BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are essential medicines and their effectiveness is under threat due to antimicrobial resistance. Guidelines are one way to conserve antibiotic effectiveness given that they are intended to modify clinician prescribing. Guidelines that provide antibiotic recommendations should make explicit contextual considerations that influence antimicrobial resistance and their downstream effects on resistance emergence. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and respiratory tract infection guidelines and recommendations to examine how and to what extent they are considering contextual factors that influence antimicrobial resistance. We also investigated whether there are guidelines and recommendations that can be adopted or adapted to local contexts. RESULTS: We found that within 74 included guidelines, two thirds of recommendations considered antimicrobial resistance. Of which only five guidelines considered all factors required to consider local aspects such as values, resource use, acceptability, feasibility, and equity. As such, these five guidelines can be either adopted or adapted to Canadian and other contexts. We also found that 39% of guidelines met credibility scores of 60% or greater in AGREE II domains: scope and purpose, rigor of development, and editorial independence. CLINCAL IMPLICATIONS: There are very few Infectious disease guidelines for highly prevalent diseases that do not consider all important contextual factors may influence antimicrobial resistance. Our findings can support societies and organizations, public health policy, and health care stakeholders to develop and implement guidelines that are applicable to local contexts efficiently and resourcefully. Our antimicrobial resistance recommendation framework, used in addition to GRADE Evidence to Decision frameworks, is a start to having this come to fruition. / Thesis / Master of Public Health (MPH)

Los Sistemas Perceptivos del Contexto son capaces de reconocer y anticipar proactivamente a necesidades próximas del usuario teniendo en cuenta intereses, ubicación y proximidad, incluso sin necesidad de comunicárselo de manera explícita. Esto gracias al aprovechamiento de las redes sociales como la herramienta de “Inteligencia de Negocios” que permitirá no sólo conectar a los consumidores con las marcas sino también para entender a los clientes finales y con ello desarrollar productos y servicios especializados. Context Awareness se apoya de los Sistemas de Posicionamiento Global (GSP) quienes facilitan servicios basados en la ubicación del usuario para la creación de soluciones contextuales. Diversas arquitecturas son propuestas para el desarrollo de soluciones contextuales sin embargo carecen de ubicuidad, lo que limita la aplicabilidad de las mismas. Este estudio propone una arquitectura lógica para un Sistema Perceptivo del Contexto que permita agilizar la fase de desarrollo reflejando los niveles de dependencia entre componentes hardware y software. A modo validación se proponen escenarios aplicativos que consumen los servicios y dominios propuestos en la arquitectura con ayuda del procesamiento de los sensores y dispositivos inteligentes del mercado móvil. De esta manera, el estudio mejora el desarrollo de los Sistemas Inteligentes. / Los Sistemas Perceptivos del Contexto son capaces de reconocer y anticipar proactivamente a necesidades próximas del usuario teniendo en cuenta intereses, ubicación y proximidad, incluso sin necesidad de comunicárselo de manera explícita. Esto gracias al aprovechamiento de las redes sociales como la herramienta de “Inteligencia de Negocios” que permitirá no sólo conectar a los consumidores con las marcas sino también para entender a los clientes finales y con ello desarrollar productos y servicios especializados. Context Awareness se apoya de los Sistemas de Posicionamiento Global (GSP) quienes facilitan servicios basados en la ubicación del usuario para la creación de soluciones contextuales. Diversas arquitecturas son propuestas para el desarrollo de soluciones contextuales sin embargo carecen de ubicuidad, lo que limita la aplicabilidad de las mismas. Este estudio propone una arquitectura lógica para un Sistema Perceptivo del Contexto que permita agilizar la fase de desarrollo reflejando los niveles de dependencia entre componentes hardware y software. A modo validación se proponen escenarios aplicativos que consumen los servicios y dominios propuestos en la arquitectura con ayuda del procesamiento de los sensores y dispositivos inteligentes del mercado móvil. De esta manera, el estudio mejora el desarrollo de los Sistemas Inteligentes.

Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond faster to complex market conditions, and new patterns of accountability, inter- dependency and co-ordination within organisations of all types. This has led to the emergence of alternative models of leadership including shared and distributed leadership. In many organisations, such as those with matrix structures, many leaders need to accomplish organisational goals without formal line management authority over employees. This is also the case in many professional services (e.g. law and consultancy) that operate partnership models whereby individuals have little direct authority over their peers. In University settings the governance structure also impedes traditional hierarchical leadership. The tenure system, operated by many universities and colleges in the United States and Canada, provides intellectual autonomy, protects academics from external pressure and offers job security. Despite a growing literature on shared and distributed leadership, few studies have empirically examined the nature of leadership distribution, the contextual factors that impact leadership, and how those in senior positions (e.g. university department chairs) achieve organisational goals when employees (e.g. faculty members) possess significant authority and autonomy. This study addresses this gap. In so doing the study aims to contribute to the literature on shared and distributed leadership and provide important insight to assist positional leaders who possess limited direct authority in more effectively accomplishing their leadership goals. ...[cont.]

