MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM AT PROMUS Using IT to Ensure Customer Satisfaction

Information-based organizations are structured to function with as small and efficient a staff as possible. To this end, executives at The Promus Companies are using IT to spread decision-making authority and responsibility for customer satisfaction and customer service throughout the organization.     

Photoaffinity labeling of the human erythrocyte nucleoside transporter by N6-(p-Azidobenzyl)adenosine and nitrobenzylthioinosine. Evidence that the transporter is a band 4.5 polypeptide

N6-(p-Azidobenzyl)adenosine (ABA) and nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR) were employed as covalent probes of the nucleoside transport mechanism in human erythrocytes. NBMPR, a potent inhibitor of nucleoside transport, binds tightly (KD 0.3-1 nM) to specific sites on nucleoside transporter elements. ABA, a less potent inhibitor of uridine influx, competitively inhibited NBMPR binding (Ki 15 nM). [3H]ABA was bound tightly (KD 13.4 nM) but reversibly to sites on erythrocytes which appeared to be those which bind NBMPR. ABA binding was inhibited by uridine and adenosine. Irradiation with UV light caused site-bound [3H]ABA on erythrocyte membranes to become covalently bound and, similarly, photoactivation resulted in covalent attachment of membrane-bound [3H]NBMPR. In the presence of dithiothreitol, a free radical scavenger, photoactivation of the site-bound 3H-ligand on membranes depleted of extrinsic membrane proteins resulted in selective incorporation of 3H into band 4.5 of the membrane polypeptides which were resolved on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electropherograms. This result, when considered with previous findings, indicates that the NBMPR-binding component of the nucleoside transport mechanism (or the entire mechanism, if the NBMPR site is an integral part) is a band 4.5 polypeptide.     

The United States--The Netherlands Round Table Conference on immunization. Summary report

A group of public health scientists from the United States and The Netherlands met at a Bicentennial Round Table Conference December 1-2, 1982, to discuss the latest developments in immunization against infectious diseases, focusing on pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, and rubella. The major differences in immunization practices in the two countries are: (a) In The Netherlands, inactivated polio vaccine is used exclusively; in the United States, the oral polio vaccine is used. Polio-myelitis has virtually disappeared from both countries. (b) In The Netherlands, the pertussis component of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) is not given to children over the age of 1 year, whereas in the United States, it is given to children up to their seventh birthday. (c) Rubella vaccine is given only to girls at ages 11-12 years in The Netherlands, but to all children at ages 12-15 months in the United States. (d) Mumps vaccine is not administered to children in The Netherlands, but in the United States it is given routinely to children at 12-15 months (in combination with measles and rubella vaccine). The participants concluded that both the United States and The Netherlands have effective immunization programs that have significantly reduced the impact of these diseases.     

Analyzing spatial analytics systems based on Hadoop and Spark: A user perspective

Spatial analytics systems (SASs) represent a technology capable of managing huge volumes of spatial data using frameworks such as Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark. An increasing number of SASs have been proposed, requiring a comparison among them. However, existing comparisons in the literature provide a system-centric view based on performance evaluations. Thus, there is a lack of comparisons based on the user-centric view, that is, comparisons that help users to understand how the characteristics of SASs are useful to meet the specific requirements of their spatial applications. In this article, we provide a user-centric comparison of the following SASs based on Hadoop and Spark: Hadoop-GIS, SpatialHadoop, SpatialSpark, GeoSpark, GeoMesa Spark, SIMBA, LocationSpark, STARK, Magellan, SparkGIS, and Elcano. This comparison employs an extensive set of criteria related to the general characteristics of these systems, to the aspects of spatial data handling, and to the aspects inherent to distributed systems. Based on this comparison, we introduce guidelines to help users to choose an appropriate SAS. We also describe two case studies based on real-world applications to illustrate the use of these guidelines. Finally, we discuss chronological tendencies related to SASs and identify limitations that SASs should address to improve user experience.     

