2,074 research outputs found
Antarctica, the southern ocean, and climate evolution: Insights from drilling, coring, and geophysical surveys
No full text1.P2.A-1: The diatom record of the ANDRILL – McMurdo Ice Shelf project drillcoreReed Scherer, Diane Winter, Charlotte Sjunneskog, and Paola Maffioli4
1.P2.A-2: Preliminary 40Ar/39Ar results from the AND-1B coreJake I. Ross, William C. McIntosh, and Nelia W. Dunbar
1.P2.A-3: Preliminary chronostratigraphy for the upper 700 m (upper Miocene–Pleistocene) of the AND-1B drillcore recovered from beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf, AntarcticaGary S. Wilson, Richard H. Levy, Greg Browne, Fabio Florindo, Stuart A. Henrys, Ian Graham, William C. McIntosh, R. M. McKay, T. R. Naish, Christian Ohneiser, Ross D. Powell, Jake I. Ross, Leonardo Sagnotti, Reed Scherer, Charlotte Sjunneskog, C.Percy Strong, Marco Taviani, and Diane Winter10
1.P2.A-4: Future geological drilling in Antarctica – a discussion paper on ANDRILL and beyondPeter Barrett, P.N. Webb, Dieter Futterer, Claudio Ghezzo, M. R. A Thomson, A. R. Pyne, and F. Rac
Branching out: towards a trait-based understanding of fungal ecology
No full textAbstract not availableCarlos A. Aguilar-Trigueros, Stefan Hempel, Jeff R. Powell, Ian C. Anderson, Janis Antonovics, Joana Bergmann, Timothy R. Cavagnaro, Baodong Chen, Miranda M. Hart, John Klironomos, Jana S. Petermann, Erik Verbruggena, Stavros D. Veresoglou, Matthias C. Rilli
CEDRIC J. POWELL
No full textCEDRIC J. POWELL
Inducted: 2010
Citation:
For exceptional scientific and organizational work in establishing the physical basis (and infrastructure) for electron spectroscopies of solids, especially as applied to quantitative surface analysis and surface standards
Tenure: 1962-2006
Birth: 1935; Perth, Australia
Education:
University of Western Australia, BS (Physics), 1956
University of Western Australia, PhD (Physics), 1962
Positions held:
Physicist, Atomic Physics and Optical Physics Divisions, Institute for Basic Standards, 1962-1978
Chief, Surface Science Division, Center for Chemical Physics, 1978-1991
Leader, Surface Spectroscopies and Thin Films Group, Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, 1991-1994
NIST Fellow, Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, 1994-2006
NIST Scientist Emeritus, Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, 2007-Present
Honors:
US Department of Commerce Silver Medal (1983) and Gold Medal (1986)Award of Merit, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (1988)
Riviere Prize, UK ESCA Users Group (1992)
Creation of Cedric Powell Award by ASTM Committee E-42 on Surface Analysis (1993)
Creation of Powell Prize by the Surface Analysis Society of Japan (1995)
Albert Nerken Award, American Vacuum Society (2001)
Technology Prize, International Union of Vacuum Science, Technique, and Applications (2007)
Memberships:
American Physical Society, American Vacuum Society, American Assn. for the Advancement of Science
ASTM Committee E-42 on Surface Analysis, chairman (1980-85)
Board of Trustees, Gordon Research Conferences (1982-88), chairman (1985-86)
Board of Directors, American Vacuum Society (1988-89)
ISO Technical Committee 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis, chairman (1992-98)
Publications:
Co-editor of 3 books, co-author of 5 NIST databases, and an author of more than 240 publications including:
Powell, C. J., “Contrasting Valence-Band Auger-Electron Spectra for Silver and Aluminum”, Phys. Rev. Letters 30, 1179 (1973)
Powell, C. J., “Attenuation Lengths of Low-energy Electrons in Solids”, Surface Science 44, 29 (1974)
Powell, C. J., “Cross Sections for Ionization of Inner-shell Electrons by Electrons”, Rev. Mod. Phys. 48, 33 (1976)
Powell, C. J. and Seah, M. P., “Precision, Accuracy, and Uncertainty in Quantitative Surface Analyses by Auger-Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 8, 735 (1990)
Tanuma, S., Powell, C. J., and Penn, D. R., ""Calculations of Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths. II. Data for 27 Elements over the 50-2000 eV Range,"" Surface and Interface Analysis 17, 911 (1991)
Powell, C. J. and Jablonski, A., “Evaluation of Measured and Calculated Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths Near Solid Surfaces,” J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 28, 19 (1999
Reconciling the disconnect between information technology and information systems using an organizational epistemology: A framework to improve success with technology
