Children's development of structure in early mathematics

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Taking a closer look at students visual imagery

Explores the use of pattern imagery in enhancing the spatial skills of students. Discussion on the concept of spatial structuring; Relationship between numerical and spatial patterns; Tasks that may be provided by teachers to which may help students to become more attuned to the importance of pattern and structure

How do extrinsic performance incentives affect the alignment between frontline police performance and police strategy?

This research explored how extrinsic performance incentives (EPIs) affect the alignment of frontline police performance and police strategy using the Hong Kong Police Force as a case study. A formal research model was developed and used to explore the correlations between EPIs and organisational alignment, between EPIs and constructs of individual performance and between individual performance and organisational alignment. A combined methodology was adopted using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to test the formal research theory. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between EPIs, when measured in terms or effort reward imbalance (ERI), and organisational alignment, but not generally between the realisation or expectation of an EPI and organisational alignment. There are no consistent patterns or relationships between EPIs and the constructs of individual performance. The effect of EPIs on the alignment of frontline police performance and police strategy is influenced by the officer’s career stage. The results and findings support the notion that stewardship theory fits the case organisation more closely than agency theory. This research contributes to the body of knowledge relating to the effects of EPIs on frontline performance and organisational alignment. Further research should apply the research model to other case settings

THE ROLE OF LEGACY IN IMPLEMENTING CHANGE IN LONG STANDING ORGANIZATIONS: A CASE STUDY

The consensus in organizational change literature is that, over time, organizations become increasingly resistant to change. This observation occurs in several strands of institutional theory, often using different constructs or terminology. These different terms include structural inertia, institutionalization, imprinting, and path dependence. Although they are all somewhat different, I argue that these four constructs are really addressing a common issue and share a number of central and core components, each of which focuses on explaining the powerful roles of history, identity, and cultural embeddedness that reinforce the tendency of long-standing organizations to resist change. I discuss the umbrella construct of organizational legacy to capture these shared components. I define organizational legacy as the narrowing of strategic choice and capacity to change that occurs as a consequence of an organization’s own successful history. I argue that, while prior research on resistance to organizational change has addressed individual components of organizational legacy, there is little actually addressing the holistic concept of legacy as a key factor in resisting organizational change. Moreover, few studies have addressed how legacy can be managed in a way that enables organizational change. My theoretical research question, thus, is “what is organizational legacy in Canadian Professional Accounting Organizations?” and my empirical question is “how can legacy be managed to facilitate organizational change?” This study, which used the associations as the research field, observes the current and historical attempts to unify the Canadian accounting profession, specifically focusing on how the elements of history, identity, and cultural embeddedness result in strong organizational legacies. Increased external pressures, including slowing domestic population growth, global competition, and lack of differentiation, are forcing accounting associations in Canada to change in order to maintain viability, and eliminating institutional barriers between the associations is currently at the forefront of strategic planning for the accounting profession in Canada. By examining past unification attempts, the study achieves a thorough understanding of how powerful cultural norms can affect change efforts and why institutional entrepreneurs need to be strong change agents when faced with organizational legacy.2016-0

Assessment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa epidemiology and the wider microbial diversity within the bronchiectatic lung

Abstract The bronchiectatic lung is a diseased state in which the airways are chronically damaged and dilated. This state is found in the clinical entities of cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. These are two highly relevant chronic suppurative lung diseases in which an understanding of the microbiology of these patients is considered key to appropriate management. This has traditionally been via the use of traditional culture techniques. However, with the development of molecular methodologies, the previously perceived wisdom is being challenged. In both cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is considered the most significant pathogen. In CF there has been considerable concern surrounding the risk of transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa between patients on the basis of a significant quantity of research into this matter. In contrast, there has been very little research performed into the equivalent risk in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. In this thesis we describe an extensive single-centre epidemiological review of Pseudomonas aeruginosa spanning both these diseases. Via this we have shown evidence of cross-infection within a non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis cohort. This epidemiological review has included multiple genotyping methods including multilocus sequence typing and whole genome sequencing, As an extension of the epidemiological review, we have performed an in silico prediction of hypermutator status from the whole genome sequencing data to provide greater understanding of the likelihood of cross-infection, and have also demonstrated a culture-independent adaption of multilocus sequence typing for potential screening for cross-infection. In addition to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we have also looked at the wider bacterial community in the lungs of patients with these two conditions via culture-independent techniques. We have shown that whilst Pseudomonas aeruginosa is often an important component, these are clearly complex communities. We have primarily investigated the cohort with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, but we have demonstrated associations between clinically-relevant markers and complexity of the bacterial communities within the lungs of both these cohorts of patients. Whilst we have used the gold-standard technique of 16S rRNA sequencing, we have also shown the validity of a simple and potentially more feasible profiling technique for standard clinical care. In summary, through the application of culture-dependent and independent molecular techniques, this research has shed light on the epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa within our respiratory cohorts, and the complexity and clinical relevance of the wider microbial communities within these patients. Such studies are essential if we are to advance our understanding of the bronchiectatic lung and optimise strategies for patient management

NDRG2 gene copy number is not altered in colorectal carcinoma

AIM: To investigate if the down-regulation of N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene 2 (NDRG2) expression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is due to loss of the NDRG2 allele(s). METHODS: The following were investigated in the human colorectal cancer cell lines DLD-1, LoVo and SW-480: NDRG2 mRNA expression levels using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); interaction of the MYC gene-regulatory protein with the NDRG2 promoter using chromatin immunoprecipitation; and NDRG2 promoter methylation using bisulfite sequencing. Furthermore, we performed qPCR to analyse the copy numbers of NDRG2 and MYC genes in the above three cell lines, 8 normal colorectal tissue samples and 40 CRC tissue samples. RESULTS: As expected, NDRG2 mRNA levels were low in the three colorectal cancer cell lines, compared to normal colon. Endogenous MYC protein interacted with the NDRG2 core promoter in all three cell lines. In addition, the NDRG2 promoter was heavily methylated in these cell lines, suggesting an epigenetic regulatory mechanism. Unaltered gene copy numbers of NDRG2 were observed in the three cell lines. In the colorectal tissues, one normal and three CRC samples showed partial or complete loss of one NDRG2 allele. In contrast, the MYC gene was amplified in one cell line and in more than 40% of the CRC cases. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the reduction in NDRG2 expression observed in CRC is due to transcriptional repression by MYC and promoter methylation, and is not due to allelic loss