Academic Centers Of Excellence Research Articles

The Design and Development of Hands-on Activities for Digital Forensics Education

It has been widely admitted by researchers and educators that hands-on activities are a core component in digital forensics education to help students gain practical skills that are needed in real-world forensic investigations. However, it is not clear in existing works about what kinds of hands-on activities are recommended to be integrated into a digital forensics course and how to design and develop them. In our teaching practice, hands-on activities for a digital forensics course are designed in three categories: 1) activities that assist students in learning how to use common digital forensics tools; 2) activities that help students gain in-depth understanding of the basic concepts and fundamental knowledge that are presented in class lectures; 3) activities that promote students the development of mindsets and data analytical skills that are needed for a digital forensic investigator. Various formats are employed to develop these hands-on exercises in different categories. The educational objectives and student learning outcomes map well to the CAE-CD (Centers of Academic Excellence - Cyber Defense) outcomes by completing their forensic knowledge units. In this paper, we share our idea and experience to design and implement such hands-on assignments in each category for meeting specific educational objectives. Sample exercises are briefly described to explain our idea in each category. Open source tools and data sets are introduced for references. Experiences, lessons, and sample feedback from students are discussed. Our results will provide a point of reference for those who teach digital forensics courses at a college or university, or are developing a digital forensic curriculum.

Like Treating the Symptom Rather than the Cause - the Omission of Courses over Terrorism in NSA Designated Institutions

The National Security Agency (NSA) awards Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals who will work in careers that reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. A review of the curricula in the 327 institutions and their degree programs reveal that only two programs offer a required course about terrorism. Given the fluid nature of terrorism and its threat to national infrastructure, the omission is concerning. It is recommended that NSA-certified cybersecurity programs begin implementing educational content that aim to teach about this emerging crime and justice issue. One suggestion is to embrace the interdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity, as exemplified in the success of the Cybersecurity Living and Learning Community (CLLC). Designing courses that educate about the social processes that leads to the growing problem of violence and terror directed towards marginalized communities and our nation's technological infrastructure, is another.

Thoracic surgery in Brazil: an overview.

Brazil is an emerging country with continental proportions, being one of the largest in the world. As big as its territory, are the complexities and singularities within it. Brazilian thoracic surgery reflects the picture of this unique giant, with all its virtues and problems. This peculiar framework of thoracic surgery in Brazil unfolds that the surgeons are usually well trained and can perform this specialty with technical and scientific excellence, making the country to play a true major role in Latin American thoracic surgery. Nevertheless, the chronic social imbalance present in every aspect of the Brazilian daily life hampers this ultra-specialized workforce to be equally and universally available for every citizen, in every corner of the country. Lung transplantation and minimally invasive approaches (including robotics) are performed by many surgeons with good results, comparable to those observed in high-income countries from North America, Europe and Asia. However, these procedures are still performed more often in centers of academic excellence, located at the main cities of the country, which also reflects an unequal access to these approaches within the Brazilian territory. The aim of this paper is to present a broad overview of the practice of general thoracic surgery in Brazil, as well as its main idiosyncrasies.

Strategies for Academic Improvement in the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

Reputable universities worldwide are centres of academic excellence. In the same vein, the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) per its vision statement aspires to become an internationally reputable institution of teacher education and research. Additionally, one of the core values of UEW is academic excellence. This paper focuses on ways through which students can attain academic excellence in the University. The paper achieves its aim by discussing some measures of academic excellence from the point of view of previous literature and the experiences of the author. The paper suggests several interventions for the Management of UEW to adopt and implement which is believed would go a long way to improve the academic achievement of its students, now and in the future. Among the key interventions to be considered for implementation is mandatory/voluntary enhanced tutorials in Communicative Skills, data analysis and deeper insight into research methods as well as the organisation of two week preparatory classes for failed students in a paper. Regarding the funding of the mandatory/voluntary tutorial classes that are to be held on weekends, the faculties and departments could bear the costs on their own or from a proposed corporate social responsibility fund to be set up by the University if it deems that appropriate and feasible.

