Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography scan-positive recurrent papillary thyroid cancer and the prognosis and implications for surgical management.

BACKGROUND To compare outcomes for patients with recurrent or persistent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) who had metastatic tumors that were fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) positive or negative, and to determine whether the FDG-PET scan findings changed the outcome of medical and surgical management. METHODS From a prospective thyroid cancer database, we retrospectively identified patients with recurrent or persistent PTC and reviewed data on demographics, initial stage, location and extent of persistent or recurrent disease, clinical management, disease-free survival and outcome. We further identified subsets of patients who had an FDG-PET scan or an FDG-PET/CT scan and whole-body radioactive iodine scans and categorized them by whether they had one or more FDG-PET-avid (PET-positive) lesions or PET-negative lesions. The medical and surgical treatments and outcome of these patients were compared. RESULTS Between 1984 and 2008, 41 of 141 patients who had recurrent or persistent PTC underwent FDG-PET (n = 11) or FDG-PET/CT scans (n = 30); 22 patients (54%) had one or more PET-positive lesion(s), 17 (41%) had PET-negative lesions, and two had indeterminate lesions. Most PET-positive lesions were located in the neck (55%). Patients who had a PET-positive lesion had a significantly higher TNM stage (P = 0.01), higher age (P = 0.03), and higher thyroglobulin (P = 0.024). Only patients who had PET-positive lesions died (5/22 vs. 0/17 for PET-negative lesions; P = 0.04). In two of the seven patients who underwent surgical resection of their PET-positive lesions, loco-regional control was obtained without evidence of residual disease. CONCLUSION Patients with recurrent or persistent PTC and FDG-PET-positive lesions have a worse prognosis. In some patients loco-regional control can be obtained without evidence of residual disease by reoperation if the lesion is localized in the neck or mediastinum.

Speed Management Toolbox for Rural Communities, TR-630, 2012

The primary objective of this toolbox is to summarize various known traffic-calming treatments and their effectiveness. This toolbox focuses on roadway-based treatments for speed management, particularly for rural communities with transition zones. Education, enforcement, and policy strategies should also be considered, but are not the focus of this toolbox. The research team identified treatments based on their own research, a review of the literature, and discussion with other professionals. This toolbox describes each treatment and summarizes placement, advantages, disadvantages, effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost for each treatment. The categories of treatments covered in this toolbox are as follows: horizontal physical displacement, vertical physical displacement, narrowing, surroundings, pavement markings, traffic control signs, and other strategies. Separate 3- to 4-page Tech Briefs for various aspects of this toolbox are attached to this record: Center Islands with Raised Curbing for Rural Traffic Calming, Colored Entrance Treatments for Rural Traffic Calming, Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs for Rural Traffic Calming, Transverse Speed Bars for Rural Traffic Calming. This toolbox and the tech briefs are related to the report Evaluation of Low Cost Traffic Calming for Rural Communities – Phase II, which is also included in this record or can be found at http://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/14769

Small-scale non-industrial private forest ownership in the United States : rationale and implications for forest management

Abstract

Implementation of an Integrated Activity-Based Costing in a Holistic Database Management System and its Implications for Operations Management

Diplomityössä on tutkittu reaaliaikaisen toimintolaskennan toteuttamista suomalaisen lasersiruja valmistavan PK-yrityksen tietojärjestelmään. Lisäksi on tarkasteltu toimintolaskennan vaikutuksia operatiiviseen toimintaan sekä toimintojen johtamiseen. Työn kirjallisuusosassa on käsitelty kirjallisuuslähteiden perusteella toimintolaskennan teorioita, laskentamenetelmiä sekä teknisessä toteutuksessa käytettyjä teknologioita. Työn toteutusosassa suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin WWW-pohjainen toimintolaskentajärjestelmä case-yrityksen kustannuslaskennan sekä taloushallinnon avuksi. Työkalu integroitiin osaksi yrityksen toiminnanohjaus- sekä valmistuksenohjausjärjestelmää. Perinteisiin toimintolaskentamallien tiedonkeruujärjestelmiin verrattuna case-yrityksessä syötteet toimintolaskentajärjestelmälle tulevat reaaliaikaisesti osana suurempaa tietojärjestelmäintegraatiota.Diplomityö pyrkii luomaan suhteen toimintolaskennan vaatimusten ja tietokantajärjestelmien välille. Toimintolaskentajärjestelmää yritys voi hyödyntää esimerkiksi tuotteiden hinnoittelussa ja kustannuslaskennassa näkemällä tuotteisiin liittyviä kustannuksia eri näkökulmista. Päätelmiä voidaan tehdä tarkkaan kustannusinformaatioon perustuen sekä määrittää järjestelmän tuottaman datan perusteella, onko tietyn projektin, asiakkuuden tai tuotteen kehittäminen taloudellisesti kannattavaa.

