Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Recital, Paul Jennings, Bassoon, Brenda Crookshanks, Piano, Paul Harris, String Bass

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1170/thumbnail.jp

Participant comprehension and perspectives regarding the convenience, security, and satisfaction with teleconsent compared to in-person consent:A parallel-group pilot study among Danish citizens

BACKGROUND: Teleconsent via video conferencing enables decentralized trials with remote consent and has the additional benefit of allowing a real-time reaction to potential misunderstandings. However, participant acceptance of and satisfaction with teleconsent versus in-person consent processes are unknown. METHODS: We conducted a parallel-group pilot study to evaluate participant comprehension and perspectives regarding the convenience, security, and satisfaction with teleconsent compared to in-person consent among Danish citizens for a hypothetical research study. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in perceptions of security or satisfaction between teleconsent and in-person consent arms. However, participants viewed teleconsent as more convenient than in-person consent, as no transportation was needed and the process was less time-consuming. Recruitment was also faster in the teleconsent arm, and more people dropped out of the in-person arm, citing difficulties with transportation and time. CONCLUSION: Decentralized clinical trials have been demonstrated to increase recruitment and enrollment rates, improve trial efficiency, and decrease dropout rates and trial delays. We add to this literature by suggesting that patients perceive teleconsent as similar to in-person consent, suggesting this is a feasible and acceptable substitution for in-person consent in multisite, decentralized trials. Future work should include patient perspectives from a larger, more diverse group of participants

How is it best to deliver care in acute medical units? A systematic review

The majority of medical patients presenting to hospital in the UK are cared for in acute medical units (AMUs). Such units are also increasingly present internationally. Care delivery varies across units: this review aims to examine the evidence for how best to deliver AMU care. Six electronic databases and grey literature were searched. Inclusion criteria comprised interventions applied to undifferentiated patients in AMU settings. All studies were quality assessed. A narrative approach was undertaken. Nine studies, all conducted in the UK or Ireland, evaluated 1.3 million episodes, 3617 patients and 49 staff. There was single study evidence for beneficial effects of: enhanced pharmacy care, a dedicated occupational therapy service, an all-inclusive consultant work pattern, a rapid-access medical clinic and formalized handovers. Two studies found increased consultant presence was associated with reduced mortality; one of these studies found an association with a reduction in 28-day readmissions; and the other found an association with an increased proportion of patients discharged on the day they were admitted. Three studies provide evidence of the beneficial effects of multiple interventions developed from local service reviews. Overall, the quality of the evidence was limited. This review has identified operationally relevant evidence that increased consultant presence is associated with improved outcomes of care; has highlighted the potential to improve outcomes locally through service reviews; and has demonstrated an important knowledge gap of how best to deliver AMU care. These findings have importance given the challenges acute services currently face

The micromorphology of glaciolacustrine varve sediments and their use for reconstructing palaeoglaciological and palaeoenvironmental change

Former glaciolacustrine systems are an important archive of palaeoglaciological, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic change. The annually laminated (varved) sediments that, under certain conditions, accumulate in former glacial lakes, offer a rare opportunity to reconstruct such changes (e.g. glacier advance and retreat cycles, glacier ablation trends, permafrost melt, nival events) at annual or even sub-annual temporal resolution. Data of this kind are desirable for their ability to guide and test numerical model simulations of glacier dynamics and palaeoclimatic change that occur over rapid time intervals, with implications for predicting future glacier response to climatic change, or the effects of weather and climate events on lake sedimentation. The most valuable records preserved in glaciolacustrine systems are continuous varved sequences formed in the distal parts of glacial lakes, where microscale lamination structures can accumulate relatively undisturbed. Technological advances, in the last few decades, have enabled improved characterisation of glaciolacustrine varve microfacies and the precise measurement of varve thickness at the micrometre scale. However, unlike in cognate fields (e.g. soil science), protocols for the robust and consistent description and interpretation of glaciolacustrine varve sediments are lacking. To fill this gap, and to provide a resource for future studies of glaciolacustrine varved sediments, this paper reviews the processes of sedimentation in glacial lake basins, and presents the defining microfacies characteristics of glacial varves using a descriptive protocol that uses consistent examination of grain size, sorting, structure, nature of contacts, development of plasmic fabrics and features such as dropgrains and intraclasts within individual laminations. These lamination types are then combined into lamination sets, whose structures can be interpreted as glaciolacustrine varves. Within this framework, we define five principal assemblages of glaciolacustrine varve microfacies which, if clearly identified in palaeoglaciolacustrine settings, enable more detailed palaeoenvironmental interpretations to be made. Finally, we discuss the utility and complexities of reconstructing the evolution of former glacial lake systems using varve microfacies and thickness datasets

Single nucleotide polymorphism discovery in elite north american potato germplasm

