Lab Survey Research Articles

An investigation on the information systems research in supply chain management: an analysis of research topic and methodology

This study is designed to investigate the present status of information system (IS) research in relation to supply chain management (SCM) in order to provide how IS in SCM research is likely to develop in the near future. We attempted to investigate the existing literature about information systems in the fields of SCM that were selected from 91 journal articles published between 2006 and 2010, including the database of ScienceDirect. As a result, we found the current trend and future direction of research with the most popular research topics and methodologies were in the articles. The most frequent research keywords appeared in the sample articles are the characteristics and goals of supply chain, inventory, and the methods of data collection and analysis. And the major research methods in empirical research strategy are a lab experiment and survey. In addition, we found that the topics of research associated with IS in SCM are diversified, while the research methods are limited because of the lack of theoretical stance and qualitative study. Therefore, future research needs to focus on how or why question research which employs qualitative method to find the underlying theoretical mechanism. We conducted this research to determine the direction of future research in this field and such a direction would be helpful to suggest how it be further conducted. Our understanding of the ongoing issues discussed on current IS papers in the field of SCM will be beneficial for both academic and practical purposes.

Home testing and monitoring devices: A description of an interactive lab experience

ObjectiveAn interactive laboratory experience was designed to improve perceived student knowledge and confidence when recommending and educating patients about home testing products. MethodsTwenty-two small groups of students were assigned to 1 of 11 stations and afforded 30minutes to evaluate home testing products. One student was assigned to teach the class what was learned, which included what the product measures, the process by which the test produces a result, what might interfere with the test result, and how a patient should be taught to use the home test. A patient case scenario was also discussed, and selected case questions required audience response. Students completed a pre- and post-laboratory experience survey (5-point Likert scale) to determine if they felt useful and applicable information was learned, if the utilized format enhanced their learning, and if their confidence in recommending and educating patients about home testing products improved. ResultsTwo hundred twenty-two students (88%) completed the survey prior to the home testing interactive experience, where 211 (84%) completed the post-survey. All post-survey results significantly improved when compared to results obtained from the pre-interactive lab survey, [median response 4 (IQR 4–5)]. More than two-thirds (77%) of students felt the laboratory format enhanced perceived knowledge and confidence in their ability to apply product information. ConclusionThis innovative learning activity is an effective teaching strategy that improves students' perceived knowledge of home testing products and perceived confidence in their applying learned information to patient case scenarios.

Distance to northern high-latitude HI shells

A detailed 3D distribution of interstellar matter in the solar neighborhood is increasingly necessary. As part of a 3D mapping program, we aim at assigning a precise distance to the high-latitude HI gas in particular the northern part (b \geq 55^{circ}) of the shell associated with the conspicuous radio continuum Loop I. This shell is thought to be the expanding boundary of an interstellar bubble inflated and recently reheated by the strong stellar winds of the nearby Scorpius-Centaurus OB. We recorded high-resolution spectra of 30 A-type target stars located at various distances in the direction of the northern part of Loop I. Interstellar NaI 5889-5895 and CaII K-H 3934-3968 {\AA} are modeled and compared with the HI emission spectra from the LAB Survey. About two-thirds of our stellar spectra possess narrow interstellar lines. Narrow lines are located at the velocity of the main, low-velocity Loop 1 HI shell ([-6,+1] km/s in the LSR). Using Hipparcos distances to the target stars, we show that the closest boundary of the b geq+70^{\circ} part of this low-velocity Loop I arch is located at of 98 \pm 6 pc. The corresponding interval for the lower-latitude part (55^{\circ} \leq b \leq 70^{\circ}) is 95-157 pc. However, since the two structures are apparently connected, the lower limit is more likely. At variance with this shell, the second HI structure, which is characterized by LSR Doppler velocities centered at -30 km/s, is NOT detected in any of the optical spectra. It is located beyond 200 parsecs or totally depleted in NaI and CaII. We discuss these results in the light of spherical expanding shells and show that they are difficult to reconcile with simple geometries and a nearby shell center close to the Plane. Instead, this high-latitude gas seems to extend the inclined local chimney wall to high distances from the Plane.

