Oral History Interview: Anna L. Copley

This interview is one of a series conducted concerning rural life in West Virginia. At the time of the interview, Mrs. Anna L. Copely was ninety-five years old and a resident of Wayne County, West Virginia. Among the subjects discussed are: family background, early education, teaching experiences, entertainment, and the two World Wars.https://mds.marshall.edu/oral_history/1199/thumbnail.jp

High-resolution CT phenotypes in pulmonary sarcoidosis: a multinational Delphi consensus study

One view of sarcoidosis is that the term covers many different diseases. However, no classification framework exists for the future exploration of pathogenetic pathways, genetic or trigger predilections, patterns of lung function impairment, or treatment separations, or for the development of diagnostic algorithms or relevant outcome measures. We aimed to establish agreement on high-resolution CT (HRCT) phenotypic separations in sarcoidosis to anchor future CT research through a multinational two-round Delphi consensus process. Delphi participants included members of the Fleischner Society and the World Association of Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous Disorders, as well as members' nominees. 146 individuals (98 chest physicians, 48 thoracic radiologists) from 28 countries took part, 144 of whom completed both Delphi rounds. After rating of 35 Delphi statements on a five-point Likert scale, consensus was achieved for 22 (63%) statements. There was 97% agreement on the existence of distinct HRCT phenotypes, with seven HRCT phenotypes that were categorised by participants as non-fibrotic or likely to be fibrotic. The international consensus reached in this Delphi exercise justifies the formulation of a CT classification as a basis for the possible definition of separate diseases. Further refinement of phenotypes with rapidly achievable CT studies is now needed to underpin the development of a formal classification of sarcoidosis

A blueprint for an inclusive, global deep-sea Ocean Decade field programme

The ocean plays a crucial role in the functioning of the Earth System and in the provision of vital goods and services. The United Nations (UN) declared 2021–2030 as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Roadmap for the Ocean Decade aims to achieve six critical societal outcomes (SOs) by 2030, through the pursuit of four objectives (Os). It specifically recognizes the scarcity of biological data for deep-sea biomes, and challenges the global scientific community to conduct research to advance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems to inform sustainable management. In this paper, we map four key scientific questions identified by the academic community to the Ocean Decade SOs: (i) What is the diversity of life in the deep ocean? (ii) How are populations and habitats connected? (iii) What is the role of living organisms in ecosystem function and service provision? and (iv) How do species, communities, and ecosystems respond to disturbance? We then consider the design of a global-scale program to address these questions by reviewing key drivers of ecological pattern and process. We recommend using the following criteria to stratify a global survey design: biogeographic region, depth, horizontal distance, substrate type, high and low climate hazard, fished/unfished, near/far from sources of pollution, licensed/protected from industry activities. We consider both spatial and temporal surveys, and emphasize new biological data collection that prioritizes southern and polar latitudes, deeper (> 2000 m) depths, and midwater environments. We provide guidance on observational, experimental, and monitoring needs for different benthic and pelagic ecosystems. We then review recent efforts to standardize biological data and specimen collection and archiving, making “sampling design to knowledge application” recommendations in the context of a new global program. We also review and comment on needs, and recommend actions, to develop capacity in deep-sea research; and the role of inclusivity - from accessing indigenous and local knowledge to the sharing of technologies - as part of such a global program. We discuss the concept of a new global deep-sea biological research program ‘Challenger 150,’ highlighting what it could deliver for the Ocean Decade and UN Sustainable Development Goal 14

Can goal attainment scaling (GAS) accurately identify changes in social communication impairments following TBI?

The overall aim was to assess the clinical utility of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) as an outcome measure for individuals with social communication impairment secondary to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the post acute phase of recovery. The specific aims of the study were to (1) determine whether the content of the GAS goals would reflect problem areas identified on existing, specific communication measures (Profile of Pragmatic Impairment In Communication (PPIC) and La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ)), and (2) determine whether GAS was as sensitive or more sensitive to change when compared to the PPIC and LCQ. A pilot pre–post, cohort study design was conducted with seven participants. The PPIC and LCQ were administered and GAS goals were scored before and after a block of metacognitive goal based therapy. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests were used to determine statistically significant changes on the measures. The content and change on the individual GAS goals and related items on the PPIC and LCQ were also compared. Participants showed a statistically significant improvement on 25 of the 27 GAS goals and no change on two GAS goals. The same change was not evident on the PPIC or LCQ. GAS may be a more sensitive measure of impairment and change in communication than the PPIC and LCQ. In a clinical context, the results of the current study suggest that GAS may be a superior measure for evaluating the effects of social communication treatments than PPIC or LCQ. Further research is required

A decade to study deep-sea life

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development presents an exceptional opportunity to effect positive change in ocean use. We outline what is required of the deep-sea research community to achieve these ambitious objectives