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The study of the physical properties of open quantum systems is at the heart of many present investigations which aim to describe their dynamical evolution, on theoretical ground and through physical realizations. Here we develop a presentation of different aspects which characterize these systems and confront different physical situations which can be realized leading to systems which experience Markovian, non-Markovian, divisible or non-divisible interactions with the environments to which they are dynamically coupled. We aim to show how different approaches describe the evolution of quantum systems subject to different types of interactions with their environments., Comment: 23 pages, 5 appendices. Some changes and improvements have been made in the text of the first version. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1605.09555

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of educational technologies on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) perception of tourism students and their intention to work in the tourism business industry. By improving education programs with an investment in educational technologies, both universities and firms are believed to benefit from growing CSR initiatives, as well as potential young talents for their future business activities. Four-dimensional (economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic dimensions) model of CSR perception is followed. M-learning and E-learning platforms are compared as moderators to ensure the most effective platform for CSR education among the students. The study is conducted with data which is gathered from a total of 397 students who continue their bachelor and associate degrees in different universities in the Gulf nations. It is found that there is a positive relationship between students’ intention to work in the industry and the sub-dimensions of CSR, namely ethical responsibilities, legal responsibilities, and economical responsibilities. Conversely, philanthropic responsibilities had no effect on working intention. In addition, gender difference had no significant impact on working intention of the students in tourism industry. Moreover, it is revealed that e-learning tools are more effective in CSR education.

We report a 68-year-old end-stage renal disease female patient on dialysis for 15 years. She sustained consecutive fractures starting with left-sided femoral neck fracture, followed 16 months later by a right-sided one. On her recovery from her right hip injury she sustained a stress type subtrochanteric fracture at the entry site of the fixation implants and an ipsilateral humeral shaft fracture. Cementless total hip replacement was done for the left femoral neck, and osteosynthesis was done for her undisplaced right femoral neck fracture. Revision fixation was done for her right subtrochanteric fracture with a long Gamma nail that was statically locked. The humeral fracture was fixed with an interlocking nail in a closed manner. This case highlights the fact that sequential hip fractures is an ominous event which is likely to be followed by a quick cascade of bone injuries with trivial trauma and a high rate of unexpected complications. Our treatment approach is explained here, stressing the unexpected complications and challenges met.

We established a framework to explore the feasibility of enabling big data within the customer relationship management (CRM) strategies in Oman for creating sustainable business profit nationwide. A qualitative evaluation was made based on predictive analytics convergence and big data facilitated CRM. It was found that the big data analytics can meticulously alter the competitive industrial setting, and thereby proffered notable benefits to the business organization in terms of operation, strategies, and competitiveness. Results revealed that companies must introduce analytical tools, real-time data, and hire talented as well as skilled employees to improve the productivity in consistent with the new business model. Furthermore, depending on the customer engagement, an assemblage and analysis of enormous data volume together with analytical tools was discerned to assist companies towards efficient resource allocation and capital spending. The implications of using big data for CRM in Oman and way forward were emphasized.

The conditions under which time–energy uncertainty relations derived by Deffner and Lutz [10] for time-dependent quantum systems minimize the time necessary to excite such systems from their ground state to excited states are examined. The generalized Margolus–Levitin and Mandelstam–Tamm inequalities are worked out for specific fermionic and bosonic systems.

We implement an algorithm which is aimed to reduce the dimensions of the Hilbert space of quantum many-body systems by means of a renormalization procedure. We test the role and importance of different representations on the reduction process by working out and analyzing the spectral properties of strongly interacting frustrated quantum spin systems., to be published in Physica B

This case study examines the global financial debacle of 2007–2008 to see the roles in which technology played in new financial schemes. It uses theory about social-technical systems and applications of technology to analyze the case. It identifies theoretical issues in which MOT can relate to classical economic theory.

