An infectious recombinant foot-and-mouth disease virus expressing a fluorescent marker protein

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is one of the most extensively studied animal pathogens because it remains a major threat to livestock economies worldwide. However, the dynamics of FMDV infection are still poorly understood. The application of reverse genetics provides the opportunity to generate molecular tools to further dissect the FMDV life cycle. Here, we have used reverse genetics to determine the capsid packaging limitations for a selected insertion site in the FMDV genome. We show that exogenous RNA up to a defined length can be stably introduced into the FMDV genome, whereas larger insertions are excised by recombination events. This led us to construct a recombinant FMDV expressing the fluorescent marker protein, termed iLOV. Characterization of infectious iLOV-FMDV showed the virus has a plaque morphology and rate of growth similar to the parental virus. In addition, we show that cells infected with iLOV-FMDV are easily differentiated by flow cytometry using the inherent fluorescence of iLOV and that cells infected with iLOV-FMDV can be monitored in real-time with fluorescence microscopy. iLOV-FMDV therefore offers a unique tool to characterize FMDV infection in vitro, and its applications for in vivo studies are discussed

Assessment of Client Satisfaction in Six Urban WIC Clinics

Customer service is a measure of support and courtesy provided to individuals who patronize an organization, and is a factor vital to the success of any business. Programs that strive to meet critical needs of at risk populations, such as the Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), may also benefit from assessment of client satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to examine factors related to customer satisfaction in Duval County Florida WIC clinics and identify potential barriers to participation through a two-year project initiated by the health department and the state university. The study examined appointment wait time, duration of appointment, the preferred time of day and day of the week for appointment scheduling, and customer service practices in WIC clinics from the perspective of WIC participants. Results suggest that most WIC participants served by the Duval County Health Department were satisfied; however, three areas exist for improvement. The most salient issue reported by clients was duration of appointment wait time, continued improved customer service, and to a lesser extent improvement in the physical environment. Clients provided suggestions for improvement related to each of these areas

The role of the multi-professional consultant practitioner in supporting workforce transformation in the UK

There is an urgent need to transform health and social care to take a whole systems approach to meet health and social care need and address health inequalities in partnership with citizens and communities to focus on what matters to them. Pivotal to this is transformation of the healthcare workforce to develop the capabilities required and offer career progression and development opportunities to attract and retain staff. The contribution that multi professional consultant practice roles can make as system leaders to this challenge is highlighted across the five domains of multi-professional consultant level practice: 1) strategic and enabling leadership; 2) learning, developing, improving practices; 3) embedded research and inclusive evaluation; plus 4) process consultancy combined with 5) the credibility of professional expertise. The interdependence of these domains is a crucial part of the role, and its inbuilt flexibility is an asset which enables changing priorities and community needs to be addressed in partnership with people. The multi-professional skillset also contributes to developing effective cultures of learning at every level of the health and care system. This feature enables change to be embedded sustainably through drawing on and valuing the contribution of all and developing good places to work – instrumental in both workforce retention and innovation. Multi-professional consultant practice roles are an invaluable resource that needs to be at the forefront of system transformation ARTICLES AJPP 3 Vol 3, No2 (2022) and recognised as catalytic for achieving strategic priorities by commissioners. This paper provides three consultant level practice case studies in pharmacy, nursing, and allied health practice to illustrate impact and outcomes on population health priorities. There is an urgent need to invest in workforce education and development if the future vision for people centred integrated health and social care is to be realised and sustained in the longer term. This requires investment in commissioning consultant practitioner roles as systems leaders and creating attractive career progression and development frameworks for practitioners to progress from enhanced to advanced to consultant practitioner level roles

A multi-site single-blind clinical study to compare the effects of STAIR Narrative Therapy to treatment as usual among women with PTSD in public sector mental health settings: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: This article provides a description of the rationale, design, and methods of a multisite clinical trial which evaluates the potential benefits of an evidence-based psychosocial treatment, STAIR Narrative Therapy, among women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to interpersonal violence who are seeking services in public sector community mental health clinics. This is the first large multisite trial of an evidence-based treatment for PTSD provided in the context of community settings that are dedicated to the treatment of poverty-level patient populations. Methods: The study is enrolling 352 participants in a minimum of 4 community clinics. Participants are randomized into either STAIR Narrative Therapy or Treatment As Usual (TAU). Primary outcomes are PTSD, emotion management and interpersonal problems. The study will allow a flexible application of the protocol determined by patient need and preferences. Secondary analyses will assess the relationship of outcomes to different patterns of treatment implementation for different levels of baseline symptom severity. Discussion The article discusses the rationale and study issues related to the use of a flexible delivery of a protocol treatment and of the selection of treatment as it is actually practiced in the community as the comparator. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01488539

New Sequence Perspective on the Devonian Reef Complex and the Frasnian-Famennian Boundary, Canning Basin, Australia

The application of concepts of sequence stratigraphy to seismic and well data has led to a new understanding of the subsurface Devonian reef complex of the Canning Basin. It demonstrates marked reciprocal sedimentation with lowstand terrigenous sediments largely restricted to the basin and transgressive and highstand carbonate sediments on the platform. Preliminary outcrop studies indicate the potential of these concepts to modify significantly the existing lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic interpretations of this classic exhumed reef complex, including the stratigraphic context of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary in the Canning Basin

Do South African international cricket pace bowlers have similar bowling volume and injury risk associates compared to other elite fast bowlers?

