Medical Malpractice Compensation Reform

Tort reform legislation is a topic that has been discussed and studied heavily in the states of Texas and California. This is because it has been claimed that these states have had success in bringing more doctors into the states. This thesis studies those states, as well as the state of Arkansas. It examines Arkansas because tort reform legislation was an issue brought up in the most recent election in November 2018 in that state. Although Arkansas’ tort reform ballot measure was removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court of Arkansas, a similar measure could still be brought forth in coming years. The analysis in this thesis finds that tort reform legislation is successful in meeting its goals in some ways, but not in others. Despite the assertions of supporters of tort reform measures, tort reform legislation does not prevent a state from seeing its doctors leaving the state. Tort reform legislation does, however, lead to fewer medical malpractice payouts in a state

Influential Article Review - Studying R&D Teams to Uncover Relationships Between Teamwork and Performance

This paper examines team performance. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: Drawing on the input–mediator (a blend of team process and emergent state)– output (IMO) framework, we develop a conceptual model in which team behavioral integration is conceived of as a team-level mediator that links team interdependence (input) with team performance (output). Using a three-wave research design, we test the hypothesized model with the data of 102 R&D teams from three information technology companies in China. Results indicate that team interdependence positively influences team behavioral integration, and that team behavioral integration positively affects team performance. In addition, team behavioral integration is found to mediate the relationship between team interdependence and team performance. The theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German

OPTIMAL STRUCTURE OF AN AGRIBUSINESS FIRM CONSIDERING THE ECONOMICS OF MAJOR, LINKED COMPONENTS

An optimization model is used to evaluate the economics of various components of a large agribusiness. The benefits of using interger programming are contrasted to traditional linear programming analysis in conjunction with outside-the-model budgeting analysis.Agribusiness, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Social Connectedness, Physical Distancing, and Anxiety in Complying with Shelter-In-Place Orders and Advisories during the Once-In-A-Century COVID-19 Pandemic in the US: A Study of Social Media and Internet Users

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. As of 20 October 2020, the virus had infected 8,202,552 people, with 220,061 deaths in US, and in countries around the world, over 38 million people have become infected and over one million have died. The virus usually spreads via respiratory droplets from an infected person. At the time of compiling this paper, while countries around the world are still striving to find a pharmaceutical intervention (PI) , including treatments and vaccines, they are left with only non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) , such as physical distancing, wearing masks, and maintaining personal hygiene. In the US, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five US territories issued mandatory stay-at-home orders between March 1 and 31 May 2020 to lower the risk of virus transmission. This study empirically examined how social connectedness and anxiety interact with shelter-in-place compliance and advisories during the pandemic. The study collected information from 494 adults using an online survey during April and July 2020

Sustainable Implementation of Interprofessional Education Using an Adoption Model Framework

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a growing focus for educators in health professional academic programs. Recommendations to successfully implement IPE are emerging in the literature, but there remains a dearth of evidence informing the bigger challenges of sustainability and scalability. Transformation to interprofessional education for collaborative person-centred practice (IECPCP) is complex and requires “harmonization of motivations” within and between academia, governments, healthcare delivery sectors, and consumers. The main lesson learned at the University of Manitoba was the value of using a formal implementation framework to guide its work. This framework identifies key factors that must be addressed at the micro, meso, and macro levels and emphasizes that interventions occurring only at any single level will likely not lead to sustainable change. This paper describes lessons learned when using the framework and offers recommendations to support other institutions in their efforts to enable the roll out and integration of IECPCP.  L’éducation interprofessionnelle (EIP) fait l’objet d’un intérêt grandissant parmi les enseignants des programmes universitaires pour professionnels de la santé. Bien que des recommandations pour une mise en œuvre réussie de l’EIP fassent leur apparition dans les publications académiques, il existe encore un manque de données probantes sur les défis plus importants que représentent la durabilité et la modularité. La transformation de l’EIP vers une pratique interprofessionnelle et collaborative axée sur la personne (PPCAP) est complexe et nécessite l’« harmonisation des motivations » entre différents secteurs (universitaire, gouvernemental, des soins de la santé et de la consommation), et au sein de ceux-ci. La principale leçon qu’a reçue l’Université du Manitoba a été la nécessité d’employer une structure formelle de mise en place pour diriger ses travaux. Cette structure identifie les caractéristiques essentielles que l’on doit aborder à petite, moyenne et grande échelle et souligne l’importance de ces interventions à plusieurs niveaux, sans quoi le changement n’est pas durable. Cet article décrit les leçons apprises avec la structure et propose des recommandations afin d’aider d’autres institutions dans leurs efforts de création et d’intégration de la PPCAP

STRATEGIC AGRIBUSINESS OPERATION REALIGNMENT IN THE TEXAS PRISON SYSTEM

Mathematical programming-based systems analysis is used to examine the consequences of alternative operation configuration for the agricultural operations within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Continuation versus elimination of the total operation as well as individual operating departments are considered. Methodology includes a firm systems operation model combined with capital budgeting and an integer programming based investment model. Results indicate the resources realize a positive return as a whole, but some enterprises are not using resources profitably. The integer investment model is found to be superior for investigating whether to continue multiple interrelated enterprises.agribusiness, enterprise selection, mathematical programming, optimal enterprise organization, Agribusiness,

Quantifying Interprofessional Learning In Health Professional Programs: The University of Manitoba Experience

