The influence of process concurrency on project outcomes in productdevelopment: an empirical study of cross-functional teams

This study examines the practice of concurrent engineering (CE) in terms of process concurrency, and the impact of concurrency on success of product development projects. The study is based on 50 cross-national projects from companies in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, and the United States in the aerospace, automobile, chemical, computer, electronics, shipbuilding, and telecommunications industries. Four dimensions of process and behaviors of engineering/R&D and manufacturing members of cross-functional product development teams were reliably operationalized: (1) two-way communication, (2) overlapping problem solving, (3) readiness to make decisions on the basis of uncertain and ambiguous information, and (4) readiness to release uncertain and ambiguous information. These dimensions of process concurrency were found to be reliable predictors of development projects' success, as measured by product cost and quality, project schedule and budget performance, and project team satisfaction. The paper offers implications for theory and practice and models of CE management for future research     

Role of orlistat in the treatment of obese patients with type 2 diabetes. A 1-year randomized double-blind study

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes is associated with improved glycemic control and reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors, but weight loss is notably difficult to achieve and sustain with caloric restriction and exercise. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of treatment with orlistat, a pancreatic lipase inhibitor, on weight loss, glycemic control, and serum lipid levels in obese patients with type 2 diabetes on sulfonylurea medications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a multicenter 57-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, 120 mg orlistat or placebo was administered orally three times a day with a mildly hypocaloric diet to 391 obese men and women with type 2 diabetes who were aged > 18 years, had a BMI of 28-40 kg/m2, and were clinically stable on oral sulfonylureas. Changes in body weight, glycemic control, lipid levels, and drug tolerability were measured. RESULTS: After 1 year of treatment, the orlistat group lost 6.2 +/- 0.45% (mean +/- SEM) of initial body weight vs. 4.3 +/- 0.49% in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Twice as many patients receiving orlistat (49 vs. 23%) lost > or = 5% of initial body weight (P < 0.001). Orlistat treatment plus diet compared with placebo plus diet was associated with significant improvement in glycemic control, as reflected in decreases in HbA1c (P < 0.001) and fasting plasma glucose (P < 0.001) and in dosage reductions of oral sulfonylurea medication (P < 0.01). Orlistat therapy also resulted in significantly greater improvements than placebo in several lipid parameters, namely, greater reductions in total cholesterol, (P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P < 0.05), apolipoprotein B (P < 0.001), and the LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratio (P < 0.001). Mild to moderate and transient gastrointestinal events were reported with orlistat therapy, although their association with study withdrawal was low. Fat-soluble vitamin levels generally remained within the reference range, and vitamin supplementation was required in only a few patients. CONCLUSIONS: Orlistat is an effective treatment modality in obese patients with type 2 diabetes with respect to clinically meaningful weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, improved glycemic control, and improved lipid profile.     

Ingres and photographic vision

Abstract

The initial impact of photography on painting and the continuing interplay between the two remain one of the intriguing questions confronting the historian of nineteenth century art. Recognition of photographic history as a significant discipline in its own right has grown. rapidly in the last four decades, but a great deal remains to be done on the connection between the two arts. The pioneering works of Newhall, Schwarz and, later, Scharf, Coke and others, have already focused attention on the way in which photography acted upon the style and content of painting, a matter now widely recognized among art historians. There is no longer any novelty or surprise in discovering that a prominent artist made reference to, or in some cases actually copied, a specific photograph. The student today accepts the fact that such artists as Delacroix, Courbet, Manet and Degas made use of the works of Durieu, Villeneuve, Nadar, Carjat, Disdéri and others.     

The meaning of equivocal pancreatic cytology in patients thought to have pancreatic cancer

INTRODUCTION: Fine needle aspirations (FNAs) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided brushings (BRUSH) are useful tools in the differentiation between malignant and benign disease of the pancreas. Once the decision to obtain a cytologic confirmation of one's clinical suspicion is made, the interpretation of the findings, especially an equivocal or negative cytology finding, can be unclear. This study seeks to evaluate the utility of cytologic studies in the evaluation of a patient with suspected pancreatic malignancy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 224 cytologic reports, including 174 FNAs and 50 BRUSHs, from all pancreatic FNAs and BRUSHs performed between January 1989 and June 1995, was performed. Subsequent confirmation of the cytologic diagnosis was made either by histologic or strict clinical criteria. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the cytologic reports were read as malignant, all others reported as suspicious, atypical, or negative. All cytology studies read as malignant and all FNAs reported as suspicious were histologically or clinically confirmed to be malignant. Of those reported as atypical or negative, 55% and 49% were confirmed to be malignant. Both FNA and BRUSH were 100% specific, 75% sensitive, and 80% accurate. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a cytological diagnosis of malignant or suspicious is reliable and useful for further therapy planning in the patient suspected to have a pancreatic malignancy. The reason for the cytologic tests was a strong clinical suspicion, therefore, a high incidence of cancer was found in the patients with atypical or negative readings. A diagnosis of atypical or negative is equivocal and requires further diagnostic maneuvers, frequently including surgery, to make the definitive diagnosis.     

