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In this paper, an efficient O ( n 2 ) algorithm is proposed to solve a special case of single-item lot-sizing problems (SILSP) in which both the production and holding costs are piecewise linear, there is an all-unit discount with one breakpoint for the production cost, and the inventory is bounded. The algorithm is based on a key structural property that may be of more general interest, that of a just-in-time ordering policy. Finally, we show that when the problem is extended to two items, it is NP-complete.

Attitudes toward multiculturalism in educational contexts – i.e., multicultural attitudes – are desirable qualities for good teaching practices. Unfortunately, little is known about the antecedents of prospective teachers’ multicultural attitudes. Before this backdrop, we argue that prospective teachers’ multicultural ideology, national pride, and intergroup contact are related to their multicultural attitudes. Studying these relationships can offer valuable insights for initial teacher education programs. We assessed prospective teachers’ (n = 72) multicultural attitudes (adapted version of the Teachers’ Multicultural Attitude Survey), multicultural ideology (Multicultural Ideology Scale), national pride (single item from large scale studies) and intergroup contact (experiences in multicultural classrooms and intergroup friendship). Results showed that higher multicultural ideology and lower national pride were related to more positive multicultural attitudes. We found no such relation for intergroup contact. Based on these new insights into prospective teachers’ multicultural attitudes, we argue that initial teacher education programs should reinforce and develop prospective teachers’ multicultural ideology and consider the role of national pride.

Introduction The primary objective of this study was to identify the single question on the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educator Survey (MBI-ES) that correlated with high emotional exhaustion (EE) among pharmacy practice faculty. Methods We analyzed data collected from the electronic administration of the MBI-ES to faculty at United States (US) colleges and schools of pharmacy in 2014. For our primary outcome, we used Spearman's rho correlation (rs) to identify a single question on the MBI-ES that was highly correlated with high EE (one of three subscales of MBI-ES). We calculated likelihood ratio statistics for each level of the item with the largest rs with total EE, then converted those to adjusted predicted probabilities of high EE. De-identified data were collected via Qualtrics version 60949 (Provo, Utah) and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 22.0 (Armonk, NY). Results The single item, “I feel emotionally drained from my work” (rs = 0.833, p = 0.01), was most correlated with high EE score on the MBI-ES. Faculty who reported “I feel emotionally drained from my work” once per week and few times per week had 62.8% and 93% chance of having high EE, respectively. Conclusion The single item that was most highly correlated with EE may be used for further evaluation of faculty who may be at risk for burnout. Interventions for reducing burnout among pharmacy practice faculty are critically needed for sustaining our pool of faculty.

This study examined the concurrent and predictive validity of single-item scales for assessing teacher stress and coping. Correlations between the stress and coping items and present and end-of-year teacher-reported burnout and self-efficacy generally aligned with hypotheses, with stronger associations between coping and burnout and self-efficacy in comparison to the associations between stress and burnout and self-efficacy. Stress and coping items also predicted concurrent and future emotional exhaustion controlling for covariates; however, only coping consistently predicted additional variance in future emotional exhaustion with both stress and coping items in the model. Further, the coping item, not the stress item, demonstrated sensitivity to detect intervention effects; that is, teachers randomly assigned to receive a classroom management intervention (the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program) had significantly higher coping scores compared to a wait-list comparison group. The results of this study provide support for the continued use of single-item stress and coping measures of teacher well-being, and areas for further research and potential use of these measures are discussed.

We consider the single-item lot-sizing problem with inventory bounds under a carbon emissions constraint with two options for producing items: regular or green. We wish to find the optimal production plan so that the total carbon emissions from production cannot exceed the carbon emissions capacity in each period. Extending a problem without fixed carbon emissions and inventory bounds, we show that the extended problem is polynomially solvable by a dynamic programming algorithm.

This paper studies the design of ex ante efficient mechanisms in environments where a single object is for sale, and agents have positively interdependent values and can covertly acquire information at some cost before participating in a mechanism. We find that ex ante efficient mechanisms discourage agents from acquiring excessive information by pooling or randomization. The optimal pooling regions are those where the semi-elasticity of information acquisition is large. There exists an ex ante efficient mechanism that can be implemented by standard auctions with restrictions on the set of allowable bids. In special cases, this implementation is simple and appealing: standard auctions with discrete bids.

We investigate a dynamic inventory management problem where a cash-constrained small retailer periodically purchases an item from a supplier and sells it to the customers with non-stationary demands. At each period, the retailer’s available cash restricts the maximum inventory level that it can replenish. There exists a fixed ordering cost for the retailer when ordering and this results in a stochastic lot-sizing problem. We build a stochastic dynamic programming model for this problem and find some characteristics of the optimal ordering pattern.

