Second Area Of Research Research Articles

Scientific approaches to determining the economic growth of an enterprise

The article presents the results of a study of interdisciplinary issues related to the definition of economic growth of an enterprise. The relevance of this study is due to the fact that in scientific publications characterizing the economic aspects of organizational growth, scholars do not specify what growth is meant. Such circumstances significantly blur the contours of research. In order to organize the scientific work on determining the economic growth of an enterprise, the author identifies two principal areas of research – functional and capital. The functional direction is inherent in most publications that focus on strategy and business management. The main idea of such studies is that growth is considered as an external form of development, demonstrating the presence of signs of system development based on the positive dynamics of its target parameters, including economic ones. The content of economic growth of an enterprise within the functional area is clarified through the prism of interrelated categories, such as organizational capacity, development goals, quality of economic growth, strategies and potential of enterprise development. The second area of research on the economics of organizational growth, the capital one, defines the phenomenon under study in the context of the modern provisions of the theory of enterprise capital and economic value. The economic logic of organizational growth is presented as an organic integrity of processes, relations and results of capital formation. And the essence of economic growth is interpreted as the positive dynamics of organizational value, which is a consequence of the processes of capital formation at the enterprise, which take place in an objective and incorporated space on the basis of interaction and relationships of differentiated types of capital. The development of the capital direction of the study of economic growth allows to substantiate both the parametric and criterion base for its identification and evaluation, and to consider economic ways to ensure the achievement of value results of organizational development.

Financial and Risk Management Analysis of the Education Sector in Southeast Texas During Hurricane Harvey

A well-developed education system is important for local economic growth. Without an educated and skilled labor force, local economic growth is almost impossible. This is one of the reasons why the education sector has the support and attention of various public and private stakeholders. Risks and interruptions of activities of educational institutions can have long-term effects on this sector and on the economy in general. Natural disasters are frequent in Southeast Texas and can have the potential to disrupt normal activities of schools and colleges including the financial sustainability of educational institutions. This study analyzes how risks were managed during natural disasters in the education sector of Southeast Texas. The second area of research focuses on understanding the financial resiliency and recovery of educational institutions in this region.

Semantics and Ideography of Dostoevsky's Handwritten Text: from Handwriting to Meaning

The paper analyzes the material from two workbooks (1864–1867) that belonged to Feodor Dostoevsky (Russian State Archive of Literature and Art. Collection 212, inventory 1, storage units 4 and 5). The research was conducted in three main areas: selection of information for the letter style alphabet; comparative analysis of sources (manuscripts and publications of handwritten text) for the purpose of identifying and correcting errors in its reading; a review of calligraphy and graphics of Feodor Dostoevsky. The alphabet of letter styles allows to establish typical and atypical letter styles in the handwriting of Feodor Dostoevsky. This made it possible to compile a classification of letters, describe their features, and use this information in the study of difficult-to-read and previously undecipherable records. The latter may contain valuable information that allows to clarify the facts in the creative history of the works of Feodor Dostoevsky, biographical information, chronology of the creative process, and so on. The second area of research includes the comparative analysis of manuscript sources and their published versions — is of particular value for ascertaining the original author's text and eliminating the inaccuracies of research interpretations that often appear in the process of manuscript publishing. There is a direct connection between these areas of analysis — the letter style alphabet is a tool that allows to read the handwritten text more accurately and correct the mistakes of the publishers. The third direction, dedicated to the study of calligraphy, expands the range of tasks related to the study of graphics in the writer's texts and allows to draw preliminary conclusions about the nature of its function in the handwritten text. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the systematization of data on the writer's handwriting in manuscripts of the specified period, on the features of his creative work, and in correcting the errors made by publishers of handwritten materials and restoring the true meaning of the author's notes. The practical value of the work consists in collecting information about the writer's handwriting, which is relevant for the textual analysis of his works, publication of his texts, and use of the collected information for subsequent scientific work.

