The Meaning and Meaningfulness of Corporate Social Initiatives

In response to pressures to be more “socially responsible,” corporations are becoming more active in global communities through direct involvement in social initiatives. Critics, however, question the sincerity of these activities and argue that firms are simply attempting to stave off stakeholder pressures without providing a corresponding benefit to society. By drawing on institutional theory and resource dependence theory, we consider what factors influence the adoption of a “meaningful” social initiative—an initiative that is sustainable and has the potential for a significant positive impact on society—as opposed to a symbolic initiative. In addition, we raise the question of how social initiatives—both meaningful and symbolic—participate in the “institutional war” over the meaning of corporate social responsibility.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73133/1/j.1467-8594.2008.00317.x.pd

Prevalence and predictors of postdischarge antibiotic use following mastectomy

OBJECTIVESurvey results suggest that prolonged administration of prophylactic antibiotics is common after mastectomy with reconstruction. We determined utilization, predictors, and outcomes of postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics after mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction.DESIGNRetrospective cohort.PATIENTSCommercially insured women aged 18–64 years coded for mastectomy from January 2004 to December 2011 were included in the study. Women with a preexisting wound complication or septicemia were excluded.METHODSPredictors of prophylactic antibiotics within 5 days after discharge were identified in women with 1 year of prior insurance enrollment; relative risks (RR) were calculated using generalized estimating equations.RESULTSOverall, 12,501 mastectomy procedures were identified; immediate reconstruction was performed in 7,912 of these procedures (63.3%). Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were used in 4,439 procedures (56.1%) with immediate reconstruction and 1,053 procedures (22.9%) without immediate reconstruction (P&lt;.001). The antibiotics most commonly prescribed were cephalosporins (75.1%) and fluoroquinolones (11.1%). Independent predictors of postdischarge antibiotics were implant reconstruction (RR, 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.23–2.60), autologous reconstruction (RR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.93–2.45), autologous reconstruction plus implant (RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.92–2.31), hypertension (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00–1.10), tobacco use (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01–1.14), surgery at an academic hospital (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.21), and receipt of home health care (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.18). Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics were not associated with SSI after mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction (bothP&gt;.05).CONCLUSIONSProphylactic postdischarge antibiotics are commonly prescribed after mastectomy; immediate reconstruction is the strongest predictor. Stewardship efforts in this population to limit continuation of prophylactic antibiotics after discharge are needed to limit antimicrobial resistance.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2017;38:1048–1054</jats:sec

Distances to the high galactic latitude molecular clouds G192-67 and MBM 23-24

We report on distance determinations for two high Galactic latitude cloud complexes, G192-67 and MBM 23-24. No distance determination exists in the literature for either cloud. Thirty-four early type stars were observed towards the two clouds, more than half of which have parallaxes measured by the Hipparcos satellite. For the remaining stars we have made spectroscopic distance estimates. The data consist of high resolution echelle spectra centered on the Na I D lines, and were obtained over six nights at the Coude Feed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Interstellar absorption lines were detected towards some of the stars, enabling estimates of the distances to the clouds of 109 +/- 14 pc for G192-67, and of 139 +/- 33 pc for MBM 23-24. We discuss the relationship of these clouds to other ISM features such as the Local Hot Bubble and the local cavity in neutral hydrogen.Comment: 15 pages, 6 embedded figures, to be published in the ApJ Vol. 516, No.

Scaling issues in ensemble implementations of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm

We discuss the ensemble version of the Deutsch-Jozsa (DJ) algorithm which attempts to provide a "scalable" implementation on an expectation-value NMR quantum computer. We show that this ensemble implementation of the DJ algorithm is at best as efficient as the classical random algorithm. As soon as any attempt is made to classify all possible functions with certainty, the implementation requires an exponentially large number of molecules. The discrepancies arise out of the interpretation of mixed state density matrices.Comment: Minor changes, reference added, replaced with publised versio

Collaborative Research: Research and Curriculum Development in Thermal Physics

This project is a continuation of an ongoing program of coordinated research and research-based curriculum development in thermal physics, primarily in the advanced-level undergraduate courses. Data are gathered using one-on-one student interviews, written pre- and post-test questions, and multiple-choice surveys. The research is then applied to the development of curricular materials intended to improve student understanding in a manner consistent with active-learning methods previously shown to be effective in physics instruction. Prior support has resulted in the development of several interview protocols, diagnostic questions, and survey questions. Project staff have identified several specific conceptual difficulties in thermal physics, and have developed some preliminary curricular materials that have been pilot tested at the home institutions to address these difficulties. This project is adding to the existing data corpus and extending existing work and products to new topics in thermal physics. Existing materials and materials being developed during this project are being evaluated for their effectiveness at addressing student difficulties identified through research. Ancillary materials that integrate our curricular materials more fully into courses and provide instructors with background information and assessment questions are being developed. A set of supporting materials, including pre- and post-tests, homework exercises, and a brief instructors\u27 guide with background on the content and our research findings as well as suggestions for implementation, are being prepared. Materials are applicable to courses taught from a classical thermodynamics and/or a statistical mechanics perspective. With its sharp focus on upper-division courses, this project is expanding the applicability of standard physics education research methods already widely used in introductory courses. Results from this aspect of the project are of great interest to the physics education research community and to instructors of advanced physics courses. The dissemination of both research results and of curricular materials in publications, in presentations at national and international meetings of physicists, physics educators and education researchers, and via pilot testing at participating institutions is contributing to the improvement of instruction in thermal physics nationally and internationally. There are additional interdisciplinary components to this work. One focus of both the research and the curricular materials is the connections between the physics and associated mathematics. In addition, results of the investigations in physics courses are being compared to the results from analogous courses in chemistry, engineering, and geological sciences. The aim is to compare the prevalence and persistence of specific difficulties or beliefs among these populations and to explore the extent to which the different discipline-specific approaches and instructional strategies affect student learning of thermodynamics

Global Title X Series \u2710: Global Maritime Partnerships Game

During the period 3–8 October 2010, the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island hosted the Navy Title 10 Global Maritime Partnerships Game (GMPG, also Global ̳10), on a truly international scale (83 participants from 46 countries). The overarching purpose of the GMPG was to help the Navy better understand the complexity of the problems that it could face throughout the maritime environment by identifying the catalysts to instability at the national, regional and cross-regional levels and the impediments to forming effective regional and global partnerships in the maritime domain from both United States and international perspectives. This game could help the Navy better define the approaches necessary to establish maritime partnerships to address maritime security issues