A Micro-Level View on Knowledge Co-Creation Through University-Industry Collaboration in a Multi-National Corporation

Purpose: Technology transfer (TT) in industry to university collaboration (UIC) literature focuses primarily on a macro view within an SME environment. While these discussions are important to establish the significance of encouraging UIC’s as the value is important to both parties, there is a need for further research at a micro level to help understand key approaches to ensuring the success of the TT. By looking at how value created from TT for a multi-national corporation (MNC) with a project based within a single subsidiary, this research effectively looks at the issue from both a SME level (the subsidiary independently) and a MNC level. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research uses a longitudinal knowledge transfer partnership and action research to form a case study of Parker Hannifin’s Gas Separation and Filtration Europe, Middle East and Africa (GSFE) division. Findings: The research highlights the key areas to focus on in ensuring a successful TT within an UIC such as: once identifying the gap that a UIC is filling in the company, identifying internal barriers before the project starts; education of why change is necessary and then using knowledge experts to educate on the new processes being introduced and finally; incorporation of a full range of personnel, not just those directly involved in the day-to-day of the UIC. Research limitations/implications: As a case study, further research is required to make the results more generalisable. One way to do this would be to evaluate previous successful and unsuccessful UIC's and determine if the success criteria identified were present in these programmes. Practical implications: There are three critical points that can be taken away from this research and applied to any company looking to use UIC for TT and value co-creation. Education, external knowledge experts and business wide inclusion were highlighted in the findings as being potentially critical turning points and need to be addressed for successful TT. Social implications: Successful UIC’s further encourage investment in such programmes which has greater societal benefits. Not only can we see greater leaps in industry through better, more specific knowledge being transferred from the university, the industry knowledge fed into universities helps to guide research and teachings. Originality/value: The micro level view created by action research based from the industry partner perspective adds another level of importance as the ‘how’ for overcoming barriers is clearly addressed. Furthermore, the research looks at how a multi-national corporation can have value added through UIC's within subsidiaries which often is not addressed in the literature

Watson’s Theory of Human Caring: Effect on Nurse Perception of Care Environment

Psychiatric and mental health nurses face unique problems related to the specifics of the role including low morale and burnout. These problems stem from many factors including insufficient staffing, lack of support from management, and patient behaviors such as aggression or noncompliance which lead to poor patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine what effect adoption of Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring has on nurse perception of the care environment on an inpatient psychiatric unit in a rural community hospital as measured by a modified version of the Combined Assessment of Psychiatric Environments (CAPE) instrument. A review of the literature revealed gaps in data related to this care area and particularly use of theory in psychiatric and mental health nursing. This study used a quantitative pre-test/post-test design using one group of participants: psychiatric nurses on the inpatient psychiatric unit in a rural community hospital. Results indicate adoption of Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring on an inpatient psychiatric unit improve nurse perception of the care environment as measured by a modified version of the staff version of the CAPE instrument in the category of effectiveness

Expressions of Discontent in America: Regional and Temporal Aspects of Third Party Governors and Gubernatorial Candidates, 1866-1996

Democrats and Republicans traditionally dominate elections in America. The main goal of this project lies in determining if support for third parties exists and if certain third party support patterns exist within the United States. This project examines gubernatorial elections beginning with 1866 and continuing through 1996. This research does demonstrate that third party support has definite patterns and characteristics. Certain third parties rise up and exist for definite periods of time. Eventually they lose their support or their cause loses its salience. However, it remains one huge cycle: prevalent parties appear, and then disappear, making way for other parties to emerge. The Midwest, the Far West states, and select New England states have all consistently supported third party candidates. Obviously, the Midwest states existed mainly as agrarian communities and areas of prevalent immigrant settlements. Therefore, during the times of hardship it is obvious they would support third parties concerned with issues they felt. Following this agrarian tradition, certain states (Minnesota and Wisconsin) still today support third parties more often than other states. The gubernatorial elections in these areas reflect the values, traditions, economics and social nature of the citizens. Third parties play an important role in the two party system which most Americans accept without question. The entrance of a third party onto the political scene in America gives rise to those important questions. Third parties offer a forum for discussion of new and different ideas. They often allow disadvantaged groups to have a choice in the politics of their chosen party. In essence, third parties allow for expressions of discontent

Mapping Extremism: The Network Politics of the Far-Right

In recent decades, political parties espousing extreme nationalist, xenophobic, and even outright racist platforms have enjoyed variable success in national elections across Europe. While a vibrant research literature has sought to better understand the sources of support for such parties, remarkably little attention has been paid to the interplay between parties and the broader social networks of extremism in which they are embedded. To remedy this deficiency, the present study examines the relations between far-right parliamentary parties and their extra-parliamentary networks. One level of analysis tests whether there is a relationship between a party’s position within a network and its sustainability. Social network analysis is employed to assess the nature and structure of ties between Belgian organizations online. In addition, systematic textual analysis of website content is used to determine how a party’s ideological position within the network impacts its sustainability. The second level of analysis is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with members of Flemish nationalist organization in order to better understand how actors experience social networks. Evidence suggests that the most sustainable parties are those that have dense connections with other nationalist organizations. Mapping relations between far-right parties that compete openly within the rules of institutionalized democracy and their wider social networks can provide important policy-relevant insight into contemporary challenges posed by illiberal forces

