Spectral density measurements of gyro noise

Power spectral density (PSD) was used to analyze the outputs of several gyros in the frequency range from 0.01 to 200 Hz. Data were accumulated on eight inertial quality instruments. The results are described in terms of input angle noise (arcsec 2/Hz) and are presented on log-log plots of PSD. These data show that the standard deviation of measurement noise was 0.01 arcsec or less for some gyros in the passband from 1 Hz down 10 0.01 Hz and probably down to 0.001 Hz for at least one gyro. For the passband between 1 and 100 Hz, uncertainties in the 0.01 and 0.05 arcsec region were observed

Coordinating Channels for Durable Goods: The Impact of Competing Secondary Markets

A large literature in economics and marketing studies the problem of manufacturer's designing contracts that give a retailer appropriate incentives to make decisions that are optimal from the manufacturer's point of view (see, for example, Spengler 1950, Jeuland and Shugan 1983, McGuire and Staelin 1983, Lal 1990, Rao and Srinivasan 1995, Desai 1997, among others). An important result from this literature is that the manufacturer can coordinate retail price decisions by choosing a two-part tariff in which the wholesale price equals the manufacturer's marginal cost and the fixed fee extracts all the rents from the retailer. In other words, the manufacturer sells the firm to the retailer for the fixed fee and, thus, eliminates the double-marginalization problem. Although this result is well established for non-durables, researchers have not analyzed the coordination issue for durable goods manufacturers who have the added complexity of competition from used goods in secondary markets. In this paper, we show how the coordination problem for a durable goods manufacturer is fundamentally different from the traditional coordination problem of a non-durables manufacturer. In particular, the durable goods manufacturer has to solve not only the coordination problem but also the time-consistency problem (see, for example, Coase 1972, Bulow 1982, Purohit 1995). Our objectives in this paper are to investigate whether or not the insights from the channel coordination literature, that has developed principally with non-durable goods in mind, are also applicable to durable goods. In order to do this, we develop a dynamic, two-period model in which a manufacturer sells its products to a retailer who sells the product to consumers. Products sold in the first period become used goods in the second period and compete with sales of new units. Starting from consumer utilities, we derive inverse demand functions for new and used goods and consider a number of different contracts between the manufacturer and the retailer. We start with a simple contract in which the manufacturer offers a wholesale price for a period at the beginning of that period. As one would expect, this contract does not solve either the channel coordination problem or the time-consistency problem. We then consider a number of two-part tariff contracts. Given the well-established results from the existing channel coordination literature, we begin with a contract in which the manufacturer offers per-period two-part tariffs in which all wholesale prices are set at marginal cost. We find that not only does this contract fail to achieve channel coordination, but the retailer sells a higher quantity than an integrated manufacturer would sell. This is in contrast to the traditional double marginalization problem in which the retailer sells a lower quantity than an integrated manufacturer would sell. We then allow the wholesale prices to be different from marginal costs. We show that using this more general two-part tariff contract, the manufacturer can achieve channel coordination. That is, the total channel profit is the same as the profit of an integrated seller. However, the equilibrium wholesale price in the first period is strictly above the marginal cost. Next, we consider a contract in which the manufacturer uses a single fixed fee, announced at the beginning of the first period. The per-period wholesale prices are still at the marginal cost level in this contract. This contract is identical to "selling the firm to the retailer" at the price of the fixed fee. Here we find that the contract can achieve channel coordination. However, the contract is not an equilibrium solution. In particular, the manufacturer increases wholesale prices to above marginal cost levels. Although some of the contracts above solve the double marginalization problem, none of them mitigates the time consistency problem. In order to solve both these problems, the contract must yield total channel profit equal to an integrated renter's profit. Because the renter does not have a problem with time consistency, an integrated renter earns the highest profits in a durable goods channel. We derive a contract that solves both of these problems. In this contract, at the beginning of period 1, the manufacturer writes a contract with the retailer specifying a fixed fee and two per-period wholesale prices, both of which turn out to be strictly above the marginal cost. Interestingly, with this contract, the manufacturer makes more money by selling through the retailer rather than selling directly to consumers. We contribute to the coordination literature by examining coordination issues in a dynamic, durable goods context and identifying a new coordination problemunlike the traditional coordination models, a durable goods manufacturer may have to provide the retailer incentives to sell less rather than to sell more. Clearly, the traditional "selling the firm to the retailer," approach does not solve this new problem. We also contribute to the durable goods literature by showing how a durable goods manufacturer can sell its product and solve its time consistency problem. Effectively, this allows the manufacturer to earn the same profits as it would get if it could commit to prices or if it could rent its product. When committing to individual consumers or renting can only be achieved through additional costs, our solution is the optimal strategy for a durable goods manufacturer.