No full textAbstract
There is a disconnect between information technology (IT) and information systems (IS)
that lies at the foundation of frequent failure in cost, schedule, and/or performance of IT/IS. This
disconnect can perhaps be reconciled through a focus on the socially constructed and emergent
nature of IT as it enters and is used by an organization. The argument is that IT investment is not
working with the right knowledge for evaluation and justification and does not reflect human
nature in decision-making. The hypothesis is that a structured dialog technique, by focusing on
properly perceiving human felt needs rather than exclusively technological aims, improves the
process of IT project evaluation and justification. This breaks the requirements development
process into multiple, time-efficient steps in order to properly acquire and convert tacit
knowledge into explicit and then embedded knowledge. The research questions include: What
are the foundations of IT/IS failure, and how do they relate to the absence or presence of
structured dialog? What are the dimensions of structured dialog that help fulfill the gap between
users’ felt needs and IT specifications? Finally, what are the aspects of tools and methods
applied in early investment lifecycle activities that can, or seem to, fulfill these dimensions?
This study posits a conceptual decision framework using structured dialog to perhaps prevent IT
failure. The research starts with an analysis of IT/IS failure factors using a metaevaluation
approach tailored for qualitative, interpretive analysis as a metainterpretation with respect to IT
case studies and a synthesis of those factors. Then, a pilot of a survey approach is performed to
profile and test elements of structured dialog and associated early lifecycle tools with the
Dissertation - POWELL ii
business/mission process community and technologists. This is then made practical by creating a
conceptual decision framework for management to use in framing complex investment decisions
such as IT investment. The framework includes obtaining early clarification of the purpose of
the new IT/IS system, improving team dynamics to enable better collaboration, making a
specific, shared decision as the basis of collaboration, and focusing on structured dialog. The
elements of structured dialog found to underlie this decision framework are the production and
use of shared meaning, creation and use of common language, repetition and continuation of
dialog, and facilitation of shared experience. These elements achieve an organizational
epistemology, or knowledge framework, that can potentially facilitate more accurate acquisition
and development of IT (that is, the system-as-created), and perhaps lay the foundation for
subsequent transition into IS (that is, the system-as-used) that an organization should use in the
manner needed and intended. In addition, this epistemology underlies the process, and products,
of successful IT/IS architecture.Dissertation POWELL i
Title: Reconciling the Disconnect between Information Technology and Information Systems
using an Organizational Epistemology: A Framework to Improve Success with Technology
Author: Chris R. Powell
Abstract
There is a disconnect between information technology (IT) and information systems (IS)
that lies at the foundation of frequent failure in cost, schedule, and/or performance of IT/IS. This
disconnect can perhaps be reconciled through a focus on the socially constructed and emergent
nature of IT as it enters and is used by an organization. The argument is that IT investment is not
working with the right knowledge for evaluation and justification and does not reflect human
nature in decision-making. The hypothesis is that a structured dialog technique, by focusing on
properly perceiving human felt needs rather than exclusively technological aims, improves the
process of IT project evaluation and justification. This breaks the requirements development
process into multiple, time-efficient steps in order to properly acquire and convert tacit
knowledge into explicit and then embedded knowledge. The research questions include: What
are the foundations of IT/IS failure, and how do they relate to the absence or presence of
structured dialog? What are the dimensions of structured dialog that help fulfill the gap between
users’ felt needs and IT specifications? Finally, what are the aspects of tools and methods
applied in early investment lifecycle activities that can, or seem to, fulfill these dimensions?
