A case study: application of statistical process control tool for determining process capability and sigma level.

Science.gov (United States)

Chopra, Vikram; Bairagi, Mukesh; Trivedi, P; Nagar, Mona

2012-01-01

Statistical process control is the application of statistical methods to the measurement and analysis of variation process. Various regulatory authorities such as Validation Guidance for Industry (2011), International Conference on Harmonisation ICH Q10 (2009), the Health Canada guidelines (2009), Health Science Authority, Singapore: Guidance for Product Quality Review (2008), and International Organization for Standardization ISO-9000:2005 provide regulatory support for the application of statistical process control for better process control and understanding. In this study risk assessments, normal probability distributions, control charts, and capability charts are employed for selection of critical quality attributes, determination of normal probability distribution, statistical stability, and capability of production processes, respectively. The objective of this study is to determine tablet production process quality in the form of sigma process capability. By interpreting data and graph trends, forecasting of critical quality attributes, sigma process capability, and stability of process were studied. The overall study contributes to an assessment of process at the sigma level with respect to out-of-specification attributes produced. Finally, the study will point to an area where the application of quality improvement and quality risk assessment principles for achievement of six sigma-capable processes is possible. Statistical process control is the most advantageous tool for determination of the quality of any production process. This tool is new for the pharmaceutical tablet production process. In the case of pharmaceutical tablet production processes, the quality control parameters act as quality assessment parameters. Application of risk assessment provides selection of critical quality attributes among quality control parameters. Sequential application of normality distributions, control charts, and capability analyses provides a valid statistical

Integrated catchment modelling within a strategic planning and decision making process: Werra case study

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, Jörg; Funke, Markus

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) redefines conventional water management approaches through a closer cross-linkage between environment and society. The role of public participation and socio-economic considerations becomes more important within the planning and decision making process. In this paper we address aspects of the integration of catchment models into such a process taking the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) as an example. Within a case study situated in the Werra river basin (Central Germany), a systems analytic decision process model was developed. This model uses the semantics of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) activity model. As an example application, the catchment model SWAT and the water quality model RWQM1 were applied to simulate the effect of phosphorus emissions from non-point and point sources on water quality. The decision process model was able to guide the participants of the case study through the interdisciplinary planning and negotiation of actions. Further improvements of the integration framework include tools for quantitative uncertainty analyses, which are crucial for real life application of models within an IWRM decision making toolbox. For the case study, the multi-criteria assessment of actions indicates that the polluter pays principle can be met at larger scales (sub-catchment or river basin) without significantly compromising cost efficiency for the local situation.

A combined disease management and process modeling approach for assessing and improving care processes: a fall management case-study.

Science.gov (United States)

Askari, Marjan; Westerhof, Richard; Eslami, Saied; Medlock, Stephanie; de Rooij, Sophia E; Abu-Hanna, Ameen

2013-10-01

To propose a combined disease management and process modeling approach for evaluating and improving care processes, and demonstrate its usability and usefulness in a real-world fall management case study. We identified essential disease management related concepts and mapped them into explicit questions meant to expose areas for improvement in the respective care processes. We applied the disease management oriented questions to a process model of a comprehensive real world fall prevention and treatment program covering primary and secondary care. We relied on interviews and observations to complete the process models, which were captured in UML activity diagrams. A preliminary evaluation of the usability of our approach by gauging the experience of the modeler and an external validator was conducted, and the usefulness of the method was evaluated by gathering feedback from stakeholders at an invitational conference of 75 attendees. The process model of the fall management program was organized around the clinical tasks of case finding, risk profiling, decision making, coordination and interventions. Applying the disease management questions to the process models exposed weaknesses in the process including: absence of program ownership, under-detection of falls in primary care, and lack of efficient communication among stakeholders due to missing awareness about other stakeholders' workflow. The modelers experienced the approach as usable and the attendees of the invitational conference found the analysis results to be valid. The proposed disease management view of process modeling was usable and useful for systematically identifying areas of improvement in a fall management program. Although specifically applied to fall management, we believe our case study is characteristic of various disease management settings, suggesting the wider applicability of the approach. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Process Cycle Efficiency Improvement Through Lean: A Case Study

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P.V. Mohanram

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Lean manufacturing is an applied methodology of scientific, objective techniques that cause work tasks in a process to be performed with a minimum of non-value adding activities resulting in greatly reduced wait time, queue time, move time, administrative time, and other delays. This work addresses the implementation of lean principles in a construction equipment company. The prime objective is to evolve and test several strategies to eliminate waste on the shop floor. This paper describes an application of value stream mapping (VSM. Consequently, the present and future states of value stream maps are constructed to improve the production process by identifying waste and its sources. A noticeable reduction in cycle time and increase in cycle efficiency is confirmed. The production flow was optimized thus minimizing several non-value added activities/times such as bottlenecking time, waiting time, material handling time, etc. This case study can be useful in developing a more generic approach to design lean environment.

Audit and account billing process in a private general hospital: a case study

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Raquel Silva Bicalho Zunta

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Our study aimed to map, describe and, validate the audit, account billing and billing reports processes in a large, private general hospital.  An exploratory, descriptive, case report study. We conducted non-participatory observation moments in Internal Audit Sectors and  Billing Reports from the hospital, aiming to map the processes which were the study objects. The data obtained was validated by internal and external audit specialists in hospital bills. The described and illustrated processes in three flow-charts favor professionals to rationalize their activities and the time spent in hospital billing, avoiding or minimizing the occurrence of flaws and, generating more effective financial results. The mapping, the description and the audit validation process and billing and, the billing reports propitiated more visibility and legitimacy to actions developed by auditor nurses.

Auditing of Innovation Process: a case study in Inmetro

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Vanessa Lage Bellazzi de Pellegrini

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The main objective of the research was to describe the contribution of the audit for the INMETRO innovation process. The intermediate objectives sought to characterize the innovation process INMETRO; identify the procedures and instruments used by the institute in the auditing of the innovation process, and describe the influence of the auditing in the development of two innovations by INMETRO. As a secondary objective the INMETRO innovation process was evaluated by using the evaluation model of Tidd, Bessant & Pavitt (2008.The research method was a single case study with a descriptive purpose. Semistructured interviews with eight employees working with audit and control as well as narratives of two innovations by employees who closely followed the development of innovations were used for data collection. The collected data were treated by means of content analysis. The survey results indicated that neither the innovation process nor the process innovation audit is institutionalized in INMETRO. This makes each main unit of the institute develop innovations according to a viewpoint itself. The absence of reports of audit processes of innovation management with suggestions for improvements in the processes of innovation, and the few references to issues related to audit on the accounts obtained during narratives of development of the innovations surveyed show that the influence of management innovation audit is still small in INMETRO. This is compounded by the fact that management innovation audit is still in its infancy. Paradoxically the legitimate concern of the Institute with normalization may be harming the correct understanding of what would be the appropriate procedures and instruments to an innovation audit. While not referring directly to the question innovation, often appear reports of respondents complaining of excessive standards.

Managing the Public Sector Research and Development Portfolio Selection Process: A Case Study of Quantitative Selection and Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION by Jason A. Schwartz...PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6...describing how public sector organizations can implement a research and development (R&D) portfolio optimization strategy to maximize the cost

Applying the Decoding the Disciplines Process to Teaching Structural Mechanics: An Autoethnographic Case Study

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Tingerthal, John Steven

2013-01-01

Using case study methodology and autoethnographic methods, this study examines a process of curricular development known as "Decoding the Disciplines" (Decoding) by documenting the experience of its application in a construction engineering mechanics course. Motivated by the call to integrate what is known about teaching and learning…

Integrating ergonomics in design processes: a case study within an engineering consultancy firm.

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Lene Bjerg; Broberg, Ole

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a case study within an engineering consultancy firm, where engineering designers and ergonomists were working together on the design of a new hospital sterile processing plant. The objective of the paper is to gain a better understanding of the premises for integrating ergonomics into engineering design processes and how different factors either promote or limit the integration. Based on a grounded theory approach a model illustrating these factors is developed and different hypotheses about how these factors either promote and/or limit the integration of ergonomics into design processes is presented along with the model.

Influence of the demand information quality on planning process accuracy in supply chain. Case studies

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Natalia Szozda

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Identification and analysis of factors that affect the accuracy of demand planning process across the supply chain is one of the most important problems which influence the effectiveness of its material and information flows. Material and methods: On the basis of demand planning process investigation authors define the main elements affecting the right supply chain performance level and investigate the possible connections between demand information quality and demand planning process accuracy. Later, an overview of some recent developments in the analyzed research area is provided. Results: Based on the literature review, there is described the defined factors impact on the accuracy of demand plan in each echelon for case companies. There are considered three cases. The examples illustrate supply chains of different manufacturing companies. The focus is placed on demand planning across the supply chains. The issue of determining the accuracy of future sales plans in each echelon of supply chains and factors affecting it are raised. Taking into account the case companies demand planning process analyses, there are defined possible quality measures, that are possible to be used when forecasting the customer demand. Conclusions: One of the most important and difficult planning area in the companies is becoming planning demand. Errors in planning are reflected not just in the business resource planning but also in the entire supply chain. Presented cases show that many factors affect the proper demand planning process in the supply chain, like e.g.  information technologies, lead-time, or number of supplied materials. As it can be seen from the case studies, the model of collecting information from the market plays an important role in the demand planning process.

Using ERP Systems to Transform Business Processes: A Case Study at a Precession Engineering Company

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C.K.M.Lee

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Enterprises nowadays strive to keep transforming their business processes in accordance with the fastchanging customer demands so as to survive the intense global competition. In an attempt to provide practitioners with an insight into ERP implementation and the resulting business performances, this paper investigate how a successful ERP implementation can help transform enterprises processes. Case based research which is based on an in-depth observation under managerial and practitioner situation. A case study at a precession engineering company is conducted to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed strategic enterprise information model. This paper focuses on the implementation of Sales & Marketing and Warehouse modules of an ERP system. The key performance indicators are used to evaluate how the ERP implementation can improve the business processes. It is found that ERP helps to improve data visibility and improve on-time delivery but less effective on improving employee productivity. This research proposes an enterprise information model to exploit what strategy should be formulate and how ERP tactic can be implemented in company to enhance enterprise competitive advantages. The strategic enterprise information model is formulated based on our in-depth case study and ERP consultant's experience.

Pedagogy and Process: A Case Study of Writing in a Hybrid Learning Model

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Keiner, Jason F.

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study explored the perceived experiences and outcomes of writing in a hybrid model of instruction in a large suburban high school. In particular, the impact of a hybrid model on the writing process and on future writing performance were examined. In addition, teacher expectation and teacher attitude and their impact upon…

Case Study Research Methodology

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Mark Widdowson

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Commenting on the lack of case studies published in modern psychotherapy publications, the author reviews the strengths of case study methodology and responds to common criticisms, before providing a summary of types of case studies including clinical, experimental and naturalistic. Suggestions are included for developing systematic case studies and brief descriptions are given of a range of research resources relating to outcome and process measures. Examples of a pragmatic case study design and a hermeneutic single-case efficacy design are given and the paper concludes with some ethical considerations and an exhortation to the TA community to engage more widely in case study research.

ANALYZING THE PROCESS OF PRODUCTION IN LOGISTICS SUGARCANE MILL: A CASE STUDY

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Alexandre Tognoli

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The objective was to present and analyze the physical arrangement of logistics and production process plant in a sugarcane mill, in order to expose the processes involved, analyzing them more deeply and thus collaborate in a more efficient production. The relevance of this presentation is linked to the benefits that the plant and professionals can get through this work, enabling the development of methods and production alternatives. The research method used was case study based on interviews, on-site observation and document analysis, which was very appropriate as it could examine and cross checking. This work will allow a better understanding of the production process of the logistics of the plant in a sugarcane mill and working with suggestions and methods for more efficient production.

Impact of the PROCESS guideline on the reporting of surgical case series: A before and after study.

Science.gov (United States)

Agha, R A; Borrelli, M R; Farwana, R; Kusu-Orkar, T; Millip, M C; Thavayogan, R; Garner, J; Darhouse, N; Orgill, D P

2017-09-01

The PROCESS guideline was developed in 2016 through expert Delphi consensus. It aimed to improve the quality of reporting of surgical case series. This study assessed the impact of the introduction of the PROCESS guideline on reporting for surgical case series submitted to three journals. 20 case series published in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports (IJSCR), the International Journal of Surgery (IJS) or the Annals of Medicine and Surgery (AMS) in September to December 2016, prior to the introduction of the PROCESS guideline (the pre-PROCESS period), were randomly identified and scored against the PROCESS criteria. Two authors independently scored each article a total score out of 29, the 'PROCESS score' (expressed as a percentage). Scores for the two researchers were compared and consensus was reached to achieve a final score set. The process was repeated for the January 2017 to April 2017 issues of the three journals, post PROCESS implementation (the post-PROCESS period). The mean PROCESS score was 80% (range 66-90%) for the pre-PROCESS period and 84% (range 72-95%) for the post-PROCESS period, a 4% relative increase [STATS]. The Cohen's Kappa score between researchers was 0.907 implying very substantial agreement. Implementation of the PROCESS guideline resulted in a 5% improvement in the reporting quality of surgical case series published in three journals. Further research is needed to identify and successfully navigate existing barriers to greater compliance. Authors, reviewers and editors should adhere to the guidelines to boost reporting quality. Journals should develop their policies and guide for authors to incorporate the guideline and mandate compliance. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Case Study of an Internationalization Process of a Private Higher Education Institution in Malaysia

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Abu Bakar Abdul Rahim

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The increasing competition and commercialization of higher education has led to the internationalization of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs around the world. While internationalization appears to be inevitable, differences are apparent in its definitions, depth, scope and mode. The main aim of this paper is to assess the internationalization efforts of Malaysian HEIs through a case study on the internationalization process of one private HEI. The case highlights various weaknesses of the internationalization effort in the institution. The symptoms and the causes of the problems in the institution corroborate similar findings in other studies involving the internationalization of HEIs. Suggestions and recommendations are presented to enable other organizations that wish to undertake similar internationalization efforts to learn from the case study institution’s experience.

Guidelines for Using Case Studies in the Teaching-Learning Process

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McFarlane, Donovan A.

2015-01-01

In this paper, the author expresses concerns regarding the extensive use of case studies in the college classroom and advises college and university faculties to be more careful in their selection and use of case studies as an effective­-based method of teaching. The author communicates the important role that case studies play in teaching and…

A Process Re-engineering Framework for Reverse Logistics based on a Case Study

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Hing Kai Chan

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Reverse logistics has gained increasing attention in recent years as a channel for companies to achieve operational excellence. The process involves manipulation of returned materials, or even products, which forms a pivotal role in sustainable development throughout the whole supply chains. To make reverse logistics possible, process re-engineering may need to be carried out. However, the processes involved in reengineering are practically complicated. Objectives, benefits, and applicability of any process re-engineering require a careful and detailed strategic planning. This paper aims to propose an easy-to-follow step-by-step framework for practitioners to perform process re-engineering, to learn and identify the critical issues in each step, and to be successful in applying process re-engineering in order to enhance reverse logistics performance. A learner-centred approach is adopted based on a case study of process re-engineering, which is demonstrated in the paper for explanation.

The Application of Linear and Nonlinear Water Tanks Case Study in Teaching of Process Control

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiangshun; Li, Zhiang

2018-02-01

In the traditional process control teaching, the importance of passing knowledge is emphasized while the development of creative and practical abilities of students is ignored. Traditional teaching methods are not very helpful to breed a good engineer. Case teaching is a very useful way to improve students’ innovative and practical abilities. In the traditional case teaching, knowledge points are taught separately based on different examples or no examples, thus it is very hard to setup the whole knowledge structure. Though all the knowledge is learned, how to use the knowledge to solve engineering problems keeps challenging for students. In this paper, the linear and nonlinear tanks are taken as illustrative examples which involves several knowledge points of process control. The application method of each knowledge point is discussed in detail and simulated. I believe the case-based study will be helpful for students.

Utility regulation and the legislative process in Oregon: a case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-01-01

This case study discusses the strategies employed by the Public Utility Commissioner and the Oregon Department of Energy in the design, passage and implementation of a set of energy conservation bills. Information is included on the development of new legislation for energy conservation and management, on developing public acceptance of such legislation, and the cooperation received from utility companies to affect implementation. The lessons in strategy and tactics and the skillful use of the legislative process to get the package of bills enacted should have immediate value for those about to undertake a similar effort in their state. (LCL)

Case-control study of lung cancer among workers at a uranium processing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cookfair, D.L.

1982-01-01

The purpose of this case-control study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to radiation resulting from the inhalation of uranium dust and the dust of uranium-bearing compounds and death due to lung cancer. Cases and controls were chosen from a cohort of white male workers employed at one uranium processing plant during World War II. The 330 cases consisted of all lung cancer deaths occurring in the cohort between 1943 and 1973. Level of exposure to radiation and other potential workplace carcinogens was determined for each worker using process manuals, industrial hygiene reports, air monitoring data and individual work histories. Smoking status and information regarding medical variables was determined from employee medical records. Cumulative radiation lung dose among study population members ranged from 0 to 75 rads. Data were analyzed using Mantel-Haenszel stratified analysis and logistic regression. Relative risk was found to increase with increasing level of lung dose exposure even after controlling for age, smoking status and other workplace exposures, but only for those who were over the age of 44 when first exposed. A statistically significant excess in risk was found for men in this hire age group with a cumulative lung dose of 20 rads or more. The risk associated with the overall work environment was also investigated using a summary measure of total workplace exposure called chemical rank. A similar relationship existed between chemical rank and lung cancer to that found for cumulative lung dose and lung cancer

A Framework for Process Reengineering in Higher Education: A case study of distance learning exam scheduling and distribution

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M'hammed Abdous

2008-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a conceptual and operational framework for process reengineering (PR in higher education (HE institutions. Using a case study aimed at streamlining exam scheduling and distribution in a distance learning (DL unit, we outline a sequential and non-linear four-step framework designed to reengineer processes. The first two steps of this framework – initiating and analyzing – are used to initiate, document, and flowchart the process targeted for reengineering, and the last two steps – reengineering/ implementing and evaluating – are intended to prototype, implement, and evaluate the reengineered process. Our early involvement of all stakeholders, and our in-depth analysis and documentation of the existing process, allowed us to avoid the traditional pitfalls associated with business process reengineering (BPR. Consequently, the outcome of our case study indicates a streamlined and efficient process with a higher faculty satisfaction at substantial cost reduction.

Computer-Aided Prototyping Systems (CAPS) within the software acquisition process: a case study

OpenAIRE

Ellis, Mary Kay

1993-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited This thesis provides a case study which examines the benefits derived from the practice of computer-aided prototyping within the software acquisition process. An experimental prototyping systems currently in research is the Computer Aided Prototyping System (CAPS) managed under the Computer Science department of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. This thesis determines the qualitative value which may be realized by ...

eCompetence Case Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Helle Bækkelund

2006-01-01

In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches.......In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches....

How To Set Up Your Own Small Business. Service Company Case Study. Manufacturing Firm Case Study. Retail Store Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallek, Max

This collection of case studies is intended for use in a course in setting up a small business. The first, a case study of the process of setting up a service company, covers analyzing the pros and cons of starting one's own business, assessing the competition and local market, and selecting a site for and financing the business. The principal…

Compressed Air System Renovation Project Improves Production at a Food Processing Facility: Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) BestPractices Technical Case Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wogsland, J.

2001-01-01

This case study is one in a series on industrial firms who are implementing energy efficient technologies and system improvements into their manufacturing processes. This case study documents the activities, savings, and lessons learned on the food processing facility project

The Link between the Process of Change and Coaching in an Organization – A Case Study

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Josephine Jim

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this case study was to highlight coaching in the process of change using a real life information technology and operational change project in an institution. It demonstrates the critical importance of coaching in change management, for successful change to occur.Any sustaining change requires ongoing coaching as an integral part of the process. The study heeds a call for adopting coaching to support organizational learning and change. It also attempts to open further research interests in the link between the process of change and coaching, and the benefits of coaching in change management today.

Reflective processes and competencies involved in teaching practice at university: a case study

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Caetano da Costa

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Founded on practical rationality, this qualitative case study aimed to explore the teaching practice at university, focusing on teacher's reflections and competencies. To this end, teaching practices were described, analyzed, and interpreted. These interactions with students on a course in the pharmacy program, brought about situations involving dilemmas and learning opportunities for problem-solving and decision-making skills. Throughout the study, students were encouraged to use knowledge-in-action, reflection-in-action, and reflection-on-action, and these processes were also experienced by the teacher. Analysis of the records from classroom observation and the interviews with students and the teacher showed the fundamental role of such reflective processes, which led to attainment of the intended objectives. In this sense, the teacher's reflective practice was essential for supporting the application of each curricular component of the course.

Methodology for systematic analysis and improvement of manufacturing unit process life cycle inventory (UPLCI) CO2PE! initiative (cooperative effort on process emissions in manufacturing). Part 2: case studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kellens, Karel; Dewulf, Wim; Overcash, Michael

2012-01-01

industrial data and engineering calculations for energy use and material loss. This approach is illustrated by means of a case study of a drilling process.The in-depth approach, which leads to more accurate LCI data as well as the identification of potential for environmental improvements...... for environmental improvement based on the in-depth analysis of individual manufacturing unit processes. Two case studies illustrate the applicability of the methodology.......This report presents two case studies, one for both the screening approach and the in-depth approach, demonstrating the application of the life cycle assessment-oriented methodology for systematic inventory analysis of the machine tool use phase of manufacturing unit processes, which has been...

People, Process, and Policy: Case Studies in National Security Advising, the National Security Council, and Presidential Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

confirmation of Lake’s concerns with the administration’s public relations failures, David Gergen, the president’s communications advisor, increased... Public Affairs: 389-395. 75 these positions, he did not openly object too them during the campaign. Additionally, as this case study shows, he...PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND POLICY: CASE STUDIES IN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISING, THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, AND PRESIDENTIAL DECISION MAKING

Resilience Processes Supporting Adolescents With Intellectual Disability: A Multiple Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Anna-Marié; Theron, Linda C

2016-02-01

Resilience, or the process of adjusting well to risk, relies on constructive collaboration between youths and their social ecologies. Although the literature details the risks of an intellectual disability (ID), there is little explanation of why some young people cope well despite these risks. Accordingly, we report a multiple case study that affords insight into the resilience of 24 adolescents with ID. Using a draw-and-talk methodology, these young people explained their resilience as enabled primarily by supportive social ecologies (which facilitated behavioral and emotional regulation, encouraged mastery, treated them as agentic beings, and offered safe spaces). Adolescents' positive orientation to their life-worlds co-facilitated their resilience. These insights advance effective ways to champion the resilience of young people with ID.

The Process of Settlement Branding. Case Studies on City Branding in Transylvania

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Magor KÁDÁR

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The study presents the project cycle man-agement and the known branding processes in order to create a feasible and detailed plan for settlement branding aiming to create a guide-line for brand makers. The second part of the study focuses on the critical parts of settlement branding in Transylvania, the evaluation of com-petition, targeting, defnition of brand values as perceived by the internal and external target groups by schema-based authentication and ste-reotypes. The presented cases of municipalities in Transylvania have a practical approach and provide a guideline for brand builders by defn-ing local values, making the community aware of them and promoting them in order to reach the targeted unique advertising position.

The Link between the Process of Change and Coaching in an Organization--A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Jim, Josephine

2016-01-01

The aim of this case study was to highlight coaching in the process of change using a real life information technology and operational change project in an institution. It demonstrates the critical importance of coaching in change management, for successful change to occur. Any sustaining change requires ongoing coaching as an integral part of the…

Final report on case studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ljungberg, Daniel; McKelvey, Maureen; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann

2012-01-01

Case study as a research design means investigating a single or multiple instance(s) or setting(s) (i.e. a case) and its entire context to explain a phenomenon and its processes. This is achieved through detailed understanding, usually comprised of multiple sources of information. In this way, case...... studies attempt to provide as a complete an understanding of a (complex) phenomenon as possible. Within the AEGIS project, survey and case study research are complementary. They are complementary in the sense that the former can provide more generalizable evidence on a phenomenon in terms of cross......-sectional data, while the latter can provide more in-depth (qualitative) understanding on specific issues. In systematically examining the case studies, however, this report goes beyond a typical single case study. Here we provide a synthesis of 86 case studies. Multiple case studies, following similar focus...

Improving the biological nitrogen removal process in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Torrijos, M; Carrera, J; Lafuente, J

2004-04-01

The Biological Nitrogen Removal (BNR) process of some pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants has important operational problems. This study shows that, in order to solve these problems, the design of industrial BNR processes should start by analysing three key parameters: the characteristics of the wastewater load, the determination of the maximum TKN removal rate and the detection of toxic or inhibitory compounds in the wastewater. A case study of this analysis in pharmaceutical wastewater is presented here. In this case, the conventional TKN analytical method does not make an accurate characterisation of the wastewater load because it measures a concentration of 100 mg TKN l(-1) whereas the real concentration, determined with a modified TKN analytical method, is 150-500 mg TKN l(-1). Also, the TKN removal of the treatment system is insufficient in some periods because it falls below legal requirements. This problem might be a consequence of the wrong characterisation of wastewater during the design process. The maximum TKN removal at 27 degrees C (24 mg N g VSS(-1) d(-1) or 197 mg N l(-1) d(-1)) was evaluated in a pilot-scale plant. This value is six times greater than the average NLR applied in the full-scale plant. Finally, some of the components of the wastewater, such as p-phenylenediamine, might have inhibitory or toxic effects on the biological process. P-phenylenediamine causes a large decrease in the nitrification rate. This effect was determined by respirometry. This methodology shows that the effect is mainly inhibitory with a contact time of 30 min and if the contact time is longer, 14 hours, a toxic effect is observed.

A Case Study on Pre-Service Secondary School Mathematics Teachers' Cognitive-Metacognitive Behaviours in Mathematical Modelling Process

Science.gov (United States)

Sagirli, Meryem Özturan

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study is to investigate pre-service secondary mathematics teachers' cognitive-metacognitive behaviours during the mathematical problem-solving process considering class level. The study, in which the case study methodology was employed, was carried out with eight pre-service mathematics teachers, enrolled at a university in…

DEMONSTRATION OF THE STRATEGY FORMATION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY IN A INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATION

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Daniel Teodoro Gomes

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a study of strategy formation process with the following starting question: "How the strategy is shaped in an innovative company and how the factors manifesting in the process?". The research builds on a case study of a company considered innovative leader in its industry and a pioneer in providing various services in the area of mobile phone in Brazil. Data collection was through interviews semi-structured with directors and managers involved in strategy formation, supplemented by documents and direct observation. Data analysis is based on the techniques of discourse analysis, from the persuasion strategies suggested by Linhares and Faria (1993. The company's strategy studied can be defined as an entrepreneurial vision, focused on growth supported by a process of diversification of product lines from a new direction composed of three elements: (i componentization; (ii segmentation by products chain and; (iii external to finance leverage in order to resumption of innovative projects. It was concluded that the company's strategy focused on these three factors, supported by a deliberate vision of the future, conditions its historical trajectory type standard cultural, its core values, which acts as a motivator and guide for members of the organization decisions and actions.

Toward Eco Product Development with Qualitative and CAE Design Process - Case Study of Flame Guiding Module

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, W. L.; Chao, F. L.

2018-04-01

Sustainable products become increasingly important for company in addressing eco-performance to satisfy global environmental regulations. Case study of flame guiding module reviewed design process and concerns related to the torch design. For enhancing flame height, the torch was embedded with an airflow guidance structure. The design process and design methodologies were investigated as an eco-design case study. Combine qualitative and CAE simulation were proposed to fulfil its main and auxiliary functions including reduction of impact during use. The design guidelines help prevent mistake arrangements, CAE helps understand combustion phenomenon. The flow field simulation enables fine tune of geometric design. Functional test and measurement are carried out to confirm the product features. On Eco-performance, we choose 5 items for evaluation the status of previous and redesign module, namely function need, low impact material, few manufacturing steps, low energy consumption, and safety. The radar diagram indicates that eco-performance of redesign module is better. Life cycle assessment calculated the carbon footprint of the manufacturing and processing stage with Eco-it. By using recycled steel in the flame module, it reduces raw material stage carbon footprint significantly.

Big Data Processing for a Central Texas Groundwater Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cantu, A.; Rivera, O.; Martínez, A.; Lewis, D. H.; Gentle, J. N., Jr.; Fuentes, G.; Pierce, S. A.

2016-12-01

As computational methods improve, scientists are able to expand the level and scale of experimental simulation and testing that is completed for case studies. This study presents a comparative analysis of multiple models for the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards aquifer. Several numerical simulations using state-mandated MODFLOW models ran on Stampede, a High Performance Computing system housed at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, were performed for multiple scenario testing. One goal of this multidisciplinary project aims to visualize and compare the output data of the groundwater model using the statistical programming language R to find revealing data patterns produced by different pumping scenarios. Presenting data in a friendly post-processing format is covered in this paper. Visualization of the data and creating workflows applicable to the management of the data are tasks performed after data extraction. Resulting analyses provide an example of how supercomputing can be used to accelerate evaluation of scientific uncertainty and geological knowledge in relation to policy and management decisions. Understanding the aquifer behavior helps policy makers avoid negative impact on the endangered species, environmental services and aids in maximizing the aquifer yield.

Continuous state branching processes in random environment: The Brownian case

OpenAIRE

Palau, Sandra; Pardo, Juan Carlos

2015-01-01

We consider continuous state branching processes that are perturbed by a Brownian motion. These processes are constructed as the unique strong solution of a stochastic differential equation. The long-term extinction and explosion behaviours are studied. In the stable case, the extinction and explosion probabilities are given explicitly. We find three regimes for the asymptotic behaviour of the explosion probability and, as in the case of branching processes in random environment, we find five...

Improving new product development (NPD process by analyzing failure cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeon-Hak Kim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose - The purpose of this study is to develop an appropriate new product development (NPD process of Company “T”, a medium-sized firm, by analyzing the existing NPD process and failure cases of the Company. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed research framework is as follows: first, prospective studies of the NPD process are performed using the existing literature and preliminary references; second, comparative analysis between the current processes and a NPD process is performed; third, phase-based evaluations upon failed product cases are conducted with a NPD process so as to identify the abridged steps and root-causes of failures; finally, renewed priorities are set forth by utilizing the analytic hierarchy process analysis and questionnaire analysis upon the above identified causes of failures. Findings - The resulting accomplishments include the establishment of NPD processes that resonates with the current states of Company “T”, which, in turn, ensures the increase of efficiency, the decrease in development duration and the strategy of capacity-concentration and priority-selection. Originality/value - As Company “T”’s development process is outdated and products are developed without adequate market information research and feasibility analysis, the percentage of failed development project is as high as 87 per cent. Thus, this study aims to develop an appropriate NPD process of Company “T” by analyzing the existing NPD process and failure cases of the Company.

Green catalysis by nanoparticulate catalysts developed for flow processing? case study of glucose hydrogenation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gericke, D.; Ott-Reinhardt, D.; Matveeva, V.; Sulman, E.M.; Aho, A.; Murzin, D.Y.; Roggan, S.; Danilova, L.; Hessel, V.; Löb, P.; Kralisch, D.

2015-01-01

Heterogeneous catalysis, flow chemistry, continuous processing, green solvents, catalyst immobilization and recycling are some of the most relevant, emerging key technologies to achieve green synthesis. However, a quantification of potential effects on a case to case level is required to provide a

Acquisition and Merger Process Through the Eyes of Employees : A Case Study on How Change Management and Integration Process Affected the Employees of Company X

OpenAIRE

Maidell, Terhi

2015-01-01

This study is a case study about acquisition and merger process, which took place in February 2014, when Company X(name changed) bought three magazines and 42 employees were transferred from Company Y (name changed). The topic covers such issues as; change management during acquisition and merger from the employees’ point of view, how employees react to change and how they experience the change management process. The aim of the study is to understand the employee side of the story during cha...

