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Copyright of Current Issues In Research of Literature & Culture: Conference Proceedings Volume / Aktuālas Problēmas Literatūras un Kultūras Pētniecībā is the property of Liepaja University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Growth-survival studies provide empirical evidence for an inverted-U shaped relationship between venture growth and survival. We replicate one such study and extend it by distinguishing between exit and failure, addressing the assumptions of survival modelling, and examining potential reverse causality due to the prospect of failure potentially spurring firms to downsize (temporarily) - a phenomenon known as the shadow of death. Even though we obtain similar results when performing an exact replication of a focal survival study, the findings of our extension reveal a relationship between growth and survival that is the opposite of what earlier growth-survival studies have found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium-sized companies need to establish strategies that increase the life expectancy of companies and at the same time promote innovation and allow access to new opportunities. Therefore; It seeks to identify the factors that contribute to the sustainability of SMEs in the restaurant sector through a documentary research approach that allows the creation of a measurement instrument that will serve to collect data and identify the relevant factors that make up the sustainability of SMEs; Therefore, the most important findings of the present investigation fall on the measurement instrument, which is made up of six variables; one independent (SME sustainability) and five dependents; which are measured through various dimensions and that together make up the research model that in the future will allow to continue developing the research with the aim of increasing the scope of the research so that information can be collected from SMEs in the northern restaurant sector of Mexico and later the data will be analyzed by means of a correlation analysis and other inferential statistical methods that will allow to identify the existing relationship between the study variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Symposium 'Modern Trends in Livestock Production' is the property of Institute for Animal Husbandry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Games dealing with topics like refugees and migration also want to convey a political message. They want to make people think about certain events going on and reflect on their own behaviour. Some games might even hope for people to donate money or vote certain political parties. The way these political messages are integrated into game design elements vary. This contribution discusses three serious games (Bury Me, My Love; Resilience, and Survival) and takes a closer look at which political messages they convey and how they do that. As the chosen games differ in their design and representation, the underlying messages are quite similar. They all thrive for people being more empathetic with refugees and understand the situation of people who have to leave their countries better by either sending them on the dangerous journey or putting them in the shoes of someone having to manage a refugee camp. Moreover, the games want to educate their players. All the three games analysed were designed with the help of refugees to make the narration and information the games are based upon correct and realistic. The methodology used for analysing the games is a qualitative one, using questions as guidelines for looking at certain game-elements like narration, rewards, choices, and player agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One distribution that is often used in modeling of survival time is exponential. An example of its application is the problem of the length of time until all the light bulbs go out. In this example, the observed event is the time until all the light bulbs fail to ignite. Thus, the random variable states that the length of time until all the light bulbs is go out. By using an exponential distribution, one assumption that can be made is that the hazard function has a constant hazard rate. This assumption was felt unsatisfactory, so a new model was made. The model is called the piecewise exponential model. The purpose of this study is to build a cumulative hazard model in the form of a non-composite function (one step/piece) with the assumption that the damage rate is constant at each time interval. Thus, the hazard function is a function of time. The model of the hazard function can be in the form of piecewise-exponential constant-linear and constant-quadratic model in the form of a composite function (several steps). The cumulative hazard function in the form of a non-composite (one step) function is obtained from the composite hazard function with the help of an indicator function. The cumulative hazard function in the form of a step function can be seen as a regression function. If data on the length of light bulbs lifespan are available, then the parameters in the cumulative hazard function can be estimated using the least squares method. Chi-square test was used to test the null hypothesis which states that the long life span of a light bulb follows a constant-linear and constant-quadratic piecewise model. The use of Chi-square test requires a frequency distribution table. The table is made with the Sturgess rule to determine the number of interval classes. Based on secondary data, two cumulative hazard models in the form of non-composite functions are produced as a combination of constant-linear and quadratic functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authors combined experience of past gaming practices and developed a survival