An Empirical Study of System Development Method Tailoring in Practice

Little research has been conducted to date on the specific topic of the tailoring of systems development methods. Two related research areas—contingency factors research and method engineering—have exhibited a primarily deductive research focus. In contrast, this paper presents an inductive study into method tailoring in practice within the Motorola organisation. The findings illustrate the sophisticated multi-level tailoring process at industry, organisational and project level. The multi-level tailoring process depicted here overcomes the problem of trying to comprehensively tailor a method in a development environment in which time is not available for a lengthy tailoring process on each project. The paper builds on both the contingency factors and method engineering streams, and also contains useful practical guidelines for practitioners

The pharmacokinetics of nebulized nanocrystal budesonide suspension in healthy volunteers.

Nanocrystal budesonide (nanobudesonide) is a suspension for nebulization in patients with steroid-responsive pulmonary diseases such as asthma. The pharmacokinetics and safety of the product were compared to those of Pulmicort Respules. Sixteen healthy volunteers were administered nanobudesonide 0.5 and 1.0 mg, Pulmicort Respules 0.5 mg, and placebo in a four-way, randomized crossover design. All nebulized formulations were well tolerated, with no evidence of bronchospasm. Nebulization times were significantly shorter for nanobudesonide compared to Pulmicort Respules. Because of a low oral bioavailability, plasma concentration of budesonide is a good marker of lung-delivered dose. The pharmacokinetics of nanobudesonide 0.5 and 1.0 mg were approximately dose proportional with respect to Cmax, AUC(0-t), and AUC(0-infinity). Nanobudesonide 0.5 mg and Pulmicort Respules 0.5 mg exhibited similar AUCs, suggesting a similar extent of pulmonary absorption. A higher Cmax was noted with nanobudesonide 0.5 mg, and the tmax was significantly different, suggesting a more rapid rate of drug delivery of nanobudesonide 0.5 mg than Pulmicort Respules. In conclusion, nebulized nanobudesonide 0.5 mg was safe in healthy volunteers, with a similar extent of absorption as Pulmicort Respules

Exploring the effects of online instruction on reading comprehension achievement of students with learning disabilities

Two major pieces of legislation, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2001) mandate that students with disabilities be placed in the Least Restrictive Environment and have access to the general education curriculum. To provide access to the general education curriculum, inclusion in general education classes for students with disabilities has become the accepted practice. Many students with specific learning disabilities experience difficulties with the general education curriculum because their reading ability falls significantly below the school curriculum and textbook instructional levels (Deshler & Schumaker, 1993). The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz, Schumaker, Deshler, & Beals, 2007) has been validated in traditional face-to-face settings to increase the oral reading and comprehension of students with reading deficits. Due to the possibilities of the Internet, online education has become a strong alternative option for traditional face-to-face instruction. The purpose of this multiple-probe design study was to investigate the effect of teaching The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz, Schumaker, Deshler, & Beals, 2007) through online modules to students with specific learning disabilities. Specifically, The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz et al., 2007) was taught to five participants (i.e., two fifth graders, one six grader, and two seventh graders) through online modules within an online distance education charter school. The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz et al.) served as the independent variable to determine the effect on the participants\u27 oral reading and comprehension. Oral Reading Probes and Comprehension Probes were used to measure participant performance throughout three design conditions: (a) baseline, (b) instruction, and (b) maintenance. The instruction condition included three phases: controlled practice using instructional level reading passages, advanced practice using grade level reading passages, and generalization using reading assignments from their English, science, and social studies online classes. Maintenance Probes were used to determine whether participants maintained the skill two weeks after instruction ended. Visual analysis of graphed data from the Oral Reading Probes and Comprehension Probes obtained during the three conditions was analyzed to determine the strategy\u27s effectiveness. Analysis revealed that all five participants learned The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz) through online instruction and improved their oral reading mean average scores from an instructional level (90%-95%) to an independent level (96%-100%) on controlled practice (instructional level) and advanced practice (grade level) materials. In addition, participants improved their comprehension on controlled and advanced materials when compared to pretest comprehension scores. Participants also generalized the strategy to online materials written at grade level. Finally, students with learning disabilities maintained their oral reading and comprehension skills over a two-week period at levels higher than their performance before learning the strategy

Short run cost functions for Class II railroads / BEBR No.321

Includes bibliographical references

Cost functions of Class II railroads and the question of railway abandonment

Includes bibliographical references

Online Monitoring Technical Basis and Analysis Framework for Large Power Transformers; Interim Report for FY 2012