Whether it is called Management of Technology and Innovation (MOTI), Management of Technology (MOT), Engineering Technology Management (ETM) or Technology and Innovation Management (TIM), the TIM field is rapidly growing and diverse. This diversity is built upon disparate university locations of TIM programs; TIM’s emerging nature, its wide appeal as well as unique researcher and practitioner viewpoints. This has created a plethora of education materials, benchmark programs and pedagogical thought. Yet the field is growing so rapidly that no single source has yet been established which clearly identifies which topics and educational materials represents its basic Body of Knowledge (BoK). If this is so, then there is cause for concern. We review TIM pedagogy studies, TIM research, and the economic realities that initiated and continue to demand TIM education for managers. We leverage the five-year body of knowledge development activities of the International Association for the Management of Technology (IAMOT) education committee. We then develop a TIM BoK topic list and survey stakeholders that include: academics, industrial professionals and government policy makers. We found that there is a need for and convergence on a comprehensive TIM BoK source. The result is a TIM BoK source document that can be utilized to improve and monitor TIM educational programs around the world.

We propose and test a renormalization procedure which acts in Hilbert space. We test its efficiency on strongly correlated quantum spin systems by working out and analyzing the low-energy spectral properties of frustrated quantum spin systems in different parts of the phase diagram and in the neighbourhood of quantum critical points., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, to appear in PLA

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of window size on estimated surface myoelectric signal (MES) parameters in frequency domain. Seven healthy male subjects participated in this study. All subjects were required to perform a sustained isometric muscle contraction corresponding to 25, 50 and 100% of the Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC). MES was recorded by surface electrodes for a period of 6 s. Seven different window sizes (64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, and 4096 ms) were used to estimate the power spectrum. The results obtained showed that the window size has a significant effect on the estimated characteristic frequencies of the power spectrum. The minimum window size that can be used to estimate the power spectrum was found to be 0.5 seconds. The loading level was found to have a significant effect on the frequency domain characteristics. It was observed that the frequencies below the 75th fractile tend to shift upward as the load increases. The upward shift in higher frequencies (≥ 75th fractile) was reversed as the load reached MVC, which indicates that during a constant isometric contraction the shape of the spectrum changes as the force level is increased. The results obtained in this study show that the use of a single spectral variable such as the median frequency may not be sufficient for capturing all the spectral modifications of the MES.

OBJECTIVE We previously determined that "intent" to return to work post pain facility treatment is the strongest predictor for actual return to work. The purposes of the present study were the following: to identify variables predicting "intent"; to predict membership in the "discrepant with intent" group [those chronic pain patients (CPPs) who do intend to return to work but do not]; and to predict membership in the "discrepant with nonintent" group (those CPPs who do not intend to return to work but do). DESIGN A total of 128 CPPs completed a series of rating scales and yes/no questions relating to their preinjury job perceptions and a question relating to "intent" to return to the same type of preinjury job post-pain facility treatment. These CPPs were part of a grant study for prediction of return to work, and therefore their work status was determined at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months posttreatment. Preinjury job perceptions and other demographic variables were utilized using stepwise discriminant analysis to identify variables predicting "intent" and predicting membership in the "discrepant with intent" and "discrepant with nonintent" groups. SETTING Pain facility (multidisciplinary pain center). PATIENTS Consecutive low back pain CPPs, mean age 41.66+/-9.54 years, with the most frequent highest educational status being high school completion (54.7%) and 60.2% being worker compensation CPPs. RESULTS "Intent" was predicted by (in decreasing order of probability) postinjury job availability variables, job characteristic variables, and a litigation variable. "Discrepant with intent" was predicted by (in decreasing order of probability) for the 1-month follow-up time point, postinjury job availability variables, pain variables, a litigation variable, and a function perception variable, and for the final follow-up time point, pain variables only. "Discrepant with nonintent" was predicted by (in order of decreasing probability) for the 1-month follow-up time point, a job availability variable, a demographic variable, and a functional perception variable, and for the final follow-up time point a pain variable and a job availability variable. The percentage of CPPs correctly classified by each of these analyses was as follows: "intent" 81.25%, "discrepant with intent" 87.01% (at 1-month follow-up) and 74.03% (final follow-up), "discrepant with nonintent" 92.16% (at 1-month follow-up) and 75.00% (final follow-up). CONCLUSIONS CPPs intentions of returning to their preinjury jobs are mainly determined by job availability and job characteristic variables but surprisingly not by pain variables. However, the results with "discrepant with intent" and "discrepant with nonintent" groups indicate that actual return to work is determined by an interaction between job availability variables and pain variables with pain variables predominating for long-term outcome.

