The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America

As the United States slowly emerges from the great recession, a remarkable shify is occurring in the spatial geogrpahy of innovation. For the past 50 years, the landscape of innovation has been dominated by places like Silicon Valley - suburban corridors of spatially isolated corporate campuses, accessible only by car, with little emphasis on the quality of life or on integrating work, housing, and recreation. A new complementary urban model is now emerging, giving rise to what we and others are calling "innovation districts." These districts, by our definition, are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators. They are also physically compact, transit-accessible, and technicall

Quality of life and chronic pain four years after gastrointestinal surgery

PURPOSE: Little is known about the prevalence of chronic postsurgical pain after gastrointestinal surgery. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of chronic pain and quality of life in a cohort of patients who underwent surgery for benign and malignant gastrointestinal disease. METHODS: A prospective cohort design was used to assess quality of life and morbidity at four years postoperatively in 435 patients who had upper, hepatopancreaticobiliary, small-bowel, and/or colorectal anastomotic surgery in 1999 at one regional center in Northeast Scotland. Chronic pain and quality of life were assessed by postal survey using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life-C30 questionnaire and McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 435 patients recruited in 1999, 135 (31 percent) had died by censor date in 2003. There was a 74 percent (n = 202) response rate from surviving patients eligible for follow-up. Prevalence of chronic pain at four years postoperatively was 18 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 13-23 percent). Pain was predominantly neuropathic in character; a subgroup reported moderate-to-severe pain. Risk factors for chronic postsurgical pain included female gender, younger age, and surgery for benign disease. Compared with those who were pain-free at follow-up, patients with chronic pain had poorer functioning, poorer global quality of life, and more severe symptoms, independent of age, gender, and cancer status. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic pain after laparotomy for gastrointestinal malignancy and nonmalignant conditions at four years after surgery was 18 percent. These patients had significantly poorer quality of life scores independent of age, gender, and cancer status.Dr. Julie Bruce is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Special Training Fellowship in Health Services & Health of the Public Research

Post-surgical pain, physical activity and satisfaction with the decision to undergo hernia surgery : a prospective qualitative investigation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A United Kingdom survey of surgical technique and handling practice of inguinal canal structures during hernia surgery

Background: Recent trials have assessed the impact of elective nerve division on patient outcome after inguinal herniorrhaphy. The aim of this study was to establish UK surgical practice of handling of structures in the inguinal canal during herniorrhaphy. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of all Fellows (n = 1113) of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) was performed. The main outcomes were to determine method of inguinal hernia repair and routine practice for intra-operative handling of structures in the inguinal canal. Results: A total of 852 (77%) questionnaires were returned, of which 784 (92%) surgeons performed inguinal herniorrhaphy. Approximately two-thirds (63%) of responding surgeons performed less than 50 procedures per annum and 37% conducted more than 50 procedures annually. Mesh was the preferred method used by 90% of surgeons; 6% used non-mesh, and 4% used other (laparoscopic) methods. Routine practice in relation to the inguinal structures varied by volume of hernia surgery; surgeons who conducted more than 50 procedures annually were more likely to visualize and preserve inguinal nerve structures. However, inconsistency in the answers suggested confusion over anatomy. Conclusion: This is the first UK survey to investigate method of hernia repair and usual handling practice of inguinal canal structures. There was wide acceptance of the use of mesh in inguinal hernia repair, with the majority of UK surgeons favoring an open approach. Surgeons performing high volumes of herniorrhaphy were more likely to preserve, rather than transect, inguinal nerve structures. This variation in practice may confound assessment of long-term neuralgia and other post-herniorrhaphy pain syndromes

Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism: planning and management. Report on visitation and use at Emmagen Creek, Far North Queensland, 2009/2010

[Extract] Key findings based on a visitor survey undertaken between October 2008 and April 2010. Emmagen Creek is located in the northern section of Daintree National Park, approximately nine kilometres north of Cape Tribulation Village and seven kilometres north of the popular Kulki visitor site. Emmagen Creek is the last visitor site in the Daintree National Park and the first creek crossing on the Bloomfield Track. The traditional custodians of the area are the Eastern Kuku Yalanji. Many of the vehicles that pass through the site are driven by locals. The site is undeveloped with no built facilities apart from a sign indicating the presence of crocodiles and a short track that connects the road to a freshwater swimming hole. Car parking is available along the side of the road

Sustainable Nature Based Tourism: planning and management. Report on visitation and use at Barron Falls, Far North Queensland, 2009/2010

[Extract] This report is one of a series of ten that examine visitor activity at sites within Wet Tropics rainforests. The aim of the research was to provide a snapshot of visitor activity to inform management on how sites are used and investigate visitors' views on site management. Visitor data was collected using a self-completed visitor survey. Collectively the series of reports will provide an overall understanding of how visitors use the rainforest and provide managers with feedback that can be used for site management and future planning. Responsibility for the management of the Wet Tropics rainforests is shared by the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) and the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). The WTMA was established after listing of the Wet Tropics as a World Heritage site and is responsible for the planning of visitor sites across the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA). The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), an agency of the DERM, has responsibility for the day to day management of site infrastructure including toilets, car parking, signage, viewing lookouts, boardwalks, walking trails and other recreational facilities. The Wet Tropics has a large number of visitor sites, some of which have high rates of visitation. A number of sites have relatively low visitation rates, but all offer unique nature-based visitor experiences

The Relation Between Preference and Demand in the Domestic Hen: Does Preference Vary With Price?

