Competitive advantages as a foundation for social advantage: The role of social enterprise in regional development

The belief that regions play a role in determining national economic development and that advantages are found at the local and regional level has been the focus of economic geography and development studies over the last 10 years. However, this issue has historically been dominated by economic perspectives, industrial firms, and public bodies. In recent years the social economy is starting to receive greater attention in creating regional advantage as well as ameliorating regional disadvantage. The social economy includes the impact of the third sector such as social enterprises. This paper proposes that understanding the role and function of social enterprise will enable a more nuanced understanding of the socio-economic aspects of regional development. Drawing upon Oliver’s (1997) framework for sustainable competitive advantage it is argued that this established management framework provides a valuable foundation for examining the organisational resources that social enterprise need to operate effectively, as well as the socio-economic resources they produce for regional communities.

Applications of medical image processing in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal deformity

In Chapter 10, Adam and Dougherty describe the application of medical image processing to the assessment and treatment of spinal deformity, with a focus on the surgical treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. The natural history of spinal deformity and current approaches to surgical and non-surgical treatment are briefly described, followed by an overview of current clinically used imaging modalities. The key metrics currently used to assess the severity and progression of spinal deformities from medical images are presented, followed by a discussion of the errors and uncertainties involved in manual measurements. This provides the context for an analysis of automated and semi-automated image processing approaches to measure spinal curve shape and severity in two and three dimensions.

Information literacy programs and research: reflections on 'Information literacy programs and research: An international review' by Christine Bruce. 2000. The Australian Library Journal 49, 3: 209-218

Although in the late 1990s there was much discussion as to whether the idea of information literacy was necessary or had longevity, global interest in the phenomenon has increased rather than diminished. In the midst of all this activity, what has happened to the way in which we interpret the idea of information literacy in the last decade or more? The label of information literacy has certainly become widely applied, especially to library based programs and remains more popular in formal learning environments.Ultimately information literacy is about peoples’ experience of using information wherever they happen to be. Information literacy is about people interacting, engaging, working with information in many contexts, either individually or in community. Emerging technologies may transform the kinds of information available and how it is engaged with. Nevertheless, we continue to need to understand the experience of information use in order to support people in their information environments. We continue to need to develop programs which reflect and enhance peoples’ experiences of using information to learn in ever widening and more complex settings (Bruce, 2008; Bruce & Hughes, 2010).

Bayesian mixtures for modelling complex medical data : a case study in Parkinson’s disease

Mixture models are a flexible tool for unsupervised clustering that have found popularity in a vast array of research areas. In studies of medicine, the use of mixtures holds the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of patient responses through the identification of clinically meaningful clusters that, given the complexity of many data sources, may otherwise by intangible. Furthermore, when developed in the Bayesian framework, mixture models provide a natural means for capturing and propagating uncertainty in different aspects of a clustering solution, arguably resulting in richer analyses of the population under study. This thesis aims to investigate the use of Bayesian mixture models in analysing varied and detailed sources of patient information collected in the study of complex disease. The first aim of this thesis is to showcase the flexibility of mixture models in modelling markedly different types of data. In particular, we examine three common variants on the mixture model, namely, finite mixtures, Dirichlet Process mixtures and hidden Markov models. Beyond the development and application of these models to different sources of data, this thesis also focuses on modelling different aspects relating to uncertainty in clustering. Examples of clustering uncertainty considered are uncertainty in a patient’s true cluster membership and accounting for uncertainty in the true number of clusters present. Finally, this thesis aims to address and propose solutions to the task of comparing clustering solutions, whether this be comparing patients or observations assigned to different subgroups or comparing clustering solutions over multiple datasets. To address these aims, we consider a case study in Parkinson’s disease (PD), a complex and commonly diagnosed neurodegenerative disorder. In particular, two commonly collected sources of patient information are considered. The first source of data are on symptoms associated with PD, recorded using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and constitutes the first half of this thesis. The second half of this thesis is dedicated to the analysis of microelectrode recordings collected during Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a popular palliative treatment for advanced PD. Analysis of this second source of data centers on the problems of unsupervised detection and sorting of action potentials or "spikes" in recordings of multiple cell activity, providing valuable information on real time neural activity in the brain.

Towards semantic search and inference in electronic medical records : an approach using concept-based information retrieval

For more than a decade research in the field of context aware computing has aimed to find ways to exploit situational information that can be detected by mobile computing and sensor technologies. The goal is to provide people with new and improved applications, enhanced functionality and better use experience (Dey, 2001). Early applications focused on representing or computing on physical parameters, such as showing your location and the location of people or things around you. Such applications might show where the next bus is, which of your friends is in the vicinity and so on. With the advent of social networking software and microblogging sites such as Facebook and Twitter, recommender systems and so on context-aware computing is moving towards mining the social web in order to provide better representations and understanding of context, including social context. In this paper we begin by recapping different theoretical framings of context. We then discuss the problem of context- aware computing from a design perspective.

