The Tangled Web: How Nonprofit Board Members Experience Organizational Crisis

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop an understanding of what board members experience during a time of organizational crisis. Major corporate and nonprofit failures of previously successful organizations in recent years have raised questions and led to speculation about the role of boards of directors through the crises. In this study twenty board members of nonprofit organizations who had experienced an organizational crisis during their board service were interviewed. Participants were asked to share their perceptions and explore how they identified and made meaning of the events and board processes that went on as the crisis became apparent and progressed. The overall research design was grounded theory guided by Schatzman’s and Charmaz’ methodological contributions. A dimensional analysis was employed to create explanatory matrices that focused on theory development. From dimensional analysis the core dimension, the Tangled Web, and primary dimensions Recognizing, Responding, and Stepping Up emerged. The model of a Tangled Web depicts the processes that obstruct a board’s ability to recognize and respond to signs of crisis. Complexity theory, governance, crisis and turnaround, and group process all contribute to the understanding of the research question. The electronic version of this dissertation is available through the OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et

The Tangled Web: How Nonprofit Board Members Experience Organizational Crisis

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop an understanding of what board members experience during a time of organizational crisis. Major corporate and nonprofit failures of previously successful organizations in recent years have raised questions and led to speculation about the role of boards of directors through the crises. In this study twenty board members of nonprofit organizations who had experienced an organizational crisis during their board service were interviewed. Participants were asked to share their perceptions and explore how they identified and made meaning of the events and board processes that went on as the crisis became apparent and progressed. The overall research design was grounded theory guided by Schatzman’s and Charmaz’ methodological contributions. A dimensional analysis was employed to create explanatory matrices that focused on theory development. From dimensional analysis the core dimension, the Tangled Web, and primary dimensions Recognizing, Responding, and Stepping Up emerged. The model of a Tangled Web depicts the processes that obstruct a board’s ability to recognize and respond to signs of crisis. Complexity theory, governance, crisis and turnaround, and group process all contribute to the understanding of the research question. The electronic version of this dissertation is available through the OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et

Radiomics for Response and Outcome Assessment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Routine follow-up visits and radiographic imaging are required for outcome evaluation and tumor recurrence monitoring. Yet more personalized surveillance is required in order to sufficiently address the nature of heterogeneity in nonsmall cell lung cancer and possible recurrences upon completion of treatment. Radiomics, an emerging noninvasive technology using medical imaging analysis and data mining methodology, has been adopted to the area of cancer diagnostics in recent years. Its potential application in response assessment for cancer treatment has also drawn considerable attention. Radiomics seeks to extract a large amount of valuable information from patients' medical images (both pretreatment and follow-up images) and quantitatively correlate image features with diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. Radiomics relies on computers to identify and analyze vast amounts of quantitative image features that were previously overlooked, unmanageable, or failed to be identified (and recorded) by human eyes. The research area has been focusing on the predictive accuracy of pretreatment features for outcome and response and the early discovery of signs of tumor response, recurrence, distant metastasis, radiation-induced lung injury, death, and other outcomes, respectively. This review summarized the application of radiomics in response assessments in radiotherapy and chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer, including image acquisition/reconstruction, region of interest definition/segmentation, feature extraction, and feature selection and classification. The literature search for references of this article includes PubMed peer-reviewed publications over the last 10 years on the topics of radiomics, textural features, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, lung cancer, and response assessment. Summary tables of radiomics in response assessment and treatment outcome prediction in radiation oncology have been developed based on the comprehensive review of the literature

Converting Treatment Plans From Helical Tomotherapy to L-Shape Linac: Clinical Workflow and Dosimetric Evaluation.

This work evaluated a commercial fallback planning workflow designed to provide cross-platform treatment planning and delivery. A total of 27 helical tomotherapy intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans covering 4 anatomical sites were selected, including 7 brain, 5 unilateral head and neck, 5 bilateral head and neck, 5 pelvis, and 5 prostate cases. All helical tomotherapy plans were converted to 7-field/9-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric-modulated radiotherapy plans through fallback dose-mimicking algorithm using a 6-MV beam model. The planning target volume (PTV) coverage ( D1, D99, and homogeneity index) and organs at risk dose constraints were evaluated and compared. Overall, all 3 techniques resulted in relatively inferior target dose coverage compared to helical tomotherapy plans, with higher homogeneity index and maximum dose. The organs at risk dose ratio of fallback to helical tomotherapy plans covered a wide spectrum, from 0.87 to 1.11 on average for all sites, with fallback plans being superior for brain, pelvis, and prostate sites. The quality of fallback plans depends on the delivery technique, field numbers, and angles, as well as user selection of structures for organs at risk. In actual clinical scenario, fallback plans would typically be needed for 1 to 5 fractions of a treatment course in the event of machine breakdown. Our results suggested that <1% dose variance can be introduced in target coverage and/or organs at risk from fallback plans. The presented clinical workflow showed that the fallback plan generation typically takes 10 to 20 minutes per case. Fallback planning provides an expeditious and effective strategy for transferring patients cross platforms, and minimizing the untold risk of a patient missing treatment(s)

