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Management of secondary chronic osteomyelitis (SCO) of the mandible is complex and challenging condition. Antibiotics are often first line treatment but have difficulty penetrating the infected bone and surgical intervention can be extensive, disfiguring and may not provide cure. With increasing reports of successful management of primary chronic osteomyelitis with bisphosphonate therapy, it was considered a viable last line trial medication in a refractory SCO patient for whom surgery was not appropriate. The current case is the first in the literature to report successful management of SCO with oral bisphosphonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Hilary Cheng, Yi-Chuan Lu, Jen-Tsung Chung This study proposes assurance region (AR) context-dependent data envelopment analysis (DEA) and applies the restricted weights derived by analytic hierarchy process in measuring the performance of 34 selected Taiwanese international tourist hotels during the years 1997-2006. Empirical results indicate that: AR context-dependent DEA has more of an efficiency segment than context-dependent DEA; the market differentiates 10 performance levels that form the benchmark structure for 34 hotels; hotels with higher attractiveness can serve as learning targets for hotels at lagging levels so as to establish the best path for performance improvement; and hotels at leading levels can use lower progress to analyse potential competitors at lagging levels. The results of this study can provide hotel managers with insights into competitive advantage and can help them with strategic decision-making.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among a firm's industrial cluster involvement, organizational learning and its ability to successfully adapt to external environment. Methodology: Field survey research method was used and data were collected from 943 high technology companies in US, China, Taiwan and Sweden. Multiple regression analysis as well as mediation test were conducted to analyze the data. Findings: The study finds that being positioned in an industrial cluster enhances a firm's learning and further leads to a firm's desired adaptive outcomes. Research Limitation: Using self-reported data could be a potential limitation of this study. It would be preferable to have other forms of data for a study. Further, cross-cultural comparisons are needed to enhance our understandings in this multicultural setting. Practical Implication: The findings provide business executives as well as policy makers a new way of thinking in respect to how to develop a holistic learning practices as well as improving inter-firm trust in order to appropriately adapt to the fast changing environment. Originality/Value: The major contribution of this study is an initial attempt to provide a comprehensive approach in analyzing a firm's industrial cluster involvement. Further, the study attempts to empirically examine learning and cluster involvement in relation to organizational adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]