Microorganisms in Milwaukee rivers

Fecal coliform bacteria have long been used as indicators of water pollution (Standard Methods, 1976). However, factors that influence the coliform population in natural water bodies may alter the relationships between the coliform bacteria and fecal pollution and hence the usefulness of the organisims as indicators. This study examined the volunteer, non-native vegetation of urban Racine. Various sites were examined, some stable, others subject to continuous disturbance; plant communities were characterized and compared

Evolution of an Interprofessional Training: A Five-Year Review of an Interprofessional Training Involving Family Medicine Residents, Nurse Practitioner Students, Pharmacy Trainees, Counseling Psychology, and Social Work Students in Southern New Mexico

The Affordable Care Act (ACA, 2010) embraced the “triple aim” in healthcare to enhance health, promote better care, and reduce cost. The use of healthcare teams can improve patient care, health outcomes, and reduce medical errors (Earnest & Brandt, 2014). However, building healthcare teams goes beyond placing people of different healthcare professions together, it requires the integration of the healthcare disciplines, a valuing of each other’s roles, and the ability to communicate and work together (IPEC, 2011). The term interprofessional reflects interdependence, shared responsibility, and reliance on each other to best accomplish a task. These values often run counter to traditional values of independence, individual responsibility, and siloed expertise that are still taught in many professional education programs. This article will review the development of an interprofessional training and insights learned by faculty as this training evolved. This training experience, called the Interprofessional Immersion, brought together trainees in multiple healthcare professions including family medicine residents, nurse practitioner students, pharmacy students, social work students, and counseling psychology students. This program was designed to develop the skills needed to effectively work within an interprofessional team within the field of healthcare. This article will review lessons learned from the first five years the Interprofessional Immersion was implemented

Response of blackberry cultivars to nematode transmission of Tobacco ringspot virus

A study was conducted on eight cultivars of blackberry (‘Apache’, ‘Arapaho’, ‘Chester’, ‘Chickasaw’, ‘Kiowa’, ‘Navaho’, ‘Shawnee’, and ‘Triple Crown’), of which four plants of each were previously determined in the fall of 2001 to have root, but not leaf, infection with Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV). The objectives of our study were to determine virus effects on plant vigor and the spread of virus infection in the plants. Eight plants of each cultivar, four infected and four free of infection, were grown in pots on a gravel pad for the 2002 growing season, and samples of primocane and floricane leaves were taken to determine if TRSV had moved to the above-ground portion of the plants. TRSV infection was determined by ELISA tests. At the end of the growing season (October), the plants were harvested and dry weights determined for floricanes, primocanes, and roots to determine virus effects on plant vigor. In all plants that had been shown to have root TRSV infection, the virus was shown to have moved into the top portion of the plants as evidenced by positive ELISA tests on primocane and floricane leaf tissue. Dry-weight results indicated no significant interaction of virus infection and cultivar, or any main effects of virus on cane or root growth, as all dry weights were similar for infected and non-infected plants. No dramatic leaf symptoms of virus infection were observed on infected plants in our study at any time during the growing season. Further research should focus on possible virus effects on plants that have been infected for a longer period of time to determine if in fact the virus has any effect on plant growth or productivit

Reporting Practices, Knowledge and Opinion of Policy Regarding Drivers with Dementia Among Arkansas Neurologists and Geriatricians

Background: States have various policies regarding a physician\u27s ability or responsibility to report at-risk drivers with dementia to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Some states have mandatory reporting policies, others have optional reporting policies and some have no policy regarding this issue. Arkansas has no reporting policy regarding drivers with dementia to the DMV. Therefore, physicians in Arkansas face the risk of liability if they report a patient against their will to the DMV in good faith. Neurologists and geriatricians are often in a position to diagnose and treat individuals with dementia. Research Questions: The following three research questions were developed in an effort to identify how the problem of drivers with dementia is defined among these two types of specialists in Arkansas: (1) What knowledge do Arkansas neurologists and geriatricians have of state policy regarding reporting of at-risk drivers with dementia to the DMV; (2) What are Arkansas neurologists\u27 and geriatricians\u27 opinions regarding various policy options for reporting of such drivers to the DMV; and (3) What are the reporting practices of Arkansas neurologists and geriatricians of drivers with dementia to the DMV? Methods: A survey was distributed to Arkansas neurologists and geriatricians to explore the reporting practices, knowledge and opinion of policy regarding drivers with dementia among these practitioners. Results: There was considerable uncertainty among respondents, regarding the process of assessing and reporting at-risk drivers with dementia in Arkansas. Support for optional reporting policy was very strong. Mandatory reporting policy was less favored by those surveyed. Respondents reported that conversations with patients and family members regarding the cessation of driving is often contentious and ongoing. Conclusions: Findings have implications for both policy and practice. It is recommended that the Arkansas legislature develop and adopt an optional reporting policy. There is also a need for physician education regarding state reporting policy, as well as training in the assessment of fitness to drive for patients with dementia

Time-delayed model of immune response in plants

In the studies of plant infections, the plant immune response is known to play an essential role. In this paper we derive and analyse a new mathematical model of plant immune response with particular account for post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). Besides biologically accurate representation of the PTGS dynamics, the model explicitly includes two time delays to represent the maturation time of the growing plant tissue and the non-instantaneous nature of the PTGS. Through analytical and numerical analysis of stability of the steady states of the model we identify parameter regions associated with recovery and resistant phenotypes, as well as possible chronic infections. Dynamics of the system in these regimes is illustrated by numerical simulations of the model

Taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales : update 2018

In 2018, the family Arenaviridae was expanded by inclusion of 1 new genus and 5 novel species. At the same time, the recently established order Bunyavirales was expanded by 3 species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and summarizes additional taxonomic proposals that may affect the order in the near future.Peer reviewe

Taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales: update 2018

In 2018, the family Arenaviridae was expanded by inclusion of 1 new genus and 5 novel species. At the same time, the recently established order Bunyavirales was expanded by 3 species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and summarizes additional taxonomic proposals that may affect the order in the near future