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The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between helminth infections, dietary parameters and cognitive performance, as well as the predictors of undernutrition among school-age children (SAC) living in helminth-endemic fishing and farming communities in Ghana.

This was a cross sectional study involving 164 (9 to 12 years old) SAC from fishing (n = 84) and farming (n = 80) communities of the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana, using structured questionnaires and anthropometric and biochemical assessments.

Overall, 51.2% of the children were males, with no significant gender difference between the communities (p = 0.88). Average age of the children was 10.5 ± 1.25 years, with no significant difference between the farming and fishing communities (p = 0.90). About 53.1% of all children were anemic, with no significant differences between farming versus fishing communities (p = 0.87). Helminth-infected children were significantly anemic (p = 0.03). Mean serum zinc level of all children was 13.1 ± 4.57 µmol/L, with zinc deficiency being significantly higher in children in the farming community (p < 0.0001). About 7.5% of all the children were underweight, whilst 13.8% were stunted with a higher proportion of stunting occurring among older children (p = 0.001) and girls (p = 0.117). There was no significant difference in the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices cognitive test scores between the two communities (p = 0.79). Predictors of anemia were helminthiasis and pica behavior.

These findings are relevant and have the prospect of guiding the development of intervention programs in addressing the persistent problem of nutritional and cognitive deficits among SAC.

The majority of major building structures are in some way or another, clad with a facing skin. Invariably the type of material used, and its shape or form, follows the architectural trends of the period. Notwithstanding these trends, be they traditional, indigenous styles or aesthetically modish, the facing materials need to be supported and restrained. Furthermore, it should be remembered that once in position the fixings used become largely inaccessible and difficult to replace.

What constitutes a failure? A failure is not necessarily a total collapse causing damage or loss of life — these are extreme cases. And to analyse failures, it is first necessary to determine the function which the cladding of a building serves.

Neural Networks (NN's), one of the latest developments in computer software artificial intelligence, are an innovative method of simulating and analysing complex and changing systems of relationships. Originally developed to mimic the neural architecture and functioning of the human brain, NN techniques have recently been applied successfully in a wide variety of complex business and financial applications (Trippi and Turban, 1994).

This study sets out to highlight how a leading manufacturer of tooling, with its continuous improvement drive, has leveraged DMAIC Six Sigma potential to realize cost savings and improved quality on their shopfloor. The study examines one of the shopfloor chronic quality issues which deals with finding a way to reduce the amount of warp incurred in Amada A‐Station punches during the heat‐treat process.

The goals of this specific study were achieved by utilizing Six Sigma tools such as “brainstorming, process mapping, fish‐bone diagrams, histograms, and control charts”.

The analysis resulted in a number of findings and recommendations. A major contributor to the warp was the method used to fix the parts. It was found that, by using a new fixture to hang the parts, the amount of warp could be greatly reduced. The major recommendation was that the new heat‐treat fixture design be implemented as soon as a reliable fixture design has been proven. The value of implementing this new fixture design equates to roughly $10,000 per year in savings, which is due to the elimination of a secondary grinding operation and elimination of scrap parts. The company expects millions of dollars in annual savings as DMAIC Six Sigma process is rolled out to areas on the shopfloor.

The case study shows DMAIC Six Sigma process is an effective and novel approach for the machining and fabrication industries to improve the quality of their processes and products and profitability through driving down manufacturing costs.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an approach to data value considerations that is related to the generalized notion of authenticity and can be applied to the design of preservation policies. There has been considerable progress in the scalable architectures for policy-driven digital collection preservation as well as in modeling preservation costs. However, modeling the value of both digital artifacts and collections seems a more elusive topic that has yet to find a proper methodology and means of expression.

A top-down conceptual analysis was developed and the principles of information technology service management and quality management were applied to the domain of digital preservation. Then, in a bottom-up analysis, the various notions of authenticity in digital preservation projects, reference models and conceptual papers were reviewed.

The top-down and bottom-up analyses have a meeting point, establishing a close relation between the concepts of data authenticity and data value.

The generalized understanding of authenticity can support the design of sensible preservation policies and their application to the formation and long-term maintenance of digital collections.

