AUSSAT mobile satellite services

An overview of AUSSAT's planned mobile satellite system is given. The development program which is being undertaken to achieve the 1992 service date is described. Both business and technical aspects of the development program are addressed

Using search consultants in superintendent searches from the board member perspective

Scope and Method of Study: Qualitative research to collect data from two sources: 1) Face-to-face interviews with school board members representing four Oklahoma School Districts; 2) Newspaper articles.Findings and Conclusions: Data from the study indicate that time availability and personnel expertise are determining factors in the decision to select a search consultant. The consultant advised each board about issues of employment law and appropriate interviewing practices. Despite the assistance of an outside person with expertise, the process involved more work and much greater time than anticipated. Superintendents in the sample were selected from the available candidate pool, but no evidence existed that they were recruited; selections were from a pool of candidates who submitted applications. Results supported school districts desiring to hire an internal candidate do not need the services of a search consultant if a quality candidate is available. Board members believed the presence of a consultant in the process provided connections to improve the candidate pool while also bringing credibility to the process. All board members indicated they would support the use of a consultant again in the event of a superintendent vacancy.The decision making models of Wayne Hoy and John Tarter guided the theoretical framework of the study. The Satisficing Theory of the Administrative Model of decision making along with the Shared Decision Making model were relevant to this study. Satisficing Theory looks for satisfactory solutions to a problem; final selections were limited to candidates who showed interest in the position through submitting an application; final selections were the best of the satisfactory options. Each school district had a component of involvement for the board, staff or community based on needs identified by the board. Boards shared a segment of their decision making process with an appropriate group

Notes and Discussion Piece: Status of the Topeka Shiner in Iowa

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is native to Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota and has been federally listed as endangered since 1998. Our goals were to determine the present distribution and qualitative status of Topeka shiners throughout its current range in Iowa and characterize the extent of decline in relation to its historic distribution. We compared the current (2016–2017) distribution to distributions portrayed in three earlier time periods. In 2016–2017 Topeka shiners were found in 12 of 20 HUC10 watersheds where they occurred historically. Their status was classified as stable in 21% of the HUC10 watersheds, possibly stable in 25%, possibly recovering in 8%, at risk in 33%, and possibly extirpated in 13% of the watersheds. The increasing trend in percent decline evident in earlier time periods reversed, going from 68% in 2010–11 to 40% in the most recent surveys. Following decades of decline, the status of Topeka shiners in Iowa appears to be improving. One potential reason for the reversal in the distributional decline of Topeka shiners in Iowa is the increasing number of oxbow restorations. Until a standardized monitoring program is established for Iowa, periodic status assessments such as this will be necessary to chronicle progress toward conserving this endangered fish species

Pharmacokinetic and Biodistribution Assessment of a Near Infrared-Labeled PSMA-Specific Small Molecule in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Prostate cancer is themost frequently diagnosed cancer in men and often requires surgery. Use of near infrared (NIR) technologies to perform image-guided surgery may improve accurate delineation of tumor margins. To facilitate preclinical testing of such outcomes, here we developed and characterized a PSMA-targeted small molecule, YC-27. IRDye 800CW was conjugated to YC-27 or an anti-PSMA antibody used for reference. Human 22Rv1, PC3M-LN4, and/or LNCaP prostate tumor cells were exposed to the labeled compounds. In vivo targeting and clearance properties were determined in tumor-bearing mice. Organs and tumors were excised and imaged to assess probe localization. YC-27 exhibited a dose dependent increase in signal upon binding. Binding specificity and internalization were visualized by microscopy. In vitro and in vivo blocking studies confirmed YC-27 specificity. In vivo, YC-27 showed good tumor delineation and tissue contrast at doses as low as 0.25 nmole. YC-27 was cleared via the kidneys but bound the proximal tubules of the renal cortex and epididymis. Since PSMA is also broadly expressed on the neovasculature of most tumors, we expect YC-27 will have clinical utility for image-guided surgery and tumor resections

Post-Pancreatoduodenectomy Outcomes and Epidural Analgesia: A 5-Year Single Institution Experience

