare the main biochemical and hematological parameters, markers of cardiac and stress suffering (cortisol), in an amateur group of 8 late-adult cyclists (average age 60.9 years s.d. 4.1 years) before and after a continuous bicycle course of 9 days with an actual duration of 7 days and a daily average of 103.5 Km (total of 725 km) on an uncontrolled diet. Results: body weight, BMI, systolic and diastolic pressure did not vary significantly in pre- and post-cycling performance (p&gt; 0.05). There was no significant change in the pre- and post-red blood cell count in the hemochromocytometric hematological parameters (p = 0.57), while hemoglobin values decreased significantly after pedaling (p = 0.03), as did the average cellular hemoglobin values and the average cell concentration of hemoglobin (p = 0.002 and p = 0.0006, respectively). The number of platelets, white blood cells, the absolute number of neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils and monocytes, and the percentage of neutrophils, eosinophilic lymphocytes, basophils and monocytes did not change significantly (p&gt; 0.05). With regard to basic biochemistry, there was no significant variation in the values of glucose, urea, creatinine, alanine amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, cholinesterase and creatinine kinase (p&gt; 0.05). Aspartate amino transferase was found to be significantly greater after pedaling (p = 0.03). The values of albumin, total proteins, lactate dehydrogenase, total calcium, inorganic phosphorus, total magnesium, total iron, sodium and potassium were statistically non-significant between pre and post phases. The lipid profile, total cholesterol, triglycerides, lipases, HDL and LDL were also statistically non-significant even if HDL values increased on average after cycling performance (before 48.9 \ub1 9.5 and after 53.8 \ub1 12.4) while LDL values decreased on average (before 118.5 \ub1 28.8 and after 101.6 \ub1 10.3). In the hormone-labeling and vitamin group, ferritin was statistically non-significant. Pre and post changes in the stress hormone cortisol, PSA, vitamin B12 and natriuretic B-type NT-proBNP peptide were statistically non-significant. Instead, folate decreased significantly following the cycling performance (p = 0.017). In protein biochemistry, apolipoprotein A1 was statistically significant (p = 0.038) increasing after pedaling, while apolipoprotein B, C-reactive protein and transferrin were statistically non-significant. CK MB mass and troponin I in the cardiac markers did not undergo significant changes between pre and post phases. Conclusions: despite the small size of the chosen sample, parameters analyzed between pre and post continuous physical effort lead to the conclusion and confirmation of many data in the literature and, that is, that sporting activity conducted in an important way can improve the biochemical/functional state and, therefore, the health of practising subjects even in late adults and/or the elderly. This could postpone physical psychic decline caused by the natural progression of years

Risk-Informed design process of the IRIS reactor

Westinghouse is currently conducting the pre-application licensing of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS). The design philosophy of the IRIS has been based on the concept of Safety-by-DesignTM and within this framework the PSA is being used as an integral part of the design process. The basis for the PSA contribution to the design phase of the reactor is the close iteration between the PSA team and the design and safety analysis team. In this process the design team is not only involved in the initial phase of providing system information to the PSA team, allowing in this way the identification of the high risk scenarios, but it is also receiving feedback from the PSA team that suggests design modification aimed at reaching risk-related goals. During the first iteration of this process, the design modifications proposed by the PSA team allowed reducing the initial estimate of Core Damage Frequency (CDF) due to internal events from 2E-6/ry to 2E-8/ry. Since the IRIS design is still in a development phase, a number of assumptions have to be confirmed when the design is finalized. Among key assumptions are the success criteria for both the accident sequences analyzed and the systems involved in the mitigation strategies. The PSA team developed the initial accident sequence event trees according to the information from the preliminary analysis and feasibility studies. A recent coupling between the RELAP and GOTHIC codes made possible the actual simulation of all LOCA sequences identified in the first draft of the Event Trees. Working in close coordination, the PSA and the safety analysis teams developed a matrix case of sequences not only with the purpose of testing the assumed success criteria, but also with the perspective of identifying alternative sequences developed mainly by relaxing the extremely conservative assumptions previously made. The results of these simulations, bounded themselves with conservative assumptions on the Core Damage definition, suggested two new versions of the LOCA Event Tree with two possible configurations of the Automatic Depressurization System. The new CDF has been evaluated for both configurations and the design team has been provided with an additional and risk-related perspective that will help choosing the design alternative to be implemented