Uncertainty and Human Capital Decisions: Traditional Valuation Methods and Real Options Logic

As the importance of human capital increases in organizations, so does the need to develop more sophisticated financial valuation models. This paper reviews some of the major traditional financial decision making models used in costing employment mode choices. It then introduces the real options valuation approach for costing such choices. The advantage of the real options model is demonstrated to build flexibility into employment decisions

Dual Polarization Interferometry for Small Molecules Drug Development

Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. Transmission to animals and humans occurs via several routes, including ingestion of contaminated water, or inhalation of contaminated dusts or aerosols, tick bites, and skin contact with infected animals. Because of its highly pathogenic and opportunistic nature, F. tularensis is a likely candidate for use as an airborne biological weapon. For this reason, developing a vaccine and identifying appropriate treatments are critical to effective bioterrorism preparedness and response. It may exist in nature within encysted amoeba, which may represent a similar survival strategy within human macrophages. To facilitate antimicrobial drug development, a study of the encystment process was carried out. One of the proteins discovered during this study was Rep 24, a novel Francisella cysteine protease. In this current study the interaction between Rep 24 and a possible interactive substrate, JPM-565, is observed. This interaction is detected through the optical sensing technique known as Dual Polarization Interferometry (DPI). Immobilized Rep 24 is layered on a thiol chip, followed by a wash of JPM. Changes in the refractive index of the molecules, as measured by DPI, demonstrate binding events between the two. Data from binding experiments are later used for quantitative measurements of size, density and mass. Future work includes investigation of additional Francisella tularensis proteins and screens against small molecules that may bind and abrogate function, leading to countermeasures against Francisella tularensis

The Relationship Between Measures of Annual Livestock Disturbance in Western Riparian Areas and Stream Conditions Important to Trout, Salmon, and Char

Managing livestock disturbance in riparian zones in a manner that provides economic returns to ranchers while protecting streams is an important aspect of rangeland management on public lands in the western United States. Attempts to balance economic and ecologic outcomes have been made more difficult due to the presence of several salmonid species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act. One approach to proper management of livestock use near streams has been to define the allowable limits of disturbance using 2 metrics, streambank alteration and stubble height. We evaluated 153 stream reaches within the Interior Columbia Basin to determine if these 2 surrogates of livestock disturbance measured after the vegetative growing season were associated with stream conditions important to salmonids evaluated the following summer. We found that each stream habitat attribute that was evaluated (width-to-depth ratio, streambank angle, percent undercut banks, streambank stability, residual pool depth, percent pools, percent pool-tail fine sediments \u3c2 mm, and wood frequency) trended toward lower-quality salmonid habitat as streambank alteration increased or as stubble height decreased. While the strength of these associations were variable, the slopes of the relationships suggest that managing the amount of streambank alteration or stubble height could influence stream conditions within the Interior Columbia Basin. Because improved stream conditions for salmonids corresponded to decreased livestock disturbance, the amount of disturbance allowed in a stream reach will need to reflect management expectations and the environmental setting within the allotment. As a starting point, we suggest the continued application of existing livestock disturbance standards in stream reaches with good habitat conditions, and the specification of more conservative disturbance standards in stream reaches that have degraded habitat conditions

Sufficient exercise for Australians living with dementia in residential aged care facilities is lacking: An exploration of policy incoherence

Along with cognitive decline, dementia is characterised by changes in emotional control, social behaviour and physical performance.1 Individuals living with dementia often require assistance with their activities of daily living as dementia progresses.2 Requirements for higher levels of care result in more individuals with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs); up to 52% of all individuals living in RACFs have a diagnosis of dementia

The Westerville Naturals Baseball Team & Otterbein Health And Sport Sciences, Student Project

