A fuzzy methodology for innovation management measurement

Innovation has been recognized as one of the main sources of competitive advantage for organizations and nations. The purpose of this study is to present an innovation management measurement approach applying fuzzy techniques to small and medium manufacturing enterprises. ..

The Study of African Musical Contribution to Latin-America and the Caribbean: A Methodological Guideline

Em 1989, O CIDEM, Conselho Interamericano de Músicada Organização dosEstados Americanos, convocou uma reunião em Caracas de diversos pesquisadores da música latino-americana e do Caribe de influência africana. Foi eleito uma "Grupo de Trabalho" para formular diretrizes a serem tomadas por pesquisas sobre esse assunto. A comissão reuniu-se na Universidade de Kent nos Estados Unidos em outubro de 1990, com formação diversa daquela escolhida na reuniãode Caracas, editando o seguinte documento, publicado por solicitação do organizador do encontro, Dr. Kazadi Wa Mukuna

Tropomyosin 2.1 collaborates with fibronectin to promote TGF-β1-induced contraction of human lung fibroblasts

Many lung diseases are characterized by fibrosis, leading to impaired tissue patency and reduced lung function. Development of fibrotic tissue depends on two-way interaction between the cells and the extra-cellular matrix (ECM). Concentration-dependent increased stiffening of the ECM is sensed by the cells, which in turn increases intracellular contraction and pulling on the matrix causing matrix reorganization and further stiffening. It is generally accepted that the inflammatory cytokine growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a major driver of lung fibrosis through the stimulation of ECM production. However, TGF-β1 also regulates the expression of members of the tropomyosin (Tm) family of actin associating proteins that mediate ECM reorganization through intracellular-generated forces. Thus, TGF-β1 may mediate the bi-directional signaling between cells and the ECM that promotes tissue fibrosis. Using combinations of cytokine stimulation, mRNA, protein profiling and cellular contractility assays with human lung fibroblasts, we show that concomitant induction of key Tm isoforms and ECM by TGF-β1, significantly accelerates fibrotic phenotypes. Knocking down Tpm2.1 reduces fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction. Collectively, the data suggest combined ECM secretion and actin cytoskeleton contractility primes the tissue for enhanced fibrosis. Our study suggests that Tms are at the nexus of inflammation and tissue stiffening. Small molecules targeting specific Tm isoforms have recently been designed; thus targeting Tpm2.1 may represent a novel therapeutic target in lung fibrosis

Primary cutaneous lymphomas: single center experience of dermatology and hematology clinics

Purpose: To present the clinical characteristics, treatments performed, response to treatment, and follow up of 40 patients diagnosed with primary cutaneous lymphoma. Methods: In this retrospective study included were 23 males and 17 females from our center with confirmed diagnosis of primary cutaneous lymphoma over an 8-year period. Data were retrieved from the patient medical records. Results: The median patient age at diagnosis was 59.5 years (range 33-86). Skin biopsies showed that 31 patients (77.5%) had mycosis fungoides (MF), 2 (5%) had anaplastic large cell lymphoma, 3 (7.5%) had diffuse large B cell lymphoma, 3 (7.5%) had poikilodermic mycosis fungoides, and 1 (2.5%) had non-classified non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In patients with T cell lymphoma clinical stage IA prevailed (42.5%). The 3 patients with B cell lymphoma had stage IE and 2 of them had B symptoms. Sezary cells were detectable in the peripheral blood of 3 patients. Twenty-three patients (57.5%) used only topical corticosteroids, 2 (5%) were treated with PUVA (psoralen ultraviolet A), 1 (2.5%) was treated with PUVA and chemotherapy, 8(20%) received combination chemotherapy, 1 patient (2.5%) received PUVA+interferon+topical nitrogen mustard, and 1 (2.5%) received chemotherapy+topical nitrogen mustard+interferon. Among 16 patients whith evaluable response to treatment 5 (33%) showed complete remission (CR) and 9 (60%) partial remission (PR). The median follow up time for all patients was 1.5 months (range 1-135). While mean overall survival (OS) time was 123 months (95% Cl 100.6-145.3), the estimated median OS was not reached. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of MF is rather favorable in terms of high and long-term response rates to topical treatments

Sijoitusneuvontaprosessi X-pankissa : Asiakkaan ja sijoitusneuvojan välillä syntyvät kokemuserot

