bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Computer Support for Strategic Decision‐Making Processes: Review and Analysis*
Authors: Sabherwal Rajiv , Grover Varun 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how computer‐based support for strategic decision‐making processes varies across the phases of decision making under a variety of conditions (represented by five contingency variables). The paper draws extensively from empirical research on the strategic decision‐making processes, recognizing that these processes can be conducted in different ways. The relationships between the modes of the strategic decision process, the contingency variables, and the characteristics of computer‐based support are examined. The paper thus represents an important first step towards deriving prescriptive implications for designers of computer‐based support, whereby they can understand and design tools/systems for various phases and types of strategic decision‐making processes.
An Integrative, Experiential Approach to Production Management Education
Authors: LaForge R. Lawrence , McNichols Charles W. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses the important relationship between production and operations management (POM) and information technology. An approach to POM education is presented in which information technology is used to create an experiential learning environment that integrates the topics taught in POM courses. Results of an implementation of the proposed approach are presented and implications are discussed for POM education.
A Bayesian Approach for Analyzing Results of Vehicle Collision Tests
Authors: Carnahan James V. , Krishnan K. S. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTCertain motor vehicle safety standards stipulate a collision test speed and a set of performance criteria that vehicles must satisfy during or after the collision test. For example, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 301 requires a 30 mile per hour (mph) barrier collision and specifies a certain maximum allowable limit on the total spillage of fuel. Vehicle designs are required to meet this standard; however, when collision tests are conducted at speeds higher than the standard, vehicles do not always satisfy the performance criteria. This paper develops a mathematical model for estimating the probability of meeting the standard by using a Bayesian framework to incorporate engineering judgment with collision test results. The model is based on the idea that there are random features to a vehicle's ability to meet performance standards in a collision, especially at such elevated speeds. Example calculations are included to illustrate the estimation of the probability of meeting the standard and to compare it with a maximum likelihood approach.
An Instrument for Measuring the Critical Factors of Quality Management
Authors: Saraph Jayant V. , Benson P. George , Schroeder Roger G. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTMuch has been written about how quality should be managed in an organization. The quality literature contains many case studies of successful companies and descriptions of quality concepts and quality improvement programs. To date, however, there has been no systematic attempt to organize and synthesize the various prescriptions offered, nor have measures of organizational quality management been proposed for areas such as top management leadership, training, employee involvement, and supplier management. While many organizations collect quality data such as defect rates, error rates, rework cost, and scrap cost, these are not measures of organization‐wide quality management.This paper provides a synthesis of the quality literature by identifying eight critical factors (areas) of quality management in a business unit. Operational measures of these factors are developed using data collected from 162 general managers and quality managers of 89 divisions of 20 companies. The measures can be used individually or in concert to produce a profile of organization‐wide quality practices. The measures are found to be both valid and reliable. Such measures could be used by decision makers in an organization to assess the status of quality management in order to direct improvements in the quality area. Researchers can use such measures to better understand quality management practice and to build theories and models that relate the critical factors of quality management to the organization's quality environment and quality performance.
The Internal Validity of the Trade‐Off Method of Conjoint Analysis
Authors: Safizadeh M. Hossein 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThe discovery of consumers' preferences for multiattribute products/services has recently become possible with the development of conjoint measurement techniques. Conjoint analysis uses an individual's preference ranking or rating of some deliberately manipulated constructs of a concept to determine his/her numerically valued preferences for levels of those attributes that comprise the concept. Generally speaking, there are two methods of data collection for conjoint analysis: the full profile and the trade‐off methods. This paper calls into question the internal validity of the preferences obtained via the trade‐off method. An empirical analysis, which is based on the subjects' preferences for selecting a hospital, clearly shows that the estimates derived from the trade‐off method may not reflect consumers' true preferences.
Ambiguous Criteria Weights in AHP: Consequences and Solutions*
Authors: Schoner Bertram , Wedley William C. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTTwo related streams of criticism of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) have not yet been satisfactorily resolved, although both date from the early 1980s. The first relates to ambiguity in the meaning of the relative importance of one criterion as compared to another. The second is concerned with reversals of rank alleged to be possible when new options are introduced in an AHP problem. Both proponents and critics of AHP agree that rank reversals occur, but disagree on the legitimacy of such reversals. This paper shows that there is a necessary correspondence between the manner in which criteria importances are interpreted and computed and the manner in which the weights of the options under each criterion are normalized. In general, if this relationship is ignored, incorrect weights are generated for options under consideration regardless of whether new options are added or deleted. A rank reversal on the addition of an option is merely symptomatic of this fact, and such reversals do not occur when the correspondence condition is met.
A Comparative Analysis of Master Production Scheduling Techniques for Assemble‐To‐Order Products
Authors: Tallon William J. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the master production scheduling (MPS) activity of manufacturing firms that produce assemble‐to‐order (ATO) products. It describes four techniques for master scheduling ATO products: end‐product bills, modular bills, super bills, and percentage bills. These procedures are compared in terms of the percentage of customer orders delivered late, the mean tardiness of customer order deliveries, and the total cost of inventory using simulation analysis. The results indicate that the performance of an MPS technique is affected by the level of uncertainty of the end products' demands and the degree of component commonality in the product structure. In particular, modular bills produce the highest customer service level and super bills produce the lowest total inventory cost under most operating conditions. The conclusions also suggest that the choice of a particular MPS technique is often a compromise between the benefits of improved MPS performance and the costs of implementing and executing the MPS system.
Some Empirical Findings on Short‐Term Forecasting: Technique Complexity and Combinations
Authors: Sanders Nada R. , Ritzman Larry P. 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research is to determine if prior findings that favor simple forecasting techniques and technique combinations hold true in a short‐term forecasting environment, where demand data can be quite volatile. Twenty‐two time series of daily data from a real business setting are used to test one‐period ahead forecasts, the epitome of short‐term forecasting. The time series vary systematically as to data volatility and forecast difficulty. Forecast accuracy is measured in terms of both mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean percentage error (MPE).
Management of dry eye related to systemic diseases in childhood and longterm follow‐up
Authors: Mac Cord Medina Flávio , Silvestre de Castro Rosane , Leite Suzana C. , Rocha Eduardo M. , De Melo Rocha Gutemberg 
Published: June 2007