An analysis of models and practices in Human Resource Management processes and the relationship between firms and outsourcers: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Cirella, Stefano

The complexity of the networked organizations field is here investigated by proposing an analysis of models and practices on the relationship between companies and outsourcers with regards to Human Resource Management processes, illustrating an HR Outsourcing (HRO) case study. The chapter is organized in five sections. The first section provides a brief introduction to HRO. The second section presents a review of different aspects of the relationship between companies and HR service suppliers. The third section analyses an HRO case study by describingits objectives, outsourced HR activities, HRO process phases and solutions implemented. The fourth section is a brief conclusion based on a reflective analysis of the case in point.

Evaluation of the clinical process in a critical care information system using the Lean method: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusof Maryati Mohd

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There are numerous applications for Health Information Systems (HIS that support specific tasks in the clinical workflow. The Lean method has been used increasingly to optimize clinical workflows, by removing waste and shortening the delivery cycle time. There are a limited number of studies on Lean applications related to HIS. Therefore, we applied the Lean method to evaluate the clinical processes related to HIS, in order to evaluate its efficiency in removing waste and optimizing the process flow. This paper presents the evaluation findings of these clinical processes, with regards to a critical care information system (CCIS, known as IntelliVue Clinical Information Portfolio (ICIP, and recommends solutions to the problems that were identified during the study. Methods We conducted a case study under actual clinical settings, to investigate how the Lean method can be used to improve the clinical process. We used observations, interviews, and document analysis, to achieve our stated goal. We also applied two tools from the Lean methodology, namely the Value Stream Mapping and the A3 problem-solving tools. We used eVSM software to plot the Value Stream Map and A3 reports. Results We identified a number of problems related to inefficiency and waste in the clinical process, and proposed an improved process model. Conclusions The case study findings show that the Value Stream Mapping and the A3 reports can be used as tools to identify waste and integrate the process steps more efficiently. We also proposed a standardized and improved clinical process model and suggested an integrated information system that combines database and software applications to reduce waste and data redundancy.

Interpersonal processes in psychodynamic-interpersonal and cognitive behavioral group therapy: a systematic case study of two groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Tasca, Giorgio A; Foot, Meredith; Leite, Catherine; Maxwell, Hilary; Balfour, Louise; Bissada, Hany

2011-09-01

This mixed method systematic case study applied an interpersonal stage model of the therapeutic process to examine interpersonal processes among a highly adherent Group Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Psychotherapy (GPIP) therapist and a highly adherent Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) therapist and their groups of binge eating disordered (BED) patients. This is the first case study to apply the interpersonal stage model of psychotherapy to compare GCBT and GPIP methods and the first to apply the model to group therapy. Early-, middle-, and late-stage transcribed video recordings of sequential interactions among therapists and patients in each of these two time-limited group therapies were analyzed with the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB). We also provide qualitative presentations of the transcripts from each stage as context for the quantitative analyses. BED patients in both groups achieved positive outcomes for binge eating and depression. Consistent with their treatment model, the GPIP therapist was more autonomy-giving, whereas the GCBT therapist was more controlling/directive. The GPIP therapist and her group had high levels of interpersonal complementary interaction sequences in the early stage followed by lower complementarity in the middle stage. The GCBT therapist and her group showed a high-low-high pattern of complementarity across the three stage of therapy. However, overall the GPIP group had higher levels complementarity than the GCBT group. This mixed method case study of group processes based on an interpersonal stage model of psychotherapy suggested specific therapist behaviors in each modality to maximize positive therapeutic interactions at each stage of group therapy. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Teaching Case: MiHotel--Applicant Processing System Design Case

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Robert E.; Dunn, Paul

2018-01-01

This teaching case describes the functionality of an applicant processing system designed for a fictitious hotel chain. The system detailed in the case includes a webform where applicants complete and submit job applications. The system also includes a desktop application used by hotel managers and Human Resources to track applications and process…

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN A CHANGE PROCESS - A CASE STUDY FOR ROMANIAN ORGANIZATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prediscan Mariana

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Innovation, competitive advantage, change are some concepts that should be on every organization's agenda, due to the fact the global market leads to global competition so in order to increase the market share, turnover or profit organizations have to incorporate those concepts in their strategies. The outside environment is very unstable and things are evolving very fast so managers from all levels have to acknowledge the importance of change and to identify as soon as possible several new ideas that should be the subject of different change processes. Openness to organizational change has become a mandatory feature for those organizations that want to survive and adapt to the external pressure, helping them to be efficient. Even if in many cases managers are the initiators of change, this process is very complex and needs support and involvement from all the members of the organization, so the employee's attitude and commitment to change is crucial. In many cases employees have a negative attitude towards change and manifest a strong resistance, due to the fact that they are not consulted and are not involved in the process of the identification for the need of change. Without understanding and knowing very well what it is expected from them, employees are afraid of the unknown and prefer to perform their tasks as they did before. Creating a climate and a culture for change is very important, because like this change will be something normal, continuous and people will feel comfortable with any change initiatives, without being surprised, confused or scared. Even if any change process should improve the current state of the organization, sometimes change efforts fail because the ones that resist change are stronger than the ones supporting change. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how often are Romanian employees involved in the processes of change and how important is the role they play. We have also tried to see the Romanian manager

Risk Assessment and Optimization for New or Novel Processes: Combining task analysis with 4D process simulation-framework and case study.

OpenAIRE

Leva, Maria Chiara; Gerbec, Marko; Balfe, Nora; Demichela, Micaela

2015-01-01

This paper describes work undertaken as part of the TOSCA project to develop approaches in-tegrating and enhancing safety, quality and productivity. The work reported here combines two existing ap-proaches: task analysis and 4D process simulation to model tasks in a 3D environment, thus creating a 4D model. The 4D model is next used for safety analysis (e.g., HAZOP a structured Hazid study) and optimiza-tion (e.g., Pareto type). The approach is demonstrated on an industrial case study involvi...

FACET5 in the recruitment and managing process as regards production personnel – case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Sikorski

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The hereby article describes the study of two cases, the recruitment process as regards a newly created position and the decision concerning promotion to a managerial position. In both cases tool called Facet5 (used for measuring employees' potential was applied to support decisions connected with human resources. As far as the first case is concerned, the profile of an ideal candidate was established. Then the profiles of three candidates selected based on content were compared to the aforementioned profile of an ideal candidate. As regards the second case, the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses in the employee profile and comparing the benchmarks concerning the particular position confirmed the subjective assessments of the supervisors and contributed to making the right decision. The issues connected to the increasing significance of soft competences, talent management in organization and organizational culture in terms of employee effectiveness and corporate competitive were discussed as well. Analyzed situations indicate the potential value resulting from the usage of tools for researching employees’ potential.

How Multilevel Societal Learning Processes Facilitate Transformative Change: A Comparative Case Study Analysis on Flood Management

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Claudia Pahl-Wostl

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Sustainable resources management requires a major transformation of existing resource governance and management systems. These have evolved over a long time under an unsustainable management paradigm, e.g., the transformation from the traditionally prevailing technocratic flood protection toward the holistic integrated flood management approach. We analyzed such transformative changes using three case studies in Europe with a long history of severe flooding: the Hungarian Tisza and the German and Dutch Rhine. A framework based on societal learning and on an evolutionary understanding of societal change was applied to identify drivers and barriers for change. Results confirmed the importance of informal learning and actor networks and their connection to formal policy processes. Enhancing a society's capacity to adapt is a long-term process that evolves over decades, and in this case, was punctuated by disastrous flood events that promoted windows of opportunity for change.

Role Clarification Processes for Better Integration of Nurse Practitioners into Primary Healthcare Teams: A Multiple-Case Study

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Isabelle Brault

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Role clarity is a crucial issue for effective interprofessional collaboration. Poorly defined roles can become a source of conflict in clinical teams and reduce the effectiveness of care and services delivered to the population. Our objective in this paper is to outline processes for clarifying professional roles when a new role is introduced into clinical teams, that of the primary healthcare nurse practitioner (PHCNP. To support our empirical analysis we used the Canadian National Interprofessional Competency Framework, which defines the essential components for role clarification among professionals. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted on six cases in which the PHCNP role was introduced into primary care teams. Data collection included 34 semistructured interviews with key informants involved in the implementation of the PHCNP role. Our results revealed that the best performing primary care teams were those that used a variety of organizational and individual strategies to carry out role clarification processes. From this study, we conclude that role clarification is both an organizational process to be developed and a competency that each member of the primary care team must mobilize to ensure effective interprofessional collaboration.

Role clarification processes for better integration of nurse practitioners into primary healthcare teams: a multiple-case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brault, Isabelle; Kilpatrick, Kelley; D'Amour, Danielle; Contandriopoulos, Damien; Chouinard, Véronique; Dubois, Carl-Ardy; Perroux, Mélanie; Beaulieu, Marie-Dominique

2014-01-01

Role clarity is a crucial issue for effective interprofessional collaboration. Poorly defined roles can become a source of conflict in clinical teams and reduce the effectiveness of care and services delivered to the population. Our objective in this paper is to outline processes for clarifying professional roles when a new role is introduced into clinical teams, that of the primary healthcare nurse practitioner (PHCNP). To support our empirical analysis we used the Canadian National Interprofessional Competency Framework, which defines the essential components for role clarification among professionals. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted on six cases in which the PHCNP role was introduced into primary care teams. Data collection included 34 semistructured interviews with key informants involved in the implementation of the PHCNP role. Our results revealed that the best performing primary care teams were those that used a variety of organizational and individual strategies to carry out role clarification processes. From this study, we conclude that role clarification is both an organizational process to be developed and a competency that each member of the primary care team must mobilize to ensure effective interprofessional collaboration.

Intelligent Adaptation Process for Case Based Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nassar, A.M.; Mohamed, A.H.; Mohamed, A.H.

2014-01-01

Case Based Reasoning (CBR) Systems is one of the important decision making systems applied in many fields all over the world. The effectiveness of any CBR system based on the quality of the storage cases in the case library. Similar cases can be retrieved and adapted to produce the solution for the new problem. One of the main issues faced the CBR systems is the difficulties of achieving the useful cases. The proposed system introduces a new approach that uses the genetic algorithm (GA) technique to automate constructing the cases into the case library. Also, it can optimize the best one to be stored in the library for the future uses. However, the proposed system can avoid the problems of the uncertain and noisy cases. Besides, it can simply the retrieving and adaptation processes. So, it can improve the performance of the CBR system. The suggested system can be applied for many real-time problems. It has been applied for diagnosis the faults of the wireless network, diagnosis of the cancer diseases, diagnosis of the debugging of a software as cases of study. The proposed system has proved its performance in this field

Data pre-processing for web log mining: Case study of commercial bank website usage analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jozef Kapusta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We use data cleaning, integration, reduction and data conversion methods in the pre-processing level of data analysis. Data processing techniques improve the overall quality of the patterns mined. The paper describes using of standard pre-processing methods for preparing data of the commercial bank website in the form of the log file obtained from the web server. Data cleaning, as the simplest step of data pre-processing, is non–trivial as the analysed content is highly specific. We had to deal with the problem of frequent changes of the content and even frequent changes of the structure. Regular changes in the structure make use of the sitemap impossible. We presented approaches how to deal with this problem. We were able to create the sitemap dynamically just based on the content of the log file. In this case study, we also examined just the one part of the website over the standard analysis of an entire website, as we did not have access to all log files for the security reason. As the result, the traditional practices had to be adapted for this special case. Analysing just the small fraction of the website resulted in the short session time of regular visitors. We were not able to use recommended methods to determine the optimal value of session time. Therefore, we proposed new methods based on outliers identification for raising the accuracy of the session length in this paper.

Transnational Comparison of Sustainability Assessment Programs for Viticulture and a Case-Study on Programs’ Engagement Processes

OpenAIRE

Irina Santiago-Brown; Andrew Metcalfe; Cate Jerram; Cassandra Collins

2014-01-01

This article documents and compares the most prominent sustainability assessment programs for individual organisations in viticulture worldwide. Certification and engagement processes for membership uptake; benefits; motives; inhibiting factors; and desirable reporting system features of viticultural sustainability programs, are all considered. Case-study results are derived from nine sustainability programs; 14 focus groups with 83 CEOs, Chief Viticulturists or Winemakers from wine grape pro...

Safety cases and siting processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metlay, Daniel; Ewing, Rodney

2014-01-01

Central to any process for building a deep-mined geologic repository for high-activity radioactive waste is the development of a safety case. To date, such cases, in various forms have been elaborated for a variety of concepts for geologic disposal, including in salt, clay, argillite, crystalline rock (granite and gneiss) and volcanic tuff formations. In addition to the technical effort required to develop a safety case, increasingly nations have come to believe that it is also critical to obtain the consent of the region or community where the facility might be located. The purpose of this paper is to explore issues associated with just one aspect of consent-based siting: How can such a process be designed so that willingness to accept a site for a repository continues to be meaningful even as new technical knowledge and insights emerge during site characterisation? In short, what is the meaning of 'informed consent' in the context of repository development? (authors)

Case Study: Testing with Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Herreid, Clyde Freeman

2015-01-01

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue discusses using case studies to test for knowledge or lessons learned.

Deficits in executive and memory processes in delusional disorder: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibanez-Casas, Inmaculada; De Portugal, Enrique; Gonzalez, Nieves; McKenney, Kathryn A; Haro, Josep M; Usall, Judith; Perez-Garcia, Miguel; Cervilla, Jorge A

2013-01-01

Delusional disorder has been traditionally considered a psychotic syndrome that does not evolve to cognitive deterioration. However, to date, very little empirical research has been done to explore cognitive executive components and memory processes in Delusional Disorder patients. This study will investigate whether patients with delusional disorder are intact in both executive function components (such as flexibility, impulsivity and updating components) and memory processes (such as immediate, short term and long term recall, learning and recognition). A large sample of patients with delusional disorder (n = 86) and a group of healthy controls (n = 343) were compared with regard to their performance in a broad battery of neuropsychological tests including Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Colour-Word Stroop Test, and Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC). When compared to controls, cases of delusional disorder showed a significantly poorer performance in most cognitive tests. Thus, we demonstrate deficits in flexibility, impulsivity and updating components of executive functions as well as in memory processes. These findings held significant after taking into account sex, age, educational level and premorbid IQ. Our results do not support the traditional notion of patients with delusional disorder being cognitively intact.

Understanding the challenges to implementing case management for people with dementia in primary care in England: a qualitative study using Normalization Process Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bamford, Claire; Poole, Marie; Brittain, Katie; Chew-Graham, Carolyn; Fox, Chris; Iliffe, Steve; Manthorpe, Jill; Robinson, Louise

2014-11-08

Case management has been suggested as a way of improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of support for people with dementia. In this study we adapted and implemented a successful United States' model of case management in primary care in England. The results are reported elsewhere, but a key finding was that little case management took place. This paper reports the findings of the process evaluation which used Normalization Process Theory to understand the barriers to implementation. Ethnographic methods were used to explore the views and experiences of case management. Interviews with 49 stakeholders (patients, carers, case managers, health and social care professionals) were supplemented with observation of case managers during meetings and initial assessments with patients. Transcripts and field notes were analysed initially using the constant comparative approach and emerging themes were then mapped onto the framework of Normalization Process Theory. The primary focus during implementation was on the case managers as isolated individuals, with little attention being paid to the social or organizational context within which they worked. Barriers relating to each of the four main constructs of Normalization Process Theory were identified, with a lack of clarity over the scope and boundaries of the intervention (coherence); variable investment in the intervention (cognitive participation); a lack of resources, skills and training to deliver case management (collective action); and limited reflection and feedback on the case manager role (reflexive monitoring). Despite the intuitive appeal of case management to all stakeholders, there were multiple barriers to implementation in primary care in England including: difficulties in embedding case managers within existing well-established community networks; the challenges of protecting time for case management; and case managers' inability to identify, and act on, emerging patient and carer needs (an essential, but

The Case for Interactionism in Language Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-04-28

D-AIBB 133 THE CASE FOR INTERACTIONISM IN LANGUAGE PROCESSING(U) 1/1 CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIV PITTSBURGH PA DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY J L MCCLELLAND, 28 APR 87...Interaction in Language Processing The Case for Interactionism in Language Processing James L. McClelland Department of Psychology Carnegie-Mellon...REPORT NUMBER(S) 5 MONITORING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER(S) Technical Report 0NR-87-1 6a NAME OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 6b OFFICE SYMBOL 7a. NAME OF

Hydrological Process Simulation of Inland River Watershed: A Case Study of the Heihe River Basin with Multiple Hydrological Models

OpenAIRE

Lili Wang; Zhonggen Wang; Jingjie Yu; Yichi Zhang; Suzhen Dang

2018-01-01

Simulating the hydrological processes of an inland river basin can help provide the scientific guidance to the policies of water allocation among different subbasins and water resource management groups within the subbasins. However, it is difficult to simulate the hydrological processes of an inland river basin with hydrological models due to the non-consistent hydrological characteristics of the entire basin. This study presents a solution to this problem with a case study about the hydrolo...

Modalities of Generalization Through Single Case Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zittoun, Tania

2017-06-01

The value of case studies for theory building is still doubted in psychology. The paper argues for the importance of case studies and the possibility of generalizing from these for a specific sociocultural understanding of human development. The paper first clarifies the notion of abduction within case studies, drawing on pragmatists James and Peirce and expanding it with the work of Lewin, and argues that it is the core mechanism that allows generalization from case studies. The second section presents the possibility of generalizing from individual single case studies, for which not only the subjective perspective, but also the dynamics by which the social and cultural environment guide and enable the person's development, have to be accounted for. The third section elaborates the question of institutional case studies, where the challenge is to account both for institutional dynamics, and for persons' trajectories within; this is exemplified with an ongoing study on the process of obtaining citizenship in Switzerland. The paper briefly concludes by highlighting two possible implications of the paper, one concerning the process of theoretical reasoning, the other, the fact that sociocultural psychology could itself be seen as an institution in-the-making.

Re-evaluating the Disengagement Process: the Case of Fatah

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gordon Clubb

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Recently, a number of studies have looked at the disengagement/de-radicalisation of terrorist groups and individuals. This article critically assesses part of this literature in relation to the process of voluntary collective disengagement, using the case of the Palestinian Fatah organization as an example. It questions the specific focus of most de-radicalisation studies upon solely ending the use of the terrorist tactic, arguing that the disengagement process should be studied in conjunction with groups ceasing to use other forms of political violence as well. Although the article favours an objective definition of terrorism, it also recognises the salience of the term's normative power and argues that both perspectives can play a role in the disengagement process. This process can be divided into a number of stages: (i declarative disengagement, (ii behavioural disengagement, (iii organisational disengagement, and (iv de-radicalisation. Fatah's disengagement process demonstrates that the process can be conditional, reversible, and selective. Consequently, a number of problems arise in terms of defining when an organisation has actually ceased to use terrorism and other forms of political violence. The article argues that Fatah represents a case of mixed disengagement; it was selective, conditional and mostly only behavioural. However, despite the disengagement process only being partially successful during the Oslo period - and reversed considerably during the al-Aqsa Intifada - it has had some lasting effects on the organisation, making it less likely to re-engage in terrorism.

THE ROLE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN THE REGIONALIZATION PROCESS – CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AMALIA VENERA TODORUȚ

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The study presents a short economic incursion concerning the role of small and medium enterprises in the complex regionalization process of Romania and the impact of this sector on the economic development of the regions, as generating new value. In this paper I have approached aspects related to the problematic of regionalization within the new economic context, which is marked by major turbulence with medium and long-term effects. The development disparities are a reality and, therefore, the interventions of the regional development process is designed to reduce these disparities. Through the case study presented, based on the scientific investigations in the field of small and medium enterprises, I have shown which the analyzed economic disparities are, using the following indicators: the grand domestic product per inhabitant, the number of small and medium enterprises on regions, the number of SMEs in economic sectors and development regions, the average number of employees in SMEs, the share of the turnover in SMEs at the regional level. I have also presented several factors that contribute to eliminate the disparities and develop the regions, focusing on the importance of the innovation and creation process, the development of the human resource, the specialization of regions, infrastructure and accessibility.

CASE STUDY: THE IMPACT OF INNOVATION PROCESS ON TURNOVER OF GEO – TOPO COMPANY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Drienovski Kristina – Jana

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a case study of the impact of innovation process on the turnover of the GEO - TOPO company in order to highlight the existence of less convenient situations where innovation costs are not included in income madeby the company. Thru this study the paperwork highlights the importance of company’s turnover despite the fact that this indicator is one that presents past performances. Most of the existing literature presents positive aspects of the innovation process, and for the future decisions recommends economic forecast. There are studies showing the risks of the innovation process, including the possibility of bankruptcy of the company due to the failure of the innovation process, but this work represents a practical reality, a point of arrival for the past research and a starting point for the future theories. Bibliographic documentation and research of the enterprises documents were the basis of confirmation for theories regarding the risks of innovation process and an anchor for issuing statements about the negative impact of innovation process on turnover. The results obtained in this study show the importance of turnover in future decisions of the enterprise in order to support an possible and immediate failure. This study has its limitation, because it refers to the result of a service provider SME that has introduced a process of organizational innovation. The results are accurate, this work is part of a broader research regarding the impact of innovation process on companies economic and financial performance. This research supports the entrepreneur in decisions making, comes as a backup plan to avoid bankruptcy, and proposes a closer connection between the marketing department and the accounting in an enterprise. In businesses that have outsourced accounting services, this study provides contractor necessary information for a correct decision without the need for a detailed explanation of the accounts and positions

Investigation of soil potentially contaminated by monazite processing by-products: case study and suggestion for protocol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briquet, Claudia

2006-01-01

This work describes a characterization of soil potentially contaminated by monazite chemical processing residues. For case study it was selected a country area of Sao Paulo State, containing a monazite processing by-product depository. The main objective was to evaluate the soil contamination in an area of approximately 18,000 m 2 and esteem the total effective dose equivalent. During the development of this work, it was verified necessity of an investigation protocol, in order to standardize actions of regulatory authorities. A survey of the applicable legislation was carried out, as a tool to support decision making process. The methodology was based on the 'Manual de Gerenciamento de Areas Contaminadas' of CETESB (2001 a), a national document to guide studies of contaminated areas. It was also considered the 'Multi Agency Radiation Survey and Site Manual Investigation - MARSSIM' (2000), a U.S. government document that provides a nationally consensus approach to conduct investigations at potentially contaminated sites. The developed activities had been divided in three general stages: data-collecting and information on the place, identification of soil contamination and its distribution until the depth of 3 meters and evaluation of the associated dose. The evaluation of the radiological impact was carried out considering the worst-case use scenario (most restrictive future use), standing out that the final decision fits to the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission - CNEN. CNEN's scope of responsibility includes determining the site release criteria and the cleanup necessity. (author)

Environmental management system case study: textile wet processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nasreldin, A A [Engineering Researches and Industrial Technologies Council, Sudan Academy of Sciences, Khartoum (Sudan)

2008-10-15

Textile industry is one of the oldest industries, it started very early in the ancient ages, its grows and improves gradually at the first and then rapidly to satisfy other different need of the mankind, even for luxury purposes, this development caused damage to environment, then its need the treatment. Textile wet processes used significant quantities of water and various kind of chemicals marketed under the name textile auxiliaries, to enhance the appearance of the fabric, serviceability, and durability. The chemical contamination of textile wet processes can be a health risk for the mill workers, consumers and for the environment as well. A number of schemes have been proposed in different countries to control the textile wet processes to create better environment and protect the ecosystem from further degradation, the developing countries need to apply their designed policies from the beginning. A theoretical study for probability of application of environmental management system in textile industry, to prevent or eliminate textile industry pollution that considered as one of the largest polluters in Sudanese environment, especially after the government (industrial ministry) support and facilitate to textile industry development. Applying environmental management system can appreciably reduce the textile industry pollution as founded from the study.(Author)

Environmental management system case study: textile wet processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasreldin, A.A.

2008-10-01

Textile industry is one of the oldest industries, it started very early in the ancient ages, its grows and improves gradually at the first and then rapidly to satisfy other different need of the mankind, even for luxury purposes, this development caused damage to environment, then its need the treatment. Textile wet processes used significant quantities of water and various kind of chemicals marketed under the name textile auxiliaries, to enhance the appearance of the fabric, serviceability, and durability. The chemical contamination of textile wet processes can be a health risk for the mill workers, consumers and for the environment as well. A number of schemes have been proposed in different countries to control the textile wet processes to create better environment and protect the ecosystem from further degradation, the developing countries need to apply their designed policies from the beginning. A theoretical study for probability of application of environmental management system in textile industry, to prevent or eliminate textile industry pollution that considered as one of the largest polluters in Sudanese environment, especially after the government (industrial ministry) support and facilitate to textile industry development. Applying environmental management system can appreciably reduce the textile industry pollution as founded from the study.(Author)

Nurses' decision-making process in cases of physical restraint in acute elderly care: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goethals, S; Dierckx de Casterlé, B; Gastmans, C

2013-05-01

The increasing vulnerability of patients in acute elderly care requires constant critical reflection in ethically charged situations such as when employing physical restraint. Qualitative evidence concerning nurses' decision making in cases of physical restraint is limited and fragmented. A thorough understanding of nurses' decision-making process could be useful to understand how nurses reason and make decisions in ethically laden situations. The aims of this study were to explore and describe nurses' decision-making process in cases of physical restraint. We used a qualitative interview design inspired by the Grounded Theory approach. Data analysis was guided by the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven. Twelve hospitals geographically spread throughout the five provinces of Flanders, Belgium. Twenty-one acute geriatric nurses interviewed between October 2009 and April 2011 were purposively and theoretically selected, with the aim of including nurses having a variety of characteristics and experiences concerning decisions on using physical restraint. In cases of physical restraint in acute elderly care, nurses' decision making was never experienced as a fixed decision but rather as a series of decisions. Decision making was mostly reasoned upon and based on rational arguments; however, decisions were also made routinely and intuitively. Some nurses felt very certain about their decisions, while others experienced feelings of uncertainty regarding their decisions. Nurses' decision making is an independent process that requires nurses to obtain a good picture of the patient, to be constantly observant, and to assess and reassess the patient's situation. Coming to thoughtful and individualized decisions requires major commitment and constant critical reflection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategy Formulation Process in Crisis Management : Volkswagen Case Study

OpenAIRE

Abuhajaj, Ayham; Lampis, George

2017-01-01

Aim: The aim of this study is to understand what strategies are used over time by a company facing a transgressional CSR crisis, in order to regain legitimacy, and towards which stakeholder group these strategies are directed. Methods: In order to achieve our aim, Qualitative case study based on secondary data published by Volkswagen as well as news articles were used to identify what strategies the company used over time. Results: To be able to answer our aim, different theoretical lense...

Deficits in executive and memory processes in delusional disorder: a case-control study.

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Inmaculada Ibanez-Casas

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Delusional disorder has been traditionally considered a psychotic syndrome that does not evolve to cognitive deterioration. However, to date, very little empirical research has been done to explore cognitive executive components and memory processes in Delusional Disorder patients. This study will investigate whether patients with delusional disorder are intact in both executive function components (such as flexibility, impulsivity and updating components and memory processes (such as immediate, short term and long term recall, learning and recognition. METHODS: A large sample of patients with delusional disorder (n = 86 and a group of healthy controls (n = 343 were compared with regard to their performance in a broad battery of neuropsychological tests including Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Colour-Word Stroop Test, and Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC. RESULTS: When compared to controls, cases of delusional disorder showed a significantly poorer performance in most cognitive tests. Thus, we demonstrate deficits in flexibility, impulsivity and updating components of executive functions as well as in memory processes. These findings held significant after taking into account sex, age, educational level and premorbid IQ. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the traditional notion of patients with delusional disorder being cognitively intact.

A Case Study on an Item Writing Process: Use of Test Specifications, Nature of Group Dynamics, and Individual Item Writers' Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jiyoung; Chi, Youngshin; Huensch, Amanda; Jun, Heesung; Li, Hongli; Roullion, Vanessa

2010-01-01

This article discusses a case study on an item writing process that reflects on our practical experience in an item development project. The purpose of the article is to share our lessons from the experience aiming to demystify item writing process. The study investigated three issues that naturally emerged during the project: how item writers use…

The decision-making process concerning workplace innovation : KLPD Case Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Guiza, Bibiana

2003-01-01

This case study is one in a series on workplace innovation. This issue is alive in many companies and not for profit organizations. Since 1990 the subject has been studied by many professionals. Yet a consistent knowledge base is not in place. For that reason the Center for People and Buildings

Anatomical characteristics of the styloid process in internal carotid artery dissection: Case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Amorim, José M; Pereira, Daniela; Rodrigues, Marta G; Beato-Coelho, José; Lopes, Margarida; Cunha, André; Figueiredo, Sofia; Mendes-Pinto, Mafalda; Ferreira, Carla; Sargento-Freitas, João; Castro, Sérgio; Pinho, João

2018-06-01

Introduction Pathophysiology of cervical artery dissection is complex and poorly understood. In addition to well-known causative and predisposing factors, including major trauma and monogenic connective tissue disorders, morphological characteristics of the styloid process have been recently recognized as a possible risk factor for cervical internal carotid artery dissection. Aims To study the association of the anatomical characteristics of styloid process with internal carotid artery dissection. Methods Retrospective, multicenter, case-control study of patients with internal carotid artery dissection and age- and sex-matched controls. Consecutive patients with internal carotid artery dissection and controls with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack of any etiology excluding internal carotid artery dissection, who had performed computed tomography angiography, diagnosed between January 2010 and September 2016. Two independent observers measured styloid process length and styloid process distance to internal carotid artery. Results Sixty-two patients with internal carotid artery dissection and 70 controls were included. Interobserver agreement was good for styloid process length and styloid process-internal carotid artery distance (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.89 and 0.76, respectively). Styloid process ipsilateral to dissection was longer than left and right styloid process in controls (35.8 ± 14.4 mm versus 30.4 ± 8.9 mm and 30.3 ± 8.2 mm, p = 0.011 and p = 0.008, respectively). Styloid process-internal carotid artery distance ipsilateral to dissection was shorter than left and right distance in controls (6.3 ± 1.9 mm versus 7.2 ± 2.1 mm and 7.0 ± 2.3 mm, p = 0.003 and p = 0.026, respectively). Internal carotid artery dissection was associated with styloid process length (odds ratio = 1.04 mm -1 , 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.08, p = 0.015) and styloid process

Due Process Hearing Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bateman, David F.

2009-01-01

William is 9 years of age, residing with his parent within the boundaries of an unnamed district ("the District"). As a student with autism he is eligible for special education programming and services. There was one issue presented for this due process hearing: What was the appropriate program and placement for him for the 2008-2009 school year?…

THE LEAN SIX SIGMAAPPROACH FOR PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: A CASE STUDY IN A HIGH QUALITY TUSCANY WINERY

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Riccardo Bettini

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the application of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS project to a winemaking process in a high-quality, Italian winery. LSS is used to focus on the problem through a quantitative analysis of waste and quality performances. The LSS basic algorithm (called “DMAIC” helps to detect and quantify critical aspects of the process for transferring liquid used in the cellar. The improvement solution is developed and applied through the modification of the cellar system and the process procedure. The results obtained with this solution are shown and discussed in this paper, so too the long term reliability of the improved process analyzed. The results obtained by this case study can help to understand the importance of the LSS method to drive the improvement of agricultural and agrofood productions also in terms of environmental impact which is strongly connected to waste reduction.

Implementing Product Platforms: A Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Ole Fiil; Mortensen, Niels Henrik

2006-01-01

The paper describes a case study dealing with the process of creating and implementing a product platform. The paper espessially deals with the fact that to obtain the benefits of platforms a permanent change in behaviour in product development must be ensured. This change in behaviour requires...... acceptance and approval from the organisation in general and the commitment from management to enforce agreed-upon decisions. The case study itself was performed in the Danish company LEGO Group. The case study had two objectives: To create a technical architecture and align this architecture...

