Selection, training and promotion of office employees

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universityhttps://archive.org/details/selectiontrainin00bar

Commonwealth\u27s Choice: Results from the Massachusetts Public Opinion Survey

From November 11 through December 4, 1989, the Center for Survey Research of the University of Massachusetts at Boston conducted a random digit dial survey of adults aged 18 and over in Massachusetts. A total of 423 individuals were interviewed in a sampling procedure that yielded a 63 percent response rate. In contrast to most media polls, this survey was carried out over a period of four weeks permitting extensive efforts at locating and interviewing difficult-to-reach, reluctant, or less interested respondents. This survey is likely to be more representative of the true population of Massachusetts than most state polls

The Effect of a Change in Virtual Learning Environment on Innovative Digital Teaching Practice:A Case Study of Academic Staff in an Irish University

This mixed-methods, investigative case study explores the experience of a virtual learning environment (VLE) change and its effect on the use of digital learning tools specifically, and teaching practice more generally, for chemistry lecturers at TU Dublin (Ireland) prior to pandemic of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Initially, a questionnaire examined the different teaching identities the participating lecturers might have and how they relate to the literature. These identities were examined under the following themes: sense of achievement, motivational factors for innovation, innovation positioning, as well as social and organizational factors influencing the decision making. A visual approach of representing the questionnaire data, termed ‘Lecturer Landscapes’, was developed which uncovered new trends based on the biographical descriptors of the research population. Subsequent interviews led to a more detailed investigation of the themes noted in the questionnaire and the Lecturer Landscapes to more holistically capture the professional identity of each respondent. The lens of experience during a VLE change was used to frame each respondent’s professional identity in context. Overall, a VLE change does not have to effect teaching practice and can be experienced as a positive change in teaching and learning. It was also noted that innovation can only occur when specific, and individual, needs and problems are addressed and when personal development is promoted by intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, motivational factors

Evaluation of Two Surface Treatments and Two Composite Resins in the Repair of Fractured Veneered Stainless Steel Crowns

Treatment of early childhood caries (ECC) has challenged pediatric dentists. Finding esthetically pleasing yet durable restorations of anterior teeth can be difficult. Veneered stainless steel crowns are an option but clinically, the veneers can fracture. The purpose of this study was to identify the most fracture resistant veneered stainless steel crown and to determine the best method of repair if fractured. The clinical significance is an evaluation of the best method of repairing these fractured crowns. Two surface treatments and two composite restorative materials were evaluated for repair of the fractured veneers. Forty of each of the following crown brands were tested: Cheng, KinderKrowns, NuSmile, and Dura. The original veneers were loaded in a universal testing machine to the point of fracture. The fractured surfaces were treated with aluminum oxide air particle abrasion or roughened with a diamond bur and restored with Herculite XRV Unidose composite or Filtek Z250 composite. The crowns were again loaded to failure in the universal testing machine. The peak loads at failure of the original and repaired veneers were compared. KinderKrowns had statistically significantly stronger original veneers than Cheng or NuSmile. The Dura crown was not tested for initial strength because the softer polyethylene veneer caused plastic deformation rather than brittle failure and would not allow for a peak load to be assessed. For NuSmile and KinderKrowns, the original crowns were statistically significantly stronger than the repaired crowns. There was not a statistically significant difference between the strongest Cheng repair and its original. NuSmile and KinderKrowns had no statistically significant difference between the four repair methods. For Dura crowns, roughening with a bur and using Herculite was statistically significantly stronger than the other methods of repair. For Cheng crowns, using air particle abrasion and Z250 produced a statistically significantly stronger repair. There was a statistically significant main effect of crown brand and repair method. There was also a statistically significant interaction effect between crown brand and method of repair. Cheng crowns repaired with air particle abrasion and Z250 were the strongest repairs but results were not statistically significantly greater than the KinderKrown repairs

ImageJ2: ImageJ for the next generation of scientific image data

ImageJ is an image analysis program extensively used in the biological sciences and beyond. Due to its ease of use, recordable macro language, and extensible plug-in architecture, ImageJ enjoys contributions from non-programmers, amateur programmers, and professional developers alike. Enabling such a diversity of contributors has resulted in a large community that spans the biological and physical sciences. However, a rapidly growing user base, diverging plugin suites, and technical limitations have revealed a clear need for a concerted software engineering effort to support emerging imaging paradigms, to ensure the software's ability to handle the requirements of modern science. Due to these new and emerging challenges in scientific imaging, ImageJ is at a critical development crossroads. We present ImageJ2, a total redesign of ImageJ offering a host of new functionality. It separates concerns, fully decoupling the data model from the user interface. It emphasizes integration with external applications to maximize interoperability. Its robust new plugin framework allows everything from image formats, to scripting languages, to visualization to be extended by the community. The redesigned data model supports arbitrarily large, N-dimensional datasets, which are increasingly common in modern image acquisition. Despite the scope of these changes, backwards compatibility is maintained such that this new functionality can be seamlessly integrated with the classic ImageJ interface, allowing users and developers to migrate to these new methods at their own pace. ImageJ2 provides a framework engineered for flexibility, intended to support these requirements as well as accommodate future needs

Redox-Linked Changes to the Hydrogen-Bonding Network of Ribonucleotide Reductase β2

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes conversion of nucleoside diphosphates (NDPs) to 2′-deoxynucleotides, a critical step in DNA replication and repair in all organisms. Class-Ia RNRs, found in aerobic bacteria and all eukaryotes, are a complex of two subunits: α2 and β2. The β2 subunit contains an essential diferric–tyrosyl radical (Y122O•) cofactor that is needed to initiate reduction of NDPs in the α2 subunit. In this work, we investigated the Y122O• reduction mechanism in Escherichia coli β2 by hydroxyurea (HU), a radical scavenger and cancer therapeutic agent. We tested the hypothesis that Y122OH redox reactions cause structural changes in the diferric cluster. Reduction of Y122O• was studied using reaction-induced FT-IR spectroscopy and [[superscript 13]C]aspartate-labeled β2. These Y122O• minus Y122OH difference spectra provide evidence that the Y122OH redox reaction is associated with a frequency change to the asymmetric vibration of D84, a unidentate ligand to the diferric cluster. The results are consistent with a redox-induced shift in H-bonding between Y122OH and D84 that may regulate proton-transfer reactions on the HU-mediated inactivation pathway in isolated β2.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM29595