First Occurrence of Lithostrotion (Diphyphyllum) from the Mississippian Redwall Limestone in the Beaver Dam Mountains, Washington County, Utah

The Paleozoic stratigraphy of the Beaver Dam Mountains of southwestern Utah correlates well with the better known deposits of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. However, a detailed list of the fossil fauna from the Beaver Dam Mountains is lacking. Here we describe a rugose coral from the Mississippian Redwall Limestone from Washington Country, Utah. The rugose coral is highly recrystallized, but identified as Lithostrotion (Diphyphyllum) based on morphology and geographic extent. An analysis was conducted to determine conodont zonation, but proved inconclusive. This is the first documented case of Lithostrotion (Diphyphyllum) from the Beaver Dam Mountains

'I have to live with the decisions I make': laying a foundation for decision making for children with life-limiting conditions and life-threatening illnesses.

The relationship between parents and clinician is critical to the care and treatment of children with life-limiting conditions (LLCs) and life-threatening illnesses (LTIs). This relationship is built and maintained largely in consultations. In this article we lay out factors that bear on the success of clinical consultations and the maintenance of the essential clinician-parent relationship at progression or deterioration of LLCs or LTIs. We suggest an approach to engaging parents in conversations about care and treatment that recognises and appreciates the dilemmas which clinicians and parents face and in so doing provides a way for everyone to live with the decisions that are made. A close analysis of a consultation at progression and excerpts of encounters among parents, clinician and researcher are used to illustrate our approach to research, analysis and development of recommendations for clinical practice

Neurosurgical experience of managing optic pathway gliomas

Background: Optic pathway gliomas (OPGs), also known as visual pathway gliomas, are debilitating tumors that account for 3–5% of all pediatric brain tumors. They are most commonly WHO grade 1 pilocytic astrocytomas and frequently occur in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. The location of these tumors results in visual loss and blindness, endocrine and hypothalamic dysfunction, hydrocephalus, and premature death. Their involvement of the visual pathways and proximity to other eloquent brain structures typically precludes complete resection or optimal radiation dosing without incurring significant neurological injury. There are various surgical interventions that can be performed in relation to these lesions including biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid diversion, and partial or radical resection, but their role is a source of debate. This study catalogues our surgical experience and patient outcomes in order to support decision-making in this challenging pathology. Methods: A retrospective review of all cases of OPGs treated in a single center from July 1990 to July 2020. Data was collected on patient demographics, radiographic findings, pathology, and management including surgical interventions. Outcome data included survival, visual function, endocrine, and hypothalamic dysfunction. Results: One hundred twenty-one patients with OPG were identified, and 50 of these patients underwent a total of 104 surgical procedures. These included biopsy (31), subtotal or gross total resection (20 operations in 17 patients), cyst drainage (17), Ommaya reservoir insertion (9), or cerebrospinal fluid diversion (27). During the study period, there was 6% overall mortality, 18% hypothalamic dysfunction, 20% endocrine dysfunction, and 42% had some cognitive dysfunction. At diagnosis 75% of patients had good or moderate visual function in at least one eye, and overall, this improved to 83% at the end of the study period. In comparison the worst eye had good or moderate visual function in 56%, and this reduced to 53%. Baseline and final visual function were poorer in patients who had a surgical resection, but improvements in vision were still found—particularly in the best eye. Discussion/conclusion: OPG are debilitating childhood tumor that have lifelong consequences in terms of visual function and endocrinopathies/hypothalamic dysfunction; this can result in substantial patient morbidity. Decisions regarding management and the role of surgery in this condition are challenging and include cerebrospinal fluid diversion, biopsy, and in highly select cases cystic decompression or surgical resection. In this paper, we review our own experience, outcomes, and surgical philosophy

First Arkansas Records for Bigscale Logperch Percina macrolepida Stevenson (Pisces: Percidae), with Comments on Habitat Preference and Distinctive Characters

Fish samples were collected with seines and rotenone from 21 localities representing five major habitat types along the Red River in Arkansas. The bigscale logperch, Percina macrolepida, was found at 11 of those sites, providing the first records ofthat species from the state. The primary preferred habitat parameters for bigscale logperch are no current, a sand and/or silt substrate, and a water depth of 1.0-2.0 m. Percina macrolepida is morphologically very similar to the widespread and common logperch, P. caprodes, but can be distinguished from all forms of that species in Arkansas by a combination of characters. Snout shape and the presence of scales on the breast, prepectoral area, and along the posterior edge of the preopercle in P. macrolepida are the most useful distinguishing features

The origins of X-ray emission from the hotspots of FRII radio sources

We use new and archival Chandra data to investigate the X-ray emission from a large sample of compact hotspots of FRII radio galaxies and quasars from the 3C catalogue. We find that only the most luminous hotspots tend to be in good agreement with the predictions of a synchrotron self-Compton model with equipartition magnetic fields. At low hotspot luminosities inverse-Compton predictions are routinely exceeded by several orders of magnitude, but this is never seen in more luminous hotspots. We argue that an additional synchrotron component of the X-ray emission is present in low-luminosity hotspots, and that the hotspot luminosity controls the ability of a given hotspot to produce synchrotron X-rays, probably by determining the high-energy cutoff of the electron energy spectrum. It remains plausible that all hotspots are close to the equipartition condition.Comment: 49 pages, 16 figures. ApJ accepted. Revised version fixes a typo in one of the Tables and corrects a statement about 3C27