Integrating a Procurement Management Process into Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM: A Case-Study on Oil and Gas Projects, the Piping Process

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Sung-Hwan Jo

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC of oil and gas megaprojects often experience cost overruns due to substantial schedule delays. One of the greatest causes of these overruns is the mismanagement of the project schedule, with the piping works (prefabrication and installation occupying a majority of that schedule. As such, an effective methodology for scheduling, planning, and controlling of piping activities is essential for project success. To meet this need, this study used the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM to develop a piping construction delay prevention methodology, incorporating material procurement processes for EPC megaprojects. Recent studies indicate that the traditional scheduling method used on oil and gas mega projects has critical limitations regarding resource scarcity, calculation of activity duration, and dealing with uncertainties. To overcome these limitations, the Theory of Constraints-based CCPM was proposed and implemented to provide schedule buffers management. Nonexistent in literature, and of critical importance, is this paper’s focus on the resource buffer, representing material uncertainty and management. Furthermore, this paper presents a step-by-step process and flow chart for project, construction, and material managers to effectively manage a resource buffer through the CCPM process. This study extends the knowledge of traditional resource buffers in CCPM to improve material and procurement management, thus avoiding the shortage of piping materials and minimizing delays. The resultant process was validated by both deterministic and probabilistic schedule analysis through two case studies of a crude pump unit and propylene compressor installation at a Middle Eastern Refinery Plant Installation. The results show that the CCPM method effectively handles uncertainty, reducing the duration of piping works construction by about a 35% when compared to the traditional method. Furthermore, the

Deep Attack Weapons Mix Study (DAWMS) Case Study

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bexfield, James

2001-01-01

.... This report describes the process used to conduct the Deep Attack Weapons Mix Study (DAWMS) in 1995-1997. This case study focuses on the weapons being procured by the Services and whether a joint viewpoint would result in a more effective mix...

Improving uncertainty evaluation of process models by using pedigree analysis. A case study on CO2 capture with monoethanolamine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Spek, Mijndert; Ramirez, Andrea; Faaij, André

2016-01-01

This article aims to improve uncertainty evaluation of process models by combining a quantitative uncertainty evaluation method (data validation) with a qualitative uncertainty evaluation method (pedigree analysis). The approach is tested on a case study of monoethanolamine based postcombustion CO2

Reproducibility in Natural Language Processing: A Case Study of Two R Libraries for Mining PubMed/MEDLINE

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, K. Bretonnel; Xia, Jingbo; Roeder, Christophe; Hunter, Lawrence E.

2018-01-01

There is currently a crisis in science related to highly publicized failures to reproduce large numbers of published studies. The current work proposes, by way of case studies, a methodology for moving the study of reproducibility in computational work to a full stage beyond that of earlier work. Specifically, it presents a case study in attempting to reproduce the reports of two R libraries for doing text mining of the PubMed/MEDLINE repository of scientific publications. The main findings are that a rational paradigm for reproduction of natural language processing papers can be established; the advertised functionality was difficult, but not impossible, to reproduce; and reproducibility studies can produce additional insights into the functioning of the published system. Additionally, the work on reproducibility lead to the production of novel user-centered documentation that has been accessed 260 times since its publication—an average of once a day per library. PMID:29568821

Modeling and processing for next-generation big-data technologies with applications and case studies

CERN Document Server

Barolli, Leonard; Barolli, Admir; Papajorgji, Petraq

2015-01-01

This book covers the latest advances in Big Data technologies and provides the readers with a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in Big Data processing, analysis, analytics, and other related topics. It presents new models, algorithms, software solutions and methodologies, covering the full data cycle, from data gathering to their visualization and interaction, and includes a set of case studies and best practices. New research issues, challenges and opportunities shaping the future agenda in the field of Big Data are also identified and presented throughout the book, which is intended for researchers, scholars, advanced students, software developers and practitioners working at the forefront in their field.

A ten-step process to develop case management plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahan, Hussein A

2002-01-01

The use of case management plans has contained cost and improved quality of care successfully. However, the process of developing these plans remains a great challenge for healthcare executives, in this article, the author presents the answer to this challenge by discussing a 10-step formal process that administrators of patient care services and case managers can adapt to their institutions. It also can be used by interdisciplinary team members as a practical guide to develop a specific case management plan. This process is applicable to any care setting (acute, ambulatory, long term, and home care), diagnosis, or procedure. It is particularly important for those organizations that currently do not have a deliberate and systematic process to develop case management plans and are struggling with how to improve the efficiency and productivity of interdisciplinary teams charged with developing case management plans.

Proposal for elicitation and analysis of environmental requirements into the construction design process: a case study

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Camila Pegoraro

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Proposal: As new demands from sustainable development, environmental requirements arise as another challenge to design process management. It is already known that companies which design buildings are usually exposed to many managerial difficulties. Faced to the environmental demands, these companies require new facilities to align environmental requirements to the business goals and to include them properly in design process. This paper is based on a case study in a construction company, which was developed through interviews and document analysis. It is intended to present a procedure for the project environmental requirements elicitation, organization and analysis, which is based on the requirements engineering (ER concepts. As results it was concluded that the ER concepts are useful for the environmental requirements integration into the design process and that strategic planning should give directions for the effective environmental requirements adherence. Moreover, a procedure for environmental requirements modeling is proposed. Key-words: Design process, Requirements management, Environmental requirements, Construction

Evaluating Students' Beliefs in Problem Solving Process: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Tugba; Guven, Bulent

2016-01-01

Problem solving is not simply a process that ends when an answer is found; it is a scientific process that evolves from understanding the problem to evaluating the solution. This process is affected by several factors. Among these, one of the most substantial is belief. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the beliefs of high school students…

Administrators in Action--Managing Public Monies and Processing Emotion in School Activities: A Teaching Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Tenuto, Penny L.; Gardiner, Mary E.; Yamamoto, Julie K.

2015-01-01

This teaching case describes school administrators in action performing day-to-day leadership tasks, managing public funds in school activities, and interacting with others appropriately. The case focuses on administrative challenges in handling and managing school activity funds. A method for processing emotion is discussed to assist…

Educational Potential of Case-Study Technology

OpenAIRE

Fedorinova, Zoya; Vorobeva, Victoria; Malyanova, Marina

2015-01-01

This article presents the results of phenomenological and typological analysis of case-study technology educational potential. The definition “educational potential of case-study technology” is given, the main characteristics of which are changed in communication and collaborative activity quality, appearance of educational initiatives, change of participants’ position in learning process, formation of “collective subject” in collaborative activity, increase of learning (subject) results. Dep...

A qualitative case study of the legislative process of the hygienist-therapist bill in a large Midwestern state.

Science.gov (United States)

Dollins, Haley E; Bray, Kimberly Krust; Gadbury-Amyot, Cynthia C

2013-10-01

Inequitable access to dental care contributes to oral health disparities. Midlevel dental provider models are utilized across the globe as a way to bridge the gap between preventive and restorative dental professionals and increase access to dental care. The purpose of this study was threefold: to examine lessons learned from the state legislative process related to creation of the hygienist-therapist in a Midwestern state, to improve understanding of the relationship between alternative oral health delivery models and public policy and to inform the development and passage of future policies aimed at addressing the unmet dental needs of the public. This research investigation utilized a qualitative research methodology to examine the process of legislation relating to an alternative oral health delivery model (hygienist-therapist) through the eyes of key stakeholders. Interview data was analyzed and then triangulated with 3 data sources: interviews with key stakeholders, documents and researcher participant field notes. Data analysis resulted in consensus on 3 emergent themes with accompanying categories. The themes that emerged included social justice, partnerships and coalitions, and the legislative process. This qualitative case study suggests that the creation of a new oral health workforce model was a long and arduous process involving multiple stakeholders and negotiation between the parties involved. The creation of this new workforce model was recognized as a necessary step to increasing access to dental care at the state and national level. The research in this case study may serve to inform advocates of access to oral health care as other states pursue their own workforce models.

A case study of optimization in the decision process: Siting groundwater monitoring wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardwell, H.; Huff, D.; Douthitt, J.; Sale, M.

1993-12-01

Optimization is one of the tools available to assist decision makers in balancing multiple objectives and concerns. In a case study of the siting decision for groundwater monitoring wells, we look at the influence of the optimization models on the decisions made by the responsible groundwater specialist. This paper presents a multi-objective integer programming model for determining the location of monitoring wells associated with a groundwater pump-and-treat remediation. After presenting the initial optimization results, we analyze the actual decision and revise the model to incorporate elements of the problem that were later identified as important in the decision-making process. The results of a revised model are compared to the actual siting plans, the recommendations from the initial optimization runs, and the initial monitoring network proposed by the decision maker

Does case-mix based reimbursement stimulate the development of process-oriented care delivery?

Science.gov (United States)

Vos, Leti; Dückers, Michel L A; Wagner, Cordula; van Merode, Godefridus G

2010-11-01

Reimbursement based on the total care of a patient during an acute episode of illness is believed to stimulate management and clinicians to reduce quality problems like waiting times and poor coordination of care delivery. Although many studies already show that this kind of case-mix based reimbursement leads to more efficiency, it remains unclear whether care coordination improved as well. This study aims to explore whether case-mix based reimbursement stimulates development of care coordination by the use of care programmes, and a process-oriented way of working. Data for this study were gathered during the winter of 2007/2008 in a survey involving all Dutch hospitals. Descriptive and structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses were conducted. SEM reveals that adoption of the case-mix reimbursement within hospitals' budgeting processes stimulates hospitals to establish care programmes by the use of process-oriented performance measures. However, the implementation of care programmes is not (yet) accompanied by a change in focus from function (the delivery of independent care activities) to process (the delivery of care activities as being connected to a chain of interdependent care activities). This study demonstrates that hospital management can stimulate the development of care programmes by the adoption of case-mix reimbursement within hospitals' budgeting processes. Future research is recommended to confirm this finding and to determine whether the establishment of care programmes will in time indeed lead to a more process-oriented view of professionals. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of multi-criteria decision analysis in public bidding processes: a case study

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André Andrade Longaray

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Institutions of Higher Education in Brazil (IFES play an important role in the country’s social and scientific development. Focused mainly on teaching, research and extension activities, the IFES are backed by support foundations aimed to the management of financial, human and material resources. Characterized as public bodies, the support foundations are governed by Law no 8.666/93 in what concerns the procurement of goods and services. Therefore, the present study is aimed to develop a model to assist the managers of such foundations in the selection of suppliers to participate in bidding processes that use invitation for bids. Therefore, we conducted a case study in one of the 55 foundations that support Brazilian federal universities. The intervention tool used was the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP. Firstly, we established the hierarchy of criteria for problem-solving. Then, a paired comparison was made between criteria for the same level. Subsequently, the consistency analysis of comparison matrices was verified. Finally, the relative priorities of each criterion were obtained and the objective function of the model was constructed. The model was tested through the assessment of the performance of three potential suppliers of IT equipment, and the result was legitimized by decision makers who found the instrument a valid tool to aid in making decisions on supplier selection for the foundation.

Water conservation and reuse using the Water Sources Diagram method for batch process: case studies

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Fernando Luiz Pellegrini Pessoa

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The water resources management has been an important factor for the sustainability of industrial processes, since there is a growing need for the development of methodologies aimed at the conservation and rational use of water. The objective of this work was to apply the heuristic-algorithmic method called Water Sources Diagram (WSD, which is used to define the target of minimum water consumption, to batch processes. Scenarios with reuse of streams were generated and evaluated with application of the method from the data of water quantity and concentration of contaminants in the operations. Two case studies aiming to show the reduction of water consumption and wastewater generation, and final treatment costs besides investment in storage tanks, were presented. The scenarios showed great promising, achieving reduction up to 45% in water consumption and wastewater generation, and a reduction of around 37% on cost of storage tanks, without the need to allocate regeneration processes. Thus, the WSD method showed to be a relevant and flexible alternative regarding to systemic tools aimed at minimizing the consumption of water in industrial processes, playing an important role within a program of water resources management.

Integration of lexical and sublexical processing in the spelling of regular words: a multiple single-case study in Italian dysgraphic patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Laiacona, Marcella; Capitani, Erminio; Zonca, Giusy; Scola, Ilaria; Saletta, Paola; Luzzatti, Claudio

2009-01-01

In this study we investigated 12 cases of "mixed dysgraphia", a spelling impairment where regular words are spelt better than either ambiguous words or regular non-words. Two explanations of mixed dysgraphia were formerly offered by Luzzatti et al. (1998): (i) a double functional lesion of the orthographic output lexicon (or damage to its access) and of the acoustic-to-phonological conversion; and (ii) some kind of interaction/summation between lexical and sublexical spelling routes when processing regular words. We first analysed whether a double functional lesion was sufficient to explain the mixed dysgraphia, checking acoustic-to-phonological conversion by means of the repetition of words and non-words: the answer was positive in five cases and uncertain in three. We tested the remaining four cases to see if there was an interaction between lexical and sublexical processing of regular words, quantifying for each patient, on a probabilistic basis, the separate contribution of the residual lexical and sublexical resources. We investigated whether the processing along these routes was simultaneous but independent ("independent cooperation") or if instead there was "interaction", i.e., the simultaneous activity led to an added increase of efficiency over and above the mere combination of separate success probabilities. For one case the processing along the two routes was independent, in the other three cases an interaction resulted. Following the same approach, we found that for the five cases with a double functional lesion, the observed success on regular word spelling was higher than that expected on a probabilistic basis, but the interpretation of this finding was different.

The Adoption of International Proceedures, the Bologna Process, by a Local University: A Case Study at Unitau

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Edson Aparecida de Araujo Querido Oliveira

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to discuss the process of internationalization of the HEI, based on the Bologna Process. An exploratory study was made to identify barriers for the internationalization of a local institution: The University of Taubate. The main topics were the internationalization of the firm and the Bologna Process. This HEI is located in the Vale Paraíba Paulista, a growing and strategic region in Brazilian soil. Education and skilled labor are key elements to regional development. The essay consists of a case study. Particularities from the Brazilian Higher Education System and the European Model are analyzed. They are combined with the Institution’s policies. The results show the current stage of the action lines that direct the application of the European model, at the University of Taubate. The conclusions consider the convergence of the Bologna Process with the guidelines of the Brazilian higher education policies, and point out some difficulties and opportunities that may be considered if the HEI decides to adopt an internationalization model.

Case studies on the formation of chalcogenide self-assembled monolayers on surfaces and dissociative processes

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Yongfeng Tong

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This report examines the assembly of chalcogenide organic molecules on various surfaces, focusing on cases when chemisorption is accompanied by carbon–chalcogen atom-bond scission. In the case of alkane and benzyl chalcogenides, this induces formation of a chalcogenized interface layer. This process can occur during the initial stages of adsorption and then, after passivation of the surface, molecular adsorption can proceed. The characteristics of the chalcogenized interface layer can be significantly different from the metal layer and can affect various properties such as electron conduction. For chalcogenophenes, the carbon–chalcogen atom-bond breaking can lead to opening of the ring and adsorption of an alkene chalcogenide. Such a disruption of the π-electron system affects charge transport along the chains. Awareness about these effects is of importance from the point of view of molecular electronics. We discuss some recent studies based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that shed light on these aspects for a series of such organic molecules.

Objectivist case study research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner; Fachner, Jörg

2016-01-01

be achieved through the use of objectivist case study research. The strength of the case study design is that it allows for uncovering or suggesting causal relationships in real-life settings through an intensive and rich collection of data. According to Hilliard (1993), the opposite applies for extensive......In order to comprehend the impact of music therapy or music therapy processes, a researcher might look for an approach where the topic under investigation can be understood within a broader context. This calls for a rich inclusion of data and consequently a limited number of participants and may...... designs, in which a small amount of data is gathered on a large number of subjects. With the richness of data, the intensive design is ―the primary pragmatic reason for engaging in single-case or small N research‖ (p. 374) and for working from an idiographic rather than a nomothetic perspective....

Shuttle Transportation System Case-Study Development

Science.gov (United States)

Ransom, Khadijah

2012-01-01

A case-study collection was developed for NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Using lessons learned and documented by NASA KSC engineers, analysts, and contractors, decades of information related to processing and launching the Space Shuttle was gathered into a single database. The goal was to provide educators with an alternative means to teach real-world engineering processes and to enhance critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills. Suggested formats were created to assist both external educators and internal NASA employees to develop and contribute their own case-study reports to share with other educators and students. Via group project, class discussion, or open-ended research format, students will be introduced to the unique decision making process related to Shuttle missions and development. Teaching notes, images, and related documents will be made accessible to the public for presentation of Space Shuttle reports. Lessons investigated included the engine cutoff (ECO) sensor anomaly which occurred during mission STS-114. Students will be presented with general mission infom1ation as well as an explanation of ECO sensors. The project will conclude with the design of a website that allows for distribution of information to the public as well as case-study report submissions from other educators online.

Quantifying the robustness of process manufacturing concept – A medical product case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boorla, Srinivasa Murthy; Troldtoft, M.E.; Eifler, Tobias

2017-01-01

Product robustness refers to the consistency of performance of all of the units produced. It is often the case that process manufactured products are not designed concurrently, so by the end of the product design phase the Process Manufacturing Concept (PMC) has yet to be decided. Allocating...... the unit-to-unit robustness of an early-stage for a PMC is proposed. The method uses variability and adjustability information from the manufacturing concept in combination with sensitivity information from products' design to predict its functional performance variation. A Technology maturation factor...... process capable tolerances to the product during the design phase is therefore not possible. The robustness of the concept (how capable it is to achieve the product specification), only becomes clear at this late stage and thus after testing and iteration. In this article, a method for calculating...

Case mix adjustment of health outcomes, resource use and process indicators in childbirth care: a register-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesterton, Johan; Lindgren, Peter; Ekenberg Abreu, Anna; Ladfors, Lars; Lilja, Monica; Saltvedt, Sissel; Amer-Wåhlin, Isis

2016-05-31

Unwarranted variation in care practice and outcomes has gained attention and inter-hospital comparisons are increasingly being used to highlight and understand differences between hospitals. Adjustment for case mix is a prerequisite for meaningful comparisons between hospitals with different patient populations. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify maternal characteristics that impact a set of important indicators of health outcomes, resource use and care process and which could be used for case mix adjustment of comparisons between hospitals. In this register-based study, 139 756 deliveries in 2011 and 2012 were identified in regional administrative systems from seven Swedish regions, which together cover 67 % of all deliveries in Sweden. Data were linked to the Medical birth register and Statistics Sweden's population data. A number of important indicators in childbirth care were studied: Caesarean section (CS), induction of labour, length of stay, perineal tears, haemorrhage > 1000 ml and post-partum infections. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics deemed relevant for case mix adjustment of outcomes and resource use were identified based on previous literature and based on clinical expertise. Adjustment using logistic and ordinary least squares regression analysis was performed to quantify the impact of these characteristics on the studied indicators. Almost all case mix factors analysed had an impact on CS rate, induction rate and length of stay and the effect was highly statistically significant for most factors. Maternal age, parity, fetal presentation and multiple birth were strong predictors of all these indicators but a number of additional factors such as born outside the EU, body mass index (BMI) and several complications during pregnancy were also important risk factors. A number of maternal characteristics had a noticeable impact on risk of perineal tears, while the impact of case mix factors was less pronounced for

Waste reduction algorithm used as the case study of simulated bitumen production process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savić Marina A.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Waste reduction algorithm - WAR is a tool helping process engineers for environmental impact assessment. WAR algorithm is a methodology for determining the potential environmental impact (PEI of a chemical process. In particular, the bitumen production process was analyzed following three stages: a atmospheric distillation unit, b vacuum distillation unit, and c bitumen production unit. Study was developed for the middle sized oil refinery with capacity of 5000000 tones of crude oil per year. Results highlight the most vulnerable aspects of the environmental pollution that arise during the manufacturing process of bitumen. The overall rates of PEI leaving the system (PEI/h - Iout PEI/h are: a 2.14105, b 7.17104 and c 2.36103, respectively. The overall rates of PEI generated within the system - Igen PEI/h are: a 7.75104, b -4.31104 and c -4.32102, respectively. Atmospheric distillation unit have the highest overall rate of PEI while the bitumen production unit have the lowest overall rate of PEI. Comparison of Iout PEI/h and Igen PEI/h values for the atmospheric distillation unit, shows that the overall rate of PEI generated in the system is 36.21% of the overall rate of PEI leaving the system. In the cases of vacuum distillation and bitumen production units, the overall rate of PEI generated in system have negative values, i.e. the overall rate of PEI leaving the system is reduced at 60.11% (in the vacuum distillation unit and at 18.30% (in the bitumen production unit. Analysis of the obtained results for the overall rate of PEI, expressed by weight of the product, confirms conclusions.

Casing study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roche, P.

2000-12-01

An unorthodox method of casing drilling used by Tesco Corporation at a gas well in Wyoming to drill deeper using casings as drillpipe is discussed. The process involves either rotating the casing as drill string or using a downhole mud motor to rotate the bit. In this instance, the surface hole and the production hole were casing-drilled to a record 8,312 feet by rotating the casing. The 8 1/2-inch surface hole was drilled with 7-inch casing to 1,200 feet using a Tesco underreamer and a polycrystalline pilot bit; drilling and cementing was completed in 12 1/2 hours. The 6 1/4-inch production hole was drilled with 4 1/2-inch casing and the bottomhole assembly was retrieved after 191 hours rotating. This case was the first in which the entire well was casing-drilled from surface to TD. Penetration rate compared favorably with conventional methods: 12 1/2 hours for casing-drilling to 18.9 hours for conventional drilling, despite the fact that the casing-drilling technology is still in its infancy. It is suggested that casing-drilling has the potential to eliminate the need for the drillpipe entirely. If these expectations were to be realised, casing-drilling could be one of the most radical drilling changes in the history of the oil and gas industry. 1 photo.

Heterofermentative process in dry fermented sausages - a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josef Kameník

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In certain circumstances the fermentation process in dry fermented sausages converts to heterofermentation pathway leading to acetic acid and carbon dioxide beside lactic acid. The study describes two cases of undesirable heterofermentation in dry sausages from two different producers. In the sausage samples (n = 7 the pH value and the content of lactic and acetic acids were measured. Microbial analysis focused on quantitative and qualitative detection of lactic acid bacteria. The acetic acid content varied from 24.28 to 67.41 µmol·g-1 dry matter, in the case of samples from the second producer the content of acetic acid (48.45 to 67.41 µmol·g-1 dry matter was higher than the lactic acid content (20.98 to 29.02 µmol·g-1 dry matter. The lactobacilli strains from the sausages were assigned to the corresponding species by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization – Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS and classified to three groups according to the sugar fermentation pattern (obligately homofermentative, facultatively heterofermentative and obligately heterofermentative and they caused the heterofermentation process in the samples of dry fermented sausages. The description of the case of heterofermentation process in dry sausages is unique and there is little information about this topic.

The Helicobacter pylori theory and duodenal ulcer disease. A case study of the research process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, A H; Gjørup, T

1995-01-01

should be selected for H. pylori eradication treatment. CONCLUSION: Descriptive clinical studies and laboratory studies of disease mechanisms were the prevailing types of research about H. pylori. Comparatively few therapeutic intervention studies were done; this fact may have hampered the acceptance......OBJECTIVES: To describe the medical research process from the time of the generation of a new theory to its implementation in clinical practice. The Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) theory, i.e. the theory that H. pylori plays a significant causal role in duodenal ulcer disease was chosen as a case....... MATERIAL: Abstracts from 1984 to 1993, identified in the CD-Rom, Medline system, ("Silverplatter"), using the search terms Campylobacter pylori and Helicobacter pylori, and reviews and editorials about H. pylori in some of the most widespread clinical journals. RESULTS: 2204 papers on H. pylori were...

Beyond Clinical Case Studies in Psychoanalysis: A Review of Psychoanalytic Empirical Single Case Studies Published in ISI-Ranked Journals

Science.gov (United States)

Meganck, Reitske; Inslegers, Ruth; Krivzov, Juri; Notaerts, Liza

2017-01-01

Single case studies are at the origin of both theory development and research in the field of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. While clinical case studies are the hallmark of psychoanalytic theory and practice, their scientific value has been strongly criticized. To address problems with the subjective bias of retrospective therapist reports and uncontrollability of clinical case studies, systematic approaches to investigate psychotherapy process and outcome at the level of the single case have been developed. Such empirical case studies are also able to bridge the famous gap between academic research and clinical practice as they provide clinically relevant insights into how psychotherapy works. This study presents a review of psychoanalytic empirical case studies published in ISI-ranked journals and maps the characteristics of the study, therapist, patient en therapies that are investigated. Empirical case studies increased in quantity and quality (amount of information and systematization) over time. While future studies could pay more attention to providing contextual information on therapist characteristics and informed consent considerations, the available literature provides a basis to conduct meta-studies of single cases and as such contribute to knowledge aggregation. PMID:29046660

Information Design for “Weak Signal” detection and processing in Economic Intelligence: A case study on Health resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahbi Sidhom

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The topics of this research cover all phases of “Information Design” applied to detect and profit from weak signals in economic intelligence (EI or business intelligence (BI. The field of the information design (ID applies to the process of translating complex, unorganized or unstructured data into valuable and meaningful information. ID practice requires an interdisciplinary approach, which combines skills in graphic design (writing, analysis processing and editing, human performances technology and human factors. Applied in the context of information system, it allows end-users to easily detect implicit topics known as “weak signals” (WS. In our approach to implement the ID, the processes cover the development of a knowledge management (KM process in the context of EI. A case study concerning information monitoring health resources is presented using ID processes to outline weak signals. Both French and American bibliographic databases were applied to make the connection to multilingual concepts in the health watch process.

Decreasing Soft Costs for Solar Photovoltaics by Improving the Interconnection Process. A Case Study of Pacific Gas and Electric

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ardani, Kristen [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-09-01

As of the end of 2014, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) had connected over 130,000 DG PV systems in its service territory, more than any other utility in the U.S. In this case study, we examine how PG&E achieved a faster, more efficient interconnection approval process despite rising application volumes.

Understanding the Process: An Ethnographic Case Study of School Psychologists' Experiences in the Referral of African Americans to Special Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lester, Pamela Denise

2017-01-01

A qualitative method of research was chosen for this study. This ethnographic case study examined school psychologists' and the referral process for special education services. The participants included school psychologists in a specific county in the state of Maryland. School psychologists are considered crucial members of an Individualized…

Children’s identification processes with television characters: case studies about colombian children and their favorite cartoon programs.

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Luis Fernando Cuervo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Through the articulation of psychoanalysis and narrative analysis this study explores the processes of identification of children audiences with their favorite cartoon television programs. In order to understand the characteristics of identification processes, this study explores the way in which both the structure of cartoons and the affective histories of children influence children’s identification with their favorite television characters. To achieve that understanding we a analyzed the narrative elements of the television programs, b explored the children’s affective history, and c examined how these narrative elements and affective histories influence the appropriation of television programs. These three scenarios were examined through case study on four Colombian children between 6 to 10 years old. The analysis showed that affective factors of children’s personal history constitute a significant source of mediation on the appropriation of cartoons. In addition, the narrative elements of the programs become an essential motivation on children’s fantasies.

Visual representation of costs in the productive process: a case study on a footwear industry in Portugal

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Levi da Silva Guimarães

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Over the last decades, conventional production systems have gone through changes in the face of intensified competition among companies. The occurrence of these changes has boosted the development of decision-making assistance tools for the production systems. However, most of these instruments do not allow the visualization of the costs involved throughout industrial operations. This study comprises the integration of the "Waste Identification Diagrams" (WID, current tool for visualization and analysis of production processes, along with "Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing" (TDABC, strategic management cost tool, seeking to create a model that visually demonstrates waste and relate its occurrence to operating costs. For that, the research adopted a descriptive-exploratory approach, based on a case study carried out in a footwear industry. The analysis showed that the integration of tools allowed for the representation of costs based on the time equations from the TDABC, associated with the visualization of the production process by the WID. The study concludes that the WID can be integrated to the TDABC tool, creating a management model for making decisions based on the operating costs of the production process.

Multivariate statistical process control in product quality review assessment - A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kharbach, M; Cherrah, Y; Vander Heyden, Y; Bouklouze, A

2017-11-01

According to the Food and Drug Administration and the European Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines, Annual Product Review (APR) is a mandatory requirement in GMP. It consists of evaluating a large collection of qualitative or quantitative data in order to verify the consistency of an existing process. According to the Code of Federal Regulation Part 11 (21 CFR 211.180), all finished products should be reviewed annually for the quality standards to determine the need of any change in specification or manufacturing of drug products. Conventional Statistical Process Control (SPC) evaluates the pharmaceutical production process by examining only the effect of a single factor at the time using a Shewhart's chart. It neglects to take into account the interaction between the variables. In order to overcome this issue, Multivariate Statistical Process Control (MSPC) can be used. Our case study concerns an APR assessment, where 164 historical batches containing six active ingredients, manufactured in Morocco, were collected during one year. Each batch has been checked by assaying the six active ingredients by High Performance Liquid Chromatography according to European Pharmacopoeia monographs. The data matrix was evaluated both by SPC and MSPC. The SPC indicated that all batches are under control, while the MSPC, based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), for the data being either autoscaled or robust scaled, showed four and seven batches, respectively, out of the Hotelling T 2 95% ellipse. Also, an improvement of the capability of the process is observed without the most extreme batches. The MSPC can be used for monitoring subtle changes in the manufacturing process during an APR assessment. Copyright © 2017 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

ACACIA Project - Development of a Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Process. Case of the DMXTM Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, A.; Briot, P.; Raynal, L.; Broutin, P.; Gimenez, M.; Soazic, M.; Cessat, P.; Saysset, S.

2014-01-01

The objective of the ACACIA project was to develop processes for post-combustion CO 2 capture at a lower cost and with a higher energetic efficiency than first generation processes using amines such as Monoethanolamine (MEA) which are now considered for the first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) demonstrators. The partners involved in this project were: Rhodia (Solvay since then), Arkema, Lafarge, GDF SUEZ, Veolia Environnement, IFP Energies nouvelles, IRCE Lyon, LMOPS, LTIM, LSA Armines. To validate the relevance of the breakthrough processes studied in this project, techno-economic evaluations were carried out with comparison to the reference process using a 30 wt% MEA solvent. These evaluation studies involved all the industrial partners of the project, each partner bringing specific cases of CO 2 capture on their industrial facilities. From these studies, only the process using de-mixing solvent, DMX TM , developed by IFPEN appears as an alternative solution to the MEA process. (authors)

Decreasing Soft Costs for Solar Photovoltaics by Improving the Interconnection Process. A Case Study of Pacific Gas and Electric

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ardani, Kristen [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-09-01

In this case study, we examine how PG&E achieved a faster, more efficient interconnection approval process despite rising application volumes. Our goal is to draw insights from PG&E's experience that can help to inform decision making at other utilities across the U.S. that may face similar trajectories for DG PV market growth.

WORD PROCESSING AND SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING: A LONGITUDINAL CASE STUDY

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Alister Cumming

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine whether word processing might change a second language (L2 leamer's writing processes and improve the quality of his essays over a relatively long period of time. We worked from the assumption that research comparing word-processing to pen and paper composing tends to show positive results when studies include lengthy terms of data collection and when appropriate instruction and training are provided. We compared the processes and products of L2 composing displayed by a 29-year-old, male Mandarin leamer of English with intermediate proficiency in English while he wrote, over 8 months, 14 compositions grouped into 7 comparable pairs of topics altemating between uses of a lap-top computer and of pen and paper. Al1 keystrokes were recorded electronically in the computer environrnent; visual records of al1 text changes were made for the pen-and paper writing. Think-aloud protocols were recorded in al1 sessions. Analyses indicate advantages for the word-processing medium over the pen-and-paper medium in terms ofi a greater frequency of revisions made at the discourse level and at the syntactical level; higher scores for content on analytic ratings of the completed compositions; and more extensive evaluation ofwritten texts in think-aloud verbal reports.

THE USE OF AHP METHOD IN THE MULTI‐CRITERIA TASK SOLVING PROCESS – CASE STUDY

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Zygmunt KORBAN

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the decision‐making process, both single‐ and multi‐criteria tasks are dealt with. In the majority of cases, the selection of a solution comes down to determination of the “best” decision (most often based on the subjective assessment or to organisation of the set of decisions. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP is one of the methods used for evaluation of qualitative features in the multi‐criteria optimisation processes. This article discusses the possibilities of using the above‐mentioned method, illustrated with an example of purchasing technical equipment for one of the municipal landfill sites in the Silesian Province.

