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New Trends (new + trend)
Selected AbstractsNew Trends in Crisis Management Practice and Crisis Management Research: Setting the AgendaJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2001Paul 't Hart [source] New trends in urban development and public policy in eastern Germany: dealing with the vacant housing problem at the local levelINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2004Birgit Glock Supported by federal funds, many eastern German cities have started to address their acute vacant housing problem, and the new strategies attempt to pursue revitalization in especially consistent and comprehensive forms. This article offers evidence that current policies are not meeting their main objectives. Very little is being done in the older, inner-city neighbourhoods, although these have been given a top political priority in the planning process since they are perceived as one of the greatest economic and cultural assets of eastern Germany. Rather, the policies have been effective only in the large-scale housing estates, where local administrations and city governments meet ,big partners' with resources for action. Further, it is argued that present policy strategies focus too tightly on housing market issues alone. Many housing problems cannot be solved using housing market policy tools alone as vacancy is caused by the general trends of depopulation and deindustrialization in the region. Avec l'aide de financements fédéraux, de nombreuses grandes villes est-allemandes se sont attaquées à leur grave problème de logements inoccupés, et les nouvelles stratégies tentent une relance par des formules particulièrement vastes et cohérentes. Cet article démontre que les politiques actuelles n'atteignent pas leurs objectifs principaux. Très peu est fait dans les quartiers anciens déshérités, même si on leur a donné une priorité politique élevée dans le processus d'aménagement puisqu'ils sont en bonne place, dit-on, dans le patrimoine économique et culturel de l'Allemagne de l'Est. En revanche, les politiques publiques n'ont été efficaces que dans les projets de logements à grande échelle lorsque les administrations locales et autorités de la ville rencontrent des ,partenaires de poids' ayant des ressources pour agir. De plus, les stratégies politiques présentes s'attachent trop aux seuls aspects liés au marché du logement. Bien des problèmes d'habitat ne peuvent être résolus à l'aide d'outils de politique de marché puisque la vacance tient aux tendances générales à la dépopulation et à la désindustrialisation de la région. [source] THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRMS: A CRITICAL REVIEWJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 3 2009Esther Blanco Abstract New trends in studies on the governance of natural assets include substantial consideration of the role of voluntary initiatives. A traditional economic view states that there is a trade-off between being green and being competitive. According to that view, no voluntary environmental action is expected to occur. To undertake an in-depth analysis of the scope for voluntary action, this paper reviews empirical literature that analyzes the relationship between manufacturing firms' environmental initiatives or performance and economic results. This review moves beyond the general test of the ,pay to be green' hypothesis, preferring instead to systematize empirical results in more specific research questions. Empirical findings of the reviewed literature generally support that there is no penalty for being green. In addition, the typology of firms, the methods utilized for implementing environmental initiatives, the intensity of abatement efforts and stockholders' valuation of green firms have all been shown to have a sizeable influence on the actual economic results of environmental action or management. Consequently, the findings of this paper challenge the traditional strategic theory that predicts widespread free-riding; it holds major implications for environmental policy-making and environmental business decisions. [source] New trends and recent advances in coherent Raman microscopy and nonlinear optical spectroscopy: introduction to the special issueJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 7 2009A. Volkmer Abstract This special issue highlights 20 papers, presenting the latest theoretical and experimental developments and achievements in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy and nonlinear optical spectroscopy. Most of them were presented at the seventh European Conference on Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy (ECONOS 2008) jointly held with the first European Conference on CARS Microscopy (microCARS 2008) in Igls, Austria, May 25,27, 2008. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Living in the feudalism of adult basic and literacy education: Can we negotiate a literacy democracy?NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 91 2001B. Allan Quigley Adult literacy and basic education are governed by political processes that are similar to feudalism. New trends point the way to a democratizing of knowledge in literacy. [source] Automatic Conversion of Mesh Animations into Skeleton-based AnimationsCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2008Edilson De Aguiar Abstract Recently, it has become increasingly popular to represent animations not by means of a classical skeleton-based model, but in the form of deforming mesh sequences. The reason for this new trend is that novel mesh deformation methods as well as new surface based scene capture techniques offer a great level of flexibility during animation creation. Unfortunately, the resulting scene representation is less compact than skeletal ones and there is not yet a rich