Basic Economic Principles

An economic approach to design efficient transportation systems involves maximizing an objective function that reflects both goals and costs. A demand curve can be derived by finding the quantities of a good that solve the maximization problem as one varies the price of that commodity, holding income and the prices of all other goods constant. A supply curve is derived by applying the idea of profit maximization of firms. The production function determines the relationship between input and output

RESOLVING LAND USE CONFLICTS

Land Economics/Use,

Design and evaluation of a virtual gearshift application

When a customer buys a new car, he or she wants it to address personal preferences with respect to its driving behavior. By utilizing virtual reality technology, a virtual prototyping environment (VPE) can be created in which the behavior of a vehicle or part of a vehicle can be evaluated and adjusted to match the driver's desires. This paper describes the design and the evaluation of a VPE for manually operated gearboxes. The test group considered the simulated "virtual" gearshift feel to be quite similar to the "real" gearshift feel of a test vehicle. By further developing this VPE, it should become possible to define gearshift feel by customer assessment through haptic simulation, after which the physical gearbox is designed in such a way that it matches the preferred shifting behavior

Scenario based product design

Creating good products is not an easy thing to do. There are usually many different people who have an interest in the product. People such as the user, of course, but also marketing managers, production engineers, maintenance workers, recycling specialists, and government representatives, just to name a few. Each of these stakeholders has his own ideas and agenda, which may conflict with the ideas and agendas of others. Designers have an extremely tough job trying to satisfy the differing needs and desires of all stakeholders. Moreover, it is very difficult for designers to determine what those needs and desires are in the first place - especially when dealing with complex products and/or products that don’t exist yet. To make matters worse, designers are always confined by time and cost constraints. Through the years, various methods and tools have been developed that support designers in dealing \ud with these difficulties. But, so far, these methods and tools have only been a band-aid on a wound. Design has essentially remained a process in which designers are forced to make assumptions about what other people want. This is especially true when designing products that are new, that are complex, and that involve many different stakeholders. The goal of this research was the development of a new product design method that adequately supports designers in determining stakeholders’ preferences and finding the best compromise between those preferences. A method that gives stakeholders insight into the consequences of their decisions and enables them to express their preferences. A method that provides designers with the information necessary to create a good design. A method that specifically supports the design of products that are new, that are complex, and that involve many different stakeholders

The causes and consequences of childhood myopia

Myopia is the eye disorder with the most rapid increase in prevalence worldwide. It develops in childhood with a peak incidence between 13-15 years. Especially high myopia, a refractive error of -6 diopters or more, increases the risk of permanent visual impairment during adulthood due to structural abnormalities of the retina and optic nerve. The causes of myopia are complex. Lifestyle factors in childhood, such as time spent outdoors and close work are risk factors. Moreover, genetic studies have revealed more than many factors associated with myopia. Pharmacological and optical interventions to inhibit myopia progression are becoming increasingly common. The ultimate goal of this thesis was to gain insight into the causes and consequences of childhood myopia. For this purpose we investigated the environmental and genetic factors of myopia, eye growth in children and ocular biometry development in subjects of the Generation R and ALSPAC study. We studied the consequences of high myopia on visual impairment in adults and found a strong association between axial length and visual impairment

Left-Libertarianism and Global Justice

http://klinechair.missouri.edu/Vita_Revised.htm (#45)We defend a version of left-libertarianism, and discuss some of its implications for global justice (and economic justice among nations in particular). Like the better known right-libertarianism, left-libertarianism holds that agents own themselves. Unlike right-libertarianism, left-libertarianism holds that natural resources (land, oil, air, etc.) are owned in some egalitarian sense and can be legitimately appropriated by individuals or groups only when the appropriations are compatible with the specified form of egalitarian ownership. We defend the thesis of self-ownership on the grounds that it is required to protect individuals adequately from interference in their lives by others. We then defend a particular conception of egalitarian ownership of natural resources according to which those who appropriate unappropriated natural resources must pay competitive rent (determined by supply and demand) for the rights that they have claimed. We then go on to apply the principles to issues of global justice. We defend the view that countries owe payments to a global fund for the value of unimproved natural resources that they have appropriated, and that this fund is to be divided on some egalitarian basis among the citizens of the world. We disagree, however, on whether the global fund is to be divided equally among all (so that no net rent is paid if one appropriates only a per capita share) or to be divided so as to promote effective equality of opportunity for a good life. We discuss and debate these issues

Surgical reconstruction of the jaws after ablative surgery

Ablative surgery of the jaws may be necessary when malignant disease or destructive benign disease occurs. Surgical reconstruction needs to include the restoration of masticatory function so that the quality of life after operation is optimal. This paper describes some current concepts in functional reconstruction after mandibulectomy and maxillectomy and includes case examples that illustrate bone-grafting procedures and occlusal rehabilitation by implant-borne restorations.published_or_final_versio

Composite autogenous bone and demineralized bone matrix: an effective graft material

Abstract no. 3131published_or_final_versio

The biological effect of fenretinide in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

published_or_final_versio