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Crucial Issues (crucial + issues)
Selected AbstractsCrucial Issues for Statistics in the Next Two DecadesINTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, Issue 1 2001Nicholas I. Fisher Summary This collection of articles stems from an Invited Paper meeting at the 52nd Session of the ISI in Helsinki, August 1999. The purpose of the session was to explore issues likely to be critical to the long-term survival of the discipline, if not the profession, of Statistics. The contributors in the session have all made outstanding contributions to both the theory and practice of Statistics, and have also had an ongoing interest in the long-term development of the subject. Subsequently, they were given the opportunity to elaborate on their contributions, for wider dissemination. [source] Using hybrid alignment for iterative sequence database searchesCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 9 2004Yuheng Li Abstract Progressive sequence model refinement by means of iterative searches is an effective technique for high sensitivity database searches and is currently employed in popular tools such as PSI-BLAST and SAM. Recently, a novel alignment algorithm has been proposed that offers features expected to improve the sensitivity of such iterative approaches, specifically a well-characterized theory of its statistics even in the presence of position-specific gap costs. Here, we demonstrate that the new hybrid alignment algorithm is ready to be used as the alignment core of PSI-BLAST. In addition, we evaluate the accuracy of two proposed approaches to edge effect correction in short sequence alignment statistics that turns out to be one of the crucial issues in developing a hybrid-alignment based version of PSI-BLAST. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Commentary: A Framework for Managing the Familiness and Agency Advantages in Family FirmsENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 6 2006Timothy G. Habbershon This article uses a family-influenced, international, new venture creation case as a platform for addressing the importance of context when exploring entrepreneurship in start-up and growth companies. I raise crucial issues about how agency relationships and costs are evaluated in family firms, arguing that the competitiveness implications of agency can only be fully assessed in light of the larger context considerations. I suggest that agency is best evaluated as inputs and outputs in a contextual ecosystem. I utilize a family business ecosystems model to show that family is a distinct context for entrepreneurship and that it generates an idiosyncratic bundle of resources and capabilities that provide a potential agency advantage in new venture creation. Since the case findings indicate that the agency inputs and outputs change over time, I conclude by placing the potential agency advantages and constraints into an organizational life cycle framework. The goal of the article is to further the discussion on how families find their advantage in the entrepreneurial process. [source] Memory enhancement: the progress and our fearsGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2003R. Gerlai In a recent article Rose (2002) raises numerous crucial issues with regard to the research into and the use of cognition or memory enhancing agents. Although development of ,smart' drugs is in its infancy, his paper delineates some issues society may have to face when these drugs arrive. Questions about the development of such drugs may be interesting to several readers of Genes Brain and Behavior given the wealth of information expected to be gained on brain function from studies using genetic approaches including mutagenesis, transgenic techniques and genomics in general. Besides the scientific questions, several ethical issues may need to be addressed that are of interest to us all. Rose (2002) discusses some of these questions, but perhaps presents a too negative view on the problems, especially with regard to the present and future of memory research. This paper is intended to focus mainly on the scientific questions and argues that our fear of complex ethical problems should not make us throw the baby (i.e., our research and discoveries) out with the bath water. [source] Do we really understand how to retain nurses?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006LINDA O'BRIEN-PALLAS RN Aim, To compare views of nurse executives with those of nurses who have left the profession on the importance of retention strategies. Background, Although much has been written about nursing turnover, there continues to be dissonance among decision makers as to why nurses leave the profession and what the most crucial issues are for retention. Method, Factor analysis was undertaken to compare responses of nurse executives with those of nurses employed outside of nursing. Results, Contract requirements represented the greatest discrepancy, 1.07, followed by legal and employer issues, 1.02; worklife/homelife balance, 0.91; external values and beliefs about nursing, 0.75; and professional practice, 0.29. Conclusions, A disparity exists between perceptions of nurse executives and those of nurses who have left the profession as to which issues are most critical in retention. We suggest that nurse executives ensure sufficient organizational support for nursing unit managers who are more likely to understand methods of retaining nurses at the clinical interface. [source] Early patient contact in primary care: a new challengeMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 9 2001Ann-Christin Haffling Background The Medical School of Lund University, Sweden, has introduced an early patient contact course, including training in communication and examination skills. The course runs parallel with theoretical subjects during the students' first two-and-a-half years. General practitioner (GP) participation is gradually increasing, and in the last half-year of the course GPs in all health centres in the area are involved. Little is known about the GPs' interest, competence and time for this new task. Aim To describe the GPs' attitudes towards teaching and the rewards and problems they experience. Subjects 30 GPs teaching third-year medical students. Method Semistructured interview study. Data analysis by a method described by Malterud. Results The attitude towards teaching was mostly positive and