Diffusion milieus as a focus of research on innovation in the public sector

Public policies to increase the efficiency of state and local governments through fostering the use of new technologies are based, implicitly at least, on theories of diffusion. Existing theories of diffusion have been found to be deficient. This paper presents an approach to the diffusion of technological innovations in state and local governments organized around the concept of diffusion milieus.A diffusion milieu contains those elements external to the organization which bring pressure to bear on the organization to alter its existing practices, which define the range of feasible alternatives to these practices, and which condition the information flow on the performance characteristics of the proposed innovation(s). These milieu components are then filtered through the internal decision-making process(es) of the organization to produce a decision to accept or reject the innovation(s). More specifically, the milieu contains (1) the specific nature of the demands upon the agency to change behavior (performance gaps), (2) the supply of alternatives to existing practices (technological change), (3) agency-executive relationships, (4) the activities of suppliers in marketing innovations, (5) the resources available to the agency to acquire new techniques, (6) the characteristics of the knowledge infrastructure which affect the search behavior and the degree of uncertainty associated with adopting new techniques, (7) the impact of intergovernmental relationships, and (8) citizen demands. The components of the diffusion milieu are then (9) related to a set of agency decision-rules concerning the adoption of new techniques.The rate of diffusion in each field will depend upon themagnitude of the components and on thelinkages between them.Functional fields differ in both respects.Research for this paper was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Office of R & D Assessment. We have benefited from the helpful comments of Professor Marvin Rozen, an anonymous referee and the research assistance of Ms. Lee Ann Kozak. The views expressed in this paper are the sole responsibility of the authors. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1975 American Political Science Association meetings.     

‘Without Education You Can Never Become President’: Teenage Pregnancy and Pseudo-empowerment in Post-Ebola Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the emergence of ‘teenage pregnancy’ as a new policy focus in post-Ebola Sierra Leone and explores how Sierra Leoneans interpret the problem of ‘teenage pregnancy’. I argue that the new policy focus is not indicative of changing or new problems. Rather, ‘teenage pregnancy’ has created opportunities for donors and the Government of Sierra Leone to continue cooperation in gender politics. At the same time, Sierra Leoneans are clearly concerned about ‘teenage pregnancy’, and many agree with sensitization campaigns that responsibilize young women and girls while downplaying structural factors that render them vulnerable to arrangements involving transactional sex.     

Sensitivity enhancement of ninhydrin-treated latent fingerprints by enzymes and metal salts

Lyophilized Sigma Type III trypsin has been applied to latent prints two weeks to two months old. This trypsin preparation eliminates the background problems that had been encountered with old prints in a previous study. Zinc chloride treatment of latent prints previously exposed to ninhydrin enhances their detectability upon laser examination. However, it has been reported that the zinc chloride reaction occasionally fails to occur. Accordingly, we have investigated the optimization of this reaction. We find that high humidity and elevated temperature, particularly the former, are needed. Cadmium nitrate, although it produces weaker fluorescence than zinc chloride, may at times be useful. Reaction conditions are much the same as those for zinc chloride.     

Photoluminescent CdS/dendrimer nanocomposites for fingerprint detection

CdS/dendrimer nanocomposites with a range of concentrations of the photoluminescent semiconductor nanocluster and the dendrimer are prepared in methanol and 1:9 methanol:water solutions. The solutions are utilized for detection of cyanoacrylate ester fumed and unfumed fingerprints on polyethylene and aluminum foil.     

Diimide-enhanced fingerprint detection with photoluminescent CdS/dendrimer nanocomposites

The chemical development of latent fingerprints by nanocomposites that involve photoluminescent cadmium sulfide nanoparticle aggregates with Starburst dendrimer is demonstrated. The dendrimer bonds to fingerprint residue via its terminal functional groups. When these are amino groups (generation 4 dendrimer), the binding is enhanced by fingerprint pre-treatment with diimide. The diimide converts carboxylic acid moieties of the fingerprint residue to esters that then react with the dendrimer amino groups to form amide linkages. The cadmium sulfide/generation 4 dendrimer development of fingerprints is enhanced by elevated temperature also. Finally, fingerprint development with carboxylate-functionalized cadmium sulfide/generation 3.5 dendrimer nanocomposites is examined. Here, diimide treatment of the dendrimer itself aids the subsequent fingerprint labeling, which involves amino acid of the figerprint residue. Nanocomposite fingerprint detection is compatible with time-resolved imaging for background fluorescence elimination.     

Photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals for fingerprint detection

The concept of utilizing photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals for latent fingerprint detection, especially in concert with phase-resolved imaging for background fluorescence suppression, is reduced to practice with CdS nanocrystals that are capped with dioctyl sulfosuccinate. The nanocrystals are dissolved in heptane or hexane and are applied in much the same way as staining with fluorescent dye, on articles that have been pre-fumed with cyanoacrylate ester and also on the sticky side of electrical tape without pre-fuming. Since CdS can form a photoluminescent nanocomposite with dendrimers, a feasibility examination of dendrimer tagging of fingerprints has also been conducted.     

Mass spectra and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of the reaction product of glycine with 1,2-indanedione in methanol

The reaction products of 1,2-indanedione (a new fluorescent fingerprint reagent) with glycine in methanol, at room temperature have been studied using excitation and emission and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) has also been used to determine which compounds are formed. Reaction products were identified using GC/MS as 2-carboxymethyliminoindanone (MW=203 g) and 1,2-di(carboxymethylimino)indane (MW=260 g). Identified compounds show room temperature fluorescence lifetimes of tau(1)=7.69 ns and tau(2)=1.27 ns. It is not clear yet which compound is having fluorescence lifetime of 7.69 ns and which one is showing 1.27 ns.