Developing a transition pedagogy : intentional curriculum design in first and final year law programs

This chapter will first consider the rationale for a transition pedagogy for first and final year law students. It then discusses the elements of a transition pedagogy for both years, noting the synergies and differences between programs designed to assist transition into and out of a law degree. In doing so, the authors attempt to explore the extent to which the first year curriculum principles identified by Sally Kift under an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Senior Fellowship may also be applied to the final year university experience. During the course of the discussion, examples are drawn from universities and Law Schools in Australia and internationally which seek to address these imperatives...

From barrier elimination to barrier negotiation : a qualitative study of parents' attitudes about active travel for elementary school trips

This paper examines parents' responses to key factors associated with mode choices for school trips. The research was conducted with parents of elementary school students in Denver Colorado as part of a larger investigation of school travel. School-based active travel programs aim to encourage students to walk or bike to school more frequently. To that end, planning research has identified an array of factors associated with parents' decisions to drive children to school. Many findings are interpreted as ‘barriers’ to active travel, implying that parents have similar objectives with respect to travel mode choices and that parents respond similarly and consistently to external conditions. While the conclusions are appropriate in forecasting demand and mode share with large populations, they are generally too coarse for programs that aim to influence travel behavior with individuals and small groups. This research uses content analysis of interview transcripts to examine the contexts of factors associated with parents' mode choices for trips to and from elementary school. Short, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 65 parents from 12 Denver Public Elementary Schools that had been selected to receive 2007–08 Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure grants. Transcripts were analyzed using Nvivo 8.0 to find out how parents respond to selected factors that are often described in planning literature as ‘barriers’ to active travel. Two contrasting themes emerged from the analysis: barrier elimination and barrier negotiation. Regular active travel appears to diminish parents' perceptions of barriers so that negotiation becomes second nature. Findings from this study suggest that intervention should build capacity and inclination in order to increase rates of active travel.

Stop whining and make the best of it : a cross-national comparison of responses to regional disadvantage in the wine industry

Our cross-national field study of wine entrepreneurship in the “wrong” places provides some redress to the focus of the “regional advantage” literature on places that have already won and on the firms that benefit from “clusters” and other centers of industry advantage. Regional “disadvantage” is at best a shadowy afterthought to this literature. By poking around in these shadows, we help to synthesize and extend the incipient yet burgeoning literature on entrepreneurial “resourcefulness” and we contribute to the developing body of insights and theory pertinent to the numerous but often ignored firms and startups that mostly need to worry about how they will compete at all now if they are ever to have of chance of “winning” in the future. The core of our findings suggests that understandable – though contested – processes of ingenuity underlie entrepreneurial responses to regional disadvantage. Because we study entrepreneurship that from many angles simply does not make sense, we are also able to proffer a novel perspective on entrepreneurial sensemaking.

Determinants of China’s regional innovation capacity

This paper investigates the determinants of China’s regional innovation capacity (RIC) and variations in these determinants between different types of regions. Based on the framework of national innovation capacity (NIC) and research on innovation system, this paper develops a framework of RIC in the Chinese context. Using panel data from 1991 to 2009, clustering analysis is first employed to classify regions according to their innovation development path. Panel data regressions with fixed effect model are conducted to explore the determinants of RIC and how these vary across the different regional clusters. We find that the 30 regions can be clustered into three groups, and there are considerable differences in the drivers of RIC between these different regional groups.

Literacies programs: Debates and demands in cultural context

An introduction to the "four resources" model of literacy, where coding, semantics, pragmatic and critical text work are viewed as necessary components for literacy in contemporary society.

Microbial colonisation of human follicular fluid and adverse in vitro fertilisation outcomes