Digital disruptions are changing the healthcare ecosystem, requiring organizations to rethink IT strategies and develop new IT competencies. This study focuses on the exploitation and exploration tension that managers face within an IT organization of a global pharmaceutical company, and their response to the related environmental exigencies in healthcare. Dynamic capability theory (DC) provides the overall framing, while ambidexterity provides an understanding of top management’s response to the exploit–explore tensions that arise. This engaged scholarship longitudinal case study takes a shifting stories methodological approach to elicit participants’ reflections and interpretations of significant events, including their own role in evolving the ambidextrous posture of the IT organization. Through rich description stories, process related decisions have been revealed, and have provided an understanding into organizational reconfiguration of IT resources. Subsequently, this resulted in a situated grounded model for understanding DC and OA for this case. Practical insights are offered on how dynamic capability theory could be applied for IT management to be smarter at becoming more ambidextrous.

Since the turn of the century interest has grown in alternative models of leadership to reflect increased complexity and ambiguity, the need to respond faster to complex market conditions, and new patterns of accountability, inter- dependency and co-ordination within organisations of all types. This has led to the emergence of alternative models of leadership including shared and distributed leadership. In many organisations, such as those with matrix structures, many leaders need to accomplish organisational goals without formal line management authority over employees. This is also the case in many professional services (e.g. law and consultancy) that operate partnership models whereby individuals have little direct authority over their peers. In University settings the governance structure also impedes traditional hierarchical leadership. The tenure system, operated by many universities and colleges in the United States and Canada, provides intellectual autonomy, protects academics from external pressure and offers job security. Despite a growing literature on shared and distributed leadership, few studies have empirically examined the nature of leadership distribution, the contextual factors that impact leadership, and how those in senior positions (e.g. university department chairs) achieve organisational goals when employees (e.g. faculty members) possess significant authority and autonomy. This study addresses this gap. In so doing the study aims to contribute to the literature on shared and distributed leadership and provide important insight to assist positional leaders who possess limited direct authority in more effectively accomplishing their leadership goals.

This research asked whether a contextual stimulus in a visual conditional discrimination task controlled membership in classes of stimuli related hierarchically. Six experiments with nonreading preschool children posed the following question: Does a stimulus juxtaposed with a conditional discrimination task control relations among the stimuli involved in the task? In Experiments I and II, printed instance or concept words were juxtaposed with conditional discrimination tasks involving symbols. Results for eight of nine children demonstrated neither conditional nor equivalence relations between words and symbols. Would conditional discrimination training establish classes of visual stimuli composed of selectively nonequivalent subsets? In Experiment III, subjects from the first two experiments were taught conditional relations, then tested for stimulus class development. Printed words that could have been related transitively were not, apparently due to interference by identical letters in certain words, so no stimulus classes developed. Would the equivalence relations sought in Experiment III develop without a history where printed words were unnecessary to conditional discrimination tasks? For Experiment IV-A, one experimentally naive child was taught the same conditional relations as Experiment III subjects. Two stimulus classes emerged, each containing two subsets that were selectively nonequivalent depending upon trial context. Are direct or transitive stimulus relations more likely to control responding? In experiment IV-B, the subject from Experiment IV-A expressed more direct than transitive relations on modified matching trials. Would interference by identical elements in words be precluded by training conditional relations among words directly? One child in Experiment V was taught conditional relations between concept words and instance words, and instance words and symbols. Results suggested that stimulus class development, which would have answered the question affirmatively, had begun but was incomplete. Would providing auditory labels for some printed words preclude interference by identical elements, allowing nonidentical words to be related transitively? In Experiment VI, one child was taught auditory labels for selected printed words, followed by the same visual conditional discrimination training provided in Experiment III. Two stimulus classes developed, requiring transitive and symmetric relations among printed words.