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is actively conducting research to develop and demonstrate online monitoring (OLM) capabilities for active components in existing Nuclear Power Plants. A pilot project is currently underway to apply OLM to Generator Step-Up Transformers (GSUs) and Emergency Diesel Generators (EDGs). INL and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) are working jointly to implement the pilot project. The EPRI Fleet-Wide Prognostic and Health Management (FW-PHM) Software Suite will be used to implement monitoring in conjunction with utility partners: the Shearon Harris Nuclear Generating Station (owned by Duke Energy for GSUs, and Braidwood Generating Station (owned by Exelon Corporation) for EDGs. This report presents monitoring techniques, fault signatures, and diagnostic and prognostic models for GSUs. GSUs are main transformers that are directly connected to generators, stepping up the voltage from the generator output voltage to the highest transmission voltages for supplying electricity to the transmission grid. Technical experts from Shearon Harris are assisting INL and EPRI in identifying critical faults and defining fault signatures associated with each fault. The resulting diagnostic models will be implemented in the FW-PHM Software Suite and tested using data from Shearon-Harris. Parallel research on EDGs is being conducted, and will be reported in an interim report during the first quarter of fiscal year 2013

Calmodulin regulates transglutaminase 2 cross-linking of Huntingtin

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from "www.jneurosci.org".Striatal and cortical intranuclear inclusions and cytoplasmic aggregates of mutant huntingtin are prominent neuropathological hallmarks of Huntington's disease (HD). We demonstrated previously that transglutaminase 2 cross-links mutant huntingtin in cells in culture and demonstrated the presence of transglutaminase-catalyzed cross-links in the HD cortex that colocalize with transglutaminase 2 and huntingtin. Because calmodulin regulates transglutaminase activity in erythrocytes, platelets, and the gizzard, we hypothesized that calmodulin increases cross-linking of huntingtin in the HD brain. We found that calmodulin colocalizes at the confocal level with transglutaminase 2 and with huntingtin in HD intranuclear inclusions. Calmodulin coimmunoprecipitates with transglutaminase 2 and huntingtin in cells transfected with myc-tagged N-terminal huntingtin fragments containing 148 polyglutamine repeats (htt-N63-148Q-myc) and transglutaminase 2 but not in cells transfected with myc-tagged N-terminal huntingtin fragments containing 18 polyglutamine repeats. Our previous studies demonstrated that transfection with both htt-N63-148Q-myc and transglutaminase 2 resulted in cross-linking of mutant huntingtin protein fragments and the formation of insoluble high-molecular-weight aggregates of huntingtin protein fragments. Transfection with transglutaminase 2 and htt-N63-148Q-myc followed by treatment of cells with N-(6-aminohexyl)-1-naphthalenesulfonamide, a calmodulin inhibitor, resulted in a decrease in cross-linked huntingtin. Inhibiting the interaction of calmodulin with transglutaminase and huntingtin protein could decrease cross-linking and diminish huntingtin aggregate formation in the HD brain

A quantitative risk assessment for skin sensitizing plant protection products: Linking derived No-Effect levels (DNELs) with agricultural exposure models.

Chemical skin sensitizers produce allergic contact dermatitis, which is one of the most frequent occupational diseases associated with chemical exposures. Skin exposure is the major route of exposure when using plant protection products (PPPs). Therefore, skin sensitization is an important factor to be addressed during the regulatory risk assessment of PPPs. The main regulatory decision criterion considered when performing risk assessment for skin sensitizers is the dose applied. The equally important criteria "potency of the substance" is insufficiently considered by two potency categories as potency may vary up to five orders of magnitude. "Frequency of exposure" to the skin sensitizer is not considered at all. Consequently, an improved risk assessment methodology is essential to adequately assess health risks from skin sensitizers, especially for agricultural operators using PPPs. A quantitative risk assessment (QRA) approach for addressing PPPs sensitizing potential is proposed here. This QRA combines a methodology to derive a substance-specific threshold for skin sensitizers, a Derived No-Effect Level (DNEL), and an agricultural exposure model used for assessing chronic health risks of PPPs. The proposed QRA for skin sensitizing PPPs is a clear improvement over current risk assessment to ensure the safe use of skin sensitizers in an occupational context

The Ursinus Weekly, November 21, 1974

Unenthusiastic review received for ProTheatre\u27s Antigone cast • CMP: Last year; 5 new courses added • NEPSA names Dr. E. H. Miller new president • Forest Green is coming • Letter to the editor • Culture on culture • Catharsis, Pepto-Bismol and the college weekend • Dr. Bludan Bones tells of weird Trappe tale • Advice to the lovelorn • The College Union has done it again • Kicks • Hockey team to England • Commitment?https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1026/thumbnail.jp

The Ursinus Weekly, October 10, 1974

Gov. candidate Drew Lewis fields questions at U.C. • Achatz discusses news media role at Ursinus forum • Parents\u27 Day events slated • USGA continues action policy • Editorial: Ursinus was a people place • Pages from Ursinus past: Radical changes in store for Ursinus by year 1970! • Pumpkin eater\u27s greenery • Personals • A letter to the Weekly • Institute helps pre-meds abroad • Ursinus student publishes histories • Story leaks out • X-country defeated by King\u27s College • Bears will win Saturday! • Hockey team plans tour of Englandhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1021/thumbnail.jp