If you build it, they still may not come: outcomes and process of implementing a community-based integrated knowledge translation mapping innovation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Maps and mapping tools through geographic information systems (GIS) are highly valuable for turning data into useful information that can help inform decision-making and knowledge translation (KT) activities. However, there are several challenges involved in incorporating GIS applications into the decision-making process. We highlight the challenges and opportunities encountered in implementing a mapping innovation as a KT strategy within the non-profit (public) health sector, reflecting on the processes and outcomes related to our KT innovations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A case study design, whereby the case is defined as the data analyst and manager dyad (a two-person team) in selected Ontario Early Year Centres (OEYCs), was used. Working with these paired individuals, we provided a series of interventions followed by one-on-one visits to ensure that our interventions were individually tailored to personal and local decision-making needs. Data analysis was conducted through a variety of qualitative assessments, including field notes, interview data, and maps created by participants. Data collection and data analysis have been guided by the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) conceptual framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Despite our efforts to remove all barriers associated with our KT innovation (maps), our results demonstrate that both individual level and systemic barriers pose significant challenges for participants. While we cannot claim a causal association between our project and increased mapping by participants, participants did report a moderate increase in the use of maps in their organization. Specifically, maps were being used in decision-making forums as a way to allocate resources, confirm tacit knowledge about community needs, make financially-sensitive decisions more transparent, evaluate programs, and work with community partners.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This project highlights the role that maps can play and the importance of communicating the importance of maps as a decision support tool. Further, it represents an integrated knowledge project in the community setting, calling to question the applicability of traditional KT approaches when community values, minimal resources, and partners play a large role in decision making. The study also takes a unique perspective--where research producers and users work as dyad-pairs in the same organization--that has been under-explored to date in KT studies.</p

Bankruptcy Prediction During the IMF Crisis: Evidence from Malaysian Listed Industrial Companies

This paper develops bankruptcy prediction model of considerable efficiency for firms listed and traded in a small developing economy. New findings reported in this paper help extend bankruptcy prediction literature to a different market setting. We find there are three relevant variables: total liabilities; current asset turnover; and cash ratios. The model correctly classified about nine-tenth of failed and non-failed firms in the original and holdout samples. The model predicts failure four years ahead. We also introduce a further sample comprising of those firms that had experienced financial distress between 1997-1998 (during the Asian Financial Crisis period) to assess model superiority. The predictive accuracy of the model reveals that it was significantly better than chance. Thus, these findings are somewhat different from those in the literature

Tumour vascularity is a significant prognostic factor for cervix carcinoma treated with radiotherapy: Independence from tumour radiosensitivity

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between intrinsic radiosensitivity and vascularity in carcinoma of the cervix given radiotherapy, and assess whether more refined prognostic information can be gained by combining the two parameters. A retrospective study was carried out on 74 patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumour biopsies were stained with anti-factor VIII using immunohistochemistry. Vascularity was scored using the intra-tumour microvessel density (IMD), or ‘hot-spot’, technique. For the same patients, the measurement of intrinsic radiosensitivity (SF2) had been made previously on the same pretherapy samples. Patients were stratified by the median IMD and SF2 scores. Women with radioresistant and highly vascular tumours had poorer 5-year survival (P = 0.0005, P = 0.035 respectively) and local control (P = 0.012, P = 0.077 respectively) than those with radiosensitive and poorly vascular tumours. No significant correlation was seen between IMD and SF2. Multivariate analysis (including tumour stage and patient age) showed that only SF2 and IMD were significant prognostic factors for survival. Patients with both a radioresistant and highly vascular tumour had a 5-year survival level of 18% compared to 77% for those patients with a radiosensitive and poorly vascularized tumour. Tumour angiogenesis and cellular radiosensitivity are independent prognostic factors for cervix carcinoma treated with radiotherapy. Allowing for tumour radiosensitivity increases the prognostic significance of vascularity measurements in cervix tumours. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig