The Impact of Training and Development Activities on Small Technology Oriented Entrepreneurial Firm Performance

Based on prior research in training and development , planning and performance, and entrepreneurship, it was predicted that formal training and development would play an important role in shaping the strategic planning process and subsequent entrepreneurial firm performance. Data from  73 founder/managers of technology oriented  electronic  businesses were collected and analyzed to determine the impact of T & D on firm performance. More specifically the study investigated  the relationships between training and development, the perceived  benefits of training and development , and the sophistication of a firm' s strategic orientation to planning . Preliminary  results indicate that training and development are related to firm  performance

THY-1 Cell Surface Protein and Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

This research project is to investigate the role of a cell surface protein, THY-1, as an entry mediator for Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Previous research suggested that HCMV attaches to THY-1 on the host cell surface through virus encoded glycoprotein gB. The glycoproteins are located on the surface of virus particles thus initiating entry and infection. The specific question is to determine if the presence of a soluble form of THY-1 protein (sTHY-1) during the onset of infection would impair HCMV infectivity, based on the hypothesis that sTHY-1 would interrupt the interaction between the infectious virion and the target cells by competing with authentic cell surface THY-1 for binding to gB. The experimental approach is to prepare a plasmid encoding sTHY-1, to introduce it into mammalian cells by transfection to express the protein, to purify the sTHY-1, and to test the purified protein using Western blot and blocking of infection assays. HCMV is a herpes virus transmitted through saliva, urine, or other body fluids. Congenital HCMV occurs when HCMV is passed from a pregnant mother to her fetus. Many people encounter HCMV in their lifetime and according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 50 to 80 percent of adults who are 40 or older are infected with HCMV. For individuals with a healthy immune system, HCMV produces mild illness, and for immunocompromised individuals, HCMV has a high rate of reactivation and can cause serious disease

Late Pleistocene paleohydrography and diatom paleoecology of the central basin of Lake Malawi, Africa

Analysis of sedimentary diatom assemblages (10 to 144 ka) form the basis for a detailed reconstruction of the paleohy­drography and diatom paleoecology of Lake Malawi. Lake-level fluctuations on the order of hundreds of meters were in­ferred from dramatic changes in the fossil and sedimentary archives. Many of the fossil diatom assemblages we observed have no analog in modern Lake Malawi. Cyclotelloid diatom species are a major component of fossil assemblages prior to 35 ka, but are not found in significant abundances in the modern diatom communities in Lake Malawi. Salinity- and alkalin­ity-tolerant plankton has not been reported in the modern lake system, but frequently dominant fossil diatom assemblages prior to 85 ka. Large stephanodiscoid species that often dominate the plankton today are rarely present in the fossil record prior to 31 ka. Similarly, prior to 31 ka, common central-basin aulacoseiroid species are replaced by species found in the shal­low, well-mixed southern basin. Surprisingly, tychoplankton and periphyton were not common throughout prolonged low­stands, but tended to increase in relative abundance during periods of inferred deeper-lake environments. A high-resolution lake level reconstruction was generated by a principle component analysis of fossil diatom and wet-sieved fossil and mineralogical residue records. Prior to 70 ka, fossil assemblages suggest that the central basin was periodi­cally a much shallower, more saline and/or alkaline, well-mixed environment. The most significant reconstructed lowstands are ~ 600 m below the modern lake level and span thousands of years. These conditions contrast starkly with the deep, dilute, dysaerobic environments of the modern central basin. After 70 ka, our reconstruction indicates sustained deeper-water en­vironments were common, marked by a few brief, but significant, lowstands. High amplitude lake-level fluctuations appear related to changes in insolation. Seismic reflection data and additional sediment cores recovered from the northern basin of Lake Malawi provide evidence that supports our reconstruction

Costs and Effectiveness of Pharmacist-led Group Medical Visits for Type-2 Diabetes: A Multi-center Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives The effectiveness and costs associated with addition of pharmacist-led group medical visits to standard care for patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is unknown. Methods Randomized-controlled-trial in three US Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Hospitals, where 250 patients with T2DM, HbA1c \u3e7% and either hypertension, active smoking or hyperlipidemia were randomized to either (1) addition of pharmacist-led group-medical-visits or (2) standard care alone for 13 months. Group (4–6 patients) visits consisted of 2-hour, education and comprehensive medication management sessions once weekly for 4 weeks, followed by quarterly visits. Change from baseline in cardiovascular risk estimated by the UKPDS-risk-score, health-related quality-of-life (SF36v) and institutional healthcare costs were compared between study arms. Results After 13 months, both groups had similar and significant improvements from baseline in UKPDS-risk-score (-0.02 ±0.09 and -0.04 ±0.09, group visit and standard care respectively, adjusted p Conclusions Addition of pharmacist-led group medical visits in T2DM achieved similar improvements from baseline in cardiovascular risk factors than usual care, but with reduction in the healthcare costs in the group visit arm 13 months after completion compared to the steady rise in cost for the usual care arm