Inventory routing problem (IRP) is one of the emerging solutions for improving the supply chain efficiency. It gives the vendors the responsibility to monitor and decide the inventory replenishments of their customers. The Inventory Routing Problem (IRP) is an evolved component of VMI policies. Inventory routing provides a win-win situation for both vendors and customers. In this paper we consider a one or more distribution network consisting of a single depot and many geographically dispersed customers where each customer faces demands for a single item which, arise at a deterministic and customer-specific rate. The problem addressed in this paper is based on a finite horizon, multi- period and single product where a fleet of capacitated vehicles transport items from the depot to meet the demand specified by the customers for each period. Here a greedy algorithm is used for finding an optimal route and routing cost associated with it, finding an inventory and transportation cost that minimizes the total coste.

There are occasions when a very short assessment of mental health or distress is needed. The weekly assessment of distress in Australia during the COVID-19 crisis using the nationally representative Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) Survey is one example. This paper assesses the psychometric properties of a single-item measure of mental distress against the widely used six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). The analysis, based on wave 13 of the TTPN survey, considers data from 1,158 respondents selected from across Australia. The new single-item measure was highly correlated with the K6 (rho = 0.82), the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.93, and at the optimal cut-point the sensitivity was 0.71, the specificity was 0.93, and the proportion of respondents correctly classified by the single-item measure was 0.90. The measure of mental distress developed for the TTPN survey provides a valid measure of population mental distress for circumstances where only a single item can be used.

Mobile apps have the potential to request access to private information. Given the far-reaching negative consequences that misuse of this kind of information can lead to, interventions that may encourage safer app downloading behaviors need to be investigated. Participants were recruited through a crowdsourcing service to participate in two separate experiments designed to determine the impact of presenting safety-related priming material before selecting mobile apps. Participants completed a simulated app selection task where apps were given overall safety or risk rankings. In Experiment 1 participants were assigned to a (1) control, (2) self-relevant priming, or (3) factual priming condition. In the latter conditions participants were presented eight privacy priming items prior to the app selection task, differing in whether they were to rate their disagreement/agreement with privacy statements or to read and demonstrate understanding of eight mobile app permissions. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 but with only a single priming item presented. The obtained results showed that although the participants relied heavily on user ratings to guide their app selections, both the self-relevant and factual priming items induced the participants to take safety more into account. Further, we showed that priming can be accomplished with a single item, which holds promise for real-world applications.

In this paper, we study a dynamic inventory rationing problem of a single item with multiple demand classes and backorder. Demand classes are differentiated by their unit backlogging costs. The corresponding dynamic programming problem is multidimensional and computationally challenging. With a novel state transformation, we find that the optimal policy can be described by a nested base stock policy. In particular, we can decompose the value function as the sum of single-variable convex functions. This property breaks the curse of dimensionality and significantly reduces computational effort in computing optimal policies. Our approach allows us to extend the results to systems with ordering, exogenous supply, priority upgrading.

Introduction An increase of suicidal thinking within the COVID-19 pandemic has been postulated. Yet, direct comparisons with pre-COVID-19 rates are missing. Methods The present study investigated whether levels and rates of suicidal ideation have changed between 2016 and 2020. Data of N = 664 university students (five cohorts: 2016: n = 105, 2017: n = 117, 2018: n = 108, 2019: n = 154, 2020: n = 180) were collected by online surveys. Results The rate of students suffering from suicidal ideation was twice as high in 2020 than in previous years. Furthermore, levels of suicidal thinking and of depression were higher in 2020 than in 2019 and 2016. Limitations The sample size of the current study was rather modest and suicide ideation was assessed with a single item only. Conclusions The rate of students suffering from suicidal ideation was twice as high in 2020 than in previous years. Help-lines and online counselling should be promoted to the public and the possibilities of telepsychotherapy for suicidal people should be used and expanded.

Multiple-True-False questions are one specific type of multiple-choice item that can be used to assess knowledge in written examinations. Within Multiple-True-False items, a number of statements within a single item are given, and each statement has to be marked separately as true or false. Various scoring methods for Multiple-True-False items exist and there is no consensus as to the ideal scoring method. The study aimed to systematically identify available scoring methods for Multiple-True-False items and to assess their usability and statistical parameters (i.e. available information included and expected chance scores from random guessing). Another objective was to examine the relation between examinees’ true knowledge and expected scoring results. Data presented in this manuscript may help educators make informed choices about the scoring method to be selected and corresponding pass marks required for testing a certain level of true knowledge of examinees.

The Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (i.e., DTDD), Short Dark Triad (i.e., SD3), and the Single Item Narcissism Scale (i.e., SINS) were adapted into Turkish and validated (N = 368). We examined internal consistency, factor structures, and convergent and discriminant validity of the scales using the Mach-IV, LSRP, NPI-16, Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, and Big Five scales. The Turkish versions of the scales had good psychometric properties and can be used in further research. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background Irritability and emotion regulation are both important transdiagnostic factors that contribute to the development of internalizing symptoms during adolescence. The current study examined whether emotion regulation mediates the relationship between irritability and internalizing symptoms. Methods To examine this relationship we analysed the indirect effect of irritability (measured using a single item from the Goldberg Mania Questionnaire) on internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) via the mediator, emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) in 112 adolescent females. Results Mediation analysis, using bootstrapping, showed a significant indirect effect and suggests that the relationship between irritability and internalizing symptoms is mediated by emotion dysregulation. Limitations These include measuring irritability using a single item and employing a cross sectional design. Conclusions These novel findings add to our understanding of the processes and mechanisms by which irritability contributes to the development of internalizing symptoms.

