Seeing it differently: self-reported description of vision loss in dry age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE: A realistic description of visual symptoms associated with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is important for raising awareness of the condition and educating patients. This study aimed to develop a set of descriptors for dry AMD and examine the realism of images currently and frequently used to show visual symptoms of the condition. METHODS: Volunteers with dry AMD with a range of disease severity were given an eye examination and were asked to describe visual symptoms of their condition in a conversational interview. Participants were also asked to comment on a photograph typically used to portray the visual symptoms of AMD. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-nine participants were interviewed. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 75 (70, 79) years. Median (IQR) binocular visual acuity (VA) and Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity (CS) was 0.2 (0.18, 0.36) logMAR and 1.65 (1.50, 1.95) log CS respectively. Three, 17 and nine patients had early, intermediate and late (geographic atrophy, GA) AMD, respectively. The most frequently reported descriptor group was blur (n = 13) followed by missing (n = 10) and distortion (n = 7). We chose the most popular image used to portray the visual symptoms of dry AMD based on an internet search and showed this to 21 participants. Sixteen participants (76% [95% confidence interval 53-92%]), including three out of the seven people with geographic atrophy, unequivocally rejected the realism of the image. CONCLUSIONS: People with dry AMD use a wide range of descriptors for their visual experience. Visual symptoms of dry AMD as portrayed by commonly shown images were not the experience of most people in this study

Creating an Innovative Partnership Between Urban and Reservation Communities

This case study examines the steps taken by reservation and urban Menominee to build a bridge between their respective communities and reinforce the ties of the Menominee Tribe.

Accident Report Interpretation

The language and approach we use to describe the past can have a strong influence on the audience’s interpretation of our story. In our experiment, we explore, using 3 different conditions, how the framing, language and style of an accident report can affect the audience’s proposed solutions to manage the problems found. We find that the approach used to create an accident report can have a powerful influence on the audience’s decision making. Whether we are describing an accident in a linear manner, using a systems approach, or we are accepting of multiple stories which are not linear or coherent, the methods we use to capture and communicate the story have a profound impact on the actions decided upon by the reader

Whole genome demographic models indicate divergent effective population size histories shape contemporary genetic diversity gradients in a montane bumble bee

Understanding historical range shifts and population size variation provides important context for interpreting contemporary genetic diversity. Methods to predict changes in species distributions and model changes in effective population size (Ne) using whole genomes make it feasible to examine how temporal dynamics influence diversity across populations. We investigate Ne variation and climate-associated range shifts to examine the origins of a previously observed latitudinal heterozygosity gradient in the bumble bee Bombus vancouverensis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus Latreille) in western North America. We analyze whole genomes from a latitude-elevation cline using sequentially Markovian coalescent models of Ne through time to test whether relatively low diversity in southern high-elevation populations is a result of long-term differences in Ne. We use Maxent models of the species range over the last 130,000 years to evaluate range shifts and stability. Ne fluctuates with climate across populations, but more genetically diverse northern populations have maintained greater Ne over the late Pleistocene and experienced larger expansions with climatically favorable time periods. Northern populations also experienced larger bottlenecks during the last glacial period which matched the loss of range area near these sites, however, bottlenecks were not sufficient to erode diversity maintained during periods of large Ne. A genome sampled from an island population indicated a severe postglacial bottleneck, indicating that large recent post-glacial declines are detectable if they have occurred. Genetic diversity was not related to niche stability or glacial-period bottleneck size. Instead, spatial expansions and increased connectivity during favorable climates likely maintain diversity in the north while restriction to high elevations maintains relatively low diversity despite greater stability in southern regions. Results suggest genetic diversity gradients reflect long-term differences in Ne dynamics and also emphasize the unique effects of isolation on insular habitats for bumble bees. Patterns are discussed in the context of conservation under climate change.Spreadsheet program (Excel, Open Office, etc), text editor, decompression software.Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001Award Number