Study Design. This was a randomized prospective follow-up study of pain facility treatment of chronic pain patients with low back pain, with return to work and work capacity as the outcome measures. Objectives. To determine if after pain facility treatment chronic pain patients move in and out of work and in their work capacity; to determine the patterns of movement; and to determine the post-pain facility treatment follow-up sampling time points that would maximize the number of chronic pain patients correctly classified according to their final work capacity status. Summary of Background Data. Past research and empiric observation have indicated that chronic pain patients may move after pain facility treatment in and out of work and in their job work capacity. Such movement can affect the results of outcome studies. Methods. Two hundred thirty-six consecutive chronic pain patients who fit study selection criteria were followed up at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months after pain facility treatment for determination of work and work capacity treatment for determination of work and work capacity status and separated according to the pattern of movement. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to answer the study objectives. Movement in and out of work for these chronic pain patients also was compared with the US general population. Results. Chronic pain patients demonstrated eight work and four work capacity movement patterns. The 24- and 1-month time points predicted final work status correctly for 97.0% and 77.0% of the chronic pain patients, respectively, whereas the most significant predictor for correct work capacity status was the 24-month point. The annual percentage change in employment status for these chronic pain patients was more than in the US general population. Conclusions. Because chronic pain patients move in and out of employment and for work capacity status after pain facility treatment, future outcome studies using these measures will have to consider carefully the impact of movement on their results.

Electromyography (EMG) provides an in vivo quantitative measure of the musculoskeletal system. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of epoch duration on the estimated EMG parameters in both time and frequency domains. The results obtained showed that the window size has no significant effect on the EMG estimated parameters in the time domain. On the other hand, window size has a significant effect on the estimated characteristic frequencies of the power spectrum. The load was found to have significant effects on all EMG parameters used in this study.

Researchers and practitioners, as well as vendors, have placed much emphasis on what constitutes a functional capacity testing battery. Statistical, procedural, behavioral, technological, as well as legal issues surrounding this type of human performance evaluation are also continuously being addressed in the literature. In addition, several methods, batteries, equipment, and protocols have been developed for the purpose of evaluating what an injured person can or cannot do. It is a fact that 'testing' of individuals is but one component of an intricate process consisting of: identification of an evaluee, researching a market, referring the evaluee to a facility, evaluating a set of abilities, making inference about the evaluee's performance, reporting the findings, following up on the case, and possibly a legal involvement due to litigation. These components comprise the process of functional capacity testing. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the various components of the process of quantitative testing of functional capacity. It is believed that each component of the FCA process is as important as the actual testing.

Literature evidence indicates that physicians have great difficulty in translating medical impairment into functional limitation and thereby establishing the work capacity or the residual functional capacity (RFC) of the injured worker. This is especially true for the chronic pain patient (CPP). Development of quantitative methods for the measurement of functional capacity (FC), have not improved the problems involved in the measurement of RFC and the translation of RFC into the demand minimum functional capacity (DMFC) of some job or jobs. The relationship between FC, RFC, work capacity and DMFC is reviewed. We have developed a method/battery for measuring RFC in CPPs utilizing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) which is readily translatable into DMFC of some job or jobs. Suggestions are made for future directions in the measurement of work capacity.