Tämä opinnäytetyö käsittelee sijoitusneuvotteluista syntyviä kokemuseroja X-pankin x- konttorissa. ‎Tutkimus on rajattu sijoitusneuvonnan asiakkaisiin. Opinnäytetyön tutkimusongelmana on, että ‎syntyykö X-pankin x-konttorin sijoitusneuvottelussa kokemuseroja asiakaspalvelusta sijoitusneuvojan ‎ja asiakkaan välille. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on kartoittaa sijoitusneuvontapalvelu ja tutkia ‎sijoituspalvelusta mahdollisesti syntyvää kokemuseroa asiakkaan ja pankkivirkailijan näkökulmasta.‎ Opinnäytetyö on tutkimustyyppinen ja se on tehty laadullisella tutkimusmenetelmällä. Tiedonkeruumenetelmänä on käytetty haastatteluja, artikkeleita ja kirjallisuutta. Tutkimuksessa on haastateltu ‎Pankki X:n sijoitusneuvojia ja sijoituspäällikköä sekä sijoituspalveluasiakkaita. Tutkimuksen ‎teoreettinen viitekehys koostuu sijoitusneuvontaprosessista ja siitä syntyvistä kokemuseroista. ‎ Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että eroavaisuuksia löytyi asiakkaiden ja sijoitusneuvojien vastauksista. Eroavaisuudet eivät olleet kovin suuria sijoituspalveluiden asiakaspalvelun tason kannalta, ‎mutta asiakaspalvelutasoa voitaisiin kehittää entisestään. Asiakaspalvelu ja palvelun laatu ovat ‎oleellisia kilpailutekijöitä pankille. Hyvän ja ammattitaitoisen sijoitusneuvonnan avulla voidaan ‎asiakkaan tyytyväisyyttä palveluihin lisätä. Tämä vaikuttaa asiakkaan tulevaisuuden päätöksiin, koska ‎tyytyväisempi asiakas on sitoutuneempi pankkiinsa ja kynnys vaihtaa asiointipankkia on korkeampi.‎Investment Counselling Process at X-Bank This thesis deals with different experiences arising from investment negotiations in the X-bank's ‎branch office X. The study is limited to the clients receiving investment advice. The objective of ‎the study is to explore if there will be customer experience differences in investment negotiations ‎between the counselor and the client at X-Bank’s branch office X. The aim of this thesis is to ‎identify investment advisory and investment service to investigate any differences resulting from ‎the experience of the customer and the bank official.‎ The type of this thesis is research and it was conducted with a qualitative research method. The ‎method used for data collection was based on interviews, articles and literature. Investment ‎advisors, investment manager and customers of investment services at Bank X were interviewed for ‎the study. The theoretical framework consists of an investment negotiation process and different ‎experiences resulting from it. ‎ It can be concluded that differences were found in responses between the clients and the in-‎vestment advisors. The differences were not very big in investment services in terms of the level of ‎the customer service which could be developed further. Customer service and quality of service ‎are essential elements of competition to the bank. With a good and professional investment advice ‎the customer satisfaction with services can be increased. This will affect customer's future ‎decisions. The happier and more committed the customer is with the bank, the higher is the ‎threshold to change the bank.

Modifying and Integrating <i>in vitro</i> and <i>ex vivo</i> Respiratory Models for Inhalation Drug Screening.

For the past 50 years, the route of inhalation has been utilized to administer therapies to treat a variety of respiratory and pulmonary diseases. When compared with other drug administration routes, inhalation offers a targeted, non-invasive approach to deliver rapid onset of drug action to the lung, minimizing systemic drug exposure and subsequent side effects. However, despite advances in inhaled therapies, there is still a need to improve the preclinical screening and the efficacy of inhaled therapeutics. Innovative in vitro models of respiratory physiology to determine therapeutic efficacy of inhaled compounds have included the use of organoids, micro-engineered lung-on-chip systems and sophisticated bench-top platforms to enable a better understanding of pulmonary mechanisms at the molecular level, rapidly progressing inhaled therapeutic candidates to the clinic. Furthermore, the integration of complementary ex vivo models, such as precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) and isolated perfused lung platforms have further advanced preclinical drug screening approaches by providing in vivo relevance. In this review, we address the challenges and advances of in vitro models and discuss the implementation of ex vivo inhaled drug screening models. Specifically, we address the importance of understanding human in vivo pulmonary mechanisms in assessing strategies of the preclinical screening of drug efficacy, toxicity and delivery of inhaled therapeutics

Modeling and Performance Assessment of Alternative Cover Systems on a Waste Rock Storage Area

The selection and design of an appropriate mine waste cover system for the local climatic conditions, unsaturated and saturated material properties, and available cover materials is important to mine waste management. We investigated the performance of various cover configurations for minimizing the ingress of water and oxygen into the northern waste rock storage area of the KA +/- AYladag gold mine, in UAYak, Western Turkey. SEEP/W and VADOSE/W software were used to model the flow in unsaturated and saturated zones and to assess the performance of various cover systems. The accuracy of input data was checked during calibration for steady-state conditions with SEEP/W. Subsequently, bedrock, waste rock, and three different cover alternatives were modeled under transient conditions for 20 years using daily climatic data. All three alternatives (enhanced store-and-release, and double and single capillary barriers) were effective in limiting infiltration. However, capillary barrier covers were more effective in limiting oxygen ingress than enhanced store-and-release covers

