Leadership for innovation – why manufacturing has a future in Australia

In this paper, business leaders discuss the leadership styles they have used to ensure their companies are manufacturing success stories, and then these experiences are analysed to outline the leadership needs for innovation in Australia. Introduction With dire predictions about the future of manufacturing in Australia, we should remember that manufacturing has been an important contributor to national development. There was a thriving manufacturing industry up to 1945, sufficient to supply most domestic needs. Post-war, new industries flourished and a golden era of manufacturing followed. By the late 1950s manufacturing accounted for 29% of Australia’s GDP. By the 1960s, growth and productivity was faltering and manufacturing had begun to stagnate. Today, manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of Australia’s GDP, the lowest level since early colonial times. This is due, in large part, to global economic changes and the economic processes of comparative advantage. However, the innovative spirit that drove previous successes remains and a new generation of leaders and enterprises has emerged. Two of these innovative leaders presented case studies of their firms at a Swinburne Leadership Dialogue in June 2014. Richard Simpson of Furnace Engineering and Robert Wilson of the Wilson Transformer Company discussed the leadership styles and approaches they have used to ensure their companies are – and remain – national manufacturing success stories. Scott Thompson-Whiteside of Swinburne University of Technology then analyses their experiences to outline the leadership needs for innovation in Australia

Impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus diagnosed during admission adversely affects prognosis after myocardial infarction: An observational study

Objective To investigate the prognostic effect of newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (NDM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) post myocardial infarction (MI). Research Design and Methods Retrospective cohort study of 768 patients without preexisting diabetes mellitus post-MI at one centre in Yorkshire between November 2005 and October 2008. Patients were categorised as normal glucose tolerance (NGT n = 337), IGT (n = 279) and NDM (n = 152) on predischarge oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Primary end-point was the first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including cardiovascular death, non-fatal MI, severe heart failure (HF) or non-haemorrhagic stroke. Secondary end-points were all cause mortality and individual components of MACE. Results Prevalence of NGT, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), IGT and NDM changed from 90%, 6%, 0% and 4% on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) to 43%, 1%, 36% and 20% respectively after OGTT. 102 deaths from all causes (79 as first events of which 46 were cardiovascular), 95 non fatal MI, 18 HF and 9 non haemorrhagic strokes occurred during 47.2 ± 9.4 months follow up. Event free survival was lower in IGT and NDM groups. IGT (HR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.06–2.24, p = 0.024) and NDM (HR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.42–3.24, p = 0.003) independently predicted MACE free survival. IGT and NDM also independently predicted incidence of MACE. NDM but not IGT increased the risk of secondary end-points. Conclusion Presence of IGT and NDM in patients presenting post-MI, identified using OGTT, is associated with increased incidence of MACE and is associated with adverse outcomes despite adequate secondary prevention

The Frame of a Painting, A Cultural Insight to Man

None provided

An Experimental Approach to a Rapid Propulsion and Aeronautics Concepts Testbed

Modern aircraft design tools have limitations for predicting complex propulsion-airframe interactions. The demand for new tools and methods addressing these limitations is high based on the many recent Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts being developed for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) markets. We propose that low cost electronics and additive manufacturing can support the conceptual design of advanced autonomy-enabled concepts, by facilitating rapid prototyping for experimentally driven design cycles. This approach has the potential to reduce complex aircraft concept development costs, minimize unique risks associated with the conceptual design, and shorten development schedule by enabling the determination of many "unknown unknowns" earlier in the design process and providing verification of the results from aircraft design tools. A modular testbed was designed and built to evaluate this rapid design-build-test approach and to support aeronautics and autonomy research targeting UAM applications utilizing a complex, transitioning-VTOL aircraft configuration. The testbed is a modular wind tunnel and flight model. The testbed airframe is approximately 80% printed, with labor required for assembly. This paper describes the design process, fabrication process, ground testing, and initial wind tunnel structural and thermal loading of a proof-of-concept aircraft, the Langley Aerodrome 8 (LA-8)

Population-based outreach versus care as usual to prevent suicide attempt: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Suicide remains the 10th-ranked most frequent cause of death in the United States, accounting for over 40,000 deaths per year. Nonfatal suicide attempts lead to over 200,000 hospitalizations and 600,000 emergency department visits annually. Recent evidence indicates that responses to the commonly used Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) can identify outpatients who are at risk of suicide attempt and suicide death and that specific psychotherapy or Care Management programs can prevent suicide attempts in high-risk patients. Motivated by these developments, the NIMH-funded Mental Health Research Network has undertaken a multisite trial of two outreach programs to prevent suicide attempts among outpatients identified by routinely administered PHQ9 questionnaires. METHODS/DESIGN: Outpatients who are at risk of suicide attempt are automatically identified using data from electronic health records (EHRs). Following a modified Zelen design, all those identified are assigned to continued usual care (i.e., no contact) or to be offered one of two population-based outreach programs. A Care Management intervention includes systematic outreach to assess suicide risk, EHR-based tools to implement risk-based care pathways, and care management to facilitate recommended follow-up. A Skills Training intervention includes interactive online training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills, supported by reminder and reinforcement messages from a skills coach. Each intervention supplements, rather than replaces, usual care; participants may receive any other services normally available. Interventions are delivered primarily by secure messaging through EHR patient portals. Suicide attempts and deaths following randomization are identified using state vital statistics data and health system EHR and insurance claim data. Primary evaluation will compare risk of suicide attempt or death over 18 months according to the initial assignment, regardless of intervention participation. Recruitment is underway in three health systems (Group Health Cooperative, HealthPartners, and Kaiser Permanente Colorado). Over 2500 participants have been randomized as of 1 March 2016, with enrollment averaging approximately 100 per week. DISCUSSION: Assessing the effectiveness of population-based suicide prevention requires adherence to the principles of pragmatic trials: population-based enrollment, accepting variable treatment participation, assessing outcomes using health record data, and analyses based on intent-to-treat. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT02326883, registered on 23 December 2014