Open innovation: A paradigm shift in pharma R&D?

Open innovation (OI) holds promise to accelerate, diversify, and innovate research and development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical industry. It remains to be assessed in which way and to what extent OI is leveraged in practice by current pharmaceutical R&D organizations. Therefore, here we comprehensively analyzed 21 research-based pharmaceutical companies and benchmarked their implementation of OI. Our data showed that OI is an integral part of R&D of all assessed pharmaceutical companies; models typically used are research collaborations, innovation incubators, academic centers of excellence, public-private partnerships (PPPs), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), licensing, or corporate venture capital (VC) funds. In addition, we conclude that the implementation of OI differs greatly across corporations and, consequently, that R&D organizations of research-based pharmaceutical companies can be classified based on their level of OI implementation into three distinct types: predominantly traditional R&D; network-based R&D; and R&D ecosystems.

An Analysis of MRI-Fusion Prostate Biopsy Results in PI-RADS 3 MRI Findings in a Cohort of Men in a Community Hospital Setting

Introduction: With the advent of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), clinicians added an important tool for helping to decide whether a man should undergo a prostate biopsy. The MRI PI-RADS system stratifies the risk of finding cancer on prostate biopsy. PI-RADS 3 lesions often prove to be a diagnostic challenge, and many men are advised not to proceed with a biopsy based on this finding. The goal of our paper was to evaluate the likelihood of finding cancer of clinical significance in this group. Methods: A retrospective 4-year data and quality analysis was performed of 312 evaluable men undergoing prostate MRI. Of the subset with scores of PI-RADS 3 who underwent biopsy (N = 32), 100 percent were biopsied using an MRI-guided fusion technique, greatly raising the likelihood that the MRI lesion was, in fact, the area sampled. Results: A total of 34% of the men with PI-RADS 3 lesions were found to have Grade Group ≥ 1, with 15.6 % demonstrating Grade Group ≥ 2. In the men with cancer, we analyzed and report the relationship to age, ethnicity, PSA density, and the presence or absence of cribriform findings. Conclusions: We found that many men with PI-RADS 3 findings on multiparametric MRI do, in fact, have clinically significant prostate cancer. We suggest that many factors (such as rate of rise of PSA over time, family history, and rectal examination findings) be considered in addition to the MRI PI-RADS score to advise whether or not to proceed with a biopsy of the prostate. Our findings, from a single, large, community hospital with a diverse ethnic makeup, parallel the findings of large trials done at academic centers of excellence. This demonstrates that comparable diagnostic mpMRI/biopsy quality may be found in the community setting.

Understanding the key processes of excellence as a prerequisite to establishing academic centres of excellence in Africa

BackgroundAfrica’s economic transformation relies on a radical transformation of its higher education institutions. The establishment of regional higher education Centres of Excellence (CoE) across Africa through a World Bank support aims to stimulate the needed transformation in education and research. However, excellence is a vague, and often indiscriminately used concept in academic circles. More importantly, the manner in which aspiring institutions can achieve academic excellence is described inadequately. The main objective of this paper is to describe the core processes of excellence as a prerequisite to establishing academic CoE in Africa.MethodsThe paper relies on our collaborative discussions and real-world insight into the pursuit of academic excellence, a narrative review using Pubmed search for a contextual understanding of CoEs in Africa supplemented by a Google search for definitions of CoEs in academic contexts.ResultsWe identified three key, synergistic processes of excellence central to institutionalizing academic CoEs: participatory leadership, knowledge management, and inter-disciplinary collaboration. (1) Participatory leadership encourages innovations to originate from the different parts of the organization, and facilitates ownership as well as a culture of excellence. (2) Centers of Excellence are future-oriented in that they are constantly seeking to achieve best practices, informed by the most up-to-date and cutting-edge research and information available. As such, the process by which centres facilitate the flow of knowledge within and outside the organization, or knowledge management, is critical to their success. (3) Such centres also rely on expertise from different disciplines and ‘engaged’ scholarship. This multidisciplinarity leads to improved research productivity and enhances the production of problem-solving innovations.ConclusionParticipatory leadership, knowledge management, and inter-disciplinary collaborations are prerequisites to establishing academic CoEs in Africa. Future studies need to extend our findings to understand the processes key to productivity, competitiveness, institutionalization, and sustainability of academic CoEs in Africa.