toolbox available which enables easy post-processing and modification of mesh animations. To bridge this gap between the mesh-based and the skeletal paradigm, we propose a new method that automatically extracts a plausible kinematic skeleton, skeletal motion parameters, as well as surface skinning weights from arbitrary mesh animations. By this means, deforming mesh sequences can be fully-automatically transformed into fullyrigged virtual subjects. The original input can then be quickly rendered based on the new compact bone and skin representation, and it can be easily modified using the full repertoire of already existing animation tools. [source] Legal piperazine-containing party pills-a new trend in substance misuseDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 3 2007JANIE SHERIDAN In this Harm Reduction Digest Sheridan, Butler, Wilkins and Russell address the emergent phenomenon of so-called ,legal party pills' which have become a significant drug issue in New Zealand and elsewhere. Although banned in a number of countries, they are currently legally available in New Zealand where they are marketed as ,safe' alternatives' to ,illicit' drugs often used in the dance scene such as MDMA and amphetamines. The authors describe the availability and use of these substances in New Zealand, summarize what is known about their effects, and speculate on harm reduction interventions and mechanisms of control and their possible sequelae. The paper provides a timely account of an emerging drug issue of relevance to harm reduction internationally. [source] Advanced and intelligent technologies for reliable operation of power systems and electricity marketsIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2008Ryuichi Yokoyama Senior Member Abstract Deregulation of power industries is still progressing in many countries, aiming at reduction of the electricity price, diversity of customer diverse choices, services and promotion of new business and keeping supply reliability. Many countries are testing this notion in anticipation of lower power prices through open competition. In such a competitive situation, it is necessary for suppliers to take on the responsibility of keeping supply reliability at the load end in order to prevent outages, for instance, independent power producers (IPP) placing distributed generations (DGs) close to the load or conventional utilities utilizing advanced and intelligent system operation/control technologies that are costly. Usually, customers pay one price for power that is good enough for ordinary use, therefore not necessarily highly consistent in quality of voltage, current, frequency or reliability. However, if customers desire better quality power, additional fees are added according to the particular characteristics desired, thus customers are supplied with this type of better power that they choose. Under such a worldwide new trend in power systems and markets, this article is edited for the purpose of introducing the most advanced technologies and the newest issues related to reliable and stable operations of power markets and systems in the competitive environment. © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Migration of Highly Skilled Chinese to Europe: Trends and PerspectiveINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 3 2003Guochu Zhang Since China's economic opening and reforms in 1978, the country has broadened and deepened its exchanges and relations with other countries. This has contributed to the increase in the scale of international migration of highly skilled Chinese abroad. The impact of the migration of highly skilled Chinese on China and the relevant nations particularly deserve attention and study. Following the earlier migration flows mainly to the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the migration of highly skilled Chinese to Europe has become a notable new trend. Currently, the flow of international migration of highly skilled Chinese personnel is mainly oriented toward Europe and the United States. While studying abroad has been the main form of migration of the skilled, this has now been joined by the migration of technical and professional staff, and the trend is increasing. The main country of destination for Chinese students is the United States, which absorbs more than half of the total, while Australia and Canada receive the largest number of skilled Chinese manpower. The United States also receives a large number of Chinese technical personnel, but its proportion has declined, while the flow to Europe has sharply increased. This development may be attributed to the global expansion of economic, scientific and technological, as well as cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation. But it is also the result of an increase in the educational investment made by the Chinese people following the continuous increase in China's economic strength and the population's personal income. Of greater importance are the gaps between China and Europe at the scientific, technological, and educational levels and the research and marketing environment. The intervening changes in labour market and immigration policies in European and American countries accelerate the trend further. For all of these and other reasons, the spatial distribution of Chinese students will become more balanced and play a positive role in the promotion of mutually beneficial exchanges between China and other countries. [source] Robustness in the Pareto-solutions for the multi-criteria minisum location problemJOURNAL OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2001F.R. Fernández Abstract In this paper, a new trend is introduced into the field of multi-criteria location problems. We combine the robustness approach using the minmax regret criterion together with Pareto-optimality. We consider the multi-criteria squared Euclidean minisum location problem which consists of simultaneously minimizing a number of weighted sum-distance functions and the set of Pareto-optimal locations as its solution concept. The Pareto-optimal solutions for the set of robust locations with respect to the original weighted sum-distance functions is completely characterized. These Pareto-optimal solutions have both the properties of stability and non-domination which are required in robust and multi-criteria programming. