Infrastructure transitions toward sustainability: a complex adaptive systems perspective

To ensure infrastructure assets are procured and maintained by government on behalf of citizens, appropriate policy and institutional architecture is needed, particularly if a fundamental shift to more sustainable infrastructure is the goal. The shift in recent years from competitive and resource-intensive procurement to more collaborative and sustainable approaches to infrastructure governance is considered a major transition in infrastructure procurement systems. In order to better understand this transition in infrastructure procurement arrangements, the concept of emergence from Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory is offered as a key construct. Emergence holds that micro interactions can result in emergent macro order. Applying the concept of emergence to infrastructure procurement, this research examines how interaction of agents in individual projects can result in different industry structural characteristics. The paper concludes that CAS theory, and particularly the concept of ‘emergence’, provides a useful construct to understand infrastructure procurement dynamics and progress towards sustainability

Defining the dimensions of engineering asset procurement: towards an integrated model

Procuring engineering asset management is a critical activity of all types of government, with optimal approaches to procurement still in need of identification. This paper advances a novel approach of exploring the procurement of engineering assets across a number of dimensions: Project rules, organisational interaction rules and complexity. The dimensions of project rules are held to include cost, quality and time. The dimensions of organisational interaction rules are held to be collaboration, competition and control. Complexity is seen as in the project itself, in the interaction between organisations or in the business environment. Taken together these dimensions seem salient for any type of engineering asset, and provide a useful way of conceptualising procurement arrangements of these assets

Qualitative Exploration of the Daily Experiences and Challenges Faced by Parents and Caregivers of Children with Tourette's Syndrome.

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Amanda K. Ludlow, Rachel Brown, and Joerg Schulz, ‘A qualitative exploration of the daily experiences and challenges faced by parents and caregivers of children with Tourette’s syndrome’. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Journal of Health Psychology, September 2016, published by SAGE Publishing, All rights reserved. Copyright © 2016, © SAGE PublicationsFew studies address the daily challenges faced by parents of children diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome. This article reports on a qualitative interview study with 15 parents exploring their experiences, the challenges they face and the support mechanisms they have found to be most helpful. Thematic analysis identified four core categories which represented shared experiences of the participants: coping with children’s challenging behaviours, misconceptions and lack of understanding of professionals and the lay public, negative experiences of their children’s education and lack of support and services for families with Tourette’s syndrome. The findings highlight the challenges of parenting a child with Tourette’s syndrome, particularly with respect to family life and the child’s schooling.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

City-Scaled Digital Documentation: A Comparative Analysis of Digital Documentation Technologies for Recording Architectural Heritage

The historic preservation field, enabled by advances in technology, has demonstrated an increased interest in digitizing cultural heritage sites and historic structures. Increases in software capabilities as well as greater affordability has fostered augmented use of digital documentation technologies for architectural heritage applications. Literature establishes four prominent categories of digital documentation tools for preservation: laser scanning, photogrammetry, multimedia geographic information systems (GIS) and three-dimensional modeling. Thoroughly explored through published case studies, the documentation techniques for recording heritage are most often integrated. Scholarly literature does not provide a parallel comparison of the four technologies. A comparative analysis of the four techniques, as presented in this thesis, makes it possible for cities to understand the most applicable technique for their preservation objectives. The thesis analyzes four cases studies that employ applications of the technologies: New Orleans Laser Scanning, University of Maryland Photogrammetry, Historic Columbia Maps Project and the Virtual Historic Savannah Project. Following this, the thesis undertakes a trial of each documentation technology – laser scanning, photogrammetry, multimedia GIS and three-dimensional modeling – utilizing a block on Church Street between Queen and Chalmers streets within the Charleston Historic District. The apparent outcomes of each of the four techniques is analyzed according to a series of parameters including: audience, application, efficacy in recordation, refinement, expertise required, manageability of the product, labor intensity and necessary institutional capacity. A concluding matrix quantifies the capability of each of the technologies in terms of the parameters. This method furnishes a parallel comparison of the techniques and their efficacy in architectural heritage documentation within mid-sized cities

History of Fermat\u27s Last Theorem

Around 1637, Pierre de Fermat made a now-famous mathematical conjecture. However, Fermat\u27s conjecture neither began nor ended with him. Fermat\u27s last theorem, as the conjecture is called, has roots approximately 3600 years old. The proof of the theorem was not realized until 1994, over 350 years after it was proposed by Fermat

An Assessment of Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among the Elderly and the Effect of an Educational Intervention on Provider Knowledge of These Medications

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) or Beers medications among outpatient older adults within one Midwestern healthcare system, to determine rates of patient education on Beers medications, and to pilot an educational intervention for providers. Methods: This study involved two parts. For part 1 of the study, a randomized retrospective chart review of 493 older adult patients seen in 2017 from four practices was conducted to assess Beers medication prescriptions and rates of patient education. Following the chart review, for part 2 of the study, an educational intervention was delivered to two providers at one practice site on the Beers Criteria and chart review results. A post-test only design was used to determine intervention success. Results: Of the patients included, 64.2% (n = 316) were prescribed a Beers medication during 2017. There were no statistically significant differences for age, gender, or race. A total of 50 different Beers medications were prescribed. The most frequently prescribed drug categories included Proton-pump inhibitors (25.1%), Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS (18.2%), Benzodiazepines (16%), Anticholinergics (13.6%), and Skeletal muscle relaxants (8.2%). The rate of documented patient education on the risks of the Beers medication(s) was 11.4% (n = 36). Both of the providers who participated in the educational session demonstrated 100% proficiency on the post-test. Conclusion: This study not only demonstrated potentially inappropriate medication prescription trends but also identified a gap in these prescriptions and patient education on the risks associated with the medications. An educational session for providers demonstrated great potential for refreshing memories and/or providing new information on the Beers Criteria and the importance of patient education

The Reproductive Biology of the Finetooth Shark, Carcharhinus isodon, in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Shark fisheries are a multimillion dollar industry in the United States and have significant contributions both recreationally and commercially. In order to maintain this industry, fisheries must be properly managed. An understanding of life history and reproduction is crucial in order to adequately manage shark fisheries. The finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon, is a member of the small coastal shark (SCS) fishery complex. It is found in Atlantic waters from South Carolina to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. This species has recently come under increased fishing pressure and has previously been overfished. New data is needed in order to properly assess the reproductive capacity of this species so that healthy populations can be sustained. This study evaluated the overall reproductive cycle of northwest Atlantic populations of C. isodon using composite variables of morphology, histology and endocrinology. Atlantic C. isodon were found to display seasonal reproduction with biennial reproductive periodicity with a 12 month gestation period and litters of 2-6 pups. E2 and T displayed similar patterns and were highest during gametogenesis. P4 did not show any discernible patterns. Estrogen receptors were found in developing follicles of gravid and non-gravid females, in the oviducal glands of non-gravid and early pregnant females and in the uterus of pre-ovulatory females. P4 was found in the oviducal glands in all reproductive stages and in the uterus of pre-ovulatory females. Androgen receptors were found in Sertoli cells and mature spermatozoa as well as epididymal epithelial cells