In vitro synergy testing of prodigiosin in combination with inhibitors of cell wall synthesis against Mycobacterium smegmatis

The cell wall is not a target of currently used therapeutics as Mycobacterium are considered naturally resistant to most β-lactam antibiotics. Therefore, combinations of conventional antibiotics with antibiotic activity-enhancing compounds offer a productive treatment strategy and address the widespread emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. The first area of research was the study of a comparative analysis of disk diffusion testing and the broth dilution method for evaluating the susceptibility of M. smegmatis to antimicrobial agents. A comparative analysis of the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents alone showed that M. smegmatis was the most susceptible to ceftriaxone and kanamycin, and moderately sensitive to vancomycin and prodigiosin. Compared to the susceptibility of the antibacterial combinations, the isolate was not susceptible to antibacterial combinations with prodigiosin in disk diffusion testing. The second area of research was the study of the synergic activity of prodigiosin of S. marcescens and inhibitors of cell wall synthesis manifested by their simultaneous effect on M. smegmatis. The greatest increase in the sensitivity of test-culture of mycobacteria occurred with ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, cephazolin and ceftriaxone in combination with prodigiosin of S. marcescens. The presented combination of antibiotics and prodigiosin reduce the required concentration of the antibiotic and by amplifying the effect of compounds inhibiting cell wall synthesis, thereby giving lower FICI values. These data indicate the possibility of using prodigiosin as a promising candidate for the development of "accompaniment-preparations" for antibiotics for the additional therapy of infectious diseases caused by Mycobacterium spp. and can suspend the likelihood of developing resistance to antibiotics.
 The cell wall is not a target of currently used therapeutics as Mycobacterium are considered naturally resistant to most β-lactam antibiotics. Therefore, combinations of conventional antibiotics with antibiotic activity-enhancing compounds offer a productive treatment strategy and address the widespread emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. The first area of research was the study of a comparative analysis of disk diffusion testing and the broth dilution method for evaluating the susceptibility of M. smegmatis to antimicrobial agents. A comparative analysis of the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents alone showed that M. smegmatis was the most susceptible to ceftriaxone and kanamycin, and moderately sensitive to vancomycin and prodigiosin. Compared to the susceptibility of the antibacterial combinations, the isolate was not susceptible to antibacterial combinations with prodigiosin in disk diffusion testing. The second area of research was the study of the synergic activity of prodigiosin of S. marcescens and inhibitors of cell wall synthesis manifested by their simultaneous effect on M. smegmatis. The greatest increase in the sensitivity of test-culture of mycobacteria occurred with ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, cephazolin and ceftriaxone in combination with prodigiosin of S. marcescens. The presented combination of antibiotics and prodigiosin reduce the required concentration of the antibiotic and by amplifying the effect of compounds inhibiting cell wall synthesis, thereby giving lower FICI values. These data indicate the possibility of using prodigiosin as a promising candidate for the development of "accompaniment-preparations" for antibiotics for the additional therapy of infectious diseases caused by Mycobacterium spp. and can suspend the likelihood of developing resistance to antibiotics.

Synergistic activity of filtrates of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Saccharomyces boulardii and antibacterial preparations against Corynebacterium spp.

We present the results of the first study of the combined influence of the biologically active substances Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 and Saccharomyces boulardii, obtained by the author’s method, and antibacterial agents on Corynebacterium spp. The first area of research was the study of increasing the sensitivity of toxigenic microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs due to the consecutive effects of the structural components and metabolites of L. rhamnosus GG and S. boulardii and antibacterial drugs on Corynebacterium spp. tox+. The greatest increase in the sensitivity of test-cultures of corynebacteria to penicillin (by 19.4 mm), imipenem (by 15.0 mm), vancomycin (by 12.0 mm), gentamicin (by 11.0 mm), ciprofloxacin (by 9.8 mm), erythromycin (by 9.6 mm), cefotaxime (by 9.5 mm) occurred due to the products of lactobacteria and a combination of metabolites of lactobacteria and saccharomycetes. The second area of research was the study of the synergic activity of substances L. rhamnosus GG and S. boulardii and traditional antibacterial drugs manifested by their simultaneous effect on Corynebacterium spp. Maximum potentiation of azithromycin (by 4.6 mm), erythromycin (by 4.5 mm), cefotaxime (by 2.2 mm), ceftriaxone (by 1.6 mm) and ampicillin (by 1.0 mm) relative to corynebacteria was also observed under the influence of lactobacteria metabolites and a combination of lactobacteria and saccharomycetes metabolites. Different degrees of manifestation of the combined action of biologically active substances L. rhamnosus GG and S. boulardii with antibiotics were determined, which depended on the selected combinations, the method of influence on the microorganism, the individual sensitivity of the test-cultures, the activity of the test filtrates and the initial concentration of the producers used to obtain the products of vital activity of lactobacteria and saccharomyces. The presented complexes of structural components and metabolites of L. rhamnosus GG and S. boulardii, obtained without the use of traditional nutrient media, by increasing the bioavailability of pathogenic pathogens can reduce the required concentration of the antibiotic, continuing their use, and suspend the likelihood of pathogens developing resistance to microorganisms. This makes them promising candidates both for the development of "accompaniment-preparations" for antibiotics for the additional therapy of infectious diseases of different etiology, and for the creation of a new direction of antimicrobial agents with multifunctional capabilities. Synergistic activity of filtrates L. rhamnosus GG and S. boulardii and antibacterial preparations against Corynebacterium spp.