Abstract.Purpose:  Dry eye in children is not common in general practice and is usually referred to tertiary centres for diagnostic confirmation. In the present review we examine the potential causes of dry eye in children and report the management and longterm follow‐up of dry eye in childhood with reference to clinical diversity, systemic associations, ocular outcomes and treatment trends.Methods:  A retrospective, consecutive case series was studied by evaluating the clinical charts of children with dry eye over a 96‐month period. Minimal diagnostic inclusion criteria were presence of ocular surface damage and tear deficiency.Results:  Fourteen patients with an age range at presentation of 1−17 years were evaluated. Ten patients were female, four were male and all had bilateral involvement. The most frequent symptoms were red eye, photophobia and low visual acuity (VA). Four patients had corneal ulcers. Two patients had best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≤ 20/200 at first examination. One of these plus another patient presented with BCVA ≤ 20/200 at the last visit. All patients were treated with artificial tears; three received autologous serum tears and five submitted to conjunctival flaps to preserve the integrity of the eye. Associated systemic conditions were found in all patients and were congenital in six of them.Conclusions:  Early manifestations of dry eye in childhood are a potential indication of systemic disease. The ocular condition may be misdiagnosed and correct treatment delayed. Most diseases are bilateral and may jeopardize VA. Systemic investigation, close follow‐up and preparing the family for longterm and multidisciplinary treatment are necessary to preserve ocular health and identify systemic associations.
Bitumen products alter bax, bcl‐2 and cytokeratin expression: An in vivo study of chronically exposed road pavers
Authors: Loreto Carla , Rapisarda Veneranda , Carnazza Maria Luisa , Musumeci Giuseppe , D’Agata Velia , Valentino Matteo , Martinez Giuseppe 
Published: June 2007

