Interview of Bob Vance and Tom Watson

Hacker interviews Vance and Watson on their experiences in the mission field in Oregon. The interview was conducted in Searcy, AR

The architecture of the High Performance Storage System (HPSS)

The rapid growth in the size of datasets has caused a serious imbalance in I/O and storage system performance and functionality relative to application requirements and the capabilities of other system components. The High Performance Storage System (HPSS) is a scalable, next-generation storage system that will meet the functionality and performance requirements or large-scale scientific and commercial computing environments. Our goal is to improve the performance and capacity of storage by two orders of magnitude or more over what is available in the general or mass marketplace today. We are also providing corresponding improvements in architecture and functionality. This paper describes the architecture and functionality of HPSS

Replicating Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Education

Purpose – This paper describes the intricates and possibilities of replicating a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) education model from a pilot program to other universities—employing ‘replication as strategy’—based on a validated ‘business model.’ Study design/methodology/approach – This work is grounded in a case study on the ESTIEM LSSGB educational method and draws on the replication literature. Specifically: (1) replication as strategy (Winter and Szulanski, 2001) to replicate stimulating learning environments, and (2) replicating sets of teaching practices (Baden-Fuller and Winter, 2007). These theories are practiced using data obtained from various sources: Participant-observer data, interview data, and secondary case data. Findings – To replicate this educational program, a thorough understanding of the ‘business model’ of the LSSGB course is required. This includes a clear understanding of what is valued in each local environment, what configurations of practices create such value, and what environments contain the inputs that stimulate such value creation. Moreover, the replicating speed is substantially affected by the replicators’ knowledge on recognizing course locations for replication and successfully implementing a new course with a suitable configuration. In conclusion, replication of teaching practices between courses is mediated by predefined high-quality course content. Originality/value – The LSSGB course in ESTIEM shows how blended learning opportunities can be configured to deliver impact on a European scale. Decomposing a course to teaching practices and analyzing their inputs identifies the environmental requirements for a course. Keywords Lean Six Sigma, blended learning, replication, replication as strategy, ESTIEM Paper type Research pape

Theoretical perspectives in purchasing and supply chain management: an analysis of the literature

The research presented in this paper is work-in-progress and aims to investigate to what extent purchasing and supply chain management (SCM), as a relatively new area of academic enquiry, is ready or able to join the select group of modern scientific disciplines. The analysis indicates that the discipline lacks coherence and exhibits significant and increasingly interdisciplinary breath and is some way off becoming a natural science. Furthermore, it is argued that SCM research has diverse agendas and therefore it is unlikely that one dominant paradigm will emerge.N/

Land clearing in Queensland triples after policy ping pong

[Extract] In 2013, a group of 26 senior scientists in Queensland (including ourselves) expressed serious concern that proposed changes to vegetation protection laws would mean a return to large-scale land clearing. The loss of these protections followed a Ministerial announcement in early 2012 that investigations into and prosecutions of illegal clearing would be halted

Detection of Chromosome X;18 Breakpoints and Translocation of the Xq22.3;18q23 Regions Resulting in Variable Fertility Phenotypes

We describe a familial pattern of gonosomal-autosomal translocation between the X and 18 chromosomes, balanced and unbalanced forms, in male and female siblings. The proposita was consulted for hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Karyotype analysis revealed a balanced 46, X, t(X;18)(q22.3;q23) genotype. The sister of the proband presented with oligomenorrhea with irregular menses and possesses an unbalanced form of the translocation 46, X, der(X), t(X;18)(q22.3;q23). The brother of the proband was investigated and was found to possess the balanced form of the same translocation, resulting in disrupted spermatogenesis. Maternal investigation revealed the progenitor karyotype 46, X, t(X;18)(q22.3;q23). Maternal inheritance and various genomic events contributed to the resultant genotypes. Primary infertility was initially diagnosed in all progeny; however, the male individual recently fathered twins. We briefly review the mechanisms associated with X;18 translocations and describe a pattern of inheritance, where breakpoints and translocation of the Xq22.3;18q23 regions have resulted in variable fertility

Protection Systems Integrity

Discussion GroupAttendees Topics of Interests Reliability Limits of components and systems Considerations for new systems Interlocks Integrity Interlocks testing Surge system integrity and testing LOPA (Layer Of Protection Analysis) SIL (Safety Integrity Levels) Verifying reciprocating compressor protection systems Liquid level integrity Critical Pump protection system