the teachers were confident about teaching examination procedure. Among rewards of teaching, improved quality of clinical practice was the main theme, but imparting knowledge to others, contact with enthusiastic students, and gains in self-esteem were also mentioned. Problems with teaching were mostly due to external factors such as lack of time and space, but concern about a negative effect on patient care was also recognized. Educational objectives of the course were not completely accepted. GPs were not fully aware about what to expect from the students, with subsequent problems concerning how to assess students' performance and how to give effective feedback. Conclusions The teaching of junior medical students is maintained by the GPs' enthusiasm for teaching. However, teacher training is required and the crucial issues of time and space have to be considered. [source] Assessing levels of contaminants in breast milk: methodological issues and a framework for future researchPAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Mary J. Renfrew Summary To assess the scale of the possible exposure by the breast-fed infant to potentially harmful substances in breast milk, methodologically robust studies are essential. Many studies in this field, however, do not report details of crucial issues such as recruitment and milk sampling. The aims of the study reported here were to develop robust methods for the study of contaminants in breast milk, and to develop a framework for future research and population monitoring. Three cohorts of women and babies were recruited by midwives from five sites in northern England. Cohort 1 (cross-sectional, n = 322) were asked to provide two milk samples, one at one week following birth and one at a subsequent time point. Cohort 2 (longitudinal, n = 54) were asked to provide five samples at specified time points over the first 12,16 weeks after birth. Cohort 3 (convenience, n = 18), mothers of babies in the Special Care Unit, were asked to donate surplus breast milk. A novel method of analysing fat concentration in small volumes was developed and tested. A randomly selected set of samples from different donors and stages of lactation was screened for organochlorine pesticide residues, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins/furans, phthalates and heavy metals. A total of 453 samples were donated. Cohort 3 was the least successful route of recruitment. Cohorts 1 and 2 combined were most representative of the population. Sample collection, transport and storage procedures, and the collection of data on life style and diet, were robust and acceptable to women. Midwifery involvement in recruitment was an essential component. This study offers a framework both for the conduct of future research studies, and for the establishment of regional and national monitoring mechanisms for contaminants in breast milk. Similar work on contaminants in formula as fed to babies is needed to inform risk assessment methods. [source] The Coming of an Aged Society in Taiwan: Issues and PoliciesASIAN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY REVIEW, Issue 3 2010Wan-I Lin For most advanced industrialized countries, an aging society has been a national issue since the 1970s. However, Taiwan was not aware of this issue until 1993, the year when the old-age population reached 7.0%. As an aging nation under the definition of the United Nations, the Taiwanese government began to pay more attention to the aging population, and executed several policies in response to this demographic transition. First, this article examines Taiwan's demographic transition from an aging society to an aged society, and its impacts. Second, it demonstrates the responses of Taiwan to the coming of an aged society and explores crucial issues that Taiwanese society is facing. [source] Recent Insights into PDGF-Induced GliomagenesisBRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Filippo Calzolari Abstract Gliomas are aggressive and almost incurable glial brain tumors which frequently display abnormal platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling. Evidence gained from studies on several in vivo animal models has firmly established a causal connection between aberrant PDGF signaling and the formation of some gliomas. However, only recently has significant knowledge been gained regarding crucial issues such as the glioma cell of origin and the relationship between the transforming stimulus and the cellular characteristics of the resulting tumor. Based on recent evidence, we propose that PDGF can bias cell-fate decisions, driving the acquisition of cell type-specific features by the progeny of multipotent neural progenitors, thus determining the shape and direction of the transformation path. Furthermore, recent data about the cellular mechanisms of PDGF-driven glioma progression and maintenance indicate that PDGF may be required, unexpectedly, to override cell contact inhibition and promote glioma cell infiltration rather than to stimulate cell proliferation. [source] Environmental motivations: a classification scheme and its impact on environmental strategies and practicesBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 7 2009Antony Paulraj Abstract Ecological deterioration has significantly changed the role of businesses in society and the way they are perceived. In fact, consumers are more aware of environmental issues and are demanding that the businesses take appropriate action in preserving the environment. Extant research suggests that stringent regulations had been instrumental to the timing and direction of many firms' responses to environmental preservation. In addition to these legislative requirements, firms also adopt ecologically responsive practices for various other reasons. Therefore, understanding the different motivations of environmental initiatives is pertinent. Additionally, it is also important to determine whether environmental strategies and practices differ significantly across firms with different motivations. With the above ambition in mind, this manuscript addresses the crucial issues related to corporate environmental strategy through the development of an empirical taxonomy of environmental motivations and the subsequent testing of any significant differences in corporate environmental strategy and green practices across the clusters. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] | |||||||||||||