Supporting Sustainable Technology Cluster Development: A Performance Measurement Problem

Managers require metrics to measure organizational performance. However, metrics used by organizations that support technology cluster development are poorly understood in the literature. The most frequently referenced indicator for cluster development is regional economic and jobs data. These macro level indicators are not sufficient to measure the performance inside the cluster, leaving champions and policy makers to struggle with ad-hoc trial and error experimentation. The difficulty in defining and developing a performance measurement system is addressed. This paper lays the groundwork for improved approaches towards measuring the performance of technology cluster initiatives

Transgender Individuals among an Online Adult Baby Diaper Lover Community Sample: An Exploratory Study

There is a lack of literature on the transgender community and individuals with atypical sexual interest which can lead to multiple aspects of stigma based on an individual\u27s gender identity and sexual preferences. The current study used archival data that was collected by researchers at the University of Minnesota in the Program of Human sexuality in 2011. Data was collected using an online survey which sought to survey online communities of individuals who identify as Adult Baby Diaper Lovers (ABDL). In this study, 83 transgender and gender variant individuals were analyzed with five main research questions. We were interested in how the sample was identifying their gender, their frequency and duration of ABDL practices, how their ABDL behaviors functioned within romantic relationships, if negative mood states were associated with ABDL behavior, and the participant\u27s opinions of their ABDL behaviors. Results did not indicate significance on the specific research questions. However, most importantly, this study aimed to increase the literature on under-researched populations to decrease the stigma surrounding expressions of gender identity and atypical sexual preferences. Further implications of this study are discussed

Shared decision making and antibiotic benefit-harm conversations: an observational study of consultations between general practitioners and patients with acute respiratory infections

Abstract Background Little research has examined whether shared decision making (SDM) occurs in consultations for acute respiratory infections (ARIs), including what, and how, antibiotic benefits and harms are discussed. We aimed to analyse the extent and nature of SDM in consultations between GPs and patients with ARIs, and explore communication with and without the use of patient decision aids. Methods This was an observational study in Australian general practices, nested within a cluster randomised trial of decision aids (for acute otitis media [AOM], sore throat, acute bronchitis) designed for general practitioners (GPs) to use with patients, compared with usual care (no decision aids). Audio-recordings of consultations of a convenience sample of consenting patients seeing a GP for an ARI were independently analysed by two raters using the OPTION-12 (observing patient involvement in decision making) scale (maximum score of 100) and 5 items (about communicating evidence) from the Assessing Communication about Evidence and Patient Preferences (ACEPP) tool (maximum score of 5). Patients also self-completed a questionnaire post-consultation that contained items from CollaboRATE-5 (perceptions of involvement in the decision-making process), a decisional conflict scale, and a decision self-efficacy scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each measure. Results Thirty-six consultations, involving 13 GPs, were recorded (20 for bronchitis, 10 sore throat, 6 AOM). The mean (SD) total OPTION-12 score was 29.4 (12.5; range 4–54), with item 12 (need to review decision) the highest (mean = 3) and item 10 (eliciting patients’ preferred level of decision-making involvement) the lowest (mean = 0.1). The mean (SD) total ACEPP score was 2 (1.6), with the item about discussing benefits scoring highest. In consultations where a decision aid was used (15, 42%), compared to the 21 usual care consultations, mean observer-assessed SDM scores (OPTION-12, ACEPP scores) were higher and antibiotic harms mentioned in all (compared to only 1) consultations. Patients generally reported high decision involvement and self-efficacy, and low decisional conflict. Conclusions The extent of observer-assessed SDM between GPs and patients with ARIs was generally low. Balanced discussion of antibiotic benefits and harms occurred more often when decision aids were used

The expression of hydrolytic enzymes in germinating barley grain

Modification of the barley grain endosperm in germination is fundamental to successful plant growth but also has important ramifications for down-stream industrial uses of barley, particularly in the malting and brewing industries. There are a battery of enzymes that are involved in the modification process but the sites of synthesis and action of only of a few of these have been described in detail and most have only been studied in isolated tissues. The development of a sensitive and robust in situ mRNA hybridization (ISH) procedure, which allows the detection of specific transcripts representing proteins in grain sections is described here. This first required the optimization of grain fixation, embedding and sectioning procedures as well as the adaptation of a staining method using calcofluor white to accurately assess the modification state of each grain prior to processing. Once these technical parameters were established, the non-radioactive ISH protocol was developed to allow the detection of transcripts of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucanases, (1→4)-β-endo-xylanases, limit dextrinase and limit dextrinase inhibitor in grain sections of the two barley cultivars Sloop and Himalaya. The panel of enzymes selected for study covers several aspects of grain modification, such as (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan, xylan and starch breakdown, which are all important for successful grain germination. The successful ISH technique proved sensitive enough to discriminate between the (1,3;1,4)-β-glucanase and xylanase isoenzymes and clearly defined whether the transcipts for these enzymes were synthesized in both a tissue-specific manner and a fixed temporal sequence during grain germination. The use of monoclonal antibodies specific for the two (1,3;1,4)-β-glucanase isoforms in a related immunolabelling procedure, using the same fixed grains, also allowed the patterns of transcript and protein appearance to be correlated. As expected, use of the ISH method showed that the transcripts of the (1,3;1,4)-β-glucanase, xylanase and limit dextrinase inhibitor genes are variously found in the aleurone cells, the starchy endosperm tissue and the scutellum. However, there were also substantial amounts of transcript detected in the tissues of the growing embryo which suggests that these enzymes may also contribute substantially to early seedling development.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 201

Characterization of Particulate in Vacuum Casting for Long Term Space Flight

Introduction: NASA has expressed a need for a new method of treating upper extremity fractures on long range exploration missions. Currently, fiberglass casts are the gold standard for fracture treatment on Earth, but there is little to no research into alternative methods to treat/secure more serious fractures on long range. For this study vacuum sealed particulate was considered as a possible casting material. The aim of this study was to identify candidate particulates and quantify their stabilization effectiveness, create designs that incorporated the vacuum sealed particulate, and test therapeutic ultrasound\u27s ability to penetrate the material. Materials and Methods: Samples were made that contained four different potential cast materials: ground coffee, sawdust, green clay powder and bentonite clay powder. Three point bending was conducted on the sample groups using an Instron to gather load/displacement. Control samples made of standard fiberglass were also tested. The design chosen to house the particulate was a wrap. The wrap was sectioned off into a four and eight well design and tested in three point bending. Piezo-electric transducers were used to output an ultrasound pulse through samples of varying thicknesses. The transducers were connected to an oscilloscope to show the amount to signal able to pass through the samples. Amplitude of each signal was measured and compared to a control (piezo-electric discs touching in water). Results: Elastic moduli of the four materials were compared and we saw that the coffee consistently showed a higher elastic modulus throughout testing. For this reason, along with other material properties found in literature, we concluded that coffee was the most fitting cast particulate out of the four materials. The load/displacement data for the wrap design was represented graphically and correlations were found between the stiffness of the layered wrap designs and the stiffness of thicker samples. For the ultrasound testing it was found that the ultrasound waves were not able to effectively penetrate the particulate layers. Discussion and Conclusion: Development of a new and effective casting technique will increase the safety of astronauts as NASA expands their program to include long range space missions. This study shows the material properties of the particulates as well as the potential effectiveness of a vacuum sealed cast