Alphabetic Letter Identification: Effects of perceivability, similarity, and bias

The legibility of the letters in the Latin alphabet has been measured numerous times since the beginning of\ud experimental psychology. To identify the theoretical mechanisms attributed to letter identification, we report\ud a comprehensive review of literature, spanning more than a century. This review revealed that identification\ud accuracy has frequently been attributed to a subset of three common sources: perceivability, bias, and simi-\ud larity. However, simultaneous estimates of these values have rarely (if ever) been performed. We present the\ud results of two new experiments which allow for the simultaneous estimation of these factors, and examine\ud how the shape of a visual mask impacts each of them, as inferred through a new statistical model. Results showed that the shape and identity of the mask impacted the inferred perceivability, bias, and similarity space of a letter set, but that there were aspects of similarity that were robust to the choice of mask. The results illustrate how the psychological concepts of perceivability, bias, and similarity can be estimated simultaneously, and how each make powerful contributions to visual letter identification

A flexible approach to assess fluorescence decay functions in complex energy transfer systems

Background Time-correlated Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes molecular distances with greater accuracy than intensity-based calculation of FRET efficiency and provides a powerful tool to study biomolecular structure and dynamics. Moreover, time-correlated photon count measurements bear additional information on the variety of donor surroundings allowing more detailed differentiation between distinct structural geometries which are typically inaccessible to general fitting solutions. Results Here we develop a new approach based on Monte Carlo simulations of time-correlated FRET events to estimate the time-correlated single photon counts (TCSPC) histograms in complex systems. This simulation solution assesses the full statistics of time-correlated photon counts and distance distributions of fluorescently labeled biomolecules. The simulations are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the dye behavior in FRET systems with defined dye distances and measurements of randomly distributed dye solutions. We validate the simulation results using a highly heterogeneous aggregation system and explore the conditions to use this tool in complex systems. Conclusion This approach is powerful in distinguishing distance distributions in a wide variety of experimental setups, thus providing a versatile tool to accurately distinguish between different structural assemblies in highly complex systems

Will the Evolution of Information and Terrorism Affect Supply Chain Management?

In the last few decades, supply chain success has been achieved through management techniques that have aligned common goals and strategies with the connected entities in the chain. Future supply chain success will be achieved by those companies that can manage the plethora of information that is provided on e-based systems and technologies. Companies that plan for disruptions in the flow of goods and services (possibly due to terrorist activities) will move from just-in-time practices to just-in-case practices. Request a copy of the paper from the author: Christopher Roethlein ([email protected]

Inter-organizational Effects of Quality on a Connected Supply Chain: An Exploratory Case Study

Successful firms of today succeed through supply chain success rather than individual entity success. Key points to supply chain success include good communication and effective quality goals within the complete supply chain. This paper examines a connected supply chain whose end product is an oven range. All seven entities involved in one of the connected supply chains (from the retailer, Sears, to the manufacturer, Whirlpool, to the sheet metal supplier, J & F Steel) were interviewed. This multiple case study investigated definitions of quality for each entity in the chain along with the inter-organizational effects of quality within the connected supply chain. Request a copy of the paper from the author: Christopher Roethlein ([email protected]

Magnetooptische Untersuchungen an semimagnetischen IV-VI-Halbleitern

Available from TIB Hannover: DW 3663 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Components of Manufacturing Strategy within Levels of U.S. Manufacturing Supply Chains

This study built on past research that has identified manufacturing strategies from which a company derives its competitive advantages and related it to a multi-level analysis of manufacturing supply chains in the United States. Through a combination of literature review, structured interviews, and a questionnaire to a large national sample, 28 components of manufacturing strategy upon which a company uses to compete were identified. Factor analysis was used to group components into four factors that clustered logically into coherent manufacturing strategies across the five defined levels of supply chain. Significant differences in the importance of manufacturing strategy among the five levels of supply chain were found. This research provides a snapshot of the status of how present manufacturing companies view their competitive strengths and will help them understand and define strategies for their futures. Request a copy of the paper from the author: Christopher Roethlein ([email protected]