Leveraging Lean in construction: A case study of a BIM-based HVAC manufacturing process

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Colin J. Conway

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The impetus towards efficiency in the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations sector is driving the implementation of Lean practices. BIM technologies and BIM processes provide methods by which this can be achieved. Major clients of building services contractors have begun to mandate the use of BIM and some are using BIM preparedness/experience as pre-tender qualification criteria. In this case study, an initial review has been conducted of the achievements of a major Irish M&E contractor in implementing BIM. The firm purpose-built a facility for the off-site manufacture of building services components. The operations of the plant are efficient and quality assured through the use of an appropriately skilled workforce at all stages of manufacture, and tracking software that has developed as the knowledge of the contractor grew. Standardised processes have been developed which have resulted in greater efficiencies and lower costs for the contractor as a result of fewer requirements for onsite modifications (such as those caused by clashes, less waste, and greater flexibility. Despite some initial objections, the employees of the company are now more satisfied with their working conditions and are, as a result, more productive. Through investment in BIM-based, Lean processes, the contractor can now better compete when tendering for large-scale projects in Ireland and worldwide, including the rapidly-increasing number where BIM experience and preparedness is mandated.

Challenges in Introducing New Products: A Case Study on the New Product Development Process

Science.gov (United States)

Rankin, Robert; Mintu-Wimsatt, Alma

2017-01-01

The case is based on an actual product introduction, and is designed to provide instruction on the new product development process. With the cost to launch new products estimated at least US $15 million and new product failure rates ranging from 40% to 80%, it is imperative that students learn how to determine the financial and market feasibility…

Case-Base Maintenance for CCBR-Based Process Evolution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weber, B.; Reichert, M.U.; Wild, W.; Roth-Berghofer, T.; Göker, M.H.; Güvenir, H.A.

2006-01-01

The success of a company more and more depends on its ability to flexibly and quickly react to changes. Combining process management techniques and conversational case-based reasoning (CCBR) allows for flexibly aligning the business processes to new requirements by providing integrated process life

CASE STUDY CRITIQUE; UPPER CLINCH CASE STUDY

Science.gov (United States)

Case study critique: Upper Clinch case study (from Research on Methods for Integrating Ecological Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment: A Trade-off Weighted Index Approach to Integrating Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment). This critique answers the questions: 1) does ...

Automated simulation and study of spatial-structural design processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Davila Delgado, J.M.; Hofmeyer, H.; Stouffs, R.; Sariyildiz, S.

2013-01-01

A so-called "Design Process Investigation toolbox" (DPI toolbox), has been developed. It is a set of computational tools that simulate spatial-structural design processes. Its objectives are to study spatial-structural design processes and to support the involved actors. Two case-studies are

Building Inclusive Processes for School Improvement: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaiz, Pilar; Escarbajal, Andrés; Guirao, José Manuel; Martínez, Rogelio

2016-01-01

This paper presents a study carried out in a nursery and primary school in order to ascertain the level of self-assessment undertaken by teachers with respect to their educational processes using the "ACADI" instrument, "School-based self-assessment of diversity awareness from an inclusive approach." The objective was to…

Using CASE to Exploit Process Modeling in Technology Transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Renz-Olar, Cheryl

2003-01-01

A successful business will be one that has processes in place to run that business. Creating processes, reengineering processes, and continually improving processes can be accomplished through extensive modeling. Casewise(R) Corporate Modeler(TM) CASE is a computer aided software engineering tool that will enable the Technology Transfer Department (TT) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to capture these abilities. After successful implementation of CASE, it could then go on to be applied in other departments at MSFC and other centers at NASA. The success of a business process is dependent upon the players working as a team and continuously improving the process. A good process fosters customer satisfaction as well as internal satisfaction in the organizational infrastructure. CASE provides a method for business process success through functions consisting of systems and processes business models; specialized diagrams; matrix management; simulation; report generation and publishing; and, linking, importing, and exporting documents and files. The software has an underlying repository or database to support these functions. The Casewise. manual informs us that dynamics modeling is a technique used in business design and analysis. Feedback is used as a tool for the end users and generates different ways of dealing with the process. Feedback on this project resulted from collection of issues through a systems analyst interface approach of interviews with process coordinators and Technical Points of Contact (TPOCs).

Designing Student Feedback System within the Course Evaluation Process: Dokuz Eylül University Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammet DAMAR

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The Bologna Process at National Higher Education Programs initiated a series of studies regarding the assessment and evaluation of quality in higher education. Dokuz Eylül University has taken this initiation into a primary concern to develop a methodology for the measurement of quality in undergraduate education. Besides the existing systems on this subject at Dokuz Eylül University, substantial progress was recently made by developing innovative sub-systems aiming further improvements. As one of the most important stakeholders, the feedback from students about the quality of the courses was selected as the major concern and a Student Course Feedback System was developed for this purpose. As an exemplary case study, this reveals how the Student Course Feedback System was designed, the process, the technologies used, the problems and constraints encountered, and the roadmap that can be followed by other universities. Dokuz Eylül University has interiorized this process as a corporate culture by directing instructors to make improvements in the courses with respect to the outputs of the evaluation forms, including questions about learning outcomes, instructors, and physical conditions. The integrated design of the Student Course Feedback System with the existing information systems has enabled management to implement a course evaluation system comprising the trilogy of students, instructors, and courses as a whole. The existence of such an assessment process supports the principles of continuous improvement and helps to establish the factual decision making process as an important milestone on the roadmap for a living quality assurance system.

Communicating solutions for a greener world - a case study of the Bellona Foundation's communication process within the hydrogen project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loene, Cecilie

2001-01-01

The world is facing increasing energy and global climate change problems. Facing future depletion of fossil fuels and the threat of increased temperatures on earth due to air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, there is a need for a clean alternative. The Norwegian environmental organization The Bellona Foundation believes that hydrogen as an energy carrier coupled with hydrogen technology is the solution and the only road to a 0-emissions society-a hydrogen society. Under the slogan, ''From Talking to Walking the Hy-way,'' Bellona is through their Hydrogen Project working to achieve this green society. In a case study of Bellona's Hydrogen Project, this thesis aims to examine how Bellona communicates with the intended target groups within this project and how the organization perceives the communication process. As the slogan suggests, in order for the Hydrogen Project to be completely successful, Bellona has to not only inform people about the hydrogen solution but also convince them and get them to begin implementing hydrogen technology. This is conducted through a communication process. The communication process includes both internal and external activities and is divided into four stages: translation, strategy, channels and feedback. Through contrasting the communication process with science communication models, the need for an interactive, multi-directional approach that makes problematic the receiver and recognizes the receiver as an active participant in addition to adhering to the correlation between message and context of the receiver. The case study aims to look at how Bellona conducts and perceives the different stages in the communication process and find out whether Bellona recognizes these features in or adheres to these factors within the Hydrogen Project. (Author)

Iodine Intake through Processed Food: Case Studies from Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, 2010-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Knowles, Jacky; van der Haar, Frits; Shehata, Magdy; Gerasimov, Gregory; Bimo, Bimo; Cavenagh, Bettina; Maramag, Cherry C; Otico, Edward; Izwardy, Doddy; Spohrer, Rebecca; Garrett, Greg S

2017-07-26

The current performance indicator for universal salt iodisation (USI) is the percentage of households using adequately iodised salt. However, the proportion of dietary salt from household salt is decreasing with the increase in consumption of processed foods and condiments globally. This paper reports on case studies supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)-UNICEF USI Partnership Project to investigate processed food industry use of adequately iodised salt in contrasting national contexts. Studies were conducted in Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. In all cases, the potential iodine intake from iodised salt in selected food products was modelled according to the formula: quantity of salt per unit of food product × minimum regulated iodine level of salt at production × average daily per capita consumption of the product. The percent of adult recommended nutrient intake for iodine potentially provided by the average daily intake of bread and frequently consumed foods and condiments was from 10% to 80% at the individual product level. The potential contribution to iodine intake from the use of iodised salt in the processed food industry is of growing significance. National USI strategies should encourage co-operative industry engagement and include regulatory monitoring of iodised salt use in the food industry in order to achieve optimal population iodine status.

Reverse case study: to think like a nurse.

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, Deborah A

2011-01-01

Reverse case study is a collaborative, innovative, active learning strategy that nurse educators can use in the classroom. Groups of students develop a case study and a care plan from a list of medications and a short two- to three-sentence scenario. The students apply the nursing process to thoroughly develop a complete case study written as a concept map. The strategy builds on previous learned information and applies the information to new content, thus promoting critical thinking and problem solving. Reverse case study has been used in both associate and baccalaureate nursing degree theory courses to generate discussion and assist students in thinking like a nurse. 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluating Global Health Partnerships: A Case Study of a Gavi HPV Vaccine Application Process in Uganda

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Carol Kamya

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background Global health partnerships have grown rapidly in number and scope, yet there has been less emphasis on their evaluation. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is one such public-private partnership; in Gavi-eligible countries partnerships are dynamic networks of immunization actors who work together to support all stages and aspects of Gavi support. This paper describes a conceptual framework – the partnership framework – and analytic approach for evaluating the perceptions of partnerships’ added value as well as the results from an application to one case in Uganda. Methods We used a mixed-methods case study design embedded in the Gavi Full Country Evaluations (FCE to test the partnership framework on Uganda’s human papillomavirus (HPV vaccine application partnership. Data from document review, interviews, and social network surveys enabled the testing of the relationships between partnership framework domains (context, structure, practices, performance, and outcomes. Topic guides were based on the framework domains and network surveys identified working together relationships, professional trust, and perceptions of the effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy of the partnership’s role in this process. Results Data from seven in-depth interviews, 11 network surveys and document review were analyzed according to the partnership framework, confirming relationships between the framework domains. Trust was an important contributor to the perceived effectiveness of the process. The network was structured around the EPI program, who was considered the leader of this process. While the structure and composition of the network was largely viewed as supporting an effective and legitimate process, the absence of the Ministry of Education (MoE may have had downstream consequences if this study’s results had not been shared with the Ministry of Health (MoH and acted upon. The partnership was not perceived to have increased the efficiency of

Case studies: Mining and milling activities - South African facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metcalf, P.E.; Woude, S. van der

2000-01-01

The mining and milling of minerals is a very important industry in South Africa that employs more than 300,000 people. South Africa extracts minerals with naturally occurring radionuclides, amongst which uranium, monazite and zircon. Two case studies involving environmental restoration activities that are typically associated with mining and minerals processing are discussed. The first case study, Katdoringbos, describes the restoration of a contaminated site where scrap material originating from the mining and minerals processing facilities had been recycled. The other case study, Crown 4, deals with the restoration of a contaminated site where a mine tailings dam had been removed and the owner of the land wished to develop it for commercial exploitation. (author)

Guidelines for the scale-up of an aqueous ceramic process: a case study of statistical process control

OpenAIRE

Mortara, L.; Alcock, Jeffrey R.

2011-01-01

Process-scale up is the change from a feasibility study in a laboratory to a full-scale prototype production process. It is an important issue for the ceramics industry, but has been the subject of relatively little systematic research. This paper will show how certain manufacturing concepts used in a number of industries - can be applied to the scale up of a feasibility study level, aqueous tape casting process. In particular, it examines the elements of process standardisa...

Case Studies in the Field of Marketing Education: Learner Impact, Case Performance, and Cost Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Spais, George S.

2005-01-01

The major objective of this study is to identify a methodology that will help educators in marketing to efficiently manage the design, impact, and cost of case studies. It is my intention is to examine the impact of case study characteristics in relation to the degree of learner involvement in the learning process. The author proposes that…

Confirming and denying in co-construction processes: a case study of an adult with cerebral palsy and two familiar partners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hörmeyer, Ina; Renner, Gregor

2013-09-01

For individuals with complex communication needs, one of the most frequent communicative strategies is the co-construction of meaning with familiar partners. This preliminary single-case study gives insight into a special sequential pattern of co-construction processes - the search sequence - particularly in relation to the processes of confirming and denying meanings proposed by familiar interaction partners. Five different conversations between an adult with cerebral palsy and complex communication needs and two familiar co-participants were videotaped and analyzed using the methodology of conversation analysis (CA). The study revealed that confirmations and denials are not simply two alternative actions, but that several possibilities to realize confirmations and denials exist that differ in their frequency and that have different consequences for the sequential context. This study of confirmations and denials demonstrates that co-construction processes are more complex than have previously been documented.

Improving the applicant experience in the summer recruitment process of a case company

OpenAIRE

Rantanen, Inka

2015-01-01

This case study was based on the need to improve the case company’s summer recruitment process as an applicant experience. The research and develop aims were creating a framework for research by combining experience management to recruitment and selection in theory, analysing the current state of the applicant experience, and generating grounded development suggestions for enhancing it. Qualitative case study was used as the research method to meet the need to research experiences related to ...

Desalinization, legislative evolution of the concession processes. Colombia as case of study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Lastra-Mier

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Colombia is a country that has an abundant offer of hydric resources. However, this offer is conditioned to the climatic characteristics of the territory and diverse ocean-atmospheric phenomenon (El Niño / La Niña. This disparity of conditions comports excess periods or scarcity periods of water. In this case, alternatives are necessaries for supply the needs of the coast zones populations. The desalinisation of marine waters is an alternative for supply a possible hydric deficit, but is necessary to define and explain the concepts and scopes of this process, from his juridical nature, competencies of the governing entity that regulate them and his concessions.

Statistical process control using optimized neural networks: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Addeh, Jalil; Ebrahimzadeh, Ata; Azarbad, Milad; Ranaee, Vahid

2014-09-01

The most common statistical process control (SPC) tools employed for monitoring process changes are control charts. A control chart demonstrates that the process has altered by generating an out-of-control signal. This study investigates the design of an accurate system for the control chart patterns (CCPs) recognition in two aspects. First, an efficient system is introduced that includes two main modules: feature extraction module and classifier module. In the feature extraction module, a proper set of shape features and statistical feature are proposed as the efficient characteristics of the patterns. In the classifier module, several neural networks, such as multilayer perceptron, probabilistic neural network and radial basis function are investigated. Based on an experimental study, the best classifier is chosen in order to recognize the CCPs. Second, a hybrid heuristic recognition system is introduced based on cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA) algorithm to improve the generalization performance of the classifier. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has high recognition accuracy. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of Speech Impairments in A Child with HIV: The Study of Phonological Processes: Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Ilkhani

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV is a viral disease with immunodeficiency in human. So, it can involve different areas such as language, speech, motor and memory. The present research, as a case report, introducing the characteristics of phonological processes of a child who had Aids and lived in a nursery through referring and professional assessing in a speech therapy clinic. The child was a 4 year old boy who was in HIV base on blood test. Speech skills was assessed based on DEAP and language assessment was analyzed according to TOLD-P3. He talked with single word. He used two words sentences rarely. According to language assessment (TOLD-P3, semantic, syntax and phonology features were tested. So he was in emerging language stage. Also his expressive language was lower than his perceive language. In addition, based on DEAP-P test, phonological process of substitution type has been recognized most. Also, the most of the substitution phonological process which accrued have been velar fronting. This study showed that the most phonological process in a child with HIV was the process of substitution. It may be a risk factor for decreasing speech intelligibility. With regard to the results of the present research that showed that the subject had the disorder and there are limited researches in this area,

A mathematical model for process cycle time - theory and case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filip Tošenovský

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on derivation of a regression model which describes dependence of process cycle time on relevant factors entering the process. The analyzed processes are typical in that the coefficient of variation of times corresponding to a given level of influential factors remains stable if the level of the factors change. The derived model is subsequently applied to real industrial data which show that such a model is suitable for the description of relations. The paper has been published with support of Slovak Ministry of Education project KEGA 3/6411/08 „Transformation of the already existing study programme Management of production quality to an university-wide bilingual study programme“.

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR PROCESS CYCLE TIME - THEORY AND CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FILIP TOŠENOVSKÝ

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on derivation of a regression model which describes dependence of process cycle time on relevant factors entering the process. The analyzed processes are typical in that the coefficient of variation of times corresponding to a given level of influential factors remains stable if the level of the factors change. The derived model is subsequently applied to real industrial data which show that such a model is suitable for the description of relations. The paper has been published with support of Slovak Ministry of Education project KEGA 3/6411/08 „Transformation of the already existing study programme Management of production quality to an university-wide bilingual study programme“.

Post processing of Design Load Cases using Pdap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mads Mølgaard

Pdap provides functions for post-processing and documentation of a set of hawc2 result files, e.g. a full design load case. This report describes the input and its syntax, the mathematical foundation and the output in terms of statistic files and standard reports.......Pdap provides functions for post-processing and documentation of a set of hawc2 result files, e.g. a full design load case. This report describes the input and its syntax, the mathematical foundation and the output in terms of statistic files and standard reports....

A Case Study of Analysis of Natural Frequency Variability Related to Manufacturing Process

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T. Uhl

2010-01-01

Full Text Available One of the important challenges present nowadays in the automotive industry is minimizing of a car components design time. Traditional manufacturing of a prototype is usually a time and a cost consuming process. Alternatively, rapid prototyping techniques can be used in such a case. In the reported research a brake caliper was investigated, since it is an example of an element, which should have very strictly defined structural dynamic properties. As a technique of rapid prototyping of the considered caliper the 3D printing of a mould was selected. A process of the caliper casting with the use of the "prototype" mould is different than the one with the use of the metal form. Thus it is very likely that the both considered types of the caliper would possess different properties from the point of view of structural dynamics.

Two cases of congenital defects within transverse processes of lumbar spine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malawski, S.; Sokolski, B.

1993-01-01

Two cases of congenital defects of transverse processes of lumbar spine causing lumbalgia are described. The first one was produced by direct contact of the elongated processes with subsequent pseudoarthrosis. Hypertrophied processes caused stenosis around intervertebral foramen and irritated posterior neural branch in the second case. Surgical resection of the hypertrophied transverse processes has brought the cure. (author)

Data pre-processing: a case study in predicting student's retention in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

dataset with features that are ready for data mining task. The study also proposed a process model and suggestions, which can be applied to support more comprehensible tools for educational domain who is the end user. Subsequently, the data pre-processing become more efficient for predicting student's retention in ...

Parallel and distributed processing in two SGBDS: A case study

OpenAIRE

Francisco Javier Moreno; Nataly Castrillón Charari; Camilo Taborda Zuluaga

2017-01-01

Context: One of the strategies for managing large volumes of data is distributed and parallel computing. Among the tools that allow applying these characteristics are some Data Base Management Systems (DBMS), such as Oracle, DB2, and SQL Server. Method: In this paper we present a case study where we evaluate the performance of an SQL query in two of these DBMS. The evaluation is done through various forms of data distribution in a computer network with different degrees of parallelism. ...

Conflicting Incentives Risk Analysis: A Case Study of the Normative Peer Review Process

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Gaute Wangen

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an approach to conduct risk assessments of complex incentive systems, using a case study of the normative Peer Review Process (PRP. This research centers on appliances and adaptations of the Conflicting Incentives Risk Analysis (CIRA. First as an approach to Root Cause Analysis of a known incident, and then for a full assessment of the incentives in the PRP together with possible risk treatments. CIRA uses an alternative notion of risk, where risk modeling is in terms of conflicting incentives between the risk owner and the stakeholders concerning the execution of actions. Compared to traditional risk assessment approaches, CIRA provides an insight into the underlying incentives behind a risk, and not just the technical vulnerability, likelihood and consequence. The main contributions of this work are an approach to obtain insight into incentives as root causes, and an approach to detecting and analyzing risks from incentives in the normative PRP. This paper also discusses risk treatments in terms of incentives to make the PRP more robust, together with a discussion of how to approach risk analysis of incentives.

Designing Robust Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Systems for Crystallization Processes: A Potassium Dichromate Crystallization Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdul Samad, Noor Asma Fazli Bin; Sin, Gürkan

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to test and validate a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) system design on a potassium dichromate crystallization process in the presence of input uncertainties using uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. To this end a systematic framework for managing uncertaintie...

Facilitating Case Studies in Massage Therapy Clinical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Baskwill, Amanda

2013-01-01

The integration of evidence into reflective health care practice has been on the rise in recent years and is a phenomenon that has affected all health care professions, including massage therapy. Clinical case studies are a research design that follows one patient or subject, making the studies ideal for use in clinical practice. They are valuable for communicating information from clinical practice to the broader community. Case studies have face validity that may be more valuable to individual practitioners than homogeneous randomized controlled trials, as the practitioner may recognize a complex patient in the case report. At Humber College, Student Massage Therapists (SMTs) create, conduct, and communicate results of a clinical case study prior to graduation. This article describes the process and experience. PMID:23730397

Cost reduction in the production process using the ABC and Lean tools: Case Study in the refrigeration components industry

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Levi da Silva Guimarães

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on production management with respect to operating costs that relate directly to the value of the product. For this study, three methods were used, ABC - Activity Based Costing, which provides accurate information about the knowledge of the real costs, VSM - Value Stream Mapping and Lean Manufacturing. The method adopted for this research was the case study. The study was conducted at a refrigeration components company in the Industrial Center of Manaus. The analyses and observations initially went through the process of mapping the value stream, measuring the current state of activities (cycle time, setup, etc.. After analysis it was possible to map the cost for each activity and finally calculate the cost of the product before and after the improvements resulting from the lean methodology. The results obtained in this study showed a 20% reduction in product costs resulting from operational improvements. The activity-based cost led to a discovery of the real costs of waste. The steps for this study include process mapping through the value stream, measuring the current state of activities (cycle time, setup, etc., establishing the cost driver for each activity, and finally calculating the cost of the product before and after the application of lean improvements. The paper was conducted through literature and descriptive review, and used a case study method. It describes the model that has been tested in a production line for a refrigeration components company from the Manaus Industrial Center, achieving a 20% reduction in product cost.

The Influence of Game Design on the Collaborative Problem Solving Process: A Cross-Case Study of Multi-Player Collaborative Gameplay Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yildirim, Nilay

2013-01-01

This cross-case study examines the relationships between game design attributes and collaborative problem solving process in the context of multi-player video games. The following game design attributes: sensory stimuli elements, level of challenge, and presentation of game goals and rules were examined to determine their influence on game…

Hydromechanical coupling in fractured rock masses: mechanisms and processes of selected case studies

Science.gov (United States)

Zangerl, Christian

2015-04-01

Hydromechanical (HM) coupling in fractured rock play an important role when events including dam failures, landslides, surface subsidences due to water withdrawal or drainage, injection-induced earthquakes and others are analysed. Generally, hydromechanical coupling occurs when a rock mass contain interconnected pores and fractures which are filled with water and pore/fracture pressures evolves. In the on hand changes in the fluid pressure can lead to stress changes, deformations and failures of the rock mass. In the other hand rock mass stress changes and deformations can alter the hydraulic properties and fluid pressures of the rock mass. Herein well documented case studies focussing on surface subsidence due to water withdrawal, reversible deformations of large-scale valley flanks and failure as well as deformation processes of deep-seated rock slides in fractured rock masses are presented. Due to pore pressure variations HM coupling can lead to predominantly reversible rock mass deformations. Such processes can be considered by the theory of poroelasticity. Surface subsidence reaching magnitudes of few centimetres and are caused by water drainage into deep tunnels are phenomenas which can be assigned to processes of poroelasticity. Recently, particular focus was given on large tunnelling projects to monitor and predict surface subsidence in fractured rock mass in oder to avoid damage of surface structures such as dams of large reservoirs. It was found that surface subsidence due to tunnel drainage can adversely effect infrastructure when pore pressure drawdown is sufficiently large and spatially extended and differential displacements which can be amplified due to topographical effects e.g. valley closure are occurring. Reversible surface deformations were also ascertained on large mountain slopes and summits with the help of precise deformation measurements i.e. permanent GPS or episodic levelling/tacheometric methods. These reversible deformations are often

Scheduling job shop - A case study

Science.gov (United States)

Abas, M.; Abbas, A.; Khan, W. A.

2016-08-01

The scheduling in job shop is important for efficient utilization of machines in the manufacturing industry. There are number of algorithms available for scheduling of jobs which depend on machines tools, indirect consumables and jobs which are to be processed. In this paper a case study is presented for scheduling of jobs when parts are treated on available machines. Through time and motion study setup time and operation time are measured as total processing time for variety of products having different manufacturing processes. Based on due dates different level of priority are assigned to the jobs and the jobs are scheduled on the basis of priority. In view of the measured processing time, the times for processing of some new jobs are estimated and for efficient utilization of the machines available an algorithm is proposed and validated.

Iodine Intake through Processed Food: Case Studies from Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, 2010–2015

Science.gov (United States)

Knowles, Jacky; Shehata, Magdy; Gerasimov, Gregory; Bimo, Bimo; Cavenagh, Bettina; Maramag, Cherry C.; Otico, Edward; Izwardy, Doddy; Spohrer, Rebecca; Garrett, Greg S.

2017-01-01

The current performance indicator for universal salt iodisation (USI) is the percentage of households using adequately iodised salt. However, the proportion of dietary salt from household salt is decreasing with the increase in consumption of processed foods and condiments globally. This paper reports on case studies supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)-UNICEF USI Partnership Project to investigate processed food industry use of adequately iodised salt in contrasting national contexts. Studies were conducted in Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. In all cases, the potential iodine intake from iodised salt in selected food products was modelled according to the formula: quantity of salt per unit of food product × minimum regulated iodine level of salt at production × average daily per capita consumption of the product. The percent of adult recommended nutrient intake for iodine potentially provided by the average daily intake of bread and frequently consumed foods and condiments was from 10% to 80% at the individual product level. The potential contribution to iodine intake from the use of iodised salt in the processed food industry is of growing significance. National USI strategies should encourage co-operative industry engagement and include regulatory monitoring of iodised salt use in the food industry in order to achieve optimal population iodine status. PMID:28933750

Controlling the Didactic Relation: A Case in Process Engineering Education

Science.gov (United States)

Jaako, Juha

2014-01-01

A case study was conducted during 1994-2013 on several groups of process engineering students to see what was needed to transform a single course from a teacher-centred to a student-centred learning environment (SCLE). Development work was done incrementally, using Herbart's didactic triangle as a theoretical framework. The effects of the…

A Case Study Documenting the Process by Which Biology Instructors Transition from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Marbach-Ad, Gili; Hunt Rietschel, Carly

2016-01-01

In this study, we used a case study approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of the change process of two university instructors who were involved with redesigning a biology course. Given the hesitancy of many biology instructors to adopt evidence-based, learner-centered teaching methods, there is a critical need to understand how biology instructors transition from teacher-centered (i.e., lecture-based) instruction to teaching that focuses on the students. Using the innovation-decision model for change, we explored the motivation, decision-making, and reflective processes of the two instructors through two consecutive, large-enrollment biology course offerings. Our data reveal that the change process is somewhat unpredictable, requiring patience and persistence during inevitable challenges that arise for instructors and students. For example, the change process requires instructors to adopt a teacher-facilitator role as opposed to an expert role, to cover fewer course topics in greater depth, and to give students a degree of control over their own learning. Students must adjust to taking responsibility for their own learning, working collaboratively, and relinquishing the anonymity afforded by lecture-based teaching. We suggest implications for instructors wishing to change their teaching and administrators wishing to encourage adoption of learner-centered teaching at their institutions. PMID:27856550

Fulfillment of GMP standard, halal standard, and applying HACCP for production process of beef floss (Case study: Ksatria enterprise)

Science.gov (United States)

A'diat, Arkan Addien Al; Liquiddanu, Eko; Laksono, Pringgo Widyo; Sutopo, Wahyudi; Suletra, I. Wayan

2018-02-01

Along with the increasing number of the modern retail business in Indonesia, give an opportunity to small and medium enterprise (SME) to sell its products through the modern retailer. There are some obstacles faced by the SMEs, one of them is about product standard. Product standard that must be owned by SMEs are GMP standard and halal standard. This research was conducted to know the fulfillment by the beef floss enterprise in jagalan in fulfilling the GMP standard and halal. In addition, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system was applied to analyze the process. HACCP which used in this research was based on the seven principles in SNI (Indonesian National Standard) 01-4852-1998. The seven principles included hazard analysis, critical control point (CCP) determination, critical limit establishment, CCP monitor system establishment, corrective action establishment, verification, and also documentation establishment that must be applied in preparing HACCP plan. Based on this case study, it is concluded that there were 5 CCPs : the boiling process, roasting process, frying process, the beef floss draining process, and the packaging process.

Development and Piloting of Sustainability Assessment Metrics for Arctic Process Industry in Finland—The Biorefinery Investment and Slag Processing Service Cases

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Roope Husgafvel

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Regionally, there has been a lot of focus on the advancement of sustainable arctic industry and circular economy activities within process industry in the Finnish Lapland. In this study, collaboration between university and industry was established facilitated by regional development actors to develop and pilot test a sustainability assessment approach taking into account previous work in this field. The industry partners in this study were a biorefinery investment in the first case and a slag processing service in the second case. As a result of the joint efforts, novel sets of environmental and economic sustainability assessment indicators and associated sub-indicators were developed and the existing set of social indicators was updated. Moreover, environmental and social sustainability assessments were implemented in the biorefinery case accompanied by a separate evaluation of regional economic impacts. In the slag processing case, environmental, economic and social sustainability were assessed. The results of the sustainability assessments indicated very good level of overall performance in both cases. However, specific elements that contributed to lower level of performance included lack of specific sustainability management and reporting approaches and need for better performance in supply chain sustainability, monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle thinking and circular economy training. The expected effects of the planned investment on the regional economy were very positive based on the results of the evaluation.

Image processings of radiographs in the gastric cancer cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inamoto, Kazuo; Yamashita, Kazuya; Morikawa, Kaoru; Takigawa, Atsushi

1987-01-01

For improving detectability of the gastric lesions in the X-ray examinations, the computer image processing methods were studied in radiographs of a stomach phantom and gastric cancer lesions by the A/D conversion. After several kinds of the basic processing methods were examined in the artificially made lesions in the stomach phantom and true gastric cancer lesions in 26 X-ray pictures of the 8 gastric cancer cases, we concluded that pathological changes on the edge or mucosal folds in the stomach were stressed by the image processing method using negative to positive conversion, density gradient control, edge enhancement (Sobel operation) and subtraction of the Sobel image from the original image. These methods contributed to interpretation of the gastric cancer by enhancement of the contour and mucosal pattern inside the lesion. The results were applied for follow up studies of the gastric cancer. Tumor expansions could be clarified, but it was yet difficult to catch a precancer lesion by retrospective studies. However, these methods would be expected in future application in the mass survey examination of the gastric cancer detection. (author)

WHO policy development processes for a new vaccine: case study of malaria vaccines

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Cheyne James

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO are crucial to inform developing country decisions to use, or not, a new intervention. This article analysed the WHO policy development process to predict its course for a malaria vaccine. Methods The decision-making processes for one malaria intervention and four vaccines were classified through (1 consultations with staff and expert advisors to WHO's Global Malaria Programme (GMP and Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department (IVB; (2 analysis of the procedures and recommendations of the major policy-making bodies of these groups; (3 interviews with staff of partnerships working toward new vaccine availability; and (4 review and analyses of evidence informing key policy decisions. Case description WHO policy formulation related to use of intermittent preventive treatment in infancy (IPTi and the following vaccine interventions: Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (Hib, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV, rotavirus vaccine (RV, and human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV, five interventions which had relatively recently been through systematic WHO policy development processes as currently constituted, was analysed. Required information was categorized in three areas defined by a recent WHO publication on development of guidelines: safety and efficacy in relevant populations, implications for costs and population health, and localization of data to specific epidemiological situations. Discussion and evaluation Data needs for a malaria vaccine include safety; the demonstration of efficacy in a range of epidemiological settings in the context of other malaria prevention interventions; and information on potential rebound in which disease increases subsequent to the intervention. In addition, a malaria vaccine would require attention to additional factors, such as costs and cost-effectiveness, supply and demand, impact of use on other interventions, and

Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide ...

