Direction of the Musical: Chicago (High School Edition)

This project encompasses the selection, research, casting, production and post-production process of the musical, Chicago (High School Edition) for the all-school musical at Strasburg High School. Documentation includes analysis of the play as a production vehicle, research, script analysis, a record of the production period and a post-production evaluation

Unique case of inverted papilloma of septum with nasopharyngeal carcinoma:Is it a metachronous tumour?

Inverted papilloma is a rare and benign tumour. It affects the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, has a high rate of recurrence and is associated with malignant transformation. Only few cases of a poorly differentiated carcinoma arising from inverted papilloma have been reported, none of which in the nasopharynx. We report a case of a 37-year-old female, who presented originally in 2012 with inverted papilloma of the nasal septum which was surgically resected. Nasopharyngeal biopsy from 2014 was reported as carcinoma in situ and treated with local endoscopic resection. Three years later she presented with a solitary lesion of the right Eustachian tube opening, confirmed as invasive poorly differentiated carcinoma. Imaging revealed T4 N2b M0 malignancy with skull base and prevertebral space invasion, likely extension into right temporal lobe and malignant adenopathy. Although rare, malignant transformation of inverted papilloma in unusual places should be considered during workup and monitoring of patients

Palliative Care Referral Behavior Among Nurse Practitioners in Hospital Medicine

Abstract Palliative Care Referral Behavior Among Nurse Practitioners In Hospital Medicine by Sharon Jackson White, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, NP-C Palliative care incorporates holistic care, symptom management, advance care planning, strengthening of patient-family-physician communication, goals of care planning, and improved coordination of care. Healthcare providers practicing in U.S. hospitals do not always refer patients to palliative care who need it. The predominant mode of delivery of palliative care services within hospitals is the consultation service model. In such settings, palliative care services are usually initiated by request that requires a referral for the palliative care team to participate in a patient’s plan of care. Nurse practitioners (NPs) practicing within hospital medicine teams play a significant role in identifying patients who might benefit from palliative care services. The factors that influence their decision to refer patients for palliative care have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among facilitators to referral, barriers to referral, self-efficacy with end of life discussions, history of referral, and referring to palliative care among NPs in hospital medicine. This study was framed by the Theory of Planned Behavior. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. Hospital medicine NPs were recruited using social media platforms and postal mail. Participants used Survey Monkey and paper surveys to complete questionnaires that measured demographics and the concepts of interest. The study participants (N = 76) consisted of 5 males and 71 females with an age range from 30 to 69 (M = 41.82). The availability of the palliative care teams at their hospitals were 24/7 in person (17.1%), 24/7 hybrid of in person/phone (36.8%), and Monday – Friday day shift only in person (46.1%). Four facilitators (palliative care establishing goals of care, helping with length of stay, spiritual concerns, and when patients have serious illness and/or poor prognoses), two barriers (palliative care not routinely available and unless death is imminent), and two self-efficacy aspects (giving bad news to a patient/family member and discussing DNR orders) influenced palliative care referrals. Referral history did not influence referrals. The findings from this study emphasize the impact of palliative care availability in NPs’ referral behavior and suggest a need for strategies to overcome this barrier

Special Issue on the AMCIS 2001 Workshops: Introduction

This article introduces the CAIS special issue on the workshops presented at AMCIS 2001 in Boston, MA. The overriding theme of this issue deals with various aspects of teaching with technology in the information systems curriculum using commercial applications as well as cases developed by faculty. These aspects include challenges of integrating large-scale applications with limited resources, system design configurations, and pedagogical issues. This paper provides an overview of each of the articles in this issue

The Elderly And Internet Usage In Holly Springs, Mississippi

The digital divide among senior citizens 65 and older has prompted a significant number of studies, surveys, and interviews of the barriers and benefits of Internet users and non-users. This project surveyed 39 participants through focus groups, in-depth interviews, and radio shows in Holly Springs, Mississippi, a predominantly African-American retirement community 30 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. This study validates the difficulties senior citizens face when learning how to access the Internet. Cognitive issues revealed that senior citizens could not understand basic computer terminology or remember verbal or written commands during training classes. This project has shothat senior citizens must be given more time to learn basic computer skills before learning the Internet. Training can overcome barriers if senior citizens are trained properly on Internet usage

Modeling the initiation of others into injection drug use, using data from 2,500 injectors surveyed in Scotland during 2008-2009

The prevalence of injection drug use has been of especial interest for assessment of the impact of blood-borne viruses. However, the incidence of injection drug use has been underresearched. Our 2-fold aim in this study was to estimate 1) how many other persons, per annum, an injection drug user (IDU) has the equivalent of full responsibility (EFR) for initiating into injection drug use and 2) the consequences for IDUs' replacement rate. EFR initiation rates are strongly associated with incarceration history, so that our analysis of IDUs' replacement rate must incorporate when, in their injecting career, IDUs were first incarcerated. To do so, we have first to estimate piecewise constant incarceration rates in conjunction with EFR initiation rates, which are then combined with rates of cessation from injecting to model IDUs' replacement rate over their injecting career, analogous to the reproduction number of an epidemic model. We apply our approach to Scotland's IDUs, using over 2,500 anonymous injector participants who were interviewed in Scotland's Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative during 2008-2009. Our approach was made possible by the inclusion of key questions about initiations. Finally, we extend our model to include an immediate quit rate, as a reasoned compensation for higher-than-expected replacement rates, and we estimate how high initiates' quit rate should be for IDUs' replacement rate to be 1