The IT Manager: an Endangered Species?

Information Technology is generally acknowledged to be an indispensable part of business today, so it might be thought that companies generally employed IT staff. A survey was carried out on a large sample of New South Wales companies to discover how many companies had any IT staff. It showed that only about 25% of the sample had such staff. About a quarter of companies turning over $5m -$10m and half the companies turning over $10m -$50m had IT managers. These figures suggest that the most NSW companies have no IT staff, which has implications for a wide range of governance issues

Adrenomedullin in dental tissues

Tooth development is complex and dependent on epithelial-mesenchymal interactions involving key molecular signalling pathways. Preliminary data indicate that the pleiotropic growth factor adrenomedullin (ADM) is expressed during tooth development. Furthermore, in osteoblasts, cells which share structural and functional similarities to odontoblasts, ADM increases proliferation in vitro and can promote mineralised bone volume and strength in vivo. Immunohistochemical analysis of ADM demonstrated expression during key stages in tooth development in particular in cells responsible for signalling odontoblast differentiation and subsequently in secretory odontoblasts. Similarities with the temporo-spatial expression profile of TGF-β1 were also observed. In vitro analysis using the developmentally derived dental cell lines, MDPC-23 and OD-21, demonstrated ADM stimulated a biphasic response in dental cell numbers with peak stimulation at 10-11M and that it stimulated mineral deposition at levels comparable to that of the known mineralising agent dexamethasone. Analysis of tooth tissue volume and key mandibular measurements in Swiss mice systemically treated with ADM using techniques including micro-Computer Tomography did not identify significant differences in craniofacial mineralised tissue structures compared to sham treated controls. The data presented here along with the known pleiotropic properties of ADM indicate it may be an important regulator of tooth development particularly in the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation and mineralisation. However, in adult animals systemic ADM supplementation appears to have limited affect on mandibular bone and dentine synthesis

Corporate Governance and IT Governance: exploring the board\u27s perspective

Information technology (IT) exceeds half the capital spending of large organisations (US Commerce 2003) and should thus be a major concern of boards. How corporate governance extends into the domain of IT, becoming IT governance, is not widely researched. Concerns of board members on IT features little in the literature and board members’ views are rarely obtained by academic researchers, partly due to the difficulty of obtaining access. We aim here to add to that literature. We describe an Australian study that explores IT governance issues from the board’s perspective, a grounded theory approach, and examine some propositions drawn from the literature that does exist. The study used the topical issue of the risks of electronic commerce to stimulate the respondents. A questionnaire instrument was then developed and piloted. Methodological challenges are then discussed

The development of a tool to assess medical students’ non-technical skills–The Norwegian medical students’ non-technical skills (NorMS-NTS)

Purpose - New physicians need to master non-technical skills (NTS), as high levels of NTS have been shown to increase patient safety. It has also been shown that NTS can be improved through training. This study aimed to establish the necessary NTS for Norwegian medical students to create a tool for formative and summative assessments. Methods - Focus group interviews were conducted with colleagues and patients of newly graduated physicians. Interviews were then analyzed using card sort methods, and the identified NTS were used to establish a framework. Focus groups commented on a prototype of an NTS assessment tool. Finally, we conducted a search of existing tools and literature. The final tool was developed based on the combined inputs. Results - We created Norwegian medical students’ non-technical skills (NorMS-NTS) assessment tool containing four main categories; together comprising 13 elements and a rating scale for the NTS of the person observed. Conclusions - The NorMS-NTS represents a purpose-made tool for assessing newly graduated physicians’ NTS. It is similar to existing assessment tools but based on domain-specific user perspectives obtained through focus group interviews and feedback, integrated with results from a literature search, and with consideration of existing NTS tools

Collecting evidence of validity for an assessment tool for Norwegian medical students' non-technical skills (NorMS-NTS): usability and reliability when used by novice raters