French Abstract: Une preuve scientifique peut-elle suffire a fonder une condamnation penale, en l’absence de tout autre element au dossier? Les avancees technologiques constantes et l’elargissement des bases de donnees de profils d’ADN et d’empreintes digitales peuvent creer l’illusion qu’une trace peut etre liee a un prevenu en dehors de tout contexte concret, et avec un degre de probabilite tres eleve. En realite, il n’en est rien. Dans la presente contribution, nous confronterons les principes juridiques de la libre appreciation des preuves et de l’intime conviction avec les connaissances actuelles en matiere d’analyse forensique de l’ADN et de dactyloscopie. Nous mettrons en lumiere les decalages inevitables qui existent entre l’information que peut fournir un expert scientifique dans l’etablissement des faits et la question qui interesse le magistrat charge de determiner si le prevenu a commis l’infraction. Nous verrons que les dispositions legales actuelles ne rendent que partiellement compte de la complexite du processus de raisonnement et de prise de decision tenu par le magistrat dans ce type de cas et illustrerons notre propos au moyen d’elements de la theorie de la decision. – Zusammenfassung: Kann ein wissenschaftlicher Beweis ausreichen, um eine strafrechtliche Verurteilung zu begrunden, wenn keine weiteren Elemente vorliegen? Der standige technologische Fortschritt und die Erweiterung der Datenbanken mit DNA-Profilen und Fingerabdrucken konnen die Illusion hervorrufen, dass eine Spur mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit einem Angeklagten zugeordnet werden kann, ohne Berucksichtigung der jeweiligen Fallumstande. Das ist jedoch wirklichkeitsfern. In diesem Beitrag stellen wir die Grundsatze der freien Beweiswurdigung und der richterlichen Uberzeugung den aktuellen Kenntnissen der forensischen DNA-Analyse und der Daktyloskopie gegenuber. Wir erlautern die unvermeidlichen Diskrepanzen zwischen den Informationen, die ein Sachverstandiger zur Tatsachenfeststellung liefern kann, und der Frage, die fur den Richter von Interesse ist, der festzustellen hat, ob der Angeklagte die Straftat begangen hat. Wir zeigen auf, inwiefern die gegenwartigen gesetzlichen Bestimmungen die Komplexitat des Denk- und Entscheidungsprozesses des Richters in solchen Fallen nur teilweise Rechnung tragen, und veranschaulichen unseren Standpunkt anhand entscheidungstheoretischer Uberlegungen. English Abstract: Can scientific evidence be sufficient to convict, in the absence of any other element in the case? Constant technological advances and the expansion of DNA profile and fingerprint databases can create the illusion that a trace can be associated with an accused person outside any case context, and with a high degree of probability. In reality, this is not the case. In this contribution, we highlight the inevitable discrepancies that exist between the information that a scientific expert can provide in establishing the facts and the question of primary interest to the legal decision makers in charge of determining whether the accused has committed the offense. We shall argue that the current legal provisions only partially account for the complexity of the reasoning and decision-making process followed by legal decision makers in cases based only on only a single item of scientific evidence. We illustrate our point with elements of decision theory.

In the context of voice shopping, fifteen experiments demonstrate that information presented by voice can be more difficult to process than the same information presented in writing. Consequently, auditory consumers who shop by voice are less able to differentiate between choice options, leading them to choose recommended items more often, but also defer choice at higher rates compared to when the options are presented visually. This auditory choice difficulty stems from greater difficulty comparing auditory options and is related to an increased burden on working memory. Because the difficulty is related to making comparisons, a joint-evaluation—where an option is considered in the context of others—is more likely to be impacted by voice presentation than a separate-evaluation, and joint versus separate preference reversals are less likely by voice. However, voice presentation can negatively affect the evaluation of even a single item when a consumer compares it against a remembered item, a common scenario in the actual marketplace for tasks such as re-orders. Describing choice options in a way that reduces the burden on memory for auditory consumers can reduce processing difficulty and its downstream consequences.

The aim of this study was to examine correlates of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Turkish college students. A convenience sample of 1066 students from a large Turkish public university completed the measures of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form, Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, Disclosure Expectations Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Single Item Self-Rated Health Scale, and Sociodemographic Information Form. Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this study suggested that being female, being older, having previous help-seeking experience, as well as lower levels of anticipated risks, self-stigma, self-esteem, and self-rated health and higher levels of anticipated benefits were associated with positive help-seeking attitudes among Turkish college students. The results of the present study may contribute to determining cross-cultural correlates of help-seeking attitudes among college students.

