Powell Flutes: Innovating Products and Markets

The purpose of this case study is to provide an understanding of how innovation ispossible even when an artistic product has a 180-year history of design stability.Innovation does not come from a lightning bolt out of the sky. Rather, it emerges from an openness to new ideas and deep experience in your industry or product. There are numerous parameters on which a business can innovate, including materials, mechanics, aesthetic design and manufacturing technology. One approach is to eliminate constraints blocking innovation by working backwards from Z to A, rather than working incrementally forward from A to B to C. Market surveys must be conducted cautiously, as consumers may not be able to envision a hypothetical product for which a prototype is not yet available. When innovation breaks new ground, it can also create new markets or market segments. Therefore, it is generally preferable to own 100% of your own market segment than 10% of a highly competitive market

Spin reorientation in Na-doped BaFe2_2As2_2 studied by neutron diffraction

We have studied the magnetic ordering in Na doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ by unpolarized and polarized neutron diffraction using single crystals. Unlike previously studied FeAs-based compounds that magnetically order, Ba$_{1-x}$Na$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ exhibits two successive magnetic transitions: For x=0.35 upon cooling magnetic order occurs at $\sim$70\ K with in-plane magnetic moments being arranged as in pure or Ni, Co and K-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ samples. At a temperature of $\sim$46\ K a second phase transition occurs, which the single-crystal neutron diffraction experiments can unambiguously identify as a spin reorientation. At low temperatures, the ordered magnetic moments in Ba$_{0.65}$Na$_{0.35}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ point along the $c$ direction. Magnetic correlations in these materials cannot be considered as Ising like, and spin-orbit coupling must be included in a quantitative theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Species and gender differentiation between and among domestic and wild animals using mitochondrial and sex-linked DNA markers

In many African countries accurate and reliable identification of poached wildlife products like carcasses or meat presents a big problem when morphological characters such as skin hair or bones are missing. We describe a molecular based approach that has a potential of serving as a forensic tool in game meat identification in Africa. A mitochondial DNA marker (mt700) and one restriction enzyme, Rsa1 were used in the PCR-RFLP species identification of game meat obtained from two National Parks in Tanzania. Species-specific reference DNA fragment patterns were obtained using fresh meat from ten wildlife and four domesticated species. All species except the zebra, produced unique monomorphic RFLP patterns. Collectively, these patterns demonstrate the potential ability of genetic techniques for discriminating between and among wildlife and domestic species. The reference PCR-RFLP fragments enabled species identification of about 79% of unknown meat samples. In addition, sex was alsoassigned to all of the samples following successful amplification of gender-specific, SRY and ZFY/X, chromosomal domains. Although the present study has been conducted on a limited range both in numbers and genetic diversity of wildlife species present in Africa, the results demonstrate thepotential usefulness of the DNA approach in wildlife forensics in the continent

Interventions to increase research publications in graduate medical education trainees: a systematic review.

Introduction: Competency-based educational models recommend trainee exposure to research, but the best methods for Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs to accomplish this have not been clarified. The objective of this study was to quantify published interventions to generate resident research and compare effectiveness among those interventions. Material and methods: A systematic review of English-language articles of studies of GME programs was performed, describing resident research interventions and quantifying the number of publications as an outcome. Results: The search produced 13,688 potentially relevant articles, and included 47 articles in the final synthesis. Publication effectiveness was calculated as publications per year. The top ten programs for publication effectiveness were compared to others for interventions chosen. Interventions were characterized as research director, protected time, research requirement, research mentor, curricula, research assistant, biostatistician, information technology support, research fund, pay-for-performance plans, and celebration of accomplishments. Total number of different interventions was not significantly associated with primary outcome ( Conclusions: Leadership interventions (directors, curricula) are associated with successful GME research efforts

Development of Feeding Cues During Infancy and Toddlerhood

To enhance responsive feeding, this study aimed to characterize the development of feeding cues during infancy and toddlerhood

Highly charged ion X-rays from Electron-Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources

Radiation from the highly-charged ions contained in the plasma of Electron-Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources constitutes a very bright source of X-rays. Because the ions have a relatively low kinetic energy ($\approx 1$ eV) transitions can be very narrow, containing only small Doppler broadening. We describe preliminary accurate measurements of two and three-electron ions with Z=16--18. We show how these measurement can test sensitively many-body relativistic calculations or can be used as X-ray standards for precise measurements of X-ray transitions in exotic atoms

Ectopic expression of cyclase associated protein CAP restores the streaming and aggregation defects of adenylyl cyclase a deficient Dictyostelium discoideum cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cell adhesion, an integral part of <it>D. discoideum </it>development, is important for morphogenesis and regulated gene expression in the multicellular context and is required to trigger cell-differentiation. G-protein linked adenylyl cyclase pathways are crucially involved and a mutant lacking the aggregation specific adenylyl cyclase ACA does not undergo multicellular development.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we have investigated the role of cyclase-associated protein (CAP), an important regulator of cell polarity and F-actin/G-actin ratio in the <it>aca^-</it>mutant. We show that ectopic expression of GFP-CAP improves cell polarization, streaming and aggregation in <it>aca^-</it>cells, but it fails to completely restore development. Our studies indicate a requirement of CAP in the ACA dependent signal transduction for progression of the development of unicellular amoebae into multicellular structures. The reduced expression of the cell adhesion molecule DdCAD1 together with csA is responsible for the defects in <it>aca^-</it>cells to initiate multicellular development. Early development was restored by the expression of GFP-CAP that enhanced the DdCAD1 transcript levels and to a lesser extent the csA mRNA levels.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, our data shows a novel role of CAP in regulating cell adhesion mechanisms during development that might be envisioned to unravel the functions of mammalian CAP during animal embryogenesis.</p

On the characterisation of a Bragg spectrometer with X-rays from an ECR source

Narrow X-ray lines from helium-like argon emitted from a dedicated ECR source have been used to determine the response function of a Bragg crystal spectrometer equipped with large area spherically bent silicon (111) or quartz (10$\bar{1}$) crystals. The measured spectra are compared with simulated ones created by a ray-tracing code based on the expected theoretical crystal's rocking curve and the geometry of the experimental set-up.Comment: Version acceptee (NIM