MSIS 2006 Curriculum Preview

The MSIS 2000 curriculum is now over 5 years old. That curriculum (the first revisions for the MS program since 1982) was widely adopted by IS departments throughout the world. A committee established jointly by AIS and ACM started working in summer 2003 on revising and updating the MS curriculum based on the experience of the adopting schools. The work is nearing completion. This paper describes the state of the revisions as of April 2005

MSIS 2006: Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

This article presents the MSIS 2006 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems. As with MSIS 2000 and its predecessors, the objective is to create a model for schools designing or revising an MS curriculum in Information Systems. The curriculum was designed by a joint committee of the Association for Information Systems and the Association for Computing Machinery. MSIS2006 is a major update of MSIS 2000. Features include increasing the number of required courses from 10 to 12 while revising prerequisites, introducing new courses and revising existing courses to modernize the curriculum, and alternatives for phased upgrading from MSIS2000 to MSIS 2006. As with the previous curriculum, it is the product of detailed consultation with the IS community. The curriculum received the endorsement of 8 major IS professional groups

MSIS 2000: Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

This article contains the official text of the MSIS 2000 model curriculum as approved by both the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association for Information Systems. It is presented here in its original form

Optical cavity enhanced real-time absorption spectroscopy of CO₂ using laser amplitude modulation

We present a spectrometer based on the cavity enhanced amplitude modulated laser absorption spectroscopy (CEAMLAS) technique for measuring molecular gas absorption. This CEAMLAS spectrometer accurately measured a CO₂ absorption line at 1572.992 nm with effectively 100% measurement duty cycle. It achieved an absorption sensitivity of 5.2 × 10⁻⁹ Hz⁻¹∕² using a linear Fabry-Perot cavity with a modest finesse of ≈1000. We also used the spectrometer to perform preliminary measurements of the ¹³C/¹²C isotopic ratio in CO₂, yielding an isotopic signature δ ¹³C of −83±9‰ for our CO₂ sample.This research was funded by the Australian Research Council under the Project ID: LP100200604 and DE130101361

Alemtuzumab preconditioning with tacrolimus monotherapy - The impact of serial monitoring for donor-specific antibody

BACKGROUND. Antibody preconditioning with tacrolimus monotherapy has allowed many renal allograft recipients to be maintained on spaced weaning. METHODS. Of 279 renal allograft recipients transplanted between March 2003 and December 2004, 222 (80%) had spaced weaning (i.e., reduction of tacrolimus monotherapy dosing to every other day, three times a week, twice a week, or once a week) attempted. Routine monitoring for donor-specific antibody (DSA) was begun in September 2004. Mean follow-up is 34±6.5 months after transplantation and 26±8.1 months after the initiation of spaced weaning. RESULTS. One hundred and twenty-two (44%) patients remained on spaced weaning. One- and 2-year actual patient/graft survival was 99%/99%, and 97%/96%. Fifty-six (20%) patients experienced acute rejection after initiation of spaced weaning. One- and 2-year actual patient/graft survival was 100%/98%, and 94%/78%. Forty-two (15%) patients with stable renal function had spaced weaning stopped because of the development of DSA, which disappeared in 17 (40%). One- and 2-year actual patient and graft survival was 100% and 100%. CONCLUSION. Adult renal transplant recipients who are able to be maintained on spaced weaning have excellent outcomes. Patients with stable renal function who have reversal of weaning because of the development of DSA also have excellent outcomes. Routine monitoring for DSA may allow patients to avoid late rejection after spaced weaning. © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc

Conservative When Crowded: Social Crowding and Consumer Choice

This is the published version. Copyright 2013 by American Marketing Association.Does the mere crowdedness of the environment affect people's choices and preferences? In six studies, the authors show that social crowdedness not only leads to greater accessibility of safety-related constructs but also results in greater preference for safety-oriented options (e.g., preferring to visit a pharmacy to a convenience store), being more receptive to prevention- (rather than promotion-) framed messages, and being more risk averse with real money gambles. In support of the authors' underlying avoidance motivation perspective, these effects are mediated by participants' net prevention focus and are attenuated when the crowd in question consists of in-group members. The authors close by discussing the practical and theoretical implications of the results

Endocrine-disrupting effects of cattle feedlot effluent on an aquatic sentinel species, the fathead minnow.

