Preparedness: Unpacking and clarifying the concept

Crisis studies increasingly focus on developing proactive strategies to minimize the effects of unwanted occurrences and contingencies. Preparedness constitutes a key component of this approach, as many crises are difficult to prevent. However, at the conceptual and practical levels, it remains difficult to distinguish preparedness from other crisis‐related concepts. This study draws on an extensive survey of the preparedness literature with the goal of elucidating its defining attributes. The results show that preparedness can be minimally characterized as measures that are of an active, continuous and anticipatory nature. Contextually definitions, however, may also include social, planned, non‐structural or enabling conceptual attributes.     

The ‘hijacking’ of the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems: Implications for the information systems community

Journal hijacking, which refers to the attempted brand takeover of a journal by a third party, is a nascent threat confronting the information systems (IS) community, as evidenced by cybercriminals having established an online presence, masquerading as the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). The SJIS hijacking damages the journal's reputation, leads to payment and publication scams, involves identity theft among unsuspecting IS researchers, and results in tarnished author reputations. Beyond SJIS, journal hijacking presents a threat, not only to the IS community, but also to science and academic integrity in general if researchers and readers cannot distinguish between fake publications by hijacked journals and real publications by legitimate journals. In this opinion article, we relate the story of the SJIS hijacking from the victims' perspectives. We describe its many aspects, draw attention to the key factors that contribute to the problem, and offer our perspectives on different response strategies in the absence of simple solutions. We hope to create awareness about the problem and stimulate a discussion in the IS community, not least in the face of digital innovations, such as ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence technologies that may inadvertently support paper mills and the production of fake research results.     

Effect of domperidone on the health-related quality of life of patients with symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis

OBJECTIVE: To describe the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with insulin-treated diabetes and symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis and to assess the impact of domperidone on HRQOL in these patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This two-phase multicenter study was part of a safety and efficacy investigation. Phase I involved 4-week single-blind treatment with domperidone 20 mg q.i.d. (n=269). Patients demonstrating significant symptomatic improvement (n=208) continued to phase 11, a 4-week, double-blind, parallel-group study with patients receiving placebo (n=103) or domperidone (n=105). Patients completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36 Health Survey at selection and at the end of each phase. Physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores served as primary parameters, and the eight subscales were secondary parameters. RESULTS: HRQOL scores of subjects enrolled in the trial were significantly lower than norms from the general population and people with diabetes (P < 0.001). Subjects experiencing symptomatic improvement after 4 weeks of single-blind treatment demonstrated significant improvement in all HRQOL parameters (P < 0.001); PCS, MCS, and six subscale scores of nonresponders did not change. Between-group change score differences were significant for PCS, MCS, and seven subscales (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001). During phase II, the domperidone group maintained their HRQOL; the placebo group showed a significant decline in PCS and four subscales (P < 0.05). The between-group difference in the PCS score change was statistically significant (-1.77 vs. 0.65, P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that patients with symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis experience notable HRQOL impairment and that symptomatic relief with domperidone is accompanied by improvements in HRQOL that can be sustained over 4 weeks of treatment.     

Exergetic comparison of efficiency indicators for combined heat and power (CHP)

Legislative regulations in favor of combined heat and power (CHP) production have been implemented in many countries. Although these regulations put different emphasis on power production vs. process heat production, they are based on energy quantities and not on exergy. In order to analyze and compare the exergetic consequences of the various legislations, a relative avoided irreversibility (RAI) is defined. This can be regarded as the exergy loss that is avoided when reference plants with separate production are replaced by an actual CHP plant. Some series of industrial and district heating CHP plants, under varying operational conditions, are used as test cases. It is seen that some, but not all, CHP cases are exergetically beneficial to separate generation. Comparison with the RAI allows a quantitative assessment of the various performance indicators. It is seen that exergetic improvements were only captured to a limited degree by the various energy-based efficiency indicators. Some legislatively defined indicators even appear to discourage thermodynamic improvements.     

够了，让我们实践吧！

众多的软件开发过程到底是为我们解决的问题多,还是造成的问题更多?它们是否真的能够为改进团队的工作方式提供深刻的见解和所需的指导?文中对当代软件开发过程所面临的问题做了深刻的分析,并指出为什么我们现在拥有如此多的过程。     

Hydrogen acceptor and membrane concepts for direct methane conversion

Condensation of methane in the presence of a (titanium) to ethane and titaniumdihydride gives a thermodynamic conversion of 60% (P_CH4 = 1 atm, T = 400 K). Experiments with Ti as the acceptor together with Pt/Sn, Rh or Ni catalysts, give, however, a methane conversion in the range of 1% with coke as the main product.

In order to explore the possibility of methane conversion by a , titanium and palladium as a have also been theoretically investigated. Assuming diffusion limitation, up to 1.8 g ethane/m²·h (T = 400 K, Δx = 0.03 cm, equilibrium at P = 4 bar) may be produced in the case of palladium. Exploratory experiments show very low conversion of methane with coke as the main product.     

Iterative methods for the solution of the navier equations of elasticity

The numerical solution of the Navier equations discretized by finite elements is studied by various forms of pre-conditioned conjugate gradient methods. In particular, the dependence of the number of iterations is examined as a function of Poisson's ratio. A comparison is made with direct solution methods, and the dependence of the discretization error on Poisson's ratio is also discussed.     

Versatile Phosphite Ligands Based on Silsesquioxane Backbones

Silsesquioxanes are employed as ligand backbones for the synthesis of novel phosphite compounds with 3,3′‐5,5′‐tetrakis(tert‐butyl)‐2,2′‐dioxa‐1,1′‐biphenyl substituents. Both mono‐ and bidentate phosphites are prepared in good yields. Two types of silsesquioxanes are employed as starting materials. The monophosphinite 1 and the monophosphite 2 are prepared from the thallium silsesquioxide derived from a completely condensed silsesquioxane framework (c‐C₅H₉)₇Si₇O₁₂SiOTl. The diphosphite 3 is synthesized starting with the incompletely condensed monosilylated disilanol (c‐C₅H₉)₇Si₇O₉(OSiMePh₂)(OH)₂. For monophosphite 2 , the corresponding trans‐[PtCl₂( 2 )] complex 4 is characterized by NMR spectroscopy as well as by X‐ray crystallography, as the first example of a completely condensed oxo‐functionalized silsesquioxane framework. The coordination of the bidentate ligand 3 towards Pd, Mo and Rh is studied, both by NMR spectroscopy as well as by X‐ray crystallography. Various modes of coordination are shown to be possible. The molecular structures for the complexes trans‐[PdCl₂( 3 )] ( 5 ), cis‐[Mo(CO)₄( 3 )] ( 6 ) and the dinuclear complex [{Rh(μ‐Cl)(CO)}₂(κ²‐ 3 )] ( 7 ) have been determined. In the rhodium‐catalyzed hydroformylation of 1‐octene high activities, with turnover frequencies of up to 6800 h⁻¹, are obtained with these new nanosized phosphorus ligands.