Science.gov (United States)

This draft document presents two case studies of nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) used (1) to remove arsenic from drinking water and (2) as an active ingredient in topical sunscreen. The draft case studies are organized around a comprehensive environmental assessment approach that combines a product life cycle framework with the risk assessment paradigm. The document does not draw conclusions about potential risks. Rather, the case studies are intended to help identify what needs to be known in order to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of the potential risks related to nano-TiO2. This draft document is part of a process that will inform the development of EPA’s research strategy to support nanomaterial risk assessments. The complex properties of various nanomaterials make evaluating them in the abstract or with generalizations difficult if not impossible. Thus, this document focuses on two specific uses of nano-TiO2, as a drinking water treatment and as topical sunscreen. These case studies do not represent completed or even preliminary assessments; rather, they present the structure for identifying and prioritizing research needed to support future assessments.

Framework for Construction of Multi-scale Models for Biological Wastewater Treatment Processes - Case Study: Autotrophic Nitrogen Conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vangsgaard, Anna Katrine; Mauricio Iglesias, Miguel; Gernaey, Krist

2011-01-01

In wastewater treatment technologies, employing biofilms or granular biomass, processes might occur at very different spatial and temporal scales. Model development for such systems is typically a tedious, complicated, and time consuming task, which involves selecting appropriate model equations...... for the different scales, making appropriate and simplifying assumptions, connecting them through a defined linking scheme, analyzing and solving the model equations numerically, and performing parameter estimations if necessary. In this study, a structured framework for modeling such systems is developed. It aims...... to support the user at the various steps and to reduce the time it takes to generate a model ready for application. An implementation of the framework is illustrated using a simple case study, which considers treatment of a nitrogen-rich wastewater via nitritation....

Environmental Monitoring in the Small Business: A Case Study on this Process in a Company of the Real Estate Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Bassi Sutter

2013-12-01

Full Text Available It is observed a gap in the literature regard to studies related to strategic planning in small businesses, specifically related to environmental monitoring. As a result of this gap, this study aimed to understand how a small real estate company monitors the environment in which it operates. To develop the study, we opted for a descriptive and qualitative approach, based on the method of a single case study. The conceptual foundations used for structuring the field research took into account a secondary data survey on strategic planning, environmental analysis in strategic planning, conceptualization of small and medium sized business (SMB and environment monitoring in SMB’s The study also has shown that although the respondents assert they perform environmental monitoring consistently, the process as described in the literature is not formal and systematic in the company studied. It has been observed efforts of the partners in this direction, but such activities are still restricted to the owners of the company. Given the proposed objective of this research, the case study did outline the main characteristics of the monitoring process of a small company in the construction sector. The study therefore contributes to broaden the knowledge about the structure of environmental monitoring in small businesses, enriching the theme that is still underdeveloped. In the business context, this study contributes pointing out factors that could be better developed by company managers and may serve as an example for other small businesses that are in the early stages of its environmental monitoring system development.

Inter- and intra-firm learning synergy through integrating absorptive capacity and employee suggestion processes: The case study of Frauenthal Automotive Toruń company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Lis

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to study relationships between the processes of absorptive capacity (inter-firm learning and learning lessons through employee suggestions (intra-firm learning and identify potential synergies between them. The research interest is focused on investigating the following problems: (1 How do organizations apply external knowledge to support intra-organizational learning processes? (2 How should the employee suggestion system be organized to increase (or build absorptive capacity? The exploratory case study analysis is applied to answer research questions and achieve the aim of the study. The unit of analysis is constituted by inter-firm and intra-firm learning processes observed in the firm Frauenthal Automotive Toruń (FTO.

Enhancement of Cognitive Processing by Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using Liquid Cooling Technology: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Leslie D.; Montgomery, Richard W.; Ku, Yu-Tsuan; Luna, Bernadette (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Cognitive dysfunction is a common symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This can have a significant impact on the quality of life of both the patient and of their primary care giver. This case study explores the possibility that liquid cooling therapy may be used to enhance the cognitive processing of MS patients in the same way that it provides temporary relief of some physical impairment. Two MS patients were presented a series of pattern discrimination tasks before and after being cooled with a liquid cooling garment for a one hour period. The subject whose ear temperature was reduced during cooling showed greater electroencephalographic (EEG) activity and scored much better on the task after cooling. The patient whose ear temperature was unaffected by cooling showed less EEG activity and degraded performance after the one hour cooling period.

How a Fully Automated eHealth Program Simulates Three Therapeutic Processes: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Holter, Marianne T S; Johansen, Ayna; Brendryen, Håvar

2016-06-28

eHealth programs may be better understood by breaking down the components of one particular program and discussing its potential for interactivity and tailoring in regard to concepts from face-to-face counseling. In the search for the efficacious elements within eHealth programs, it is important to understand how a program using lapse management may simultaneously support working alliance, internalization of motivation, and behavior maintenance. These processes have been applied to fully automated eHealth programs individually. However, given their significance in face-to-face counseling, it may be important to simulate the processes simultaneously in interactive, tailored programs. We propose a theoretical model for how fully automated behavior change eHealth programs may be more effective by simulating a therapist's support of a working alliance, internalization of motivation, and managing lapses. We show how the model is derived from theory and its application to Endre, a fully automated smoking cessation program that engages the user in several "counseling sessions" about quitting. A descriptive case study based on tools from the intervention mapping protocol shows how each therapeutic process is simulated. The program supports the user's working alliance through alliance factors, the nonembodied relational agent Endre and computerized motivational interviewing. Computerized motivational interviewing also supports internalized motivation to quit, whereas a lapse management component responds to lapses. The description operationalizes working alliance, internalization of motivation, and managing lapses, in terms of eHealth support of smoking cessation. A program may simulate working alliance, internalization of motivation, and lapse management through interactivity and individual tailoring, potentially making fully automated eHealth behavior change programs more effective.

Transnational Comparison of Sustainability Assessment Programs for Viticulture and a Case-Study on Programs’ Engagement Processes

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Irina Santiago-Brown

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This article documents and compares the most prominent sustainability assessment programs for individual organisations in viticulture worldwide. Certification and engagement processes for membership uptake; benefits; motives; inhibiting factors; and desirable reporting system features of viticultural sustainability programs, are all considered. Case-study results are derived from nine sustainability programs; 14 focus groups with 83 CEOs, Chief Viticulturists or Winemakers from wine grape production organizations from five countries (Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States; 12 semi-structured interviews with managers either currently or formerly in charge of the sustainability programs; researcher observations; and analysis of documents. Programs were categorized by their distinct program assessment methods: process-based, best practice-based, indicator-based and criterion-based. We found that programs have been created to increase growers’ sustainability, mainly through the direct and indirect education they receive and promote, and the economic benefit to their business caused by overall improvement of their operations. The main finding from this study is that the success of each of these programs is largely due to the people driving the programs (program managers, innovative growers and/or early adopters and the way these people communicate and engage with their stakeholders and peers.

Risk management in medical product development process using traditional FMEA and fuzzy linguistic approach: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Kirkire, Milind Shrikant; Rane, Santosh B.; Jadhav, Jagdish Rajaram

2015-12-01

Medical product development (MPD) process is highly multidisciplinary in nature, which increases the complexity and the associated risks. Managing the risks during MPD process is very crucial. The objective of this research is to explore risks during MPD in a dental product manufacturing company and propose a model for risk mitigation during MPD process to minimize failure events. A case study approach is employed. The existing MPD process is mapped with five phases of the customized phase gate process. The activities during each phase of development and risks associated with each activity are identified and categorized based on the source of occurrence. The risks are analyzed using traditional Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and fuzzy FMEA. The results of two methods when compared show that fuzzy approach avoids the duplication of RPNs and helps more to convert cognition of experts into information to get values of risk factors. The critical, moderate, low level and negligible risks are identified based on criticality; risk treatments and mitigation model are proposed. During initial phases of MPD, the risks are less severe, but as the process progresses the severity of risks goes on increasing. The MPD process should be critically designed and simulated to minimize the number of risk events and their severity. To successfully develop the products/devices within the manufacturing companies, the process risk management is very essential. A systematic approach to manage risks during MPD process will lead to the development of medical products with expected quality and reliability. This is the first research of its kind having focus on MPD process risks and its management. The methodology adopted in this paper will help the developers, managers and researchers to have a competitive edge over the other companies by managing the risks during the development process.

How informative are case studies of spider bites in the medical literature?

Science.gov (United States)

Stuber, Marielle; Nentwig, Wolfgang

2016-05-01

We analyzed the reliability and information content of 134 medical case studies on spider bites, published in 91 journal articles. Overall, we found that only 22% of these studies fulfilled the criteria for a verified spider bite. This means that the majority of such case studies cannot be attributed to a given spider species and usually not even to a spider. Their scientific value is negligible, moreover, such publications are even dangerous because they suggest incorrect conclusions. Secondly, we found that such case studies usually do not follow an obvious structure and many details on the development of symptoms, therapy and healing process are widely lacking. So even for verified spider bites, the comparability of case studies is limited. We discuss the obvious failure of a reviewing process for case studies and give recommendations how to increase the currently low information content of medical case studies on spider bites. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying the key processes for technology transfer through spin-offs in academic institutions : a case study in Flanders and The Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Meysman, Jasmine; Cleyn, De, Sven H.; Braet, Johan

2017-01-01

Abstract: The position and role of technology transfer offices within universities and academic institutions have changed under influence of todays society, with diminishing government subsidies and technology transfer related policies having their impact on the technology transfer processes. In order to find out what the effect of this impact is, we performed a multiple-case study on six technology transfer offices in Flanders and The Netherlands. As a result of the study, we identified two ...

Factors Causing Demotivation in EFL Teaching Process: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Aydin, Selami

2012-01-01

Studies have mainly focused on strategies to motivate teachers or the student-teacher motivation relationships rather than teacher demotivation in the English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching process, whereas no data have been found on the factors that cause teacher demotivation in the Turkish EFL teaching contexts at the elementary education…

Implementation of case studies in undergraduate didactic nursing courses: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutra, Danette K

2013-07-04

The implementation of unfolding scenario-based case studies in the didactic classroom is associated with learner-centered education. The utilization of learner-centered pedagogies, such as case studies, removes the focus from the instructor and instead places it on the student. Learner-centered pedagogies are believed to improve students' levels of cognition. The purpose of this study was to examine how nurse educators are implementing the pedagogies of case studies in their undergraduate didactic courses. The goal was to examine, document, report, and, ultimately, implement the strategies. Purposeful sampling was utilized in this qualitative, multisite-designed study. For each of the four participants, three separate site visits were completed. Observations and post-observational interviews took place at each site visit. Transcribed data from interviews, observations, and course documents were imported into the computer program Nvivo8. Repetitive comparative analysis was utilized to complete the data coding process. The guiding research question of this study sought to investigate the implementation strategies of case studies in didactic nursing courses. The implementation of case studies by the participants reflected two primary patterns: Formal Implementation (FI) and Informal Implementation (II) of case studies. The FI of case studies was further divided into two subcategories: Formal Implementation of case studies used Inside the Classroom setting (FIIC) and Formal Implementation of cases studies used Outside of the Classroom (FIOC). Results of this investigation have led to an increased understanding of implementation strategies of unfolding scenario-based case studies in undergraduate nursing didactic courses. Data collected were rich in the description of specific methodologies for utilization of case studies and may serve as a resource for faculty in development of creative strategies to enhance the didactic classroom experience.

48 CFR 50.103-5 - Processing cases.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Processing cases. 50.103-5 Section 50.103-5 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT... knowledge of individuals when documentary evidence is lacking, and audits if considered necessary to...

Understanding Organizational Crisis Management Processes : an analytical framework drawn from a case study in a public company

OpenAIRE

Gand , Sébastien; Acquier , Aurélien; Szpirglas , Mathias

2005-01-01

International audience; This article investigates a case of crisis management in a French public company. Combining stakeholder management and a knowledge-based perspective, we propose an analytical framework of organizational crisis management processes. We will first show how the crisis can be analyzed as a collapse of existing frames of collective action, and then present the crisis management processes in details. Our analytical framework leads us to distinguish two kinds of actors who pl...

Participatory evaluation of community actions as a learning methodology for personal and community empowerment: case studies and empowerment processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xavier Úcar Martínez

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Participatory evaluation (PE is a hybrid methodology that can be used simultaneously to investigate and act in groups and communities. It can generate new knowledge about reality, but italso allows changes in the participants and their sociocultural context. This research project, developed over three years, aims to find out whether PE processes are useful and appropriate to evaluate community actionsand to generate learning that contribute to the empowerment of people who develop them.Method: The methodological structure of the research process design Participatory Evaluation processes that are applied in three selected communities-cases, over one year. The steering groups in each caseevaluated four dimensions of Community Development Plans: context, evolution, performance and results, using different techniques and group dynamics. Throughout this process, participants identify the acquiredknowledge and this is linked to indicators of empowerment, using questionnaires, content analysis and semi-structured interviews.Results: The development PE process in the three analyzed cases confirmed that PE is a useful strategy to assess participatory community actions of a territory; to report them to the people of the community; andto make shared decisions, about initiatives in order to improve community actions. The obtained results also verify that, throughout PE, there has been learning in the participants.Conclusions: The involvement of community members in the evaluation makes it more useful, fairer and more valid, but also a fourth positive consequence of PE is empowerment. From the process and the resultsof these cases of Participatory Evaluation, we consider that community EP is social transformation.

Inside the Black Box: The Case Review Process of an Elder Abuse Forensic Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro, Adria E; Wysong, Julia; DeLiema, Marguerite; Schwartz, Elizabeth L; Nichol, Michael B; Wilber, Kathleen H

2016-08-01

Preliminary evidence suggests that elder abuse forensic centers improve victim welfare by increasing necessary prosecutions and conservatorships and reducing the recurrence of protective service referrals. Center team members gather information and make decisions designed to protect clients and their assets, yet the collective process of how these case reviews are conducted remains unexamined. The purpose of this study is to present a model describing the interprofessional approach of investigation and response to financial exploitation (FE), a frequent and complex type of abuse of vulnerable adults. To develop an understanding of the case review process at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (Center), a quasi-Delphi field study approach was used involving direct observations of meetings, surveying team members, and review from the Center's Advisory Council. The goal of this iterative analysis was to understand the case review process for suspected FE in Los Angeles County. A process map of key forensic center elements was developed that may be useful for replication in other settings. The process map includes: (a) multidisciplinary data collection, (b) key decisions for consideration, and (c) strategic actions utilized by an interprofessional team focused on elder justice. Elder justice relies on a complex system of providers. Elder abuse forensic centers provide a process designed to efficiently address client safety, client welfare, and protection of assets. Study findings provide a process map that may help other communities replicate an established multidisciplinary team, one experienced with justice system outcomes designed to protect FE victims. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Getting ocean acidification on decision makers' to-do lists: dissecting the process through case studies

Science.gov (United States)

Cooley, Sarah R.; Jewett, Elizabeth B.; Reichert, Julie; Robbins, Lisa L.; Shrestha, Gyami; Wieczorek, Dan; Weisberg, Stephen B.

2015-01-01

Much of the detailed, incremental knowledge being generated by current scientific research on ocean acidification (OA) does not directly address the needs of decision makers, who are asking broad questions such as: Where will OA harm marine resources next? When will this happen? Who will be affected? And how much will it cost? In this review, we use a series of mainly US-based case studies to explore the needs of local to international-scale groups that are making decisions to address OA concerns. Decisions concerning OA have been made most naturally and easily when information needs were clearly defined and closely aligned with science outputs and initiatives. For decisions requiring more complex information, the process slows dramatically. Decision making about OA is greatly aided (1) when a mixture of specialists participates, including scientists, resource users and managers, and policy and law makers; (2) when goals can be clearly agreed upon at the beginning of the process; (3) when mixed groups of specialists plan and create translational documents explaining the likely outcomes of policy decisions on ecosystems and natural resources; (4) when regional work on OA fits into an existing set of priorities concerning climate or water quality; and (5) when decision making can be reviewed and enhanced.

A case study on measuring process quality : lessons learned

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dikici, A.; Türetken, O.; Demirors, O.; Cortellessa, V.; Muccini, H.; Demirors, O.

2012-01-01

Requiring solid engineering disciplines and best practices rather than human talents for developing complex software systems results an increasing interest in software processes. The quality of software processes has considerable influence over the success of an organization. Process quality

Byers Auto Group: A Case Study Into The Economics, Zoning, and Overall Process of Installing Small Wind Turbines at Two Automotive Dealerships in Ohio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oteri, F.; Sinclair, K.

2011-11-01

This paper provides the talking points about a case study on the installation of a $600,000 small wind project, the installation process, estimated annual energy production and percentage of energy needs met by the turbines.

Process management in supply chains: a case study in a company of textile industry of the agreste of Pernambuco

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cícero Marcolino Pessoa de Sousa

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The supply chain (SC integrates the process management of the target enterprise, providing a connection with their clients, suppliers and within itself. This type of management is dynamic and it covers the business processes that involve since the final consumer to the primary suppliers which provide products, services and information that generate value to the consumers and stakeholders. Given the importance of the integration of these processes on a SC, this paper’s objective is to elaborate a diagnosis to evaluate, and propose improvements relating to processes Management throughout the Supply Chain Management (SCM based on the model by Lambert et al. (1998 as well as through a SWOT analysis.  The present research has utilized a qualitative approach, adjusted to exploratory adapted to a case study applied on a company of the textile industry located on the wasteland region of Pernambuco state, and was conducted through personal interviews by the means of an elaborate questionnaire. The results show that there is a lack of process management models, which is a compromising factor to the efficiency of the processes involved on the SCM, as well as also show the need of formalization of the key-processes on the supply line.

Deficits in Processing Case Markers in Individuals with Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jee Eun Sung

2015-04-01

Individuals with aphasia demonstrated greater difficulties in the case marker assignment compared to their normal control group. Furthermore, noncanonical word-order and passive sentences elicited more errors on the task than canonical and active sentences. Passive sentences were the significant predictors for overall aphasia severity. The results suggested that PWA using a verb-final language with well-developed case-marking systems presented deficits in case marker processing. The syntactic structure and canonicity of word order need to be considered as critical linguistic features in testing their performance on dealing with case markers.

Hydrological Process Simulation of Inland River Watershed: A Case Study of the Heihe River Basin with Multiple Hydrological Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Simulating the hydrological processes of an inland river basin can help provide the scientific guidance to the policies of water allocation among different subbasins and water resource management groups within the subbasins. However, it is difficult to simulate the hydrological processes of an inland river basin with hydrological models due to the non-consistent hydrological characteristics of the entire basin. This study presents a solution to this problem with a case study about the hydrological process simulation in an inland river basin in China, Heihe River basin. It is divided into the upper, middle, and lower reaches based on the distinctive hydrological characteristics in the Heihe River basin, and three hydrological models are selected, applied, and tested to simulate the hydrological cycling processes for each reach. The upper reach is the contributing area with the complex runoff generation processes, therefore, the hydrological informatic modeling system (HIMS is utilized due to its combined runoff generation mechanisms. The middle reach has strong impacts of intensive human activities on the interactions of surface and subsurface flows, so a conceptual water balance model is applied to simulate the water balance process. For the lower reach, as the dissipative area with groundwater dominating the hydrological process, a groundwater modeling system with the embedment of MODFLOW model is applied to simulate the groundwater dynamics. Statistical parameters and water balance analysis prove that the three models have excellent performances in simulating the hydrological process of the three reaches. Therefore, it is an effective way to simulate the hydrological process of inland river basin with multiple hydrological models according to the characteristics of each subbasin.

Capturing Cultural Glossaries: Case-study II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matete Madiba

2011-10-01

Full Text Available

ABSTRACT: This case-study attempts to present a brief glossary of Northern Sotho medical terms. It is a follow-up of a similar case-study (Madiba, Mphahlele and Kganyago 2003, which was an attempt to capture and present Northern Sotho cooking terms. Case-study I consists of the names for utensils, ingredients and the processes involved in the preparation of cultural dishes. With both these case-studies, the intention has been to use the opportunities availing themselves for the pres-ervation and valorisation of Northern Sotho, including the extension of its corpora to support national dictionary-making processes. The case-study methodology has been very useful for the purposes of this project and the context within which it was undertaken. It aims to provide a model for the collection and presentation of authentic Northern Sotho terminology which otherwise would hardly have been accessible.

Keywords: CULTURAL GLOSSARY, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, CORPUS, OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION, ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, TRADITIONAL MEDICAL TERMS, COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH, STRUCTURAL APPROACH, METONYMY, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, TASK-BASED LEARNING

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OPSOMMING: Die totstandbrenging van kulturele woordversamelings: Ge-vallestudie II. Hierdie gevallestudie probeer om 'n beperkte woordelys van Noord-Sotho- mediese terme aan te bied. Dit is 'n voortsetting van 'n soortgelyke gevallestudie (Madiba, Mpha-hlele en Kganyago 2003 wat 'n poging was om Noord-Sothokookterme te versamel en aan te bied. Gevallestudie I bestaan uit die name van gereedskap, bestanddele, en die prosesse betrokke by die voorbereiding van kulturele geregte. Met altwee hierdie gevallestudies was die bedoeling om die geleenthede te gebruik wat hulleself aanbied vir die bewaring en bestendiging van Noord-Sotho, insluitende die uitbreiding van sy korpora om die nasionale woordeboeksamestellingsprosesse te ondersteun. Die gevallestudiemetodologie was baie nuttig vir die doeleindes van

Classifying Multiple Types of Hand Motions Using Electrocorticography During Intraoperative Awake Craniotomy & Seizure Monitoring Processes - Case Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao eXie

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this work, some case studies were conducted toclassify several kinds of hand motions from electrocorticography(ECoG signals during intraoperative awake craniotomy &extraoperative seizure monitoring processes. Four subjects (P1,P2 with intractable epilepsy during seizure monitoring and P3,P4 with brain tumor during awake craniotomy participatedin the experiments. Subjects performed three types of handmotions (Grasp, Thumb-finger motion and Index-finger motioncontralateral to the motor cortex covered with ECoG electrodes.Two methods were used for signal processing. Method I:autoregressive (AR model with burg method was applied toextract features, and additional waveform length (WL featurehas been considered, finally the linear discriminative analysis(LDA was used as the classifier. Method II: stationary subspaceanalysis (SSA was applied for data preprocessing, and thecommon spatial pattern (CSP was used for feature extractionbefore LDA decoding process. Applying method I, the threeclassaccuracy of P1□P4 were 90.17%, 96.00%, 91.77% and92.95% respectively. For method II, the three-class accuracy ofP1□P4 were 72.00%, 93.17%, 95.22% and 90.36% respectively.This study verified the possibility of decoding multiple handmotion types during an awake craniotomy, which is the firststep towards dexterous neuroprosthetic control during surgicalimplantation, in order to verify the optimal placement of electrodes.The accuracy during awake craniotomy was comparableto results during seizure monitoring. This study also indicatedthat ECoG was a promising approach for precise identificationof eloquent cortex during awake craniotomy, and might forma promising BCI system that could benefit both patients andneurosurgeons.

Development of hydrological models and surface process modelization Study case in High Mountain slopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loaiza, Juan Carlos; Pauwels, Valentijn R

2011-01-01

Hydrological models are useful because allow to predict fluxes into the hydrological systems, which is useful to predict foods and violent phenomenon associated to water fluxes, especially in materials under a high meteorization level. The combination of these models with meteorological predictions, especially with rainfall models, allow to model water behavior into the soil. On most of cases, this type of models is really sensible to evapotranspiration. On climatic studies, the superficial processes have to be represented adequately. Calibration and validation of these models is necessary to obtain reliable results. This paper is a practical exercise of application of complete hydrological information at detailed scale in a high mountain catchment, considering the soil use and types more representatives. The information of soil moisture, infiltration, runoff and rainfall is used to calibrate and validate TOPLATS hydrological model to simulate the behavior of soil moisture. The finds show that is possible to implement an hydrological model by means of soil moisture information use and an equation of calibration by Extended Kalman Filter (EKF).

Corporate governance structure which is based in the S&OP process: Case study in la Brazilian cosmetic company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ximena Rojas

2014-03-01

Full Text Available (Received: 2014/01/31 - Accepted: 2014/03/25This article is about the generation of a corporate governance structure which is based in the process S&OP for a Brazilian cosmetic industry. The increasing emphasis on business development guided by attention to the requirements and demands of customers, cause nowadays, that the organizations of the commercial sectors work in the creation of a competitive differential. The collaborative business management strategy S&OP is looking for the attention of people who are interested in the improvement of their skills; in order to achieve this differential. With the case study methodology, the objectives are to get knowledge, identify, and analyze the characteristics of the company using analysis tools like SWOT, process analysis, value chain. All with the purpose to get a robust management tool that fits with the requirements and demands of the organization. The analyzed results showed that the principles of collaboration and internal communication were the pillars necessary against any attempt of business development. This supports the proposal of a management structure based on the five step S&OP process. As a complement to this study a methodology CPFR was identified as the platform for an integrated work with the rest of the companies of the supply chain.

Evaluating a Tacit Knowledge Sharing Initiative: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gubbins, Claire; Corrigan, Siobhan; Garavan, Thomas N.; O'Connor, Christy; Leahy, Damien; Long, David; Murphy, Eamonn

2012-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present a case study illustrating the issues involved in the tacit knowledge conversion process and to determine whether such conversion delivers value to the organisation in terms of business value and return on investment (ROI). Design/methodology/approach: A single-case multiple baseline participants experimental…

Integration of case study approach, project design and computer ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-03-05

Mar 5, 2018 ... computer modeling used as a research method applied in the process ... conclusions discuss the benefits for students who analyzed the ... accounting education process the case study method should not .... providing travel safety information to passengers ... from literature readings with practical problems.

Portfolio Manager Selection – A Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Michael

2017-01-01

Within a delegated portfolio management setting, this paper presents a case study of how the manager selection process can be operationalized in practice. Investors have to pursue a thorough screening of potential portfolio managers in order to discover their quality, and this paper discusses how...

Age-related Decline in Case-Marker Processing and its Relation to Working Memory Capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Jee Eun

2017-09-01

Purposes of the current study were to investigate whether age-related decline emerged in a case-marker assignment task (CMAT) and to explore the relationship between working-memory (WM) capacity and case-marker processing. A total of 121 individuals participated in the study with 62 younger adults and 59 elderly adults. All were administered a CMAT that consisted of active and passive constructions with canonical and noncanonical word-order conditions. A composite measure of WM tasks served as an index of participants' WM capacity. The older group performed worse than the younger group, and the noncanonical word order elicited worse performance than the canonical condition. The older group demonstrated greater difficulty in case-marker processing under the canonical condition and passive construction. Regression results revealed that age, education, and sentence type were the best predictors to account for performance on the CMAT. The canonicity of word order and passive construction were critical factors related to decline in abilities in a case-marker assignment. The combination of age, education, and sentence type factors accounted for overall performance on case-marker processing. Results indicated the crucial necessity to find a cognitively and linguistically demanding condition that elicits aging effects most efficiently, considering language-specific syntactic features. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Standardizing evaluation process: Necessary for achieving SDGs - A case study of India.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Alok

2018-05-09

A set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 are to be implemented and achieved in every country from the year 2016 to 2030. In Indian context, all these goals are very relevant and critical, as India missed the target on many components of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The author strongly feels that one of the key reasons was lack of an in-built robust system for measuring the progress and achievements of MDGs. Monitoring and Evaluation of programmes and schemes, aiming at different SDGs, in a robust and regular manner is therefore need of the hour. A National evaluation policy (NEP) would set the tone in the right direction from the very beginning for achieving SDGs. The paper taking India as a case study discusses different critical factors pertinent for having a well laid down national level policy towards standardizing evaluation. Using real examples under different components of an evaluation policy, the paper discusses and questions the credibility and acceptance of the present evaluation system in place. The paper identifies five core mantras or pre-requisites of a national evaluation guideline. The paper emphasizes the importance of an evaluation policy in India and other countries as well, to provide authentic data gathered through a well-designed evaluation process and take corrective measures well on time to achieve SDGs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Project management case studies

CERN Document Server

Kerzner, Harold R

2013-01-01

A new edition of the most popular book of project management case studies, expanded to include more than 100 cases plus a ""super case"" on the Iridium Project Case studies are an important part of project management education and training. This Fourth Edition of Harold Kerzner''s Project Management Case Studies features a number of new cases covering value measurement in project management. Also included is the well-received ""super case,"" which covers all aspects of project management and may be used as a capstone for a course. This new edition:Contains 100-plus case studies drawn from re

Mining Product Data Models: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina-Claudia DOLEAN

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents two case studies used to prove the validity of some data-flow mining algorithms. We proposed the data-flow mining algorithms because most part of mining algorithms focuses on the control-flow perspective. First case study uses event logs generated by an ERP system (Navision after we set several trackers on the data elements needed in the process analyzed; while the second case study uses the event logs generated by YAWL system. We offered a general solution of data-flow model extraction from different data sources. In order to apply the data-flow mining algorithms the event logs must comply a certain format (using InputOutput extension. But to respect this format, a set of conversion tools is needed. We depicted the conversion tools used and how we got the data-flow models. Moreover, the data-flow model is compared to the control-flow model.

Inspiring Lecturers: Sharing E-Learning Practice through European Case Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hayes, Sarah; Godsk, Mikkel; Andersen, Majbrit Vandsø

2009-01-01

Sharing best practice in e-learning, when undertaken as an active process, can provide valuable insights, with a real capacity to inspire. This has been our experience in collecting European university e-learning case studies. How this was achieved is the focus of this paper, which discusses...... collaboration, using a database and a weblog (EUNIC, 2008). Some examples of the case studies are provided, with suggestions of ways to develop this process further....... a consistent approach to transferring knowledge that might be followed and developed by others. We will outline a methodology for sharing best practices of e-learning. We will explain how these cases, rather like short stories, were identified, gathered and communicated by the EUNIS ELearning Task Force...

A case study of Florida Road, Durban

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2006-06-29

Jun 29, 2006 ... planning in mixed-use precincts: A case study of .... Technology, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Department of Town and Regional .... development process of contemporary cities. The origins of this realisation .... financing, and a lack of collaboration .... surrounded by a transport network,.

Overview of the Dissertation Process within the Framework of Flow Theory: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cakmak, Esra; Oztekin, Ozge; Isci, Sabiha; Danisman, Sahin; Uslu, Fatma; Karadag, Engin

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the flow of doctoral students who are also research assistants and in the dissertation process. The study was designed using the case study method. The case undertaken in the study was the dissertation process. Eleven participants were selected into the study using maximum variation sampling. Face-to-face,…

Customizing Process to Align with Purpose and Program: The 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program Evaluative Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, V. A.; Pyrtle, A. J.

2004-12-01

How did the 2003 Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success (MS PHD'S) in Ocean Sciences Program customize evaluative methodology and instruments to align with program goals and processes? How is data captured to document cognitive and affective impact? How are words and numbers utilized to accurately illustrate programmatic outcomes? How is compliance with implicit and explicit funding regulations demonstrated? The 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program case study provides insightful responses to each of these questions. MS PHD'S was developed by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained participation in Earth system science. Key components of this initiative include development of a community of scholars sustained by face-to-face and virtual mentoring partnerships; establishment of networking activities between and among undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate students, scientists, faculty, professional organization representatives, and federal program officers; and provision of forums to address real world issues as identified by each constituent group. The evaluative case study of the 2003 MS PHD'S in Ocean Sciences Program consists of an analysis of four data sets. Each data set was aligned to document progress in the achievement of the following program goals: Goal 1: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will successfully market, recruit, select, and engage underrepresented student and non-student participants with interest/ involvement in Ocean Sciences; Goal 2: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will provide meaningful engagement for participants as determined by quantitative analysis of user-feedback; Goal 3: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will provide meaningful engagement for participants as determined by qualitative analysis of user-feedback, and; Goal 4: The MS PHD'S Ocean Sciences Program will develop a constituent base adequate to demonstrate evidence of interest, value, need and sustainability in

Born for a Noble Cause?--A Case Study on Fanconi Anemia

Science.gov (United States)

Elwess, Nancy L.; Butterfield, Savanna R.; Charles, Amanda; DeVeaugh, Maxine C.; Lu, Gloria J.; Shafqat, Hira; Watts, Andrew

2005-01-01

The fictional case study presented here is not based on one case, but is actually based on several cases. College students enrolled in a bioethics course for non-majors wrote it. The case entails the thought processes and decision-making involved in order to save one child suffering from a genetic disorder by producing another child, a "designer…

Towards an Understanding of the Impacts of Localized Real Case Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathews Nkhoma

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This research aims to understand the mediating roles of learning engagement, learning process and learning experience in influencing students' outcomes through case study pedagogy. It gathered students' responses to localised real case studies discussed in Information Systems classes. Case knowledge and perception were used to measure students' learning outcomes in order to determine the degree to which students induced course concepts and how they felt the cases impacted their understanding of the course. Revised student engagement questionnaire was used to measure various forms of engagement such as skills, emotion, participation, and performance while revised study process questionnaire served to assess the extent to which students used deep or surface approach to learning. Additionally, seven roles of feedback were used to analyse students' learning experience. Finally, group performance and individual's positive perceptions of group learning were tested to measure students' learning outcomes. Structural equation modelling was used to test the causal model. Analysis revealed that case knowledge and case perception had positive influence on students' skill engagement and emotional engagement but only case knowledge had a positive impact on the functions of feedback.