Flux growth of Fe2TiO4 from BaO-B2O3 in an iron crucible

Crystals of titanomagnetite have been grown from a barium borate flux in an iron crucible under an atmosphere of nitrogen following preliminary phase equilibrium and solubility studies. The crystals were octahedral, up to 4 mm in width, and their composition corresponded to the formula Fe_2.12 Ti_0.88 O₄. The Néel point was found to be 195 K.     

Carbon based conductive photoresist

A conductive photoresist for photolithographic application was studied here. The negative near-UV sensitive epoxy-based photoresist was used as a polymer matrix and conductive carbon black was used as functional filler. DC electrical resistivity of composite as a function of filler concentration has a well-known S-shape. After UV-exposure the resistivity of the composite decreases for almost five orders of magnitude, mostly at percolation threshold (approx. 0.6 vol.%). This effect can be attributed to the fully cross-linked polymer structure formed during UV-exposure of the composite. The resistivity of prepared samples also depend on the state of dispersion of the functional filler obtained using different dispersing additives. Composites with better dispersed particles have lower resistivities. This effect remained below one order of magnitude and decreased after UV-exposure. The composites with carbon black concentration of up to 1.1 vol.% are suitable for spin-coating and photolithography.     

Hypoproteinemia as a prognostic risk factor for arteriovenous fistula failure

Introduction: Any vascular access is of limited duration with many factors which influence survival in patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD). Hypoproteinemia as a marker of chronic illness is common among chronic HD patients. Our aim was to analyze the survival of the primary arteriovenous fistula (AVFs) and the risk factors which influence their patency and to test the hypothesis that patients with normal values of serum proteins have lower risk of AVF failure compared to patients with hypoproteinemia. Methods: Seven hundred thirty‐four consecutive patients were included who underwent creation of an AVF. The patients were prospectively followed‐up for 2 years. Only patients with AVF function after a month from its creation were analyzed. The patients were divided into two subgroups, with normal and low serum protein levels (<65 g/L). Findings: At follow‐up 497 (67.7%) AVFs were still functional while 237 (32.3%) AVFs failed due to thrombosis or stenosis. Serum proteins and AVFs created on the forearm were positive predictors while diabetes was a negative predictor of longer AVF survival (P < 0.001; P = 0.003; P = 0.043). When comparing patients with normal and low serum protein levels (<65 g/L), mean survival time was significantly longer in patients with normal serum levels (P < 0.001). Discussion: In this study, hypoproteinemia was an independent prognostic marker for AVF failure at 2 years. Hypoproteinemia, based on our results, is an independent, more sensitive and prognostic marker of possible vascular access failure than the presence of other common factors which influence shorter AVF survival.     

Influence of dispersing additives on the conductivity of carbon black pigment dispersion

The influence of dispersing additives on the electrical conductivity of carbon black pigments dispersed in an organic medium was studied. Two dispersing additives were examined in combination with two different carbon blacks, a conductive carbon black and a nonconductive one. These carbon blacks differ in the size of their aggregates and in the amounts of surface oxygen groups. Both of the additives form a monolayer when adsorbed on either of the pigment surfaces. FTIR studies showed that chemical bonding of one of the additives on the surfaces of both pigments had occurred. Conductivity decreases with increasing additive concentration, but in the case of the chemically bonded additive, the conductivity of the dispersion remained high even at higher additive loadings. This study helps in understanding the effects such additives have on the specific conductivity of composite materials that contain dispersed carbon black pigment particles.     

Splenocaval shunting for alleviation of portal hypertension in a dog: a case report

To demonstrate the usefulness of in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, major findings from three clinical cardiac MRS investigations performed at our institute are summarized. The first study investigated whether 31P MRS with handgrip exercise testing could detect myocardial ischemia demonstrated by exercise 201Tl scintigraphy. Contrary to findings in normal subjects or patients with fixed thallium defects, the ratio of phosphocreatine (PCr) to ATP decreased significantly during exercise in patients with reversible thallium defects. In the second study, PCr and ATP content was measured by 31P MRS and compared in human myocardium with reversible ischemia or scar diagnosed by exercise thallium scintigraphy. Although the PCr content decreased in patients with either reversible or fixed thallium defects, the ATP content decreased only in the latter group. In the third study, postischemic myocardium with chronic mechanical dysfunction that exhibits recovery after revascularization in left ventriculography was metabolically characterized using quantitative cardiac 31P MRS. Postischemic myocardium with reversible mechanical dysfunction demonstrated reduced PCr but normal ATP content. These results suggest that 31P MRS is a clinically important method both for the detection of myocardial ischemia and in the evaluation of myocardial viability.