Evidence in the literature relating to return to work as an outcome variable for nonsurgical treatment for chronic pain was examined. Study selection criteria were as follows: a detailed definition of patient work status, delineation of work status pre-treatment and at follow-up, and documentation of the proportion of patients employed at follow-up. Of 171 studies reviewed, 37 fulfilled these selection criteria. Because the data were objective in nature, they were abstracted by the senior author only. For the coded variables of time to follow-up, proportion of patients working pre-treatment and at follow-up and number of patients, descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated. Change in employment status at follow-up was significant (P.005) for all groups examined. In addition, comparisons for work outcome between treated patients versus patients rejected due to lack of insurance, and between treated patients versus patients who dropped out of treatment were both significant (P.001). The mean difference in employment at follow-up for treated patients versus those not treated was approximately 50%. The proportion of patients working increased from 20% to 54% post chronic pain nonsurgical treatment. Correlation analyses did not find a significant trend in percent employed with time to follow-up. These results indicate that (1) chronic pain nonsurgical treatment does return patients to work; (2) increased rates of return to work are due to treatment, and (3) benefits of treatment are not temporary.

The propagation of an external transverse magnetic signal acting locally on a 1d chain of spins generates a disturbance which runs through the system. This quantum effect can be interpreted as a classical traveling wave which contains a superposition of a large set of frequencies depending on the size of the chain. Its local amplitude fixes the size of the z-component of the spins at any location in the chain. The average and maximum value of the group velocity are determined and compared with the transmission velocity fixed by the Lieb-Robinson upper bound inequality., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures

Spinal compression tolerance limits (SCTL) have been widely used by ergonomists in setting work tolerance limits for manual materials handling (MMH) operations. Thus, the effect of personal and experimental factors on spinal compression tolerance limits (SCTL) is reviewed with the aid of regression and correlation analyses performed on data compiled from the published literature. Tables of SCTL from various sources utilizing large number of specimens and personal factors are presented so that they can be accessed by ergonomists easily. Integrated biomechanical guidelines based on SCTL are provided for the design of MMH operations in the workplace. It is suggested that, in order to reduce the probability of MMH injuries, biomechanical tolerance limits should be set at the damage load instead of the load at fracture. The damage load is the weight which causes the first gross signs of damage such as tissue fluid and blood. An algorithm is described to demonstrate the use of a biomechanics approach to the design of MMH operations.

The International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT) is one of the largest scientific associations dedicated to advance the education, research and application of management of technology. The annual IAMOT conference assembles the most prominent scientists and experts in the field. The 17th conference held in 2008 included over 300 papers by experts from various countries. This volume is a collection of the best, high quality papers presented at the conference, covering topics and issues related to the knowledge economy, commercialization of knowledge, green technologies, and sustainable development.

We propose a new approach in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology for quantum computing. Two basic elements for quantum computation are qubits and interaction. Traditionnally in NMR, qubits are obtained by considering the spin states of certain atoms of a specific molecule. The interaction that is necessary to create qubit gates such as Control-NOT is then made possible by the spin-spin coupling that exists in such a molecule. One of the drawbacks of this method is the low scalability. More qubits usually means finding an entire different molecule to label the qubits. We take a different view on the NMR approach. We use a water tube as quantum computer where qubits are defined by the spins which have the same frequency resonance in a small interval defined by the NMR linewidth. Two fundamental roadblocks have to be crossed before this method can even be considered as a possible quantum computation technique: single qubits need to be identified and adressed and an interaction between these qubits has to exist to create two-qubit gates. We settle the first of these problems by using a magnetic field gradient applied in the main magnetic field direction. The application of a magnetic field gradient during the RF pulse induces a rotation only of those spins whose resonant frequency is equal to the bandwidth of the RF pulse, therefore a qubit can be defined by its resonant frequency and manipulated by selective RF pulses. The main advantage of creating qubits in this way is scalability. As qubits are no longer atoms of a specific molecule but segments of our water tube, increasing the number of qubits would hypothetically just mean increasing the number of segments by applying a stronger magnetic field gradient. Another potential advantage can be obtained during the initialisation phase of the qubits. The second roadblock, the problem of creating interaction between qubits, is work in progress. As for now we are investigating the use of the dipole-dipole interaction between the spins to generate a coupling between the spins in order to create entanglements.