Donor Platelet Plasma Components Inactivate Sensitive and Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolates

Acinetobacter baumannii is an environmentally resilient healthcare-associated opportunistic pathogen responsible for infections at many body sites. In the last 10 years, clinical strains resistant to many or all commonly used antibiotics have emerged globally. With few antimicrobial agents in the pharmaceutical pipeline, new and alternative agents are essential. Platelets secrete a large number of proteins, including proteins with antimicrobial activity. In a previous study, we demonstrated that donor platelet supernatants and plasma significantly inhibited the growth of a reference strain of A. baumannii in broth and on skin. This inhibition appeared to be unrelated to the platelet activation state. In this study, we demonstrate that this growth inhibition extends to clinical multidrug resistant isolates. We also demonstrate that there is no relationship between this activity and selected platelet-derived antimicrobial proteins. Instead, the donor plasma components complement and alpha-2 macroglobulin are implicated

Mentorship Experiences of Doctoral Students: Understanding Desired Attributes of Doctoral Student Mentors

Background: Mentorship is a critical aspect of the professional development of the doctoral student who wishes to pursue a role in higher education. Continued understanding is needed regarding the needs of the doctoral student when it comes to mentorship. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the needs of a doctoral student from their mentoring relationships, as they work towards their terminal degree. Methods: This is a descriptive, phenomenological qualitative research study within universities that offer doctoral education. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted using Zoom video conference technology. Each interview, after transcribed, was analyzed following the step-wise approach of a phenomenological study. Credibility was established by 1) research triangulation, 2) bracketing/reflexivity, and 3) peer review. Results: Twelve doctoral students (7 females, 5 males) who were enrolled in doctoral programs with a focus on allied health or exercise science completed the Zoom interviews. Our participants were an average age of 28 3 years, and all twelve had graduate assistantship positions in association with their doctoral programs. Three main themes materialized from the data analyses including 1) guided autonomy, 2) humanistic nature, and 3) professional advocate. Doctoral students want guidance to develop the technical skills necessary for success by providing opportunities to perform with the chance to gain feedback. Mentors were identified as needing to demonstrate humanistic qualities that were rooted in being interpersonal. The importance of a mentor serving as a professional advocate to help the student grow and develop as a professional was also discussed. Conclusions: Doctoral students need their mentors to demonstrate both personal and professional attributes in the mentor relationship. Specifically, they are looking for guidance and feedback through independent learning, as well as a mentor who values them, is relatable, and is invested in their development as a professional

Evaluating preclinical evidence for clinical translation in childhood brain tumours: Guidelines from the CONNECT, PNOC, and ITCC brain networks

Clinical outcomes for many childhood brain tumours remain poor, despite our increasing understanding of the underlying disease biology. Advances in molecular diagnostics have refined our ability to classify tumour types and subtypes, and efforts are underway across multiple international paediatric neuro-oncology consortia to take novel biological insights in the worst prognosis entities into innovative clinical trials. Whilst for the first time we are designing such studies on the basis of disease-specific biological data, the levels of preclincial evidence in appropriate model systems on which these trials are initiated is still widely variable. We have considered these issues between CONNECT, PNOC and ITCC-Brain, and developed a framework in which we can assess novel concepts being brought forward for possible clinical translation. Whilst not intended to be proscriptive for every possible circumstance, these criteria provide a basis for self-assessment of evidence by laboratory scientists, and a platform for discussion and rational decision-making prior to moving forward clinically

Determination of density and surface tension in ethanol and HFA 134a mixtures

Recent publications of a transient aerodynamic atomization model have highlighted saturated vapor pressure, density, viscosity and surface tension as key properties governing pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) droplet size1, 2, 3. Pharmaceutical pMDI formulations widely use mixtures of propellant and excipients, such as ethanol, but mixing rules for the aforementioned properties are not available in the literature. Hence, composition-dependent surface tension and density were experimentally determined for ethanol-HFA 134a mixtures. The expressions presented of density and surface tension are advantageous to understanding transient flows inside the actuator and atomization of pMDI formulations containing ethanol as a co-solvent 2

QOZs in the Big Easy: A Study of Qualified Opportunity Zones in New Orleans

The MURP 4005/5005 Introduction to Neighborhood Planning course provided service learning to HousingNOLA. HousingNOLA focuses on issues that relate to housing, employment, socio-economic development, community engagement, public policy and strategic uses of data to empower individuals and enrich the non-profit, public and private sectors. The course provided an introduction to neighborhood issues that HousingNOLA cares about and strives to make better: community involvement in the planning process. The focus of the project research was on US Federal Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) and how this national policy has been deployed in both New Orleans, LA. The research report will serve as a ‘first look’ at NOLA QOZs from the national to state to local perspectives. The NOLA QOZ report will be shared with the City of New Orleans Municipal Offices and the New Orleans Business Alliance who is leading the development of a QOZ strategic plan. UNO Students identified and tested free public and private geospatial analysis and map making services. The students have shared guides to online mapping resources to summarize the conditions, and create a profile, of the QOZ that was “adopted” for the class