O controle postural tem como objetivo a orientação e o equilíbrio postural a fim de que o indivíduo realize uma tarefa de maneira estável. Alterações do ajuste postural são relacionadas a disfunções musculoesqueléticas e quedas, corroborando com a importância da avaliação postural completa para a prática clínica, incluindo tanto a postura estática como o comportamento dinâmico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi (1) propor um protocolo de avaliação clínica do ajuste postural compensatório, verificar (2) a confiança inter-examinador e intra-examinador deste protocolo e (3) a concordância entre a avaliação clínica e cinemática, analisar (4) se o deslocamento dos segmentos corporais durante o ajuste postural compensatório está relacionado com a posição dos segmentos na postura quieta ou no momento final do ajuste postural compensatório e (5) a relação entre as posições dos segmentos corporais durante a posição quieta e no momento final do ajuste postural compensatório. Vinte participantes jovens do sexo feminino em pé sobre uma plataforma móvel foram submetidos a perturbações posturais anteriores e posteriores padronizadas. Um quadro inicial e um quadro final representando um momento estável da posição quieta e o fim da perturbação postural, respectivamente, foram selecionados, de maneira que o ajuste postural tenha ocorrido no intervalo entre os quadros. Quatro examinadores realizaram uma avaliação clínica aplicando o protocolo proposto para avaliação clínica do ajuste postural compensatório aos quadros inicial e final de cada teste de cada participante. Os examinadores repetiram a avaliação sete dias após a primeira avaliação. Análise cinemática foi realizada a fim de definir a posição do ângulo tíbiotársico, ângulo do joelho, antepulsão da pelve, anteversão da pelve e posição do tronco. Foi coletada a posição dos segmentos corporais nos quadros inicial e final e a variação da posição dos segmentos corporais durante o ajuste postural compensatório. A confiabilidade inter-examinador e intra-examinador do protocolo proposto foi calculada e as respostas da avaliação clínica e as medidas cinemáticas dos quadros inicial e final, foram comparadas. A relação entre a posição dos segmentos corporais nos quadros inicial e final e a variação da posição dos segmentos corporais durante o ajuste postural compensatório, assim como a relação entre as posições dos segmentos corporais nos quadros inicial e final, foram observadas. A análise do Protocolo de Avaliação Clínica do Ajuste Postural Compensatório revelou bom nível de confiança inter-examinador e intraexaminador, com concordância entre a avaliação clínica e cinemática. O padrão de movimento do ajuste postural compensatório não se relacionou com a posição dos segmentos corporais na postura quieta ou no momento final do ajuste postural compensatório. Houve uma forte relação entre os segmentos do membro inferior tanto durante a posição quieta como no momento final do ajuste postural compensatório. Esta relação deve ser considerada para o melhor entendimento do padrão de movimento na manutenção do equilíbrio e na prática clínica para o tratamento de disfunções musculoesqueléticas do membro inferior. / Postural control aims postural orientation and equilibrium in order an individual accomplishes a task in a stable way. Alterations of postural adjustment are related to musculoskeletal diseases and falls, supporting the importance of a complete posture evaluation in clinical practice, including static and dynamic components of posture. The aim of this study was (1) to present a protocol to clinical evaluation of compensatory postural adjustment, to verify (2) interexaminer and intraexaminer reliability of this protocol and (3) agreement between clinical and kinematics evaluation, analyze (4) if the displacement of body segments during compensatory postural adjustment is related to posture during quiet stance or at final moment of compensatory postural adjustment and (5) the relationship between body segments during quiet stance and postural adjustment. Twenty healthy young non-athletic female participants standing upon a moveable support surface underwent to standardized backward and forward postural perturbation. An initial and a final frame representing the stable moment of quiet stance and the end of the postural perturbation, respectively, were selected, in a way that postural adjustment has occurred between these frames. Four independent examiners have made a clinical evaluation of initial and final frames of each participant using the protocol proposed for compensatory postural adjustment clinic evaluation. Examiners have repeated this evaluation seven days after the first evaluation. Kinematics analyses have been done to verify the ankle angle, knee angle, pelvic antepulsion, pelvic anteversion and trunk position. Measures of body segments position at initial and final frame and displacement of body segments during compensatory postural adjustment were acquired. Interexaminer and intraexaminer reliability of the proposed protocol was analyzed and answers of clinical evaluation and kinematics measures of initial and final frames were compared. The relationship between body segments position at initial and final frames and displacement of body segments during compensatory postural adjustment, as well as the relationship between body segments position at initial and final frames, were observed. The protocol proposed for compensatory postural adjustment clinic evaluation showed good inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability with good agreement between clinical and kinematics evaluation. Motion pattern during compensatory postural adjustment was not related to posture during quiet stance or at final moment of compensatory postural adjustment. There is a strong relationship between lower limb segments either during quiet stance or at final moment of compensatory postural adjustment. This relationship should be considered to better understanding of motion pattern during maintenance of balance and treatment of lower limb musculoskeletal diseases in clinical practice.

