Reflection, Pragmatism, Concets and Intuition

While there have been many calls to use reflection in information systems (IS) research, the intent of those who linked the word to inquiry, the pragmatists, seems to be unclear. They suggested that sensory inputs (experiences) are reflected off specific concepts, either intuitively or explicitly. This paper argues that it may help to distinguish two types of reflection, ‘intuitive reflection’ and ‘concept reflection’. The former involves reflection without an explicit and formal process of selecting and considering the concept (idea, stance) that is to be used to reflect on a past sensory experience. Explicit concept reflection involves selecting a specific concept against which to reflect. The reflection literature is revisited using this distinction. Without a clearer understanding of the pragmatic stance on thinking as re-viewing, the useful pluralist and emancipatory implications of using reflection are in danger of being missed

Optimizing Innovative Leadership and Followership

Leadership and followership development are increasingly recognized as important in all fields of the workforce. The Innovative Leadership Model helps leaders increase self-understanding and optimize the performance of organizations by focusing on Leader Type, Developmental Perspective, Resilience, Situational Analysis, and Leadership Behaviors and Mindsets. The Leader-Follower Framework identifies key elements – Character, Competence, Communication, Context – to guide the development of individual leaders and followers across four psychosocial levels – Personal, Interpersonal, Team, Organizational. Each of these approaches has value and has been applied in various settings and contexts. The present chapter offers a new insight relevant to leadership by combining these two perspectives and their component elements. Understanding and developing each of these elements will optimize effective leadership and followership in a wide range of situations and settings

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

Resources and the regional economy: an historical assessment of the forest industry in British Columbia

This thesis provides empirical evidence to assess the long term contribution of the B.C. forest industry to the provincial economy. Estimates of resource rent are constructed to measure the direct contribution of the resource to provincial income and growth. Measures of rent are constructed for a firm level sample (1906-76) and at an industry level (1918-92). The figures for rent are used to generate estimates of the share of provincial income measures directly attributable to the industrial exploitation of the province's forests. While there were periods during which the direct contribution to provincial income and its growth was nontrivial, in general the growth of forest industry rent did not drive overall economic growth but rather lagged behind. Rent was low on average and volatile during the years before W.W.II, rose rapidly from roughly 1940-51, then declined unevenly. To investigate the forces which underlie both the broad trends and the variability in rent, a stylized model of the forest industry is applied in an empirical analysis. Broad changes in aggregate rent were the result of changes in rent per unit of B.C. timber. The rapid increase in rent coincided with a marked rise in the price of forest products. The secular decline resulted from the combination of a falling output price and rising costs. An investigation of real harvesting costs indicates that depletion played a role in this increase. The variability of rent is also explored and found to be most strongly influenced by factors reflecting market risk which the B.C. industry could not diversity away from. The rent measures may not capture the full impact of the forest industry, so the industry's potential role as a leading export sector is also examined. The possibility of a stable long term link between forest exports and provincial income is investigated using cointegration tests. B.C. forest exports and G.D.P. are not cointegrated; their levels axe not linked in a deterministic way in the long run. A bivariate VAR, is used to examine the short run interaction between the growth of forest exports and provincial G.D.P. The results do not strongly support the view that the forest industry acts as a leading export sector in the provincial economy.Arts, Faculty ofVancouver School of EconomicsGraduat

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease

Greenhouse Gas Auctions and Taxes: Some Practical Considerations,” Working Paper 08-12

Executive Summary Many scholars assert that "cap and trade" is an appropriate strategy for addressing climate change. Some economists have argued that auctions of greenhouse gases should be an integral part of any cap-and-trade mechanism. These economists suggest that auctions can efficiently distribute emissions allowances among firms, and potentially offset some of the deadweight costs with raising government revenues. Many environmentalists argue that revenue from auctions should be used by the government to promote reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Similar arguments are made for greenhouse gas taxes. This paper evaluates various arguments for auctions and taxes in light of political realities. I argue that economists are likely to be overly optimistic in their support for auctions and taxes, and that many potential uses of these revenues are unlikely to result in economic benefits. I then offer some general guidance for governments on the role of auctions in a cap-and-trade mechanism and offer recommendations for participating firms. Specifically, I urge the government to compare a realistic set of policy options, while recognizing that the feasibility of different types of mechanisms can change over time. To illustrate one such comparison, I examine auctions and taxes as ways of raising revenue, and find that neither is likely to do particularly well in terms of efficiency based on history. Furthermore, I suggest that the introduction of political economy considerations may lead to an optimal level of pollution control that is lower than that suggested by conventional economic analysis