This study posits a conceptual decision framework using structured dialog to perhaps prevent IT
failure. The research starts with an analysis of IT/IS failure factors using a metaevaluation
approach tailored for qualitative, interpretive analysis as a metainterpretation with respect to IT
case studies and a synthesis of those factors. Then, a pilot of a survey approach is performed to
profile and test elements of structured dialog and associated early lifecycle tools with the
Dissertation - POWELL ii
business/mission process community and technologists. This is then made practical by creating a
conceptual decision framework for management to use in framing complex investment decisions
such as IT investment. The framework includes obtaining early clarification of the purpose of
the new IT/IS system, improving team dynamics to enable better collaboration, making a
specific, shared decision as the basis of collaboration, and focusing on structured dialog. The
elements of structured dialog found to underlie this decision framework are the production and
use of shared meaning, creation and use of common language, repetition and continuation of
dialog, and facilitation of shared experience. These elements achieve an organizational
epistemology, or knowledge framework, that can potentially facilitate more accurate acquisition
and development of IT (that is, the system-as-created), and perhaps lay the foundation for
subsequent transition into IS (that is, the system-as-used) that an organization should use in the
manner needed and intended. In addition, this epistemology underlies the process, and products,
of successful IT/IS architecture.
Dissertation - POWELL iii
Reconciling the Disconnect between Information Technology and Information Systems using an
Organizational Epistemology: A Framework to Improve Success with Technology
Doctor of Management Dissertation
Christopher R. Powell
UMUC
November 15, 2009
Committee
Dr. Hasan Sayani, Chair
Dr. Husein Abdul-Hamid, Member
Dr. Claudine SchWeber, Member
Dissertation - POWELL iv
Dissertation - POWELL v
Dedication and Acknowledgements
This is dedicated to my wife, Bonnie Jean, and my daughter, Emilie Alyson Grace, who provided
ongoing support and encouragement throughout my pursuit of a Doctorate while working full
time. Without their love and strength, this effort would not have been possible.
I acknowledge the following people, who provided key support throughout this endeavor:
Tim Keenan – President & CEO, High Performance Technologies, Inc.
Kristen Baldwin – Deputy Director, OUSD(AT&L) DDRE/SE/System Analysis
Dissertation POWELL vi
Dissertation - POWELL vii
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i!
Dedication and Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... v!
List of Tables & Figures ................................................................................................................ ix!
List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... xi!
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND, PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SIGNIFICANCE ...... 1!
Introduction and Relevance ..................................................................................................... 1!
Purpose and Research Questions ............................................................................................ 6!
Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 6!
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 10!
Theoretical Background ......................................................................................................... 11!
Thesis, Focus, and Argument ............................................................................................. 17!
Significance .......................................................................................................................... 22!
Limitations and Constraints .............................................................................................. 23!
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 29!
Concept Map ........................................................................................................................... 29!
Literature Review and Analysis ............................................................................................ 32!
IT Research – A Review ......................................................................................................... 63!
Knowledge Framework – A Foundation ............................................................................... 67!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 71!
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHOD ........................................................ 74!
Research Approach ................................................................................................................. 76!
Phase I: Case Study Metaevaluation ................................................................................. 78!
Phase II: Reviewing Customer Experiences Using a Survey .......................................... 84!
Scope .................................................................................................................................. 95!
Validity ................................................................................................................................ 96!
Data sources ....................................................................................................................... 101!
Detailed Research Plan ..................................................................................................... 102!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 115!
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DATA AND DISCUSSION .......................................................... 118!
Phase I – Data from the Case Study Metaevaluation ........................................................ 119!
Phase I Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 139!
Phase II – Data from the Survey Pilots ............................................................................... 140!
Step 1: Survey Development and Pre-Pilot (Eight BPA Professionals) ........................... 140!
Step 2: Survey Pilot (24 BPA Users) ................................................................................... 140!
Phase II Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 145!
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS, FUTURE APPLICATIONS, AND EXTENSIONS ...................... 148!
Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 148!
Research Activity Summary ............................................................................................ 154!
Summary of Phase I - Metaevaluation ............................................................................ 155!
Summary of Phase II – Survey ........................................................................................ 157!
Definition of Decision Framework .................................................................................. 160!
Future Applications .............................................................................................................. 172!
Potential Future Research ................................................................................................ 178!
Extensions .............................................................................................................................. 179!
