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Particular Stage (particular + stage)
Selected AbstractsThick Prescriptions: Toward an Interpretation of Pharmaceutical Sales PracticesMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2004MICHAEL J. OLDANI Anthropologists of medicine and science are increasingly studying all aspects of pharmaceutical industry practices,from research and development to the marketing of prescription drugs. This article ethnographically explores one particular stage in the life cycle of pharmaceuticals: sales and marketing. Drawing on a range of sources,investigative journalism, medical ethics, and autoethnography,the author examines the day-to-day activities of pharmaceutical salespersons, or drug reps, during the 1990s. He describes in detail the pharmaceutical gift cycle, a three-way exchange network between doctors, salespersons, and patients and how this process of exchange is currently in a state of involution. This gift economy exists to generate prescriptions (scripts) and can mask and/or perpetuate risks and side effects for patients. With implications of pharmaceutical industry practices impacting everything from the personal-psychological to the global political economy, medical anthropologists can play a lead role in the emerging scholarly discourse concerned with critical pharmaceutical studies. [source] Identification and gene expression profiling of the Pum1 and Pum2 members of the Pumilio family in the chickenMOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2008Jee Young Lee Abstract Members of the Pumilio (Pum) family of RNA-binding proteins act as translational repressors and are required for germ cell development and asymmetric division. We identified the chicken Pum1 and Pum2 genes and analyzed their expression patterns in various tissues. Comparative sequence analysis of the Pum1 and Pum2 proteins from the drosophila, chicken, mouse, and human revealed a high degree of evolutionary conservation in terms of the levels of homology of the peptide sequences and the structure of Pumilio homology domain (PUM-HD), C-terminal RNA-binding domain, with similar spacing between the adjacent Pum eight tandem repeats. In addition, phylogenetic patterns of pumilio family showed that Pum 1 and 2 of chicken are more closely related to those of mouse and human than other species and Pum1 is more conserved than Pum2. Using real-time RT-PCR, the expression levels of the Pum1 and Pum2 genes were found to be highest in hatched female gonads, and high-level expression of Pum2 was detected in 12-day and hatched gonads among the various chicken embryonic tissues tested. In adult tissues, the expression levels of Pum1 and Pum2 were expressed at higher levels in the testis and muscle than in any other tissue. The characteristics of the tissue-specific expression of Pum genes suggest that Pum1 and Pum2 have effects crucially in particular stage during development of chicken gonads depending on sexual maturation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 184,190, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL ECONOMIES IN THE ELECTRIC UTILITY INDUSTRY: AN INTEGRATED APPROACHANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2009Massimiliano Piacenza ABSTRACT,:,The empirical literature on the cost structure of the electric utility industry traditionally focused on the measurement of specific technological properties: 1) scale economies in generation or distribution; 2) multi-product (or horizontal) scope economies at one particular stage; 3) multi-stage (or vertical) scope economies. By adopting an integrated approach, which simultaneously considers both horizontal and vertical aspects of the technology, we find the presence, on a sample of Italian electric utilities, of both vertical integration gains and horizontal scope economies at the downstream stage. In the light of recent regulatory reforms aiming at restructuring European electricity markets, our findings have important policy implications as for the proper configuration of the industry. Moreover, this methodology can be usefully applied to the study of the production structure of other public network utilities involved in similar vertical and horizontal reorganization processes. [source] Effect of dissolved oxygen and temperature on growth, survival and body composition of juvenile Farfantepenaeus californiensis (Holmes)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2000L. Ocampo Survival, growth and proximal body composition of juvenile Farfantepenaeus californiensis (Holmes) were examined at two dissolved oxygen concentrations (mean 5.8 and 2.6 mg L,1) and three temperatures (19 °C, 23 °C and 27 °C) for 50 days. Three replicate experiments were performed with a 12 h light/dark photoperiod. Survival was 68,85% at the lower dissolved oxygen level and 77,82% at the higher level and was not significantly affected by the treatments (P >,0.01). Growth at the lower oxygen concentration was significantly less (P <,0.01) than at the higher concentration, with growth rates of 2, 12 and 24 mg day,1 from the lowest to the highest temperature and 4, 17 and 26 mg day,1 for the three temperatures at the higher dissolved oxygen level. Body lipids were 1.2% wt/wt at the higher temperature and 2.1% wt/wt at the lower temperature, while proteins were 15.1% wt/wt at the higher temperature and 12.5% wt/wt at the lower temperature. These results indicate that low oxygen levels and low temperature significantly depress growth at this particular stage of life. [source] Does U.S. federal policy support employment and recovery for people with psychiatric disabilities?,BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 6 2002Bonnie O'Day