Background:  The skin of road pavers is chronically exposed to bitumen fumes, a mixture of volatile compounds and particles, containing several carcinogenic and non‐carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Bitumen fumes can alter cutaneous barrier integrity in various ways and induce skin diseases. The present study was devised to investigate the expression of apoptosis proteins (bax and bcl‐2) and the cytokeratin pattern in skin specimens from road paving workers exposed to bitumen fumes using immunohistochemical techniques.Methods:  Skin forearm punch biopsies from 16 occupationally exposed workers and an unexposed control group were processed for immunohistochemistry using a broad‐spectrum anti‐cytokeratin antibody and monoclonal antibodies for bax and bcl‐2 immunostaining. Urinary 1‐hydroxypyrene (1‐OHP) was also determined.Results:  Morphological specimen evaluation showed epidermal thinning of exposed skin and flattened dermal papillae. In sections from exposed subjects, grade 3 bax overexpression and cytokeratin immunoreaction was detected in all layers, while bcl‐2 expression was downregulated (grade 1) and confined to the basal layer. There was a significant difference in 1‐OHP values between road pavers and the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion:  Overexpression of the cytokeratin pattern and bax and underexpression of bcl‐2 in chronically bitumen‐exposed skin suggest that bitumen fumes induce activation of apoptosis as a defense mechanism.
Vascular endothelial cell distribution and adhesion molecule expression in xanthoma
Authors: Matsumoto Masaaki , Kunimitsu Sawa , Wada Kana , Ikeda Mitsunori , Yokogawa Maki , Keyama Akira , Kodama Hajime 
Published: June 2007

Background:  The migration of circulating monocytes into the dermis is considered to be essential for both the initiation and the progression of xanthoma. The contribution of vascular endothelial cells to the migration process is unclear.Methods:  Twenty cases of xanthelasma and six cases of tuberous xanthoma lesions were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining.Results:  Xanthoma lesions contained up to 25‐fold more von Willebrand factor‐stained endothelial cells than normal skin. The prevalence of E‐selectin‐positive endothelial cells increased by up to threefold more in xanthoma lesions than in normal skin. In contrast, the prevalence of intercellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) decreased up to 3.5‐fold more in xanthoma lesions than in normal skin. In xanthoma lesions, almost all ICAM‐1‐positive endothelial cells co‐expressed with E‐selectin but many endothelial cells, which only expressed E‐selectin, were also found in the lesions and the ratio of macrophages to endothelial cells was higher (10:1) than that in normal skin (5:1).Conclusions:  Endothelial cells proliferate and express E‐selectin rather than ICAM‐1 under a microenvironment in which macrophages predominate rather than endothelial cells, thereby promoting macrophage migration into xanthoma lesions.
Zu einem Motto im West‐östlichen Divan
Authors: Jungbluth Günther 
Published: June 2007

Zwanzig Jahre liess ich gehn Und genoss was mir bescbieden; Eine Reihe völlig schön Wie die Zeit der Barmekiden.11. Sämtliche Zita te nach den von Ernst Grumach besorgten Divanbänden der Akademieausgabe, Berlin 1952.
Beginnings and the Representation of Time in Jacques le fataliste
Authors: Mésavage Ruth Matilde 
Published: June 2007