Globalization Across the Disciplines: A Comparison of the Teaching of Globalization in Commerce and Global Development Studies at Queen’s University

It is often said that we are living in the "age of globalization." This research questions what is meant by this statement. The inquiry is divided into two areas of research. The first part is a review of the academic literature on globalization. Globalization was found to be a term used across a wide variety of disciplines. However, there is no consensus between the disciplines on what exactly the term encompasses. This led to the second area of research: Investigation of the teaching of globalization at Queen's University. For the scope of the research, undergraduate Commerce and Global Development Studies students were chosen. Students from either discipline filled out a survey on globalization and how it is taught at Queen'sUniversity. The results strongly indicated that the students in Commerce and Global Development Studies had very difference conceptions of globalization and were taught about it very differently. The larger implications for what the research findings suggest are discussed University and beyond, while also acknowledging the limitations of the scale of the research. The inquiry concludes with suggestions for moving forward, including further research and alterations to the teaching of globalization at Queen's.

Treasure Your Exceptions: An Interview with 2017 George Beadle Award Recipient Susan A. Gerbi.

THE Genetics Society of America's (GSA) George W. Beadle Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers and who exemplify the qualities of its namesake. The 2017 recipient is Susan A. Gerbi, who has been a prominent leader and advocate for the scientific community. In the course of her research on DNA replication, Gerbi helped develop the method of Replication Initiation Point (RIP) mapping to map replication origins at the nucleotide level, improving resolution by two orders of magnitude. RIP mapping also provides the basis for the now popular use of λ-exonuclease to enrich nascent DNA to map replication origins genome-wide. Gerbi's second area of research on ribosomal RNA revealed a conserved core secondary structure, as well as conserved nucleotide elements (CNEs). Some CNEs are universally conserved, while other CNEs are conserved in all eukaryotes but not in archaea or bacteria, suggesting a eukaryotic function. Intriguingly, the majority of the eukaryotic-specific CNEs line the tunnel of the large ribosomal subunit through which the nascent polypeptide exits. Gerbi has promoted the fly Sciara coprophila as a model organism ever since she used its enormous polytene chromosomes to help develop the method of in situ hybridization during her Ph.D. research in Joe Gall's laboratory. The Gerbi laboratory maintains the Sciara International Stock Center and manages its future, actively spreading Sciara stocks to other laboratories. Gerbi has also served in many leadership roles, working on issues of science policy, women in science, scientific training, and career preparation. This is an abridged version of the interview. The full interview is available on the Genes to Genomes blog, at genestogenomes.org/gerbi.

A Report on the International Conference on Chinese Baojuan (Precious Scrolls), Yangzhou, China, 2014

A REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHINESE BAOJUAN (PRECIOUS SCROLLS), YANGZHOU, CHINA, 2014 ROSTISLAV BEREZKIN Fudan University The International Conference on Research on Chinese Baojuan [Precious Scrolls] (Zhongguo baojuan guoji yanjiu hui 中國寶卷國際研究會) took place on October 17–18, 2014, at Yangzhou University. The main purpose of this conference was to commemorate the achievements of Che Xilun 車錫倫 (1937–), Professor Emeritus of Yangzhou University, who started to study baojuan literature in the 1980s. Che Xilun is the author of what is currently the most complete catalogue of baojuan texts (latest edition is 2000)1 and a collection of articles about the history and present state of baojuan literature (2009)2 that received prestigious Chinese prizes. To my knowledge, it was the first conference devoted specifically to the study of baojuan either in China or abroad. At the same time it was combined with the annual meeting of the Chinese Association for the Study of Popular Literature (Zhongguo suwenxue xuehui 中國俗 文學學會), which also fitted well the scholarly activities of Che Xilun, who has also studied other genres of Chinese prosimetric literature, drama, and folklore. Because of this added feature, the conference alsoattracted the attention of several Chinese scholars who were not specifically engaged in research on baojuan. There were thirty-two papers presented at the conference by scholars from mainland China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and Russia. The papers were printed up and distributed in a bound volume at the conference. In this short note I do not intend to discuss all of them, but would like to introduce the most interesting of them. The papers presented at this conference can be grouped into four parts according to their contents: 1) overview of the history of Chinese and foreign studies of baojuan; 2) baojuan collections outside China; 3) discussion of particular baojuan texts and their place in the history of Chinese literature (including connections with other literary genres), and 4) the results of fieldwork research on modern baojuan performances, known mainly as scroll recitation (xuanjuan 宣卷). In the first of these four categories we should definitely note the article by Wilt L. Idema (Harvard University) on English-language studies of baojuan. It is an expanded version of an article originally printed in this journal (volume 31 1 Zhongguo baojuan zongmu (Comprehensive catalog of the baojuan of China; Beijing: Beijing Yanshan, 2000). 2 Zhongguo baojuan yanjiu (Research on Chinese baojuan; Guilin: Guangxi shifan daxue, 2009). CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature 34. 2 (December 2015): 169–173© The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc. 2015 DOI 10.1080/01937774.2015.1096560 [2012]), and translated into Chinese by his Ph.D. student Sun Xiaosu 孫曉蘇 (Harvard University). Idema’s article represents a complete annotated list of baojuan studies in the West. Chen Anmei 陳安梅 (Yangzhou University) presented an overview of Japanese collections of baojuan and related research; though she herself is not a specialist in this genre, she completed a quite good survey of Japanese studies of the genre, starting with the 1930s and continuing to the present time. Her catalogue of baojuan texts in Japanese collections, although not complete and mainly based on materials already available in print, still provides quite a good picture of Japanese collections. Guan Jiazheng’s 關家錚 (Shandong University) paper dealt with the earliest period of baojuan studies in China (1930s–1940s), when several scholars of Chinese literature published newspaper articles, many containing lists of baojuan texts in circulation in China at that time. There was also an overview article by Qiu Huiying 丘慧瑩 (Zhanghua Normal University) on the quite numerous Taiwanese studies of baojuan. These works were successful in presenting quite a complete picture of baojuan studies all over the world. As for the second area of research, several articles introduced a number of rare manuscript and printed copies of baojuan texts held only in overseas collections and not recorded in Che’s catalogue, thus contributing to the creation of a more complete inventory of these texts. Cui Yunhua 崔蘊華 (Chinese University of Political Science and Law, Beijing) offered up an article about the collection of printed baojuan texts held by Oxford University, which partially reflects the situation with the collecting of baojuan in the U.K...

Educational Research: The Challenge of Using an Academic Discipline

Background/Context In 2010, I was invited to give the annual lecture that honors Lawrence Cremin, the historian of American education who became the seventh president of Teachers College, Columbia University. To pay tribute to the way in which Cremin used an academic discipline to bring rigor and depth to educational research, I described my own use of an academic discipline—linguistics and its varied tools of discourse analysis—in conducting research at the College. Focus of Research I focused on two major areas of research: (a) ethnocultural variation in processing spatio-temporal information in languages throughout the world and (b) children's interaction with multiple-choice tests of reading comprehension, with particular attention to the ways in which their ethnocultural background affects how they respond. Research Design and Findings The first area of research used experimental methods developed by a research team that I directed. The major finding was that distinctive patterns of processing spatiotemporal information by speakers of African languages (e.g., Hausa) and Asian languages (e.g., Chinese) are preserved when African Americans and Chinese Americans speak English in the Western hemisphere. In addition to ethnocultural identity, our research team uncovered other factors such as age and gender that are reflected in the preservation of these patterns. I draw on the model structured heterogeneity (Herzog, Weinrich, & Labov, 1968) to show that what may appear to be random variation in language use can be accounted for by attending to sociocultural factors. The second area of research used quantitative methods (experimental probes) and qualitative methods (interviews). Our major finding was that children, especially African Americans who live in the inner city, often make inferences when responding to a multiple-choice task, which, although stimulated by features in the test item, lead them to select a choice, which, given the test makers’ highly restricted model of literacy, cannot be justified. Our research team drew on the model ethnography of communication (Hymes, 1962) in identifying the contrasting interpretive norms used by test makers and test takers. We then developed a model grounded constructivism (Hill, 2004) that was used to build an alternative approach to assessment in which children respond to an integrated set of tasks that call for three different kinds of response: factual, inferential, and experiential. Recommendations An academic discipline can provide greater depth and rigor in educational research, but those who draw on one must seek, much like Lawrence Cremin, to make their research intelligible to an informed public concerned with educational policy.

