Ethnography of technological competence in clinical midwifery practice

Background. Concept analysis has identified three domains in the competent use of birth technology â?? interpersonal skills, professional knowledge and clinical proficiency â?? and tentative criteria for birth technology competence. Aim. Fieldwork was undertaken to observe, confirm and explore pre-defined attributes of birth technology competence. Method. The Swartz-Barcott and Kim (2000) hybrid model of concept development was expanded to include an ethnographic observation of theory in action. Findings. Key attributes of birth technology competence found in â??real-worldâ?? midwifery practice were skills in using the machines, decision-making and traditional midwifery skills. Conclusions. The confusion surrounding the use of technology in midwifery practice needs to be addressed by both professionals and educationalists. Midwives should be taught to value traditional midwifery skills alongside those of machine skills. The identification of a model of appropriate technology use is needed in midwifery.

Novel loading tests on full-scale tapered member portal frames

This paper presents the experimental results of loading tests on two 18m span tapered member portal frames designed to BS 5950. Deflection test results for vertical, lateral and combined loading cases are compared with the predictions given by elastic analysis to BS 5950 and shown to be favourable. The predicted ultimate capacities and modes of failure, which were by lateral-torsional buckling of the columns, were also found to agree with the experimental behaviour. It was found that the method of modelling the tapered members as a series of prismatic elements gave good comparison with test results.

Technological regimes, Schumpeterian patterns of innovation and firm-level productivity growth

The article investigates the relationships between technological regimes and firm-level productivity performance, and it explores how such a relationship differs in different Schumpeterian patterns of innovation. The analysis makes use of a rich dataset containing data on innovation and other economic characteristics of a large representative sample of Norwegian firms in manufacturing and service industries for the period 1998–2004. First, we decompose TFP growth into technical progress and efficiency changes by means of data envelopment analysis. We then estimate an empirical model that relates these two productivity components to the characteristics of technological regimes and a set of other firm-specific factors. The results indicate that: (i) TFP growth has mainly been achieved through technical progress, while technical efficiency has on average decreased; (ii) the characteristics of technological regimes are important determinants of firm-level productivity growth, but their impacts on technical progress are different from the effects on efficiency change; (iii) the estimated model works differently in the two Schumpeterian regimes. Technical progress has been more dynamic in Schumpeter Mark II industries, while efficiency change has been more important in Schumpeter Mark I markets.

Effect of column base strength on steel portal frames in fire

This paper presents the findings of a project part sponsored by an ICE Research and Development grant on portal frames in fire. The research reported here has also lead to a sucessful research grant from the IStructE. The paper describes a non-linear elasto plastic dynamic finite element model that captures the collapse of a portal frame in fire. It demonstrates that current guidance on the column base stiffness and strength, to prevent collapse, may in some cases be unconservative.