On the back of a cocktail napkin: An exploration of graphic definitions of lean construction

Quick descriptive sketches made on the backs of cocktail napkins are a tradition in the architectural profession and are representative of the visionary conversations that take place between business associates in relaxed venues where fresh ideas are sometimes first hatched. In this paper, we propose the use of this technique to better convey and capture the principles of the growing and evolving discipline of Lean Construction. Whether they occur in academic classrooms or professional worksites, exploratory conversations about Lean Construction also suggest there may be a need for an easy-to-understand, easy-to-represent graphic definition (“cocktail napkin sketch”) that can quickly communicate key components of lean thinking to those wishing to understand and potentially implement lean. This paper shares an exploratory analysis of the results that emerged from cocktail napkin exercises administered three times from Feb 2011 to April 2012: at an IGLC mid-year meeting in New York, NY; at an LCI workshop in Houston, TX; and at an LCI-Academic Forum in Boulder, CO. Finally, the authors propose a graphic definition of Lean Construction, distilled from submissions made during these events that might serve as a potential starting point for future discussion and refinement

JBrowse: a dynamic web platform for genome visualization and analysis

BACKGROUND: JBrowse is a fast and full-featured genome browser built with JavaScript and HTML5. It is easily embedded into websites or apps but can also be served as a standalone web page. RESULTS: Overall improvements to speed and scalability are accompanied by specific enhancements that support complex interactive queries on large track sets. Analysis functions can readily be added using the plugin framework; most visual aspects of tracks can also be customized, along with clicks, mouseovers, menus, and popup boxes. JBrowse can also be used to browse local annotation files offline and to generate high-resolution figures for publication. CONCLUSIONS: JBrowse is a mature web application suitable for genome visualization and analysis

Nurses’ perceptions of the competencies required to work with people with a learning disability in conditions of varying security.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lovell, A., Bailey, J., Kingdon, A., & Gentile, D. (2014). Working with people with learning disabilities in varying degrees of security: nurses' perceptions of competencies. 70(9), 2041-2050. DOI: 10.1111/jan.12362, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.12362/epdf. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingThis article reports on a three year study conducted into the competencies qualified nurses working with people with learning disabilities and a background of offending behaviour within a range of secure settings (community, low, medium and high), perceived as being crucial to their role. A qualitative approach was taken and data were collected via a series of focus groups and individual interviews. Focus groups were initially conducted in each setting to inform the construction of a semi-structured interview schedule. Thirty-nine interviews were subsequently undertaken with nurses from each setting to develop a fuller understanding of the competencies identified from the focus groups and ascertain if these were influenced by the specific setting which the nurses worked. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis and four competencies encompassing the skills and knowledge nurses perceive as essential to their role emerged: knowledge assimilation and application; team working; communication skills; and decision making. The secure setting influenced how the competencies were manifest in nurses’ practice and experience and practise emerged as crucial variables in how effectively they were applied. Recommendations for application of the research findings in nurse education and further research are made

Evolving the theory and praxis of knowledge translation through social interaction: a social phenomenological study

Background: As an inherently human process fraught with subjectivity, dynamic interaction, and change, social interaction knowledge translation (KT) invites implementation scientists to explore what might be learned from adopting the academic tradition of social constructivism and an interpretive research approach. This paper presents phenomenological investigation of the second cycle of a participatory action KT intervention in the home care sector to answer the question: What is the nature of the process of implementing KT through social interaction? Methods: Social phenomenology was selected to capture how the social processes of the KT intervention were experienced, with the aim of representing these as typical socially-constituted patterns. Participants (n = 203), including service providers, case managers, administrators, and researchers organized into nine geographically-determined multi-disciplinary action groups, purposefully selected and audiotaped three meetings per group to capture their enactment of the KT process at early, middle, and end-of-cycle timeframes. Data, comprised of 36 hours of transcribed audiotapes augmented by researchers\u27 field notes, were analyzed using social phenomenology strategies and authenticated through member checking and peer review. Results: Four patterns of social interaction representing organization, team, and individual interests were identified: overcoming barriers and optimizing facilitators; integrating \u27science push\u27 and \u27demand pull\u27 approaches within the social interaction process; synthesizing the research evidence with tacit professional craft and experiential knowledge; and integrating knowledge creation, transfer, and uptake throughout everyday work. Achieved through relational transformative leadership constituted simultaneously by both structure and agency, in keeping with social phenomenology analysis approaches, these four patterns are represented holistically in a typical construction, specifically, a participatory action KT (PAKT) model. Conclusion: Study findings suggest the relevance of principles and foci from the field of process evaluation related to intervention implementation, further illuminating KT as a structuration process facilitated by evolving transformative leadership in an active and integrated context. The model provides guidance for proactively constructing a \u27fit\u27 between content, context, and facilitation in the translation of evidence informing professional craft knowledge