Ezatollah Raeisi: Iran’s foremost professor of hydrogeology

The contribution of scientists born in Iran to both hydrological and hydrogeological sciences is substantial. However, one can call Prof. Ezatollah (Ezzat) Raeisi (pictured in Fig. 1), from Shiraz University, the father of groundwater hydrology in the country. He was born in 1944 in Ardekan, a small city in Fars province in southern Iran. With the exception of his PhD study, which was at Colorado State University, Fort Collins (USA), and a short period at Iran’s Scientific Research Centre, Prof. Raeisi has spent his entire academic career of 46 years, continuing to the present, at Shiraz University. Prof. Raeisi spent his periods of sabbatical leave, about nine months each, as visiting professor at the Mississippi State University (1995–1996) and the Western Kentucky University (2003–2004) in the USA. Similar to many high-profile hydrogeologists such as P. Witherspoon and W. B. White from the USA, Prof. Raeisi did not study geology as an undergraduate student. He completed his BSc (in 1968) and MSc (in 1970) in irrigation sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University; then he switched to hydrology for his PhD studies at Colorado State University. This is why his first papers appeared in agricultural journals (e.g. Sepaskhah and Raeisi 1978). In 1984, he was employed as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences of Shiraz University; after 12 years he was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1996. In this institution, Prof. Raeisi formed a solid hydrogeology team and developed the curriculum for MSc and PhD studies in this field. He founded the MSc program in hydrogeology in 1988 and the PhD program in 1998. He has, so far, supervised more than 40 MSc and PhD students, a very valuable side-product of his extensive research career. His former students are now faculty members of a number of Iranian universities—e.g. Shahrood University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University (Tehran), Tarbiat Moallem University (Tehran)—and senior research officers of consulting companies and government departments, and some are working in foreign countries in their field of expertise. Prof. Raeisi is a rather practical fellow. He has carried out countless research and consultancy projects. Excluding recently awarded grants, he has been successful in attracting funds for 13 large projects. The economic value of these grants is very high, especially when considering the economic situation and the low per capita gross domestic product for Iran (International Monetary Fund 2009). During his academic career, Prof. Raeisi has mainly focused on three different fields. Karst hydrogeology, especially around dam sites, is the first field which has been explored by Prof. Raeisi and his team (e.g. Raeisi et al. 1996; Ashjari and Raeisi 2006; Mohammadi et al. 2007a). Along these lines, one of his latest publications discusses the calculation of groundwater storage in karst aquifers with various types of boundaries without the need to drill boreholes (Raeisi 2008). Dye tracing for detection of leakage from dams forms his second area of research— note that Iran is said to rank among the first countries in the world in the field of dam construction (Khorasanizadeh 2008). In this regard, he has applied some basic research results to evaluate water tightness in several dam reservoirs in karstic regions (e.g. Mohammadi and Raeisi 2007; Mohammadi et al. 2007b, c; Karimi et al. 2007). Evaluation of karst springs based on the water-chemical composition and application of artificial tracers, as a way to understand groundwater behavior in karst regions, forms the third portion of Prof. Raeisi’s research (e.g. Raeisi and Karami 1997; Raeisi et al. 1999; Karimi et al. 2005). This approach, which was the focus of his early work, is now an established and widely adopted method of karst hydrology in Iran. In addition to the aforementioned three main fields, one of his former research areas was the characterization of caves in Iran (e.g. Raeisi and Kowsar 1997; Raeisi and Mylroie 1995), which led to the publication of a book, Iran Cave Directory, now in its second edition (Raeisi and Laumanns 2009). Prof. Raeisi has also touched on most other branches of hydrogeology such as artificial recharge (e.g. Raeisi and Koohyan 1998; Raeisi and Kowsar 1998), partial and full pipe flow Received: 7 June 2010 /Accepted: 15 November 2010

Mentoring Junior Faculty in Geriatric Oncology: Report From the Cancer and Aging Research Group

Mentoring Junior Faculty in Geriatric Oncology: Report From the Cancer and Aging Research Group

Performance Impact at the Board Level: Corporate Governance in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to investigate performance impact at board level in the corporate governance of Japanese companies. We have investigated the size and composition of boards (with reference to outside directors and auditors), and applied this to a set of 821 Japanese manufacturing companies. We found evidence that board size does not matter, but a higher ratio of outside directors/outside auditors appears to relate to better company performance. As a second step, we put Japanese companies into three groups, ‘traditional companies’ (without outside directors), ‘new Japanese companies’ (which have appointed outside directors) and, as a third group, companies who apply the ‘US-style’ committee system. Traditional Japanese companies showed the weakest and US-style Japanese companies the strongest performance. The results are important as they suggest that Japanese companies can benefit from a high ratio of outside directors and outside auditors. In addition to this, our second area of research suggests that Japanese companies considering getting financed by the capital market should introduce the US-style system, as this clearly outperformed the other categories.

