Recent media reports include several large systems engineering failures. These failures are especially alarming given that they span different sectors (i.e., shipbuilding and space systems), and are not isolated to one firm. Therefore we need to ask: Have we lost our systems engineering competitive edge? What can the systems engineering discipline do to correct the apparent discrepancies that a...

Accessible online at: www.karger.com/res Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common disease that may be fatal if untreated, while it may show a favorable course when promptly recognized and treated. Although clinicians have searched for objective tests to confirm or rule out the diagnosis, PE remains a challenging diagnostic problem since it is detected only at autopsy in about two thirds of cases, ev...

During the course of evolution, up until the agricultural revolution, environmental fluctuations forced the human species to develop a flexible metabolism in order to adapt its energy needs to various climate, seasonal and vegetation conditions. Metabolic flexibility safeguarded human survival independent of food availability. In modern times, humans switched their primal lifestyle towards a co...

The maturing science of the causes and consequences of boarding of admitted patients demonstrates unequivocally the dangers the patient may face when entering a crowded emergency department (ED). 1 Even the demonstration of increased mortality rates associated with crowding 2,3 has not compelled the hospital industry as a whole to implement policies and procedures to ameliorate crowding. Howeve...

This study investigates whether the practice of answer changing on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is beneficial for Iranian students’ overall test performance in EFL context. Several studies have shown that answer changing in multiple choice examinations is generally beneficial for improving scores. On the other hand, some studies have indicated that answer changing in multiple choice examina...

Purkinje fibers were the first discovered component of the cardiac conduction system. Originally described in sheep in 1839 as pale subendocardial cells, they were found to be present, although with different morphology, in all mammalian and avian hearts. Here we review differences in their appearance and extent in different species, summarize the current state of knowledge of their function, a...

A voluntary public health expenditures reporting system existed in the United States for over 25 years, tracking and reporting trends in health department expenditures, revenue streams, functions, and programs. Today, no such system exists and no data are available to help us understand how and where public health dollars are being spent and the trends during good and bad economic times. This a...