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Materials in particulate form for tissue engineering.JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007Abstract For biomedical applications, materials small in size are growing in importance. In an era where ,nano' is the new trend, micro- and nano-materials are in the forefront of developments. Materials in the particulate form aim to designate systems with a reduced size, such as micro- and nanoparticles. These systems can be produced starting from a diversity of materials, of which polymers are the most used. Similarly, a multitude of methods are used to produce particulate systems, and both materials and methods are critically reviewed here. Among the varied applications that materials in the particulate form can have, drug delivery systems are probably the most prominent, as these have been in the forefront of interest for biomedical applications. The basic concepts pertaining to drug delivery are summarized, and the role of polymers as drug delivery systems conclude this review. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Third-Party Policing and Insurance: The Case of Market-Based Crime PreventionLAW & POLICY, Issue 1 2000Sharyn Roach Anleu This paper examines a relatively new trend: market-based crime prevention. The insurance firm is an exemplary agent of this new type of crime prevention. Although the traditional focus of insurance has been on losses sustained after a crime or other catastrophe, we explore the shift from reactive to proactive crime management by the insurance industry. This trend is part of a more general decentralization of policing, from state-controlled agents to community- and market-based third parties. New ideologies support these shifts, including an actuarial logic about crime and a view of the prudent person. [source] Multivariate explanation of the 1985,1990 and 1995,2000 destination choices of newly arrived immigrants in the United States: the beginning of a new trend?POPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 5 2007Kao-Lee Liaw Abstract This paper identifies the salient features in the 1985,1990 and 1995,2000 destination choices of newly arrived immigrants, and performs multivariate explanation of these choices, based on an application of a multinomial logit model to the state-specific immigration data of the 1990 and 2000 censuses. The salient features are that: (1) the destination choice pattern of the newly arrived immigrants became more dispersed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s; (2) the change was pervasive in the sense that it was true for all combinations of five broad ethnic groups and four levels of educational attainment; (3) the change was much greater for Hispanics and Blacks than for Asians and Whites; (4) the lower the level of education, the greater the increase in dispersion; and (5) the Hispanics with the lowest education experienced the greatest increase in dispersion. Our multivariate analysis reveals that: (1) while the attraction of co-ethnic communities as destinations remained strong for both periods, it became much less intense in the late 1990s, especially for Hispanics and Blacks; (2) the newly arrived immigrants were subject to the strong pull of higher income level in both periods; (3) the pull of employment growth became stronger and more industry-specific from the late 1980s to the late 1990s; and (4) the pull of service employment growth, especially for the least-educated Hispanic immigrants, became much stronger in the later period. In the context of the progressive entrenchment of neoliberalism and the major changes in immigration policies, our empirical findings suggest that the ethnically selective dispersal of immigrants in the late 1990s is probably the beginning of a new trend. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The case against neuropsychoanalysis: On fallacies underlying psychoanalysis' latest scientifi c trend and its negative impact on psychoanalytic discourseTHE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 1 2007RACHEL B. BLASS The authors offer a critical examination of the claims of the proponents of the growing neuropsychoanalytic trend, that neuroscientifi c fi ndings are relevant and important for the development and justifi cation of psychoanalytic theory and practice. They bring to light some of the intuitions that have led to the popularity of the neuropsychoanalytic claims and the fallacies that underlie these claims and intuitions. They argue that it is crucial at this time to articulate the case against the neuropsychoanalytic trend because, underlying the debate over the relevance of neuroscience to psychoanalysis, there lies a struggle over the essential nature of psychoanalytic theory and practice. Relying on a biologistic perspective, whereby only what is biological is real, this new trend in effect offers a vision of psychoanalysis that limits the signifi cance of the unique psychoanalytic concern with the understanding of meanings and the role of discourse in discerning and justifying these meanings. [source] A consideration of the patentability of enantiomers in the pharmaceutical industry in the United States,CHIRALITY, Issue 6 2008Chris P. Miller Abstract During the last thirty years, concern