"The first break in the wall": la visita del presidente Richard Nixon a Bucarest nel 1969 e gli accordi che cambiarono la geometria della guerra fredda

On 2-3 August 1969, President Richard Nixon visited Nicolae Ceauşescu in Bucharest. For the first time in the Cold War history an American president visited a Socialist country. This event was the first sign of great détente policy between the two blocs, inaugurated by the Nixon-Kissinger administration, with important political and diplomatic implications in the international arena. The aim of the contribution is to analyze and explain how and why it came to the Nixon’s visit in Romania that actually made the first breach in the wall and changed the geometry of the Cold War

The Cuticular Hydrocarbons of Dasineura Oleae Show Differences Between Sex, Adult Age and Mating Status

: In insects, cuticular lipids prevent water loss and act as semiochemicals. Because of their ecological function, the profile change across the insects' sex and development offers insight into insect biology and possible tools for pest management. Here, the first work on cecidomyiid cuticular extracts is proposed considering Dasineura oleae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) males and females at different adult ages (0-12 h, 12-24 h, 24-36 h) and distinct sexual conditions (virgin and mated). A set of 49 compounds were recorded (12 alkanes, 1 monomethyl alkane, 11 fatty acids, 4 esters, 1 aldehyde, 1 allylbenzene, 1 amine, 1 flavonoid, 1 ketone, 1 phenol, 1 steradiene, 1 sterol, 1 terpene, 1 triterpene and 11 unknown compounds), and 18 of them showed significant differences between groups. Among alkanes, hexacosane (nC26) exhibited a decreasing trend from the youngest to the oldest females, while pentacosane (nC25) and nonacosane (nC29) showed a decreasing trend from 0 to 12 h to 12-24 h virgin females. In addition, nonadecane (nC19) was significantly more abundant in the youngest males compared to older males and females. The alkanes nC25, nC26 and nC29 have been reported to be age-related also in other dipterans, while nC19 has been described as gender-specific chemical cue for platygastrid parasitoids. Further behavioural trials and analyses are required to assign the specific ecological roles to the characterized compounds. Our results may contribute to develop new low-impact control strategies relying on the manipulation of D. oleae's chemical communication (e.g. disruption of mating or species recognition). HIGHLIGHTS: • Cuticular hydrocarbons are often involved in dipteran intraspecific communication. • We explored the cuticular profile of D. oleae at different age, sex, mating condition. • Five alkanes and one mono-methyl alkane showed differences among groups. • Linoleic acid is the most abundant compound in virgins, absent in mated insects. • Eleven compounds disappear in mated insects, but were present in all virgins

La libertad de expresión artística como derecho fundamental

The paper deals with the concept and structure of constitutional rights, according to the developments of Robert Alexy. It tries to demonstrate the usefulness of this theory to explore the contours of each of the constitutional rights. Specifically, the work seeks to answer the question about if should protect specially freedom of speech when the expressed is an artistic expression. From the constitutional rules and court precedents, identifies iusfundamentals reason which allowing upholds the existence of a right of artistic speech. Later his juridical protection is analyzed, which is not satisfy whit the alone abstention to interference by the state, and requires further specific rights provisionFil: Valicenti, Ezequiel Andrés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho; ArgentinaEl trabajo aborda el concepto y la estructura de los derechos fundamentales, de acuerdo a los desarrollos de Robert Alexy. Se intenta demostrar la utilidad de esta teoría para descubrir los contornos de cada uno de los derechos fundamentales en particular. En particular, el trabajo pretende responder el interrogante acerca de si cabe tutelar de manera especial la libertad de expresión cuando lo expresado constituye una manifestación artística. A partir de normas fundamentales y antecedentes jurisprudenciales, se identifican razones iusfundamentales de justificación que permiten sostener la existencia un derecho a la libertad de expresión artística. Posteriormente se analiza su tutela jurídica, la que no se abastece con la sola abstención de injerencia del por parte del Estado, sino que requiere además concretos derechos prestacione

The impact of the warehouse format on traditional retailers and underlying property types in Massachusetts in the 1990's

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-70).by Dale R. Valicenti.M.S