The emergent roles of a designer in the development of an e learning service

This paper presents reflections from a service design case study and uses it to investigate the emerging roles of a designer. Skills, methodologies and values are drawn through the case study and used to communicate how this contributes to the continuing expansion of the profession today. Seven roles are discussed in this paper: designer as a facilitator, communicator, capability builder, strategist, researcher, entrepreneur and co-creator. The analysis of the activities of the designer in this particular case study has indicated a presence of all of these roles in various degrees. This brings up three key questions for discussion: 1. How can the design profession communicate the value of this role shift to external audiences? 2. How will design education address the requirements of these emerging roles? and more relevant to this workshop, 3. How will businesses utilise these additional skills of a designer

Still a Private Universe? Community College Students’ Understanding of Evolution

Background Measuring what students know and retain about evolution is essential to improving our understanding of how students learn evolution. The literature shows that college students appear to have a poor understanding of evolution, answering questions on various instruments correctly only about half of the time. There is little research regarding evolution understanding among community college students and so this study examines if those students who are enrolled in life science classes, who are assessed using questions based on grade eight standards, show a better understanding of evolutionary principles than younger students and if there are differences in knowledge based on course enrollment. The authors utilized a survey of 41 items of the Life Sciences Concept Inventory that were specifically designed to measure knowledge about various aspects of evolution that relate to the 5–8 grade science standards on evolution. They administered it to 191 adult students who were enrolled in nine sections across five life sciences courses at one community college in Southern California. Results Results indicated that the students in this study possessed a fair understanding of evolution, averaging scores of nearly 70%, higher than what other researchers have found (using different instruments). Students enrolled in biology major classes scored significantly higher than those enrolled in non/mixed-major courses. There was a strong relationship between item difficulty and discrimination as well as difficulty and misconception strength. When compared with the 5–8 grade student data, the community college students showed a lower level of difficulty and higher levels of item discrimination, but the proportion choosing the most popular wrong answer (the dominant misconception), was comparable. College students showed similar patterns to the grade 5–8 students in terms of which questions and which material were the most challenging, despite performing better overall. Conclusions In this study, students possessed fair understanding of evolution. However, they were assessed with an instrument designed for 5th through 8th grade students. The results of this study support the need for more research into how community college students understand evolution and which factors impact that understanding

Use and cost of disease-modifying therapies by Sonya Slifka Study participants: has anything really changed since 2000 and 2009?

Background:Disease-modifying therapies benefit individuals with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but their utility remains unclear for those without relapses. Objective:To determine disease-modifying therapy use and costs in 2009, compare use in 2009 and 2000, and examine compliance with evidence-based guidelines. Methods:We determined the extent and characteristics of disease-modifying therapy use by participants in the Sonya Slifka Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis Study (Slifka) in 2000 (n=2156) and 2009 (n=2361) and estimated out-of-pocket and total (payer) costs for 2009. Two multivariable logistic regressions predicted disease-modifying therapy use. Results:Disease-modifying therapy use increased from 55.3% in 2000 to 61.5% in 2009. In 2009, disease-modifying therapy use was reported by 76.5% of participants with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 73.2% with progressive-relapsing multiple sclerosis, 62.5% with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and 41.8% with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Use was significantly associated with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, shorter duration of illness, one to two relapses per year, non-ambulatory symptoms, using a cane, younger age, higher family income, and having health insurance. Average annual costs in 2009 were US$939-3101 for patients and US$16,302-18,928 for payers. Conclusion:Use rates were highest for individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, but substantial for those with progressive courses although clinical trials have not demonstrated significant benefits for them

The Hydro-Mechanical Properties of Fracture Intersections: Pressure-Dependant Permeability and Effective Stress Law

Fluid flow through the brittle crust is primarily controlled by the capability of fracture networks to provide pathways for fluid transport. The dominant permeability orientation within fractured rock masses has been consistently correlated with the development of fracture intersections; an observation also made at the meso-regional scale. Despite the importance attributed to fracture intersections in promoting fluid flow, the magnitude of their enhancement of fractured rock permeability has not yet been quantified. Here, we characterize the hydro-mechanical properties of intersections in samples of Seljadalur Basalt by generating two orthogonal, tensile fractures produced by two separate loadings using a Brazilian test apparatus, and measuring their permeability as a function of hydrostatic pressure. We observe that intersecting fractures are significantly more permeable and less compliant than two independent macro-fractures. We formulate a model for fracture intersection permeability as a function of pressure by adding the contributions of two independent fractures plus a tube-like cavity with an effective elastic compressibility determined by its geometry. Permeability measurements during cyclic loading allowed determination of the effective stress coefficient (α in pe = pc − αpp) for fracture and intersection permeability. We observe a trend of lower αintersection values with respect to αfracture, which suggests that the channels controlling fluid flow have a higher aspect ratio (are more tubular) for the intersections relative to independent fractures. Our results suggest that fracture intersections play a critical role in maintaining permeability at depth, which has significant implications for the quantification and upscaling of fracture permeability toward reservoir-scale simulations

Emulating Succession of Boreal Mixedwood Forests in Alberta Using Understory Protection Harvesting

Understory protection harvesting is a form of partial cutting that can be used in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)-dominated stands that have understories of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). This practice involves removing 75% to 85% of the merchantable aspen while minimizing damage to the advance spruce regeneration, in addition to leaving 15% to 25% of the aspen standing to reduce potential windthrow of the spruce understory. In this paper, we summarize results from 18 stands measured 10 to 12 years after understory protection harvest. Diameter growth of spruce increased during the first five years after harvest while height growth increased during the second five-year period (5 to 10 or 7 to 12 years after release). Consistent with other studies, mortality rates of aspen trees ≥7.1 cm DBH (diameter breast height, 1.3 m) averaged 45.0% over the 10–12 year period following harvesting. Spruce mortality averaged 27.5% over the same 10–12 year period. Substantial aspen regeneration was evident across most harvested blocks, with aspen sapling densities 10–12 years from harvest being higher in removal (14,637 stems⋅ha−1) than in buffer areas (6686 stems⋅ha−1) and in extraction trails (7654 stems⋅ha−1). Spruce sapling (\u3e1.3 m height and DBH) densities averaged 1140 stems⋅ha−1 in removal areas at ages 10–12, with these trees likely being present as seedlings at the time of harvest. Mixedwood Growth Model projections indicate merchantable volumes averaging 168 m3⋅ha−1 (conifer) and 106 m3⋅ha−1 (deciduous) 70 years from harvest, resulting in MAI (mean annual increment) for this period averaging 2.0 m3⋅ha−1⋅y−1 with MAI for a full 150-year rotation of approximately 2.5 m3⋅ha−1⋅y−1

Knowledge brokerage and research utilisation: a discussion document prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

In mid 2009 the Australian Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) funded the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) to undertake a project on Knowledge Brokerage (KB). The aim of the project was to develop a model through which APHCRI, DoHA and other key stakeholders could work together over the next iteration of APHCRI’s contract for translating research evidence into Australian primary health care systems and services. The KB model would support the Commonwealth’s health reform agenda through facilitating the dissemination of research findings to policy makers and enabling policy makers to pose research questions addressing their need for evidence to support policy development. The KB project undertaken by APHCRI has three components;  A comprehensive literature review  A workshop of key stakeholders to identify different models of KB, work towards identifying the key components of successful models and to devise a framework to support effective knowledge translation  A review of the processes used by APHCRI to fund research and the effectiveness of the synthesis and transfer of knowledge generated by APHCRI-funded research to date. This document reports on the outcomes of these three components and offers recommendations for future action.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development Strategy