Paradigms for the Knowledge Economy R&D, Innovation and Economic Performance Green Technologies and Sustainable Development Commercialization of Knowledge and Economic Development Organizational Capabilities and Successful Innovation Technology Foresight and Forecasting.

An on-line, interactive and user-friendly computerized knowledge-base system is presented in this paper. It makes Human Factors information available to designers of consumer products. The Ergonomic Design Analysis Database (EDAD) requires the use of personal computer technology without extensive computer knowledge on the part of the user. The database is structured so that several screen menus provide various options for the user. The information, guidelines and dimensions are available for New Designs as well as Pre-existing Designs.

The objective of this study was to determine human physiological capabilities for prolonged lifting tasks performed from the floor to table height. Frequency and weight of load were the independent variables. Oxygen consumption, minute ventilation, and heart rate were the dependent variables. Physiological responses were monitored continuously for each frequency-load combination. Eleven male subjects participated in the experiments. The duration of each experimental session was controlled by the subject. Each subject was instructed to perform the lifting task continuously until he could not maintain it any longer due to complete physical exhaustion. Each subject was given 10 minutes of rest every 50 minutes of work and 1 hour for lunch after the fourth hour of work. The upper limit of lifting duration was set to 8 hours. One of the main findings obtained from this study was that a physiological fatigue limit (PFL) is a function of lifting task parameters (frequency, weight of load, and task duration). Thu...

This study was undertaken to investigate the use of electromyography (EMG) biofeedback as an add-on therapy to standard exercise in the restoration of the functional abilities of the trunk extensor muscles in patients suffering from chronic low-back pain (CLBP). A controlled experimental investigation was conducted to study the effectiveness of using the proposed treatment modality in the management of the low-back pain problem. The results obtained indicate that the proposed methodology was an effective tool to achieve a significant improvement in the strength of lumbar paraspinal muscles of chronic low-back pain patients.

Managing New Technologies Business Organization Technology and Innovation Management Standards and Evaluational Methods Sustainability Social and Educational Aspects in MOT.

The energies of low-lying bound states of a microscopic quantum many-body system of particles can be worked out in a reduced Hilbert space. We present here and test a specific non-perturbative truncation procedure. We also show that real exceptional points which may be present in the spectrum can be identified as fixed points of coupling constants in the truncation procedure., Comment: 4 pages, 1 table

Background. As a person ages, leg speed and power decrease. These changes are associated with increased falls and reduced gait speed. It has been shown that upper leg training in younger persons results in increased strength and power at the specific speed at which resistance training is applied, although there are only limited data concerning speed-specific training effects on lower leg activity. However, because both upper and lower leg speed and power influence gait and balance, it is important to determine the training speeds that selectively improve these variables in older persons. Methods. No studies have examined selective speed-specific changes in performance for the upper and lower leg muscles in older individuals. Therefore, we compared shifts in the power-velocity relationship after high-speed (HS) and low-speed (LS) isokinetic training of knee extensors (KE) and flexors (KF), dorsiflexors (DF), and plantar flexors (PF) in community-dwelling women (ages 61 to 75). Subjects were randomly assigned to a HS training, LS training, or control (C) group. Training occurred three times a week for 12 weeks. HS training occurred at 4.73 rad.s - 1 (knee) and 3.14 rad.s - 1 (ankle); LS training for both joint actions was at 1.05 rad.s - 1 . Results. HS training improved KE power at intermediate (3.14 rad.s - 1 ; p =.0007) and high (5.24 rad.s - 1 ; p = .0004) testing speeds. Neither the HS nor LS group showed any change in KF as a result of the training. Both LS and HS training improved DF power at all testing speeds; however, PF power improved only with LS training and only at 1.05 rad.s - 1 (p =.0132) and 3.14 rod.s - 1 (p =.0310). Conclusions. Our results suggest that, in older women, lower leg training should occur at lower training speeds than upper leg training. Additionally, attention to differential speed-specific training of knee and ankle actions could improve power production, mobility, balance, and other functional measures in older persons.