Role of Shiga toxin dissemination and inflammation in the pathogenesis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a systemic complication of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, is the number one cause of renal failure in children in the United States. At present, there is no known method to predict which patients with STEC infection will develop HUS and no effective treatment for the disorder once it is diagnosed. One of the primary barriers inhibiting development of an adequate therapy and/or preventative is an insufficient understanding of the intricate pathogenic cascade. It is known that Shiga toxin (Stx) is produced locally within the gastrointestinal tract, is absorbed into the systemic circulation by a yet undefined mechanism, binds to vascular endothelial cells expressing the Stx receptor. Stx is then internalized within the endothelial cell and interrupts protein synthesis, causing cell death. This endothelial cell injury causes microthrombi formation in key target organs (kidney, brain, colon) leading to the characteristic clinical triad of HUS: microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal damage. Although Stx is widely presumed to be the principal mediator of HUS, proinflammatory cytokines have been repeatedly implicated as substantial contributors to disease development. Stx induces cytokine production in a variety of cell types in vitro, and cytokines, in turn, greatly increase the sensitivity of endothelial cells to Stx. Several clinical studies have identified increased proinflammatory cytokines in patients with HUS compared to those with STEC-induced diarrhea alone. A more complete understanding of both toxin transport mechanisms and cytokine responses during HUS would aid in the development of treatment modalities; however, both the primary mode for toxin transport in vivo and the stimulus for cytokine alterations seen in HUS remain uncharacterized. Specifically, the role of Stx production and dissemination in proinflammatory cytokine alterations observed in clinically-affected patients has not been established. The goals of the studies outlined in this thesis were to: 1) clarify the role of Stx in modulating inflammation during STEC infection 2) identify specific interactions between Stx and neutrophils to assess the potential role of this leukocyte in Stx transport during STEC infection and 3) assess the efficacy of an oral Stx-binding agent at preventing systemic disease following STEC inoculation. To accomplish these goals, in vitro experiments, as well as in vivo experiments in an animal model of STEC infection, were used. The animal model chosen for the in vivo experiments was edema disease of swine, a naturally occurring STEC disease of weaned swine caused by host-adapted strains of E. coli that shares a similar pathogenesis with HUS

Spatial and Seasonal Variations in Aridification Across Southwest North America

The Southwestern region of North America (SWNA) is projected to become more arid throughout the 21st century as precipitation (P) and evaporation (E) rates change with increasing global temperatures. Trends in the regional surface moisture balance (P−E) of SWNA vary between the arid southern subregion (mostly Northern Mexico) and the more temperate northern subregion (Southwest US), depending on the relative contributions of cold and warm season P and E. Interpreting the spatial and seasonal variations of the projected aridification is important for understanding the potential impacts of climate change on SWNA regional hydrology. We compare the projected trends in P, E, and P−E in CMIP5 global climate model projections, for the northern and southern subregions of SWNA between the extended cold and warm seasons. Both subregions become drier (i.e., negative trend in P−E) in the 21st century. The drying trend is biggest in the cold season surface moisture balance, which contributes much of the base flow to rivers in the Southwest US. We show that the downward trend in the cold season P−E is caused primarily by increasing E in the northern subregion, and by decreasing P in the southern subregion. Decreasing P is the primary contributor to small warm season drying trends in the northern and southern subregions of SWNA. P accounts for most of the interannual variability in SWNA P−E and is strongly correlated with Pacific Ocean temperature anomalies associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation during the cold season. However, SWNA aridification is distinguished from the region\u27s natural climate variability because it is caused by long-term trends in P and E that are related to global warming. This is most evident in the cold season surface moisture balance of the northern subregion, where the temperature-driven trend in E (upward) is greater than the trend in P (downward). Trends in P and E account for a considerable fraction of the total variance in 21st century P−E and cause the cold season surface moisture balance of the northern and southern subregions to drop below the range of interannual variability by the end of the 21st century

Master of Science

thesisI present a critical rhetorical analysis that examines appeals made by farmer and author, Joel Salatin. I analyze Salatin's rhetoric as it is widely available across media, while specifically focusing upon his two most recent books: Folks, this ain't Normal (2011) and The Sheer Ecstasy of being a Lunatic Farmer (2010). My rhetorical analysis seeks to answer the following questions: first, how does Salatin rhetorically structure his vision for a new agrarian establishment centered on localized food production, which would counter industrial agriculture and its global food trade; and, second, what are the implications as varied food movements work from Salatin's ideological commitments via invoking his rhetorical imaginary and utilizing his material practices? I assert that Salatin constructs a rhetorical imaginary of alternative food production that synthesizes conservative and progressive imperatives relevant to production and consumption, which is accomplished and mobilized via his invocation of terroir. Specifically, Salatin articulates an organizing metaphor of Christianity as the soil of life. I argue that Salatin's rhetorical imaginary of alternative food production results in a hybridized discourse that merges neoliberal and progressive imperatives. I seek to contribute to critical rhetorical theory via both extending and challenging current conceptions with respect to how neoliberalism is manifest and operationalized in contemporary contexts; as well as, more broadly, via illuminating further evolutions, intersections, and materializations of discourse

Leadership Begins with You

Chapter from Choosing to Lead: The Motivational Factors of Underrepresented Minority Librarians in Higher Education, edited by Antonia Olivas.https://medica-musc.researchcommons.org/faculty-books/1003/thumbnail.jp

Deep mapping for environmental communication design

This article shares lessons from designing EcoTour, a multimedia environmental advocacy project in a state park, and it describes theoretical, practical, and pedagogical connections between locative media and community-engaged design. While maps can help share information about places, people, and change, they also limit how we visualize complex stories. Using deep mapping, and blending augmented reality with digital maps, EcoTour helps people understand big problems like climate change within the context of their local community. This article demonstrates the rhetorical potential of community-engaged design strategies to affect users, prompt action, and create more democratic discourse in environmental communication