Towards a robust BCI: error potentials and online learning

Recent advances in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have shown that BCIs have the potential to provide a powerful new channel of communication, completely independent of muscular and nervous systems. However, while there have been successful laboratory demonstrations, there are still issues that need to be addressed before BCIs can be used by nonexperts outside the laboratory. At IDIAP Research Institute, we have been investigating several areas that we believe will allow us to improve the robustness, flexibility, and reliability of BCIs. One area is recognition of cognitive error states, that is, identifying errors through the brain's reaction to mistakes. The production of these error potentials (ErrP) in reaction to an error made by the user is well established. We have extended this work by identifying a similar but distinct ErrP that is generated in response to an error made by the interface, (a misinterpretation of a command that the user has given). This ErrP can be satisfactorily identified in single trials and can be demonstrated to improve the theoretical performance of a BCI. A second area of research is online adaptation of the classifier. BCI signals change over time, both between sessions and within a single session, due to a number of factors. This means that a classifier trained on data from a previous session will probably not be optimal for a new session. In this paper, we present preliminary results from our investigations into supervised online learning that can be applied in the initial training phase. We also discuss the future direction of this research, including the combination of these two currently separate issues to create a potentially very powerful BCI.

Planning for Robust Airline Operations: Optimizing Aircraft Routings and Flight Departure Times to Minimize Passenger Disruptions

Airlines typically construct their schedules assuming that every flight leg will depart and arrive as planned. Because this optimistic scenario rarely occurs, these plans are frequently disrupted and airlines often incur significant costs in addition to those originally planned. Flight delays and schedule disruptions also cause passenger delays and disruptions. A more robust plan can reduce the occurrence and impact of these delays, thereby reducing costs. In this paper, we present two new approaches to minimize passenger disruptions and achieve robust airline schedule plans. The first approach involves routing aircraft, and the second involves retiming flight departure times. Because each airplane usually flies a sequence of flight legs, delay of one flight leg might propagate along the aircraft route to downstream flight legs and cause further delays and disruptions. We propose a new approach to reduce delay propagation by intelligently routing aircraft. We formulate this problem as a mixed-integer programming problem with stochastically generated inputs. An algorithmic solution approach is presented. Computational results obtained using data from a major U.S. airline show that our approach can reduce delay propagation significantly, thus improving on-time performance and reducing the numbers of passengers disrupted. Our second area of research considers passengers who miss their flight legs due to insufficient connection time. We develop a new approach to minimize the number of passenger misconnections by retiming the departure times of flight legs within a small time window. We formulate the problem and an algorithmic solution approach is presented. Computational results obtained using data from a major U.S. airline show that this approach can substantially reduce the number of passenger misconnections without significantly increasing operational costs.

The Molecular Mechanisms That Control Function and Death of Effector CD4<sup>+</sub> T Cells

