CONSUMER SELECTION OF RETAIL OUTLETS IN BUYING PECANS

The study identifies differences in consumer characteristics and the selection of the type of a retail outlet in pecan purchases. Within the framework of utility maximization, an empirical model is specified and estimated using multinomial logit. The estimation is based on data collected through a nationwide survey. Calculated marginal probabilities show the importance of age, household income, and household size among the important consumer characteristics that influence the selection of a retail outlet. Employment and the timing of pecan purchases also influence the use of a specific type of retail outlet. In particular, mail-order purchases are made by older persons with higher incomes and larger households in comparison to purchases at grocery stores or other outlets. The study provides knowledge needed to improve marketing strategies for different outlets and suggests that various strategies can be developed to reach different groups of pecan buyers by type of retail outlet.Consumer/Household Economics,

Enhanced Low-resolution LiDAR-Camera Calibration Via Depth Interpolation and Supervised Contrastive Learning

Motivated by the increasing application of low-resolution LiDAR recently, we target the problem of low-resolution LiDAR-camera calibration in this work. The main challenges are two-fold: sparsity and noise in point clouds. To address the problem, we propose to apply depth interpolation to increase the point density and supervised contrastive learning to learn noise-resistant features. The experiments on RELLIS-3D demonstrate that our approach achieves an average mean absolute rotation/translation errors of 0.15cm/0.33\textdegree on 32-channel LiDAR point cloud data, which significantly outperforms all reference methods

Mechanisms underlying the exquisite sensitivity of Candida albicans to combinatorial cationic and oxidative stress that enhances the potent fungicidal activity of phagocytes

Copyright © 2014 Kaloriti et al.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Emerging Memtransistors for Neuromorphic System Applications: A Review

The von Neumann architecture with separate memory and processing presents a serious challenge in terms of device integration, power consumption, and real-time information processing. Inspired by the human brain that has highly parallel computing and adaptive learning capabilities, memtransistors are proposed to be developed in order to meet the requirement of artificial intelligence, which can continuously sense the objects, store and process the complex signal, and demonstrate an “all-in-one” low power array. The channel materials of memtransistors include a range of materials, such as two-dimensional (2D) materials, graphene, black phosphorus (BP), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO). Ferroelectric materials such as P(VDF-TrFE), chalcogenide (PZT), HfxZr1−xO2(HZO), In2Se3, and the electrolyte ion are used as the gate dielectric to mediate artificial synapses. In this review, emergent technology using memtransistors with different materials, diverse device fabrications to improve the integrated storage, and the calculation performance are demonstrated. The different neuromorphic behaviors and the corresponding mechanisms in various materials including organic materials and semiconductor materials are analyzed. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives for the development of memtransistors in neuromorphic system applications are presented

CONSUMER SELECTION OF RETAIL OUTLETS IN BUYING PECANS

The study identifies differences in consumer characteristics and the selection of the type of a retail outlet in pecan purchases. Within the framework of utility maximization, an empirical model is specified and estimated using multinomial logit. The estimation is based on data collected through a nationwide survey. Calculated marginal probabilities show the importance of age, household income, and household size among the important consumer characteristics that influence the selection of a retail outlet. Employment and the timing of pecan purchases also influence the use of a specific type of retail outlet. In particular, mail-order purchases are made by older persons with higher incomes and larger households in comparison to purchases at grocery stores or other outlets. The study provides knowledge needed to improve marketing strategies for different outlets and suggests that various strategies can be developed to reach different groups of pecan buyers by type of retail outlet

A COMPOSITE SYSTEM DEMAND ANALYSIS FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE UNITED STATES

Price and expenditure elasticities at retail level for 11 fresh fruits and 10 fresh vegetables were estimated by employing a composite demand system approach and using annual data. Most fresh fruits and vegetables were found to respond significantly to changes in their own prices but insignificantly to changes in total expenditures. The demand for fresh fruit group appeared to have had a clear upward trend since 1973. However, no significant trends were found in the demands for individual fresh fruits or vegetables. The study partially incorporated the interdependent demand relationships between fresh fruits (vegetables) and all other commodities, yet effectively avoided the problem of insufficient degrees of freedom

A COMPOSITE SYSTEM DEMAND ANALYSIS FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE UNITED STATES

Price and expenditure elasticities at retail level for 11 fresh fruits and 10 fresh vegetables were estimated by employing a composite demand system approach and using annual data. Most fresh fruits and vegetables were found to respond significantly to changes in their own prices but insignificantly to changes in total expenditures. The demand for fresh fruit group appeared to have had a clear upward trend since 1973. However, no significant trends were found in the demands for individual fresh fruits or vegetables. The study partially incorporated the interdependent demand relationships between fresh fruits (vegetables) and all other commodities, yet effectively avoided the problem of insufficient degrees of freedom.Demand and Price Analysis,

A Glucose Sensor Based on Glucose Oxidase Immobilized by Electrospinning Nanofibrous Polymer Membranes Modified with Carbon Nanotubes

A glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase immobilized by electrospinning nanofibrous membranes has been developed. Nanofibrous membranes were electrospun from the solution of poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) containing carbon nanotubes suspension and directly deposited on Pt electrodes for immobilizing glucose oxidase. The morphologies and structure of the nanofibrous membranes with or without carbon nanotubes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The fabrication parameters of nanofibers were optimized such as thickness of the nanofibrous membranes and mass ration of carbon nanotubes. The biosensor showed the relationship with a concentration range of 0.1–10 mM and response time was 60 s. The sensitivity of carbon nanotubes modified biosensors was two times larger than which of no carbon nanotubes modified ones. The pH effect, interference and lifetime of biosensors were discussed