Single-item measures have recently become more en vogue due to studies arguing in favor of their psychometric properties vis-a-vis multi-item scales. However, their effective use requires (1) expert raters to designate the focal construct as being doubly concrete and (2) researchers to find a good single item to represent the construct. This study examines whether expert raters identify the doubly concrete nature of constructs that prior research presents as exemplary in this respect. Furthermore, the study compares the efficacy of a broad range of selection mechanisms based on expert judgment and statistical criteria for identifying the best item in a scale. The results show that expert raters do not share the commonly held belief that researchers can validly measure constructs such as attitude toward the ad, or brand, with single items. Further analyses show that neither rater assessments nor statistical criteria prove valuable regarding identifying an appropriate single item from a set of candidate items.

Prospective studies and intervention evaluations that examine change over time assume that measurement tools measure the same construct at each occasion. In the area of parent-child feeding practices, longitudinal measurement properties of the questionnaires used are rarely verified. To ascertain that measured change in feeding practices reflects true change rather than change in the assessment, structure, or conceptualisation of the constructs over time, this study examined longitudinal measurement invariance of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) subscales (9 constructs; 40 items) across 3 time points. Mothers participating in the NOURISH trial reported their feeding practices when children were aged 2, 3.7, and 5 years (N = 404). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) within a structural equation modelling framework was used. Comparisons of initial cross-sectional models followed by longitudinal modelling of subscales, resulted in the removal of 12 items, including two redundant or poorly performing subscales. The resulting 28-item FPSQ-28 comprised 7 multi-item subscales: Reward for Behaviour, Reward for Eating, Persuasive Feeding, Overt Restriction, Covert Restriction, Structured Meal Setting and Structured Meal Timing. All subscales showed good fit over 3 time points and each displayed at least partial scalar (thresholds equal) longitudinal measurement invariance. We recommend the use of a separate single item indicator to assess the family meal setting. This is the first study to examine longitudinal measurement invariance in a feeding practices questionnaire. Invariance was established, indicating that the subscales of the shortened FPSQ-28 can be used with mothers to validly assess change in 7 feeding constructs in samples of children aged 2-5 years of age.

Drawing on a large sample of American adults ( N = 2153) we replicate and extend the Single-Item Narcissism Scale (SINS) recently developed by Konrath, Meier, and Bushman (2014). Consistent with their initial study, we find that the SINS correlates positively with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and has good discriminant validity from common measures of self-esteem. Additionally, we provide new evidence that the SINS may not primarily tap into grandiose narcissism. We also find that in comparison to other common personality measures of narcissism, the SINS correlated somewhat less consistently with our behavioral measure and has a higher threshold for detecting narcissistic traits. Overall, we conclude that when inclusion of established measures is not feasible, the SINS may be a viable alternative.

Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) are widely used in all scales from single items to mass products mainly due to their lightweight properties. However, manufacturing of CFRP single items and small batches is highly resource extensive. Mould making is one of the main cost factors. Multipoint tooling replaces the commonly used solid mould with an array of individually adjustable pins to create a desired shape. This shape is then smoothened by an elastic sheet to create a viable tooling surface. This technology has been adapted to various applications from metal stretch forming to thermoforming. In this paper the principal design parameters for multipoint tools are identified and therefrom a concept for CFRP prototype manufacturing is derived. This vacuum assisted multipoint moulding concept modifies the multipoint tooling concept to meet the specific demands of the composite manufacturing process. The general idea behind the technology is to introduce a vacuum to pull the elastic sheet onto the pin array. By evacuating the space underneath the interpolation layer it is pushed on the pin array and therefore enables the creation of convex and concave surfaces in an open mould configuration. To validate the concept, a prototype is built and first moulding tests are conducted. The influence of the interpolation layer in surface quality is evaluated qualitatively. It is found that its thickness has great influence and over a threshold value defect free surfaces can be created. The technology shows the potential to create numerous shapes and enable cost efficient manufacturing of CFRP panels.

Lot-sizing is a very important problem in production and inventory planning under variable demand. In this work, a general model is proposed for a single-item lot-sizing problem with multiple suppliers, quantity discounts, and backordering of shortages. Mixed integer programming (MIP) is used to formulate the problem and obtain the optimum solution for small problems. Due to the large number of variables and constraints in practical problems, the model is too difficult for an optimal solution. Therefore, an effective heuristic method is developed by modifying the well-known silver-meal heuristic. This heuristic method is shown to be effective for this problem, producing near-optimal solutions much faster than MIP.

This paper analyses a multi-period single-item repairable inventory system with stochastic new and warranty demands. We assume that newly-procured items are indistinguishable from items repaired from repairable warranty returns and new demand has higher priority than warranty demand within a period. Our model also captures the “repair loss” in repairing returns in each period. We formulate the problem by a dynamic programme, and prove that the optimal policy is completely defined by three period-dependent thresholds: the purchase-up-to level, the repair-up-to level, and the scrap-down-to level. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the optimal policy and show that our optimal strategy outperforms the repair-all strategy and no-repair strategy. Managerial insights are also generated.

