Purpose – Studies on optimal discount levels have sometimes yielded contradictory results, leaving practitioners with unclear direction. This paper proposes clarifying the optimum discount levels. Design/methodology/approach – This study asked 453 consumers to choose their own optimal discount levels (from 0-80 percent) for eight product categories across two distribution channels (physical sto...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of age on ultraviolet radiation-B (UVR-B)-induced cataract and to detect the maximum acceptable dose in rats of different age groups. METHODS Four age groups of 20 rats each, aged 3, 6, 10, and 18 weeks, were included. Each age group was divided into five UVR-B dose subgroups. The rats were unilaterally exposed to UVR-B (lambda(max) = 302.6 nm, lambda(0.5) = ...

For safe job design, it is necessary to know the maximum acceptable work time (MAWT) for a given workload. The aim was to establish the relationship between MAWT and physical workload. Cycling tests at six different work rates relative to personal maximum working capacity were performed by 12 young adults in the laboratory. The oxygen uptake (VO(2)) in the per cent maximum aerobic capacity (%VO...

This paper analyzes a novel method for constructing preconditioners for diagonally-dominant symmetric positivedefinite matrices. The method discussed here is based on a simple idea: we construct M by simply dropping offdiagonal nonzeros from A and modifying the diagonal elements to maintain a certain row-sum property. The preconditioners are extensions of Vaidya’s augmented maximum-spanning-tre...

In the recent work [7], a combinatorial problem concerning linear codes over a finite field Fq was introduced. In that work the authors studied the weight set of an [n, k]q linear code, that is the set of non-zero distinct Hamming weights, showing that its cardinality is upper bounded by q −1 q−1 . They showed that this bound was sharp in the case q = 2, and in the case k = 2. They conjectured ...

We consider a special subgraph of a weighted directed graph: one comprising only the k heaviest edges incoming to each vertex. We show that the maximum weight branching in this subgraph closely approximates the maximum weight branching in the original graph. Specifically, it is within a factor of k k+1 . Our interest in finding branchings in this subgraph is motivated by a data compression appl...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess sensitivity and specificity of surrogate physical ability tests as predictors of criterion firefighting task performance and to identify corresponding minimum muscular strength and endurance standards. METHODS Fifty-one (26 male; 25 female) participants completed three criterion tasks (ladder lift, ladder lower, ladder extension) and three corresp...

The maximum acceptable weights of lift (MAWL) of obese and non-obese participants were empirically investigated. Three obesity levels were considered: nonobese (18.5 kg/m body mass index (BMI) 24.9 kg/m), moderately obese (35 kg/m BMI 39.9 kg/m) and extremely obese (BMI 40 kg/m). Ten male and 10 female participants were recruited for each obesity level. The participants determined their MAWL fo...

A prominent feature of gliding flight in snakes of the genus Chrysopelea is the unique cross-sectional shape of the body, which acts as the lifting surface in the absence of wings. When gliding, the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs and flattening its body in the dorsoventral axis, forming a geometry with fore-aft sy...

Chrysopelea paradisi, also known as the flying snake, possesses one of the most unique forms of aerial locomotion found in nature, using its entire body as a dynamic lifting surface without the use of wings or membranes. Unlike other airborne creatures, this species lacks appendages to aid in controlling its flight trajectory and producing lift. The snake exhibits exception gliding and maneuver...