Applying a Sectoral System of Innovation (SSI) Approach to the Australian Red Meat Industry with Implications for Improving Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Australian Agrifood Industry

This paper describes an action research study conducted over four years (2002-2006) in the Australian red meat industry. The study aimed to extend the body of knowledge on innovation and entrepreneurship. It also sought to explore options for improving practice through interventions that would accelerate the development of innovation culture and capabilities. A conceptual framework was developed leading to a new Systems Innovation Intervention Framework. The framework was subsequently implemented via 30 individual pilots. The outcomes of the research study were tested for relevance more broadly within the Australian food industry and high levels of acceptance were reported.innovation, sectoral innovation systems, innovation system failures, intervention strategies, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q10, Q16,

B2B brand engagement in social media: The employee's perspective

Brand engagement, or the process of how customers and other stakeholders form emotional or rational attachments to brands has garnered considerable attention in the marketing literature in recent years. Brand engagement is important because it is a construct strongly related to brand equity, or in simple terms the "value of the brand". Recently, the nature of brand engagement has also changed significantly because of the advent of social media. Not only do users of these social media share personal information with each other, they also comment on, contribute to, and share opinions on the brands that engage them. While the literature is extensive on brand engagement and social media, most of the emphasis is on customers, rather than other stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, and investors. Moreover, the research focuses almost entirely on consumers, the customers of business-to-consumer firms, rather than on the industrial and organizational customers of business-to-business (B2B) firms or their stakeholders. Only very recently have scholars begun to explore both customer and employee engagement and their effects on firm performance in both the business-to-consumer and business-to-business arenas. The research presented in this dissertation attempts to grow the literature in two ways. First, it focuses on brand engagement in business-to-business firms rather than business-to-consumer; second, it does this by studying a stakeholder group other than customers, namely, employees. Moreover, it does this through the employee lens, rather than the lens of the firm; in other words it explores how employees engage with firms rather than how firms engage with their employees. The study utilizes an exploratory research design focusing on qualitative data. The data consist of job reviews posted by employees of B2B firms on the social medium Glassdoor.com. Glassdoor.com collects company reviews and real salaries from employees of a range of organizations and displays them anonymously, and users are also able to rate their employees on a five-star scale. The firms chosen were based on a ranking study by the research firm Brandwatch, and were split into two groups, namely the 30 top ranked firms, and the 30 bottom ranked firms. These reviews were then analyzed, using Hart's theory of word choice and verbal tone, in DICTION, the content analysis software. The results indicate that there are significant differences between top ranked and bottom ranked firms, and also between top rated and bottom rated firms. Employees of top ranked firms are significantly more optimistic in their reviews, while employees of bottom ranked firms express significantly more certainty, activity and realism. There are no significant differences with regard to commonality. With regard to firm ratings, the employees of highly rated firms are significantly more optimistic, while employees of low rated firms score significantly more on all the other dimensions of word choice and verbal tone. The employees of top ranked firms are significantly less insistent in their reviews but display significantly more embellishment, variety and complexity. Similarly, in the case of firm ratings, highly rated reviews are significantly less insistent, but exhibit significantly more embellishment, variety and complexity. The thesis contributes to academic knowledge in four ways. First, it is the first study to consider brand engagement in the business-to-business environment from an employee perspective. Second, the study contributes by providing a perspective on brand engagement from two sides, namely highly ranked B2B companies and low ranked B2B companies, as well as highly rated B2B companies and low rated B2B companies. It highlights the differences between these two groups with regard to brand engagement. Furthermore, it permits a focus on the differences between employees who rate an employer brand high versus those that rate it low, regardless of how the brand is ranked independently. Stated differently, in a brand engagement context, the study identifies specific dimensions or calculated variables that distinguish high and low rankings and ratings. Third, this is the first study that examines employee brand engagement using Hart's theory of word choice and verbal tone. This means that it employs a robust means of comparing pieces of text, or in this particular case, the text resulting from an employee's review and rating of an employer, as a proxy for employee brand engagement. Fourth, this study is the first to use the DICTION content analysis software to examine employee brand engagement in a business-to-business context. It demonstrates DICTION's ability to operationalize Hart's five dimensions of text, and the calculated variables, as well as confirming DICTION's capacity to handle very large text files. The study also has implications for marketing managers, and for brand executives in the business-to-business arena specifically. First, it enables managers to identify the most important dimensions of brand engagement according to Hart's theory, when employee reviews are posted on social media. When managers are able to discern which dimensions figure prominently in the most highly regarded brands according to employees, they can begin to formulate strategies that might enable them to develop these dimensions in their own environment. Likewise, when they are able to distinguish the dimensions that mark the least highly regarded brands, or the dimensions that occasion negative reviews, they will be able to develop strategies that enable their firms to overcome these effects. Second, the use of data such as that available on Glassdoor will allows managers to compare the nature of their brand engagement to others, such as competitors or firms they wish to benchmark against, and to develop strategies that will enable them to shift their level of brand engagement over time. Third, the results of the study reinforce the notion that brands and human capital are more important and interlinked than most managers acknowledge. The management of these two assets therefore requires more than occasional attention; rather, they should become part of regular organizational brand strategy