This review features two areas of our research interests. First, our laboratory is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms that control generation, effector function, and fate of TH1 cells during inflammatory responses. We have been particularly interested in the role of the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 45 (GADD45) gene family in TH1-mediated immune responses. We and others have shown that, in TH1 cells, Gadd45b and Gadd45g are induced by TCR signaling or IL-12 and IL-18. Gadd45b and Gadd45g are very important for the activation of p38 MAP kinases in TH1 cells and for effector functions of TH1 cells. We have found that deletion of Gadd45b and Gadd45g genes in mice results in a drastically reduced number of TH1 cells against Listeria monocytogenes. The critical role of Gadd45b and Gadd45g in TH1 responses in this acute infectious model has led us to hypothesize that they promote TH1-mediated autoimmune diseases. We therefore decided to test this hypothesis in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Expecting low numbers of TH1 cells, we were surprised to see that Gadd45b deletion resulted in exacerbated chronic phase of EAE. In contrast to the reduction of TH1 cells we saw in acute L. monocytogenes infection, during the chronic phase of EAE we observed increased TH1 cells in the inflamed CNS when Gadd45b was deleted. Gadd45b deletion also resulted in enlarged spleens in older mice. Gadd45b/Gadd45g greatly enlarged spleens in older mice compared with Gadd45b single deletion. The enlargement of spleens was due to the accumulation of CD4+ T cells with an activated phenotype and B cells. In addition, we have found that Gadd45b and Gadd45g inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of activated CD4+ T cells. Therefore, Gadd45b and Gadd45g play a critical role as a molecular "doubleedged sword" in TH1-type immune responses to ensure a prompt, robust but self-limiting TH1 response. The second area of research in our laboratory focuses on the role of autophagy in T cells. We have recently discovered that autophagy is induced in TH1 and TH2 cells. There are more effector TH2 cells than TH1 cells that undergo autophagy. We have used RNAi strategy to "knockdown" autophagy in TH2 cell lines and found that autophagy is required for growth factor-withdrawal cell death.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: CONSERVATION GENETICS OF FRESHWATER ORGANISMS

This manuscript serves as a summary of both the importance of genetics in conservation, and the range of methodological approaches available. Two somewhat distinct realms of conservation genetics are outlined. The first theoretically rests upon the field of population genetics, and primarily concerns itself with the conservation of genetic diversity within and among populations, both in the wild and captivity. Basic concepts such as heterozygosity, genetic drift, and effective population size are discussed in the framework of freshwater conservation interests. Most importantly, it is emphasized that only multi-locus data sets, with adequate sample sizes are appropriate for answering a range of conservation-oriented questions with such population genetic approaches. The second area of research rests upon the fields of phylogenetics and phylogeography and concerns itself with systematics and the designation of conservation units. The somewhat popularised role of using trees based on mitochondrial DNA sequences and phylogeographic structure to define conservation units is described, but also criticized. In its place, a pluralistic approach should be undertaken, which takes into consideration both the socio-economic and legislative framework within which conservation units can be managed. Finally, despite much attention to the varying definition of conservation units, both theoretical and practical considerations support that the unit most important to conservation is the population.

Providing services to families of persons with schizophrenia: present and future.

BACKGROUND: The important role of families and other caregivers in the lives of adults with schizophrenia is well documented. Persons with schizophrenia frequently live with their families of origin, and the vast majority have regular family contact. Families of persons with schizophrenia have also been demonstrated to have significant needs. Families most frequently cite the need for education and support in helping them to cope with their family member's illness. Further, numerous studies have documented the benefits of interventions designed to meet the needs of family members. AIMS OF THE STUDY: This paper identifies critical issues and challenges in the provision of services to families of persons with schizophrenia and other serious and persistent mental illnesses. METHODS: This study draws from both a literature review and a summary of pertinent data from the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT). RESULTS: Recent best practices standards and treatment recommendations specify that families should be given education and support. One of the PORT treatment recommendations states that "Patients who have on-going contact with their families should be offered a family psychosocial intervention which spans at least nine months and which provides combinations of: Education about the illness; Family support; Crisis intervention; and, Problem solving skills training". The PORT treatment recommendations are based on well designed and rigorous research on family psychoeducation programs that demonstrate reduced relapse rates and improved patient and family well-being for persons whose families receive psychoeducation. While family psychoeducation programs have been the subject of extensive treatment trials, family members and family organizations have endorsed a variety of other models of services such as family education and consultation models. These models have not been as rigorously researched as family psychoeducation. Control groups are generally lacking. No consistent findings have been reported, although isolated studies have found increased knowledge, self-efficacy and greater satisfaction with treatment among families who have participated in family education programs. Remarkably little is known about the extent to which families actually receive appropriate services. However, PORT data from administrative claims and client interviews suggest that family services are minimal. Further, previous research has consistently revealed that families have high levels of dissatisfaction with mental health services DISCUSSION: If family psychoeducation is effective, why do all the data suggest that it is scarcely offered? Even use of family education programs, which are perhaps easier to deliver and cheapter, is limited. Some answers to these questions may be found in evaluations of efforts to disseminate family education and psychoeducation models. The Schizophrenia PORT sponsored a dissemination of William McFarlane's multiple family psychoeducational group. One obstacle to implementation was lack of programmatic leadership at agencies. Another was conflict between the philosophy and principles of the family model and typical agency practices. Dissemination efforts of the MFPG model are under way in the states of Illinois and Maine. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Four main areas of research are necessary to achieve progress in providing services to families and persons with serious and persistent brain diseases such as schizophrenia. (i) We need a better understanding of the current state of affairs, including systematic exploration of what kinds of service different kinds of family are receiving or not receiving and from whom. Research on treated populations is not sufficient. Billing records alone will not account for the informal clinician/family contacts, which are valued. This research must include the patient, family and clinician perspectives as well as incorporating systemic factors such as financing and organization of services. (ii) A second area of research should focus on family interventions. What works for whom and at what cost? What are the critical ingredients of successful family models? Peer-led community family education programs are severely under-researched. While psychoeducation has established efficacy, it may have maximal value in first-break patients. How can the acceptability of psychoeducation to families and clinicians be maximized? Are there ways to capitalize on the best of clinician-run and family-run models to create hybrid models? Does family psychoeducation shift costs toward or away from families? (iii) How can successful family services models be disseminated effectively? Although it is still necessary to know more about the current status of services to families, it is quite clear that the best researched psychoeducation programs have limited, if any, penetration in typical communities. Approaches that combine grassroots participation of clinicians and family members as well as efforts with senior administrators and payers are likely to yield the greatest success. (iv) More research is necessary on the role of families and other caregivers in recovery and course of illness. This research must be driven by an appreciation of the biopsychosocial model and be empirical rather than ideological. Such an approach will optimally protect families fn5 from their own tendency to self-blame and from the tendency of the medical models prevalent in industrialized countries to find blame, fault and pathology.

