An inquiry into a project management body of knowledge in the Japanese construction industry and roles of a Japanese PMBoK for Japanese managers

This research explores Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) in the case of the Japanese construction industry. As guides for project management, PMBoKs are developed and updated by project management associations, and used for individual certification programmes and corporate standards of project management in best practice. Because a PMBoK is expected to express project management philosophy, its design should be based on empirical research. Research on PMBoK has been done in the Western context, but its investigation outside Anglo-Saxon economy has not been well explored. Therefore this research focuses on the differences in the selection of PMBoK topics between English and Japanese managers and those that exist between the two groups. The case of the Japanese construction industry in 2000 is surveyed as a research field, wherein project management approach is needed. This research seeks answers to the following questions: ‘What PMBoK topics are used in Japanese construction projects’? and ‘How do the Japanese guidelines for project management differ from those of the Western ones’? A potential Japanese PMBoK proposed in 2000 refers to the existing PMBoK concepts and literature. The model is tested through questionnaires and interviews of Japanese managers. The data obtained from the survey is compared with similar data from the UK. The comparison indicates that there are significant differences between Japan and UK, classified into five categories. To describe the differences between the Japanese and the English PMBoK, the five categories are compared with the selection of PMBoK topics published during 2001–2013; this information is then elaborated in an effective framework. The study concluded that the Japanese group thinking possibly explains the selection of PMBoK topics compared with the English professional approach. The research output enhances an understanding of the thinking in the formation of the PMBoK by Japanese and their English counterparts

Magneto-Excitons in (411)A and (100)-Oriented GaAs/AlGaAs Multiple Quantum Well Structures

We report magneto-exciton spectroscopy studies of (411)A and (100)-oriented GaAs/Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As multiquantum well structures. The samples consisted of seven GaAs quantum wells with widths varying between 0.6 and 12nm, were grown on (411)A and (100)-oriented GaAs substrates. The exciton diamagnetic energy shifts and linewidths were measured between 0 and 14T at 1.4K The dependence of the exciton diamagnetic shifts with magnetic field were calculated using a variational approach and good agreement with experiment for both substrate orientations was found

Physical activity to improve cognition in older adults: can physical activity programs enriched with cognitive challenges enhance the effects? A systematic review and meta-analysis

: EPHPP quality rating scores (DOCX 38 kb

Effectiveness of dual-task functional power training for preventing falls in older people: Study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Falls are a major public health concern with at least one third of people aged 65 years and over falling at least once per year, and half of these will fall repeatedly, which can lead to injury, pain, loss of function and independence, reduced quality of life and even death. Although the causes of falls are varied and complex, the age-related loss in muscle power has emerged as a useful predictor of disability and falls in older people. In this population, the requirements to produce explosive and rapid movements often occurs whilst simultaneously performing other attention-demanding cognitive or motor tasks, such as walking while talking or carrying an object. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether dual-task functional power training (DT-FPT) can reduce the rate of falls in community-dwelling older people. Methods/Design: The study design is an 18-month cluster randomised controlled trial in which 280 adults aged =65 years residing in retirement villages, who are at increased risk of falling, will be randomly allocated to: 1) an exercise programme involving DT-FPT, or 2) a usual care control group. The intervention is divided into 3 distinct phases: 6 months of supervised DT-FPT, a 6-month 'step down' maintenance programme, and a 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be the number of falls after 6, 12 and 18 months. Secondary outcomes will include: lower extremity muscle power and strength, grip strength, functional assessments of gait, reaction time and dynamic balance under single- and dual-task conditions, activities of daily living, quality of life, cognitive function and falls-related self-efficacy. We will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the programme for preventing falls. Discussion: The study offers a novel approach that may guide the development and implementation of future community-based falls prevention programmes that specifically focus on optimising muscle power and dual-task performance to reduce falls risk under 'real life' conditions in older adults. In addition, the 'step down' programme will provide new information about the efficacy of a less intensive maintenance programme for reducing the risk of falls over an extended period. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12613001161718. Date registered 23 October 2013

MAGNETIZATION PROCESSES IN HELICAL MnP

On interprète théoriquement les courbes d'aimantation et celles de couple ainsi que l'intensité des lignes de diffraction neutronique pour MnP à 4,2 °K par emploi de constantes appropriées d'échange isotropique, d'échange anisotropique, et d'énergie d'anisotropie du modèle à un atome.Observed peculier magnetization curves and torque curves, as well as neutron diffraction line intensities, for MnP at 4.2 °K are theoretically interpreted using appropriate constants of isotropic exchange, anisotropic exchange, and one-atom anisotropy energy

Ultra-short T-shaped gate fabrication technique for InP based HEMTs with high ft (> 300 GHz) and their MMIC applications

A fabrication technique for sub-50-nm T-shaped-gate InGaAs/InAlAs high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) lattice-matched to InP substrates and their device characteristics are presented. A 35-nm T-shaped-gate HEMT is successfully fabricated by optimizing conditions of electron beam (EB) lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE) to make an ultra-fine resist pattern and precisely replicate it on a SiO2 film, which defines gate length (Lg). The device exhibits an excellent current-gain cutoff frequency (fT) as high as 317 GHz with high controllability. This technique is considered to be very effective for device and MMIC applications in the V band and even higher frequency ranges

The influence of repeated pain stimulation on the emotional aspect of pain: a preliminary study in healthy volunteers

Hiroshi Maeoka, Makoto Hiyamizu, Atsushi Matsuo, Shu Morioka Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Science, Kio University, Koryo-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara, Japan Purpose: Pain is a multidimensional experience with sensory-discriminative, cognitive-evaluative, and affective-motivational components. Emotional factors, such as unpleasantness or anxiety, are known to have influence on pain in humans. Repeated painful stimulation has been reported to reduce subjective pain intensity. Nevertheless, there is little evidence of the influence of such stimulation on the emotional factors of pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of repeated painful stimulation on the experience of unpleasantness and anxiety. Materials and methods: Eight subjects (six females, two males) volunteered to participate in this study. Subjects received repeated painful stimulation for 3 consecutive days each instance lasting 6 seconds, 60 times per day, on the medial side of the forearm of the nondominant hand. We examined the following items to evaluate changes of responses to painful stimulation: pain thresholds, pain tolerance levels, pain intensities, unpleasantness, and anxiety. Furthermore, pain thresholds and pain tolerance levels were compared between different sites on the ipsilateral and contralateral forearms. Results: No immediate or chronological changes in pain thresholds or pain tolerance levels were observed. Pain intensities were reduced significantly over the 3-day experimental period (P<0.05). On the other hand, there was no great change in unpleasantness during the 3-day period. Anxiety was increased significantly after the painful stimulation compared with that without the painful stimulation and before day 1 of the stimulation (P<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that repeated painful stimulation may result in habituation to pain intensities but not habituation to emotional factors. Keywords: anxiety, unpleasantness, pain intensity, habituatio

NEGATIVE DIFFERENTIAL RESISTANCE OF In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As RESONANT TUNNELING BARRIERS GROWN BY MBE

The quantum-well-width dependence of negative differential resistance (NOR) of an InGaAs/InAlAs resonant tunneling barrier (RTB) structure, latticematched to InP substrates, was studied. The best NDR characteristics ever reported (a peak-to-valley ratio of 5.5 at 300K and 13.3 at 77K with a peak current density of 4.8x104 A/cm2 at both 77K and 300K) have been achieved for a resonant tunneling barrier diode with a quantum well width of 32.2 A and a barrier width of 46.9 A. We found that the band nonparabolicity enhances the electron tunneling of the InAlAs barrier layer