Most hospitals orient new graduate nurses and experienced nurses in the same generalized orientation programs. To address the cost of orientation to specialty units, a pediatric hospital developed a tailored transitional residency orientation program for experienced nurses. The purpose of this project was to describe, compare, and evaluate the existing generalized orientation program and the transitional orientation program to determine how the orientations differed in structure, process, and outcomes. Donabedian's model assessing quality of care services and Benner's novice-to-expert theoretical framework served as guides in evaluating the orientation outcomes. Qualitative data about residency classroom time, preceptor selection and time, mentor selection and time, debriefing, and total length of orientation were collected for the generalized and transitional programs. The findings were that interview process and time, classroom time, mentor time, debriefing time, and length of orientation were decreased in the new transitional orientation program. Orientation costs were less for the transitional program than the generalized program ($20,000 to $30,000 versus $50,000 per nurse, respectively) and nursing staff retention was better for the transitional program than the generalized program (90% versus 68%). The generalized orientation and separate transitional orientation have resulted in a social change by delivering cost-effective orientation to both novice and experienced nurses. Outcomes will be of interest to hospital human resource departments and nurses who conduct orientation programs.

Traditionally, burley tobacco has been harvested by hand because the green plant weight, volume, and leaf fragility make mechanical harvesting very challenging. This study examined possible ways to wilt a plant still standing in the field (termed ‘pre-wilting’) to reduce weight, volume, and leaf fragility. Several methods of pre-wilting burley tobacco plants in the field were explored including: root pruning, stalk girdling, freezing with liquid nitrogen, and burning. Experiments were conducted in three locations over three consecutive years during the tobacco harvest season. Leaf breaking angle, leaf moisture content and time-lapse photography were investigated as methods to quantify treatment effects on wilting. The time-lapse photography helped reveal that wilting was most prevalent during the late afternoon, and that wilted plants sometimes began to recover after more than five days, apparently due to root re-growth. Root pruning was the only mechanical means that caused witling reliably during the first two years of testing, and even then the results were somewhat inconsistent. During the third year, a high-clearance tobacco sprayer was modified with a hydraulically actuated coulter disc in order to root-prune a large number of subjects.

The advent of digital cameras, including those in smartphones, has caused an upheaval in the photo industry that led to the bankruptcy of Kodak and the closure of most independent photo stores. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies that specialty photo retailers in the United States have used to grow revenues after the shift to digital imaging technologies. The conceptual framework of this study was Rogers's diffusion of innovations model specifying typical movement of information through communications channels in a social system over time. Data sources included semistructured interviews with 5 photo retailers, photos of facilities and pointof- sales displays, website pages, and social media. Data were analyzed using inductive coding of phrases and words from interviews, followed by identification of common themes. Additional data gleaned from participants' displays, websites, and other documents supported interpretations of themes through methodological triangulation. Strategies that the 5 participating retailers used to grow revenues were manifest in 3 major themes: adoption of new technologies, market segmentation, and marketing communications. Study participants described various strategies to acquire customers including the use of technology (e.g., enterprise-level management systems), defining market segments underserved by competitors, and customizing marketing communications for specific targeted segments. A viable retail channel can produce social change by providing sources of information on new products that can enhance consumers' lives and create economic growth via new jobs.

The decision to establish a mental health court in Utah's First District was largely a political one prompted by the growing popularity of problem-solving courts throughout the country. Because this motivation was policy-driven and not needs-driven, the court was established without an ongoing data collection schedule. As a result, barring anecdotal evidence from program participants, the current impact of the court on two key goals-- reducing recidivism and increasing community-based treatment contact--is entirely unknown. The current study aims to provide a summative program evaluation of the first sixty-eight months of specialty court operation by (1) estimating basic demographic and clinical information about program referrals, participants, and graduates; and (2) measuring program effectiveness by examining between-group differences in key outcome measures (e.g., new charges, use of therapeutic services, time to rearrest, etc.) for those referrals who are accepted into the program as participants versus those referrals who are rejected from the program and sentenced to treatment-as-usual. Ideally, the current study will not only provide an evidence-based assessment of local practices at the current study site but will also empirically inform the greater community of mental health practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who are operating in smaller, more rural districts.

