Chapter 11 Simulation studies of efficiency,returns to scale and misspecification with nonlinear functions in DEA

Using statistically designed experiments, 12,500 observations are generated from a 4-pieced Cobb-Douglas function exhibiting increasing and decreasing returns to scale in its different pieces. Performances of DEA and frontier regressions represented by COLS (Corrected Ordinary Least Squares) are compared at sample sizes ofn=50, 100, 150 and 200. Statistical consistency is exhibited, with performances improving as sample sizes increase. Both DEA and COLS generally give good results at all sample sizes. In evaluating efficiency, DEA generally shows superior performance, with BCC models being best (except at corner points), followed by the CCR model and then by COLS, with log-linear regressions performing better than their translog counterparts at almost all sample sizes. Because of the need to consider locally varying behavior, only the CCR and translog models are used for returns to scale, with CCR being the better performer. An additional set of 7,500 observations were generated under conditions that made it possible to compare efficiency evaluations in the presence of collinearity and with model misspecification in the form of added and omitted variables. Results were similar to the larger experiment: the BCC model is the best performer. However, COLS exhibited surprisingly good performances — which suggests that COLS may have previously unidentified robustness properties — while the CCR model is the poorest performer when one of the variables used to generate the observations is omitted.     

Chapter 15 DEA/AR analysis of the 1988–1989 performance of the Nanjing textiles corporation

This article employs new data envelopment analysis/assurance region (DEA/AR) methods to evaluate the efficiency of the 35 textile factories of the Nanjing Textiles Corporation (NTC), Nanjing, China. The returns to scale (RTS) of these factories were studied without assuming that the optimal DEA solutions were unique. All DMUs are identified with pointsE (Extreme Efficient),E (Efficient but not an extreme point) andF (Frontier but not efficient). We then further identify the nonfrontier DMUs with pointsNE, NE andNF according to whether they are projected onto a point inE, E, orF en route to evaluating their performances. All of the inefficient factories were in classNF and had unique optimal primal-dual solution pairs. Consequently, the solution pairs satisfy the strong complementary slackness condition (SCSC). Application of cone-ratio (CR) ARs reduced significantly the number of factories in classE, and showed that some AR-efficient factories were more flexible in adopting the mixture of central planning and market economies that China currently is trying to use. Also, linked-cone (LC) ARs were applied to measure maximum and minimum profit ratios. The SCSC multiplier space approach was utilized to analyze the sensitivity of the efficiency results to potential errors in the data with and without ARs. The results in this article suggest that collective units had a better performance than state-owned units in the two consecutive years analyzed.This paper was written while the author was at the School of Economics and Management, Southeast University, Nanjing 210018, P.R. China.     

Potential response in the uncatalyzed bromate oscillatory system

The potential response of the platinum indicator electrode in the uncatalyzed bromate oscillator (UBO) with three different substrates, namely gallic acid (GA), pyrogallol (PG) and veratraldehyde (VA) has been analyzed. The large amplitude oscillations obtained with a Pt electrode are due to the sequential response of the indicator electrode to the varying concentration ratios of the redox couples present in the reaction mixture.     

The effectiveness of solvents as hydrogen bond donors

Taft and Kamlet's -scale of solvent hydrogen bond donation ability is reexamined with regard to its correlations with three widely used polarity scales: Dimroth and Reichardt's E _T (30), Kosower's Z and Mayer's A _N , as well as with the _m values of the solvents when present as monomeric solutes. The correlation with E _T serves to extend the solvent -scale according to the expression:

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitative determination of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) in human plasma containing liposome-based SN-38 (LE-SN38)

