The post-investment impact of Business Angels upon their investee companies.

Awarded Small Business Service Award for Best ‘Newcomer’ Paper (£1k). Nominated for Best Paper, ‘Venture Capital and Micro-Finance for SB’ Track, ISBE 2006. Original approach measuring BA impact; employing new indicators (efficiency, survival, profile). Emphasises strategic activities and further financing impact but negative impact of BAs becoming ‘employed’ with investees

How accurately do instructors judge students’ attitudes online? A measurement of expectations and level of satisfaction with an Online Information Systems masters program

In order to run a successful educational program, instructors as well as staff members must constantly review and adapt to the expectations, concerns, demographics and satisfaction level of their student consumers. This study was conducted in order to examine these issues in an online educational setting. First, interviews were given to the program instructors in order to determine their opinions about the students’ expectations and satisfaction levels. This information was then used to create a student survey that assessed the students’ expectations and level of satisfaction. These two sets of results were then compared This comparison revealed that the online instructors did have a good grasp of the online students’ expectations, concerns, demographics and satisfaction level. The only areas where the instructors’ concepts of student views were slightly less accurate was student concerns and student feelings about the program administration, where the instructors overestimated the level of concern the students had about successfully returning to the learning environment and underestimated the students’ satisfaction with the program's administration. This leads us to conclude that, even with the added online factor, instructors strongly understand student expectations, satisfaction levels, demographics and concerns

SME Access to Finance: An exploration into the demand and supply contraints around SME access to finance

In March 2011, the Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University was commissioned by North East Access to Finance (NEA2F) to undertake a major piece of independent academic research to explore both the demand and supply sides of SME access to finance in the North East of England. The aim of the research was to gain insight and understanding into the challenges faced not only by the SME sector but also by the key suppliers of finance to that community, specifically the banking sector and Business Angels. Thus we do not take a position on what we think is right or what a best practice approach might be but rather reflect, as accurately as possible, the information that was shared with us. The research project commenced in May 2011 and was completed at the end of March 2012

Low-Dose Stimulant Treatment During Periadolescence in a FASD Model: Interactions Among the Catecholamines

One of the most common of deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is difficulties with attention. Because attention deficits are commonly treated with stimulants, the impact of d-amphetamine (AMPH) treatment during the juvenile period in an animal model of FASD was examined. A dose-response study first assessed the appropriate dose of AMPH to use. In the dose-response study, therapeutic doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg/day of AMPH were chronically administered to female rats between postnatal days (PD) 26-40. Rats were subjected to an open field test on the first and last day of treatment. The dose of 1.0 mg/kg/day was the lowest dose which resulted in significant behavioral sensitization and therefore was selected for the FASD study. In the FASD study, pups were exposed to alcohol between PD 2 and 10. Control groups included an intubated control (IC) and a non-treated control (NC). At PD 26, rats were randomly assigned to either amphetamine or water treatment for twice-daily subcutaneous injections from PD 26 to 41. On PD 26, 27, 40, and 41, an open field test was administered to assess locomotion. On PD 42, the rats were perfused, and the brains were removed and prepped for histological measures. The results indicated that amphetamine increased distance traveled acutely, and that this effect became greater over days of treatment. Amphetamine-treated rats exhibited significantly more rearing behaviors and less grooming behavior than water-treated rats. Both rearing and grooming behavior decreased over test days. There was no effect of alcohol exposure on any open field measures. Dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems were analyzed via immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the dopamine transporter (DAT) and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH). An omnibus ANOVA revealed no impact of alcohol exposure or amphetamine treatment on TH or DAT within the nucleus accumbens core. Although amphetamine treatment caused a small but significant increase in DBH within the medial prefrontal cortex, there was no effect of alcohol exposure on this measure. These results suggest that catecholaminergic neurons are resistant to the developmental impact of alcohol. However, juvenile amphetamine treatment may increase noradrenergic synthesis or innervation within the prefrontal cortex, influencing developmental trajectories

Emergency department utilization and hospital readmission following bariatric surgery

INTRODUCTION: Unplanned hospital visits have emerged as a quality metric encompassing many aspects of postoperative morbidity and deficiencies in the transition from inpatient to outpatient care. This study aims to identify patient, encounter, and organizational factors that may influence Emergency Department (ED) visits and readmissions following bariatric surgery. METHODS: A modified version of a framework initially proposed by Vest et al. in their systematic review of the determinants of preventable readmissions was used as a conceptual framework for this study. The Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC) database was used to identify patients undergoing all primary bariatric procedures at 40 centers with >100 patients in the database from 2006–2015. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors associated with unplanned hospital visits. Using an indirect standardization process, each sites’ observed to expected ratio for 30-day readmission was calculated. The association between each site’s adjusted readmission rate with their rate of ED visits, Emergency Department-Sourced readmissions (EDSR), major complications, and compliance with best practices were calculated with Pearson’s correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Younger age, greater comorbidities, increased length of stay, procedure type, and Medicaid/Medicare insurance were significantly associated with readmissions in a multivariate logistic regression model. There was significant variation among sites’ adjusted rates of readmission, EDSR, best practice compliance, and major complications. There was a moderately strong association between each sites’ adjusted readmission rate with their rate of EDSR (r=0.53), major complications (r=0.53), and ED visits (r=0.55). However, the association between bariatric centers’ compliance with best practices to reduce unplanned hospital visits and their readmission rates was fairly weak (r= -0.14). CONCLUSION: Several individual, encounter, and organization-level characteristics are associated with an increased risk of unplanned visits after bariatric surgery. Bariatric centers are more likely to have higher readmission rates if their site has higher rates of major complications and if their ED is less likely to treat and then discharge bariatric patients. Further examination of organizational characteristics of bariatric programs that affect postoperative readmissions, including ED practices, is needed to better guide future initiatives aimed at improving this quality metric