ABSTRACT Six hens responded under an increasing Fixed Ratio schedule of reinforcement to assess demand separately for two different food types: wheat and puffed wheat. Demand curves generated showed the least preferred food, puffed wheat, yielded a higher initial (ln L) demand than the more preferred food, wheat. While responding for the more preferred food, wheat, produced lower initial (ln L) demand functions, responding for wheat was maintained to higher increasing FR schedules of reinforcement than was that for puffed wheat. This phenomenon occurred across all six hens. To assess preference between the two food types the hens responded under a two-link concurrent-chain schedule of reinforcement. Under the concurrent-chain schedule of reinforcement there were three conditions, each consisted of a initial link with VI 90-s VI 90-s in effect, and terminal links of FR1, FR8 and FR32. The concurrent-chain schedule was used to examine if or how preference may relate to demand. Preference measures obtained showed wheat was generally preferred to puffed wheat across all prices throughout the preference assessment. As price increased in the terminal link during the preference assessment, preference for wheat became more extreme as did the hens responding. The results suggest that while there is a systematic relation between preference and demand, in that at higher FR values food with higher demand levels is preferred. This does not seem to hold, however, at FR

Risk stratification for the development of chronic postsurgical pain

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a common complication of surgery with important consequences for the individual patient and society as a whole. Risk stratification is best defined as the grouping of patients based on factors measured at baseline (in this context before surgery), to determine an individual's risk of suffering a particular condition and thereby the likely level of need for preventive interventions. Risk factors for CPSP have been identified in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods and cover 6 broad domains: genetic, demographic, psychosocial, pain, clinical, and surgical factors. Risk stratification for CPSP enables clinicians to address these risk factors before surgery, to discuss the necessity of surgery or to change the surgical and anaesthetic/analgesic planning

BiSped: Filling a Critical Shortage Area

This article is # 18 in a larger 140 page work described here: The monograph showcases professional development projects by school districts and colleges of education that train teachers to work successfully with English learners (ELs) across the nation. The papers presented in this monograph offer real-life examples of successful and innovative practices, including institutionalized mentoring programs, new classroom methodologies, best practices for ELs with disabilities, collaboration between colleges of education and school districts, and the evaluation of PD programs. This monograph contains the following articles: (1) Professional Development in Action: Introduction; (2) The National Professional Development Program (Cynthia Ryan and Ana Garcia); (3) Guidelines for Professional Development: An Overview (Judith Wilde); (4) Facts, Figures & Further Resources; (5) Coaching and Mentoring in Practice (Mariana Castro); (6) Measuring the Effectiveness of an ESL Coaching Model (Annela Teemant); (7) Coaching and Implementation Level of English Language Learner Strategies in Teacher Practice (Janet Penner-Williams and Diana Gonzales Worthen); (8) Providing Teachers with Strategies and On-Going Support for Teaching English Language Learners At-Risk (Ramona Stowe); (9) Collaborative Mentoring among K-12 Teachers: Professional Development on the Effective Instruction of English Language Learners (Susan Spezzini and Julia S. Austin); (10) Satisfying Conclusion to a Five-Year Grant (Kristin Lems); (11) Content and Language: A Critical Overview (Phyllis Jacobson); (12) The Academic Literacy for All Project: A Professional Development Model (Holbrook Mahn and Melissa Bruce); (13) Meeting the Professional Development Needs of Teachers of ELLs (Carol Bearse); (14) Math ACCESS: Building Mathematical Proficiency in Linguistically Diverse Schools (Mary Truxaw and Megan Staples); (15) Curriculum Mapping to Support the Linguistic and Academic Development of K-6 ELLs (Linda Roth, Lisa Sells-Asch and Andrea Honigsfeld); (16) Professional Development for Teaching ELLs with Disabilities (Laurene L. Christensen, Kristin Kline Liu, and Martha L. Thurlow); (17) The Role of Professional Development in Helping English Learners with Disabilities Achieve High Standards (Jana Echevarria); (18) BiSped: Filling a Critical Shortage Area (Julie Esparza Brown and Bruce Miller); (19) School-University Collaborations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (Socorro Herrera and Kevin Murry); (20) Collaboration is the Key to Successful Professional Development: The STEP T for ELLs Program in Maryland (Joan Kang Shin, Lori Edmonds and Christopher Browder); (21) Professional Development in Eastern North Carolina: Collaboration in ESL (Diane Rodriguez and Jane Manner); (22) Project ESOL MIAMI: Infusing the Teacher Education Curriculum to Address the Needs of English Language Learners (Martha E. Castaneda, Amy E. Fisher-Young and Bruce E. Perry); (23) Collaboration in Professional Development for ELL Content Achievement (Ye He and Kathryn Prater); (24) National Professional Development Project for Secondary Content Teachers of English Language Learners (Holly Hansen-Thomas and Pat Casey); (25) A Conversation with Thomas R. Guskey; (26) Quality Teacher Preparation for ELLs: Preliminary Findings from Florida (Maria R. Coady, Ester J. de Jong and Candace Harper); (27) Increasing Accountability in the Preparation of Teachers to Work with English Learners: The Teacher Education English Learner Survey (TEELS) (Nadeen T. Ruiz and Albert Lozano); (28) Project EXCELL (Laureen Cervone); (29) Implementing an English as a Second Language Institute in Higher Education (Maria G. De la Colina and Barbara Davis); and (30) Abstracts from 2007 National Professional Development Grantees. (Individual articles contain figures, tables, footnotes, online resources, and references.