60 research outputs found
Space commercialization: Analysis of R and D investments with long time horizons
By following a single hypothetical example through a series of variations, the way different potential investors might look at the opportunity to participate in space commercialization is described. The example itself is fairly typical of commercial opportunities in space. The chief characteristics are a steadily increasing requirement for capital infusion over an 8 year period, followed by a very generous stream of profits running another decade or more beyond. There is a decision point at 3 years, at the conclusion of laboratory R&D; and another at 6 years, following 2 initial space flights
Review of âJustice Is the Crime,â By Lewis R. Katz, Lawrence B. Litwin, and Richard H. Bamberger
IVth symposium on âintracellular protein catabolismâ Reinhardsbrunn Castle, Thuringia, DDR, 21â27 May 1981
While index-based microinsurance has attracted considerable attention, uptake rates have been weak in many low-income countries. We explore the purchase patterns of index-based livestock insurance in southern Ethiopia, focusing on the role of accurate product comprehension and price. We find that randomly distributed learning kits improve subjectsâ knowledge of the products; however, we do not find strong evidence that the improved knowledge per se causes greater insurance uptake. We also find that reduced price due to randomly distributed discount coupons has an immediate, positive impact on uptake, without dampening subsequent period demand due to reference-dependence associated with price anchoring effects
Hysteresis and stepwise structure in MR curves of granular superconducting ruthenocuprates RuSr(GdCeCuO}
Granular superconductivity effects in a polycrystalline sample of
ruthenocuprate RuSr(GdCeCuO are studied.
The main attention has been devoted to manifestation of these effects in
current and magnetic-field dependences of resistive transition to
superconducting state. It is found that current dependences of differential
resistance taken at different temperatures intersect strictly at two definite
values of current demonstrating crossing point effect. This phenomenon has been
explained taking into account inhomogeneous state of intergrain medium which
can be considered as a two-component system. The particular attention has been
given to magnetoresistance (MR) hysteresis in mixed state of this inhomogeneous
system and to influence of applied current and temperature on this phenomenon.
Two types of hysteresis (clockwise and anticlockwise) have been found with
transition from clockwise to anticlockwise hysteresis with increasing
temperature. Stepwise structure in MR hysteretic curves has been observed in
low-field range. Possible reasons of the change in hysteresis behavior with
increasing temperature and appearance of the stepwise structure in MR curves
are discussed taking into consideration inhomogeneous state of the granular
superconductor studied.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figure
Measurement properties of the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) in an elderly population in Sweden
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insomnia is common among elderly people and associated with poor health. The Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) is a three item screening instrument that has been found to be psychometrically sound and capable of identifying insomnia in the general population (20-64 years). However, its measurement properties have not been studied in an elderly population. Our aim was to test the measurement properties of the MISS among people aged 65 + in Sweden, by replicating the original study in an elderly sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from a cross-sectional survey of 548 elderly individuals were analysed in terms of assumptions of summation of items, floor/ceiling effects, reliability and optimal cut-off score by means of ROC-curve analysis and compared with self-reported insomnia criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Corrected item-total correlations ranged between 0.64-0.70, floor/ceiling effects were 6.6/0.6% and reliability was 0.81. ROC analysis identified the optimal cut-off score as â„7 (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.84; positive/negative predictive values, 0.256/0.995). Using this cut-off score, the prevalence of insomnia in the study sample was 21.7% and most frequent among women and the oldest old.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data support the measurement properties of the MISS as a possible insomnia screening instrument for elderly persons. This study make evident that the MISS is useful for identifying elderly people with insomnia-like sleep problems. Further studies are needed to assess its usefulness in identifying clinically defined insomnia.</p
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