Background Compared with PBO, addition of APA to ADT significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS [HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.39-0.60; p Methods mCSPC pts (N = 1052) were randomized 1:1 to APA (240 mg QD; n = 525) or PBO (n = 527). All pts received ADT. Pts were stratified by Gleason score at diagnosis (≤ 7 vs > 7), region (North America vs European Union vs other countries), and prior docetaxel use (yes vs no). PROs were assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P), and Euro QoL Group EQ-5D-5L. BPI and BFI were completed for 7 consecutive days (D) (D -6 plus D1 of each cycle [C] visit), then at Months 4, 8, and 12 in follow-up. FACT-P and EQ-5D-5L were completed C1 through C7, then every other C through end of treatment (tmt), and at Months 4, 8, and 12 in follow-up. Analyses included descriptive statistics and mean change from baseline using mixed model of repeated measures. Results Pts were relatively asymptomatic at baseline: on 0-10 severity scales, median pain scores were 1.14 (APA) and 1.00 (PBO), and median fatigue scores were 1.29 (APA) and 1.43 (PBO). Pt experience of pain and fatigue (both intensity and interference) was similar between groups for the duration of tmt. For the majority of pts in both arms, pain and fatigue remained stable or improved during tmt, with greater improvements observed in pts with higher baseline severity scores. FACT-P total score and EQ-5D-5L data showed similar maintenance of overall HRQoL in both arms. Similar tolerability was experienced between groups based on the FACT-P single item side effects bother question. Conclusions The addition of APA to ADT maintained overall HRQoL while significantly improving OS and rPFS in mCSPC pts. Clinical trial identification NCT02489318. Editorial acknowledgement Chris R. Prostko, PhD, of Parexel. Legal entity responsible for the study Janssen Research & Development. Funding Janssen Research & Development. Disclosure N. Agarwal: Advisory / Consultancy: Argos Therapeutics; AstraZeneca; Bayer; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Clovis Oncology; Eisai; EMD Serono; Exelixis; Foundation One Inc; Genentech/Roche; Lilly; Medivation/Astellas; Merck; Nektar; Novartis; Pfizer; Research grant / Funding (institution): Active Biotech; Amgen; AstraZeneca; Bavarian Nordic; Bayer; BN ImmunoTherapeutics; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Calithera Biosciences; Celldex; Eisai; Exelixis; Genentech; GlaxoSmithKline; Immunomedics; Janssen; Medivation; Merck; Newlink Genetics. K. McQuarrie: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. A. Bjartell: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Glactone Pharma AB. S. Chowdhury: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Clovis Oncology; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: Astellas Pharma; Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: Janssen-Cilag; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Pfizer; Research grant / Funding (institution): Sanofi/Aventis. B.H. Chung: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Astellas (Korea); Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Ipsen (Korea); Honoraria (self): JW Pharma (Korea); Honoraria (self): Takeda (Korea); Advisory / Consultancy: Janssen (Korea); Advisory / Consultancy: Handok (Korea); Research grant / Funding (self): Janssen (USA); Research grant / Funding (self): Bayer (Germany); Research grant / Funding (self): Pfizer (USA); Research grant / Funding (self): AstraZeneca (UK). Juarez Soto: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self): Janssen; Advisory / Consultancy: Astellas; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Coloplast; Research grant / Funding (self): Bayer. A. Merseburger: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Janssen-Cilag; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Astellas. H. Uemura: Honoraria (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Janssen; Honoraria (self): Astellas; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Takeda; Honoraria (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Sanofi; Honoraria (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca. R. Given: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Multiple companies as individual stock and within mutual funds; Honoraria (self): HealthTronics; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (self): Janssen; Research grant / Funding (self): Ferring; Research grant / Funding (self): Veru; Research grant / Funding (self): Medivation; Research grant / Funding (self): Clovis. B. Miladinovic: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen Research & Development; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. L. Dearden: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen Research & Development; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. K. Deprince: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen Research & Development; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. V. Naini: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen Research & Development; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. A. Lopez-Gitlitz: Full / Part-time employment: Janssen Research & Development; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Johnson & Johnson. K.N. Chi: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Astellas Pharma; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Bayer; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Sanofi; Advisory / Consultancy: Amgen; Advisory / Consultancy: ESSA; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Janssen; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Lilly/ImClone; Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck; Research grant / Funding (institution): Roche; Research grant / Funding (institution): Tokai Pharmaceuticals. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Objective A valid measure of resident operative performance ability requires direct observation and accurate rating of multiple resident performances under the normal range of operating conditions. The challenge is to create an operative performance rating (OPR) system that: is easy to use, encourages completion of many ratings immediately after performances and minimally disrupts supervising surgeons’ work days. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a score based on a single-item overall OPR provides a valid and stable appraisal of resident operative performances. Design A retrospective comparison of a single-item OPR with a gold-standard rating based on multiple procedure-specific and general OPR items. Setting Data were collected in the general surgery residency program at Southern Illinois University from 2001 through 2012. Participants Assessments of 1033 operative performances (3 common procedures, 2 laparoscopic, and 1 open) by general surgery residents were collected. OPRs based on single-item overall performance scale scores were compared with gold-standard ratings for the same performances. Results Differences in performance scores using the 2 scales averaged 0.02 points (5-point scale). Correlations of the single-item and gold-standard scale scores averaged 0.95. Based on generalizability analyses of laparoscopic cholecystectomy ratings, each instrument required 5 observations to achieve reliabilities of 0.80 and 11 observations to achieve reliabilities of 0.90. Only 4.4% of single-item ratings misclassified the performance when compared with the gold-standard rating and all misclassifications were near misses. For 80% of misclassified ratings, single-item ratings were lower. Conclusions Single-item operative performance measures produced ratings that were virtually identical to gold-standard scale ratings. Misclassifications occurred infrequently and were minor in magnitude. Ratings using the single-item scale: take less time to complete, should increase the sample of procedures rated, and encourage attending surgeons to complete ratings immediately after observing performances. Face-to-face and written comments and suggestions should continue to be used to provide the granular feedback residents need to improve subsequent performances.

