Theoretical development, factorial validity, and reliability of the online graduate mentoring scale. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning.

In this study, we sought to confirm the theoretical framework underlying an Online Graduate Mentoring Scale by establishing the scale’s factorial validity and reliability. Analysis of data received from doctoral students and alumni/ae of the College of Education of one large, online, accredited university reduced the initial theoretical framework from seven to six attributes, and resulted in a revision of the scale. Further research is needed to test the theoretical framework with other relevant populations and to refine the scale itself by reducing skewness and attaining item balanc

Clinician Perspectives of an Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program

Background: Intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAPs) have increased in number in recent years in the United States and abroad. Objective: To describe the experiences of clinicians working in an ICAP. Methods: A phenomenological approach was taken. Seven clinicians from 3 ICAPs were interviewed in person or on the phone. Their interviews were transcribed and coded for themes relating to their experiences. Results: Clinicians described 3 major themes. The first theme related to the intensity component of the ICAP that allowed clinicians to provide in-depth treatment and gave them a different perspective with regard to providing treatment and the potential impact on the person with aphasia. The second theme of rewards for the clinicians included learning and support, seeing progress, and developing relationships with their clients and family members. Third, challenges were noted, including the time involved in learning new therapy techniques, patient characteristics such as chronicity of the aphasia, and the difficulty of returning to work in typical clinical settings after having experienced an ICAP. Conclusions: Although there is a potential for bias with the small sample size, this pilot study gives insight into the clinician perspective of what makes working in an ICAP both worthwhile and challenging

Numerical solution of gas dynamics equations on the computational meshes with arbitrary number of cell faces using high order spatial accuracy schemes

In the present study methodology and algorithm of numerical solution of gas dynamics equations on the computational meshes with arbitrary number of cell faces using high order spatial accuracy schemes is presented. For realization of calculation algorithm, the system of data storage is offered, the system does not depend on mesh topology, and it allows to use the computational meshes with arbitrary number of cell faces

L1CAM mutation in association with X-linked hydrocephalus and Hirschsprung’s disease

X-linked hydrocephalus (XLH) is characterized by increased intracranial ventricle size and head circumference secondary to aqueduct of Sylvius congenital stenosis. Exceedingly rare is the concurrence of XLH and Hirschsprung’s disease (HSCR) with a theoretical incidence of 1 in 125–250 million cases. Herein, we are describing a case of a patient with concurrent XLH and HSCR. The patient was delivered via cesarean section at 37 weeks gestation and underwent uneventful ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. As a part of a workup for constipation, we performed a rectal biopsy, which was consistent with HSCR. Genetics testing showed hemizygous for R558X hemizygous mutation in the L1CAM gene. A C → T nucleotide substitution in exon 13 resulted in replacement of an arginine codon with a stop codon, a nonsense mutation. Although it is widely accepted that HSCR represents the failure of early embryonic neural crest cells to migrate properly, the exact mechanism is not known. The association of HSCR with XLH in the presence of L1CAM mutations remains quite interesting because cell adhesion molecules are involved in the proper migration of neural components throughout the body. Additional studies are necessary to fully elucidate the relationship between XLH and HSCR in the presence of L1CAM mutations

Monoamine Oxidase is a Major Determinant of Redox Balance in Human Atrial Myocardium and is Associated With Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

