A Real-World ERP Pre-Implementation Case for the Classroom

This article presents the results of an empirical evaluation of the use of a real-world case study, based on an actual Big Four consulting engagement, to teach information systems and accounting courses. While alternative approaches for adopting the case are suggested, we used the case study in an undergraduate case competition judged by Big Four partners to enhance realism. Students, working in teams, assumed the role of consultants and defended their recommendations involving the assessment of key business process controls within the final phase of ERP implementation. In this process, students are expected to benefit by understanding the relationship between information systems and accounting in an ERP implementation project; learning to work more effectively in teams; and improving analytical, oral, and written communication skills. Evaluation of the use of the case study in an undergraduate case competition, judged by Big Four partners, shows that the students generally agreed that they had attained these benefits. The actual case materials, questions with suggested solutions, case competition rules and procedures, judges’ assessment form, and the winning team’s written report and PowerPoint presentation slides are provided

Evaluation of cell-laden polyelectrolyte hydrogels incorporating poly(l-Lysine) for applications in cartilage tissue engineering

To address the lack of reliable long-term solutions for cartilage injuries, strategies in tissue engineering are beginning to leverage developmental processes to spur tissue regeneration. This study focuses on the use of poly(l-lysine) (PLL), previously shown to up-regulate mesenchymal condensation during developmental skeletogenesis inﾠvitro, as an early chondrogenic stimulant of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We characterized the effect of PLL incorporation on the swelling and degradation of oligo(poly(ethylene) glycol) fumarate) (OPF)-based hydrogels as functions of PLL molecular weight and dosage. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of PLL incorporation on the chondrogenic gene expression of hydrogel-encapsulated MSCs. The incorporation of PLL resulted in early enhancements of type II collagen and aggrecan gene expression and type II/type I collagen expression ratios when compared to blank controls. The presentation of PLL to MSCs encapsulated in OPF hydrogels also enhanced N-cadherin gene expression under certain culture conditions, suggesting that PLL may induce the expression of condensation markers in synthetic hydrogel systems. In summary, PLL can function as an inductive factor that primes the cellular microenvironment for early chondrogenic gene expression but may require additional biochemical factors for the generation of fully functional chondrocytes

Patient safety in dentistry: development of a candidate 'never event' list for primary care

Introduction The 'never event' concept is often used in secondary care and refers to an agreed list of patient safety incidents that 'should not happen if the necessary preventative measures are in place'. Such an intervention may raise awareness of patient safety issues and inform team learning and system improvements in primary care dentistry. Objective To identify and develop a candidate never event list for primary care dentistry. Methods A literature review, eight workshops with dental practitioners and a modified Delphi with 'expert' groups were used to identify and agree candidate never events. Results Two-hundred and fifty dental practitioners suggested 507 never events, reduced to 27 distinct possibilities grouped across seven themes. Most frequently occurring themes were: 'checking medical history and prescribing' (119, 23.5%) and 'infection control and decontamination' (71, 14%). 'Experts' endorsed nine candidate never event statements with one graded as 'extreme risk' (failure to check past medical history) and four as 'high risk' (for example, extracting wrong tooth). Conclusion Consensus on a preliminary list of never events was developed. This is the first known attempt to develop this approach and an important step in determining its value to patient safety. Further work is necessary to develop the utility of this method

Predicting human interruptibility with sensors, in

A person seeking someone else’s attention is normally able to quickly assess how interruptible they are. This assessment allows for behavior we perceive as natural, socially appropriate, or simply polite. On the other hand, today’s computer systems are almost entirely oblivious to the human world they operate in, and typically have no way to take into account the interruptibility of the user. This paper presents a Wizard of Oz study exploring whether, and how, robust sensor-based predictions of interruptibility might be constructed, which sensors might be most useful to such predictions, and how simple such sensors might be. The study simulates a range of possible sensors through human coding of audio and video recordings. Experience sampling is used to simultaneously collect randomly distributed self-reports of interruptibility. Based on these simulated sensors, we construct statistical models predicting human interruptibility and compare their predictions with the collected self-report data. The results of these models, although covering a demographically limited sample, are very promising, with the overall accuracy of several models reaching about 78%. Additionally, a model tuned to avoiding unwanted interruptions does so for 90 % of its predictions, while retaining 75 % overall accuracy

Cytoplasmic Forkhead Box M1 (FoxM1) in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Significantly Correlates with Pathological Disease Stage

Abstract: Esophageal cancer is a deadly cancer with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) as the major type. Until now there has been a lack of reliable prognostic markers for this malignancy. This study aims to investigate the clinical correlation between Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) and patients' parameters in ESCC. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the expression and localization of FoxM1 in 64 ESCC tissues and 10 nontumor esophageal tissues randomly selected from 64 patients before these data were used for clinical correlations. Results: Cytoplasmic and nuclear expressions of FoxM1 were found in 63 and 16 of the 64 ESCC tissues, respectively. Low cytoplasmic expression of FoxM1 was correlated with early pathological stage in ESCC (P = 0.018), while patients with nuclear FoxM1 were younger in age than those without nuclear expression (P < 0.001). Upregulation of FoxM1 mRNA was found in five ESCC cell lines (HKESC-1, HKESC-2, HKESC-3, HKESC-4, and SLMT-1) when compared to non-neoplastic esophageal squamous cell line NE-1 using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Except for HKESC-3, all studied ESCC cell lines demonstrated a high expression of FoxM1 protein using immunoblot. A high mRNA level of FoxM1 was observed in all of the ESCC tissues examined when compared to their adjacent nontumor tissues using qPCR. Conclusion: Cytoplasmic FoxM1 was correlated with pathological stage and might be a biomarker for advanced ESCC. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Evaluating more naturalistic outcome measures:A 1-year smartphone study in multiple sclerosis

Objective: In this cohort of individuals with and without multiple sclerosis (MS), we illustrate some of the novel approaches that smartphones provide to monitor patients with chronic neurologic disorders in their natural setting. Methods: Thirty-eight participant pairs (MS and cohabitant) aged 18–55 years participated in the study. Each participant received an Android HTC Sensation 4G smartphone containing a custom application suite of 19 tests capturing participant performance and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Over 1 year, participants were prompted daily to complete one assigned test. Results: A total of 22 patients with MS and 17 cohabitants completed the entire study. Among patients with MS, low scores on PROs relating to mental and visual function were associated with dropout (p < 0.05). We illustrate several novel features of a smartphone platform. First, fluctuations in MS outcomes (e.g., fatigue) were assessed against an individual's ambient environment by linking responses to meteorological data. Second, both response accuracy and speed for the Ishihara color vision test were captured, highlighting the benefits of both active and passive data collection. Third, a new trait, a person-specific learning curve in neuropsychological testing, was identified using spline analysis. Finally, averaging repeated measures over the study yielded the most robust correlation matrix of the different outcome measures. Conclusions: We report the feasibility of, and barriers to, deploying a smartphone platform to gather useful passive and active performance data at high frequency in an unstructured manner in the field. A smartphone platform may therefore enable large-scale naturalistic studies of patients with MS or other neurologic diseases

Mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions in grazing systems through nitrification inhibitors: a meta-analysis

Grasslands are the largest contributor of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the agriculture sector due to livestock excreta and nitrogen fertilizers applied to the soil. Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) added to N input have reduced N2O emissions, but can show a range of efficiencies depending on climate, soil, and management conditions. A meta-analysis study was conducted to investigate the factors that influence the efficiency of NIs added to fertilizer and excreta in reducing N2O emissions, focused on grazing systems. Data from peer-reviewed studies comprising 2164 N2O emission factors (EFs) of N inputs with and without NIs addition were compared. The N2O EFs varied according to N source (0.0001-8.25%). Overall, NIs reduced the N2O EF from N addition by 56.6% (51.1-61.5%), with no difference between NI types (Dicyandiamide-DCD; 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate-DMPP; and Nitrapyrin) or N source (urine, dung, slurry, and fertilizer). The NIs were more efficient in situations of high N2O emissions compared with low; the reduction was 66.0% when EF > 1.5% of N applied compared with 51.9% when EF 10 kg ha(-1). NIs were less efficient in urine with lower N content (<= 7 g kg(-1)). NI efficiency was negatively correlated with soil bulk density, and positively correlated with soil moisture and temperature. Better understanding and management of NIs can optimize N2O mitigation in grazing systems, e.g., by mapping N2O risk and applying NI at variable rate, contributing to improved livestock sustainability

Rational design of a conformation-specific antibody for the quantification of Aβ oligomers.

Protein misfolding and aggregation is the hallmark of numerous human disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. This process involves the formation of transient and heterogeneous soluble oligomers, some of which are highly cytotoxic. A major challenge for the development of effective diagnostic and therapeutic tools is thus the detection and quantification of these elusive oligomers. Here, to address this problem, we develop a two-step rational design method for the discovery of oligomer-specific antibodies. The first step consists of an "antigen scanning" phase in which an initial panel of antibodies is designed to bind different epitopes covering the entire sequence of a target protein. This procedure enables the determination through in vitro assays of the regions exposed in the oligomers but not in the fibrillar deposits. The second step involves an "epitope mining" phase, in which a second panel of antibodies is designed to specifically target the regions identified during the scanning step. We illustrate this method in the case of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, whose oligomers are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Our results show that this approach enables the accurate detection and quantification of Aβ oligomers in vitro, and in Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse hippocampal tissues