7-Ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) is an active metabolite of Irinotecan (CPT-11), an anticancer pro-drug. To support clinical pharmacokinetic studies for liposome based formulation of SN-38 (LE-SN38) in cancer patients, a rapid, simple and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of total SN-38 in human plasma. Sample preparation was carried out by one-step protein precipitation using cold acetonitrile with 0.5% acetic acid (v/v). Camptothecin was used as an internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation of SN-38 and IS was achieved using a Synergi Hydro-RP column (C(18), 50 x 2 mm, 4 micro m), with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% acetic acid. After ionization in electrospray source (positive ions), the acquisition was performed in the multiple reactions monitoring mode. Quantitation was accomplished using the precursor-->product ion combinations of m/z 393.1-->349.2 for SN-38 and 349.1-->305.1 for IS. The quantification limit of 0.05 ng/mL was achieved by using much lower volume (0.2 mL) of plasma and in the presence of LE-SN38. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.05-400 ng/mL. Accuracy was within +/-12% of nominal at all concentration levels. Inter-day and intra-day precisions expressed as percentage coefficient of variation (%CVs) for quality control (QC) samples were less than 14 and 5%, respectively.     

高氯酸二水邻菲咯啉合铜配合物的合成和晶体结构

Crystal structure of the title compound， Cu(phen)(H₂O)₂·ClO₄(phen=1，10-phenanthroline)， was deter-mined by X-ray crystallography. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system， space group C2/c with lattice parameters a=1.49071(4)nm， b=1.38594(4)nm， c=0.70292(1)nm， β=108.509(1)° and Z=4; The Cu(Ⅰ) ion is chelated by a phen ligand and two aqua ligands in cis arrangement and assumes a C2 symmetric square-planar geometry with the CuN₂O₂ core. Eight Cu(phen)(H₂O)₂·ClO₄ molecules are interconnected by strong hydrogen bonds between coordinated water molecules and uncoordinated perchlorate anions to form a molecular scale cavities along c axis. The bond distances of Cu-N and Cu-O are 0.2003(4)nm and 0.1973(3)nm， respectively. CCDC： 197600.     

Modelling the thermal behaviour of carboxylic acid derivatives with cylcodextrins in the solid-state

The application of classical QSAR and molecular modelling to the inclusion complexation of natural and modified cyclodextrins (CDs) with carboxylic acid derivatives as guest molecules was examined. Information was available on the thermal behaviour, in the solid-state of benzoic acid (BA), salicylic acid (SA), and various substituted aminosalicylic acids (3-aminosalicylic acid, 3-ASA, 4-aminosalicylic acid, 4-ASA and 5-aminosalicylic acid, 5-ASA), as well as on the thermal behaviour of 1:1 molar ratio physical and kneaded mixtures of these acids with each of three different cyclodextrins, β-, (BCD) 2-hydroxypropyl-β-, (HPBCD) and γ-cyclodextrin (GCD). The thermal behaviour of the binary (1:1 stoichiometry) mixtures was modelled using stepwise multiple regression (SMR). Two models for the prediction of the percentage mass loss and enthalpy of dehydration of the physical mixtures were established with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.79 and 0.92, respectively. Decreased correlation in the thermal behaviour of kneaded mixtures indicated significant interaction and possible formation of inclusion complexes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Measurement of unbound cocaine in blood, brain and bile of anesthetized rats using microdialysis coupled with liquid chromatography and verified by tandem mass spectrometry

To investigate the disposition of unbound cocaine in the rat blood, brain and bile, we demonstrate an in vivo multiple sampling microdialysis system coupled with liquid chromatography for cocaine assay and verified by tandem mass spectrometry. Three microdialysis probes were concurrently inserted into the jugular vein, bile duct and brain striatum of each anesthetized rat. After a period of 2 h post-surgical stabilization, cocaine (10 mg kg(-1)) was administered through the femoral vein. Separation of unbound cocaine from various biological fluids was applied to a reversed-phase C(18) column (250 x 4.6 mm I.D., 5 microm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile--10 mm potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (25:75, v/v, pH 4.0) and 0.8% diethylamine at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1). The UV detector wavelength was set at 235 nm. The results indicate that cocaine penetrates the blood--brain barrier with a rapid distribution. However, unbound cocaine in the bile dialysate was not detectable in the UV detection. We therefore use LC--tandem mass spectrometry to detect the bile fluid after cocaine administration (3 mg kg(-1), i.v.). The results indicate that cocaine goes through hepatobiliary excretion.