Ph.D. Evidence suggests that a high percentage of people with a psychiatric disability can recover,find meaningful work, develop positive relationships, and participate fully in their communities. Evidence also suggests that work is an essential component of recovery. However, few people with a serious psychiatric disability are actually employed and most of those who are employed work only part-time at barely minimum wages. To assess the impact of federal programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance, vocational rehabilitation, medical insurance, and psychiatric services upon employment, we conducted a qualitative study of 16 employed and 16 unemployed individuals with psychiatric disabilities. All of our participants had disabilities severe enough to qualify them for Social Security Disability benefits. They told us that current federal policies and practices encouraged employment and integration of only a few participants, in a particular stage of their recovery, and placed significant barriers in the employment path of others. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] International Organizations in Transfer of Infectious Diseases: Iterative Loops of Adoption, Adaptation, and MarketingGOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2004Gill Walt Over the past few years increasing attention has been given to the role of international organizations in the diffusion of policy ideas and promotion of particular macro-level policies. Much of the attention has been on the ideological driving forces behind such policies, and on the extent to which the policies are externally imposed. There has been limited discussion on the bread-and-butter, technical policies of international organizations, and how they devise, adopt, adapt, and then promote what come to be seen as policies of global "best practice." This paper seeks to redress this gap by looking at the process of transfer of two infectious disease policies between international and national levels. It demonstrates that international organizations play different roles in policy transfer at particular stages in the process. The paper suggests that health policy transfer is a long adaptive process, made up of several iterative loops, as research and clinical practices developed in one or more countries are adopted, adapted, and taken up by international organizations which then mobilize support for particular policies, market, and promote them. Assumptions that new ideas about policies flow "rationally" into existing decision making are challenged by the processes analyzed here. Policy transfer, given the experience of these infectious diseases policies, goes through separate, "bottom-up," research-oriented, and "top-down" marketing-oriented loops. Individuals and different configurations of networks play key roles linking these loops. In the process, complex, context-specific policies are repackaged into simplified guidelines for global best practice, leading to considerable contestation within the policy networks. [source] Managing empowerment and control in an intranet environmentINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003Aidan Duane Abstract. An intranet increases in sophistication and complexity as it evolves. This evolution leads to an increasing need for control over the intranet. However, this is a contentious issue, as an intranet is deemed to be an empowering technology. Consequently, intranet control systems must balance empowerment and control so as not to negate each other. This paper investigates intranet control activities and their effect on users' perceptions of empowerment throughout the evolution of an intranet in Hewlett Packard (Ireland). The growth of the intranet is charted as a six-stage model that illustrates an evolution of purpose, control and empowerment. The control strategies for managing the intranet implemented at each stage are investigated, and their resultant effects on empowerment are evaluated. The study reveals the importance of balancing control strategies with empowerment initiatives in managing intranet environments. Based on the evidence available, the study recommends the implementation of specific controls at particular stages in the evolution of an intranet in order to achieve control systems that balance empowerment and control. [source] Effect of solid material and surfactant presence on interactions of bubbles with horizontal solid surfaceTHE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010Mária Fujasová-Zedníková Abstract The interaction of a bubble with an immersed horizontal solid surface is studied experimentally. The effect of presence of a surfactant (limited to a specific nonionic surfactant, ,-terpineol, of various concentrations) and of surface material (cleaned glass, polypropylene, polyethylene, and Teflon) is investigated. The study focuses on two particular stages of the interaction, (i) the process of bubble bounce, which includes a collision and subsequent rebound from the solid surface, and (ii) the bubble attachment, which occurs after collision in time much longer than the duration of bounce and also after disappearance of all visible bubble movement. It is observed that the effect of the surface material on the bouncing is minor, possibly due to the liquid film separating the bubble and the solid surface. The presence of surfactant significantly affects the bouncing process. It not only decreases the initial bubble velocity, but also diminishes the bubble deformation after the collision and suppresses the bubble rebound from the surface. No rebound from the surface is observed in the most concentrated (1,×,10,3,mol/L) ,-terpineol solution. The adhesion time depends