Malignant Leakage After Sleeve Gastrectomy: Endoscopic and Surgical Approach.

Gastric leak occurs after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in 2% of cases. Most staple-line disruptions (SLD) can be successfully treated with first-line endoscopic procedures. Less favorable situations may lead to more complex therapeutic strategies, like conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). The aim of our study is to predict the factors of endoscopic treatment failure and to assess the safety of conversion to RYGBP. We included all patients treated in two centers of academic excellence (n = 100) between 2013 and 2017 who had a malignant SLD after SG. A "malignant" leakage met one of the following poor prognosis criteria suggested in the literature: unsuccessfully treated by the first-line endoscopic treatment; generalized peritonitis; anatomical anomalies; gastro-cutaneous or gastro-pleural fistula (GCF/GPF); or chronic leaks (> 4weeks). No deaths occurred during the follow-up (20 ± 12months). The endoscopy reported an anatomically abnormal gastric tube in 35 (35%) patients (stenosis [n = 21 (21%)], twist [n = 9 (9%)], or both [n = 5 (5%)]). We could maintain the SG in place in 92% of cases without stenosis, twist, or GCF/GPF. Conversion to RYGBP due to leakage was necessary in 37 (37%) patients. Stenosis, twist, or GCF/GPF significantly prevented healing in multivariate analysis (respectively: p = 0.020, OR = 0.17, and p < 0.001, OR = 0.07-logistic regression). Endoscopy is the treatment of choice for the management of chronic leaks after SG. The association of anatomical anomalies and GCF/GPF should lead to consideration of conversion to RYGBP.

Governing the Philippine Public: The National College of Public Administration and Governance and the Crisis of Leadership without Identity

Governing the Philippine Public: The National College of Public Administration and Governance and the Crisis of Leadership without Identity

Trends and Demographics in the Utilization of Total Wrist Arthroplasty.

Health disparities exist among many patient populations, with race, payer status, hospital size and access to teaching versus non-teaching hospitals potentially affecting whether certain patients have access to the benefits of total wrist arthroplasty (TWA). The National Inpatient Sample Database (NIS) was queried from 2001 to 2013 for TWA using the ICD-9 code 81.73. Patient-level data included age, sex, race, payer status, and year of discharge. Hospital-level data included hospital bed size, location, teaching status, and region. There were 1,213 patients identified who underwent TWA between 2001 and 2013. Total number of procedures decreased from 88 TWAs in 2001 to 65 in 2013. The yearly volume ranged from 33 in 2005 to 128 in 2007. The male-female ratio was 2.5 to 1. The majority of TWA procedures were performed at urban teaching hospitals (60.8%). The NIS database shows a downward trend of total wrist arthroplasty utilization. The majority of total wrist arthroplasties were performed at urban teaching hospitals indicating treatment occurs most often at academic centers of excellence.

Statewide Success of Staged Sacral Neuromodulation for the Treatment of Urinary Complaints in California (2005-2011).

Sacral neuromodulation (SNS) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a third-line treatment for refractory overactive bladder, idiopathic urinary retention, and fecal incontinence. Prior to implantation of an implantable pulse generator, all patients undergo a trial phase to ensure symptom improvement. The published success rates of progression from the test phase to permanent implant vary widely (range, 24% to >90%). We sought to characterize success rates using a statewide registry. Using nonpublic data, we identified SNS procedures using the California Office of Statewide Planning and Development ambulatory surgery database from 2005 to 2011. A successful trial was defined as receiving a stage 2 generator implantation after trial lead placement. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with staged success. During the study period, 1396 patients underwent a staged SNS procedure, with 962 (69%) subsequently undergoing generator placement. Successful trial rates were 72% for overactive bladder wet, 69% for urgency/frequency, 68% for interstitial cystitis, 67% for neurogenic bladder, and 57% for urinary retention. On multivariate logistic regression, only male sex (odds ratio, 0.51) and urinary retention [odds ratio, 0.54) were significantly associated with lower odds of success, whereas age, race/ethnicity, medical insurance, and placement at an academic or high-volume institution had no association. The "real world" success rates for staged SNS implantation in California are less than those observed by some academic centers of excellence but better than previously reported for Medicare beneficiaries. Successful trial rates for interstitial cystitis and neurogenic voiding dysfunction are similar to refractory overactive bladder.