We had the privilege to give back to our community in the form of manual labor. The Westerville Naturals baseball team needed a hand moving gravel in order to store a shed behind their field. The team provided a gator to transport the gravel from the parking lot to the field. The objective was to scoop shovels full of gravel into the back of the gator. We took multiple trips to load the five tons of gravel and transport it to the new location. Once moved, the sheds needed a facelift so it was decided to paint the sheds. We were able to get in-touch with the coach and schedule a date and time that worked best with all of our schedules. We have also organized the opportunity for the Westerville Naturals’ players take the field with the Otterbein baseball players at a home game, while the national anthem was played. We are hoping this will be the start of a tradition/legacy that the kids look forward too for many years to come. The practice and game field conditions for the youth team will be much more efficient in setting up and tearing down each day. Now that equipment storage is in place, with a more sturdy foundation than before, the team has a tangible reminder about the work that are students were willing to do for them, in order to show support of their team. The entire project has proven to be successful, the only difficult thing being the scheduling. We had to make sure it worked with their team as well as our schedules before we could get started. In the future we would recommend having a few gators to transport the gravel, as it seemed we were standing around waiting for it to get back after being dumped. We would have also liked to have had a larger budget to provide the youth athletes with a piece of memorabilia to remind them of their experience with the Otterbein Baseball Team

Inpatient GHB withdrawal management in an inner-city hospital in Sydney, Australia: a retrospective medical record review

Rationale: Regular consumption of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) may result in a dependence syndrome that can lead to withdrawal symptoms. There are limited data on medications to manage GHB withdrawal. Objectives: To examine characteristics associated with delirium and discharge against medical advice (DAMA), in the context of implementing a GHB withdrawal management protocol at an inner-city hospital in 2020. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records (01 January 2017–31 March 2021), and included admissions that were ≥ 18 years of age, admitted for GHB withdrawal, and with documented recent GHB use. Admissions were assessed for demographics, medications administered, features of delirium, ICU admission, and DAMA. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine factors associated (p < 0.2) with features of delirium and DAMA. Results: We identified 135 admissions amongst 91 patients. Medications administered included diazepam (133 admissions, 98.5%), antipsychotics (olanzapine [70 admissions, 51.9%]), baclofen (114 admissions, 84%), and phenobarbital (8 admissions, 5.9%). Features of delirium were diagnosed in 21 (16%) admissions. Delirium was associated with higher daily GHB consumption prior to admission, while duration of GHB use, time from presentation to first dose of diazepam, and concomitant methamphetamine use were inversely associated with delirium. DAMA occurred amongst 41 (30%) admissions, and was associated with a longer time from presentation to first dose of baclofen, while being female and receiving a loading dose of diazepam were inversely associated. Conclusions: This study adds to the literature in support of the safety and feasibility of diazepam and baclofen for the management of GHB withdrawal. Prospective, randomised trials are required

Utility of Repeat Testing for COVID-19: Laboratory Stewardship When the Stakes are High

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to circulate, testing strategies are of the utmost importance. Given national shortages of testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and other hospital resources, diagnostic stewardship is necessary to aid in resource management. We report the low utility of serial testing in a low-prevalence setting

Using the Incremental Net Benefit Framework for Quantitative Benefit–Risk Analysis in Regulatory Decision-Making—A Case Study of Alosetron in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

AbstractObjectiveThere is consensus that a more transparent, explicit, and rigorous approach to benefit–risk evaluation is required. The objective of this study is to evaluate the incremental net benefit (INB) framework for undertaking quantitative benefit–risk assessment by performing a quantitative benefit–risk analysis of alosetron for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome from the patients’ perspective.MethodsA discrete event simulation model was developed to determine the INB of alosetron relative to placebo, calculated as “relative value-adjusted life-years (RVALYs).”ResultsIn the base case analysis, alosetron resulted in a mean INB of 34.1 RVALYs per 1000 patients treated relative to placebo over 52 weeks of treatment. Incorporating parameter uncertainty into the model, probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed a mean INB of 30.4 (95% confidence interval 15.9–45.4) RVALYs per 1000 patients treated relative to placebo over 52 weeks of treatment. Overall, there was >99% chance that both the incremental benefit and incremental risk associated with alosetron are greater than placebo. As hypothesized, the INB of alosetron was greatest in patients with the worst quality of life experienced at baseline. The mean INB associated with alosetron in patients with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms at baseline was 17.97 (−0.55 to 36.23), 29.98 (17.05–43.37), and 35.98 (23.49–48.77) RVALYs per 1000 patients treated, respectively.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the potential utility of applying the INB framework to real-life decision-making, and the ability to use simulation modeling incorporating outcomes data from different sources as a benefit–risk decision aid