A Case Study Improvement of a Testing Process by Combining Lean Management, Industrial Engineering and Automation Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Withers

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Increasingly competitive market environments have forced not only large manufacturing, but also smalland-medium size enterprises (SME to look for means to improve their operations in order to increase competitive strength. This paper presents an adaptation and adoption by a UK SME engineering service organisation, of lean management, industrial engineering, and automation metods developed within larger organisations. This SME sought to improve the overall performance of one of its core testing processes. An exploratory analysis, based on the lean management concept of “value added” and work measurement technique “time study”, was developed and carried out in order to understand the current performance of a testing process for gas turbine fuel flow dividers. A design for the automation of some operations of the testing process was followed as an approach to reduce non-value added activities, and improve the overall efficiency of the testing process. The overall testing time was reduced from 12.41 to 7.93 hours (36.09 percent while the man hours and non-value added time were also reduced from 23.91 to 12.94 hours (45.87 percent and from 11.08 to 6.69 (39.67 percent hours respectively. This resulted in an increase in process efficiency in terms of man hours from 51.91 to 61.28 percent. The contribution of this paper resides in presenting a case study that can be used as a guiding reference for managers and engineers to undertake improvement projects, in their organisations, similar to the one presented in this paper.

Prioritized List of Research Needs to support MRWFD Case Study Flowsheet Advancement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Law, Jack Douglas [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Soelberg, Nicholas Ray [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-06-17

In FY-13, a case study evaluation was performed of full recycle technologies for both the processing of light-water reactor (LWR) used nuclear fuels as well as fast reactor (FR) fuel in the full recycle option. This effort focused on the identification of the case study processes and the initial preparation of material balance flowsheets for the identified technologies. In identifying the case study flowsheets, it was decided that two cases would be developed: one which identifies the flowsheet as currently developed and another near-term target flowsheet which identifies the flowsheet as envisioned within two years, pending the results of ongoing research. The case study focus is on homogeneous aqueous recycle of the U/TRU resulting from the processing of LWR fuel as feed for metal fuel fabrication. The metal fuel is utilized in a sodium-cooled fast reactor, and the used fast reactor fuel is processed using electrochemical separations. The recovered U/TRU from electrochemical separations is recycled to fuel fabrication and the fast reactor. Waste streams from the aqueous and electrochemical processing are treated and prepared for disposition. Off-gas from the separations and waste processing are also treated. As part of the FY-13 effort, preliminary process unknowns and research needs to advance the near-term target flowsheets were identified. In FY-14, these research needs were updated, expanded and prioritized. This report again updates the prioritized list of research needs based upon results to date in FY-15. The research needs are listed for each of the main portions of the flowsheet: 1) Aqueous headend, 2) Headend tritium pretreatment off-gas, 3) Aqueous U/Pu/Np recovery, 4) Aqueous TRU product solidification, 5) Aqueous actinide/lanthanide separation, 6) Aqueous off-gas treatment, 7) Aqueous HLW management, 8) Treatment of aqueous process wastes, 9) E-chem actinide separations, 10) E-chem off-gas, 11) E-chem HLW management. The identified research needs

Prioritized List of Research Needs to support MRWFD Case Study Flowsheet Advancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Law, Jack Douglas; Soelberg, Nicholas Ray

2015-01-01

In FY-13, a case study evaluation was performed of full recycle technologies for both the processing of light-water reactor (LWR) used nuclear fuels as well as fast reactor (FR) fuel in the full recycle option. This effort focused on the identification of the case study processes and the initial preparation of material balance flowsheets for the identified technologies. In identifying the case study flowsheets, it was decided that two cases would be developed: one which identifies the flowsheet as currently developed and another near-term target flowsheet which identifies the flowsheet as envisioned within two years, pending the results of ongoing research. The case study focus is on homogeneous aqueous recycle of the U/TRU resulting from the processing of LWR fuel as feed for metal fuel fabrication. The metal fuel is utilized in a sodium-cooled fast reactor, and the used fast reactor fuel is processed using electrochemical separations. The recovered U/TRU from electrochemical separations is recycled to fuel fabrication and the fast reactor. Waste streams from the aqueous and electrochemical processing are treated and prepared for disposition. Off-gas from the separations and waste processing are also treated. As part of the FY-13 effort, preliminary process unknowns and research needs to advance the near-term target flowsheets were identified. In FY-14, these research needs were updated, expanded and prioritized. This report again updates the prioritized list of research needs based upon results to date in FY-15. The research needs are listed for each of the main portions of the flowsheet: 1) Aqueous headend, 2) Headend tritium pretreatment off-gas, 3) Aqueous U/Pu/Np recovery, 4) Aqueous TRU product solidification, 5) Aqueous actinide/lanthanide separation, 6) Aqueous off-gas treatment, 7) Aqueous HLW management, 8) Treatment of aqueous process wastes, 9) E-chem actinide separations, 10) E-chem off-gas, 11) E-chem HLW management. The identified research needs

Byers Auto Group: A Case Study Into The Economics, Zoning, and Overall Process of Installing Small Wind Turbines at Two Automotive Dealerships in Ohio (Presentation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinclair, K.; Oteri, F.

2011-05-01

This presentation provides the talking points about a case study on the installation of a $600,000 small wind project, the installation process, estimated annual energy production and percentage of energy needs met by the turbines.

A methodological review of qualitative case study methodology in midwifery research.

Science.gov (United States)

Atchan, Marjorie; Davis, Deborah; Foureur, Maralyn

2016-10-01

To explore the use and application of case study research in midwifery. Case study research provides rich data for the analysis of complex issues and interventions in the healthcare disciplines; however, a gap in the midwifery research literature was identified. A methodological review of midwifery case study research using recognized templates, frameworks and reporting guidelines facilitated comprehensive analysis. An electronic database search using the date range January 2005-December 2014: Maternal and Infant Care, CINAHL Plus, Academic Search Complete, Web of Knowledge, SCOPUS, Medline, Health Collection (Informit), Cochrane Library Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Wiley online and ProQuest Central. Narrative evaluation was undertaken. Clearly worded questions reflected the problem and purpose. The application, strengths and limitations of case study methods were identified through a quality appraisal process. The review identified both case study research's applicability to midwifery and its low uptake, especially in clinical studies. Many papers included the necessary criteria to achieve rigour. The included measures of authenticity and methodology were varied. A high standard of authenticity was observed, suggesting authors considered these elements to be routine inclusions. Technical aspects were lacking in many papers, namely a lack of reflexivity and incomplete transparency of processes. This review raises the profile of case study research in midwifery. Midwives will be encouraged to explore if case study research is suitable for their investigation. The raised profile will demonstrate further applicability; encourage support and wider adoption in the midwifery setting. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Case and studies].

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, András

2015-11-15

Case studies and case reports form an important and ever growing part of scientific and scholarly literature. The paper deals with the share and citation rate of these publication types on different fields of research. In general, evidence seems to support the opinion that an excessive number of such publications may negatively influence the impact factor of the journal. In the literature of scientometrics, case studies (at least the presence of the term "case study" in the titles of the papers) have a moderate share, but their citation rate is practically equal to that of other publication types.

Coping with Power Interruptions in Tanzania: An Industrial Perspective A Case Study of One Small Scale Animal Food Processing Industry in Moshi Municipality

OpenAIRE

Kavishe, Theodora Ephrem

2015-01-01

This study was conducted in Moshi-Tanzania. The research topic is Coping with Power Interruptions in Tanzania.An Industrial Perspesctive:A Case Study of one Small Scale Animal Food Processing Industry in Moshi Municipality.The objectives are (1) to explore perceptions of staff in the industry and among TANESCO towards interruptions in power supply (2) to describe the coping strategies developed by the industry under study. The study was guided by Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) by Pfeffer an...

A design process for using normative models in shared decision making: a case study in the context of prenatal testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rapaport, Sivan; Leshno, Moshe; Fink, Lior

2014-12-01

Shared decision making (SDM) encourages the patient to play a more active role in the process of medical consultation and its primary objective is to find the best treatment for a specific patient. Recent findings, however, show that patient preferences cannot be easily or accurately judged on the basis of communicative exchange during routine office visits, even for patients who seek to expand their role in medical decision making (MDM). The objective of this study is to improve the quality of patient-physician communication by developing a novel design process for SDM and then demonstrating, through a case study, the applicability of this process in enabling the use of a normative model for a specific medical situation. Our design process goes through the following stages: definition of medical situation and decision problem, development/identification of normative model, adaptation of normative model, empirical analysis and development of decision support systems (DSS) tools that facilitate the SDM process in the specific medical situation. This study demonstrates the applicability of the process through the implementation of the general normative theory of MDM under uncertainty for the medical-financial dilemma of choosing a physician to perform amniocentesis. The use of normative models in SDM raises several issues, such as the goal of the normative model, the relation between the goals of prediction and recommendation, and the general question of whether it is valid to use a normative model for people who do not behave according to the model's assumptions. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The role of context in case study selection: An international business perspective

OpenAIRE

Poulis, K; Poulis, E; Plakoyiannaki, ME

2013-01-01

The extant methodological literature has challenged case selection in qualitative case study research for being arbitrary or relying too much on convenience logic. This paper aims to address parts of such criticism on the rigour of case selection through the presentation of a sampling framework that promotes contextualisation and thoroughness of sampling decisions in the study of international phenomena. This framework emerged from an inductive process following an actual case study project i...

CULTURAL CHANGE IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES: A CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiane Alves Anacleto

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This work aims to propose a model for the conduct of cultural change in the IT department of a company in the telecommunications industry. To achieve the goal proposed exploratory, technical procedures used were the case study and literature review. The techniques of data collection in the case study were: participant observation, unstructured interview and document analysis. The proposed model consists of five steps: analysis of the company's strategic planning, cultural diagnosis of the IT department, brainstorming with the staff and managers, compared to the case studies surveyed and proposed actions for the conduct of cultural change. We conclude that a receptive environment, employees not only understand why the changes are necessary, but engage with the process and faithfully executes the steps required, favoring the strategic positioning of the company.

Digitizing and Preserving Law School Recordings: A Duke Law Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

White, Hollie; Bordo, Miguel; Chen, Sean

2015-01-01

Written as a case study, this article outlines Duke Law School Information Services' video digitization, preservation, and access initiative. This article begins with a discussion of the case study environment and the cross-departmental evaluation of in-house video production and processing workflows. The in-house preservation reformatting process…

step by step process from logic model to case study method as an ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global Journal

Logic models and case study approach to programme evaluation have proven ... in qualitative methodology. There is ... Note: IEHPs= internationally educated health professionals, ... interviews with the programme managers. .... programme assessed to ensure that the IEHPs are ready to face the certification ..... Comparison.

EL PROGRAMA CASE STUDY HOUSE: INDUSTRIA, PROPAGANDA Y VIVIENDA / Case Study House Program: industry, propaganda and housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Díez Martínez

2012-05-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN En enero de 1945, John Entenza, editor de la revista californiana Arts & Architecture, puso en marcha el programa Case Study House, un ambicioso proyecto cuyo firme objetivo era investigar las posibilidades y soluciones del problema de la vivienda al que se enfrentaba los Estados Unidos de la posguerra. Para ello, Entenza diseñó una novedosa estrategia de colaboración entre algunos de los mejores arquitectos californianos del momento y la maquinaria industrial estadounidense, abierta a un proceso de reconversión de producción bélica a objetos para la población civil que tendría lugar en un tiempo récord. Así, el artículo propone el análisis de esa relación entre empresa y domesticidad, entre viabilidad económica y calidad arquitectónica, entre procesos de prefabricación y espíritu individual. Todos ellos conceptos aparentemente opuestos pero que, de la mano del programa Case Study House, lograron un entendimiento que a día de hoy sigue resultando extraordinario. SUMMARY In January 1945, John Entenza, editor of the California Arts & Architecture magazine, launched the ‘Case Study House Program’, an ambitious project whose firm objective was to investigate the possibilities and solutions for the housing problem facing the United States after the war. To do this, Entenza designed a novel strategy for collaboration between some of the best Californian architects of the time and the U.S. industrial machine, open to a process of conversion from military production to objects for the civilian population that would take place in record time. Thus, the article proposes the analysis of the relationship between business and domesticity, between economic viability and architectural quality, between prefabrication processes and individual spirit. All of these seemingly opposing concepts reached, at the hands of the ‘Case Study House Program’, an understanding that still seems extraordinary today.

Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

2015-01-01

Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building

Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

Science.gov (United States)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

2015-05-01

Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.

Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd [School of Technology Management and Logistics, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah (Malaysia); Baharum, Mohd Faizal [School of Building, Housing and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2015-05-15

Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.

A study on the validity of strategic classification processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tae, Jae Woong; Shin, Dong Hun

2013-01-01

The commodity classification is to identify strategic commodity. The export license is to verify that exports have met the conditions required by the international export control system. NSSC (Nuclear Safety and Security Commission) operates the NEPS (Nuclear Export Promotion Service) for export control of nuclear items. NEPS contributed to reduce process time related to submission of documents, issuing certificates and licenses, etc. Nonetheless, it became necessary to enhance capacity to implement export control precisely and efficiently as development of Korean nuclear industry led to sharp increase of export. To provide more efficient ways, development of the advanced export control system, IXCS (Intelligent eXport Control System) was suggested. To build IXCS successfully, export control experts have analyzed Korean export control system. Two classification processes of items and technology were derived as a result of the research. However, it may reflect real cases insufficiently because it is derived by experts' discussion. This study evaluated how well the process explains real cases. Although the derived processes explained real cases well, some recommendations for improvement were found through this study. These evaluation results will help to make classification flow charts more compatible to the current export system. Most classification reports on equipment and material deliberated specification and functions while related systems were not considered. If a 'specification review' stage is added to the current process and delete unnecessary stages, this will improve accuracy of the flow chart. In the classification of nuclear technology, detailed process to identify specific information and data need to be specified to decrease subjectivity. Whether they are imitations or not is an unnecessary factor in both processes. The successful development of IXCS needs accurate export control processes as well as IT technology. If these classification processes are

Building theories from case study research: the progressive case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenhuis, H.J.; de Bruijn, E.J.

2006-01-01

Meredith (1998) argues for more case and field research studies in the field of operations management. Based on a literature review, we discuss several existing approaches to case studies and their characteristics. These approaches include; the Grounded Theory approach which proposes no prior

Audit of cases with uterine rupture: A process indicator of quality of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Audit of uterine rupture (UR) used as a process indicator, can identify factors considered avoidable to improve future quality of obstetric care. Records of UR cases at a referral maternity in Luanda were studied retrospectively (n=43) and prospectively (n=67) including basic obstetric information, maternal and foetal outcome, ...

A CASE STUDY ON POINT PROCESS MODELLING IN DISEASE MAPPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktor Beneš

2011-05-01

Full Text Available We consider a data set of locations where people in Central Bohemia have been infected by tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, and where population census data and covariates concerning vegetation and altitude are available. The aims are to estimate the risk map of the disease and to study the dependence of the risk on the covariates. Instead of using the common area level approaches we base the analysis on a Bayesian approach for a log Gaussian Cox point process with covariates. Posterior characteristics for a discretized version of the log Gaussian Cox process are computed using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. A particular problem which is thoroughly discussed is to determine a model for the background population density. The risk map shows a clear dependency with the population intensity models and the basic model which is adopted for the population intensity determines what covariates influence the risk of TBE. Model validation is based on the posterior predictive distribution of various summary statistics.

Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz Andrade, Antonio

2009-01-01

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The…

REDUCING PROCESS VARIABILITY BY USING DMAIC MODEL: A CASE STUDY IN BANGLADESH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ripon Kumar Chakrabortty

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Now-a-day's many leading manufacturing industry have started to practice Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing concepts to boost up their productivity as well as quality of products. In this paper, the Six Sigma approach has been used to reduce process variability of a food processing industry in Bangladesh. DMAIC (Define,Measure, Analyze, Improve, & Control model has been used to implement the Six Sigma Philosophy. Five phases of the model have been structured step by step respectively. Different tools of Total Quality Management, Statistical Quality Control and Lean Manufacturing concepts likely Quality function deployment, P Control chart, Fish-bone diagram, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Pareto analysis have been used in different phases of the DMAIC model. The process variability have been tried to reduce by identify the root cause of defects and reducing it. The ultimate goal of this study is to make the process lean and increase the level of sigma.

Using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to assess the distribution of pharmaceuticals in hospitals – a comparative case study of a Danish and American hospital

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feibert, Diana Cordes; Sørup, Christian Michel; Jacobsen, Peter

2016-01-01

Pharmaceuticals are a vital part of patient treatment and the timely delivery of pharmaceuticals to patients is therefore important. Hospitals are complex systems that provide a challenging environment for decision making. Implementing process changes and technologies to improve the pharmaceutical...... distribution process can therefore be a complex and challenging undertaking. A comparative case study was conducted benchmarking the pharmaceutical distribution process at a Danish and US hospital to identify best practices. Using the ANP method, taking tangible and intangible aspects into consideration...

SELECTION OF PROJECT MANAGERS IN CONSTRUCTION FIRMS USING ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS (AHP AND FUZZY TOPSIS: A CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Torfi

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Selecting a project manager is a major decision for every construction company. Traditionally, a project manager is selected by interviewing applicants and evaluating their capabilities by considering the special requirements of the project. The interviews are usually conducted by senior managers, and the selection of the best candidate depends on their opinions. Thus, the results may not be completely reliable. Moreover, conducting interviews for a large group of candidates is time-consuming. Thus, there is a need for computational models that can be used to select the most suitable applicant, given the project specifications and the applicants’ details. In this paper, a case study is performed in which a Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM model is used to select the best candidate for the post of project manager in a large construction firm. First, with the opinions of the senior managers, all the criteria and sub-criteria required for the selection are gathered, and the criteria priorities are qualitatively specified. Then, the applicants are ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, approximate weights of the criteria, and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS. The results of the case study are shown to be satisfactory.

Applying Process Improvement Methods to Clinical and Translational Research: Conceptual Framework and Case Examples.

Science.gov (United States)

Daudelin, Denise H; Selker, Harry P; Leslie, Laurel K

2015-12-01

There is growing appreciation that process improvement holds promise for improving quality and efficiency across the translational research continuum but frameworks for such programs are not often described. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework and case examples of a Research Process Improvement Program implemented at Tufts CTSI. To promote research process improvement, we developed online training seminars, workshops, and in-person consultation models to describe core process improvement principles and methods, demonstrate the use of improvement tools, and illustrate the application of these methods in case examples. We implemented these methods, as well as relational coordination theory, with junior researchers, pilot funding awardees, our CTRC, and CTSI resource and service providers. The program focuses on capacity building to address common process problems and quality gaps that threaten the efficient, timely and successful completion of clinical and translational studies. © 2015 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recruiting primary care practices for practice-based research: a case study of a group-randomized study (TRANSLATE CKD) recruitment process.

Science.gov (United States)

Loskutova, Natalia Y; Smail, Craig; Ajayi, Kemi; Pace, Wilson D; Fox, Chester H

2018-01-16

We assessed the challenging process of recruiting primary care practices in a practice-based research study. In this descriptive case study of recruitment data collected for a large practice-based study (TRANSLATE CKD), 48 single or multiple-site health care organizations in the USA with a total of 114 practices were invited to participate. We collected quantitative and qualitative measures of recruitment process and outcomes for the first 25 practices recruited. Information about 13 additional practices is not provided due to staff transitions and limited data collection resources. Initial outreach was made to 114 practices (from 48 organizations, 41% small); 52 (45%) practices responded with interest. Practices enrolled in the study (n = 25) represented 22% of the total outreach number, or 48% of those initially interested. Average time to enroll was 71 calendar days (range 11-107). There was no difference in the number of days practices remained under recruitment, based on enrolled versus not enrolled (44.8 ± 30.4 versus 46.8 ± 25.4 days, P = 0.86) or by the organization size, i.e. large versus small (defined by having ≤4 distinct practices; 52 ± 23.6 versus 43.6 ± 27.8 days; P = 0.46). The most common recruitment barriers were administrative, e.g. lack of perceived direct organizational benefit, and were more prominent among large organizations. Despite the general belief that the research topic, invitation method, and interest in research may facilitate practice recruitment, our results suggest that most of the recruitment challenges represent managerial challenges. Future research projects may need to consider relevant methodologies from businesses administration and marketing fields. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A new data-processing approach to study particle motion using ultrafast X-ray tomography scanner: case study of gravitational mass flow

Science.gov (United States)

Waktola, Selam; Bieberle, Andre; Barthel, Frank; Bieberle, Martina; Hampel, Uwe; Grudzień, Krzysztof; Babout, Laurent

2018-04-01

In most industrial products, granular materials are often required to flow under gravity in various kinds of silo shapes and usually through an outlet in the bottom. There are several interrelated parameters which affect the flow, such as internal friction, bulk and packing density, hopper geometry, and material type. Due to the low-spatial resolution of electrical capacitance tomography or scanning speed limitation of standard X-ray CT systems, it is extremely challenging to measure the flow velocity and possible centrifugal effects of granular materials flow effectively. However, ROFEX (ROssendorf Fast Electron beam X-ray tomography) opens new avenues of granular flow investigation due to its very high temporal resolution. This paper aims to track particle movements and evaluate the local grain velocity during silo discharging process in the case of mass flow. The study has considered the use of the Seramis material, which can also serve as a type of tracer particles after impregnation, due to its porous nature. The presented novel image processing and analysis approach allows satisfyingly measuring individual particle velocities but also tracking their lateral movement and three-dimensional rotations.

Qualitative case study methodology in nursing research: an integrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Anthony, Susan; Jack, Susan

2009-06-01

This paper is a report of an integrative review conducted to critically analyse the contemporary use of qualitative case study methodology in nursing research. Increasing complexity in health care and increasing use of case study in nursing research support the need for current examination of this methodology. In 2007, a search for case study research (published 2005-2007) indexed in the CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Sociological Abstracts and SCOPUS databases was conducted. A sample of 42 case study research papers met the inclusion criteria. Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review method guided the analysis. Confusion exists about the name, nature and use of case study. This methodology, including terminology and concepts, is often invisible in qualitative study titles and abstracts. Case study is an exclusive methodology and an adjunct to exploring particular aspects of phenomena under investigation in larger or mixed-methods studies. A high quality of case study exists in nursing research. Judicious selection and diligent application of literature review methods promote the development of nursing science. Case study is becoming entrenched in the nursing research lexicon as a well-accepted methodology for studying phenomena in health and social care, and its growing use warrants continued appraisal to promote nursing knowledge development. Attention to all case study elements, process and publication is important in promoting authenticity, methodological quality and visibility.

Recovering Process from Child Sexual Abuse During Adulthood from an Integrative Approach to Solution-Focused Therapy: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, Carolina

2017-10-01

In recent times, strengths-based recovery approaches that focus on the present and build strategies that look toward the future have become popular. However, some cases require the consideration of experiences from previous stages of the clients' development. This single-case study explores the psychotherapeutic process of a middle-aged woman who presented with a history of child sexual abuse (incest) and a long-term adult diagnosis of depression that was treated in public health services. This psychotherapy involved an integrative approach to solution-focused therapy; specifically, the approach proposed by Yvonne Dolan to work with adult survivors of sexual abuse, in conjunction with techniques and strategies from the transtheoretical model. Measures incorporating therapeutic working alliance and outcomes were administered over sessions. Results showed positive outcomes from this therapeutic intervention, which remained at 3-month and 12-month follow-ups. Implications for practitioners' specialist practice in health services are discussed, given the complexity of comorbid mental health conditions with a history of child sexual abuse.

Applying the food technology neophobia scale in a developing country context. A case-study on processed matooke (cooking banana) flour in Central Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

De Steur, Hans; Odongo, Walter; Gellynck, Xavier

2016-01-01

The success of new food technologies largely depends on consumers' behavioral responses to the innovation. In Eastern Africa, and Uganda in particular, a technology to process matooke into flour has been introduced with limited success. We measure and apply the Food technology Neophobia Scale (FTNS) to this specific case. This technique has been increasingly used in consumer research to determine consumers' fear for foods produced by novel technologies. Although it has been successful in developed countries, the low number and limited scope of past studies underlines the need for testing its applicability in a developing country context. Data was collected from 209 matooke consumers from Central Uganda. In general, respondents are relatively neophobic towards the new technology, with an average FTNS score of 58.7%, which hampers the success of processed matooke flour. Besides socio-demographic indicators, 'risk perception', 'healthiness' and the 'necessity of technologies' were key factors that influenced consumer's preference of processed matooke flour. Benchmarking the findings against previous FTNS surveys allows to evaluate factor solutions, compare standardized FTNS scores and further lends support for the multidimensionality of the FTNS. Being the first application in a developing country context, this study provides a case for examining food technology neophobia for processed staple crops in various regions and cultures. Nevertheless, research is needed to replicate this method and evaluate the external validity of our findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case studies on selected natural food antioxidants

OpenAIRE

Herrero, Miguel; Mendiola, J. A.; Cifuentes, Alejandro; Ibáñez, Elena

2013-01-01

In this chapter, a broad description of several case studies related to common antioxidants found in food-related products is presented. In this regard, special attention is put on the novel advanced environmentally-friendly extraction methods nowadays employed to extract and purify those potent antioxidants from natural matrices. A brief description of these extraction processes is provided together with some of the instrumentation needed. Besides, the studies carried out so f...

Case studies in atomic collision physics

CERN Document Server

McDaniel, Earl Wadsworth

1972-01-01

Case Studies in Atomic Collision Physics II focuses on studies on the role of atomic collision processes in astrophysical plasmas, including ionic recombination, electron transport, and position scattering. The book first discusses three-body recombination of positive and negative ions, as well as introduction to ionic recombination, calculation of the recombination coefficient, ions recombining in their parent gas, and three-body recombination at moderate and high gas-densities. The manuscript also takes a look at precision measurements of electron transport coefficients and differential cr

Changed processing of visual sexual stimuli under GnRH-therapy – a single case study in pedophilia using eye tracking and fMRI

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Antiandrogen therapy (ADT) has been used for 30 years to treat pedophilic patients. The aim of the treatment is a reduction in sexual drive and, in consequence, a reduced risk of recidivism. Yet the therapeutic success of antiandrogens is uncertain especially regarding recidivism. Meta-analyses and reviews report only moderate and often mutually inconsistent effects. Case presentation Based on the case of a 47 year old exclusively pedophilic forensic inpatient, we examined the effectiveness of a new eye tracking method and a new functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-design in regard to the evaluation of ADT in pedophiles. We analyzed the potential of these methods in exploring the impact of ADT on automatic and controlled attentional processes in pedophiles. Eye tracking and fMRI measures were conducted before the initial ADT as well as four months after the onset of ADT. The patient simultaneously viewed an image of a child and an image of an adult while eye movements were measured. During the fMRI-measure the same stimuli were presented subliminally. Eye movements demonstrated that controlled attentional processes change under ADT, whereas automatic processes remained mostly unchanged. We assume that these results reflect either the increased ability of the patient to control his eye movements while viewing prepubertal stimuli or his better ability to manipulate his answer in a socially desirable manner. Unchanged automatic attentional processes could reflect the stable pedophilic preference of the patient. Using fMRI, the subliminal presentation of sexually relevant stimuli led to changed activation patterns under the influence of ADT in occipital and parietal brain regions, the hippocampus, and also in the orbitofrontal cortex. We suggest that even at an unconscious level ADT can lead to changed processing of sexually relevant stimuli, reflecting changes of cognitive and perceptive automatic processes. Conclusion We are convinced that our

[Case management process identified from experience of nurse case managers].

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Eun-Jun; Kim, Chunmi

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory of case management (CM) practice by investigating the experience of nurse case managers caring for Medical Aid enrollees in Korea. A total of 12 nurses were interviewed regarding their own experience in CM practice. Data were recorded and analyzed using grounded theory. Empowerment was the core category of CM for Medical Aid enrollees. The case managers engaged in five phases as follows, phase of inquiring in advance, building a relationship with the client, giving the client critical mind, facilitating positive changes in the client's use of healthcare services, and maintaining relationship bonds. These phases moved gradually and were circular if necessary. Also, they were accelerated or slowed depending on factors including clients' characteristics, case managers' competency level, families' support level, and availability of community resources. This study helps understand what CM practice is and how nurses are performing this innovative CM role. It is recommended that nurse leaders and policy makers integrate empowerment as a core category and the five critical CM phases into future CM programs.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CASE STUDY METHOD IN DISTANCE LEARNING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP FUNDAMENTALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. R. Chepyuk

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the presented publication is to show new opportunities of application of a a case study method (educational situations in modern edu cational process of the higher school in general, and in particular – in teaching fundementals of business and economy wherein this method has gained special popularity.Methods and results. By means of methods of aggregation, deduction and logical synthesis, the authors developed the principles of the organization of distance training of economic disciplines on the basis of the case study method. The structure of educational cases is designated; the standard set of the materials accompanying them is designed. These practical problems were solved within implementation of the project Tempus «Acquisition of Professional and Entrepreneurial Skills by means of Education of Entrepreneurial Spirit and Consultation of the Beginning Entrepreneurs». Possible types and forms of cases were studied; several options of adaptation of their content to the electronic training environment which possesses both restrictions, and extensive additional educational potential are allocated. Various types of cases are shown based on specific examples: illustrating processes and concepts; imitating sample processes; describing original situations in real business and having decisions which are already realized in practice; cases with an uncertain answer to the asked problematic issue. The choice of this or that type of case study tasks is determined by the educational purposes and necessary level of development of a discipline. Cases supplement each other when forming the fund of evaluative means.Scientific novelty. The majority of researches define the case study method as a group discussion in the educational purposes of any problem situation and collective search of its decision, i.e. application of this method assumes classroom full-time courses. The question of use the case study method in a distance format for individual

User Design: A Case Study on Corporate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Pastore, Raymond S.; Carr-Chellman, Alison A.; Lohmann, Neal

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of implementing user design strategies within the corporate culture. Using a case study design approach, this article explores the change process within a "Fortune" 100 company in which users were given significant decision-making powers. The main focus is on the unique nature of user design in…

Waste Minimization Study on Pyrochemical Reprocessing Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boussier, H.; Conocar, O.; Lacquement, J.

