Development as Leadership-led Change

Development involves change, but many development initiatives produce unimpressive results. The authors ask why and consider how to close the gap between the intended change and what we actually see in the evidence. This paper presents the findings of a study, initiated by the multi-donor Global Leadership Initiative and led by the World Bank Institute (WBI), to examine leadership in the change processes of fourteen capacity development interventions in eight developing countries, through 140 in-depth structured interviews. It explores what it takes to make change happen and in particular, the role leadership plays in effecting change. The authors propose that leadership contributes to change when it builds “change space” by fostering acceptance for change, granting authority for change, introducing or freeing the abilities necessary to achieve change. This “change space” is required to ensure contextual readiness for change and foster progress through the difficult stages of the change process. An analytical framework is introduced to illustrate the dimensions of this “change space” and its limits in organizational and social change. The authors argue that a lack of “change space” in many development contexts may be overlooked, contributing to failure. The paper concludes that leadership manifests in different ways in different contexts, depending on the contextual readiness and factors that shape change and leadership opportunities; but the key characteristics of plurality, functionality, problem orientation and “change space” creation are likely to be common to all successful leadership-led change events

Book Reviews

Reviews of the following books: Sir William Pepperrell of Colonial New England by Neil Rolde; New England and Foreign Relations 1789-1850 by Paul A. Varg; The Peace Reform in American History by Charles DeBenedetti

Book Reviews

Reviews of the following books: A History of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, 1885-1978 by David C. Smith; Radical Sects of Revolutionary New England by Stephen A. Marini; English America and the Revolution of 1688: Royal Administration and the Structure of Provincial Government by Jack M. Sosin

Training and Transfer Effect of FluoroSim, an Augmented Reality Fluoroscopic Simulator for Dynamic Hip Screw Guidewire Insertion: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: FluoroSim, a novel fluoroscopic simulator, can be used to practice dynamic hip screw (DHS) guidewire insertion in a high-fidelity clinical scenario. Our aim was to demonstrate a training effect in undergraduate medical students who are not familiar with this operation and its simulation. METHODS: Forty-five undergraduate medical students were recruited and randomized to either training (n = 23) or control (n = 22) cohorts. The training cohort had more exposure to FluoroSim (5 attempts each week) over a 2-week period (with a 1-week washout period in between) compared with the control cohort (a single attempt 1 week apart) over a 2-week period. Five real-time objective performance metrics were recorded: (1) tip-apex distance (TAD) (mm), (2) predicted cut-out rate (%), (3) total procedural time (sec), (4) total number of radiographs (n), and (5) total number of guidewire retries (n). RESULTS: At baseline, there was no significant difference in the performance metrics, which confirmed the absence of a selection bias. The intragroup training effect demonstrated a significant improvement in all metrics for the training cohort only. A significant difference between groups was demonstrated as the training cohort significantly outperformed the control cohort in 3 metrics (procedural time [25%], number of radiographs [57%], and number of guidewire retries [100%]; p < 0.001). A learning curve showed an inversely proportional correlation between frequency of attempts and procedural time as well as the number of digital fluoroscopic radiographs that were made, indicating the development of psychomotor skills. There was also an improved baseline of the learning curve after the 1-week washout period, suggesting skill retention. CONCLUSIONS: Skill acquisition with the FluoroSim system was demonstrated with repeat exposure in a safe, radiation-free high-fidelity clinical simulation with actual operating room equipment. The task of DHS guidewire insertion requires cognitive and psychomotor skills that take a variable number of attempts to acquire, as demonstrated on the learning curve. Additional work is required to demonstrate that the skill tested by the FluoroSim is the same skill that is required for intraoperative DHS guidewire insertion. However, use of the FluoroSim provides improvement in skills with extra-clinical training opportunities for orthopaedic trainees. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: FluoroSim has demonstrated validity and training effect. It has the potential to be approved for possible use on patients in the operating room to help surgeons with the operation. Consequently, operating time, accuracy of TAD, and surgical outcomes may all be improved

Book Reviews

Reviews of the following books: The Wilderness from Chamberlain Farm: A Story of Hope for the American Wild by Dean B. Bennett; The French Baron of Pentagouet: Baron St. Castin and the Struggle for Empire in Early New England by Ailene S. Taylor; Bold Vision: The Development of the Parks of Portland, Maine, edited by Theo H.B.M. Holtwijk and Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.; Charles Nolcini: The Life and Music of an Italian American in the Age of Jackson by Vincent A. Lapomarda; A Most Remarkable Mix: Sketches of Notable Freeporters by John D. Davi

The solvent dependence of enzymatic selectivity

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-97).by Charles R. Wescott.Ph.D

An evaluation of Sea Search as a citizen science programme in Marine Protected Areas

Citizen science involves collaboration between multi-sector agencies and the public to address a natural resource management issue. The Sea Search citizen science programme involves community groups in monitoring and collecting subtidal rocky reef and intertidal rocky shore data in Victorian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Australia. In this study we compared volunteer and scientifically collected data and the volunteer motivation for participation in the Sea Search programme. Intertidal rocky shore volunteer-collected data was found to be typically comparable to data collected by scientists for species richness and diversity measures. For subtidal monitoring there was also no significant difference for species richness recorded by scientists and volunteers. However, low statistical power suggest only large changes could be detected due to reduced data replication. Generally volunteers recorded lower species diversity for biological groups compared to scientists, albeit not significant. Species abundance measures for algae species were significantly different between volunteers and scientists. These results suggest difficulty in identification and abundance measurements by volunteers and the need for additional training requirements necessary for surveying algae assemblages. The subtidal monitoring results also highlight the difficulties of collecting data in exposed rocky reef habitats with weather conditions and volunteer diver availability constraining sampling effort. The prime motivation for volunteer participation in Sea Search was to assist with scientific research followed closely by wanting to work close to nature. This study revealed two important themes for volunteer engagement in Sea Search: 1) volunteer training and participation and, 2) usability of volunteer collected data for MPA managers. Volunteer-collected data through the Sea Search citizen science programme has the potential to provide useable data to assist in informed management practices of Victoria&rsquo;s MPAs, but requires the support and commitment from all partners involved.<br /

NUV/Blue spectral observations of sprites in the 320-460 nm region: N2{\mathrm N_2} (2PG) Emissions

A near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectrograph (320-460 nm) was flown on the EXL98 aircraft sprite observation campaign during July 1998. In this wavelength range video rate (60 fields/sec) spectrographic observations found the NUV/blue emissions to be predominantly N2 (2PG). The negligible level of N2+ (1NG) present in the spectrum is confirmed by observations of a co-aligned, narrowly filtered 427.8 nm imager and is in agreement with previous ground-based filtered photometer observations. The synthetic spectral fit to the observations indicates a characteristic energy of ~1.8 eV, in agreement with our other NUV observations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, JGR Space Physics "Effects of Thunderstorms and Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere" Special Sectio

Production-scale LLW and RMW solidification system operational testing at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E)

Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) has begun production-scale testing of a low-level waste and radioactive mixed waste solidification system. This system will be used to treat low-level and mixed radioactive waste to meet land burial requirements. The system can use any of several types of solidification media, including a chemically bonded phosphate ceramic developed by ANL-E scientists. The final waste product will consist of a solidified mass in a standard 208-liter drum. The system uses commercial equipment and incorporates several unique process control features to ensure proper treatment. This paper will discuss the waste types requiring treatment, the system configuration, and operation results for these waste streams