On the conservation of archaeological heritage: the case of the mural paintings in the cellars of Şerban Vodă Inn

"Following the discovery of mural paintings in Şerban Vodă Han cellars, it seems that we can refer to a new kind of medieval images meant to protect and decorate the place: cellar icons. Given the way they were presented to the public by the authors of the archaeological explorations in 2007-2009, the three fragments of mural painting miraculously surviving in the ruins of the southern side of the Royal Han included two representations of Saint Nicholas and one Dormition of the Mother of God. Th e three icons disappeared from their initial place before being adequately researched. If the in situ study can be replaced by the photo evidence, if the lab survey can still use some small fragments recovered after the destruction of the Dormition of the Mother of God icon, other details which could have supported the date of the mural paintings are lost for ever. Th ey include graphites, often ignored, even if it refers to the conservation and restoration of a historical monument. In our case, we would have lost any information about the existence of graphites unless a closer examination of the photographic records to recompose the extracted fragments of Saint Nicholas icon would have allowed the discovery of a graphite including the year 7264 (1756). "

SCAI launches quality improvement toolkit (SCAI‐QIT)

For several decades, SCAI has been the leader among cardiovascular professional societies in promoting quality outcomes in catheterization laboratories. The Cath Lab Survey Committee is, and has been, a very powerful tool applied very selectively to relatively few sites. My goal is to promote a much broader, grassroots approach to improving quality in catheterization laboratories across the country. The Quality Improvement Committee worked behind the scenes to develop and launch the SCAI Quality Improvement Toolkit (SCAI-QIT) at the Annual Scientific Sessions in Baltimore this May. As I approached my Presidential year, I chose to focus on the ability of this “grassroots” approach to develop, implement and measure the impact of the SCAI-QIT. Our goal is to recruit a cadre of “Quality Champions”: SCAI members who volunteer to champion quality improvement in their local hospitals. With the assistance and support of the Quality Improvement Committee, these local SCAI member-volunteers will be the “tip of the spear.” They will enable their local cardiac catheterization laboratories to implement specific quality improvement programs. SCAI will provide them with practical tools and resources (e.g., slidesets, handouts, checklists) to bolster quality improvement for their catheterization laboratories. Our overall goal is to demonstrate a measurable impact on the national Quality of Care in the catheterization laboratories that participate in the SCAI-QIT program. Initially, we will focus on “process improvement”—for example, greater frequency of biomarker surveillance following PCI, or institution of a monthly peer review conference. Subsequently, our focus will evolve to impact clinical outcomes, which directly reflect the quality of the invasive and interventional practice of cardiology. We have talked for a number of years about the need for interventionalists to “own” the quality improvement process in the catheterization laboratory. If physicians stand on the sidelines and do not actively participate in their local quality programs, then we are inviting government bureaucrats to fill this void. Clinicians know best how to care for patients, and clinicians understand how best to achieve and ensure the good outcomes their patients expect. SCAI's Quality Improvement Toolkit offers a unique opportunity for SCAI members to demonstrate their commitment to improving quality of care and to reassure our patients that their expectations of receiving the highest quality of care in the catheterization laboratory are being met. It's time for you to get involved. It's time for you to get to work. We can't wait for “somebody else” to do this for us. It's time to stop talking and start doing something about your local hospital's catheterization laboratory quality programs. Become an SCAI Quality Champion. It's not too late. Check out the website, www.SCAI.org/QIT and download the free toolkit. SCAI will continue to support you and all of the local Quality Champions with webinars and other support services to ensure your success. One year from now, we will have measured the successful implementation of quality programs across the nation. We need you to help SCAI demonstrate how successful we were in driving a quality program. Sign up today at www.SCAI.org/QIT. Your feedback and ideas would be appreciated. Please e-mail them to [email protected] The SCAI Quality Improvement Toolkit was developed with support from Daiichi Sankyo Lilly. The Society gratefully acknowledges this support, while taking sole responsibility for all content developed and disseminated through this effort.