A New Wolf-Rayet Star and its Ring Nebula: PCG11

In a search for new Galactic planetary nebulae from our systematic scans of the Anglo-Australian Observatory/United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope (AAO/UKST) Halpha survey of the Southern Galactic Plane, we have identified a Pop I Wolf-Rayet star of type WN7h associated with an unusual ring nebula that has a fractured rim. We present imagery in Halpha, the 843-MHz continuum from the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST), the mid-infrared from the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), and confirmatory optical spectroscopy of the character of the nebula and of its central star. The inner edge of the Halpha shell shows gravitational instabilities with a well-defined wavelength around its complete circumference.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX (mn2e.cls), incl. 9 PostScript (ps or eps) figures and 3 tables. Accepted by MNRA

Patient-Reported Side Effects of Intradetrusor Botulinum Toxin Type A for Idiopathic Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Objective: The aim of the study was a prospective assessment of patient-reported side effects in an open-label study after intradetrusor botulinum toxin injections for idiopathic overactive bladder (OAB). Patients and Methods: Botulinum toxin A injection was performed in 56 patients with idiopathic OAB. Patients were followed up for 6 months concerning side effects and patients' satisfaction. Results: Different types of side effects were assessed such as dry mouth (19.6%), arm weakness (8.9%), eyelid weakness (8.9%), leg weakness (7.1%), torso weakness (5.4%), impaired vision (5.4%) and dysphagia (5.4%). In all cases, symptoms were mild and transient. Urological complications such as gross hematuria (17.9%), acute urinary retention (8.9%) and acute urinary tract infection (7.1%) were noticed. In all cases, acute urinary retention was transient and treated with temporary intermittent self-catheterization. There was no statistically significant correlation between dosage and observed side effects. Patients' satisfaction rate was high (71.4%). Conclusion: Intradetrusor injection of botulinum toxin was associated with a high rate of neurourological side effects. In general, side effects were transient, mild and did not require special treatment. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

The 3-D Structure of SN 1987A's inner Ejecta

Twenty years after the explosion of SN 1987A, we are now able to observe the three-dimensional spatially resolved inner ejecta. Detailed mapping of newly synthesised material and its radioactive decay daughter products sheds light on the explosion mechanism. This may reveal the geometry of the explosion and its connection to the equatorial ring and the outer rings around SN 1987A. We have used integral field spectroscopy to image the supernova ejecta and the equatorial ring in the emission lines of [Si I]+[Fe II] and He I. The spectral information can be mapped into a radial velocity image revealing the expansion of the ejecta both as projected onto the sky and perpendicular to the sky plane. The inner ejecta are spatially resolved in a North-South direction and are clearly asymmetric. We argue that the bulk of the ejecta is situated in the same plane as defined by the equatorial ring and does not form a bipolar structure as has been suggested. The exact shape of the ejecta is modelled and we find that an elongated triaxial ellipsoid fits the observations best. From our spectral analyses of the ejecta spectrum we find that most of the He I, [Si I] and [Fe I-II] emission originates in the core material which has undergone explosive nucleosynthesis. The He I emission may be the result of alpha-rich freeze-out if the positron energy is deposited locally. Our observations clearly indicate a non-symmetric explosion mechanism for SN 1987A. The elongation and velocity asymmetries point towards a large-scale spatial non-spherical distribution as predicted in recent explosion models. The orientation of the ejecta in the plane of the equatorial ring argues against a jet-induced explosion through the poles due to stellar rotation.Comment: Above abstract is abridged. 11 pages, 9 figures. Accepted July 1st 2010 by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Psychiatric intensive care units: A literature review

Background: Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) have been part of most inpatient psychiatric services for some time, however information about their functioning and outcome has not previously been collated. Aim: To conduct a systematic literature review to assess the current state of knowledge about such services. Method: A search of electronic databases was undertaken, followed by obtaining additional references from items obtained. Results: Over 50 papers in English containing some empirical data were identified. Most studies were retrospective. Typical PICU patients are: male; younger; single; unemployed; suffering from schizophrenia or mania; from a black Caribbean or African background; legally detained; with a forensic history. The most common reason for admission is for aggression management, and most patients stay a week or less. Evidence of the efficacy of PICU care is very poor. Conclusions: Most research so far has been small scale, and more substantial work using better methodologies is clearly required