2006-01-01

Ideally a new pyro-process should not generate more waste, and should be at least as safe and cost effective as the hydrometallurgical processes currently implemented at industrial scale. This paper describes the thought process, the methodology and some results obtained by process integration studies to devise potential pyro-processes and to assess their capability of achieving this challenging objective. As example the assessment of a process based on salt/metal reductive extraction, designed for the reprocessing of Generation IV carbide spent fuels, is developed. Salt/metal reductive extraction uses the capability of some metals, aluminum in this case, to selectively reduce actinide fluorides previously dissolved in a fluoride salt bath. The reduced actinides enter the metal phase from which they are subsequently recovered; the fission products remain in the salt phase. In fact, the process is not so simple, as it requires upstream and downstream subsidiary steps. All these process steps generate secondary waste flows representing sources of actinide leakage and/or FP discharge. In aqueous processes the main solvent (nitric acid solution) has a low boiling point and evaporate easily or can be removed by distillation, thereby leaving limited flow containing the dissolved substance behind to be incorporated in a confinement matrix. From the point of view of waste generation, one main handicap of molten salt processes, is that the saline phase (fluoride in our case) used as solvent is of same nature than the solutes (radionuclides fluorides) and has a quite high boiling point. So it is not so easy, than it is with aqueous solutions, to separate solvent and solutes in order to confine only radioactive material and limit the final waste flows. Starting from the initial block diagram devised two years ago, the paper shows how process integration studies were able to propose process fittings which lead to a reduction of the waste variety and flows leading at an 'ideal

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Wastewater of Pistachio Processing Terminals (Case Study: Kerman city

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F Khademi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Wastewaters resulting from seasonal processing such as pistachio processing industry are one of the most important factors of environmental pollution. High concentration of pollutants are the qualitative characteristics of wastewaters that due high consumption of water and energy resources as well as high levels production of waste have a good potential to realization of projects to reduce the environmental impacts and optimizing the consumption of energy resources.The aim of this study was to determine the wastewater̛ s quality and quantity of pistachio processing terminals. Methods: this study is cross-sectional study that has been implemented from mid –September until late October (pistachio harvest season in each of the years 2012-2013-2014 in Kerman.Firstely according to field study, the characteristics and location of 20 pistachio processing terminals were determined by a GPS device. Then 8 pistachio processing terminals were selected in around of wastewater collection system. Composite sampling method with total of 72 samples was done in each year during pistachio operation. Samples were conducted from pistachio processing wastewater screen filter outlet. In each of samples BOD5, COD, TSS, pH and Total phenolic were determined. Sampling and tests were done according to water and wastewater standard methods book (20th edition. Concentration of Phenolic compounds was measured by folin ciocaltive method. The Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: the average of total produced wastewater in pistachio processing terminals in this study was 85.9m3/d. The average BOD5, COD, TSS, Total phenolic and PH were 6106, 21570, 682, 4154 (mg/L and 5.5 respectively. Conclusion: The obtained results from raw wastewater of pistachio processing terminals showed they have high BOD and COD. This is caused by presentation of priority pollutants (phenolic compounds which have high potential in pollution and toxicity for discharging any

Slowly Shifting a Culture of Teaching in Higher Education: A Case Study of Biology Instructors' Micro-Processes of Collaborative Inquiry into Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Neuwald, Anuschka

The Vision and Change reports (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011, 2013) have identified a need for change in undergraduate biology education, emphasizing student learning of content knowledge and competencies. Missing from this report and larger efforts to improve undergraduate education (Brainard, 2007; Henderson et al., 2011; Sunal et al., 2001) are guidelines for how to support instructors' professional learning to change teaching practices. I am exploring one possible support structure by studying a group of seven biology instructors that are engaged in a collaborative process over two semesters. This process is modeled after Lesson Study (Lewis et al., 2006), a form of cyclical inquiry-based professional learning activities. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the micro-processes of this collaboration and how these micro-processes afford and limit the ability to change one's teaching practices. Wenger's (1998) concept of "community of practice" provides a theoretical framework for data analysis. I view an instructor's professional learning as social and situated, involving negotiation of new meanings, boundaries, and participation as part of an on-going collaboration. Data analysis shows that negotiation of meaning, characterized by friction and dissonance, is a normal part of the micro-processes of collaborative group work. There are three friction points that are intertwined and influence each other: 1) rhythmic ebb and flow of negotiation about a common professional goal for the instructors and a common learning goal for undergraduates in biology, 2) pressure of time to produce an outcome, and 3) grappling with collective agency, authority and capacity. I argue that these friction points are necessary and important for understanding the micro-processes of negotiation in a collaborative process. Furthermore, this study contributes to literature examining how the use of collaborative processes that are often

International benchmarking of specialty hospitals. A series of case studies on comprehensive cancer centres

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background Benchmarking is one of the methods used in business that is applied to hospitals to improve the management of their operations. International comparison between hospitals can explain performance differences. As there is a trend towards specialization of hospitals, this study examines the benchmarking process and the success factors of benchmarking in international specialized cancer centres. Methods Three independent international benchmarking studies on operations management in cancer centres were conducted. The first study included three comprehensive cancer centres (CCC), three chemotherapy day units (CDU) were involved in the second study and four radiotherapy departments were included in the final study. Per multiple case study a research protocol was used to structure the benchmarking process. After reviewing the multiple case studies, the resulting description was used to study the research objectives. Results We adapted and evaluated existing benchmarking processes through formalizing stakeholder involvement and verifying the comparability of the partners. We also devised a framework to structure the indicators to produce a coherent indicator set and better improvement suggestions. Evaluating the feasibility of benchmarking as a tool to improve hospital processes led to mixed results. Case study 1 resulted in general recommendations for the organizations involved. In case study 2, the combination of benchmarking and lean management led in one CDU to a 24% increase in bed utilization and a 12% increase in productivity. Three radiotherapy departments of case study 3, were considering implementing the recommendations. Additionally, success factors, such as a well-defined and small project scope, partner selection based on clear criteria, stakeholder involvement, simple and well-structured indicators, analysis of both the process and its results and, adapt the identified better working methods to the own setting, were found. Conclusions The improved

Stakeholder involvement in stages of a participatory process illustrated in interior design cases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vink, Peter; van Rhijn, Gu; Seim, Rikke

2008-01-01

In a previous study (Vink et al., 2008) an overview was made of the involvement of different stakeholders in a participatory design process. In this paper this overview was used to describe four participatory design cases focused on improvising productivity, health, and comfort by interior design....... It appeared that this overview is useful to describe the involvement in participatory interior design projects. However, it can only serve as an initial benchmark as much is dependent on the specific case at hand....

Use cases and DEMO: aligning functional features of ICT-infrastructure to business processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Maij, E; Toussaint, P J; Kalshoven, M; Poerschke, M; Zwetsloot-Schonk, J H M

2002-11-12

The proper alignment of functional features of the ICT-infrastructure to business processes is a major challenge in health care organisations. This alignment takes into account that the organisational structure not only shapes the ICT-infrastructure, but that the inverse also holds. To solve the alignment problem, relevant features of the ICT-infrastructure should be derived from the organisational structure and the influence of this envisaged ICT to the work practices should be pointed out. The objective of our study was to develop a method to solve this alignment problem. In a previous study we demonstrated the appropriateness of the business process modelling methodology Dynamic Essential Modelling of Organizations (DEMO). A proven and widely used modelling language for expressing functional features is Unified Modelling Language (UML). In the context of a specific case study at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands we investigated if the combined use of DEMO and UML could solve the alignment problem. The study demonstrated that the DEMO models were suited as a starting point in deriving system functionality by using the use case concept of UML. Further, the case study demonstrated that in using this approach for the alignment problem, insight is gained into the mutual influence of ICT-infrastructure and organisation structure: (a) specification of independent, re-usable components-as a set of related functionalities-is realised, and (b) a helpful representation of the current and future work practice is provided for in relation to the envisaged ICT support.

A Case Study Documenting the Process by Which Biology Instructors Transition from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Teaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Marbach-Ad, Gili; Hunt Rietschel, Carly

2016-01-01

In this study, we used a case study approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of the change process of two university instructors who were involved with redesigning a biology course. Given the hesitancy of many biology instructors to adopt evidence-based, learner-centered teaching methods, there is a critical need to understand how biology instructors transition from teacher-centered (i.e., lecture-based) instruction to teaching that focuses on the students. Using the innovation-decision model for change, we explored the motivation, decision-making, and reflective processes of the two instructors through two consecutive, large-enrollment biology course offerings. Our data reveal that the change process is somewhat unpredictable, requiring patience and persistence during inevitable challenges that arise for instructors and students. For example, the change process requires instructors to adopt a teacher-facilitator role as opposed to an expert role, to cover fewer course topics in greater depth, and to give students a degree of control over their own learning. Students must adjust to taking responsibility for their own learning, working collaboratively, and relinquishing the anonymity afforded by lecture-based teaching. We suggest implications for instructors wishing to change their teaching and administrators wishing to encourage adoption of learner-centered teaching at their institutions. © 2016 G. Marbach-Ad and C. H. Rietschel. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

The process of internationalization and expatriation: the case of Weg S.A in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janaina Mortari Schiavini

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This article aims to analyze the process of internationalization and expatriation of WEG Electrical Equipment S.A in China. The recent movement of internationalization of Brazilian companies is characterized by cases of multinationals such as WEG, which performs Foreign Direct Investments in search for increasing their participation in international business and gain of competitive advantage. This study has a descriptive character and qualitative nature, using the case study as research method, in which the objects of observation were the processes of internationalization and expatriation of WEG in China. First, secondary data was used aiming to characterize the decision of entry mode in China and their process of internationalization. Later, a semi-structured interview was held, whose questions attempted to understand how the process of expatriation of employees of WEG in the Chinese mission happened. The results show the challenges faced by the company with their inclusion in the Asian market, the determining aspects of the expatriation process and its relation to theoretical models. It is expected that this work contribute to generate knowledge about the internationalization of Brazilian companies and the leading of their expatriations, since those themes demand for conclusive research for clarification of the theoretical models on the Brazilian reality.

A Case Study for Business Integration as a Service

OpenAIRE

Chang, Victor

2013-01-01

This paper presents Business Integration as a Service (BIaaS) to allow two services to work together in the Cloud to achieve a streamline process. We illustrate this integration using two services; Return on Investment (ROI) Measurement as a Service (RMaaS) and Risk Analysis as a Service (RAaaS) in the case study at the University of Southampton. The case study demonstrates the cost-savings and the risk analysis achieved, so two services can work as a single service. Advanced techniques are u...

Navigating political minefields: partnerships in organizational case study research.

Science.gov (United States)

Moll, Sandra

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine key challenges associated with conducting politically sensitive research within a workplace setting, and to highlight strategic partnerships that can be developed to address these challenges. The author's research on employee mental health issues within a large healthcare facility serves as the foundation for identification and description of "political minefields" that investigators may encounter when conducting organizational case study research. Key methodological principles from the literature on qualitative case study research will frame discussion of how to understand and address political sensitivities in the research process. The benefits of conducting organizational case study research will be outlined, followed by discussion of methodological challenges that can emerge in negotiating entry, collecting data (gatekeepers, researcher reflexivity, participant authenticity and non-maleficence), and communicating research findings. Courage, collaboration and clear communication with stakeholders at all levels of the organization are critical to the success of workplace based case study research.

Parallel and distributed processing in two SGBDS: A case study

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Francisco Javier Moreno

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Context: One of the strategies for managing large volumes of data is distributed and parallel computing. Among the tools that allow applying these characteristics are some Data Base Management Systems (DBMS, such as Oracle, DB2, and SQL Server. Method: In this paper we present a case study where we evaluate the performance of an SQL query in two of these DBMS. The evaluation is done through various forms of data distribution in a computer network with different degrees of parallelism. Results: The tests of the SQL query evidenced the performance differences between the two DBMS analyzed. However, more thorough testing and a wider variety of queries are needed. Conclusions: The differences in performance between the two DBMSs analyzed show that when evaluating this aspect, it is necessary to consider the particularities of each DBMS and the degree of parallelism of the queries.

Business process reporting using process mining, analytic workflows and process cubes : A case study in education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolt Iriondo, A.J.; de Leoni, M.; van der Aalst, W.M.P.; Gorissen, P.; Paolo, C.; Stefanie, R.-M.

2017-01-01

Business Process Intelligence (BPI) is an emerging topic that has gained popularity in the last decade. It is driven by the need for analysis techniques that allow businesses to understand and improve their processes. One of the most common applications of BPI is reporting, which consists on the

Integrating Process Mining and Cognitive Analysis to Study EHR Workflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Furniss, Stephanie K; Burton, Matthew M; Grando, Adela; Larson, David W; Kaufman, David R

2016-01-01

There are numerous methods to study workflow. However, few produce the kinds of in-depth analyses needed to understand EHR-mediated workflow. Here we investigated variations in clinicians' EHR workflow by integrating quantitative analysis of patterns of users' EHR-interactions with in-depth qualitative analysis of user performance. We characterized 6 clinicians' patterns of information-gathering using a sequential process-mining approach. The analysis revealed 519 different screen transition patterns performed across 1569 patient cases. No one pattern was followed for more than 10% of patient cases, the 15 most frequent patterns accounted for over half ofpatient cases (53%), and 27% of cases exhibited unique patterns. By triangulating quantitative and qualitative analyses, we found that participants' EHR-interactive behavior was associated with their routine processes, patient case complexity, and EHR default settings. The proposed approach has significant potential to inform resource allocation for observation and training. In-depth observations helped us to explain variation across users.

Use of Radiotracers to Study Surface Water Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-03-01

This publication represents a sound knowledge base for the conduct of radiotracer studies in the environment, with papers on radiotracer methodology, radiation protection and regulation, data analysis and modelling. Environmental case histories from five Member States - Australia, Brazil, France, the Republic of Korea and Sweden - provide information on conducting studies involving he use of radioactive tracers. These case histories are not meant as guidelines for preparing a field study but can rather serve as examples of the type, caution and extent of work involved in environmental studies using radiotracers. This publication can provide guidance for conducting potential future training events in the use of radioactive traces in the environment and can serve as a key reference to all concerned directly with surface water processes

Approach to operational mine planning: Case study Tamnava West

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Stevanović Dejan R.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In contemporary mining industry is very difficult to achieve production targets and profit without investing effort in detailed excavation planning. It is especially true for deposits with complex geological structure and production technology, as is the case for many coal mines in Serbia. The majority of coal production is used for generation of electricity in power plant. This fact is the main reason why production objectives of coal mine and power plant are strongly connected. Due to the fluctuation of the coal quality, operational mine planning (as a part of coal homogenization process, is of critical importance for managing successful coal quality control and meeting criteria of power plant. This paper investigates advantage of proper operational planning on coal quality control process and overall production performance. For better understanding case study is conducted on open pit Tamnava West field. Successful operational mine planning is almost impossible without use of modern software packages. For that reason in presented case study operational mine planning is done with Minex software.

Successful Student Goal Completion: A Community College Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cady, Sara C.

2013-01-01

Research studies have shown that one half of all students who begin college fail to realize their goals. This case study of one community college provided a comprehensive examination of best practices developed over several years through strategic enrollment planning. Additionally, this dissertation examined the decision-making processes that…

Neighborhood-level social processes and substantiated cases of child maltreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Molnar, Beth E; Goerge, Robert M; Gilsanz, Paola; Hill, Andrea; Subramanian, S V; Holton, John K; Duncan, Dustin T; Beatriz, Elizabeth D; Beardslee, William R

2016-01-01

Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood's children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identification of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois' child protection agency, 1995-2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively homogenous Chicago, IL census tracts with respect to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Our analysis-an ecological-level, repeated cross-sectional design utilizing random-intercept logit models-with a sensitivity analysis using spatial models to control for spatial autocorrelation-revealed consistent associations between neighborhood social processes and maltreatment. Neighborhoods higher in collective efficacy, intergenerational closure, and social networks, and lower in disorder had lower proportions of neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse substantiated cases, controlling for differences in structural factors. Higher collective efficacy and social network size also predicted a lower proportion of substance-exposed infants. This research indicates that strategies to mobilize neighborhood-level protective factors may decrease child maltreatment more effectively than individual and family-focused efforts alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The case study of biomaterials and biominerals

Science.gov (United States)

Del Hoyo Martínez, Carmen

2013-04-01

The teaching of biomaterials as case study by on-line platform , susceptible to develop both individually and in groups, got different objectives proposed by the European Higher Education System, among which include: participate actively in the teaching-learning process by students, interpreting situations, adapt processes and solutions. It also improves oral and written communication, analytical skills and synthesis and also the ability to think critically. Biomaterials have their origin in biominerals. These are solid inorganic compounds of defined structure, consisting of molecular control mechanisms that operate in biological systems. Its main functions are: structural support, a reservoir of essential elements, sensors, mechanical protection and storage of toxic elements. Following the demand of materials compatible with certain functional systems of our body, developed biomaterials. Always meet the condition of biocompatibility. Should be tolerated by the body and do not provoke rejection. This involves a comprehensive study of physiological conditions and the anatomy of the body where a biomaterial has to be implemented. The possibility of generating new materials from biominerals has a major impact in medicine and other fields could reach as geology, construction, crystallography, etc. While the study of these issues is in its infancy today, can be viewed as an impact on the art and future technology. Planning case study that students would prepare its report for discussion in subgroups. Occurs then the pooling of individual analysis, joint case discussion and adoption by the subgroup of a consensual solution to the problem. The teacher as facilitator and coordinator of the final case analysis, sharing leads to group-wide class and said the unanimous decision reached by the students and gives his opinion on the resolution of the case. REFERENCES D.P. Ausubel. Psicología Educativa. Un punto de vista cognoscitivo. Trillas. Ed. 1983. E.W. Eisner. Procesos

ERP System for Custom Tailoring: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Sodomka

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The Case Study deals with the implementation and use of a global ERP system in Bernhardt Fashion CZ, which is one of the leading custom garment manufacturers in the market. The study describes the way this prestigious company has utilized a global ERP product to standardize a part of its processes as well as the areas that needed to be modified or custom adjusted. The crucial part of the study comprises a detailed description of key processes and their automation requirements that are specific in the clothing industry. Moreover, the study includes a complex evaluation of achieved benefits and significant functional improvements the company has developed by using the new system.

Uncertainties in Early-Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Process Design – A Case Study on Biorefinery Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheali, Peam; Gernaey, Krist V.; Sin, Gürkan

2015-01-01

Capital investment, next to the product demand, sales, and production costs, is one of the key metrics commonly used for project evaluation and feasibility assessment. Estimating the investment costs of a new product/process alternative during early-stage design is a challenging task, which is especially relevant in biorefinery research where information about new technologies and experience with new technologies is limited. A systematic methodology for uncertainty analysis of cost data is proposed that employs: (a) bootstrapping as a regression method when cost data are available; and, (b) the Monte Carlo technique as an error propagation method based on expert input when cost data are not available. Four well-known models for early-stage cost estimation are reviewed and analyzed using the methodology. The significance of uncertainties of cost data for early-stage process design is highlighted using the synthesis and design of a biorefinery as a case study. The impact of uncertainties in cost estimation on the identification of optimal processing paths is indeed found to be profound. To tackle this challenge, a comprehensive techno-economic risk analysis framework is presented to enable robust decision-making under uncertainties. One of the results using order-of-magnitude estimates shows that the production of diethyl ether and 1,3-butadiene are the most promising with the lowest economic risks (among the alternatives considered) of 0.24 MM$/a and 4.6 MM$/a, respectively.

Uncertainties in Early Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Process Design – A case study on biorefinery design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurkan eSin

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Capital investment, next to the product demand, sales and production costs, is one of the key metrics commonly used for project evaluation and feasibility assessment. Estimating the investment costs of a new product/process alternative during early stage design is a challenging task. This is especially important in biorefinery research, where available information and experiences with new technologies is limited. A systematic methodology for uncertainty analysis of cost data is proposed that employs (a Bootstrapping as a regression method when cost data is available and (b the Monte Carlo technique as an error propagation method based on expert input when cost data is not available. Four well-known models for early stage cost estimation are reviewed an analyzed using the methodology. The significance of uncertainties of cost data for early stage process design is highlighted using the synthesis and design of a biorefinery as a case study. The impact of uncertainties in cost estimation on the identification of optimal processing paths is found to be profound. To tackle this challenge, a comprehensive techno-economic risk analysis framework is presented to enable robust decision making under uncertainties. One of the results using an order-of-magnitude estimate shows that the production of diethyl ether and 1,3-butadiene are the most promising with economic risks of 0.24 MM$/a and 4.6 MM$/a due to uncertainties in cost estimations, respectively.

Uncertainties in Early-Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Process Design – A Case Study on Biorefinery Design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheali, Peam; Gernaey, Krist V.; Sin, Gürkan, E-mail: gsi@kt.dtu.dk [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark)

2015-02-06

Capital investment, next to the product demand, sales, and production costs, is one of the key metrics commonly used for project evaluation and feasibility assessment. Estimating the investment costs of a new product/process alternative during early-stage design is a challenging task, which is especially relevant in biorefinery research where information about new technologies and experience with new technologies is limited. A systematic methodology for uncertainty analysis of cost data is proposed that employs: (a) bootstrapping as a regression method when cost data are available; and, (b) the Monte Carlo technique as an error propagation method based on expert input when cost data are not available. Four well-known models for early-stage cost estimation are reviewed and analyzed using the methodology. The significance of uncertainties of cost data for early-stage process design is highlighted using the synthesis and design of a biorefinery as a case study. The impact of uncertainties in cost estimation on the identification of optimal processing paths is indeed found to be profound. To tackle this challenge, a comprehensive techno-economic risk analysis framework is presented to enable robust decision-making under uncertainties. One of the results using order-of-magnitude estimates shows that the production of diethyl ether and 1,3-butadiene are the most promising with the lowest economic risks (among the alternatives considered) of 0.24 MM$/a and 4.6 MM$/a, respectively.

Automation of the Acorn Scarification Process as a Contribution to Sustainable Forest Management. Case Study: Common Oak

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszard Tadeusiewicz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The basic principle of silviculture is the rational use of natural regeneration. The acceleration and equalisation of seed germination and an increase of the field seed germination ability are affected by seed scarification, which results in the destruction or weakening of the seed cover. Acorn scarification is performed manually, in the standing position, most often in adapted work stations, whose geometry is adjusted by the staff to their own anthropometric dimensions. An added value of acorn scarification consists in the ability to visually assess the health status of the cotyledons visible on the cross-section, making it possible to infer the potential use of a seed for sowing. However, due to the scope and duration of the activities involved, manual scarification is a process that is monotonous and physically as well as psychologically tiring for its performer. Automating of this process allows for effective replacement of human labour. The results obtained from the use of the vision system designed to determine the length and orientation of acorns may be considered satisfactory. The implementation of the seed orientation detection algorithm using the Harris detector was 90% accurate. Studies and analyses have shown that the process of acorn scarification has a positive effect on the later improvement of uniformity and acceleration of seedling emergence. In the case of seeds subjected to scarification, 83% of the acorns germinated within 4 to 6 weeks after sowing.

[The process of detection and treatment of cases of tuberculosis in a prison].

Science.gov (United States)

Valença, Mariana Soares; Cezar-Vaz, Marta Regina; Brum, Clarice Brinck; Silva, Pedro Eduardo Almeida da

2016-06-01

This study seeks to analyze the process of detection and treatment of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in a prison in the south of Brazil. An active and passive search for TB was conducted to estimate the scale of TB in a prison with 764 inmates. In conjunction with the detection strategies and clinical follow-up of the 41 TB cases, participant observation and records in field diaries were performed, making it possible to analyze the scope and limitations of detection and treatment of cases of TB in prison. The development of search strategies is discussed along with the use of questionnaires to detect symptomatic cases, as well as the inadequacy of the clinical follow-up of TB cases, involvement of different workers and coordination between prison and health services. There is clear potential for the control of TB using an active search to induce the passive detection and screening for symptoms that - even skewed by the perceptions of inmates regarding symptoms of TB - enabled an increase in detection. The functional dynamics of prison life hamper the inclusion of health routines and can restrict actions to control TB and other diseases. In the process of control of TB in prisons, the feasibility of effective detection methods is as important as planning based on disease conditions, network services and workers involved.

Developing a Comprehensive Housing Strategy: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Marsters, Tim; Bliss, Kelly

2007-01-01

In the current highly competitive higher education market in North America, many colleges have identified the importance of upgrading their existing residential housing facilities as part of their strategy to attract and retain students. The case study discussed in this article describes the successful planning process used by Perkins+Will and…

Delivering Online Examinations: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John MESSING

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Delivering Online Examinations: A Case Study Jason HOWARTH John MESSING Irfan ALTAS Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga-AUSTRALIA ABSTRACT This paper represents a brief case study of delivering online examinations to a worldwide audience. These examinations are delivered in partnership with a commercial online testing company as part of the Industry Master’s degree at Charles Sturt University (CSU. The Industry Master’s degree is an academic program for students currently employed in the IT industry. Using Internet Based Testing (IBT, these students are examined in test centres throughout the world. This offers many benefits. For example, students have the freedom of sitting exams at any time during a designated interval. Computer-based testing also provides instructors with valuable feedback through test statistics and student comments. In this paper, we document CSU’s use of the IBT system, including how tests are built and delivered, and how both human and statistical feedback is used to evaluate and enhance the testing process.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY: CASE REPORT STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Židanik

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Background. Multiple personality disorder is characterised by splited individual ego-states and splited professional community arguing whether this disorder actually exists or not.Methods. In this case report study a supportive psychodynamic psychotherapy of a patient with multiple personality disorder is presented, that lasted for 4.5 years and resulted in ego-reintegration.Conclusions. The spliting between different ego-states is powered by unneutralised aggression with the possibility of hetero- and autoaggressive behaviour. Therefore the patient in the analytically oriented psychotherapeutic process is at high risk and a safe therapeutic (e. g. in-patient setting has to be provided.

Using version information in architectural clustering : a case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wierda, A.; Dortmans, E.; Somers, L.

2006-01-01

This paper describes a case study that uses clustering to group classes of an existing objectoriented system of significant size into subsystems. The clustering process is based on the structural relations between the classes: associations, generalizations and dependencies. We experiment with

Why Process-Orientation is Scarce: An Empirical Study of Process-oriented Information Systems in the Automotive Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mutschler, B.B.; Bumiller, J.; Reichert, M.U.

2006-01-01

Several studies have indicated that existing information systems (IS) often fail to provide adequate business process support. To systematically identify the reasons for this drawback, we conducted a case study in the automotive domain and a survey among 79 IT practitioners. This paper presents the

[Case-non case studies: Principles, methods, bias and interpretation].

Science.gov (United States)

Faillie, Jean-Luc

2017-10-31

Case-non case studies belongs to the methods assessing drug safety by analyzing the disproportionality of notifications of adverse drug reactions in pharmacovigilance databases. Used for the first time in the 1980s, the last few decades have seen a significant increase in the use of this design. The principle of the case-non case study is to compare drug exposure in cases of a studied adverse reaction with that of cases of other reported adverse reactions and called "non cases". Results are presented in the form of a reporting odds ratio (ROR), the interpretation of which makes it possible to identify drug safety signals. This article describes the principle of the case-non case study, the method of calculating the ROR and its confidence interval, the different modalities of analysis and how to interpret its results with regard to the advantages and limitations of this design. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Marked point process for modelling seismic activity (case study in Sumatra and Java)

Science.gov (United States)

Pratiwi, Hasih; Sulistya Rini, Lia; Wayan Mangku, I.

2018-05-01

Earthquake is a natural phenomenon that is random, irregular in space and time. Until now the forecast of earthquake occurrence at a location is still difficult to be estimated so that the development of earthquake forecast methodology is still carried out both from seismology aspect and stochastic aspect. To explain the random nature phenomena, both in space and time, a point process approach can be used. There are two types of point processes: temporal point process and spatial point process. The temporal point process relates to events observed over time as a sequence of time, whereas the spatial point process describes the location of objects in two or three dimensional spaces. The points on the point process can be labelled with additional information called marks. A marked point process can be considered as a pair (x, m) where x is the point of location and m is the mark attached to the point of that location. This study aims to model marked point process indexed by time on earthquake data in Sumatra Island and Java Island. This model can be used to analyse seismic activity through its intensity function by considering the history process up to time before t. Based on data obtained from U.S. Geological Survey from 1973 to 2017 with magnitude threshold 5, we obtained maximum likelihood estimate for parameters of the intensity function. The estimation of model parameters shows that the seismic activity in Sumatra Island is greater than Java Island.

First principle chemical kinetics in zeolites: the methanol-to-olefin process as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Speybroeck, Veronique; De Wispelaere, Kristof; Van der Mynsbrugge, Jeroen; Vandichel, Matthias; Hemelsoet, Karen; Waroquier, Michel

2014-11-07

To optimally design next generation catalysts a thorough understanding of the chemical phenomena at the molecular scale is a prerequisite. Apart from qualitative knowledge on the reaction mechanism, it is also essential to be able to predict accurate rate constants. Molecular modeling has become a ubiquitous tool within the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, we review current computational procedures to determine chemical kinetics from first principles, thus by using no experimental input and by modeling the catalyst and reacting species at the molecular level. Therefore, we use the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process as a case study to illustrate the various theoretical concepts. This process is a showcase example where rational design of the catalyst was for a long time performed on the basis of trial and error, due to insufficient knowledge of the mechanism. For theoreticians the MTO process is particularly challenging as the catalyst has an inherent supramolecular nature, for which not only the Brønsted acidic site is important but also organic species, trapped in the zeolite pores, must be essentially present during active catalyst operation. All these aspects give rise to specific challenges for theoretical modeling. It is shown that present computational techniques have matured to a level where accurate enthalpy barriers and rate constants can be predicted for reactions occurring at a single active site. The comparison with experimental data such as apparent kinetic data for well-defined elementary reactions has become feasible as current computational techniques also allow predicting adsorption enthalpies with reasonable accuracy. Real catalysts are truly heterogeneous in a space- and time-like manner. Future theory developments should focus on extending our view towards phenomena occurring at longer length and time scales and integrating information from various scales towards a unified understanding of the catalyst. Within this respect molecular

Tisettanta case study: the interoperation of furniture production companies

Science.gov (United States)

Amarilli, Fabrizio; Spreafico, Alberto

This chapter presents the Tisettanta case study, focusing on the definition of the possible innovations that ICT technologies can bring to the Italian wood-furniture industry. This sector is characterized by industrial clusters composed mainly of a few large companies with international brand reputations and a large base of SMEs that manufacture finished products or are specialized in the production of single components/processes (such as the Brianza cluster, where Tisettanta operates). In this particular business ecosystem, ICT technologies can bring relevant support and improvements to the supply chain process, where collaborations between enterprises are put into action through the exchange of business documents such as orders, order confirmation, bills of lading, invoices, etc. The analysis methodology adopted in the Tisettanta case study refers to the TEKNE Methodology of Change (see Chapter 2), which defines a framework for supporting firms in the adoption of the Internetworked Enterprise organizational paradigm.

The Science Manager's Guide to Case Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Branch, Kristi M.; Peffers, Melissa S.; Ruegg, Rosalie T.; Vallario, Robert W.

2001-09-24

This guide takes the science manager through the steps of planning, implementing, validating, communicating, and using case studies. It outlines the major methods of analysis, describing their relative merits and applicability while providing relevant examples and sources of additional information. Well-designed case studies can provide a combination of rich qualitative and quantitative information, offering valuable insights into the nature, outputs, and longer-term impacts of the research. An objective, systematic, and credible approach to the evaluation of U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science programs adds value to the research process and is the subject of this guide.

Implementing interorganizational cooperation in labour market reintegration: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ståhl, Christian

2012-06-01

To bring people with complex medical, social and vocational needs back to the labour market, interorganizational cooperation is often needed. Yet, studies of processes and strategies for achieving sustainable interorganizational cooperation are sparse. The aim of this study was to analyse the implementation processes of Swedish legislation on financial coordination, with specific focus on different strategies for and perspectives on implementing interorganizational cooperation. A multiple-case study was used, where two local associations for financial coordination were studied in order to elucidate and compare the development of cooperative work in two settings. The material, collected during a 3-year period, consisted of documents, individual interviews with managers, and focus groups with officials. Two different implementation strategies were identified. In case 1, a linear strategy was used to implement cooperative projects, which led to difficulties in maintaining cooperative work forms due to a fragmented and time-limited implementation process. In case 2, an interactive strategy was used, where managers and politicians were continuously involved in developing a central cooperation team that became a central part of a developing structure for interorganizational cooperation. An interactive cooperation strategy with long-term joint financing was here shown to be successful in overcoming organizational barriers to cooperation. It is suggested that a strategy based on adaptation to local conditions, flexibility and constant evaluation is preferred for developing sustainable interorganizational cooperation when implementing policies or legislation affecting interorganizational relationships.

