Measuring the difference we make: the state-of-play of outcomes measurement in the community sector in Western Australia

The term ‘outcomes measurement’ refers to the measurement of the difference that an initiative, program or organisation makes to the lives of people they engage with. Outcomes measurement provides evidence on whether initiatives, programs and organisations are making a difference to the lives of people they serve. It is an important basis of learning within organisations of what works and what doesn’t work. Outcomes measurement also provides the foundation stone for evaluation, strategic planning and good governance, and is critical to good decision-making in respect of the appropriate allocation of resources by funders.  This report extends our previous Bankwest Foundation research and investigates the experiences of on-the-ground community organisations, government and philanthropic funders of community service organisations, and community sector peak bodies with outcomes measurement in Western Australia. This is particularly important in Western Australia as recent regulatory reform has placed outcomes measurement firmly on the agenda for all Western Australia departments, agencies and the organisations they work with.  This study finds outcomes measurement at a tipping point in Western Australia. Our mapping of outcomes measurement in Western Australia and consultations with community sector stakeholders in Western Australia suggest not simply a growing interest in outcomes measurement and a broad appetite for progress and change, but that community sector organisations, big and small, as well as funders, are implementing or seeking to implement a systematic, well-grounded outcomes measurement framework in their organisations and through their funding programs. Community organisations and the funders of programs are also moving towards more strategic use of the outputs of outcomes measurement and connecting measurement with strategy and performance improvement.&nbsp

Examination of Early Interactions between Haemophilus ducreyi and Host Cells by Using Cocultured HaCaT Keratinocytes and Foreskin Fibroblasts

Haemophilus ducreyi is the etiologic agent of chancroid, a sexually transmitted genital ulcer disease. Keratinocytes are likely the first cell type encountered by H. ducreyi upon infection of human skin; thus, the interaction between H. ducreyi and keratinocytes is probably important for the ability of H. ducreyi to establish infection. We have used the HaCaT keratinocyte cell line grown in monolayers and in cocultures with HS27 fibroblasts to investigate H. ducreyi interactions with keratinocytes and the host-cell response to H. ducreyi infection. Using quantitative adherence and gentamicin protection assays, we determined that approximately 13% of H. ducreyi adhered to HaCaT cell monolayers, while only a small proportion (0.0052%) was intracellular. By transmission electron microscopy, we observed numerous H. ducreyi organisms adherent to but rarely within HaCaT cells cocultured with fibroblasts. Both live H. ducreyi and purified H. ducreyi lipooligosaccharide (LOS) induced significant interleukin 8 (IL-8) expression from HaCaT cell-HS27 cell cocultures. However, the level of IL-8 expression in response to LOS alone was not as pronounced. H. ducreyi LOS was a more potent inducer of IL-8 from cocultures than Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the same concentration, suggesting a unique effect of H. ducreyi LOS on cocultures. Neither live H. ducreyi nor purified H. ducreyi LOS or E. coli LPS induced tumor necrosis factor alpha expression from cocultures. H. ducreyi induced drastically different cytokine profiles from cocultures than from HS27 or HaCaT cells cultured separately. IL-8 expression by skin cells in response to H. ducreyi infection in vivo may be responsible for the massive influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and other inflammatory cells to the site of infection. This influx of inflammatory cells may be partly responsible for the tissue destruction characteristic of chancroid

Tuning Nonlinear Mechanical Mode Coupling in GaAs Nanowires Using Cross-Section Morphology Control.

We investigate the nonlinear mechanical properties of GaAs nanowires with anisotropic cross-section. Fundamental and second order flexural modes are studied using laser interferometry with good agreement found between experiment and theory describing the nonlinear response under mechanical excitation. In particular, we demonstrate that the sign of the nonlinear coupling between orthogonal modes is dependent on the cross-section aspect ratio. The findings are of interest for applications such as amplitude to frequency conversion and vectorial force sensing

Nonequilibrium Probability Currents in Optically-Driven Colloidal Suspensions

In the absence of directional motion it is often hard to recognize athermal fluctuations. Probability currents provide such a measure in terms of the rate at which they enclose area in phase space. We measure this area enclosing rate for trapped colloidal particles, where only one particle is driven. By combining experiment, theory, and simulation, we single out the effect of the different time scales in the system on the measured probability currents. In this controlled experimental setup, particles interact hydrodynamically. These interactions lead to a strong spatial dependence of the probability currents and to a local influence of athermal agitation. In a multiple-particle system, we show that even when the driving acts only on one particle, probability currents occur between other, non-driven particles. This may have significant implications for the interpretation of fluctuations in biological systems containing elastic networks in addition to a suspending fluid.Comment: Submission to SciPost Physic

Mechanism of association of adenylate cyclase toxin with the surface of Bordetella pertussis : a role for toxin-filamentous haemagglutinin interaction

