Editorial: diabetes and its association with hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111954/1/apt13225.pd

Advantageous Cost Structure: A Strategic Costing Case Study

Today\u27 s increasingly competitive environment has prompted many fim1S to view organizational cost control as a strategic initiative through programs such as advantageous cost structure. Although strategic costing has been a concern of managers at the strategic level, finns are now trying to find ways to implement strategic initiatives at the operational level as well. These initiatives force organizations to address their major cost drivers and often result in improved processes, reduced number of non-value-added activities, improved supplier relations, and increased productivity. This article offers a case study of a large multinational manufacturing company that has successfully implemented advantageous cost structure in its effort to reduce costs and sustain competitive advantage

Search for Free Fractional Electric Charge Elementary Particles

We have carried out a direct search in bulk matter for free fractional electric charge elementary particles using the largest mass single sample ever studied - about 17.4 mg of silicone oil. The search used an improved and highly automated Millikan oil drop technique. No evidence for fractional charge particles was found. The concentration of particles with fractional charge more than 0.16e (e being the magnitude of the electron charge) from the nearest integer charge is less than $4.71\times10^{-22}$ particles per nucleon with 95% confidence.Comment: 10 pages,LaTeX, 4 PS figures, submitted to PR

Near Infrared Spectroscopic Monitoring During Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Detects Anaerobic Threshold

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides assessment of the integrative responses involving the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and skeletal muscle systems. Application of exercise testing remains limited to children who are able to understand and cooperate with the exercise protocol. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a noninvasive, continuous method to monitor regional tissue oxygenation (rSO2). Our specific aim was to predict anaerobic threshold (AT) during CPET noninvasively using two-site NIRS monitoring. Achievement of a practical noninvasive technology for estimating AT will increase the compatibility of CPET. Patients without structural or acquired heart disease were eligible for inclusion if they were ordered to undergo CPET by a cardiologist. Data from 51 subjects was analyzed. The ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) was computed on VCO2 and respiratory quotient post hoc using the standard V-slope method. The inflection points of the regional rSO2 time-series were identified as the noninvasive regional NIRS AT for each of the two monitored regions (cerebral and kidney). AT calculation made using an average of kidney and brain NIRS matched the calculation made by VAT for the same patient. Two-site NIRS monitoring of visceral organs is a predictor of AT

A New Method for Searching for Free Fractional Charge Particles in Bulk Matter

We present a new experimental method for searching for free fractional charge in bulk matter; this new method derives from the traditional Millikan liquid drop method, but allows the use of much larger drops, 20 to 100 mm in diameter, compared to the traditional method that uses drops less than 15 mm in diameter. These larger drops provide the substantial advantage that it is then much easier to consistently generate drops containing liquid suspensions of powdered meteorites and other special minerals. These materials are of great importance in bulk searches for fractional charge particles that may have been produced in the early universe.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures in a singl PDF file (created from WORD Doc.). Submitted to Review of Scientific Instrument