over stereoselectivity of drug action has drawn a great deal of interest within the pharmaceutical field due to an improved understanding of the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of enantiomers. Developing single enantiomers versus racemates or introducing a single enantiomer following the development of the racemic mixture appears to be the new trend. The intellectual property status of single enantiomers from racemates may be unclear. Drug discoverers and patent attorneys must examine the examples of the past to establish an appropriate pathway towards the development and intellectual property protection of chiral drugs. The review will focus on the patenting of an enantiomer in view of the prior art disclosure for the racemic mixture. Chirality, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] THE AIRPORT HOTEL AS BUSINESS SPACEGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009Donald McNeill ABSTRACT. This article seeks to contribute to debates about the mobile nature of contemporary economic practice, through a discussion of some key themes in the evolution of airport hotels as business spaces. It argues that despite being emblematic of a hypermobile business elite, the nature of hotels as business spaces requires careful unpacking. The article begins by discussing the evolution of the airport hotel, charting the shift from basic lodging standards to recent developments of five star airport hotels. It then seeks to explain the locational geographies of airport hotel development, in response to these new trends. Finally, the article describes how the business traveller is conceived of and (speculatively) catered for by airport hotel operators and designers within a discourse of connectivity, before providing some counter-examples of how such claims fail to address the hotel's place within the complexity of airport spatial organization. [source] New Generation of Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Cancer Imaging and TherapyADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 10 2009Kyeongsoon Park Abstract Advances in nanotechnology have contributed to the development of novel nanoparticles that enable the tumor-specific delivery of imaging probes and therapeutic agents in cancer imaging and therapy. Nanobiotechnology combines nanotechnology with molecular imaging, which has led to the generation of new multifunctional nanoparticles for cancer imaging and therapy. Multifunctional nanoparticles hold great promise for the future of cancer treatment because they can detect the early onset of cancer in each individual patient and deliver suitable therapeutic agents to enhance therapeutic efficacy. The combination of tumor-targeted imaging and therapy in an all-in-one system provides a useful multimodal approach in the battle against cancer. Novel multifunctional nanoparticles thus offer a new avenue in the application of personalized medicine in the near future. Herein, new trends and the significance of novel multifunctional nanoparticles in cancer imaging and therapy are reviewed. [source] EditorialKeeping information centre stage amid changing sceneryHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Maria J Grant With conference season upon us, consideration is given to the importance of subject-specific and library association conferences. The biennial Health Libraries Group (HLG) conference meets both these criteria and takes place in Greater Manchester in July. The conference provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, identifying new trends and professional rejuvenation. An open invitation is given to attend the Health Information and Libraries Journal,Writing for Publication' workshop at the HLG conference. An overview of three bursaries available from the Health Libraries Group and Library and Information Research, both groups of the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is provided. The bursaries offer opportunities to cover the costs of registration and travel expenses to national and international conference. [source] Never Ending Stories: Recent Trends in the Historiography of Jammu and KashmirHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007Vernon Hewitt This article reviews recent historiography on Jammu and Kashmir, showing how it has sought to escape an overemphasis on independence and partition, and has sought to relocate itself free of the histories of India and Pakistan. In doing so, it has tried to critique the official Indian and Pakistani sources, question the homogeneity of Kashmiri identity, and interrogate the aims and objectives of leading Kashmiri nationalists, primarily that of Sheikh Abdullah. It has also sought to identify the multiplicity of Kashmiri voices premised on issues of culture and language. Energised by the recent violence and turmoil within Indian administered Kashmir, new trends in historiography hold out real potential in offering not just fresh insights but also new and innovative solutions, at some risk of losing sight of the ,political' as an subject open to meaningful generalisation and investigation. [source] Multiple displacement amplification to create a long-lasting source of DNA for genetic studies,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 7 2006Lovisa Lovmar Abstract In many situations there may not be sufficient DNA collected from patient or population cohorts to meet the requirements of genome-wide analysis of SNPs, genomic copy number polymorphisms, or acquired copy number alternations. When the amount of available DNA for genotype analysis is limited, high performance whole-genome amplification (WGA) represents a new development in genetic analysis. It is especially useful for analysis of DNA extracted from stored histology slides, tissue samples, buccal swabs, or blood stains