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Plastic gears have had a successful run in automobiles, appliances, office equipment, and power tools. Polymer performance and processing techniques have advanced to a point where plastic gears will handle [...]

Plastic gears have gone from curiosity to industrial mainstay in the past 50 years. Today they transfer torque and motion in products as diverse as cars, watches, sewing machines, building [...]

Knowing what the emerging technologies are is key in any information technology (IT) operation, but the rate of change is so great that it is very difficult for any manager to do that. In Australia most companies look to early US adopters for risk assessment information because they seldom have a methodology in place to identify new technologies or manage risk. Competitive threats now come from unexpected directions as new virtual firms group resources. Examples are Amazon.com and, in Australia, One.Tel, which put together a A$400 mil/yr business with almost no hardware and able, suing lots of marketing customer management and billing software. UK retail chain Dixons is the largest ISP in the UK within a year of offering free Internet access. Akzo Nobel, Dutch chemicals company, has set up a virtual private data network over 13 Asian countries. Other companies discussed include Telstra, Advance Bank, Com Tech, Federal Express and Dell Computers.

It used to be that your local convenience store was nothing more than a place for gas, coffee (watery), donuts, chips and the local paper - if you got there [...]

I. Introduction Many interactive computer services,(1) such as America Online (AOL), CompuServe, and Prodigy operate bulletin boards, or forums, which allow subscribers to post messages that may be read and [...]

A study was conducted to examine how digital signal processing methods can be employed to identify noise and vibration problems found in automotive braking systems. In particular, the order tracking approach is used in the relieving time variant frequency problem, which is common at lower frequency ranges. The causes of brake noise problems can be diagnosed by using the noise signature gathered via the order tracking technique, in combination with data on the basic construction of brake components and the vehicle structure dynamics.

The siren call of constantly improving - and ambitiously touted - instructional technology is nothing new. Neither is the reality that things reputed to simplify our lives often not only [...]

Picking the best site remains high on the priority list for meeting planners. Sure, some things never change. But some things do. Chances are that at the top of the [...]

Polymorphous light eruption (PLE) is a skin disorder characterized by a delayed abnormal response to light with the development of a red rash, pimple-like lesions, or blisters on skin exposed to sun. These symptoms may also be seen in erythema multiforme, a patchy rash associated with dark red pimples, or tubercles, and hemorrhagic, or bleeding-related disorders. The skin disorders that are not included in the term PLE are actinic prurigo, the light-induced formation of itchy, pimple-like lesions; hydroa vacciniforme, blister-like lesions resembling vaccinia, or cowpox; and solar urticaria, the formation of itchy wheals after exposure to light. In addition, other investigators describe the symptoms as 'polymorphic' rather than 'polymorphous' skin eruptions. Actinic prurigo is a hereditary, light-induced skin reaction that tends to occur in American Indians, and is rarely seen in whites. It remains unclear whether actinic prurigo should be considered a type of PLE. The identification of a specific marker for these disorders would be useful in distinguishing actinic prurigo from PLE. The human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are tissue antigens, or elements capable of provoking an immune response, and are present on all cells with a nucleus. These tissue antigens are controlled by a specialized set of genes called the major histocompatibility gene complex. An increased frequency of specific tissue antigens has been associated with certain diseases. Hence, the HLA were analyzed in 41 white patients with PLE, and 51 white subjects without skin disease. There were no differences in the HLA typing between patients with PLE and subjects without this disorder. Previous studies have shown that actinic prurigo is associated with increased frequencies of the antigens A24 and Cw4 and a decreased frequency of the antigen A3. These findings suggest that PLE and actinic prurigo are different and distinct diseases. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Trainers and meeting planners generally prefer to use conference facilities instead of hotels for training sessions and meetings. Conference center personnel seem to have a better understanding of the needs of trainers and meeting planners. Conference centers usually offer the services of a conference coordinator, who can solve problems immediately. Conference facilities offer several advantages over hotels, including better room design, high-quality food for a lower price, better overnight accommodations, better audiovisual equipment and service, and a variety of recreational facilities. Conference centers usually charge the same prices as hotels, but the service they provide is much better., Every training and meeting professional has a collection of 'war stories,' and it's not unusual that many of them involve those times when it was necessary to take activities off-site, [...]

The seating arrangements in an off-site training room are as important as the presentation of information. The type of seating configuration depends on the number of participants and the type of training. Putting seats in rows in the traditional classroom style enhances the acquisition of knowledge, but it discourages participation. Arranging tables in a U-shape encourages participation, especially when each table seats five to seven trainees. An effective seating arrangement can improve such factors as participation and instructor control., Making The Site Right Setting up an off-site training room can be as important as engaging and leading your participants. An unknown meeting room. The mere thought of it can [...]

Large-screen projection systems have been playing an increasingly larger role in training and development programs. The reasons for the growth in their use include improved images, ease of operation, and compatibility with personal computers. The things to do or consider before buying a system include finding projection system dealers that install and service systems at reasonable prices; conducting site surveys with vendors; and having vendors assess the computer hardware and software to be used with the system., Getting The Big Picture Over the last decade, large-screen projection systems have played a major part in the development of today's sophisticated training and presentation technologies. Today, their role is [...]