This paper presents a bi-objective VMI problem in a single manufacturer-single vendor multi-retailer (SM-SV-MR) supply chain, which a redundancy allocation problem is incorporated. In the hybridized problem, a manufacturer produces a single item using several machines that work in series, and stores it in a warehouse to replenish one vendor who delivers it to several retailers using the shortest possible route. A novel meta-heuristic, called hybrid bat algorithm (HBA), with calibrated parameters is utilized to find a near-optimum solution. To show the efficiency of HBA, the results are compared to the ones using the traditional BA and a genetic algorithm.

Asymmetries between movement types have standardly been derived by theories of improper movement that preclude certain configurations where different kinds of movement steps are mixed in the course of displacement of a single item. However, closer inspection reveals that none of the existing accounts of improper movement can be maintained under a strictly derivational, local approach to displacement in which syntactic structure is generated bottom-up, by successive application of structure-building operations (such as internal or external Merge), and only very small parts of the structure are accessible at any given point in the derivation (cf. Chomsky, 2001). In view of this state of affairs, the present paper pursues a fairly modest goal: it implements a specific constraint against improper movement going back to Williams (1974, 2003) – viz, what I will refer to the Williams Cycle – in a local way, without a need for backtracking or look-ahead

OBJECTIVES: The climate impacts of human food systems have been well documented. Guidance to individuals to reduce their dietary carbon footprint would benefit from simple advice, but little is known about the impact of simple changes on self-selected diets. Here we examine a random sample of high-impact diets from the U.S. to test the effects of a single change in each diet on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and nutritional quality. METHODS: Based on an extensive review of lifecycle assessment studies in the environmental sciences literature, we created a database of Food Impacts on the Environment for Linking to Diets (dataFIELD). We matched impact data from dataFIELD to the 24-hour recall dietary data in the 2005–2010 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For all adults with reliable diets (N = 16,800), we calculated their dietary carbon dioxide equivalents per 1000 kcal (kg CO(2)-eq 1000 kcal(−1)), a density measure of GHGE. A 10% random sample (N = 330) of all diets in the top quintile of this variable was selected. The single food item with the highest GHGE was identified in each of these high-impact diets and was substituted for an equal-calorie amount of a similar, but lower impact food (e.g., chicken for beef). Each of the 330 diets were then re-evaluated on total GHGE/1000 kcal and on the Healthy Eating Index, a summary measure of nutritional quality developed for the U.S. population. RESULTS: The food with the highest impact in each of the randomly chosen diets was most often a type of beef (52%), a mixed dish with beef (33%), or a shellfish/shellfish mixed dish (10%). After single-item substitutions were made for these foods with equivalent poultry-based items, the mean impact from this sample of diets dropped (p

Physical inactivity is well documented in adults with intellectual disabilities (awID) however, little is known about their physical activity (PA) behaviour. To address this gap, this study aimed to assess the construct validity and the test-retest reliability of a newly developed single-item physical activity intention measure (SPAIM) for awID.

This paper considers the uncapacitated lot sizing problem with batch delivery, focusing on the general case of time-dependent batch sizes. We study the complexity of the problem, depending on the other cost parameters, namely the setup cost, the fixed cost per batch, the unit procurement cost and the unit holding cost. We establish that if any one of the cost parameters is allowed to be time-dependent, the problem is NP-hard. On the contrary, if all the cost parameters are stationary, and assuming no unit holding cost, we show that the problem is polynomially solvable in time O ( T 3 ), where T denotes the number of periods of the horizon. We also show that, in the case of divisible batch sizes, the problem with time varying setup costs, a stationary fixed cost per batch and no unit procurement nor holding cost can be solved in time O ( T 3 log T ).