THE EFFECT OF β-HYDROXY-β-METHYLBUTYRATE (HMB) SUPPLEMENTATION ON NEUROMUSCULAR PERFORMANCE FOLLOWING FATIGUING EXERCISE IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS

Supporters of a nutritional supplement, β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation, claim that it will increase the muscular strength gains and lean muscle mass gains seen during a resistance training program. It has been suggested that HMB supplementation does this by preventing muscle damage or by regenerating damaged muscle cell membranes. However, no research has evaluated the effect of HMB supplementation on low frequency fatigue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if three weeks of HMB supplementation could attenuate the effects of low frequency fatigue caused by eccentric muscle contractions of the tibialis anterior muscle. A total of 33 healthy recreationally active subjects (18 males, 15 females; 23.2 ± 4.3 yr) were recruited for this study. All subjects preformed 4 sets of 25 eccentric contractions of the tibialis anterior muscle through a range of motion of 30 degrees. Recovery measures were taken for 20 minutes after the fatigue protocol and at 48 and 96 hours of recovery. The recovery measures included: Maximum voluntary contraction peak torque, 10 Hz peak torque, 50 Hz peak torque, 10/50 Hz peak torque ratio, and EMG measurements. Each subject served as their own control and limbs were randomly assigned to pre-supplement or post-supplement limbs. Following the pre-supplement fatigue protocol and recovery measures each subject completed three weeks of 3g/day HMB supplementation. After the supplementation period the post-supplement fatigue protocol was completed and recovery measures were taken. The 10 Hz peak torque and the 10/50 Hz torque ratio in the pre-supplement limb was still significantly reduced at the 96-hour recovery measurement time, indicating that it was still showing low frequency muscle fatigue at this time. Furthermore, the post-supplement limb, recovered from the fatigue protocol faster, and did not show any signs of low frequency muscle fatigue at the 48-hour recovery measurement time. In addition the pre-supplement limb had significant maximum voluntary contraction torque deficit at the 48-hour recovery measurement time and the post-supplement limb showed no significant deficits. The main findings of this study were that three weeks of HMB supplementation attenuated low frequency fatigue and maximum voluntary contraction torque reduction after an eccentric fatigue protocol

Roots & Shoots Remembered : A Qualitative Study of the Influence of Childhood Place-Based Experiences on the Lives of Young Adults

This dissertation is a qualitative interview study that explored the memories of 10 former students, now young adults, long removed from their intermediate school (grades 4 – 6) experiences. The purpose of the study was to learn what impact involvement in the school’s Roots & Shoots program had on later attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, the study focused on the relationship between distant childhood experiences and current dispositions towards the environment and civic responsibility. The results from the study were based on data collected from interviews, written reflections, and email correspondence, with 10 young adults who attended the intermediate school between 1997 and 2007. At the time of the study, the participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 26. They were interviewed, both individually and in a focus group setting, as well as asked to write reflections based on follow-up questions. Their responses were analyzed, using constant comparative thematic analysis. Each former student contributed significant data to the research, and all of their voices are included in this dissertation. While their perceptions’ of the program’s influence ranged along a continuum, all but one of the participants agreed that the most significant aspects of the program were its place-based, justice-oriented, service-learning dimensions. They linked their experiences in the school’s outdoor classroom to current attitudes and beliefs about nature and society. The data revealed that it was the outdoor experiences in a local environment that both planted the seeds for ecological literacy and inspired lifelong civic engagement

Emergency department utilization and hospital readmission following bariatric surgery

INTRODUCTION: Unplanned hospital visits have emerged as a quality metric encompassing many aspects of postoperative morbidity and deficiencies in the transition from inpatient to outpatient care. This study aims to identify patient, encounter, and organizational factors that may influence Emergency Department (ED) visits and readmissions following bariatric surgery. METHODS: A modified version of a framework initially proposed by Vest et al. in their systematic review of the determinants of preventable readmissions was used as a conceptual framework for this study. The Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC) database was used to identify patients undergoing all primary bariatric procedures at 40 centers with >100 patients in the database from 2006–2015. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors associated with unplanned hospital visits. Using an indirect standardization process, each sites’ observed to expected ratio for 30-day readmission was calculated. The association between each site’s adjusted readmission rate with their rate of ED visits, Emergency Department-Sourced readmissions (EDSR), major complications, and compliance with best practices were calculated with Pearson’s correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Younger age, greater comorbidities, increased length of stay, procedure type, and Medicaid/Medicare insurance were significantly associated with readmissions in a multivariate logistic regression model. There was significant variation among sites’ adjusted rates of readmission, EDSR, best practice compliance, and major complications. There was a moderately strong association between each sites’ adjusted readmission rate with their rate of EDSR (r=0.53), major complications (r=0.53), and ED visits (r=0.55). However, the association between bariatric centers’ compliance with best practices to reduce unplanned hospital visits and their readmission rates was fairly weak (r= -0.14). CONCLUSION: Several individual, encounter, and organization-level characteristics are associated with an increased risk of unplanned visits after bariatric surgery. Bariatric centers are more likely to have higher readmission rates if their site has higher rates of major complications and if their ED is less likely to treat and then discharge bariatric patients. Further examination of organizational characteristics of bariatric programs that affect postoperative readmissions, including ED practices, is needed to better guide future initiatives aimed at improving this quality metric