In this paper we provide non-parametric and parametric estimations of the initial diffusion process of point-of-sale optical scanners that illustrate the importance of controlling for supplier behavior and government regulations. In particular, we show that discrete changes in the early development of the technology followed predictably different diffusion paths depending on each vintage's rela...

This paper reconstructs the dispute between the main social actors with direct interests in the regulation of private health care in Brazil during the period immediately prior to the passage of Act 9.656/98, highlighting the divergences between these actors in relation to 28 central topics for shaping the regulatory framework prevailing in the country since 1998. The material used in the descri...

The tactics used by the tobacco industry to resist government regulation of its products include conducting public relations campaigns, buying scientific and other expertise to create controversy about established facts, funding political parties, hiring lobbyists to influence policy, using front groups and allied industries to oppose tobacco control measures, pre-empting strong legislation by ...

Simplification of triangulation structure plays an important role in constructing three-dimensional modeling. In this paper, we study all of triangulation-simplify algorithm in use these days, and introduce an algorithm which is very useful in many areas, named TIN simplification based on Vertex Decimation, to actual simplification of three-dimensional terrain. For the huge data of three-dimens...

This paper formalizes several independent approaches on how to develop Semantic Web applications using object-oriented programming languages and Object-Triple Mapping. Using such mapping, Semantic Web applications have been developed up to three times faster compared to traditional Semantic Web software engineering. Results show that at the same time, developer satisfaction has been significant...

Ensemble classification techniques such as bagging, boosting and arcing algorithms have been shown to lead to reduced classification errors on unseen cases and seem immune to the problem of overfitting. Several explanations for the reduction in generalisation error have been presented, with recent authors defining and applying diagnostics such as "edge" and "margin". These measures provide insi...

For many years, electrophysiology has been regarded as a kind of mysterious knowledge. The only people able to understand were its Shamans: the electrophysiologists. To become a shaman, novices tread a tough path of initiation, full of difficulties and anguish. The early practitioners of electrophysiology had to explore a new world, with limited tools. Over time, they managed to explain most of...

Energy loss is one of the major problems in traditional irreversible circuits. For every bit of information loss kTln2 joules of heat is lost. In order to reduce the energy loss the concept of reversible logic circuits are introduced. Here we have described an algorithm for simplifying the reversible logic circuit and hence reduction of circuit cost and energy. The algorithm considers sub_circu...

This Article analyzes the potential impact on government regulation of private property rights of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Brown v. Legal Foundation of Washington. That case upheld mandatory Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) programs. While Brown ensures continued funding for legal services for lowand moderate-income persons, it is difficult to reconcile with the Co...

Children's right to participate in their own healthcare has increasingly become highlighted in national and international research as well as in government regulations. Nevertheless, children's participation in healthcare is unsatisfactorily applied in praxis. There is a growing body of research regarding children's participation, but research from the children's own perspective is scarce. The ...