T-lymphocyte subsets in liver tissues of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and normal controls

T lymphocytes infiltrating hepatic tissues were typed and enumerated in liver biopsies of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and normal controls using monoclonal antibodies and the avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase technique. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were studied also by flow cytometry. In PBC, T lymphocytes were decreased (P<0.001) in the blood [absolute number was 426±200 (SE) vs 1351±416 in 15 controls], as was the helper/suppressor (T4/T8) ratio (1.0±0.1 vs normal 2.3±0.3). T lymphocytes were the most numerous mononuclear cells infiltrating portal areas of PBC livers: 749±93/5 high-power fields (HPF) in PBC vs 98±15/5 HPF (P<0.01) in controls. The T4/T8 ratios varied from 0.9 to 2.3 (mean, 1.8±0.1) in the portal triads (normal mean, 1.6±0.1), with the T4+ cells accounting for more than 75% of infiltrating T cells. In contrast, the mean T4/T8 ratio in portal triads of PSC was reduced (1.0±0.3) due to a significant increase (P<0.001) in the number of T8+ cells. The T cells around and in the walls of bile ducts in PBC were mostly T8+, and the T4/T8 ratio was 0.8±0.2. No T8+ cells were seen in this location in PSC and normal livers. Few mononuclear cells were present in hepatic lobules. Subtyping of T lymphocytes in liver tissues of patients with PBC and PSC may be helpful in the differential pathologic diagnosis. In patients with advanced PBC, a decrease in T4+ cells in the blood appeared to be accompanied by their accumulation in the portal triads. In contrast, T8+ cells accumulated preferentially around bile ducts. © 1984 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Automatic detection of optical signatures within and around floating Tonga - Fiji pumice rafts using MODIS, VIIRS, and OLCI Satellite Sensors

An underwater volcanic eruption off the Vava’u island group in Tonga on 7 August 2019 resulted in the creation of floating pumice on the ocean’s surface extending over an area of 150 km2. The pumice’s far-reaching effects from its origin in the Tonga region to Fiji and the methods of automatic detection using satellite imagery are described, making it possible to track the westward drift of the pumice raft over 43 days. Level 2 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI), and Sentinel-3 Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) imagery of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, quasi-surface (i.e., Rayleigh-corrected) reflectance, and remote sensing reflectance were used to distinguish consolidated and fragmented rafts as well as discolored and mesotrophic waters. The rafts were detected by a 1 to 3.5 °C enhancement in the MODIS-derived “sea surface temperature” due to the emissivity difference of the raft material. Large plumes of discolored waters, characterized by higher satellite reflectance/backscattering of particles in the blue than surrounding waters (and corresponding to either submersed pumice or associated white minerals), were associated with the rafts. The discolored waters had relatively lower chlorophyll-a concentration, but this was artificial, resulting from the higher blue/red reflectance ratio caused by the reflective pumice particles. Mesotrophic waters were scarce in the region of the pumice rafts, presumably due to the absence of phytoplanktonic response to a silicium-rich pumice environment in these tropical oligotrophic environments. As beach accumulations around Pacific islands surrounded by coral shoals are a recurrent phenomenon that finds its origin far east in the ocean along the Tongan trench, monitoring the events from space, as demonstrated for the 7 August 2019 eruption, might help mitigate their potential economic impacts

It Takes a Village: Open Source Software Sustainability

This Guidebook is designed to serve as a practical reference source to help open source software programs serving cultural and scientific heritage organizations plan for long-term sustainability, ensuring that commitment and resources will be available at levels sufficient for the software to remain viable and effective as long as it is needed. One of the most significant themes of this Guidebook is that sustainability is not a linear process, with set beginning and end points. Program sustainability shifts and evolves over time across a number of phases and facets. The phases speak to where a program is in its lifecycle: getting started, growing, or stable but not static. The facets describe the different components of sustainability, each of which is critical to overall program health, but may have different timelines, goals, and resource needs. The facets deemed most critical by the Guidebook’s authors and contributors are: Governance, Technology, Resources (Financial and Human), and Community Engagement. Sections of the Guidebook will: define the phases and facets of sustainability; identify goals, characteristics, and common roadblocks for each phase in each facet; provide guidance for moving an OSS program to the next phase in a given facet, with the understanding that the same program may be in different phases along different facets of sustainability; and highlight case studies and additional resources to help a program’s research and decision-making process. The Guidebook is intended for a broad audience. While certain paths may be of more interest than others, we would recommend reading through each of the facets before returning to the one that aligns most closely with a specific role, e.g., governance for a program manager, technology for a technical lead, engagement for a community manager, or resources for an administrator. The worksheet in Appendix A can help identify the specific phase a program is in along each facet. The open source landscape is wide and varied. Bringing open source programs serving cultural and scientific heritage together under one shared umbrella can provide us all with the power to better advocate for our needs, develop shared sustainability strategies, and provide our communities with the information needed to assess and contribute to the sustainability of the programs they depend on

Interview with Half Century Club Inductees, Class of 1930

Oral history interview with Illinois State Normal University alumni, Class of 1930. The interview was conducted on May 10, 1980, by an unidentified interviewer. They discuss President Felmley, influential faculty, and racial discrimination experienced by students of color.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/aoh/1002/thumbnail.jp