Mobile Information and Communication Technology and Management of Business Changes in Construction Companies in Slovenia

In this paper, we are using the business process reengineering (BPR) concept together with the potentials of mobile information and communication technology (mobile ICT) to interpret the ability for better capturing of business changes that construction companies are faced with. Through our intensive examination of reengineering initiative in construction, we find that relatively low emphasis was placed on the opportunity to use information and communication technology (ICT) more progressively throughout the construction processes. We developed a methodological concept ‘Reengineering of the construction process (RCP-model)’ that captures the BPR philosophy as well as potentials of mobile ICT as technical background. Research assumptions were tested with the implementation of the proposed model in a concrete Construction Company in Slovenia. The reengineering project realization is defined from the viewpoint of the given implementation projects and exposure of the elements that affect adoption of BPR and enable evaluation of the attained results of company reorganization. Difficulties and milestones of the reengineering project, the importance of management and coordination of work are also stressed.     

On the relationship between wool quality and the type and concentration of blood potassium in sheep

Résumé Dans le sang des moutons, la fréquence des gènes du type LK est en relation linéaire inversément proportionelle à l'épaisseur de la fibre de laine. Il en va de mÊme pour le degré de concentration du potassium. En se basant sur ces observations, les auteurs envisagent la possibilité d'améliorer la qualité de la laine ordinaire.     

Genomic alterations in cultured human embryonic stem cells

Cultured human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines are an invaluable resource because they provide a uniform and stable genetic system for functional analyses and therapeutic applications. Nevertheless, these dividing cells, like other cells, probably undergo spontaneous mutation at a rate of 10(-9) per nucleotide. Because each mutant has only a few progeny, the overall biological properties of the cell culture are not altered unless a mutation provides a survival or growth advantage. Clonal evolution that leads to emergence of a dominant mutant genotype may potentially affect cellular phenotype as well. We assessed the genomic fidelity of paired early- and late-passage hESC lines in the course of tissue culture. Relative to early-passage lines, eight of nine late-passage hESC lines had one or more genomic alterations commonly observed in human cancers, including aberrations in copy number (45%), mitochondrial DNA sequence (22%) and gene promoter methylation (90%), although the latter was essentially restricted to 2 of 14 promoters examined. The observation that hESC lines maintained in vitro develop genetic and epigenetic alterations implies that periodic monitoring of these lines will be required before they are used in in vivo applications and that some late-passage hESC lines may be unusable for therapeutic purposes.     

Evidence of genetic control of blood potassium type in the marwari breed of sheep in India

Résumé Par le photomètre Flame la concentration du potassium dans le sang de 102 moutons marvaris (4 mâles, 49 femelles et leurs 49 descendants) a été mesuré. Sur ce nombre, 45 appartiennent au type HK (à forte concentration, moyenne 30,34 mEq/l — de 24,97 à 37,12) et 27 au type LK (à faible concentration, moyenne 9,72 mEq/l, — de 6,40 à 12,80). Le caractère HK est donc héréditaire récessif tandis que les individus de type LK sont peut-être homozygotes ou héterozygotes.     

Water intake in relation to blood potassium types in desert sheep

Zusammenfassung Schafe mit geringem K-Gehalt im Blut benötigen signifikant weniger Wasser als solche mit hohem K-Gehalt, sind also in wasserarmen Regionen besser angepasst.     

Down-conversion characteristics of Eu3+ doped M2Y2Si2O9 (M = Ba,Ca, Mg and Sr) nanomaterials for innovative solar panels

Down-conversion properties of Eu³⁺ doped M₂Y₂Si₂O₉ (M = Ba, Ca, Mg, Sr) phosphors have been investigated in detail. These phosphors were synthesized via the simple, fast and cost-effective sol-gel technique at a temperature of 950 °C. Color coordinates and emission color can be altered by the varying concentration of dopant ion in Ca₂Y₂Si₂O₉ phosphor. Optimum luminescence intensity was obtained when doping 0.03 mol of Eu³⁺ ion. Using the excitation wavelength of 395 nm, these silicates showed strong red color, pure and sharp spectral peaks in visible region due to ⁵D₀→⁷F_1-3 transitions of Eu³⁺ present in the lattice. Effect of reaction temperature on luminescence was also analyzed for these phosphors. The sharp peaks in the X-ray diffraction pattern indicated the high crystallinity of prepared phosphors. Ca₂Y₂Si₂O₉ has shown an orthorhombic crystal structure. The FTIR results confirmed the metal-oxygen vibrational modes available in the range of 400–1600 cm^?1. Transmission electron microscopy images have revealed that the variation of alkaline earth metal provided a very different crystal structure. Excellent down conversion response of these phosphor materials can provide a great significance in the application of the coming solar devices.     

Whole-genome analysis informs breast cancer response to aromatase inhibition

To correlate the variable clinical features of oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer with somatic alterations, we studied pretreatment tumour biopsies accrued from patients in two studies of neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy by massively parallel sequencing and analysis. Eighteen significantly mutated genes were identified, including five genes (RUNX1, CBFB, MYH9, MLL3 and SF3B1) previously linked to haematopoietic disorders. Mutant MAP3K1 was associated with luminal A status, low-grade histology and low proliferation rates, whereas mutant TP53 was associated with the opposite pattern. Moreover, mutant GATA3 correlated with suppression of proliferation upon aromatase inhibitor treatment. Pathway analysis demonstrated that mutations in MAP2K4, a MAP3K1 substrate, produced similar perturbations as MAP3K1 loss. Distinct phenotypes in oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer are associated with specific patterns of somatic mutations that map into cellular pathways linked to tumour biology, but most recurrent mutations are relatively infrequent. Prospective clinical trials based on these findings will require comprehensive genome sequencing.     

Location of quality-control stations in manufacturing systems: A simulated annealing approach

Quality is the hallmark of a competitive product. It is necessary to use inspection stations to check product quality and process performance. In this paper, we are concerned with the problem of location of inspection stations in a manufacturing system. A simulated annealing approach is developed to determine the location of inspection centers resulting in a minimum expected total cost in a multistage serial production system. The total cost includes inspection, processing, and scrapping costs at each stage of the production process. A penalty cost is also included in it to account for a defective item which is not detected by the inspection scheme. A set of test examples is solved using a simulated annealing algorithm.     

Adrenal weight in relation to duration of pregnancy in the indian desert hareLepus nigricollis dayanus blanford

Résumé La grossesse dans le lièvre,Lepus nigricollis dayanus Blanford, n'a pas d'influence directe sur le poid des glandes surrénales. Le poid surrénal n'augmente pas la grossesse.

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Thanks are due to the retired DirectorC. P. Bhimaya for his keen interest in the work and for providing facilities, and to Dr.P. K. Ghosh, Animal Physiologist, for suggestions.