both on the solid material and ,-terpineol concentration. If the ,-terpineol concentration is increased, the adhesion time increases in the case of polypropylene surface, while it decreases in the case of polyethylene and Teflon surfaces. Results of this study are relevant for the description of attachment mechanism and to determine the proper conditions for selective flotation of plastics. L'interaction d'une bulle avec une surface pleine horizontale immergée est étudiée expérimentalement. L'effet de la présence d'un agent tensio-actif (limité à un agent tensio-actif nonionique spécifique, le ,-terpinéol, de diverses concentrations) et de matériau de surface (verre nettoyé, polypropylène, polyéthylène et Téflon) est étudié. L'étude se concentre sur deux étapes particulières de l'interaction, (i) le processus de rebondissement de la bulle, incluant une collision et un rebondissement subséquent de la surface pleine, et (ii) l'adhérence de la bulle, qui se produit après la collision, d'une durée plus longue que la durée du rebondissement, et également, après la disparition de tout mouvement visible de la bulle. Il est observé que l'effet du matériau de surface sur le rebondissement est mineur, probablement dû à la pellicule liquide séparant la bulle et la surface pleine. La présence de l'agent tensio-actif affecte de manière significative le processus de rebondissement. Elle diminue nonseulement la vitesse initiale de la bulle, mais diminue également la déformation de la bulle après la collision et supprime le rebondissement de la bulle de la surface. Aucun rebondissement de la surface n'est observé dans la solution la plus concentrée de ,-terpinéol (1,×,10,3,mol/L). La durée d'adhérence dépend aussi bien de la concentration du matériau solide que de la concentration en ,-terpinéol. Si la concentration en ,-terpinéol est augmentée, la durée d'adhérence augmente dans le cas de la surface en polypropylène, alors qu'elle diminue dans le cas des surfaces en polyéthylène et en Téflon. Les résultats de cette étude sont pertinents pour décrire le mécanisme d'adhérence et pour déterminer les conditions appropriées pour la flottaison sélective des plastiques. [source] The Relative Importance of Interfirm Relationships and Knowledge Transfer for New Product Development Success,THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2007Mette Praest Knudsen The relationship and network literature has primarily focused on particular partner types, for example, buyer,supplier relationships or competitor interaction. This article explores the nature and relative importance of different types of interfirm relationships for new product development (NPD) success. The underlying premise of the study is that not only the type of interfirm relationships but also the combination of relationships are important for NPD performance. The interaction with a specific type of partner is expected to influence innovative performance by means of appropriate knowledge transfer. Varying needs for external knowledge, and thus types of relationships, are observed depending on the particular stages in the NPD process, the character of the knowledge base of the firm, and the industrial conditions. The absorption of external knowledge is discussed using the degree of redundancy in knowledge, which is defined as the degree of overlap in the knowledge base of the sender and the recipient of knowledge. Hence, the degree of redundancy has direct implications for the ease and, hence, use of knowledge shared with an external partner. The article is based on data from the Know for Innovation survey on innovative activities among European firms, which was carried out in 2000 in seven European countries covering five industries. The article explores the extent of use of external relationships in collaborative product development and finds that customers are involved more frequently in joint development efforts. Second, the industry association of the most important relationship is studied, and the results show that firms tend to partner with firms from their own industry. The danger in this approach is that firms from their own industry tend to contribute similar knowledge, which ultimately may endanger the creation of new knowledge and therefore more radical product developments. The analyses combine the finding that relationships with customers are used most frequently at both early and late stages of the product development process, with a second and more contradictory finding that at the same time customer relationships have a negative impact on innovative success. Moreover, the combination of customers, with both universities and competitors, has a significant negative effect on innovative performance. The potential causes of this apparent paradox can be narrowed down to two: (1) the average customer may be unable to articulate needs for advanced technology-based products; and (2) the average customer may be unable to conceptualize ideas beyond the realm of his or her own experience. Based on this evidence the article cautions product development managers to think explicitly about what certain customers can contribute with and, more importantly, to match this contribution directly with their own sense of what direction product development should go in the future. Finally, the role of complementary as well as supplementary knowledge is investigated for innovative success finding that sharing of supplementary knowledge with external partners in NPD leads to a positive effect on innovative performance. The article is concluded by a discussion of the implication of this finding for building knowledge within the firm and for selecting external partners for NPD. [source] | |||||||||||||