BACKGROUND While many cricket-playing nations have conducted research on bowling volume (BV) and injury risk, this relationship among international South African pace bowlers is yet to be investigated. Environmental, socio-economic, and training strategy differences warrant similar research in a South African context. The purpose of this preliminary study was to establish if South African pace bowlers have similar bowling volume and injury associates compared to other elite fast bowlers. METHODS This study was a prospective, observational, cohort study that monitored match and training BV and injuries among pace bowlers playing for the South African national team between April 2017 and April 2019. A sample of convenience that included fourteen bowlers was selected. Bowling volume was quantified as the number of deliveries bowled during training and competition. Acute-, chronic- and acute: chronic bowling volume ratios were independently modeled as association variables. RESULTS There were 39 injuries with the most being to the lumbar spine (25.64%). Moderate-to-low and a moderate-to-high acute: chronic bowling load ratios were associated with a lower risk of injury. Chronic bowling load was associated with injury (z = 2.82, p = 0.01). A low acute workload, low chronic workload, moderate-high chronic workload, and moderate-low acute: chronic ratio was also associated with an increased risk of injury. CONCLUSION These findings confirm that there appears to be a dose-response effect between training bowling volume and the likelihood of an injury occurring with a moderate-to-low and a moderate-to-high bowling volume ratio being optimal. Considering the small sample size, the findings should be interpreted with caution

Locust Grove Historic District

Prepared by the Spring 2014 Case Studies in Historic Preservation Class. This resource nominates the Locust Grove Historic District to establish formal recognition of the historic center of the city in its development as a “railroad strip” community in Henry County. The downtown historic district was designated in 2010, and the City of Locust Grove is a recent Certified Local Government in Georgia, providing a triple-pronged effort in utilizing Federal Incentive Tax Credits for historic preservation in Locust Grove.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1023/thumbnail.jp

Transition to university: the role played by emotion

Students experience transition to university as challenging. Recent studies implicate emotion in university success. This paper reports on a pilot study to examine the extent to which school to university transition is experienced as emotional. Understanding the role of emotion in this transition can inform mechanisms for student support. This qualitative study used focus group interviews to elicit insider accounts of transition. The pilot cohort consisted of a tutorial group of twenty-eight students from within the class of one hundred and eight first year students at one Faculty of Dentistry in South Africa. Three focus group interviews were conducted. Issues identified in the literature as significant were used to analyse the data. Eleven descriptive tags related to transition and associated with emotion were identified from the data. These were clustered into four themes – ‘academic challenges’, ‘friends and family’, ‘outside constraints’ and ‘identity’. Findings suggest that emotions are a natural part of the experience of transition. Drawing on insights of students’ emotional needs, it is suggested that students in transition need a roadmap and a guide. A framework, to be used as a roadmap, is suggested. Peer mentoring is discussed as a mechanism for mediating the framework and thus for supporting students in the transition.Web of Scienc

The H-ARS Dose Response Relationship (DRR): Validation and Variables

Manipulations of lethally-irradiated animals, such as for administration of pharmaceuticals, blood sampling, or other laboratory procedures, have the potential to induce stress effects that may negatively affect morbidity and mortality. To investigate this in a murine model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome, 20 individual survival efficacy studies were grouped based on the severity of the administration (Admn) schedules of their medical countermeasure (MCM) into Admn 1 (no injections), Admn 2 (1-3 injections), or Admn 3 (29 injections or 6-9 oral gavages). Radiation doses ranged from LD30/30 to LD95/30. Thirty-day survival of vehicle controls in each group was used to construct radiation dose lethality response relationship (DRR) probit plots, which were compared statistically to the original DRR from which all LDXX/30 for the studies were obtained. The slope of the Admn 3 probit was found to be significantly steeper (5.190) than that of the original DRR (2.842) or Admn 2 (2.009), which were not significantly different. The LD50/30 for Admn 3 (8.43 Gy) was less than that of the original DRR (8.53 Gy, p < 0.050), whereas the LD50/30 of other groups were similar. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed significantly worse survival of Admn 3 mice compared to the three other groups (p = 0.007). Taken together, these results show that stressful administration schedules of MCM can negatively impact survival and that dosing regimens should be considered when constructing DRR to use in survival studies

Locust Grove, GA

Prepared by the Spring 2013 Preservation Planning Class. The Locust Grove Design Guidelines were developed to help guide the community of Locust Grove in preservation efforts. These Design Guidelines are created to assist the public and the Locust Grove Historic Preservation Commission in the appropriate rehabilitation of historic properties in the district based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1024/thumbnail.jp