We review some computational aspects of motor control. The problem of trajectory control is phrased in terms of an efficient representation of the operator connecting joint angles to joint torques. Efficient look-up table solutions of the inverse dynamics are related to some results on the decomposition of function of many variables. In a biological perspective, we emphasize the importance of the constraints coming from the properties of the biological hardware for determining the solution to the inverse dynamic problem.

sonami AG is a company that is located in the Principality of Liechtenstein. It was founded in 2007. Since then it didn’t gain many customers and it is questionable how long the?company will be able to survive with having that few customers. In order to get rid of the current situation and to achieve a sustainable expansion strategy in the long run sonami asked us for help. The question thus is; how would an international expansion strategy look like. In order to answer this question a case study approach was used. Four successful micro companies were interviewed and asked about their international strategy and their recommendations for expanding abroad. In addition internationalization literature has been reviewed. Furthermore the concept of strategy, strategic planning and strategic management has been discussed.In the end a framework for sonami was developed. Different approaches, mixed with different recommendations and insights of the case studies were used to develop it. The result is that sonami has major problems internally, which should be solved before entering any international path. Our developed framework names several pre‐requisites that need to be fulfilled before moving on to the next step. We have tried to generate a deliberate strategy for sonami. We also recommended sonami to take advantage of opportunities given. This would however mean that sonami would then follow an emergent strategy.??

No description available.

The current maxim concerning diagnosis and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders is that family physicians fail to appropriately respond to patients with anxiety and depression. This estimate is based upon a collection of studies that have found that accurate recognition in general practice occurred in 9% to 75% of patients with depression, and 34% to 50% of patients with anxiety. However, most studies have found that more than half of physicians accurately detected depression and anxiety in their patients.<p> This dissertation examined physicians responses (detection, treatment, and follow-up) to clinical scenarios of patients presenting with symptoms of either depression or anxiety. Furthermore, this study evaluated the associations between physicians responses and physician attributes (personal and professional), organizational setting, information/resource use, and barriers to care.<p> A cross-sectional study of Saskatchewan family physicians yielded a response rate of 49.7% (N=331/666). The results of this study revealed that most physicians provided appropriate depression and anxiety care with respect to recognition of disorders and follow-up care. Specifically, 85.4% of physicians provided an accurate tentative diagnosis of depression, and 86.3% provided an accurate tentative diagnosis of anxiety; 82.5% of physicians suggested adequate follow-up depression care while 79.4% offered adequate follow-up anxiety care. However, a notable proportion of physicians did not provide effective treatment; 65.6% of physicians recommended effective (immediate) anxiety treatment, and 55.6% recommended effective (immediate) depression treatment.<p> This study found that physicians provision of care to patients with anxiety and depression was more likely to be associated with their personal attributes, organizational setting, and information/resource use than with their professional attributes. First, neither tentative diagnosis of depression nor tentative diagnosis of anxiety was significiantly associated with any of the tested measures. Second, ineffective treatment of depression was significantly more likely among physicians who were female, educated at the undergraduate level in Canada (versus elsewhere), scored lower on anxiety attitude factor 1 (social context view of anxiety amenable to intervention), had a low patient load (< 100 patients/week), and used medical textbooks to make specific clinical decisions; ineffective treatment of anxiety was significantly more likely among physicians who had completed their undergraduate and postgraduate medical training in Canada (versus elsewhere), had a low patient load ( <100 patients/week), did not practice in a private office/clinic, and used colleagues within as well as outside their main patient care setting to update their general medical knowledge. Third, physicians were significantly more likely to provide inadequate follow-up care to the depressed patient if they were in solo practice and used drug manuals to update their general medical knowledge, and significantly more likely to provide inadequate follow-up care to the anxious patient if they (the physician) were female and did not use mental health professionals to update their general medical knowledge.<p> Results indicated that after controlling for the effects of other factors, physicians with low patient loads were three times more likely to provide ineffective treatment of depression than physicians with high patient loads. Furthermore, when holding the effects of all other factors constant, physicians who had completed postgraduate training in Canada were approximately five times more likely to provide ineffective treatment of the anxious patient than physicians who had completed their postgraduate training outside of Canada.

