Same Question, Different World: Replicating an Open Access Research Impact Study

To examine changes in the open access landscape over time, this study partially replicated Kristin Antelman’s 2004 study of open access citation advantage. Results indicated open access articles still have a citation advantage. For three of the four disciplines examined, the most common sites hosting freely available articles were independent sites, such as academic social networks or article sharing sites. For the same three disciplines, more than 70% of the open access copies were publishers’ PDFs. The major difference from Antelman’s is the increase in the number of freely available articles that appear to be in violation of publisher policies

REPAIRER Reporting System User Analysis for SMS Compliance in Aviation Maintenance

To resolve the issue of human error in maintenance the REPAIRER reporting system is revisited as it has great potential by combining a human factors analysis with a risk management safety reporting mechanism. It is also timely as a human factors centered safety reporting method like the REPAIRER could now be feasibly implemented through the new mandatory FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) FAR 121 requirement to use SMS (Safety Management System) pillars and through the new FAA MxHF human factors training. With the current FAA support in place and the ever growing need to add human factors to combat human error in aviation maintenance, the REPAIRER model would seem attractive to many aviation maintenance organizations. To illustrate this, the researchers’ intention is to take the REPAIRER model to a point of hypothetical use in an aviation maintenance organization to gain an understanding of its potential benefits. To accomplish this, a thorough look at the economic gains were first identified in the form of cost savings through safety and less accidents, but then also in the form of possible efficiency gains. The REPAIRER was then looked at as a tool to achieve employee motivation and gain a just culture. The last area of the REPAIRER added value was the ease of implementing it into various types and sizes of organizations

Managing Safety Risks in Airline Maintenance Outsourcing

The U.S aviation industry faced severe financial losses after the 9/11 incident. The financial loss that occurred between 2000 and 2009 in the U.S. alone was $54 billion dollars. One of the operational strategies adopted by air carriers to overcome this hurdle was to outsource aircraft maintenance. Initially, this was accomplished in both home and off-shore locations. Unionized labor relations in the US ultimately forced these organizations to outsource to non-unionized labor sources in foreign countries. However, due to the upsurge in accidents and incidents that resulting from maintenance failures, the concept of outsourcing maintenance became a subject of debate and regulatory scrutiny. With regard to this debate and resulting safety issues, this paper discusses the concept of outsourcing and the trend of aviation outsourcing at a global level. It reviewed related risk factors by examining the root causes of several aviation-maintenance-related aircraft accidents that occurred in the US and abroad and identified the regulatory actions taken by the FAA and other concerned authorities to address the problem. Utilizing the results of a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis, along with the additional research conducted in the study, several recommendations were made. The first was to utilize enhanced data collection and analysis platforms that optimize decision-making and reduce downtime related to unscheduled maintenance. Next, the FAA and ICAO should mandate that all maintenance organizations, including those that are outsourced, implement Safety Management System (SMS) programs. A key component, however, is the incorporation of a reporting system that addresses human error within the SMS program such as the REPAIRER system

VCU Libraries Liaison Work Group Final Report

The Liaison Work Group convened in September 2019 to articulate the liaison model at VCU Libraries (VCUL) with a focus on strengthening collaboration and communication. This report reflects an environmental scan of liaison work at VCU Libraries

Outsourcing Aircraft Maintenance and Related Safety Implications

The U.S aviation industry faced severe financial losses after the 9/11 incident. The financial loss that occurred between 2000 and 2009 in the U.S. alone was $54 billion dollars. One of the operational strategies adopted by air carriers to overcome this hurdle was to outsource aircraft maintenance. Initially, this was accomplished in both home and off-shore locations. Unionized labor relations in the US ultimately forced these organizations to outsource to non-unionized labor sources in foreign countries. However, due to the upsurge in accidents and incidents that resulting from maintenance failures, the concept of outsourcing maintenance became a subject of debate and regulatory scrutiny. With regard to this debate and resulting safety issues, this paper discusses the concept of outsourcing and the trend of aviation outsourcing at a global level. It reviewed related risk factors by examining the root causes of several aviation-maintenance-related aircraft accidents that occurred in the US and abroad and identified the regulatory actions taken by the FAA and other concerned authorities to address the problem. Utilizing the results of a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis, along with the additional research conducted in the study, several recommendations were made. The first was to utilize enhanced data collection and analysis platforms that optimize decision-making and reduce downtime related to unscheduled maintenance. Next, the FAA and ICAO should mandate that all maintenance organizations, including those that are outsourced, implement Safety Management System (SMS) programs. A key component, however, is the incorporation of a reporting system that addresses human error within the SMS program such as the REPAIRER system

