In Taiwan, since National Health Insurance was practiced in 1995, the expense reduction in medical services, made the change in people¡¦s custom of seeking medical advice. The hospitals, facing the competitive operating environment, adopted commerce administration and management model to deal with the increasing demands of patients. However, the objects of medical services are the serious issues of human lives, but if what cared most were not medical profession and ethics but business and profits, how can we value the medical services? In this paper, we first surveyed the references in topics of medical treatments, medical organizations and medical services and attempt to define the characteristics of medical services. Second, we analysed 15 leader hospitals in Taiwan in their missions, objectives, contributions, social services and operating status to make a better definition of modern medical services.

Motor learning and attentional focus have been examined quite extensively; however, results regarding the best type of attentional focus for novice learners are equivocal. The purpose of the current study was to determine which type of attentional focus is most beneficial over extended practice phases when learning the complex skill of the volleyball serve. Three novice learners who had no prior formalized training in the sport of volleyball completed 240 service trials over eight days after an initial baseline phase. A single-subject design with alternating treatments was employed in this study. After receiving initial instructions, each participant served three blocks of 10 serves scored on a four point system based on that used by Wulf and colleagues (2002). After baseline scoring was established, the participants were given either external or internal focus instructions. The type of instructions that were given to the participants alternated every 60 serves and the order of the treatments was counterbalanced across participants. The participants completed a total of 120 serves using each type of focus. Visual inspection of the results, as well as the effect size of both types of instructional statements, revealed no clear trends for any of the participants. This study expanded the breadth of research in the field of attentional focus and will aid future studies examining the effects of attentional focus on the acquisition of sport specific skills. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

The current study investigated whether combining a ten-week imagery training and video modeling intervention would improve the consistency and form of tennis serves, and to determine if differences in intervention effectiveness were based on skill level of the players. Sixty-one high school tennis players (Mage = 15.44, SD = .98) were separated into four groups; a control group and an experimental group which received the mental training program. Univariate analyses of covariance controlling for possible pre-test differences, gender, and years of tennis experience and a chi-squared analysis for responders to treatment showed no significant differences for the experimental group. Thus, the ten-week imagery training and video modeling intervention used in this study appeared to not influence tennis service form and consistency. There is a need for longitudinal studies of mental training techniques to determine whether these practices are effective for athletes of different sports and competitive levels.

Knowledge of the relationship between rate of nitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission, and between cumulative nitrification and N2O emission is important for developing N2O emission mitigation strategies. Gross nitrification and N2O from nitrification were determined using 15N labelling of inorganic N. N-Serve was added to delay nitrification and results showed an increase in rate of N2O emission with that of apparent nitrification in absence of N-Serve, but there was no relation in its presence. Same amount of cumulative N2O was emitted for same amount of nitrogen (N) apparently nitrified, regardless of N-Serve addition. There was no relation between N2O emission attributed to nitrification and gross nitrification with and without N-Serve. Again, same amount of cumulative N2O was emitted for same amount of gross nitrified N, regardless of N-Serve addition. These results imply that the amount of N nitrified dictates eventual cumulative N2O emitted, regardless of rate of nitrification. / February 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of same-day strength training on velocity and accuracy of a tennis serve among five female Division I intercollegiate athletes at the second and sixth week of a strength training program. Velocity and accuracy of 20 tennis serves were measured approximately four hours after a morning split-body (lower legs and trunk) strength training session termed the lift-day (LD) and were compared to measures taken on days that no lifting took place, termed the non-lift day (NLD). For each test day, velocity was multiplied by accuracy to provide an overall serve performance score for each NLD and LD. An ANOVA revealed that there was no significant difference in any of the measured variables between the NLD and the LD at any time period throughout the study. A mean serve performance score difference between NLD (77.56) and LD (78.05) of 0.49 was not statistically different [p = 0.84]. The results of this study suggest that female collegiate tennis players may strength-train with no significant effect on same-day serve performance following adequate recovery.

Tennis är en sport som ständigt förändras. Nya data som analytikern Craig O'Shannessy tagit fram visar att en klar majoritet av alla poäng är korta, det vill säga poäng som innehåller fyra eller färre slag. Den spelare som vinner flest av dessa tenderar även att stå som segrare i slutet av matchen. Målet med det här arbetet är att undersöka WTA-turneringen Sydney International 2018 för att se om samma mönster går att hitta där och, om så är fallet undersöka om det finns några skillnader mellan hur olika grupper presterar. Ett par exempel på grupper är matchvinnare mot förlorare och seedade mot oseedade spelare. Det visade sig att poänglängderna nästan var identiska med O'Shannessys resultat och de hade påverkan på utgången av matcherna. Vidare så låg matchvinnarna högre i de flesta kategorierna som exempelvis andelen servar och returer in och andelen vunna. Gällande serve+1 så höll de en jämn nivå både på forehand- och backhandsidan, jämfört med de förlorande spelarna som hade problem med backhanden. Däremot gick det inte att se några tydliga skillnader i serve- och returmönster, bortsett från andraservar till deuce court. Utifrån resultaten så verkar kvaliteten på slagen vara mer avgörande än var i banan som de landar. / Tennis is an everchanging sport. New data from tennis analyst Craig O'Shannessy show that a vast majority of points are short, i.e. points decided in four or fewer shots. The player who wins most of them also tends to be the winner. The purpose of this paper is to examine the WTA tournament Sydney International 2018 to see if the same pattern occurs there and if that is the case investigate if there is any difference between how different groups are performing. A few examples of groups are match-winners against losers and seeded against unseeded players. It turns out that the lengths of the points were almost identical to O'Shannessy’s results and they influenced the matches outcome. Furthermore, match winners performed better in most categories, for example, the ratio of serves and returns in play and won. Regarding serve+1 they were able to keep an even level on both forehand and backhand side, while the losing players had some problems with their backhands. With that said, there were no clear differences in serve and return patterns, apart from second serves to the deuce court. From the results, it seems like the quality of the shots is more important than where they are landing.

