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Selected AbstractsCPA assessment , the regional assessors' experienceCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2007G. Guthrie With the introduction in January 2006 of the new posts of Regional Assessors, the process and focus of CPA assessment changed to reflect the inclusion in the current standards of Quality Management systems and processes. Regional Assessors, trained in Quality Management Systems and their assessment against international standards, now form a vital part of the CPA assessment teams, looking specifically at this aspect of laboratory service provision. Their role in the new assessment process will be explained. The presentation will cover differences and similarities in the nature and number of non-compliances experienced since April 2006 when the new format of assessment was introduced. It will also look at a new format of timetable for assessment visits and explain the benefits of good two-way communication between all parties involved in the process - the laboratory, the assessors, particularly the Regional Assessor assigned to that site, and CPA Office staff. Understanding what is required by the standards, particularly in terms of evidential material, their interpretation and their classification of status , Critical, Non-Critical or Observation - is an aspect of assessment which is often not well understood. The presentation will seek to clarify these issues. The successful and timely clearance by laboratories of any non-compliances raised during the visits is vital to the achievement of accredited status and the presentation will give guidance as to how this is best achieved. The current standards, based on the international ISO 15189 standards, are considerably more challenging than the old ones. There is now a significant emphasis on Quality Management and its understanding, ethos and implementation within the laboratory, a key element which underpins all aspects of a laboratory's service. The achievement of accredited status assures our users of,the type of client and patient focused service expected of a modern laboratory. [source] Vaccines, coming of age after 200 yearsFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 1 2000P.Helena Mäkelä Abstract An overview on the short, only 200 years, past history and future expectations in the field of vaccines is presented. The focus is on development trends and potential rather than individual vaccines. While the first vaccines were a result of keen observation, the further development has been tightly dependent on the development of microbiology to provide both the knowledge basis and the technology for new vaccines for new purposes. The post-genomic era just starting therefore promises an exponential increase of vaccine research and new vaccines, both improved vaccines with a greater efficacy and less adverse effects to replace old ones and vaccines for prevention of diseases for which no vaccines exist. Furthermore, fully new applications to prevention or treatment of chronic diseases not traditionally associated with infections are expected. [source] Allocation of above-ground growth is related to light in temperate deciduous saplingsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2003D. A. King Summary 1Allocational shifts in response to light may be an important factor in allowing plants to survive in shade, while increasing their extension rates and competitive ability in sun. To investigate this response, the allocation of above-ground growth between leaves, branches and stems was studied in saplings of Acer pensylvanicum L. and Castenea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. in the Appalachian mountains of western Virginia, USA. Measurements of current leaf biomass, current and past year leaf numbers and the growth ring widths of branches and stem were used to estimate biomass partitioning for saplings growing in locations ranging from forest understorey to large openings. 2Both species showed higher leaf area per unit leaf biomass (SLA) and higher allocation of above-ground growth to leaves in shade than in sun. 3There were no differences between species in the slopes of the relationships of allocation and SLA vs estimated irradiance, but SLA was significantly greater in A. pensylvanicum than in C. dentata at a given light level. Hence, somewhat lower production per unit leaf area is required to maintain the canopy in A. pensylvanicum, consistent with foresters' ratings of greater shade tolerance for this species. 4Greater foliar allocation in shade than sun has also been observed in broad-leaved evergreen saplings, but generally not in seedlings. This difference is probably related to differences in size and age between seedlings and saplings. Young seedlings typically show exponential growth with no immediate foliar losses, while shaded saplings lie closer to the steady state where new leaves replace old ones with little additional stem growth. 