Receiving end of life care at home: experiences of the bereaved carers of cancer patients cared for by health care assistants

First paragraph: Many terminally ill cancer patients and their families prefer for death to occur at home rather than in an institution where the majority of care falls to the patient’s family and friends. As death approaches caring can become an increasing burden for the patient’s informal carers. This issue has long been recognized by health care professionals and also in current policy for end of life care, with the End of Life Care Strategy for England (DH, 2008) highlighting the need for community services to enable home death by supporting both patient and their family carers. Basic nursing, social and respite home care has frequently been provided by basically trained, unqualified nursing staff, including auxiliary nurses and health care assistants (HCA). Whilst increasing research has been undertaken into the needs of family carers (Stajduhar et al, 2010; Funk et al 2010), relatively little has focused on the care HCAs deliver (Herber & Johnston 2012) and very few studies have explored the experience of bereaved family carers of patients who have received such services

Enhanced protection to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in IL-10-deficient mice is accompanied by early and enhanced Th1 responses in the lung

IL-10 regulates the balance of an immune response between pathogen clearance and immunopathology. We show here that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in the absence of IL-10 (IL-10−/− mice) results in reduced bacterial loads in the lung. This reduction was preceded by an accelerated and enhanced IFN-γ response in the lung, an increased influx of CD4+ T cells into the lung, and enhanced production of chemokines and cytokines, including CXCL10 and IL-17, in both the lung and the serum. Neutralization of IL-17 affected neither the enhanced production of CXCL10 nor the accumulation of IFN-γ-producing T cells in the lungs, but led to reduced numbers of granulocytes in the lung and reduced bacterial loads in the spleens of Mtb-infected mice. This suggests that IL-17 may contribute to dissemination of Mtb

Temporary epicardial cardiac resynchronisation versus conventional right ventricular pacing after cardiac surgery: study protocol for a randomised control trial

Background: Heart failure patients with stable angina, acute coronary syndromes and valvular heart disease may benefit from revascularisation and/or valve surgery. However, the mortality rate is increased- 5-30%. Biventricular pacing using temporary epicardial wires after surgery is a potential mechanism to improve cardiac function and clinical endpoints. Method/design: A multi-centred, prospective, randomised, single-blinded, intervention-control trial of temporary biventricular pacing versus standard pacing. Patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease or both, an ejection fraction ≤ 35% and a conventional indication for cardiac surgery will be recruited from 2 cardiac centres. Baseline investigations will include: an electrocardiogram to confirm sinus rhythm and measure QRS duration; echocardiogram to evaluate left ventricular function and markers of mechanical dyssynchrony; dobutamine echocardiogram for viability and blood tests for renal function and biomarkers of myocardial injury- troponin T and brain naturetic peptide. Blood tests will be repeated at 18, 48 and 72 hours. The principal exclusions will be subjects with permanent atrial arrhythmias, permanent pacemakers, infective endocarditis or end-stage renal disease. After surgery, temporary pacing wires will be attached to the postero-lateral wall of the left ventricle, the right atrium and right ventricle and connected to a triple chamber temporary pacemaker. Subjects will be randomised to receive either temporary biventricular pacing or standard pacing (atrial inhibited pacing or atrial-synchronous right ventricular pacing) for 48 hours. The primary endpoint will be the duration of level 3 care. In brief, this is the requirement for invasive ventilation, multi-organ support or more than one inotrope/vasoconstrictor. Haemodynamic studies will be performed at baseline, 6, 18 and 24 hours after surgery using a pulmonary arterial catheter. Measurements will be taken in the following pacing modes: atrial inhibited; right ventricular only; atrial synchronous-right ventricular; atrial synchronous-left ventricular and biventricular pacing. Optimisation of the atrioventricular and interventricular delay will be performed in the biventricular pacing group at 18 hours. The effect of biventricular pacing on myocardial injury, post operative arrhythmias and renal function will also be quantified

