The hyperthermic patient

Concepts used in this chapter include: Thermoregulation:- Thermoregulation refers to the body’s sophisticated, multi-system regulation of core body temperature. This hierarchical system extends from highly thermo-sensitive neurons in the preoptic region of the brain proximate to the rostral hypothalamus, down to the brain stem and spinal cord. Coupled with receptors in the skin and spine, both central and peripheral information on body temperature is integrated to inform and activate the homeostatic mechanisms which maintain our core temperature at 37oC1. Hyperthermia:- An imbalance between the metabolic and external heat accumulated in the body and the loss of heat from the body2. Exertional heat stroke:- A disorder of excessive heat production coupled with insufficient heat dissipation which occurs in un-acclimated individuals who are engaging in over-exertion in hot and humid conditions. This phenomenon includes central nervous system dysfunction and critical dysfunction to all organ systems including renal, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and hepatic functions. Non-exertional heat stroke:- In contrast to exertional heatstroke as a consequence of high heat production during strenuous exercise, non-exertional heatstroke results from prolonged exposure to high ambient temperature. The elderly, those with chronic health conditions and children are particularly susceptible.3 Rhabdomylosis:- An acute, sometimes fatal disease characterised by destruction of skeletal muscle. In exertional heat stroke, rhabdomylosis occurs in the context of strenuous exercise when mechanical and/or metabolic stress damages the skeletal muscle, causing elevated serum creatine kinease. Associated with this is the potential development of hyperkalemia, myoglobinuria and renal failure. Malignant hyperthermia:- Malignant hyperthermia is “an inherited subclinical myopathy characterised by a hypermetabolic reaction during anaesthesia. The reaction is related to skeletal muscle calcium dysregulation triggered by volatile inhaled anaesthetics and/or succinylcholine.”4 Presentation includes skeletal muscle rigidity, mixed metabolic and respiratory acidosis, tachycardia, hyperpyrexia, rhabdomylosis, hyperkalaemia, elevated serum creatine kinease, multi-organ failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation and death.5

Dimensions of the venture creation process : amount, dynamics, and sequences of action in nascent entrepreneurship

This research examines the entrepreneurship phenomenon, and the question: Why are some venture attempts more successful than others? This question is not a new one. Prior research has answered this by describing those that engage in nascent entrepreneurship. Yet, this approach yielded little consensus and offers little comfort for those newly considering venture creation (Gartner, 1988). Rather, this research considers the process of venture creation, by focusing on the actions of nascent entrepreneurs. However, the venture creation process is complex (Liao, Welsch, & Tan, 2005), and multi-dimensional (Davidsson, 2004). The process can vary in the amount of action engaged by the entrepreneur; the temporal dynamics of how action is enacted (Lichtenstein, Carter, Dooley, and Gartner 2007); or the sequence in which actions are undertaken. And little is known about whether any, or all three, of these dimensions matter. Further, there exists scant general knowledge about how the venture creation process influences venture creation outcomes (Gartner & Shaver, 2011). Therefore, this research conducts a systematic study of what entrepreneurs do as they create a new venture. The primary goal is to develop general principles so that advice may be offered on how to ‘proceed’, rather than how to ‘be’. Three integrated empirical studies were conducted that separately focus on each of the interrelated dimensions. The basis for this was a randomly sampled, longitudinal panel, of nascent ventures. Upon recruitment these ventures were in the process of being created, but yet to be established as new businesses. The ventures were tracked one year latter to follow up on outcomes. Accordingly, this research makes the following original contributions to knowledge. First, the findings suggest that all three of the dimensions play an important role: action, dynamics, and sequence. This implies that future research should take a multi-dimensional view of the venture creation process. Failing to do so can only result in a limited understanding of a complex phenomenon. Second, action is the fundamental means through which venture creation is achieved. Simply put, more active venture creation efforts are more likely more successful. Further, action is the medium which allows resource endowments their effect upon venture outcomes. Third, the dynamics of how venture creation plays out over time is also influential. Here, a process with a high rate of action which increases in intensity will more likely achieve positive outcomes. Forth, sequence analysis, suggests that the order in which actions are taken will also drive outcomes. Although venture creation generally flows in sequence from discovery toward exploitation (Shane & Venkataraman, 2000; Eckhardt & Shane, 2003; Shane, 2003), processes that actually proceed in this way are less likely to be realized. Instead, processes which specifically intertwine discovery and exploitation action together in symbiosis more likely achieve better outcomes (Sarasvathy, 2001; Baker, Miner, & Eesley, 2003). Further, an optimal venture creation order exists somewhere between these sequential and symbiotic process archetypes. A process which starts out as symbiotic discovery and exploitation, but switches to focus exclusively on exploitation later on is most likely to achieve venture creation. These sequence findings are unique, and suggest future integration between opposing theories for order in venture creation.