Causes of delay and cost overrun in Malaysian construction industry

The construction industry in Malaysia drives the economic growth and development of the country. However, the industry is plagued with delays and cost overrun which transforms what should have been successful projects to projects incurring additional costs, disagreements, litigation and in some cases abandonment of projects. This research studied the causes of delays and cost overrun in the industry and ranked them according to their perceived importance to the contractors, with a view to establishing those to be addressed by the contractors. Online questionnaires were used for data collection for this research. A total of 69 responses were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) (factor analysis) to identify the main causes. The result of the analysis showed that delay in preparation of design document, poor schedule and control of time, delay in delivery of material to site, lack of knowledge about the different defined execution methods, shortage of labour and material in market, and changes in scope of work were the main causes of delay and cost overrun. The identified causes if properly addressed would reduce the rate of delays and cost overrun in construction projects, thus enhancing the economic growth and development of the country

Pseudo-nitzschia physiological ecology, phylogeny, toxicity, monitoring and impacts on ecosystem health

This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Harmful Algae 14 (2012): 271-300, doi:10.1016/j.hal.2011.10.025.Over the last decade, our understanding of the environmental controls on Pseudo-nitzschia blooms and domoic acid (DA) production has matured. Pseudo-nitzschia have been found along most of the world's coastlines, while the impacts of its toxin, DA, are most persistent and detrimental in upwelling systems. However, Pseudo-nitzschia and DA have recently been detected in the open ocean's high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll regions, in addition to fjords, gulfs and bays, showing their presence in diverse environments. The toxin has been measured in zooplankton, shellfish, crustaceans, echinoderms, worms, marine mammals and birds, as well as in sediments, demonstrating its stable transfer through the marine food web and abiotically to the benthos. The linkage of DA production to nitrogenous nutrient physiology, trace metal acquisition, and even salinity, suggests that the control of toxin production is complex and likely influenced by a suite of environmental factors that may be unique to a particular region. Advances in our knowledge of Pseudo-nitzschia sexual reproduction, also in field populations, illustrate its importance in bloom dynamics and toxicity. The combination of careful taxonomy and powerful new molecular methods now allow for the complete characterization of Pseudo-nitzschia populations and how they respond to environmental changes. Here we summarize research that represents our increased knowledge over the last decade of Pseudo-nitzschia and its production of DA, including changes in worldwide range, phylogeny, physiology, ecology, monitoring and public health impacts

Knowledge-to-action processes in SHRTN collaborative communities of practice: A study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Seniors Health Research Transfer Network (SHRTN) Collaborative is a network of networks that work together to improve the health and health care of Ontario seniors. The collaborative facilitates knowledge exchange through a library service, knowledge brokers (KBs), local implementation teams, collaborative technology, and, most importantly, Communities of Practice (CoPs) whose members work together to identify innovations, translate evidence, and help implement changes.</p> <p>This project aims to increase our understanding of knowledge-to-action (KTA) processes mobilized through SHRTN CoPs that are working to improve the health of Ontario seniors. For this research, KTA refers to the movement of research and experience-based knowledge between social contexts, and the use of that knowledge to improve practice. We will examine the KTA processes themselves, as well as the role of human agents within those processes. The conceptual framework we have adopted to inform our research is the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>This study will use a multiple case study design (minimum of nine cases over three years) to investigate how SHRTN CoPs work and pursue knowledge exchange in different situations. Each case will yield a unique narrative, framed around the three PARIHS dimensions: evidence, context, and facilitation. Together, the cases will shed light on how SHRTN CoPs approach their knowledge exchange initiatives, and how they respond to challenges and achieve their objectives. Data will be collected using interviews, document analysis, and ethnographic observation.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This research will generate new knowledge about the defining characteristics of CoPs operating in the health system, on leadership roles in CoPs, and on the nature of interaction processes, relationships, and knowledge exchange mechanisms. Our work will yield a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of KTA initiatives, and create a better understanding of how local caregiving contexts interact with specific initiatives. Our participatory design will allow stakeholders to influence the practical usefulness of our findings and contribute to improved health services delivery for seniors.</p

Proxy decision making and dementia: Using Construal Level Theory to analyse the thoughts of decision makers

Aims: This study explored the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to analyse proxy decision maker thinking about a hypothetical ethical dilemma, relating to a person who has dementia. Background: Proxy decision makers make decisions on behalf of individuals who are living with dementia when dementia affects that individual's decision making ability. Ethical dilemmas arise because there is a need to balance the individual's past and contemporary values and views. Understanding of how proxy decision makers respond is incomplete. Construal Level Theory contends that individuals imagine reactions and make predications about the future by crossing psychological distance. This involves abstract thinking, giving meaning to decisions. There is no empirical evidence of Construal Level Theory being used to analyse proxy decision maker thinking. Exploring the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to understand dementia carer thinking regarding proxy decisions may provide insights which inform the support given. Design: Descriptive qualitative research with semi‐structured interviews. Methods: Seven participants were interviewed using a hypothetical dementia care scenario in February 2016. Interview transcripts were analysed for themes. Construal Level Theory was applied to analyse participant responses within themes using the Linguistic Category Model. Results: Participants travelled across psychological distance, using abstract thinking to clarify goals and provide a basis for decisions. When thinking concretely participants established boundaries regarding the ethical dilemma. Conclusion: Construal Level Theory gives insight into proxy decision maker thinking and the levels of abstraction used. Understanding what dementia carers think about when making proxy decisions may help nurses to understand their perspectives and to provide appropriate support