Introduction: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Growth

Innovative activity is a central element shaping both the competitiveness and the economic development of nations and regions. The capacity to innovate has been shown to serve as the driving engine of economic growth and job creation. Today start-up firms and SMEs are seen as one channel of technology transfer from science to commercialised ideas or knowledge. The purpose of this introductory paper is to provide a roadmap to the articles and to summarize the most important issues raised.     

All this and engineering too: a history of accreditation requirements

This article traces the history of US engineering accreditation with regard to non-technical curriculum requirements from the founding of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD) in 1932 up to the adoption of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000) in 1999. The activities of the ECPD, which became the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, ABET, in 1980, took place in the larger context of the development of engineering as a profession and steps that industrial and academic leaders took during the 20th century to increase the quality and uniformity of engineering education. The story is not a simple, straightforward tale of how a homogeneous pro-business cadre of engineering educators designed a system of education for purely pragmatic ends. Buried in the volumes of old journals and annual reports is evidence that engineering educators and leaders indulged in a serious amount of organized introspection over the years.     

Entwicklung neuer Schaufelgitter aus Profilen variabler Geometrie zum Einsatz in Leiträdern drallgeregelter Turbomaschinen—Teil I

Um die in Investition und Wartung besonders wirtschaftliche Regelung durch Leitschaufelverstellung in ihrer Effektivität der kapitalintensiven Regelung durch Laufschaufelverstellung gleichzustellen, müssen neue Vor- und Nachleiträder entwickelt werden, mit deren Hilfe sich höhere Teil- und überlastwirkungsgrade bei drallgeregelten Axialmaschinen (Pumpen, Ventilatoren, Kompressoren) erzielen lassen. Die im vorliegenden und im nächsten Heft (Teil I bzw. Teil II) veröffentliche Arbeit beschreibt theoretische und experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Entwicklung neuer Vor- und Nachleitrad-Gitter aus optimierten Profilen, die gegenüber herkömmlichen Leitrad-Gittern aus konventionellen Profilen extrem erweiterte Arbeitsbereiche besitzen. Auf theoretischem Gebiet werden zwei direkte Entwurfsverfahren vorgestellt, mit deren Hilfe sich Vor- bzw. Nachleitrad-Gitter aus speziellen Profilen erzeugen und hinsichtlich eines maximalen Arbeitsbreichs minimaler Verlustbeiwerte optimieren lassen. Im Fall des Vorleitrades handelt es sich um ungestaffelte Gitter aus Profilen mit mechanischen Klappen im Austrittsbereich, im Fall des Nachleitrades um Einzelgitter aus feststehenden Profilen, die durch zusätzliche, verstellbare Vorschaufeln zu Tandemgittern variabler Geometrie erweitert werden können. Auf experimentellem Gebiet werden die Meßergebnisse für neu entworfene Vor- und Nachleitrad-Gitter mitgeteilt. Diese Ergebnisse werden den entsprechenden Ergebnissen konventioneller Vergleichsgitter gegenübergestellt. Das wichtigste Resultat dieser Untersuchungen besteht darin, daß sich der nutzbare Arbeitsbereich der konventionellen Leitrad-Gitter durch den Einsatz der neuen Gitter im Fall des Vorleitrades auf 260% und im Fall des Nachleitrades auf 150% (bei Anwendung des optimierten Einzelgitters) bzw. auf 250% (bei Anwendung des optimierten Tandemgitters) ausweiten läßt. Die Arbeit erscheint in zwei Teilen. Teil I behandelt die Vorleitrad-Gitter, Teil II die Nachleitrad-Gitter.     

The quality-of-life effects of interferon beta-1b in multiple sclerosis. An extended Q-TWiST analysis

BACKGROUND: A recombinant form of interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) was given Food and Drug Administration approval for use in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 1993 based on a documented reduction in exacerbation rate. However, its effect on disease progression is less clear. It costs $11,000 per year and has documented adverse effects such as fatigue, feverlike symptoms, and depression. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a recombinant form of interferon beta-1b in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and to discuss treatment trade-offs and comprehensive quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes. METHODS: We present a randomized evaluation of treatment with a recombinant form of interferon beta-1b in 79 patients with multiple sclerosis who participated in a random allocation lottery and were followed up for 12 months, during which data on QOL and clinical outcomes were collected. The data were analyzed using the Extended Quality-Adjusted Time Without Symptoms and Toxicity (Q-TWiST) method, which evaluates treatment trade-offs by incorporating several QOL domains and patient preferences regarding these domains. RESULTS: Over the 12 months of follow-up, the case patients reported 10.6 months of quality-adjusted time, while the control patients reported 10.4 months of quality-adjusted time (P = .50). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the first year of treatment with interferon beta-1b did not significantly improve or detract from QOL. Results are discussed in terms of acceptable trade-offs depending on the nature of therapy. Future observational and clinical studies should incorporate measures of patient preference.     

Assessment of self-injurious behavior maintained by access to self-restraint materials

Metastatic tumor is one of several etiologies of space-occupying masses in the orbit that accounts for 1%-13% of all orbital masses (1). In the adult patient population, breast cancer is the most common tumor to metastasize to the orbit followed by metastases from the lung, prostate and gastrointestinal tract (2). It is rare for carcinoid tumors to metastasize to the eye or to the orbit. Carcinoid tumors arise from Kulchitsky cells that originate in the neural crest. Histologically, these tumors resemble, but are not as aggressive as, adenocarcinomas. Most carcinoids arise in the gastrointestinal tract or the lung. The most common site for carcinoid metastases is the liver. On anatomical imaging studies, such as CT and magnetic resonance imaging, metastatic orbital carcinoid tumors appear as nonspecific tumor masses. Carcinoid tumors have an affinity for uptake of the radiopharmaceutical 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) (3). We report a case of a patient with a known carcinoid tumor who developed a left orbital mass that demonstrated abnormal uptake of 131I-MIBG indicative of metastatic carcinoid tumor to the orbit.