The northern Great Plains of Saskatchewan is one of the most significantly modified landscapes in Canada. While the majority of anthropogenic disturbance to Saskatchewans grasslands is the result of agricultural practices, oil and gas activity are of increasing concern to grassland conservation efforts. Although such developments require formal regulatory approval (Environmental Impact Assessment), follow-up and monitoring of the effects of oil and gas development on grasslands is not common practice. In the absence of empirical based follow-up and monitoring, the actual environmental effects of petroleum and natural gas (PNG) development on grassland ecology and the spatial extent of development are largely unknown.<p> This thesis examines the spatial and temporal extent of PNG development and its effects on grassland ecology within a PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration) pasture in southwest Saskatchewan. The extent of the changes to infrastructure and the actual impacts from development within the study area were documented from 1955 to 2006. The actual impacts of oil and gas activity on grassland ecology were determined by analyzing ground cover characteristics, soil properties, and community composition at lease sites and compared to reference pasture sites. Associated with construction practices, lease sites had low herbaceous, Lycopodiaceae, litter, organic horizon (Ah) thickness, and soil compaction values. Lease sites were also found to have low desirable species diversity, range health values, and greater undesirable species presence. Impacts from development were amplified at active, highly productive lease sites. The impacts associated with PNG development were also found to persist for more than 50 years, and extend 20m 25m beyond the physical footprint of infrastructure. This research will contribute to monitoring and mitigation measures for oil and gas development within Saskatchewan and Canadian grasslands.

Production ramp up corresponds to « the period between the end of the production development and the full capacity utilization ». The manufacturing process often does not work perfectly during this early time of the new product production and some adjustments are necessary to obtain full capacity utilization. In order to assess the assembly process during this period, the train manufacturer Bombardier Transportation has created an improvement process called “VPI” (which stands for “Validation du Processus Industriel” or “Validation of the manufacturing process” in English). Its purpose is to “validate the material and the documentation for every movement independently” in order to ensure quality of final product and safety of the workers. It aims at detecting and solving rapidly safety problems and deviation from the normal process. This thesis is a case study of VPI during MI09 contract (new trains for ¨Paris subway). It aims at assessing VPI framework and identifies possible causes of the delay in validation of MI09 production process. Four main MI09 production line specificities have been identified: long assembly time, low production volume, system complexity and process variability. VPI framework meets partially these production line prerequisites. VPI is a process that allows systematizing problems detection, formalizing the improvement process and managing a high number of problems with a clear view of the VPI validation. The most important drawbacks of the VPI seem to be the lack of problems detection after the initial observation, problem definition framework and root cause analysis. Four reasons could explain the delays during the realization of VPI on MI09 contract: undetected problems, normal treatment timeframe for the improvements, inadequate objectives and lack of framework to select the best solution to solve problems. VPI may be improved by including root cause analysis, better problem definition and knowledge management between contracts. However, these methods are time consuming and a prioritization of the problem should be made. FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) methodology may help to identify the problem on which the VPI should focus on.

The current maxim concerning diagnosis and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders is that family physicians fail to appropriately respond to patients with anxiety and depression. This estimate is based upon a collection of studies that have found that accurate recognition in general practice occurred in 9% to 75% of patients with depression, and 34% to 50% of patients with anxiety. However, most studies have found that more than half of physicians accurately detected depression and anxiety in their patients.<p> This dissertation examined physicians responses (detection, treatment, and follow-up) to clinical scenarios of patients presenting with symptoms of either depression or anxiety. Furthermore, this study evaluated the associations between physicians responses and physician attributes (personal and professional), organizational setting, information/resource use, and barriers to care.<p> A cross-sectional study of Saskatchewan family physicians yielded a response rate of 49.7% (N=331/666). The results of this study revealed that most physicians provided appropriate depression and anxiety care with respect to recognition of disorders and follow-up care. Specifically, 85.4% of physicians provided an accurate tentative diagnosis of depression, and 86.3% provided an accurate tentative diagnosis of anxiety; 82.5% of physicians suggested adequate follow-up depression care while 79.4% offered adequate follow-up anxiety care. However, a notable proportion of physicians did not provide effective treatment; 65.6% of physicians recommended effective (immediate) anxiety treatment, and 55.6% recommended effective (immediate) depression treatment.<p> This study found that physicians provision of care to patients with anxiety and depression was more likely to be associated with their personal attributes, organizational setting, and information/resource use than with their professional attributes. First, neither tentative diagnosis of depression nor tentative diagnosis of anxiety was significiantly associated with any of the tested measures. Second, ineffective treatment of depression was significantly more likely among physicians who were female, educated at the undergraduate level in Canada (versus elsewhere), scored lower on anxiety attitude factor 1 (social context view of anxiety amenable to intervention), had a low patient load (< 100 patients/week), and used medical textbooks to make specific clinical decisions; ineffective treatment of anxiety was significantly more likely among physicians who had completed their undergraduate and postgraduate medical training in Canada (versus elsewhere), had a low patient load ( <100 patients/week), did not practice in a private office/clinic, and used colleagues within as well as outside their main patient care setting to update their general medical knowledge. Third, physicians were significantly more likely to provide inadequate follow-up care to the depressed patient if they were in solo practice and used drug manuals to update their general medical knowledge, and significantly more likely to provide inadequate follow-up care to the anxious patient if they (the physician) were female and did not use mental health professionals to update their general medical knowledge.<p> Results indicated that after controlling for the effects of other factors, physicians with low patient loads were three times more likely to provide ineffective treatment of depression than physicians with high patient loads. Furthermore, when holding the effects of all other factors constant, physicians who had completed postgraduate training in Canada were approximately five times more likely to provide ineffective treatment of the anxious patient than physicians who had completed their postgraduate training outside of Canada.