Generational Differences in Career Transitions Among Top 100 Ranked Golfers

Golf National Sport Organizations (NSOs) invest significant resources to help athletes achieve a top ranking. However, little objective data exists to inform this process. The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) may be a useful resource for benchmarking athlete progression. However, ranking data is retrospective, meaning that past data may not be relevant to inform current/future athletes. It is therefore necessary to appraise the OWGR data to determine whether such data is valid to inform future decision-making. Golfers who first obtained a top 100 OWGR between 1990-2018 were divided into four age-based cohorts. An overall developmental pathway was defined consisting of; career ranking milestones (e.g. first top 1000 ranking) and the time taken to transition between such milestones. Overall, a trend towards younger generations of golfers reaching milestones at significantly earlier ages and in less time was observed. The findings in this thesis will allow NSOs to appropriately apply the OWGR to their decision-making processes

The 1976 Copyright Act: Advances for the Creator

The 1976 Copyright Act represents a major advance for the creator. This is not to say that every provision is favorable to the creator. The new law is extremely complex, and the effects of many of its provisions are even now the subject of debate. The improvements of the new law over the 1909 Copyright Act are of such significance, however, as to justify its characterization by the Register of Copyrights as an author\u27s bill. This paper, based upon a panel discussion of the new law held at the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts National Art Law Conference on December 3, 1976, in which the author participated, will outline some of the major advances for the creator in the 1976 Copyright Act

The 1976 Copyright Act: Advances for the Creator

The 1976 Copyright Act represents a major advance for the creator. This is not to say that every provision is favorable to the creator. The new law is extremely complex, and the effects of many of its provisions are even now the subject of debate. The improvements of the new law over the 1909 Copyright Act are of such significance, however, as to justify its characterization by the Register of Copyrights as an author\u27s bill. This paper, based upon a panel discussion of the new law held at the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts National Art Law Conference on December 3, 1976, in which the author participated, will outline some of the major advances for the creator in the 1976 Copyright Act

Synthesis and Characterization of D1 Dopamine Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulators

Many pharmacologic agents used to treat CNS disorders, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, target the dopaminergic system. Recent evidence suggests an important role for the D1 dopamine receptor (D1R), with signaling enhancement being shown to improve cognitive function. While the clinical adoption of traditional D1R orthosteric agonists has been stymied by acute tolerance and adverse effects, D1R positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) present an innovative approach to amplify D1R signaling without the clinical pitfalls of other D1R agonists. This project aims to synthesize thiophene-based D1R PAMs targeting a novel D1R allosteric site, to screen for receptor selectivity, and to optimize potentiation.Doctor of Pharmac

The prevalence and clinical associations of mood instability in adults living in England : results from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007

Mood instability is underinvestigated but potentially clinically important. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of mood instability in adults living in England and test whether it is important in explaining the extent of symptoms of common mental disorders, suicidality and healthcare use. An analysis of data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007, a household survey of private households in England (N=7403), was completed. The prevalence of mood instability was 13.9%. In univariate analysis it was strongly associated with socio-demographic and clinical variables. In regression modelling mood instability was independently associated with non-psychotic psychopathology, increasing the odds by 9.89. It was also linked with suicidal ideas (odds ratios (OR): 2.04) but not suicidal acts, and associated with being in receipt of medication, counselling or therapy for mental health problems (OR: 1.88), independent of a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Mood instability is relatively common in the adult population, occurs frequently in common mental disorders and appears to be an important symptom in its own right. It is associated with two important measures in psychiatry, namely suicidal thinking and healthcare service use. It warrants more widespread recognition and further research is required to understand if, when and how to intervene

Pooled analyses of eribulin in metastatic breast cancer patients with at least one prior chemotherapy.