Nine years of comparative effectiveness research education and training: initiative supported by the PhRMA Foundation.

The term comparative effectiveness research (CER) took center stage with passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009). The companion US$1.1 billion in funding prompted the launch of initiatives to train the scientific workforce capable of conducting and using CER. Passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) focused these initiatives on patients, coining the term 'patient-centered outcomes research' (PCOR). Educational and training initiatives were soon launched. This report describes the initiative of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA) Foundation. Through provision of grant funding to six academic Centers of Excellence, to spearheading and sponsoring three national conferences, the PhRMA Foundation has made significant contributions to creation of the scientific workforce that conducts and uses CER/PCOR.

T016 Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and post-stroke dysphagia

Considerable effort in recent years has been devoted to investigating neurophysiological changes in the brain after stroke and in developing novel strategies to enhance recovery particularlyin the limbs and trunk. In contrast, although dysphagia is a severe complication and can be life threatening in a considerable number of stroke patients, it has not yet received the attention devoted to limb control. In this review, we discuss how introduction of (a) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test noninvasively the integrity of the cortico-bulbar swallowing system and (b) the plasticity provoking protocols of rTMS and transcranial direct current stimulation have recently stimulated research into dysphagia after stroke and led to new potential avenues for treatment. We discuss the neural control of swallowing and discuss the contributions of TMS to understand how different brain areas are involved in dysphagia. We also consider recent studies using noninvasive brain stimulation to interact with synaptic plasticity in cortex and enhance recovery of dysphagia following stroke. Although further studies are needed, these investigations provide an important starting point to understand the stimulation parameters and patient characteristics that may influence the optimal response to therapeutic noninvasive brain stimulation. These techniques need to be refined further through a multicenter study so that they can become an essential tool that can be used in academic centers of excellence as well as in a general hospital setting.

OA14.02 Nursing and Allied Healthcare Practitioner Driven Initiative to Develop an Integrated Educational and Assessment Program for Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is rapidly becoming recognized as the fourth pillar of treatment for lung cancer. As an academic center of excellence, our staff have developed expertise with immune-oncology (I-O) agents though clinical trials. Currently two agents (Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab) have been FDA-approved for the treatment of lung cancer. Variability existed in patient assessment, patient education and staff education regarding how to identify and manage immune-related adverse events (IrAEs). Initial evaluation consisted of an online staff survey and interviews to assess the educational materials available for instruction of both patients and staff. A review of existing educational materials was conducted to determine the breadth of information available as well as knowledge gaps. The evaluation revealed a lack of standardization, with inconsistency in the educational messages being delivered. A focused working group including CNS, APRNs, Pharmacists and RNs from the academic hub and broader community care center network was convened with the goal of developing educational platforms for nursing staff as well as patients. Bringing stakeholders together was felt to be important to increase buy-in across the spectrum of care locations, as well as to ensure that the program was effective and appropriate for all sites. Program components included the following: Education for staff to better identify and manage IrAEs. Development of an electronic nursing flow-sheet to standardize patient assessment and document IrAEs in the lung cancer population. Automatic notification through the EMR to alert staff in non-oncology settings regarding I-O patients. Development of a forum for patient education to better understand I-O therapy and how to identify and manage IrAEs. Development of lung cancer specific telephone triage guidelines. The outcomes of implementing the I-O program include increased patient participation in educational forums and improved patient satisfaction metrics. Incorporation of the I-O assessment flow-sheet and telephone triage guidelines will improve staff competency, as well as standardize documentation and monitoring of IrAEs. These metrics will allow for more accurate tracking of IrAes throughout the course of treatment. The I-O Integrated Education and Assessment Program standardizes practice across all oncology care delivery sites within our network. This program allows patients to receive the highest level of care at convenient regional locations closer to home, with the goal of maintaining patient safety while maximizing the benefit they may receive from I-O therapies.

