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Selected AbstractsAn Evaluation of Flexible Workday Policies in Job Shops,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2002Kum-Khiong Yang ABSTRACT Job shops have long faced pressures for improvement in a challenging and volatile environment. Today's trends of global competition and shortening of product life cycles suggest that both the challenges and the intensity of market volatility will only increase. Consequently, the study of tactics for maximizing the flexibility and responsiveness of a job shop is important. Indeed, there is a significant body of literature that has produced guidelines on when and how to deploy tactics such as alternate routings for jobs and transfers of cross-trained workers between machines. In this paper we consider a different tactic by adjusting the length of workdays. Hours in excess of a 40-hour week are exchanged for compensatory time off at time and a half, and the total amount of accrued compensatory time is limited to no more than 160 hours in accordance with pending legislation. We propose several simple flexible workday policies that are based on an input/output control approach and investigate their performance in a simulated job shop. We find significant gains in performance over a fixed schedule of eight hours per day. Our results also provide insights into the selection of policy parameters. [source] An Independent Evaluation of Four Quantitative Emergency Department Crowding ScalesACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Spencer S. Jones MStat Background Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has become a frequent topic of investigation. Despite a significant body of research, there is no standard definition or measurement of ED crowding. Four quantitative scales for ED crowding have been proposed in the literature: the Real-time Emergency Analysis of Demand Indicators (READI), the Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN), the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Study (NEDOCS) scale, and the Emergency Department Crowding Scale (EDCS). These four scales have yet to be independently evaluated and compared. Objectives The goals of this study were to formally compare four existing quantitative ED crowding scales by measuring their ability to detect instances of perceived ED crowding and to determine whether any of these scales provide a generalizable solution for measuring ED crowding. Methods Data were collected at two-hour intervals over 135 consecutive sampling instances. Physician and nurse agreement was assessed using weighted , statistics. The crowding scales were compared via correlation statistics and their ability to predict perceived instances of ED crowding. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were calculated at site-specific cut points and at the recommended thresholds. Results All four of the crowding scales were significantly correlated, but their predictive abilities varied widely. NEDOCS had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC) (0.92), while EDCS had the lowest (0.64). The recommended thresholds for the crowding scales were rarely exceeded; therefore, the scales were adjusted to site-specific cut points. At a site-specific cut point of 37.19, NEDOCS had the highest sensitivity (0.81), specificity (0.87), and positive predictive value (0.62). Conclusions At the study site, the suggested thresholds of the published crowding scales did not agree with providers' perceptions of ED crowding. Even after adjusting the scales to site-specific thresholds, a relatively low prevalence of ED crowding resulted in unacceptably low positive predictive values for each scale. These results indicate that these crowding scales lack scalability and do not perform as designed in EDs where crowding is not the norm. However, two of the crowding scales, EDWIN and NEDOCS, and one of the READI subscales, bed ratio, yielded good predictive power (AROC >0.80) of perceived ED crowding, suggesting that they could be used effectively after a period of site-specific calibration at EDs where crowding is a frequent occurrence. [source] Reading, Work, and Catholic Women's BiographiesENGLISH LITERARY RENAISSANCE, Issue 3 2003Frances E. Dolan This essay considers biographies of Catholic women written after their deaths, largely by priests who served as their confessors, and the saints' lives which these biographies took as their models. The purpose of this essay is twofold: to draw attention to a significant body of Catholic writing, and to use this material to shed new light on the one text of this group that has gained considerable critical attention, The Lady Falkland, Her Life, a biography of Elizabeth Cary by one of her daughters, a Benedictine nun. Considering the Life as a participant in a subgenre of Catholic biography reveals the tension between the conventions and precedents available to Cary's biographer, on the one hand, and her intractable subject, on the other. The Life, like other similar biographies, borrows from and verges on hagiography, but is particularly unsuccessful at transforming its subject into a saint. While criticism of Cary and her works continues to dwell on her as eccentric and exceptional, determined by the particularities of her own character and experience, she is as like other female subjects of Catholic biography and hagiography as she is unlike them. This can only be seen by attending to the kinds of texts that Cary and her daughter might well have read, and the parameters they set for writing an eminent Catholic woman's life. These texts figure reading and housework as the chief means by which Catholic women define and sustain their confessional identities in the hostile environment of post-reformation England. [source] The Influence of Top Management Team Heterogeneity on the Capital Raised through an Initial Public OfferingENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2008Monica A. Zimmerman A significant body of research exists on the top management teams (TMTs) of established firms and specifically on the heterogeneity of TMTs of established firms. Little research exists, however, on the heterogeneity of TMTs of firms in the early stages of their existence. In this study, I examine the relationship among TMT heterogeneity and the capital raised by the firm through its initial public offering (IPO). I argue that TMT heterogeneity provides a signal to potential investors about the quality of the IPO and hence is associated with greater capital accumulations. My findings suggest that heterogeneity in the TMT's functional background and educational background is associated with greater capital raised through an IPO. [source] Interviewing people