Inventive Activities, Patents and Early Industrialization. A Synthesis of Research Issues

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research on the role of patent systems in the early phases of industrialization. Perhaps surprisingly, no consensus has been reached yet as to whether the emergence of modern patent systems exerted a favourable impact on inventive activities. However, the recent literature has shed light on a number of fundamental factors which affect the links between inventive activities and the patent system. The concluding section of the paper outlines some "history lessons" for the current debate on the role of Intellectual Property Rights in economic development.

Patents and Industrialization: An Historical Overview of the British Case, 1624-1907 w

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the research on the role played by patent systems in the industrialization process (with a special focus on the British case). Perhaps surprisingly, no consensus has been reached yet as to whether the emergence of modern patent systems exerted a favourable impact on inventive activities. However, the recent literature has shed light on a number of fundamental factors which affect the links between inventive activities and the patent system. The concluding section of the paper outlines some "history lessons" for the current debate on the role of patent in economic development.patents, innovation, Industrial Revolution, economic growth

Triggering dialogic activities across networks

Our study originates in exploratory interventions aimed at engaging students with relevant practices to support  learning both in and about digital environments. Our students come from a wide range of professional contexts all over the world. Most are involved in teaching or supporting teaching. What they learn on our programme is carried into their practice - and vice versa. Their introductory course explores a range of environments along with critical literature, with a strong theoretical emphasis. The authors both have an interest in dialogic approaches to education, and we share findings on activities designed and tutored by each of us. A webquest and an online text augmentation exercise were both found to promote student creativity, dialogue and learning.  While we had respectable pedagogical reasons for these activities, our subsequent reflections and conversations about them suggested that they were worthy of further theoretical analysis.  Our students demonstrated considerable use of existing networks while at the same time apparently generating new networks that would sustain them throughout a programme of study and beyond. Drawing on Wegerif's (2013) notion of dialogic and its Bakhtinian influences, we attempt to distinguish and name features of networks likely to trigger dialogic exchanges that foster learning. We have isolated examples from each practice of particularly ‘interanimating' sections of dialogue and created a thick description of them, including their antecedents and consequences. Our examples illustrate that both practices raised questions about purpose, offered opportunities for showcasing knowledge and connections, led to sharing and making practices visible, and were taken forward to new contexts. The findings are not all positive; we have also identified concerns about exclusion or inadequacy from those who feel unable to participate fully, but even then there is potential to turn around difficult situations. This study might have practical application for learning designers but should also be of theoretical interest for research into newer forms of academic literacy

Creating Control Amidst the Chaos: Collaborating on a Controlled Vocabulary During COVID

While having a controlled vocabulary for our IR was an aspiration, with limited staffing and ad hoc additions, it was not a priority. Some items were added with keywords, most often supplied by faculty focused solely on their subject area, and others had no keywords. It seemed with every addition, the idea of implementing—and more importantly editing earlier submissions—slipped further away. However, when the shift to remote work meant that staff needed projects, many items on the IR wish list became a reality, including the controlled vocabulary. During this session, we will walk you through the process of how we assessed what we had, implemented order, and made a plan of how to maintain (and expand) the controlled vocabulary going forward. You will hear about what worked, what did not, and how we turned our 2020 lemons into some pretty sweet IR lemonade

Collaboration and communication - what is one without the other

Few would argue with the notion that we work together in palliative care for the benefit of the patient and family/whanau. Some call this collaboration; others refer to it as teamwork, partnerships or just working together. Regardless of what we call it, what is indisputable is that palliative care providers need a way of communicating if they are to manage complex challenges such as limited resources, increasing costs of health care provision, an aging population and an aging health care workforce. If collaboration is to be the way forward as a model of care for palliative care delivery as recommended in government strategies and by the World Health Organisation then it is imperative that health care workers learn to communicate with each other. Communication strategies have been identified by the World Health Organisation as being a necessary part of the working culture that shapes collaborative practice. Likewise, the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative identifies communication as a vital domain of collaborative practice. Yet communication for collaboration may be more difficult than we think. It is not simply speaking to one another or sending yet another email or fax. The literature to date indicates that collaboration cannot take place without communication so what is needed for adequate communication to occur and what happens when it does not? When there are communication problems collaboration is difficult or simply does not occur. Improving interprofessional communication is important to ensure that patients and families get the very best of care at this critical life stage