A Comprehensive Study Of The Perceptions And Support Structures Of Women Engaged In IT/IS Careers

Women engaged in the Information Technology/Information Systems (IT/IS) sphere of the American collegiate and corporate experience have made significant strides in employment and opportunities for advancement culminating in the recent achievement of women reaching the CEO and presidential levels of the largest corporations in the IT sphere. Despite this significant and welcomed departure from past experiences, the progression of women matriculating in the university IT/IS major, and following through to the career phase has not materialized in numbers that equal the proliferation of male entrants. This research study relates to the factors that have the most influence on the perceptions, constraints and positive experiences leading to the choice of career development at the collegiate level. The specific areas that will be investigated and tabulated within this context are that of role models, mentoring, pre-college perceptions, and equal opportunity considerations

A Case Study of the Adoption and Use of Information Systems Technology in a Business-Format Franchise

This research identifies factors that influence technology use and adoption within the context of a growing international commercial and residential moving franchise system. This mixed method study explores differences in attitudes and expectations about technology between the franchisor and its franchisees. Franchise systems are different than other small or medium sized businesses because there are many individuals running their own relatively small business, yet they are still part of a larger whole. Running a successful business requires time, and individual franchisees tend to be more interested in spending that time on their day-to-day operation rather on addressing the information needs of the franchisor. As a result, franchisors often feel that the technologies they offer to facilitate information sharing are underutilized. A set of recommendations is provided for maximizing franchisees’ acceptance and usage of the technologies.</p

Comparison of Quality of Life Perceived by Patients with Bioprosthetic versus Mechanical Valves after Composite Aortic Root Replacement

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Objective:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; To assess whether postoperative quality of life (QOL) for composite aortic root replacement patients differs according to whether it is based on the use of mechanical valves or bioprosthetic valves. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; The study included 146 consecutive patients who underwent composite aortic root replacement at our institution from January 2010 to April 2014 with bioprosthetic (34.9%, n = 51) and mechanical (65.1%, n = 95) valves. Patient-perceived QOL was measured by administering the Short Form (SF)-36v2 Health Survey and a series of supplemental questions to further evaluate valve-specific differences. Final survey participation (n = 121) included 82.9% of the qualifying patients, and involved 76.5% (39/51) of those with bioprosthetic valves and 86.3% (82/95) of those with mechanical valves. Reasons for not completing the survey included 5 expired patients (3.4%), 1 lost due to a language barrier (0.7%), 6 who refused to participate (4.1%) and 13 who were lost to follow-up (8.9%). The mean follow-up time was 32 months (range 4-56 months). &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Patients in the bioprosthetic valve group were older (mean age 67.5 ± 13.6 years) and included more females (25.6% or 10/39) than those in the mechanical valve group (mean age 56.6 ± 12.0 years; 11.0% or 9/82 were female). No significant differences were found between the bioprosthetic and mechanical valve groups for any QOL aspects scored by the SF-36v2 survey. All 8 domains and 2 summary scales comprising the QOL evaluation were above national norms calculated using gender- and age-matched, norm-based scoring for a standard national average of 50. The supplemental questions indicated satisfaction with each valve type despite characteristics that were of concern to patients. In the mechanical valve group, 90.2% (74/82) reported that the audible valve click was not troublesome, 85.4% (70/82) that taking a blood thinner regularly did not affect daily life and 81.7% (67/82) that blood testing for anticoagulation therapy was not troublesome. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Receiving a tissue or a mechanical valve does not directly affect postoperative QOL. Answers to supplemental questions suggest that prior concerns with mechanical valves do not affect patients in the commonly anticipated negative manner. The preconception of a heavy QOL burden for mechanical composite grafts is contradicted by this study.</jats:p

Abstract 099: Prevalence of Headaches in Patients with Fibromuscular Dysplasia: A Report from the US Registry for FMD

Introduction: Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a polyvasculopathy that may result in aneurysm or dissection in affected arterial beds. A common symptom of FMD is headache (HA). The purpose of this study is to describe and compare characteristics of FMD patients with (w/HA) and without headaches (wo/HA) in the current US Registry for FMD. Method: Data regarding demographics, family history, medical history, and vascular beds affected in patients with FMD were collected from the US Registry for FMD between 2009 and 2016. Patients with complete HA data were included, and data were compared between patients w/HA and wo/HA as reported at time of registry enrollment. Results: Of the 1,433 patients in the registry, 1,251 (87.3%) had complete HA data. Most were female (94.1%), with a mean age of 56.0±12.4. A history of HA was reported in 844 (67.5%) patients and 54.2% reported a HA at least weekly. No difference in gender distribution was seen between HA groups. Patients w/HA were younger at the time of FMD diagnosis (50.6±11.8 years v 58.0±13.8 years, p&lt;0.001) and were less likely to have a history of HTN (66.8% v 74.8%, p=0.004), hyperlipidemia (36.9% v 47.2%, p=0.004), or renal failure (2.6% v 5.7%, p=0.009). Patients w/HA were more likely to have a history of aneurysm or dissection in the extracranial carotid, intracranial, or vertebral arteries (aneurysm: 13.0% v 7.2% p=0.003; dissection: 25.1% v 8.3%, p&lt;0.001). No differences in extracranial carotid, intracranial, or vertebral FMD involvement between patients w/ and w/o HA were seen when those with history of aneurysm or dissection of those arteries were excluded (71.2% v 66.8%, p=0.20). Headache patients more often reported a history of depression (25.1% v 16.5%, p=0.01) and anxiety (28.3% v 18.0%, p=0.003). Conclusion: More than half of FMD patients experience HAs, most on an at least weekly basis. FMD patients with HA tended to be younger, and more likely to have extracranial carotid, intracranial, or vertebral disease as well as aneurysm and dissection. Depression and anxiety was also more common in FMD patients with HA. Further research is needed to classify the types of headaches being experienced as well as effective management strategies. </jats:p