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Selected AbstractsFactors influencing the publication of social performance information: an Australian case studyCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2005Tony McMurtrie Abstract Traditional research into the social responsibility information published by firms has concentrated on the information published in the annual report and has not considered closely the driving forces that have guided the identification and preparation of information that is to be included in that publication. This paper reports on a case study that has examined some of the internal factors that have driven the publication of social responsibility information, and shows that while the annual report is still a major publication medium the internet plays a very significant role in the dissemination of information. Factors that impact on the publication media and the content of the published information in these cases were seen to be the nature of the information system used, the intended audience and their perceived power, and the level of corporate conservatism that guided the companies' management. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Interpreting three-dimensional structures from two-dimensional images: a web-based interactive 3D teaching model of surgical liver anatomyHPB, Issue 6 2009Jodi L. Crossingham Abstract Background:, Given the increasing number of indications for liver surgery and the growing complexity of operations, many trainees in surgical, imaging and related subspecialties require a good working knowledge of the complex intrahepatic anatomy. Computed tomography (CT), the most commonly used liver imaging modality, enhances our understanding of liver anatomy, but comprises a two-dimensional (2D) representation of a complex 3D organ. It is challenging for trainees to acquire the necessary skills for converting these 2D images into 3D mental reconstructions because learning opportunities are limited and internal hepatic anatomy is complicated, asymmetrical and variable. We have created a website that uses interactive 3D models of the liver to assist trainees in understanding the complex spatial anatomy of the liver and to help them create a 3D mental interpretation of this anatomy when viewing CT scans. Methods:, Computed tomography scans were imported into DICOM imaging software (OsiriXÔ) to obtain 3D surface renderings of the liver and its internal structures. Using these 3D renderings as a reference, 3D models of the liver surface and the intrahepatic structures, portal veins, hepatic veins, hepatic arteries and the biliary system were created using 3D modelling software (Cinema 4DÔ). Results:, Using current best practices for creating multimedia tools, a unique, freely available, online learning resource has been developed, entitled Visual Interactive Resource for Teaching, Understanding And Learning Liver Anatomy (VIRTUAL Liver) (http://pie.med.utoronto.ca/VLiver). This website uses interactive 3D models to provide trainees with a constructive resource for learning common liver anatomy and liver segmentation, and facilitates the development of the skills required to mentally reconstruct a 3D version of this anatomy from 2D CT scans. Discussion:, Although the intended audience for VIRTUAL Liver consists of residents in various medical and surgical specialties, the website will also be useful for other health care professionals (i.e. radiologists, nurses, hepatologists, radiation oncologists, family doctors) and educators because it provides a comprehensive resource for teaching liver anatomy. [source] Risk modelling in blood safety , review of methods, strengths and limitationsISBT SCIENCE SERIES: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTRACELLULAR TRANSPORT, Issue n1 2010B. Custer Risk modelling studies in blood safety play an important but occasionally misunderstood role. These studies are intended to quantify and contrast risks and benefits. This information is critical for policy development and intervention decision-making. The limitations of risk modelling should be considered alongside the results obtained. The goal of this manuscript and presentation is to review current risk modelling techniques used in blood safety and to discuss the pros and cons of using this information in the decision-making process. The types of questions that can be answered include the extent of a risk or threat; implications of action or inaction; identification of effective strategies for risk management; or whether to adopt specific interventions. These analyses can be focused on a risk alone but are often combined with economic information to gain an understanding of feasible risk interventions given budgetary or other monetary considerations. Thus, analyses that include risk modelling provide insights along multiple lines. As important, the analyses also provide information on what is not known or uncertain about a potential hazard and how much that uncertainty may influence the decision-making process. Specific examples of the range of risk analyses in which the author has participated will be reviewed and will include ongoing process improvement in testing laboratories such as error identification/eradication, estimation of the risk of malaria exposure based on the specific locations of travel, evaluation of blood supply and demand during an influenza pandemic, cost-utility analyses of screening interventions for infectious diseases in countries with different human development indices, and insurance against emerging pathogen risk. Each of these analyses has a different purpose and seeks to answer different questions, but all rely on similar methods. The tool kit for risk analysis is broad and varied but does have limitations. The chief limitation of risk modelling is that risk analyses are not scientific experiments or otherwise controlled studies. Consequently, the analyses are more apt to be influenced by assumptions. These assumptions may be necessary to structure a problem in a way that will allow the question of interest to be answered or may result from incomplete or missing information. Another potential limitation is that commissioners of such studies, those who undertake them, and the intended audience, such as regulatory agencies, may have distinct and differing interpretations of the results. Risk modelling is a set of techniques that can be used to inform and support decision-making at all levels in transfusion medicine. Advances in risk modelling techniques allow for continued expansion in the scope of possible questions that can be analysed. Expanded use also improves the acceptance of the utility of these studies in blood safety and transfusion medicine. [source] Fair Labelling in Criminal LawTHE MODERN LAW REVIEW, Issue 2 2008James Chalmers ,Fair labelling' has become common currency in criminal law scholarship over recent decades, but the principle's scope and justification has never been analysed in detail. Basic questions remain unanswered, such as the intended audience for these labels and whether they assume the same importance in respect of both offences and defences. This article traces the intellectual history of the principle and examines its possible justifications in respect of offence labelling, noting that labelling is important in two distinct senses: that of description, and that of differentiation. It goes on to sketch out some considerations which are of importance in the principle's application, before concluding with a discussion of its applicability to defences. [source] SRTR Program-Specific Reports on Outcomes: A Guide for the New ReaderAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4p2 2008D. M. Dickinson Differences in outcomes indeed exist among transplant programs and organ procurement organizations (OPO). A growing set of tools are available from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) to measure and assess these outcomes in the different phases of the transplant process. These tools are not intended to compare two individual programs, rather to help identify programs whose practices may need further scrutiny, to be either avoided, corrected or emulated. To understand which differences in outcomes might be due to underlying differences in populations served and which might be due to differences in treatment, it is important to compare outcomes to ,risk-adjusted' expected values. Further, it is important to recognize and assess the role that random chance may play in these outcomes by considering the p-value or confidence interval of each estimate. We present the reader with a basic explanation of these tools and their interpretation in the context of reading the SRTR Program-Specific Reports. We describe the intended audience of these reports, including patients, monitoring and process improvement bodies, payers and others such as the media. Use of these statistics in a way that reflects a basic understanding of these concepts and their limitations is beneficial for all audiences. [source] |