game for the people of different ages. It was suggested that it is possible to develop strategic thinking, analytical skills, risk assessment and rapid response skills through training games. Authors developed a game with an unpredictable outcome for users of all ages. Gameplay was unified by means of presenting a plot using Microsoft PowerPoint. Game practice was based on player-moderator interaction using messengers. All selected player decisions were displayed on a main screen. Game plot allows users to concentrate attention on developing a "survival" strategy. The plot is based on the concept of Viking life. Each player acts as a Viking who is going to become a leader. At the end of the game, the player that was bravest and most successful wins. Game requires continuous moderation. The game was tested by players from three age groups, namely schoolchildren, university students and teachers. The strategic decisions of teams were very different from each other. After the end of gaming sessions, feedback was collected, and behavioral characteristics of the players were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine Learning (ML) is being successfully used in many science areas, medicine being no exception. On the other hand, cancer is a heterogeneous disease consisting of various subtypes and possible treatments that generate a lot of data (Big Data). This study sets out to identify, evaluate and interpret published research that examines how predicting the outcome of treating cancer can benefit from making use of ML. To achieve this, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. This review resulted in finding 1,855 studies, 32 of which were identified as primary studies. They were then classified according to research area and the aspect of ML they focus on. The results show gaps in current research as no studies were identified on ML using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), a fundamental tool that is used to improve caring for elderly patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Vēsture: Avoti un Cilvēki is the property of Daugavpils University, Faculty of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many animals have a survival instinct to flee in response to fire, but do they respond to smoke? Many arthropods are known to respond to fire by moving in the opposite direction (negative response) from a fire or to find shelter. The response behavior has been observed in some terrestrial arthropods, but currently this behavior is unknown for marine, aquatic, or cave arthropods, which are atypically exposed to smoke or fire. My research proposes to investigate the behavioral response to smoke of arthropods by comparing responses by aquatic, terrestrial and marine arthropods. I will be assessing arthopods that currently live in a different system than their ancestors. These different groups of arthropods may have retained the behavior of negative response with respect to fire or smoke. Through experimental approaches, I will test whether aquatic arthropods derived from terrestrial arthropods have retained, lost, or gained this behavior. I put the individuals into a plastic testing arena and introduced smoke (with a bee smoker) for 30 seconds and recorded the individual's movement using software and time to quantify the effect. Independent t-tests were used to analyze the difference between individuals for control and experimental observations. Additionally, PCA will be used to compare the movements of organisms found in different environments. There were 22 different arthropod orders used in this study. The results of a pairwise t-test, conducted on control and experimental data on the same individuals in each order, showed that six different orders had a significant difference between the mean time of movement in the control trial, compared to the experimental trial with a Bonferroni correction test. There were three arthropod orders that had a significant difference between the mean time of movement in the control trial, compared to the experimental trail (without the Bonferroni correction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Congreso Internacional de Investigacion Academia Journals is the property of PDHTech, LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Everything in life is constantly in some sort of relationship. Each person and each situation that one encounters helps create that person by shaping them and by bringing the unique traits of their being into light. It is also true that the relationships we establish with the occurring circumstances can also entirely inhibit or supress other innate qualities that form the fundamental traits of our nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As rightly said by Mr. Nelson Mandela 'Education is the most powerful weapon, which we can use to change the world'. Aim of this research is to investigate and analyze that students after graduation degree are loaded with information or are called informative literate but still they fail to make a remarkable way for themselves in corporate world. They lack skills which can create impact and help them in searching a best job offer. To make sure that our students succeed, at graduation level itself as well as and in the workplace, we must take efforts to make sure they have the knowledge to survive in today's business world. The key is creating an information literacy that will teach our graduate students these skills and will help them to make great future ahead. This paper proposes a program that uses the McKinsey model for teaching BMS students. In co-operation with teaching faculty how to accomplish these goals. Using the McKinsey model for graduate business management students this can be done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humates