The present essay attempts to throw new light on the question of time in Jacques le fataliste by studying this aspect as a structure, rather than as a theme, and the way this principle is encoded in, as well as influenced by, the various incipit the reader encounters on the way.Two categories of beginnings in this novel are analyzed as to their temporal structure and its relation to meaning. The first contains narratives that experience difficulties in beginning, and are, therefore, considered “reflexive,” in that they turn back on themselves. The second are considered “projective” in that they reach beyond toward what follows. The reflexive beginning is further distinguished from a real or “radical” beginning which has no example in literature; it is a concept, and not a reality.The mixture of reflexive and projective beginnings in Jacques le fataliste reveals a narrative that is aware of its status as fiction, and questions itself and its relation to those arbitrary rules that implicitly govern fictions. The relation between the two types of beginnings and their representation of time is only one example of how the narrative consciously creates itself as an entity freed from the reality of chronological time.
Die Schönheit des Trivialen Oder: Bürger im Niemandsland. Theodor Fontane zwischen Naturalismus und poetischem Realismus
Authors: Glogauer Walter 
Published: June 2007

Die Literaturszenerie in der letzten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts ist geprägt durch eine dezidierte Theoretisierung und damit Politisierung, wobei sich gängige Kategorisierungen wie bürgerlicher (konservativer) und poetischer Realismus hie‐ und Naturalismus da als politisch vermittelt decouvrieren an ihrer jeweiligen ästhetischen Anwendung: Daß die in Fontanes Romanen perfektionierte Forminnovation der sogenannten »Objektivierung des Subjektiven« (Brinkmann) das spezifisch realistische Dilemma zwischen Wirklichkeitstreue und Wirklichkeitsverfallenheit zu einem Problem der Rezeptionsästhetik und ihrer Kritik werden läßt, erweist sich an dem zentralen Theorem von Fontanes rudimentärer Romantheorie, der Rede von der Verklärung, die erreicht werde in jener von Lukácz so definierten »Wiederherstellung des Konkreten«, des poetisierten Nebensächlichen als Essenz der Zeit‐geschichte.Das dafür eingesetzte Stilmittel der humorvoll‐distanzierten Ironisierung vermag dabei weder jenes eindeutige sozialkritische Identifikationsangebot (das Realismus wie Naturalismus zu Unrecht als stilbildend nachgesagt wurde) noch die Befriedigung der vorraugigen Leserschicht, des spätwilhelminischen Bürgertums, zu leisten. Indem er jedoch mit eklatanten affirmativen Spekulationen gleichzeitig als gründerzeitlicher Tendenzschriftsteller erscheint, erweist sich die stilgeschichtliche Bedeutung Fontanes darin, daß seine Werke von keiner der herkömmlichen Klassifikationsstrategien in ihrer Komplexität zu beschriben sind.
Mystère, secret et tromperie: sur la généalogie du roman d'espionnage français
Authors: Bleton Paul 
Published: June 2007

L'auteur examine l'hypothèse génologique d'une filiation directe roman policier/roman d'espionnage. II faut à la fois retracer historiquement l'origine et le développement de ce dernier genre dans la paralittérature française et en proposer une définition systématique pour pouvoir le comparer au roman policier.L'auteur récuse cette hypothèse de la filiation directe, et suggère une autre généalogie. Les interprétants du «pouvoir mystérieux» des romans d'aventures mystérieuses des années 1830–1840 ont été réactivés et réaménagés dans un nouveau genre, sous la pression de considérations extra‐littéraires: propagande anti‐anglaise puis anti‐allemande de 1890 à 1918. L'influence de la structure syntaxi‐que du roman policier n'a été que secondaire.
The Misanthropic Painting or Settling on Account with the Almighty Mother: The Vivisector ‐ Patrick White's Universal Work of Art
Authors: Burman Beyla 
Published: June 2007

