Economic Analysis of the Use of Sediment Controls at Construction Sites in Greenville County

2010 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Science and Policy Challenges for a Sustainable Futur

Validation of a Content Analysis System Using an Iterative Prototyping Approach to Action Research

In the face of a more rapid pace of scientific development, academic societies and competitive organizations alike are seeking new methods for content analysis. This paper describes a theoretically driven action research study that delivers a technology-mediated solution for specifying, organizing, representing and using elements of meaning in a body of knowledge. The theoretical basis, \u27ontological specification\u27 is of particular interest to IS professionals, particularly those involved in analysis and design, because it guides the efficient transformation of tacit knowledge into an explicit form. The technology-mediated solution influenced by ontological specification was validated through an iterative prototyping form of action research. Users reported that the system was useful in their work, easy to use, and compatible with collaborative work when using it for content analysis in academic research

Pierre Bourdieu and non-habitual decisions

Bourdieu’s theory of decision making is based on habitual and immediate decisions which are reflexive and reactive and which rely on dispositions and various forms of capital relative to a particular field. However, there are a number of decisions that are not reactive and immediate but are developed over time because of the enduring nature of the decision to the decision maker. Using empirical research data collected for a doctoral thesis, the factors of this habitual and immediate style of decision-making are explored relative to non-habitual decision-making. This poses the research question of whether the same factors as postulated by Bourdieu can be applied in decisions made over a period of time, specifically postgraduate student withdrawal from doctoral programs. The research is methodologically qualitative with empirical ethnographic data from a conversational style interview, in addition to autoethnographic data

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in the Fractional Quantum Hall Regime

We investigate dynamic nuclear polarization in quantum point contacts (QPCs) in the integer and fractional quantum Hall regimes. Following the application of a dc bias, fractional plateaus in the QPC shift symmetrically about half filling of the lowest Landau level, $\nu = 1/2$, suggesting an interpretation in terms of composite fermions. Polarizing and detecting at different filling factors indicates that Zeeman energy is reduced by the induced nuclear polarization. Mapping effects from integer to fractional regimes extends the composite fermion picture to include hyperfine coupling.Physic

A novel therapeutic strategy for pancreatic neoplasia using a novel RNAi platform targeting PDX-1

Bi-functional shRNA (bi-shRNA), a novel RNA interference (RNAi) effector platform targeting PDX-1 utilizing a systemic DOTAP-Cholesterol delivery vehicle, was studied in three mouse models of progressive pancreatic neoplasia. Species-specific bi-functional PDX-1 shRNA (bi-shRNAPDX-1) lipoplexes inhibited insulin expression and secretion while also substantially inhibiting proliferation of mouse and human cell lines via disruption of cell cycle proteins in vitro. Three cycles of either bi-shRNA<sup>mousePDX-1</sup> or shRNA<sup>mousePDX-1</sup> lipoplexes administered intravenously prevented death from hyperinsulinemia and hypoglycemia in a lethal insulinoma mouse model. Three cycles of shRNA<sup>mousePDX-1</sup> lipoplexes reversed hyperinsulinemia and hypoglycemia in an immune-competent mouse model of pancreatic neoplasia. Moreover, three cycles of the bi-shRNA<sup>humanPDX-1</sup> lipoplexes resulted in near complete ablation of tumor volume and considerably improved survival in a human PANC-1 implanted SCID-mouse model. Human pancreatic neoplasia specimens also stained strongly for PDX-1 expression. Together, these data support the clinical development of a novel therapeutic strategy using systemic bi-shRNA<sup>PDX-1</sup> lipoplexes against pancreatic neoplasia

New Pacific flyingfishes collected by Templeton Crocker

4 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes 1 bibliographical references (p. 4)

Light Curves and Period Changes of Type II Cepheids in the Globular Clusters M3 and M5

Light curves in the B, V, and I_c passbands have been obtained for the type II Cepheids V154 in M3 and V42 and V84 in M5. Alternating cycle behavior, similar to that seen among RV Tauri variables, is confirmed for V84. Old and new observations, spanning more than a century, show that V154 has increased in period while V42 has decreased in period. V84, on the other hand, has shown large, erratic changes in period that do not appear to reflect the long term evolution of V84 through the HR diagram.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figure

A multilevel neo-institutional analysis of infection prevention and control in English hospitals: coerced safety culture change?

Despite committed policy, regulative and professional efforts on healthcare safety, little is known about how such macro-interventions permeate organisations and shape culture over time. Informed by neo-institutional theory, we examined how inter-organisational influences shaped safety practices and inter-subjective meanings following efforts for coerced culture change. We traced macro-influences from 2000 to 2015 in infection prevention and control (IPC). Safety perceptions and meanings were inductively analysed from 130 in-depth qualitative interviews with senior- and middle-level managers from 30 English hospitals. A total of 869 institutional interventions were identified; 69% had a regulative component. In this context of forced implementation of safety practices, staff experienced inherent tensions concerning the scope of safety, their ability to be open and prioritisation of external mandates over local need. These tensions stemmed from conflicts among three co-existing institutional logics prevalent in the NHS. In response to requests for change, staff flexibly drew from a repertoire of cognitive, material and symbolic resources within and outside their organisations. They crafted 'strategies of action', guided by a situated assessment of first-hand practice experiences complementing collective evaluations of interventions such as 'pragmatic', 'sensible' and also 'legitimate'. Macro-institutional forces exerted influence either directly on individuals or indirectly by enriching the organisational cultural repertoire

Neutrophils in cancer: neutral no more

Neutrophils are indispensable antagonists of microbial infection and facilitators of wound healing. In the cancer setting, a newfound appreciation for neutrophils has come into view. The traditionally held belief that neutrophils are inert bystanders is being challenged by the recent literature. Emerging evidence indicates that tumours manipulate neutrophils, sometimes early in their differentiation process, to create diverse phenotypic and functional polarization states able to alter tumour behaviour. In this Review, we discuss the involvement of neutrophils in cancer initiation and progression, and their potential as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Phase I Clinical Trial of Systemically Administered TUSC2(FUS1)-Nanoparticles Mediating Functional Gene Transfer in Humans

Background: Tumor suppressor gene TUSC2/FUS1 (TUSC2) is frequently inactivated early in lung cancer development. TUSC2 mediates apoptosis in cancer cells but not normal cells by upregulation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. No drug strategies currently exist targeting loss-of–function genetic abnormalities. We report the first in-human systemic gene therapy clinical trial of tumor suppressor gene TUSC2. Methods: Patients with recurrent and/or metastatic lung cancer previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy were treated with escalating doses of intravenous N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTAP):cholesterol nanoparticles encapsulating a TUSC2 expression plasmid (DOTAP:chol-TUSC2) every 3 weeks. Results: Thirty-one patients were treated at 6 dose levels (range 0.01 to 0.09 milligrams per kilogram). The MTD was determined to be 0.06 mg/kg. Five patients achieved stable disease (2.6–10.8 months, including 2 minor responses). One patient had a metabolic response on positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. RT-PCR analysis detected TUSC2 plasmid expression in 7 of 8 post-treatment tumor specimens but not in pretreatment specimens and peripheral blood lymphocyte controls. Proximity ligation assay, performed on paired biopsies from 3 patients, demonstrated low background TUSC2 protein staining in pretreatment tissues compared with intense (10–25 fold increase) TUSC2 protein staining in posttreatment tissues. RT-PCR gene expression profiling analysis of apoptotic pathway genes in two patients with high posttreatmen