Based on data from two multicenter, phase III clinical trials (Studies 301 and 305), eribulin (a microtubule dynamics inhibitor) is indicated in the European Union (EU) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) after ≥1 prior chemotherapy for advanced disease, including an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting. Data from Studies 305 and 301 were pooled to investigate the efficacy of eribulin in various subgroups of patients who matched the EU label, including those with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative and triple-negative disease. In Study 305 (NCT00388726), patients were randomized 2:1 to eribulin mesylate 1.4 mg/m(2) (equivalent to eribulin 1.23 mg/m(2) [expressed as free base]) intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 21 days] or treatment of physician's choice after 2-5 prior chemotherapies (≥2 for advanced disease), including an anthracycline and a taxane (in early/advanced setting). In Study 301 (NCT00337103), patients were randomized 1:1 to eribulin (as above) or capecitabine (1.25 g/m(2) orally twice daily on days 1-14 every 21 days) following ≤3 prior chemotherapies (≤2 for advanced disease), including an anthracycline and a taxane. Efficacy end points were investigated in the intent-to-treat population and subgroups, pooled as discussed above. Overall, 1644 patients were included (eribulin: 946; control: 698); baseline characteristics were well matched. Overall survival was significantly longer with eribulin versus control (P < 0.01), as were progression-free survival and clinical benefit rate (both P < 0.05). Significant survival benefits with eribulin versus control were observed in a wide range of patient subgroups, including HER2-negative or triple-negative disease (all P < 0.05). Our findings underline the survival benefit achieved by eribulin used according to EU label in the overall MBC population and in various subgroups of interest, including patients with HER2-negative and triple-negative disease

A Case Report: Lobular Carcinoma In Situ in a Male Patient with Subsequent Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Identified on Screening Breast MRI

Lobular carcinoma in situ is a form of in situ neoplasia that develops within the terminal lobules of the breast. It is an extremely rare finding in males due to the lack of lobular development in the male breast. The authors herein report an unusual case of incidentally discovered lobular carcinoma in situ in a male patient with recurrent bilateral gynecomastia who was subsequently diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. The pathology of lobular carcinoma in situ in a male as well as screening MRI surveillance of male patients at high risk for breast cancer are discussed, emphasizing the importance of screening and imaging follow up in men who are at high risk for breast cancer

Efficiency of spinal anesthesia versus general anesthesia for lumbar spinal surgery: a retrospective analysis of 544 patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown varying results in selected outcomes when directly comparing spinal anesthesia to general in lumbar surgery. Some studies have shown reduced surgical time, postoperative pain, time in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), incidence of urinary retention, postoperative nausea, and more favorable cost-effectiveness with spinal anesthesia. Despite these results, the current literature has also shown contradictory results in between-group comparisons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed by querying the electronic medical record database for surgeries performed by a single surgeon between 2007 and 2011 using procedural codes 63030 for diskectomy and 63047 for laminectomy: 544 lumbar laminectomy and diskectomy surgeries were identified, with 183 undergoing general anesthesia and 361 undergoing spinal anesthesia (SA). Linear and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify differences in blood loss, operative time, time from entering the operating room (OR) until incision, time from bandage placement to exiting the OR, total anesthesia time, PACU time, and total hospital stay. Secondary outcomes of interest included incidence of postoperative spinal hematoma and death, incidence of paraparesis, plegia, post-dural puncture headache, and paresthesia, among the SA patients. RESULTS: SA was associated with significantly lower operative time, blood loss, total anesthesia time, time from entering the OR until incision, time from bandage placement until exiting the OR, and total duration of hospital stay, but a longer stay in the PACU. The SA group experienced one spinal hematoma, which was evacuated without any long-term neurological deficits, and neither group experienced a death. The SA group had no episodes of paraparesis or plegia, post-dural puncture headaches, or episodes of persistent postoperative paresthesia or weakness. CONCLUSION: SA is effective for use in patients undergoing elective lumbar laminectomy and/or diskectomy spinal surgery, and was shown to be the more expedient anesthetic choice in the perioperative setting