AN INTERNATIONAL POWERHOUSE Pillsbury, Dennis H
Rough Notes,
08/2020, Letnik:
163, Številka:
8
Trade Publication Article
Florida agency operates in all 50 states and more than 80 countries We're a new old company," says Jim McCue, chief operating officer of NSI Insurance Group. Since the start of the pandemic, we've ...added seven people to our 80-person staff. From Florida to the world This international reach was one of the reasons that NSI Insurance Group Senior Vice President Brian Samberg sold his firm to NSI and joined the NSI management team. "NSI lets me better serve my existing private clients by insuring their homes and businesses in other states and countries," Brian points out, "but more important to me is the fact that NSI treats its people and customers consistently with great care. ...I found out that, even as one of the new associates, I would lead our digital marketing efforts.
"R" STANDS FOR RELATIONSHIPS Pillsbury, Dennis H
Rough Notes,
07/2020, Letnik:
163, Številka:
7
Trade Publication Article
AGENCY OF THE MONTH Montana agency helps customers find financial freedom Managing Partner Brandon Smith, of Glidewell Investments & Insurance Group (GiiG), Missoula, Montana, was heading toward a ...career in banking when opportunity, as they say, knocked. Today, Brandon is the managing partner of the firm, with responsibilities for growth, marketing, public relations, systems and strategies, and software integration. Once contact is made, we begin the natural sales process, which includes use of many social media platforms to maintain our virtual relationship with each client." Helping the industry Brandon was one of the original co-founders of the Insurance Agency Owners Alliance (IAOA), an organization that brings independent insurance agency owners together to share and learn from each other.
The study goals were (1) to determine if the degree and pattern of semicircular canal dysmorphology and the presence or absence of a cochlea in patients with congenital sensorineural hearing loss ...predict audiologic outcome, severity, or the frequencies involved and (2) to review the recent advances in molecular genetics of the semicircular canals and correlate this information with audiologic and anatomic patterns seen in our series of patients.
We conducted a retrospective study at a tertiary care center with a large otologic and cochlear implant service.
The study population consisted of 16 patients with congenital sensorineural hearing loss in 28 congenitally malformed inner ears consisting of semicircular canal dysplasia or aplasia, with or without cochlear malformation. History, physical examination, computed tomography scans, and serial audiograms were reviewed. Factors analyzed included other phenotypic dysmorphology characteristic of syndromes, audiometric configuration, severity and type of hearing loss, and the presence of associated inner ear anomalies other than the vestibular system. An extensive review of the literature regarding molecular genetic factors in semicircular canal anomalies, with or without cochlear abnormalities, was performed.
Sixteen patients (31 ears) were identified with profound sensorineural hearing loss and semicircular canal abnormalities. Only 3 patients had known syndromes, although 4 patients had other congenital anomalies. Most radiographic detectable abnormalities were bilateral. Audiograms of the patients demonstrated pure tone averages between 90 and 100 dB in the affected ears with few exceptions. No correlation was found between type and severity of malformation of either the cochlea or semicircular canals with the severity of hearing loss. There was no stepwise progression of hearing loss increasing malformation severity. Seven of the 16 patients received cochlear implants. Of these 7, 3 patients had cochlear hypoplasia and 1 patient had a common cavity deformity. Audiologic follow-up on all 7 patients revealed improvement in both speech assessment threshold and pure tone average. Presence or absence of the cochlea was not a factor in outcome after cochlear implantation.
We have assembled the largest series of patients with semicircular canal dysmorphology, with or without various cochlear abnormalities. Our study failed to correlate the type and severity of semicircular canal malformation with any specific audiologic outcome. The variation in hearing loss severity and pattern even in patients with similar bony radiographic findings must be explained by other non-radiologically detectable defects, likely abnormalities in membranous labyrinthine development. New molecular genetic discoveries have linked specific genes to the development of certain inner ear structures in mice studies. The independent development of the individual semicircular canals in relation to the cochlea and vestibule and the variability in hearing loss suggest a more complex embryologic process than merely an arrest in development as previously thought. As genetic studies are extended into humans, we will likely be able to stratify these patients by molecular defect and severity of hearing loss.
This thesis argues that the rise of a saltwater sport fishing industry along the Atlantic Coast undermined efforts for meaningful marine conservation policies from the late nineteenth century until ...the present day. A seemingly natural alliance between sportsmen and small-scale market fishermen broke down in the late nineteenth century and resulted instead in deep political and social divisions that prevented the enactment of regulatory policies to protect fish populations from over-fishing and habitat destruction. The politicization of competing fishing interests coupled with uncertain theories of marine science resulted in state and federal legislation that fueled the expansion of the sport fishing industry and large-scale commercial operations with little protections for fish populations. My thesis explains how and why the coastal fishing communities and coastal ecologies that provided fish for local markets lost out.
PUTTING ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER Pillsbury, Dennis H
Rough Notes,
04/2020, Letnik:
163, Številka:
4
Trade Publication Article
From personal lines startup to financial services powerhouse Tim Hyland started his working life as a high school teacher and coach after graduating from St. Louis University where, in addition to ...studying, he also played basketball. "Bill Nash heads that division and is available to counsel seniors on Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, prescription drug plans and long-term care insurance. Combining work and fun Chief Operating Officer Jeffri Northcut says what stands out most about the agency is that "we have a great group of professional people who operate like a cohesive team. Part of my job is to mentor people to set and meet goals and provide guidance to get everyone through the routine day-to-day operations, as well as explain changes and help them adopt those changes without experiencing
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