The northern Great Plains of Saskatchewan is one of the most significantly modified landscapes in Canada. While the majority of anthropogenic disturbance to Saskatchewans grasslands is the result of agricultural practices, oil and gas activity are of increasing concern to grassland conservation efforts. Although such developments require formal regulatory approval (Environmental Impact Assessment), follow-up and monitoring of the effects of oil and gas development on grasslands is not common practice. In the absence of empirical based follow-up and monitoring, the actual environmental effects of petroleum and natural gas (PNG) development on grassland ecology and the spatial extent of development are largely unknown.<p> This thesis examines the spatial and temporal extent of PNG development and its effects on grassland ecology within a PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration) pasture in southwest Saskatchewan. The extent of the changes to infrastructure and the actual impacts from development within the study area were documented from 1955 to 2006. The actual impacts of oil and gas activity on grassland ecology were determined by analyzing ground cover characteristics, soil properties, and community composition at lease sites and compared to reference pasture sites. Associated with construction practices, lease sites had low herbaceous, Lycopodiaceae, litter, organic horizon (Ah) thickness, and soil compaction values. Lease sites were also found to have low desirable species diversity, range health values, and greater undesirable species presence. Impacts from development were amplified at active, highly productive lease sites. The impacts associated with PNG development were also found to persist for more than 50 years, and extend 20m 25m beyond the physical footprint of infrastructure. This research will contribute to monitoring and mitigation measures for oil and gas development within Saskatchewan and Canadian grasslands.

Abstract The development of fiber optics industry in Taiwan , comparing with advanced countries is a model of the development of the catching-up economies. The developed countries have already accumulated enough resources and capabilities from the past centuries to build the ability of R&D innovation , processing innovation, and assembly innovation in sequence. The catching-up countries are unable to obtain the same power and financial status as that of the developed countries are primarily due to the less technological advancement. The catching-up economies must initially proceed with the method of reverse engineering. The step initiates with creating the assembly innovation and ends with research pertinent to the utilization of intensive brain-power. The research studies attempts to integrate several related theories and models and form an analytical structure for fiber optics industry in Taiwan. The research studies also discusses the feasibility of fiber optics in Taiwan from both market and technological view , generates several conclusions from the studies , and makes a lot of strategic suggestions for fiber optics industry in Taiwan.

Why are initial public offerings (IPOs) underpriced? We consider this is a strategy that insiders use to maximize their personal wealth. When a company offers shares in an initial public offering, insiders typically enter into a lock-up restriction which prohibits insiders from selling their shares within a specified period after the IPO. Insiders interested in maximizing their personal wealth will take actions to maximize the lock-up expiration share price rather than the offer price. When the IPOs underprice, the share price will go up during the honeymoon period. The large run-up in the stock price will attracts interest from the media. And the enhanced coverage brings the stock to the attention of more investors. Then the demand for the stock will increase and make the stock price go up. This allows the insiders to sell shares at the lock-up expiration at price higher than he would otherwise be able to obtain. This study examines the relationship among underpricing, coverage and return. We find that stock deposit and the age of a company are positively correlated with underpricing. The electronic-related companies are much more noticeable than underpricing to lead to more coverage. We also find that coverage is positively correlated with return through the lock-up expiration.