Seriously playful : the uses of networked spoof videos in China

This thesis examines online spoof videos in China. It shows the relationship between user-created content and change and how such videos are impacting on social memory. In the West, we are witnessing two outstanding trends in media. On the one hand, media are turning more "demotic" (Turner, 2006) and "participatory" (Jenkins, 2006), whereby lay audiences use popular media for identity formation, representation and association, reconfiguring the media and cultural landscape, and rendering invalid the old paradigm based on the dichotomy of audience and author, creator and consumer, expert and amateur. On the other hand, in both mainstream media and user-creation online there is a trend towards "silly citizenship", with comedy, send-ups and spoofs that used to reside in the margin propelled to the central stage in both pleasure and politics (Hartley, 2010), as is shown in the rising popularity of the Daily Show, Colbert Report, and spoof videos in elections ,e.g. the 2008 presidential election in US (Gray, Jones, & Thompson, 2009; Tryon, 2008). User generated content—and spoof subcultures—is now much a debated phenomenon in China. However, with different political (one party rule and censorship) and cultural (media regarded mainly as instrument for education and social stabilization instead of a critical fourth estate) configurations, will the social and cultural impacts of the two trends in the West be as the same in China? If not, what will be the specificities in the China context? The project starts with a historical review of popular culture and user-created content in China, before turning to spoof videos and looking at how they are produced and shared, travel and diffused on the Internet, and how the communities and sub-cultures forming and emerging around spoof videos are changing the overall cultural landscape in China. By acting as a participant observer in online video sharing sites and conducting face-to face as well as online interviews, I identify lead users and creators of spoof videos and the social networks emerging around them. I call these lead users "skill hubs" and their networks "liquid communities", foregrounding the fact that their appeal doesn’t come from their amicable personality, but rather from their creative skills; and that the networks surrounding them are in a permanent flux, with members coming and going as they see fit. I argue that the "liquidness" (Bauman, 2000) of these communities is what makes them constantly creative and appealing. Textual analysis of online videos, their comments and derivatives are conducted to tease out the uses that that can be made of spoof videos, namely as phatic communication, as alternative memory and as political engagement. Through these analyses I show that spoof videos constitute not only a space where young generations can engage with each other, communicate their anger and dissatisfaction, fun and hope, and where they participate in socio-cultural and political debates, but also create a space where they can experiment with their new skills, new ideas, and new citizenship. The rise of spoof videos heralds the beginning of a trend in popular culture in contemporary China towards the "canonization of the jester" and the dethroning of the establishment. I also argue that a historical perspective is needed to understand the current surge of use creativity and user activism in China, and that many forms of popular media we experience today have their antecedents in various stages of Chinese history. The entrenched "control-resistance" binary is inadequate in interpreting the rich, flux and multilayered Internet space in China.

Tech-Savvy Youth and Participatory Research in “iScapes”

This chapter provides a theoretically and empirically grounded discussion of participatory research methodologies with respect to investigating the dynamic and evolving phenomenon of young people constructing identities and social relations in “iScapes”. We coin the term iScapes to refer to the online/offline interconnectedness of spaces in the fabric of everyday life. Specifically, we offer a critical analysis of the participatory research methods we used in our own research project to understand the ways in which high school students use new media and information communication technologies (ICTs) to construct identities, form social relations, and engage in creative practices as part of their everyday lives. The chapter concludes with reflexive deliberations on our approach to participatory research that may benefit other researchers who share a similar interest in youth and new media.