This thesis investigates the recent developments that have occurred in the independent film market after the major Hollywood studios created their own specialty divisions to produce and distribute independent films. Due to the involvement of the major studios, independent films became more mainstream while their various costs were also driven up due to the increased amount of independent films that were released by the studios. The financial crisis of 2008 forced the major studios to contract their production of independent films and this contraction allowed the prices of independent films to return to more stable levels.

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the current situation and trend over Taiwan's Specialty Chemicals of Printed Circuit Board industry. In addition, this study explores the optimal management strategy through competitive strategy theory and case study, and proposes suggestions on management stratedy to Specialty Chemicals of Printed Circuit Board industry. The key success factors were summarized from literature review and analysis of current industry status. By using these factors as variables to design the questionnaire and conducting the survey with in-depth interview, following concousions were made from the study. 1.The business advangate of Taiwan Specialty Chemicals of Printed Circuit Board industry includes the well-developed finance and stable capital support, great R&D ability, stable quality sandard, outstanding customer and after-sale service, plenty talent person for management and technology, and excellent enterprise culture. 2.Key factors affecting the competiveness among the Taiwan Specialty Chemicals of Printed Circuit Board industry are as follows. (1)Suppliers: product quality and the ability of problems solving and readily answering form suppliers. (2)Customers: identification with the brand quality and the bargaining power and purchasing amount of customers. (3)New entrants: distinctive product and technology, product differentiation and cost advantage. (4)Substitute products: function, quality, price, switching cost and R&D ability of substitute products. (5)Competitive rivalry: switching cost of customers, the integral industry growth rate and the integral actual strength of competitors. 3.The study suggests the Taiwan Specialty Chemicals of Printed Circuit Board industry to adopt the following competitive strategy. (1)Cost leadership strategy: to seek for suppliers with lower supplying cost, stable suppling and lower manpower cost. (2)Differentiation strategy: product innovation and quality. (3)Growth strategy: vertical intergration of upstream to downstream manufacturering partners and discriminiate market development.

Today we live in a highly developed science, high technology and fast transmit-ted information time, the competition is more and more intense in all industries of course the medical. People in medical industry not only have to response the impact from the change of the national policy but accept the concept to service by patient¡¦s demand and needs. In the past, the staff of hospital needn¡¦t to care about the source of patient, the fair of payment policy and the sustainable management in their hospital. But these competitive advantages had disappeared after the National Health Insurance policy was executed from 1995 AD., the pressure of management are more and more heavy especially the practitioners. In order to manage sustainably, the staff of hospital not only have to control the cost of management but also create the advantages and good chances by understood the demand and needs of the patient. The research of the considering factors in medical treatment is one of the analysis in the patient¡¦s demand and needs. Generally, patient has to know what the illness he or she gets, then patient will choice the suitable hospital for their medical treatment. In this research we separate the illness into two parts¡GOne is the specialty illness (ophthalmology, dental, orthopedic, neurology, psychiatry, obstetrics & gynecology, radiology neoplasm¡K, these illness can be confirmed the part of body.), the other is common illness (catch a cold, a cough, stomachache, headache), we analysis the dif-ferences of the considering factors in medical treatment between specialty and com-mon illnesses. In this research, we analysis the medical industrial by Marketing domain, the marketing mix 7Ps is the skill we adapt because the medical industry is part of service industry. There are 34 sheets of paper related to medical research we study and 502 pieces of considering factors in medical treatment we sort by 7Ps, finally 33 pieces factors were extracted as the items of the questionnaire. There are 528 pieces of valid respondent questionnaire we get and we use them as the data in this research. We think we can provide the result of the research and the marketing suggestions for medical industry and the initial marketing 7Ps research of medical industry.

Cutaneous laser and intense pulsed light treatments are two of the most popular aesthetic treatment modalities. More and more physicians regardless of their training background are providing such profitable services because there is still no regulation on the cosmetic procedures a physician can perform. The purpose of the present study was to find out the relative strength and weakness of different medical specialties in providing laser and intense pulsed light treatment. Major decision factors for physician selection were extracted from 19 physician choice criteria with factor analysis. Using analytic hierarchy process, the relative weight of these factors and that of dermatologists, plastic surgeons and aesthetic practitioners in each factor were calculated. After reading the training curricula of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, respondents were asked to rate again the 3 medical specialties. Our results indicated that medical competence (0.3296) was the most important major decision factor followed by recommendation (0.2198), friendliness (0.1350), cost (0.1307), complete service (0.0984) and physical attribute of the physician (0.0865). Compared with plastic surgeons and aesthetic practitioners, dermatologists had an advantage in all factors except complete service, which was the strength of plastic surgeons. New patients, aged under 40, with a college degree and a monthly allowance less than 20000 NTD were more likely to change their rating in favor of dermatologists after reading the curriculum profile..