Clinical and in situ cellular responses to Haemophilus ducreyi in the presence or absence of HIV infection

This study examined the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among low-income women and assessed the level of awareness and attitudes about these risk factors in the community. A survey instrument was developed and administered by a single researcher to a convenience sample of women in health clinics and nonclinical community settings. These settings included: an academic clinic, community clinics, women's shelters, free meal sites, community centers, public housing units, and private homes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two hundred two women were selected without regard to age or race. The mean number of cardiovascular risk factors per subject was 2.6 (SD 1.4). Each of eight established cardiovascular risk factors was identified by 4% to 34% of subjects. Among those women with a specific risk factor, only 0% to 45% reported that they were at increased risk due to the presence of that factor. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among low-income women is substantial. Knowledge and understanding of these risk factors is suboptimal, particularly among women personally affected by risk factors for cardiovascular disease.     

Budget and Schedule Success for Small Capital-Facility Projects

The project management environment of small capital projects is unique in many ways. One unique aspect is the total administrative burden they place on resources for approvals, reviews, and execution relative to the overall value of the capital works program. Administratively, many organizations follow a prescribed approval process for all capital project expenditures regardless of size. For these organizations, small capital projects constitute 80% of the projects executed per year but only account for approximately 16% of the capital projects’ budget expenditures. The opportunity to improve organizational performance through more effective project execution on small capital projects could provide substantial savings within individual small capital-project programs. This paper reports on data collected from active small project-program personnel as well as project success factors identified in the literature. By means of analysis and comparison between the data collected and the project success factors identified in the literature, a comprehensive list of small-project success factors was developed. Sixteen factors were identified from project success factors listed by various authors in project management literature. These factors are used as a baseline for evaluating the findings from a questionnaire and interview process conducted with a diverse group of project management personnel. The paper concludes that the factors on small projects are not unlike those on large projects. The key differences noted were related to the frequency of process implementation, which affects the timing and execution of the project work phases for small projects. The area holding the greatest potential for performance improvement for small projects is the front-end planning process.     

The quality of qualitative research.

I did not venture to undertake an inventory of qualitative research studies. Such a project was way beyond my time frame. Happily, the field has grown to the extent that such an undertaking would in fact require multiple projects. Instead I presented some observations from my informal random-sampling off the shelves of qualitative research. My stock-taking turned out to be mainly within the phenomenological realm, but was also informed by broader selections. I found that qualitative research now is widely available in general stores, so to speak, as well as in specialty shops. It has become a significant although still very small part of both the public and academic marketplace. During my stock-taking, I developed some characterizations, some distinctions, and some suggestions that might help our work to become more readily accessible and desireable to the general psychological community. I hope these offerings might also contribute a bit to coordinated advancements among qualitative researchers. Most of all, my readings and discussions with colleagues confirmed that there is ample cause for celebration of continuing accomplishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A preliminary examination of the relationship between exposure to community violence and academic functioning.

Provides a preliminary examination of the relationship between exposure to community violence and academic functioning in a group of 45 African American children (aged 11–14 yrs) living in an impoverished urban environment. In addition, the role of family achievement expectations and religion, 2 previously identified family compensatory factors related to academic resilience, were evaluated as moderators of the relationship between community violence and academic functioning. Ss completed questionnaires about the variables mentioned above. Results suggest that exposure to community violence had a weak relationship with academic functioning in general, but that relationship was intensified under certain circumstances. Significant interactions between exposure to community violence, and both family achievement orientation and religious emphasis suggest that exposure to community violence may alter the role of previously identified compensatory factors. Children who perceived very high achievement expectations and a very strong moral-religious emphasis were most at risk for poor academic functioning as exposure to community violence increased, although children from these types of families displayed the highest academic functioning at lower levels of community violence exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The measurement of quality of care in public sector psychiatric services based on consumer expectations