Dissertation - POWELL viii
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 183!
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 188!
References .................................................................................................................................. 190!
Appendix A. Institutional Review Board Form .......................................................................... 212!
Appendix B. Survey Instrument ................................................................................................ 218!
Appendix C. Case Study Metaevaluation Data – Research Question 1 .................................... 240!
Appendix D. Linkage of Case Study Metaevaluation to the Survey Instrument and Research
Questions .................................................................................................................................... 256!
Appendix E. Survey Data – Research Question 2 ..................................................................... 258!
Appendix F. Survey Data – Research Question 3 ...................................................................... 282!
Index .......................................................................................................................................... 292!
Dissertation - POWELL ix
List of Tables & Figures
Figure 1 - Concept Map ................................................................................................................ 30!
Figure 2 - Summary of appraisal techniques, approaches, and references (Irani, et al., 1997) .... 42!
Figure 3 - The matrix of benefits and their impact (Farbey et al., 1993) ...................................... 47!
Figure 4 - Synthesizing Requirements Development ................................................................... 61!
Figure 5 - Process of Metainterpretation (Weed, 2005) ............................................................... 80!
Table 1 - IT Failure Factors from Jones (1996) .......................................................................... 120!
Table 2 - Root Causes for Failure Factors from Jones (1996) .................................................... 124!
Table 3 - IT Failure and Risk Factors from Ewusi-Mensah (2003, p.43) ................................... 132!
Figure 6 - Crosstab of Survey Questions .................................................................................... 142!
Figure 7 - Hierarchy of IT Failure Factors .................................................................................. 175!
Figure 8 - Concept Map of IT Success Factors ........................................................................... 181!
Dissertation - POWELL x
Dissertation - POWELL xi
List of Abbreviations
AHP Analytic Hierarchy Process
CBA Cost-Benefit Analysis
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CLIN Contract Line Item
CST Critical Social Theory
DCF Discounted Cash Flow
DoD U.S. Department of Defense
DoDAF Department of Defense Architecture Framework
FAP Financial Appraisal Profile
FMS Flexible Manufacturing System(s)
GAO General Accountability Office
GB Gigabyte (1 billion bytes)
HPC High Performance Computing
ICT Information and Communication Technologies
ID Identification
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IPT Integrated Program Team
IRB Institutional Review Board
IRR Internal Rate of Return
ISO not an acronym, but commonly used for International Organization for
Standardization
IS Information System
IT Information Technology
Km Kilometer (1000 meters)
KM Knowledge Management
MB Megabyte (1 million bytes)
MIS Management Information System(s)
NPV Net Present Value
OE Organizational Epistemology
OUSD Office of the Undersecretary of Defense
PADR Prospector-Analyzer-Defender-Reactor
PB Petabyte (1 quadrillion bytes)
PC Personal Computer
PMO Program Management Office
PPBS Programming-Planning-Budgeting System
R&D Research & Development
ROI Return on Investment
SOS System of Systems
TB Terabyte (1 trillion bytes)
U.S. United States
Dissertation POWELL 1
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND, PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SIGNIFICANCE
Introduction and Relevance
Evaluation and justification of IT are both complex and difficult (Serafeimidis, 2001, p. 99;
Wang, 2007; Mondragon et al., 2001), particularly given the high rate of failure in IT projects
(upwards of 40-95%, depending on methodology and definition of failure [Dalcher & Drevin,
2003; Charette, 2005; Reel, 1999; Verner et al., 2007; Whiting, 1998; Ewusi-Mensah, 2003;
Flowers, 1996; Jones, 1996]). The financial measures typically used by firms to evaluate any
project (such as ROI [Return on Investment], NPV [Net Present Value], IRR [Internal Rate of
Return, etc.]), when applied to technology projects, attempt to be quantitative, precise, and
certain. However, as an innovation project applied to a social group (organization), an IT project
has benefits that are frequently intangible and uncertain (Lefley, 1996). This clash between the
need for discrete performance measurement and the intangibility of innovation in social groups
caused a long period of research (from about 1976 through 2001; see Ch. 2) that attempted to
bring these financial and intangible poles together. Many techniques were brought to the table,
but few could be empirically tested because of many factors including political, cultural, and
accounting tradition. The need for insightful evaluation has, if anything, become greater as IT
becomes more complex and touches more parts of an organization’s value proposition,
foundation, and partners, particularly leading to the “death of geography”; as the enterprise
model becomes extended, strategic alliances become more important, and the organization
begins its shift to more of a “virtual” model (Irani et al., 1997). So, there is a need for a new
look and new tools to be applied to this area, to arrive at something practical for management to
apply and for technologists to support. A key part of this problem is defined as a lack of balance
Dissertation - POWELL 2
between episteme (knowledge or science, of the organization and of IT) and techne (craft or art,
of implementing IT and other business/mission systems) in the organization—based on a lack of
shared meaning and a lack of a basis for that shared meaning—which reinforces the existence of
only tangential touch points between these frequently opposing forces and which concomitantly
and continually reduces IT project success. An enterprise-wide approach that enables IT to take
a strategic view of the organization is required (Irani et al., 1997, p. 697).
