A “Framework of Ideas” to Support an Action Research Study of ICT- Enabled Organisational Change in the Not-for-Profit Sector

This paper develops a theoretic framework which may be used to guide research into effective organisational change. The focus of our work is restricted to (i) ICT-mediated organisational change and (ii) change within a Non-Profit-Organisation (NPO) and, therefore, the framework of ideas presented here is focussed on a characteristic of NPOs: an unusually highly intrinsically motivated workforce. This focus has suggested that more than usual attention is paid to individual employees and the granularity of the underlying study for which this framework has been defined is set accordingly. The framework is, however, not necessarily restricted in its scope of application to such organisations, or to such organisational change. We encourage the use of the framework beyond the boundaries we have set for our project

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa in Pregnancy: A Case Report of the Autosomal Dominant Subtype and Review of the Literature

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of inherited blistering skin diseases that vary widely in their pathogenesis and severity. There are three main categories of EB: simplex, junctional, and dystrophic. This classification is based on the level of tissue separation within the basement membrane zone and this is attributed to abnormalities of individual or several anchoring proteins that form the interlocking network spanning from the epidermis to the dermis underneath. Dystrophic EB results from mutations in COL7A1 gene coding for type VII collagen leading to blister formation within the dermis. Diagnosis ultimately depends on the patient\u27s specific genetic mutation, but initial diagnosis can be made from careful examination and history taking. We present a pregnant patient known to have autosomal dominant dystrophic EB and discuss the obstetrical and neonatal outcome. The paper also reviews the current English literature on this rare skin disorder

Organisational Change in the Third Sector and Implications for Organisational Networks

This paper reports an action research study in which we explore the problems of organisational change within a large non-profit organisation – a so-called “third sector” – organisation. We focus on the mutual interaction of an organisational change initiative and the motivation of the workforce. We review the nature of the social service delivery sector, of which the focal organisation is a part, and develop, in the context of this study, an analogy with the class of systems described as organisational networks. We argue that the findings from this study may be expected to have application in organisational change within organisational networks, generally

Reconceptualising Motivation in Adoption and Acceptance Research: Back to Basics

In the adoption and acceptance of technology, the technology acceptance model (TAM) has been a dominant influence. TAM, however, simplifies and trivialises the concept of motivation, (a concept not well developed and used in the IS field) by failing to recognise the fundamental needs influencing behaviour. This, in turn, restricts its use to design and use interventions to enhance adoption and use within an ICT-enabled organisational change project. Given this, this paper will re-conceptualise the concept of motivation by exploring the inner or intrinsic motivation influencing behaviour and will indicate how this motivation underlies the TAM variables. Further, using the concept of participative management we will explore how various organisational interventions might be designed to enhance user motivation to adopt and use a new system. Finally, these interventions are applied to an ongoing action research study to improve the success of implementing a document management system within a non-profit organisation

Short-term and working memory treatments for improving sentence comprehension in aphasia: a review and a replication study

Although the roles of verbal short-term and working memory on spoken sentence comprehension skills in persons with aphasia have been debated for many years, the development of treatments to mitigate verbal short-term and working memory deficits as a way of improving spoken sentence comprehension is a new avenue in treatment research. In this article, we review and critically appraise this emerging evidence base. We also present new data from five persons with aphasia of a replication of a previously reported treatment that had resulted in some improvement of spoken sentence comprehension in a person with aphasia. The replicated treatment did not result in improvements in sentence comprehension. We forward recommendations for future research in this, admittedly weak at present, but important clinical research avenue that would help improve our understanding of the mechanisms of improvement of short-term and working memory training in relation to sentence comprehension