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

The Lantern, 2021-2022

No More Buses through El Paso • A Woman\u27s World • The Angel of Tragedy • A Victim of Circumstance • Ace of Hearts • Ghost Light • Missing Diamonds • The Upside-Down House: A Dialogue with the Self • What is Chronic Pain? • A Sunny Day in Sinkhole • Extra Marshmallows • Fourth Wall Broken • Hemlock • In the Comfort of Others • Lasting Impressions • Let\u27s Do the Time Warp Again • One Last Afternoon • Space Invaders • The Dogwood Tree • An Ode to Poppies • Charlotte\u27s Web • Crab • Crossing • Dandelions • Dandelion Sandwich • Grizzly Hood • Help Wanted • I Gave Way • I\u27m not who you wanted but maybe one day I can be • Kneeling • Lemon Cookies • Lies • Method Acting • Moment of Tranquility • Our Home • Overthinking • Sea Glass • Seasonal • Thirty-Two (No Spares) • The Autumn Beast • The Miller\u27s Daughter • Theodore • To the Earring I Left Behind in Your Carpet • Virginia • Waltzing • Yellow House • 1/25 British Monarch • Cracked • In the Shadows • Jewelwing • Life on the Wing • O\u27 Captain my Captain • Stars Above the Bay • The Common Fall • Tom • Cats + Crowshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1190/thumbnail.jp

Global phylogeny of Treponema pallidum lineages reveals recent expansion and spread of contemporary syphilis.

Funder: Queensland GovernmentSyphilis, which is caused by the sexually transmitted bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, has an estimated 6.3 million cases worldwide per annum. In the past ten years, the incidence of syphilis has increased by more than 150% in some high-income countries, but the evolution and epidemiology of the epidemic are poorly understood. To characterize the global population structure of T. pallidum, we assembled a geographically and temporally diverse collection of 726 genomes from 626 clinical and 100 laboratory samples collected in 23 countries. We applied phylogenetic analyses and clustering, and found that the global syphilis population comprises just two deeply branching lineages, Nichols and SS14. Both lineages are currently circulating in 12 of the 23 countries sampled. We subdivided T. p. pallidum into 17 distinct sublineages to provide further phylodynamic resolution. Importantly, two Nichols sublineages have expanded clonally across 9 countries contemporaneously with SS14. Moreover, pairwise genome analyses revealed examples of isolates collected within the last 20 years from 14 different countries that had genetically identical core genomes, which might indicate frequent exchange through international transmission. It is striking that most samples collected before 1983 are phylogenetically distinct from more recently isolated sublineages. Using Bayesian temporal analysis, we detected a population bottleneck occurring during the late 1990s, followed by rapid population expansion in the 2000s that was driven by the dominant T. pallidum sublineages circulating today. This expansion may be linked to changing epidemiology, immune evasion or fitness under antimicrobial selection pressure, since many of the contemporary syphilis lineages we have characterized are resistant to macrolides

Delivery of cognitive-behaviour therapy for psychosis:a service user preference trial

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for people with psychosis, however, implementation is poor and not everyone wishes to engage with therapy. Understanding service user (SU) preferences for receiving such treatments is a priority for services. Aims: To explore SU preferences and outcomes of different methods of delivering CBT for psychosis. Method: SUs experiencing psychosis could choose between treatment as usual (TAU); TAU plus telephone-delivered CBT with self-help, CBT recovery manual (TS); high support CBT (HS – TAU plus TS plus group sessions) or randomisation. Participants received their option of choice and were followed-up on several outcomes over 9 and 15 months. Results: Of 89 people recruited, three chose to be randomised and 86 expressed a treatment preference (32 chose TAU, 34 chose TS, 23 chose HS). There were few differences between those who chose therapy compared to those who chose TAU. Those who had more positive impacts from their symptoms were significantly more likely to choose TAU. Conclusions: Most people had strong preferences about treatment delivery and a substantial number did not wish to receive additional therapy. These findings have to be considered when planning and allocating resources for people with psychosis