This study, investigating 263 women undergoing trans-vaginal oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) found that microorganisms colonising follicular fluid contributed to adverse IVF (pre-implantation) and pregnancy (post-implantation) outcomes including poor quality embryos, failed pregnancy and early pregnancy loss (< 37 weeks gestation). Some microorganisms also showed in vitro growth patterns in liquid media that appeared to be enhanced by the hormonal stimulation protocol used for oocyte retrieval. Elaborated cytokines within follicular fluid were also associated with adverse IVF outcomes. This study is imperative because infertility affects 16% of the human population and the numbers of couples needing assistance continues to increase. Despite significant improvements in the technical aspects of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), the live birth rate has not increased proportionally. Overt genital tract infection has been associated with both infertility and adverse pregnancy outcomes (including miscarriage and preterm birth) as a direct result of the infection or the host response to it. Importantly, once inflammation had become established, medical treatment often failed to prevent these significant adverse outcomes. Current evaluations of fertility focus on the ovary as a site of steroid hormone production and ovulation. However, infertility as a result of subclinical colonisation of the ovary has not been reported. Furthermore, identification of the microorganisms present in follicular fluid and the local cytokine profile may provide clinicians with an early indication of the prognosis for IVF treatment in infertile couples, thus allowing antimicrobial treatment and/or counselling about possible IVF failure. During an IVF cycle, multiple oocytes undergo maturation in vivo in response to hormonal hyperstimulation. Oocytes for in vitro insemination are collected trans-vaginally. The follicular fluid that bathes the maturing oocyte in vivo, usually is discarded as part of the IVF procedure, but provides a unique opportunity to investigate microbial causes of adverse IVF outcomes. Some previous studies have identified follicular fluid markers that predict IVF pregnancy outcomes. However, there have not been any detailed microbiological studies of follicular fluid. For this current study, paired follicular fluid and vaginal secretion samples were collected from women undergoing IVF cycles to determine whether microorganisms in follicular fluid were associated with adverse IVF outcomes. Microorganisms in follicular fluid were regarded as either "colonisers" or "contaminants"; colonisers, if they were unique to the follicular fluid sample, and contaminants if the same microorganisms were detected in the vaginal and follicular fluid samples indicating that the follicular fluid was merely contaminated during the oocyte retrieval process. Quite unexpectedly, by these criteria, we found that follicular fluid from approximately 30% of all subjects was colonised with bacteria. Fertile and infertile women with colonised follicular fluid had decreased embryo transfer rates and decreased pregnancy rates compared to women with contaminated follicular fluids. The observation that follicular fluid was not always sterile, but contained a diverse range of microorganisms, is novel. Many of the microorganisms we detected in follicular fluid are known opportunistic pathogens that have been detected in upper genital tract infections and are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Bacteria were able to survive for at least 28 weeks in vitro, in cultures of follicular fluid. Within 10 days of establishing these in vitro cultures, several species (Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Propionibacterium spp., Streptococcus spp. and Salmonella entericus) had formed biofilms. Biofilms play a major role in microbial pathogenicity and persistence. The propensity of microbial species to form biofilms in follicular fluid suggests that successful treatment of these infections with antimicrobials may be difficult. Bifidobacterium spp. grew, in liquid media, only if concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were similar to those achieved in vivo during an IVF cycle. In contrast, the growth of Streptococcus agalactiae and Escherichia coli was inhibited or abolished by the addition of these hormones to culture medium. These data suggest that the likelihood of microorganisms colonising follicular fluid and the species of bacteria involved is influenced by the stage of the menstrual cycle and, in the case of IVF, the nature and dose of steroid hormones administered for the maturation of multiple oocytes in vivo. Our findings indicate that the elevated levels of steroid hormones during an IVF cycle may influence the microbial growth within follicular fluid, suggesting that the treatment itself will impact on the microflora present in the female upper genital tract during pre-conception and early post-conception phases of the cycle. The effect of the host immune response on colonising bacteria and on the outcomes of IVF also was investigated. White blood cells reportedly compose between 5% and 15% of the cell population in follicular fluid. The follicular membrane is semi-permeable and cells are actively recruited as part of the normal menstrual cycle and in response to microorganisms. A previous study investigated follicular fluid cytokines from infertile women and fertile oocyte donors undergoing IVF, and concluded that there were no significant differences in the cytokine concentrations between the two groups. However, other studies have reported differences in the follicular fluid cytokine levels associated with infertile women with endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome. In this study, elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-1 á, IL-1 â and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vaginal fluid were associated with successful fertilisation, which may be useful marker for successful fertilisation outcomes for women trying to conceive naturally or prior to oocyte retrieval for IVF. Elevated levels of IL-6, IL-12p40, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) and interferon-gamma (IFN ã) in follicular fluid were associated with successful embryo transfer. Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory IL-18 and decreased levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10 were identified in follicular fluid from women with idiopathic infertility. Successful fertilisation and implantation is dependent on a controlled pro-inflammatory environment, involving active recruitment of pro-inflammatory mediators to the genital tract as part of the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy. However, ongoing pregnancy requires an enhanced anti-inflammatory environment to ensure that the maternal immune system does not reject the semi-allergenic foetus. The pro-inflammatory skew in the follicular fluid of women with idiopathic infertility, correlates with normal rates of fertilisation, embryo discard and embryo transfer, observed for this cohort, which were similar to the outcomes observed for fertile women. However, their pregnancy rate was reduced compared to fertile women. An altered local immune response in follicular fluid may provide a means of explaining infertility in this cohort, previously defined as 'idiopathic'. This study has found that microorganisms colonising follicular fluid may have contributed to adverse IVF and pregnancy outcomes. Follicular fluid bathes the cumulus oocyte complex during the in vivo maturation process, and microorganisms in the fluid, their metabolic products or the local immune response to these microorganisms may result in damage to the oocytes, degradation of the cumulus or contamination of the IVF culture system. Previous studies that have discounted bacterial contamination of follicular fluid as a cause of adverse IVF outcomes failed to distinguish between bacteria that were introduced into the follicular fluid at the time of trans-vaginal oocyte retrieval and those that colonised the follicular fluid. Those bacteria that had colonised the fluid may have had time to form biofilms and to elicit a local immune response. Failure to draw this distinction has previously prevented consideration of bacterial colonisation of follicular fluid as a cause of adverse IVF outcomes. Several observations arising from this study are of significance to IVF programs. Follicular fluid is not always sterile and colonisation of follicular fluid is a cause of adverse IVF and pregnancy outcomes. Hormonal stimulation associated with IVF may influence whether follicular fluid is colonised and enhance the growth of specific species of bacteria within follicular fluid. Bacteria in follicular fluid may form biofilms and literature has reported that this may influence their susceptibility to antibiotics. Monitoring the levels of selected cytokines within vaginal secretions may inform fertilisation outcomes. This study has identified novel factors contributing to adverse IVF outcomes and that are most likely to affect also natural conception outcomes. Early intervention, possibly using antimicrobial or immunological therapies may reduce the need for ART and improve reproductive health outcomes for all women.