The field of orthotics has gained scientific attention over the last few years. Its objective is to correct, adjust, or modify the operation of human limbs, joints, or muscles. Thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) braces are used by scoliosis and postoperative patients who need back correction and/or support. The anatomic dimensions for TLSO braces have been acquired mainly by casting the patient. Casting is a time-proven method for obtaining surface geometry, but it can be inconvenient in certain situations. For example, casting might not be suitable for postoperative and trauma patients owing to the risk of further injury. Such prohibitive cases can still be handled safely by X-ray CT or MR scanning. This article presents an alternative method for data acquisition of TLSO patients' anatomic dimensions using CT/MRI. The experimental results show the method to be statistically accurate, efficient, and feasible compared with the conventional casting method.

Background Data: The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) is a U.S. government publication that defines each job in the United States according to 20 job factors. Fishbain et al. (Spine 1994;19:872-80) developed a DOT residual functional capacity (RFC) battery whose predictive validity for employment/unemployment had not been tested previously. Objectives: The purposes of this study were as follows: (a) to determine whether results of a DOT-RFC battery performed at completion of pain facility treatment predicted employment status at 30 months' follow-up and (b) to determine whether the DOT-RFC battery predicted employment capacity as determined by the DOT employment levels of the chronic pain patients' (CPPs) jobs. Study Design: This is a prospective low back pain CPP pain facility treatment study using employment status and the DOT occupational levels as outcome measures. Methods: One hundred eighty-five consecutive CPPs who fitted the selection criteria completed a DOT-RFC battery at the completion of pain facility treatment and were contacted at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months for determination of their employment status and DOT employment level. Eight DOT job factors plus pain and worker compensation status were found to be significantly different between employed and unemployed CPPs and between those employed in different DOT employment levels. For the 10 variables, stepwise discriminant analysis was used to select final predictor variables. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated along with pain level cutpoints that separated the groups. Results: The eight DOT job factors found to be statistically significant between groups were the following: stooping, climbing, balancing, crouching, feeling shapes, handling left and right, lifting, carrying, and pain and worker compensation status. In the discriminant analysis, these variables could discriminate between the employed and unemployed categories, with a sensitivity and specificity of approximately 75%. The pain level cutpoint between employed and unemployed was 5.4 on a 10-point scale. Conclusions: We cannot as yet predict DOT-RFC employment levels. However, if a CPP can pass the above eight DOT job factors and has a pain level less than the 5.4 cutpoint, that CPP will have a 75% chance of being employed at 30 months after treatment at the pain facility. Therefore, some DOT-RFC battery job factors demonstrate a predictive validity in the real work world.

To examine the impact of preinjury job perceptions on chronic pain patients (CPPs) return to work after pain facility treatment.A total of 128 CPPs completed a series of rating scales and yes/no questions relating to their preinjury job perceptions and a question relating to "intent" to return to the same type of preinjury job following pain facility treatment. These CPPs were part of a grant study for prediction of return to work, and therefore their work status was determined at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months after treatment. The preinjury job perceptions and other demographic variables were used to predict return to work. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to predict return to work at the 1-month and final time points utilizing the above variables. Stepwise regression analysis was used to predict mean employment status (at all time points) also using the above variables.Multidisciplinary Pain Center.Consecutive CPPs.For the 1-month time point, employment status was predicted by "intent," educational status, work dangerous perception complaint, job stress, job physical demands, job liking, and job role conflicts. Here, 79.49% of the CPPs were correctly classified. For the final time point, employment status was predicted by the first three predictors for the 1-month time point (in the same order) and age, job stress, and gender. Here, 74.58% of the CPPs were correctly classified. Mean employment status was predicted by "intent" and educational status.There is a relationship between preinjury job perceptions and actual return to work after pain facility treatment. Voiced "intent" not to return to the preinjury type of job is highly predictive of not returning to work after pain facility treatment.