BACKGROUND: Onset of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common and costly complication of heart surgery despite major improvements in surgical technique and quality of patient care. The etiology of POAF, and the ability of clinicians to identify and therapeutically target high-risk patients, remains elusive. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial tissue dissected from right atrial appendage (RAA) was obtained from 244 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation from multiple sources was assessed in this tissue, along with total glutathione (GSHt) and its related enzymes GSH-peroxidase (GPx) and GSH-reductase (GR). Monoamine oxidase (MAO) and NADPH oxidase were observed to generate ROS at rates 10-fold greater than intact, coupled mitochondria. POAF risk was significantly associated with MAO activity (Quartile 1 [Q1]: adjusted relative risk [ARR]=1.0; Q2: ARR=1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.84 to 4.0; Q3: ARR=2.1, 95% CI=0.99 to 4.3; Q4: ARR=3.8, 95% CI=1.9 to 7.5; adjusted Ptrend=0.009). In contrast, myocardial GSHt was inversely associated with POAF (Quartile 1 [Q1]: adjusted relative risk [ARR]=1.0; Q2: ARR=0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.60 to 1.4; Q3: ARR=0.62, 95% CI=0.36 to 1.1; Q4: ARR=0.56, 95% CI=0.34 to 0.93; adjusted Ptrend=0.014). GPx also was significantly associated with POAF; however, a linear trend for risk was not observed across increasing levels of the enzyme. GR was not associated with POAF risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that MAO is an important determinant of redox balance in human atrial myocardium, and that this enzyme, in addition to GSHt and GPx, is associated with an increased risk for POAF. Further investigation is needed to validate MAO as a predictive biomarker for POAF, and to explore this enzyme's potential role in arrhythmogenesis

Male gays in the female gaze: women who watch m/m pornography

This paper draws on a piece of wide-scale mixed-methods research that examines the motivations behind women who watch gay male pornography. To date there has been very little interdisciplinary research investigating this phenomenon, despite a recent survey by PornHub (one of the largest online porn sites in the world) showing that gay male porn is the second most popular choice for women porn users out of 25+ possible genre choices. While both academic literature and popular culture have looked at the interest that (heterosexual) men have in lesbian pornography, considerably less attention has been paid to the consumption of gay male pornography by women. Research looking at women's consumption of pornography from within the Social Sciences is very focused around heterosexual (and, to a lesser extent, lesbian) pornography. Research looking more generally at gay pornography/erotica (and the subversion of the ‘male gaze’/concept of ‘male as erotic object’) often makes mention of female interest in this area, but only briefly, and often relies on anecdotal or observational evidence. Research looking at women's involvement in slashfic (primarily from within media studies), while very thorough and rich, tends to view slash writing as a somewhat isolated phenomenon (indeed, in her influential article on women's involvement in slash, Bacon-Smith talks about how ‘only a small number’ of female slash writers and readers have any interest in gay literature or pornography more generally, and this phenomenon is not often discussed in more recent analyses of slash); so while there has been a great deal of very interesting research done in this field, little attempt has been made to couch it more generally within women's consumption and use of pornography and erotica or to explore what women enjoy about watching gay male pornography. Through a series of focus groups, interviews, and an online questionnaire (n = 275), this exploratory piece of work looks at what women enjoy about gay male pornography, and how it sits within their consumption of erotica/pornography more generally. The article investigates what this has to say about the existence and nature of a ‘female gaze’

Identification of recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals in Ontario, Canada: results from expert panels

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Demand for rehabilitation services is expected to increase due to factors such as an aging population, workforce pressures, rise in chronic and complex multi-system disorders, advances in technology, and changes in interprofessional health service delivery models. However, health human resource (HHR) strategies for Canadian rehabilitation professionals are lagging behind other professional groups such as physicians and nurses. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify recruitment and retention strategies of rehabilitation professionals including occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech language pathologists from the literature; and 2) to investigate both the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies using expert panels amongst HHR and education experts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A review of the literature was conducted to identify recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals. Two expert panels, one on <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and the other on <it>Education </it>were convened to determine the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies. A modified-delphi process was used to gain consensus and to rate the identified strategies along these two dimensions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 34 strategies were identified by the <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and <it>Education </it>expert panels as being important and feasible for the development of a HHR plan for recruitment and retention of rehabilitation professionals. Seven were categorized under the <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment </it>theme, another seven in <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing</it>, two in <it>Workload and Skill Mix</it>, thirteen in <it>Professional Development </it>and five in <it>Education and Training</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on the results from the expert panels, the three major areas of focus for HHR planning in the rehabilitation sector should include strategies addressing <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment</it>, <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing </it>and <it>Professional Development</it>.</p