We explore how waiting to choose influences patience. We propose that waiting to make an intertemporal choice increases the assumed value of the items for which people are waiting, leading them to become more patient. Five studies support this model. Study 1 finds that after waiting to choose, people exhibit greater patience than if they had not waited or before they had started to wait. Studies 2a and 2b find that increased valuation (rather than decreased cost of the wait) mediates the impact of waiting on patience. Study 3 further finds that whereas waiting to choose increases preference for a larger-later (over smallersooner) item, it also increases willingness to pay to expedite delivery of a single item. Finally, study 4 shows the waiting effect is stronger for hedonic than for utilitarian products. These studies modify existing theory by identifying the conditions under which waiting to choose can improve patience.

This paper makes some perennially relevant points about the distinction between effects that are intended and effects that are foreseen [i.e. side] effects]; about the way my knowing what I am doing differs from my observing what I am doing; and about the real possibility (not least because of the reality of conditional intentions) of pursuing more than one plan in a single item of behavior. It was delivered as a comment on Dr. Thomas Finegan’s unpublished paper ‘Describing and Delineating Effects,’ at a symposium on ‘Double effect’ organized by the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford, at Blackfriars, Oxford, in July 2016.

We present a fully polynomial time approximation scheme (FPTAS) for the single-item capacitated economic lot-sizing problem with an objective function of a general form. The demand values may be negative, i.e., they may represent supply. For n time periods, the FPTAS runs in O ( n 4 e 2 + ⋯ ) arithmetic operations and calls to an oracle computing the cost functions.

This paper presents two polynomial time algorithms for the constant capacitated lot sizing problem with a batch production. We give several optimality properties for the general problem. Assuming constant production capacity, constant batch size and Wagner–Whitin cost structure, we derive O ( T 4 ) and O ( T 6 ) time algorithms respectively for the case with production capacity being a multiple of the batch size and for the case with an arbitrary fixed capacity.

Objective To determine the value of a single item on patients' satisfaction with their condition for assessing outcome in four common surgical procedures. Study Design and Setting Four cohorts undergoing surgery for inguinal hernia (715), varicose veins (539), hip (8,383), or knee (10,187) disease. Patients completed questionnaires before and after surgery that included a single item on satisfaction with their health (based on the International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] Bother Question), disease-specific measures of symptoms/disability (Oxford Hip and Knee Scores, Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire), generic measures of symptoms/disability and of quality of life (QoL) (EQ [EuroQoL]-5D index), and single transitional items. Nonparametric Spearman's correlations explored relationships between measures. Results Before surgery, in all conditions, satisfaction was associated with other dimensions ( P r =0.5–0.7), disease-specific symptoms/disability ( r =0.6–0.8), and generic symptoms/disability ( r =0.2–0.4). Significant improvements in satisfaction after surgery correlated strongly with change in disease-specific symptoms/disability ( r =0.6 for major operations and r =0.35 for minor surgery) and with single transitional items ( r =0.4–0.6) but less so with change in generic QoL (0.3–0.4) and generic symptoms/disability (0.1–0.2). Conclusion Inclusion of a single item on satisfaction provides additional insight into the impact of surgery.

This paper continues the analysis of a special uncapacitated single item lot sizing problem where a minimum order quantity restriction, instead of the setup cost, guarantees a certain level of production lots. A detailed analysis of the model and an investigation of the particularities of the cumulative demand structure allow us to develop a solution algorithm based on the concept of atomic sub-problems. We present an optimal solution to an atomic sub-problem in an explicit form and prove that it serves as a construction block for the optimal solution of the original problem. Computational tests and a comparison with a published algorithm confirm the efficiency of the solution algorithm developed here.

In this work we consider the single-item single-machine lot-sizing problem with continuous start-up costs. A continuous start-up cost is generated in a period whenever there is a nonzero production in the period and the production capacity in the previous period is not saturated. This concept of start-up does not correspond to the standard (discrete) start-up considered in previous models, thus motivating a polyhedral study of this problem. We introduce a natural integer programming formulation for this problem, we study some general properties and facet-inducing inequalities of the associated polytope, and we state relationships with known lotsizing polytopes.

Recent behavioral and neuroscientific evidence speaks to the question of whether the human focus of attention is limited to a single item or can accommodate several items. This issue is fundamental to an understanding of the nature of human cognition and brain function. Here I review evidence from visual working memory tasks and suggest that it supports the concept of a focus of attention that can include several items at once as a core vehicle of working memory, regardless of the stimulus modality. One brain area in particular, the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), seems critically important in the network underlying the focus of attention as a working memory storage mechanism. This view is reconciled with evidence previously taken to indicate that the focus of attention only includes a single item at a time, which is reinterpreted here.