Mimari Cephe Tasarımında Malzeme ve Renk Kullanımı: Alan Çalışmasında Seramik Malzeme Üzerinden Ürün Tasarımcı Yaklaşımının Değerlendirilmesi: Alan Çalışmasında Malzeme Üzerinden Ürün Tasarımcı

Binaların ve kentlerin yüzü olan cepheler, tasarımları ile kente ve kullanıcıya etki eden ögeler olmaktadır. Cephe tasarımında biçim, boyut, ölçek gibi kararlar ile eşit ağırlıkta yüzeyin renk tasarımı ile kullanılan kaplama malzemesinin rengi de çok önemlidir. Günümüzde artan nüfus, kentlere göçler ve artan inşaat faaliyetleri ile kent ve bina dönüşümleri hızlı bir şekilde gerçekleşmektedir. Bu durumda kent içerisindeki mevcut konut ve cephe dokusunun beraberinde renk kullanımları da değişmektedir. Özellikle son 10 yılda inşa edilen binalarda gri, siyah, kahverengi gibi soğuk renklerin tercih edildiği görülmektedir. Bu değişimlerin özellikle bina ölçeği olarak yasal bir dayanağı bulunurken, renk seçiminde genellikle bulunmamaktadır. Bu durumda, cephelerdeki renklerin tercihinin yalnızca tasarımcı[1]kullanıcı sorumluluğunda olmadığı anlaşılmaktadır. Bu noktada, malzeme-ürün üretici ve tasarımcıları etkili olmaktadır. Çünkü yasal bir zorunluluk veya dayanak olmadığı için, malzeme tasarım ve üretimlerinde renk açısından bir kısıtlama bulunmamakta, malzeme üretici ve tasarımcıları tarafından belirlenen mevcut malzeme ve renk seçenekleri, tasarımcı ve kullanıcı tercihlerini yönlendirmektedir. Çalışmada malzeme/ürün tasarımcılarının malzeme kararlarının yerleşim dokusu üzerindeki etkisinin belirlenen bir çalışma alanı üzerinden incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla çalışma alanı olarak değişim hızı yüksek olan İstanbul ili, Kadıköy ilçesinde çeşitli ölçütlere göre alan belirlenmiştir. Bu bağlamda sınırları belirlenmiş olan çalışma alanında 2010–2018 tarihleri arasında 215 adet işlevi konut olan yeni bina inşa edildiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu binaların tamamı dış cephe kaplaması üzerinden; malzeme, renk, doku ve boyut özellikleri incelenerek analizler yapılmıştır. İncelenen 215 binada dört (4) tür dış cephe kaplama malzemesi kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Ancak 117 bina ile en çok kullanılan dış cephe kaplama malzemesinin seramik olduğu tespit edildiği için; bu binalardaki seramik malzeme üreticileri belirlenmiş, malzeme/ürün tasarımcıları ile anket çalışması yapılarak, malzeme seçimi üzerindeki etkileri araştırılmıştır.Facades, which are the faces of buildings and cities, are elements that affect the city and the user with their designs. In facade design, the decisions such as shape, size, scale and the color design of the surface with equal weight and the color of the coating material used are also very important. Today, urban and building transformations are taking place rapidly with the increasing population, migration to cities and increasing construction activities. In this case, the use of color changes along with the existing residential and facade texture in the city. It is observed that cold colors such as gray, black and brown are preferred especially in buildings built in the last 10 years. While these changes have a legal basis in terms of building scale, they are generally not available in color selection. In this case, it is understood that the choice of colors on the facades is not solely the designer-user responsibility. At this point, material-product producers and designers are effective. Because there is no legal obligation or basis, there are no restrictions in terms of color in material design and production, and the available material and color options determined by the material producers and designers guide the designer and user preferences. In this study, it is aimed to examine the effect of material / product designers’ material decisions on the layout texture over a determined study area. For this purpose, an area was determined according to various criteria in Kadikoy district of Istanbul province, where the rate of change is high. In this context, it was determined that 215 new buildings, whose function was residential, were built between 2010-2018 in this study area, whose boundaries were determined. All of these buildings are covered with siding; Analyzes were made by examining material, color, texture and size properties. It was determined that four (4) types of facade cladding materials were used in 215 buildings examined. However, since it was determined that the most used exterior cladding material with 117 buildings; The ceramic material producers in these buildings were determined, a questionnaire was conducted with the material / product designers and their effects on the material selection were investigated