The corotation gap in the Galactic H i distribution

We used the H i data from the LAB Survey to map the ring-shaped gap in H i density that lies slightly outside the solar circle. Adopting R0= 7.5 kpc, we find an average gap radius of 8.3 kpc and an average gap width of 0.8 kpc. The characteristics of the H i gap correspond closely to the expected ones, as predicted by theory and by numerical simulations of the gas flow near the corotation resonance.

THE MILKY WAY'S DARK MATTER HALO APPEARS TO BE LOPSIDED

The atomic hydrogen gas (HI) disk in the outer region (beyond ~10 kpc from the centre) of Milky Way can provide valuable information about the structure of the dark matter halo. The recent 3-D thickness map of the outer HI disk from the all sky 21-cm line LAB survey, gives us a unique opportunity to investigate the structure of the dark matter halo of Milky Way in great detail. A striking feature of this new survey is the North-South asymmetry in the thickness map of the atomic hydrogen gas. Assuming vertical hydrostatic equilibrium under the total potential of the Galaxy, we derive the model thickness map of the HI gas. We show that simple axisymmetric halo models, such as softened isothermal halo (producing a flat rotation curve with V_c ~ 220 km/s) or any halo with density falling faster than the isothermal one, are not able to explain the observed radial variation of the gas thickness. We also show that such axisymmetric halos along with different HI velocity dispersion in the two halves, cannot explain the observed asymmetry in the thickness map. Amongst the non-axisymmetric models, it is shown that a purely lopsided (m=1, first harmonic) dark matter halo with reasonable HI velocity dispersion fails to explain the North-South asymmetry satisfactorily. However, we show that by superposing a second harmonic (m=2) out of phase onto a purely lopsided halo e.g. our best fit and more acceptable model A (with parameters \epsilon_{h}^{1}=0.2, \epsilon_{h}^{2}=0.18 and \sigma_{HI}=8.5 km/s) can provide an excellent fit to the observation and reproduce the North-South asymmetry naturally. The emerging picture of the asymmetric dark matter halo is supported by the \Lambda CDM halos formed in the cosmological N-body simulation.

The Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) Survey of Galactic HI

We present the final data release of observations of lambda 21-cm emission from Galactic neutral hydrogen over the entire sky, merging the Leiden/Dwingeloo Survey (LDS: Hartmann & Burton, 1997) of the sky north of delta = -30 deg with the Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia Survey (IAR: Arnal et al., 2000, and Bajaja et al., 2005) of the sky south of delta = -25 deg. The angular resolution of the combined material is HPBW ~ 0.6 deg. The LSR velocity coverage spans the interval -450 km/s to +400 km/s, at a resolution of 1.3 km/s. The data were corrected for stray radiation at the Institute for Radioastronomy of the University of Bonn, refining the original correction applied to the LDS. The rms brightness-temperature noise of the merged database is 0.07 - 0.09 K. Residual errors in the profile wings due to defects in the correction for stray radiation are for most of the data below a level of 20 - 40 mK. It would be necessary to construct a telescope with a main beam efficiency of eta_{MB} > 99% to achieve the same accuracy. The merged and refined material entering the LAB Survey of Galactic HI is intended to be a general resource useful to a wide range of studies of the physical and structural characteristices of the Galactic interstellar environment. The LAB Survey is the most sensitive Milky Way HI survey to date, with the most extensive coverage both spatially and kinematically.

Structure and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. An Experiment for the General Chemistry Laboratory

We have developed an experiment that introduces freshman chemistry students to NMR. Students are trained to work on the instrument, analyze 1H and 13C spectra, and identify simple organic molecules. They are also introduced to the idea of functional groups and they use concepts learned in class about Lewis structures to distinguish among spectra of isomers of C3H8O. As part of this exercise students submit written reports and complete a survey evaluating the experiment. The lab experiment, survey results, and findings are presented.