Beginner\u27s Mind: Teaching From a Position of Not Knowing

Most students believe that their teachers are experts in all aspects of the field they teach in. In April of 2009 my drama students asked me to teach Commedia dell’Arte during the upcoming school year. I did have a strong knowledge of the subject but I decided to approach the project with a beginner’s mind and take a risk teaching a form of theatre I knew little about. Over the course of the school year, my students and I learned together. We researched the history, movement, and production elements of Commedia dell’Arte. The end result was a Commedia inspired performance where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet collided with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While studying Commedia dell’Arte the students learned how to take risks, work together, write a show, produce a show, and enjoy the journey to an end result. I discovered that it is not necessary to be an expert in everything I teach. All it takes is a willingness to risk and approach the subject with a mind open to possibilities

California Sunset

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Fan - San

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Implementing a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Intervention for Safer Conception among HIV Serodiscordant Couples: Recommendations for Health Care Providers

Couples in HIV serodiscordant relationships frequently desire children. Although partners who are virally suppressed pose almost no risk of transmitting HIV to their partners, partners who are inconsistently on therapy may transmit HIV to their partners when attempting to conceive. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an available safer conception strategy for these couples but is not consistently offered. We sought to better understand barriers to PrEP implementation for couples seeking conception and patient perceptions on what providers could do to encourage use. We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 11 participants representing six couples taking PrEP for safer conception in a safety-net hospital in New England. Semi-structured qualitative interviews assessed the following: Relationship nature and contextual factors; attitudes and perceptions regarding PrEP for safer conception; experience within health care systems related to HIV and PrEP; and facilitators, barriers, and other experiences using PrEP for safer conception. Four key themes have important implications for implementation of PrEP for safer conception: Knowledge and understanding gaps regarding HIV and PrEP among both members of the couple, role of insurance and financing in decision-making, learning to manage and adhere to a treatment plan, and the need for providers to enhance knowledge and offer further support. Addressing barriers to safer conception strategies at multiple levels is needed to prevent HIV transmission within serodiscordant couples who desire children. Providers can play an important role in lowering these barriers through the use of multiple strategies

I Can\u27t See The Good In Good-bye

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Acquisition, Response, and Error Rates With Three Suites of Collision Warning Sounds

The acquisition, response speed, and error rates of three suites of collision warning sounds were investigated to evaluate the effect of sound alteration on responding. In each suite, four sounds were pictorially associated with four collision scenarios. Suite A included two natural sounds, and two artificial sounds semantically associated with one of four crash scenarios; Suite B was a variant of A, altered to reduce perceived urgency; Suite C was a set of abstract sounds constructed to vary in urgency and matched to the subjective urgency of each scenario. For each suite, subjects first learned to associate the suite’s warning sounds with an assigned crash scenario to an established criterion. This was followed by reaction time trials in which a sound was played and subjects quickly identified the scenario associated with the sound. For both young and old subjects, Suite A produced the shortest reaction times and fewest trials to criterion, suggestive of the response efficiencies reported for auditory icons. In contrast, the sounds used in Suite B, while variants of Suite A, were most difficult to learn and were not different from Suite C with respect to error rates and reaction time. It is suggested that even relatively minor alterations of a warning sound can result in marked differences in acquisition and performance

Changes in Serum \u3cem\u3eStrongylus vulgaris\u3c/em\u3e-Specific Antibody Concentrations in Response to Anthelmintic Treatment of Experimentally Infected Foals

Strongylus vulgaris is the most pathogenic nematode parasite of horses. Its extensive migration in the mesenteric blood vessels can lead to life-threatening intestinal infarctions. Recent work has shown that this parasite is still identified among managed horse populations. A serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the detection of migrating larvae of S. vulgaris. Previous work has documented an increase in ELISA values following larvicidal treatment with ivermectin and suggested that the target parasite antigen is primarily produced by the later larval stages. The aim of this study was to experimentally inoculate cohorts of foals with S. vulgaris, and then compare ELISA responses to early or later ivermectin treatments. Fifteen foals were held in confinement and infected orally with ~25 S. vulgaris third-stage larvae on Days 0, 7, 14, and 21. Foals were weaned on Day 43 and turned out to a pasture not previously grazed by horses. Foals remained at pasture continuously until the study was terminated on Day 196. On Day 55, foals were randomly allocated to three treatment groups of five each. Group 1 received ivermectin on Day 56, Group 2 received ivermectin on Day 112, and Group 3 foals served as untreated controls. Serum and fecal samples were collected at 28-day intervals throughout the study. Serum samples were analyzed with the S. vulgaris-specific ELISA and fecal samples were processed for fecal egg counting. The ELISA values of Group 1 foals were significantly lower than Groups 2 or 3 on Days 140–196. Both treated groups exhibited increased ELISA values following ivermectin treatment. Results indicate that the target diagnostic antigen is produced throughout the course of arterial infection with S. vulgaris, but that an early ivermectin treatment can reduce the cumulative antigen produced over the course of an infection