are substances possessing high physiological activity, contributing to the photosynthetic yield in plants and having no carcinogenicity or mutagenicity. It is the combination of these unique properties that makes humates promising plant growth and development stimulators. Within the framework of the present investigation the efficiency of application of two humate products has been assessed, and a comparative analysis of their influence on the growth and development of agricultural crops has been carried out. Commercial peat based products EDAGUM®SM and HUMAT K have been chosen as the subjects of research. To study their influence on the growth and development of plants, laboratory- induced germination, germination, plant survival and morphometric parameters were determined in the course of the experiments. To evaluate the photosynthetic rate, total plant leaf chlorophyll (a and b) content has been determined. EDAGUM®SM has shown greater positive influence on the survival of both plants, compared to HUMAT K. The use of neither of the preparations influenced the germination, morphometric parameters or biomass of the plants. EDAGUM®SM influenced positively on total chlorophyll content in wheat leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Congreso Internacional de Investigacion Academia Journals is the property of PDHTech, LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is an intermingled conceptual paradigm of faculty members' ethical, moral, and legal roles in higher educational systems. The research undertaken has revealed significant differences among On-Site, On-Line, and On-SKYPE approaches by application of three sets of futuristic higher educational institutions. Specifically, regard to whyosophical, ecosophical, biosophical, worldosophical, technosophical, and philosophical higher educational effectiveness and efficiency of faculty members how to enhance students' learning processes. Analyses of conceptual and perceptual similarities and differences among traditional universities and modern infoversities, technoversities, and multiversities however, revealed that more variable institutional outcomes exist among professors, infossor, and technossors. Although all three sets of traditional, present, and futuristic institutions of higher educational systems, namely, On-Site, On-Line, and On-SKYPE consistently have placed greater emphases on the issues of global educational multicultural massification, in the long run, multiversities will emerge simultaneously to connect all types of international linguistic faculty members and learners through On-SPYKE studio classrooms-homes to understand the mystery of existence and survival of human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper specifically addresses the key elements that constitute the subphase 1.2 "struggling for survival in the streets" of the original grounded Theory "surviving the streets". The first section addresses the particularities that comprise each phase of the GT. The specific features of phase 1 are presented in more detail. The second section of the papers summarizes the research method, specifically: (i) characterization of participants [homeless (n = 38), professionals (n = 47) and previously homeless (n = 11)], (ii) brief instruments description (interview scripts, observation approaches) and (iii) procedure [interview protocols for each group, observation of street intervention (n=434) and memos, documental analysis (e.g., documents produced by homeless); ethical guidelines]. The third section synthetizes subphase 1.1. In order to accomplish that purpose the presentation of critical problems/preoccupations antecedes the explanation of predominant discursive patterns and behaviors (not) performed to deal with them. Complementarily, this section also includes comments on the main divergences from this and the previous and subsequent subphases of the GT, taking in consideration the expectations mentioned by (previous) homeless, highest difficulties/barriers and identified opportunities. The papers finish with references on further research on this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper systematizes the main results of the phase 2.2 of the original grounded theory "surviving the streets" (GT-ST). Primarily the paper includes a brief description of the main phases of this original theory and its major distinctive features, emphasizing its similarities with other scientific theoretical and research contemporary studies. The method section includes a summary of participants' characterization [homeless (n = 38), professionals (n = 47) and previously homeless (n = 11)], instruments (observation approaches, interview scripts) and procedures [observation of street intervention by social workers (n=434), documental analysis (e.g., documents produced by homeless people, technical documentation produced by social workers) and interview protocols, ethical guidelines]. The third section comprises the explanation of subphase 2.2. Assuming the designation of "experiencing the limits of survival" this subphase comprises the most difficult experiences adults face during the entire duration of homelessness trajectory. After presenting its main problems/preoccupations, the paper summarizes the most prevalent behaviors and discursive patterns, accentuating the components that distinguish this specific period of homelessness trajectory from the other (sub)phases that form the theory "surviving the streets". Additionally, the paper addresses its key challenges, most prevalent difficulties/barriers and the exposed expectations, fears and opportunities mentioned by professionals and (pervious) homeless adults. The last section examines the implications for further research and intervention considering the specificities of this specific