Crowdsourcing information systems : definition, typology and design

Crowdsourcing has become a popular approach for capitalizing on the potential of large and open crowds of people external to the organization. While crowdsourcing as a phenomenon is studied in a variety of fields, research mostly focuses on isolated aspects and little is known about the integrated design of crowdsourcing efforts. We introduce a socio-technical systems perspective on crowdsourcing, which provides a deeper understanding of the components and relationships in crowdsourcing systems. By considering the function of crowdsourcing systems within their organizational context, we develop a typology of four distinct system archetypes. We analyze the characteristics of each type and derive a number of design requirements for the respective system components. The paper lays a foundation for IS-based crowdsourcing research, channels related academic work, and helps guiding the study and design of crowdsourcing information systems.

Impact of the internal business environment on knowledge management within construction organisations

Purpose: Recent knowledge management (KM) literature suggests that KM activities are influenced by the elements of the internal business environment (BE) of organisations. This paper attempts to provide some unique insights into the contextual input of the KM process through empirically identifying the major factors (i.e. “forces”) within the internal BE of construction organisations operating in Hong Kong, and investigating their impact on the intensity of KM activities. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of construction contractors operating in Hong Kong to elicit opinions on the internal BE and intensity of KM activities as executed by targeted organisations. A total of 149 usable responses were received from 99 organisations representing about 38 percent of the research population. In parallel, to the survey, a total of 15 semi-structured interviews were undertaken to provide more insights into the phenomenon under investigation. Findings: Supported by the empirical and qualitative evidence, this study established that firstly, both organisational and technical environments have the capacity to either positively or negatively impact the intensity of KM activities, and both environments serve as stimuli in increasing each other's dynamism; secondly, certain types of KM activities are stronger “energy receivers” and easily to be “powered up” by manipulating factors representing these two environments. Then, through interactions between KM activities, the intensity of the whole strategic KM cycle will be increased thus helping to strengthen organisational competitive advantage.

State asset management reform in Indonesia : a wicked problem

Efficient state asset management is crucial for government departments that rely on the operations of their state assets in order to fulfil their public functions, which include public service provision and others. These assets may be expensive, extensive and or, complex, and can have a major impact on the ability of governments to perform its function over extended periods. Various governments around the world have increasingly recognised the importance of an efficient state asset management laws, policies, and practices; exemplified by the surge in state asset management reform. This phenomenon is evident in Indonesia, in particular through the establishment of the Directorate General of State Assets in 2006, who was appointed as the ultimate state asset manager (of Republic of Indonesia) and the proprietor of state asset management reform. The Directorate General of State Assets too has pledged its adherence to good governance principles within its state asset management laws and policies reform. However the degree that good governance principles are conceptualised is unknown, resulting in questions of how and to what extent is good governance principles evident within Indonesia's reformed state asset management laws and policies. This study seeks to understand the level of which good governance principles are conceptualised and understood within reformed state asset management policies in Indonesia (as a case study), and identify the variables that play a role in the implementation of said reform. Although good governance improvements has been a central tenet in Indonesian government agenda, and state asset management reform has propelled in priority due to found neglect and unfavourable audit results; there is ambiguity in regards to the extent that good governance is conceptualised within the reform, how and whether this relationship is understood by state asset managers (i.e government officials), and what (and how) other variables play a supporting and/or impeding role in the reform. Using empirical data involving a sample of four Indonesian regional governments and 70 interviews; discrepancy in which good governance principles are conceptualised, the level it is conceptualised, at which stage of state asset management practice it is conceptualised, and the level it is understood by state asset managers (i.e government officials) was found. Human resource capacity and capability, the notion of 'needing more time', low legality, infancy of reform, and dysfunctional sense of stewardship are identified as specific impeding variables to state asset management reform; whilst decentralisation and regional autonomy regime, political history, and culture play a consistent undercurrent key role in good governance related reforms within Indonesia. This study offers insights to Indonesian policy makers interested in ensuring the conceptualisation and full implementation of good governance in all areas of governing, particularly within state asset management practices. Most importantly, this study identifies an asymmetry in good governance understanding, perspective, and assumptions between policy maker (i.e high level government officials) and policy implementers (i.e low level government officials); to be taken into account for future policy evolvements and/or writing. As such, this study suggests the need for a modified perspective and approach to good governance conceptualisation and implementation strategies, one that acknowledges and incorporates a nation's unique characteristics and no longer denies the double-edged sword of simplified assumptions of governance.