We know from management literature (particularly Simon, 1997, and related, such as
Horkheimer, 1954; Farbey, Land, & Targett, 1992; and Dörner, 1996) that we humans, making
microeconomic and many other decisions, are subject to our own bounded rationality. As a
result, we satisfice decisions, using information we believe is salient to the decision, almost
regardless of whether that information is the most microeconomically optimal. This is
particularly applicable in executive decision-making and in decision-making related to IT, which
Farbey et al. (1992) found is subject to four main heuristics: act of faith, obeying orders, step-by-step,
and got-to-do all more deeply explained in Chapter 2). This research will show that many
IT evaluation and justification methods attempt to get around human satisficing through many
objective and subjective decision methods, including financial (objective) and heuristic
(subjective) methods, among others. In executive teams, financial metrics have particular
weight, and so we may expect to find that the heuristic methods at that level may favor financial
metrics. In fact, Farbey et al. (1992) found that while executives seem to favor such metrics, that
does not mean that they are truly making their decisions based on the objective financial analysis
at hand.
This leaves us with a question about whether management information used in satisficing
decisions can be “set” to some degree, submerging less relevant information and maximizing the
Dissertation - POWELL 3
prominence of information with the most utility to the decision at hand. It could be said that
many aids to management decision-making attempt to do just that, as they “load the deck” with
report after report that contain much interesting and relevant information. Yet, we know that
many decisions fail to attain their objectives, particularly in IT, where project failure can occur
as high as 40-95% (Dalcher & Drevin, 2003), depending on the definition of failure. The types
of dysfunctional executive behavior that drive this failure include acting without prior analysis of
the situation and failing to anticipate side effects and long-term repercussions, among others
(Dörner, 1996). So, the present “deck-loading” does
Morphological and distributional changes in the eosinophilic granule cell (EGC) population of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss walbaum) intestine following systemic administration of capsaicin and substance P
No full textIntestinal eosinophilic granule cells (EGCs) of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been likened to mammalian mast cells and degranulate in response to stimulation by capsaicin and substance P. This investigation was conducted to examine the effects of capsaicin and substance P on the trout intestinal EGC population and to quantify the different morphologies following systemic administration. Rainbow trout were injected intraperitoneally with capsaicin, substance P, serotonin, or vehicle controls (0.5 mug/g body weight). Fish were killed at timed intervals and the mid intestine was processed for light and electron microscopy. The number of EGCs which could be observed in the stratum compactum was quantified for each treatment over the time course of the experiment. EGCs could be classified ultrastructurally into 1 of 5 categories based on their granule morphology. The cell frequencies and relative proportion of each cell class were analyzed statistically. The frequency of EGCs in the stratum compactum of fish injected with capsaicin or substance P significantly decreased post-injection (P < 0.05) compared