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This article traces the efforts of a newly hired business liaison librarian at a mid-sized public university in conducting background research on those served as well as identifying relevant resources and services. The librarian examined four areas: the university, the College of Business, available business information sources, and library instruction. Emphasis was placed on indirect information gathering methods such as reviewing department webpages. The information collected was evaluated and a Liaison Information Document (LID) was developed to help guide future liaison efforts. The methods provided combined with the LID template may help other librarians, especially new hires, develop effective liaison programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimum lap time simulations are especially important in the design, optimisation and setup of race vehicles. Such problems usually come in different flavours, e.g. quasi-steady state models vs. full dynamic models and pre-defined (fixed) trajectory problems vs. free trajectory problems. This work is focused on full dynamic models with free trajectory. Practical solution techniques include direct methods (i.e. solution of an nonlinear programming problem problem, widespread approach) and indirect method (i.e. based on Pontryagin's principle, less common, yet quite efficient in some cases). In this contribution the performance of the direct and indirect methods are compared in a number of vehicle-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two types of attribute importance, stated and derived, have been studied in marketing and tourism studies using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Derived importance is thought to have an advantage over stated importance in reducing survey fatigue and social desirability biases, and thus is more predictable to an outcome variable. Derived importance is also used in a Relevance-Determinance Analysis to determine higher-impact core attributes or in an Importance Grid Analysis to explore the asymmetric relationship between attributes and overall satisfaction. Since derived importance is usually estimated through statistical methods, it is necessary to determine which method is the most appropriate. However, few studies have examined the appropriateness of indirect methods. To fill this research void, this paper judges the appropriateness of three statistical methods (i.e. multiple regression, partial correlation, and simple regression) based on data collected from Savannah, GA, using a new approach by which results of derived importance were compared against diagnostic attributes in the "keep up the good work" quadrant of IPA. Diagnostic attributes are attributes with higher stated importance and higher predictability of an outcome variable. Results show that urban forests and cultural heritage are such attributes, and simple regression is the best to infer attribute importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have suggested that indirect methods of deception detection can improve the accuracy of veracity assessments. Two experiments were undertaken to test whether information about the actual aim of the judgement (i.e., testing veracity) lessens the accuracy of this method. Moreover, the accuracy of various indirect questions was compared. College students (total N = 169) viewed eight statements which were either truthful or deceptive. In experiment 1, after each statement they answered six indirect questions and one direct question, or indirect questions only. In experiment 2, participants answered either one of the indirect questions or a direct question. Although not all the indirect questions were more accurate than the direct question, employing a combined measurement did not affect the accuracy of the former. Moreover, the accuracy of most of these questions was maintained regardless of whether they were applied separately or as a set. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use an age-period-cohort (APC) model to estimate the contribution of smoking-related mortality to cohort changes in adult mortality in Britain since 1950. We show that lung cancer and overall mortality can be satisfactorily modelled using cohort relative risk and a fixed age pattern. The results of the model suggest that smoking by itself can account for a substantial fraction of change in cohort mortality for those born around the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, smoking provides an explanation for the higher-than-average improvement in the mortality of both males and females born around 1930. Our confidence in the correctness of the results of the models is strengthened by the fact that they are very similar to those of the Peto–Lopez and Preston–Glei–Wilmoth models that estimate the contribution of smoking-related to overall mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mortality estimates for many populations are derived using model life tables, which describe typical age patterns of human mortality. We propose a new system of model life tables as a means of improving the quality and transparency of such estimates. A flexible two-dimensional model was fitted to a collection of life tables from the Human Mortality Database. The model can be used to estimate full life tables given one or two pieces of information: child mortality only, or child and adult mortality. Using life tables from a variety of sources, we have compared the performance of new and old methods. The new model outperforms the Coale–Demeny and UN model life tables. Estimation errors are similar to those produced by the modified Brass logit procedure. The proposed model is better suited to the practical needs of mortality estimation, since both input parameters are continuous yet the second one is optional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]