5Thus trees shift their allocation patterns in an acclimatory fashion, depending on their size and light environment, with the costs of replacing senesced leaves becoming of consequence as juveniles age. [source] Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori InfectionHELICOBACTER, Issue 2006Katarzyna Dzier, anowska-Fangrat Abstract A growing interest in non-invasive tests for the detection of Helicobacter pylori has been observed recently, reflecting a large number of studies published this year. New tests have been validated, and the old ones have been used in different clinical situations or for different purposes. Stool antigen tests have been extensively evaluated in pre- and post-treatment settings both in adults and children, and the urea breath test has been studied as a predictor of bacterial load, severity of gastric inflammation, and response to eradication treatment. Several studies have also explored the usefulness of some serologic markers as indicators of the gastric mucosa status. With regard to invasive tests, molecular methods are being used more and more, but the breakthrough this year was the direct in vivo observation of H. pylori during endoscopy. [source] Short-term cold storage of blowfly Lucilia sericata embryosINSECT SCIENCE, Issue 3 2008Bo Zhang Abstract The developmental rate under low temperatures and cold tolerance were investigated in embryos of the blowfly Lucilia sericata. The larvae of this species are now widely used in maggot debridement therapy. Embryonic development was dependent on temperature, with a lower developmental threshold of 9.0 °C. The duration of the egg stage at a rearing temperature of 25 °C was 14 h, and a low temperature of 12.5 °C successfully prolonged this period to 66 h. Embryonic stages differed markedly in their cold tolerance; young embryos were less tolerant to cold than old ones. Late embryonic stages are suitable for cold storage at 5 °C and the storage for 72 h did not decrease the hatching rate by more than 50%. In the mass-rearing process required for maggot debridement therapy, either of these two simple protocols would be beneficial. [source] Relevancy transformation operators: Construction methodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2006M. Mas This article deals with the construction of relevancy transformation (RET) operators for fuzzy systems. The notion of pseudo-duality is introduced to obtain new RET operators, and t -norms, t -conorms, nullnorms, and uninorms are used in different ways for the same purpose. Finally, several other methods to construct new RET operators from old ones are pointed out. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 21: 155,171, 2006. [source] Complete graph conjecture for inner-core electrons: Homogeneous index caseJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2003Lionello Pogliani Abstract The complete graph conjecture that encodes the inner-core electrons of atoms with principal quantum number n , 2 with complete graphs, and especially with odd complete graphs, is discussed. This conjecture is used to derive new values for the molecular connectivity and pseudoconnectivity basis indices of hydrogen-suppressed chemical pseudographs. For atoms with n = 2 the new values derived with this conjecture are coincident with the old ones. The modeling ability of the new homogeneous basis indices, and of the higher-order terms, is tested and compared with previous modeling studies, which are centered on basis indices that are either based on quantum concepts or partially based on this new conjecture for the inner-core electrons. Two similar algorithms have been proposed with this conjecture, and they parallel the two "quantum" algorithms put forward by molecular connectivity for atoms with n > 2. Nine properties of five classes of compounds have been tested: the molecular polarizabilities of a class of organic compounds, the dipole moment, molar refraction, boiling points, ionization energies, and parachor of a series of halomethanes, the lattice enthalpy of metal halides, the rates of hydrogen abstraction of chlorofluorocarbons, and the pED50 of phenylalkylamines. The two tested algorithms based on the odd complete graph conjecture give rise to a highly interesting model of the nine properties, and three of them can even be modeled by the same set of basis indices. Interesting is the role of some basis indices all along the model. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 9: 1097,1109, 2003 [source] A NEW CONFIDENCE BAND FOR CONTINUOUS CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONSAUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF STATISTICS, Issue 3 2009Xingzhong Xu Summary We consider confidence bands for continuous distribution functions. Following a review of the literature we find that previously considered confidence bands, which have exact coverage, are all step-functions jumping only at the sample points. We find that the step-function bands can be constructed through rectangular tolerance regions for an ordered sample from the uniform distribution R(0, 1). We then construct a set of new bands. Two criteria for assessing confidence bands are presented. One is the power criterion, and the other is the average-width criterion that we propose. Numerical comparisons between our new bands and the old bands are carried out, and show that our new bands perform much better than the old ones. [source] Theory & Methods: On the importance of being smoothAUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF STATISTICS, Issue 2 2002B. M. Brown This paper makes the proposition that the only statistical analyses to achieve widespread popular use in statistical practice are those whose formulations are