Patrick White's The Vivisector (1970) is the first universal work of art in world literature in which the art of painting and music are presented in the artistic form of language.To be able to exemplify this I have chosen one of the most important paintings, Lantana Lovers under Moonfire. In my account I allow the nine different levels that I have found in the world of The Vivisector to overlap each other ‐ with the exception of the musical level, which is presented last.At the historical level it is the concrete events that appear, while Hero and Olivia reveal their attitude to art in their “lives” at the socio‐cultural level. The visionary level allows the reader to follow how the vision of the idea emerges to Hurtle out of his conflict with the past, and it is also here that the importance these three persons are to have for each other is foreshadowed. At the pictorial level Hurtle tackles his conflicts and cuts himself loose from the straitjacket of the past. The symbolic level complements the two levels just mentioned in that the symbols clarify the meaning of the visions and the painting. At the religious level we learn of Hurtle's as yet incomplete insight into the existence of the Evil One in God and, at the animus‐anima level, fear of the Almighty Mother drives him to start to seek his anima. The failure of his initiation is related at the mythical level and finally the events are recapitulated at the musical level.
Deterministic Acceptance Versus Moral Outrage: A Problem of Literary Naturalism in Frank Norris' The Octopus
Authors: Pettersson Torsten 
Published: June 2007

SummaryIn Frank Norris' novel The Octopus the reader is on the one hand invited to launch a moral protest against the conditions prevailing in the fictional world, but on the other hand he is encouraged to accept them in the spirit of determinism. This article argues that this inconsistency in the novel is inescapable, and examines the elements from which it arises in some detail. It is then shown that the inconsistency can be traced back to Norris' intellectual background, where naturalism, Calvinism and American philosophies of evolution provided conflicting impulses. Finally, it is argued that the tension between determinism and moral outrage can also be observed in other naturalist writers, and that both qualities can be seen to stem, in different ways, from the emphasis which these writers laid on the conditioning forces of heredity and environment.
Experience with docetaxel in hormone‐refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) at three Australian cancer centers: A retrospective study
Authors: HOVEY Elizabeth , GABRIEL Gabriel , GEORGE Monika , SHAPIRO Jeremy , CHERN Boris , MOYLAN Eugene 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground:  Hormone‐refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) is associated with a poor prognosis and has historically been considered relatively chemoresistant. Emerging data demonstrate clinical benefit with the use of docetaxel in HRPC, culminating in two recent published phase III studies demonstrating survival benefit. Currently, docetaxel is registered but not reimbursed for HRPC in Australia.Aim:  To retrospectively review prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) response rate, and survival following the use of docetaxel for metastatic HRPC.Methods:  Retrospective audit of the use of docetaxel for HRPC from 1 January 2001 to 1 April 2004 in three medical oncology practices. Demographic data, baseline PSA, ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) Performance Status, sites of disease, number of cycles received and PSA response rates were collected.Results:  Thirty five patients (median age, 71 years; range, 50–88) had an ECOG status of 0 (eight), 1 (20) and 2 (seven). The mean duration from initial prostate cancer diagnosis to start of docetaxel was 5.4 years (range, 0.2–13.5 years). The mean baseline PSA doubling time, available for 29/35 patients, was 1.9 months (range, 0.4–4.9). The median number of metastatic sites was 1 (range, 1–4): bone (34 patients), lymph nodes (10), liver (seven) and lung (seven). Twelve patients were chemotherapy naive; 23 had received prior chemotherapy (21/23 received mitoxantrone). Twenty patients received docetaxel three times weekly; 15 were on weekly schedules. Their mean dose density was 23 mg/m2/week. Patients received an average of 3.2 months of treatment (range, 0.2–11.8). There were 170 recorded toxicities, 13 of which were grade 3–4, and two likely treatment‐related deaths (sepsis). Twelve patients (34%) had >50% PSA response (four were chemotherapy naive); of these 12 responders, seven patients had a >75% PSA response (four chemotherapy naive). Median survival from start of docetaxel was 8 months with 37% alive at 12 months and 23% alive at 24 months.Conclusion:  Docetaxel is active in HRPC (in both chemotherapy naive and exposed patients) with a predictable toxicity profile. More research is warranted to identify predictors of response and toxicity.