Creational Change and the Management of Human Systems

Management involves change. The aim of this paper is to introduce a threefold classification of change with the purpose of making clear how the third type, creational change, is distinctive compared to the other two types. Four types of management situation are introduced, based on the type of change involved in the managed domain and in the management system. The role of creational change in management is discussed and a number of guidelines or suggestions relevant to this sort of management are outlined. One feature of the notion of creational change is the conjecture that such change is not amenable to scientific investigation and understanding. Once creational change has produced whatever it does produce then the product may be amenable to scientific investigation and understanding but the actual unique and open process of its production will not be. One of the aims of this paper is to heighten our general awareness of creational change as different from other sorts of change

Explaining Free Will

A new approach using independence indeterminism, a novel naturalistic metaphysics for an open creative universe. The problem of free will - what exactly it is, whether it is required for us to be morally responsible for our actions, and whether any natural being can possibly possess it - has remained unresolved for over 2000 years. Now, starting from the very widely held belief that most change takes place in a way that is independent of how most other change is taking place, this book builds an argument - and a novel metaphysical view dubbed "independence indeterminism" - that rapidly leads not only to a paradigm-changing way of viewing existence, but also to a new way of explaining our possession of free will. This carefully and fully argued book will be of interest to a wide readership not only because of its focus on free will but also because independence indeterminism helps resolve other long-standing issues, including why the mind is not wholly reducible to causally determined processes occurring in the brain

The epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Balimo region of Western Province, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country of great diversity. The landscape and geography ranges from volcanic and mountainous highlands to coastal and floodplain lowlands, as well as more than 600 islands. There are more than 800 cultural and language groups countrywide, with more than 80% of the population living in rural areas (National Research Institute 2010). In 2016, tuberculosis (TB) in PNG was estimated to have caused more than 30,000 cases countrywide (World Health Organization 2017a), with control challenged by the emergence of drug resistance, and complicated by a resource-limited health system. The situation faced by PNG due to TB and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) has been described as an emergency (Eccles 2016; IRIN 2010). Research from regional settings in PNG has described a TB burden much higher than the national average, including in Western Province where this study was based (Aia et al. 2018; Cross et al. 2014; McBryde 2012). However, there is limited epidemiological data from areas outside the South Fly and provincial capital of Daru, despite evidence of a heavy TB and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) burden (Aia et al. 2016; Furin & Cox 2016; Kase et al. 2016; McBryde 2012). The research presented in this thesis describes and characterises the distribution and determinants of TB in the rural Balimo region of Western Province. It is hoped that this study will provide epidemiological data about TB in the region that can inform local TB control strategies. This study used retrospective data analysis and laboratory techniques to describe TB in the Balimo region. The Balimo District Hospital (BDH) TB patient register was analysed, and laboratory diagnostic results were examined. A molecular assay was used to describe genetic evidence of DR-TB, and an interferon (IFN)-ɣ release assay (IGRA) was used to investigate the population-level latent TB burden and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infection in TB patients. A very high burden of TB was identified, with an estimated incidence of 727 TB cases per 100,000 people per year. Approximately 25% of TB patients were children, and more than 75% of all patients had extrapulmonary TB. Spatial analysis of TB across the region identifed a high TB burden in the area immediately surrounding Balimo. Lower rates of TB were identified in more remote areas, likely due to the challenges faced by people from rural regions in accessing health facilities. However, the spatial analysis also provided evidence of potential under-diagnosis of TB in more remote areas. DR-TB was described in the region, based on molecular evidence of rifampicin (RIF) resistance. In addition, the challenges of diagnosing TB in this region, where laboratory facilities are limited, are highlighted based on validation of the smear microscopy method used at the BDH laboratory. In combination, these results emphasise the importance of implementing a molecular method of TB diagnosis and detection of drug resistance in the Balimo region. Given the high burden of TB described in the Balimo region, an unexpectedly low proportion of latent TB was identified. Analysis of the IGRA results provided support for the accuracy of extrapulmonary TB diagnoses at BDH, which is important given more than 90% of the extrapulmonary TB diagnoses in the TB register analysis were made clinically based only on presenting signs and symptoms. Overall, this study emphasises the very high burden of TB present in the Balimo region. The results highlight the critical importance of investing in the hospital at Balimo, and ensuring that resources and facilities at the hospital are of a high standard adequate for accurate diagnosis and effective management of TB in the region. This need is especially important in the context of a region where other infectious diseases are also endemic. As a broad epidemiological study of TB in the Balimo region, the results presented in this thesis contribute important contextual information and baseline data on which future TB control efforts can be based

A LOW COST EEG BASED BCI PROSTHETIC USING MOTOR IMAGERY

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) provide the opportunity to control external devices using the brain ElectroEncephaloGram (EEG) signals. In this paper we propose two software framework in order to control a 5 degree of freedom robotic and prosthetic hand. Results are presented where an Emotiv Cognitive Suite (i.e. the 1st framework) combined with an embedded software system (i.e. an open source Arduino board) is able to control the hand through character input associated with the taught actions of the suite. This system provides evidence of the feasibility of brain signals being a viable approach to controlling the chosen prosthetic. Results are then presented in the second framework. This latter one allowed for the training and classification of EEG signals for motor imagery tasks. When analysing the system, clear visual representations of the performance and accuracy are presented in the results using a confusion matrix, accuracy measurement and a feedback bar signifying signal strength. Experiments with various acquisition datasets were carried out and with a critical evaluation of the results given. Finally depending on the classification of the brain signal a Python script outputs the driving command to the Arduino to control the prosthetic. The proposed architecture performs overall good results for the design and implementation of economically convenient BCI and prosthesis

