Governance of new product development and perceptions of responsible innovation in the financial sector: insights from an ethnographic case study

types: ArticleThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Responsible Innovation on 24 Feb 2014, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/23299460.2014.882552We describe an ethnographic study within a global asset management company aimed at understanding the process and governance of new product development and perceptions of responsible innovation. We observed innovation to be incremental, with a clearly - structured stage gating model of governance involving numerous internal and external actors that was framed by regulation and co-ordinated by a small product development team. Responsible innovation was framed largely in terms of considering client needs when innovating and the understanding of operational, legal, regulatory and reputational risks. Staff perceived the company as having an inherently cautious culture, where the probability of bringing something destructive to market was perceived as being low. We conclude that the observed stage gating architecture offers considerable scope as a mechanism for systematic embedding of more broadly framed, emerging concepts of responsible innovation

Skills for employability? No need thanks - we're radiographers!

In the current economic climate, graduate healthcare professionals (hcps) are facing increasing competition for jobs and where the baseline qualification is common to all applicants, the need to ‘stand out from the crowd’ becomes of particular significance. Within the Cardiff University Graduate Employment and Enterprise Skills Strategy, 2010-2015 (EES), employability is defined and a comprehensive list of attributes identified that are considered to enhance employability of graduates across the range of disciplines. The dilemma for HEIs that provide hcp education is that the skills and attributes for healthcare services are specific and identified within regulatory and professional standards. Consequently these standards mould the requirements of hcp education but the generic skills of employability are largely left to HEIs to interpret and embed within a curriculum that is already very full in ensuring that professional competencies are achieved. The expectations and perceptions of employability of 65 UG Radiography students at Cardiff University were explored using the TurningPoint pupil response system and examples of various person specifications for jobs given to students to examine. Findings showed that while students acknowledged the necessity of skills for employability, they considered these to be integrated within their degree programme. Of the group responding, only half were able to identify the required person specification for a band 5 radiographer, with 10% choosing the example of a retail store manager as the job they would apply for. Harvey (2001) suggests that where once employability being translated into employment was seen as the responsibility of the graduate, expectations of contemporary higher education suggests that responsibility is reciprocal, with HEIs providing opportunities for students to develop their skills and students taking up and engaging with the opportunities offered. To this end, through a collaborative programme of skills training with the Centre of Skills, Enterprise and Volunteering (CSEV) within the Cardiff University Students’ Union, opportunities for development of the skills for employability have been offered within a pilot project for radiography students

Management of erythema and skin preservation; advice for patients receiving radical radiotherapy to the breast: a systematic review of the literature

Objective To systematically review and critically appraise all evidence on skin care advice and products tailored for patients receiving radical radiotherapy for breast cancer and to determine an evidence-based conclusion regarding the most effective products. Data Resources and Review Methods Major healthcare databases were searched with additional efforts made to hand-search current journals. All relevant literature fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria was subjected to quality assurance checks. Those that passed underwent a more rigorous appraisal and were included in the review. Results Ten studies were identified as fulfilling the review criteria in regards to aims and quality. All were randomised controlled trials; three were double-blinded, three were single-blinded, the remaining were not blinded. Two addressed washing regimes, two addressed deodorant use, whilst the six remaining studies investigated creams, gels or dressings. Conclusions The results suggest that there is a place for creams in the management and delay of radiation induced skin toxicities, however research fails to highlight one product which is a considerable beneficial over others whilst still being cost effective and free from adverse effects. Patients should not be discouraged from washing with water or mild soaps and results suggest that the restriction of aluminium-free deodorant during treatment is unnecessary, more research in this area is needed with larger sample sizes

A survey of cancer patients undergoing a radical course of radiotherapy to establish levels of anxiety and depression.

This research aims to establish the prevalence and aetiology of anxiety and depression in cancer patients within their first 2 weeks of a radical course of radiotherapy. Depression followed by anxiety is the two most frequent psychological disorders experienced by cancer patients. However, these two disorders are frequently undiagnosed and untreated in patients undergoing a course of radiotherapy possibly because the treatment side effects often simulate those of anxiety and depression; the consequences of this can be reduced patient prognosis and increased health care costs. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 100 eligible cancer patients and this yielded a 68% response rate. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was integrated into the questionnaire to accurately establish levels of anxiety and depression in the respondents of the study. The study identified six respondents with clinically significant levels of anxiety (9%) and six with depression (9%); 21% (n ¼ 14) of participants had higher than normal levels of anxiety and 21% for depression (n ¼ 14). Correlations were then identified between levels of psychological distress and the four independent variables; age, diagnosis, adjuvant medication and pain. Four predisposing factors were established—breast cancer diagnosis, age range 40"50 years, the presence of pain and adjuvant chemotherapy regime

Electronic properties of guanine-based nanowires

We present a first-principle study of the electronic and conduction properties of a few classes of nanowires constituted of guanine (G) molecules, self-assembled in different geometries. We first analyze the effect of the vertical $\pi$-$\pi$ interaction in model G-stack columns. Then, we exploit the results obtained from those models to interpret the features of realistic stacked and hydrogen-bonded structures, namely the guanine quadruple helices and the planar ribbons. With respect to natural DNA, the different structures as well as the inclusion of metal cations, drastically affect the bonding pattern among the bases, introducing novel features in the electronic properties of the systems. These supramolecular G-aggregates, alternative to DNA, are expected to show intersting properties for molecular elec tronics applications.Comment: 30 pages (preprint format), 8 figures. To appear in Solid State Communications - Special Issue on "New advances on collective phenomena in one-dimensional systems

Dormancy within Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms : a transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq

The proportion of dormant bacteria within Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms may determine its inflammatory profile. Previously, we have shown that S. epidermidis biofilms with higher proportions of dormant bacteria have reduced activation of murine macrophages. RNA-sequencing was used to identify the major transcriptomic differences between S. epidermidis biofilms with different proportions of dormant bacteria. To accomplish this goal, we used an in vitro model where magnesium allowed modulation of the proportion of dormant bacteria within S. epidermidis biofilms. Significant differences were found in the expression of 147 genes. A detailed analysis of the results was performed based on direct and functional gene interactions. Biological processes among the differentially expressed genes were mainly related to oxidation-reduction processes and acetyl-CoA metabolic processes. Gene set enrichment revealed that the translation process is related to the proportion of dormant bacteria. Transcription of mRNAs involved in oxidation-reduction processes was associated with higher proportions of dormant bacteria within S. epidermidis biofilm. Moreover, the pH of the culture medium did not change after the addition of magnesium, and genes related to magnesium transport did not seem to impact entrance of bacterial cells into dormancy.The authors thank Stephen Lorry at Harvard Medical School for providing CLC Genomics software. This work was funded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) and COMPETE grants PTDC/BIA-MIC/113450/2009, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014309, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022718 (FCT PEst-C/SAU/LA0002/2011), QOPNA research unit (project PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2011), and CENTRO-07-ST24-FEDER-002034. The following authors had an individual FCT fellowship: VC (SFRH/BD/78235/2011) and AF (2SFRH/BD/62359/2009)

A Polarised Population of Dynamic Microtubules Mediates Homeostatic Length Control in Animal Cells

An analysis of cells grown on micro-patterned lines, and of cells during zebrafish development, identifies a population of microtubules that align along the long axis of cells to mediate homeostatic length control