Does experience with one type of two-wheeler affect behaviours and attitudes to other types?

Failure to give way by motor vehicles is a factor in many collisions with both powered and unpowered two wheelers (TWs). Motor vehicle drivers often report that they did not see the TW, but research has shown that motor vehicle drivers who have experience riding a motorcycle are less likely to fail to detect motorcycles. The research reported here examines whether this phenomenon extends to detection of bicycles and whether car drivers who have experience with one mode of TW show improved detection of the other mode. A driving simulator study was conducted in an Australian urban setting which incorporated some of the most common car-TW crash scenarios. Participants with car-only, car plus motorcycle, car plus bicycle, and car plus bicycle plus motorcycle experience operated a car simulator. Their interactions with both types of TWs were measured in terms of visual detection, lateral distance and speed when approaching and passing. The effects of different levels of colour and lighting of the TWs on driver responses were also examined. The attitudes of participants towards TWs were measured in a questionnaire.

Interpersonal coupling in rowing : the mediating role of the environment

Evidence currently supports the view that intentional interpersonal coordination (IIC) is a self-organizing phenomenon facilitated by visual perception of co-actors in a coordinative coupling (Schmidt, Richardson, Arsenault, & Galantucci, 2007). The present study examines how apparent IIC is achieved in situations where visual information is limited for co-actors in a rowing boat. In paired rowing boats only one of the actors, [bow seat] gets to see the actions of the other [stroke seat]. Thus IIC appears to be facilitated despite the lack of important visual information for the control of the dyad. Adopting a mimetic approach to expert coordination, the present study qualitatively examined the experiences of expert performers (N=9) and coaches (N=4) with respect to how IIC was achieved in paired rowing boats. Themes were explored using inductive content analysis, which led to layered model of control. Rowers and coaches reported the use of multiple perceptual sources in order to achieve IIC. As expected(Kelso, 1995; Schmidt & O’Brien, 1997; Turvey, 1990), rowers in the bow of a pair boat make use of visual information provided by the partner in front of them [stroke]. However, this perceptual information is subordinate to perception Motor Learning and Control S111 of the relationship between the boat hull and water passing beside it. Stroke seat, in the absence of visual information about his/her partner, achieves coordination by picking up information about the lifting or looming of the boat’s stern along with water passage past the hull. In this case it appears that apparent or desired IIC is supported by the perception of extra-personal variables, in this case boat behavior; as this perceptual information source is used by both actors. To conclude, co-actors in two person rowing boats use multiple sources of perceptual information for apparent IIC that changes according to task constraints. Where visual information is restricted IIC is facilitated via extra-personal perceptual information and apparent IIC switches to intentional extra-personal coordination.

Website designers : how do they experience information literacy?

This paper presents the findings from the first phase of a larger study into the information literacy of website designers. Using a phenomenographic approach, it maps the variation in experiencing the phenomenon of information literacy from the viewpoint of website designers. The current result reveals important insights into the lived experience of this group of professionals. Analysis of data has identified five different ways in which website designers experience information literacy: problem-solving, using best practices, using a knowledge base, building a successful website, and being part of a learning community of practice. As there is presently relatively little research in the area of workplace information literacy, this study provides important additional insights into our understanding of information literacy in the workplace, especially in the specific context of website design. Such understandings are of value to library and information professionals working with web professionals either within or beyond libraries. These understandings may also enable information professionals to take a more proactive role in the industry of website design. Finally, the obtained knowledge will contribute to the education of both website-design science and library and information science (LIS) students.