Undoubtedly the most publicised art event during recent months was the long‐awaited opening of the much‐debated extension to the National Gallery. Even when completed the Sainsbury Wing (named, of course, after the trio of grocers who donated the money for its erection) continued to generate controversy in architectural circles. To the uninvolved visitor the building seems to be enormously successful and the suspicion arises that a lot of adverse comments may have come from British architects disappointed that such a prestigious commission went to an American architect. But Robert Venturi and his principal partner, Denise Scott‐Brown, have cracked what had hitherto been seen as an insoluble problem, with style and vigour. Indeed, thanks to Prince Charles' notorious “carbuncle” intervention the National Gallery has now an extension of a quality not achievable (for a number of economic and aesthetic reasons) since the 1930s. This point is clearly emphasised by the illustrations of the structures previously proposed for the site reproduced in Colin Amery's A Celebration of Art and Architecture: The National Gallery Sainsbury Wing (ISBN 0 9476465 86 1, hardback, £40.00; ISBN 0 947645 87 X, paperback, £15.95). This includes not only a succinct history of the National Gallery and a survey of the various previous proposals for an extension, but also a section on “Construction Details” illustrated by some excellent paintings of work in progress, by Andrew Norris. Some of the paintings around which the Wing was designed are in Amery's book, but more are to be found in Michael Wilson's Guide to the Sainsbury Wing (ISBN 0 947645 94 2, paperback, £4.95). This takes the form of tours around the building and around the contents. These include a very large and elegant shop which has led to the immediate removal of the “temporary” shop from its previous dominating position within the National Gallery; a restaurant which allows the public a view of Trafalgar Square similar to that hitherto only available to users of the library in Canada House; and the Micro Gallery (sponsored by American Express) which brings the very latest touch‐screen computer technology right out to the public. With software developed by Cognitive Applications and editorial material generated by 21st Century Systems, this enables any visitor to search the whole of the National Gallery's catalogue and compile their own study notes. The system even has a facility for the display of explanations of “difficult” words used in the descriptions of the 2,000 painting involved, and, at print‐out time, there is even an explanation for the reasons why copyright restrictions prevent the reproduction of certain pictures. No wonder this facility has proved to be an immensely popular aspect of a building which already looks as though it has always been there.

Examines the phenomenon of price signalling whereby consumer goods manufacturers attempt to signal higher quality via a higher price when objective product quality is, in fact, not demonstrably higher. Shows that higher price alone does not succeed in signalling higher quality, but that higher price accompanied by premium‐quality signals in the other elements of the marketing mix does succeed. Concludes that a premium pricing strategy cannot be successful if price is the only marketing variable emphasised and brand managers should think in terms of premium quality positioning that requires the right marketing mix.

Examines the phenomenon of “price signalling”, whereby consumer goods manufacturers attempt to signal higher quality via a higher price when objective product quality is, in fact, not demonstrably superior. A study of two similar facial moisturizers showed that higher price alone did not succeed in signalling higher quality, but that higher price accompanied by premium‐quality signals in the other elements of the marketing mix (advertising, packaging, in‐store location) does succeed. To put it more generally, a “premium pricing strategy” cannot be successful if price is the only marketing variable emphasized. Brand managers should therefore think in terms of a “premium quality positioning” that requires the application of quality cues across the marketing mix.

The purpose of this paper is to explore technology strategies and policies in the areas of standards, repositioning of technology, and service‐oriented architecture that focus on enabling innovation while retaining coherence and viability.

The paper uses the concepts of shearing layers and Personal Learning Environments to define appropriate boundaries between individual, departmental, institutional, national, and global network control.

Education systems today can be characterised as a recursive metasystem of separate systems. Each system uses innovation as part of strategic planning to try to realise its potential and release its latency. However, these strategic activities generate friction with the metasystem, which puts the brakes on innovation in its subsystems. The architectural concepts of shearing layers and flexible couplings provide a model for reducing this friction. One way of enabling shearing layers in educational technology is to offer polymodal access to services.

In managing technology, institutions should actively consider relocating functions to other layers of the education system, including technologies owned by individual learners and teachers. They should think of technology in terms of supporting flexible shearing layers between rapidly changing organisational structures. The concept of polymodal access should be used when looking to deploy services at any level of the organisation. Critical cross‐cutting issues of privacy, identity, and business intelligence need to be designed into the institutional and departmental service infrastructure. Institutions should develop innovation‐oriented technology policies. At the department or course level, policies should also reflect the position of the organisation with regard to the equitable experience of education.

The approach outlined demonstrates that institutions have the capacity to reinvent their technology strategies and policies in such a way as to unlock innovation at the departmental and personal level, without creating a crisis in IT service management. On the other hand, it also shows that the PLE perspective needs to be balanced with a broader view of student disposition and institutional goals to become recognised as part of the institutional technology strategy and policies.