Contemporary radical cystectomy outcomes in patients with invasive bladder cancer: a population-based study.

To determine the contemporary survival outcomes from a whole population and identify significant predictors of survival, as contemporary population-based survival outcomes after radical cystectomy (RC) for the treatment of bladder cancer (BC) are sparse. Reports suggest a large disparity between population outcomes and those of centres of excellence. All invasive BC cases diagnosed between 2001 and 2007 in New South Wales, Australia, were identified from the Central Cancer Registry. Records of treatment and death were electronically linked. All patients who underwent RC between 2001 and 2009 were selected for this study (804 patients). Follow-up was to the end of 2009. Outcomes assessed were disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariable Cox regression and log-rank analysis were used to model and compare survival within groups. Of 804 patients diagnosed during the study period 420 (52.2%) died during follow-up. The 5-year DSS and OS for all patients was 59.6% and 53.2%, respectively. The 5-year DSS for patients with localised, regional and distant disease, undergoing RC was 72%, 51% and 10%, respectively. Age (P < 0.001) and stage (P < 0.001) were associated with 5-year DSS and OS after adjusting for all other variables. High-volume centres had significantly better 5-year DSS compared with low-volume centres (P < 0.05). The 30-day mortality for high- vs low-volume centres was 1.8% and 3.6%, respectively. Perioperative mortality improved over time for high- and moderate-volume centres but not for low-volume centres. Contemporary survival outcomes after RC are much improved compared with older studies and appear close to results from academic centres of excellence. High-volume centres report better 5-year DSS outcomes than lower volume centres.

A qualitative evaluation of the 2005–2011 National Academic Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) funded eight National Academic Centers of Excellence (ACEs) in Youth Violence Prevention from 2005 to 2010 and two Urban Partnership Academic Centers of Excellence (UPACEs) in Youth Violence Prevention from 2006 to 2011. The ACEs and UPACEs constitute DVP's 2005–2011 ACE Program. ACE Program goals include partnering with communities to promote youth violence (YV) prevention and fostering connections between research and community practice. This article describes a qualitative evaluation of the 2005–2011 ACE Program using an innovative approach for collecting and analyzing data from multiple large research centers via a web-based Information System (ACE-IS). The ACE-IS was established as an efficient mechanism to collect and document ACE research and programmatic activities. Performance indicators for the ACE Program were established in an ACE Program logic model. Data on performance indicators were collected through the ACE-IS biannually. Data assessed Centers’ ability to develop, implement, and evaluate YV prevention activities. Performance indicator data demonstrate substantial progress on Centers’ research in YV risk and protective factors, community partnerships, and other accomplishments. Findings provide important lessons learned, illustrate progress made by the Centers, and point to new directions for YV prevention research and programmatic efforts.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Building the Nation’s Cyber Security Workforce

This article presents a view of the necessary size and composition of the US national cyber security workforce, and considers some of the contributions that the government-designated Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) might make to it. Over the last dozen years about 200 million taxpayer dollars have gone into funding many of these CAEs, with millions explicitly targeted to help them build capacity. The most visible intended output has been in the form of around 125 Scholarship for Service (SFS) students per year going mostly into the workforce of the federal government. Surely the output capacity of these 181 colleges and universities is greater than that, and should be helping to protect the rest of US citizens and taxpayers. We take a need-based look at what the nation’s workforce should look like, and then consider some possibilities of what the CAE schools could be doing to help to close the gaps between that perceived need and the supply and demand.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

A cry for specialists in functional neurosurgery

A cry for specialists in functional neurosurgery