Do steering committees and boards constitute good project governance?

One could argue that good project governance positively influences productivity, and that this shapes the economy in a sustainable way. However, there is a prevailing perception in the corporate and government environment that steering committees and boards in some way constitutes good project governance. This perception appears to be based in part upon the presumption that the corporate sector always performs better than government; the corporate sector assures good corporate governance through boards; Ergo everyone else, including government, would perform better if they did the same. The paper argues that this presumption is indefensible as there is no scientific or rational basis to support it. Moreover, the concept of governance as steering committees and boards can diffuse responsibility and accountability in the hierarchical structures of government departments and large organisations that initiate their own projects and this can lead to project delay, confusion and uncertainty. The paper reviews the literature on governance and project steering committees and concludes that establishing project advisory rather than steering committees removes the potential for organisational power play and provides an effective consultation mechanism that facilitates 'best for project' outcomes

The impact of Arctic sea ice on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes

The atmospheric general circulation model EC-EARTH-IFS has been applied to investigate the influence of both a reduced and a removed Arctic sea ice cover on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes. Three 40-year simulations driven by original and modified ERA-40 sea surface temperatures and sea ice concentrations have been performed at T255L62 resolution, corresponding to 79 km horizontal resolution. Simulated changes between sensitivity and reference experiments are most pronounced over the Arctic itself where the reduced or removed sea ice leads to strongly increased upward heat and longwave radiation fluxes and precipitation in winter. In summer, the most pronounced change is the stronger absorption of shortwave radiation which is enhanced by optically thinner clouds. Averaged over the year and over the area north of 70° N, the negative energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere decreases by about 10 W/m2 in both sensitivity experiments. The energy transport across 70° N is reduced. Changes are not restricted to the Arctic. Less extreme cold events and less precipitation are simulated in sub-Arctic and Northern mid-latitude regions in winter

Graphical programming and the use of simulation for space-based manipulators

Robotic manipulators are difficult to program even without the special requirements of a zero-gravity environment. While attention should be paid to investigating the usefulness of industrial application programming methods to space manipulators, new methods with potential application to both environments need to be invented. These methods should allow various levels of autonomy and human-in-the-loop interaction and simple, rapid switching among them. For all methods simulation must be integrated to provide reliability and safety. Graphical programming of manipulators is a candidate for an effective robot programming method despite current limitations in input devices and displays. A research project in task-level robot programming has built an innovative interface to a state-of-the-art commercial simulation and robot programming platform. The prototype demonstrates simple augmented methods for graphical programming and simulation which may be of particular interest to those concerned with Space Station applications; its development has also raised important issues for the development of more sophisticated robot programming tools. Both aspects of the project are discussed

Epac and the high affinity rolipram binding conformer of PDE4 modulate neurite outgrowth and myelination using an in vitro spinal cord injury model

<b>Background and Purpose</b><p></p> cAMP and pharmacological inhibition of PDE4, which degrades it, are promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). Using our previously described in vitro SCI model, we studied the mechanisms by which cAMP modulators promote neurite outgrowth and myelination using enantiomers of the PDE4-specific inhibitor rolipram and other modulators of downstream signalling effectors.<p></p> <b>Experimental Approach</b><p></p> Rat mixed neural cell myelinating cultures were cut with a scalpel and treated with enantiomers of the PDE4-specific inhibitor rolipram, Epac agonists and PKA antagonists. Neurite outgrowth, density and myelination were assessed by immunocytochemistry and cytokine levels analysed by qPCR.<p></p> <b>Key Results</b><p></p> Inhibition of the high-affinity rolipram-binding state (HARBS), rather than the low-affinity rolipram binding state (LARBS) PDE4 conformer promoted neurite outgrowth and myelination. These effects were mediated through the activation of Epac and not through PKA. Expression of the chemokine CXCL10, known to inhibit myelination, was markedly elevated in astrocytes after Rho inhibition and this was blocked by inhibition of Rho kinase or PDE4.<p></p> <b>Conclusions and Implications</b><p></p> PDE4 inhibitors targeted at the HARBS conformer or Epac agonists may provide promising novel targets for the treatment of SCI. Our study demonstrates the differential mechanisms of action of these compounds, as well as the benefit of a combined pharmacological approach and highlighting potential promising targets for the treatment of SCI. These findings need to be confirmed in vivo

Public and private Further Education and Training in South Africa: a comparative analysis of the quantitative evidence

Publ ic and private provision of vocational education and training (or FurtherEducation and Training in the South African usage) exist in a relationship witheach other but are rarely cons idered togethe r. An analysis is provided of recent quantitative evidence on both sectors in South Africa in order to advance the case for further po licy and res earch work on the inter-connectivities of the two sectors. This particularly emphasises the need for better conceptions of quality and a more serious focus on equity in both sectors

The design and performance of a real-time self excited vocoder

This paper is concerned with a generic class of predictive speech coders that includes the newly proposed Self Excited Vocoder (SEV) and the well known Code-Excited Linear Predictive Coder (CELPC). All members of this class form an excitation sequence for a linear predictive model filter using the same general model for the excitation signal. The general excitation model is based on a block coding technique where each sequence is drawn from an ensemble of sequences. This paper reports on two developments related to this general model. The first development is a new type of excitation ensemble that can in general be populated by many different types of sequences. The second development is a means of populating this new type of ensemble based on a vector quantizer design procedure using a new distortion measure

Standards of Medical Care for General Practitioners in Montana: The Chapel Decision and a Move Toward a National Standard

Standards of Medical Care for General Practitioners in Montana: The Chapel decision and a move toward a national standar