Experimental investigation of the governing parameters in the electrospinning of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) scaffolds : structural characteristics of the pores

We sought to determine the impact of electrospinning parameters on a trustworthy criterion that could evidently improve the maximum applicability of fibrous scaffolds for tissue regeneration. We used an image analysis technique to elucidate the web permeability index (WPI) by modeling the formation of electrospun scaffolds. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) scaffolds were fabricated according to predetermined conditions of levels in a Taguchi orthogonal design. The material parameters were the polymer concentration, conductivity, and volatility of the solution. The processing parameters were the applied voltage and nozzle-to-collector distance. With a law to monitor the WPI values when the polymer concentration or the applied voltage was increased, the pore interconnectivity was decreased. The quality of the jet instability altered the pore numbers, areas, and other structural characteristics, all of which determined the scaffold porosity and aperture interconnectivity. An initial drastic increase was observed in the WPI values because of the chain entanglement phenomenon above a 6 wt % P3HB content. Although the solution mixture significantly (p < 0.05) changed the scaffold architectural characteristics as a function of the solution viscosity and surface tension, it had a minor impact on the WPI values. The solution mixture gained the third place of significance, and the distance was approved as the least important factor.

Validation of the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA) in Vietnam

Introduction To date, there has been little systematic, quantitative research on the links between academic pressure and mental health among adolescents in Asia, and none in Vietnam. In part, this is because of a lack of appropriate tools to measure this complex phenomenon. This study was to validate the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA), developed and tested in China, with the aim of fostering further research in Asia. Methods A total of 1283 students were recruited in 3 secondary schools and 3 high schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Anonymous, selfreport questionnaires included the ESSA and previously validated measures of mental health. Results Among the 1226 questionnaires available, 54% of respondents were female. The mean age was 15.3 years. Students reported substantial study burden. The ESSA had good internal consistency, and factorial validity and concurrent validity were established. Conclusion The ESSA is a suitable measure for school-based mental health research in Asia.

Conceptualising, operationalising and measuring the player experience in videogames

The player experience is at the core of videogame play. Understanding the facets of player experience presents many research challenges, as the phenomenon sits at the intersection of psychology, design, human-computer interaction, sociology, and physiology. This workshop brings together an interdisciplinary group of researchers to systematically and rigorously analyse all aspects of the player experience. Methods and tools for conceptualising, operationalising and measuring the player experience form the core of this research. Our aim is to take a holistic approach to identifying, adapting and extending theories and models of the player experience, to understand how these theories and models interact, overlap and differ, and to construct a unified vision for future research.

Translating vision research into policy and practice to improve visibility, and hence safety, of road workers at night

This case study report describes the stages involved in the translation of research on night-time visibility into standards for the safety clothing worn by roadworkers. Vision research demonstrates that when lights are placed on the moveable joints of the body and the person moves in a dark setting, the phenomenon known as “biological motion or biomotion” occurs, enabling rapid and accurate recognition of the human form although only the lights can be seen. QUT was successful in gaining funding from the Australian Research Council for a Linkage grant due to the support of the predecessors of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) to research the biomotion effect in on-road settings using materials that feature in roadworker clothing. Although positive results were gained, the process of translating the research results into policy, practices and standards relied strongly on the supportive efforts of TMR staff engaged in the review and promulgation of national standards. The ultimate result was the incorporation of biomotion marking into AS/NZS 4602.1 2011. The experiences gained in this case provide insights into the processes involved in translating research into practice.

High-stakes literacy tests and local effects in a rural school

High-stakes literacy testing is now a ubiquitous educational phenomenon. However, it remains a relatively recent phenomenon in Australia. Hence it is possible to study the ways in which such tests are reorganising educators’ work during this period of change. This paper draws upon Dorothy Smith’s Institutional Ethnography and critical policy analysis to consider this problem and reports on interview data from teachers and the principal in small rural school in a poor area of South Australia. In this context high-stakes testing and the associated diagnostic school review unleashes a chain of actions within the school which ultimately results in educators doubting their professional judgments, increasing the investment in testing, narrowing their teaching of literacy and purchasing levelled reading schemes. The effects of high-stakes testing in disadvantaged schools are identified and discussed.