collected on filter paper. The multiple displacement amplification (MDA) method, which relies on isothermal amplification using the DNA polymerase of the bacteriophage ,29, is a recently developed technique for high performance WGA. This review addresses new trends in the technical performance of MDA and its applications to genetic analyses. The main challenge of WGA methods is to obtain balanced and faithful replication of all chromosomal regions without the loss of or preferential amplification of any genomic loci or allele. In multiple comparisons to other WGA methods, MDA appears to be most reliable for genotyping, with the most favorable call rates, best genomic coverage, and lowest amplification bias. Hum Mutat 27(7), 603,614, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Issues in pension system designINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 1 2002Maria Augusztinovics External conditions for pension system design and demographic and labour market trends are briefly considered and the latter found decisive. Basic concepts, e.g. social assistance and insurance, redistribution and actuarial fairness, are then introduced. Then it is argued that the "public PAYG versus private funded" dichotomy has attracted an unduly large share of attention in recent pension reform debates, as such institutional changes do not really address the basic problems, while quantitative aspects, the relationship between contribution and replacement rates, have been improperly neglected or shielded by the paradigmatic controversy. The next, crucial point is that traditional, employment-based, earnings-related forms of pension insurance are endangered by new trends on the labour market; hence, new solutions will have to be sought to ensure pension coverage for the entire population. A brief plea for more, relevant and comparative information on pension issues follows. The paper concludes with a concise summary and by contemplating what could and should be expected from the Second World Assembly on Ageing. [source] Potential roles of melatonin and chronotherapy among the new trends in hypertension treatmentJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009Fedor Simko Abstract:, The number of well-controlled hypertensives is unacceptably low worldwide. Respecting the circadian variation of blood pressure, nontraditional antihypertensives, and treatment in early stages of hypertension are potential ways to improve hypertension therapy. First, prominent variations in circadian rhythm are characteristic for blood pressure. The revolutionary MAPEC (Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Cardiovascular Events) study, in 3000 adult hypertensives investigates, whether chronotherapy influences the cardiovascular prognosis beyond blood pressure reduction per se. Second, melatonin, statins and aliskiren are hopeful drugs for hypertension treatment. Melatonin, through its scavenging and antioxidant effects, preservation of NO availability, sympatholytic effect or specific melatonin receptor activation exerts antihypertensive and anti-remodeling effects and may be useful especially in patients with nondipping nighttime blood pressure pattern or with nocturnal hypertension and in hypertensives with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Owing to its multifunctional physiological actions, this indolamine may offer cardiovascular protection far beyond its hemodynamic benefit. Statins exert several pleiotropic effects through inhibition of small guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins such as Ras and Rho. Remarkably, statins reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients and more importantly they attenuate LVH. Addition of statins should be considered for high-risk hypertensives, for hypertensives with LVH, and possibly for high-risk prehypertensive patients. The direct renin inhibitor, aliskiren, inhibits catalytic activity of renin molecules in circulation and in the kidney, thus lowering angiotensin II levels. Furthermore, aliskiren by modifying the prorenin conformation may prevent prorenin activation. At present, aliskiren should be considered in hypertensive patients not sufficiently controlled or intolerant to other inhibitors of renin,angiotensin system. Third, TROPHY (Trial of Preventing Hypertension) is the first pharmacological intervention for prehypertensive patients revealing that treatment with angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker attenuates hypertension development and thus decreases the risk of cardiovascular events. [source] Weighted hybrid clustering by combining text mining and bibliometrics on a large-scale journal databaseJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Xinhai Liu We propose a new hybrid clustering framework to incorporate text mining with bibliometrics in journal set analysis. The framework integrates two different approaches: clustering ensemble and kernel-fusion clustering. To improve the flexibility and the efficiency of processing large-scale data, we propose an information-based weighting scheme to leverage the effect of multiple data sources in hybrid clustering. Three different algorithms are extended by the proposed weighting scheme and they are employed on a large journal set retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The clustering performance of the proposed algorithms is systematically evaluated using multiple evaluation methods, and they were cross-compared with alternative methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed weighted hybrid clustering strategy is superior to other methods in clustering performance and efficiency. The proposed approach also provides a more refined structural mapping of journal sets, which is useful for monitoring and detecting new trends in different scientific