subphase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference of Daugavpils University / Daugavpils Universitates Starptautiskas Zinatniskas Konferences Materiali is the property of Daugavpils University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference of Daugavpils University / Daugavpils Universitates Starptautiskas Zinatniskas Konferences Materiali is the property of Daugavpils University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper is part of a comprehensive research project focused on the study of homelessness and it was developed in the center region of Portugal. Exposed as one of the most severe evidences of poverty and social exclusion within the advanced economies, homelessness has been receiving increased interest in the last decades. For this contributed, on the one hand, the augment of the number of persons and households in severe housing deprivation, and on the other hand, the realization that traditional approaches, centered on the scrutiny of individual and relational factors or, the opposite, institutional and social, were insufficient. Researchers are nowadays defied to implement scientific studies that take multiple factors in consideration, simultaneously. Considering homelessness as a dynamic process this research study contributed to the development of an original theory that explains homelessness taking in consideration the specific features that emergence, maintenance and exit might assume. Under the designation Surviving the Streets, the theory produced gathers, in a coherent product, complementary observation approaches [e.g., observation of street intervention by social workers (n=434)], documental analysis (e.g., documents produced by homeless people, technical documentation produced by social workers) and 96 interviews to adult people [homeless (n = 38), professionals (n = 47), previously homeless (n = 11)]. It synthetizes for each phase [resisting the fragmentation of the life trajectory (phase 1), adapting to the demands of life in the streets (phase 2) and (re) configuring a life trajectory (phase 3)], not only the major challenges, difficulties and barriers, but also the expectations, accomplishments, and opportunities are also described for each of the three main phases indicated. This paper is particularly devoted to the presentation of the second phase [adapting to the demands of the life in the streets], namely it's two subphases [stabilizing a life pattern (subphase 2.1), experiencing the limits of survival (subphase 2.2)]. The presentation of the main problems/preoccupations of each subphase precedes the analysis of behaviors and discursive patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated in the first Portuguese comprehensive approach on the study of homelessness, the presented research was developed for a period of 7 years, in the Center of Continental Portugal. Considering homelessness as a dynamic process, to which diverse factors contribute, this study was developed as an attempt to implement a research endeavor that actually results from the adoption of a multireferentiated approach that takes in consideration, and respect, the voices of the multiple actors' involved. Anchored in Classic Grounded Theory, the original theory produced comprises the data collected through extensive observation in the streets [e.g., observation of street intervention by social workers (n=434)], 96 semi-structured interviews [homeless (n = 38), professionals (n = 47), previously homeless (n = 11)], and also documental analysis of written products produced by homeless or social workers. This paper concerns, in specific, the analysis of the three modes included in the phase stabilizing a life pattern (subphase 2.1) of the Grounded Theory surviving the streets. In order to do so, the presentation of key characteristics of this subphase occurs previously of the analysis of each of the modes [alienating from him/herself and society (2.1a), circumscribing to the conditionings of life in the streets (2.1b), taking advantage of life in the streets (2.1c)]. The brief summary of main concerns and fears, predominant discursive patterns, and also the most common barriers and difficulties to survival are examined, in the next topic, taking in consideration how its attributes and manifestations change for each one of the modes presented. The analysis of professionals and/or (previously) homeless perspectives also includes illustrative quotations of expressed desires, fears, expectations, difficulties or perceived opportunities to (increase) survival and life quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the world literature where the space is in the focus, one suggestively highlights the need for understanding the comprehensiveness of human activity on the planet. The man lives in two worlds. One is the world of nature (plants, animals, soil, air and water) where the man lives more then million of years, and the other is the world of social institutions and human product. That other world man created for themselves using different tools, machines, science and own dreams to shape the environment. In this way man subjugate nature to human intentions and human use. Result of this development is high energy consumption, high air and water pollution as well as the problem of waste disposal. Only the implementation of knowledge and good decision making process can lead to human survival on this planet, the only that man has. Symbiosis of Geographic Information System - GIS, artificial intelligence (fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks) and multi criterial decision making is a good framework for improving the living conditions in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of landslides and prevention of catastrophes at the time of climate change is of crucial