Title: Analysis of tennis single on clay Objectives: The aim of the work was to analyze 10 elite players on clay and also to discover differences in observed aspects of their plays. Methods: The analysis was done by observing video recordings of chosen matches from the French Open 2016 tournament. It was a notational analysis. The results were recorded into record sheets that were prepared in advance. Firstly, descriptive analysis was used to analyze all of the matches. Thereafter, all of the matches were analyzed by descriptive analysis of graphs and measured values. Results: The results show different techniques and styles among male athletes on clay, given the service and its variations, the return and its variations, the length of plays, and other observed aspects; resulting in other tactical differences among the players. Keywords: Tennis, men, differences, serve, return

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / David B. Mengel / World population, together with the cost of crop production inputs, is increasing rapidly. The current seven billion people on earth are expected to reach nine billion by 2050 with resulting demands on world food production. In addition, the quality of our environment is being impacted by human activities, including agricultural production and crop fertilization. Nitrogen (N) management is the process of applying N fertilizers in a way to maximize use of N by crops, while minimizing loss to the environment. It is becoming imperative, as a means of increasing crop yields and food supplies, while reducing input usage, and minimizing the impact of N fertilization on the quality of our environment, that improved N application practices be identified and utilized. The objectives for this study were to compare the timing of anhydrous ammonia (AA) fertilizer N applications, fall and spring, with and without two different nitrification inhibitors (NI) as possible tools to enhance yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in corn (Zea mays) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Kansas. Two different nitrification inhibitors were tested as alternatives, N-Serve (nitrapyrin) produced and marketed by Dow AgroSciences, and an experimental product under development by Koch Agronomic Services LLC. Three differing rates of the experimental product were used to assist in determining the optimal rate for this product. The study was conducted over two growing seasons, 2012 and 2013, which differed significantly in rainfall, rainfall distribution, and resulting NUE. Experiments were established at three sites for both crops in both years, on sites/soils selected for differing potentials for N loss, and mechanisms of N loss. One site was established at the Kansas State University Agronomy North Farm (N Farm), where yield potential was high, and N loss potential was low. A second site was established under irrigation at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field near Topeka, KS (KRV), on a coarse silt loam soil with high potential for N loss through leaching. The third site was established at the East Central Kansas Experiment Field near Ottawa KS (ECK), on a clay pan soil with a high potential for denitrification loss. Weather conditions together with soil characteristics played a major role in the performance of N timing applications and impacted the response to the use of the inhibitors. In low N loss environments such as the N Farm, fall applications of AA to increase spring time-availability for producers showed minimal negative effects on yield or NUE. When combined with a nitrification inhibitor in the fall, performance was similar to spring application for both corn and wheat. At the KRV site leaching loss or potential loss from fall application was high for corn and wheat in both years, however little impact on NUE with NI use was observed. At the high ECK denitrification site, there was only one N loss potential event leading to inhibitor performance at Ottawa in corn in 2013.

Thesis advisor: Julie Holland Mortimer / Television ads have become as much a part of watching TV as the programs themselves. They are such a ubiquitous component of network and cable television that they have developed their own sub-culture; popular commercials get brought up in conversation, and many commercial actors become famous for portraying their respective characters. For how prevalent television advertising is and always has been, though, it’s amazing how little is known about advertiser demand. While many academics have conducted studies on the effects of advertising, little research has been steered towards understanding why advertisers choose to advertise when they do, especially within the context of advertising on TV. My research revolves around answering this question, as I attempt to establish patterns that can predict when firms will choose to advertise. By looking at data on past advertising trends, I try to find a sense of consistency across firms and across industries and then use that information to analyze and explain any observed changes in behavior during highly rated telecasts. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

Traditionally, marketers have assumed that investing in the quality of relationships with customers would generate superior profitability to the selling firm. The assumption is that coordination and collaboration between buyer and seller create value for both firms by reducing costs and expanding revenue opportunities. However, such value creation mechanism does not work every time. Closer relationships require customer specific investments and a higher level of service that may create more cost to the seller than the potential gain in revenue, negatively impacting profitability of the selling firm. This research explores the effect of buyer-seller relationship quality on value creation for the selling firm, emphasizing the understanding of costs associated with serving the relationship. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 qualitatively examines the cost associated with serving customers and estimates actual cost-to-serve for individual customers. Study 2 measures the quality of customer relationships, past customer profitability and customer lifetime value for each customer relationship in the proposed sample. Finally, the effect of RQ on customer lifetime value is evaluated. Results suggest that investing in customer relationships have an effect on the drivers of customer cost and profitability. However, the net effect on customer value is not as clear as it depends on the trade offs of the different drivers of cost and profit.