Conference report : International Conference on Destination Branding and Marketing for Regional Tourism Development. December 8-10 2005. Macau.

It has been over 50 years since the topic of branding first appeared in the marketing literature. Research relating to destination branding has however emerged only since the late 1990s, with the first journal article published in 1998 (see Pritchard & Morgan, 1998) and the first book published in 2002 (see Morgan, Pritchard, & Pride, 2002). While a growing number of academic tourism conferences have focused on ‘destination marketing’ as a theme during the past decade (for a list of proceedings see Pike, 2004), Gnoth (1998) claimed the special track he convened at the 1997 American Marketing Science conference, represented the first meeting of practitioners and academics on the topic of destination branding. The initiative of Macau's Instituto De Formacao Turistica (IFT), in conjunction with Perdue University, to convene the first conference on destination branding, was thus new territory and a test of academic interest in the topic. Ultimately the decision was justified with around 100 delegates from 22 countries, including destination branding pioneers Pritchard & Morgan, travelling to the inaugural meeting...

Overlapping medical alarms are almost indiscriminable

Objective: We explore how accurately and quickly nurses can identify melodic medical equipment alarms when no mnemonics are used, when alarms may overlap, and when concurrent tasks are performed. Background: The international standard IEC 60601-1-8 (International Electrotechnical Commission, 2005) has proposed simple melodies to distinguish seven alarm sources. Previous studies with nonmedical participants reveal poor learning of melodic alarms and persistent confusions between some of them. The effects of domain expertise, concurrent tasks, and alarm overlaps are unknown. Method: Fourteen intensive care and general medical unit nurses learned the melodic alarms without mnemonics in two sessions on separate days. In the second half of Day 2 the nurses identified single alarms or pairs of alarms played in sequential, partially overlapping, or nearly completely overlapping configurations. For half the experimental blocks nurses performed a concurrent mental arithmetic task. Results: Nurses' learning was poor and was no better than the learning of nonnurses in a previous study. Nurses showed the previously noted confusions between alarms. Overlapping alarms were exceptionally difficult to identify. The concurrent task affected response time but not accuracy. Conclusion: Because of a failure of auditory stream segregation, the melodic alarms cannot be discriminated when they overlap. Directives to sequence the sounding of alarms in medical electrical equipment must be strictly adhered to, or the alarms must redesigned to support better auditory streaming. Application: Actual or potential uses of this research include the implementation of IEC 60601-1-8 alarms in medical electrical equipment.

Learnability and discriminability of melodic medical equipment alarms

Melodic alarms proposed in the IEC 60601-1-8 standard for medical electrical equipment were tested for learnability and discriminability. Thirty-three non-anaesthetist participants learned the alarms over two sessions of practice, with or without mnemonics suggested in the standard. Fewer than 30% of participants could identify the alarms with 100% accuracy at the end of practice. Confusions persisted between pairs of alarms, especially if mnemonics were used during learning (p = 0.011). Participants responded faster (p < 0.00001) and more accurately (p = 0.002) to medium priority alarms than to high priority alarms, even though they rated the high priority alarms as sounding more urgent (p < 0.00001). Participants with at least 1 year of formal musical training identified the alarms more accurately (p = 0.0002) than musically untrained participants, and found the task easier overall (p < 0.00001). More intensive studies of the IEC 60601-1-8 alarms are needed for their effectiveness to be determined.