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Introduction Parkinsonian tremor has severely impacted the lives of 65% of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, and nearly 25% do not respond to traditional treatments. Although wearable tremor suppression devices (WTSDs) have become a promising alternative approach, this technology is still in the early stages of development, and no studies have reported the stakeholders’ opinions on this technology and their desired design requirements. Methods An online survey was distributed to affected Canadians and Canadian movement disorder specialists (MDS) to acquire information on demographics, the current state of treatments, opinions on the WTSDs, and the desired design requirements of future WTSDs. Results A total of 101 affected individuals and 24 MDS completed the survey. It was found that both groups are generally open to using WTSDs to manage tremor. The most important design requirement to end users is the adaptability to lifestyle, followed by weight and size, accurate motion, comfort, safety, quick response, and cost. Lastly, most of the participants (65%) think that the device should cost under $500. Conclusions The findings from this study can be used as guidelines for the development of future WTSDs, such that the future generations could be evaluated and accepted by the end users.

Objective: Approximately 25% of individualsliving with parkinsonian tremor do not respond to traditional treatments. Wearable tremor suppression devices (WTSD) provide an alternative approach, however, tremor in the fingers has not been given as much attention as tremor in the elbow and the wrist. Therefore, the objective of this study is to design a wearable tremor suppression glove that can suppress tremor simultaneously, but independently, in multiple hand joints without restricting the user's voluntary motion. Methods: A WTSD was designed for managing tremor in the index finger metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, thumb MCP joint, and the wrist. The prototype was tested and assessed on a participant living with parkinsonian tremor. Results: The experimental evaluation showed an overall suppression of 73.1%, 80.7%, and 85.5% in resting tremor, 70.2%, 79.5%, and 81% in postural tremor, and 60.0%, 58.7%, and 65.0% in kinetic tremor in the index finger MCP joint, the thumb MCP joint, and the wrist, respectively. Conclusion: This first assessment of a WTSD for people living with Parkinson's disease provides confirmation of the feasibility of the approach. The next step requires a comprehensive validation on a broader population in order to evaluate the performance of the WTSD. Significance: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a WTSD to manage hand and finger tremor. The device enriches the field of upper-limb tremor management, as the first WTSD for multiple joints of the hand.

The cable converter is a "brown box" that may be attached to a television in order to permit a choice of up to 35 channels. This study found that introduction of the converter was associated with up to 35 percent more television viewing compared to respondents without converters. The implication for sponsors, stations, and networks is that the audience fragmentation caused by increased choice of channels may be more than offset by the increase in viewing time. In the longer term, marketers should gear themselves to exploit the opportunities of the more specialized audiences that television with the cable converter may be able to deliver.

Competing models (the supplier offering and relationship management models) were tested in a maintenance, repair, and operating supplies purchasing environment to examine which better predicted customer satisfaction, trust, and supplier partnering attractiveness. These models were also tested against a combined model to see if the more comprehensive model improved prediction. The results provide evidence that relationships may be more important than the variables frequently investigated in the organizational buying behavior literature relating to supplier choice.

The authors present a categorization of manufacturers' supports for industrial distributors and six criteria for choosing which supports to offer.

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Asking probing questions about marketing costs is another way of asking whether what one does for customers matters to them.

This article describes a framework for manufacturers to predict the level of channel conflict that they will probably experience based on channel design, channel policies and differences from their resellers in key factors. Three levels of conflict are described and different management approaches are suggested for high and low levels of potential conflict.

Manufacturers should create special strategies and tactics to accommodate contractor-dealers. Unlike conventional dealers who sell and service products, contractor-dealers are often the primary users and specifiers of supplier's products; therefore, they perform roles that are typically assumed by end-customers in more traditional distribution channels.

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The article describes three ways to support distributors. It proposes a program of core supports for all distributors and three types of add-on supports that distributors could choose to fit their particular needs.

How can manufacturers design and operate their distribution channels in order to foster enthusiastic dealer support? The authors describe six of the major mistakes manufacturers make and outline strategic options for each problem area.

Manufacturers must modify with their channels of distribution to keep their products available in broadening and maturing markets. The authors of this article provide four broad guidelines to develop more effective relationships with channel partners.

The authors provide three major criteria for evaluating marketing channels. They assert that each channel choice involves some trade-off among the three criteria—almost no channel ever fits a manufacturer perfectly. Two examples are provided in some detail.

This exploratory study examines the differences beween sales promotions that achieved their objectives and those that did not. For both consumer and trade promotions, the key success factors differ according to the objectives set and achieved. However, for a given objective, such as moving short-term volume, the key success factors for consumer promotions are different from the key success factors for trade promotions. Fortunately for managers, most of the key success factors are within their control. However, future management of sales promotions will demand much better feedback systems and a much higher level of planning. This article directs promotion managers to the key variables to be monitored and managed.