Over the last decade, research has examined the endocrine-disrupting action of various environmental pollutants, including hormones, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants, in sewage treatment plant effluent. Responding to the growth of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and the pollutants present in their wastewater (e.g., nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a new rule that tightens the regulation of CAFOs. In this study, we collected wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to feedlot effluent (FLE) and observed significant alterations in their reproductive biology. Male fish were demasculinized (having lower testicular testosterone synthesis, altered head morphometrics, and smaller testis size). Defeminization of females, as evidenced by a decreased estrogen:androgen ratio of in vitro steroid hormone synthesis, was also documented. We did not observe characteristics in either male or female fish indicative of exposure to environmental estrogens. Using cells transfected with the human androgen receptor, we detected potent androgenic responses from the FLE. Taken together, our morphologic, endocrinologic, and in vitro gene activation assay data suggest two hypotheses: a) there are potent androgenic substance(s) in the FLE, and/or b) there is a complex mixture of androgenic and estrogenic substances that alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, inhibiting the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone or gonadotropins. This is the first study demonstrating that the endocrine and reproductive systems of wild fish can be adversely affected by FLE. Future studies are needed to further investigate the effects of agricultural runoff and to identify the biologically active agents, whether natural or pharmaceutical in origin

Peroxisome population parameters in rats fed a high-fat diet

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24122/1/0000379.pd

Changes in serogroup and genotype prevalence among carried meningococci in the United Kingdom during vaccine implementation.

BACKGROUND: Herd immunity is important in the effectiveness of conjugate polysaccharide vaccines against encapsulated bacteria. A large multicenter study investigated the effect of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine introduction on the meningococcal population. METHODS: Carried meningococci in individuals aged 15-19 years attending education establishments were investigated before and for 2 years after vaccine introduction. Isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing, serogroup, and capsular region genotype and changes in phenotypes and genotypes assessed. RESULTS: A total of 8462 meningococci were isolated from 47 765 participants (17.7%). Serogroup prevalence was similar over the 3 years, except for decreases of 80% for serogroup C and 40% for serogroup 29E. Clonal complexes were associated with particular serogroups and their relative proportions fluctuated, with 12 statistically significant changes (6 up, 6 down). The reduction of ST-11 complex serogroup C meningococci was probably due to vaccine introduction. Reasons for a decrease in serogroup 29E ST-254 meningococci (from 1.8% to 0.7%) and an increase in serogroup B ST-213 complex meningococci (from 6.7% to 10.6%) were less clear. CONCLUSIONS: Natural fluctuations in carried meningococcal genotypes and phenotypes a can be affected by the use of conjugate vaccines, and not all of these changes are anticipatable in advance of vaccine introduction

Conservation risk of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans to endemic lungless salamanders

The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal ), is a significant conservation threat to salamander biodiversity in Europe, although its potential to affect North American species is poorly understood. We tested the susceptibility of two genera (Eurycea and Pseudotriton ) and three populations of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae ) to Bsal . All species became infected with Bsal and two (Pseudotriton ruber and Eurycea wilderae ) developed chytridiomycosis. We also documented that susceptibility of E. wilderae differed among populations. Regardless of susceptibility, all species reduced feeding when exposed to Bsal at the highest zoospore dose, and P. ruber and one population of E. wilderae used cover objects less. Our results indicate that Bsal invasion in eastern North America could have significant negative impacts on endemic lungless salamander populations. Future conservation efforts should include surveillance for Bsal in the wild and in captivity, and championing legislation that requires and subsidizes pathogen‐free trade of amphibians