Striving for Success: Practical Advice for Reference Graduate Assistants (and Other New Reference Providers)

With a little reflection, most librarians can recall the excitement, anticipation, and fear that filled their early days at the reference desk: “What will people ask me?” “What if I don’t know how to help someone?” “What do I need to do to be successful?” Many librarians first experienced this emotional turbulence while working as graduate assistants (GAs) in academic library reference departments. Although demanding, working as a reference graduate assistant yields many benefits. An assistantship introduces participants to basics of reference librarianship like customer service, search techniques, and teamwork. Assistantships also help students get their foot in the door of the profession by giving them practical experience that can boost their employment prospects. Furthermore, participants profit greatly from networking with librarians who can offer guidance and encouragement. In view of the potential rewards and challenges of assistantships, we seek to provide current GAs with practical advice that can turn their assistantships into a successful debut into the field of reference

Primary care physicians are under-testing for celiac disease in patients with iron deficiency anemia: Results of a national survey

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common extra-intestinal manifestation of celiac disease (CD). Little is known about the frequency with which primary care physicians (PCPs) test for CD in patients with IDA. We aimed to describe how PCPs approach testing for CD in asymptomatic patients with IDA. METHODS: We electronically distributed a survey to PCPs who are members of the American College of Physicians. Respondents were asked whether they would test for CD (serologic testing, refer for esophagogastroduodenoscopy [EGD], or refer to GI) in hypothetical patients with new IDA, including: (1) a young Caucasian man, (2) a premenopausal Caucasian woman, (3) an elderly Caucasian man, and (4) a young African American man. These scenarios were chosen to assess for differences in testing for CD based on age, gender, and race. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of testing. RESULTS: Testing for CD varied significantly according to patient characteristics, with young Caucasian men being the most frequently tested (61% of respondents reporting they would perform serologic testing in this subgroup (p CONCLUSIONS: PCPs are under-testing for CD in patients with IDA, regardless of age, gender, race, or post-menopausal status. The majority of PCPs surveyed reported they do not strictly adhere to established guidelines regarding a confirmatory duodenal biopsy in a patient with positive serology for CD

Using Ripple Effects Maps to Identify Story Threads: A Framework to Link Private to Public Value

Extension professionals must demonstrate organizational value to garner public awareness and support. Measuring and communicating outcomes that have public value can be challenging. In this study, Ripple Effects Mapping incorporating the Community Capitals Framework was used to evaluate a childhood obesity prevention study, iCook 4-H, of youth-adult pairs in Maine. The objective was to describe the process of generating impact statements through story threads about program benefits to the participants and the potential benefits to nonparticipants, such as family members, friends, and other community members. Extension professionals can use storylines, or story threads, as a qualitative research technique to generate stories about private and public value from participants’ actions, experiences, and emotions following community programs. The story threads process can be used across disciplines to leverage community program data into public value messaging

An Impact Mapping Method to Generate Robust Qualitative Evaluation of Community-Based Research Programs for Youth and Adults

Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) is an evaluation approach that has traditionally been used in community settings to visually map the impact of programming and community interventions. This manuscript utilizes the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to inform REM and to better highlight the changes and impact between various levels of a community, following a childhood obesity prevention intervention. The addition of in-depth qualitative analyses makes this approach particularly useful for the evaluation of interventions with a research–community partnership focus. The objective of this study was to describe a CCF-informed REM approach with detailed protocol, training, and application to the community-based, childhood obesity prevention intervention, iCook 4-H, which targeted youth and adult pairs. This protocol includes the steps required to prepare for REM sessions of, ideally, six youth and adult pairs, one facilitator, and one or two evaluators/note takers. REM sessions typically begin with an icebreaker and appreciative inquiry activities that inform the REM mapping process that follows. In-depth qualitative analysis of the notes and map images captured during REM sessions ensure the rigor required for research-related interventions. Researchers, community members, and participants can use CCF-informed REM collectively as a robust evaluation tool to demonstrate, through visual mapping, the positive effects of community-partnered research programs

Tau PET and multimodal brain imaging in patients at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

ObjectiveTo characterize individual and group-level neuroimaging findings in patients at risk for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).MethodsEleven male patients meeting criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES, median age: 64) underwent neurologic evaluation, 3-Tesla MRI, and PET with [18F]-Flortaucipir (FTP, tau-PET) and [11C]-Pittsburgh compound B (PIB, amyloid-PET). Six patients underwent [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG, glucose metabolism). We assessed imaging findings at the individual patient level, and in group-level comparisons with modality-specific groups of cognitively normal older adults (CN). Tau-PET findings in patients with TES were also compared to a matched group of patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD).ResultsAll patients with TES sustained repetitive head injury participating in impact sports, ten in American football. Three patients met criteria for dementia and eight had mild cognitive impairment. Two patients were amyloid-PET positive and harbored the most severe MRI atrophy, FDG hypometabolism, and FTP-tau PET binding. Among the nine amyloid-negative patients, tau-PET showed either mildly elevated frontotemporal binding, a "dot-like" pattern, or no elevated binding. Medial temporal FTP was mildly elevated in a subset of amyloid-negative patients, but values were considerably lower than in AD. Voxelwise analyses revealed a convergence of imaging abnormalities (higher FTP binding, lower FDG, lower gray matter volumes) in frontotemporal areas in TES compared to controls.ConclusionsMildly elevated tau-PET binding was observed in a subset of amyloid-negative patients at risk for CTE, in a distribution consistent with CTE pathology stages III-IV. FTP-PET may be useful as a biomarker of tau pathology in CTE but is unlikely to be sensitive to early disease stages

Ripple Effect Mapping Outcomes of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program From Youth and Adult Dyads Using a Qualitative Approach: iCook 4-H

Objective: To describe the impact of the iCook 4-H intervention study based on data gathered through ripple effect mapping focus groups through an explorative approach. Design: Youth–adult dyads responded about ways in which iCook had affected the individual, family, and community. Three questions were asked: (1) What were people doing differently as a result of iCook? (2) Who benefited from iCook and how? (3) Were there changes in the way community groups and institutions did things as a result of iCook?Setting: Ripple effect mapping sessions took place across 5 states (Maine, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia). Participants: Seventy dyad participants (n = 35 youth, n = 35 adults) from the iCook 4-H intervention. Main Outcome Measure: Three core themes of iCook 4-H were assessed: cooking, eating, and playing together. Analysis: Direct content analysis and word frequencies were used. Results: Seven categories emerged: improved health, increased community involvement, increased knowledge, increased communication, changed motivation, financial mindfulness, and increased appreciation for family. An overarching theme that was determined was that learning new skills together through trying new things (cooking, eating, and playing) leads to positive individual family and community change. Conclusions and Implications: Ripple effect mapping was effective in determining the perceived impact of iCook 4-H on oneself, family, and community

Development of the iCook 4-H Curriculum for Youth and Adults: Cooking, Eating, and Playing Together for Childhood Obesity Prevention

The objective was to describe the development process of a curriculum (iCook 4-H) targeted to low-income, rural, and/or diverse youths and their adult primary meal preparer to promote cooking, eating, and playing together. Lessons learned highlighted the importance of grounding the curriculum in Social Cognitive Theory and applying the experiential 4-H learning model using a multiphased, community-based participatory approach with cyclical development and evaluation, and key modifications made for dissemination and distribution. Findings across 4 testing phases over 6 years and 5 states demonstrated the time-intensive, cyclical process that required flexibility with fidelity to form a hands-on, interactive curriculum

Building consensus around the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae diversity

Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.journal articl

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead