California’s State University: A Leadership Perspective

Editor’s Introduction: Dr. Timothy P. White has served as chancellor of the California State University (CSU) system since late 2012. As chancellor, he oversees 23 campuses, over 460,000 students, and 47,000 faculty and staff. The CSU spans the entire state of California and has an an-nual budget of more than $5 billion. It is one of the most diverse and most affordable university systems in the country. In June 2015, members of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Transformative Leadership and Policy Studies (JTLPS) met with Chancellor White in Long Beach, California to engage on issues surrounding leadership, policy and transformational change across the largest four-year system of higher education in the United States. This reflective essay was culled from a transcribed inter-view and themed around six major areas: institutional vision, leadership, future of the California State Univer-sity system, facilitating system level change, the CSU as a state-wide system with local flavors, and legacy fore-sight. The title to this reflective essay came from Chancel-lor’s White interview as he asserted that the official name of the university was California State University and that in a sense the apostrophe “s” as a possessive would ide-ally reflect that the system is California’s state university

Economics of Integrated Pest Management Practices for Insects in Grape Production

A.E. Ext. 92-1The purpose of this report is to summarize and analyze the economics of the use of three approaches to insect control in grape production in New York state

A Resident Retreat with Emergency Medicine Specific Mindfulness Training Significantly Reduces Burnout and Perceived Stress

Introduction: We hypothesize that a resident retreat with mindfulness training tailored for Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians can significantly reduce levels of burnout and perceived stress in EM residents. Methods: We conducted an intervention study of 60 EM residents undergoing an annual resident retreat with a 2.5-hour mindfulness training. The retreat was a department-funded 2-day off-site experience with a wellness theme. The training was developed and delivered by an EM physician (JO\u27S) who is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher trainee, and a certified MBSR teacher (MD). The training focused on techniques that can be used on shift, such as mindful breathing, handwashing, eating/drinking, walking, and anchoring before resuscitations. The cohort contained an equal distribution of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year residents who received a financial incentive. The subjects completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale at three time points: Time 1 - one month prior, Time 2 – one week post, Time 3 – one month post. Results: The subjects were 60 EM residents (54% Male, 46% Female) with an average age of 29. Completion rates at the three time points were 70% (n = 42), 60% (n = 36) and 50% (n = 30) respectively. We found that Perceived Stress (ω2 = 0.15, p \u3c 0.01) and Emotional Exhaustion (ω2 = 0.21, p \u3c 0.01) decreased significantly over time in a linear progression across the three sampling periods. Though mindfulness as a trait did not change significantly during the study period, in the month after the retreat, 64% of resident respondents at Time 3 (n = 32) reported using the mindfulness techniques learned from the training at least 2 or 3 times a week on shift and 52% (n = 31) reported using them at least 2 or 3 times a week at home. Conclusions: An EM resident retreat that included an EM specific mindfulness training significantly reduced perceived stress and emotional exhaustion. The learned mindfulness skills were readily adopted for use on shift. Further studies should investigate effectiveness of mindfulness training outside of the retreat format. Other wellness / academic activities that occur within the socially supportive milieu of a retreat could lead to the same significant reduction in burnout and perceived stress seen in the current study

Outcome following mini-open lower limb fasciotomy for chronic exertional compartment syndrome

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to report outcomes following mini-open lower limb fasciotomy (MLLF) in active adults with chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS). METHODS: From 2013–2018, 38 consecutive patients (mean age 31 years [16–60], 71% [n = 27/38] male) underwent MLLF. There were 21 unilateral procedures, 10 simultaneous bilateral and 7 staged bilateral. There were 22 anterior fasciotomies, five posterior and 11 four-compartment. Early complications were determined from medical records of 37/38 patients (97%) at a mean of four months (1–19). Patient-reported outcomes (including EuroQol scores [EQ-5D/EQ-VAS], return to sport and satisfaction) were obtained via postal survey from 27/38 respondents (71%) at a mean of 3.7 years (0.3–6.4). RESULTS: Complications occurred in 16% (n = 6/37): superficial infection (11%, n = 4/37), deep infection (3%, n = 1/37) and wound dehiscence (3%, n = 1/37). Eight per cent (n = 3/37) required revision fasciotomy for recurrent leg pain. At longer-term follow-up, 30% (n = 8/27) were asymptomatic and another 56% (n = 15/27) reported improved symptoms. The mean pain score improved from 6.1 to 2.5 during normal activity and 9.1 to 4.7 during sport (both p < 0.001). The mean EQ-5D was 0.781 (0.130–1) and EQ-VAS 77 (33–95). Of 25 patients playing sport preoperatively, 64% (n = 16/25) returned, 75% (n = 12/16) reporting improved exercise tolerance. Seventy-four per cent (n = 20/27) were satisfied and 81% (n = 22/27) would recommend the procedure. CONCLUSION: MLLF is safe and effective for active adults with CECS. The revision rate is low, and although recurrent symptoms are common most achieve symptomatic improvement, with reduced activity-related leg pain and good health-related quality of life. The majority return to sport and are satisfied with their outcome

The Challenge of Wide-Field Transit Surveys: The Case of GSC 01944-02289

Wide-field searches for transiting extra-solar giant planets face the difficult challenge of separating true transit events from the numerous false positives caused by isolated or blended eclipsing binary systems. We describe here the investigation of GSC 01944-02289, a very promising candidate for a transiting brown dwarf detected by the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) network. The photometry and radial velocity observations suggested that the candidate was an object of substellar mass in orbit around an F star. However, careful analysis of the spectral line shapes revealed a pattern of variations consistent with the presence of another star whose motion produced the asymmetries observed in the spectral lines of the brightest star. Detailed simulations of blend models composed of an eclipsing binary plus a third star diluting the eclipses were compared with the observed light curve and used to derive the properties of the three components. Our photometric and spectroscopic observations are fully consistent with a blend model of a hierarchical triple system composed of an eclipsing binary with G0V and M3V components in orbit around a slightly evolved F5 dwarf. We believe that this investigation will be helpful to other groups pursuing wide-field transit searches as this type of false detection could be more common than true transiting planets, and difficult to identify.Comment: To appear in ApJ, v. 621, 2005 March 1

Asteroseismology of the open clusters NGC 6791, NGC 6811, and NGC 6819 from nineteen months of Kepler photometry

We studied solar-like oscillations in 115 red giants in the three open clusters NGC 6791, NGC 6811, and NGC 6819, based on photometric data covering more than 19 months with NASA's Kepler space telescope. We present the asteroseismic diagrams of the asymptotic parameters \delta\nu_02, \delta\nu_01 and \epsilon, which show clear correlation with fundamental stellar parameters such as mass and radius. When the stellar populations from the clusters are compared, we see evidence for a difference in mass of the red giant branch stars, and possibly a difference in structure of the red clump stars, from our measurements of the small separations \delta\nu_02 and \delta\nu_01. Ensemble \'{e}chelle diagrams and upper limits to the linewidths of l = 0 modes as a function of \Delta\nu of the clusters NGC 6791 and NGC 6819 are also shown, together with the correlation between the l = 0 ridge width and the T_eff of the stars. Lastly, we distinguish between red giant branch and red clump stars through the measurement of the period spacing of mixed dipole modes in 53 stars among all the three clusters to verify the stellar classification from the color-magnitude diagram. These seismic results also allow us to identify a number of special cases, including evolved blue stragglers and binaries, as well as stars in late He-core burning phases, which can be potentially interesting targets for detailed theoretical modeling.Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, 1 table, accepted to Ap

Surgical management of complications following endoluminal grafting of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Objective:The aim of this study was to report the outcome of endoluminal grafting of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with special reference to complications.Methods:Between May 1992 and August 1994 endoluminal repair of aneurysms was undertaken in 61 patients. In 53 the aneurysm was aortic and these are the basis of this report. In patients with AAA all procedures were elective and were performed in the operating room with the patient draped for an open repair in the event of failed endoluminal repair. The configuration of the endografts was tubular 36, tapered aortoiliac/aortofemoral 12 and bifurcated 5. Radiographic guidance was used to pass the endografts into the aorta via a delivery sheath introduced through the femoral or iliac arteries.Results:Successful endoluminal repair of AAA was achieved in 43 of 53(81%) patients. In the remaining 10 patients, endoluminal repair was abandoned in favour of an open repair. There were 17(32%) local/vascular and 13(25%) systemic/remote complications. The sum of these complications occurring in successful endoluminal repairs and those complications leading to failure of endoluminal repair was 40(75%). There were two cardiac deaths within 30 days in patients undergoing endoluminal repair (both procedure related) and four late deaths (unrelated to aneurysm repair). Three of the late deaths were in patients undergoing endoluminal repair and one endoluminal converted to open repair.Conclusion:Endoluminal repair of AAA in our experience has a low perioperative (<30 days) mortality rate (3.7%) but a high morbidity rate (75%). It is recommended that complications be classified into three groups: systemic/remote and local/vascular (following successful endoluminal repair) plus those complications leading to failure of endoluminal repair. The first group is composed of medical complications while the latter two groups comprise those surgical complications directly related to the endoluminal technique