Introduction Optimal pain control post-pancreatoduodenectomy is a challenge. Epidural analgesia (EDA) is increasingly utilized despite inherent risks and unclear effects on outcomes. Methods All pancreatoduodenectomies (PD) performed from 1/2013-12/2017 were included. Clinical parameters were obtained from retrospective review of a prospective clinical database, the ACS NSQIP prospective institutional database and medical record review. Chi-Square/Fisher’s Exact and Independent-Samples t-Tests were used for univariable analyses; multivariable regression (MVR) was performed. Results 671 consecutive PD from a single institution were included (429 EDA, 242 non-EDA). On univariable analysis, EDA patients experienced significantly less wound disruption (0.2% vs. 2.1%), unplanned intubation (3.0% vs. 7.9%), pulmonary embolism (0.5% vs. 2.5%), mechanical-ventilation >48hrs (2.1% vs. 7.9%), septic shock (2.6% vs. 5.8%), and lower pain scores. On MVR accounting for baseline group differences (gender, hypertension, pre-operative transfusion, labs, approach, pancreatic duct size), EDA was associated with less superficial wound infections (OR 0.34; CI 0.14-0.83; P=0.017), unplanned intubations (OR 0.36; CI 0.14-0.88; P=0.024), mechanical ventilation >48 hrs (OR 0.22; CI 0.08-0.62; P=0.004), and septic shock (OR 0.39; CI 0.15-1.00; P=0.050). EDA improved pain scores post-PD days 1-3 (P<0.001). No differences were seen in cardiac or renal complications; pancreatic fistula (B+C) or delayed gastric emptying; 30/90-day mortality; length of stay, readmission, discharge destination, or unplanned reoperation. Conclusion Based on the largest single institution series published to date, our data support the use of EDA for optimization of pain control. More importantly, our data document that EDA significantly improved infectious and pulmonary complications

The Effectors of the Transient Receptor Vanilloid Potential Type 4 in the Choroid Plexus

poster abstractHydrocephalus is a deadly disease that affects 1-2 births in 1000. When severe, this disease can result in irreversible brain damage. There are no drugs to treat hydrocephalus and the standard therapy is to surgically implant shunts to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into other parts of the body. However this approach often results in a less than optimal outcomes. Shunt failures due to blockage, infection, and other causes are as high as 50% even in major medical centers which specialize in these procedures. Our laboratory is using a Meckel-Gruber syndrome rat model to study the development of severe hydrocephalus. Immunohistochemistry has been used to show the overexpression of Transient Receptor Vanilloid Potential Type 4, TRPV4 on the choroid plexus epithelial membrane. Because the choroid plexus is responsible for the majority of the cerebrospinal fluid that contributes to the progression of hydrocephalus, the TRPV4 calcium channel is a potential target that could contribute to the disease development. The endogenous activators of this channel in the choroid plexus are yet to be determined. Consequently, the current study is using a cultured choroid plexus cell line to identify endogenous activators of this channel. Potential activators include homovanillic acid (HVA), lysophosphatidic acid, and arachidonic acid. In addition, the introduction of novel compounds that act as sensitizers of the channel led to a set of experiments that were conducted to confirm the existence and identification of the sensitizers such as inflammatory cytokines. The effect of these compounds on the activation of the TRPV4 channel are being investigated using electrophysiological techniques in a porcine choroid plexus cell line with the characteristics of the in vivo choroid plexus. This cell line exhibits a robust increase in ion transport in response to a TRPV4 agonist. . The determination of the endogenous TRPV4 activators and sensitizers will provide important information in the development of a drug that can be used to treat hydrocephalus with minimal side effects by altering the activity of TRPV4

Structural analyses of \u3ci\u3ePhycodnaviridae\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eIridoviridae\u3c/i\u3e

The Phycodnaviridae, Iridoviridae and related viruses, with diameters of 1500±2000 A Ê , are formed from large trigonal arrays of hexagonally close-packed capsomers forming the faces of icosahedra [Yan et al. (2000), Nature Struct. Biol. 7, 101-103; Nandhagopal et al. (2002), Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 99, 14758-14763]. Caspar and Klug predicted that such structures could be assembled from hexameric capsomers [Caspar & Klug (1962), Cold Spring Harbor. Symp. Quant. Biol. 27, 1-24], as was subsequently found in numerous icosahedral viruses. During the course of evolution, some viruses, including the virus families mentioned above, replaced hexameric capsomers with pseudo-hexameric trimers by gene duplication. In large dsDNA icosahedral viruses, the capsomers are organized into `pentasymmetrons\u27 and `trisymmetrons\u27. The interactions between the trimeric capsomers can be divided into three groups, one between similarly oriented trimers and two between oppositely oriented trimers (trimers related by an approximately sixfold rotation). The interactions within a trisymmetron belong to the ®rst class, whereas those between trisymmetrons and within the pentasymmetron are of the other two types. Knowledge of these distances permits a more accurate ®tting of the atomic structure of the capsomer into the cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) reconstruction of the whole virus. The adoption of pseudo-hexagonal capsomers places these viruses into a subset of the Caspar and Klug surface lattices

Organizational Efficacy of Small and Medium-Sized Suppliers: The Role of Information Quality and Continuous Quality Improvement

The role of information quality and continuous quality improvement was analyzed in regards to the organizational efficacy of small and medium-sized suppliers. It was anticipated that both variables would have positive relationships with organizational efficacy. Results supported these hypotheses and demonstrate the importance of firms controlling the flow of quality information and emphasizing continuous quality improvement in order to strengthen organizational efficacy. Given the significant impact of efficacy on individual and group performance and the relationships confirmed as part of the current study, future research is called for such that we might better understand the qualities that characterize the successful supply chain relationships for SMEs