Studies of the effects of physical exercise programs have shown that such programs can improve older persons' functional capacity. Research was conducted to determine the efficacy of two different types of physical restoration regimens--active and passive--in improving the performance of elderly persons with chronic pain conditions. Data from elderly persons admitted for back and pain rehabilitation to the Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center (CPRC) at the University of Miami are presented. The active approach consisted of the aggressive rehabilitation program at the CPRC, a 4-week program of daily physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral modification, and counseling. Treatment goals were improved strength, flexibility, posture, balance, gait, and overall well-being. The passive approach was based on the use of functional electric stimulation (FES) as an adjunct treatment to strengthen lower extremity muscles weakened by disuse. To evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches to physical restoration, we performed ergonomic assessment of subjects' functional abilities, including static strength and range of motion. Findings indicated that both methods were valuable in physical restoration in the elderly. Specifically FES proved effective in strengthening weak muscles in the lower extremities and shows great potential for neuromuscular conditioning in older cohorts.

Eighteen chronic pain patients (CPPs) with postradiculopathy-associated muscle weakness were entered into a nonrandomized functional electrical stimulation (FES) clinical treatment study to determine if FES can improve postradiculopathy associated muscle weakness. Because of the clinical nature of the unit, the CPPs could not be denied treatments other than FES. To control for these other treatments, the CPPs were used as their own controls with two control conditions, ie, where possible, the contralateral probable normal muscle was used as a control (control 1) and; in a subgroup of CPPs (n = 6), FES treatment was initially withheld to the probable weak muscle (control 2). Strength was measured as isometric maximum voluntary contraction (IMVC) and was used as the outcome treatment variable. IMVC was measured in both the probable weak and contralateral probable normal muscles at entrance into the Pain Center, at beginning of FES treatment, at completion of FES treatment, and for the control 2 condition at the end of the non-FES treatment period. Statistical analyses of the IMVC strength results using the two control conditions indicated (1) both the FES-treated and untreated muscles increased significantly in IMVC strength, (2) improvement in IMVC strength for FES-treated muscles was significantly greater than for probable normal FES-untreated muscles and, (3) improvement in IMVC strength in FES-treated muscles was significantly greater during the FES-treatment period than during the non-FES treatment period. FES treatment of postradiculopathy-associated muscle weakness in CPPs seems to increase the strength of the probable weak muscle above the increase in strength provided by other concurrent treatments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Study design This study designed and tested a functional battery based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). Objectives Such a battery can be used to measure residual functional capacity (RFC) in chronic pain patients (CPP) and results can be matched against the demand minimum functional capacities (DMFC) of DOT jobs. Summary of background data Physicians have difficulty translating medical impairment into functional limitation and thereby establishing the RFC of CPPs. Methods The DOT, a USA government publication, provides information about physical demands of every USA job according to 36 factors and subfactors. The authors defined and developed a functional battery based on these factors/subfactors. This battery was tested on 67 consecutive CPPs to determine the percentage of CPPs able to pass specific job factors and the full battery and return to some DOT job, and evaluated the effects of pain on battery performance. The data were factor analyzed. Results The battery determined if CPPs could perform DOT job factors and had the necessary RFC to be placed in a DOT job. The vast majority of CPPs could not pass the full battery and the presence of pain and original job classification predicted whether a CPP could perform a job factor. Factor analyses grouped the factors into four independent categories supporting the design of the battery. Conclusion The battery can assess whether CPPs are able to return to work.