As part of the promotional mix, advertising plays a significant role in a company’s or organisation’s communication with its consumers and stakeholders. In order to inform consumers about their products or services, marketers apply a variety of advertising strategies. One particular strategy is “contextual advertising”, which refers to the strategic placement of advertisements in an editorial environment whose theme is relevant for the promoted product or service (Belch & Belch, 2009, p. 492). Also in advertising research, contextual advertising received a considerable amount of attention. Scholars have investigated the effectiveness of contextual advertising in online and offline media. Researchers as well as practitioners have particularly focused on content-based relationships between advertisements and the theme of the editorial environment in which the advertisement is placed. With a focus on online media, the present study aimed to investigate this content-based relationship but also to examine what other types of relationships between the different contents on a webpage the user constructs. Advertising has also been investigated in the area of semiotics. Several scholars analysed advertisements in order to reveal their meaning-affordances. A second interest in the present study derives from semiotic studies and theories, which emphasise the individual’s significance in the meaning-making process but also exclude the individual from their analysis. A potential contradiction could be seen here and by investigating how users interpret a particular webpage, this study aimed to examine what insights an analysis can provide that is solely focused on the webpage user. In order to capture users’ interpretations of a webpage’s contents and to investigate what types of relationships between these contents users construct semi-structured interviews with six participants were conducted. The participants were invited to look at a webpage from the website www.healthyfood.co.nz. Following the interviews, the participants’ responses were transcribed, categorised and analysed. Findings from the study revealed that several participants constructed relationships between advertisements and the editorial content based on content-similarity but also on design-similarity as well as their personal knowledge about sponsorship relationships and income-investment relationships. Personal knowledge also appeared to be important for the interpretation of the webpage. The participants’ interpretation of the webpage were also guided by their personal interest in the contents, their individual contexts like socio-cultural background, experiences and beliefs as well as environmental factors such as time and the layout of the interview location. The results of the study support the significant role of the individual in the process of meaning making and further contribute to an extended understanding of contextual advertising. Practical suggestions for the advertising area and future research were also identified.

As part of the promotional mix, advertising plays a significant role in a company’s or organisation’s communication with its consumers and stakeholders. In order to inform consumers about their products or services, marketers apply a variety of advertising strategies. One particular strategy is “contextual advertising”, which refers to the strategic placement of advertisements in an editorial environment whose theme is relevant for the promoted product or service (Belch & Belch, 2009, p. 492). Also in advertising research, contextual advertising received a considerable amount of attention. Scholars have investigated the effectiveness of contextual advertising in online and offline media. Researchers as well as practitioners have particularly focused on content-based relationships between advertisements and the theme of the editorial environment in which the advertisement is placed. With a focus on online media, the present study aimed to investigate this content-based relationship but also to examine what other types of relationships between the different contents on a webpage the user constructs. Advertising has also been investigated in the area of semiotics. Several scholars analysed advertisements in order to reveal their meaning-affordances. A second interest in the present study derives from semiotic studies and theories, which emphasise the individual’s significance in the meaning-making process but also exclude the individual from their analysis. A potential contradiction could be seen here and by investigating how users interpret a particular webpage, this study aimed to examine what insights an analysis can provide that is solely focused on the webpage user. In order to capture users’ interpretations of a webpage’s contents and to investigate what types of relationships between these contents users construct semi-structured interviews with six participants were conducted. The participants were invited to look at a webpage from the website www.healthyfood.co.nz. Following the interviews, the participants’ responses were transcribed, categorised and analysed. Findings from the study revealed that several participants constructed relationships between advertisements and the editorial content based on content-similarity but also on design-similarity as well as their personal knowledge about sponsorship relationships and income-investment relationships. Personal knowledge also appeared to be important for the interpretation of the webpage. The participants’ interpretation of the webpage were also guided by their personal interest in the contents, their individual contexts like socio-cultural background, experiences and beliefs as well as environmental factors such as time and the layout of the interview location. The results of the study support the significant role of the individual in the process of meaning making and further contribute to an extended understanding of contextual advertising. Practical suggestions for the advertising area and future research were also identified.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This thesis investigates the use of an operational formal architectural strategy to reinvigorate instances of failing city fabric. By introducing hierarchy and nodal destination elements into the urban grid, the existing field is transformed into a network of catalytic centers. Frame is employed as a permeable mediator between the existing grid and insertion, creating a permeable superblock that is both contextual and stimulating. The Over-the-Rhine district in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of these failing city fabrics. Directly adjacent to downtown, this once vibrant neighborhood has experienced massive depopulation and deterioration. It’s population has dropped from 45,000 to less than 5,000. Currently, 66% of the buildings in the area are vacant or have been demolished. Over-The-Rhine lies between downtown and the University of Cincinnati. There is potential in creating a growth corridor between these two poles through Over-The-Rhine, stimulating the stagnant grid. A nodal infrastructural transit corridor is inserted between Downtown and the University of Cincinnati. Stops along the corridor act as point insertions in the fabric, forming nodal hierarchy. Incision activates the existing context through connection, deploying both a top down and bottom up approach. It creates a large centralized entity framed by and connected to context. It creates a range of scales, allowing for programmatic variety, an urban characteristic that the enclave lacks. It is strategic in working with the fabric, mediating flows and taking advantage of the porous grid condition. Each incision, in order to successfully attract from both downtown and the university, contains programmatic elements from each pole. This integration creates a complex interaction of program, as well as new partnerships between Downtown and University entities. It is a new approach for both Downtown and the University to address the failing fabric between.