based on very smooth mathematical functions. The argument is made on an empirical basis, through examples. Given the truth of the proposition, the question ,why should it be so?' is intriguing, and any discussion has to be speculative. To aid that discussion, the paper starts with a list of statistical desiderata, with the view of seeing what properties are provided by underlying smoothness. This provides some rationale for the proposition. After that, the examples are considered. Methods that are widely used are listed, along with other methods which, despite impressive properties and possible early promise, have languished in the arena of practical application. Whatever the underlying causes may be, the proposition carries a worthwhile message for the formulation of new statistical methods, and for the adaptation of some of the old ones. [source] Strategic and Organizational Evolution of Spanish Firms: Towards a Holding Network Form?BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Jose I. Galan The main objective of this study is to analyse the strategic and organizational evolution of large firms in a current time period and within a specific geographical context (Spain). In order to achieve this purpose, the paper combines the Chandlerian programme with processual analysis. We draw on documentary sources (annual reports, company histories, business directories and so on) and interviews. We have found that in the model of corporate development some characteristics of new organizational structures will coexist with some features of old ones. In line with previous studies our findings highlight the existence of the ,multidivisional network' but, most importantly, our findings also reflect the emergence of a new kind of organizational form that we call ,holding network'. The ,holding network' is more decentralized, both strategically and operationally, than the multidivisional form. However, its level of decentralization is less than in the N-form. Furthermore, whereas the multidivisional form is a hierarchy, the ,holding network' emphasizes the communication among people of different levels. This multilevel communication differs from that in the N-form. Apart from the horizontal communication in the same level there is vertical and horizontal communication between different levels. We conclude by emphasizing the need to explore in future empirical studies to what extent these patterns and new organizational forms should be considered as a transitory or consolidated phenomenon. [source] Contesting National Identity During Crisis: The Use of Patriotism in Israeli AdvertisementsCOMMUNICATION, CULTURE & CRITIQUE, Issue 3 2010Anat First Globalization processes have been accelerating since the early 1990s, and Israeli society is undergoing significant changes. Within these changes, symbols, beliefs, and new values are adopted to replace the old ones. Evidence of the Americanization of Israeli society can also be found in advertising, where the dominance of the American narrative has been notable since the 1990s. Over the years a significant increase has occurred in the use of American scenery, values, and heroes, along with the use of English. In this article, we seek to examine whether this extensive use of American motifs in Israeli advertising is also evident during times of national crises in the first decade of 2000. Contester l'identité nationale en temps de crise : l'usage du patriotisme dans les publicités israéliennes Anat First & Eli Avraham Les processus de mondialisation s'accélèrent depuis le début des années 1990 et la société israélienne vit de profonds changements. Dans le cadre de ces transformations, des symboles, des croyances et de nouvelles valeurs sont adoptés afin de remplacer les anciens. Des preuves de l'américanisation de la société israélienne peuvent aussi être vues dans les publicités, où la domination du narratif américain se remarque depuis les années 1990. Au fil des ans, le recours à des paysages, des valeurs et des héros américains, ainsi que l'usage de l'anglais, ont augmenté de façon importante. Dans cet article, nous cherchons à examiner si cet usage considérable de thèmes américains dans les publicités israéliennes est également visible lors de périodes de crises nationales, au cours des années 2000. Luchando por la Identidad Nacional Durante las Crisis: El Uso del Patriotismo en la Publicidad Israelí Anat First & Eli Avraham School of Communication, Netanya Academic College, Netanya, Israel University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Resumen Los procesos de globalización se han ido acelerando desde los principios de 1990, y la sociedad Israelí está sufriendo cambios significativos. Dentro de estos cambios, los símbolos, creencias, y nuevos valores son adoptados para reemplazar los antiguos. Evidencia de la Americanización de la sociedad Israelí puede ser encontrada también en la publicidad, donde el domino de la narrativa Americana ha sido notable desde 1990. A través de los años un incremento significativo ha ocurrido en el uso de la escenografía Americana, los valores, y los héroes, además del uso del inglés. En este artículo buscamos examinar si este uso extensivo de los motivos Americanos en la publicidad Israelí es evidente también durante los tiempos de crisis nacionales en la primera década del 2000. [source] | |||||||||||||