Investigation of NRXN1 deletions: Clinical and molecular characterization

Deletions at 2p16.3 involving exons of NRXN1 are associated with susceptibility for autism and schizophrenia, and similar deletions have been identified in individuals with developmental delay and dysmorphic features. We have identified 34 probands with exonic NRXN1 deletions following referral for clinical microarray‐based comparative genomic hybridization. To more firmly establish the full phenotypic spectrum associated with exonic NRXN1 deletions, we report the clinical features of 27 individuals with NRXN1 deletions, who represent 23 of these 34 families. The frequency of exonic NRXN1 deletions among our postnatally diagnosed patients (0.11%) is significantly higher than the frequency among reported controls (0.02%; P  = 6.08 × 10 −7 ), supporting a role for these deletions in the development of abnormal phenotypes. Generally, most individuals with NRXN1 exonic deletions have developmental delay (particularly speech), abnormal behaviors, and mild dysmorphic features. In our cohort, autism spectrum disorders were diagnosed in 43% (10/23), and 16% (4/25) had epilepsy. The presence of NRXN1 deletions in normal parents and siblings suggests reduced penetrance and/or variable expressivity, which may be influenced by genetic, environmental, and/or stochastic factors. The pathogenicity of these deletions may also be affected by the location of the deletion within the gene. Counseling should appropriately represent this spectrum of possibilities when discussing recurrence risks or expectations for a child found to have a deletion in NRXN1 . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97220/1/35780_ftp.pd

Microdeletion del(22)(q12.2) encompassing the facial development-associated gene, MN1 (meningioma 1) in a child with Pierre-Robin sequence (including cleft palate) and neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2): a case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pierre-Robin sequence (PRS) is defined by micro- and/or retrognathia, glossoptosis and cleft soft palate, either caused by deformational defect or part of a malformation syndrome. Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by mutations in the <it>NF2 </it>gene on chromosome 22q12.2. NF2 is characterized by bilateral vestibular schwannomas, spinal cord schwannomas, meningiomas and ependymomas, and juvenile cataracts. To date, NF2 and PRS have not been described together in the same patient.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a female with PRS (micrognathia, cleft palate), microcephaly, ocular hypertelorism, mental retardation and bilateral hearing loss, who at age 15 was also diagnosed with severe NF2 (bilateral cerebellopontine schwannomas and multiple extramedullary/intradural spine tumors). This is the first published report of an individual with both diagnosed PRS and NF2. High resolution karyotype revealed 46, XX, del(22)(q12.1q12.3), FISH confirmed a deletion encompassing <it>NF2</it>, and chromosomal microarray identified a 3,693 kb deletion encompassing multiple genes including <it>NF2 </it>and <it>MN1 </it>(meningioma 1).</p> <p>Five additional patients with craniofacial dysmorphism and deletion in chromosome 22-adjacent-to or containing <it>NF2 </it>were identified in PubMed and the DECIPHER clinical chromosomal database. Their shared chromosomal deletion encompassed <it>MN1</it>, <it>PITPNB </it>and <it>TTC28</it>. <it>MN1</it>, initially cloned from a patient with meningioma, is an oncogene in murine hematopoiesis and participates as a fusion gene (<it>TEL</it>/<it>MN1</it>) in human myeloid leukemias. Interestingly, <it>Mn1</it>-haploinsufficient mice have abnormal skull development and secondary cleft palate. Additionally, <it>Mn1 </it>regulates maturation and function of calvarial osteoblasts and is an upstream regulator of <it>Tbx22</it>, a gene associated with murine and human cleft palate. This suggests that deletion of <it>MN1 </it>in the six patients we describe may be causally linked to their cleft palates and/or craniofacial abnormalities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Thus, our report describes a <it>NF2</it>-adjacent chromosome 22q12.2 deletion syndrome and is the first to report association of <it>MN1 </it>deletion with abnormal craniofacial development and/or cleft palate in humans.</p