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This paper considers angle-of-arrival (AOA) target tracking in the two-dimensional plane with non-Gaussian noise. Practical situations arise where sensor measurement noise is non-Gaussian and the standard extended Kalman filter (EKF) based tracker may not be robust, resulting in large tracking error or even lack of convergence. This motivated development of a new tracker, designed for white non-Gaussian noise cases. The noise is decomposed into a sum of Gaussian components using expectation maximization (EM), and the target state is estimated by adapting an extended Kalman filter (EKF). Adaptations are necessary to combine the EM with the iterative EKF. From the analysis of the estimation error, a closed-form expression was derived revealing the presence of a bias in the estimate. On investigation, a sensor path optimization scheme is found that can eliminate bias. Furthermore, a compensation algorithm is presented, which reduces bias for the case of static sensors. The new tracker is suitable for real-time implementation and simulation results demonstrate significant improvements for the target tracking with non-Gaussian noise.

This study examines the role of a business incubator and the role of the entrepreneurial ventures located within the incubator. The incubator is described as the producer of business assistance programs, while the venture holds a co-producer role. Both roles are discussed.

A study examines the relationship between the building of technology portfolios and form alliances as well as the link between them and product innovation rates in new firms. A major positive relationship is found between technology portfolio worth and rate of alliance formation. The article discusses the results of the study at length.

The process of product development and technological innovation is discussed. The difficulty of a established company developing and bringing a new product to market is assessed.

Breakthrough innovation offers the potential for improving product performance, reducing costs and adding a new set of product performance features. Descriptions of the breakthrough innovation life cycle and five managerial levers for influencing the process were derived through a study of 12 projects. Using these data, ideas for improving the current practice of firms that pursue breakthrough innovation were formulated. The four areas of concentration were vision, incubation, transition and competency building.

Application of cricoid pressure (CP) during rapid sequence induction and intubation sequence has been a “standard” of care for many decades, despite limited scientific proof of its efficacy in preventing pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. While some of the current rapid sequence induction and intubation guidelines recommend its use, other international guidelines do not, and many clinicians argue that there is insufficient evidence to either continue or abandon its use. Recently published articles and accompanying editorials have reignited the debate on the efficacy and safety of CP application and have generated multiple responses that pointed out the various (and significant) limitations of the available evidence. Thus, a critical discussion of available data must be undertaken before making a final clinical decision on such an important patient safety issue. In this review, the authors will take an objective look at the available scientific evidence about the effectiveness and safety of CP in patients at risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. We suggest that current data are inadequate to impose clinical guidelines on the use of CP because we acknowledge that currently there is not, and there may never be, a method to prevent aspiration in all patients. In addition, we reiterate that a universally accepted medical-legal standard for approaching the high-risk aspiration patient does not exist, discuss the differences in practice between the US and international practitioners regarding use of CP, and propose 5 recommendations on how future studies might be designed to obtain optimal scientific evidence about the effectiveness and safety of CP in patients at risk for pulmonary aspiration.

Eric Palmer arrived at the top floor of Camden Robotics, a supplier of industrial automation tools, excited to tell CEO Tom O'Reilly about his latest win: a print ad account with a well-known local software maker. "You pulled in more business?" the boss responded. "It's really working out, then, isn't it?" Six months earlier. Palmer, the head of marketing communications at Camden, had been in a less optimistic mood as he'd walked into the executive suite. His department had recently expanded and hired some pricey designers, but because of the economic slowdown, Camden was launching fewer marketing campaigns, and Palmer had feared that his department would be targeted for layoffs. Instead, O'Reilly proposed recasting the marketing function as a business unit. It would continue to provide services to other units within the company, but it would also be free to engage in "value pricing" and could propose project work internally just as outside agencies might. In addition, the new group. Creative Central, could serve customers outside of Camden in its spare time to earn revenue to defray its expenses. At first, the reaction to the news was overwhelmingly positive across the company. Palmer was thriving in the role of corporate entrepreneur, updating O'Reilly frequently about the deals his unit was making. But several months into the change, the complaints started. Other internal units felt overcharged for marketing services, ignored by a busy Palmer and his people, and awkwardly left out of the loop in those cases where Palmer's outside clients intersected with Camden's mainstream clients. As the discontent grows, O'Reilly is left to decide whether this organizational change is working. Four commentators weigh in on this fictional case study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Byline: Su-lee Tsai, Hung-bin Ding, Mark P. Rice Interfirm alliances provide a channel of communication between partnering firms. However, two notable communication barriers hinder the effectiveness of learning across firms. As the target knowledge is different from their existing knowledge base, the recipient firms' incumbent knowledge base may not be sufficient to identify target knowledge. In addition, inability to internalise and integrate acquired knowledge to the rest of organisation may handicap the effect of new knowledge. A growing number of recent studies have reported that the frequency of communication activities has positive contribution to the interaction quality between firms. However, we know relatively less about the role of transparency and receptivity in the relationships between communication activities and learning effectiveness. To address this issue, we designed a survey study based on the learning and knowledge transfer literature. The results of our analysis show that communication improves interfirm learning effectiveness, but such relationship is mediated by transparency and receptivity.

Minutes count in the operating room when it comes to treatment guidance and therapies. On a daily basis, anesthesiologists make hundreds of decisions, some based on laboratory results, when guiding patient therapies. When time is crucial, point-of-care testing is often utilized for expediency. However, point-of-care testing has its limitations. Providers should be aware of the limitations, including the potential for error in results—errors that could lead to improper treatment and possible patient harm. This article outlines the technical aspects and summarizes pitfalls in accuracy for 2 of the most commonly utilized point-of-care testing devices: glucose meters and hemoglobin meters.