Summary Adenylate cyclase (AC) toxin from Bordetella pertussis is unusual in that, unlike most other members of the repeats-in-toxin family that are released into the extracellular milieu, it remains associated with the bacterial surface. In this study, we investigated the nature of the association of this toxin with the surface of B. pertussis . AC toxin was extracted from crude outer membrane preparations of B. pertussis with 8 M urea, but only partially with alkaline sodium carbonate and not at all with octylglucoside, suggesting that denaturation of the toxin is necessary for its removal from the membrane. B. pertussis mutants lacking filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) released significantly more AC toxin into the medium, and AC toxin association with the bacterial surface was partially restored by expression of FHA from a plasmid, suggesting a role for FHA in surface retention of AC toxin. AC toxin distribution was unaffected by the absence of pertactin, or full-length lipopolysaccharide, or a defect in secretion of pertussis toxin. Using overlay and immunoprecipitation, we found that a direct physical association can occur between AC toxin and FHA. Combined, these findings suggest that FHA may play a role in AC toxin retention on the surface of B. pertussis and raise the possibility of an involvement of adherence mediated by FHA in delivery of AC toxin from the bacterium to the target cell

The Chlamydia outer membrane protein OmcB is required for adhesion and exhibits biovar-specific differences in glycosaminoglycan binding

Chlamydia pneumoniae, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, causes a number of respiratory diseases. We explored the role of the conserved OmcB protein in C. pneumoniae infections, using yeast display technology. (i) Yeast cells presenting OmcB were found to adhere to human epithelial cells. (ii) Pre-incubation of OmcB yeast cells with heparin, but not other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), abrogated adhesion. (iii) Pre-treatment of the target cells with heparinase inhibited adherence, and GAG-deficient CHO cell lines failed to bind OmcB yeast. (iv) A heparin-binding motif present near the N-terminus of OmcB is required for host cell binding. (v) Pre-treatment of chlamydial elementary bodies (EBs) with anti-OmcB antibody or pre-incubation of target cells with recombinant OmcB protein reduced infectivity upon challenge with C. pneumoniae. (vi) Adhesion of fluorescently labelled EBs to epithelial or endothelial cells was abrogated by prior addition of heparin or OmcB protein. Thus, C. pneumoniae OmcB is an adhesin that binds heparan sulphate-like GAGs. OmcB from Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L1 also adheres to human cells in a heparin-dependent way, unlike its counterpart from serovar E. We show that a single position in the OmcB sequence determines heparin dependence/independence, and variations there may reflect differences between the two serovars in cell tropism and disease pattern

The relation between distress-risk, B/M and return: is it consistent with rational pricing?

Fama and French (1995, 1996) argue that the high-minus-low (HML) book-tomarket (B/M) factor in their 1993 three-factor model is a proxy for a distress-risk return premium and that the model is consistent with rational pricing. Alternative views are that the HML premium is caused by irrational behaviour or market inefficiencies. Dichev (1998) finds that high distress-risk firms have low, not high, B/M and earn low returns. He also finds a systematic relation between the distress-risk characteristic and return, independent of the B/M characteristic. The effect of differences in the methodology used by Fama and French (1995) and Dichev (1998) has not been examined. In addition, there is no evidence of whether a distress-risk return premium is important in describing returns. Examination of the characteristics and returns of sorted distress-risk portfolios shows that most high distress-risk, positive book-equity NYSE-AMEX firms do have high B/M. However, for both the NYSE-AMEX and NASDAQ, small firms with high distress-risk have low B/M ratios. A positive relation between distress-risk and return is not found for either NYSE-AMEX or NASDAQ firms. A distress-minus-solvent (DMS) return premium constructed using Fama and French (1993) methodology is negative and significant. Regression results show that both the HML and the DMS factors are important in describing the time-series of returns. However, the HML factor is of only marginal importance when examining sorted distress-risk portfolio returns. In addition, the HML coefficients are related to the B/M characteristic, rather than distress-risk, when both sorted distress-risk and characteristic-balanced portfolio returns are examined. The combined evidence suggests that HML cannot be interpreted as a return premium related to financial distress. However, a systematic relation does exist between distress-risk and return. The evidence supports a market inefficiency or irrational behaviour, rather than a risk based explanation of asset returns. Investors pay too much for financially distressed firms and subsequently earn low returns

Relation between distress risk, book‐to‐market ratio and return premium

Purpose – Earlier research found that firms with the highest distress risk have low book-to-market (B/M) ratios and low returns. This paper aims to examine the robustness of those's results and provide further evidence that high distress-risk firms do not enjoy the same high returns earned by high B/M firms and that distress risk is unlikely to explain the Fama and French high-minus-low (HML) B/M factor. Design/methodology/approach – A distress-risk measure, distressed-minus-solvent (DMS), is calculated and a range of zero investment distress-risk trading strategies is investigated. Value- and equal-weighted portfolios are examined both with negative book-equity firms and without. These most distressed firms have low or negative B/M values and would either not be included in the Fama and French sample or included in the low B/M portfolio. Findings – The paper finds that the DMS factor is negative and significant, and none of the zero investment strategies earns significantly positive returns. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that exposure to distress risk does not earns investors a positive risk premium. It appears that over the period examined, market inefficiencies drive the market value and returns of high distress-risk firms. Originality/value – The distress-risk premium is shown to be negative and, therefore, cannot be driven by bankruptcy risk alone. The negative premium is not consistent with a financial distress explanation for the Fama and French HML factor