to controls (saline- and BSA-injected fish). Serotonin had no effect on EGC frequency, morphology, or distribution as compared with saline. Stimulation with capsaicin and substance P resulted in time-dependent changes in both EGC granule morphology and distribution within the intestinal mucosa. Following an apparent migration of EGCs to the lamina propria and degranulation, small granuled EGC-like cells appeared first in the lamina propria and then later in the stratum compactum. The significance of the stratum compactum as a depot for intestinal EGCs and the site for EGC maturation is discussed.PT: J; CR: ANDERSON C, 1983, CELL TISSUE RES, V230, P377 ANDERSON CR, 1990, CELL TISSUE RES, V259, P379 AVTALION RR, 1980, PHYLOGENY IMMUNOLOGI, P113 BEFUS AD, 1982, J IMMUNOL, V128, P2475 BERGERON T, 1982, THESIS U GUELPH CANA BERGERON T, 1983, CAN J ZOOL, V61, P133 BIENENSTOCK J, 1987, INT ARCH ALLER A IMM, V82, P238 BIENENSTOCK J, 1989, MAST CELL BASOPHIL D, P275 BJENNING C, 1988, HISTOCHEMISTRY, V88, P155 BUCK SH, 1986, PHARMACOL REV, V38, P179 DAVIDSON S, 1980, IMMUNOLOGY, V48, P439 ELLIS AE, 1977, J FISH BIOL, V11, P453 ELLIS AE, 1985, DEV COMP IMMUNOL, V9, P251 ELLIS AE, 1988, FISH VACCINATION, P32 EZEASOR DN, 1980, J FISH BIOL, V17, P619 FINN JP, 1971, J FISH BIOL, V3, P463 GLANTZ SA, 1987, PRIMER BIOSTATISTICS GULLAND GL, 1898, ANAT ANZEIGER, V14, P441 HODGINS HO, 1967, J IMMUNOL, V99, P534 HOLMGREN S, 1985, NEUROSCIENCE, V14, P683 IRANI AMA, 1989, CLIN EXP ALLERGY, V19, P143 JAMUR MC, 1988, CELL MOL BIOL, V34, P231 JOHNSON AR, 1973, P SOC EXP BIOL MED, V142, P1252 KITAZAWA T, 1989, BRIT J PHARMACOL, V98, P781 LAMAS J, 1991, FISH SHELLFISH IMMUN, V1, P187 MARZELLA L, 1987, LYSOSOMES THEIR ROLE, P319 MOUSLI M, 1989, J PHARMACOL EXP THER, V250, P329 NILSSON G, 1989, THESIS UPPSALA NILSSON G, 1990, CELL TISSUE RES, V262, P125 NOVIKOFF AB, 1976, CELL ORGANELLES, P27 PERNOW B, 1983, PHARMACOL REV, V35, P85 POWELL MD, 1990, J FISH BIOL, V37, P495 POWELL MD, 1991, CELL TISSUE RES, V266, P469 POWELL MD, 1992, AQUACULTURE, V100, P328 POWELL MD, 1992, HISTOL HISTOPATHOL, V7, P301 REIMSCHUESSEL R, 1987, J FISH DIS, V10, P319 ROBERTS RJ, 1971, J FISH BIOL, V4, P87 SHANAHAN F, 1985, J IMMUNOL, V135, P1331 SHARP GJE, 1989, J FISH BIOL, V35, P781 SMITH HE, 1975, THESIS U STIRLING ST STEAD RH, 1987, P NATL ACAD SCI USA, V84, P2975 STEAD RH, 1989, GASTROENTEROLOGY, V97, P575 SWEENEY MI, 1989, J PHARMACOL EXP THER, V248, P447 VALLEJO AN, 1989, DEV COMP IMMUNOL, V13, P133 WATSON AHD, 1979, CELL TISSUE RES, V197, P155 YASUTAKE WT, 1983, 150 US DEP INT FISH; NR: 46; TC: 10; J9: J EXP ZOOL; PG: 12; GA: LC103Source type: Electronic(1
Correction:Is exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis to re-examine the evidence (BMJ Open (2018) 8 (e019656) DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019656)
No full textPowell R, McGregor G, Ennis S, et al. Is exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis to re-examine the evidence. BMJ Open 2018;8:e019656. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019656. The author was unaware of a protocol paper that changes a couple of things in this paper. It does not change the conclusions. In Table 1, the 'Intention-to treat analysis conducted' is currently listed as 'High risk' but should read 'Low risk'. The 'Support for judgement' column for this row should read 'Outcomes will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.' In Table 2, in the 'Santaularia et al,29 Spain' row, the 'Recruitment period (years)' currently reads 'None specified' but this should read '2010-2012'.</p
Poetic satellites.