CdTe detector use for PIXE characterization of TbCoFe thin films

Peltier cooled CdTe detectors have good efficiency beyond the range of energies normally covered by Si(Li) detectors, the most common detectors in PIXE applications. An important advantage of CdTe detectors is the possibility of studying K X-rays lines instead the L X-rays lines in various cases since CdTe detectors present an energy efficiency plateau reaching 70 keV or more. The ITN CdTe useful energy range starts at K-K_α (3.312 keV) and goes up to 120 keV, just above the energy of the lowest γ-ray of the ¹⁹F(p, p’γ)¹⁹F reaction. In the new ITN HRHE-PIXE line, a CdTe detector is associated to a POLARIS microcalorimeter X-ray detector built by Vericold Technologies GmbH (an Oxford Instruments Group Company). The ITN POLARIS has a resolution of 15 eV at 1.486 keV (Al-K_α) and 24 eV at 10.550 keV (Pb-L_α1). In the present work, a TbCoFe thin film deposited on a Si substrate was analysed at the HRHE-PIXE system. The good efficiency of the CdTe detector at 45 keV (Tb-K_α), and the excellent resolution of POLARIS microcalorimeter at 6.403 keV (Fe-K_α), are presented and the new possibilities open to the IBA analysis of systems with traditionally overlapping X-rays and near mass elements are discussed.     

The effect of gas purity on the reflectance and resistivity of magnetron sputtered aluminium and its alloys

The relative optical reflectance and electrical resistivity have been measured of thick films (～1μm) deposited by sputtering Al in a planar magnetron using Ar and Ar + O₂ mixtures. The results obtained have a practical value in indicating the power input and related deposition rate required for given discharge conditions to obtain Al-films with a high reflectance and bulk resistivity.     

Actin isoform utilization during differentiation and remodeling of BC3H1 myogenic cells

Mouse BC3H1 myogenic cells and a bi-functional chemical cross linking reagent were utilized to investigate the polymerization of newly-synthesized vascular smooth muscle (alpha-actin) and non-muscle (beta- and gamma-actin) actin monomers into native F-actin filament structures during myogenesis. Two actin dimer species were identified by SDS-PAGE analysis of phenylenebismaleimide-cross linked fractions of BC3H1 myoblasts and myocytes. P-dimer was derived from the F-actin-enriched, detergent-insoluble cytoskeleton. Pulse-chase analysis revealed that D-dimer initially was associated with the cytoskeleton but then accumulated in the soluble fraction of lysed muscle cells that contained a non-filamentous or aggregated actin pool. Immunoblot analysis indicated that non-muscle and smooth muscle actins were capable of forming both types of dimer. However, induction of smooth muscle alpha-actin in developing myoblasts coincided with an increase in D-dimer level which may facilitate actin stress fiber assembly. Smooth muscle alpha-actin was rapidly utilized in differentiating myoblasts to assemble extraction-resistant F-actin filaments in the cytoskeleton whereas non-muscle beta- and gamma-actin filaments were more readily dissociated from the cytoskeleton by an extraction buffer containing ATP and EGTA. The data indicate that cytoarchitectural remodeling in developing BC3H1 myogenic cells is accompanied by selective actin isoform utilization that effectively segregates multiple isoactins into different sub-cellular domains and/or supramolecular entities.     

Effects of polyvinylchloride films and edible starch coatings on quality aspects of refrigerated Brussels sprouts

To extend shelf life, the effects of polyvinylchloride film (PVC) and edible coatings on quality aspects of refrigerated Brussels sprouts were studied. Starch-based coatings were formulated using glycerol (G), sorbitol (S) or glycerol plus sunflower oil (O). Sprouts so treated as well as uncoated ones were placed on expanded polystyrene trays. Combinations of PVC and coatings (treatments named G-PVC, S-PVC and O-PVC) were also tested. Uncovered trays were maintained as controls. All packages were stored at 0 °C for 42 days and samples were removed every 14 days to determine commercial acceptability, weight loss, surface colour (of sprouts’ heads and bases) and texture. Sprouts in all treatments maintained optimum quality conditions over the first 14 days. At the end of storage, browning of cut zones and losses in weight and firmness were minimised in PVC-packaged sprouts, particularly in G-PVC. Therefore, PVC and G-PVC treatments were selected to evaluate some nutritional quality components. Ascorbic acid and total flavonoid contents remained almost constant while radical scavenging activity increased after 42 days of storage. Thus, PVC and G-PVC treatments showed the best performance for long-term refrigerated storage of Brussels sprouts.