The purpose of consumer co-operation: implications for the management and governance of co-operatives

Extant research on consumer co-operation has acknowledged that the corporate purpose of consumer co-operatives deviates significantly from the purpose of investor-owned firms (IOFs – the dominant form in market economies and in theory development in the field of business economics) and also suggested that the management of consumer co-operatives differs from the management of IOFs. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research focusing on the management of consumer co-operatives in general and the ways this different purpose manifests in their management in particular. In other words, research on consumer cooperatives has only started to discover the importance of identifying the premises of these organizations and generating management and organization theories that take them into account. The overall objective of this study is to map out some of the implications that the purpose of consumer co-operation has for the management and governance of consumer co-operatives. To put it more precisely, by combining interview data gathered from Finnish consumer cooperatives (S Group, OP Bank Group and POP Bank) and extant literature, this study aims to generate or elaborate on definitions and outlines of the features that co-operative purpose poses for the strategic management, governance and managerial competence needed for consumer co-operatives. The study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic, methods and publications, as well as discusses the overall outcomes. The second part consists of four publications that address the research questions from different viewpoints. The analyses of this study indicate that due to the purpose of consumer co-operation, the roles of locality and regionality become emphasized in their management. While locality and regionality are potential sources of competitive advantage for consumer co-operatives, geographic boundness sets significant boundary conditions for the strategic management of these organizations. Further, the purpose of consumer co-operation may pose several challenges to governance and set specific competence demands for the managers of these organizations. Associating the observations from various streams of research on management and governance with the purpose of consumer co-operation and examining these issues further, the thesis contributes to elaboration of theory in the field. While the thesis is by no means comprehensive (but instead reflects a co-operative research project in its early stages), it does shed light on some key ideas of management and governance and offers leads to theory and, thereby, will prove useful to elaborators, disseminators and appliers of knowledge on co-operation.

Host selection and performance of the giant willow aphid, Tuberolachnus salignus (Gmelin) - Implications for pest management

1 The recent increase in planting of selected willow clones as energy crops for biomass production has resulted in a need to understand the relationship between commonly grown, clonally propagated genotypes and their pests. 2 For the first time, we present a study of the interactions of six willow clones and a previously unconsidered pest, the giant willow aphid Tuberolachnus salignus. 3 Tuberolachnus salignus alatae displayed no preference between the clones, but there was genetic variation in resistance between the clones; Q83 was the most resistant and led to the lowest reproductive performance in the aphid 4 Maternal effects buffered changes in aphid performance. On four tested willow clones fecundity of first generation aphids on the new host clone was intermediate to that of the second generation and that of the clone used to maintain the aphids in culture. 5 In the field, patterns of aphid infestation were highly variable between years, with the duration of attack being up to four times longer in 1999. In both years there was a significant effect of willow clone on the intensity of infestation. However, whereas Orm had the lowest intensity of infestation in the first year, Dasyclados supported a lower population level than other monitored clones in the second year.

Histological evaluation of experimentally induced subluxation in rat molars and its implications on the management of orthodontic treatment

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological alterations occurred in the periradicular region of rat molars after intentional subluxation using an experimental method to induce dentoalveolar trauma. Eighteen adult male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) were selected for the study. The dentoalveolar trauma was experimentally induced by the application of an occlusogingival force on the occlusal surface of the maxillary right first molar using a tensiometer secured on a fully articulated support with adjustable steel shafts. The animals were assigned to six groups (n = 3), according to the intensity of the force applied to induce trauma: Group I (GI, control) - no force application; Groups II-VI (GII-GVI) - the animals were subjected to 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 cN force, respectively. After experimental induction of trauma, the animals were sacrificed by anesthetic overdose and the right maxillas were removed and processed for histological analysis under light microscopy. In the animals of GII, GIII and GIV, the histological alterations were similar to those described for GI. GVI (1000 cN) presented the most severe alterations, with the occurrence of buccal bone plate fracture, alveolar fracture and root fracture, which are not present in mild traumatic injuries like subluxation. The 900 cN force (GV) was capable to produce clinical and histological alterations in the gingival and periodontal tissues compatible with those observed in subluxation.

Reproductive biology and recruitment of Xiphopenaeus kroyeri in a marine protected area in the Western Atlantic: implications for resource management

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Inferring population connectivity across the range of distribution of the stiletto shrimp Artemesia longinaris Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda, Penaeidae) from DNA barcoding: implications for fishery management

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Speleoclimate dynamics in Santana Cave (PETAR, S(a)over-tildeo Paulo State, Brazil): general characterization and implications for tourist management

Show caves provide tourists with the opportunity to have close contact with natural underground spaces. However, visitation to these places also creates a need for management measures, mainly the definition of tourist carrying capacity. The present work describes the results of climate monitoring and atmospheric profiling performed in Santana Cave (Alto Ribeira State and Tourist Park - PETAR, Brazil) between 2008 and 2011. Based on the results, distinct preliminary zones with different levels of thermal variation were identified, which classify Santana Cave as a warm trap. Two critical points along the tourist route (Cristo and Encontro Halls) were identified where the temperature of the locality increased by 1.3 degrees C when tourists were present. Air flow from the inner cave to the outside occurs during the austral summer, and the opposite flow occurs when the outside environment is colder than the air inside the cave during the austral winter. The temperature was used to establish thresholds to the tourist carrying capacity by computing the recovery time of the atmospheric conditions after the changes caused by the presence of tourists. This method suggests a maximum limit of approximately 350 visits per day to Santana Cave. The conclusion of the study is that Santana Cave has an atmosphere that is highly connected with the outside; daily variations in temperature and, to a lesser extent, in the relative humidity occur throughout the entire studied area of the cave. Therefore, the tourist carrying capacity in Santana Cave can be flexible and can be implemented based on the climate seasonality, the tourism demand and other management strategies.