Advancing Particle Physics with Sophisticated Computational Frameworks

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is one of the most complete mathematical models of physical phenomena to date. Even so, it cannot explain experimental results like the existence of particle dark matter and the fact that neutrino masses are non-zero. Explaining such results will necessitate developing a beyond the SM (BSM) theoretical description of particle physics. What form this BSM physics will take has become increasingly unclear; many elegant theories which were expected to appear in recent experiments have not emerged. Thus, we find ourselves at a cross-roads, in need of new perspectives and new computational frameworks to push our theoretical description of physics forward.New perspectives will come from challenging previously-held assumptions in the pursuit of fundamentally new descriptions, but challenging such assumptions often presents practical computational challenges. Therefore, these new perspectives must also be accompanied by new computational frameworks. Computational frameworks can come in many forms, from the purely mathematical to the largely numerical. In particular, in recent years machine learning (ML) has become an increasingly accessible and powerful computational tool for scientific applications. Crafting novel BSM theories will require us to investigate and embrace the full spectrum of computational frameworks. Additionally, one of the best ways to spark new insights is to closely collaborate with and draw inspiration from other fields, such as mathematics and computer science.In this thesis, we present two examples of how advanced computational frameworks can be used to aid in investigating new physics perspectives. In one example, we see how the purely mathematical framework of optimal transport (OT) theory can be used in tandem with advanced ML methods to enable a new perspective on particle physics simulations. The result is a novel strategy which lays the foundations for a completely data-driven, end-to-end simulation of particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. In a second example, we see work which considers a new perspective on what the history of our universe might have looked like. In particular, we consider how the abundance of a WIMP dark matter candidate could be altered by considering a phase of electroweak force confinement early in the universe. Considering this model while making relatively few assumptions was aided by the application of advanced numerical computational tools.We begin with both high-level and technical background on the topics relevant to these works. We conclude by discussing future directions for these works, as well as briefly giving general thoughts on strategies for applying the computational framework of ML to problems in theoretical particle physics more broadly

Competing discourses? : constructing rural poverty in New Zealand

This thesis examines how rurality, poverty and the shared notion of rural poverty are discursively constructed in contemporary New Zealand. To do this, an investigation of the different ways in which these concepts are discussed in professional, media and lived discourse is undertaken. In an attempt to move beyond the sole use of statistical approaches to examine rural poverty adopted in past research, this thesis draws on a selection of key ideas from postmodernism, poststructuralism and 'Thirdspace'. These lay the foundations for a theoretical framework which encompasses marginalised and excluded experiences, multiple views and attention to language and culture while also combining both traditional and contemporary empirical research practices. Using a mixed method approach involving a structured discourse analysis (media) and an examination of professional and lived discourse, I find that there are competing constructions of rural poverty in New Zealand. In professional discourse, rurality is constructed around the broad economic, demographic and institutional characteristics of rural areas. Poverty is constructed as a less diverse phenomenon, based primarily on the contrasting notions of income deprivation and social injustice. I also note the considerable absence of New Zealand research focusing specifically on poverty in rural areas. Utilising a critical discourse analysis of the magazine North & South, I find that in this example of media discourse rurality incorporates the cultural, environmental, historical and social contexts of rural areas. I also discover that North & South has devoted little attention to the issue of rural poverty in New Zealand. In the articles analysed, it is often naturalised or rendered acceptable in an otherwise idyllic rural environment. Further contributing to this hidden existence, I find that the brief discussions of poverty are situated primarily within the context of urban New Zealand. I then turn to explore how rural poverty is constructed within lived discourse. This analysis uses information gained from a questionnaire survey and focused interviews with residents of Bruce Ward, South Otago. I discover that respondents construct rurality as a diverse phenomenon based on seven elements which largely reflect those found in media and professional discourse. In contrast, despite the notable absence of reports on rural poverty in other forms of discourse analysed, a significant number of respondents feel that rural poverty exists. I also explore how individuals defined by professional discourse as 'poor' respond to the understandings of rural poverty in media and professional discourse. I find that this objective definition frequently competes with the subjective experiences of individuals. Reflecting upon these findings I argue that the analytical framework developed in this thesis shows how theoretical ideas in social science can be practically utilised to gain a deeper understanding of the degree of overlap and competition amongst discursive constructions of rural poverty in contemporary New Zealand. It thus provides exploratory research from which future studies investigating rural poverty could gain considerable insight