In this study the expectations of consumers of public sector psychiatric care in South Africa were identified, and formulated in the form of 13 standards, each with a set of criteria. During this phase input from the literature was incorporated, and expectations were validated with different groups of consumers, so that rural/urban, ethnicity and regional differences were taken into account. Based on the comprehensive set of standards and criteria, four instruments were developed to measure attainment of these standards. These included a questionnaire to consumers and one to the Director of Mental Health. It also included two schedules to be filled in by observers during site visits to hospital units and clinics. The observer teams included community members and consumers. The content validity of the instruments was established by setting out the items measuring each criterium, and validating that with a group of experts. The instruments were then tested in one province. The inter-rater reliability of the site visit schedules was calculated as 0.94, and the coding of the Director questionnaire by different coders was also tested. The average performance on all criteria was calculated, using items from all four data collection instruments. In the process items were revised, coding instructions developed, and criteria adjusted.     

Properties of motor units of the frog sartorius muscle

1. The mechanical properties of single motor units in the sartorius muscle of the frog Litoria aurea were examined during single shock and repetitive stimulation of motor axons. 2. The tetanic tension developed by motor units lay in the range 1-40% of whole muscle tension with two peaks in the distribution, in the range 5-10% and 25-30%. The large units had briefer times-to-peak for the twitch than the small units and were more readily fatigued during prolonged repetitive stimulation. 3. Histological examination of the muscle gave a count of 620 muscle fibres with a diameter range of 28-128 mum. Cholinesterase stained preparations showed that the majority of muscle fibres had several nerve terminals (mean 3, range 1-5). 4. Muscle fibres received their multiple innervation from different axons (polyneuronal) or branches of the same axon (multiterminal). The presence of polyneuronal innervation of muscle fibres was confirmed by a comparison of the tensions when each of a pair of motor units was stimulated alone and when they were stimulated together. The tension excess, or overlap, was up to 60% when expressed in terms of the tension developed by either unit alone. Motor units developing similar amounts of tension tended to show more overlap in their innervation than units with very different tensions. 5. An estimate of the amount of multiterminal innervation gave variable results but could account for up to 60% of a motor unit's tension. No correlation could be detected between the values for multiterminal innervation and any other measured parameter. However, it is argued that because of the limitations of the measurements the existence of a relationship between the extent of multiterminal or polyneuronal innervation and the mechanical properties of the motor unit cannot be excluded.     

Partnership between a Veterans Affairs medical center and a podiatric medical college

The health care academic delivery system is dramatically changing in today's economy. In order to survive, the delivery system must decrease its costs and increase productivity. Integration of academic affiliates and community health care facilities has produced a more efficient health care system and improved medical education. The formation and methodology of the mutual benefits and responsibilities between a health care system and a college of podiatric medicine are examined in detail. Developing unique sharing partnerships can mutually improve medical student experiences, reduce financial burdens, combine joint research projects, and ultimately improve patient care.     

Cash Flow Projections for Selected TxDoT Highway Projects

In planning for contractor payments, an owner with multiple projects needs to estimate the amount of money to be paid to contractors in coming months. For an owner as large as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT), one is faced with the problem of organizing the budget to ensure that there are sufficient funds for all projects. This investigation was requested by TxDoT to provide a tool to forecast future project payments. Recent account summaries of TxDoT projects from 2001 to 2003 were analyzed for creating mathematical models representing monthly payments for various projects. The data were organized into categories of project types and subcategories of project contract amount. A fourth degree polynomial regression analysis was run on the data and the regression curve, when statistically significant, was taken to be the forecast payment curve. Finally, a computer program was developed to implement the results of the investigation for TxDoT’s needs. The methodology provided will help other highway agencies to create their own equations to better predict project cash flows and trends. This investigation might also benefit researchers in projecting cash flows and trends, while also allowing for improvements.     