with chronic illness about sexuality: an adaptation of the PLISSIT modelJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 11c 2008Brenda Mercer RN Aims and objectives., The author will draw on relevant research and her personal experience as someone who lives with a chronic illness to identify the challenges that are inherent in research interviews regarding sexuality in chronic illness. Background., Although sexuality in chronic illness has become a significant body of research in the field of chronic illness, particularly in the field of cancer, there are few guidelines available to assist researchers in interviewing people about such an intimate and sensitive topic. Conclusions., The PLISSIT model used in clinical counselling could be adapted to be used by researchers in interviews about sexuality. With this model a researcher can cover in-depth interview on this individual's sexuality and sexual health. Also, with the use of the PLISSIT model as a research tool, many of the past myths concerning sexuality and sexual health can be exposed and changed. Relevance to clinical practice., The adaptation of the PLISSIT counselling model to an interviewing model can contribute to researchers feeling more confident with participants when interviewing them concerning their sexuality and sexual health. It may illicit more appropriate responses from individuals concerning their sexuality and sexual health. [source] The evolutionary significance of parasitism: do parasite-driven genetic dynamics occur ex silico?JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002T. J. Little It has long been recognized that reciprocal antagonism might lock host and parasite populations into a process of constant change, adapting and reacting in open-ended coevolution. A significant body of theory supports this intuition: dynamic genetic polymorphisms are a common outcome of computer simulations of host,parasite coevolution. These in silico experiments have also shown that dynamical interactions could be responsible for high levels of genetic diversity in host populations, and even be the principle determinant of rates of genetic recombination and sexuality. The evolutionary significance of parasitism depends on the strength and prevalence of parasite-mediated selection in nature. Here I appraise whether parasitism is a pervasive agent of evolutionary change by detailing empirical evidence for selection. Although there is considerable evidence of genetic variation for resistance, and hence the potential for selection, direct observation of parasite-driven genetic change is lacking. [source] Infection and preterm birth: Evidence of a common causal relationship with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and cerebral palsyJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 4 2000R Vigneswaran Abstract: Subclinical genital tract infection has been clearly established as a significant cause of spontaneous preterm birth, particularly in early gestations. Bacterial vaginosis organisms rank highly among the pathogens involved in preterm labour and there is considerable beneficial evidence from the use of prophylactic antibiotics for women at high risk of preterm birth. The pathogenesis involves activation of macrophages and the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is seen in the most immature of survivors and appears to be secondary to interruption of normal development and maturation of the lungs. The link between chorioamnionitis and lung injury in utero and subsequent development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia has now been substantiated. Exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines is implicated in the impairment of the fetal lung. A significant body of evidence supports the association between chorioamnionitis, periventricular leukomalacia and cerebral palsy. Biological mechanisms that explain the association between chorioamnionitis and fetal brain injury involve pro-inflammatory cytokines. Similarity in the pattern of expression of cytokines suggests a common pathway for the initiation of preterm labour and also injury to the lung and the central nervous system of the fetus. [source] Common sense clarified: The role of intuitive knowledge in physics problem solvingJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 6 2006Bruce Sherin Over the last two decades, a significant body of research has documented the nature of intuitive physics knowledge,the knowledge of the world that students bring to the learning of formal physics. However, this research has yet to document the roles played by intuitive physics knowledge in expert physics practice. In this article, I discuss three related questions: (1) What role, if any, does intuitive knowledge play in physics problem solving? (2) How does intuitive physics knowledge change in order to play that role, if at all? (3) When and how do these changes typically occur? In answer to these questions, I attempt to show that intuitive physics knowledge can play a variety of roles in expert problem solving, including some roles that are central and directly connected to equations. This research draws on observations of college students working in pairs to solve physics problems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 535,555, 2006 [source] Positive Evidence Versus Explicit Rule Presentation and Explicit Negative Feedback: A Computer-Assisted StudyLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 1 2004Cristina Sanz The facilitative role of explicit information in second Language acquisition has been supported by a significant body of research (Alanen, 1995; Carroll & Swain, 1993; de Graaff, 1997; DeKeyser, 1995; Ellis, 1993; Robinson, 1996, 1997), but counterevidence is also available (Rosa & O'Neill, 1999; VanPatten & Oikkenon, 1996). This experimental study investigates the effects of computer-delivered, explicit information on the acquisition of Spanish word order by comparing four groups comprised of [+/,Explanation] and [+/,Explicit Feedback]. Results showed that all groups improved significantly and similarly on interpretation and production tests. It is suggested that explicit information may not necessarily facilitate second Language acquisition and that exposing learners to task-essential practice is sufficient to promote acquisition. [source] The role of narrative in understanding digital video: An exploratory analysisPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2003Todd Wilkens Narrative is perhaps the oldest and most widely used form for organizing information and human experience, thus, it is not surprising that there is a significant body of research concerning narrative and its importance to comprehension and understanding. One