Manufacturing firms aim at improving both internal and external processes to improve the competitive advantage. Such initiatives include lean practices as well as supplier rationalization and integration. In this paper, we analyze these improvement initiatives and their impact on business performance. In particular, we explore potential differences between make-to-order (MTO) and make-to-stock (MT

Objective. To describe the suicidal career in the long-term course of severe depression. Subjects and Method. Seventy-five former in-patients were interviewed by telephone about course of depression and suicide attempts 37-53 years after index admission. Medical records were read in many cases. Results. 29 subjects had attempted suicide, 13 repeated, 10 made severe, and 13 violent attempts. The ri

Intracellular free heme predisposes to oxidant-mediated tissue damage. We hypothesized that free heme causes alterations in myocardial contractility via disturbed structure and/or regulation of the contractile proteins. Isometric force production and its Ca(2+)-sensitivity (pCa50) were monitored in permeabilized human ventricular cardiomyocytes. Heme exposure altered cardiomyocyte morphology and e

Let R denote a connected region inside a simple polygon, P. By building 1-dimensional barriers in P ∖ R, we want to separate from Rpart(s) of P of maximum area. In this paper we introduce two versions of this problem. In the budget fence version the region R is static, and there is an upper bound on the total length of barriers we may build. In the basic geometric firefighter version we assume tha

We study the problem of efficiently correcting an erroneous product of two n x n matrices over a ring. We provide a randomized algorithm for correcting a matrix product with k erroneous entries running in (O) over tilde(root kn(2)) time and a deterministic (O) over tilde (kn(2))-time algorithm for this problem (where the notation (O) over tilde suppresses polylogarithmic terms in n and k).

We present a dynamical study of the double parton distribution in impact parameter space, which enters into the double scattering cross section in hadronic collisions. This distribution is analogous to the generalized parton densities in momentum space. We use the Lund Dipole Cascade model, presented in earlier articles, which is based on BFKL evolution including essential higher order corrections

Over the past 40 years, tourism has developed to become a sector of global economic, social and environmental significance. This paper provides a retrospective overview of the massive expansion and evolving geography of international and domestic tourism over the last 40 years, including the factors that enabled and challenged this growth, in order to contextualize a discussion of what the next 40

Abstract in UndeterminedBACKGROUND: Work related fatigue has been suggested as a link in the assumed sequence of events between repeated adverse work demands and the development of work related stress, which may be associated with changes in concentrations of cortisol, psychological overload and, in the long run, health problems. Insufficient sleep is a contributing factor to lack of recovery, but

Populations of droplets or particles dispersed in a liquid may evolve through Brownian collisions, aggregation, and coalescence. We have found a Set of conditions under which these populations evolve spontaneously toward a narrow, size distribution. The experimental system of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanodroplets dispersed in a solvent (acetone) + nonsolvent (water) mixture. These droplets

The aim of this study was to estimate rates and type of definitive surgical interventions for nephrolithiasis in Swedish patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) compared to the general population.

Bipolar disorder type I (BP-I) belongs to a spectrum of affective disorders that are expressed in many different ways and therefore can be difficult to distinguish from other conditions, especially unipolar depression, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia (SZ), but also anxiety and personality disorders. Since early diagnosis and treatment have shown to improve the long-term prognosis, compleme

The prosperity gospel in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Hosanna Chapel, Helsinki, Finland, builds primarily on African indigenous worldviews rather than serving as a theological justification for capitalism. It is a contextual African interpretation of the gospel in a situation of tension between the expectations of extended families back home, those of the new society in which the immigran

Background: Thailand is not only a popular destination for Swedish tourists, it is also the foreign country where the largest numbers of Swedish males contract HIV. This study investigated sexual risk-behaviour of Swedish men who have sex with commercial sex workers (CSW) in Thailand. Method: Eligible men were approached on location in red-light districts of Pattaya and Bangkok with a self-adminis

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) is involved in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix increasing the vulnerability of atherosclerotic lesions. We analysed the diagnostic value of serum MMP-8 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) concentrations in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and their prognostic value in ACS recurrence. Methods: The population comprised 343 patien

Dilute aqueous solutions of the atmospheric organic surfactant sodium decanoate have been studied using surface sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with synchrotron radiation. We studied the decanoate/decanoic acid speciation and preferential adsorption at the vapor-liquid interface, and the responses to mixing in solution with some of the most common atmospheric inorganic ions, Na

Viruses are candidate causative agents in the pathogenesis of autoimmune (type 1) diabetes. We hypothesised that children with a rapid onset of type 1 diabetes may have been exposed to such agents shortly before the initiation of islet autoimmunity, possibly at high dose, and thus study of these children could help identify viruses involved in the development of autoimmune diabetes. We used next-g

Insights into oceanographic environmental conditions such as paleoproductivity, deep-water temperatures, salinity, ice volumes, and nutrient cycling have all been obtained from geochemical analyses of biomineralized carbonate of marine organisms. However, we cannot fully understand geochemical proxy incorporation and the fidelity of such in species until we better understand fundamental aspects of

Objectives: To estimate seroprevalence of 11 high-risk (hr) HPV types and four low-risk (lr) HPV types among 20-64 years old Slovenian women participating in the population-based cervical cancer screening program. Methods: Serum samples from 3259 women were tested for HPV type-specific antibodies with a multiplexed pseudovirion-based serological assay (PsV-Luminex). Results: Seropositivity for any

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) encodes a rate-limiting catalytic subunit of telomerase that maintains genomic integrity. TERT expression is mostly repressed in somatic cells with exception of proliferative cells in self-renewing tissues and cancer. Immortality associated with cancer cells has been attributed to telomerase over-expression. The precise mechanism behind the TERT activa

This paper introduces a network perspective to Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). The literature on M&As commonly focuses on only the parties directly involved in mergers and acquisitions, while the present perspective points to M&As as embedded activities. The paper provides empirical illustrations from 12 acquisitions to indicate the consequences when M&A studies acknowledge busine