importance for the future and the human survival on the planet. Events related to the flooding that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina in year 2014, the emergence of new landslides as well as activation of registered landslides, lead for the need to incorporate an extensive set of knowledge in this area. The aim is to prevent future disasters both in the region and beyond by combining artificial intelligence (fuzzy logic and neural networks), GIS (Geographic Information System), Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) and the area of risk management. The overlap of these mentioned areas of knowledge provides a framework for solving problems with landslides and prevention of possible future natural disasters and disasters caused by floods and landslides. "Save a life, save a whole world" is the goal of this team and the desire to implement methods that can contribute to preventing future disasters. ANFIS model in combination with GIS and multicriteria decision-making can be applied to risk management. The test site, the paper used the potential of landslides and unstable terrain in Canton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina. Results are presented in GIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In intra- and interorganizational innovation networks, complementary, collaborative, coopetitive and competitive elements are present continuously. This can give start to instability and tensions that eventually lead to some party/parties exiting the network prematurely. How this exit takes place is not trivial. The expertise and capabilities of those removed could be useful, or they may otherwise become influential actors later. In this study, we suggest that depending on whether the exit is chosen, forced, or natural, and on the characteristics and behaviour of the involved actors, retaliation, refraining, reconciliation, or return may characterize re-encounters. We suggest, e.g., that tensions related to earlier exit are easier resolved when the exit is due to genuine need instead of opportunistic behaviour. However, even unscrupulous behaviour in the past can be put aside, if resources and talent are really needed at the time of re-encounter. In this study, we utilize the metaphor of "Survivor", the popular TV series, to lead our problem framing and theory building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the timing of sexual initiation among never-married young males and females (15 and 24 years) residing in four residential spaces in Nigeria: a) Rural North b) Rural South c) Urban North and d) Urban South. Using event history analysis, we analyzed data from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. Our findings suggest that young males (TR: 1.04, P<0.00) and females (TR: 1.06, P<0.00) who lived in the urban north experienced their sexual debut later than their counterparts in the rural north. However, young males (TR: 0.94, P<0.00) and females (TR: 0.94, P<0.00) who lived in the rural south had their first sex earlier than those in the rural north. Young males (TR: 0.98, P<0.05) who lived in the urban south also experience their first sex earlier relative to those in the rural north. This suggests that there is a regional penalty in regards to the timing of sexual initiation for young males in southern Nigeria. Surprisingly, young male and female respondents who were educated and those who had accurate knowledge on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention experienced their first sex early. These findings are robust even after controlling for wealth, religion, HIV myths, and exposure to media. Clearly, timing of sexual debut among never-married young people varies considerably across different spatial and cultural contexts. Our findings suggest that interventions aimed at discouraging early sexual initiation among never-married young people in Nigeria need to go beyond merely providing health information and services to addressing the livelihood needs of youths, especially those in rural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of lymph nodes removed is one of the important predictors for survival in breast cancer study. Our aim is to determine the optimal number of lymph nodes to be removed for maximizing the survival of breast cancer patients. The study population consists of 873 patients with at least one of axillary nodes involved among 1890 patients from the University of Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) breast cancer registry. For this study, the Chi-square test of independence is performed to determine the significant association between prognostic factors and survival status, while Wilcoxon test is used to compare the estimates of the hazard functions of the two or more groups at each observed event time. Logistic regression analysis is then conducted to identify important predictors of survival. In particular, Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) are calculated from the logistic regression model for all thresholds of node involved, as an alternative measure for the Wald statistic (Χ²), in order to determine the optimal number of nodes that need to be removed to obtain the maximum differential in survival. The results from both measurements are compared. It is recommended that, for this particular group, the minimum of 10 nodes should be removed to maximize survival of breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of papers presented at the Sixth Annual International Conference on European Integration held in Skopje, Macedonia in May 2011, including one on the role of the European Union as a global leader and in conflict management, another on the concept of European identity, as well as a comparative analysis of Russian and Western approaches to the concept of multipolarity.