important outcome of this research is the concept of narrative intelligence, the human tendency to fit experience into narrative form. This research is extremely relevant to information seeking in general and sense-making, in particular. This paper outlines the basic principles and research supporting the concept of narrative intelligence and its applicability to the ways in which people make sense of digital video. We explore relevant theory and research in sense-making, surrogates, narrative, and narrative intelligence and then present the preliminary results of two research studies. The first clarifies and operationalizes the concept of narrative as it relates to video. The second demonstrates how narrativity can have significant effects on information seeking and sense-making in digital video. Results from these studies have implications for how syntactic form can be used as a means of indexing digital video. [source] Antenatal maternal stress and long-term effects on child neurodevelopment: how and why?THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 3-4 2007Nicole M. Talge We review a significant body of evidence from independent prospective studies that if a mother is stressed while pregnant, her child is substantially more likely to have emotional or cognitive problems, including an increased risk of attentional deficit/hyperactivity, anxiety, and language delay. These findings are independent of effects due to maternal postnatal depression and anxiety. We still do not know what forms of anxiety or stress are most detrimental, but research suggests that the relationship with the partner can be important in this respect. The magnitude of these effects is clinically significant, as the attributable load of emotional/behavioral problems due to antenatal stress and/or anxiety is approximately 15%. Animal models suggest that activity of the stress-responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its hormonal end-product cortisol are involved in these effects in both mother and offspring. The fetal environment can be altered if stress in the mother changes her hormonal profile, and in humans, there is a strong correlation between maternal and fetal cortisol levels. However, many problems remain in understanding the mechanisms involved in this interaction. For example, maternal cortisol responses to stress decline over the course of pregnancy, and earlier in pregnancy, the link between maternal and fetal cortisol is less robust. It is possible that the effects of maternal anxiety and stress on the developing fetus and child are moderated by other factors such as a maternal diet (e.g., protein load). It is suggested that extra vigilance or anxiety, readily distracted attention, or a hyper-responsive HPA axis may have been adaptive in a stressful environment during evolution, but exists today at the cost of vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders. [source] In Search of the Classics: A Study of the Impact of JPIM Papers from 1984 to 2003,THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Wim Biemans The Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM) was launched in 1984 and over its first two decades of existence evolved into the leading journal in the field of innovation and the management of technology. During these 20 years JPIM contributed to the field by publishing 488 academic papers. This paper is a follow-up study to an earlier study that looked at how JPIM evolved in terms of knowledge stock and knowledge flows during the first two decades (published in JPIM, March 2007). That paper looked at what was published during the first 20 years, which sources were cited, and which journals cited JPIM papers. This study takes a closer look at the impact of JPIM on the field of innovation and the management of technology by identifying the most classic papers published in JPIM during its first two decades of existence. This study used multiple research methods to identify 64 candidate potential classics from the 488 papers published in the first 20 years of JPIM's existence, to analyze how they differ from the other 424 papers published in the journal, and to investigate authors' motivations for writing these papers. Finally, using survey responses from the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) membership and other academics in innovation and new product development, the research then determines which 5 of the 64 candidate papers are considered to be the "most classic" papers published and the factors driving that determination. The findings show that classic papers are those presenting a "pioneering idea" in the field that creates buzz in both the academic and practitioner worlds. High numbers of citations are indeed the outcome of these endeavors, but being a classic requires more than having high numbers of citations. Authors of the true classics generally have worked hard to disseminate their research, usually to both academics and practitioners, perhaps also contributing to the network buzz created by their findings. While one of the five most classic papers represented the first investigation into a particular stream of research, the other four were culminations of a significant body of research, providing a distinct summary of known information on a topic at the time they were published and a clear road forward for future research on the topic. These bodies of knowledge have yet to be superseded by other culminating papers. [source] Research institute for nurse scientists responds to the challenge to expand and strengthen research focused on breast cancer in African American women,CANCER, Issue S2 2007Sandra Millon Underwood RN Abstract In an era where scientifically derived ,evidence' is used as a basis for nursing practice, it is imperative that nurses have a breadth of knowledge relative to the fundamentals of nursing science; knowledge of the current standards of nursing and medical practice; and knowledge of the characteristics, needs, concerns, and challenges of diverse consumer and patient population groups. Yet, while a significant body of ,evidence' that describes the experiences and needs of African American women across the breast care continuum has been generated, research suggests that there is a need to expand and strengthen this body of science. This report presents an overview of a decade of research focused on breast cancer among African American women and describes an initiative funded by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to expand and strengthen nursing science that aims to reduce and/or eliminate excess breast cancer morbidity and mortality among African American women. Cancer 2007. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source] | ||||||||||||||||