Collaborative learning in local partnerships for public value : a multiple case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, Eltje; de Zeeuw, Anna; van Vliet, Pieter; de Kreek, Mike

2017-01-01

In our recently started multiple case study - funded by the Netherlands Scientific Board (NWO) - on these processes of collaboration, we focused on the dynamics in growing partnerships between citizens, community social workers and civil servants. Three cases of social neighbourhood initiatives are

Veterans' Transitions to Community College: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Holly A.

2012-01-01

Veterans on college campuses are not new; however, the recent influx of veterans returning home from war-time service present challenges to the colleges they attend. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the transition process experienced by veterans leaving military service and attending community college for the first time.…

Teaching the Public Relations Case Studies/Campaigns Class.

Science.gov (United States)

Cottone, Laura Perkins

The public relations case studies/campaigns class entails teaching students how to die and then come back to life. As students must learn to take a critical look at complex public and social issues, teachers should create an environment in which the students feel comfortable with the process of psychological reconstruction. Students must be taught…

Impact of operational factors on fossil energy inputs in motor-manual tree felling and processing: results of two case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe Ignea

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In many cases tree felling and processing operations are carried out motor-manually and knowledge about fossil fuel consumption and direct energy inputs when using such equipment is required for different purposes starting with operational costing and ending with environmental assessment of forest operations. In this study, fuel mixture, chain oil and direct fossil energy inputs were evaluated for two chainsaws which were used to fell and process trees in two silvicultural systems. The results of this study suggest that there is a strong dependence relation between selected tree size variables such as the diameter at breast height and tree volume on one hand and the fuel mixture, chain oil and direct fossil energy inputs when felling and processing broadleaved hardwood and resinous softwood trees on the other hand. For the broadleaved trees (mean tree volume of 1.50 m3 × tree-1, DBH of 45.5 cm and tree height of 21.84 m the mean direct fossil energy input was of 3.86 MJ m-3 while for resinous trees (mean tree volume of 1.77 m3 tree-1, DBH of 39.28 cm and tree height of 32.49 m it was of 3.93 MJ m-3. Other variables, including but not limited to the technology used, work experience and procedural pattern, may influence the mentioned figures and extensive studies are required to clarify their effects.

Mathematical modelling a case studies approach

CERN Document Server

Illner, Reinhard; McCollum, Samantha; Roode, Thea van

2004-01-01

Mathematical modelling is a subject without boundaries. It is the means by which mathematics becomes useful to virtually any subject. Moreover, modelling has been and continues to be a driving force for the development of mathematics itself. This book explains the process of modelling real situations to obtain mathematical problems that can be analyzed, thus solving the original problem. The presentation is in the form of case studies, which are developed much as they would be in true applications. In many cases, an initial model is created, then modified along the way. Some cases are familiar, such as the evaluation of an annuity. Others are unique, such as the fascinating situation in which an engineer, armed only with a slide rule, had 24 hours to compute whether a valve would hold when a temporary rock plug was removed from a water tunnel. Each chapter ends with a set of exercises and some suggestions for class projects. Some projects are extensive, as with the explorations of the predator-prey model; oth...

a South African case study

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

learn different algorithms to solve problems, but in many cases cannot solve .... centre of Piaget‟s work is a fundamental cognitive process, which he termed ..... concept definition of continuity in calculus through collaborative instructional ...

The implementation of customer profitability analysis: a case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Raaij, E.M.; Vernooij, M.J.A.; Vernooij, Maarten J.A.; van Triest, S.P.

2003-01-01

By using customer profitability analysis (CPA), firms can determine the profit contribution of customer segments and/or individual customers. This article presents an approach for the implementation of CPA. The implementation process is illustrated using a case study of a firm producing and selling

Defect reduction for fabric cutting process to produce polo shirts : a case study of garment factory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panicha Suttanako

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This research aims to study the factors affecting the crooked fabric cutting and to present the new cutting procedure that complies with the factors affecting the crooked fabric cutting of a case study. The defect in fabric cutting process was crooked fabric making nonconforming product. The cause and effect diagram was utilized to analyze and suggest related factors leading to the problem. It was showed that the number of times of knife sharpening and the number of layers in fabric paving would affect the crooked fabric cutting the design of experiment was applied to determine appropriate the level of these factors. The main factor significantly affected the crooked fabric cutting (p < 0.05 was the number of times of knife sharpening, but the number of layers in fabric paving and interaction between both factors would not significantly affect the crooked fabric cutting. The number of times of knife sharpening in the level 4 had been sharpened twenty times in each cutting round. The least average defective proportion was 0.0173. Then the new cutting procedure would significantly reduce average defective proportion. It could reduce the average number of defective items as 5.74 pieces in each cutting round or 70.52 percents.

Integrative health coaching: an organizational case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolever, Ruth Q; Caldwell, Karen L; Wakefield, Jessica P; Little, Kerry J; Gresko, Jeanne; Shaw, Andrea; Duda, Linda V; Kosey, Julie M; Gaudet, Tracy

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe integrative health (IH) coaching as developed in three different interventions offered through a major medical center, as a step toward further defining the field of health coaching. An organizational case study was conducted with document analysis and interviews. Interviewees were the first six IH coaches at Duke Integrative Medicine who provided 360 clients with individual and/or group coaching (two to 28 sessions) in a randomized clinical study and two work-site wellness programs. Qualitative analysis using the constant comparative method was conducted. Integrative health coaching is characterized by a process of self-discovery that informs goal setting and builds internal motivation by linking clients' goals to their values and sense of purpose. Time, commitment, and motivation are necessary in the IH coaching process. The underpinnings of IH coaching are distinct from the medical model, and the process is distinct from health education, executive coaching, and psychotherapy. Integrative health coaching fits well with the assumptions of integrative medicine and has a role in supporting behavior change. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Sequential neural processes in abacus mental addition: an EEG and FMRI case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Yixuan; Hong, Bo; Zhou, Wenjing; Bodner, Mark; Zhou, Yong-Di

2012-01-01

Abacus experts are able to mentally calculate multi-digit numbers rapidly. Some behavioral and neuroimaging studies have suggested a visuospatial and visuomotor strategy during abacus mental calculation. However, no study up to now has attempted to dissociate temporally the visuospatial neural process from the visuomotor neural process during abacus mental calculation. In the present study, an abacus expert performed the mental addition tasks (8-digit and 4-digit addends presented in visual or auditory modes) swiftly and accurately. The 100% correct rates in this expert's task performance were significantly higher than those of ordinary subjects performing 1-digit and 2-digit addition tasks. ERPs, EEG source localizations, and fMRI results taken together suggested visuospatial and visuomotor processes were sequentially arranged during the abacus mental addition with visual addends and could be dissociated from each other temporally. The visuospatial transformation of the numbers, in which the superior parietal lobule was most likely involved, might occur first (around 380 ms) after the onset of the stimuli. The visuomotor processing, in which the superior/middle frontal gyri were most likely involved, might occur later (around 440 ms). Meanwhile, fMRI results suggested that neural networks involved in the abacus mental addition with auditory stimuli were similar to those in the visual abacus mental addition. The most prominently activated brain areas in both conditions included the bilateral superior parietal lobules (BA 7) and bilateral middle frontal gyri (BA 6). These results suggest a supra-modal brain network in abacus mental addition, which may develop from normal mental calculation networks.

Case-control studies in neurosurgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesvick, Cody L; Thompson, Clinton J; Boop, Frederick A; Klimo, Paul

2014-08-01

Observational studies, such as cohort and case-control studies, are valuable instruments in evidence-based medicine. Case-control studies, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular in the neurosurgical literature due to their low cost and relative ease of execution; however, no one has yet systematically assessed these types of studies for quality in methodology and reporting. The authors performed a literature search using PubMed/MEDLINE to identify all studies that explicitly identified themselves as "case-control" and were published in the JNS Publishing Group journals (Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Neurosurgical Focus) or Neurosurgery. Each paper was evaluated for 22 descriptive variables and then categorized as having either met or missed the basic definition of a case-control study. All studies that evaluated risk factors for a well-defined outcome were considered true case-control studies. The authors sought to identify key features or phrases that were or were not predictive of a true case-control study. Those papers that satisfied the definition were further evaluated using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. The search detected 67 papers that met the inclusion criteria, of which 32 (48%) represented true case-control studies. The frequency of true case-control studies has not changed with time. Use of odds ratios (ORs) and logistic regression (LR) analysis were strong positive predictors of true case-control studies (for odds ratios, OR 15.33 and 95% CI 4.52-51.97; for logistic regression analysis, OR 8.77 and 95% CI 2.69-28.56). Conversely, negative predictors included focus on a procedure/intervention (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.13-0.998) and use of the word "outcome" in the Results section (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.082-0.65). After exclusion of nested case-control studies, the negative correlation between focus on a procedure

Toward objective software process information : experiences from a case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Samalikova, J.; Kusters, R.J.; Trienekens, J.J.M.; Weijters, A.J.M.M.; Siemons, P.

2011-01-01

A critical problem in software development is the monitoring, control and improvement in the processes of software developers. Software processes are often not explicitly modeled, and manuals to support the development work contain abstract guidelines and procedures. Consequently, there are huge

Organizing for Networked Information Technologies - Cases in Process Integration and Transformation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The book provides seven practical examples of how Danish companies implemented new information technology in order to transform their internal and external business processes. The purpose is to share some of the companies' concerns and hopes during this implementation process, with each case repo...

Analysis of case studies - mining, milling and discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McEwan, A.C.

2000-01-01

This analysis paper reviews case studies on mining and milling and on radioactive discharges. An outline is given of each of the case studies presented from the perspectives of the study background, the criteria followed in remediation, the decision making process, outcomes achieved, and an evaluation in relation to radiological criteria that are recommended internationally. Site remediation after mining and milling operations may be driven more by aesthetic and environmental concerns than radiological criteria, particularly in more populated areas. The cases illustrated that it is highly desirable that stakeholders, including the public, are involved in decision making at an early stage with agreement on remediation outcomes. In particular, the exposure pathways and dose assessment models employed should generally be agreed with or approved by the regulatory authority prior to remediation work. In the case of remediated properties at Grand Junction, Colorado, it appears the cleanup criteria employed were below or consistent with those applicable to practices, although the situation was one of intervention, and this raises a question as to the cost effectiveness of the cleanup. For some remediation projects there are long term ownership issues arising out of the need for extended public or state oversight of engineered structures or active water treatment facilities, but for these cases ownership issues did not arise for purely radiological reasons. (author)

Exploiting process cubes, analytic workflows and process mining for business process reporting : a case study in education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolt Iriondo, Alfredo; de Leoni, Massimiliano; van der Aalst, Wil M.P.; Gorissen, Pierre; Ceravolo, P.; Rinderle-Ma, S.

2015-01-01

Business Process Intelligence (BPI) is an emerging topic that has gained popularity in the last decade. It is driven by the need for analysis techniques that allow businesses to understand and improve their processes. One of the most common applications of BPI is reporting, which consists on the

A Case Study of the Philadelphia Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Policymaking Process: Implications for Policy Development and Advocacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Purtle, Jonathan; Langellier, Brent; Lê-Scherban, Félice

Policymakers are increasingly proposing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes as an evidence-based strategy to reduce chronic disease risk; and local health departments (LHDs) are well-positioned to play a role in SSB policy development and advocacy. However, most SSB tax proposals fail to become law and limited empiric guidance exists to inform advocacy efforts. In June 2016, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, passed an SSB tax. To identify features of the Philadelphia SSB tax policymaking process that contributed to the proposal's passage. Qualitative case study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key informants closely involved with the policymaking process. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Local news media about the SSB tax proposal were analyzed to triangulate interview findings. Analysis was conducted in NVivo 10 using inductive qualitative content analysis. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the SSB tax policymaking in process. Nine key informants (2 city councilpersons, 4 city agency officials, 1 community-based advocate, 1 news reporter, and 1 researcher). The Philadelphia SSB tax proposal was introduced with the explicit goal of financing universal prekindergarten and deliberately not framed as a health intervention. This framing shifted contentious debates about government involvement in individual behavior toward discussions about how to finance universal prekindergarten, a goal for which broad support existed. The LHD played an important role in communicating research evidence about potential health benefits of the SSB tax proposal at the end of the policymaking process. During local SSB tax policy development processes, LHD officials and other advocates should encourage policymakers to design SSB tax policies so that revenue is directed toward community investments for which broad public support exists. When communicating with policymakers and the public, LHDs should consider emphasizing how SSB tax revenue will be used in addition

Case Study Method in Business Education in the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Velushchak, Maryna

2014-01-01

Business Education is dynamic in nature and needs diverse information to deal with different business problems. To understand the peculiar situations and to manage them effectively, case studies are widely used. Researchers in education have already demonstrated that students' active participation in the educational process increases their…

Family Owned Business Succession and Governance: a multiple case study in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Roth

2017-08-01

Full Text Available One of the main threats to the continuity of family owned business is the poor management of the succession process between generations of the family. This risk factor can be avoided when the process works properly and can also become a renewal and strengthening tool for organizations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the different factors that trigger the succession, as well as the various ways in which companies act and react to the process and the succession’s turbulence. The methodology used was a qualitative study of multiple cases in four representatives family owned organizations in south of Brazil. These families are going, either have passed or have chosen not to go through generational succession processes. The results show the process can be an opportunity to improve the company’s management. Moreover, it shows that there is no single model to follow, but good practices that can be applied to each case.

Geothermal Exploration Case Studies on OpenEI (Presentation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, K.; Bennett, M.; Atkins, D.

2014-03-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resource assessment (Williams et al., 2008) outlined a mean 30 GWe of undiscovered hydrothermal resource in the western United States. One goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technology Office (GTO) is to accelerate the development of this undiscovered resource. DOE has focused efforts on helping industry identify hidden geothermal resources to increase geothermal capacity in the near term. Increased exploration activity will produce more prospects, more discoveries, and more readily developable resources. Detailed exploration case studies akin to those found in oil and gas (e.g. Beaumont and Foster, 1990-1992) will give developers central location for information gives models for identifying new geothermal areas, and guide efficient exploration and development of these areas. To support this effort, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been working with GTO to develop a template for geothermal case studies on the Geothermal Gateway on OpenEI. In 2012, the template was developed and tested with two case studies: Raft River Geothermal Area (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Raft_River_Geothermal_Area) and Coso Geothermal Area (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Coso_Geothermal_Area). In 2013, ten additional case studies were completed, and Semantic MediaWiki features were developed to allow for more data and the direct citations of these data. These case studies are now in the process of external peer review. In 2014, NREL is working with universities and industry partners to populate additional case studies on OpenEI. The goal is to provide a large enough data set to start conducting analyses of exploration programs to identify correlations between successful exploration plans for areas with similar geologic occurrence models.

Knowledge Discovery Process: Case Study of RNAV Adherence of Radar Track Data

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Bryan

2018-01-01

This talk is an introduction to the knowledge discovery process, beginning with: identifying the problem, choosing data sources, matching the appropriate machine learning tools, and reviewing the results. The overview will be given in the context of an ongoing study that is assessing RNAV adherence of commercial aircraft in the national airspace.

Case studies in the retailer internationalization: a literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Maria de Almeida Bastos Gomes

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Research on retail internationalization (RI has undergone an intense development phase since the 1990s, dominated by quantitative research and based on the retail experience of large-scale retailers formats such as supermarkets. However, the internationalization of the retail sector has evolved into areas that existing models have not been able to explain, generating a demand for more thorough research. The result has been an increase of articles published since the early 2000s based on research of an exploratory and qualitative nature, such as case studies. In this article, main contributions are identified in RI arising from case studies resulting from the selection and analysis of 48 articles published in academic journals between 2000 and 2015. As a result, relevant findings on the steps of the RI process are presented, such as input modes for franchise, international divestment, and characteristics of the RI process of specific types of firms, such as fashion retailers and small- and medium-size retailers.

Adoption of the HPV vaccine: a case study of three emerging countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro Martínez, Araceli; Espín Balbino, Jaime; Lemgruber, Alexandre; Martín Ruiz, Eva; Olry de Labry Lima, Antonio; García-Mochón, Leticia; Lessa, Fernanda

2017-05-01

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has recently attracted considerable attention in emerging countries, due to its potential to reduce the impact of HPV-related diseases. This case study sheds new light about the variety of HTA arrangements, methods and processes involved in the adoption and use of HPV vaccines in a selected sample of central, eastern and southern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, all of them emerging in the use of HTA. A multi-country case study was designed. Mixed methods, document review, semi-structured surveys and personal communication with experts, were used for data collection and triangulation. This study shows that common elements of good practice exist in the processes and methods used, with all countries arriving at the same appraisal recommendations. However, the influence of socio-politico-economic factors appears to be determinant on the final decisions and restrictions to access made. This case study intends to draw useful lessons for policymakers in emerging settings interested in the adoption of the HPV vaccine supported by evidence-informed processes, such as those offered by institutionalized HTA. Future studies are also recommended to elucidate the specific roles that social values and uncertainties play in vaccine decision-making across different societies.

Flexible Process Notations for Cross-organizational Case Management Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slaats, Tijs

: the notations in which the processes are defined. Traditional process notations are flow-based: control of the process flows from one activity to the next. This paradigm inherently encourages modellers to think in terms of strict orderings instead of supporting flexibility. Flow-based models that do try...... of the process and techniques for runtime adaptation. This dissertation reports on the results of the Technologies for Flexible Cross-organizational Case Management Systems (FLExCMS) research project which was started in cooperation between ITU and the company Exformatics A/S. The goals of the project were...... to strengthen the industrial adoption of constraintbased notations and techniques by further developing DCR Graphs to be industrially applicable, with a particular focus on guaranteeing safety for cross-organizational processes. We will show how DCR Graphs have been extended with new dimensions such as time...

Image processing of early gastric cancer cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inamoto, Kazuo; Umeda, Tokuo; Inamura, Kiyonari

1992-01-01

Computer image processing was used to enhance gastric lesions in order to improve the detection of stomach cancer. Digitization was performed in 25 cases of early gastric cancer that had been confirmed surgically and pathologically. The image processing consisted of grey scale transformation, edge enhancement (Sobel operator), and high-pass filtering (unsharp masking). Grey scale transformation improved image quality for the detection of gastric lesions. The Sobel operator enhanced linear and curved margins, and consequently, suppressed the rest. High-pass filtering with unsharp masking was superior to visualization of the texture pattern on the mucosa. Eight of 10 small lesions (less than 2.0 cm) were successfully demonstrated. However, the detection of two lesions in the antrum, was difficult even with the aid of image enhancement. In the other 15 lesions (more than 2.0 cm), the tumor surface pattern and margin between the tumor and non-pathological mucosa were clearly visualized. Image processing was considered to contribute to the detection of small early gastric cancer lesions by enhancing the pathological lesions. (author)

Broadband seismic : case study modeling and data processing

Science.gov (United States)

Cahyaningtyas, M. B.; Bahar, A.

2018-03-01

Seismic data with wide range of frequency is needed due to its close relation to resolution and the depth of the target. Low frequency provides deeper penetration for the imaging of deep target. In addition, the wider the frequency bandwidth, the sharper the wavelet. Sharp wavelet is responsible for high-resolution imaging and is very helpful to resolve thin bed. As a result, the demand for broadband seismic data is rising and it spurs the technology development of broadband seismic in oil and gas industry. An obstacle that is frequently found on marine seismic data is the existence of ghost that affects the frequency bandwidth contained on the seismic data. Ghost alters bandwidth to bandlimited. To reduce ghost effect and to acquire broadband seismic data, lots of attempts are used, both on the acquisition and on the processing of seismic data. One of the acquisition technique applied is the multi-level streamer, where some streamers are towed on some levels of depth. Multi-level streamer will yield data with varied ghost notch shown on frequency domain. If the ghost notches are not overlapping, the summation of multi-level streamer data will reduce the ghost effect. The result of the multi-level streamer data processing shows that reduction of ghost notch on frequency domain indeed takes place.

Enhancement of Cognitive Processing by Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using Liquid Cooling Technology: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Leslie D.; Ku, Yu-Tsuan E.; Montgomery, Richard W.; Kliss, Mark (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Recent neuropsychological studies demonstrate that cognitive dysfunction is a common symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis. In many cases the presence of cognitive impairment affects the patient's daily activities to a greater extent than would be found due to their physical disability alone. Cognitive dysfunction can have a significant impact on the quality of life of both the patient and that of their primary caregiver. Two cognitively impaired male MS patients were given a visual discrimination task before and after a one hour cooling period. The subjects were presented a series of either red or blue circles or triangles. One of these combinations, or one fourth of the stimuli, was designated as the "target" presentation. EEG was recorded from 20 scalp electrodes using a Tracor Northern 7500 EEG/ERP system. Oral and ear temperatures were obtained and recorded manually every five minutes during the one hour cooling period. The EEG ERP signatures from each series of stimuli were analyzed in the energy density domain to determine the locus of neural activity at each EEG sampling time. The first subject's ear temperature did not decrease during the cooling period. It was actually elevated approximately 0.05 C by the end of the cooling period compared to his mean of control period value. In turn, Subject One's discrimination performance and cortical energy remained essentially the same after body cooling. In contrast, Subject Two's ear temperature decreased approx. 0.8 C during his cooling period. Subject Two's ERROR score decreased from 12 during the precooling control period to 2 after cooling. His ENERGY value increased approximately 300%, from a precooling value of approximately 200 to a postcooling value of nearly 600. These findings might be interpreted by the following three-part hypothesis: (1) the general cognitive impairment of MS patients may be a result of low or unfocused metabolic energy conversion in the cortex; (2) such differences show up most

The innovation process in a company supplying inputs for steel marketmetallurgical world market: a case study at Alpha S/A

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gleiciane Ferreira Botta

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research investigates and analyzes the innovation process in a mining company supplying inputs for the global steel-metallurgical market. The analysis model was structured into four categories originated in the innovation process as the assumptions by Davila et al. (2007, to know: (i strategic and innovation models, (ii factors that can influence the implementation of the innovation, (iii management systems and/or tools, (iv indicators, metrics and results. A qualitative research strategy was based on a study of a single case and three criteria were used to judge the quality of research: construct validity, external validity and reliability. Multiple sources of evidence were used (interviews, documents and observation and data analysis observed three stages namely: (a data reduction, (b display, or exposition of data, (c checking/ conclusions based on interferences from evidences or premise. The results confirmed the existence of an unstructured and informal innovation process meticulously described from four elements of the analysis model. The findings point to a strategy and innovation model still in early stages of maturity, as well as execution influenced by structural and socio-behavioral issues.

Transformation of tourist landscapes in mountain areas: Case studies from Slovakia

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Branislav Chrenka

2011-11-01

Full Text Available After two decades of deregulated free market economy the post-socialist rural mountain areas are being unprecedently commodified. Landscapes of tourist consumption with specific behaviour patterns are produced and reproduced. The paper explores how landscapes are transformed due to massive investments into tourist infrastructure with questionable impacts on quality of life and environmental sustainability. Power relations and related production of space are analysed in three case studies in the selected mountain areas in Slovakia. First, the Oščadnica case study reflects on rural landscape rapidly transformed by massive ski resort development and deforestation. Second, the Tále golf course development case study describes commodification and gentrification processes in Central Slovakia. Third, the High Tatras case study explores how power structures push on the transformation of the oldest and most visited National Park in Slovakia.

Building Maintenance Management in a Malaysian University Campus: A Case Study

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Olanrewaju Abdul Lateef

2010-07-01

Full Text Available University buildings require maintenance in order to create a conducive environment that supports and stimulates learning, teaching, innovation, and research. The prime objective of maintenance is to ensure, as far as practicable, the continued peak performance of the building throughout its design life. This paper seeks to report the maintenance management system of a university institution in Malaysia. Primary data was gathered through the analysis of a case study. The objectives of the case study are to identify, describe and assess the maintenance management system used by the university. The major conclusion drawn from the case study was that although university building maintenance practices are corrective and cyclical there is a lack of a comprehensive maintenance management framework that guides the decision-making processes. The case study also revealed irregularities in the university’s maintenance management system.

Systemic Case Formulation, Individualized Process Monitoring, and State Dynamics in a Case of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiepek, Günter K; Stöger-Schmidinger, Barbara; Aichhorn, Wolfgang; Schöller, Helmut; Aas, Benjamin

2016-01-01

Objective: The aim of this case report is to demonstrate the feasibility of a systemic procedure (synergetic process management) including modeling of the idiographic psychological system and continuous high-frequency monitoring of change dynamics in a case of dissociative identity disorder. The psychotherapy was realized in a day treatment center with a female client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and dissociative identity disorder. Methods: A three hour long co-creative session at the beginning of the treatment period allowed for modeling the systemic network of the client's dynamics of cognitions, emotions, and behavior. The components (variables) of this idiographic system model (ISM) were used to create items for an individualized process questionnaire for the client. The questionnaire was administered daily through an internet-based monitoring tool (Synergetic Navigation System, SNS), to capture the client's individual change process continuously throughout the therapy and after-care period. The resulting time series were reflected by therapist and client in therapeutic feedback sessions. Results: For the client it was important to see how the personality states dominating her daily life were represented by her idiographic system model and how the transitions between each state could be explained and understood by the activating and inhibiting relations between the cognitive-emotional components of that system. Continuous monitoring of her cognitions, emotions, and behavior via SNS allowed for identification of important triggers, dynamic patterns, and psychological mechanisms behind seemingly erratic state fluctuations. These insights enabled a change in management of the dynamics and an intensified trauma-focused therapy. Conclusion: By making use of the systemic case formulation technique and subsequent daily online monitoring, client and therapist continuously refer to detailed visualizations of the mental and behavioral network and

Systemic Case Formulation, Individualized Process Monitoring, and State Dynamics in a Case of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guenter Karl Schiepek

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Objective. The aim of this case report is to demonstrate the feasibility of a systemic procedure (synergetic process management including modeling of the idiographic psychological system and continuous high-frequency monitoring of change dynamics in a case of dissociative identity disorder. The psychotherapy was realized in a day treatment center with a female client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD and dissociative identity disorder. Methods. A three hour long co-creative session at the beginning of the treatment period allowed for modeling the systemic network of the client’s dynamics of cognitions, emotions, and behavior. The components (variables of this idiographic system model (ISM were used to create items for an individualized process questionnaire for the client. The questionnaire was administered daily through an internet-based monitoring tool (Synergetic Navigation System, SNS, to capture the client’s individual change process continuously throughout the therapy and after-care period. The resulting time series were reflected by therapist and client in therapeutic feedback sessions. Results. For the client it was important to see how the personality states dominating her daily life were represented by her idiographic system model and how the transitions between each state could be explained and understood by the activating and inhibiting relations between the cognitive-emotional components of that system. Continuous monitoring of her cognitions, emotions, and behavior via SNS allowed for identification of important triggers, dynamic patterns, and psychological mechanisms behind seemingly erratic state fluctuations. These insights enabled a change in management of the dynamics and an intensified trauma-focused therapy. Conclusion. By making use of the systemic case formulation technique and subsequent daily online monitoring, client and therapist continuously refer to detailed visualizations of the mental and

Case Study: Mini-Case Studies: Small Infusions of Active Learning for Large-Lecture Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Carloye, Lisa

2017-01-01

In this article, the author introduces the usage of case studies to be an excellent method for engaging students through stories. The author notes she developed a series of mini-case studies that can be implemented, with a little advance preparation, within a 10- to 15-minute window during lecture. What makes them "mini" case studies?…

Customer complaints as a source of customer-focused process improvement: A constructive case study

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Uusitalo, K.,

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Process-based thinking commonly focuses on enhancing the efficiency of processes, while it is often criticized for not paying enough attention to the customer. This paper argues that customer complaint information can be used as a basis for customer-focused process improvement. Thus, it is not enough to make the complaining customer satisfied, but the complaint information should also feed back to the actual processes where the fault causing the complaint arose and where it can be removed. The empirical component of the study includes the development of a novel construction to utilize customer complaints for process improvements, which was implemented in a large Finnish enterprise operating in the wholesale logistics environment. The results show benefits at both operational and strategic levels.

Technological innovation and convergent journalism. Case study on the transformation process of Bavaria’s public broadcasting service

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Klaus MEIER

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As a consequence of technological innovations and their social utilisation, media organisations and newsrooms are undergoing a fundamental transformation process. This article analyses the interrelations between technological innovations and the challenges of convergent journalism. Studies conducted on newsroom convergence to date set out from one-sided influences: They investigated the extent to which technical innovations determine the newsrooms, or whether journalistic structures and long-range trends are so strong as to largely obstruct the adoption of new technologies in journalism. Therefore technology — especially in studies carried out on newsroom convergence — is considered as an influencing factor on somehow resisting or non-resisting newsrooms. We broaden the scope of this investigation by considering that any such influence might not come exclusively from technology, but that impulses can come also from innovative newsrooms: technological gaps, wishes and obstacles are identified from the journalist's viewpoint and brought to the attention of the developers of newsroom technologies — on the basis of empirical research findings from a case study of Bavaria’s public broadcasting service, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR. With its 5.000 employees, BR is one of Germany's largest media organisations. It is undergoing a fundamental and long-term convergence process. A variety of gaps, problems and wishes came to light from 25 in-depth interviews with journalists working on innovative projects. For example, criticism is expressed of complicated, partly unknown or non-existent networking of cross-media production systems. There is a desire for the increased use of consumer devices like smartphones in professional news production. There exists a creative potential for innovative solutions, but these are not comprehensively evaluated. To date, there has been no systematic implementation of the findings of innovative media projects in everyday

The Role of Information Systems and Technology in Case Management: a case study in health and welfare insurance

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Helen Richardson

2003-05-01

Full Text Available This study reports the role of information system and technology (IST in supporting case management at the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC of New Zealand. Case management is a managerial approach that seeks to gain improved business performance by enhancing both employee and customer satisfaction. Despite millions of dollars spent annually by health, social, and insurance agencies in automating case management, little research has been conducted into the role of IST in this practice. The findings of this study show that for ACC, IST’s most valuable role is enhancing the relationship between client and case manager rather than replacing it for, even after the addition of IST, the most valuable knowledge continues to accrue from the face to face interaction of client and case manager. The findings also show two distinct phases to the development of case managers as knowledge workers. The first phase focuses on control of the processes and the second on the delivery and sharing of information resources.

BioFleet case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

These six case studies examined the use of different biodiesel blends as fuel supply sources for businesses in British Columbia (BC). In the first case study, 6 municipalities participated in a pilot program designed to compare the performance of biodiesel and diesel fuels. Each municipality operated 2 base vehicles running on conventional diesel along with 2 similar vehicles which used biodiesel. Real time emissions tests and analyses of the vehicles using biodiesel were also conducted by 2 of the participating municipalities. All municipalities participating in the study agreed to purchase significant volumes of biodiesel. The second case study described a pilot study conducted by the City of Vancouver's equipment services branch in 2004. As a result of the study, the city now has over 530 types of equipment that use biodiesel. The third case study described a program designed by TSI Terminals in Vancouver to assess the emission reduction impact of using biodiesel at its port facility. Six different pieces of equipment were used to confirm that biodiesel could be used throughout the terminal. Test results confirmed that biodiesel blends could be used to reduce emissions. Overall emissions were reduced by 30 per cent. The fourth case study described a waste renderer that used a fleet of 36 trucks to deliver raw products to its plants. The company made the decision to use only biodiesel for its entire fleet of trucks. Since July 2005, the company has logged over 1.7 million km using biodiesel blends. The fifth case study described a salmon hatchery that switched from diesel to biodiesel in order to reduce emissions. The biodiesel blends are used to fuel the hatchery's 2 diesel generators. The hatchery has reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by an estimated 1800 tonnes annually. The sixth case study described how the Township of Langley has started using biodiesel for its entire fleet of of approximately 250 pieces of equipment. The township has not

Addressing the multi-scale lapsus of landscape : multi-scale landscape process modelling to support sustainable land use : a case study for the Lower Guadalhorce valley South Spain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schoorl, J.M.

2002-01-01

"Addressing the Multi-scale Lapsus of Landscape" with the sub-title "Multi-scale landscape process modelling to support sustainable land use: A case study for the Lower Guadalhorce valley South Spain" focuses on the role of