The objective of the study was to explore the outcomes of pharmacological management of breast cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Udupi district of South Karnataka, India. An interview cum survey approach was used to collect the data. Patient age varied from 25-73 years, (mean age 47.23, SD=9.7).Out of 303 women, 53% were premenopausal and the rest of them were post-menopausal. Hormone responsiveness of tumors was found to be 57% as ER +ve. Among the subjects 81.5% were treated with chemotherapy by different drug regimens. All the ER/PR+ve cases were prescribed with tamoxifen/aromatase inhibitors for 5 years after the preliminary treatments, according to the menopausal status. The symptom free survival was estimated for each regimen by Kaplan Meir Survival analysis. The survival curve for regimen I (Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) was 11.01yrs, for regimen II (5 Fluorouracil, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) was 2.52 years and for regimen III (Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and taxol) was 1.10 years. Cox proportional hazards model regression results confirmed statistically significant correlations between survival and adherence to treatment and stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis as survival predictors (Hazards Ratio=6.77, 95% CI=3.15-14.55, p=<0.001, and Hazards Ratio=0.10, 95% CI=0.05-0.22, P<0.001 respectively for adherence and stage). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising modality in cancer treatment that involves localized photo-irradiation of dye sensitized tissue to kill cancer cells. A photosensitizer is administered to the patient either locally or systematically by one of several routes (e.g., topical, oral, intravenous) and after a predetermined (appropriate for optimal bio-distribution) time interval, the treatment site is irradiated with visible or near-infrared light. The light is absorbed by this photosensitizer which initiates photochemical reactions leading to the eradication of the tumor cells. Based on previous models of detailed molecular pathways and biochemical events induced by PDT treatment leading to cell death that can occur through a multiplicity of different mechanisms such as apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, a cell survival probability equation is introduced as a measure of the PDT tumor cell killing, which can be difficult to quantify through experimental verification of the molecular concentrations of the cytotoxic agents. This report is an attempt towards coupling the single cell survival probability to the molecular concentrations, which can be useful in the design of predictive treatment, with models such as cellular automata. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Personalized medicine is usually based on known subcategories of a disease for better treatment. Identifying biomarkers that predict disease subtypes has been an important topic in biomédical sciences. There is a controversy as to the optimal number of genes as an input of a feature selection algorithm. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility to use genes pre-selected by biological knowledge rather than all available genes as an input for a feature selection algorithm predicting survival in the glioblastoma of the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We discuss the advantage and disadvantage of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Leadership is often very competently defined in terms of sets of skills to be appropriately administered to a situation and this is often added to by emphases on character or trait being influential in the successful outcome. Success therefore, is assumed to be dependent on an individual leader being able to, or having the correct perceptive skills to, furnish the right skills mix at the right time. Inevitably, there is significant margin for error as hopeful reliance on such serendipity can be high in the success equation. Reducing the margin for error by forming a more robust approach to developing a broader and more reliable set of leadership skills and capabilities would provide a greater likelihood of strategic alignment between corporate and individual need on a more robust basis, increasing both of their respective shelve lives in their internal and external competitive worlds. These skills, therefore, need to be embedded in order to provide necessary strength and yet be flexible enough to adapt to survive in differing environments. Once cultivated, these skills need to be inclusive and able to align the leader and their followers to the organisational vision in the most informed and collaborative way possible. Underpinned by empirical studies as well as conceptual argument, a model of leadership longevity is formed with interesting and novel propositions which take the modern leader into less chartered, emotional territory to really get to know themselves and their company in a holistic manner with the purpose of increasing the resilience of both. This paper maps the journey less travelled that leads to leadership longevity with an equal balance of two distinct foci, one of Socratic self knowledge and the other foci being knowledge of the other (i.e. critical stakeholders and environment). This knowledge requires a different approach to developing self and to acquiring critical organisational information for more informed decision making through a deliberative inquiry approach, before aligning all effort towards the organisational vision. Critically and more fully informed about self and the facts and the feelings of crucial stakeholders and the formative context (i.e. history, environment in which the organization sits), new leaders emerging from hard times are much better equipped to stay the course for longer and be more emotionally robust themselves to help others do the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on technology and innovation management topics which include the way modularity works in real world organizations, the effect of external learning on radical innovation in the high-technology industry, and the organizational antecedents and consequences of absorbing technological knowledge.

The article presents abstracts on organization and management theory topics which include differences between Convention Theory and New Organizational Institutionalism, the relationship between status and uncertainty, and the people variations in networks that can affect organizational performance.

The article presents abstracts on entrepreneurship topics which include the influence of tie-order on network emergence, a complexity science-based model for innovation and the formation of entrepreneurial enterprises, and fuzzy-set hierarchical classification of family businesses.