fields. [source] Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever: A 10-Year Retrospective Study of 41 Cases in a Parisian HospitalJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2001Eric Caumes Background: Enteric fever remains a major cause of fever in travelers. We evaluated new trends in enteric fever. Methods: We reviewed the epidemiological, clinical, biological, bacteriological data, and outcome of all cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fever seen in our department over the last decade. The inclusion criteria were the presence of signs compatible with enteric fever and isolation of Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi A, B, or C from blood or stool cultures or any other site. Results: Among the 41 patients, 38 (93%) had travel-associated enteric fever. The main geographic source of contamination was the Indian subcontinent. One patient had been vaccinated with parenteral Vi vaccine 1 year previously. Fever and headaches were the only signs which were present in more than 80% of patients. The Widal test at inclusion was positive in 27%, and a second serological test was found to be positive in 50% of evaluated cases. Blood cultures and stool cultures were positive in 34 cases and 10 cases, respectively. Salmonellae spp were isolated in both hemocultures and stool cultures in 4 cases and in urine in 1 case. Two strains of S. typhi were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. One strain of S. typhi and one of S. paratyphi B were nalidixic acid resistant. All evaluable patients were cured with the exception of 2 patients (1 failure, 1 relapse). We observed 3 toxic reactions. No patients died. Conclusion: The diagnosis and outcome of enteric fever are hampered by the lack of specificity of clinical and biological signs, the increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance, and the occurrence of toxic reactions during treatment. [source] The Needs and Benefits of Applying Textual Data Mining within the Product Development ProcessQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2004Rakesh Menon Abstract As a result of the growing competition in recent years, new trends such as increased product complexity, changing customer requirements and shortening development time have emerged within the product development process (PDP). These trends have added more challenges to the already-difficult task of quality and reliability prediction and improvement. They have given rise to an increase in the number of unexpected events in the PDP. Traditional tools are only partially adequate to cover these unexpected events. As such, new tools are being sought to complement traditional ones. This paper investigates the use of one such tool, textual data mining for the purpose of quality and reliability improvement. The motivation for this paper stems from the need to handle ,loosely structured textual data' within the product development process. Thus far, most of the studies on data mining within the PDP have focused on numerical databases. In this paper, the need for the study of textual databases is established. Possible areas within a generic PDP for consumer and professional products, where textual data mining could be employed are highlighted. In addition, successful implementations of textual data mining within two large multi-national companies are presented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Object Recognition in Digital PhotogrammetryTHE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC RECORD, Issue 95 2000T. Schenk Object recognition and image understanding have increasingly become major subjects of interest for research activity in digital photogrammetry. This paper provides an overview of object recognition in photogrammetry, beginning with a problem statement and brief paradigm description. In order to exemplify the concept, automatic interior orientation is presented as an object recognition problem. Subsequent sections discuss the current status of object recognition by identifying relevant criteria, such as modelling, system strategies and inference components. Such criteria are useful for comparing object recognition systems or proposed approaches. Strengths and weaknesses of current systems are summarized, followed by a more detailed analysis of the modelling problem. Finally, two new approaches (scale-space and fusion of multisensor/multispectral data) are mentioned. These approaches serve as examples of promising new trends which have the potential of advancing object recognition to a new level. [source] Facing highly infectious diseases: new trends and current conceptsCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 8 2009P. Brouqui Abstract A highly infectious disease (HID) that is transmissible from person to person causes life-threatening illness and presents a serious hazard in the healthcare setting and in the community that requires specific control measures. Due to environmental factors, changes in lifestyle and many other unknown factors, the emergence of such HIDs is becoming more and more likely. As has already been demonstrated during the SARS outbreak, healthcare facilities are likely to be the origin of future HID outbreaks. Preparedness planning will be essential in helping facilities manage future outbreaks of emerging or resurgent infectious diseases. Guidelines have been developed by national and international institutions. To avoid contamination of healthcare workers, the care of HID patients should follow the same infection control rules that are applied to laboratory workers exposed to similar agents. Here, the current knowledge concerning the clinical care of patients with HIDs is reviewed, and specific aspects of the management of such diseases are introduced. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||