Critical Success Factors for Public–Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Development

Different types of public–private partnerships (PPPs) have been practiced in worldwide infrastructure development with diverse results and a variety of problems have been encountered. A number of factors combine to determine the success or failure of an infrastructure project in terms of its objectives. There is an urgent need for a workable and efficient procurement protocol for improved practices in future PPP projects. As an important step toward the development of such a protocol, this study identifies, analyzes, and categorizes various critical success factors (CSFs) for PPPs in general based on a public–private win–win principle and a systematic research approach that includes case studies, literature review, and interviews/correspondence with international experts. A CSF package is developed that contains five main CSFs, each including a number of success subfactors (SSFs). Relative significances of these CSFs and SSFs are examined based on the results of a questionnaire survey of international expert opinions. Agreement analysis shows that there is a good agreement in the ranking of these CSFs and SSFs between respondents from the industrial sector and those from the academic sector.     

In vitro amplification of the 16S rRNA genes from Mycoplasma bovirhinis, Mycoplasma alkalescens and Mycoplasma bovigenitalium by PCR

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems were developed for detection of 3 pathogenic bovine mycoplasmas, Mycoplasma alkalescens (Mak), M. bovigenitalium (Mbg) and M. bovirhinis (Mbr). The primers were selected from the sequences of the 16S rRNA from each of the mycoplasmas. Neither the Mbg-PCR system nor the Mbr-PCR system showed cross-amplification among 24 bovine, caprine-ovine and human mycoplasma species (including Acholeplasma and Ureaplasma species) tested. The Mak-PCR system showed cross-amplification with M. canadens ATCC29418T (T = type strain). The sensitivity of each PCR system to detect the proper mycoplasma was 10(3) colony forming units (CFU) when a pure culture was tested, and 2 x 10(3) CFU when the mycoplasma culture was spiked into a calf nasal swab sample. The target mycoplasmas in a clinical nasal swab sample that could be detected by the direct plate method could also be detected by these PCR systems.     

Effect of Delivery Systems on Collaborative Negotiations for Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects

In large-scale projects, collaboration is an essential key for the success of projects. Since different participants from different organizations try to work together in projects, competitive stresses exist in their relationships and as a result, disputes or conflicts may inevitably occur. This paper builds on Pea-Mora and Wang's collaborative negotiation methodology for facilitating∕mediating the negotiation process of conflicts. In order for that collaborative negotiation methodology to be more detailed for its implementation, it needs to account for the effect of project structures and delivery methods on the negotiation processes in large-scale projects. Because contracts define the temporary formal and informal relationships among the different parties in a project and subsequently, they define the framework of the negotiations of conflicts within that project, different delivery systems may be more or less effective in terms of conflict resolution. In this research, to study the effect of delivery system on negotiation of conflicts, first, several different project structures and delivery systems are studied in order to identify participants' roles, responsibilities, and relationships. Second, potential conflicts in relationships among project participants are examined to show that each delivery system has typical or pattern behavior that may affect the interrelationship among groups on negotiations. These patterns or characteristics of the groups and their relationship make possible to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively the advantage or disadvantage of each delivery system in terms of conflict avoidance or dispute resolution. Then, indexes of negotiation effectiveness for each delivery system are developed in order to quantify the advantage of implementing the collaborative negotiation methodology in a large-scale project within a particular delivery system.     

Critical Review of Collaborative Working in Construction Projects: Business Environment and Human Behaviors

The changing business environment characterized by tense competitiveness and wide global links requires construction organizations to establish effective and efficient interorganization collaborative management systems. Collaborative working (CW), as a new term and especially as a working model, is emerging for improving performance and enhancing competitiveness by responding to the changing environment in construction. This research presents the definition of CW underpinned by the principle of collaboration. Through a thorough literature review of selected papers from the well-known academic journals in construction management, the business environment and human behavior are identified as two key areas which impact the performance of CW in construction projects. Critical reviews on these areas are presented by focusing on different subcategories in each area to investigate the state of the art and trends of CW in construction projects. Some limits of research and practice on CW in construction projects are discussed and future research directions are recommended.     

