Unpacking the foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprise: the development of an assessment tool

Purpose The aim of this exploratory, mixed methods study was to develop and test a tool that identifies foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprises (WISEs) for use in empirical studies and enterprise self-assessment. Construction of the initial prototype was based upon a review of the literature and prior qualitative research by the authors. Design/methodology/approach A 20-item question pool with a four-point response scale was constructed to explore WISE business and employment practices and strategies for worker growth and development. Three sequential field tests were conducted with the prototype – the first with 5 Canadian WISEs, the second with 14 WISEs in the UK and the third with 6 Canadian WISEs involved in an outcome study in the mental health sector. Each field test included completion of the questionnaire by persons with managerial responsibility within the WISE and evaluative feedback captured through questions on the applicability and interpretability of the items. Findings Testing of the prototype instrument revealed the inherent diversity in the field and the difficulty in creating questions that both embrace that diversity and produce unidimensional variables definable along a spectrum. A number of challenges with question structure were identified and have been modified throughout the iterative testing process. Research limitations/implications This study identified central domains for inclusion in a multi-dimensional WISE assessment tool. Further testing will help further refine scaling and establish psychometric properties. Originality/value This measure will provide a descriptive profile of WISEs across sectors and identify WISE core dimensions for research and organizational development. </jats:sec

Normalizations of Thermodynamic Properties and some Implications for Graphical and Analytical Problems in Petrology

Petrologic problems may be analyzed using any of a variety of possible choices of units. Although gram-formula units (moles) are commonly used, other units of quantity arc more appropriate for many applications. Gram-atom units offer the numerical simplicity of gram-formula units and have the advantage of being conserva­tive. A conservative unit of quantity is one for which the sum of the units of reactants equals the sum of the units of products in a chemical reaction. For many graphical problems, a conservative unit of quantity, such as gram-atom or mass units, should be used. Since gram-formula units are not conservative, the lever rule can lead to incorrect results when applied to composition axes based on units of gram-formula percent. Similarly, the graphical evaluation of Gibbs energy relationships and chemical poten­tials on energy-composition diagrams is facilitated by the use of a conservative unit of quantity. Thermochemical data show consistent patterns when normalized on a gram­atom basis, whereas with gram-formula units they do not. Mean atomic entropies of formation arc so similar for all complex oxides that they may be predicted with pre­cision. This is partly due to the dominance of the entropy term for gaseous oxygen, when the elements in their stable form are chosen as the standard state. In detail, mean atomic entropies of formation show a positive correlation with mean atomic weight for all silicates, a relationship that can be used to correct entropy estimates for mass effects

Colorimetric Redox Reactions to Determine Base Composition in Unknown Monomeric DNA Samples

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) codes for proteins using a unique order of four major nitrogenous bases adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. In several biological applications, such as the determination of DNA stability, production of biologic based drugs, and even taxonomic reorganization of species, it becomes necessary to understand the relative amounts of each nucleotide in a DNA sample, regardless of their sequence. However, most assays used to determine base composition use expensive equipment, harsh chemicals, and advanced computer software. In addition, the determination of base composition is an important educational tool in undergraduate laboratories, but these limitations are infeasible for many institutions. Therefore, our research focus is to develop an easier, safer, and faster base composition assay.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1011/thumbnail.jp

A TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN INTERNATIONAL DAIRY MARKETS

International dairy industries remain among the most distorted agricultural sectors. Dairy average bound tariffs remain among the highest of all agricultural commodities, and dairy trade is characterized by a large number of megatariffs and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs). The objective of our study is to examine how the international dairy markets might respond to policy changes under various assumptions, using a partial equilibrium, multiple-commodity, multiple-region model of agricultural policy and trade. Our results indicate that liberalization will reduce supplies, increase dairy trade, and raise world prices.Dairy Markets, Trade Liberalization, Model, Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Summary of Inventory Pilot Project March 1993 - December 1994

The Lean Aircraft Initiative began in the summer of 1992 as a “quick look” into the feasibility of applying manufacturing principles that had been pioneered in the automobile industry, most notably the Toyota Production System, to the U.S. defense aircraft industry. Once it was established that “lean principles” (the term coined to describe the new paradigm in automobile manufacturing) were indeed applicable to aircraft manufacturing as well, the Initiative was broadened to include other segments of the defense aerospace industry. These consisted of electronics/avionics, engines, electro-mechanical systems, missiles, and space systems manufacturers. In early 1993, a formal framework was established in which 21 defense firms and the Air Force formed a consortium to support and participate in the Initiative at M.I.T

The L3 Neuron and an Associated Prothoracic Network are Involved in Calling Song Recognition by Female Crickets

In young virgin Acheta domesticus females, the spiking response of the prothoracic L3 auditory interneuron discriminates between calling songs (CSs) with phonotactically attractive and unattractive syllable periods (SPs), which parallels phonotactic discrimination. Presentation of a CS with an originally attractive SP, but with the intensity modulated so as to minimize L3\u27s selective response, results in a CS with little phonotactic attractiveness. Conversely, a CS with an originally unattractive SP becomes much more attractive when the CS is intensity modulated in ways that duplicate L3\u27s selective response. L3\u27s discriminatory response to CS SP deteriorates with age, in parallel with decreased phonotactic selectiveness (females, older than 14 days, typically are unselective for CS SPs). SP-selective processing, which was not apparent in these old L3s, is immediately restored by removing the contralateral ear. SP-specific information is resident in a network of neurons within the prothoracic ganglion that results in the SP selective responses of the L3 neuron in young females. Changes in the SP-selective responses of the L3 neuron are highly correlated with corresponding changes in the female\u27s phonotactically selective behavior

Dynamic visual evoked response

Dynamic visual evoked respons