Visual Metafictions: Mark Fairnington's 'Mantidae' Paintings and Victorian Representations of the 'Real'

This paper examines the contemporary British artist Mark Fairnington’s Mantidae series of paintings (2000) via the representational methods of his working process. Taking each stage of this process in turn, the paper examines key discourses surrounding mid-nineteenth-century approaches to painting, microscopy, photography and montage dialogically in its analysis of Fairnington’s own approach. The paper subsequently argues that the Mantidae paintings operate as visual metafictions rooted in Victorian explorations of representation and reality. In its consideration of visual artworks through this literary model, the paper argues that close similitude exists between key theorisations within neo-Victorian studies and postmodern art theory. Ultimately, the paper seeks to initiate a cross-disciplinary application of literary theory surrounding metafiction in its examination of how the visual arts demonstrate self-conscious exploitations of historically-located forms of mediation

Strikes and essential services : a South African perspective considered in light of the proposed amendments to the LRA.

LL. M. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2014.Abstract not available

Beneficiary contact moderates relationship between authentic leadership and engagement

ORIENTATION : Beneficiary contact moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. RESEARCH PURPOSE : The objective of this study was to examine the moderating effect of the breadth, depth and frequency of employee interaction with the beneficiaries of their work on the positive impact of authentic leadership on work engagement. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Investigating the boundary conditions of the relationship between leaders and followers is vital to enhance the positive effect of leadership. Authentic leadership has not previously been examined with respect to beneficiary contact as a specific situational factor. The researchers therefore set out to ascertain whether beneficiary contact has a strengthening or weakening effect on the impact of authentic leadership on work engagement. RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD : The researchers administered the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and Grant’s scale on Beneficiary Contact. MAIN FINDINGS : The findings showed that beneficiary contact had a weakening effect on the positive relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : Ideally, organisations create environments conducive to work engagement in which leadership plays an important role. This study found that one factor in the work environment, namely beneficiary contact, might have an adverse effect on the positive relationship that authentic leadership has on work engagement. Leaders should therefore take organisational contextual realities into account, such as regular, intense interaction of employees with the beneficiaries of their work. This situation could create strain for individual employees, requiring additional organisational support. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : Organisations need to recognise the impact of beneficiary contact on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. The researchers propose further studies on the influence of contextual variables on the relationship between leaders and followers.http://www.sajhrm.co.zaam2016Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Middle Fly District of Western Province, Papua New Guinea: microbead-based spoligotyping using DNA from Ziehl-Neelsen-stained microscopy preparations

Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading cause of death from an infectious agent, and is a serious health problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with an estimated 36,000 new cases each year. This study describes the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among tuberculosis patients in the Balimo/Bamu region in the Middle Fly District of Western Province in PNG, and investigates rifampicin resistance-associated mutations. Archived Ziehl-Neelsen-stained sputum smears were used to conduct microbead-based spoligotyping and assess genotypic resistance. Among the 162 samples included, 80 (49.4%) generated spoligotyping patterns (n = 23), belonging predominantly to the L2 Lineage (44%) and the L4 Lineage (30%). This is consistent with what has been found in other PNG regions geographically distant from Middle Fly District of Western Province, but is different from neighbouring South-East Asian countries. Rifampicin resistance was identified in 7.8% of the successfully sequenced samples, with all resistant samples belonging to the L2/Beijing Lineage. A high prevalence of mixed L2/L4 profiles was suggestive of polyclonal infection in the region, although this would need to be confirmed. The method described here could be a game-changer in resource-limited countries where large numbers of archived smear slides could be used for retrospective (and prospective) studies of M. tuberculosis genetic epidemiology

Common cancer-associated imbalances in the DNA damage response confer sensitivity to single agent ATR inhibition

ATR is an attractive target in cancer therapy because it signals replication stress and DNA lesions for repair and to S/G2 checkpoints. Cancer-specific defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) may render cancer cells vulnerable to ATR inhibition alone. We determined the cytotoxicity of the ATR inhibitor VE-821 in isogenically matched cells with DDR imbalance. Cell cycle arrest, DNA damage accumulation and repair were determined following VE-821 exposure. Defects in homologous recombination repair (HRR: ATM, BRCA2 and XRCC3) and base excision repair (BER: XRCC1) conferred sensitivity to VE-821. Surprisingly, the loss of different components of the trimeric non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) protein DNA-PK had opposing effects. Loss of the DNA-binding component, Ku80, caused hypersensitivity to VE-821, but loss of its partner catalytic subunit, DNA-PKcs, did not. Unexpectedly, VE-821 was particularly cytotoxic to human and hamster cells expressing high levels of DNA-PKcs. High DNA-PKcs was associated with replicative stress and activation of the DDR. VE-821 suppressed HRR, determined by RAD51 focus formation, to a greater extent in cells with high DNA-PKcs. Defects in HRR and BER and high DNA-PKcs expression, that are common in cancer, confer sensitivity to ATR inhibitor monotherapy and may be developed as predictive biomarkers for personalised medicine

Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with an undefined heritable risk. Here we perform a meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies, with replication in a fourth study, incorporating a total of 4018 AML cases and 10488 controls. We identify a genome-wide significant risk locus for AML at 11q13.2 (rs4930561; P = 2.15 × 10-8; KMT5B). We also identify a genome-wide significant risk locus for the cytogenetically normal AML sub-group (N = 1287) at 6p21.32 (rs3916765; P = 1.51 × 10-10; HLA). Our results inform on AML etiology and identify putative functional genes operating in histone methylation (KMT5B) and immune function (HLA)