Replication of clinical innovations in multiple medical practices

BACKGROUND: Many clinical innovations had been successfully developed and piloted in individual medical practice units of Kaiser Permanente in North Carolina during 1995 and 1996. Difficulty in replicating these clinical innovations consistently throughout all 21 medical practice units led to development of the interdisciplinary Clinical Innovation Implementation Team, which was formed by using existing resources from various departments across the region. REPLICATION MODEL: Based on a model of transfer of best practices, the implementation team developed a process and tools (master schedule and activity matrix) to quickly replicate successful pilot projects throughout all medical practice units. The process involved the following steps: identifying a practice and delineating its characteristics and measures (source identification); identifying a team to receive the (new) practice; piloting the practice; and standardizing, including the incorporation of learnings. The model includes the following components for each innovation: sending and receiving teams, an innovation coordinator role, an innovation expert role, a location expert role, a master schedule, and a project activity matrix. Communication depended on a partnership among the location experts (local knowledge and credibility), the innovation coordinator (process expertise), and the innovation experts (content expertise). RESULTS: Results after 12 months of working with the 21 medical practice units include integration of diabetes care team services into the practices, training of more than 120 providers in the use of personal computers and an icon-based clinical information system, and integration of a planwide self-care program into the medical practices--all with measurable improved outcomes. CONCLUSION: The model for sequential replication and the implementation team structure and function should be successful in other organizational settings.     

NPV-at-Risk Method in Infrastructure Project Investment Evaluation

Strategic capital investment decisions are crucial to a business firm. The decision to invest in privately financed infrastructure projects requires careful consideration, because they are exposed to high levels of financial, political, and market risks. The project appraisal methods should incorporate analysis of these risks. A number of capital-investment decision methods can take risks into account, but each of them focuses on different factors and has its limitations. Thus, a more vigorous method is needed. A systematic classification of existing evaluation methods shows that it is possible to develop a new method—the net-present-value-at-risk (NPV-at-risk) method—by combining the weighted average cost of capital and dual risk-return methods. The evaluation of two hypothetical power projects shows that the NPV-at-risk method can provide a better decision for risk evaluation of, and investment in, privately financed infrastructure projects.     

Non-Unit-Based Planning and Scheduling of Repetitive Construction Projects

Repetitive scheduling methods are more effective than traditional critical path methods in the planning and scheduling of repetitive construction projects. Nevertheless, almost all the repetitive scheduling methods developed so far have been based on the premise that a repetitive project is comprised of many identical production units. In this research a non-unit-based algorithm for the planning and scheduling of repetitive projects is developed. Instead of repetitive production units, repetitive or similar activity groups are identified and employed for scheduling. The algorithm takes into consideration: (1) the logical relationship of activity groups in a repetitive project; (2) the usage of various resource crews in an activity group; (3) the maintaining of resource continuity; and (4) the time and cost for the routing of resource crews. A sample case study and a case study of a sewer system project are conducted to validate the algorithm, as well as to demonstrate its application. Results and findings are reported.     

Ribosomal DNA clusters in pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis of human acrocentric chromosomes

For determination of the extent to which ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is organized in tandemly repeated arrays, cellular DNA was digested with a restriction enzyme (EcoRV) that does not cut within the single 44-kb rDNA unit, and fragments separated by PFGE were hybridized to specific rDNA probes. A series of bands large enough to contain 15 to more than 30 rDNA repeat units was observed. In YACs containing cloned rDNA, however, such clusters were not observed, presumably because, as shown here for a clone starting with 1.5 tandem repeat units, there is a tendency for repeat units to delete out of the insert. By comparative gel electrophoretic analyses of DNAs from rodent hybrid cells containing singly isolated human chromosomes, most of the bands seen in total human DNA were assigned to at least one of the acrocentric chromosomes. Thus, large characteristic assemblies of DNA containing rDNA and lacking EcoRV sites were stable enough to be conserved in some human/rodent hybrid lines. When further digested with HindIII, which cuts rDNA at several points, the rDNA in each band yielded the expected fragments. If the large species consist completely of clusters of tandemly repeated rDNA units, they account for about half of the total cellular rDNA content estimated by saturation hybridization measurements.     