Objective The pain physician is often asked to establish the medical impairment of the chronic pain patient (CPP) and from that determination ascertain the work capacity of the CPP. Functional capacity (FC) testing has recently been introduced as a more objective and accurate way of facilitating the determination of work capacity. However, there are conceptual problems with the measurement of FC. These will be reviewed and the relationship of FC to residual functional capacity (RFC) will be determined. Finally, a method for measuring RFC in a job-specific manner will be suggested. Data sources The literature in reference to the measurement of medical impairment, FC, and RFC was reviewed. Study selection Studies appropriate to the objective of this review were selected for inclusion. Conclusions The FC and RFC are poorly defined. Lack of definition has interfered with design of appropriate test batteries specific to work capacity. To circumvent this problem a job-specific RFC measurement method is suggested. This method is based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

The prediction of return to the workplace after Multidisciplinary Pain Center (MPC) treatment has become a major research area. To delineate the variables that predict this outcome, the authors reviewed 164 multidisciplinary variables studies. Of these, 79 addressed work as an outcome variable. Twenty-six studies attempted to identify patient variables predicting return to the workplace. These latter studies were critically inspected for eight methodological criteria: pain location, follow-up time interval, response percentage and follow-up method, return to work subcategorization, vocational movement, univariate vs. multivariate statistics, multi-colinearity and variance, and statistical treatment of dropouts. In addition, other disability studies besides those in the chronic pain area were reviewed for return to the workplace predictor variables. Of these 26 studies, only a few appeared to satisfy the criteria examined. In addition, many studies were in conflict with one another on whether a variable was predictive. The review of the nonchronic pain/disability prediction literature yielded a large number of potential predictors that related to the work area. It is unclear which variables or set of variables predict return to the workplace after MPC treatment. Chronic pain studies may be neglecting the work area as an important source of return to the workplace predictor variables.

PurposeThis paper reviews the framework of the management of technology (MOT) field and examines some application cases of technological development and innovation in China. It addresses various crucial issues necessary in the establishment of infrastructure, strategies, mechanisms and systems of technology management in China. It draws upon knowledge acquired from the US experience in this field for the past two decades.Design/methodology/approachAn overview and conceptual paper based on observations and research experience.FindingsThis paper stresses the importance of keeping‐up with the fast pace of technological change and the emerging new global paradigms of the business environment. MOT is an important strategic instrument to improve competitiveness and create prosperity in countries that effectively apply it. The paper draws upon the experience of the US in MOT over the past two decades and projects what may be needed for China to continue its development and economic growth in the future. There is a need for appropriate infrastructures, strategies and mechanism to be established in order to support the diffusion of MOT principles throughout China. Educational institutions offering business and engineering education need to introduce MOT curricula following the US model or develop a new model shaped by the Chinese culture.Originality/valueThis paper presents the crucial tenets of technology management and provides some observations and insights on technology transfer, technology strategy and innovation process in China today. It suggests critical areas that decision makers in government agencies, enterprises and international funding agencies need to address with respect to MOT in China. Understanding the existing gaps in the process of technology management will assist in implementing more sustainable arrangement for successful technology transfer and development.

Proper management of technology is what creates wealth for nations, companies, and individuals. It forms the foundation for economic growth and determines national and organisational competitiveness, particularly in an increasingly global and fiercely competitive marketplace. The distinction between developed and developing economies lies primarily in the ability to effectively manage resources and technological assets. In order for developing countries to avoid being marginalised, they must formulate strong public policy, and their companies must improve the way they manage technology and innovation. This paper discusses globalisation, competitiveness, and the risk of marginalisation of developing nations in the emerging new economy. It also discusses the responses in public policy needed, with emphasis on human resource development.