No full text[Copyright by S.R. Smith, W.G. Powell, E.W. Marshal]Mode of access: Internet.OSU's copy 1 forms part of the Tuttle American Poetry Collection
Foreign direct investment in Africa : policies also matter
No full textAfrica has not succeeded in attracting much foreign direct investment in the past few decades. When countries did attract multinational companies, it was principally because of their (abundant) natural resources and the size of their domestic market. Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and South Africa have traditionally been the main recipients of foreign direct investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the author shows that a few Sub-Saharan countries have generated interest among international investors by improving their business environment. In the 1990s, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, and Senegal attracted substantial foreign direct investment--more so than countries with bigger domestic markets (Cameroon, Republic of Congo, and Kenya) and greater natural resources (Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe). Mali and Mozambique, which improved their business climate spectacularly in the 1990s, did so with a few strategic actions: liberalizing trade, launching an attractive privatization program, modernizing mining and investment codes, adopting international agreements on foreign direct investment, developing a few priority projects that had multiplier effects on other investment projects, and mounting an image-building effort in which political figures such as the nation's president participated. These actions are similar to those associated with the success of other small countries with limited natural resources, such as Ireland and Singapore about 20 years ago.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Governance Indicators,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Foreign Direct Investment
Investigating the quality of primary health care: the determinants of doctor provision of care and clinical behaviour in Tunisia
No full textWhile access to primary health care services has improved through expansions of the public and private sector, quality of care remains a pressing issue in the Middle East and North Africa region. This thesis focuses on Tunisia, where there have been reports of challenges in the availability of qualified health workers and essential medicines. However, there is less evidence on the clinical quality of care, which is more difficult to monitor and regulate.
This thesis investigates the quality of care provided by general practitioners (GPs) and its determinants in Tunisia. To measure quality, I use undercover standardised patient visits and clinical vignettes carried out between November 2017 and June 2018 from a representative sample of 177 public and 79 private GPs in the urban ‘Grand Tunis’ region of Tunisia. These data were combined with information from a GP survey data on provider characteristics.
The thesis includes three research papers. In the first one, I evaluate doctor clinical knowledge and investigate its determinants, with a key focus on differences between public and private doctors. I find that clinical knowledge was suboptimal, with wide variation across clinical cases and lower knowledge in the private sector. The place of initial medical education was a strong predictor of clinical knowledge. In the second paper, I examine antibiotic prescribing behaviour and the role of the patient through an experimental audit study involving standardised patients. Overprescribing rates were strikingly high, with prescribing behaviour significantly worse in the private sector. The majority of the drugs prescribed were unnecessary or potentially harmful and generated high levels of waste of patients’ resources. There was limited evidence that provider behaviour was influenced by standardised patients requesting antibiotics or expressing knowledge of inappropriate prescribing. In the third paper, I explore whether doctors discriminate according to patient socioeconomic status (SES). I find no evidence of SES-based discrimination in the provision of care to standardised patients. If anything, I find that doctors prescribed less expensive medicines and gave significantly more (and more unnecessary) free-of-charge medicines to poorer patient. However, doctor communication was worse when patients were poor than when they appeared well off.
Overall, these results suggest that doctors play a crucial role in driving the quality of primary health care in urban Tunisia. This quality of care appears to vary in some respects with the socioeconomic background of the patient. Further, there is widespread overprovision of antibiotics in both the public and private sector, but doctors’ behaviour does not appear to be influenced by the patient. With these findings, I consider the policy implications and future avenues for further research
MICROWAVE SPECTRUM OF THIOFORMALDEHYDE
No full textFiercis X. Powell is also on the laculty of The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.""Author Institution: National Bureau of StandardsThe microwave spectrum of the reactive species thioformaldehyde () has been investigated in the frequency range 3--70 GHz. A centrifugal distortion analysis has been completed for the species in the ground vibrational state and rotational constants have been obtained for the isotopic species , , and . A variety of production systems will be discussed along with structual conclusions and possible astronomical implications
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