The Dynamic Analog Scale (DAS) is introduced as a technique for generating single-item measures of personality traits. The DAS is comprised of extensive trait definitions and an analog scale on which respondents simultaneously rate themselves and others. In two studies the Big Five personality traits were assessed with the DAS and compared to a multiple-item questionnaire that measured the same traits. Statistical analysis supported the validity of the DAS for predicting self-reported behavioral acts, drinking behaviors, affect, and religiosity in ways similar to the multiple-item questionnaire. Consistent with previous research, both studies supported the viability of measuring personality traits with single items.

In underground water resources evaluation, calculation of underground water recharge is the most important and preliminary work. If underground water recharge within an area comes from exclusive item, then it is easy to calculate any water volume related to each probability based on the empirical frequency curve. In most cases, underground water recharge is not a single item, but four or five items or even more items. In this case, it is necessary to find out the suitable methods to carry out underground water recharge calculation. Therefore, the paper firstly analyzed the problems existed in the recharge calculation of underground water resources, especially the problems existed in the frequency analysis and the differences between the calculation results and the actual industrial and agricultural requirement. Secondly, the Monte Carlo method was introduced, which includes the basic theory, problems existed in simulation experiment and its adaptability. Finally, taking the irrigation area of the downstream Yellow River as an example, based on the results of analysis and statistics for different recharge factors, and using the developed computer softer wale, the regional underground water recharge was calculated for multi-recharge conditions. It shows that Monte Carlo method can solve the problems existed in analytical, numerical, experiment and empirical frequency methods. Besides, Monte Carlo method has the advantages of convenience, time saving and high efficiency.

With today’s high cost of land acquisition observed in most countries, management can no longer afford large storage facilities to house their products. For this reason, one of the main concerns of inventory managers is to ensure that enough storage space is available upon the delivery of a product. They, therefore, have to determine the least cost ordering policy so as to meet demand and taking into account the space limitation. In this paper, we investigate the problem of a single item continuous review inventory problem in the presence of a space restriction when the demand is stochastic. Through a sensitivity analysis study, it is found that ordering cost, storage capacity, average demand per unit time, and holding cost rate are the most influential problem parameters on the expected inventory costs. It is also shown numerically that a simple solution based on economic order quantity is performing very well with an average and maximum cost penalty of 0.19% and 2.03%, respectively.

We use two datasets for urban China to examine whether an increase in reference group income lowers or increases job satisfaction. The former is consistent with a status effect — an increase in the income of others lowers my satisfaction because I feel jealous. The latter is consistent with a signal effect — an increase in the income of others might make me jealous, but it also provides an information signal about my future prospects. When we use a single item indicator of job satisfaction we find no support for a status or signal effect; however, when we use a psychometrically valid instrument to measure job satisfaction, we find some support for the existence of a status effect. We consider the components of job satisfaction through which the status effect operates. We find that the status effect operates through satisfaction with co-workers, operating procedures, pay and supervision.

This paper reports on a large scale field experiment testing strategies available to a seller participating in simultaneous competitive sequential, ascending price automobile auctions. Every other week, the seller offered approximately 120 vehicles for sale in an auction environment in which several competitive sellers offered on the order of 3,000 vehicles. The experiment tested various sequences in which the seller could offer the vehicles, such as high values first or low values first. Surprisingly, and contrary to intuition drawn from the theory of single item and single seller auctions, the worst performing sequence from those tested is for the seller to order vehicles from highest to lowest values. The best sequence is to group the vehicles by type and offer the low valued vehicles first and then move to offer the higher valued vehicles. Our conjecture is that this sequence reduces the competition with other sellers for the attention of specialized buyers.

We study an inventory-routing problem in which multiperiod inventory holding, backlogging, and vehicle routing decisions are to be taken for a set of customers who receive units of a single item from a depot with infinite supply. We consider a case in which the demand at each customer is deterministic and relatively small compared to the vehicle capacity, and the customers are located closely such that a consolidated shipping strategy is appropriate. We develop constructive and improvement heuristics to obtain an approximate solution for this NP-hard problem and demonstrate their effectiveness through computational experiments.

Specialty cigarettes, bidis and kreteks, have commonly been viewed by adolescent users as being less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Biochemical studies, however, have shown that the concentration and delivery of nicotine from these tobacco products are not insignificant. The current study tested whether the diagnosis and symptoms for nicotine dependence differed among conventional-only smokers (n=16 959), specialty-only smokers (n=313), and poly-tobacco smokers (n=1288) from the 2002 and 2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Compared with the specialty-only smokers, the conventional-only and poly-tobacco smokers were more dependent on nicotine, assessed by the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale and a single item from the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence. However, after accounting for differences in smoking frequency, the specialty-only smokers had significantly greater odds of being nicotine dependent than the conventional-only smokers. The reversed effect was primarily attributed to the specialty-only smokers who smoked less frequently, but reported a shorter time to their first cigarette. These findings suggest that the nicotine acquired from specialty cigarettes may be sufficient in yielding a sense of urgency to smoke.