Three workshop sessions on personal professional development were held during the Third IUPAP Women in Physics Conference. These were designed to teach participants about planning for career success, “survival skills,” negotiation, and ways to transition into scientific leadership positions in their own countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignancies of the brain remain difficult to treat with chemotherapy because the selective permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) blocks many potent agents from reaching their target. Previous studies have illustrated the feasibility of drug and antibody delivery across the BBB using MRI-guided focused ultrasound. In this study, we investigated the impact of focused ultrasound-enhanced delivery of doxorubicin on survival in rats with aggressive glioma. Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with 9 L gliosarcoma cells in the brain. Eight days after implantation, each rat received one of the following: (1) no treatment (control), (2) a single treatment with microbubble-enhanced MRI-guided focused ultrasound (FUS only), (3) a single treatment with i.v. liposomal doxorubicin (DOX only), or (4) a single treatment with microbubble-enhanced MRI-guided focused ultrasound and concurrent i.v. injections of liposomal doxorubicin (FUS+DOX). The survival time from implantation to death or euthanasia was recorded. We observed a modest but significant increase in median survival time in rats treated with combined MRI-guided focused ultrasound chemotherapy, compared to chemotherapy alone (p<0.001). There was no significant improvement in survival between those who received stand-alone chemotherapy and those who did not receive any treatment (p>0.10). Our study demonstrates for the first time a therapeutic benefit achieved with ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier. This confirmation of efficacy in an in vivo tumor model indicates that targeted drug delivery using MRI-guided focused ultrasound has the potential to have a major impact on the treatment of patients with brain tumors and other neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mid to late Middle Ages a group of intrepid explorers from Scandinavia established two colonies in the harsh environment of Greenland. These people were known as the Greenland Norse. While their colonies made a determined effort and survived for about 500 years, they never really flourished and struggled just to survive in their harsh environment. Eventually they disappeared, despite the fact that a neighboring group, the Inuits, was successful in surviving into the modern era. Hence, while survival was very difficult due to a variety of factors, it was possible depending on how the society dealt with the environment. There are a number of interesting parallels between this Greenland Norse experiment and the modern era of space exploration. While comparisons from the past to present day plans must certainly be made with caution, there may be interesting lessons to learn. Specifically, the role of technology and innovation by the Greenland Norse is addressed in this comparative study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents organization and management theory conference paper abstracts. "Factors That Impact Sales Person's Performance in Virtual Environments" aims to understand the effects of sales persons' location on their sales quota achievement. "Can Progress Be Resistant to Bad Institutions? The Case of ICT" shows that cross-country differences in the use of information and communication technologies are to a considerable extent due to differences in the investment climate. "Chance, Choice, & Inevitability in Strategy," discusses strategic choice.

This section focuses on several studies presented at a conference on international management. The article, "The Impact of Trade Liberalization Policies on National Patters of Corruption and Software Piracy," focuses on the impact of trade liberalization policies on national patterns of corruption and software piracy. "Repetition of Foreign Market Entry Forms: Managerial and Organizational Drivers," studies the repetition of forms of entry in a foreign market by taking into account not only organizational factors but also the managerial risk determinants of such repetitions. "Foreign Expansion Under Uncertainty: A Strategic Real Options Perspective," investigates the expansion of 30 of the largest global manufacturing companies in 6 industries in China over the last 20 years.

This article presents abstracts of research on gender and diversity in organizations. One entitled "Gender Inequalities in Earnings Among Israeli Lawyers: Does Discrimination Still Exist?," examines the income gap between male and female Israeli lawyers. The analysis employs an exhaustive set of measures that includes human, social and psychological capital as well as occupational segmentation. The study, "Universal Diverse Orientation (UDO) in the United Kingdom and the United States: A Comparative Analysis," examines the role of gender and race on diversity attitudes in Great Britain and the U.S.

This section presents abstracts of several papers on entrepreneurship. The first paper proposes a multi-dimension, multi-contingent fit perspective for examining different practices adapted by entrepreneurial firms in acquiring human resources. Another paper elaborates theoretical foundations for opportunity-based entrepreneurial discovery research and presents an empirical study providing evidence for examining the validity of an opportunity-based research approach. One more paper explores innovation as a corporate entrepreneurial outcome in recently established small firms.

In spite of hundreds of studies on business survival, we do not have a precise and clear definition of the term survival. We offer four criteria for measuring clarity and precision of a definition and show that current definition of survival needs strengthening. We expand the units of analysis and types of exits to create a taxonomy of survival with 24 exit events. We also provide some empirical evidence of the incidence of these exit events. Through exploration of these exit events, we identify several under researched areas in survival literature. Consequently, we add to the precision and clarity of the definition of survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]