Background - The NorMS-NTS tool is an assessment tool for assessing Norwegian medical students’ non-technical skills (NTS). The NorMS-NTS was designed to provide student feedback, training evaluations, and skill-level comparisons among students at different study sites. Rather than requiring extensive rater training, the tool should capably suit the needs of busy doctors as near-peer educators. The aim of this study was to examine the usability and preliminary assess validity of the NorMS-NTS tool when used by novice raters. Methods - This study focused on the usability of the assessment tool and its internal structure. Three raters used the NorMS-NTS tool to individually rate the team leader, a medical student, in 20 video-recorded multi-professional simulation-based team trainings. Based on these ratings, we examined the tools’ internal structure by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (version 3.1) interrater reliability, internal consistency, and observability. After the rating process was completed, the raters answered a questionnaire about the tool’s usability. Results - The ICC agreement and the sum of the overall global scores for all raters were fair: ICC (3,1) = 0.53. The correlation coefficients for the pooled raters were in the range of 0.77–0.91. Cronbach’s alpha for elements, categories and global score were mostly above 0.90. The observability was high (95%-100%). All the raters found the tool easy to use, none of the elements were redundant, and the written instructions were helpful. The raters also found the tool easier to use once they had acclimated to it. All the raters stated that they could use the tool for both training and teaching. Conclusions - The observed ICC agreement was 0.08 below the suggested ICC level for formative assessment (above 0.60). However, we know that the suggestion is based on the average ICC, which is always higher than a single-measure ICC. There are currently no suggested levels for single-measure ICC, but other validated NTS tools have single-measure ICC in the same range. We consider NorMS-NTS as a usable tool for formative assessment of Norwegian medical students’ non-technical skills during multi-professional team training by raters who are new to the tool. It is necessary to further examine validity and the consequences of the tool to fully validate it for formative assessments

Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Standing Review Panel (SRP) Final Report

The first meeting of the Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Standing Review Panel (SRP) was held in Houston, TX on November 1-3, 2009. Our task was to assess the Integrated Research Plan (IRP) related to the fields covered in the SRP charge (see section VIII). Having considered and discussed the extensive materials distributed prior to the meeting, and the highly informative briefings by the NASA BHP Human Research Program (HRP) personnel during the site visit, the SRP agreed that the IRP is comprehensive and was developed carefully. Question and answer periods with the presenters were particularly productive and helpful to the SRP. The presenters' willingness to share information and positive responses to the SRP's suggestions were greatly appreciated. Although the IRP and related documents are impressive, the SRP does have a number of recommendations regarding both the overall plan and its component parts

High magnesium corrosion rate has an effect on osteoclast and mesenchymal stem cell role during bone remodelling

The aim of this study was to gain an understanding on the collective cellular effects of magnesium (Mg) corrosion products on the behaviour of cells responsible for bone formation and remodelling. The response of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and osteoclast cells to both soluble (Mg ions) and insoluble (granule) corrosion products were recapitulated in vitro by controlling the concentration of the corrosion products. Clearance of corrosion granules by MSCs was also inspected by TEM analysis at sub-cellular level. The effect of Mg corrosion products varied depending on the state of differentiation of cells, concentration and length of exposure. The presence of the corrosion products significantly altered the cells' metabolic and proliferative activities, which further affected cell fusion/differentiation. While cells tolerated higher than physiological range of Mg concentration (16 mM), concentrations below 10 mM were beneficial for cell growth. Furthermore, MSCs were shown to contribute to the clearance of intercellular corrosion granules, whilst high concentrations of corrosion products negatively impacted on osteoclast progenitor cell number and mature osteoclast cell function

Prospectus, March 16, 2005

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2005/1008/thumbnail.jp

Patents and Industrialisation. An Historical Overview of the British Case, 1624-1907

A Report to the Strategic Advisory Board on Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP), U

Age evaluation and causation of rock-slope failures along the western margin of the Antrim Lava Group (ALG), Northern Ireland, based on cosmogenic isotope (36Cl) surface exposure dating.

The temporal pattern of postglacial rock-slope failure in a glaciated upland area of Ireland (the western margin of the Antrim Lava Group) was evaluated using both 36Cl exposure dating of surface boulders on run-out debris and 14C dating of basal organic soils from depressions on the debris. The majority of the 36Cl ages (~ 21–15 ka) indicate that major failures occurred during or immediately following local deglaciation (~ 18–17 ka). Other ages (~ 14–9 ka) suggest some later, smaller-scale failures during the Lateglacial and/or early Holocene. The 14C ages (2.36–0.15 cal ka BP) indicate the very late onset of organic accumulation and do not provide close limiting age constraints. Rock-slope failure during or immediately following local deglaciation was probably in response to some combination of glacial debuttressing, slope steepening and paraglacial stress release. Later failures may have been triggered by seismic activity associated with glacio-isostatic crustal uplift and/or permafrost degradation consequent upon climate change. The 36Cl ages support the findings of previous studies that show the deglacial - Lateglacial period in northwest Ireland and Scotland to have been one of enhanced rock-slope failure