Shared Governance Task Force Report

The VCU Libraries Shared Governance Task Force was convened in September 2019 and charged with reviewing and describing the current VCU Libraries’ governance structure, identifying gaps and areas for improvement, and recommending changes. The task force defined shared governance as a model where decision-making is collaborative, transparent, well-communicated, and informed by the perspectives of all those who are impacted by the decision. The report includes recommendations for specific decision-making groups such as the Administrative Council, Management Council, and Faculty Organization, as well as a recommendation to create an All Staff Organization that represents employees of all job categories within decision-making processes. Other areas of focus in recommendations include decision-making and communication practices within committees, workgroups, and task forces; support, compensation, and recognition for engaging in shared governance; and employee dynamics across job categories

Funder-Initiated Communities of Practice as a Means for Sharing and Creating Knowledge in Order to Strengthen the Adaptive Capacity of Systems

Planned communities of practice can be an effective means to spread and create knowledge. This article explores the degree to which communities of practice can be initiated by funders, and presents the lessons learned and outcomes achieved from the long-term commitment to this concept by the McKnight Foundation\u27s Collaborative Crop Research Program. This article provides a novel contribution to the literature by showing that a funder can initiate, support, and participate in a community of practice comprised of its grantees, which can succeed in sharing and creating knowledge. Factors that organizations should consider when investigating this concept include long-term investment in convenings and facilitation, as well as relinquishing some control over outcomes. Research shows that the McKnight program\u27s communities of practice have provided a space for various actors in Africa and the Andes region to develop adaptive capacity related to food system research and action through social learning. As funders increasingly look outside of the traditional logic of projects to explore how they can contribute to enabling long-term conditions and capacity for change and adaptation, well-supported and facilitated communities of practice offer a promising approach

Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) - a new easily to determine biomarker in Colon cancer - results of a retrospective study

Simple Summary Many studies have used histomorphological features to more precisely predict the prognosis of patients with colon cancer, focusing on tumor budding, poorly differentiated clusters, and the tumor–stroma ratio. Here, we introduce SARIFA: Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Area(s). We defined SARIFA as the direct contact between a tumor gland/tumor cell cluster (≥5 cells) and inconspicuous surrounding adipose tissue in the invasion front. SARIFA shows an excellent interobserver reliability and high prognostic value and is thus a promising histomorphological prognostic indicator for adipose-infiltrative adenocarcinomas of the colon. Abstract Many studies have used histomorphological features to more precisely predict the prognosis of patients with colon cancer, focusing on tumor budding, poorly differentiated clusters, and the tumor–stroma ratio. Here, we introduce SARIFA: Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Area(s). We defined SARIFA as the direct contact between a tumor gland/tumor cell cluster (≥5 cells) and inconspicuous surrounding adipose tissue in the invasion front. In this retrospective, single-center study, we classified 449 adipose-infiltrative adenocarcinomas (not otherwise specified) from two groups based on SARIFA and found 25% of all tumors to be SARIFA-positive. Kappa values between the two pathologists were good/very good: 0.77 and 0.87. Patients with SARIFA-positive tumors had a significantly shorter colon-cancer-specific survival (p = 0.008, group A), absence of metastasis, and overall survival (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, group B). SARIFA was significantly associated with adverse features such as pT4 stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor budding, and higher tumor grade. Moreover, SARIFA was confirmed as an independent prognostic indicator for colon-cancer-specific survival (p = 0.011, group A). SARIFA assessment was very quick (<1 min). Because of low interobserver variability and good prognostic significance, SARIFA seems to be a promising histomorphological prognostic indicator in adipose-infiltrative adenocarcinomas of the colon. Further studies should validate our results and also determine whether SARIFA is a universal prognostic indicator in solid cancers

Concord Companions: Margaret Fuller, Friendship, and Desire

In this paper, we examine the rhetoric of friendship and desire in mid-nineteenth-century American writing. We begin by looking at Emerson's essay on friendship and Thoreau's poem "Sympathy" (1840) to provide a context for reading Margaret Fuller's fascinating texts on samesex bonds between women. Of particular interest to us is Fuller's translation of Elizabeth von Arnim's Die Gunderode (1840), a collection of letters between Arnim and the German Romantic poet Karoline von Gunderode which provides compelling insights into the early to mid-nineteenth-century continuum between female friendship and same-sex desire. We situate this translation alongside Fuller's own female friendships and expressions of love for women, more specifically her declarations of love to Anna Barker and, later, to George Sand. This latter relationship, we suggest, was a source of admiration and anxiety, for Sand's cross-dressing and fluid sense of gender identity was simultaneously celebrated and condemned in Fuller's Women in the Nineteenth Century (1843)

Strain Typing Methods and Molecular Epidemiology of Pneumocystis Pneumonia

Several typing methods, with different strengths and weaknesses, are available for studies of Pneumocystis pneumonia