Internationally, a growing number of interprofessional education (IPE) offices are being established within academic institutions. However, few are applying educational improvement methodologies to evaluate and improve the interprofessional (IP) learning opportunities offered. The University of Manitoba IPE Initiative was established in 2008 to facilitate the development of IP learning opportunities for pre-licensure learners. The research question for this secondary analysis was: what, if any, changes in the number and attributes of IP learning opportunities occurred in the academic year 2008–2009 compared to 2011–2012? The Points for Interprofessional Scoring (PIPES) tool was used to quantify the attributes of each IP learning opportunity. Most notably in 2012, eight (73%) of 11 IP learning opportunities achieved the highest PIPES score (> 55), compared to only four (36%) in 2009. The concept of the PIPES score is introduced as an educational improvement strategy and a potential predictor of achieving the desired educational outcome: collaborative competence.   Les institutions académiques du monde accueillent de plus en plus de bureaux d’éducation interprofessionnelle. Par contre, très peu mettent en pratique des méthodologies d’amélioration de l’enseignement pour évaluer et améliorer ces occasions d’apprentissage interprofessionnelles (OAI). En 2008, afin de faciliter la création de telles occasions pour les apprenants avant l’obtention de leur permis de pratique, l’Université du Manitoba lançait l’initiative d’éducation interprofessionnelle. Elle voulait savoir s’il existait des différences dans les nombres et les attributs des OAI entre les années 2008-2009 et 2011-2012. Les attributs de chaque OAI ont été quantifiés en utilisant une version adaptée de l’outil « Points for Interprofessional Scoring » ou (PIPEs). En 2012 notamment, 73 % d’occasions d’apprentissage interprofessionnel (soit 8 sur 11) avait atteint le score PIPES (>55) le plus élevé, comparativement à 36 % en 2009. Le concept du score « PIPES » est présenté comme une stratégie d’amélioration du secteur de l’éducation et comme un potentiel de prédiction du résultat éducationnel désiré : une compétence collaborative

Streptococcus agalactiae glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) elicits multiple cytokines from human cells and has a minor effect on bacterial persistence in the murine female reproductive tract

Streptococcus agalactiae glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), encoded by gapC, is a glycolytic enzyme that is associated with virulence and immune-mediated protection. However, the role of GAPDH in cellular cytokine responses to S. agalactiae, bacterial phagocytosis and colonization of the female reproductive tract, a central host niche, is unknown. We expressed and studied purified recombinant GAPDH (rGAPDH) of S. agalactiae in cytokine elicitation assays with human monocyte-derived macrophage, epithelial cell, and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) co-culture infection models. We also generated a S. agalactiae mutant that over-expresses GAPDH (oeGAPDH) from gapC using a constitutively active promoter, and analyzed the mutant in murine macrophage antibiotic protection assays and in virulence assays in vivo, using a colonization model that is based on experimental infection of the reproductive tract in female mice. Human cell co-cultures produced interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-10 within 24 h of exposure to rGAPDH. PMNs were required for several of these cytokine responses. However, over-expression of GAPDH in S. agalactiae did not significantly affect measures of phagocytic uptake compared to an empty vector control. In contrast, oeGAPDH-S. agalactiae showed a small but statistically significant attenuation for persistence in the reproductive tract of female mice during the chronic phase of infection (10–28 days post-inoculation), relative to the vector control. We conclude that S. agalactiae GAPDH elicits production of multiple cytokines from human cells, and over-expression of GAPDH renders the bacterium more susceptible to host clearance in the female reproductive tract. One-sentence summary: This study shows Streptococcus agalactiae glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme that functions in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and virulence, modifies phagocytosis outcomes, including cytokine synthesis, and affects bacterial persistence in the female reproductive tract

Chromosomal-level assembly of the Asian Seabass genome using long sequence reads and multi-layered scaffolding

We report here the ~670 Mb genome assembly of the Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), a tropical marine teleost. We used long-read sequencing augmented by transcriptomics, optical and genetic mapping along with shared synteny from closely related fish species to derive a chromosome-level assembly with a contig N50 size over 1 Mb and scaffold N50 size over 25 Mb that span ~90% of the genome. The population structure of L. calcarifer species complex was analyzed by re-sequencing 61 individuals representing various regions across the species' native range. SNP analyses identified high levels of genetic diversity and confirmed earlier indications of a population stratification comprising three clades with signs of admixture apparent in the South-East Asian population. The quality of the Asian seabass genome assembly far exceeds that of any other fish species, and will serve as a new standard for fish genomics

Partial Regulatory T Cell Depletion Prior to Acute Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Does Not Alter Disease Pathogenesis

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in cats follows a disease course similar to HIV-1, including a short acute phase characterized by high viremia, and a prolonged asymptomatic phase characterized by low viremia and generalized immune dysfunction. CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ immunosuppressive regulatory T (Treg) cells have been implicated as a possible cause of immune dysfunction during FIV and HIV-1 infection, as they are capable of modulating virus-specific and inflammatory immune responses. Additionally, the immunosuppressive capacity of feline Treg cells has been shown to be increased during FIV infection. We have previously shown that transient in vivo Treg cell depletion during asymptomatic FIV infection reveals FIV-specific immune responses suppressed by Treg cells. In this study, we sought to determine the immunological influence of Treg cells during acute FIV infection. We asked whether Treg cell depletion prior to infection with the highly pathogenic molecular clone FIV-C36 in cats could alter FIV pathogenesis. We report here that partial Treg cell depletion prior to FIV infection does not significantly change provirus, viremia, or CD4+ T cell levels in blood and lymphoid tissues during the acute phase of disease. The effects of anti-CD25 mAb treatment are truncated in cats acutely infected with FIV-C36 as compared to chronically infected cats or FIV-naïve cats, as Treg cell levels were heightened in all treatment groups included in the study within two weeks post-FIV infection. Our findings suggest that the influence of Treg cell suppression during FIV pathogenesis is most prominent after Treg cells are activated in the environment of established FIV infection