BACKGROUND: Current breeding approaches in potato rely almost entirely on phenotypic evaluations; molecular markers, with the exception of a few linked to disease resistance traits, are not widely used. Large-scale sequence datasets generated primarily through Sanger Expressed Sequence Tag projects are available from a limited number of potato cultivars and access to next generation sequencing technologies permits rapid generation of sequence data for additional cultivars. When coupled with the advent of high throughput genotyping methods, an opportunity now exists for potato breeders to incorporate considerably more genotypic data into their decision-making. RESULTS: To identify a large number of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in elite potato germplasm, we sequenced normalized cDNA prepared from three commercial potato cultivars: 'Atlantic', 'Premier Russet' and 'Snowden'. For each cultivar, we generated 2 Gb of sequence which was assembled into a representative transcriptome of (~)28-29 Mb for each cultivar. Using the Maq SNP filter that filters read depth, density, and quality, 575,340 SNPs were identified within these three cultivars. In parallel, 2,358 SNPs were identified within existing Sanger sequences for three additional cultivars, 'Bintje', 'Kennebec', and 'Shepody'. Using a stringent set of filters in conjunction with the potato reference genome, we identified 69,011 high confidence SNPs from these six cultivars for use in genotyping with the Infinium platform. Ninety-six of these SNPs were used with a BeadXpress assay to assess allelic diversity in a germplasm panel of 248 lines; 82 of the SNPs proved sufficiently informative for subsequent analyses. Within diverse North American germplasm, the chip processing market class was most distinct, clearly separated from all other market classes. The round white and russet market classes both include fresh market and processing cultivars. Nevertheless, the russet and round white market classes are more distant from each other than processing are from fresh market types within these two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The genotype data generated in this study, albeit limited in number, has revealed distinct relationships among the market classes of potato. The SNPs identified in this study will enable high-throughput genotyping of germplasm and populations, which in turn will enable more efficient marker-assisted breeding efforts in potato

Analysis of compound heterozygotes reveals that the mouse floxed Pax6 tm1Ued allele produces abnormal eye phenotypes

Analysis of abnormal phenotypes produced by different types of mutations has been crucial for our understanding of gene function. Some floxed alleles that retain a neomycin-resistance selection cassette (neo cassette) are not equivalent to wild-type alleles and provide useful experimental resources. Pax6 is an important developmental gene and the aim of this study was to determine whether the floxed Pax6(tm1Ued) (Pax6(fl)) allele, which has a retained neo cassette, produced any abnormal eye phenotypes that would imply that it differs from the wild-type allele. Homozygous Pax6(fl/fl) and heterozygous Pax6(fl/+) mice had no overt qualitative eye abnormalities but morphometric analysis showed that Pax6(fl/fl) corneas tended be thicker and smaller in diameter. To aid identification of weak effects, we produced compound heterozygotes with the Pax6(Sey-Neu) (Pax6(−)) null allele. Pax6(fl/−) compound heterozygotes had more severe eye abnormalities than Pax6(+/−) heterozygotes, implying that Pax6(fl) differs from the wild-type Pax6(+) allele. Immunohistochemistry showed that the Pax6(fl/−) corneal epithelium was positive for keratin 19 and negative for keratin 12, indicating that it was abnormally differentiated. This Pax6(fl) allele provides a useful addition to the existing Pax6 allelic series and this study demonstrates the utility of using compound heterozygotes with null alleles to unmask cryptic effects of floxed alleles. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11248-016-9962-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Clinical features of idiopathic inflammatory polymyopathy in the Hungarian Vizsla

Background A retrospective study of the clinicopathological features of presumed and confirmed cases of idiopathic inflammatory polymyopathy in the Hungarian Vizsla dog and guidelines for breeding. Results 369 medical records were reviewed (1992–2013) and 77 Hungarian Vizslas were identified with a case history consistent with idiopathic inflammatory polymyopathy. Inclusion criteria were: group 1 (confirmed diagnosis); histopathology and clinical findings compatible with an inflammatory polymyopathy and group 2 (probable diagnosis); clinical findings compatible with a polymyopathy including dysphagia, sialorrhea, temporal muscle atrophy, elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, and sufficient clinical history to suggest that other neuromuscular disorders could be ruled out. Some group 2 dogs had muscle biopsy, which suggested muscle disease but did not reveal an inflammatory process. The mean age of onset was 2.4 years; male dogs were slightly overrepresented. Common presenting signs were dysphagia, sialorrhea, masticatory muscle atrophy, and regurgitation. Common muscle histopathological findings included degenerative and regenerative changes, with multifocal mononuclear cell infiltration with lymphoplasmacytic myositis of variable severity. A positive response to immunosuppressive treatment supported an immune-mediated aetiology. The mean age at death and survival time were 6.4 and 3.9 years, respectively. Recurrence of clinical signs and aspiration pneumonia were common reasons for euthanasia. Conclusions Diagnosis of Vizsla idiopathic inflammatory polymyopathy can be challenging due to lack of specific tests, however the presence of dysphagia, regurgitation and masticatory muscle atrophy in this breed with negative serological tests for masticatory muscle myositis and myasthenia gravis, along with muscle biopsies suggesting an inflammatory process, support the diagnosis. However, there is an urgent need for a more specific diagnostic test. The average of inbreeding coefficient (CoI) of 16.3% suggests an increased expression of a Dog Leukocyte Antigen Class II haplotype, leading to an increased disease risk. The prognosis remains guarded, as treatment can only manage the disease. Recurrence of clinical signs and perceived poor quality of life are the most common reasons for humane euthanasia.</p