Random walk models for DNA synapsis by resolvase

During site-specific recombination by resolvase, the protein binds to two sites on a supercoiled DNA molecule and the loaded sites then interact with each other to form a synaptic complex. The kinetics of synapsis show non-exponential behaviour extending over five log units of time and are independent of the length of the DNA molecule and the length of DNA between the sites. In this study, numerical models were developed in order to account for how fluctuations in the structure of supercoiled DNA might lead to the juxtaposition of distant sites in a manner consistent with the experimental data on synapsis by resolvase. Models where the juxtaposition arises from fluctuations around branch points in the superhelix failed to match the data: they yielded non-exponential kinetics but only over two log units of time and they predicted longer synapsis times for both larger DNA molecules and larger inter-site spacings. In another model, one fraction of the juxtaposition events gives rise directly to the productive complex while the remaining fraction initially yields a non-productive complex: the latter molecules undergo no further fluctuations until the abortive synapse dissociates at the end of a delay period. This model again failed to match the experimental data. However, the inclusion of three sorts of non-productive complexes, each with a different delay constant, led to progress curves that concurred with the data. Schemes were also developed to account for the juxtaposition of three sites at a branch point in supercoiled DNA.     

Using local research to change 100 communities for children and families.

Two projects aimed at improving child development are described. In each, a research project was replicated over 50 times as a means of moving over 100 communities to action on their own behalf. The projects produced meaningful changes in the local social institutions serving families, including 92 new school-age child care programs for one project and, for the other, 80 community distribution systems reaching 40,000 families with a parenting intervention. Comparing initial failures with later successes in the projects, a contrast is drawn between giving away the knowledge of psychology (the diffusion or expert model of outreach) versus giving away the knowledge-generation process through collaborative research with community groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Web-Based Decision Support Systems: Case Study inProject Delivery

The decentralized nature of the construction industry contributes to difficulties in the implementation and dissemination of project management-based decision tools. The majority of decision support systems (DSS) are contained in-house with private developers and users, or on researchers stand-alone computers and academic journals. Current World Wide Web technologies provide the appropriate means for large-scale implementation and continued development of DSS for the architectural, engineering, and construction community. This paper documents a DSS developed specifically for design∕build project selection among United States public sector agencies. The system, the Design∕Build Selector (DBS), is Web enabled, allowing for easy access and large-scale dissemination. Design∕build project procurement is rapidly expanding throughout public sector agencies in the United States construction industry. As public agencies turn to design∕build, appropriate project selection is a primary consideration affecting successful delivery. Prior to the implementation of DBS, there was no systematic or formalized method for selecting projects appropriate for design∕build. Since 1997, the Web site that houses the DBS has been visited by over 4,000 people, and the DBS tool has been used on 102 projects representing over $4.8 billion in construction. This paper reports on the application and potential for Web-based DSS in civil engineering. The architecture of the program, data collection, model weighting, and output interface are explained.     

Areas of Application for 3D and 4D Models on Construction Projects

In recent years more and more construction projects used three-dimensional/four-dimensional (3D/4D) models to support management tasks. However, project managers still struggle with evaluating how the 3D/4D model technology can be most efficiently applied on their specific project. One main reason for this struggle is that an account about how 3D/4D models have been used in the past is missing. This paper offers practitioners and researchers such an account of the application areas of 3D/4D model technologies including the purposes for which these technologies have been applied. The paper qualitatively aggregates the results of 26 case studies of 3D/4D model applications on construction projects to show researchers and practitioners how 3D/4D models have been applied to address project challenges. Using a “project challenge—3D/4D model application” matrix the paper explains each application area and describes why the application has been beneficial to the case study projects. The paper then analyzes the challenges that practitioners have faced with 3D/4D models on the test case projects. The main findings of this analysis are that practitioners on most of the test case projects have used the models for only one application area. The paper suggests that further research on the integration of 3D/4D model technologies into work and business processes of project teams is needed to address this opportunity for a more widespread use of 3D/4D models throughout the lifecycle of a project.