Pertussis: An historical review of the research and of the development of whole-cell and acellular vaccines

Pertussis (whooping cough), an acute respiratory infection that can affect any susceptible host, is most common and serious among young children. Guillaume de Baillou (1536–1616), a Paris graduate of 1570, provided the first description of an epidemic of pertussis in 1578. By the close of the 19th century, approximately 20 microorganisms had been described as the cause of pertussis. In 1906, Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou first identified a small coccoid bacillus that was found in the sputum of active pertussis cases. Their success resulted from the discovery that previous failures in identifying the source of pertussis were due to confusion with the Pfeiffer influenza bacillus. In 1914, pertussis vaccine products of six USA manufactures were licensed, and the pertussis vaccine was listed by the American Medical Association (it was deleted in 1931 and readmitted in 1944). In 1931, Leslie and Gardner showed the differences between the antigenic properties of the smooth (phase I) and the rough (phase II) types of organisms. A second area of research involved determining the site of the lesion. This article reviews these matters, as well as the history of the development of whole-cell and acellular vaccines for pertussis, and offers a note on the prospects for the future.

Review of atmospheric radiation: 1991–1994

It is appropriate to think of the discipline of atmospheric radiation as one of the building block subjects of the atmospheric sciences linking the fields of chemistry, aerosol and cloud physics, thermodynamics to global climate and climate change. A convenient way to think of the research of this discipline is to consider it divided into two broad but not necessarily distinct categories—one that seeks to understand how the interactions between radiation and the atmosphere determine the distribution of radiant energy on all scales and a second that attempts to exploit such an understanding, mostly as they apply on the smaller scale, to form the basis for most of the remote sensing methods currently used to observe the atmosphere. The first line of enquiry provides the fundamental understanding of the radiative forcing of climate, for example, and significant advances in our understanding of this forcing have emerged over the last few years. Perhaps even more activity has been invested in the second area of research especially with the emerging era of the Earth Observing System (EOS) [e.g., King et al., 1992]. Remote sensing has also become a tool in climate research over the last few years with the application of satellite data in studies of fundamental climate processes.

Positron and electron solid interactions

Variable-energy positron beams have been attracting considerable attention in recent years as novel probes of surface, thin-film, and interfacial properties in solid systems. The Positron Beam Laboratory at the University of Western Ontario supports research into three separate programs. The first involves the study of re-emitted positrons from thin-films grown on single-crystal substrates under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The second area of research is the non-destructive depth profiling of defects in semiconductor materials. This area promises to dominate positron solid-state research in the near future, as it is rapidly evolving into a very sensitive quantitative probe of structural point defects. The third area of research is the fundamental study of positron and electron scattering and energy loss processes in various solids. This program is especially important in gaining a full theoretical understanding of the positron-solid interaction, which is essential for the application of positron-beam techniques to any area of research. In this manuscript, we briefly introduce and review all of these areas, with a special emphasis on the fundamental collision results.